Within twenty minutes, the group of Hunters grew from six to sixteen. The other ten were camped out on a nearby hill. Alexander didn't know if the prospect of ten other Hunters was a good thing. Still...

"Told you we shouldn't have tried to escape," he mumbled to Anastasia.

"Shut up," she responded.

Alexander smiled and kept on walking. Even then, it wasn't long before Joseph ordered them and the Hunters to halt. "We're here," he said.

The Hunters spat out a collective sigh as they dropped heavy bags and weapons.

"Don't set up camp or anything," Joseph reminded them. "We'll only be here for like an hour."

Joseph moved along and spoke with some of the Hunters, leaving Alexander and the others to sit on the ground in silence.

"Alright," Anastasia said, letting out a sigh. She threw down her bag and sat down beside a tree, beginning to shut her eyes. "Let me know if anything starts to happen," she mumbled.

"Wait, are you really gonna sleep?"

"No. Just existing with my eyes shut."

Alexander stared at her in confused silence. And that was all. Until Hjálmarr finally spoke.

"My liege," Hjálmarr began as he approached Alexander, his voice already lowered. "I would like to speak with you."

"Uh... sure. But you don't have to be so formal. Just... Just relax about it."

Hjálmarr nodded in understanding. He made a conscious decision to not 'relax about it'. And so, he took in a deep breath and spoke. "It's my understanding that human relationships are bound by rings. So my question is... why don't you and Anastasia Velda share rings?"

Alexander stared at Hjálmarr in silence. "...What?"

"If you two are romantically entangled, then why do you not-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Alexander interrupted. "Huh?!"

"...Are you not, as they say, intertwined?"

Alexander violently shook his head. "No, no, no. Not at all. That's... That's not how it works. It's just-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Anastasia asked. She was sitting just a few meters away.

"Nothing," Alexander immediately responded, violently hoping she hadn't heard anything Hjálmarr had said. "Nothing at all."

"My liege speaks the truth," Hjálmarr awkwardly muttered.

"...Okay."

It wasn't long before Joseph called Alexander. "Samuel," he said, relaying instructions. "See that hill over there?" he said, pointing at the only hill in their vicinity.

Alexander nodded.

"Thiago's going up there," he said, pointing at the green-clad man that was walking up the hill. "He's an archer/sniper or whatever. He's gathering intel on the enemy. You'd probably be useful for that, too, right? Seeing as your a Grade 2 and all."

Alexander stood there in confusion. "...So I just go up?"

"Yeah."

He spat out a sigh and left to join the archer.

Once at the hill's peak, he spat out another sigh.

The man in the green cloak, Thiago, was already standing there. "Thiago Davi," he said, introducing himself, even as he stood facing outward. "Nice to meet you."

"Samuel Diaz," Alexander said.

"How useful are you?" he asked.

"...No idea."

Thiago spat out a sigh. "Everyone should know their level of usefulness or uselessness."

'Noted.'

Thiago was a brown-skinned man who was the same height as Alexander. Frankly, that was the first thing he had noticed. Thiago had light brown hair, just as his eyes were. He wore a green cloak that covered his bow and his arrow-filled quiver that was attached to his back.

With a deep breath, he quickly laid down, his chest pressed against the ground. He reached into one of his pockets at his side and pulled out a wooden telescope.

He raised it to his eyes, before letting out a sigh.

And from there, they sat in silence. Alexander had no idea what to do or say, or even how to help. He simply sat down on a rock and tried not to breathe too loudly.

Alexander stared at the encampment of the Golden Dawn. All those dozens of soldiers were camped out on an empty field of dirt and sand. That was the first instance Alexander had seen of land not covered in grass or trees on Vanaheim.

And past that encampment was their ticket out of there. The grand ship they were about to steal.

The sailing frigate was built of wood and steel. It was simple in make and in design, not adorned with any ornate figures or precious metals. Still, its grandeur was enough to make Alexander let out a soft gasp. 'Damn, that's beautiful,' he thought to himself.

"So..." the archer spoke. "What do you see, Grade 2?"

Alexander swallowed his saliva. He wasn't an actual Grade 2 magician. He wasn't even sure if he had the experience to be considered one, anyway. Even so... That was the lie he had told, and the lie he must keep up.

"Best course of action is just... to go straight down the middle. Split up the camp, keep them from forming up for any organized attacks." He turned to Thiago and judged his expression.

"Yeah, that's pretty smart," he mumbled. And once again, he fell silent.

Nearly a minute after, Thiago finally spoke once again. "294... No, 296 yards," he mumbled. And with that, he took in a sharp breath and fell silent once again, shifting the scope and focusing his search. Thiago began mumbling to himself in Portuguese.

