With the sun high up in the sky and the wind gently breezes. Two individuals skirmished with their inner selves, having slight difficulty facing the other person. The mood was awkward yet sweet. The girl was blushing due to embarrassment but also due to shame. She’d just called a stranger a ‘dummy’, which she now regrets.

 She didn’t know why she said it—actually, she knew why. She didn’t find his teasing repulsive; it was the contrary, however…she sort of went with the flow and ended up playing along. Feeling a bit jittery and bubbly. She assumed something was wrong with her; it was a strange feeling she’d never experienced before. She felt oddly happy being teased—which she usually disliked, be it her parents, friends or sister.

 (…!? I-is this what they call flirting!?)

 Curious, Amethely glanced at the man beside her again. To her surprise, he covered his face with his arm. His ears were red—which she found very endearing…

 Her first impression of him was that he seemed a little aloof yet mellow at the same time. But seeing him like this, her heart fluttered even more. Still, she had to thank him for lending her his coat.

 With her mind made up, she thanked him shyly, “A…um… Mister…thank you for lending me your coat,” while trying to be as natural as possible. Unfortunately, she found herself staring into his deep eyes awkwardly. And as they say… The abyss stares right back.

 She was staring, and so was Alum. He thought that Amethely had beautiful eyes, crystal clear and light in colour. The two didn’t break that contact for quite some time, as if it had turned into a staring contest, as the two would just lock eyes.

 It was a little uncomfortable for both, but despite that discomfort, they weren’t able to look away, as it felt just as comfortable. At least…until it became too much to bear, and the two would quickly turn away at the same time.

 Alum then realised that he’d forgotten to reply and turned to face her again, only to see her sneak glances his way through her fingers.

 (…what is this…?) Alum pondered.

 His heart was aching. He bit his lip and clutched his fists, trying to utter words. Just any at all….

 “Mmm,” he replied. The long overdue reply made no sense, and he started to feel a little awkward about it. Well…he at least came off as calm. “Don’t mention it. Rather…you should thank these little guys,” Alum remarked as he patted the small creatures while letting out a soft ‘yawn’ and kept his cool. Wondering if he’d done a good job.

 In response, Amethely puffed her cheeks. (Unfair! How can you just turn to your mellow self in an instant like that!? After adorably—I mean after meanly laughing at me!?) Still pouting, she patted the small creatures, saying, “Thank you…” to them while glancing at the relaxed young man beside her. (…my… now what…? I… I’ve never interacted with a boy like this… What do I do!? Mamaaa!! Granny!?)

 Regardless of her struggles, she kept glancing at his shoulder—the one she’d been comfortably leaning on. She then realised that there was a silver-grey strain of hair stuck on his cheek. Meaning that he’d been leaning on her, too.

 (Th-that was…c-couple activity!? We looked like a couple!?)

 Her head was spinning, and she felt dizzy. She felt super happy at the same time. (Noooo! Ame! He’s a stranger! How shameful of a lady…!) while there was some inner turmoil. The tiny creatures had started to migrate to Alum instead. One of them even jumped onto his shoulder, cuddling closer to him… (You’re just teasing me now, aren’t you!?) Amethely retorted in her mind.

 But…

 Seeing how carefree Alum was, playing with the small animals, Amethely felt as if she’d been stabbed in her chest. Unlike the happy, jittery feeling she had previously felt. This one was murky, making her feel sad. The thought crossed her mind. (—could…it be he doesn’t think any of it…?) She clenched her hands and pressed them against her chest. (…It’s a little painful…)

 Alum seemed to have noticed that her mood had gotten slightly sullen and asked, “Is there something the matter?” in a soft and gentle tone.

 Amethely lightly shook her head, realising that she’d still held onto his coat, “Ooh…um…your coat… thank you…”

 Alum tilted his head, “Thank you?”

 ““......””

 Silence befell the two again. It was uncomfortable, and the mood was somewhat…not great. Then… Alum realised something. “I have these treats…want to share?”

