Five minutes before the Ella Strike, three saints ran out. Both Rain and Faye stayed behind.

“Why are they fighting like that?” Rain asked as he collected items in the cart and put them into his backpack, which he also found in the cart.

“I don’t know either. What are you doing?” Faye controlled her mana on Link magic.

“Collect something that is useful,” Rain showed items to Faye. On his hand, had a lot of flasks and bottles.

“These look useful. By the way, why are you asking like that?” Faye said.

“Ah, I simply want to understand something. Do all saints act like this? Do they completely trust their own abilities and fight considering nothing else, not even the items in the cart or checked the terrain?” Rain asked. “Is this her first fight? Does she have absolutely no experience at all?” Rain jumped out of the cart and moved on to the next one.

“Yes, they have power. Sometimes power makes them careless, unlike us. We’re just small squirrels trying to find a way to save ourselves. Saints always train to be lions, conquering everything with might and authority. They shape themselves like that. But don’t worry, Ella is the strongest in the group,” Faye said.

Rain stopped collecting, his head popping out of the curtain. “Even stronger than Aria and you?” He tilted his head, a little confused by Faye’s words.

Faye smiled back.

“Never mind.” He continued to search for more items. Not long, he finish collected item. His backpack fully loaded, then come closer to Faye.

“Are you going to run with just those items? You should take more gems or luxuries. They can sell at a higher price,” Faye suggested, while swaying her hand and showing the glittering light of her amulet.

“Ah. I just collected the items that will keep me alive.” Rain shrugged his shoulders. “If you have luxurious items and money but no life to use them, how is that be a smart right?”

“By the way, why did you lie to them about the monster? You were right about its infant state, but you were completely wrong about its strength,” Rain said, his tone hardening as he looked at Faye with dark eyes. The surrounding air grew colder, and even the sounds of the environment seemed to quiet down.

Faye’s mouth opened, and her eyebrow lifted slightly, shocked by what she had just heard. She turned her head and saw the dark, determined eyes of the little cursed child. His words and his dark eyes should have made her feel anxious or negative, but the Red Witch smiled widely. Her eyes beamed with happiness, and inside her retina burned a bright red like a crimson lantern. Her body emitted an evil aura. “You know...” Faye said, her tone dark and contrasting with her smile.

Rain, with his glowing blue eye, fearlessly stared at her red eye. “You are really, really bad, lady. No one will be a friend of you, okay?” His face returned to normal. “Huh... Don’t blame others. It’s all your fault. If you only have me as your friend, okay?”

“I don’t care, I’ll always be a wicked lady... wait... you cal—”

Crash! Boom!

Ella attacked, causing damage all around. The sound of a loud boom filled the air as Faye and Rain stood nearby. The magic cryptic spell started to crack.

“What a crazy girl! Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to stabilize this magic link?” Faye exclaimed, placing her hand out in front and channeling mana to control the spell.

Meanwhile, Rain tightly gripped his backpack with his right hand and held onto a pole that served as the center of their tent with his left hand. He penetrated the pole down to earth, sat half knee stabilize himself. Air and dust flying reverse back to the fight area. “She really has no experience at all. The impact is too wide, causing damage everywhere,” Rain observed, glancing at Faye. “Be careful, she will strike again.”

Faye instinctively used her magic to protect the area where she stood. “How did you Kn—”

Shatter! Whoosh! the air sucked into the center of the impact, only split of second.

Boom!

Air rushed to the area, Faye’s hair flow followed the wind. Although Magic can block all the impact, but a cryptic spell cracked, one part of spell already broken. During this slow moment of attack, Faye looked at the man sitting beside her. He had no magical protection whatsoever. The wild wind rushed past, cutting through the air like bullets. His face turned towards the wind, and he tilted his body, effortlessly dodging the rocks that flew towards him. Unfortunately, some grazed his shirt, face, and leg, but none hit any vital areas.

Faye’s mind filled with questions. He wasn’t using any magic. Was it instinct? No, his movements weren’t like those of a warrior. They seemed calculated, anticipating the impact before it occurred. But how could a human brain calculate with so much information? Could he be using magic to enhance his cognitive abilities? No, he had no mana...

