But Canconel was not so easily beaten.

  “Damn you… scurrying around like that!”

  He raised his head and sprang to his feet.

  “You have no idea what you’ve done, making me angry…!”

  A tremendous vortex of wind erupted from Canconel’s body. The howling gale nearly blew Mina and Arc off their feet. Mina quickly raised several hardened earth walls to shield herself from the blast.

  Arc broke into a cold sweat and glanced at Mina.

  “…We’re running, Mina!”

  “Running? Why? We almost had him!”

  “He was holding back! This time he’s going for the kill!”

  “Wait—he was going easy on us before?”

  “No, it’s more like… a power release. He can tap into a completely different level of strength, but at the cost of extreme physical exhaustion. It’s a high-risk fighting style.”

  “You’re kidding… so what do we do?”

  Canconel bellowed.

  “Enough chatter! I’m not letting you escape! Sonic Rush!”

  In the blink of an eye—so fast it looked like teleportation—Canconel closed the distance and drove his fist into Arc’s face.

  “Ngh—!”

  Arc fought desperately to hold his ground with gravity magic.

  “Ha ha ha! It’s useless—useless! There’s no holding back anymore! Take this! Vacuum Slash!”

  Canconel swung his hand, and an invisible strike tore through the air.

  “GAAAGH!”

  Gashes ripped open across Arc’s body, and blood sprayed from every wound.

  “Arc!”

  Mina went pale. Arc collapsed, drenched in blood.

  “I have to treat him—now!”

  She tried to rush to his side, but Canconel shot forward on a burst of wind, appeared right in front of her, and shoved her hard in the chest.

  “Kyaah!”

  Mina landed on the ground. Before she could move, Canconel planted his foot on her chest. Her face twisted in pain.

  “That hurts! Get off me!”

  Canconel glared down at her, blood trickling from his forehead.

  “It’s ‘please get off me’!”

  But Mina wasn’t even looking at him. She was reaching toward Arc with outstretched arms.

  “Get off! If you don’t, Arc is going to die!”

  “Whether your familiar dies is no concern of mine!”

  Canconel smirked.

  “That technique just now—the Vacuum Slash—instantaneously erases the air around the target, destroying them from the inside out. A blade of vacuum, you might say. His body is already in tatters. He won’t be getting up.”

  Pinned beneath Canconel’s boot, Mina stretched her arm toward Arc and screamed.

  “No! Arc! Answer me!”

  Canconel shifted his weight onto the foot pressing into Mina’s chest.

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  “Guh—!”

  “You should worry about yourself.”

  “Ngh… I can’t breathe…”

  “Ha ha ha… there’s no escape now.”

  Canconel lifted his foot and crouched down to seize Mina by the throat.

  “Aaagh—! *cough*!”

  He stood, hauling her up, and hurled her into a large tree.

  “Aaah—!”

  Mina’s back slammed into the trunk and she crumpled to the ground. The impact sent her into a violent coughing fit. Canconel walked toward her, slowly, deliberately.

  “*Cough cough*!”

  Mina forced herself upright, still coughing, and raised her head toward the sound of his footsteps. Canconel was bearing down on her, his brow deeply furrowed.

  “I’ll settle for both legs.”

  His voice was ice. He raised his arm and began gathering magical energy.

  “N-no…!”

  Mina squeezed her eyes shut and turned away—but in doing so, she caught sight of Arc and Nox lying on the ground nearby.

  “Oh… Arc… Nox…”

  They were right there, both of them collapsed. They had come to protect her, and now they were dying. Tears flooded Mina’s eyes. She clenched her teeth and asked herself:

  “Is this really okay, Mina? Are you just going to lie here and take it?!”

  In that moment, a fierce resolve ignited deep within her chest—the overwhelming need to save her companions.

  “If I fall here, they’ll die!”

  Mina gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Fire blazed behind them. Magical energy began to gather at her fingertips. It might be futile—but she had to try. She fixed Canconel with a burning glare.

  “What’s with that look?! Defiant to the last… forget the legs—maybe I should take those insolent arms instead!”

  “Shut up! What would you know about anything?!”

  “I know that you’re finished. That much is clear.”

  Mina glared at him.

  “Go ahead and try! I don’t care about your treasure hunt or whatever it is—I’ll never help you!”

