After Orion and Marie entered the cathedral, Tetra, Henrietta, and Libranil continued their ongoing battle against the Followers of Malamiris.

  Their confrontation had reached the next stage after a long and arduous stand.

  "Tetra! Isn't it time?!"

  Henrietta glanced over her shoulder after slicing a siren-like creature in half with her blade.

  "…"

  Holding a barrier behind Libranil’s wide-open back, Tetra kept an eye on one peculiar enemy swimming rapidly through the waves of creatures, as if trying to remain hidden.

  "Answer me, damn it!"

  The crackling on Henrietta’s sword vanished as she swore, returning the wondrous blade to its pristine state.

  "Tsk. I have no choice."

  She had barely any time to spare for Tetra, and she knew the same was true for her friend.

  "Libranil! Don’t move an inch!"

  Henrietta ordered the dragon, who had been biting and slamming enemies with her head constantly.

  Without a shred of hesitation, Libranil froze completely, placing absolute trust in Henrietta.

  Within Henrietta’s hands, searing-hot ignitions surged into Dyrnwyn, causing blisters of water all around it.

  She leaned forward before sprinting along the dragon’s neck, blade brandished without fear.

  Lightning magic coursed over her feet—copied from a talented human.

  As the Guardian of Elementals, her blessed body could unleash tremendous power.

  Losing Tetra to Miasma had been a wake-up call. The power she once neglected, the physical endurance she set aside—she had once persuaded herself that a time would never come when she’d have to fight.

  "Release!"

  A current of lightning coursed through her entire body, transforming her into an ethereal being for a split second.

  As fast as lightning itself, Henrietta unleashed an overwhelming attack that cleared all enemies surrounding Libranil.

  Water evaporated everywhere she passed, while Dyrnwyn singed every entity it touched.

  A deep cut of fire scorched one siren-like creature’s chest. It took only an instant before its shriek echoed, body turning to ashes even underwater.

  "Enri... Wow!"

  Tetra could only exclaim, sparks lighting her eyes as she followed the trail of underwater explosions.

  "As much as it pains me to acknowledge it, she's strong."

  "That's where Amelia gets her talent for elemental manipulation."

  With a faint smile, she dropped her arms, releasing the now-useless barrier.

  "Now..."

  Turning her gaze to the fleeing monster, she finally spotted an opening.

  "Enri!"

  Pointing her staff upward, a light escaped the jewel crowning it. Zigzagging between collapsing pockets of water, it maneuvered perfectly through the ruins high above.

  Then, it struck the target head-on, marking it with an unremovable light.

  "Vael’su thren akh’ira?!?"

  Strange words spilled from the creature’s mouth.

  Somehow, Tetra understood their meaning without trying.

  Through the crawling disgust she felt, Tetra spat the interpretation aloud.

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  "This vessel... exposed... impossible?"

  "What a revolting language. Why does my power react to these things?"

  Her eyes turned to the cathedral, now that the enemy leader had been marked.

  Are you trying to make me believe their love for the Devourer is strong enough for me to notice it?

  Their words aren’t clear—but I feel what they mean. My power… it resonates with their madness?

  Tetra felt a sudden dread take root in her heart, unraveling unease and fragmented emotion.

  While she was lost in thought, Henrietta landed beside her, wreathed in lightning.

  "Kh! This sure is tough to maintain!"

  That snapped Tetra back to attention. She abruptly glanced over.

  "Enri?!"

  Her shock was palpable.

  "What? If my daughter can do it, so can I."

  Her blonde hair floated, defying the pressure of the ocean. Electrical energy coursed through each strand. Above her head, an unstable crown of lightning threatened to vanish—but remained through her sheer will.

  Lightning Mastery, though imperfect, was hers until exhaustion claimed it.

  "Who are you kidding? I can see your arms trembling. Aren’t you already at your limit?"

  "Shut it. Leave me be," Henrietta replied with a tired smile, enjoying the banter just long enough to catch her breath.

  "Is that the target? You’ve finally cornered it?"

  Tetra nodded, then looked upward at the creature frantically clawing at the glowing mark, desperate to tear it away.

  "I’ll bring it here. But first..."

  Henrietta sprinted back toward Libranil’s head at top speed, crossing the vast length of the dragon in seconds.

  "Go all out. Unleash everything you have up there."

  She instructed Libranil mid-run before jumping off again. This time, she waited—leaving the first move to the dragon.

  Turning to face the glowing target, Libranil swung her tail, devastating more of the ruined city.