 “H-huh? I-I really shouldn’t. It’s yours…” Amethely replied in a fluster. But as she did, she saw a disappointed look in his eyes. (…huh? Why did he seem so sad…?) Despite his lack of expression, she didn’t think that he’d feel down because she’d rejected his offer. (…That’s not fair…making a face like that…) she thought, feeling a bit happy for some reason. With a soft yet shy smile on her face, Amethely playfully looked at him, stating, “I… I’ve changed my mind…i-if you’re fine with it… can I have a bite then…?” She stuttered a little, but…when she saw Alum jolt in excitement ever so slightly, she felt happy, knowing that she’d taken the right set of actions.

 “Here…” Alum somewhat shyly said, handing her some snacks.

 …

  …..

 …

 After the slightly awkward incident when Amethely was on her way back to the dorm, she’d realised something. It was something very, very important.

 (—Uwaaa! There must be something wrong with me!) She was agonising and shaking her head. (How come I didn’t ask for his name!?) She felt disappointed in herself… (What kind of lady doesn’t introduce herself!?)

 Thinking along those lines, she was sure that her grandmother was scolding her from the heavens. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she reddened as she bent down on her knees, covering her face, while passerby chuckled at the sight. (I wanted to meet him agaaain! But I’m so airheaded that I didn’t ask for his name! Uwaaah! Ahhhh!!!!!)

 After agonising over her mistake for a little while, she finally arrived back at the dorm. As she entered, she saw that dorm manager Lily and Pope Lue were speaking to some soldiers in the hallway. Curious as to why, she walked closer, entering their field of view. But for some reason, they had sorry looks on their faces.

 (Is there an emergency?) Amethely pondered.

 —She’d be right on the spot. They filled her in on the details. As it turned out, the SS-Rank catastrophe class Selges beast in the Zederes mountains had woken up. It had been sealed there for many, many years, slumbering. But now, it had suddenly woke up for some unknown reason.

 The military went to reseal it—however…it had been fully awake and had been marching towards Ilifel since morning. They’d left the beast alone for many years, calculating that they’d lose too many lives if they were to confront it directly.

 Now, it was unable to go back to its slumber and had become a whole nother story. Ever since the morning, they’ve dispatched The Hero and their most powerful mages and fighters, but it was only limited to the army. After all, the mountains are a restricted area. Well, not that ordinary people venture outside of the cities anyway…

 They couldn’t hire adventures or mercenaries either since it was a state secret that a calamity beast rested this close to the city. It was quite the dilemma indeed. So much so that they’d have to ask their current saint for help. While it wasn’t very well known, she was one of the most powerful individuals on the continent, not only because of her supportive capabilities but also because she was a Blademaster with high proficiency in swordsmanship.

 But there was also another reason they asked her…it was because she could use powerful light magic. She was essentially a perfect weapon for dealing with dark types. The light is able to cleanse and heal but also pierce through the dark. Of course, the two elements offset each other, but what better chance did they have? Amethely was one of the few with light magic and is also one of the most proficient in it.

 “…..”

 The Pope showed a grim expression as it was explained to her. To him, she was just a little girl who became a saint after her grandmother’s passing. He felt it to be too much of a burden for her.

 (She’s still young and has many years ahead of her. For god sake…she’s only twenty… I wish she’d just had an ordinary youth instead… What would Riria think of this?)

 Seeing the grim look on The Pope’s face, the soldiers became uneasy and felt guilty as well. They may not be too far apart in age from the saint, but even so, in their eyes, she was still young. If she refused, they wouldn’t have a choice but to command her. They wouldn’t want that. But…what choice did they have?

 However, given the circumstances, how could she refuse? Amethely wasn’t weak, and she had to admit that facing an SS-ranked calamity sounded scary. Even the things in her trails didn’t reach that level…

 Amethely confidently smiled. “I’ll go,” she said.

