When the descendants of the Seven Heroes set out for school together this morning—a rare sight indeed—a messenger from House Riohard intercepted them. The news he brought was identical to what Ren had heard at the Academy.
As the seven listened, a grim tension settled over their faces. It was a scene straight out of the Legend of the Seven Heroes.
"Several towns were attacked... and there were casualties!?"
"Cowards, hitting us out of the blue again. We have to move!"
Following Wayne’s lead was Kaito, the youth who took pride in shielding his friends with his legendary aegis. Confronted with the threat of the Demon King Cult baring its fangs at Leomel, he felt a crushing weight of ancestral duty.
Just like his forefather, he had to protect the people. Driven by that shared resolve, the seven began to run.
However, in this world where Ren’s presence was a reality, the situation had shifted.
When they arrived at the Riohard Manor, they were briefed by Heroic Duke Riohard himself. Reviewing the summarized reports, they gained a clearer picture of the crisis.
"They said several towns were hit, but it looks like there were no casualties," Sera noted, a revelation that shocked every one of her companions.
"Are you serious!? How did everyone survive a surprise attack like that?"
"Third Prince Radius and Marquis Ignat," Sera explained. "Apparently, they had secretly deployed forces to the high-risk regions beforehand. It’s incredible... they moved so fast."
"But the battle isn't over yet," Wayne said firmly. "We have to go."
"He’s right," Sera agreed. "Our parents and the others are already mobilizing. We can't just sit here and watch."
Several heads of the Seven Great Ducal Houses had already convened at the manor to debate their next move. Wayne and Sera looked around at their friends.
"I’m in," Charlotte said.
"Nemu, too! That means we have to hurry!"
With Charlotte and Nemu’s agreement, Lizred added her voice. "It goes without saying that you'll need Arche magic as well, won't you?"
Kaito stepped forward last. "Then I’ll be the shield that guards you all."
Since the dawn of history, the Heroic Ducal Houses had never failed to rush to the battlefield during Leomel's darkest hours. They possessed a bravery that ordinary aristocrats lacked, and their presence alone had inspired the masses for centuries.
Unlike other nobles, they were forged in a different mold. They did not believe in retreating to safety simply because of their high status. They were not merely students; they were the descendants of the Seven Heroes.
Their duty was to wield their strength for the sake of Leomel. By stepping onto the front lines, they would embolden the soldiers and the citizens alike.
Yet, there was a more practical reason for their mobilization—a secret hidden within House Meldeg, the family that had sired Skole.
In the Legend of the Seven Heroes II, this journey served as the climax of the first chapter.
Around the same time Ren departed Erendil, Wayne’s group arrived at a deep canyon several hours away from the Imperial Capital by magic ship. This treacherous region, teeming with monsters, was their objective.
The current Heroic Duke Meldeg had informed them before they left: if the magic circle left behind by Sisil Meldeg could be activated, it would deal a devastating blow to the Demon King Cult.
"The sanctuary my ancestor left behind is just ahead," Skole said.
Sisil Meldeg had infused his holy power into three sanctuaries surrounding Windea. He had done so with the prayer that his strength would protect Leomel should the Demon King ever rise again.
By performing rituals at all three locations, a massive triangular magic circle would be deployed over Windea and the surrounding territory. Much like the defensive barriers protecting the Imperial Capital and Erendil created by Mirim Altia, this was an artifact that could not be mass-produced. Legend held that it was capable of nearly neutralizing the power of the Demon King Army within its boundaries.
"Windea was the center because the wind and water of this land are vital to Leomel and the Elfen Continent," Skole explained.
The magic circle had remained dormant because activating it prematurely would have been a waste of its limited power.
"So the settlements within the circle will be protected, too?" Kaito asked.
"Exactly. My ancestor tried to leave similar protections in other lands, but he exhausted his strength on these three sanctuaries. Afterward, he devoted his remaining years to spreading the teachings of the Chief Deity."
Activating the circle required a staggering amount of mana and a specific lineage of talent. Perhaps because Sisil’s blood had thinned over the generations, no member of House Meldeg had succeeded in the activation for centuries.
