"So the Seal has broken?"

The old hag's voice booms over the hill as she releases another devastating magic attack.

An invisible force sweeps across the field, leveling the trees it catches on its way.

My body chooses to teleport again. It seems like the System deemed it too dangerous to take it head-on.

I find myself in the sky, then behind her, but the scenery changes too fast to follow.

The advancing monsters can't pull off the same.

The First Bride knocks them over without breaking a sweat. Using something akin to telekinesis, she throws them around like ragdolls.

What she's talking about doesn't even register at first.

She's busy monologuing while beating the shit out of everyone. A true villain trait, I have to keep an eye on her.

"It's always good to have a backup plan."

She boasts, firing a magic missile my way.

"That's why I sent Selena to buy time with Omega, in case I can't catch Elizabeth in time."

What is she talking about? Those names tell me nothing. Who's Omega and the other two?

[Notice: Omega is the name of the Demon Lord.]

This is the first time the System has answered something since the fight started.

She is still quieter than usual. So that's the psycho responsible for this whole Harem Warrior thing?

"I bet he thinks he already has the powerful blood of Cranta and can reach Godhood like you."

So she admits that I'm a deity? Well, Alexandra is.

From what she mumbles it looks like they're at odds with the Demon Lord. So who's who here?

"Too bad, she's a bastard daughter. Her looks might be real, but she doesn't have the same pure blood as Elizabeth." She won't shut up. Are these things even relevant?

As the System hinted earlier, the First and Thirteenth Brides fought before. Alex took the Demon Lord's side of all people. Does it mean we're the baddies?

But that can't be, this bitch wanted to hurt a child, and monologues ever since like a true villain. That said, I took that child hostage, so I can't climb the moral high ground here.

Stolen story; please report.

"I'm glad that pampered little Princess felt your presence." She continues.

So someone did pick up those magical aura signals when Alex tried to make a homunculus? Is she the Inquisition?

I want to ask so many questions, but once I enabled Auto Battle, the System took over my mouth too. And she doesn't seem to be in the mood to chat with either of us.

"And thus the Princess gave me the perfect opportunity to get rid of her." Wait, who?

I wasn't her target? While I'm lost in thought, the battle continues. I can't do much about it.

The System controls our body to great effect. The techniques she utilizes are nothing short of amazing. And still, for some reason, it seems like we're losing.

It's as if she could do anything, other than adapting to the situation.

Are there no dispelling magics? The heavy gravity still pushes against us.

While the teleportation can mitigate some of its effects, it's odd that we never tried to break the spell.

We also keep firing lightning bolts at the hag, long after her skin turns normal, and no longer attracts them.

"I never thought she was right, but this is even better. And don't think the fact that the Seal broke will slow me down." Ugh, is she still at it?

If you make an exposition dump in the middle of an epic duel at least ensure we're on the same page. I've no idea what she's rambling about.

Seal? Princess? Bloodline? Come on, give me a rundown on who everyone is first. Since she assumes I'm the Goddess of Luck, she talks about everything as if I already knew.

And the System is too busy fighting. Or rather, losing, at this point. As someone who dabbled with strategy games, I saw more dumb AIs than smart ones, so it feels familiar.

The System follows a pattern — an efficient one at that, — but can't adapt to the changing situation. One of the enemy's counterspells hit us square in the torso, and we're slammed into the ground.

"I have to say, I'm quite disappointed in you, Thirteenth Bride." She laughs.

It's such a classic evil laugh too. Too bad we're at odds. I could cheer for her as my favorite evil character.

No, she still tried to harm Mabel, so I guess not. And it's too bad she's an old hag and not a sexy evil princess type. She advances towards us, preparing a finishing blow.

If not for the newcomers into the battle, who take this chance to rush her, it might be already over. She only laughs at their puny effort, shielding herself from their weapons with a force field.

This gives me a moment though. System, are you sure you can handle this?

[Notice: Lady Ghisella, the First Bride became stronger in the last decade. The fight patterns provided might be inadequate for a complete victory.]

And who are the other guys? Can we team up with them, or will they attack us too?

[Notice: They appear to be the Twelve Champions, the Demon Lord's Personal Guard.]

Okay, and?

Piecing the puzzle together, this is the Old Capital, where Alex fought this bitch before. She tried to beat this hag to buy time for that other psycho, so that means these guys are friends, right?

[Notice: From the available information, the Demon Lord excommunicated you after your failure.]

Of course, he did that, the bastard. So these guys aren't friends either.

Almost as if confirming this, a wyvern lands with a whirlwind by my side.

An Orc jumps off the saddle, wearing a pointy hat and holding a magic staff towards me.

She's a woman and for Orc standards, she's on the petite side, clad in black robes that scream witch from miles away. Her tusks are still menacing, but she has a pretty face.

Her long eyelashes and stern eyes remind me of someone, but there's no time for pleasantries.

"Who would have thought I'd find the two traitors in one place?" She yells, and if she starts monologuing too, I'll lose my shit.

"I worried Dioneras sent me here to get me out of his way to glory, but I hit the Jackpot."