 Hearing her state that she’d go, they all felt a heavy weight on their chest. Most people have heard things about her, but not many have witnessed her in action. That’s why, even if they knew she was powerful, they felt reluctant to send her off to danger…

 Pope Lue heaved a heavy sigh. “Lily, bring The Saint her Spirit Armour,” he said.

 Even though he didn’t want her to go, he felt somewhat proud that the little girl who used to be so frail stood up on her own, even helping others. Though, Lily probably didn’t share the sentiment, as she wasn’t too happy with the idea.

 “…Understood,” she replied.

 The atmosphere was heavy. But even so, Amethely smiled a little shyly. “I don’t carry these burdens alone,” she said and reassured them that she wasn’t pushing herself too much. “I want to protect The Empire, as it’s my home. We fight for the same cause. Hence, thee shouldn’t look for a rationale to justify the reprimanding of thyself.”

 ‘Saint Amethely…’ they said under their breath.

 A little while later, Lily came back and brought Amethely’s Spirit Armour. It had been a while since Amethely made it. She hadn’t had the chance to wear it; at least, she could count the times on her hands. However, when she stepped out of the church, there were people looking. The crowd was filled with excitement and curiosity. Even if they didn't know what was going on, they cheered for her, wishing her the best.

 “Saint! Be safe!” one cried, and the others would cheer, “You can do it!”

 At times, it felt unreal to her. Once, she was one of them, cheering for her grandmother each time she’d leave the city.

 (…it feels quite strange…) Amethely chuckled.

 She waved at the crowd with a bright smile, and before she took off, her eyes met with a particular gentleman. Surprised, she gasped. She didn’t expect to run into him here. She felt nervous yet happy to see him, but the circumstance was unfortunate as she couldn’t stay and chat. They happened to meet then and now, but what’s to say they won’t run into one another again? The city is massive, but the probability wasn’t zero.

 (…does he recognise me?) she wondered.

 She gently smiled and waved. Wondering if he’d wave back, she waited just a little longer. To her surprise, the gentleman waved back with a soft smile before leaving the crowd.

 “…..”

 Amethely didn’t think he’d recognise her. Even if their exchange was brief, she felt thrilled and had a tightly clenched chest. (This feeling…ahh…a-again…is it selfish of me to want to see you again? With these one-sided feelings of mine?) With these prayers in her heart, she channelled a spell and took off.

 …

 “Did you see that? The Saint is impressive as always!” one person in the crowd excitedly exclaimed. The other one nodded. “Indeed…to be able to use such a complex spell without an attribute for it…”

 (Attribute?) Alum stopped in his tracks.

 “She only has an affinity with light. Dispute that she’s able to use any elemental magic…oh, how far science has come,” one remarked.

 Alum gazed toward the sky, wondering, (will she be alright? That clumsy girl?…so she was a saint—a lady with high status?) He let out a sigh. In this world, he was a nobody—to think he’d feel a certain way for a girl he’d just met… ‘In the end, our worlds vastly differ…now what could I do to change that?’

 …

  …..

 …

 In a bit of a bind, Chely found herself in an unfavourable situation. She’d been firing spells repeatedly since morning. Her lightning tore and echoed throughout the mountains, yet it seemed to have little to no effect on The Dark Selges Beast. It kept regenerating and ejecting corrosive material.

 ‘Tch…’ Chely clicked her tongue in frustration.

 The fighters couldn’t go in because the area around it was too hazardous, and the spell-casters were all running out of mana. Despite their mighty spells, they’ve kept it in place for a long time. They’d hoped to break through its defences but were now getting exhausted instead.

 Dark Beasts? Supposed weakness to light? If it only was that easy. They’ve been firing spells all day, light spells and whatnot. But the beast did not stop moving. It probably sensed a massive amount of mana from within the city and was drawn to it. Most people or creatures aren’t very sensitive to that mana. However, Chely figured that this beast wanted to consume it.

