---
Back in the cave with Asta....
The cave fell silent as a portal shimmered into existence, followed by the sharp click of heels on stone.
Out stepped Sally, her crazed smile illuminating the dim chamber like a twisted beacon.
Her eyes lit up the moment she spotted Asta and the group.
"Asta! And the lovely Noelle!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together like an excited child. "Oh, and who are these delightful new faces? So much potential for experimentation! Especially you, Asta—your anti-magic! I must have it!"
Asta tightened his grip on his sword and stepped forward, shielding the children behind him. "Over my dead body."
"Mm, tempting offer!" Sally chirped, her fingers twitching as glowing vials began floating out of her satchel. "Let's see how far you'll go to keep your little friends safe."
Before anyone could respond, she flung a vial that exploded mid-air, releasing a sticky, glowing substance.
Asta leapt to block it with his sword, but Sally's grin only widened as she pulled out more vials.
"Jean," Alice muttered, her voice steady despite the tension. "Handle her."
Jean stepped forward, her demeanor calm yet resolute. "You won't get what you're after," she said simply, her voice carrying an almost otherworldly echo as she raised her hand and her grimoire opened in front of her.
Water began to gather around her, flowing unnaturally, as if alive.
"Water magic : Blessings of the Sea God"
Sally's eyes gleamed with fascination. "Water magic? But it's so different! Oh, I must dissect you too!" She hurled another barrage of sticky magic, but Jean moved with impossible speed.
Her body shimmered as she partially merged with the water, her form becoming ethereal and fluid.
The sticky magic passed harmlessly through her.
Jean's counterattack was swift and unrelenting.
Water surged forward in a powerful torrent, forcing Sally to retreat, her playful demeanor giving way to frustration. "Valtos!" Sally shouted, glancing toward another portal that opened nearby.
The space mage stepped through, his expression grim.
"This is getting out of hand," Valtos muttered. "Pull back, Sally—"
"Not yet!" Sally screeched. "I can still—" Her words were cut off as Jean's water magic surged toward her, forcing her to dodge erratically.
The torrent twisted and turned, relentless and precise, until it finally caught her.
Sally smirked. "Nice try, but—" Her grin froze as her movements became sluggish.
The water enveloping her glowed faintly, and her voice faltered. "W-What is this?"
Jean's eyes glinted coldly as she clenched her fist, the water surrounding Sally shimmering as it merged with her magic. "Water magic : Possession," Jean said, her voice echoing unnaturally.
Her body became even more ethereal, merging with the magic controlling Sally. "You've caused enough harm."
Sally's body twitched, and her movements grew jerky as Jean's control over her strengthened. "Fascinating," Sally whispered, even as her limbs betrayed her will. "But you think this is enough to stop me?"
Jean's expression remained unreadable as she forced Sally to hurl her own vials into the ground, neutralizing them before they could become a threat. "You talk too much."
Valtos gritted his teeth, his portal magic activating to pull Sally out of Jean's grasp. "You're reckless!" he snapped at Sally as he steadied her, his eyes narrowing at Jean's partially elemental form. "And now you've dragged us into a fight we can't win."
Before Valtos could teleport them away, Jean raised her hand, and a wall of water surged up, cutting off his escape route.
Asta and Noelle moved in, their magic ready to strike, but Jean raised her other hand, signaling them to hold.
"I've seen enough, Water Magic: Sea Hell Prison" Jean said, her voice calm but commanding.
With a flick of her wrist, the water encasing Sally expanded and solidified, binding her in an unbreakable prison.
Sally struggled, her usual manic grin replaced with an irritated pout.
"Fine," Sally grumbled, her voice muffled by the water. "I'll just take notes for now…"
Valtos glared at the group before him, his hand hovering over another portal. "This isn't over," he said, his tone low and threatening. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun doesn't forgive."
With that, he vanished into his portal, leaving Sally behind as the cave returned to an uneasy silence.
Jean released her hold, her body returning to its normal state as she turned to the group. "Secure her," she said simply, her voice betraying none of the strain her magic had caused. "And prepare for what's next. They'll be back."
--
"Get the children out of here, now!" Jean ordered, her voice carrying a sharp urgency.
Alice nodded, her usually playfulness replaced with calmness. "On it." She quickly began assembling a makeshift vehicle, her knowledge of alchemy and magic weaving together in perfect harmony.
Metal and wood were pulled from the environment, enchanted runes glowing faintly as the vehicle took shape.
Within moments, a large, magic-powered transport stood ready.
"Get in!" Alice commanded, ushering the frightened children inside.
As the last child was secured and the vehicle sped toward the safety of the town, Jean exhaled in relief—just for a moment.
Then, the atmosphere shifted.
A shimmering portal tore open before her, and before Jean could react, a blade of searing light pierced through her abdomen.
