Lily woke up in a tent, looking around to find she was the only one inside. She heard voices outside and slowly peeked out, seeing the girls preparing to leave. As she stepped out, everyone's gaze turned to her, and Elara came running toward her, hugging her on the spot.
"Eh, mother!?" Lily blurted out.
"Looks like you're finally awake," Xialdre commented, slowly walking toward her.
"Wh-who are you?" Lily questioned.
"Xialdre. Xialdre Natori, your new master. It's nice to see you actually awake now, Lily," Xialdre exclaimed, offering a handshake, though his face remained cold as ever.
Lily sighed before shaking his hand. One by one, the girls introduced themselves to her, and she slowly realized these people weren't enemies. Because of this, she felt comfortable around them.
As the group traveled across the wilderness on foot, the peaceful environment put everyone at ease. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, and the clear sky was like a beautiful canvas as sunlight illuminated the trees. The trees swayed with the gentle breeze, and wild animals could be heard all around them.
"Whatever the way is for my eyes to sight emotion, it's gotta be something that I will acknowledge if it actually happens," Xialdre muttered to himself. "My reason for this is that from the moment I was born, I didn't feel any sympathy for others. As much as they care or hate me, I cannot feel anything about myself."
"Though these girls claimed they will make me feel emotions, I doubt all of them will even stay. What I mean is that not all the girls in my group will remain. I can understand that because in the future, there will be a chance they will change their ways. To be honest, I did say I wouldn't let them get away from my grasp since they are my tools. But, I can predict that someday my emotions will crawl back to me one by one, and that what I promised will soon fade away."
"I will then slowly let them go in their own ways, and if they stay, I can continue to protect them. But if they choose to leave, my promise to protect them will shatter. I told Elara that I will not let her get away from my grasp, but in truth, that was a lie. Once my heart slowly recovers, I will stop forcing them to be my slaves."
"And from what I know, they wouldn't survive. Those who stay with me can survive, and those who leave me will disappear into nothingness. To be more precise, if one continues to serve me, I will protect them. If one tries to betray me, my protection for them will shatter."
"My reason for this is that I want loyal followers. If these girls cannot stay with me, then they should go. If they start to doubt my abilities, so be it. I want loyal followers, and if they are not loyal, then they can continue to live on their own."
"Maybe they can find new allies to party with. I don't want to be an envious person who desires to be the only one loved. Each has their own likings and paths. Taking away their freedom is unpleasant and an erroneous act. They have their own lives, and they are free to do what they desire with them."
"So if they attempt to leave or betray me, I wouldn't try to change their minds. I can, but I wouldn't do it. Adonai will tell me so. Though all of that doesn't matter for now, I have to keep all of this in mind," Xialdre concluded in his thoughts.
He shifted his eyes to the girls, showing no remorse. He continued to walk, and the girls followed him. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, making Natalia's hat fly off. Luckily, Alisha caught it before it flew too far. The girls looked around, confused, as the clouds darkened and rain began to pour.
"I'm pretty sure this storm is created by magic," Xialdre exclaimed in his mind.
"Girls, we have to keep going. Settling down a tent here and now is useless. Our tent will only get destroyed if we do. All we can do for now is find a cave," Xialdre yelled out.
"Right," the girls responded.
The rain grew heavier and heavier as trees began to fall. The storm was strong, and thunder roared, catching everyone off guard. They were now drenched. A tree was thrown directly at the group, but Asabe flew up and punched it, breaking it into small pieces. As the log shattered, Matsuro revealed himself, attempting to slice off Asabe's head. Fortunately, Asabe's instincts were sharp, and she blocked his attack instantly with her claws.
"Tsk, looks like we've got company," Asabe blurted out.
"Looks like you guys are not that easy to defeat. That's alright though," Matsuro replied with a grin.
Suddenly, more men emerged from the shadows, surrounding Xialdre and his group. Asabe and Matsuro both backed off, creating a brief silence as they all stared at each other while the rain continued to pour. Then, the king revealed himself among his men, locking eyes with Xialdre. One of the king's men attacked, and the rumble began.