 Even if they were able to get past its dark defences temporarily, the people who went in to attack came out corroded, and their flesh had started to decay over time. Some even died getting close to it. Hence, they’ve mainly prevented it from advancing, hoping it would abandon its defences and go berserk as they kept tearing it down.

 They’ve even cleansed the area many times and pierced the darkness, but the regeneration wouldn’t stop. The mages were all exhausted. Chely, who’d put up a barrier out of thunder and storm, was getting tired, too. Her wide-area suppression of the beast was getting weaker, and she saw the soldiers hopelessly crumble and fall on their knees due to exhaustion or corrosion.

 Even if she were to use her apocalyptic-grade magic, she’d most likely end up killing everyone on the continent. Besides other’s safety, hers was at the most risk as it had a higher risk of going out of control, and she’d be the one to perish.

 Feeling frustrated, she clenched her fists. All of this was too poorly planned. The beast had suddenly woken up; they didn't have enough personnel on the field. Not enough magi-techs… If she were to retreat now and wait for reinforcement, they would be able to gather many more troops, but… As a Hero, how could she abandon those who fought alongside her?

 Not only that, if she were to retreat on her own. Who would restrain it? It was a dark beast. Thus, it probably had a way of traversing the shadows. This means that it could appear or disappear unexpectedly fast, so they might not have time to gather enough troops anyway.

 The only reason it was slow right now was mainly because Chely put it under massive wind pressure, and other mages prevented it from using magic to traverse the shadows by making it unable to dive into shades. 

 It seemed a little hopeless, but reinforcement was on its way. Whether it be the sages, paladins or anything, something would come, and they just had to hold out for a little more. Even in all the hopelessness, they could all feel that the beast was about to go berserk and that they were close to breaking its defences.

 “Hero…I…don’t know for how long we’ll be able to hold up…” a soldier said, panting while holding his spells.

 He looked pale and looked like he was about to faint. It was cold. They’ve run out of barrier cores. Some of those who ran out of magic didn’t make it. Not everyone could be rescued. Even if they got replaced and kept holding it down while firing light magic at it, this was now the last few elites left…

 Chely steeled her heart and her resolve. “We’ll attack as soon as it goes berserk. So hold on…” she said while almost losing control of the magic herself.

 “Understood…”

 The words weren’t exactly what The Elite Soldiers wanted to hear, but what could they do? It would spill doom for everyone if she said anything but to keep holding.

 (Many of them are holding out very well despite not having an attribute for light…but the same goes for me, too; I just need to hold it down with this light-infused wind for a bit longer…) 

 Despite her astronomically high amount of mana, she felt exhausted, too. It felt like her arms would fall off, her bones be ground away to dust, while her body slowly rotted. It was an unpleasant feeling, as the first and last were to be taken literally. The only thing that was keeping her going was her willpower and the little mana she had left.

 Suddenly, The Selges Beast stopped moving, and ferocious mana stormed the air; dark clouds emerged, and black lightning bolts struck and incinerated a few. The horrific sight left many speechless as it penetrated through all their defences. Those who didn’t instantly die suffered a slower, inevitable death.

 “Fall back!” Chely commanded.

 Even if she shouted the command, it was difficult for the soldiers to fall back to a safer place. They were unable to fly due to Chely’s magic. Besides that, they didn’t even have enough mana, nor could they move as they pleased due to the cold mana-draining snow and ice.

—Again, The Selges Beast burst a massive amount of corrosive energy and blasted the beam in a straight line. Anyone caught up in it wasn’t just corroded but wholly obliterated. The few barrier cores they had left were destroyed, and soldiers froze to ice pretty quickly.

 Chely was still keeping it in place while she watched the others try to flee. She wanted to release the spell and dash away to repel its attacks, but she was the only one who was capable of holding it down alone. But then, she noticed something. The Selges was slowly getting out of its dark, murky armour. Or rather…the armour was dissipating, finally revealing its true form.

