With Orion and Marie disappearing to face the horror ruling the underwater city, Tetra and Henrietta were left with Libranil to confront the forces worshiping the master who once invaded Triazils.

  Though they had already struck at the swarm, the enemy showed no visible reaction, granting them a brief window to prepare.

  “Now that we’re in this situation,” Tetra said, a bead of sweat defying gravity as it drifted into the surrounding water, “I’m feeling kind of frustrated.”

  “What—because he took Marie instead of you?”

  Henrietta glanced at her with a slight smirk.

  “That’s part of it, sure. But it’s not really what’s bothering me.”

  Tetra paused, gazing out toward the city—where twisted shapes swam between the glowing blue lights of submerged streets.

  “It’s just… isn’t this the first time we’ve actually fought together? We’ve been together for years, but we’ve never stood on the same battlefield.”

  Henrietta nodded. “We kept ourselves hidden for so long. There wasn’t much we could do back then.”

  “But we still stood by each other,” Tetra murmured. “Even through the hardest choices… even when the future looked hopeless.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  Tetra smiled and gently tapped her scepter against one of Libranil’s scales.

  The great dragon stirred as a foreign energy seeped into her—a magical infusion that steadily replenished what she had spent during her earlier assault.

  As more of the siren-like monstrosities accumulated in the cyan-tinted sky above them, the two Remnants sighed in unison.

  “Being left behind isn’t fun,” Tetra said, “but I guess this job matters too.”

  Henrietta nodded. “And the worst part is… neither of us were made to be fighters.”

  They exchanged a resigned smile before facing the swarm.

  “Libranil,” Tetra said, raising her voice slightly. “We’ll support you however we can.”

  The dragon responded by smashing her tail into a nearby building, demolishing it in a single blow—and stoking the enemy’s hatred.

  “I see you’re eager to continue your carnage. That’s good.”

  Henrietta sharpened her gaze and took a fighting stance, sword raised to shoulder height. She aligned the blade with her eyes, gripping the hilt tightly with her right arm.

  Movement. The twisted creatures had begun to shift—an unmistakable sign the assault was coming.

  “Three against who-knows-how-many,” Henrietta muttered.

  “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

  “Right, Dyrnwyn?”

  The sword vibrated faintly, as if in anticipation. Once wielded by Valkyrie Carmillya—Henrietta’s mother—it had been passed down through unrecorded centuries.

  Dyrnwyn, the Crimson Blade. Forged in strife, steeped in blood, it fell only into the hands of the righteous.

  “It’s a good thing we’ve all had training,” Henrietta muttered. “I can’t imagine being useless in times like this.”

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  She cast a glance toward Tetra, who was already murmuring incantations.

  The monsters—hunched, hollow-eyed things with upper bodies like storybook witches—finally lunged.

  They darted downward like spears, claws stretched wide, rotting skeletal wings trailing behind them, and bloodshot eyes locked onto Libranil, the destroyer of their sacred city.

  “Not so fast!”

  Henrietta dashed forward, sprinting across Libranil’s massive back, past wings and ridges, until she reached the dragon’s neck. Climbing swiftly, she reached the top of Libranil’s head, her sword sparking violently with lightning magic.

  As the grotesque wave approached, she observed them more clearly.

  The closer they came, the more her gut churned. It was madness made flesh.

  Clicking noises, like cats toying with prey, escaped the monsters’ mouths—waves of sound that pierced her skull with mind-breaking noise. Thousands of overlapping clicks twisted her thoughts.

  Even Libranil looked disgusted by the sound.

  No wonder Orion looked disturbed, she thought. That protective spell was definitely a good idea.

  Acknowledging his foresight, she tightened her grip on Dyrnwyn.

  “Let this shield protect us!”

  Behind her, Tetra raised Longinus—the scepter of Valkyrie Amaryllis—high into the water.

  From its radiant jewel, a beam of light rose and spread in all directions, wrapping Libranil and the two women in a translucent dome of time magic.

  “Time isn’t just past, present, or future,” Tetra declared. “It’s also a single moment. And if I freeze that moment, I can make miracles.”

  Encased within the shimmering shield, she puffed out her chest proudly.

  The monsters crashed into the barrier with screeches and snarls, their claws battering its surface in a frenzied assault. The shield held—for a few seconds—long enough.

  CRACK!

  The barrier split open.

  Through the breach poured a rain of twisted bodies—hunched creatures with festering limbs and dead eyes.

  Libranil lowered her head, then jerked it upward in a powerful arc, sending the monsters flying back—and launching Henrietta into the air.

  “I knew all that secret training would pay off!”

  She soared like a lightning bolt through the chaos.

  Dyrnwyn blazed in her grip, brighter than ever. The closer it came to true righteousness, the stronger it became. And in Henrietta’s hands—hands that had fought across endless timelines for her world—it radiated pure power.

  Every swing severed heads. Blue blood spilled like ink through the water.

  Those not cleaved by the blade were reduced to ash by the lightning trailing its edge.

  “Enri…”

  Tetra stared, awestruck.

  The friend who once stayed in the shadows had stepped into the light—finally walking the same path as her legendary mother.

  Henrietta landed gracefully on Libranil’s head, immediately resetting her stance to intercept the next wave. Her reflection glinted in Dyrnwyn’s blade—still pristine, untainted.

  Suddenly, the swarm shifted. They no longer focused on Libranil. Their path now funneled toward Henrietta.

  They’d recognized the true threat.

  Both Remnants noticed the change.

  There’s a leader, Tetra thought, eyes narrowing. That movement’s too coordinated to be instinct.

  Henrietta clearly reached the same conclusion—her gaze darted through the crowd, searching. But there was no time.

  The monsters closed in, snapping their angler-like teeth, ready to shred her.

  With a single twist of her arms, Henrietta severed them all—clean, efficient, brutal.

  Libranil’s mouth opened wide, unleashing a devastating beam of void energy. The blast disintegrated thousands in an instant, punching a hole straight through the city.

  The cleared path gave Tetra the angle she needed.

  “!”

  She broke into a run.

  I might not be strong… but I can still be useful!

  As she neared Henrietta, she spotted a cluster of enemies breaking off from the main swarm to flank them from the right.

  There weren’t many—but enough to cause real trouble if left unchecked.

  I’m not a fighter, Tetra thought with a hard frown. But I’m not that same girl anymore, either.

  She cast a spell on herself, boosting her speed, and reached Henrietta just in time.

  “Enri!”

  Henrietta turned, startled—just in time to see her friend raise Longinus.

  Time slowed.

  Her heart clenched.

  If Tetra got hurt now—

  But she had no time to help. More monsters surged toward her.

  Tetra muttered under her breath, then slammed the scepter into a monster’s skull. It exploded on impact.

  Another came—she struck downward, the pommel driving into its chest. Its light vanished from its eyes.

  Her incantation finished.

  “Freeze!”

  A wall of frozen time erupted around her, halting anything that touched it. Dozens of creatures stopped mid-attack, frozen in warped poses.

  “That’ll do.”

  She smiled—just as a claw stopped inches from her forehead.

  “Don’t do something that reckless!”

  A flash of purple crossed her vision as Henrietta incinerated the frozen horde in one sweep.

  “I’m not that frail,” Tetra said calmly. “You just have to trust me.”

  “You’re still bad for my heart.”

  Henrietta exhaled sharply—but her focus sharpened.

  “Anyway,” Tetra added, “I think I found the one calling the shots.”

  Henrietta’s eyes narrowed.

  “Where is it?”