There was a split second where the air seemed to be sucked out of the street. A large blast of blue flames engulfed the whole street. The protective ice wall instantly transformed into steam as the surge of flames roared forward.

  Krieg readied Arondight and his shield. Priscilla and Gunther led the musketmen out of the streets once the other knights were dealt with while also trying to herd any lost civilians away from the central square.

  Her spell changed the street completely. The flags and banners were completely gone, exposed wooden parts were turned to ash and the buildings were charred black alongside the stone pavement. Alexander stood behind the three knights that were now just standing husks of charred armor.

  The king’s body was entirely burned down to the flesh and bone in some parts, but his wounded body was starting to rapidly regenerate through the damage. His flesh and sinew wiggled grotesquely as they knit themselves together, shedding the burnt irrecoverable parts as if they were disposable.

  “Damn you…!” He raised his hand towards her. “This won’t end with your death! Megido!”

  Krieg stepped in front of her and angled his shield upward, once the streak of light impacted against it, he shoved the spell away like swatting a fly.

  “Thank you, Krieg.”

  “Let’s end this together, Leona.”

  She nodded.

  “Yeah. Together.”

  She raised her staff again as her knight dashed forward.

  Alexander shoved the armor in front of him aside and flicked his right hand out. His hand and fingers warped into a curved tentacle that hardened into a blade of frostburnt silver.

  That made Krieg’s eyes widen in surprise for a split second before bringing his shield up while thrusting Arondight from behind it.

  The king hopped backwards and was hit twice on his left shoulder with Ice Spears. The recoil made him spin slightly to the left—he then dragged his bladed arm back in an attempt to slash Krieg’s legs.

  However, the knight jumped over the attack while pressing forward. In one smooth motion, Krieg sunk Arondight deep into Alexander’s chest and bashed the king with the edge of his shield—tossing him backwards on the ground.

  “Ugh!”

  When he tried to get up, Leona shouted from far away.

  “Wind Bullet!”

  The spell blasted his forehead and rocked his entire upper body back on the ground.

  “Argh!”

  Alexander felt dizzy; he could almost see stars.

  ‘No… I’m a king! A god! I won’t be beaten like this!’

  Suddenly both Leona and Krieg felt the pressure in the air. The mana became thick.

  Something started to writhe from the king’s back like an amalgamation of bones, nerves and flesh before it took the shape of a pair of wings. He thrashed his right bladed arm—transforming most of its body back into the soft tentacle while maintaining the tip as a blade.

  He whipped it at Krieg, forcing the knight to step back out of his range to avoid being hit by it around the shield.

  With the knight within a safe distance—Leona focused again.

  “Conflagration!”

  Skipping the chanting, she focused most of her mana into Avalon and the staff amplified the spell into another violent blast of flames.

  The blue fire crackled violently—and Leona flinched from the sharp discomfort inside her body.

  “Dammit… I think… casting more than once might be pushing it…”

  The spell died quicker than the first one. Amidst the flames, Alexander was still standing—his right wing was completely burnt down to the bone and was now slowly knitting itself together.

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  “Haa… ha…”

  Krieg stepped in front of her and glanced briefly over his shoulder.

  “Get some rest, I’ll keep him busy.”

  She nodded while trying to steady her breathing.

  The knight lowered his stance, raised his shield and tightened his grip on Arondight.

  He let out a slow deep exhale. His muscles then suddenly tightened as his legs exploded forward. His inhuman speed surprised even Alexander who had just a split second to get out of the blade’s path.

  Krieg twisted his body to the right for a horizontal slash, but the king avoided the blade again with a backstep. Using the momentum of his spinning body, the knight brought the shield in front of his body and rammed the platinum surface full force against Alexander’s chest.

  He felt the cracks of bone through the shield as he took half a step forward and tossed the king violently into a building.

  Debris rained down in a curtain of dust. Through it, Alexander’s silhouette shifted grotesquely.

