"Hey, you two, stay back," I said, gesturing for Maria and Seraphina to stand behind me. I channeled mana into my staff and muttered, "Falkrona Bloodline, First Wing." My thoughts quickened, and my senses sharpened.
Time had come to test the technique from the book Julian had given me.
"W-Watch out!"
Seraphina warned me of an oncoming attack, but I was already one step ahead. Two guys in robes rushed toward me, smirking with condescension. "Falkrona Bloodline, Second Wing," I muttered, and disappeared in a grey flash, appearing in front of one of them. He looked at me in shock as I touched his stomach with the end of my staff.
"Septem Treina," I muttered, and the priest's face turned pale with recognition of my attack.
I didn't care. "Thrust," I said, and the sound of breaking bones filled the air. The man flew backward, smashing several rows of benches and knocking out his companions.
Maria looked at me in disbelief. "I-Impossible… this is...!"
"What?" I turned around, surprised.
"I-It's father's technique!" Seraphina stuttered.
"What?" I asked, confused by Seraphina's words. I had just used a technique from the book Julian had given me. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?
But then Sergius, who had stopped fighting, looked at me with shock. "The Imperial Art of the Higher Eden Dynasty," he said, his voice filled with disbelief.
I glanced at the old man, who was smiling at me. It seemed like I had impressed him with my skills.
But there was no time to dwell on that. I needed to focus on the enemies in front of me. "Septem Treina, Sweep," I muttered, swirling my staff and extending it toward the remaining man. He was caught off guard and struck in the jaw, falling to the ground with a pool of blood gathering around him.
I could feel myself slowly growing tired. The staff was a powerful weapon, but it took a lot of energy to wield it effectively.
"Hey, old man! Protectc us!" I shouted, turning to the old man for assistance.
I wanted to scream at the Pope as well, but I knew I had to conserve my energy. I had already pushed myself to the limit.
As I watched the Pope fight against the guys of Ante-Eden, I realized something. He was intentionally leaving spaces so that they could reach us. My blood boiled with anger. The Pope Francis was corrupted, just like the others.
"F*ck!" I cursed under my breath. I had suspected it before, as I heard it in the Third game, but as I didn't finish that game, I wasn't sure, but now I was sure.
"I know," the old man nodded, appearing in front of us to shield us from enemy attacks. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I leaned on the staff, catching my breath.
"Francis, back off!" the old man shouted.
My heart pounding in my chest as I saw the old speaking like that. I didn't like his tone at all.
"N-no! I will keep them at bay. Geoffrey, take the children to safety." But the Pope was determined.
As if he could protect us against the crazed cultists and their monstrous mana beasts when he was the most corrupted one!
"As if I would let you run away!" Sergius, one of the cultists, sneered and pulled out a fist-sized yellow gemstone.
My blood ran cold. That was a PrisonGem, used to trap powerful mana beasts. If he was using it now, it meant he had something truly dangerous up his sleeve. The beast must be either a Disaster Beast (4☆to 6☆ beast) or worse a Chaos Beast (7☆ to 9☆ beast).
"Old man!" I called out to Geoffrey, my voice shaking.
"I know. Don't leave my side." He nodded grimly, his fists clenched at his sides. He couldn't fight at full strength here without risking innocent lives.
Sergius grinned and poured mana into the gemstone. "Release your wrath! Regina Apis!"
A deafening crack split the air and the gemstone shattered. The buzzing sound of massive wings filled the room as a colossal bee materialized before us. Its many eyes fixed on us with an unsettling intelligence.
"It's a Chaos Beast," Geoffrey said, his voice low and strained.
My heart sank. Chaos Beasts were some of the most dangerous creatures in existence. How were we supposed to fight something like that?
Such things would have no effect on the old man, but he couldn't fight at full strength in such a setting. In the process, he would murder all the innocent people. And he couldn't leave the innocent priests and his brother fighting for their lives, either.
Things took a turn for the worse.
