[Elena's PoV]
Finally, the time has come... the final battle on this last day.
"Justice Spirit!" Brian immediately cast his signature magic. His body became surrounded by a golden light.
He then dashed towards Raul, who held the high ground.
Brian's punch missed as Raul dodged by shifting his head, retaliating with a punch to Brian's stomach. Raul then kicked him, sending Brian flying. If this kept up, Brian would fall into a deep chasm.
"Flame Panthera!" Geralt shouted, flames igniting around both his legs.
He rushed towards Brian, catching him in mid-air, and landed smoothly on the ground.
"Brian! We agreed not to underestimate him, didn't we?" I scolded the reckless blond man.
"Sorry, I just really want to save Ariel quickly!"
Raul was in a higher position, surrounded by deep ravines. Long-range attacks would be the best way to force him down so we could surround him.
"Magicians, aim your magic at Raul's platform and destroy it!" I commanded.
"Understood!"
"Right away!"
They began chanting their spells. Soon after, magical projectiles of various elements flew toward Raul.
He leapt, grabbing onto a rope hanging nearby, swinging away from the incoming magic attacks.
Boom!
Our magic struck the mining walls, causing small explosions. Raul landed, activated his Accel magic, and punched one of our members hard in the face, sending him flying.
"Geralt! Protect our magicians! Valeria and the others, restrict his movement! Brian, attack him when he's cornered!" I gave orders to the group.
Geralt blocked Raul, preventing him from getting too close to our mages, while Valeria's magic forced him to keep his distance.
"Earth Bind!"
Raul's feet were suddenly caught by a hand of earth, conjured by one of our members. The hand lifted him and slammed him into the mining wall with force.
But Raul quickly spun in the air, landing with his feet to absorb the impact. He then stood up, reactivating his Accel magic.
"Geralt, Brian! Be ready! He's coming for another attack! Don't let him near our magicians!" I warned them.
Raul seemed determined to target our mages, knowing they were causing him trouble.
Raul charged at us again, with Geralt and Brian moving to intercept. They exchanged blows fiercely. This time, the mages couldn't attack Raul without risking hitting Brian or Geralt, who were our main defense.
If only Ariel were here, we could fight without worrying about friendly fire.
"Aghhh!"
Geralt screamed in pain as Raul stomped on his ankle, dislocating it.
Raul then kicked Brian's face, sending him sprawling, before delivering a hard punch to Geralt's face.
"Brace yourselves! He's coming!"
Raul rushed toward us again, moving like a serpent about to strike its prey.
"Earth Missile!"
"Fireball!"
"Wind Blow!"
The magicians fired their spells at Raul again.
The dark-haired man zigzagged, dodging all the incoming magic.
"Move forward! Stop him from getting close!"
Four of our members rushed forward, trying to halt Raul's advance.
Raul slid under the frontmost member with a swift slide, then leapt into the air, delivering a flying kick to the chest of the person ahead of him.
Bam!
He then punched the face of another, sending him flying.
"Dammit! Die, you filthy noble!" one of our members shouted.
The two remaining members attacked Raul, but he easily dodged their moves and broke the arm of one with a brutal strike to his elbow.
"Arrghh! My arm! My arm!" the man screamed in agony.
Raul kicked the last remaining member into unconsciousness.
With those four down, there was nothing standing between Raul and our magicians.
Some of them began to panic as Raul closed in.
Valeria stepped forward, her hands glowing as she prepared an unusual spell.
"Earthborn Amalgam!"
The ground around Valeria gathered into a massive clump of earth in front of her.
Moments later, it formed into a large humanoid figure, standing four meters tall and looking menacing. A golem!
"Attack him, Amalgam!" Valeria commanded.
The golem swung its massive arms toward Raul.
Raul dodged and rolled out of the way, avoiding its powerful strikes. If the golem hit him, every bone in his body would surely be shattered.
I watched Valeria from behind. Being able to cast third-tier earth magic at her age was proof of her incredible talent.
"Raul! I won't let you do as you please!" Brian yelled as he attacked Raul once again.
It seemed he had recovered from Raul's earlier kick.
I glanced over at Geralt, who was still holding his injured leg. If Ariel were here, this fight would be much easier. This was probably why Raul kidnapped Ariel earlier, knowing she would be a deciding factor in this battle.
