“A lamia spirit? The boy ever surprises,”

Georgi walked with his hands behind his back as if nothing happened. Never mind a wound, not a single speck of dust was on him. Even the previous damage from the mysterious light was gone. Clarissa slapped him to the bowels of a hill but he was back without wasting any time.

Too soon, evident by the frown on Clarissa’s face and the surprise on the other two’s. Paina was guarding Viers while picking up the items from the ground. The Thousand Treasures Casket was the priority and she threw it to Farley. With it in hand, Farley was taking out the most potent healing item in Viers’ possession. It returned him to full health after the battle with Anne. The healing pill was the last one but considering the situation surely he wouldn’t object, Farley thought. Despite his horrendous condition, Viers wasn’t dying but they still needed to escape.

“Ah!?”

Before she could feed Viers the medicine pill, it shattered into powder. Farley did not sense any form of attack but the stranger was no doubt the culprit.

Clarissa is right in front of him and she could not prevent it? This is bad. The opponent is even stronger than her!

Farley kept a cool head and drew an accurate conclusion of the situation. She also decisively acted, something she learned from watching Viers. It was only a tiny amount but she gathered the little powders as much as she could before the wind took them using magic and sent them into Viers’ mouth. It was only the same amount as a pinch of salt but it was better than nothing. Farley’s initiative managed to salvage the situation.

“Run,” Clarissa said to her fellow tenants behind her.

“Be careful!” Farley was the first to react, carrying Viers. He was still unconscious.

“Make it back, okay? Catch. Ciel, you come too!”

“R-right.”

Paina threw the Dagger of Maud to Clarissa which she caught without turning. Ciel, who was a bit disoriented from being back from a step to the other side, gave the lamia with a fiery body one last look before escaping.

“This won’t do,” Georgi sighed.

For his Lord’s toy to be capable of conjuring Level 5 battle strength was outside of his predictions. The Greater Devil also didn’t tell him anything about it. He believed he had prepared amply but the target still managed to slither away from his grasp.

His objective was to obtain Viers. It was a given he wanted to go after him but Clarissa barred his way. The lamia was full of fighting spirit. Her aura was telling him that she would keep him away from the target even if she had to pay with her life.

And he also picked something else from the scent of her soul.

Ah, love… No wonder.

Georgi admitted that the lamia before him was not someone he could defeat with a single wave of his hand so he opted to create a clone to go after Viers.

At first, he wanted to send a Level 5 clone but after seeing the dagger in Clarissa’s hand, he discarded that idea.

Some kind of curse. Seven or nine cuts…

Georgi with his wealth of experience saw through the weapon’s danger. Viers already scored a cut. Sending a Level 5 clone would weaken him even further after getting hit by Purge Evil Arte.

With that dagger in her hand, if I make light of this snake lady, it could prove to be fatal.

Reckless people wouldn’t live as long as Georgi had, he compromised and formed a Level 4 clone, this way it wouldn't weaken him to the point it would be significant. The other Georgi looked just like him but was wearing a white robe. The split soul chased after Viers, passing Clarissa by.

She let the clone pass without a fuss.

“Not worried about your friends? My split soul is not an ordinary Level 4, you should have realized it.”

Clarissa scoffed. It would be stupid to show an opening against Georgi because Clarissa was well aware the enemy was stronger than her in this temporary and incomplete form.

But if I’m defeated, Viers and the others would fall into his hands. That absolutely must not happen.

Clarissa's aura took the shape of a giant, horned-snake phantom behind her. Each of its scales was like rubies.

Just like Level 3’s Unreality Field and Level 4’s Imaginary Domain, reaching Level 5 unlocked a new ability: Palladion Icon.

When a Level 5 formed his or her Icon, it showed their commitment to the fight.

“They’ll be fine.”

Clarissa made a fast sliding motion as smooth as a skater on ice. The lack of legs did not prevent her from doing high-speed movement. A fiery trail was left in the Arte’s wake. She appeared from Georgi’s side, aiming to drive the dagger into his stomach at an angle. Georgi flew upward to avoid it, for the sky was the right of those with Level 5 cultivation. Clarissa followed suit. Georgi almost blasted her head off but she ducked and coiled her lower body at him.

“Hugging a man you just met? You’re a bold girl.”

Clarissa was actually feeling anxious. If a person could still jest in the middle of a fight, it meant they still had some leeway. She had seen that often enough in cases that involved Viers.

“Burn!”

A blaze similar to a solar flare spread out with Clarissa as the center. In a wide swathe of area, fire reigned.

***

Farley was carrying Viers on her back, Paina and Ciel were close behind as they ran as fast as they could.

“Who’s that guy? Who’s that lamia? Is Viers alive? How am I alive? Is it related to the crystal in my chest?”

Ciel had so many questions. She was pretty sure her heart was destroyed and there was a hole big enough for a hand to pass but there was no trace of any of it left. Instead, there was an exquisite gem the size of an egg about ten centimeters below her neck.

“We don't really understand either,” Paina replied. “We have never seen that guy before, or why he wants to capture Viers.”

“And Lord Viers’ divine item saved you,” Farley’s addition was shorter and onto the point.

“Divine item… So it really is…”

Ciel touched the crystal lightly with her fingers. She had seen House Valentine’s divine item in the past. The heirloom was an object of great power and left her in awe. The fact Viers possessed one was already a shock. Viers’ secret was deeper than she thought.

