“Let’s return to the temple first and then head to Bielina Sanctuary. That’s the fastest option given the situation,” a holy knight proposed.
The last known location of Mikael’s pursuit team was near Bielina Sanctuary.
Rather than rushing east from Aide Hill, as the knight suggested, passing through the temple would be more efficient.
With unanimous agreement, Talos immediately drew a return teleportation circle to the temple.
Rita supplemented the mana he lacked due to the recent battle.
The temple was initially puzzled by the return of Rita’s pursuit team but offered full support after being briefed on the situation.
“Please, we cannot lose Saint Mikael here,” the Pope and cardinals pleaded with earnest gazes, as they remained to hold the fort.
With that, Rita’s pursuit team teleported to Bielina Sanctuary in the east.
***
“What a mess,” a holy knight muttered despondently, recalling the sanctuary’s former glory.
Despite the daylight, the atmosphere was grim.
Bielina Sanctuary’s structures were half-destroyed, the once-pristine forest was crushed in patches, and the blood-soaked ground was littered with unidentifiable footprints.
The clear traces of the enemy’s rampage left the priests and knights pale.
Rita, too, felt disheartened by the scene, which had grown even more horrific overnight.
Floria, resting a hand on a tree trunk, shook her head grimly.
“The forest’s life seems dead, swept away by corrupted black mana.”
“We have no choice but to follow the tracks,” Eilin said, taking the lead after surveying the area.
The group silently followed.
“There’s something ahead…”
After about twenty minutes of relentless southward movement, small insect-like beasts began to appear one by one.
Their size and movements suggested they were stragglers from the main horde, but caution was paramount.
“Stay close around the holy knights and don’t scatter.
Mages, keep watch on all sides,” Rita ordered.
Her team maintained a tight formation, systematically eliminating the beasts they encountered.
After some time, they came across the corpses of slain creatures.
“We’re getting close to the Saint’s pursuit team. From here, we’ll likely face more of them, so stay vigilant.”
As the number of beasts increased, the group’s expressions darkened.
Based on the last communication, Mikael’s team was likely surrounded, and they were willingly entering a forest teeming with enemies.
“I hear… something!” a sharp-eared priest pointed in a direction.
Rita halted her steps and breathing, straining her ears.
As the priest claimed, faint cries, clashing blades, and other sounds carried on the wind.
Eilin and the elder mages nodded slowly in confirmation, then rushed toward the source without hesitation.
“Sir Valery!”
In the ravaged forest, they found Valery Gainer, a knight of Lagos Kingdom’s highest caliber and part of Mikael’s pursuit team.
His auburn hair was drenched in blood, yet despite being over sixty, the supreme-rank knight wielded his sword with vigor against the onslaught of beasts.
“Mage Tower…!”
Valery, having just gutted a small insect beast, widened his eyes upon seeing the reinforcements.
Eilin and Floria quickly fired arrows to drive back the gathering creatures, while Talos unleashed flames to protect Valery.
Finally catching a moment to breathe, Valery collapsed to his knees, panting, but his eyes burned fiercely as he grabbed Torgo by the collar.
“Princess… Save Princess Sercia!”
“Sir Valery, please calm down and let us treat you—”
“Save Princess Sercia now!”
Valery’s ferocious shout silenced Torgo, who shrank back.
As a scion of a prestigious noble family, Valery easily intimidated the elder mages, who were accustomed to groveling before aristocrats.
Only the Children of the Forest and Rita remained unfazed by his commanding presence.
“I’ll go. Which direction did the others head?” Rita asked.
“Southwest from here…”
Valery, gasping for breath, recognized Rita and answered with difficulty.
He’d heard of the young Mage Tower mage who recently reached supreme rank.
Though he didn’t fully trust her due to their unfamiliarity, she seemed far more reliable than the spineless elders obsessed with status.
“I’ll move ahead. Follow slowly,” Rita said.
Valery had no major injuries but was physically exhausted.
With a glance to the priests, she swiftly turned.
“Creation Woven from Dreams.”
A massive eagle appeared, and Rita nimbly climbed onto its talons.
Eilin tried to warn her of the danger, but Rita waved him off reassuringly.
It was ironic—strangers like Eilin, whom she barely knew, showed more concern for her safety than the mentor she’d trusted for over a decade.
With a bitter smirk, Rita noted the elder mages’ fascination with her intricately summoned eagle rather than her well-being.
Swallowing her disdain, she scanned the ground below.
The forest canopy not far off was shaking ominously.
Narrowing her eyes, Rita focused and spotted insect-like beasts scuttling on all fours, chasing something through the collapsing trees.
Her gaze swept the area, soon landing on a group entering a clearing nearby.
“Found them.”