The sickening sound of flesh and bone being torn apart echoed in the cavern as blood and guts spilled onto the ground with half her abdomen carved out.
Jean staggered, clutching at her abdomen as her vision blurred.
But she didn't fall.
Her eyes glowed with resolve as she activated her spell.
"Water Magic: Representation of Sea!"
Her body shimmered and liquefied, transforming into pure water.
The light blade fell away, and in seconds, her form reconstituted, entirely unharmed.
From the portal emerged Patri, his expression solemn and his mana suffocatingly heavy.
His sharp gaze fell on Jean, then shifted to Sally, bound and subdued nearby.
"You've harmed my comrade," he said, his voice low and steady, laced with fury. "For that, there is no —."
Before he could finish, Alice appeared silently behind him, her presence masked by a powerful artifact.
Her hand pressed against Patri's back, her alchemical seal glowing brightly.
"Explosion Magic: Continual Summoning Explosion," Alice intoned calmly, retreating far out of range.
A web of intricate runes etched itself onto Patri's back, glowing ominously as the air swelled with explosive pressure.
The first detonation was deafening, and as the shockwave reverberated, a chain reaction began.
Each explosion triggered another, growing more powerful and relentless with each passing second.
Patri snarled in pain, his mana flaring as he struggled to contain the growing destruction.
Jean didn't waste the opportunity.
Her voice rang out, firm and focused. "Water Magic: Megiddo."
The air grew unnaturally dry as small droplets of water formed all around the cavern.
These droplets coalesced, floating ominously before shooting out in supersonic jets, crisscrossing the air like razor-sharp spiderwebs.
The sheer force sliced through stone and air alike, leaving no room for escape.
Patri roared in agony as one of the jets severed his hand, blood spraying onto the cavern floor.
The combination of relentless explosions and precision water magic left him pinned, his usual composure shattered.
Despite his predicament, Patri's mana flared again, signaling a desperate counterattack as light sword were launched in all directions.
Alice's eyes narrowed, and Jean readied another spell.
Neither would allow him to gain the upper hand.
They had been trained by Nero to go all out when fighting unknown opponents, and there was no room for hesitation.
With a sharp squelch, Patri's leg was severed by another of Jean's precise water jets, the limb falling lifelessly to the ground.
The chained explosions from Alice's alchemical seal finally subsided, the runes having spent their energy in a storm of devastation.
What remained of Patri emerged from the smoke and debris—a twisted figure that could barely be called humanoid. Charred flesh bubbled like molten rock, glowing faintly from the heat of still-burning embers.
His skin was entirely gone, his once-proud form reduced to a grotesque shadow of itself.
His eyes were milky, blind, one leg and one arm were missing, and the remaining limbs hung limply, utterly useless.
Jean wasted no time. With a grim expression, she used her magic to sever the rest of Patri's limbs in quick, precise strikes.
The maimed leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun collapsed in a heap, unconscious and utterly broken, barely clinging to life.
A stunned silence filled the cavern.
Noelle stood frozen, their faces pale with shock at the brutal efficiency of Jean's and Alice's coordinated assault.
While Asta nodded in approval of them following Father's ideals perfectly of not giving the enemy a chance without reasonable adavntage.
Alice smirked faintly as she surveyed the carnage. "Jean, keep him alive. We'll need him for questioning," she said, her tone calm but carrying a sinister edge.
Jean nodded, her form shifting slightly as her body took on an ethereal quality. "Water Magic: Possession." Her voice rang out clearly, and her body shimmered as she merged with Patri's unconscious form.
Her magic enveloped him, stabilizing his vital signs and ensuring he wouldn't die before they could extract the information they needed.
As this unfolded, Valtos, the space mage, made his move.
A swirling portal opened near Patri's crumpled body, his mana flaring as he attempted a rescue.
Alice's grin widened into a manic smirk. "I knew it," she muttered, her voice dripping with anticipation.
She dashed toward the portal, her hand glowing with the runes of her explosion magic, ready to strike Valtos the moment his face emerged.
Her fingertips grazed the edge of the portal, but before she could complete her attack, a sudden burst of flames roared toward her.
She barely managed to throw up a shield, the intense heat forcing her to retreat.
The flames subsided, leaving Alice scowling as she scanned the area.
"Damn it," she muttered, her voice filled with frustration as she realized Patri's mutilated body was gone.
Valtos and his ally had managed to extract him just in time.
Alice clicked her tongue in annoyance but quickly shrugged it off. "Oh well," she said with a smirk, turning back toward the others. "We practically made him a cripple anyway. Not much he can do now."
Jean re-emerged from her water magic form, her expression neutral as she glanced at the silent Asta and Noelle. "We've done enough damage. Let's regroup and report back."
Alice nodded, her smirk returning. "They won't recover from this easily. Let's hope they think twice before crossing us again."
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