Apolline couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

She could barely believe it herself even when the evidence was right in front of her.

Xia stood there in her latest fashion statement. Somehow she produced a chair and took sweet time waiting for the Montgomery’s Pure Army to assemble against the lone invader. Everything happening before them was bizarre.

Did this woman realize she was surrounded by thousands of Montgomery’s finest soldiers? If she did, Apolline must admire Xiahana’s incredible nerve to stare down all of them while drinking her tea.

Geneva joined Apolline in glaring at the woman in white. It was a stand-off. Montgomery's soldiers were told to hold their fire. Confident as they were, none of the Archangel wanted to escalate against Xiahana.

The whole shtick felt like a trap. Xia couldn’t be walking to Montgomery's camp and declaring a war without a plan, right?

Silence continued as Xia kept drinking.

It was Apolline who broke the silence.

“What are you doing?” Apolline said.

Xia sipped the tea, “Declaring a war against you.” She whistled. “Wow, all these troops here to fight the little old me? You are feisty, Apolline.”

Unlike her colleague, Geneva never met the Princess of White face-to-face, and she wasn't impressed.

“Your word spoke of bravado,” Geneva. “We knew you are a servant—”

“A wife,” Xia corrected. “My dearest insist.”

“We know you answer to the Unity Lord,” Geneva said. “That makes you a heretic of the highest order. You should know Lord Yume and Maximus never got along with the depraved and perverted—”

“I’m taking offense to that,” Xia said. “My family isn't depraved, nor perverse.” She paused before surrendering a point. “Okay, that might be true in the bedroom, but you know what I mean.”

“What are you doing here, Xiahana?” Apolline shushed Geneva from going on another zealous spiel. “We cooperated against Etaceh in Eleanor. Are you planning to throw that relationship away?”

Xia shrugged, “Honesty time, Apolline. Heart-to-heart, despite our differences I consider you a friend. Sure, your emotional outbursts and lack of forethought are a little annoying, but I believe your heart is in the right place.” Xia sighed. “You serve the wrong guy.”

Apolline paused, and said in a robotic tone, “I don’t think Maximus is that bad.”

Xia groaned. It was transparently clear the Worship Seed sank in deep.

“Very well,” Xia said. “We agree to disagree.” She took out a pocket watch. “I believe this would be enough time anyway.“

Geneva and Apolline blinked before the Montgomery’s camp behind them went aflame.

Apolline finally caught the game, “You are here as a distraction?”

“Got it in one go,” Xia clapped. The Helios Ring rose to the sky from behind her. “But not completely. I am here to delay you.”

The black sky brightened as the Sun Circuit activated, creating the receptacle to magnify Xia’s magic.

White Magic Rank 6: Sanction

White Magic Rank 5: Wrath of Sol

Light bathed down from the sky, pressing both Archangels into the ground and the comet of White Mana rained on the army.

…

Few minute earlier, Betty and Ciel walked from behind the camp of the Pure Army.

“Can’t believe it went better than I expected,” Ciel said. “I originally believe Apolline will be staying as a guard because she believes I will try something.” He whistled. “Instead, she has gone with Geneva.”

Betty wasn’t surprised, “Apolline is always the unpredictable one, but are we sure it is fine for Xia to take on both her and Geneva.” Betty groaned. “And why are you wearing fewer artifacts than usual? Aren't those artifacts outdated already?”

Unlike his normal suit, Ciel was sporting the Black Spade Shirt and Trouser and Shoes, leaving most of his body defenseless.

“I need a good deal of equipment slots opened,” Ciel said. “Now, according to the Fountain of Divination, the tent they kept the weapon should be around here.”

Out of the shadow, a squad of heavily armored knights in white came out to meet the two. Leading them was a baldy with an unshaven stubble in black armour.

“As expected, the chick outside is a diversion,” Bruno huffed. “Geneva and Apolline fell for your trap like a champ. What is it with power being correlated to idiocy?” Bruno looked at Ciel. “Aren’t you the Unity Lord? Isn’t your greatest power letting your ladies fight your battle for you?”

Ciel wasn’t amused, “Who do you think I am? Maximus?”

Bruno nodded, “Buddy, you had a point.” Bruno took out an ax. “Lord or not, you have no chance here mate.” He gestured to over twenty knights surrounding them. “These are the Paladins. The toughest of the tough. Think of them like Montgomery super soldiers. Let me guess, you are here to stop us from winning a decisive battle, and the best way to do that is stealing the artifact. A certain Iceberg and I anticipated that tactic ages ago, so we are here to guard the goods.” Bruno smiled. “You are dead, Mr. Harem Lord.”

Ciel wasn’t amused. “Instead of a bunch of faceless knights, Apolline would be a better option to guard the treasure.”

“You are right, buddy,” Bruno admitted. “You are probably expecting Apolline to volunteer, but I can’t have that.” Bruno pointed his ax at Ciel. “You are a prize to move my career. Can’t have Apolline steal this kill. It is already bad enough that I have to share credit with the Iceberg. I sure as hell won’t give it to Miss Bleeding Heart.”

Ciel glanced at Betty.