But Skole was different. He had already proven he could commune with the sanctuaries.
The paths to these sites were kept strictly secret, making Skole’s personal journey essential. Having Wayne and the others as his escort was the perfect solution for maintaining security.
"You say it’s 'just ahead,' but all I see is a waterfall basin," Kaito grumbled.
"Trust me. I’m not mistaken."
Using the jagged rocks as stepping stones to cross the river, the seven stood before the thundering falls. They had come in a small group to keep the location hidden, and even their magic ship, the Deus, was keeping a low profile to avoid detection.
"Under the name of Meldeg," Skole prayed.
The waterfall split down the center, revealing the damp rock face behind the curtain of water. Skole stepped forward and touched the stone. After a few pulses of bluish-white light, the rock turned transparent, revealing a hidden passage.
"It worked," Skole said with a weak smile.
Wayne caught him as he staggered. "Skole!"
"Sorry... just opening the door takes a lot out of me. But I’ll see the ritual through to the end."
"Are you really going to be okay?"
"I have to be. As a son of Meldeg, I won't fail."
Wayne supported him as they ventured deeper. The interior resembled a massive limestone cavern, illuminated by the bluish-white glow reflecting off a large pool of water. By the time they reached the stone sanctuary at the heart of the cave, Skole had regained enough strength to walk on his own.
As they stood before the structure, torches along the walls flared to life.
"This was the first sanctuary I visited when spring arrived," Skole noted.
The interior was austere—a simple stone chamber containing a single room with a magic circle etched into the floor. At the center stood a pedestal holding a polished white orb. Skole placed both hands on the sphere. It began to vibrate, and the magic circle on the floor flooded with light.
"Unlike the rest of you, I can't fight at all... so at the very least, let me do this!"
Brilliant white mana erupted from Skole’s body. The magic circle intensified its radiance until the entire sanctuary was bathed in light. While the others watched from the sidelines, large beads of sweat rolled down Skole’s face. A crackling sound, like static electricity, emanated from the orb.
"Gu... ugh..."
He was channeling a torrent of mana far beyond what his companions had imagined him capable of. Skole harbored a deep-seated guilt for being the only one who stayed in safety while his friends bled on the battlefield. That resolve fueled his focus.
Finally, his determination won out. The blinding light subsided, and the orb rose from Skole’s hands to hover in the air.
"I did it... everyone."
Skole was clearly drained, and they still had two sanctuaries to go. However, the situation had changed. A powerful leader was now commanding the cultists, and there was no longer any reason to hold back. If the enemy was within the circle’s reach, they had to strike.
Returning to the Deus, Skole drank a potion and looked at his friends with renewed fire in his eyes. "Two more. Let’s finish this quickly."
The sky, which should have been a deep madder red, was suddenly veiled by shimmering clouds. These clouds began to shed glittering crystals of light that drifted down like snow. Slowly and gently, the crystals blanketed the battlefields across the continent.
"What on earth is this!?"
"I don't know, but it's helping us! Look at the enemy!"
The magic circle of Sisil Meldeg had been fully activated. The battlefields where Radius and his forces were holding the line became overwhelmingly advantageous. The falling crystals of light weakened the Demon King Cultists upon contact.
Though the true nature of the light remained a state secret, the knights believed it was a blessing from their allies. They moved in instantly to suppress the weakened cultists. Unlike the original timeline of the Legend of the Seven Heroes, Leomel suffered almost no casualties.
On the deck of the Deus, Wayne and the others stood against the wind, joining hands in celebration.
"Yeah! We've got this!" Kaito shouted.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kaito. We can't afford to be careless," Skole cautioned. He was leaning heavily on Kaito's shoulder, looking utterly spent.
"I know, I know. But you were amazing, Skole."
"I... I'm just glad I could help."
Sera stepped up beside Wayne, who was smiling at their banter. "This turns the tide of the entire war."
"Yeah. Now we just have to find that Priest."
"I wonder where he’s hiding," Sera mused. "He has to be out there somewhere."
