The Arrogance of Humility 15

Lucy and Lance stood with Satanachia between them. Satanachia, having the hood torn, showed her face to both of them.

“Impossible!” Lance thought and gasped as he rubbed his eyes, but his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.

Satanachia’s appearance, from the head to toe, resembled Gina too much. Her sclerae were black while her irises and pupils were white. Under her eyes sockets, she had red-line markings to her chin.

Satanachia always had a creepy maniacal grin on her face. She spoke using Gina’s voice, but raspy and beastly.

“Is that woman truly Gina?” Lance thought, suspicious of Satanachia.

“Gina…” Lucy muttered with a relieved smile. Lucy lowered her guard and walked to her. “You’re all r—!”

“Lucy…” Satanachia muttered as she faced Lucy, appearing harmless with her hands on her back.

When Lucy was three steps away, Lance could see Satanachia preparing wind magic on her hands.

“Just like before!” Lance thought as he rushed. “Sigilless magic!”

“Lucy!!!” Lance shouted. “Don’t come closer to her!”

Satanachia aimed her hands forward, but Lance pierced her back with a copper-wrapped azoth dagger first. The dagger electrocuted Satanachia, causing her to lose concentration, breaking the magic.

“Argh!” Satanachia clenched her teeth.

“Lucy!” Lance said aloud. “Now’s our chance to—!”

In Lucy’s view, Gina was welcoming her, offering a hug of reunion. Lance’s sudden attack on Satanachia caused Lucy to antagonize him.

Satanachia writhed in pain with Gina’s voice. “Lucy!” she cried. “Help me!”

“Gina!” Lucy created a level three black and red sigil on her left short sword.

Instead of aiming it at Satanachia, Lucy aimed it at Lance instead.

“You…” She clenched her fists with a bitter scowl. “WHY ARE YOU HURTING HER!!!”

“Lucy—?!”

Without a warning, Lucy shot an infernal halberd from the sigil to Lance’s head. Lance moved his body in the last second as he didn’t expect her to do that; the infernal halberd grazed his shoulder, causing blood to gush out.

Satanachia took the dagger and threw it away. Satanachia pointed at Lance, and a sharp gust of wind blasted at him, pushing him back and wounding his arms.

“Are you okay, Gina?” Lucy asked, worried.

“I will be.”

Lucy healed Satanachia’s wound from afar while Lance healed his own.

“Why Lucy…?” Lance said. “She’s our enem—!”

“Anyone who hurts Gina is my enemy!” she replied furiously. “Including you!”

“Open your eyes, Lux! She’s not—!”

“Lucy?” Satanachia said with a sincere smile. “Thank you.”

“There’s no mistaking it,” Lucy thought, believing her intuition. “She’s Gina!”

“What are you talking about, Lance?!” Lucy walked forward and looked at him bitterly. “She’s Gina!”

“She isn’t, Lux!” He moved forward. “She’s—!”

From behind, Satanachia smirked viciously with her arms ready to attack Lucy with magic, prompting Lance to throw two glass flasks along with a fire-charged azoth dagger towards Satanachia.

“Stop it, Lance!” Lucy dashed forward to Lance, breaking the flasks but deflecting the dagger away.

“Lucy!” Satanachia said. “Lance is working with the exiled families!”

“What?!” Lucy was beyond surprised to hear that.

“What nonsense—?!” Lance thought.

Lance realized Satanachia was trying to trick Lucy.

“Don’t listen to her, Lux—!” Lance said aloud, but Lucy seemed to trust Satanachia more.

“He’s trying to use you, Lucy! Last night, I escaped the capture alive and learned the harsh truth: Lance’s family is connected to them!”

“What in tarnation…” Lance muttered. “Lucy!” He said to her. “Don’t listen to—!”

Lucy attacked the now weaponless Lance with the swords, making deep cuts on his chest.

“This is bad!” Lance thought as he healed his wound and moved back. “She believed her words!”

“So, it’s your fault after all!” Lucy said aloud as she attacked him.

Lance tried defending himself because he couldn’t hurt Lucy.

“Why is it so simple for her to manipulate Lucy?!” Lance thought, puzzled.

Lucy’s attacks were relentless, while Lance’s defense was too slow.

This was the right moment for Satanachia to cripple them both; she aimed forward and muttered, “Devil Wind Advent.”

Suffocating gale of sharp winds appeared, raging towards them both. Lucy and Lance were directly face-to-face, so a single hit from the magic would kill them both for sure.