Suddenly, bulges started to appear on the bee's body, and dozens of smaller bees emerged from within. These bees were small, but visibly larger than normal ones.
"Are you kidding me...?"
I muttered to myself, regretting ever agreeing to come on this mission.
As I watched in horror, one of the smaller bees flew at high speed towards one of the priests and stabbed him with its sting.
"!"
The man's body turned purple and he convulsed before vomiting a strange substance, then he died. I couldn't believe my eyes. I really hate bees.
But the worst was yet to come.
"Ahaahahaha! Kill the two girls!" the bee's master commanded.
The Regina Apis, followed by its offspring, turned towards us at lightning-fast speed.
My grip on my staff tightened as I prepared to fight.
"Hey! If you know how to fight, then fight!" I yelled at the girls behind me.
"Of course we know, idiot!!" Seraphina snapped.
"Don't speak to me, hmpf!" Maria added.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their bickering. All I wanted was for this nightmare of a journey to end.
[<In a few hours you will fight Ronald, don't forget.>]
F*ck, I forgot about that damn fight!
As I was contemplating the possibility of running away, Seraphina's voice pulled me back to reality.
"Eden, please let me borrow your strength," she said as she held a golden staff that was now shimmering with a golden glow. Symbols began to float above her head as she prepared to use her Saintess power.
Maria did the same thing with her own staff, and similar symbols floated around her.
Ah, so this must be the power of the Saintess, the Runes of Eden. But something didn't add up. Seraphina was supposed to be the current Saintess, but in the game, Maria became the new Saintess after Seraphina's death.
Ah, I get it now. That explains Maria's peculiar personality in the Third Game. She lost her cousin, who was like a sister to her, after all.
As the golden runes flew like shields and formed a dome around us, I realized that they had even included me inside the protective barrier. I think I'm starting to understand their characters. They're both tsunderes, which I found quite interesting.
When I looked at them, they both huffed and puffed like typical tsunderes.
A small smile crept up on my face as I watched them.
But my attention quickly shifted back to the Regina Bee as it started to gather dark energy above its head. I could feel the tension in the air rise, and the others started to panic.
"Do something, old man!" I yelled in frustration.
"Don't order my grandpa!" Seraphina retorted, protective of her family.
"Respect grandpa!" Maria added, equally defensive.
"Your grandpa is currently useless!"
I kept my expression from twitching. They were raised like princesses and loved their grandpa. Thinking that, I kept my thoughts to myself. As the monster released the ball of energy, the old man raised his hands and effortlessly deflected it with a translucent barrier. I couldn't help but be impressed.
But the small bees were relentless, and I could see them piercing through the barrier with their stingers. It wouldn't be long before they broke through.
I felt my heart race as I watched the small bees attacking the barrier. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.
"Seraphina, Maria, take care of the bees!" I shouted, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Don't order us around! We are saintesses!" Seraphina snapped back, but I could see her face tense with concentration as she summoned her power.
"Not yet." I sneered.
Her cousin, Maria, also looked serious as she chanted a spell, her staff glowing with a blue light.
I tried to call out to the old man, but he was busy fending off the swarm of bees, along with the Pope and others. It seemed like a tough battle for him.
"Destroy that damn church! We don't care old man!" I yelled at him, feeling desperate.
"N-No! Eden will protect us, no worry!" The Pope tried to reassure us with his words. Despite commending his talents in acting I wasn't convinced at all.
The old man seemed hesitant to damage the Church as well. "I have a solution, be read-"
"Curse your solution! We are going to die here!" I interrupted him, feeling frustrated and hopeless.
I couldn't believe his plan. In the game, Heroines died easily while believing in 'solutions'. I'd rather trust my instincts.
In a moment of desperation, I reached into my inventory and pulled out a small stone - the lifestone. I knew I had no other choice.
I approached Maria and Seraphina, taking hold of their hands. Their faces flushed red and they started to protest, but I ignored them.
"Shut up," I snapped at them, before channeling mana into the lifestone. A bright light enveloped the three of us, and we disappeared from the hall.