 It was an enormous beast on four; it had tails and tentacles sticking out of its back. Spikes along the legs, all of it infused with corrosive dark lightning, and its eyes were deep crimson and very ominous. It was like looking into the void.

 (Looks like all the effort paid off…) Chely thought.

 Its defence was gone, a good thing, but…

 “I-Its gathering a horrifying amount of mana again!” someone shouted.

 “No, wait! That direction!? The city!?”

 ‘Tsk…’

 Chely clicked her tongue. As the beast gathered mana and shrank in size, the atmosphere got heavier; it made almost every soldier faint. Those who didn’t started to feel nauseous—as the toxic mana became unbearable. It was as if their skin turned inside out, their lungs being ruptured while their internal organs were being turned and twisted.

 Many more fell and were dying; even the barrier cores eventually broke and left the elites to shiver on the cold, icy ground. Their armour spells failed, and they froze instantly after…

 At her wit’s end, Chely broke her spell, and the beast was alleviated from the pressure. The attack it’d prepared charged much faster, and a lethal condensed dark sphere appeared; it discharged destructive lighting while ionising and corroding the surrounds.

 Chely made sure it wouldn’t be able to escape as a few still restricted it with light. Being quick-witted, she instantly intensified the external storm barrier which had trapped them all in the mountain range. She wasn’t confident she’d be able to stop its attack completely, but if it made its way toward the city, she’d at least know it wouldn’t destroy the city barriers.

 Then, all of a sudden, she felt her body shiver—parts of her storm barrier had been torn open. However, the feeling didn’t last long as she sensed familiar mana. ‘Ame?’ she uttered. Chely, who basically had no mana left, smiled. It was perhaps arrogant of her, but that was how much she trusted Amethely. Thus, instead of infusing her blade with mid-tier light magic, she engulfed it with intense crimson light. The blades turned completely dark, and the outline was that of a solar eclipse. Her blade was now completely coated with weak, apocalyptic flames. In a flinch, the beast turned to her and released its energy blast.

Mystic Magic: [Mass of Oblivion]

Divinity: [Apocalyptic Eclipse Flame]

 In response, Chely released the apocalyptic flames that tore through the energy blast in complete silence—turning even mana into cinders along with the mountain range behind her slash. But so did her Eclipse Blade. Its own flames slowly engulfed it. Chely’s hands were trembling. She panted heavily as she fell on her knees, watching the beast emerge from the darkness—it had completely avoided her attack and was free from the light binds.

 Chely clenched her fists while gritting her teeth. (Go figures…even that was useless?) Chely chastises herself. But she hadn’t given in just yet. (This should buy you enough time, shouldn't it, Ame?)

 As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a ray of light pierced through The Selges’ limb. With the appearance of a celestial covered in light was a girl who was a beacon of light in the midst of dark clouds.

 “I-It’s The Saint!” some soldier cried in relief.

 Rightfully so. Their bodies began to glow, and the corrosion they suffered started to retract; they slowly healed, and the feeling of despair slowly evaporated.

 Chely chuckled in relief. “Dammit…my head hurts so bad…” she complained in exhaustion. As the strains of mana caught up to her, her vision became hazy. (Geez, I just want to rest…) she thought.

 Even so, she rose up again, and even with her hazy vision, she had a clear goal in mind. She closed her eyes and used mana to sense her surroundings. Even if she was deprived of mana, she pushed through. The headache became unbearable, but she endured—because she was a hero.

 “Hero…”

 Seeing their hero stand up once more, the soldiers did the same. But what awaited them was a mad beast that had gone berserk. It cried while slowly recovering its lost limb. It growled and turned to Amethely, who was in the sky, raining down light and healing everyone. 

 …

  …..

 …

 Upon entering the illusionary barrier, all that Amethely could see was mass destruction. Bits and pieces of the once beautiful mountain range were scattered across the valleys. The harsh, cold wind carried the cries of agony. Her heart ached, but she had to move forth.

