The earth rose before them on all sides, a colossal tide that drowned out the colosseum. Caspian saw nothing of the previous lay of the land, not the sky, nor the stands, nor anything at all. Everything had been cast into darkness, and the only thing that remained visible were the massive walls of earth that had risen above them.

"Odin All-Father, lord of the Nordic Tribe, I harken unto you this most urgent plea," Sylvia intoned quickly, chanting her aria with haste. "Come to my aid. Lend me a shining steed to break through the darkness that threatens to engulf me and my kin."

Caspian heard the words, but he didn't pay much attention to them, as most of his focus was on the blinding light that had suddenly appeared from within Sylvia. It burst forth from her body, ethereal flames flickering like a bonfire in the wind. The fire, which he recognized from its feel as mana, coalesced into a physical form, reshaped itself into that of a horse with eight legs. Sleipner. The eight-legged horse, the spell that destroyed everything in its path.

The horse reared onto its hind legs, and then, with incredible force, it blasted off the ground and into the air. Slamming head first into the dome that had, moments earlier, threatened to swallow them, Sleipner shattered the earth. Like a stack of cards that had been piled high, a domino effect occurred. Starting from the center of the impact and spreading outward, the dome crumbled into dust.

When the dome crashed, Caspian gasped. The colosseum was gone. He didn't understand what had happened, but it looked as if the dome that had been formed had swallowed the entire colosseum. What had once been a stadium that could fit over 100,000 people, now there was only piles of rubble.

"Is it over?" asked Christo.

"I hope so," Caspian said, and then he did a double take. "Wait a second. When did you wake up?"

"Just now." Christo chuckled. "I still feel kinda weak, though. I can barely move my arms. My legs don't work either."

Indeed, Christo was still lying on the ground, and it didn't seem like he would be moving any time soon. Caspian imagined the reason he was so weak was because of how much blood he'd lost.

Just then, the earth shifted and rumbled some more. The crumbled remnants of the dome scurried across the ground like a horde of ants. They journeyed to the center of the arena, merging together, amalgamating. A pair of legs soon formed from the earth, followed by a feminine torso, and then shoulders, which expanded into a set of arms. Finally, the neck and head reformed, revealing the face of Gaia.

This Gaia was not small. Unlike the previous one, which had been the size of a human, this version was large. It easily towered over them. They were like ants compared to this thing, which Caspian judged to be at least 15 stories tall, maybe even more.

"That is one really big monster," Christo said.

"No kidding," Caspian replied in stunned awe.

"Should we do something?" Elincia asked, biting her lip.

"Caspian," Erica said before he could answer. "You might want to pick up your friend and follow me."

"Why?" Caspian asked, though he did as told, grabbing his friend and lifting him in an overarm carry. He also grabbed Elincia's hand and held it tightly.

"Because Sylvia is about to get serious," Erica told him, her tone carrying a hint of trepidation that he'd never heard before. "And trust me when I say that you don't want to be in the way when she gets serious."

***

Sylvia frowned at the creature standing before her. She did not know how someone had summoned a spirit to this plane of existence, nor did she have an inkling as to who might have—or who could have—done it. However, at the moment, none of that really mattered.

The others were all scattered around the arena. The Nueva twins and their knights stood several feet away, gawking at Gaia, who appeared to be undergoing a sort of metamorphosis. Akane and Kiriya appeared much calmer, but even they seemed tense—not that she blamed them. Karen and Dolten hadn't come near the battle, but they were inventors, not fighters. She could see them standing several dozen meters away.

"D'artagnan, keep that thing occupied."

"Yes, My Lady!"

D'artagnan rushed forward. Gaia noticed him. It looked down, and then reared its fist back and sent it crashing into the ground. The earth shook, crumbling and cratering, but D'argtanan had leapt over the attack and landed on its arm. Stabbing his blade into its forearm, he ran up the up, sparks flying off of his sword as it cut through rock, cement, and limestone.

"Spirit of Thunder, listen to my call, for I am the one to whom all must bow."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Sylvia spotted Caspian, Elincia, and Erica beating a hasty retreat with Derek, the two half-elves, and the maid. The other sorceresses and knights were also leaving. That was good. She wouldn't be able to use any of her higher-tiered aria if other people were present. They'd be killed in the backlash.