  The king came out of the building flying at Krieg trying to rip him apart with talons for feet.

  The knight blocked the attack with his shield and both his foe’s legs with a slash of light.

  “Grr… insolent, pest!”

  His limbs fell and purple blood splattered on the ground. Mana started to thicken once again as his body started to regenerate even faster. Instead of knitting itself, his flesh was now bubbling and creating mass out of it.

  He looked at his hands with sharp dark nails and the crimson red orb pulsating in his right hand.

  “Hah… I have to admit,” he spoke as his wings kept him airborne. “I wouldn’t be able to come this far if not for your annoying existence.”

  A violent pulse echoed within his body. His human frame began to crack and twist—muscles, joints, bone, everything was gaining weight from the accumulating mana inside his body.

  “No… that can’t be…” Leona couldn’t believe her eyes. “Is that… aether…?!”

  Alexander let out an ear splitting roar. His voice had deepened to the point he could be mistaken for a beast.

  “Ah… this is it…! This is what true power feels like!” He landed on the ground and smiled.

  Small horns protruded out of his forehead, shoulders broadened, mana distorted around him. He became an abomination.

  Leona forced herself to stand.

  ‘Leona, if you push yourself again…!’

  Avalon pleaded in her mind, but the tactician smiled bitterly as she started to focus all the mana she had into her staff.

  “Now, Krieg!”

  “On it!”

  The knight dashed forward again into a thrust aimed at his opponent’s chest, but Alexander responded with a hook. Normally that would never hit first, but his speed outmatched Krieg’s.

  “Wha-”

  He raised his shield just before impact.

  The punch sent the knight flying through the buildings to the right side.

  “Krieg!”

  When she turned her head to face him, Alexander drove his bladed right arm through Leona’s right shoulder, cleaving her collarbone down to the first rib in her chest.

  “Aaa…” Air escaped her lungs.

  Her blood splattered across the charred ground.

  The cape worn around her shoulder fell stained red.

  The searing pain made her drop Avalon on the ground as her knees hit the paved stone.

  “Hah! How does it feel? Leona!”

  Her trembling eyes looked at him, not with despair, but a glint of fiery determination.

  “You… tell me…!”

  Avalon suddenly emitted a sickly green and blue glow, a jet of water exploded from the tip of the staff, severing Alexander’s entire right arm right at the shoulder.

  “Aaaargh!”

  He stumbled back with purple blood pumping through the open wound.

  Suddenly, Akantor was back with full force.

  ‘YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!’

  Alexander grabbed his own head with his left hand.

  “Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh! No! Noooooooo!”

  ‘YOU THINK YOU CAN USE MY POWER FOR YOUR PETTY EXISTENCE?!’

  He began to thrash on the ground while slamming his head against the ground as if trying to get rid of something inside his mind.

  Leona tried to raise her right arm, but with the frostburnt silver blade stuck to her shoulder, she could barely move her limb.

  Air escaped from the wound, blood gushed out like a broken fountain.

  ‘I… can’t die here… not now…’

  She fell with her back against the stone and her arm fell on top of Avalon’s shaft. Suddenly the weapon’s voice echoed in her mind.

  ‘Leona! Stay with me!’

  It was becoming harder to breathe. Her consciousness was starting to fade.

  ‘Avalon… I’m… sorry… I… couldn’t be… a good… wielder…’

  ‘No! You can’t die! Not here! Not like this!’

  The staff suddenly started to shine brightly. Avalon began to pour all the mana she had back into Leona.

  That jolt of magic power kept the tactician from passing out.

  ‘What… what are you… doing…?’

  ‘I refuse to let you die!’

  There was a moment of silence before an unrecognizable voice echoed in her mind.

  ‘Never again.’ There was a pulse within Leona’s shoulder, her eyes glanced down and the frostburnt silver shard inside her collarbone began to writhe. ‘You won’t die here, Leona!’