Fighting wasn’t an option.

Not only was the behemoth far too large for the knights to feasibly engage, but the longer they stayed, the quicker the gap created by the Spirecrusher cannon would fill, nullifying their efforts and the plan entirely. The only option was to surge forward undaunted, hoping to make it through the behemoth’s legs without being reduced to paste.

“We’ll go one at a time!” Medrauta shouted, speeding up to draw level with Eris and Rosette. “Hopefully that’ll force the thing to divide its attention!”

Eris nodded in response. “We’ll make smaller targets as well. Who’s going first?”

“We’ll head through first.” Rosette said. “Medrauta and Viviane can follow afterwards.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Medrauta said, urging her steed forward even as Rosette accelerated. “If things get too dangerous, Lady Scarlet’ll be able to teleport herself and Eris outta there!”

The three knights shot forward, their horses straining to achieve the speed being asked of them. Meanwhile, the behemoth raised one of its arms, preparing for a powerful swing that would no doubt annihilate all of the knights in one fell swoop should it manage to connect. The only saving grace was the huge monstrosity’s lack of speed thanks to its gargantuan size.

Sensing an opportunity, Rosette surged forward, causing Estelle to tighten her grip around her knight’s waist. While this would have made them a prime target for one of the behemoth’s vicious kicks, the massive beast was currently tied up in preparing its deadly swing. Despite its strength, the gigantic blades that it wielded were still incredibly heavy, forcing it to remain on balance as it wound up its strike.

Rosette shot through the gap between the behemoth’s legs, clearing the distance within seconds as her horse dashed to Leticia’s position, stopping only when they had reached the Spire’s interior. Medrauta spurred her horse on in an attempt to follow suit, but a quick look at the sky told her that the attack would be ready to fall upon them any second by now.

Shit...! What the hell am I supposed to do!? Medrauta grit her teeth even as she continued riding forward. Stopping would be a deadly mistake, but proceeding forward was equally deadly. Should she only be partially through the behemoth’s legs after the attack was issued, she and Viviane would no doubt become subject to a savage kick that would be extremely difficult to dodge at such a distance.

However, stopping was equally dangerous. There was a chance of avoiding the attack and then waiting for another opportunity, but Medrauta had absolutely no clue where the attack would land nor how powerful it would truly be. For a moment, she considered using Clarent to stop the attack, but she wasn’t entirely sure that it’d work. After all, she had only just acquired its power, and her mastery of the Oath was still lacking.

“Medrauta! What’s wrong!? You’re running out of time!” Eris shouted as her horse drew parallel with Medrauta’s. The look in her eyes urged the silver-haired knight to hurry, but for some reason, Medrauta was still stuck in her mental dilemma.

Of course, Eris didn’t share the same conundrum as her. After all, the look in Scarlet’s eyes told Medrauta that the noblewoman was already planning on teleporting out of there once Medrauta had made it to the other side. There was still the possibility of Scarlet teleporting all four of them away, but such a maneuver would be highly taxing and would force them to abandon their horses, meaning they would have to close the remaining distance on foot.

Medrauta didn’t know how quickly the behemoth would be able to turn around, but she sure as hell didn’t want to find out. Fuck...! Alright, here goes nothing!

The silver-haired knight surged forward, the behemoth’s blade falling at the very same moment. A sense of relief flooded her mind and body as she shot through the behemoth’s legs, knowing that she would make it to the Spire in time before the behemoth could recover enough to lash out with its hooves.

But that feeling of relief was washed away in a single second as the colossal creature’s lower body bulged unnaturally, the black mana that built its body writhing unnaturally before an enormous spiked tail burst forth from the small of its back, shooting toward Medrauta like the pitch-black lance that had pierced Trista’s heart.

“Viviane! Watch out!” Medrauta cried, abandoning the horse’s reins and throwing her arms around her lady. She ducked low alongside Viviane, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough. The protruding spikes from the behemoth’s newfound appendage would likely graze her, or worse, leave a set of severe gashes in her back.