"Storming the heavens, splitting the seas, slicing the mountains..."

She could feel her mana gathering. As a human, she did not have much mana, despite being over 1,000 years old. Humans would never have enough mana to compete with elves.

That was why they called upon the power of spirits, creatures that possessed more mana than anything else within this world. Gods. Deities. They were called by many names, and none of them were inaccurate. Beings with this kind of power could only be considered gods.

"Bring down the mighty hammer upon my foe. Smite them as you would an insect. Destroy them down to the last grain of sand, until not even their existence remains..."

D'artagnan sliced through Gaia's throat, from which massive amounts of sand poured forth. He then leapt off of its body when Gaia tried to swat at him, flipping around like a professional acrobat, landing on his feet several meters away. He then beat a hasty retreat, allowing Sylvia to finish her aria without worry.

She stood before Gaia, like an ant before a goliath. With D'artagnan no longer around to hold its attention, Gaia turned toward her. Its massive form lumbered as it moved, and it appeared ready to crush her beneath the might of its combined fists.

"Thor, I command thee, lend me the power to crush that which stands in my way!" Sylvia finished her aira.

And the world seemed to end.

***

After escaping from the rubble of what had once been the Colosseum, Caspian and everyone else made their way into the city. Chaos reigned. People were running all over Axium in a panic. The Peacekeepers were doing their best to quell the frightened citizens, but they were outnumbered.

The large group that he traveled with were the only ones who appeared calm. Even many of the other students were panicking. Caspian didn't necessarily blame them, but it also told him that he'd been right in thinking that none of these people were ready to become knights.

"How are you holding up, Ele?" Caspian asked.

Elincia turned her head and offered a tremulous smile. "I'm fine," she lied. He knew that she was lying, but he also knew that she was doing it for his sake. Knowing this, he decided not to call her out on it.

"Aren't you going to ask how I'm feeling?" asked Christo, who was still slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"No," Caspian said.

"So cruel!"

"What a stylish relationship you two have," Adesh said.

"You call it stylish. I call it idiotic," Natsuo quipped.

"Is this what they call a bromance?" Daisuke asked no one in particular.

Caspian twitched.

"Hm." Akane hummed. "We need to do something about all these people. Somebody is going to get hurt if they keep panicking like this."

"If you want to do something then be my guest," Aakarshana snarked.

"Don't be rude, sister," Aakarshaka chastised her twin. "We should help out, too. After all, that is one of the jobs that we sorceresses have."

Aakarshana clicked her tongue. "Fine."

Their decision made, the group split up to help calm the citizens. Erica went off with Tiffania, Derek, and Collafloore, while the other sorceresses went their separate ways with their knights in tow. This left Caspian with Elincia, a still unable to move Christo, and the other knight candidates.

"Do you think we should help out?" asked Elincia.

"I'm not sure what we could do," Caspian said, even though he also wanted to do something, "especially since I'm lugging this piece of useless baggage around."

"Don't call me baggage!" Christo cried.

"I noticed that you said nothing about being useless," Caspian replied blithely. To that, Christo said nothing. Considering his situation, he probably didn't have any right to speak.

"Whatever," Heracles growled. "I'm done with this. You people can do what you want. I'm leaving."

Perseus sighed, but didn't stop the giant from lumbering off. "I'm sorry about him. Heracles has never been the most valorous of people. I'll help evacuate the people."

Caspian nodded. The others also decided to help out where they could. They split up, traveling in different directions. Some joined the Peacekeepers in their efforts, others, like Naagendra and Adesh, helped out on their own.

Just then, a loud crashing shook the entire world. Everyone dropped to their knees and covered their ears. Caspian and Elincia, having far better hearing than any human, screamed as their eardrums felt like they were going to burst.

Kneeling on the ground, Caspian gritted his teeth as he covered Elincia's hands with his own, further covering her ears in the hopes that it would help. Blood poured from his ears, a warm trickle that dripped off his earlobes. He ignored the feeling in favor of protecting Elincia, whose ears were even more sensitive than his.

Following the loud crash that was reminiscent of thunder, a giant flash of light caused Caspian to look up. Situated in the sky, descending at an increasingly high velocity, was a massive bolt of lightning that looked like a giant hammer. It struck the gigantic figure of Gaia, which stood where the Colosseum had once been, with the force of 100,000 stampeding orcs.

