Rathos grimaces at the chaos unfolding on the ground and in the skies. Elder elementals are showing up en masse. Elder air elementals wreak havoc on the battlefield as tornados. Their twisting forms reave the earth, sundering trees, flingings stones, and scattering corpses in all directions. Then, an elder fire elemental lands.

 

In the sky, the elder fire elementals float as balls of plasma that rain down [Fireballs] with constant regularity. Their close air support is a problem, but one easily solved with a [Homing Arrow] or [Frozen Flak] spell, however, when they land…

 

He watches an elder fire elemental touchdown. It superheats the surrounding stone with its core. The stone melts and the fresh magma wraps around the elemental until it is a molten blob of sentient lava, impervious to mundane swords and arrows, and resistant to magic.

 

He reaches out to one of his [Captains] with his aura.

 

“Dragkenoss, you have a new target.” Rathos raises a finger at the elemental. “[Target Lock].”

 

His heavy cavalry, led by Dragkenoss, react without hesitation to his order. They abandon their current quarry and quickly charge the elemental. The ground quakes as they gather speed. Dragkenoss couches his lance, and the rest of his heavy cavalry follow suit.

 

Just before they reach the elemental, Rathos points a finger at them.

 

“[Designate Demonflame Cavalry]”

 

The cavalry burst into pitch black flame. The ground singes and burns as Dragkenoss reaches the fire elemental. His lance and body plunge into the molten blob and burst out the other side, completely unharmed thanks to the [Greater Heat Resistance] conferred by Rathos’ skill.

 

One after another, the rest of the centaurs follow Dragkenoss until a lance strikes true and pierces the elemental’s hidden core. The once living blob collapses into a puddle and cools as the magic goes away.

 

Once the cavalry is safely away from the lava, Rathos deactivates his skill. The black flames disappear and he releases a sigh. Powerful though the skill may be, he can't keep it up for a long time. In this battle of attrition, the enemy is limitless, but he is not.

 

He looks back to the sky to watch [Wyvern Riders] and their mounts fight the elementals in the air. They are winning, but that won't last forever.

 

As he watches the dogfights, five brilliant flares light up the night sky. They hang in a pentagram- the army code for ‘Rapid Retreat’.

 

“What?” he calls out in surprise.

 

His army, seeing the image, quickly moves in his direction. Wyverns roar from above as they retreat from the battlefield in a flock. Dragkenoss’ cavalry cuts a path for the infantry to retreat. [Mages] and [Archers] provide covering fire for the [Infantry]. [Captains] and [Lieutenants] activate their mobility skills, and the army retreats with haste and perfect order.

 

Even Volpe, who had been trying to pin down the elusive Lightning Titan, abandons her quarry to get as far away from the battlefield as possible.

 

Extending his Aura as far as possible, he searches for the source of the order… and finds it in the center of all the chaos.

 

And then music descends from the heavens.

 

_____________________________________________________________

I open my eyes and stare up at the cloudy night sky. Moonlight and a few stars peak through the thinning overcast.

 

The moon, huh? I guess I wasn’t gone long.

 

Subconsciously, I wrap my arms around the warm, soft weight on my chest. I expand my lungs in a deep yawn and savor the sensation. For a moment, I lie there, stroking the soft thing on top of me and just feeling my body, the earth, the air… everything.

 

Finally, I lift my head to see what I’m cuddling. Jessica lies sprawled across me, her head on my chest, my shirt and breast getting slowly soaked by her drool.

 

I relax back for a moment, then carefully sit up, shuffling until Jessica’s head is on my lap. I survey the moon dappled clearing.

 

“Huh. Just how many people died here?”

 

My eyes roam the large puddles of blood, the extra helpings of viscera, shards of bone, and tattered remains of my vestments.

 

“Trippy. All’s well that ends well, I guess?”

 

I nudge Jessica, but she doesn't wake. Curious, I send a bit of mana into her body, and discover she’s basically depleted her own stock of it.

 

“Shit, you’re mana deprived. What the hell did you cast?”

 

Maybe she got a new skill?

 

I open her status screen.

 

Everything in my mind suddenly clicks into place and my memories come rushing back. Tears roll down my face and I grope around my chest for a hole.

 

“I died.” I say as I recall the moment Umbra ended me permanently.