  Canconel threw his head back and laughed.

  “As if your willingness matters! I’ll simply tie you up and make you help.”

  At that moment, a massive blade of wind took shape along Canconel’s raised right arm. Blood dripped steadily from his shoulder.

  “Look at this shoulder! Your familiar did this to me!”

  Mina glared at him through gritted teeth.

  “Once I’m done with you… I’ll finish off those two as well.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  Canconel shook his head.

  “It’s over, girl! Wind Cutter!”

  “NOOO!”

  Just as Canconel began to bring his arm down, Mina prayed. Please—gather, magic! She willed every ounce of energy to her fingertips.

  And then—

  “Wh—?!”

  Canconel’s arm stopped mid-swing.

  “My arm—?!”

  He glanced sideways at his right arm. A bundle of white threads was coiled tightly around his wrist. The sight sent a jolt through Mina’s entire body—energy surging back to life, her whole frame trembling.

  “That thread—!”

  Canconel yanked his arm furiously, but the threads held fast.

  In that instant, Mina’s magic converged at her fingertips.

  Now!

  Mina pushed herself up and thrust her arm forward. And she roared.

  “CANCONEEEEL!”

  Canconel blanched, his teeth clenching.

  “What do you want, girl?!”

  He wrenched his arm free, snapping the threads.

  But it was too late. Mina’s outstretched fingers were nearly touching his chest. She fired point-blank.

  “THUNDERBOLT!”

  Blue-white lightning exploded from her fingertip.

  “GYAAAAAAGH!”

  Canconel’s body convulsed violently, smoke billowing from every part of him. Mina screamed.

  “RAAAAGH! Come ON!”

  She ground her teeth. The current surged stronger and stronger. Her eyes went bloodshot, and blood poured from her nose. It went on for minutes.

  When every last drop of magical energy had been spent and the white lightning finally ceased… Canconel collapsed slowly to the ground.

  “Hah… hah…”

  Mina dropped to her knees.

  “Did I… get him?”

  Nox, having regained consciousness, dragged her battered body over to Mina.

  “Mina! Are you… okay?”

  “Yeah… barely. Forget me—please help Arc…”

  “Okay… got it.”

  While casting beginner healing magic on Arc, Nox spoke to Mina.

  “You know… Arc gave me some of his own magical power so I could shadow-walk to you first.”

  “He did?”

  Nox nodded.

  Mina gazed at Arc.

  “He found out Nox could shadow-walk, split his own magic with her, and sent her ahead to save me.”

  Tears spilled down Mina’s cheeks.

  “Arc, please… wake up…”

  Nox kept casting healing magic patiently, and whether it was her persistence or Mina’s prayers, Arc finally opened his eyes.

  “*Gah*… hah, hah…!”

  “Arc!”

  He panted roughly, gazing at Mina through half-closed eyes.

  “Mina… you’re safe…”

  “Are you stupid? You’re half-dead and you’re worrying about me?”

  Mina buried her face in Arc’s chest and sobbed. Arc placed a hand on her head and stroked it gently.

  Then he looked at the fallen Canconel and let out a long breath.

  “I can’t believe we actually won. When he hit me with that Vacuum Slash… I thought we were all done for.”

  Arc exhaled deeply.

  “About that… right when Canconel was about to cut me, something flew in from somewhere—like a thick thread or a white rope—and it wrapped around his right arm.”

  “Wrapped around his arm? So that’s what slowed him down?”

  Mina nodded.

  “That gave me just enough time to get up and fire a Thunderbolt straight into his chest.”

  “Point-blank Thunderbolt… that was cutting it close. But who shot that thread?”

  Arc rubbed his chin and frowned.

  “Could’ve just been a forest vine that snagged him, for all we know. Either way, it seems even a high-and-mighty angel can’t account for every twist of fate.”

  ◆

  As the three of them rested and talked, a figure stirred in the depths of the forest.

  The man was tall with blond hair and large, striking blue eyes.

  It was Isarfe.

  “Heh… that was a close call, Mina.”

  He glanced between the fallen Canconel and the exhausted trio, and a grin crept across his face.

  “But your two familiars are going to have to step it up. Batanel… will be a tougher opponent, I think.”

  Isarfe murmured these words to himself, then vanished into the forest.