The cast and cause of effect settled, but she was still in her deep mind. sorted her information.

Rain looked at the battle area. All the ground become shattered crack. Point of impact had drilled deep into the earth, now it looked like a deep big fry pan that have Rock snake place on it. “At this rate, she not gonna make it,” he said.

“Faye, aren’t you going to help them?” He stood up, brushing the dust off his body.

As Faye snapped back to reality, she heard him call her name and ask a question. She looked at Rain, slowly shaking her head, and answered monotonously, “I can’t.”

Rain reassured her, saying, “It’s okay, I’ll take care of the rest.” He pulled out a pole and said, “Ah! I need these two poles from you and Aria’s tent, okay? I’ll use them as land ski poles.” He then jumped onto a nearby rock, moving left and right to adjust its position. “I hope Aria won’t scold me too hard,” he chuckled.

Before he started sliding down the slope, he turned his head to Faye, with a smile on his face. “Don’t worry, Faye. We’re friends, and I won’t gossip friend secrets.” With that, he swiftly slid down the terrain.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Faye watched him depart with an emotionless expression. “Friend... he really speaks, friend,” she said in a monotone voice.

She turned back to her thoughts, her hand moving swiftly to draw a cryptic spell. Like a mindless marionette, her eyes remained still, only her hand continued to draw.

Sound form afar connected within link “Aria, can you hear me...”

“Aria, can you hear me?”

Noisy...

—§—

Her attacks are too wide and causing too much damage on the field. If our team or her own platoon aren’t familiar with her tactics, it could cause self damage.

Aria was hiding inside a stone platform consisting of two rectangular rocks that covered the front and back. It was a place where merchants often came to perform rituals for the sun god, hoping for good luck in their trade and travels.

During the attack, Aria had found this rock platform and sought refuge from the impact. She used her mana to create a water shield to protect herself.

“Just one of her strikes depleted half of water,” Aria said. She thought of Rain, who had given her a water supply. She looked at the south position, now it changed to be higher plateau. “Wish that it will not cause damage to that side.”

“The Earth Python is strong, but Ella’s strike might pin it down for about two minutes at most.” Aria continued to move closer to the strike zone. “I have to hasten to find the clue.”

Dust still hung in the air, so she transformed her water ball into a disk plate and used it as a lens to absorb the dust. In front of her, the enormous head of the python remained pinned down, with no signs of movement. Only she could hear the sound of falling rocks and rolling pebbles.

Click! Clack! tiny pebble roll continue fall down, Aria tightly gripped her sword and covered it with water. Blue light to shine through the fog. She then slowly walked forward.

Just as Aria moved softly, creating small vibrations that reached the nearby rock, it could no longer withstand the impact and fell down, followed by another. Dust once again flew up into the air.

Aria stood on guard, looking left and right, but nothing happened. She waited for the dust to settle before cautiously approaching the python’s head.

Looking at it closely, there was no sign of life at all. “Is it dead? No, that’s not possible. This place doesn’t even have the smell of blood.” Confusion filled her heart. Something was definitely not right about this situation.

Gather her courage, she cautiously touched the monster’s head. “It’s warm! But why is there no liquid or water form? I can’t sense it,” not wait anymore, her controlled mana, use water run into the cracked of Python head. Only for a second, Aria’s eyes widened as she instinctively withdrew her hand.

“It discrete my mana!” Aria Exclaim. trying to call back her water as soon as possible. But it all deplete instantaneously. her cold sweat out of her back. I have to tell the other. Quickly touching her lip to activate her communication spell.

“Faye! Send White Code, cancel all the formation!” Aria Exclaim.

However, there was no response.

My link was cut! She grabbed her own flask, water crashed it with hand—

Woosh!

Aria instinctively ducks her own head, moves right leg and arm up to block the incoming side impact.

Boom!

Head of python receives damage from Ella's throw, land beneath fall down, the rock of the opposite side burst out, rush to the side that Aria stayed. enormous head swayed rotate fall into her side.

Luckily, she cast the spell fast enough to block incoming impact, no damage on her body. But unfortunately she trapped inside a rock that falling down form monster's head.

All the light is blocking. She could hardly see anything. In that shock of burst. She could only hear a noise sound in her ear. She took a moment to regain her composure, checking her condition.

