Once their objective of carving a path for Kaito was clear, their actions grew swifter in kind.
Noin sprinted with a powerful stride that showed no hint of exhaustion, and Laguna quickly pulled up alongside her as they charged toward the wall of demons.
"It has been a long time. How long has it been since we last fought together like this?"
"Who knows? If you’re feeling rusty, feel free to sit this one out."
"Nonsense!"
After their brief exchange, Laguna accelerated sharply and thrust her great spear forward.
"Watch this, Hikari! Let’s go with... Trident!"
As Laguna shouted and slammed her spear into the ground, three massive pillars of water surged upward, swirling toward the enemy like liquid lances. This strike, a literal tsunami on land, swallowed a vast number of demons before the three pillars merged into a single, titanic vortex that trapped the host within.
Even before the vortex finished forming, Noin came to a halt. She manifested dozens of Japanese swords in the air and dropped into an iai stance. The floating blades moved in perfect synchronization with her own motions, and every single one unleashed a slash at once.
"One Flash, Hundred Blades: Hundred Flowers!"
The hundred unleashed strikes tore through the great vortex in an instant, reaping the consciousness of the demons within. Of course, she had no intention of killing them; the magical slashes had been carefully tempered to merely incapacitate.
"Honestly, acting without any coordination... have some sympathy for the person who has to time their magic with yours."
"Hahaha, that is only because of my absolute trust in you!"
Though they succeeded in knocking out a significant portion of the force, the more skilled demons managed to escape the vortex. Laguna and Noin immediately readied their weapons to engage them.
While they fought, the others who had rushed to the scene began their own engagements elsewhere on the field.
"Luna!"
"I expect a special allowance for this, my lady. These are expensive, not to mention single-use... Hah!"
Seeing the demons approaching in a tight formation, Lilia shouted. Lunamaria instantly grasped her intent, pulling several cards from her pocket and hurling them at the crowd. With a snap of her fingers, the cards transformed into a web of magical threads, entangling the charging demons.
"Sieg!"
"Right. Make sure you hold back, Lili."
Confirming the demons were immobilized, Lilia manifested a massive magic circle beneath her feet. Her spell birthed a raging tornado that swallowed the trapped demons. Then, as Sieglinde plunged her flame sword into the ground, the wind ignited into a pillar of fire.
"Sieg, you’re the one who needs to make sure you don't kill them, okay?"
"It’s fine. I have it on low heat."
"Excuse me, you two... I was nearly caught in that! My apron is actually scorched! This is definitely going on the expense report, right?!"
The coordination between Lilia, Sieg, and Lunamaria—close friends and veterans who had shared countless battles—was seamless. Working in perfect unison, the three steadily thinned the enemy ranks.
"Gaaaaah!"
Charging in with a primal roar and swinging with immense physical strength, Anima was like a heavy tank, obliterating everything in her master’s way. If an enemy blocked, she crushed them through their defense; her own resilient hide allowed her to ignore incoming strikes entirely as she continued her relentless advance.
She was a wild beast unleashed. Not even peerage-class demons could easily withstand her heavy, razor-sharp blows, and the path forward opened wider with every passing second.
Naturally, the enemies were not fools. Realizing that a frontal confrontation was suicide, they attempted to circle around her, hoping to exploit her lack of maneuverability.
However, Eta and Theta did not miss the movement.
Theta caught the incoming attacks with her great shield, and in that split second of impact, Eta swept the enemies away with her spear. Though the two often bickered during peacetime due to their clashing personalities, the twins’ synergy in combat was a thing of beauty. Because of their absolute mutual trust, Eta could focus entirely on offense while Theta devoted her entire soul to defense. By specializing so completely, the two exerted power far beyond their individual ranks, even overcoming Baron-class high-ranking demons who should have been their superiors.
Though their styles were vastly different, the hearts of these groups were as one: they would clear a path for their beloved master.
With such flashy combat unfolding at the front, it was perhaps only natural for the demons' eyes to slip away from the one person not actually fighting.
Weaving through the gaps in the struggle, Kaito advanced toward the barrier wall bit by bit, yet with steady purpose. While Kaito did not possess exceptional athletic ability, his habit of running regularly with Hina proved its worth here, allowing him to make surprisingly smooth progress.
Of course, it was impossible to evade every eye. Occasionally, a demon would notice him and move to intercept, only to be thwarted by an arrow flying from the rear.
"I won't let you interfere with Kaito-kun-san!"
Razulia, the master archer, kept those approaching Kaito at bay from a distance.
"Oops, we'd better get in on this..."
"Can't have you forgetting about us!"
With Acht and Eval moving in to provide close support, Kaito reached the barrier wall in record time. The period when the forces had been balanced was over; the scales had tipped completely in Kaito's favor. His breakthrough was now an inevitability.
"Just a little further..."
"T-This is bad! Someone, stop Miyama-dono—!"
"Do you really have the luxury of looking away?"
"Guoh?!"
Kaito reached the wall of the barrier. Noticing this, Zex frantically tried to issue orders, but Shia gave him no opening, slamming him away with her great scythe. Simultaneously, she exerted enough pressure on the other five Count-class high-ranking demons to ensure none could reach Kaito.
With things having reached this stage, there was no longer any way to stop him. Kaito reached the edge of the barrier, turned back once, and held out his hand.
"Noin-san!"
"Yes! Laguna, I leave the rest to you!"
"Consider it done!"
Handing over her position to Laguna, Noin sprinted to Kaito’s side and firmly grasped his hand. Holding her tight, Kaito reached his other hand toward the wall of the barrier.
The moment Kaito touched the surface, the barrier failed to obstruct him or the person he was touching. With a sensation like passing through a thin veil of water, Kaito and Noin emerged on the other side.
They found themselves right at the entrance of the church. They paused for a single breath to look at one another and nod, and then they placed their hands on the church doors.
The large wooden doors opened with a heavy, groaning creak.
Fia—the woman they had come for—was standing before the altar.
Bathed in the multicolored light filtering through the stained glass, she slowly turned toward the two visitors. Standing before the altar with the light at her back, her figure radiated majesty, and the faint smile on her face possessed an almost bewitching allure.
"Welcome, you two. Hehe... being here like this really reminds me of my Demon King era."
"..."
"..."
"Thank you for coming. I’m truly happy you did... But, I’m sorry. I cannot respond to your feelings."
Fia’s smile was tinged with sorrow. She knew exactly why they were here. And yet, she had already decided to reject them.
"So... won't you please go back?"