Rain fought Vildora, their speed creating dust with every step. Vildora attempted to punch Rain, but she easily dodged and grabbed him by the wrist, slamming him to the ground. Arrows were shot at her, but she dodged each one. Lara, the shooter, aimed for Rain, but an arrow flew past her hair, missing by an inch. It was Isayao, who shot five arrows at once with incredible speed.
As Lara pointed her bow at Isayao, Rain, with lightning speed, grabbed Lara by the neck and bit her arm off. Isayao screamed in pain as Mitsarao and Lucas, the golden knights, used their swords to chop Rain by the waist. Rain jumped, narrowly avoiding their attack. Suddenly, Vildora was beside Rain, catching her off guard. With no momentum to dodge, Rain could only block with her arms.
Vildora's fist connected, throwing Rain several meters away, but she landed on her feet. Zail shot a barrage of water balls at Natalia, who struggled to block them. She chanted, "May God of barrier cover me!" to block Zail's attack, but he was already behind her. Natalia, realizing she didn't have time to chant, hit Zail with her wand, knocking him to the ground.
"Sh*t, are you even a mage!?" Zail blurted out in shock.
Natalia, seizing her advantage, cast magic without chanting, draining half her mana and causing her left eye to bleed from exhaustion. She launched a fireball at Zail's face, but as the smoke cleared, Zail vanished in a flash of lightning, turning into ashes instantly.
"What the heck!?" Zail's angry voice echoed from the distance as his attack vanished.
Arisawa revealed herself with a giggle. "Did you really think I'd let you kill my favorite comrade after Xialdre?" she exclaimed.
"Your majesty, please stop this!" Zail pleaded.
"Thanks, Arisawa," Natalia said gratefully.
"No worries," Arisawa responded coolly.
Zail grunted, causing the ground to shake in an earthquake. Thorny vines emerged from the illuminated ground, but Arisawa grabbed Natalia's hand and swiftly dodged Zail's magic.
"*Fufu*, Natalia, I didn't know I had the strength to carry you," Arisawa exclaimed playfully.
"Water grab!" Natalia yelled, and hands made of stone burst from the ground, grabbing Zail. Adding, "PURE THUNDER FALL!" she summoned a thunderbolt, but Zail teleported away, evading the attack.
Both Natalia and Arisawa were caught in a web as Merry lunged at them, biting Arisawa's arm. Natalia chanted, "Burn!" and Merry's hair burst into flames. Arisawa turned Merry's web to dust, allowing them to escape. The rain poured heavier as the fire on Merry's hair faded.
Meanwhile, Lily, Hiter, Tailin, Alixian, and Clementine battled fiercely. Hiter, outnumbered, struggled against their combined assault. Vines tangled around Hiter's legs as assassins' pins flew at him. He blocked Clementine's pins strike, but Alixian summoned creatures—snakes, orcs, and tigers—that overwhelmed Hiter. Lily punched his head to the ground, causing him to bleed profusely.
Daiki and Kenshin pointed swords at Alisha, apologizing as they aimed to capture her under direct orders from the king. Alisha disarmed Daiki with a kick, making him fall, and attempted to kick Kenshin, who dodged. Kenshin tried to grapple Alisha's face but lost his hand when she sliced it off. Daiki attacked her leg piercing his sword through it, forcing Alisha to retreat as her leg bleeds, while Kenshin remained focused on his mission despite his injury.
Zail continued firing spells at Arisawa and Natalia, who continued blocking despite the relentless barrage. Arisawa effortlessly dodged Merry's webs and summoned a rook piece, which moved at lightning speed horizontally, slamming Merry away. Merry retaliated by summoning spiders, but Arisawa summoned bishops that physically struck Merry diagonally, leaving her heavily wounded. Merry collapsed as her summoned spiders turned to ashes.
Merry glared at Arisawa, starting to utter, "You piece of sh—" Before she could finish, Arisawa summoned a queen piece that pierced Merry's belly, causing her to lose consciousness instantly.
