The assassin rushed forward, using his shock as an opening, her body moving so fast she appeared as nothing more than a streak black and silver. It was only instinct that saved Caspian from having a pair of daggers stuck in his chest. He knocked her attacks aside, his blade clashing against both of hers, then backpedaled to put some distance between them.

"W-wait! Damn it, stop!"

But she didn't stop. She advanced on him again, her attacks increasing in ferocity, forcing Caspian to push his ragged body harder. Her strikes became faster, and Caspian's breathing grew even more labored as he struggled to keep up.

"Please! There's no more need for us to fight! Just surrender!"

His enemy said nothing. With her lips set in a grim line, her daggers wove an impenetrable barrier of death. Two blades seemed to become thirty in her hands. Every strike he blocked felt like a sledgehammer pounding against his sword. It wasn't just one single swing, however, but numerous swings within a single second. The accumulative force from consecutive swings, all within one second, was the same as if someone with the strength of a Gigantis-a giant from the country of Altruiste to the west-attacked with one swing.

I-if I don't do something...

Sweat stung Caspian's eyes, blurring his vision. Yet he continued to defend himself, his mind working furiously as he blocked the woman's blades.

... then I really will be killed by her!

Desperation fueling his body, Caspian rolled along the floor. The elf struck air. He leapt back to his feet. She turned around at the same time he did. She ran at Caspian as he thrust his sword forward. Her eyes widened, as did his. She tried to stop. Caspian's throat closed around the scream that attempted to bubble from his throat.

Blood dripped along his blade, coating it, covering it. Tainting it. It was everywhere. It spilled to the floor, creating a puddle that drenched his boots. His sword was buried in the elf's chest all the way up to the hilt.

"Why...?" Caspian could feel a tremor course through his body as he stared at the woman. Her eyes gazed back at him, blinking several times, as if she couldn't quite understand what was happening. "Why didn't you surrender? I would've... I could've protected you..."

The elf looked away from his blade and into his eyes. They were dimming. She was dying. Yet somehow, in spite of that, she managed to smile.

"You really are... naive, aren't you? But then, perhaps that is a good thing. Maybe... maybe you can do what Dranor and I couldn't. Perhaps you can be... the beacon of hope that we... that we tried to be..."

Backing away in shock, Caspian pulled his sword from her chest. The elf didn't make a sound as she fell onto her back, her head cracking against the carpeted floor. As her eyes dimmed and her breathing grew shallow, she whispered a single word, "D-Dranor..." and then she became still.

Caspian stared at the body with wide eyes. He had just killed her. She was dead. She was dead because he'd killed her. She was gone. Dead. No more. He'd snuffed her out like a candle. It was as if she'd never existed.

"Oh... oh, no..."

The world spun around in a dizzying blur. Caspian fell onto his hands and knees. Bile rose up in his throat, forcing him to clamp a hand over his mouth. Even so, some fluids still leaked from between his fingers. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the sight of the now cooling corpse. It didn't work. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was his sword piercing her chest, of blood drenching the floor, of sightless eyes and a lifeless body and the knowledge that he'd killed someone.

"M-Master Caspian..." Cassidy walked up to him. He should have suspected that she would not have run far. She'd probably witnessed the whole thing. "Are you... are you alright?"

"I..." Caspian gritted his teeth and forced his mouth closed. He swallowed the bile bubbling up his throat, the acidic fluids leaving a horrible aftertaste that made him want to vomit all over again. Only his undeniable strength of will kept Caspian from puking all over the carpet. "No. No, I am not okay."

"Is there... anything I can do to help?"

He appreciated her gesture, truly, but right now, it did not help.

"I don't think so."

This was something he would have to deal with on his own. The weight that came from taking a life. All Knights-in-training were told that they might eventually have to kill. However, hearing someone say that you might kill another sentient being, and actually killing someone, couldn't have been more different.

He felt sick to his stomach, tainted in a way he hadn't felt before. Yet he knew that he couldn't remain idle. Erica still needed his help.

He forced himself to stand. He would deal with this later. For now, he had a job to do.

"Come on," he said to Cassidy, once more beginning his run up the stairs. "We need to reach Erica. She is still being attacked."

"R-right!"