A massive shock wave spread from the Colosseum. It was like a force hurricane slamming into a coastal city. Buildings were torn apart, the pavement was ripped asunder, and several people were lifted off the ground and sent sailing backwards, their screams drowned out by the fierce howling of powerful winds.

Elincia screamed and Caspian grunted as he and Christo were sent to the cobblestone road. His friend groaned from where he lay, face down on the ground. Scrambling to his feet, Caspian grabbed the two and covered them with his body. The coppery scent of blood filled his mouth as bit his tongue, fighting against the pain as everything from rocks to chunks of wood and brick pelted him.

When the wind died down, and it stopped raining debris, Caspian removed himself off of his friends. His back felt like several dragons had stampeded over it, but it was nothing compared to what he'd felt after the backlash from Erica's fire attack several months back.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Elincia said, taking his offered hand and letting him help her stand up.

"I think I broke something," Christo moaned.

"If you're not dead, then you're fine," Caspian shot back.

"Caspian..." Elincia said. He turned to her and, seeing her wide eyes staring at their surroundings, looked around.

It looked like a horde of monsters had rampaged through the village. Buildings had been demolished, nothing but rubble and debris. The road had been torn to shreds, and fires raged in places where magical technology had exploded. There was not only a lot of destruction, but many of the people were injured. Bodies lay strewn about, some broken and twisted in ways that the human body was not meant to twist. Others seemed fine, but they still lay on the ground, moaning in pain.

He looked back at Elincia and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, seeking comfort in his arms as he also sought comfort in hers.

It was never easy to see so much death and mayhem. Any good person would have been horrified by the scene before them. For those who were pure of heart and innocent, the sight presented was enough to leave them terrorized. Caspian imagined that Elincia would have nightmares about this day.

"Let's at least do what we can to help these people," Caspian said. "Ele, can you summon any spirits that are capable of healing others?"

"I don't have any that can heal this many people, but I do know of a spirit who might be able to help. Bragi," she called out, "please help me soothe these people's souls."

Like before, a figure appeared. From golden light he formed, clad in silken raiments that appeared to have been spun from golden threads. He carried a harp in his hands, its hue matching the sun kissed color of his skin. The strings appeared to have been made out of silver, and when one of his surprisingly delicate fingers plucked one, the sounds produced were beautiful, a harmonious melody that caressed the soul like the tender touch of a lover.

Everyone who heard the melody responded. Those whose injuries were not grievous stopped groaning in pain. Sitting up, they stared at the ethereally beautiful figure playing the harp. Some even closed their eyes and rocked back and forth, as if they'd been caught within a trance. As Bragi continued to pluck the strings of his harp, Elincia stepped forward.

"Everyone! I know that many of you are scared, and that some of you are hurt, but if you could please listen to me, then I promise to get you all some help. My friend and I will build a first aid station. Those who can still walk, please help those who are too injured line up at the station."

Her words were like a magic even more potent than Bragi's music. The people collected themselves and began helping others without complaint. Men who were once shoving everyone out of their way were now helping carry the injured. Women that had once been shrieking in terror now helped children who'd been separated from their parents. The people were working together.

"Woah..." Christo murmured, looking at everything from where he lay. With his cheek resting against the ground and his butt sticking in the air, he looked kind of stupid. "That was really cool."

"Yeah," Caspian agreed, smiling. "Ele is amazing."

Elincia must have heard him, because her entire face went red. While her ears were still being masked by Loki's illusion, he could imagine how their hue would have changed to the same shade as her face.

With their task set, Caspian set about building a first aid station. He used one of the buildings that was still standing, and then went through the other buildings and searched for first aid supplies. They were lucky. This area was the shopping district and a lot of the stores had medical kits. While he felt a little guilty just taking them, he considered the situation and determined that helping the injured was more important than shops not being paid for their supplies.

Caspian was not an expert at first aid. That said, all knights were trained in the basics, and they had several advanced lessons on mending broken bones and stitching open wounds. As the people came in, passive due to the continued music that Bragi played, Caspian and Elincia did what they could to help everybody.

The midday sun slowly descended as the two worked in silence.