 As she went deeper into the mountains, she could sense mana that felt ominous. It was condensed to the point that she felt a little intoxicated. Soon enough, she arrived at the main camp. The sight made her clench her chest. It was a painful stab, but…it couldn’t have been more painful than what the soldiers currently endured; their eyes were empty—their bodies dispirited and purple. Most of them were ordinary soldiers, as she could judge based on their attire.

 Unable to stand this sight, Amethely rushed to help as many as she could, but she would stumble upon healers with their comrades in their arms and felt her heart being stabbed each time. She felt anxious and sad at the sight as she realised that some cases were too severe.

 “Saint…?” a healer asked in a weak tone as they looked up.

 Her eyes, which were once void of light, began to tear up and spark again. She’d felt so useless after having watched her comrades fall one by one. She herself was exhausted and was unable to perform magic.

 Amethely, despite being a saint and a beacon of light, didn’t know how to comfort the girl in front of her. Judging by how she was holding tightly onto the soldier, they were probably close—lovers, perhaps?

 Shaking off her hesitation, Amethely gently smiled at the girl, reaching out her hand. “Can you stand?” Amethely asked the girl.

 Seeing Amethely’s gentle smile, the girl almost wanted to rage, but once she saw the sadness in The Saint’s eyes, her fury subdued. She looked around her and saw the tragedy outside of her own, but unlike her, the others had gotten up. Without a word, she reached out to take Amethely’s hand and was back up on her feet again. Briefly, she glanced at the man she dearly loved. His death was agonising, and she was forced to watch until the end. And yet, while she was in despair, tragedy occurred around her.

 (Did I feel so hopeless I forgot my role?) she asked herself.

 “I’m sorry I’m late…” Amethely apologised sorrowfully while glancing at the dead man.

 The girl let out a sad chuckle. “I…I truly loved him,” the girl teared up while covering her teary face. But she couldn’t cry forever. She wiped off her tears, and with a determined look, she felt a surge in strength. Surprised that her body was bathed in light, she blankly stared at The Saint. “This is?” she wondered.

 “I shared some of my mana with you,” Amethely gently replied.

 “I-I see…” the girl replied. It didn’t take her long before she rushed to help the others.

 Feeling relieved that all the healers were back on their feet, Amethely began to cast large-scale cleansing magic [Purifying Spring]. Even if it was a mid-tier spell, it was going to help some recover and prevent further necrosis. The rest was up to the other healers.

 Most people present knew that she’d be able to recover them all. But they also knew that she couldn’t. The front line needed her, and making her share mana, which was rare in itself, on top of having her cast a large-scale spell, was more than they could ask for. However, even with all that, some could do nothing but stall for time until they got back to the city.

 Feeling that things would go well, Amethely quickly left the main camp to head to the battlefield. She needed to punish the beast that caused all of this—The Selges.

 When Amethely got closer to her destination, she saw a massive barrier made out of storms and thunder. She knew it was Chely’s spell and felt bad, but she had to tear through. The moment she did, the air became heavier, and she felt suffocated. It was mana so suffocating she blanked out for a moment. The sight before her was beautiful yet terrific. From a distance, the mountains turned black with faint light surrounding them—only to disappear moments later.

 “What the…”

 Amethely shook her head and decided not to think too deeply about it until she reached the others. As she did, she saw Chely on her knees. Some soldiers were frozen statues, while others chanted magic to keep the beast in place.

 “…..”

 Amethely’s breaths became ragged as she clenched her fist. In a fit of rage, she materialised The Celestial Construct. In a fell swoop, she channelled concentrated celestial light to blast the beast, instantly tearing its limb off. As it began to cry out loud and discharge lightning everywhere, Amethely missed her chance to dash in to finish it off. Instead, she focused on healing and cleansing the fallen. As soon as the beast recovered, it jerked, and with unpredictable movements, it made its way toward Amethely.

