Hmph. Archbishop Zolvo…

I leveled my rapier directly at him. “I don’t give two shits what your title is! You’re blocking our way from saving your own planet (and mine) from destruction, so you are my enemy! Since I’m a nice person, I’ll give you time to run away…”

Please take up my offer! I’m gassed as hell and my mana reservoir is dried up! I can conjure three mana blades at most!

Unfortunately, Zolvo saw through my plans.

“The two of you have been weakened from your confrontation with the feeble Volken. I was also observing your fights from a distance. Why should I run away with my tail tucked between my legs and let you two go?”

I quickly noticed that Zelke's arm had changed to a red shade. He gave no indication of being in distress or agony, yet I was aware that he was restraining himself, as he was clenching his lips together. Maybe a Torqinite would heal his injuries? No… that wouldn’t work. Solgen stated that ingestion of it will result in detrimental effects on the body. Only Isaac and I are completely fine after consuming them.

Wait… that’s it!

Rummaging through the Inventory was the glorious mana crystal waiting for me. Right as I pulled a crystal out, I instantly shoved it into my mouth. Archbishop Zolvo hummed at the sight.

“Did you just eat unrefined mana?” Zelke asked with raised eyebrows.

Hm… Yep. I sense some of my mana returning, but am I misinterpreting or is something different about the effects? Screw it, that’s not important at the moment.

“Fascinating! You aren’t harmed after consuming a Torqinite crystal,” the shirtless man wondered. “Is it because you’re from Earth? Or is it something else entirely…”

I scoffed at the man and said, “Don’t care, didn’t ask. We ain’t got all night. Zelke, are you okay?”

“Do not worry about me. Your focus should be on your opponent. As much as I want to fight him single-handedly, we do not have the luxury nor the time for it.”

“Okay, that’s nice to hear. What’s the plan, oh great leader?”

Zelke frowned as he detected the sarcasm in my voice. “…It appears he is a close-quarters combatant since I do not observe any weapon on him. He most likely fights with his fists. The golden aura around his body may increase his offensive and defensive…”

He sounds just like Isaac whenever he plays an RPG. It’s kinda funny when I hear it out of Zelke’s mouth.

“…So, what I want you to do is strike from a distance while I confront him head-on. Got it?” Zelke finished.

“…Yep. Got it. I can manage that.”

Archbishop Zolvo menacingly took a step forward. “Are you two done chit-chatting? Or are you too appalled by my powe-”

His voice faltered when Zelke begun to rush at the man.

“Okay… thanks for the heads up…” I mumbled as I conjured five mana blades out of thin air.

The two of them were in a heated clash. Archbishop Zolvo was using his bare hands to defend against Zelke’s sword. The archbishops’ strikes were exact, with each fist hitting its mark. For footwork, he wasn’t running around wasting his breath. Archbishop Zolvo moved slowly, conserving his energy and only shuffling his feet when necessary. When he dodges a sword strike, he counterattacks with a swift punch.

“Zelke was right. His defense is extraordinary…”

Laila, what are you doing?! Stop gawking and do your job! This isn’t like you at all to be distracted. It’s like the more time I spend in this world, the less ‘me’ I become…

I ordered the mana blades to surround Zolvo. At my direction, they quickly assumed their positions, encircling the archbishop as if drawn to him like a magnet. One blade darted at the archbishop’s back with tremendous speed. Unfortunately, it bounced off his skin like a dart being thrown at a heap of metal.

“Utterly weak!” Archbishop Zolvo cried out as he pushed Zelke back a few feet away. After that, he leaped high into the air, his shawl fluttering.

“The hell is he doing up there?”

With a swipe of a hand, the mana blades sped toward the man, still high into the sky.

“Taste the power of an archbishop!”

A radiant golden light illuminated his right fist as power began to build up. While descending, his arm was outstretched as he dove straight into the ground fist first; targeting where I was standing.

“Oh shit!”

I managed to leap away just in the nick of time prior to his impact with the ground. The ground shook vigorously as if an earthquake was taking place at that very moment and I was at its epicenter. The streets cracked and split apart and the houses in the immediate vicinity were destroyed like Legos. A heavy dust settled in the area, obscuring visibility and making it difficult to breathe. I wheezed as I stuffed my face into my sleeves.

“Jesus Christ! This guy is crazy! And I can’t see shit! Where am I?”

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I stumbled around, tripping over debris while my lungs sputtered like an engine revving up in the winter. In the distance, I faintly heard crumbling rocks. The power this archbishop possessed was no laughing matter. It took him one slam just to level an entire block. If he were to actually land a hit on Zelke or me…

“There you are…” a voice snapped my left.

I knew instantly that it wasn’t Zelke. Unfortunately, I could not raise my rapier quickly enough to deflect a shadow hurtling toward me, and pain soon enveloped my head. As if a rocket had taken off, I was forced off the ground, smashing through large pieces of scattered rocks and rubble until I finally slid across the ground, ending up in front of the gate checkpoint. I couldn’t move a single muscle in my body as an unbearable pain wracked my body. It was like I was involved in a car crash and then plummeted off a high bridge and smacked on top of the asphalt. Just breathing alone pained me to the very core.

I need to eat another Torqinite to heal my injuries, but no matter how hard I try, my arms won’t move! Damn it… what do I do now? I can’t move, vision is blurred, and I can barely think straight!

“Oh? You’re still alive? Tenacious, aren’t you?” Archbishop Zolvo mocked as he walked up to me. In a panic, I tried to create a mana blade, but my mana couldn’t mold the shape of a sword, let alone a dagger. It would just sputter like sparks whenever I tried.