A voice crackled from a magic tool on the deck. It was Nemu, calling from the bridge. "Everyone! Get back inside! I’m changing our course!"
The group rushed to the bridge. The Deus, maintained by the Heroic Ducal Houses for generations, was a marvel of engineering. Nemu stood at the pilot’s console before a panoramic window.
"We activated the circle, so we need to report in," she explained. "I can't say much over the comms because of security, but we're heading to the military rendezvous."
A fleet of imperial magic ships was anchored in the nearby airspace. The Deus pulled alongside one of the larger vessels, connecting via a magical gangway.
"We have orders not to pry into the source of the magic," the waiting knight informed them.
Nemu stepped forward. "Our mission was a success. That’s all the report you need."
"Understood. I will relay that to the Capital immediately. Furthermore..."
After ten minutes of briefing on the general war status, the group learned that while some pockets of resistance remained, the Leomel Empire was systematically dismantling the Cult’s forces. The fighting would soon be over.
The seven settled into the bridge’s lounge area as the Deus pulled away.
"Still, it’s weird that they haven't found the guy leading the cultists yet," Nemu said, spinning her chair around and popping a lollipop into her mouth.
"I don't think it's over," Sera said darkly.
"We're all thinking it," Lizred added. "It’s hard to believe they’d just give up and disappear after failing an attack this big."
As they sat in uncomfortable silence, a bell chimed—once, twice, then three times. It was an alarm from the Deus’s sensor array. Nemu twisted in her seat to check the gauges.
"Wait... what?" The lollipop fell from her mouth.
She jumped up, frantically comparing data points. When the onboard sensors weren't enough, she pulled a specialized glass-like magic tool from her bag.
"Hey, what’s going on?" Kaito asked.
"Quiet, Kaito!" Nemu snapped, her expression deathly serious. She crossed her arms, staring at the glass plate. "This isn't right... these readings shouldn't be possible. But the sensors are calibrated... the mana fluctuations in the atmosphere... there's no mistake."
She checked her calculations again. "It’s not an error... the mana in the air is being forcibly displaced. It’s moving away from a single point."
Nemu looked out the window, her gaze fixed. Charlotte was the first to realize where she was looking.
"Windea? Why are you looking back at the mountains?"
They were still within the boundaries of the magic circle Skole had activated. Wayne stood up. "The cult's hunt for Sacred Relics... is that what this is?"
"I have to check!" Nemu dove for the map of Leomel on the center table. The others gathered around her.
"What exactly did you detect?" Lizred asked.
"The mana in the air is acting strangely. It’s like it’s being pushed out by something else. Liz, you know more about mana flow than I do—what does this look like to you?"
Charlotte sighed. "We’ve come this far. We might as well see it through to the end."
Wayne gripped the hilt of his sword. "Contact the other ships. We're heading back to Windea. We can't let them have their way."
"It’s a plan! Changing course for Windea!"
"I’ll let the knights know," Kaito said, heading for the deck.
The Deus accelerated with a roar, its engines far outstripping the military vessels. Several imperial ships tried to follow, but the Deus’s superior maneuverability left them trailing.
"What could they be planning on the Holy Day of Water?" Lizred wondered aloud.
Thirty minutes later, Nemu’s voice rang out. "I see it!"
The sacred peaks of Windea appeared through the clouds, illuminated by the cold light of the stars. Nemu checked her instruments. "The wind mana is unusually calm today! It must be because of the Holy Day!"
"Does that mean we can land at the upper layer?" Kaito asked.
"Yeah! I’ve been tweaking the Deus’s stabilization since our last trip. We can push it!"
"Nemu, be careful!" Sera warned. "We don't even know if the enemy is there yet."
"Trust me, Sera! I reinforced the barriers. A little mana turbulence is nothing—"
Nemu suddenly went silent. Sera’s face twitched. "...Please tell me that wasn't an 'emergency' silence."
"N-no! But look at this!" Nemu pointed to a gauge that was spinning erratically before locking onto a specific coordinate.
"Is that... pointing up?"
"Yes! Something is happening at the summit!"