"Sunlight Fury!" Brian's hands glowed with a golden light.
He launched a flurry of attacks at Raul, but the dark-haired man easily read Brian's moves.
Boom!
Raul leapt backward, avoiding Valeria's golem.
"Fiery Kick!" Geralt suddenly appeared from behind, aiming a flaming kick at Raul just as he landed.
Raul turned and raised his right arm, blocking Geralt's kick.
Bam!
Geralt was thrown backward.
He struggled to stand on one leg, his body drenched in sweat from the pain.
There were twelve of us left, including me. With Brian as the main fighter, Geralt, and Valeria's mages providing support, we could still defeat Raul here.
"Hoo~ Still want to fight, Geralt? Shall I break the other leg as well?" Raul taunted as he activated both his Temper and Accel spells.
Geralt's body trembled at Raul's words.
"Don't falter, Geralt! We're all here to back you up!" I shouted, encouraging him.
Raul dashed towards Brian and Geralt. Brian moved in first, throwing a right hook at Raul, but the dark-haired man ducked and punched Brian's knee.
Crack!
The sickening sound of Brian's knee breaking echoed as he was kicked away by Raul.
"Fiery Kick!"
Geralt, despite his injuries, charged at Raul again, flames trailing from his legs. But Raul dodged and grabbed Geralt's ankle mid-air.
"Don't think that attack will stop me!" Brian roared as he got back up and rushed at Raul once more.
Seeing this, Raul spun and hurled Geralt into Brian, causing them to collide.
With them down, Raul rushed towards the magicians again, only Valeria's golem stood between him and them.
"Amalgam, attack!" Valeria shouted, commanding her golem to intercept Raul.
Seeing the giant statue approaching, Raul leapt into the air. A rune appeared on his right hand, signaling he was casting a powerful spell.
That magic... could it be...
"Reject Impact..."
Boom!
Valeria's golem shattered into pieces, obliterated by Raul's shockwave.
"Aghhh!"
Raul kicked Valeria, sending her flying, before he began taking down the remaining magicians one by one with only his feet.
Is this... the end?
---
[Ariel's PoV]
I heard it... I could see it through these small holes... They were fighting Raul.
I wanted to scream and tell them I was here. However, if I did, their focus would shift, and Raul could easily take advantage of that to defeat them.
I didn't want to be a burden to them again.
But I wanted to help them... I didn't want to just sit here.
I looked up at the height of the hole where I was.
My hands started to reach for the rocks; I tried to climb this seven-meter hole... But no matter how hard I tried, my body kept falling. My physical condition was too weak to climb this steep hole.
"Aghhhh!"
I heard a scream, and I looked through this small hole. I saw Geralt holding his leg.
I had to hurry! I needed to heal him.
Climbing the hole again, I struggled to grip the reachable edge of the rock. However, I still fell, unable to climb any higher.
This is impossible... Throughout my life, I've always been helped when I was in situations like this. I've always been supported and never made an effort to save myself.
"Gagghhh!"
Another scream was heard... This time, Raul broke the arm of a man who tried to attack him.
No, I couldn't give up here... Everyone was fighting; I couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
I climbed the hole again. Strengthening my grip, I tried with all my might not to fall.
Just a little more, Ariel... You can do it... Don't ever go back to being a burden to your friends... You must be able to help them this time.
I said that in my heart to strengthen my resolve and belief.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Finally, I managed to climb the hole.
I couldn't waste any time and had to hurry to another place!
I then ran as fast as I could to get out of this area. However, one more problem arose. I forgot that Raul had carried me over a chasm.
Looking down into the dark chasm, I couldn't see the bottom at all.
Could I jump over it? Just one misstep and I would fall and fail this trial, preventing me from helping my friends who were fighting.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through my mouth.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I could make it, but I had to try.
I stepped back to take a run-up, then dashed forward as fast as I could to gain good momentum.
I jumped, but it seemed like my feet wouldn't reach the edge.
"Aghhhh!"
My hand reached for the edge of the cliff... With all my strength, I pulled myself up.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..." I finally succeeded.