“Is Viers-”

Ciel looked back before finishing.

“Incoming enemy from behind!” Paina shouted.

The stranger from before was gaining after them at high speed.

“...He’s weaker now. Your lamia friend must have weakened him somehow. Kyaah!?”

The shockwaves from the battle between Clarissa and Georgi’s main body reached them. It was the first of many.

“They are still battling! This one is a clone!” Farley said.

“Seems so. Brace yourselves, Light Shield!” Ciel conjured a shield of light in response to the clone’s ranged attack.

“Shoaling Protection!” Paina followed suit, creating a school of fish made of water. The two of them were acting as the rear guard.

Ciel’s shield was the first to break from the battering of the spectral skulls but Paina's technique fared better. The fishes moved like a school of sardines, each one functioning as a shield. After the flashy explosions, the number of fish greatly diminished but Paina replenished the quantity in seconds.

“Amazing…” Ciel was surprised. That attack just now was Level 4 tier. Paina was able to stop that perfectly while she couldn't. Based on her observation, Paina was about five times stronger than she was in the Tower!

How?

“Paina?” Farley reached out to her fellow tenant telepathically.

“That was too close. Defense might be my forte but it only held because Viers’ mysterious buff is still active.”

The topic was related to Viers’ secret and there was Ciel nearby so they did not communicate out loud.

“You can't run from me, children. The isolation barrier is still intact and the lamia can't save you. There’s nowhere to run.”

Georgi’s clone attacked again with even more skulls and Paina desperately defended using Shoaling Protection.

He’s right… Farley realized the bitter truth. Options, options, I need options.

Like the light of hope, she felt movement on her back.

“Lord Viers, you’re awake!”

Everything is going to be fine now. Lord Viers would have a way out of this mess.

***

Everything was dark.

Then Viers remembered his eyes were destroyed. The pain in his limbs told them they were not healed and so unusable.

“Lord Viers, you’re awake!”

Farley’s voice. My ears are still working at least.

“P-pill…”

Gods. I sound like a dying man.

“I’m truly sorry but the last miracle pill had been destroyed by the stranger. We’re now escaping. Clarissa and Faiya stayed behind to fight but a Level 4 clone of his is chasing us.”

Shit… These voices… I’m hearing Paina and… Ciel?

The situation was dire. Even though he was awake, he was too injured to actually contribute. It wasn’t a pleasant situation to wake up to, knee-deep in lava.

Clarissa is using the X form… Farley and Paina are in battle. That means the most crucial issue is...

"Co… Colloid. All of them."

Farley grasped the depth of Viers' weak plea. She immediately rummaged through the inventory item box. It slipped her mind that Viers’ Victa had been severely reduced by the stranger. If he ran out, with the exception of Clarissa who was fighting together with Faiya, she and Paina wouldn't be able to do anything.

Doing it while running was somewhat difficult.

Farley made Viers drink the Blue Colloid. A precious magic potion that could replenish one’s Victa. It was Viers’ last blue from the Aletro’s age. Next was four vials of Pink Colloid, the lesser version of Blue. Viers saved them for emergencies. He had searched for something similar but had not found any. In other Fables, mana potion was pretty common but in this world, since Victa is personalized mana, Victa recovery items are super rare.

But it could be the difference between life and death.

She wanted to feed Viers all kinds of healing potions while she was at it but she couldn't. haphazardly mixing different kinds of potions could be detrimental, dangerous even.

“Done! What’s next?” The sound from the battle behind her agitated Farley.

Next I have to... monster trans... form...

Viers passed out again before he could do so. His injury on the body and soul was too deep.

***

Farley closed her eyes and let the disappointment slide past her like a drop of water on a leaf. Despair was good for nothing. No matter what, she wouldn’t let her sister die, which meant she had to save Viers.

She would not forgive anyone who might threaten that.

“Get on!”

Farley pulled Viers' flying carpet and unfurled it in a flourish with one hand. Paina and Ciel hopped on and the carpet took to the sky.

“...Even this is no good?”

The stranger stood on a spectral cloud of souls to give chase.

“We can't run away,” Paina looked into Farley's eyes.

Farley nodded. “So we must kill him.”

“...Our enemy is a Level 4. Considering how extraordinary the main body is, the clone will also not be ordinary,” Paina also came to the same conclusion, although for her it was 'defeat', and not 'kill'. “During the training session, we've never been able to win against a Level 4.”

Even with Viers' mysterious strengthening ability, Paina thought of the minutiae.

“Then let's make this the first. It’s do or die,” Farley extended her fist.

“I'm not keen on dying. After the resolution of matters with that shitty father of mine, I just made a resolution to keep on living.”

The fists collided and there was nothing more to be said. Ciel watched in silence. She turned to Viers, then to the clone chasing them, before touching the crystal on her chest.

It was strangely warm to the touch.

“Count me in.”

“Ciel?” Paina questioned.

“I still owe Viers many debts.”

“...I look forward to working with you, legionary,” Farley said after a delay.

“Never thought a day would come where I would fight side by side with a cultist.”

“Ex-cultist.” Farley corrected.

The decision had been made and Farley steered the carpet to a place where they would have a terrain advantage, to a nearby lake.

“Good grief,” Ciel sighed while looking at the unconscious Viers. “To have these many women protecting him... What a lucky man.”