I was flying at high speed towards the castle, which was surrounded by dense dark clouds. I had probably already broken the sound barrier, a manifestation of my passive ability of aerial speed in action. Surprisingly, even traveling at this extreme speed, my body wasn't suffering any harm or discomfort, even without any form of protection.

This only emphasized even more the fact that I was no longer human. While I wasn't certain, something led me to think that the Netherborne race naturally possessed a kind of resistance to situations like this. However, I couldn't confirm this for sure, but it was the impression I had.

In a matter of minutes, I reached the palace. As I approached, I could spot three hooded figures at the top of the walls surrounding the residence. The person on the left was relatively small in stature, and even hidden under a hood and mask, something made me suspect it was a woman.

The masked woman was firing energy blasts towards Saemi and Fujiwara, who were defending themselves with barriers of wind and shadow respectively. However, as much as I watched, it seemed like she was reaching the limit of her endurance. Although my desire was to intervene immediately, I knew I needed to gather more details about the situation before acting.

Turning my gaze to the entrance of the palace, I noticed the knights who had accompanied us were rushing towards the explosions. I estimated it would take them about five minutes to reach the location where Saemi and the others were.

Returning my attention to the masked trio, I observed that on the right, a muscular figure was watching the scene below. While his expression wasn't visible, I had an intuition that he was somehow enjoying himself. I decided to believe it was my passive ability of sensory perception kicking in.

However, the most concerning was the individual in the center. Unlike the other two, he wasn't wearing a hood, allowing for a relatively clear view of his appearance. Though his face was covered by a mask, his Black hair stood out distinctly. Intense energy emanated from the man in the middle, and my senses reacted with an alarming signal of danger every time I observed him.

After capturing all the details, I made the decision to intervene. One of the energy blasts, or whatever it was, hit Saemi's wind shield and was heading towards Fujiwara's, unraveling it in the process. Without wasting time, the hooded woman launched another attack, and it was evident that this one would surely hit the girls.

With agility, I propelled myself towards Saemi and Fujiwara, who were protecting the other girls, and positioned myself between them and the energy orb coming their way. Acting instinctively, I retrieved my sword from storage and used it to cut the energy orb in half, preventing it from hitting them.

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"Makoto"

Voices filled with relief echoed behind me as I positioned myself in front of the girls.

"I apologize for the delay, girls"

I said, keeping my gaze fixed on the trio atop the wall. The masked woman, upon realizing the fate of her orb, raised her hands to the sky. Suddenly, from amidst the clouds, a massive electricity dragon descended toward us, confirming my suspicions that she was behind the dense clouds that shrouded the palace.

If that bolt were to strike us directly, it would surely be game over for me and the girls. With agility and determination, I focus my elemental energy and manifest a protective dome around us. Using the earth, I skillfully manipulate the clay to sculpt the dome, ensuring a solid and precise structure. Next, I allow water to meld with the clay, giving it pliability.

With the skillful application of fire magic, I solidify the dome, initiating the vulcanization process. Lastly, with mastery over wind magic, I raise a flexible rubber barrier that envelops us, providing maximum protection for me and the girls.

Despite the adept combination of all these elements, the impact of the blow still revealed its overwhelming force, leaving my hand, which was firmly planted on the ground to sustain the barrier, in a state of painful numbness. It's undeniable that if that blow were to hit us directly, we would undeniably be dead.

"Makoto, are you okay?"

Aoi asked, running to my side and examining my reddened hand with a worried expression on her face.

"Don't worry, Aoi. My healing ability is already kicking in, see?"

I affirmed, showing my hand that was red before and was now rapidly returning to its original color. As always, my healing ability was there to save me.

"But our situation isn't looking good. If just one of them is strong enough to pull something like this off, with all three together, we surely won't stand a chance"

I commented, putting a concerned expression on my face. Though I was strong, the combination of all three seemed even more dangerous. It was obvious that if they attacked together, I would struggle to defend myself. However, we didn't have time to hesitate. We needed to act swiftly.

"We need to split them up"

Fujiwara suggested by my side.

"I'll take the guy on the right along with Aoi. Ana and Saemi, you handle the woman who attacked us"

Fujiwara proposed. I pondered Fujiwara's suggestion for a few moments and then questioned it.

"Are you sure? That woman seemed to have magical abilities from various elements. I believe you'd fare better against her since you have my elemental manipulation ability"

In response, Fujiwara smiled and explained.

"Actually, she uses wind magic, just like Saemi. The electric discharge she launched at us was the result of wind magic. Also, the big guy on the right is more problematic. Aoi and I will make the ideal pair to face him"

Fujiwara expressed his confidence decisively, and upon hearing his words, a smile spread across my face. It was crucial that I regained my composure; despite the strength of the enemies, I needed to find a way to overcome them.