  Her jaws opened wide, and deep within her throat, a blast of void energy—stronger than anything she had released before—annihilated half of the remaining force.

  "Akh’ira! Vrel’suun! Zek’val anach’ten vorr’iless!"

  (Impossible! The followers! We are losing our faithful devotees!)

  The blast barely missed the siren leader—only by a hair. But before it could react, Henrietta reappeared and sliced off both its rotting wings.

  "Kah!"

  A scream of pain tore from its throat as green blood poured from the wounds.

  "No respite for you!"

  Henrietta kicked its back with overwhelming force, sending it hurtling toward Tetra.

  Just before the creature collided with Libranil, Henrietta returned and caught it by the throat.

  "Now, you’ll speak."

  With Dyrnwyn pressed against its neck, Tetra stepped forward, eyes burning with fury.

  "Before making any choice, I need to learn more about these beings."

  She glanced at Henrietta, who gave a curt nod.

  "Thol’ek vael! Gharuun bresh’kal!"

  "Hah!"

  Tetra laughed bitterly, though her expression was grim.

  "You... understand it?"

  "Somehow. My power seems to be reacting to their mad devotion."

  "What did it say?"

  "Release me, filthy bipeds."

  From the intonation, both understood the mocking derision behind the words.

  "Filthy... bipeds, huh? Do we look inferior to them?" Henrietta tightened her grip, the blade cutting deeper. Any more and she’d take off its head.

  "Probably. Honestly, I care little for its provocations. I just want my questions answered."

  But the language barrier remained one-sided. Tetra could only understand the creature’s speech—nothing more.

  What to do…?

  At a loss, Tetra hesitated. Until an idea struck.

  "It might be a stupid idea. Just... tell me I’m stupid."

  Henrietta glanced at her and shrugged.

  "You want to access Orion’s core and use Silka’s power through him, right? I also thought about it."

  Surprised, Tetra’s anger dissipated in a blink.

  "Hurry up, though. I don’t know how long I’ll hold on."

  Seeing her strained smile, Tetra immediately set to work.

  She raised her staff high, whispering a spell beneath her breath as the enemy writhed in fear.

  Orion…

  Tetra possessed the power to understand, feel, and know all that love entailed. That concept—combined with the manipulation of space and time—formed the essence of her magic.

  Tracing back our bond… Finding the source of his love for me…

  Through the dark corners of her mind, a radiant warmth surged forward—love, intense and overwhelming.

  It was a tsunami of emotion: accepting, trusting, endless. Everything she’d ever desired.

  The most intense form of love, directed solely at her. Orion’s heart could love many equally, but in that moment, this was hers alone.

  There’s no time to bask in this feeling…

  She wrenched herself free of it and opened her eyes.

  "That's a success. Good work, Tetra."

  Inside her pupils, the unstable sigil of Silka flickered, overlapping her own.

  She nodded at Henrietta, who returned the expression with one only a best friend would understand.

  Then she glared at the enemy.

  "Tell me what you are, or we won’t hesitate to remove that head from your body."

  The creature froze, mouth agape in horror.

  "Kel’voth naal’Rhaemis! Zharthul ek ven’sa thren?!"

  "The language of your Lord? I can’t bother to tell you how I speak it. Now, answer me."

  Henrietta clenched harder to emphasize Tetra’s threat.

  "Vael’zor! Ennakth Ekhidnas, vrae’loth na’Ziramesh."

  The eerie clicking of its teeth made both women recoil. Its voice was a crawling thing—zealot-like, unrepentant.

  "They call themselves Ekhidnas—followers of madness."

  Henrietta shook her head.

  "Truly Malamiris’ pawns. There’s nothing to save here."

  "Vel’kar thren’tal na’Khaar’Rhaem!"

  "Do not order us!"

  Tetra stepped forward, gripping her scepter tight enough to crack it.

  "It says not to speak the name of their ‘Great Lord’. Such arrogance for a mindless soul!"

  Then a deafening screech echoed through the ocean.

  "Huh?!"

  Libranil turned first. Then Tetra and Henrietta followed.

  The sound grew louder until a blinding light consumed the cathedral.

  Devastating threads of radiance swallowed the city, purging the remaining Ekhidna forces.

  As the humming faded and light ebbed away, the two women uncovered their eyes and looked toward the city’s heart.

  "Orion…"

  They both knew.

  Only one being could emit such power.

  The only man who could face a Devourer without fear.