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Translator: Barnnn
“Listen, Lina! I have no idea what’s going on over there! This is my Master we’re talking about, though, so I’m sure he’ll be fine, I’m sure…!”
Pochi tried her best to talk to Lina as the latter was teleporting away.
But Lina did not respond, only standing there, shivering. Pochi proceeded to close her eyes and think back to her past — when the Fetal Stage and the Devil King’s resurrection itself happened — and reminded herself how she could not change anything…
“Lina!”
…And she kept trying to talk to her.
Then, once Lina was gone, Pochi immediately returned to Lylia and ran to the rescue of Claris and Anri.
“Lylia! Hang on!”
Seeing Lylia struggling, Pochi also called out to her… to confirm she was, without a doubt, still there.
“Just a little longer! Anri! Hang in there, Claris!”
Although she felt powerless — useless, even — Pochi tried her best to scan her surroundings and help out her friends.
With every swing of Lylia’s swords, every leap she made, every wound she sustained, Pochi also felt her heart ache.
“Try to stay with me here! Just a little longer…!”
This was an unforeseen situation — no one was to blame. But right here, right now, Pochi could not help but blame herself.
Gritting her teeth out of frustration, she kept on running.
The monsters closing in on Lylia were all so powerful.
The more blood Lylia coughed up, the more wounds she sustained, the fewer things Pochi could possibly do.
[If only… If only she had enough time to get Weldhun out…!]
The scream of grief in Pochi’s mind turned into a wish — and she kept on wishing, despite knowing that no one would hear her.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
“…! Pochi–!”
Lina finally regained her composure when she appeared from the Spell Circle in the mansion in Eddo.
The last thing she remembered happening was Pochi trying to encourage her.
She was worried about her friend, knowing that the latter was putting her life on the line to save everyone else, but there was nothing Lina could do.
Frustrated, Lina clenched her fists so hard that her hands started to bleed.
“This won’t do at all. You’ll take forever to be on Asley’s level at this rate.”
The first one to talk to Lina here was a former Student Council President of the Magic University.
“Warren…?”
“Not that I’m one to talk, either, though…”
Warren chuckled at himself. But contrary to his outward mood, his expression was one full of determination.
It did not take long for Lina to notice that difference.
“T’oued is facing a danger of an unprecedented scale. You and Baladd should head to the south gate. Others will be heading there to help, too, as soon as they are ready.”
“A-all right! What about you, Warren?”
“Asley is going around trying to save the world. He is sure to be angry if we can’t save one Nation… So what I must do first is to make sure Pochi and Lylia come back safely.”
“I see…! So Sir Asley is already helping out the other towns…!”
The Teleportation Spell Circle glowed, and Lina saw that the person to be sent back after her was Anri.
“I’ll bring Pochi and everyone else back soon. Take care of things back here while I’m gone.”
“Yes!”
“Hah… hah hah… Lina?”
Lina let Anri lean on her shoulder.
Warren proceeded to step onto the Teleportation Spell Circle.
“Rise, A-rise, A-rise, Magic Shield: Count 10 & Remote Control.”
Warren buffed his defenses as he prepared to teleport away, and looked at Lina with eyes full of determination. Then he nodded once, and Lina did so as well.
The moment he arrived at the destination, the Devil King’s pressure pushed him down once again, causing him to drop to his knees.
“…! I am… NOT that weak!”
“Warren!?”
“Hello there, Pochi.”
Warren smiled to hide his struggle. But then Pochi, who had brought Claris with her, saw through the act immediately.
“…! I’ll be fine. Help Claris first!”
He was not about to be a liability here.
Warren clenched his fists and struck his legs, forcing himself up.
“Rise, A-rise, All Up: Count 2 & Remote Control! Pochi, you go help Miss Lylia! I’ll rescue the others!”
Despite feeling like he could collapse at any moment, Warren forced himself to cast enhancement spells for himself and Pochi.
Warren had been late to arrive here because, before going to Team Silver’s mansion, he had gone back to the Resistance’s hideout and prepared reinforcements to send to the battlefield.
After all, saving Eddo from the crisis took precedence.
Pochi, acknowledging Warren’s quick-wittedness, simply nodded and ran to where Lylia was. Warren followed, exerting a great deal of effort just to keep up.
“KAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”
Reaching Lylia, Pochi unleashed a Zenith Breath at a group of enemies she could sense coming from a distance, temporarily slowing them down.
Then she drew a Spell Circle with her tongue to cast a recovery spell.
“Rise! High Cure!”
Lylia’s wounds began to heal quickly thanks to the spell being of the advanced level.
Lylia sensed Pochi’s arrival behind her, and could tell the latter’s intention. And then her ears heard the footsteps of someone else.
[Who is that!? It’s not Asley — is there actually someone else who can keep standing under this pressure!?]
She initially could not tell, but Warren’s next action helped her immediately realize that it was him.
“Rise, A-rise… A-rise! Middle Chain: Count 10 & Remote Control!”
The Middle Chain spell was one designed specifically for restraining humanoid figures.
All the other mages were restrained, and with Warren’s Remote Control, they started floating in the air.
He was using this restraint spell as a substitute to transport a large number of people at once.
Lylia, recognizing Warren’s voice, calmed herself down and called out to Pochi,
“Listen, Pochi! I need ten seconds!”
“Leave it to me!”
What Lylia actually meant to say was for Pochi to ‘take over her role for ten seconds,’ and of course, Pochi understood that.
Pochi gigantified, activated her physical enhancement abilities, and ran to the very front lines.
Still, these already-powerful monsters of the Scarlet Devil Wetlands had been further empowered by the Devil King’s resurrection. Pochi was not about to last long against them.
Meanwhile, Lylia used this precious time to take a deep breath.
She was a warrior, not a mage — even though her practice had enabled her to draw Spell Circles much more smoothly, she still was a step behind those who devoted their time to the arcane arts.
In emergencies — when failure was not an option — Lylia needed the time time to concentrate.
“Rise, A-rise… A-rise! House!”
Thanks to that, she managed to complete the spell in a shorter time than what Pochi had requested.
A large glowing circle appeared in the air, and a gigantic crimson bull emerged from inside it.
“Destroy them, Weldhun!”
“MOOOOOOOOO!!”
A gust of wind passed by Pochi and blasted away a group of dozen monsters.
“Now! Weldhun, you’re in front! Pochi, hit and run! Take out the sneaky ones! I’ll cover Weldhun’s blind spots!”
“All right!”
“Leave it to me!”
Suddenly, two Spell Circles slid under Lylia and Weldhun’s feet — and then they felt a great power surge in their bodies.
Lylia looked behind her in response to this inexplicable phenomenon, following the path the Spell Circles had taken.
Over in the distance, she saw Warren facing away, transporting everyone carefully but quickly.
[…He’s able to cast All Up under this pressure? Quite impressive!]
The way Warren acted reminded Lylia of Asley in the past.
[Perhaps that is what one needs to do in order to get on Asley’s level… Heh, he’s still got a long way ahead of him, though!]
“NO INTERRUPTIONS ALLOWED!”
And Pochi struck down the monsters that tried to run past Weldhun.
Lylia giggled at how her thoughts and Pochi’s words matched so well, and then soon turned back into her carnage-drunk warrior self.
“The next time Warren comes, everyone will be out of here! Hang in there!”
Lylia shouted as she swing her and Giorno’s swords, covering herself in the monsters’ blood.
Pochi and Weldhun were fighting alongside her, oblivious to the danger Eddo was facing.
Still, all three of them felt something quite unsettling — an atmosphere even more chaotic than what they had felt in the previous era of the Devil King.
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