Chapter 63

In the center of the square, Gadio, Eterna, and Flamm stood with their backs to each other, their faces contorted in pain.

The evacuation of civilians was complete, and only the three of them remained alive.

On the other hand, the resonated monsters lined up, surrounding Flamm and the others.

The number of defeated enemies was still in the single digits, their stamina was drained, and they were being steadily cornered.

However, by being able to fight together, their chances of survival had increased.

Thud, Zoon—

The ground shook, and an explosion echoed from somewhere.

"Huh... Is that Linus?"

"Probably."

If the other Children had the same level of strength as Nect, they could definitely win.

This was Gadio's judgment based on his confidence.

But things were not going as planned.

"But we're struggling."

"I thought his ability was to connect with others and control them as he pleased, but those explosions..."

Perhaps he had some hidden trump card.

However, they didn't have the luxury to go and help him.

"Get ready, they're attacking again!"

The enemies surrounding them raised their hands to the sky.

Then countless lights floated up, filling the sky.

They fell like a canopy, raining down on the three of them.

"Flamm, together!"

"Okay!"

Eterna placed her hand on Flamm's Soul Eater, wrapping its blade in ice.

Flamm supported the increasingly heavy blade with her Prana-filled arms.

Gadio covered the great sword with rocks created by earth magic.

"Rock Blade—"

"Ice Blade—"

Two warriors wielding giant swords.

They faced the incoming rain of light with power that exceeded their limits.

*Roar!*

A low and high-pitched roar resonated.

Goo—Zoodoodoo!

A storm erupted in the square due to the sword wind and the released Prana.

The magic that filled the sky exploded upon impact.

On the ground, corpses and cobblestones were swept up, turning into weapons that attacked the enemies.

When the attack was deflected, the rock and ice covering the two blades shattered.

Gadio felt only a slight fatigue, but Flamm's arms, unable to withstand the excessive load, were wracked with intense pain.

"Ugh..."

"Flamm, are you okay?"

"Still... I can do it!"

She wasn't immobilized.

If her arms had been severed, they would have healed on their own.

As long as her spirit didn't break, defeat was still far away.

However, the attack she had just launched was undoubtedly her maximum output.

If it didn't leave a mark...

The vision gradually cleared.

Flamm stared ahead, trying to confirm whether the enemy, who had all their limbs, was still standing.

Suddenly, a man appeared, cutting through the swirling dust and debris.

He swung his fist at Flamm's head.

Caught off guard, she could only raise her hands to protect her face.

"Ice Shield!"

Just before impact, Eterna's voice echoed.

An ice shield formed in front of Flamm, blocking the attack.

The man's fist pierced the shield and shattered it in one blow.

While the purpose was achieved, Eterna felt her confidence waver at how easily it was destroyed.

Amid the flying ice fragments, Gadio fired a Prana spear at the man from behind Flamm.

The sharp, thin Prana arrow, aimed directly at the heart, was crushed in his fist.

Although his hand was destroyed, the trajectory of the Prana spear was deflected, only grazing his shoulder.

Immediately, a companion healed the wound, and the injury quickly closed.

"Not a chance!"

Before the regeneration was complete—Flamm, suppressing the pain running through her body, stepped forward.

She thrust the Soul Eater into the man's chest, this time piercing his heart.

Pulling it out, the man fell face-first to the ground.

Finally, finally, one down.

Immediately after, a beam of light burned her shoulder, shot from the dust.

A burn was almost painless.

Focusing, she saw that about five more were preparing to cast their next spell.

The same was true for the people standing in front of Eterna and Gadio.

Just like the rain of light earlier, they were about to shower them with beams from all directions.

Pshun!

They cast their spells simultaneously, and the three of them moved at once.

"Turn around!"

Flamm reflected the two critical attacks aimed at her head and heart, deliberately taking the rest on her body.

"Haaa!"

Gadio swung his sword, forcefully dispelling the magic.

"Ice Shield"

Eterna created a hemispherical ice shield again—intentionally facing the concave side toward the enemy.

While it was supposed to envelop the object to be protected, this was not a mistake.

Since what was released earlier was just a band of light, not a light sword or mine, she could reflect it like a mirror.

