Unshaken Resolve

With complete honesty, all he wanted was to pick up the loop covered in dirt and shove it into his mouth immediately.

Falcoa sank his teeth into his own forearm without hesitation.

As he greedily tore into his flesh, a wet, sucking sound echoed. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed, and dark red blood dripped down in thick rivulets.

Gradually, his eyes regained focus, and at last, the full spark of life returned to them.

With a violent shake, he lowered his arm and bared his blood-smeared mouth in a savage grin, stretching it wide like a wild beast before letting out a thunderous roar.

"Kruuuuhh!"

Tess kept glancing back. Amy, who had been left behind on the battlefield, lingered in his mind.

'Is this plan really okay?'

Even if a gunner's firepower was inferior to that of a mage, they still possessed physical abilities on par with swordsmen.

'Mages are high-value assets. But...'

It was a mistake to assume Schema users feared magic like ordinary people did.

While magic concentrated on specific phenomena, Schema enhanced every aspect of physical activity.

Even a simple increase in strength drastically expanded the range of available tactics.

Wielding heavy weapons, scaling sheer cliffs hundreds of meters high, running as fast as a horse, and leaping between buildings—all of it became possible.

To such individuals, magic was merely an obstacle, not something to be feared.

'Amy is a Schema user too, but those people are on a different level. They're seasoned veterans with real battle experience.'

Shirone, running alongside him, spoke up.

"Tess, don't worry too much. Amy will handle it."

"I can't help but worry. Leaving her alone doesn't sit right with me. At the very least, I should have stayed behind."

That wasn't an option because Falcoa was still with the Parrot Mercenaries.

Sure, Rian possessed strength comparable to a Schema user, but in order to deal with Falcoa effectively, Tess had to be there as well.

'He must know that already.'

The one most concerned about Amy was undoubtedly Shirone.

Even a flicker of unease in his gaze could affect the team's morale. Realizing his mistake, Tess took a deep breath and apologized.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine. Amy didn't stay behind to sacrifice herself. She let us go because she's confident she can handle it. Mages are trained to account for all possible variables, but in long-range combat, Amy is unmatched."

Sometimes, worrying about a comrade's safety was more distracting than the fight itself, but Shirone remained unwavering.

Was this just his innate kindness? Or was it the mindset every mage was supposed to have?

'They're truly great friends...'

For the first time, Tess understood why mages were often labeled as cold-hearted.

Rian pointed forward.

"Shirone, we're here."

The terrain leveled out, and beyond the cliffs, the ocean stretched far and wide.

Shirone spotted a brick house rising above the treetops, standing taller than the cliff itself.

'Yuna must be there...'

Then, shifting his gaze, he saw a familiar figure standing in the middle of the forest path.

"Falcoa."

Tess narrowed his eyes slightly.

'Something's different.'

It wasn't just the blood on his mouth.

If the Falcoa they met in the tavern was a rabid stray dog, this one was like a battle-hardened warhound, no longer foaming at the mouth but just as deadly.

'He's still the same beast, but...'

This was likely the Falcoa from the days when the Parrot Mercenaries thrived.

Falcoa grinned, his lips stretching unnaturally wide.

"Heh, knew you'd come. Freeman are always predictable. The captain was right. The girl you're looking for is in that building. Go ahead, try and take her."

He turned sideways as if to let them pass, but none of them moved.

Tess quickly realized something—Amy's decision to fight alone had been the correct one.

"He's trying to throw us off. Rian and I will handle this. Shirone, go rescue the hostage."

Seeing Shirone nod without hesitation, Tess suddenly understood Amy's perspective.

'He's not cold-hearted at all.'

For all the tactical reasoning, mages were bound by strong camaraderie deep inside.

"I'll be back soon."

With just those words, Shirone cast his teleportation spell and vanished into the forest.

Falcoa didn't chase him.

Not only was it impossible, but it wasn't necessary.

'Kid, all that's waiting for you is hell.'

Marsha was waiting.

Falcoa had completed his assigned task. Now, he could finally indulge himself.

"Heh, time for a little bloodletting."

Sensing the killing intent, Tess turned to Rian.

"He's a Schema user. We don't know what tricks he has up his sleeve. I'll hold him off—you take the shot."

"No. I'll block, and you attack."

"Idiot, how? It's not about doubting your strength, but without understanding Schema, you'll be caught off guard."

"That's exactly why I'm doing it."

"What?"

"We're not fighting just to survive—we're fighting to win. If you block, we'll only buy time. We need to end this. I'll stop him. You finish him off."

"..."

Tess swallowed hard.

'He's right.'

No matter how strong a shield was, if the sword was weak, they couldn't win the war.

Even if it meant losing an arm, they had to strike.

Tess asked, "His Schema isn't at a trainee's level. Are you sure you can endure it?"

"If I can't, then we lose."

Rian raised his greatsword and stepped forward, while Tess shifted to Falcoa's blind spot.

Falcoa scoffed.

"Hah! At least you've studied formations. But tell me, brat—do you really think you can stop me?"

Rian held his ground, gripping his greatsword tightly.

"Come. I'll take you on."

Before he even finished speaking, Falcoa lunged at an inhuman speed, bringing his sword down on Rian's skull.

"Khahaha!"

Rian barely twisted his blade in time to block.

The impact rattled his bones, as if he had been struck by a hammer rather than a sword.

"What's wrong? Ready to die already?"

Before Rian could react, Falcoa's blade rained down in a relentless barrage.

"Urgh!"

All Rian could do was raise his arms to brace against the onslaught.

Falcoa bellowed and swung wildly.

"Uaaaah! Uaaaah!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the crushing blows forced Rian to his knees, Falcoa drove his foot into his midsection.

"Rian!"

Tess shouted, but he couldn't break formation.

However, contrary to expectations, Rian rolled to the ground and sprang back up.

"Hahh..."

Falcoa's brow twitched.

His previous strike should have incapacitated him. It wasn't just physical endurance—it was something more.

Rian smirked, wincing from the pain.

"So that's how strong you are?"

Seeing Falcoa's twisted expression, Rian raised his greatsword with renewed vigor.

"Good. Come at me as much as you want."

Falcoa's grin stretched wide, his face distorting like a demon of the battlefield.

"Heh, I'll tear you apart!"