"Step back, I'll guide you. Shiori's waiting over there."
Amber whispered to Tohka.
"But…"
Tohka desperately wanted to confirm Shiori was safe, yet the situation here was clearly more pressing.
If she left now, wouldn't she be leaving the other girl in an even tougher spot?
"It's fine, don't worry about me."
Amber slightly raised the Black Abyss White Flower in her hand.
A pale green light flickered around her, and instantly, the several half-meter-thick branches from before wove together into a massive 'canopy' stretching over a kilometer, completely shielding both Amber and Tohka, and covering a vast expanse of the forest.
"Don't let her get away!"
Seeing this, Artemisia immediately charged towards the wooden canopy with her greatsword.
Mana didn't follow immediately, instead providing covering fire to support Artemisia's assault.
This wasn't their usual combat rhythm. Normally, Mana, specialized in close combat, would lead the attack, while the speed-focused Artemisia handled harassment and surprise strikes.
But Mana had just been through a major battle.
She seemed to have recovered well on the surface, but her magical reserves were far from full, and she wasn't in peak condition.
Having her face Durandal in this state was less ideal than letting the faster Artemisia take the lead.
However, when the attacks from Artemisia and Mana landed on the wooden canopy, their expressions shifted.
It was way too hard! They hadn't gone all out, but the fact their strikes didn't even leave a mark was just absurd.
Seeing this enormous obstacle, they grew anxious.
If this continued, the Princess really would escape!
"Alright, take this chance to leave."
Seeing their attacks couldn't break the tree-canopy's defense, Amber wasn't surprised, and turned to speak to Tohka.
"...No!"
Having regained a bit of strength, Tohka pushed herself up, her face set with stubborn determination.
"I can't let you face them alone! Besides, that blue-haired human is my opponent! Even if Shiori is okay, the fact remains that she almost killed her!"
"…"
Tohka's insistence took Amber slightly aback, but thinking it over, she understood how Tohka felt.
Amber knew Mana was Shiori's sister, and probably felt even more regretful about the situation than Tohka did right now. But Tohka didn't know that.
To her, Mana was the enemy who had nearly murdered her dear friend.
Frankly, from Amber's perspective as a human, she had no grounds to attack someone just for wanting to eliminate Spirits. This was different from the situation with Ellen.
Ellen had a desire to fight Amber specifically, whereas Mana and Artemisia were simply aiming to kill Spirits, to remove a threat to the world.
Even if she stretched the definition of their 'cooperation,' Amber's conscience would bother her if she took them down directly.
In that case, leaving things to Tohka wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
"I understand."
Amber nodded. A golden light shimmered around her. As Tohka watched, slightly confused, Amber held the Black Abyss White Flower vertically in front of her.
"'I am the black from the abyss, I am the white descending from the clouds. Born before creation, existing beyond annihilation. I will give water from the spring of life freely to the one who thirsts.'"
The golden light gently gathered around Tohka. Before Tohka could even process her surprise, a sensation both cool and warm began flowing freely through her body.
As this feeling spread to every limb, her previously stiff and weak body felt like a parched person gulping down clear spring water, becoming incredibly light and revitalized.
"What's… what's happening?"
Tohka felt only novelty and delight. "Was Shiori healed like this too? I feel so good all over, it's like I've become… brand new!"
Her restored body naturally regained its ability to manipulate spirit power. Spirit energy, once depleted, now flooded back into her in vast quantities at her mere thought.
"Shiori's situation was different."
Amber said. "I'll handle Artemisia. Takamiya Mana is yours."
"Right! The yellow one's yours, the blue one's mine!"
Even if she didn't know their names, Tohka could assign opponents based on context.
As Tohka returned to full strength, Amber dissolved the tree-canopy originally meant to cover their retreat.
"It's opening up?"
Artemisia, who had been attacking the canopy, was puzzled. But as the branches receded, she could see Tohka, who had struggled to stand just moments ago, now holding her greatsword aloft, full of vigor.
What was going on? Less than a minute had passed. Why was the Spirit suddenly fully recovered?
Mana's brow furrowed deeply. She fired a testing shot at Tohka. With her power restored, Tohka didn't even bother looking, blocking it easily with a spiritual energy barrier.
'She really recovered…?'
Both of them found it hard to believe.
Well then… this changed things.
The two, who had been ready to fight, now hesitated.
If before it was Artemisia + Mana vs. Durandal, DEM vs. Rita, AST vs. the Immortal Blades, now it had become Artemisia + Mana vs. Durandal + Tohka.
They didn't need to defeat Durandal. In fact, DEM and AST didn't need to win outright.
Their victory condition wasn't beating Schicksal, it was killing the Spirits.
Kill the Spirits, and they win.
But now, the Spirit had transformed from a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter into a high-level combatant capable of tangling with either one of them.
And between the two of them, Mana was still in poor condition from the recent battle.
Facing the Spirit, she probably couldn't guarantee a clean kill.
Facing Durandal, she definitely couldn't hold out long enough for Artemisia to kill the Spirit.
Not to mention AST wouldn't last long against the Immortal Blades. Soon, the Immortal Blades would reinforce Rita, and then Rita would come to aid Durandal.
Effectively, they'd be facing two Spirit-level combatants plus the World's Strongest.
This… was a fight they couldn't win.
"Human! I will never forgive you for trying to kill Shiori!"
Tohka pointed Sandalphon at Mana, her rage plain to see.
Kill Shiori? Which Spirit was Shiori?
Artemisia glanced questioningly at Mana beside her, only to find Mana's face had turned utterly grim.
This made her realize the situation wasn't so simple, and solidified her resolve to retreat.
"Don't let your emotions get the better of you!"
Her teammate's reminder made Mana aware of her own composure slipping. Her expression darkened further, but she also calmed down.
"You got lucky, Spirit."
Calming down didn't mean her emotions vanished. Mana shot a deep look at Tohka, then turned and flew away without a backward glance.
"That's the situation, Durandal. You win this time."
Artemisia took a breath, then announced their withdrawal. "But this isn't over. Schicksal's actions demand an explanation for the world. I hope we don't go from opponents to outright enemies."
It was both a warning and a hope. Facing the World's Strongest who had so swiftly defeated Ellen, no amount of telling herself 'one battle doesn't decide everything' could lessen the pressure.
"Huh?"
Watching the very people who had just attacked them leave so swiftly and decisively, Tohka was left bewildered.
Should she chase? She was still furious, freshly restored, and itching for a real fight.
But… these people were, in the end, Shiori and Durandal's comrades. If she mindlessly pursued and attacked, wouldn't that cause problems for them?
So… why did they suddenly stop fighting?
--+--
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.