Nemu hauled back on the controls, forcing the Deus into a steep climb. The surrounding magic ships couldn't hope to keep up. The Deus sent a signal to the fleet, instructing the other ships to search the lower layers while they investigated the peak.
"They're going for the shrine!" Kaito shouted.
"But we spent days climbing that mountain!" Lizred cried. "How did they get there so fast?"
"There's only one way to find out!" Nemu slammed a red button on the console. The Deus was enveloped in a shimmering mana barrier. A piercing whistle echoed through the hull. "We’re going in with brute force!"
The ship shook violently as it hit the high-altitude mana currents. Nemu had never intended for the Deus to reach this height—if she could have done it in the spring, she would have. But something was helping them. The wind resistance was unnaturally low.
"Someone is suppressing the mana around the mountain from the inside..." Nemu muttered. If someone was doing that with magic, it had to be Orphide.
"Hang on! We're coming in hot!"
As they reached the summit, the Deus began to decelerate. Nemu aimed for a relatively flat rock shelf and fired the reverse thrusters. A bone-jarring impact sent furniture and students tumbling across the bridge, but the Deus successfully anchored.
Wiping sweat from her brow, Nemu stood up and gave a shaky grin. "See? Piece of cake."
They rushed up the familiar mountain path toward the towering shrine. When they reached the stairs leading to the grand plaza, they found the area bathed in starlight. The stone of the shrine itself seemed to pulse with a faint, internal light.
At the top of the stairs stood a man waiting for them. It was Orphide.
"So," he said with a chillingly cool smile, "it was your doing after all."
The seven glared at the Priest and readied their weapons. Orphide ignored them, his footsteps echoing on the stone. He snapped his fingers, and jet-black mana pooled beneath the students' feet. It acted like a swamp, threatening to swallow them whole.
"Not on my watch!" Skole’s white magic repelled the darkness.
Orphide swung his arm, firing the mana shrouded around his hand like a barrage of bullets. The air wailed as the projectiles flew. Kaito raised his shield, and a shimmering barrier blocked the assault.
Orphide adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the starlight with a predatory glint.
"So you're the Priest everyone’s talking about?" Kaito challenged.
"Am I? I suppose it depends on who 'everyone' is," Orphide replied smoothly. "Regardless, it’s a pity. I don't have much time to play with children."
Wayne felt the sheer malice behind those calm words. He channeled every ounce of courage into his body. "Everyone, get ready."
They didn't need to speak; their resolve was shared. This was the moment they had been training for.
"I must say, I'm impressed by the descendants of the Seven Heroes," Orphide continued.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Wayne asked.
"There’s no need for modesty. I was genuinely surprised to find the Water Goddess's Ring had been moved in advance."
Wayne and the others exchanged confused glances.
"Furthermore," Orphide went on, "the presence of my cultists has almost vanished. You certainly have skilled knights hidden in the lower layers."
Again, the students were baffled. They knew nothing about the ring being moved, nor did they know about knights being stationed on the mountain. They hadn't even discovered the ring’s location during their previous explorations.
"Oh?" Orphide noted their confusion. "You look surprised."
"Did you really think you could just walk in and take the ring on the Holy Day of Water?" Wayne countered.
"I had hoped the day would reveal it, yes. But its absence before the day even began proves someone took it early. I’m quite curious as to how. Perhaps you’ll tell me later."
Orphide had received word days ago that the ring couldn't be found. He had assumed the Holy Day would trigger its appearance, but he had arrived to find it gone entirely.
"You're a fool," Sera said. "If you'd spent your strength here instead of attacking towns, you might have found what you were looking for."
"We had our reasons," the Priest replied nonchalantly. "When we went to collect the other Sacred Relics, we found Leomel's military waiting for us."
"Waiting? We just got here!"
"I wasn't referring to you," Orphide clarified. "I meant the forces stationed below."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you're trying to confuse us, it won't work."
Orphide sighed and touched his lip, thinking. The responses he was getting were a strange mix of knowledge and ignorance. It doesn't add up, he thought. Even if they were lying, they weren't doing a very good job of it.
