"You..."

Amelia cautiously watched as Elliott came closer.

The mood became heavier, as even Florian and Kamala took a step back in surprise.

"Of all people, it had to be you?"

"I know those expressions. None of you show even an ounce of trust toward me, isn't it?"

Elliott shrugged it off as it wasn't bothering him in the slightest.

"Were you expecting anything else?"

"Not especially so."

A staring contest ensued as a result between him and Amelia.

"Orion told us he made you stay in Horizon. Since nothing major happened while you were here, I'll accept your help this time."

"Well, if that isn't commendable? Thank you."

Amelia frowned.

'What a prick... I get why Orion doesn't like him. Each word he speaks ticks me off.'

Seemingly ready her thoughts through her expression, Elliott walked past her and looked at the portal.

"So, what are we waiting for? There are more urgent matters to deal with, don't you think?"

"I agree, this is not the time for petty conflicts."

Hurt inside, Amelia looked at Florian with disappointment.

"Petty... Incredible, coming from you."

"Stop! Please stop! Florian, go first."

Kamala suddenly agitated her arms in front of the two in an attempt to defuse the situation, before Amelia suddenly grabbed her stomach, laughing.

"Sorry, sorry."

She wiped the tears off the corners of her eyes, before walking toward the portal. Elliott, who had a faint smile on his face, entered the portal first.

"Heh."

With a shrug, Amelia entered the portal leading to the battlefield.

Confused, Florian and Kamala rapidly followed them.

...

"What a mess..."

Watching the thousands of corrupted beasts on the horizon, multiplying as if their number were infinite, Elliott frowned.

"I had no idea father had that many creatures under his command."

The sound of explosions echoed from the distance, as crimson flames erupted here and there around the battlefield. On the right side, large earthen spikes crumbled as large insects climbed them to spit acid from a higher spot.

Even though he wanted to help the soldiers, Elliott stayed his hand. There was something else he had to do.

Quietly, Amelia watched with mixed feeling.

"..."

Then, they both looked toward their right, where two gigantic beings seemingly moved toward the mountains.

Elliott glared at a giant humanoid clouded in a thick smoke walking across the land, while Amelia focused on the creature it was following.

It was so massive it made the dragons she knew pale in comparison.

"Amelia, are you sure you will be able to fight this thing? It's at least five times larger than it should be."

"I'll do what I can. Also, I won't fight alone, so it should be fine."

With a quick glance, Elliott judged Amelia's power, before glancing at the dragon.

'She's not powerful enough to fight it on her own, but if Orion believes in her, then it means there's more than strength involved in this.'

He nodded internally.

"Alright. I have a way to cross the distance quickly. Would you mind grabbing onto me?"

"No way."

Without giving it a second thought, Amelia refused.

"Can I ask the reason for your instant disapproval?"

"I would rather not touch another man other than Orion."

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Taken slightly by surprise, Elliott blinked. Yet, her reason was perfectly understandable, but not in this situation.

"Fair enough. Still, would you mind ignoring it right now? The time it will take to pursue them is far too large to go on foot. You will lose it before having a chance to fight."

"..."

Amelia pondered on the idea for a moment.

'He's right, there is no way I'm catching up by just walking after it... Can I trust him, or not?'

With a frown, she stared at him.

"Your hand on my hip, that's all I can tolerate. Got it?"

She walked next to him, and placed her left hand on his right shoulder.

"Fine by me. I swear on my honor that I will deliver you to that dragon."

Like she asked, he wrapped his arms around her back and held Amelia tightly at the hips.

"You two, I leave this place to you."

Looking at Florian and Kamala next to her, she said.

"You can rest easy, we will carefully monitor the battlefield."

After seeing Kamala and Florian nod, Amelia looked at Elliott, who also nodded to confirm that he was ready.

"I haven't asked, but how are we supposed to catch up? It's not like you can use warp abilities, so..."

Elliott unsheathed Vanitas, and grabbed it like a javelin. The veins on his arms bulged, as he aimed a little further right than the dragon, to compensate for the time he would need to attain it.

"Hnn!"

Throwing the sword in the air, he aimed the palm of his hand toward it.

"Calamitas."

Amelia blinked, confused as nothing happened.

"Close your mouth, or you'll bite your tongue."

Instantly, she understood that she had made a mistake trusting that man.

Before she could blink a second time, she felt a tremendous force pull her forward, as her feet left the ground.

"Kh!"

Gritting her teeth to endure the sickening feeling, she closed her eyes.

Yet, she felt compelled to open them and look at her destination. She was flying in the air, seeing the scenery fly by at an absurd speed.

'Tens of kilometers in a few minutes. This man is a menace!'

Her mind could barely process the speed at which she was traveling.

"I... prefer... Orion's... smooth... travel..."