Air is faint but I still can breathe. My blood is reversed back down to head. I’m trapped with head down. My body all can function correctly, no pain, or sign of cracked bone. after checked her condition. She thinks about the situation before the crash.

“What happened? Why did Ella strike again? Why she so rush like this, she should have sent a message or checked our link first, at least send the code on the air before attack. Could there be more monsters on her side?” I have to go out as fast as possible.

Gathering her mana, control the water, but could only gather a small drop. It shimmered with a faint blue light, providing her with some comfort. She could still sense the surrounding water, so she gathered it little by little, preparing to find her way out.

Woosh! Boom!

Another strike occurred, this time with an even closer impact than before. The land burst open and the rock fell down rapidly, heavier and harder, pressing her deeper into her position. The surrounding land crashed, closing the gaps and trapping her tightly.

Air filled with dust, making it difficult to breathe. Her water ball magic had already vanished. Try to send her sense farer, but no luck, all the water is gone.

I have to at least send a code through the Sacred book. However, her entire body was stuck, and she struggled to move her arm, pushing against the rock, but it wouldn’t budge. It was too heavy, my center point of power is not right. It is like putting down to earth instead.

Try to move her body, but it locks all. The more she moves her body, the more it locks tighten. her breath gets heavy and heavier.

Her senses blurred. She began talking nonsensical, “Ah... I’m stuck. This is how people feel when they are trapped inside... when the castle towered down...”

“They all cry, looking for daughter... son looked for their parents,”

“all the knights did their best...”

Woosh! Boom!

The third strike comes. Although the sound was far away, the vibrations still reached Aria’s place. Cracked! Her place got tighter again. Aria felt pain with every breath, as if rocks and dust filled her lungs.

“This black screen is haunting me again..” Her vision slowly faded. in the black sight she heard the noise sound.

click! clack!

In front of her, there was a child wearing dirty clothes, with hair covering her face. The child knocked volcanic rock together to create fire in the heavy snow.

click! clack!

“Ah... At least, this time your also have come too,”

Child carried a lot of mushrooms. Burned it with blue fire. All the mushrooms look weird. strange aroma touched her nose.

“Is she still kept that dangerous fungus again?”

That Child looked at her, all her hair looked tangled like never ever take a wash. Give her a mushroom that still burns on her bare hand.

“she should eat better food, she will growth better.”

Wooooosh! sound far away... boom! vibrant shook her. Picture in her mind changed again.

There was a man in front of her. He wore a white scholar’s robe, had black hair, and possessed blue eyes that resembled the sky. He looked at her. smiled sweetly at her. “This World is beautiful... right?”

“Ah... Rain.”

“What he would do in a situation like this?”

“Use your feet Aria!”

“Right? he will be told me to use feet... instead of head...”

“Aria! Kick!”

“Right? I want to kick... him too. He always teases me.”

“Aria! Kick your feet!”

“Ah... just do kick, right?” Her senses blurred, and she tried to kick out, but her legs didn’t move as she wished. Only a small and faint kick sound touched the rock.

“Thank you Aria.”

Clack!

A pole suddenly pieces down near her leg, followed by a warm sensation touching her. Liquid started flowing from the pipe, cascading down her body. Drop by drop, it formed a stream that covered her.

Aria’s senses came back to her. “What is this? Water? No, it is not only water, it’s a potion, various types of potions mixed together—”

“Gather your mana, Aria!”

Not a wait, she controlled water, solidifying it like a string to easily cut the rocks around her hand and help her move her hand easily.

Clack! Another piece of the pole fell near her hand, perfectly placed for her to grab. The warm sensation returned as the potion rained down on her again.

“This is a pole from your tent. It can use many ways. It’s very versatile, right?”

“Ah... It’s really him.”

“Stay Strong, Aria. I’m already here.”

“Ah, this rock is so heavy.”

“I know, Rocky! I’ll use the pole to leverage it,”

Sound of throwing rocks and talking of the little man sounded repeatedly. Little by little, light began to show on her face again.

Blood mixed with dirt and sweat. Scattered all over on his face, but a big smile remained on his face. “I found you, Aria!”