Is there someone else behind them? A Mastermind?
"—I needed that ring to boost the power of the Elfen Tears," he whispered, mostly to himself. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing an expensive silver watch. "No matter. My objective remains the same. I will simply take what I need by force."
He undid a button at his collar, exposing a glimpse of his muscular build and pale skin. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, then shrouded his hands in a dense, dark-red aura of mana that functioned like gauntlets.
"Now," Orphide said, his voice dropping an octave. "Let me show you how a professional kills."
He slammed his arm into the stone flagstones. A wave of mana surged toward the group, throwing up jagged rubble.
"Oraaa!" Kaito shouted, raising his shield.
Orphide scowled and charged the barrier generated by the Silver King Shield Airia. "Vile artifact," he spat.
"You're not getting through!"
"Then try to endure."
Orphide moved with the grace of a noble and the lethality of an assassin. He unleashed a blinding flurry of punches followed by high-precision kicks. The mana wall took more damage than it had in their previous encounter. His dark-red fists hammered against the glowing barrier again and again.
"What is this guy!?" Kaito grunted. "His strength is insane!"
"How charming. Is it too much for you already?"
"Shut up! We're just getting started!"
The impacts were bone-jarring. Kaito stood his ground, but the barrier began to crack with the sound of breaking glass.
"How about this!" Skole shouted. Though he was a healer by trade, he possessed offensive white magic. It wasn't as destructive as Lizred's fire, but holy power was uniquely effective against those who relied on dark mana.
He released a dozen arrows of light. They flew with the speed of the wind, and one managed to pierce Orphide's hand. No blood flowed, but it made the Priest flinch.
It was the opening they needed.
"Now—!" Wayne shouted.
"On it!" Sera answered.
Wayne had managed to get behind Orphide. Drawing on the training he had undergone since their battle with Wadatsumi, he channeled holy power into his blade. It was a light specialized for destroying those who served the Demon King. The sword glowed with an intensity that outshone the starlight.
Orphide cartwheeled away, using Kaito's shield as a springboard to regain his footing. Even so, the tip of Wayne's blade grazed his neck. The blood that welled up evaporated instantly.
"Don't forget me!" Charlotte cried. She had repositioned and drawn her bow to its limit. Her arrows, shrouded in a razor-sharp vortex of wind, tore through the air and pierced Orphide's shoulder.
"Impressive," Orphide said, looking at the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. "To think the blood of Hero Ruin truly still exists."
The wound closed the moment the arrow was removed.
"What is that regeneration?" Charlotte muttered.
"It’s just like the reports said," Wayne replied. "But we can beat it. My power is working."
Where others could only graze him, Wayne’s blade had drawn actual blood.
"Then we keep the pressure on," Kaito said.
Wayne recalled the tactical advice Ren had given him. While the group regrouped, Orphide calmly assessed his targets. Who to kill first?
He dropped low and lunged. Kaito stepped in to shield the surprised Skole.
"Did you really think that would work?" Kaito taunted.
"I did. And it will."
"Stop talking and fight!"
"As you wish."
Orphide unleashed a vicious barrage of punches. While Kaito was occupied, the Priest suddenly pivoted. He shrouded his right arm in an even denser aura of mana and swung it downward.
But he wasn't aiming for Skole.
"Wait... what?"
He was aiming for Charlotte Roferia.
A wave of mana surged toward the archer. Kaito was too far away to generate a wall for her, and Lizred’s fire spell was too slow to intercept. The impact sent Charlotte flying several meters. Sera rushed to her side.
"Charlotte! Are you okay!?"
"I’m... I’m fine... but my ankle..." Charlotte gasped, her face contorted in pain.
"I had hoped to take both legs," Orphide noted, moving toward them with frightening speed.
Sera stood over her friend and swung her sword. "Haaaaaaa!"
Lightfall. The Art was the hallmark of a Holy Sword user. It sapped the vitality of the target. Wayne followed up with a Lightfall strike of his own. Both were blocked by Orphide's mana-clad arms, but the effect was visible.
