After the beam of dark flames tore through the sky, a crater had appeared where the palace had once stood. In the middle, a headless knight held up a decorated scythe with a red blade. He stood there as black flames escaped through the gaps of his armor and danced around him, as if charging up.

  “You three are the only ones who can fight, right?” Galene tried to give out some orders as we jumped into the slope. “It’s too risky for you to fight him directly. I’ll grab his attention, so you focus on attacking when an opening shows up.” She wanted Carol, Sarasa, and me to surround the monster and only provide her support.

  She was underestimating us.

  “That won’t be necessary.” I shook my head at Galene before turning to my friends. “Carol, Sarasa, try to attack him from behind. I’ll stay on the front with Galene.” They agreed with a nod. Galene, however, furrowed her brows for bit but didn’t say anything.

  “Wait!” Ririna stopped us before sending us off. “I can’t help much during the battle, but I can give you this.” Ririna opened a flask with some kind of powder and spread it into the air. “This should make everyone better at everything for a while. Though the effect isn’t too powerful, so it’s mostly for good luck.” She then stepped back with a smile.

  “Thanks, Ririna…” Can I pat her head? Can I squeeze her cheeks? She’s such a good girl!

  “Every bit of strength helps. We appreciate it. Try to get to safety now.” Galene thanked Ririna, and we closed in on our target, who didn’t immediately attack.

  After exchanging looks with Sarasa and Carol, they ran off to surround the monster. Galene and I drew our weapons, wondering how exactly we would start this. Her friend, Abby, stood a good distance behind her. She should be a healer, even if she dresses like a mage, so she can support us from a distance.

  “Hey! What are you doing there? Mind dissipating and disappearing without causing us trouble?” I called out to the monster marinating in his own flames.

  The black flames slowly subsided, and the monster finally noticed that we were here. He adjusted the grip on his scythe and turned in the direction of my voice.

  He’s strong… Really strong… Galene is frozen in place, staring at it. No wonder I started having delusions and hearing my sword talk to me. Or did it actually try to give me some advice? Guess I’ll need to have a nice talk with it later. For now, I’ll make the first move.

  I closed the gap almost immediately with Agility Burst. Then followed it up with Burst Dash for a sudden speed increase. I’m close enough to land an attack, and the monster hasn’t even moved. Slash Flurry with Butterfly’s Wings. Let’s go all out from the start.

  In less than a second, my sword hit the armor dozens of times. It was too tough to cut, but the armor was also his body. Even if minor, every blow dealt a small amount of damage.

  The knight finally reacted. One of my attacks was blocked with the handle of the scythe, then a burst of black flames shot out at me. I jumped back, and the monster moved forward, cutting through the dark energy with a slash. “Woah…!” I doubled my retreat with a Burst Dash, and escaped his slash.

  “I see now…” He seems slow, but his attacks are fast. With those flames and that scythe, I really can’t fight him head-on. Good thing I don’t need to. I have more than enough speed! Agility Burs-

  “Sword Slam!” Galene charged forward and swung down her sword at the headless monster. The swipe barely missed and hit the ground right in front of him, causing a shockwave. The monster staggered and took a few steps back. Galene didn’t miss that opportunity and followed up with another solid slash.

  “She’s stealing the spotlight…” Can’t let her do all the work. I dashed forward and rapidly joined her on the front line. Her second attack extended the stagger, allowing me to get up close.

  I landed hundreds of attacks during that small timeframe and chipped away at the armor from every possible angle. Blade Dance buffs consecutive hits, and in the end, Heart Piercer! I hit the knight in the shoulder, and the metal got visibly chipped.

  “Now’s our chance!” My attack made it impossible for him to regain his balance, and Sarasa saw their opportunity. After giving out a signal, she attacked the monster from behind together with Carol. Sarasa aimed for the gaps in the armor, while Carol targeted the weaker points of the armor.

  “We might be the ones to take you down.” Carol smiled as she landed attack after attack. It was hard to tell how much damage she was doing, but her attacks kept him destabilized, allowing them to do as they wished.

  *Rattle rattle…* But their luck ran out. “Huh? Watch out!” Carol noticed something was wrong. She called out the rattling armor just in time for them to brace. And good thing they did.

  The black flames roared, and they exploded from every crevasse of the armor, especially on the monster’s back. The two of them got hit by the bursting flames and got blasted backwards. Rolling on the ground for a while before finally stopping.