The light rays reflected inside the shield, diffused, and burned the casters.

However, with their abnormal reaction speed, only about two were taken down.

The attacks of the resonators did not stop.

The three were continuously exposed to their light magic and physical attacks, their stamina being drained.

While Flamm, with her regeneration ability, was fine, Eterna and Gadio were gradually accumulating injuries.

Indeed, the number had decreased, and a few had broken limbs from overexerting their bodies.

However, the rate of consumption was clearly higher on their side.

If they continued to clash head-on, they would eventually be defeated.

Kaa—

Then, the sky over the capital was illuminated by a blinding white light,

Doooon!

A deafening explosion shook not only their eardrums but the ground itself.

"Could it be Mute?"

It was a sound incomparably louder than anything they had heard before.

Even Linus would be hard-pressed to survive such an attack.

Moreover, why could she wield such immense power?

Something was happening, something beyond their imagination—this was the certainty of the three.

Eterna and Gadio exchanged a glance while dodging attacks and nodded to each other.

"Flamm!"

Hearing the deep, thick voice calling her, she turned around.

Suddenly, a mass of water appeared from nowhere and collided with her, engulfing her body.

At first, Flamm thought it was water magic, but then she realized she was on the back of a dog-shaped water mass and immediately knew who was behind it.

"Kyaa!? Eterna, what is this!?"

"Linus is in danger, we need your help."

"But Eterna and Gadio—!"

Flamm reached out to the two who were still fighting.

However, against her will, her body was moving farther and farther away.

"Don't worry, just defeat Mute."

By defeating the one using resonance, the people in the square might stop their activities.

In any case, it was impossible to defeat the resonated people gathered in the square with a straightforward approach.

There was no other choice but to cling to the slightly higher possibility.

Flamm bit her lip and turned her back on the two.

"Please wait, I'll definitely defeat her..."

◇◇◇

Linus, buried in the rubble, managed to crawl out and was stunned by the scene before him.

In the heart of the kingdom's most populous city, a crater a hundred meters in diameter had formed.

The houses that were supposed to be there had vanished without a trace.

The number of casualties could be in the hundreds, a thought that made him shudder.

That he had managed to escape such an extraordinary magic was nothing short of a miracle.

He didn't remember the details.

He had run with all his might, without looking back, and finally managed to escape just in time.

Blown away by the shockwave and buried in the rubble, he was still alive.

He opened and closed his hand, then blew wind with magic.

His body functions were fine, and he seemed capable of fighting.

However, even if he could fight, he had no idea how to deal with that monster.

"Ooo... Ooo... Ooo..."

Her cries echoed from somewhere.

She was still far away.

But Linus immediately started running in the opposite direction.

Since a dagger attack wouldn't work, he had to take her down with a bow.

Not just any shot, but one with maximum power.

To do that, he needed to distance himself and secure time for preparation.

Moving far enough that he could no longer hear her voice, Linus stood on a high tower and nocked three arrows to his bow.

He searched for Mute, who should be walking on the ground.

His arm tensed, veins bulging.

Huu, Huuu... The wind circled around the arrowheads infused with magic.

"Come... Come...!"

Linus whispered as if in prayer.

Then, from the shadow of a crumbling house, the spiral monster appeared.

In an instant, his right hand released the string, and the three arrows were launched.

Their trajectory remained true, flying straight toward Mute, as if they were one.

The air resistance was nullified by the swirling wind.

Instead of slowing down, the arrows, gaining gravity, were drawn to their target.

"Oo..."

Mid-flight, Mute sensed their presence.

She raised her hand and fired a sharp blade of light to intercept them.

Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzz!

The lightning crackled as Linus's arrows and Mute's magic collided.

The forces were evenly matched.

He drew his bow again and fired a second shot for the finishing blow.

"Huff!"

"Ooo—"

Meanwhile, Mute watched it rise without moving.

Bzzz—

When the fourth arrow joined, a change occurred in the two forces that had been canceling each other out.

Linus began to push.

With the fifth and sixth arrows, his force clearly overpowered hers.

The light was dispelled in mid-air, and the arrows pierced Mute.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go