They had underestimated the two of them far too much. They thought that once the fight became serious, they would win—but they were wrong. So the only choice left was to work as a team. Something they were very good at, and that had saved them many times in the past.
"Kharos, let's move."
"Yes… sister."
Seeing a shadow approaching, they spotted Incandis descending through the air, her four wings generating four fire cyclones toward them. When hit, they were pushed back several meters. Kharos lifted his head and a series of bodies cushioned their fall.
"Water Guardian."
Myrris touched Kharos' shoulder and then her own chest. A barrier formed around them, increasing their defense and enhancing their magic. Kharos did something similar, creating a magic circle around both of them, boosting their magical and physical attributes.
"Eruption."
Valença raised her left hand into the air. The ground beneath the two exploded into lava like a volcano erupting. Myrris moved backward while Kharos positioned himself in front of Enrico, preventing him from approaching her.
With sharp eyes, Myrris formed a droplet of water behind Valença and switched places with it. Appearing behind the fire mage, she slashed Valença's back with a blade of water. Surprised but enduring the pain, Valença swung her staff backward, coating it in flames. The staff struck the creature's face, sending her to the right.
"War… Charge."
An even heavier armor combining earth magic and Necroterra wrapped around Kharos' body. A larger horn appeared at the tip of his nose like a rhinoceros. Using the massive amount of magic in his body, he launched a surprise rush, striking Enrico in the stomach.
Upon impact, Enrico stayed in place and grabbed his opponent's horns. His lips were bleeding, but he showed no great expression of pain—at most, a bead of sweat on his forehead. Kharos realized he was about to be lifted and cast a spell to increase his weight.
"Five hundred thousand tons."
The weight Kharos placed on himself was the maximum he could manage, and it would be impossible for a normal sixth-circle mage to lift him through brute force. The only problem was that Enrico was not a normal sixth-circle mage.
Straining his arms even more, Enrico lifted Kharos into the air and threw him upward about three meters—mainly because he didn't want to send him too far. With a forward leap, he activated the main power of the Crimson Shell.
"Release."
Since the Crimson Shell had been gathering energy for quite some time since the fight began, the release of fire mana was extremely powerful, shattering his opponent's armor and causing significant damage to his chest, leaving him bleeding slightly.
"Piercing Shot."
Preparing his ego bow to fire at the damaged spot, he was about to shoot. Before he could, Myrris appeared behind him and kicked his head, sending him to the left. A punch followed, but Enrico managed to block it. Meanwhile, Valença appeared behind Kharos.
'Since she turned her back on me to protect him, then he becomes my opponent again.'
"NO!"
Valença hurled a fireball at Kharos' back while Myrris looked worried. Feeling her fist ache, she sensed her hand being crushed by the strength Enrico applied. Rising up, he punched her chin, lifting her into the air without letting go and preparing another strike.
"Sister…"
When Kharos fell to the ground, he used earth magic to control the soil beneath Enrico. A hole opened under him, causing him to lose balance for a moment. Taking advantage of that instant, Myrris created her water whip and struck Enrico's face.
'Good, I hit him.'
With the blow landing, she thought he would let go—but he held firm, giving Valença time to unleash a devastating fire hurricane into Myrris' stomach, sending her flying. The fight had finally become the team battle it should have been from the beginning, if the two creatures hadn't underestimated them.
"Mom, I'll heal you."
Incandis was behind Valença, using some fire magic to heal her wounded back. Enrico slowly approached her while their two opponents created a combined shield around themselves. It seemed they were about to launch an attack that fused their affinities.
"Looks like they're going to combine attacks."
"Should we do the same, Enrico?"
"…From what I can see, you're close to awakening your unique ability. Probably because of that prideful clash you had."
Valença realized she truly felt something different in her body. Something was about to awaken, but something was still missing. Just as he mentioned, it was largely due to her clash with Kharos. She didn't want to admit it, but her mana had dropped to half because of that struggle, and it had taken time to end it.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"I'll endure the first part of their attack. I want you to use that spell I mentioned."
"But won't it be dangerous for you?"
Enrico raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious it wouldn't be. It could be dangerous, yes—but as long as he stayed beside her, nothing would happen. Understanding his expression, she lightly touched his hand and prepared to launch the attack she had used in the forest before entering the lake. Incandis approached him and began healing the wounds on his body.
'What are they planning?'
Myrris had her hand on Kharos' back. She was transferring her affinity and magic to him temporarily—a unique ability their lord had granted them at birth called Sibling Transfer.
"I don't know what they're planning, brother. So unleash everything you have and knock them down."
"Right, sister."
At the center of Kharos' mouth, he gathered both his earth affinity and his Necroterra affinity. Behind them, water affinity fused with the two, forming a very dark green color mixed with black and swampy tones. With the spell ready, he sank halfway into the ground, merging with the earth so he wouldn't be pushed back.
"Roar of the Dead Earth."
He opened his mouth fully the moment the shield protecting them lowered. The attack made the entire enormous zone tremble—even beyond it. Enrico calmly positioned himself in front of the attack. Transferring part of the Crimson Shell from his chest to his arms, he poured mana into his palms.
'This is going to be difficult.'
The attack was literally an indirect laser heading straight toward them, the size of a one-and-a-half-meter rock. Running forward, he did something that left both creatures incredulous. He caught the attack with his hands.
"Is he insane?"
"Sister… he's an aberration."
"AAAHHH!"
Being pushed backward, he used Charged Impulse to try to endure longer. He had no barrier or attack capable of stopping it, so he relied on what he did best. Thanks to the Crimson armor and mana in his palms, he could physically hold a magical attack. The rest depended on his raw strength. Even he thought the decision was a bit foolish—but it was for Valença's evolution.
"Enrico, I'm ready."
"Already? Valença, I love you very much."
"I know that."
The Crimson Shell had only held for a few more seconds before half of it shattered, so it was a huge relief to hear she was ready. Of course, she had been that fast because she didn't want him to get too hurt. With a small, confident smile, she looked at the two sweating opponents in the distance.
"You're a strong duo—but he and I are on another level."
In her palm floated a deep orange sphere, almost blood-red. Its center was an intensely bright white. When Enrico swapped places with a fire clone behind her, Valença pointed it toward the laser coming at them. The fight was over—there was no way they could survive this.
"Nuclear Fire Sphere."
The fire sphere collided with the laser, and before the explosion, it changed. The orange vanished, turning bluish-white for an instant. A dark red aura began to pulse afterward, with thin lines of energy spinning like solar orbits around it. After a brief silence upon impact, a red flash erased everything in that zone from existence—except for the place where Valença, Enrico, and Incandis stood.