  “Carol!” Dammit! I’m putting her at risk again… She hates being a burden, but still… “They’re still moving…” We were never going to leave unscathed against an enemy like this. Maybe I should have had them stay with Ririna…

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  Carol and Sarasa quickly sat up and confirmed they weren’t in further danger. They’re fine, and the monster is not focused on them. That means I can’t be focused on them either!

  With the fire blasting from his back, the flaming knight dashed forward. He got close to Galene and me and swung his scythe in a wide arc. We dodged. Then he spun the scythe around his body, moving forward with a second wide slash.

  “Grrr…” It was a narrow one, but I dodged back in time, while Galene was forced to defend with her sword. But that wasn’t all. The second attack carried the flames from the back, which trailed behind the blade. It was too late to do anything, and I felt a scorching pain even through my clothes.

  “Abby! Bubble Pulse!”

  “Here!” As soon as Galene shouted, the girl behind her responded by casting a spell. The next second, a blue transparent spell appeared around Galene before popping outward. The flames around Galene instantly dispersed. She took a step forward, holding her sword over her shoulder and pointing the bottom at the enemy.

  “Pommel Stun! Sweeping Moon! And… Pristine Path!” Her first move hit the knight in the chest with the pommel of her sword. The monster staggered. Her sword shined white, and she swung it around in a wide arc. The momentum led the sword to stop right in front of her chest, where she raised it again. Her next move was a chain of five very simple yet precise attacks. The monster was pushed back, and two cracks appeared in his armor.

  That’s an impressive combination of skills. She’s been using a lot of them… It’s just like in the game. But in the game, she has the VISS Driver to help her. How can she pull that off when I’m the one who has it?

  “Not enough…” Galene landed all her attacks, but the monster wasn’t giving up. He shook her off with a quick swing, then extended his hand toward her. A spray of black flames flew in her direction, and she created a shield with her sword to withstand it. It’s skill after skill with her…

  The flames weren’t the last of her worries. The knight ran through the flames while dragging his scythe through the floor. He swung it up with a powerful upswing. Galene blocked, but the impact sent her sliding backward. The monster spun the scythe and repeated the same attack before mixing it up with a slam in the other direction. Between trying to balance and blocking the hits, Galene had no opportunity to counterattack.

  This is my opportunity! I gotta stop him! Heart Piercer! A stab on the side of the torso stopped another follow-up attack on Galene. That’s an opening. I built up some strength with a barrage of weak attacks, then Heart Piercer. Over and over again. This burns through my MP like crazy, but each thrust is enough to damage the armor just slightly and cause the knight to take a step back.

  Make. It. Through. Already! Heart Piercer! “There!” “Go down!” Sarasa and Carol were back in the fight. My last thrust hit the chest plate dead on, and they joined in with their own attacks.

  The chest plate finally cracked, and the monster took some real damage for the first time. He wobbled back a few steps and held his chest in a hurry. The flames inside raged as if upset at our strength.

  “Thanks for the help… That was a nice save.” Galene caught up with us, slightly out of breath.

  “It was nothing. Are you hurt?”

  “I’m alright. I think I’ve got a good grasp of this monster’s strength now. We’re not gonna win if we keep exchanging blows like this.” Really? I can see the cracks showing up already… Then again, if a few cracks are all we’ve managed so far, maybe we don’t have it in us to make it to the finish line.

  “Guess not… You have any ideas?”

  “I’ll use my trump card.” Galene looked to the monster with a resolute pose. “But it will take some time to get ready. Can you buy me some time?”

  Buy time? That’s gonna put us in danger… And I don’t know if I can do it on my own… “Fine… Not like we have another choice…”

  “Thanks…” Galene turned her back on the monster. “I’ll get us all through this safely. You have my word.” Then ran off in Abby’s direction.

  “Can you still fight?” I looked to the two girls by my side.

  “Hah. You think some little flames would take us out? Don’t make me laugh.”

  “Yep! Carol’s right, but…” Sarasa seemed a bit hesitant. The complete opposite of Carol who refused to show weakness. “Maybe you can buy time on your own… He’s not one I wanna take second chances with…”

  “Huh? What are you saying now, you idiot? You put yourself in danger all the time, and now you’re scared? Are you serious?”

