While the following areas were less chaotic, they were no less extremely challenging to get through. The monsters were incredibly resilient, and we pushed through several more arenas. Each fight seemed harder than the last.

Slowly, and after a long time, we found ourselves in yet another arena, just golden. The battle in the previous rooms proved harder, and I had to resort to my healing spells as well. All of them, actually; and so did Carolina's healer. However, it was no big deal; just a monster remained.

As soon as that monster was rid of, though, a blue flame flickered to life at the center of the arena, casting long shadows across the floor, and from within the circle of fire, a humanoid monster clad in dark armor and with a long and curved sword appeared.

"A mid-boss..." Carolina's coordinator murmured. "And we've used most of our manageable spells..."

Carolina raised her cane, stopping her coordinator from moving any further. "Stand back," she commanded in an unusually serious tone. "I'll handle it."

Carolina had also used a good portion of her spells, and I'm pretty sure most of us were forced to hold back to avoid injuring our teammates. Among everyone here, Carolina and Dorothy were undoubtedly the strongest. The latter, however, being a close-range fighter, was instructed not to approach closer and to let the others, along with Carolina's summoned armored spirits, handle the rest.

But that spell had yet to recharge... and Carolina demanded everyone to step back. What was her plan? She wasn't actually planning to go one-on-one against such a creature. No way, right?

Well... she was.

"Master Genie," she intoned; the same spell she had used against Crimson. Clouds began to gather at her feet. However, unlike the first time, they didn't surge upward; they merely wrapped around her and her cane.

Carolina spun her cane continuously between her fingers, while the tap of her heels echoed softly through the arena as she paced, tapping her cane along to ensure the mid-boss's attention was on her and her alone.

Tap, tap, tap...

After the last, slow echo of her cane, the mid-boss, keeping its red eyes fixed on her, decided to dash forward, quickly cutting the distance and aiming at her torso with its blade in a single motion.

Carolina raised her cane to block, and a flurry of blows ensued. Not once did Carolina manage to attack, and she only continued to gracefully defend herself, strike after strike, slash after slash.

The creature was, rightfully, inhumanly fast. I could barely follow its movements; had I been in Carolina's place, I would've met my end long ago... Yet, she persisted, almost unbothered by its speed; her blue, sparkling eyes were piercing and enchanting in every way even in such a moment.

Nobody dared to step forward to help; if they did, they surely would have gotten in her way, and met a swift end. All we could do was watch...

As if exhaustion eluded Carolina, as time passed, she seemed to adapt even more to the enemy's speed. And, for a moment, I genuinely thought she could get the best of him. A thought that quickly turned to dust when, around the mid-boss, more blue flames surged, summoning spectral swords that circled it before launching directly at Carolina.

"So it even has skills..." her coordinator murmured.

Carolina's eyes widened in response, and she leaped backward. "Galaxy Soap!" she cast, sweeping her cane in front of her to defend herself with an array of mystic bubbles. An action that cost her dearly; the monster, taking advantage of that tiny moment, closed the gap, and managed to slice Carolina's stomach. At the same moment, she retaliated, counter-attacking with a swing of her cane, knocking its weapon to the ground.

She stepped backward, but the damage was already done. Still, she stood tall, clenching her teeth and regaining her footing once more to block the mid-boss's fists, indifferent at the loss of its weapon. A clash followed, sending both of them skidding back as a shockwave rippled through the arena, forcing the members to shield their eyes from the wind that followed.

Lowering the arms, everyone could clearly see Carolina losing blood; her hand pressed against her stomach, letting blood drip between her fingers. For a moment, even her knee seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Yet... I couldn't do anything to help. And it seemed that everyone else shared the sentiment.

"What are those faces?!" she shouted. Everyone looked at her, perplexed by the sudden force of her voice. "Instead of making such eyes, where are your screams of reverence?! Where are your hymns? Where are your praises?!"

"Carolina..." her coordinator murmured.

Carolina tapped her cane to the ground with great force. "I am your Leader, understand?!" she yelled enthusiastically, her long and pink hair bouncing from the energy. "Show me! Show me just how much you love your Leader! Scream it from the bottom of your lungs!"

Many of her members clenched her fists, while a few sobbed.

"CAROLINA IS THE MOST POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL LEADER!" her coordinator suddenly yelled, making me flinch in surprise at the high volume.

"Carolina is a beautiful genius!" another member followed. Some more went after.

Being in another guild, I wasn't entitled to this... but I felt like I also had to do my part. So... "C-Carolina is the most powerful and beautiful leader!"

Carolina grinned. Actually, Carolina beamed! Displaying a wide grin, her chest swelled with pride. "Correct, correct!" she quipped. "Love me! Admire me, and observe as I, the great and beautiful Carolina, defeat the evil!"

Carolina opened her book, allowing its shining light to cast shadows all around. She raised her cane high, and with a sharp tap against the ground... "Ethereal Creation Of Ice Dreams."

With a shockwave rippling outwards, the terrain transformed. The ground shimmered and cracked as crystalline walls rose swiftly, converging overhead to form a grand, pinkish castle. Just like a queen, Carolina stood atop the crystalline staircase.