"I bet."

A faint smile on his face, Elliott said, unaffected by the pressure caused by his flying speed.

'I knew Calamitas was the right tool for this kind of venture.'

The idea was simple. When Elliott threw Vanitas in the air, he used Calamitas, the invisible whip, to grab into the hilt of the sword.

Using the velocity as a mean of travel, he felt proud of his idea.

But, the closer he got to his destination, the clearer it became.

'These two, they are even worse than I was expecting.'

Truly, they were gigantic. The giant humanoid was even taller than the giant corrupted he had fought in the south.

This one was higher than two hundred meters.

The dragon wasn't better, either. This creature was roughly five hundred meters from one wing to the other, and looked fiercer than anything he had ever seen.

'Even Orion would struggle with this one. But...'

He glanced at Amelia, who had her hand on her mouth and nose to maintain her breathing.

'Bigger doesn't mean better. Father hasn't learned his lesson.'

'Still, at first glance, there is no core on its body.'

A stern expression replaced his neutral demeanor.

'The new type of corrupted...'

In slightly less than ten minutes, Elliott and Amelia crossed fifty kilometers of land, and arrived where the two giants were.

"Amelia, it is all yours. I'll drop you here."

"Eh? Wha-"

Before she could finish her sentence, or even process his words, Amelia was dropped on top of the dragon from way above it.

'This fucker!'

As she plummeted toward the back of the dragon, suddenly, all eyes fell on her.

The giant humanoid went to grab her, while the dragon bent its neck to look at her.

"I won't let you!"

Elliott pulled on Calamitas, and recovered his sword in midair. Then, he threw Vanitas toward the giant, using the same method he used to cross an absurd distance previously.

The sword stabbed the giant around its shoulder, before Elliott crashed on its body with full force.

Using the velocity and his strength, Elliott forced the giant to recoil backward from the hit, missing Amelia by a thread at the same time.

"Aura!"

Left with only a split instant to make a judgment, she formed her wind dagger, pointed toward the dragon's back.

'Stop my fall! Please!'

She conveyed her frantic emotions to her wind element, who began to react immediately.

As Amelia approached the large brown scales of the dragon, she faded from sight.

~

"..."

A lonely cloaked figure was walking in the middle of fields, away from the battlefield.

It seemed to wander aimlessly, yet, in the distance, a white palace could be seen pointing toward the sky.

"...ah..."

"...hro."

With its broken voice, it continued to move forward, pushed by a strange picture in its mind.

...

"Kh..."

Deveralna looked in the distance from outside Lahro.

"I can't see anything from here."

Worried about May and Amelia, she anxiously squeezed the tip of her tail.

"Wait, there's no time for this! I have to focus."

She shook her head while letting go of her tail.

"I don't have time to worry about others. Who knows when an enemy will attack our city."

Glancing at the walls surrounding the city, she noticed the thousands of lamias watching her.

In reality, she didn't even need to look at them.

Since returning to Triazils, and coming back to Lahro, connections with her peers flooded her being. She knew exactly where the other lamias were at all times, but only when she focused on finding out.

It was still too soon for her to control the entirety of the Remnant's powers she acquired.

Remembering her mother's face when she came back made the air around her ease up.

'The fact that it was precisely what I was expecting makes it even more incredible.'

Telling the lamias about her new status made the whole factions bow in front of her. Even Palarvina, her mother, couldn't help but show respect.

With a Remnant being among them for the first time, they finally understood how great and relieved it made them feel.

"!"

Deveralna felt something approach the city, and entered a state of high alert.

'What...'

She tried to find the intruder, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Heee..."

A cloaked figure suddenly leaped from an unknown location, and looked at Deveralna from up close.

It expressed a twisted smile, before mocking her with its eyes.

Deveralna glanced with horror at the figure, before a sudden kick sent her flying toward the city's wall.

*Crash*

Embedded into the wall, Deveralna glared at her enemy.

"Now you've done it."

Electricity began to cover her entire body as she broke free of the rubble.

Her switch turned on. Now in fight mode, she pointed her palm toward the being, before firing a charged plasma beam.

The ray of energy crackled while burning the grass, enveloping the intruder in its light.

"...mia."

Hearing the voice from her left side, Deveralna immediately slithered away, making some distance between her and the being.

It, or he, stood there, glaring at her with lust in its eyes.

"You!"

Deveralna's face became distorted with rage.

Saliva dribbled down the being's mouth, as it approached her.

"La...mia. Lamia!"

"APOSTLE KIEL!"

The first Apostle Orion killed, Kiel, returned to Lahro. Deformed beyond understanding, dark sludge kept his head from falling off.

A disgusting human came back to haunt the lamias once again.

But this time, Deveralna possessed the power to fight back.