  “Wait! You don’t get it! Nothing is truly dangerous if you know your limits. In this case, I can say for sure I can’t beat that thing…”

  “Shut up and fight!” Sarasa recoiled from Carol’s shout. “If you run away now, I’ll tell everyone in the world that you’re a coward. Even if I have to do it as a ghost.”

  “Well, I don’t want you two getting hurt regardless. Let’s do it like before. I’ll soak up the monster’s attention while you two attack when it’s safe. Are you fine with that?” Carol immediately nodded, but first Sarasa let out a sigh.

  “Fine… I can give you a hand… Just don’t expect me to take any hits.” Sarasa got back into a fighting position. Next second, she and Carol ran off again.

  As for me, it’s time to burn my remaining MP. I have to dodge everything to keep the others safe. If I’m forced to block, it might give the monster an opening. And so, Burst Dash!

  I closed the gap and landed several hits. The monster tried to swat me with an arm, and I dodged. He chased with the scythe ready for a sweep. Jump over it with another Burst Dash, and back to slashing.

  The knight continued to chase me with a variety of attacks, and I slowly built up consecutive attacks during the openings. Carol and Sarasa kept up with him. Every attack I dodged was an opportunity to land an attack. They didn’t linger for too long, so the monster couldn’t hit them with another burst of flames.

  “Get ready…” The scythe came at me with a heavy swing. “Now!” After a dodge, an incredible opening showed up, and I thrust forward with all my strength. The shoulder armor received my blade, quickly followed by Carol’s and Sarasa’s daggers. Our powers combined cracked the metal. The shoulder plate broke and fell to the floor. We can do it if we try.

  The knight wobbled from the impact, but when he stopped, flames burst out of his body in every direction. In a mad rage, he charged at the target in front of him while dragging the scythe along. The one being targeted was Carol.

  The scythe was raised, ready to be swung. “Stop.” I jumped between the monster and Carol and swatted away the blade with Parrying Strike.

  Flames stopped blaring out, and the monster stopped, as if snapped out of his mad rage. “Don’t even think about it…” I walked forward slowly, keeping an eye out for a counterattack. “That’s the one thing I won’t allow… I’m the one you’re supposed to kill… No touching my girls…”

  “I- Iroha?” Carol wanted to help. She extended one hand towards me, but her body refused to move. Something felt off to her and kept her frozen in place.

  The monster adjusted his grip and raised his scythe to swing it down at me. I met the blade from below with my own strike. His attack was stopped, and the headless knight leaned back, the scythe almost escaping his hands.

  One, two, three. The opportunity showed itself, so I swung my sword. In quick succession, the other shoulder plate’s fragments hit the floor, followed by a thigh piece, then part of the chest plate. “That’s right… Focus on me… I can keep you busy myself.”

  I kept slowly walking forward, and after a moment, the monster became enraged again. He advanced, swung, and Parrying Strike. Another chunk of the chest plate it the floor. Swing, Parrying Strike, break. Swing, parry, break. Swing, parry, break. “Until our time is up…”

  An unstable body of black flames was now visible through the numerous cracks in the armor. He stood there in a haze, planning his next move. No matter what you choose, I’ll take it head-on. “Give it your best shot.”

  “Good work. I’ll take it from here!” Galene shot past me, blade shining like crazy. “Mailucene!” She swung her sword down across the knight’s chest. The next second, a ray of light enveloped the monster, and the flames started squirming violently. In a couple seconds, they dissipated, and the armor fell to the floor completely lifeless.

  Galene and I looked down at the broken suit of armor while the others caught up to us.

  “I- is it over?” Sarasa was careful approaching us, and Carol was also hesitant. It ended too suddenly. The way the tension was building up, what actually happened... It was not what they were expecting.

  “You did it, Galene! You really did it! Amazing!” Abby hugged Galene with a tackle while cheering for her. Galene tapped her shoulder, and she let go.

  “Looks like it worked. It was all thanks to your group’s help. Well done.” Galene extended her hand for a handshake.

  “Ahahaha… Thanks… That was a pretty nice attack too.” The skill she used at the end isn’t even a move you can do in the game. It’s something the heroine uses exclusively in cutscenes. Guess that guy fought well enough to earn himself one.

  I shook Galene’s hand, and she lightly smiled. “We haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? My name is…” Looks like things worked out in the end.