Alexander could only pick up about a quarter of what he was saying. Even so, he knew something was wrong.

"Sam," he said, turning to Alexander. He was already getting familiar. "Get Joseph. Now."

Alexander nodded and brought him over. And as soon as Joseph arrived, Thiago once again began to mumble. "Titans," he said, still fixated on the enemies in the distance. "That's what you called them, right? Those Paladin-level warriors."

Joseph nodded.

"And they're identifiable through their cloaks, right? Different additions and accents, like you said."

Again, Joseph nodded. "Yeah, different designs on the sleeves and shoulders. Plus, the ends of the cloak. Pretty cool design, if I'm being honest."

Thiago finally looked up from the scope. "There are two Titans down there."

"...Well, damn."

"We have to abandon the mission."

Joseph furrowed his eyebrows. "We don't have to," he said, almost unconcerned for the two Paladin-level opponents they would face. "Either way, we're not gonna."

"Joseph-"

"Relax," he said. "We got this. I don't know how we'll do it. But we will. That's how it works. The universe is always conspiring for us to win."

Alexander spat out a sigh. "Do we have anyone who can operate a ship like that?" he asked. "If not, we're fucked. And if we're fucked, there's no point."

"Oh. Yeah, actually," Joseph said. He ran down the hill without saying anything else.

Silence.

"...So, do I follow him or-"

Thiago simply shrugged and went back down onto the ground.

Again, Alexander sighed. This was just a temporary alliance, he reminded himself. Eventually, he'll be back with the Virtues and away from Joseph's continuous annoyance.

Joseph seemed a good man. But that wasn't enough. He didn't seem like he was a good enough leader. He was impatient and reckless, and consistently disregarding the opinions of his comrades.

Just like Gabriel.

Alexander smiled as he considered their similarities. At the same time, Joseph was already talking to another Hunter.

"There's a bunch of things that have to be done," the Hunter told Joseph. "We have to raise the anchor and the sails. Plus, there's probably some kind of engine on that ship. Well... definitely. And a couple of other things, too.

Joseph didn't respond to any of that. "Five people. How fast can you do all of that with five people?"

"Myself included?" he paused for a moment. "Six... No, five minutes. I'll get it done. Just hold out for five minutes."

Joseph scratched his chin and thought to himself. 'Five minutes...' He repeated, this time out loud. "Five minutes..."

"Alright," he continued. "We'll get you those five minutes, Jack. 300 seconds. Understand?"

Jack nodded.

"Make a plan. Who goes where, and who handles what. If you take too long, we'll all die. So, uh... No pressure."

Again, Jack nodded in silence before scurrying away with his papers.

Joseph finally turned to Alexander. He spat out a tired sigh and stared at him. "So..." the Hunter finally spoke. "What are you guys capable of?" Joseph asked him. "You and Isabel. Seeing as you're both Grade 2 magicians. And at 17 years old, too. It's impressive."

Alexander paused and swallowed his dry saliva. "Well, uh... I'm mainly a physical fighter. Y'know, enhancement magic, pure energy attacks, stuff like that. As for Isabel... Lightning and spatial magic. She can transport people, plus attack spells with lightning."

Joseph fell silent.

"Hm... What about the elf?"

"Elf magic is weird, but... He's strong. Just hoping he can summon enough wind to move the ship if anything."

Joseph stood in silence, pondering and organizing the information in his head. Again, he mumbled. "Hm... Come with me."

They proceeded towards the group of Hunters.

And with that, he found a reasonably large rock and stood atop it, standing before the other Hunters.

"So..." he said. "All we have to hold out for five minutes. Jack is taking four others with him to get the ship up and running, and the rest of us... just have to fight the Golden Dawn for five minutes. We'll have to handle... How many was it, Thiago?"

Thiago had suddenly come down from the hill. He stood behind the rest of the group, his back pressed against a tree, his head now covered with his green hood. "Some spatial magician came and went. Took fifty soldiers with 'em. So we're up against 120."

"120 soldiers," Joseph mumbled. "Sound like a plan? Yes? Perfect." Joseph clapped his hands and hopped off.

A female hunter stared at him. "Wait, wait, wait. A hundred and twenty? Dude, we-"

"Yep," he interrupted as he nodded. "But we got this."

Again, Joseph cleared his throat. "Alright, listen up, y'all. Again." This time, he sat down on the rock. "Our first move is the ship. We get to the ship and we protect it."

