Tears streamed from her emerald-green eyes… tears that became a final, desperate act. Granger gritted his teeth and invoked his newly finished chant.
"Sacred lance… shatter the bindings... Rhongomyniad!!!"
A brilliant flash of light erupted. The few seconds it lasted felt like an eternity. As the beam faded, Ryoka found her friend collapsed on the bathroom floor. Without a second thought, she ran, scooped Hikari into her arms, and carried her away.
As Granger run, Hikari began to stir. Still mostly asleep, Ryoka urged her, "Hikari, hang in there! I'll stop soon..."
After several minutes of a long and exhausting sprint, she propped her friend against the wall of an ancient, crumbling ruin.
Exhausted, Ryoka sat gasping for air, looking up at the sky which was just beginning to darken. The orange hues meant the sun's final minutes were slipping away.
I have to do something... If I don't... Aka Hikari will die without even a chance to defend herself...
Despite the quiet tears falling from her face at the thought of the terrible confrontation to come... she stood up with an idea in mind.
"Hikari! Wake up! I need you... Wake up!"
"Granger... Ryo... ka..." Hikari managed, struggling to breathe.
"Aka Hikari! Perform a binding ritual with me. I'll stand guard. You'll use a Command Seal to grant me mana, so I can drive off that Infernal Saint."
"Not this again... Friend... Fairy tales..."
"This isn't a fairy tale! You saw it yourself, you could have died or worse! Stop being so stubborn, damn it!"
The colors around them seemed to grow warmer, the orange once again dominating the ruins.
Turning her head slightly, Ryoka spat, "You damned witch! Even if I die here, I swear to Aka Hikari and to my own reincarnation... I will die with honor, protecting my most precious person!"
Granger Ryoka revealed her massive, intricately detailed scythe, gripping it firmly. The Infernal Saint drew her sword, planting her large flag into the grass and staring back with immense confidence and mockery.
"Witch? Infernal Saint? Hmmm... Call me whatever you want. Regardless of the name, the result will be the same... Death awaits you!"
The Saint's advance was fervent. With each light step, the grass could be heard burning. Her sword became coated in flames, and she pointed it, unleashing a wave of fire. A swift cut from Granger's scythe extinguished it.
Charging the enemy, Ryoka leaped into a spinning slash imbued with holy light. The Witch blocked the attack with her sword and, staring back dismissively, said, "Too weak!" With her left hand, she conjured a fireball and hurled it.
Ryoka was thrown against a tree, landing seated near Hikari, who was still barely conscious.
"Are you ready to burn amidst the flames?"
"This is the howl of a hate-filled soul! La Grondement Du Haine!"
The sky, once orange from the sunset, darkened. The icy winds that seemed to come from a glacier became as hot as a forge.
The flames gathered on the Saint's sword were hurled at the two. In that same instant, the pillar of fire crystallized, transforming into a massive arrow of ice that shot back at the Saint.
"Huh? Damn... Who did that?" she stammered, staggering back with a bleeding, pierced stomach.
A maiden, even from a distance, emanated a freezing aura, as cold as Siberia. Her large, snow-toned dress seemed to bring winter early, speckling the lawn with snowflakes.
In the wind, her long hair fluttered in cool shades. Her chilling gaze made the Saint nervous, filled with utter contempt.
"Good evening... My master wished for me to assist..."
Just behind her, a young woman in a jacket commonly worn in far northern countries, chided her servant, "I know you're the quiet type, but show a little more spirit..."
Recognizing her, Granger responded with excitement, "Celina! Thank you for coming!"
"Wretch! I'll ruin your shitty little face...!"
"Anastasia, restrain Jeanne D'Arc and take care of her. I'll check on Aka," Celina ordered. Anastasia simply froze the Saint from head to toe, leaving her immobile.
"Hikari! What happened to Hikari, Gray?"
"She's short of breath... She was in the bathroom when the restaurant went up; it was so fast..."
"Right, I'll try to perform first aid. Meanwhile, you perform the Master-Servant binding ritual. She needs to be able to defend herself."
"Yes, Celina!"
Focusing, Gray knelt before Hikari, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began her prayer:
"I answer the call of the Grail. I shall obey your wishes… I swear… to accomplish all good in the world. To defeat all evil in the world. O, seventh heaven, clad in thy mighty trinity, release me from this circle of bondage, Guardian of the Balance!"
A magical circle bloomed beneath them, but the circle's code collapsed, creating a rift next to Gray and her friend, pulling them through.
And then, silence prevailed.