Matsuro, on the other hand, was fatally wounded. Asabe remained unfazed by his attacks, effortlessly dodging or blocking them. Unscathed, she stared down at Matsuro and thrust her claws into his heart, causing him to lose consciousness.
Meanwhile, Yuri and Snow clashed fiercely. Despite her large body frame, Yuri was incredibly fast. Snow turned the ground to ice, forcing Yuri to leap into the air. She pulled a magical sword from the center of her chest. Snow erected an ice wall to shield herself from Yuri's attack.
Yuri backed up as the ice wall transformed into a large ice spike, which grew a handle, becoming a massive sword. Snow immediately charged at Yuri, attempting to thrust the sword into her chest. Yuri dodged to the right, avoiding the large blade.
Snow, quick to react, swung the sword back toward Yuri. Yuri swiftly blocked with her own sword and charged at Snow. Snow dropped her sword, trying to regain her momentum to dodge or block. She failed, and Yuri kicked her in the face, spinning her around. Yuri leaped into the air, attempting to decapitate the queen.
Before Yuri could strike, an ice spike erupted from the ground and pierced her belly, causing her to spit out blood.
"You're quite strong, aren't you?" Snow commented, catching her breath. Yuri, in extreme pain, regained her senses and thrust her sword into Snow's heart, killing her instantly.
"Most of them get killed because they underestimated us," Asabe explained. "To be honest, your allies are formidable foes, but they underestimate us. You guys overestimate your sizes but still lose before you guys can even have a chance to fight back."
Xyrene stood beside Asabe, both staring at Shion and Stella, who returned their gaze.
"You guys are indeed strong," Stella exclaimed, "but don't overestimate yourselves. King Avias is probably strong enough to kill you all."
"You're making us look like the bad guys now," Xyrene responded.
Books floated around Stella as Shion held her sword. The battle began immediately. Tentacles erupted from the ground, charging at Stella and Shion. Shion sliced them off, but Asabe was already beside her. Asabe thrust her claws into Shion's chest, breathing fire directly into her face.
Shion fell to the ground, dead. Stella trembled in fear as tentacles grew from the ground again, grabbing her hands and feet. She was ripped apart in an instant.
As blood splattered everywhere, Lily, Alixian, Tailin, and Clementine rushed to Yuri, helping her get off the ice spike thrusting into her belly. As they pulled her out, Yuri lost consciousness but was still alive. Tailin did her best to heal Yuri, while Clementine and Alixian attempted to calm her down. Lily, on the other hand, protected their surroundings as Shinji approached them.
"Most of our allies are dead. It's unfair if we are the only ones who are gonna lose allies... Right?" Shinji exclaimed in tears as the rain continued to pour.
Vildora and Rain were in a fierce battle, each movement breaking the sound barrier, with Vildora slowly losing ground. Mitsarao and Lucas came running at Rain to help Vildora, but tentacles grew from the ground and crushed them instantly. Xyrene stood nearby, meeting Lara's gaze.
Their eyes locked as Lara held her bow with one arm, using her mouth to grab an arrow. Before she knew it, she was crushed dead by Xyrene.
"Return Magic!" Natalia yelled as Zail's attack rebounded back at him. Zail blocked, creating a water stream with the rain and blasting it at Natalia. Luckily, Natalia dodged and chanted, "May time stop!" but it didn't happen.
The immense presence around them rendered magic mundane as Zail charged at her, creating a water spell and shooting it directly at Natalia, sending her flying meters away from the battlefield.
Natalia tried to stand up, having fallen to the ground from the impact, but more water balls were shot at her. She endured the pain as Zail continuously attacked.
"Don't mess with a Class S Mage, girl," Zail commented.
Natalia closed her eyes as Zail turned his attacks to stone, making them more fatal as they hit her head, causing it to bleed. Before she knew it, Zail cast an explosion spell directly at her.
The explosion caught everyone's attention as the smoke scattered all over the forest, creating a fog that made it hard for anyone to see. Though Asabe and Xyrene could see clearly, the rest couldn't. Alixian felt a sharp metal object thrust into her chest, causing her to spit out blood as she fell to the ground.