***

Erica had long since lost count of the number of Spirits she'd called upon. Time meant nothing now. She and her opponent had been fighting for what seemed like hours, throwing spells and countering spells constantly. Chants were spoken. Magic was cast. Spells were deconstructed and thrown back at her. It was all a blur of never ending torture, and only Erica's refusal to back down kept her from falling.

She was tired. Her body ached. She'd never been pushed this hard before. Even during the train incident, she'd not felt this exhausted. Her heavy breathing echoed in her ears. Her chest heaved in exagerrated motions that, for once, had nothing to do with her trying to flaunt what she had. Every time she inhaled, a sharp pain filled her chest.

"I call upon the one who would wreathe the world in flames, Amaterasu, burn the one who stands before me."

Fire burst from her fingertips. A magic circle appeared in front of the elf, who used a deconstructed attack that she had sent at him previously. Lightning lanced from the circle. Fire and lightning slammed into each other like ferocious beasts, the two forces exploding against each other. Carpet burned and force winds pushed her and her foe back. She shielded her eyes from the immensely bright light, but she never stopped chanting.

"Oh, bringer of storms, Susanoo, rain destruction upon this man! Destroy him for breaking the contract!"

Spears of lightning materialized and shot forward. Unfortunately, her enemy wasn't as unaware of her actions as she'd hoped. He created a magic circle in front of him, deconstructing her lightning, then reconstructed it to form chains that rushed to restrain her.

"Tsukuyomi, reflect the powers of those who would harm your leige."

A pale barrier appeared in front of her. The lightning struck the barrier. Cracks appeared along its surface before, with the sound of breaking glass, it shattered. However, the shield had given Erica enough time to duck and avoid being fried by her own attack.

Unfortunately, this left her open to retaliation. A magic circle appeared underneath her, glowing a bright red. Erica's eyes widened-

"GRRRAAAA!"

-when a scream of agony and rage erupted from the elf. The circle dispersed as the elf collapsed and began writhing on the floor. His screams echoed around her room. They were screams of madness, of despair, of loss and anger and unintelligable rage.

Erica didn't know what was happening to her foe, but just because she had no clue as to what was going on, that didn't mean she was going to waste the opportunity being presented to her.

"In the name of the holy light that guides the land, I bare the cross of condemnation. Ōyamatsumi, I command thee to punish those who would sin under your lawful rule and deliver them into the afterlife with your holy judgment!"

Everything within the room began to shake as a loud rumble echoed throughout the interior. The floor around Erica's feet cracked and dented. Abrasions spread out from where she stood, running in all directions across the floor, climbing up the walls and then the ceiling. Several chunks of stone fell as they were shaken off. It was in this pandemonium that Erica was engulfed in a bright white light. Arcane energies arced off her body, like lightning from a thunderstorm where she was the billowing cumulous cloud. They lashed out at her surroundings, destructive bolts of pure energy. A chunk of the floor was gouged out. Part of the wall was destroyed. The dark-wood dresser drawer burst into a thousand splinters as the crackling arcs of light struck it.

Just when it seemed like everything in the room would be destroyed by the incredible power arcing out of control around Erica's body, the energy slithered up her right arm and into her hand, where a small sphere of light crackled and pulsated like a miniature star.

Erica launched the tiny sphere forward. The elf was so busy screaming in agony that he didn't even see the attack until it was far too late. The sphere of condensed energy slammed into him, exploding with incredible force and blasting him away. He smashed straight through the outer wall, sending a shower of fragmented stone everywhere. His screams could still be heard as he disappeared from her sight, growing more distant with every passing second, until she couldn't hear him anymore.

Erica sighed as she felt the energy from Ōyamatsumi fade. While she hadn't used the most powerful spell Ōyamatsumi granted to her, or even one of the middle-tier spells, it was still exhausting to channel that much mana through her body at once. How Sylvia could toss attacks like that around as if they were candy was beyond her.

"Erica!"

"Mistress Erica! Are you alright?!"

Erica smiled as she heard the voices of Caspian and Cassidy. It was good to know they were unharmed. However, while she was happy to know they were safe, several tick marks still sprang to life on her forehead. She slowly turned around and marched toward the door. She was so going to give that young man an earful for not being present to protect her in her time of need.

Meanwhile, Derek was still lying on the floor, his sickly frame flopping around like a fish.

He was still wrapped up in chains.

"My Lady! Can you get these chains off me! My Lady? My Lady Erica! Help!"