Lance noticed the wind when Lucy aimed to pierce his chest. He knew Lucy would receive it if he dodged. If he told Lucy to dodge, she wouldn’t be able to dodge in time, and he doubted Lucy had energy left after using the portal magic.

“I have no other choice!” he thought as he jumped forward.

He accepted the attack; the sword pierced his abdomen, almost reaching his liver, but he used this moment to get closer to her. He hugged her and jumped to the side, dodging the wind magic.

Lance fell with Lucy on the top. Blood gushed out from the wound and his mouth.

“Urgh—!”

Lucy removed Lance’s arms from her waists and the sword. She stood and moved back a step.

“Damn,” Satanachia thought. “I have to get rid of him.”

“End him, Lucy!” Satanachia said aloud.

Even though Lance’s surface wounds were closed, his inside wounds didn’t completely shut.

“Agh…” Lance tried his best to stay conscious and stood. His sight wavered, and his body trembled from the pain.

Lucy clenched her fists, readying her swords to strike down Lance. But each time she took a step, she felt uneasy; she looked at the damage Satanachia caused.

“Lance was saving me?” she thought.

Lucy had no idea why she obeyed Satanachia’s words with no objection. It was like Lance’s words gave doubt in Lucy’s heart instead.

“Go!” Satanachia said aloud, and Lucy felt her body move; she was agitated; she was ready to kill Lance with no further thoughts.

“What’s with me?” she thought, but her movements were oddly natural.

Lance tried moving aside, but Satanachia, being impatient, shot a wind arrow in his leg by the time he moved, causing him to trip and fall.

“Go, Lucy!” Satanachia said aloud with a subtle smirk, and Lucy moved forward with her lightning-charged swords.

Lance crawled, but Lucy was already in front of him, ready to behead him in a single attack. He looked at Lucy’s eyes; they were blank; she was unconscious.

He had no strength to move away; the lightning-charged sword came closer to his neck. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

In the last seconds, a black cyclone stormed to Lucy, knocking her back and surprising the three.

“This magic,” she thought, recognizing it.

Lance opened his eyes, seeing the black cyclone.

“Malus?” he thought.

Satanachia and Lucy saw the person using the magic; their guesses were all correct; it was Malus standing far from them.

“I made it in time,” Malus thought.

“Tch!” Satanachia scowled at Malus. “Didn’t expect him to do such a thing. But we share the same goal. He should have a reason for this.”

“Lucy!” she said. “Come here!”

Lucy jumped back, standing next to Satanachia while Malus stood next to Lance and pointed forward with his scepter.

“Dark Matter,” he said, and the black azoth ball appeared from the tip.

“I guess you’re an ally,” Lance said as he drank a tonic. “Care to tell me what’s happening to Lucy? Who’s that woman?” Lance pointed at Satanachia. “Is she Gina—?”

“You ask too much. Just defeat them.” Malus turned the ball into a wedge and launched it towards Satanachia.

“Lucy!” Satanachia shouted, and Lucy opened a rift in front of Satanachia, but Malus controlled the wedge to avoid the rift.

Lucy threw one sword towards Malus, but Lance deflected it with an azoth dagger. When the wedge was a step away, Satanachia used a wind magic to push the wedge. But before that, Malus liquified the azoth to slimes.

The azoth fell on the ground and turned into spikes, piercing Satanachia’s legs. She jumped back, but before the azoth could follow her, Lucy used a level five ice magic, freezing the azoth.

“Gina!” Lucy said as she healed her.

“I’m fine, Lux. They’re working together!”

Malus tried moving the azoth, but he couldn’t.

“Your fiancee is bothersome,” he said.

“What’s happening?”

“That person now is Satanachia.” Malus pointed at Satanachia. “It’s taking control of Gina’s body like a puppet. With words alone, Satanachia could manipulate anyone, especially women.”

“So Lucy is in its control?”

“Exactly. So defeat Satanachia first if you want to save your fiancee.”

“Lucy,” Satanachia said. “Take care of Lance. I’m facing Malus myself.”

Satanachia pointed forward and a Maleficium sigil appeared in front of her.

“Pruflas,” she muttered, and the sigil blackened, summoning a rotting, skeletal carcass of a hawk.

“What is that?” Lance said under his breath, seeing such a seemingly pointless creature.

Malus pointed with his scepter on the ground in front of him, and a Maleficium sigil appeared as he muttered, “Claisalabolas!”

The black azoth from the scepter gathered at the sigil, forming a demonic winged wolf.

“Claisalabolas, take her soul!” he said as he pointed at Satanachia.

The hawk became ablaze with black flame.

