The wyvern let out another deafening roar as it launched a relentless assault on the barrier, whipping its tail and snapping its jaws. Despite the onslaught, the barrier held strong, with only a few cracks appearing across its surface.
While Liam focused on maintaining the barrier against the wyvern's attacks, Arlene focused her attention to the fallen Argus and Alexander. Their injuries were severe, Alexander's left arm was broken, and Argus's right leg was badly twisted.
"Heal Argus first, don't worry about me," Alexander urged.
"Don't listen to him, I can't win this without him-" Argus's words were cut short as he began to cough up blood.
Ignoring their pleas, Arlene concentrated, placing her hands on their chests. Her eyes emitted a faint golden glow as a bright light emanated from her palms, enveloping their bodies.
[Regenerative Control: Regeneration.]
Arlo watched in silent awe as Arlene's ability took effect, the light from her hands spreading over Argus and Alexander's bodies, mending their wounds at an astonishing rate.
Within seconds, their conditions improved dramatically, their broken arm and twisted leg returning to normal.
'They're recovering quickly, but...' Arlo's gaze shifted from the healing pair to Liam, who stood at the front, straining to maintain the shield. 'It's not fast enough...'
The wyvern, fueled by rage, continued its relentless assault on the barrier, causing more and more cracks to spread across its surface. Time was running out.
Just when they thought their situation couldn't worsen, the wyvern began to flap its wings, stirring up a whirlwind of dust as it took to the air.
"Don't let it take flight!" Argus yelled, struggling to his feet, having partially recovered from his injuries.
But it was too late. The wyvern had already ascended, its head cocked back as its throat swelled and glowed with a bright, ominous red. Unlike before, when it had released its flames immediately, the creature continued to gather fire within its maw, causing its throat to expand even further.
Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank. With the wyvern airborne, Argus and Alexander had no means of attacking it, and the beast could now launch an endless barrage of attacks upon them.
However, a single, devastating blast would be all it took, as both Liam and his shield seemed to be reaching their limit.
'...Yeah, this battle is lost-'
Arlo's thought was abruptly cut off as the wyvern thrust its head forward, releasing a massive surge of flames that burst forth from its mouth with incredible force.
Liam stood strong, pouring every last ounce of energy and strength into maintaining the barrier.
"A-Argus... a-any ideas?" he asked, his voice trembling as he dropped to one knee. "I-I don't think I'll be able to hold on this time..."
Once again, all eyes turned to Argus, desperately seeking guidance. But this time, there wasn't a glimmer of fighting spirit within him.
"Sorry... everyone... I've got nothing..." Argus admitted, his voice heavy with shame.
His words hit them like a truck. They had known their situation was dire, but hearing their leader admit defeat truly drove home the hopelessness of their situation..
'...He's given up,' Arlo thought to himself..
"So this is the end, huh... well, I can't think of a cooler way to go out.," Alexander muttered, attempting to inject a bit of humor into their final moments.
"L-Losing to a wyvern... I-I d-don't want to die…" Liam added, a sense of despair washing over him.
Arlene remained silent, her hands clenched into fists as she lowered her head. "It's all because I was too weak..." she muttered, her voice barely audible above the roar of the wyvern's flames.
Arlo watched from behind, his eyes hollow as memories of his past flashed before him.
'They put up a good fight, but it's over... they're going to die. I secretly put my barrier up while they were focused on the fight, without any of them noticing. Even after they all die, I should be fine... I'll be fine...'
Arlo clutched his grimoire tightly, his teeth clenched as he grappled with his inner turmoil.
'So why do I feel this way...?' he wondered, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. 'I've already decided not to help them... If I intervene, I risk exposing the existence of magic. If that happens, it won't only be me, but my family will be put at risk too.'
Arlo lowered his head, his entire body trembling as he wrestled with the consequences of his potential actions.
'I'm not ready... I'm not ready to deal with those consequences... I can't do it. I'm not a hero. I can't risk the safety of those I care about for strangers I just met today... I'm sorry, but you'll have to die-'
Arlo's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Argus's voice cut through the chaos, addressing him directly.
"Arlo... I'm sorry for putting you in this situation... I'm really sorry..." Argus muttered, turning to face Arlo with a sorrowful expression. "I'm the one who got you in this mess… I shouldn't have brought you here…"
"...I'm… I'm also sorry for the way I treated you. You did a great job," Arlene added, her back still turned to Arlo.
"It was only temporary, but we were glad to have you as a member of our party," Argus continued, a bright smile gracing his features.
Liam and Alexander both nodded, in agreement.
As their words reached him, Arlo's eyes widened, and a flood of painful memories from his old party came crashing down upon him, the emotions he had long suppressed surging to the surface.
Without another word, Arlo silently lowered his head. Seeing this, Argus turned his attention back to Liam, whose entire body trembled from exhaustion.
"I... I can't hold... sorry, everyone-"
Liam's words were cut short as his barrier shattered. In that moment, they all closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the searing pain of being burned alive.
"..."
But oddly enough, the pain never came. Confused, they opened their eyes, only to find themselves surrounded by a large, spherical yellow barrier.