He elaborated, "These people are basically insane. We've covered that. So if they have to destroy the ship to prevent us from leaving, they will. Which is exactly why we got this."

"Isabel Silva-" he said, pointing at Anastasia. She stood in the back, behind the other Hunters and beside Alexander. "-will teleport Jack's group onto the ship. The rest of us are running down that hill over there. All to buy time. We're not on the offensive. All we have to do is survive. Stay alive for five minutes, and the ship will sail. And with that, we have safe passage until the God Crystal. Understand? This should be quick and clean. A quick, minor heist. That's all this is."

"Easier said than done," one of them muttered.

"Way easier said than done," another Hunter agreed. "We literally have a child with us," she said, pointing at Morgana. "That alone makes our situation worse."

Morgana remained silent, almost oblivious they were talking about her. She simply sat down on a log and bit into a chunk of cheese that Alexander had given her.

And just like Morgana, Alexander wasn't focused on the Hunters anymore.

Stormclouds above them began to crackle as they blocked out the sun, leaving nothing more than a grey-filled sky.

"So..." Joseph said. "Get ready, everyone. Five minutes from now, we're moving. Five minutes from then, we're gone. Understand?"

Each of the Hunters nodded in silence. And with that Alexander turned to Hjálmarr.

Hjálmarr was already about to speak. "My liege-"

"You're not gonna fight," Alexander told him. "You're gonna be with Morgana."

"Huh?" Hjálmarr and Morgana asked in unison.

"Anastasia. When you make a Connection to get those five onto the ship, make sure to transport Morgana and Hjálmarr."

"Sure."

"Huh?" they repeated.

Hjálmarr looked down at Morgana just as she looked up at him. They hadn't even spoken directly to each other at all.

"Someone has to keep Morgana safe," Alexander said, still staring at Hjálmarr.

"But my liege," Hjálmarr said, his verdant eyes still staring at the young Demon-Born. "I can fight. And if-"

"I'm ordering you, Hjálmarr," Alexander responded. "Please. Just make sure she's safe."

Alexander began to walk past him. "Just dedicate yourself to this," he said, patting Hjálmarr's shoulder. "Besides... I want you to have a wind incantation ready. Just in case, we're gonna need a hell of a lot of it. You can do that, right?"

Hjálmarr gave a firm nod.

"Good. We'll be counting on you," Alexander said, before crouching down before Morgana. "Just, uh... Close your eyes for five or so minutes. Dangerous things are gonna happen. But it'll be alright."

"I've seen combat before," she said. "I'm not a child."

Alexander stared at her in confused silence. The fact that she had seen combat before was a terrifying prospect. "Well, then. Still, though. Don't worry. Hjálmarr's there to protect you."

Again, she looked up at Hjálmarr. "But he's weird."

"No, he's just an elf. But still... I'll see you in five minutes," he said, standing back up.

And with that, Alexander and Anastasia moved along and joined the other Hunters.

"A solid fifty of them left," Thiago pointed out. "Left to the side."

Joseph clapped his hands. "Perfect. A hundred and twenty to go."

"Oh, this is a horrible idea," a female hunter muttered.

"Well..." Joseph said. "We're charging from a hill onto an empty field. Outnumbered ten to one. There isn't exactly much we can do without this plan. Without that ship, we won't have a chance of getting the Crystal."

Anastasia grabbed her wand from behind her belt, just as Alexander unsheathed his sword.

He paused. As he stared at the sword, he swallowed his dry saliva and put his sword back into its scabbard.

"You're not gonna use it?" Anastasia asked, staring at him.

"No, I think I'll just use my fists and energy, y'know," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "Don't want to accidentally kill anyone."

Still, she stared at him. "You do realize..." she began. "We're fighting inter-realm terrorists. Right?"

Alexander nodded in silence.

"And you don't want to accidentally kill them?"

Alexander nodded once again. And Anastasia responded with an exasperated sigh.

"They're Worldy beings. Not demons or monsters or anything," he said. To Alexander, that prospect alone was enough. He didn't want to kill any of them.

Anastasia didn't respond. And so, Alexander continued. "Let me guess... You don't have a problem with killing?"

Anastasia paused. "I'd prefer not to kill someone. But if I had to, I would. The way I see it... All lives are equally trivial. I don't think... I don't think death is something sad about. We all die in the end so... does it matter how you live and how you die?"

This time, it was Alexander who didn't respond. Rain began to patter down onto the ground. And just then... Joseph cried out. "Hunters! Move out!"

The group dashed through the forest and down the landscape.

Five Hunters, plus Hjálmarr and Morgana. Anastasia swallowed her saliva and thrust out her arm. With her hand stretched out, she snapped her fingers.

