His tenth arrow left his hand and sailed forward, only to be quickly burned into ashes and dust by the pure heat of the Pyre flames. Suna resummoned more Sootroot Arrows. A green, vibrant pulse of life danced by his palm, and he stored them in his Grave Vine Quiver.

  Slea’s body commanded a space of flames just like Floundea, splaying them apart like her arms were wings of fire. She began to dive in, slowly making her way to her thief master.

  Suna’s neck trailed with cold sweat despite the smoldering world around him. He had no way of knowing how far Slea had progressed as an Integrator. But at times like this, he needed everything he had. With a sudden burst of energy, a kinetic field of red flames became Slea’s barrier, buying her more space to move forward. She reached Floundea, who was still facing the great wave of Pyreflames. The moment Slea touched the Tiefling’s back, their barriers combined, and an aegis of bright flames formed a translucent dam against the Pyreflame.

  The pressure of heat husked away into dry air around Suna. Finally, he breathed in a lungful of healthy air, albeit a bit dry. The plan worked. Suna did not stop letting loose arrows. His hand moved with deadly precision, the speed of constant repetition, and soft care to summon more arrows to store every time he let go of one.

  The Drowfication, perhaps, had pushed away some of the hazy cloud around his head, which by all means he should have retained thanks to the severe burn he had gotten. But the Spirit Rabbit Cloak healed that. Maybe the reason he was still able to retain Drowfication this long was also thanks to this cloak keeping his body healed and negating the burden Drowfication imposed.

  It was a combination he had not thought of before.

  Now he needed the usual combination he had—the one he had used to best the Pyrebone Archer. And he should be able to do it—There was no Delia summoning tree to chuck them at him. No Rebel Assassin to sneak behind him. Nothing to interrupt him. He could be a true archer.

  Archer Instinct soared in jubilation.

  Suna grinned with it.

  His Arcane String thrummed away, letting the arrow arc beautifully over Slea and Floundea. This time, his arrow was able to pierce deeper into the [Godknight]’s flame tornado. It was obvious where the center was, which he would target.

  The sizzle of white and blue flames roared in his ear—this sound—he would shut off soon for good.

  His Eagle Eye and Rune Seeker had told him where the [Godknight] was. Landfred was in the place he expected him to be.

  Now that the heat was no longer an issue, Suna’s Enduring Body toughened up. His Battle Focus was enhanced, and finally, the moment Suna released his next arrow, he knew Hissing Volley had taken place. The next arrow charged deeper into the flames, only to be burned apart as it neared the center flame, where an intense cyclone took place as the [Godknight]’s last shield.

  Suna kept his Still Form. His Drill Arrow seeped into his next arrow, and this time Suna released Emberwind with Flint Draw and Gale Bow. He put more Mana into his favorite Spell Arrow just for the hell of it. The Emberwind splayed apart the flames, gushing through intense heat straight toward the last visage of the tornado that covered the [Godknight]. The tornado spun, and Emberwind lost out.

  Now.

  Suna quickly switched Spell Bow into the Flint Shadow.

  He pulled Shadow Arrow this time, instantly taking away the darkness around him, which was not much. Suna cursed softly. He had forgotten about the situation. He shouldn’t use Shadow Arrow here. So he swapped for Sootroot Arrow instead, letting the Shadow Arrow whisk into the air.

  The purpose of his Emberwind earlier was to open a path. Thanks to Floundea and Slea’s zone, he had finally built up enough.

  Suna released his arrow.

  The Sootroot Arrow streaked through. The fire that his Emberwind had blown apart earlier came rushing back to cover the gap of the Pyre tornado defense. But his arrow was too fast. The moment the flames were about to touch it, Suna let the shadow factor take over.

  His arrow disappeared.

  Suna alone could track it.

  He held for a couple of seconds. Smoldering heat was about to engulf it even as his arrow took astral form, but then Suna let the wind factor conquer, and his Sootroot Arrow rushed forward, suddenly reappearing inside the Godknight’s body.

  There was no fracture of steel. A whisk of flames extinguished in one swoop. The tornado burst apart in a soft current, and what was left of it was the figure of the Knight standing with half-broken armor.