It’ll be fine... Lady Rosaline’s waiting for us. Medrauta continued to shield Viviane’s body as the horse beneath them sped forward. She’d deal with any injuries that resulted from her maneuver later. Her muscles tensed as she braced herself to receive the blow, but it never came.

Instead, the only thing that followed in the next couple seconds was a loud thump that echoed through the air, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground. Medrauta looked up, staring at the massive stump of tail that now laid on the ground, twitching as the black mana that composed it slowly evaporated back into the air as ambient mana. 

She glanced at Eris and Scarlet who had teleported themselves and their mount past the behemoth immediately after Medrauta had made it through. Scarlet’s chest heaved with the effort of teleporting such a large mass, but she still managed to look elegant while being exhausted.

“...Was that you?” Medrauta asked, her eyes drawn towards Carnwennan’s glowing blade. Eris promptly shook her head in response before her gaze flickered upwards, following something that Medrauta hadn’t noticed until now.

Above them was a woman wielding an enormous greatsword forged with silver-blue steel that gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Her body was covered in an ornate yet elegant set of plate armor, her long hair streaming behind her as she executed a series of deft slashes with her blade that caused even the enormous behemoth to stumble back.

A shower of snowflakes accompanied each swing, materializing through the air like magic. Frost grew across the cuts she opened, severely hampering the behemoth’s regenerative properties and mobility. The lady-knight fell from the air, careening down toward the ground stylishly.

“Dame Eirlys!” Medrauta cried, a smile of relief spreading across her lips. “What’re you doing here!?”

Eirlys didn’t turn to face the silver-haired knight. She kept her gaze focused on her colossal foe, her greatsword pointed upwards as the great beast shuffled around to gain a more advantageous position. Even when facing a monster of such epic proportions, she stood undaunted.

“Didn’t I tell you, Medrauta? We’re going all in with this plan. If we lose here, there’ll be no academy left to defend.” Eirlys said. “I won’t allow myself to sit back while you kids are doing all the heavy lifting.”

Medrauta’s brow furrowed in worry. She had looked up to Eirlys as a role model and a mentor, being one of the few senior knights who she couldn’t best or even reliably duel to a standstill. Yet, here she was, standing alone against such a powerful monstrosity which towered over all other threats they’d faced before.

For a moment, she was tempted to shout for Eirlys to retreat, but she couldn’t. Not after laying eyes on the wide and poised back of the knight she had admired for so long. The way Eirlys moved, the way she stood... It was as if she was ready to shoulder even the burden of death so long as she could achieve victory.

There was no knight who could deny such a stalwart will.

“...Thank you, Dame Eirlys! We’ll be going now!” Medrauta called out to Eirlys as she finally reached the interior of the Spire.

She did not wish the senior knight good luck or to advise her to take caution against the behemoth. Upon hearing those parting words, Eirlys’ confident stance evolved. She stood tall and proud, her noble silhouette more than enough to convince any spectator that victory was simply a foregone conclusion. Even now, she advanced and called out to her lord who stood atop a tower in the outpost of Jestel Plaza, receiving his Crest with a confident smirk on her face.

The behemoth bellowed angrily at her approach, brandishing its weapons in a fearsome manner that would have deterred all but the bravest of knights. Even so, Eirlys continued toward the beast, advancing with not a care in the world.

A cerulean glow surrounded her body as it was infused by the light of her lord’s Crest, empowering her already formidable physical abilities and granting her frost-infused blade even greater abilities that would no doubt spell doom for her opponent.

As one of the only knights in the empire who had fulfilled the forgotten conditions to manifest Chivalric Arts, she was likely the only knight who could match the raw power and strength of the behemoth.

“...Is this all you’ve got, Amelia?” Eirlys rested her blade on her shoulder in a preparatory stance, her voice rife with disappointment. “This piece of shit doesn’t even hold a candle to Morgause’s dragon.”

Despite her casual and relaxed attitude that radiated confidence, a single bead of sweat rolled down her face. This was where she would either die as a hero, or live on to become a legend.