“Go, Pruflas,” Satanachia said.

Lucy and Lance faced each other. Lucy wasted no time as she ran forward, swinging the sword. Lance picked the fallen sword and prepared to defend himself.

Their blades clashed, but Lance had the upper hand. He pushed Lucy back as he coated the sword with oil. He set the sword ablaze, and Lucy did the same using her magic.

Lucy moved forward, swinging the sword horizontally, and Lance swung the sword diagonally. Their blades met, but the oil and fire on Lance’s sword sparked on contact. The flame hit Lucy, reducing her strength.

Lance prevailed, damaging Lucy. The damage she received was shallow because Lance had no heart to hurt his dearest.

“Snap out of it,” he said. “Lucy, please!”

Lance’s words would never reach Lucy’s ear; Satanachia’s words had dulled her mind and consciousness.

“Damn…” Lance reignited the sword with oil.

Satanachia and Malus were even in strength and magic, but Satanachia, having demon knowledge, had an upper hand in the sigilless magic, but Malus’ mastery in magic transmutation of black azoth gave him more flexibility in combating her.

Pruflas and Claisalabolas fought fiercely for their masters’ sake. Pruflas was swift in attacking and dodging, while Claisalabolas was fierce in relentless aggression.

Meanwhile, the academy center building’s underground. Vennefer, Justus, and Alphonse descended the stairs. It was dark down there, prompting Alphonse to create floating fire orbs on each of them.

The stairs were long and steep. It was dusty and abandoned more than the underground lab. It looked like no one was there for more than a century.

The stairs forked with some leading to dead ends, but they weren’t aimless as Vennefer (and Emmeroloth) knew the way there.

Emmeroloth knew the three were tracking him, so he set traps there, but with both Vennefer and Alphonse around, the ambushes didn’t hinder them in the slightest.

“Such a place exists,” Alphonse thought. “Even my father said nothing of this place.”

They heard a heavy slam far in front of them, knowing Emmeroloth had reached the goal first, prompting the three to make haste.

They arrived at the very end of the stairs in front of an enormous opened iron gate. Without further thinking, they rushed inside. Even though the place was abandoned for long, what lies behind the door stayed intact. It was an open room lit by brimstone torches. In the middle of the room, Emmeroloth stood, looking at a giant odd machine shaped like an obelisk pillar.

“There!” Alphonse said, pointing at Emmeroloth.

“Mr. Justus,” Vennefer said. “You move back!”

“Ah—!” Justus stepped back, standing and peeking from behind the door.

Emmeroloth and Vennefer looked at both Justus and Alphonse; Justus looked at Emmeroloth and Alphonse; Alphonse looked at Emmeroloth.

“Now,” the four thought at the same time while looking at one another. “Whose side are you on?”

They didn’t dare to move a step; that was a critical moment for them. One slight movement would decide the outcome of their respective plans and trust in one another.

However, Alphonse was positive about his action as he took the first move. He gathered the flame orb from the two, combining it with his, and launched it towards Emmeroloth.

“Vennefer!” he said. “Let’s take him down!”

“Tch! Damned Draco!” Emmeroloth thought as he dropped black azoth from his sleeves. “He better have a reason for this!”

Vennefer agreed, albeit having doubts, and they both battled Emmeroloth. Justus stayed silent instead of assisting Emmeroloth. He took his time observing the machine behind Emmeroloth.

“There’s no doubt,” he thought as his body trembled from the sight of the machine. “This is definitely God’s Machine as Matthias described… Archon Astaphe.”

Back to the rooftops, during the battle between Satanachia and Malus. They both stood far from each other with wounds on their bodies.

Both Malus and Satanachia were drained from using magic. They healed their wound and kept their distance.

“This vessel,” Satanachia thought. “It was far too weak. If I possess the body of that youth.” She looked at Malus. “I would be stronger.”

Pruflas roosted on her shoulder, rejuvenating the wounds.

“Satanachia,” it said with chirping sounds. “Looks like Claisalabolas troubled us too much. He had an adept conjurer.”

“I would like to share more life force with you, but I’m afraid this vessel of mine is far weaker.”

“How about the girl you controlled?” They both looked at Lucy fighting against Lance. “She looked more suitable.”

“My conjurer desires me to bring that girl. Maybe I shall discard this vessel and let the shedims consume this flesh.”

Malus reinforced more black azoth from his blood and scepter to Claisalabolas, increasing the size of the demon wolf. He healed his wounds with his magic and drank an energy tonic.

“Hehehe…” it cackled with a grin. “Master, you are too generous today!”