 

I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. My mind slows a bit and I assess all that’s happened.

 

I open my eyes and stare at Umbra’s headless corpse, then I look down at Jessica asleep in my lap.

 

“You gave up your class to save me.” I say softly and stroke her hair. “You used [Resurrect], that's why you’re so drained.”

 

For a minute, I sit and watch her sleep.

 

For a minute, it's just me and her.

 

For a minute, her.

 

The sounds of distant explosions wake me from my revelry.

 

I sigh.

 

Feeling oddly sore, I stand up and lift Jessica in a princess carry. From my higher vantage point, I look down at the headless corpse.

 

I grin.

 

“Get Muled!” I comment.

 

With a thought, my shadow extends from my body and I summon a bed.

 

I pull back the covers, put Jessica on the bed and tuck her in. I lean forward to kiss her forehead, but change my mind and kiss her lips.

 

“Sleep well.” I murmur softly.

 

From the depths of the shadow, I summon Joker.

 

“Kill anything that comes near her.” I order the undead.

 

Joker moves over to the bed and takes a defensive stance.

 

With Jessica’s protection assured, I reach into my shadow and retrieve my cane.

 

I pause as I stare at the [Divine] ranked weapon.

 

“No,” I shake my head, “No more playing around.”

 

I throw the cane back into my shadow and reach inside again. This time, I pull out a ring I’ve only ever used twice before.

 

I put the ring on my finger and immediately feel its passive effect, not that it will matter.

 

With the ring on my finger, I activate [Bone Wings]. I feel my spine morph and my bones change as I grow the set of bony limbs from my back.

 

With a jump and a flap, I ascend to the sky and soar to the battlefield.

 

I circle above the chaos. Three armies battle each other and an endless horde of elementals fights everybody. Giant golems with laser eyes, Demon Succubi, The city of Muspelheim, walking super-trees, and my own special army of monsters and undead are only some of those fighting through the elemental swarm.

 

Speaking of my own army. I should probably make sure they get out of the area.

 

I land in the center of the battlefield and raise my palm up into the air.

 

“Now then, if I remember correctly, this should be the signal.”

 

My palm glows violet before I release a missile directly into the sky. The orb of energy explodes and creates a spreading, vibrant pentagon over the entirety of the battlefield.

 

As the pentagon dissipates and my army begins its rapid retreat, I glance one last time at the ring on my finger.

 

“Well, it's now or never. No more holding back. [Mana Vortex]”

 

The ring activates for the third time. I don’t panic over the translucent barrier that sprouts around me, nor am I surprised as said barrier begins to vibrate rapidly. As it vibrates, the surrounding mana vibrates in turn. The vibrations become sound and the sound becomes music. A siren's song echoes all around me. The song grows louder and stronger, stressing my soul to its limits.

 

Across the battlefield, all the mana dances to my tune, an extension of my own.

 

I grin and spread my arms wide. The mana harkens to my call.

 

“[Pandora’s Shadow].”

 

I activate my signature skill, and my shadow grows out from me, farther and further, wider and larger than anything I could ever hope to create alone. I stress my will and strain my soul as I force my shadow wider enough.

 

Then, I call forth my trump card.

 

___________________________________________________________

“Is that a woman's voice?” Aodean asks. He gazes in the direction of the music playing throughout the battlefield and the entirety of Camelot.

 

Nobody answers as all eyes have turned in the same direction. They watch warily as violet mana manifests into clouds that converge toward the source of the music.

 

The clouds grow darker and darker as they spread and lower till they finally descend over the wall.

 

“Something is coming,” Ambrosia warns. She takes a step back, “something very dangerous.”

 

Garn whines. The wolfman's tail curls between his legs and his ears droop. A complete one-eighty shift from the man's stoic personality.

 

Next to Garn, Franky grimaces as his [Dangersense] goes off stronger and more insistent than he’d ever had it. Granted, it's been going off constantly since the beginning of the war, but whatever is making that noise is on a whole ‘nother level.

 

Everyone waits with bated breath, the seconds tick slowly by as the mana stabilizes. Then they see it. Four massive, glowing pylons rise menacingly over the walls, followed by a vast metallic structure that ascends higher and higher till its top is lost in the clouds.

 

Eventually, it stops rising… then before the eyes of every [Hero],