Rushing to the battlefield of the Immortal Blades at breakneck speed, Amber saw Rita half-kneeling on the ground, while the other squad members were engaged in combat with DEM in the air.
Although their side appeared more injured, it was clear they had the upper hand.
Obviously, after Ellen had left the battlefield, DEM's average combat prowess had fallen significantly below that of the Immortal Blades.
"My apologies, Lady Durandal. I've let you down."
"As long as you're alright, that's what matters. Facing someone like Ellen, you already did exceptionally well."
Seeing the golden-haired girl land beside her, Rita spoke with a hint of frustration, "That's no excuse for my performance..."
This battle had exposed too many of her current shortcomings—the most critical being her weakness in aerial combat.
Most of her missions and training had focused on ground combat. While she wasn't completely inept in the air, it certainly wasn't her forte.
She had thought that with the Territory, her aerial combat abilities would improve significantly. Instead, Ellen had used her own understanding of the Territory against her, turning the tables completely.
In fact, if she hadn't relied on the Territory, she might not have lost so quickly.
"I underestimated her..."
Rita rarely showed such a gritted-teeth expression.
She had believed that after fusing with the sacred sword and mastering the Territory, she would be the strongest warrior in the world, second only to Durandal.
Yet, her very first real battle had taught her a harsh lesson.
"In that case, let's just focus on more training from now on."
Seeing this, Amber didn't offer any further consolation. In such a situation, comfort would only deepen the other's self-reproach. It was better to redirect her attention.
"Ratatoskr's plan has succeeded halfway. I think we'll soon find out whether it can truly work."
"It's not that easy..."
Rita gave Amber a resigned look.
"Lady Durandal, love isn't something that blossoms so easily—especially when one party has ulterior motives and their positions are opposed. Do you remember the Yamai sisters and Yoshino? It took a long time for you to truly trust each other, didn't it?"
"Besides, there's no telling when a Spirit will manifest. Once this is over, who knows how long it'll be until the next time?"
True, but that's under normal circumstances. Itsuka Shiori and the Spirits are anything but normal.
Amber thought this to herself but didn't voice it aloud.
Rita, meanwhile, reflected on the recent battle. Her fight with Ellen had given her many insights and improvements in using the Territory.
Having learned from this experience, she would undoubtedly become stronger next time.
"Still, Lady Durandal is as remarkable as ever. Even against Ellen, you ended the battle so quickly."
At this, Rita smiled. "So-called 'The Strongest Wizard' seems to be just an empty title compared to you, Lady Durandal."
"Our situations are different. Comparing combat prowess is meaningless."
If Ellen was a pure genius, then she herself was a cheater.
Amber didn't deny the efforts she'd made to become stronger, but in her eyes, she could never measure up to a true genius in terms of integrity.
Thus, she never felt her strength was something to boast about.
Unaware of these thoughts, Rita took Amber's words as referring to innate talent—which, after all, was true. In the face of Lady Durandal, anyone's talent seemed lacking.
"But talent is also part of your strength, Lady Durandal."
She insisted.
Amber shook her head and turned her attention back to the battle in the sky.
In truth, after Durandal's arrival on the battlefield, DEM—already at a disadvantage—showed even clearer signs of collapse.
A duel between commanders was an excellent way to boost morale: the winning side would gain momentum, while the losing side would falter before even fighting.
Although Ellen had defeated Rita with overwhelming superiority, Rita wasn't seen as a main commander in the eyes of DEM members. When Ellen claimed she could rival Durandal, she was the only one who believed it.
Even among the DEM troops, very few knew that Ellen had once captured a Spirit. Those following Ellen now simply assumed she was exaggerating to boost their morale.
While this had worked to some extent after Ellen defeated Rita, when Durandal returned, DEM's reaction was more of a resigned, "As expected." They were disappointed, but it hardly came as a surprise.
After all, this was Durandal—the strongest human who had once defeated Spirits.
With morale at an all-time low, DEM members were shot down one after another by the forces of Schicksal. The collapse was swift and total.
Knowing they couldn't continue the fight, the squad leader directly sent the retreat signal and led everyone away from the battlefield.
With victory secured, their side had suffered no losses apart from Rita. Defeating an opponent twice their size at the cost of only one person could be called a resounding triumph.
"Mission accomplished, Lady Durandal, Lady Rita."
A white-haired girl descended from the sky, her Valkyrie armor noticeably different from the others.
The standard Immortal Blades armor, based on appearance, was of the Ranger type, while this white-haired girl's was the White Comet.
Of course, though designed to resemble the White Comet, its performance couldn't compare to the original—after all, this world's materials couldn't match something like Soulium.
"Well done, Origami."
Amber nodded. "As expected of the second squad leader."
"It's all thanks to your training, Lady Durandal."
The white-haired girl's lips curved slightly, but she quickly caught herself and pressed them back into a neutral line.
"What's wrong?"
Amber asked, puzzled.
"Lady Durandal, must we really protect the Spirits?"
The girl wasn't one to hide her thoughts. Since Amber had asked, she spoke plainly. "With your strength, Lady Durandal, you should be able to kill the Spirits directly."
From others' perspectives, Spirits had indeed been killed many times—mostly by Schicksal.
Even if they were killed, they would reappear after some time, but there would be a long period without any manifestation signals from that Spirit.
Durandal, however, was even more enigmatic. The three Spirits she had killed hadn't reappeared for over two years, leading many to speculate whether she possessed a means to eliminate Spirits permanently.
Origami thought the same.
She didn't understand why Schicksal would want to protect Spirits. Though she would carry out her missions, this stance conflicted with her original reason for joining Schicksal.
"Hmm..."
Seeing the white-haired girl's serious expression, Amber felt a bit troubled.
"This is part of our cooperation with Ratatoskr. What everyone can be told is that if this plan succeeds, it will completely resolve the issues of Spirits and Spacequakes. However, it involves Schicksal's confidential matters, so other details cannot be disclosed for now."
Knowing that Amber wasn't adept at explaining such things, Rita smoothly took over with a smile.
Hearing this response, Origami's expression relaxed considerably. "I see... My apologies for questioning without understanding the full situation. I accept any punishment."
"Not at all. This matter was going to be shared with everyone eventually. Besides, your performance this time was outstanding—taking down four members of DEM's elite squad single-handedly. Rather than punishment, a reward is more fitting for you."
Rita effortlessly brushed the matter aside.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.