“Shut up,” Malus said as he pointed forward towards Satanachia with his scepter, creating three level four sigils. “Dark Aqua Pump.”

Satanachia shared more life force with Pruflas, increasing the flame on the hawk’s body. The flame turned black and blue. Pruflas shot a stream of absolute flame, vaporizing the water.

“Fool,” he thought as he sent Claisalabolas forward. The mist blocked everyone’s view, but Claisalabolas had tracked Satanachia’s smell.

Far from them, Lucy and Lance were still fighting, but the fog caused them to stop for a while, anticipating each other's movements.

Lucy had barely any reagents left with her while Lance lost all of his flasks. He had an azoth dagger and Lucy’s short sword with him.

Lance knew she wouldn’t just stand doing nothing, so he sprinted out of the mist. Lucy was thinking the same; they got out from the mist at the same time. Immediately, Lucy lunged forward with an iron sword charged with dark enhancement and a light energy sword.

“Hell—!”

The energy sword pierced Lance’s chest while the iron sword wounded him deep in his abdomen. Lucy wasted no time as she aimed for the head, trying to behead Lance, but Lance kicked her away and pierced through Lucy’s right arm. Lucy moved back, absorbed her energy sword, and took the sword from her right arm.

The rosary’s chain broke and fell to the ground, causing her right arm to become immobile. She transmuted the swords into a spear again.

The wound Lance received was one centimeter away from damaging his heart; he was lucky he moved aside in the last second. He healed his wound with everything he had, but being a novice in magic, his wounds weren’t healed fully.

“Looks like I’m not getting out alive,” he thought as he looked at Lucy’s empty, emotionless eyes.

Lance was desperately stalling Lucy, hoping Malus would defeat Satanachia sooner. But Lance saw Malus having difficulty against Satanachia too. He thought of many possibilities for him to defeat Lucy without killing her, but he failed to find one.

He reached for his pocket; nothing could help him.

“I can’t win…” he thought as he clenched his fists.

He closed his eyes. For the first time in his life, he prayed, hoping The Almighty would answer his prayer. When he thought of The Almighty, he remembered his training with Malus regarding Maleficium and Dark Alchemy.

“That’s it!” he thought as he saw the fallen rosary. “If religious items could weaken demons’ power, perhaps it would remove the demon’s influence from her mind! I can’t lose now; I can’t give up! Especially for her… I’ll try even if I die!”

He took an azoth dagger from his pocket and rushed to the fallen rosary. Lucy pointed forward with her spear, projecting a level three sigil that threw spears of light to Lance. Lance snatched the fallen rosary and dodged some, but got hit on his chest, giving him an excruciating mental pain akin to getting burned by boiling water.

“Agh! At least, I—!”

He moved back, but his movements were sluggish enough for Lucy to catch up. Instantly, Lucy pierced Lance’s chest, pinning him on a wall.

“Agh!!!” He vomited blood. The spear pierced his heart, severely damaging it. He could feel his breath heavy and his movements weak.

He tried lifting the rosary to Lucy’s forehead, but Lucy broke the handle of her spear and turned it into a small dagger.

Lance wanted to scream, but the suffocating pain in his chest caused only death rattles to come out from his mouth. His vision became darker, knowing it was now his end.

“I…” he said under his breath while looking at Lucy’s eyes. “I won’t let you be a puppet!”

With what was left on his strength, he clenched his fists and wore the rosary on Lucy’s neck before she pierced Lance’s throat with the dagger. He looked at her face for the last time and caressed her right cheek.

“I wish…” he muttered with his last breath before the flame inside his burned out. “I could live longer with you, I want to live happily ever after… Damn it… I haven’t heard your answer yet, Lucy. I haven’t healed your right arm yet…” He closed his eyes and gave her a warm smile of farewell. “Goodbye, Lucy... And thank… y… o… u…”

His hands lowered with Lance’s last breath gone like a wind along with his life. Lance was dead at his beloved hands.

At the same time, inside Lucy’s mind.

Her minds were foggy, filled with deafening and echoing noises of ringing. She tried moving, but she felt her body heavy with the pain numbing her. She frantically called for help, but nothing came out of her mouth.

Amid her despair, she felt a soothing warmth on her right cheek, gently caressing her.

“Lucy…” a familiar voice called out for her. The voice cleansed the noise and the pain away. She felt her body lighter and regained control of her body.

Lights returned into her eyes along with her senses. The first thing she saw was the most frightening view she would ever have; she saw Lance dead because of her.