 The beast blasted dark beams toward her. Each she sliced with her sword. However, she was caught by one of its sharp, spiked tentacles. It slowly dug through her mana armour as well as her spirit armour.

 In a bind, Amethely surrounded herself with an intense light that incinerated the tentacle. She distanced herself, but the beast was relentless. It kept firing dark orbs, which she sliced. Yet…she missed one. Jumping on the opportunity, the beast vanished and appeared from the dark orb.

 Taken by surprise, Amethely was bashed onto the ground with tremendous blasts of lightning. Moments later, beams of lighting descended. The Selges once again appeared beside her. With its massive tail, which sounded like a thunder strike as it smashed her into a mountain. It restrained her with darkness and then followed up with an attack; The Selges directed all of its tentacles to charge a powerful attack.

 However, before it finished its attack, it received a powerful punch from below and was sent flying into the sky. Not done, Chely stomped the ground and tore out a block of ice to throw at the beast. Furious, the beast blasted through the block of ice. It then vanished and appeared underneath her. Yet, its move was predictable. Chely jumped up and punched it as soon as it appeared and mashed it into the cold ice beneath them.

 Exhausted, Chely panted while she gathered her strength for the next attack. The soldiers who watched were flabbergasted. The beast they’d struggled all day long with was being punched around by The Hero, who’d previously struggled to subdue it all day.

 Still, as one would expect, the beast recovered rapidly and caught the exhausted Chely. It electrocuted her until she fell unconscious, then blasted her with dark energy. Unfortunately for it, Chely was covered with light. The beast turned its gaze to the opponent it nearly forgot about. There stood Amethely. Her armour was torn, and she was bleeding all over. Yet, she kept walking forward.

 “Let her go…!” she hissed.

 As if being uninterested in Chely, the beast threw her at Amethely. Panicked, Amethely forced her body to move to catch Chely and dampen their collision. In a split second, the beast appeared before her. It stared deep into her eyes and tried to crush them with its claws. Amethely moved to the side and slit its claw. As it cried in agony, Amethely changed the shape of The Celestial Construct and turned it into a spear. Infusing the spear with celestial light, she threw and accelerated the spear at its head to then distance herself from the beast.

 The Selges managed to get out of its panicked state to dodge the celestial spear with half its head intact. Resentfully, it stared at Amethely. It growled and slowly recovered. However, they all noticed something strange. The claw that Amethely had cut off didn’t recover fully; the same went for some part of its head.

 Stumbling, Amethely got Chely to a safe place. She felt exhausted, too, and her mana was half depleted. She’d used way too much mana too fast and was feeling very dizzy. However, seeing how The Selges were unable to jump inside the shadows, she felt relieved.

 Slowly, she began to heal Chely. Some soldiers rushed toward them and began to deflect attacks fired at them. Some others snared it in place, making it unable to run away. After all, even if it wasn’t able to jump shadows, it was very agile for its massive size. 

 It wasn’t going to last very long, however. The soldiers were more exhausted; hence, they did what they could and awaited new commands. Chely slowly opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure. She reached out her hand to gently caress Amethely on the cheek.

 “Ame…you’re safe?”

 Amethely giggled. “Somewhat,” she softly replied.

 Seeing how beaten up Amethely was, Chely gritted her teeth. She could tell that Amethely had used celestial magic, which was highly lethal to the user as well as their opponents. Having recovered enough, Chely got back up on her feet.

 Seeing the sight, Amethely smiled. “Sis,” she faintly said.

 “Huh?”

 Suddenly, Chely and the other soldiers were coated in a light; their fatigue was somewhat relieved. Even if they felt mana depletion, they felt as if they could use spells. The first spell she’d cast was [Stellar Night Reflection]. It was an AoE spell that cleansed and healed over time. But it got cancelled when she got severely injured.