“What a sad display. Your thoughts are so muddled that you cannot use magic. Tragic indeed…”

I felt a warm sensation running down my face, and the metallic taste of iron was strong on my lips and tongue. Even while I was unable to move, all I could do was glare at the man before me.

“Hm… You still haven’t yielded? You’re strong-willed.”

Standing tall and firm, he towered over my slumped body. His face was hidden from me, but I could almost hear the judgement in his silence. He was probably frowning behind that shawl of his. I was uncertain whether he was feeling elation or dejection as he prepared to finish the job.

“No matter. You’re dead either way,” he said while raising an arm, a golden light forming within his fist. “Goodbye, human from Earth…”

Is this how I die? For a woman like me to die at the young age of 20? On a different planet, no less… I haven’t even lived half of my lifetime. Finishing university, getting the job of my dreams and starting a family of my own… Life just isn’t fair at all. I worked my ass off just to support me and my brother- not able to make time to hang out with others my age....

Archbishop Zolvo’s grunts filled the air. A fist of death and destruction was hurtling downwards, intent on blowing away its target into smithereens.

I really am going to die… just like mom and dad. At least Isaac won’t be able to witness the death of a family member again.

…

No… He would still go through the pain of losing his last family member. Isaac being burdened with grief all alone and having no way to cope with it may break him entirely. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it was for him after our parent’s death. If it wasn’t for me, Isaac probably would’ve gone down a dark path. What’s stopping him from taking that same path this time? I have to keep watching over him. Just as promised.

“N-Not yet…”

“…!”

With hardened resolve, my eyes shot open. Raising my right hand, I moved my fingers around in the form of a finger gun. I pointed the tip of my index finger at the archbishops forehead.

[Second Mana Formation completed]

A bullet made of my mana was shot directly at his head from my scuffed handgun. Although the construction of the gun was crude, the power behind it surprised me. A mark was visible on archbishop’s Zolvo’s head as the shock allowed him to narrowly miss my head by a hair’s width.

“You…” he growled. He cocked his arm back again as if what I just did was a mere fluke, but he wasn’t given the chance to attack once again. A bellow of red-hot flames stretched out before me, forming a wall of heat between the archbishop and I.

“Laila!”

I recognised the familiar voice, and upon looking up, saw a figure plummeting from the heavens. They arrived next to me and quickly came to my aid, raising my head. It was my brother Isaac.

“You look like shit! Don’t you dare die on me now…”

“…-S-Shut up and hand me a Torq…”

The strength in my voice faded as tongue went heavy. That single action of using magic drained my energy completely. I was only able to manifest that mana gun through sheer willpower.

“Already on it,” Isaac replied in a worried tone. After about a second, my brother was holding the Torqinite in his hands. Not wasting any more time, he shoved the crystal down my throat. Instead of feeling somewhat rejuvenated, I only felt a nauseating sensation. I pushed Isaac away while covering my mouth as my stomach spasmed. After feeling a rise in my gut, I then vomited blood and food bits onto the ground. The liquid splashed around into a heap of repulsiveness. Isaac bent down while rubbing my back.

“Er… you good? I didn’t feed you poison by accident, did I?

“N-No, you didn’t,” I panted while wiping my mouth with a sleeve. “I thought it was my imagination, but the more you consume Torqinite, the more severe the side effects are.”

“Huh… that’s good to know. I ate one of them earlier after my fight with the Arachne.”

I shot my head upward and held Isaac by the shoulders. “Did you just say Arachne?”

Isaac rolled his eyes and said, “Are you deaf? Yes, I said Ara-“

I glimpsed a dazzling golden hue in my peripheral vision. Knowing what it was, I held Isaac’s head down just as a fist of yellow light whizzed past our heads.

“Holy shit! That was cool as hell!”

“Not the time!” I hissed.

The attack from earlier extinguished the flames. From out of the dust cloud was archbishop Zolvo. The corners of his shawl had burned marks, and half of his copper face was now visible. His lips were stretched into a frown.

“So, that magic was from you, boy. The two humans that need to be exterminated are now right in front of me. Saves me the trouble of looking for you.”

“Kill us? Hah! Now that we’re here, you don’t stand a chance at all!” Isaac taunted.

Archbishop Zolvo stared at Isaac with a confused expression. A luminous blue light radiated from above, brightening the dark night. Almost immediately, a whistling arrow was lodged right into Zolvo’s left shoulder, but disappeared quickly.

“Sorry I’m late,” said Myra as she plopped herself between us. “I had to fix Zelke’s stupid arm. How did that fucking idiot bend it like that, anyway? Oh, you look like shit, Laila…”

Zolvo was stroking his chin while in deep contemplation when Zelke appeared from behind. His arm returned to its original dark-tanned color, and he was now holding his sword with it. The archbishop made no attempt to acknowledge his presence, but he knew he was there.

“Instead of a two-versus-one, the opposition has doubled in number,” archbishop Zolvo muttered. “The odds are slim indeed…”

“So, you finally admit you’re out of your league?” Isaac said. Zolvo simply glanced at him.

“No, you’re mistaken. I was referring to you four,” he smiled as he raised an arm over his shawl.

In a swift motion, he removed the cloth, finally revealing his face. There was a white headband wrapped around the man’s eyes. His head was bald and his face was without any hair. White horns sprouted among his smooth head. He reminded me of a beefed up monk, yet with horns. The only other pieces of clothing now were his pants, and those seemed to be on the verge of ripping. The powerful monk flexed his muscles as the surrounding golden aura shone brighter than before.

“I shall introduce myself once again. I am archbishop Zolvo from the Church of Pillars, ranked third out of the 10 archbishops. Under orders of the Cardinal and the gods, I devote all of my life to exterminating insignificant rats like you. Now… Come at me all at once!”