JEAN LYMINE'S POV:
Lio unleashed a fury of attacks as soon as he was in range, the crimson flames surrounding his arms singing my skin from the proximity. I enhanced my speed with holy bind, reality around me slowing down ever so slightly.
My velocity wasn't on par with those who could utilize lightning, but against those who were unable to control what was considered the most powerful element, I was almost untouchable.
Each punch that the massive Fei threw at me simply passed by me as I readjusted my position, constantly keeping my feet balanced.
I sidestepped a heavy punch, immediately retaliating with my rapier.
"!!"
My arm moved on its own as I slashed to the side, the bind infused within my blade blasting away the oncoming arrow. I scowled, annoyed by the perfect harmony that the twins possessed. Rena controlled the field with her arrows while Lio slowly overpowered his opponent, ultimately leading to the demise of their adversary.
If I were to focus on Rena, then Lio would punish me with brute force, if I were to focus on Lio, then Rena would constantly strike any openings within my stance with a divine arrow.
I narrowly dodged another one of Lio's attacks, snapping back to reality. The brawler leaped into the air, roaring as he came crashing down onto the floor.
Flamewave.
I recognized the oncoming spell, adapting immediately.
I jumped up in turn, avoiding the shockwave of flames as another arrow came zooming at me midair. I extended my hand, realizing I was forced to block the attack with magic. Right when the projectile came into contact with the small golden shield that had formed at the palm of my hand, I sensed Lio launching himself towards me.
I gasped as a flaming fist came into contact with my gut, sending me flying up into the sky as a trail of blood escaped my mouth. The attack had severely weakened me, but as long as I remained breathing, I could recover.
"Full heal," I muttered, feeling my own bind soothe the pain that had spread across my entire body. My eyes spotted both twins on the floor, preparing for my landing. I smiled, absorbing all the bind around me.
I began to fall back down, my speed picking up as the wind howled all around me. I briefly caught sight of the battlefield as a whole, sparks of metal and colorful flashes of elements illuminating the ground below me as thousands of soldiers clashed.
The thousands of corpses already laid on the floor meant nothing to me as I locked my sights on the Vye twins. I closed my eyes, channeling all of the bind around me into my body.
My eyelids flew open once again with newfound power, my irises swirling with energy as I began to glow with blinding brightness.
Holy bind had no directly offensive abilities, but that didn't mean that its users were helpless in combat. You simply had to adapt to a different form of fighting, one where your magic was not your weapon.
You had to become a living weapon.
"Shooting star," I muttered, increasing my speed even further.
I briefly saw Rena's horrified expression as the golden star grew little by little, approaching her position. I closed my eyes one final time, preparing for the impact. I raised my sword, plunging it downward as I came crashing down onto the ground.
Annihilate everything!
The world fell silent momentarily as reality processed the devastation of the attack, a low hum echoing forth before the destruction that was sure to follow.
BOOOOOOMMMM
A constant ringing hammered my head. I could tell my body was completely immobile from the shock of slamming into the solid ground at such a speed, but my mind was still operational.
"Full heal," I said again, draining the last of my bind to rejuvenate myself one final time. I could still maintain all of the active bonuses to my speed and power, but my ability to heal could no longer function.
I looked around calmly. A gigantic crater had appeared with me as its center, only two other bodies visible in the entire radius of the explosion. Silence had washed over the field, not even the sound of nature managing to reach my ears.
I was well aware of what the consequences of my actions were. Feis were not the only ones caught in the blast, but it made no difference to me. Victory had to be achieved. It was the victors who wrote history, and nothing would ever change that.
A small movement finally caught my attention, my eyes settling on the two Feis that were slowly recuperating. I could see the fury within the glares of both individuals as they understood what had just happened.
"You killed your own men," muttered Rena in disbelief, hints of disgust arising in her tone. I remained indifferent to her manner of speaking, addressing the comment directly.
"I did."
"Do you not have any honor? Do you not treasure the lives of those who fight for you?!" asked Lio, fury painted all over his expression.
"Honor?" I said, pausing as I pondered on the concept. "Honor is a fault within the warrior. I had to give up on that a long time ago..."
"I see," mumbled Rena, her emerald green eyes contrasting with her body and armor covered in dirt and dust. "Then you truly are lost. Lio, let's end this."
Both S-ranks approached me, igniting their powers once again. I removed my rapier from the ground as the sound of combat arose around me once again, both armies recovering from the shock of the explosion.
I could see the determination within the stances of both warriors standing before me. My instincts alerted me of the outcome of the final clash that would take place between the three S-ranks, knowing full-well that I had used up all my cards.
All that was left for me now was retribution.
JAY CADMIUM'S POV:
I shivered randomly, feeling an incredible surge of bind somewhere in the continent. The source of such a terrifying amount of bind was undoubtedly Jean, her being the only individual capable of producing such energy.
I waited a few moments before continuing deeper into the forest, my aura acting as a radar that was sweeping the area around me for any presence. Another aura clashed into mine, my eyes locating the individual producing it immediately. The Envoy had informed me that my guest had arrived earlier than expected, and the sight of the woman whom I hadn't seen in a few months filled me with a small amount of relief.
"It's been a while, Selena."
The Empress smiled softly, her blue eyes gazing into mine sadly.
"Hello, Jay. You've gotten bigger, I see."
"Yeah, I've been told the same thing a lot recently," I responded, smiling in return.
"How is Asthia?"
I didn't flinch whatsoever at the direct question, understanding that Selena's main concern was the safety of her daughter, as well as her well-being considering she had just lost her husband. I wanted to comfort the Empress for her loss, but the words just didn't seem to come out.
"She's getting better. Why didn't you ask to see her?"
"If I see her now, I won't be able to leave her side and return to my front."
"..."
I waited a bit, clueless as to what I was meant to say.
"What did you want to see me for?" I asked suddenly, attempting to cut straight to the main point of the meeting.
"Right," muttered Selena, briefly pausing as she formulated her thoughts into words. "I recently felt something that I haven't felt in a long time, and it could change the entire course of the war."
"For the better?"
The Empress nodded.
"I believe so. The Elder Wyvern has awakened."