  The [Godknight]—Landfred was still alive even after everything.

  How annoying. Suna had realized he liked fighting—but this…thing—this knight was an abnormality even in the system. Something that shouldn’t exist, yet he did exist.

  Landfred lifted his last hand far up. The creak of leftover armor fractured into the ground, and another rapier formed. The [Godknight] bent and rushed the space between him and the two witches.

  Suna let out a dozen arrows in an instant; those arrows disappeared, skipping over Floundea and Slea’s bodies, and he let them form.

  But the Godknight saw their trajectory and ducked down further, lower than Suna’s arrow flight path.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  That bought Suna a second, a second to counter.

  Wind danced around Suna’s feet, and he launched forward.

  Slea and Floundea shot their spells. Unlike usual, where the [Godknight] could let his armor handle the damage, this time he needed to dodge. He sidestepped five serpents Slea conjured and slashed apart Floundea’s fireball into two. The knight burst forward, letting the flames explode behind him, reaching his sword down, briefly about to strike upward.

  The [Godknight]’s green eyes settled on Slea, the witch who killed his queen—the one cause of the fracture between the [Necromancer] and [Undead King]. But duty won over, and he slashed upon Floundea.

  Suna saw this attack coming. He predicted it. Instead of Floundea’s flesh and blood, steel chimed as the knight’s thin rapier skittered against Suna’s Pyredagger and stuck on the dagger’s hand guard.

  “You again.” Lanfred’s voice came as a rasped chime, with anger and frustration obvious behind it.

  The knight pivoted and tried to kick at Suna—Suna, however, already knew that a punch from Landfred was impossible, so he had expected a kick. He avoided the knight’s kick by stepping aside. His left fist was ready, and air had built up. The Knight, seeing what was coming, tried to bring his rapier up. Suna’s dagger batted away the rapier, and Suna slammed his fist into the [Godknight]’s face, sending it crashing down.

  He was about to impale his throat, which had healed somehow, that must have healed inside the tornado. But the knight couldn’t heal his severed arm and most of his body. Suna’s dagger went down, only for it to be blown away from his grip—his hand twisted, and Suna saw Landfred had summoned a thin knife this time.

  All Suna could do when Landfred flicked the knife up at him was watch. Suddenly, a serpent of flames bit the knife and managed to veer its trajectory. But still, the knife dug deep into Suna’s shoulder blade. He cried out and staggered five steps back. He heard Slea cry his name, but Suna steadied his footing.

  He needed to kill the [Godknight] now.

  Landfred intended to do the same.

  Floundea conjured a spear of bristling flames and sent it flying at the downed Landfred. The knight saw this coming and summoned Pyre Shield in time to block the Thiefmaster’s spell completely.

  Dust kicked up, and Landfred charged at Suna.

  In response, Suna tapped his feet and sent his body hovering. He wove Gale Bow into being and drew a Sootroot Arrow. He released it. The Godknight blocked the projectile with his new shield. Then he pulled the shield down to turn and block more of Slea’s serpent flames and another of Floundea’s flaming spear, which sent more dust.

  When Suna was about to use another Gale Step to reposition, the [Godknight] jumped above him and bashed his shield on him, sending Suna down and blowing away the dust cloud.

  He coughed only to see the [Godknight] block more flames conjured by Slea and Floundea. Worse, Landfred had summoned a new sword, this time a broadsword, as he had used earlier. The knight looked like an angel as flame devoured the surrounding air, with his sword aimed down at Suna.

  In the last moment, something stirred inside Suna. He cracked a smile. His third dark hand shot out, grasping the knight’s new sword, and slapped it. The force was enough to veer the sword’s aim from Suna’s heart.

  He rose, with Gale Bow poised like a spear. He would meet the [Godknight]. Suna screamed, every last bit of his vigor poured into this attack. He jabbed his bow upward and pierced the [Godknight]’s chest. Then his world was rocked upside down as the Godknight pushed more Pyreflame into his shield and pinned Suna down on the ground.

  Sizzling burns spread over his body, and his vision turned into an incoherent charring.

