When Lumos narrowly escaped the piercing Blood Appell, Aoi selflessly pushed him aside, taking the full brunt of the attack. The sinister spell pierced clean through her, and for a moment, her silver wings spell threatened to unravel. However, thanks to the last-ditch effort, Aoi landed safely on the ground. Lumos, deeply alarmed, thought to himself, "I can't stand by and watch Aoi perish like this."
As Lumos continued to battle Hell with his sword, he chanted, "Radiance magic, Arctic Aurora, Arctic cooling light." The soothing glow of the Aurora light descended gently upon Aoi, aiding in her recovery. Hell remarked, "You could keep pace with me better if you lightened your load, but you won't do that, will you?"
Lumos replied with determination, "Of course not. I'll never abandon them."
Hell nodded and simply stated, "Blood magic."
Meanwhile, in Vah Medow Village, Zenon and Faiz discussed their impending battle. Zenon inquired, "Faiz, how many days do we have until they attack?"
Faiz replied, "Based on the information from HQ, the Zecres forces plan to assault us with their undead army in around two days. They're after the dungeon VC Roy was sent to."
Zenon asked, "So, how are the preparations? Are all the elites present?"
Faiz confirmed, "Yes, sir."
Zenon declared with determination, "Good. Let's give them a battle they won't forget."
Faiz acknowledged, "Yes, sir."
Meanwhile, deep within the dungeon, Roy, Astrea, and Klaus descended to the 10th floor. Astrea questioned, "Sir, why can't Klaus and I give it our all? We can't even take down any enemies."
Roy explained, "It's simple. You two need holy relics. These relics are magical weapons that emerge from special books tailored to suit your fighting styles. Obtaining one isn't easy. You must be chosen by a Grimoire, which also helps stabilize your magic. Take a look at my Grimoire, the Divine Book of Astraeus."
Klaus admired it, saying, "That's a cool book, sir. What weapon do you use?"
Roy said, "That's ancient history; I forgot."
As they reached the 10th underground floor of the dungeon and opened the door, the leader of the Zecres, Baron Vortem, greeted them, saying, "Hello, knights. I am Baron Vortem, the first pillar of death in Zecres."