I stood up and continued running toward the sound of screams that were very clear. Shortly after, I reached the place where the others were fighting Raul. However, I was shocked to see this unbelievable battle situation.
There stood Raul alone; all my comrades had fallen, with none left. Only a few people still looked like they were moving.
The man with black hair then glanced at me, realizing my presence here.
"Finally, you've arrived, Ariel," Raul said with a flat expression. "Now, you're the only one left uninjured."
He then walked slowly toward me. His arms looked limp, as if paralyzed.
"No, Ariel! Stay away from him!" Brian shouted, struggling to get up.
He then lunged at Raul, trying to keep him from getting close to me.
"I won't let you do as you please! Flame Panthera!" Geralt also rose to fight Raul.
The three of them resumed battling. Raul, who only seemed to dodge and attack with his legs, could keep up with both of them.
I had to do something...
I had to stop Raul, no matter what. If not, even more of my friends would get hurt here.
"Aghhhhh!" Brian screamed as he took a solid kick to the face.
Mother... Can I use it?
I held the pendant my mother gave me. It was an artifact to seal a sealing magic from the Lusignan family.
Yes... Our family is known for its expertise in sealing magic.
"Quick, attack him, Valeria!"
Geralt held Raul's body from behind, locking all his movements so he couldn't move.
"I understand!" Valeria got up and began gathering a significant amount of mana in her right hand.
"Shoot me along with him if that's what it takes to defeat this bastard!" Geralt shouted.
A magic circle appeared in front of Valeria's palm, a green magical energy surrounded her body.
"Rayo la Verde!"
A green laser then shot from the magic circle toward Raul and Geralt.
The man with black hair headbutted Geralt, causing him to bleed, then broke free.
"Aghhhhh!"
Geralt was hit by Valeria's magic; his body began to blister as a magic circle appeared around him. Geralt slowly vanished, swallowed by the magic circle, indicating he had fallen in the first stage of the trial.
"No way ..." Valeria said, looking incredulous.
-Bam!
Raul rushed to kick her, causing Valeria's body to slam against the mine wall.
"No... Stop this, Raul..."
The man with black hair glanced at me again, walking slowly as if he had already won this match.
"Ariel, run! I'll hold this monster!" Brian got up again, attacking Raul with the last of his strength.
Please, stop this fight...
A pink mana energy began to swirl around my body...
I ...
Bam!
Brian fell, Raul attacked his solar plexus with his right knee.
He then stomped on Brian's head...
"Raul... Please, stop all this..."
His black eyes stared coldly into mine. He didn't respond at all to my plea. I remembered what we had talked about regarding insects earlier.
"You must get rid of me if you don't want me to wipe out your friends today."
That's what he had said before...
I understood now...
This time, I didn't want to be continually saved by my friends...
This time, I would protect them...
"I am the Light of My World..."
I began to chant the spell of a magic I had never used before.
"Bring Hope for Humanity... Eradicate The Darkness from the Form of Evil..."
Raul began to run toward me; there was nothing to stop him now.
Stretching my arms toward him, a magic circle appeared in front of me.
Raul—the man with black hair had arrived; we were now facing each other.
"Sealing Magic... Lance of Longinus..."
A magic spear emerged from my magic circle and pierced through Raul's chest.
His body was pushed back before the magic spear finally lodged into the mine wall.
Raul's body hung on the wall, crucified by the Lance of Longinus that penetrated his chest.
This holy spear is a family heirloom of the Lusignan family, and no one can remove it except its wielder.
Blood began to flow from Raul's mouth, his uniform soaked in blood pouring from his chest.
"Well... Done... Ariel..."
After saying that, Raul's body was enveloped in a magic circle, then vanished without a trace. He—Raul de Garcia, had fallen in the first stage of the endurance trial.
---
Author's Note:
Finally, the battle between Raul and the alliance of the three great clans, totaling about 140 people, was won by the Alliance.
65 people fell when Raul trapped them in the cave and flooded it on the third day.
21 people fell when Raul trapped them to fight the Nazarith bird on the fifth day.
30 people fell in the attempt to enter the mine on the sixth and seventh days.
And lastly, 20 people fell while fighting him in the final battle on the seventh day. Only four remained: Ariel, Valeria, Brian, and