She recognized the temple’s robes, silver armor, and the distinct figures of priests, holy knights, and Lagos Kingdom’s royal guards.
Some were recognizable even from a distance, but their numbers were far fewer than what she’d seen before departing.
Clicking her tongue, Rita muttered, “Those missing are likely dead.”
Redirecting her eagle, she descended, stirring the low forest.
Pointing her staff at the beasts pursuing Mikael’s group, she cast, “Purgatory’s Covering Flames.”
Crimson flames surged like a tidal wave, engulfing the ravaged forest.
The fire roared upward, incinerating the trapped beasts.
Though their attributes varied, their origin—Baal, a wind-attributed fragment—made them vulnerable to fire, a weakness Rita had deduced through observation.
Targeting a fragment’s elemental weakness seemed a viable strategy for all but the most resilient beasts.
Having cleared the ground of clustered enemies from the air, Rita leapt onto a nearby tree.
Only then did Mikael’s group notice their savior.
Those cowering from the sudden flames now wore relieved expressions, with Mikael and Sercia visibly elated at Rita’s arrival.
“Lady Rita!” Mikael called.
“Sir Rita!” Sercia added.
Landing on the ground, Rita briefly gave Sercia an odd look.
The princess, with her water-blue hair and steadfast blue eyes, treated everyone as equals, addressing them as “Sir” regardless of status, except for the king.
Nobles mocked her as a muscle-headed, ignorant princess, but the common folk adored her for it.
Sercia was one of the few nobles Rita genuinely liked—until her fateful decision in the previous timeline.
Rita recalled yesterday’s meeting, where Sercia argued passionately with Valery that Rita, as the first archmage under her dynasty, deserved a noble title.
Such titles were typically reserved for knights with significant achievements, so Valery opposed the idea firmly, leaving Rita in an awkward position.
True to her nature, Sercia was determined and had been treating Rita as near-nobility since.
Even Talos, in her past life, had received a barony for being an archmage.
Hiding her mild annoyance, Rita bowed in greeting.
A quick glance showed few injuries among the group; they’d likely been running without the strength to fight back.
“Thank you, Sir Rita. You saved us,” Sercia said.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Sir Valery is unharmed but exhausted, so I came ahead,” Rita replied.
“Oh, thank goodness! If I’d lost Sir Valery too…”
Sercia sank to the ground in relief at the news of her godfather’s safety.
Rita wanted to ask what had happened but had no time.
The thick, corrupted mana in the air made her scowl.
“We need to deal with the remaining beasts. Princess, can you fight?”
“No problem.”
Sercia smiled, drawing her sword from her waist.
The Blade of Lagos gleamed with a chilling blue edge.
“With reliable reinforcements here, I won’t run anymore.”
Her steadfast blue eyes turned cold, locking onto the approaching beasts.
As a multi-legged creature burst through the foliage, Sercia sprang forward like lightning, her precise and powerful strikes slicing through it mercilessly.
Raised among palace knights, Sercia’s swordsmanship relied on raw strength and reflexes rather than refined technique, resembling a free-spirited mercenary.
Considering her perfect physique and overwhelming power, it suited her.
Known for her monstrous strength, Sercia’s muscular arms and legs surpassed even seasoned warriors.
Despite no mixed heritage in the current dynasty, she was born with extraordinary power, and no one had bested her in strength since she reached supreme rank at twenty.
Noticing Rita’s gaze, Sercia flashed a light smile before unleashing her sword aura, carving massive crescents that shredded everything in their path with deafening force.
Rita inwardly clicked her tongue, thinking the Children of the Forest would cringe at the devastated forest.
But helping Sercia took priority over worrying about the trees.
“Crimson Light of Annihilation.”
As larger sub-adult beasts swarmed, Rita’s gestures quickened.
The situation soon stabilized as Mikael, having healed his injured allies, joined the fray.
With Sercia and Mikael holding the front, Rita could easily target the beasts’ vital points.
Ten minutes later, the rest of her team caught up.
“Princess! Are you safe?!” Torgo called.
“Sir Valery! I was worried!” Sercia responded.
“Let’s clean up and move out,” Eilin said, leading by example.
His arrows, like giant spears, halted the advancing beasts.
Floria joined in, followed by the panting Mage Tower mages.
After a grueling battle, Torgo collapsed, muttering, “What a horrific day.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, but Rita disagreed silently.
The war is just beginning.
Each day, each hour, the fragments will multiply endlessly, and the battles will grow harder.
We need to spread their weaknesses to improve our efficiency.
Scanning the supreme-rank fighters, Rita noted their individual prowess and decent coordination, but their ignorance of the beasts’ vital points was a problem.
Her gaze settled on Mikael, who was speaking with Sercia.
Even if it means being stoned for colluding with monsters, it’s time to reveal the truth.