Wayne and Sera shared a firm nod. This was what they had discussed back in the bridge of the Deus.
—"Ashton mentioned this?" —"He heard it from an adventurer who survived a cult attack. We should try it." —"Worth a shot."
Against Orphide's regeneration, brute force was useless. But his power wasn't infinite; every time he used his abilities, he consumed mana. Lightfall weakened a target’s magical defenses and sapped their reserves. It was the perfect counter to his near-immortal body.
The seven knew what they had to do. Wayne and Sera would be the vanguard.
"Hmm," Orphide mused. He was genuinely impressed they had found a way to wear him down so quickly. "Not bad at all."
But Orphide was still a master. He unleashed a spinning kick to drive the swordsmen back. Even alone, he was holding his own against all seven of them.
Charlotte forced herself to stand, gritting her teeth against the pain in her ankle, and drew her bow. Kaito raised his shield again.
"This is going to be a long fight," Kaito warned. He wasn't being pessimistic; he was identifying the need for a decisive strike. Lightfall was working, but they needed a finisher.
"Wayne, we can make him flinch, but that’s it. We need you to land a serious blow or we're not going to win this."
But there was no opening. Orphide launched himself at them again. The battle stretched on, and the students began to tire. Unlike the Priest, who seemed to have an endless reservoir of mana, the seven were gasping for breath.
"Give up," Orphide said leisurely.
"Not likely," Kaito spat. "Not while I have this shield."
"How comical. Your pride rests on a name you didn't earn and a shield you found by chance."
"Keep talking, Priest!" Kaito charged forward to shield his friends.
Wayne and Sera’s Lightfall continued to sap Orphide’s strength, but his sheer martial prowess was slowly winning the war of attrition.
We need a break...
Lizred decided to gamble. She held her staff horizontally. "Buy me some time!"
"How much!?" Wayne shouted.
"A lot! All of you... just give me everything you’ve got!"
Lizred closed her eyes and began to chant in an ancient tongue. Fire began to swirl around her staff. Kaito, Wayne, and Sera formed a desperate perimeter around her.
Seconds felt like minutes. Orphide’s punches and kicks were like a physical weight against them. Then, after nearly a minute of holding the line, Lizred’s voice rang out.
"Let’s see you dodge this!"
Dragon's Breath.
A torrent of primeval fire erupted from the staff. It took the shape of a massive, undulating dragon’s head, large enough to engulf an entire manor.
"Arche magic...!" Orphide’s eyes widened. He braced himself as the inferno was unleashed.
Lizred pushed her arms forward, literally driving the flames into the Priest. Orphide was hammered back by the sheer pressure. When he hit the rock face, the rest of the fire followed, a hundred-meter stream of absolute destruction.
"I... I won't be burned away!" he roared.
"Save it!" Lizred screamed. "You’re running out of breath!"
Orphide clicked his tongue. The constant regeneration was taking its toll.
The tide had finally turned. But Lizred collapsed to her knees, her mana nearly spent. Wayne started toward her, but she yelled, "Don't stop now! Do it!"
The group nodded. Skole fired a barrage of light arrows while Charlotte unleashed a flurry of wind-shrouded shots. They targeted Orphide’s limbs, keeping him pinned.
As the dust began to settle, Orphide’s silhouette was visible against the rock. He groaned as Charlotte’s arrow pierced the back of his hand.
"Guh..." He stumbled.
Sera followed up with three rapid Lightfall strikes. When the Priest tried to glare at her, a high-speed projectile struck him in the temple.
"Don't forget me!" Nemu shouted. It was a shot from her custom magic gun, designed to disrupt mana flow.
"You children...!" Orphide’s aura flared again, blowing everyone back. He looked magnificent even in his exhaustion, but his movements were noticeably sluggish.
"Did you forget...?" Lizred smirked, wiping sweat from her face. She raised her staff for one final incantation.
Orphide tried to lunge for her, but Kaito was there. "You're not going anywhere!"
"Get out of my way!"
"In your dreams!"