“I know,” Betty answered the unspoken question. “This is why Montgomery never mounts a successful invasion.” She shook her. “The worst enemy of the Archangel is another Archangel.”

“Enough shit-chat,” Bruno grinned. “Let’s rumble.”

Then there was fire.

…

As Bruno charged for his perceived MVP award, Xia was duking it out with two Archangels.

The power of two wide-area White Magic caught the Montgomery Army by surprises. Amplified by her Gospel battle-suit, the power and range of Sanction locked almost everyone but the most elite to the dirt. Then the Wrath of Sol took care of those elites.

Only two people capable of mounting a resistance were Geneva and Apolline, and even they were struggling.

Xia flew in the air with the power of her boot — the Gospel Wing. She already had her signature rapier in her right hand to resume the attack by unleashing an air-quake.

The atmosphere repulsed, and the earth rumbled as forces hammered down from the sky.

It was Geneva who stopped the attack.

Green Magic Rank 3: Beast Contract.

A familiar emerged from the Green Mana and met the shock-wave with moos enchanted with ether.

Xia was impressed. A Divine Ox was a pretty rare summon for Green mage.

Geneva wasn't the only Archangel getting back into the fray. Powered by Strengthen, Apolline withstood the pressure of Sanction, and launched a Flare at Xia.

Xia didn’t even bother to dodge. Her Aura, amplified with Red Mana nullification of [White Blessing], allowed her tank the explosion of flames like a breeze.

The two Archangels surveyed how the battle was going, and they knew it didn’t go well.

“Her White Magic is too powerful,” Apolline said, suffering beneath the light. “Ways too powerful.”

Geneva bit her lip, “Dame Apolline. I hate to say this, but we can’t overpower her one-on-one. We need to work together to break the Sanction.”

Both their eyes met, and the two women arrived at a plan.

Geneva launched a series of Green Magic.

Green Magic Rank 5: Nature Wonder

Green Magic Rank 2: Life Growth

…

Around the battlefield, life sprouted from the ground, providing a miniature paradise of woodland. Trees speared from the earth like salmon leaping from the water. The glass rustled as the forest erupted to shield the downed troops of Montgomery.

Xia was impressed as the Archangels disappeared beneath the foliage, and Green Mana surged. Then Red Mana ignited the power even further, drowning the world in the tyrannical concentration of Red Mana.

It was an excellent tactic from Xia’s perspective. The two combined forces using Life Growth and Mana Burst to overcome the retarding properties of Sanction. If Xia was right, there was only one magic they could use to overturn their disadvantageous position.

Right on cue, the sky parted, and the Archangels unleashed their own Sanction to overcome Xia's suppression effect. Sadly for the pair, Xia was armed with the Helios Ring and the Gospel set. On top of her [White Blessing], the current modifier Xia possessed was simply too high for two Archangels to overcome.

But it gave them a leeway to retaliate.

From beneath the foliage, countless Bolts, courtesy of Apolline, fired like a volley of arrows. Red waves of crimson sparks flew from the ground.

Xia admitted it was an impressive number for any mage, but she wasn’t impressed.

Pointing her finger and the sky-blotting volley, Xia cast her Magic. Her clothing rippled with power, and the Gospel Scale she wore beneath her hooded clothes glowed from the power being discharged.

White Magic Rank 4: Smite

A wide beam of Smite scanned down from the sky, wiping the countless Red Mana projectiles and sweeping the battlefield.

It was a merciless attack. The barely recovering soldiers of the Pure Army which survived the Sanction and Wrath of Sol had to gather themselves and run from the massive wide-area Smite. The trees created by Geneva fell and crumbled as the entire section of the newly minted forest was terminated by the light.

Apolline cast Haste and pulled out every reserve in her Aura to evade Xia’s attack. She had no idea there was anyone who could cast this level of White Magic outside of Micheal.

Before Xia’s beam could do significant damage, something sliced at her. It was a significant hit which blindsided her, but her new accessory — the Sacred Gem — activated. The invisible attack bounced off her barrier. 

In the distance was Geneva. The Green Archangel rode on a magical bovine, galloping toward the sky.

“Quite a flexible divine animal,” Xia commented. “Energy beam, nullification mooing, and now flight. What can’t that Divine Ox do?”

Geneva answered with a pluck of her harp, attacking with a heavy Aura-augmented slash that knocked Xia back a little. Once again, the Sacred Gem held firms.

The Green Archangel surveyed her lack of damage. “You are armed head-to-toe with national treasure artifacts,” Geneva observed. “This isn’t fair.”

Another column of rock from Apolline’s Earth Strike shot at Xia from the ground, but she easily crumbled it to nothing with a jab of [Deific Wing].

Geneva observed Xia. The woman in front of her possessed artifacts that allowed her to fly, maximized her White Magic to an obscene level, and an incredibly powerful barrier that wouldn’t go down in simple attack. Worst of all, Apolline couldn’t fly by herself and the Red Archangel’s range attack wasn't doing a damn thing.

It was then Geneva admitted they needed an extra hand.

Then she came upon the realization.

Where the hell was Bruno when Xiahana was kicking their ass?