  “Burn away!” the [Godknight] shouted at him—no, not at him. He shouted at the Spirit Rabbit Cloak. But the cloak’s luminescent watercolor grew bright, and a wave of healing flooded Suna.

  Landfred’s eyes widened, and he did not register the falling serpent that sent his body flying away from Suna.

  “Suna! You alive?” Slea knelt, putting one hand on Suna’s charred stomach where, bizarrely, his Spirit Rabbit Cloak survived, but his stomach burned away. Pain and healing battled inside of him. Drowfication and the Spirit Rabbit Cloak once again saved his life—for now.

  “Slea, wand up!” Floundea shouted.

  Slea put herself above Suna, her shadow shielding him as she aimed her wand at the still-approaching [Godknight].

  Suna let out an incoherent mumbling. He tried to stand. But his body was not responding. He needed to let it heal.

  Buy me a minute.

  He wanted to tell her, but this seemed impossible. Without James’s expert maneuver, Noa’s tank, or sheer numbers, nothing was stopping the [Godknight] from rushing the two mages.

  Which was why, when a hooded figure ran toward the battlefield, he thought he saw James. The hood blew back, and Min was there, in time to meet the [Godknight]’s charge from killing Slea. The knight must have decided not to get into a spell exchange with the two witches.

  Min was surprisingly able to meet the Godknight’s strike. The answer turned out to be Drowfication and a Pyre Sword she held. But the [Godknight]’s own sword blazed with bluish flames, and in one move, he knocked Min’s sword away.

  Suna watched as Landfred quickly jabbed into Min’s chest. The stab was fast and brutal, leaving the woman choking. Landfred did not bother to pull it free. He preferred speed. The knight summoned a new blade—or was about to—until Slea, in pure rage, blasted him back with an explosion of concurrent fire.

  Cruelly, another shield appeared, blocking Slea’s magic and, with it, Floundea’s as well.

  Suna admitted that, amid his sorrow, when he saw something flying up above. Hope rose inside him.

  He reached out, building Wind Veil with both hands and slamming them down, sending unruly wind drafting like a wave. This caused everyone standing to lose their balance and, more importantly, Landfred to stumble for a second.

  That was enough time for an astral midnight spear to veer from the sky above and whir down upon the battlefield.

  The [Godknight] sensed this coming and backed away. The spear cracked the earth, sticking menacingly. Then the shadow wove into a large figure like a warp.

  Jack manifested into being, and somehow, along with him, Amidela was there too, landing beside Jack.

  “There you are,” Suna croaked, pushing one hand against the ground. He rose, searching for Min, who lay motionless with her blood streaming around her.

  “Suna,” Jack said, eyeing the [Godknight] and Min.

  “Min!” Slea went down, hesitating to pull the sword sticking from her chest.

  “I forgot to give the damn sword to you, Suna,” Min mumbled as the light within her eyes faded, and she pointed to the fallen Pyre Swords.

  Suna shrugged off his Spirit Rabbit Cloak and pushed it to Slea. But Floundea instead took it and said, “Let me. I’m almost out of Mana.”

  Slea nodded and stood, eyes burning onto the [Godknight].

  “Get her to wear it,” Suna commanded as he watched the [Godknight] poised to rush them again.

  “I will. I can try to seal her wound with my magic. Just focus on your fight. Also, husband, get revenge for us.”

  Jack dipped his head. “I will, wife.” He turned to Suna. “That tornado earlier—it prevented me from gliding with my spear… I think it’s also a sign for reinforcement.”

  “We take him down here quickly, then,” Suna said. “Are you confident going into close combat with it alone, Jack? I can join if—”

  “No! Human, let me get in if it’s necessary. Your arrow is more effective than my Dark Wind,” Amidela insisted. “I—I need one of those swords though.” She pointed at the Pyre Sword.

  “No, I’m not confident,” Jack admitted. “Rune sister, will you frontline with me?”

  “Of course, brother,” Amidela said, bowing her head.

  “We wouldn’t be able to move much,” Slea said, gesturing toward Floundea and Min. “He will know enough to target them. We must provide enough firepower to scare him away, but not let him escape.”

  “He’s not going to escape,” Suna said. “He won’t expose his back unarmored to me again.”