“L-Lance?!” Her eyes opened wide, wavering as she pulled the spear and the blade out. “L… LANCE!!!” she shrieked out of fear.

She pulled the dagger and the spear out before placing him on the ground and using a complete healing sigil on him, sacrificing all of her reagents.

“Please… Please-Please-Please! PLEASE!!!”

Lucy’s limbs went cold, and tears fell from her eyes to Lance’s body. Her lips and arms quivered from the dread of losing her friend.

“Please Lance… Please don't—!”

However, Lance was beyond saving. There was no sign of his heart beating, or his lung breathing anymore, causing her to panic.

“He’s not breathing… He’s not breathing!!!”

She cried on his chest, desperately pounding it to return his pulse. She used electricity magic to return his heartbeat, but Lance’s spirit wasn’t there; his spirit had left the body.

Her heart broke as she closed her eyes, crying, and hugged him, placing his head on her chest while caressing the back of his hair gently.

“Lance…” she muttered. “I haven’t answered you yet, right? Lance… I do… I do! So, please… Wake up.”

The flame from Pruflas removed the mist, and both Satanachia and Malus could see what happened to Lance. Satanachia noticed the rosary on her neck, knowing her control weakened.

“Lancelot…” Malus thought. “Have you kicked the bucket?”

“That’s one obstacle to lose,” Satanachia thought as she smirked.

Malus threw three black liquid swords at Satanachia.

“Don’t you dare to avert your eyes,” he said bitterly. “You are next.”

Satanachia sent the swords away with her wind.

“No. You’re next.”

No matter how hard Lucy tried; no matter how loud Lucy cried; no matter how much Lucy regretted; once a life faded away, it would never return…

Or would it? That was what Lucy thought. She’s a magus, and breaking the law of nature was the goal of magic. There’s no true limit for magic capabilities, even if one had to defy God’s Will.

She stood with her remaining strength, focusing her mind to project Necromantiae Deus sigil to return Lance’s soul.

“He gave me everything…” she thought while embracing the cross on the rosary, remembering everything Lance did for her and comparing everything she had done to Lance. “While I gave him nothing… I’ll return you, no matter what!”

The sigil gave everyone an eerie feel and chills, enough to affect both Malus and Satanachia.

“Deus: Ensarkosi Pneumaton!” Lucy said aloud, and the sigil gleamed. White light orbs appeared, attempting to enter Lance’s body, but Lucy repelled and ejected them forcefully.

She could feel a powerful blast from the spirits, sending Lucy back. But she stood, forcing her body to the limit even after the sigil drained her. She sat in front of Lance’s body and embraced him tightly.

“Return to me,” she muttered as she closed her eyes; she had no energy to move her body anymore. “Return to me… Lancelot!!!”

A brilliant spirit appeared among the others and entered Lance’s body. Lucy couldn’t see it, but she could feel warmth in her body.

“Lance…” she muttered as she lowered her left hand and intertwined the fingers on Lance’s. “I haven’t given you the answer, right?” She smiled with tears. “I do… I do, Lance; I do.”

“Do you mean it?” the voice of Lance asked.

“I do.”

“Have I missed him that much?” Lucy thought, thinking she was hallucinating. “In that case, I want this to stay forever.”

“Lucy… Open your eyes,” Lance said.

“Let me have this dream—”

“What are you talking about? Wake up!”

Lucy felt someone rocked her body with one hand, waking her up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Lance sitting. He was alive and well with his face full of concern.

“Lance?” she muttered without thinking. “Is this real—?”

An explosion happened near them because of Satanachia’s wind magic, answering Lucy’s question; it’s not a dream. Lucy immediately hugged Lance, crying on his chest.

“I thought I lost y—!”

Lance removed her hug and stared at her.

“We don’t have time for this!” he said seriously.

“Lance—?”

“Stay here!” he said as he stood. “I will help Malus!”

“B-But—”

“I said stay!”

“Ah—”

Lance took his fallen azoth dagger and hurried, standing next to Malus to face Satanachia.

“Oh?” Satanachia said to Lance. “You feel different. Almost unnatural.”

“Congratulations. Looks like you’ve saved your fiancee,” Malus said sarcastically to Lance. “How’s your trip to the deceased land?”

“I have no recollection of that.”

“Heh!” Satanachia smirked. “Don’t worry. Both of you will go there!” Satanachia pointed forward. “Pruflas!”

Pruflas ejected a salvo of black fireballs towards them, but Malus blocked it with a black azoth blood barrier. Malus sent Claisalabolas forward to attack Satanachia, giving them time to plan their moves.