Kaito slammed his shield into the Priest, pinning him against the rock. Every muscle in Kaito’s body was screaming, but he held the line. He had only one job: don't let him move.
"Remember this!" Lizred cried. "The power of Arche!"
A second Dragon's Breath, even more powerful than the first, erupted from her staff. Kaito threw himself to the side at the last possible second. The fire dragon engulfed Orphide.
"I... did it..." Lizred whispered before falling unconscious.
The flames roared, burning Orphide again and again as he tried to regenerate within the inferno. When the fire finally dissipated, the Priest was slumped against the wall of the shrine, his clothes charred and his body smoking.
He had survived, but he was at his limit. How many times have I 'died' in the last few minutes? he wondered.
There was only one person left who hadn't used their final strike.
Wayne, the descendant of Luin, had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Orphide!"
The Priest couldn't dodge. His body was too broken. He looked at the glowing tip of Wayne’s sword and gave a defiant smirk. "I was the one underestimating you... it seems."
Wayne charged. His blade clashed against Orphide’s mana-shrouded fist in a final test of strength.
"I will not die here!" Orphide roared. "I will not fall to children whose only merit is the blood they were born with!"
"It’s not just blood!" Wayne gritted his teeth, his hands turning red from the heat of the clashing mana. "It’s my resolve!"
Light and darkness warred until, finally, the light shattered the Priest’s defenses. Wayne’s sword pierced Orphide’s collarbone.
"...A wretched light," Orphide whispered. "Just like... this world..."
Blood flowed freely now, and the wounds did not close. Orphide sank to the stones, staring up at the starlit ceiling of the shrine. Wayne pulled his sword free, and a flock of dark mana dissipated from the Priest’s back like black birds taking flight.
"I did it..." Wayne sank to his knees, utterly spent.
Sera supported him while the others gathered around with the unconscious Lizred.
"You did it, Wayne!" Kaito shouted, echoing the script of the game.
The battle of Chapter One had ended.
I'm a mess, Wayne thought. I don't want to fight so much as a stray cat for a month.
Kaito rubbed Wayne’s head roughly. "Hahaha! We're all a mess, buddy!"
The victory was sweet, and despite the pain, they were all smiling. They had grown.
Lizred groaned and opened her eyes. "Oh? I'm still alive. That means we won."
"Yeah," the others laughed.
"Kaito," Lizred noted, "I told you to buy me time, but you actually dodged. You're smarter than you look."
"Hey! I wasn't going to just stand there and get roasted!"
"Ahaha! Come on, we need to get back," Nemu said.
They were ready to rest and wait for the knights to find them. But then—
A heavy pulse echoed through the plaza.
Orphide’s chest heaved. The sound of a heartbeat, impossibly loud in the silence, struck their ears.
In the world Ren knew, Orphide should have been dead. But the Priest opened his eyes and pushed himself up, his body flooding with an even more hideous, overwhelming mana.
"It is not... over."
Bleeding and broken, he began to radiate a terrifying wave of pressure.
"Then we'll just knock you down again!" Wayne shouted, though he could barely stand.
"Yeah! I didn't think we'd have to do a round two, but let's go!" Kaito braced himself, even though his shield arm was shaking.
Orphide unleashed a wave of force that shattered Kaito’s barrier into a thousand shards. The students were defenseless.
"Are you... truly different?" Orphide muttered, raising his hand to deliver the final blow.
Wayne forced himself in front of his friends. He looked every bit the hero, even in his battered state, ready to gamble his life to save them.
But then, the world changed.
A wall of shimmering, golden flames erupted between them.
The sudden manifestation incinerated every ounce of dark mana Orphide had released. Lizred stared at the golden fire, her eyes wide.
"Stronger than my flames...?"
She couldn't fathom who possessed such power, but she knew instinctively it wasn't an enemy.
When the flames subsided, a boy stood there. He had already neutralized Orphide’s counter-attack with a single, elegant flash of his magic sword.
"My apologies," the boy said. "I kept you waiting."
The sound of a magic ship echoed from the sky as the Deus began to pull away from the rock face, and Ren Ashton turned to face the Priest.