"Oh, you lowly creature, bringer of darkness and despair!" she declared from the top, looking down on the mid-boss with her chin high and authoritative. "You are nothing to me! This is my world, and I make the rules!" she exclaimed dramatically. "These stairs are far too steep for you to climb! But if you dare to take even a further step than you already have towards me... then be prepared to meet your end."

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The mid-boss, unsurprisingly, ignored Carolina's warning. More spectral blades materialized around it, streaking toward her with deadly speed. Carolina nimbly dodged, acting as if the wound on her stomach didn't exist.

"She can't keep this up much longer..." I murmured, glancing toward her healer. "Are there no potions left to help?"

Her healer's expression turned sour. "No..." he replied grimly. "We gave them to the other team since they were short on a healer. We misjudged the situation..."

"Hmm..." I still had my candles with me, and if needed, I could use them to perform healing. But that would require time, and the person would need to remain still... It was not an option right now.

Carolina's movements were slowing down, and her skin was losing its lively color. At some point, her knee buckled, and the mid-boss was about to strike her face, marking her end once and for all.

I nearly closed my eyes at the scene, but fortunately, I didn't, and I could see it clearly: a loud and striking spark coming to life right between. Blonde and short hair bounced and swirled around in the wind from the impact while teardrops flowed down, breaking delicately upon contact with the ground.

She kicked the mid-boss, pushing it backward. "I'm moved..." she murmured right after, taking a deep breath while her fingers curled into clenched fists. Her chin lifted high as she slowly opened her damp eyes, locking onto the enemy.

"Dorothy..." Carolina murmured, collapsing to the ground.

"You better not die Carolina... otherwise I won't be joining your guild once I'm done with this monster."

Carolina let out a sigh of relief, dispelling her spell, and resting her hand over her wound. She said nothing, and allowed herself to be helped.

"Engine: On," Dorothy cast, letting purple sparkles spiral around her arms, emanating from her wrist warmers; her divine weapon.

She dashed forward, closing the gap, meeting the mid-boss head-on and exchanging blows, just like two fighters.

"Sensory Overload," she followed up with, more sparkles enveloping her body, making her hair stand on end in their wake. Her body must've been affected too, as she seemed to shiver.

She struck with violence, her blows far louder and fiercer than before.

Left, left, right, down-up. Each one reverberating through the air as she pounded the mid-boss's body. Her enemy was no less a menace; it kept going relentlessly even after suffering all of her hits. The more Dorothy fought, the more enraged the creature became, and the more its speed increased. So did Dorothy, dodging every attack at the last second, wasting no time and allowing her punches to hit her mark.

Her knuckles were bleeding. Yet, she showed none of that pain. Instead, she pressed on, letting her blood paint the enemy.

At some point, she ducked. She took two steps back, before taking three forward. "Feel The Pain I Inflict." A right punch followed, the landing so loud and intense that an outburst gust of wind followed along with it.

"Crave The Taste Of It." Jolts followed, each one whipping the floor and everything in her vicinity riotously. Like a thunder, she hit again. More blood dripped from her knuckles and, just like me, everyone else must've wondered just how much that must've hurt.

"Surrender To The Bliss You Spit." Three more punches followed, and with the last, the mid-boss was hurled backward. Dorothy caught her breath and let the hand relax as her own blood splattered the floor.

As everything seemed over, the mid-boss rose to its feet once again, and screeched. The entire arena trembled violently, and a blinding black light erupted from the creature, swallowing the whole area. With the light washing over us, the glow of Dorothy's codex flickered and died. So did Carolina's one, dimming until it went completely dark, and the same happened to those who had their codex open. Everyone's codex went dark, and Dorothy's spells were abruptly nullified.

The mid-boss summoned more spectral blades, sending them flying straight toward Dorothy. She dodged, and even managed to block one blow from the creature, but without her spells' effects, a kick ultimately caught her in the side, and she was sent against the wall, coughing from the impact as she crumpled onto the cold arena floor.

"Dorothy!" Carolina cried out.

"Don't, Carolina!" her healer warned, still applying pressure on her wound. "You can't get up..."

Carolina's coordinator stood up, stepping between the mid-boss and Dorothy. It was all thanks to Dorothy's efforts that they had managed to drag Carolina out of the way, allowing her to get some help. So, now it was our turn to defend her.

But no one's codex was working. There was no light, only darkness.

So... I lit my candles. I lit them hoping, just a little, to shed some light.

Now that the mid-boss was distant from everyone, I hurled my candles toward it. These little ones were special; once lit, they had five seconds before exploding, splattering alchemic wax all around. The wax would turn blue and slimy before solidifying into something as hard as ice, immobilizing anything it touched. The wonders of alchemy.

My alchemy hit the mark, alright. Alas... the mid-boss barely acknowledged it, breaking free with its swift, inhumanly fast movements. Then, enraged, it came after me.

"Caligo!" Carolina's coordinator shouted.

I could do nothing... so, this time, I closed my eyes for real...

Clang.

"Huh...?" Hearing that sharp sound, I slightly opened one eye, admiring a spear fall down right in front of me. And from behind me, a voice...

"Looks like we made it just in time."