“How do we defeat her?” Lance asked.

“It’s in flesh now, meaning we just need to deliver heavy damage, and it will die.”

“Do you have any religious items?”

“Sadly, no. Such an item would weaken my power.”

Pruflas fended off Claisalabolas, and Satanachia obliterated Claisa’s vessel.

Without her knowing, Malus sneaked a black azoth sword behind Satanachia, but Pruflas sacrificed its body to block it. The flame consumed the black liquid and destroyed the azoth, but Pruflas body got split into two, killing Pruflas’ vessel.

Satanachia pointed forward and muttered, “Devil Wind Advent: Zebul!”

The suffocating sharp wind blast, shaped like a horned demon, appeared, speeding towards them. The ground turned to dust when the wind passed, including the black azoth and Lance’s fallen dagger earlier.

“Malus!” Lance said. “Use your black flame magic!”

“Don’t need to tell me to, idiot!” Malus placed two level 6 sigil in front of him. “Twin Inferno Pyro Blast!”

The black flame balls each launched to the wind and Satanachia.

“Fool,” Satanachia muttered with a grin.

The demon wind phased through the flame, and Satanachia stepped aside.

“The hell?!” Malus blurted.

Both Malus and Lance split ways and ran, avoiding the wind. Satanachia moved her finger, and the demon wind followed Malus.

Lance ran towards Satanachia, ready to pierce her with his dagger. Satanachia pointed with another hand, and a strong wind gust appeared. Lance moved sharply and threw the dagger to Satanachia’s blind spot.

“Got it!” he thought.

Satanachia had not enough time to reach, and the dagger stabbed her neck.

“Argh!” Satanachia lost her concentration, ending the magic. She pulled the dagger out of her neck and healed her wound. “Son of a—!”

She coated the azoth dagger with sharp wind magic and threw it to Lance. Lance moved, avoiding, but the dagger was faster. The dagger pierced through Lance’s shoulder like a bullet, leaving a hole with the size of a bottlecap there.

“Lance!!!” Lucy shouted as she was about to run.

“Don’t come closer!” Lance said aloud, holding the pain.

Lance stood despite the wound he received and moved back, standing next to Malus. Lance healed the surface wound and took the stuck dagger in the fence. The blade was cracked and almost shattered from the force, meaning the dagger was now useless.

“Got another plan?” Lance asked.

“Let’s plan on how not to die first,” Malus answered. “Unless you have a better one.”

“Fortunately, I have.”

Lance told his plan to Malus as fast and quietly as he could, not wanting Satanachia to hear.

“Fine,” Malus said as he immediately placed a level 2 magic on the ground in front of them, summoning a black thick volcanic cloud, obscuring Satanachia’s view.

“Running away? Cowards!” Satanachia said as she was about to clear the smoke, but from behind the smoke, a black wedge appeared, speeding towards Satanachia.

“Heh,” Satanachia thought as she was about to move. “They think they could hit—”

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her neck, on the spot where Lance’s dagger pierced her. There was a serious rash, akin to skin necrosis.

She lost her focus, allowing the wedge to pierce her chest.

“Since when?!” She later remembered when Lance threw the dagger before; Lance transmitted a vitae sigil on the dagger, and when the dagger stabbed her neck, he left the sigil there.

“Bastard…” she muttered as she immediately pulled the black azoth wedge out, damaging her hand and chest slightly in the process. She healed her wound and blasted the remaining ash away, but only Malus remained there; both Lucy and Lance were nowhere.

“So,” Satanachia said. “You’re sacrificing yourself to let them both escape?”

Malus said nothing as he controlled the wedge, launching it to Satanachia, but she burned it with black flame magic. She continued and launched the black flame to Malus, but Malus conjured a black cyclone and dark aqua pump to repel and attack her back.

Satanachia opened a rift in front of her to send the attack away, but strangely, the rift stayed, confusing her. Amid her confusion, Lance and Lucy appeared from the rift in front of her. They held a cross-shaped azoth, placing it on Satanachia’s forehead.

“Argh!!!” Satanachia screamed aloud with her voice distorted and mixed between a beast and Gina’s voice. Black and red aura came out from her body, staying on her back.

They felt a powerful shock wave from Gina, almost knocking them back.

“Lucy! Don’t stop!” Lance said as he put all of his strength, but the wind force proved to be stronger than both of them after.

They both got launched back far enough; the wind sent the azoth cross out from the rooftop.

“Did we do it?” Lucy said as they looked at Satanachia; she didn’t move an inch with her head down.

“Where?” the voice of Gina came out after a slight silence.