 Still, she managed to cast it again despite her fading consciousness. But along with that, she cast [Light Clad Armour] and [Stellar Infusion]. However, casting three high-level spells made her mana drain at an uncomfortable rate. Not only that, [Light Clad Armour] allowed others to use her as a catalyst for mana, and it made her mana deplete even faster while [Stellar Infusion] infused their weapons with the highest levels of scorching light.

 Although it wasn’t as good as her celestial light, it was all she could manage. The others knew this, but they also felt relieved. They wouldn’t want their saint to keep sacrificing herself to the light. Besides, this intense light was enough for the severely injured Selges.

 With her fists clenched and teeth gritted, Chely bore a bitter look. “Ame…” Chely said. 

 “I’m fine, Sis…” Amethely faintly replied. “I’ll leave the rest to you and the others if…that’s fine…”

 Chely was about to open her mouth. She wanted to say, “Please don’t exhaust yourself”, but even she knew it wasn’t possible. Her sweet little sister was suffering because she felt guilt about her incompetence.

 “Sis…don’t be harsh on yourself. The beast became weak enough for me to deal quite some damage to it… However, as you can probably tell… My limbs are limp, and my bones are broken. I’m slowly recovering. I’m fine…that’s why, can I leave the rest to you?” Amethely sweetly said as if reading Chely’s mind.

 Hearing the encouraging words from her adorable little sister, Chely couldn’t help but feel even more motivated than she previously—or was it desperation?

 She got down on her knee, gently kissed Amethely on the forehead, and patted her head. “Leave it to your Big Sis!” Chely exclaimed.

 “G-Geez! Still treating me like a child!?” Amethely protested. But at the same time, she felt relief and softly giggled. But as if remembering something, she pouted. “Please don’t use up all my mana in one spell…” she playfully requested.

 Chely fell silent and awkwardly dashed toward The Selges.

 (—Sis?!)

 The soldier who protected them from projectiles chuckled at their interaction, and the mood was brighter and warmer despite the harsh coldness.

 

A/N

 

Trivia about the mountains! 

The mountains of Ilifel, or rather the cold Zederes mountains, are covered with highly dense ice and snow with magical properties. Essentially making them very difficult to destroy and melt. 

It is also home to many frost Wyverns, known as the Ilifelen Wyverns, very cute and adorable creatures that live at the tops of these mountains… 

They are incredibly intelligent and are, in fact, pets to some very high-ranked adventurers. 

Rewrite note: kinda a lot changed in this rewrite. The scenes played out pretty differently, and there are more details. Dunno, I wasn’t really happy with the previous versions. It felt like this chapter could’ve been three chapters, which it still isn’t. It’s two chapters, basically.

Still, I hope it doesn’t feel stiff cuz I felt like the previous one was a little, maybe? Like, I kinda sucked at fights back then, maybe now still, haha, but hey, at least there’s more of a fight instead of me telling you guys it was a fight. 

Like…if you’re curious, you can read that at ao3, which I’m too lazy to update.

But what I can tell you is that Chely punched the crap out of that thing, haha! Like, she didn’t get a lot of action, so… But also, Chely’s supposed to be a badass character, I hope that came across.

 

P.S

Even if you ask me why the characters are so op, I’ll just say that it just so happened…

Chely? Broken af. Massive dmg + massive mana + badass buff.

Amethely? Broken af in another way. Good utility + some big dmg + very large mana pool.

If Amethely were a game character, she’d be that one character who’s good at everything, and it wouldn’t matter what you throw at her. 

Chely? She’d be a damn raid boss. She’s super sturdy and hits like a “bullshit!” unless you have ways to dodge her almost instant attack.

Also, if you ask who’d win in an all-out fight, it would be Chely 97/100 times.  

Also, if you are worried about everything being too op, it’s not, haha… Chely is a bit overturned, and Amethely is a bit too good at everything.

The Selges, as well, is very overturned, but since it just woke up, it was relatively weak compared to being fully awake.

But if you saw a certain character in the wiki, welp, that one is…nothing is more broken than that one haha…