Lily struggled to see as she felt her body being separated from the ground and levitated into the sky before being slammed down hard, leaving her fatally wounded. Despite the fog, Rain used her senses to fight, giving her the upper hand in her duel against Vildora, who couldn't see much.
Zail's mana was still not even half depleted as Arisawa stood before him, looking at him intently.
"She's already dead," Zail exclaimed.
Arisawa's smile disappeared as she remained silent, her breathing growing heavier as she continued to stare at Zail.
Clementine tried to protect Lily, Alixian, Yuri, and Tailin but was overwhelmed by Shinji's attack power. Sharp metals continued to shoot everywhere as she used her assassin's pin to deflect them.
"What's happening? Is this really the end?" Clementine muttered to herself.
In the sky, Xialdre was being fought by Roxy and Avias. Both Avias and Roxy were overwhelmed by Xialdre's strength. Noticing what was happening below, Xialdre attempted to fly down but was stopped by Roxy trying to stab him. He blocked with his dagger, As king Avias summons a bunch of swords that were thrown at Xialdre.
Xialdre dodged, maneuvering away from Roxy's attack. He teleported above the king and kicked him in the face, throwing him several meters away. Roxy came charging at him with high speed but failed as Xialdre was faster. He grabbed Roxy by the face and slammed her from five hundred feet in the sky. As Roxy's head made contact with the ground, the gust of wind from the impact dissipated the fog.
Xialdre looked around and saw Alixian, Yuri, Tailin, Lily, and Clementine unconscious as Asabe healed them. Isayao approached Xialdre, while Alisha, having defeated the Platinum and Diamond knight, stood nearby with her mana depleted.
Several meters away, a blast from the sky struck, making the ground shake. It caught everyone's attention as the blast was white. Arisawa flew inside the blast, growing six white wings on her back. Eyes opened on her wings, and a halo formed just above her head. Her presence made everyone fall to their knees, Force fully except for Xialdre as he remained standing. Even the king, Asabe, and Xyrene was forcefully knelt by Arisawa's presence.
Zail watched as his body slowly disintegrated from existence. Natalia had managed to use barrier magic at the last second, saving herself from Zail's enormous explosion magic. Arisawa, thinking Natalia had been killed, went into pure madness, transforming into her seraphim form. Seeing Zail, Arisawa turned back to her normal form and fell unconscious as Natalia caught her in time.
Natalia stood up, carrying Arisawa. Xyrene carried Alixian, Tailin, Alisha, Clementine, Lily, and Yuri. Elara joined them, healing the wounded and offering mana as Xyrene, Isayao, and Asabe stood beside Xialdre.
Rain had killed Vildora and now also stood beside Xialdre. Emiko approached as Asabe questioned her, "Where were you all this time?"
"Well, I've been fighting this girl called Airi," Emiko replied.
"What about you, Isayao?" Xyrene questioned her.
"That guy Jinori is a pedophile. He said he wanted to touch me before I die..." Isayao answered.
"To be more precise, you were fighting him?" Emiko commented.
"Yes," Isayao replied before fainting.
"Let's just be proud of what she did. Isayao, don't push yourself," Xialdre said.
"Master, it's not like you can feel proudness," Asabe remarked.
"No... Currently, I can feel a tingle of emotions crawling inside me. Though it's still faint, Isayao, this is an order: don't push yourself," Xialdre explained.
The girls smiled as Isayao was backed up. The only ones still standing in Xialdre's group were Xialdre, Asabe, Xyrene, Rain, and Emiko. The rest were unconscious.
Meanwhile, on the king's side, only Avias, Roxy, and Shinji remained alive.
"Roxy, I love you," Shinji confessed.
Roxy's cheeks turned red as she replied, "I love you too."
The king looked around in disbelief at his three dead wives. He felt anger and sadness simultaneously as his aura darkened like that of a Demon Lord.
"Let's end this," Xialdre exclaimed.
The remaining girls responded, "Right!"