“Gina!” Lucy called aloud as she stood, but Lance held her back; he sensed something wrong.

“Lucy?” Gina raised her head; her left eye was normal, but her right stayed the same. “Where am I? What am I doing—?”

Satanachia reentered Gina’s body as her voice became distorted.

“L-Lucy!” Gina said before losing her consciousness again. “You have to—Agh!!!” She held her head in agony. “I-I-It’s trying to—AAAAAGH!!!”

The beastly, demonic howl sent shivers down to everyone’s spine. Gina’s eyes were bloodshot red; her body changed into more monstrous-looking, with sharp, canine teeth protruding out of her mouth.

“You failed me, Lucy,” the distorted voice of Gina said. “You did this to me… It’s all your fault. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. Die. Die. Die. Die! DIE!!!”

“Looks like the plan failed,” Lance said.

“Return Gina at once!” Lucy said aloud to Satanachia.

Gina seemed unconscious with her eyes white. Satanachia’s spirit manifested behind Gina, appearing as a shadowy, skeletal red creature carrying blue flames.

“Return you say?” Satanachia said with a sinister voice. “She and I share a mind and emotion, meaning I’m not in full control of her actions. Don’t you know what does that means, Lucy? She hates you; She despises you. Your very existence is a bane to her!”

“Gina…” Lucy looked down, clenching her fists. “Is that what you really think of me?”

The spirit returned inside Gina and continued talking as her eyes went bloodshot red.

“I have to study and work hard… I have to listen and pay attention to the slightest of details… I have to stay awake all night practicing and learning while you sleep like an inbred pig! I abide by the rules and regulations while you do everything the way you want… nevertheless, you are the sage while I rot in magus rank forever! I’m sick of you…! Just die already, whore!!!”

Gina stretched both arms forward, launching shock waves enough to blast the three. Lucy used her spear to project a low level magic to decrease the blast on her.

Both Lance and Malus hit the fence hard, causing Malus to be unconscious.

“Argh…” Lance held the pain on his back and noticed Malus was unconscious from the impact and the lack of energy.

Lance borrowed Malus’ scepter and moved forward; Gina was dashing forward with a wind sword in her hand, ready to stab Lucy, but Lance hurried, and their weapons clashed.

The wind blade was too sharp, enough to cut through Malus’ scepter in less than a second, but Lance moved back, only receiving a shallow wound on his chest.

Lucy enhanced her spear with light and lightning magic and threw it to Gina. The speed was enough to catch her off guard, staggering her before she could strike Lance down.

Lance poured the black azoth on his hand and moved back to Lucy.

“Lance?” Lucy said, surprised. “What are you—?”

Lucy noticed the black goo got separated on Lance’s hand on contact. Now, there was only pure liquid azoth on his hand.

“How?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t know it either,” he claimed. “I just… It was just natural to me.”

Lance poured some to Lucy’s hand, and she used it for the azoth for reagents to heal their surface wounds. Lucy used some to cast a level 3 sigil to Gina.

“Lesser Frozen Lamentation Cocytus!” Lucy said, and the sigil launched ice spikes and cold wind towards Gina. The range was wide enough to give her a hard time.

“Can you change this azoth to concrete?” he asked.

“I can’t. I haven’t mastered the transmutation completely to change it to another state of matter.”

Lance looked at Lucy’s hand and poured some pure azoth there.

“Lance?” Lucy looked clueless, but Lance grasped her hand.

“Activate your transmutation. Try to shape it into an azoth blade!”

Lucy had no time to ask and did what Lance told her. They both focused and formed an azoth dagger, surprising Lucy.

“Did we—?”

“You can think later,” Lance said. “I have a plan for this. Listen!”

Lance told Lucy a brief plan before Gina destroyed the ice magic completely and went after them.

Lance and Lucy threw the azoth, and it disappeared into thin air. Lucy enhanced Lance’s azoth dagger with light magic, and Lance moved forward face to face with Gina.

“Nuisance!” Gina thought furiously as she created a sharp wind blade against Lance. Lance’s sluggish movements caused him to get injured but managed to minimize the damage he took and counter-attacked.

Gina, enraged, created two blades and rushed forward, pushing Lance back and deeply wounding him in his arms. Lance moved back, and Gina pursued.

“How much longer, Lux?!” Lance asked aloud.

“Give me a minute!”

“So, he is stalling to give Lucy time to cast powerful magic, hm? As if I’m letting them!” Gina thought as she pointed forward, summoning a demonic wind towards Lance. “Devil Wind Advent: Zebul!”

