chapter 63

Minutes after Nathaniel and Aibara fled toward the town, Eskapa soldiers stormed the main headquarters, ordering an immediate evacuation. Fearful of the town becoming a battleground, the residents complied, hastily gathering meager belongings. Over three thousand soldiers guarded the borders, while others aided the townsfolk in their frantic retreat.

"Captain, only a thousand have evacuated. Many refuse to listen," a soldier reported.

The captain massaged his temples, barking orders. "The queen commands their removal, by force if necessary. Use sleeping magic if you must. The general's foe is formidable—this town could become a warzone."

As the evacuation unfolded, Nathaniel sat among the townsfolk in a carriage, watching the chaos. His mind wrestled with guilt, confiding in Melon telepathically. "Is this right? My mission is to save lives, yet I'm the one being saved."

"There's no shame in it," Melon replied. "Your energy isn't enough to fight. You borrow power from others, like a battery that depletes. Unlike others, your energy doesn't naturally replenish."

Melon proposed Nathaniel absorb the soldiers' energy to gain strength for battle, but he recoiled. "Steal their power like it's candy from their pockets? That's not what a hero does."

"Kula, the mightiest of her era, took energy from foes and allies alike to stay dominant," Melon countered. "Her greed made her legendary. It's how her power worked."

Nathaniel shook his head, rejecting the idea. "I'm not Kula. Draining them could paralyze the soldiers, leaving them defenseless."

Melon conceded that some might fall unconscious or perish, but argued Nathaniel could save more lives with greater power. "There's no fault in using your ability as it was meant to be. Accept it to become like her."

"I'm not that ruthless," Nathaniel insisted. Melon warned that his softness would keep him weak, doomed to watch others die, as he had earlier. Nathaniel stared at his hands, torn by self-doubt. Could he embrace such ruthlessness? Once chosen, there'd be no turning back.

A sudden explosion at the border shattered his thoughts. Peering out the carriage window, Nathaniel saw water-formed swordfish raining from the sky. Townsfolk scattered, screaming, as soldiers shielded them. But the swordfish overwhelmed many, piercing through defenses and cutting down soldiers one by one.

Nathaniel's heart sank. "I can't just watch," he muttered, resolve igniting. He stood, ready to leap from the carriage, but froze as three massive water sharks loomed at the exit.

Time seemed to slow as their jaws opened, lunging toward the carriage. Nathaniel summoned flames, but it was too late. A shark's teeth sank into him, shredding the carriage and devouring its occupants.

Pain seared through Nathaniel as the shark's fangs tore into his arm, refusing to release. "Nathaniel, use your power, or it'll rip your arm off!" Melon shouted.

Flames erupted across Nathaniel's body, incinerating the shark's head. He plummeted to the ground, rolling in agony. "My arm—it hurts so much!" he cried, blood pouring from his mangled limb.

"Calm down!" Melon urged. "Panic won't help. Focus your energy to stop the bleeding and heal, or you'll die!"

Gasping, Nathaniel tried to channel Aibara's healing ability, but the pain overwhelmed him. "It's too much! Melon, help me—the bleeding won't stop!"

"Your power's split, slowing the healing," Melon explained. "You have others' abilities but lack mastery over their limits and conditions. Focus, or the pain will last longer."

Nathaniel realized his divine power hadn't protected him since the attack wasn't fatal. Kneeling, wracked with pain, he watched the sharks decimate the fleeing townsfolk. "Why is this happening? I'm supposed to save them with destiny on my side, so why am I powerless?" he thought, despair mounting. "My energy's too low to heal fast. What do I do?"

A water stingray appeared, carrying the girl. She descended and approached Nathaniel, staff in hand. Fear gripped him. "She's here? Did she defeat Agane? No, that's impossible—Agane can't fall that quickly."

"What's she doing here? Is she after me to finish me off?" he wondered, heart racing.

"You, human," she said coldly. "I'll ask again—where did you get those marks on your arm?"

Her overwhelming presence crushed Nathaniel, squeezing his chest and deafening his ears. "I can't move or speak," he thought. "Is this fear, or is my body failing? Is this dark energy—or the feeling of death?"

As he knelt, a surge of energy gathered above. The girl sensed it too, turning, but a massive attack struck, shattering the ground in a deafening explosion. Nathaniel was hurled back, enveloped in the divine golden aura.

Water scattered, reforming into the girl. From the sky, Agane crashed down, shaking the earth. Dragon scales armored her skin, her tail and wings gleaming. Each wingbeat unleashed fierce winds. "I knew you weren't just any mage," Agane said. "You survived my attack effortlessly."

The girl met Agane's gaze silently, raising her staff. A magic circle materialized, summoning ten water sharks that hovered around her. With a wave, they charged Agane.

"That won't work on me," Agane scoffed, punching the air. A wind strike pierced a shark's body, and she continued, obliterating each one before they reached her.

Lowering her staff, the girl paused her assault, her voice flat. "You escaped my water dome and shrugged off my sharks. Perhaps I shouldn't underestimate you."

Agane smirked, insulted. As a prime dragon descendant, she'd never been dismissed. Her aura surged, winds howling. "Your calm face annoys me. Facing a prime dragon, you'll feel the fear of death."

Her power spiked, alarming the girl, who raised her staff, summoning another magic circle. But Agane stomped her foot, shattering the ground. A subterranean wind attack erupted, destroying the circle before it could activate.

The girl leaped onto a water stingray, soaring upward to escape. Agane pursued, lunging with a fist ready. "You're not getting away!"

The girl summoned a giant jellyfish to shield herself, but Agane's wind-laced punch erased it like a popped bubble, slicing through nearby objects. The girl was flung back, water enveloping her to cushion the blow.

As she flew, Agane struck again, seizing the chance to inflict damage. "She's a mage," Agane thought. "If I stop her from casting, I have the advantage."

The girl's water barriers shattered under Agane's relentless wind strikes. Realizing she'd soon be hit, the girl conjured a massive aerial magic circle. Agane clapped her hands with full force, unleashing a devastating wind strike that blasted the girl from the sky.

The girl crashed to the ground, water softening her fall. But Agane didn't relent, diving down with a fist aimed at her. "Wind Blow!" The punch crushed the girl's head, but water reformed it instantly.

As the girl leaped to retreat, Agane grabbed her legs. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done." She slammed the girl into the ground, leaving a crater. Agane followed with a full-force punch, massive rock fragments rising from the impact.

"Dragon Blow!" she roared, unleashing a colossal whirlwind that ravaged the landscape.

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