Anastasia's Connection burst through, dropping them onto the ship. They immediately ran off for cover and for their assignments.

That was step one.

Step two was to fight.

Still, Alexander swallowed his dry saliva. This was not good.

Being outnumbered ten to one was far more despairing than he had imagined.

Alexander and Anastasia... They were never prepared for this. Not a full-scale battle against a force more than ten times their own. All of their most dangerous missions and fights... Ever clash against a Prince of Hell...

They were the ones on the attack. They were the ones who outnumbered their enemy.

And now the tables have turned.

Dozens of Vanguard soldiers rushed in from every direction. All he had to do... was keep them from moving. Alexander grit his teeth and commanded himself to think.

Think about each and every one of his allies. Each and every one of his enemies. The Titans and the plain soldiers. The location, the ground, and how easy it would be to blast all of this apart with Earth-Shaking.

Still, even if he used that sorcery, he would be putting the others at risk. If he couldn't control the earthquakes and the destruction, that would-

Alexander forced himself to not think about that. He didn't have time to, anyway. Within the ever-growing chaos, Alexander halted.

'Grasp all the space around you! And move!' he urged himself. And within his intensified focus, he took in a sharp breath.

Alexander stamped his foot into the ground. First, there was silence. The simple, pure force from Alexander broke the ground, digging his foot into the rocky surface. Secondly, the rumbling came.

Stones and dirt burst, exploding into the air as cracks and crevices shot through the ground. Quakes and rumbles echoed throughout the land. The shaking only grew louder and the cracks only grew wider.

Everyone on that field now had the same view. The thick, rising cloud of dust and dirt. Still, Alexander knew. He knew it had worked. With the dozen or so crevices and jagged bursts, the Golden Dawn was separated. Or at the very least, they were temporarily immobilized.

Still... That was all they needed. Time. He spun his head to the side. "Move it!" Alexander ordered, screeching through the dust cloud.

The other Hunters dashed to the side of the ship and readied their weapons.

Alexander stared at his stone-encased foot. 'Damn.'

He gripped his leg and yanked it from the ground, still staring at the imprint his foot left.

It was then that a pale cloak pierced the veil of dust. The attacker's fist flew out. With a rapud step to the side, Alexander evaded the strike. His eyes quickly turned to the cloak.

Plates of gold rested on the shoulders. Just as golden cloth adorned the sleeves and edges. That slight difference was all he needed to see. This person... was one of the Titans.

And so, the Titan's fist crashed onto the ground, spreading more cracks into the already-torn ground. For a second, within her flowing cloak, her hood slid off. With her face unveiled, she smiled at Alexander.

Alexander didn't waste time, however. He poured everything he could into a single, instant attack. And yet... Even as Alexander's energy-dense strike crashed into the Titan's face, her smile never faded. She instantly bounced back up and charged at Alexander once again.

Even as they fought, the cloud of dirt and dust he had brought up hadn't faded or settled. The fact that the cloud still filled the area could only mean one thing. Wind magic.

One of the Hunters reacted instantly and kept the air up as best as they could. 'Damn, those Hunters are good,' Alexander thought with a smile, continuing his clash.

As far as Alexander knew, the Titan was holding back. But that was no longer a concern. As long as Alexander and the Hunters could escape with their lives, nothing else mattered.

It was then that a panicked voice pierced the dust. "Lilith!" a voice screamed.

But this voice wasn't screaming for help. She wasn't crying out in anguish. Her voice was filled with concern. Concern for this 'Lilith'.

That was the Titan's name. That's what Alexander guessed, at least. All because she froze and tensed up as her name echoed. Even so, the Titan didn't respond. Lilith stood there, only staring at Alexander. She gripped her fallen hood and put it back on, before walking back into the cloud of dust.

Alexander stared at her fading silohuette. 'What the hell just happened?' He quickly dashed to the side, heading towards the ship and the other Hunters.

"Ship's not ready yet!" Thiago shouted, letting go of his bowstring and letting two arrows fly into the cloud of dust.

"How much time left?!" Alexander asked.

"Why would I know?!" he shouted back.

The same voice Alexander had heard pierced the still-thick cloud of dirt once again. "Kill them all!" she screeched.

The Golden Dawn followed with an indiscriminate attack. From all directions, with unrestricted power, magic energy and spells flooded the area.

Anastasia opened Connections to redivert attacks. Hunters prepared themselves with shields and spells to counter the attacks. Still... That wouldn't be enough. The Hunters knew that. The Golden Dawn knew that. And Alexander knew that.