“What do we do?” Lucy asked as she healed the deep wounds on him.

“Carry on!” Lance replied as he ran away, trying to find her weak spot.

“He must be aiming like before.” Gina thought as she prepared herself and focused solely on Lance.

Lance made an unnaturally sharp turn, avoiding and outrunning the wind, and charged to her.

“Impossible!” Gina thought after seeing him, but she noticed the speed-enhancement sigils on Lance’s feet placed by Lucy when she healed him.

Gina forced the wind to follow Lance as she prepared a wind blade on her hand to defend herself.

“This decides everything!” Lance thought. “I can’t fail!”

Lance jumped with his enhanced dagger, and Gina prepared to strike back. In a blink, Lance passed Gina with the dagger stuck in Gina’s chest.

After a second, Lance fell to the ground with his wounds reopened. Gina pulled the dagger from her chest and looked at Lance with the wind catching up to him.

“It’s over,” she said, but Lance smirked.

“Now!” Lance shouted.

An electric sphere appeared surrounding Gina, electrocuting her.

“Argh—!!!” Gina screamed in pain as the demon wind disappeared. “H-How… How is this possible—?!”

Gina noticed the sphere surrounding her; it was made of azoth gas.

When Lance threw the azoth into the air, with Lucy’s help to control transmutation and Lance’s ability to change it into another state of matter, it turned into gas; an ionized gas or ‘plasma’. The demon wind earlier messed the formation, so Lance became a decoy to bring the wind along with the gas with him, helping and giving Lucy time to reconstruct it into a sphere surrounding Gina.

Gina noticed the dagger from Lance; a lightning sigil was imbued there, and when the time was right, Lucy activated it, resonating with the electricity inside the plasma and the azoth’s ability to conduct the lightning magic.

“To think such—AAARGH!!!”

The azoth dagger exploded after ten seconds from overcharging, the plasma azoth got consumed and returned to gas, and Gina fell to the ground, weakened.

Lance was about to finish her, but Lucy sat in front of her.

“K-Kill me,” Gina asked Lucy, but Lucy hugged her, placing her head on Lucy’s breast right on the rosary’s cross as Lucy healed Gina’s wound to a normal state.

“I’m sorry, Gina,” Lucy said as she closed her eyes, crying. “I’m sorry. I never considered your feelings. I’m too ignorant and egoistic as a friend.”

Satanachia’s influence and demonic form on her rapidly ceased as Gina could think and speak normally. Her appearances didn’t return to normal, except for her eyes, meaning her whitened hair and red markings were permanent.

Gina teared as she hugged Lucy back.

“It’s not your fault, Lucy,” she said.

“But, you hate me—”

“I indeed hated you, but now it’s different. I had those thoughts when I met for the first time, but after knowing and getting closer to you, my views changed drastically. You did your best for me, Lux. You went through all these troubles for me. For me, you are my best friend—”

“Aww, Ginaaaa!” Lucy became hysteric with the mood lightened as she embraced tighter. “Don’t die—!” Inside Lucy’s heart, she was grateful to hear such words from Gina.

“H-Hey! I’m not dying! Don’t get the wrong idea—!”

Lucy didn’t hear her words because her crying was louder.

After a while, Malus woke up, but before he could attack Gina out of misunderstandings, Lance explained it all. The four healed themselves with elixirs and tonics they could find in Lance’s room.

After Malus regained enough, he was about to leave.

“Where are you going?” Lucy asked.

“None of your business,” he replied, but Lance stood and held his shoulder.

“Don’t be foolish,” he said. “It’s dangerous out there, and you want to go alone? You are in no condition to fight.”

“I have to help my father.”

“General Draco?” Lance said. “What’s happening?”

“He and Professor Harvey are after the exiled families’ leader.”

“I’m going with you!” Lucy said as she stood. “I have to stop him!”

“You need to rest, Lux!” Lance said.

“I have rested,” she said as she took her spear. “Sorry Lance, I can’t just sit down while my father faces such a dangerous person. You take care of Gina!”

“Wait,” Gina said. “I’m coming with you too, Lucy.”

“Great,” Malus thought, infuriated. “The more the merrier.”

“Do what you want,” he said, leaving. “Don’t blame me if you are among the dead.”

Lance had no choice but to come too. They were all outside, seeing other big concrete barriers on the field where the students and professors were fending off the exiled families’ attacks.

They entered the academy’s main building, descending the stairs. Malus could know the way, seeing from the traces his father left behind. On their way, Lance seemed concerned about himself, causing Lucy to worry.