Again, Alexander's eyes widened. He thrust out his hands. And out poured his magic energy. He surrounded the entire side of the ship, and most importantly, every hunter from the oncoming attacks. And once that magic solidified...

Everyone froze.

Within the glistening of Alexander's solidified energy, no one thought of moving. Some were confused, others afraid. And only a minuscule amount of people were able to focus on the battle.

"Move!" Joseph screeched.

That was all it took.

"Move, move move!" other Hunters shouted in unison, jumping and climbing and dashing aboard the ship.

Alexander's hands were still pressed against the glass-like pane of energy as the others moved. He, too, was confused.

'I did it again. Somehow,' he thought to himself recalling what he did against Belphegor, all those months ago. And so...

This is all because of what Hjálmarr had shown him. The truth behind controlling magic energy.

Still, it wasn't long before cracks spread through the shield. 'Fuck.'

"Alexander! Get a move on!" Anastasia shouted at him, grabbing his jacket and dragging him away. She thrust her hand to the side and opened a Connection. Within less than a second, they were already aboard the enemy ship.

"Jack!" Joseph called, screeching once again.

The crackle of the engine roared through the ship and trembled the floorboards they stood on. But Alexander's sights were still focused on the blue pane of energy that separated them from the next attack.

That shield of magic energy wouldn't last long. If they didn't get out of there in the next thirty seconds...

Alexander grit his teeth and pushed those thoughts out of his head, forcing the shield to stay solid, even from this distance.

"We're moving!" one of the Hunters cried.

"Faster!" Thiago shouted, readying two arrows into his bow as cracks continued to spread through the shield.

But Joseph stood motionless. He cackled maniacally, his eyes twisting with gleeful mirth. "I told you it would work!" he shouted into the air.

With the Hunters' magic and Hjálmarr's incantations, the boat slid across the waters, almost gliding along with the wind.

It was at that second that Alexander's shield shattered. But everyone knew... The Vanguard, the Hunters, and the Virtues all knew it didn't matter.

The ship was already too far away to chase after. The ship was too far away to worry about the Golden Dawn. Weapons and spells were still launched at them, only to fall short and crash into the water.

And with that, the ships trekked across the clear waters of Vanaheim's rivers.

Time passed: 4 minutes, 38 seconds.

That was all the battle was. A handful of minutes.

In a matter of hours, they'd reunite with the other hunters. In a matter of hours, they'd find the Virtues. Well... that was what Alexander hoped.

Hoping never hurt, after all.

"God, I'm exhausted," he mumbled.

Anastasia smiled as she turned to him. "Of course, you are. All that magic energy... Plus Earth-Shaking. Why does it tire you when it's just sorcery?" she asked him.

Alexander shrugged.

She gripped Alexander's wrist and raised it to her eyes, staring at his watch. "Damn, it's already 6 pm," she muttered, letting out a sigh and letting go of his wrist.

Alexander nodded in silence, still staring outward at the setting sun.

"This time tomorrow..." Anastasia muttered. "This whole thing is gonna be over, huh?"

Again, Alexander nodded.

That temporary silence was broken with Joseph's cackling. A crooked smile was sprawled across his face.

Why wouldn't he be smiling?

They got the ship. Now their only obstacle was extracting the God Crystal. In the end, they had won a major battle and succeeded in a mission all in the span of five minutes.

"Hunters!" he shouted, his arms spread in celebration. "We move onward!"

It was then that the Hunters all cheered in unison. It was then the dust of conflict had finally settled. And all that the Golden Dawn echoed were shouts of confusion and chaos.

Eve, the Titan of Life rushed towards her sister. The Titan of Death stood in still silence, her hood covering her face in its entirety, her cloak dirtied among the dust.

"Lilith!" she called, sliding across the ground to get to her. Eve gripped her by her shoulders. "Are you okay?!"

Finally... A visible expression grew on Lilith's face as she sat up. A growing smile. Her obsidian hair cascaded past her hood.

"Yes. Yes, I'm alright," she said. Lilith lowered her hood and stared outward at the flowing river. The sailing ship was already too far to chase after. But she wasn't concerned about that. She pondered on the boy who had hit her.

"I'm alright," she repeated, her smile still growing. She hid her smile and turned to her sister. "That boy..." she muttered. "The black-haired one. He shook the earth and protected his comrades. He was strong, wasn't he?" she asked.

Eve was confused. Still, she answered. "Yes, that seems to be so. Quick movements and even quicker judgment. He could be a threat," she pointed out.

Lilith nodded as she swallowed her saliva. "Yes. Yes, he could."