“Bzzzz—” Eddie folded into a small sphere mid-air, a seed of change completing a basic transform within a tight shell.

Sais glanced up, her voice cool as moonlight. “Do all your third-tier mid-stage Magic Breakers control their transform’s force at will?”

Gill flicked Sais away with a single sword stroke. Her breath came quick like wind through reeds. Every hit from him fell like a mountain, brutal to take.

“I’ll spill your blood before my brother’s corpse, hang you up, and slice that pretty face to ribbons.

Then I’ll bury you with him, so you can ‘repay’ him after death.” Gill’s eyes burned blood-red, a beast drunk on grief.

Sais snorted, dropped the banter, and set her gaze like a drawn blade. She committed, fury whipping forward...

“Peggy! Can you hold him?” Lina watched Eddie rip across the field, pharaoh-gold flashing, his spear cold as winter bone.

Peggy tightened her silver longsword and nodded, a stone set against the tide.

“Viiing—” The spear screamed a high note. Eddie broke their line and arrowed for Lina.

Lina stayed calm, her eyes steady as a still lake.

Eddie clocked Peggy—baby-faced sweet with a wildfire body—and dismissed her.

He bounded onto the stair rail, less than five meters from Lina on the middle landing.

Silent until now, Peggy exploded into motion, flipping up above Eddie, scattering drops of crimson like falling petals.

A warm bead hit Eddie’s nose. Shock flared like a spark to powder.

“Regido—!” Peggy’s cry cracked through the hall like thunder rolling under stone.

Among the original Crimson Sun members, more than ten had reached deep under comrades’ dying cover, ringed tight like a noose.

As if on signal, they went into Magic Breaker.

“Rumble—Thud—”

“Woooo—”

Dozens of thin light pillars speared skyward, punching through the roof and raining grit and tiles.

At the same time, a brutal shockwave from the stairs shattered the whole flight into rubble.

Lina had foreseen it; mid-air she burst into a twist and vaulted aside.

“Bzzzz—”

“Woooo—”

Peggy’s thick, rough pillar pressed down on something below. That was Eddie’s Magic Breaker. He finally reacted, driving his Lawbreaking Energy at full roar.

But time was tight, and he’d transformed once already; his stamina frayed like old rope.

Peggy struck first. Her pillar lacked his might, yet it chewed his strength like a relentless tide.

Soon, their Magic Breaker Circles clashed to a finish.

“Bwooom—” The colliding circles burst, flinging a savage shockwave.

Kuso’s front line was tossed like leaves, smashing into walls. Several sailed onto the roof; no thud returned for a long breath.

But the Crimson Sunset Guild was caught too, over twenty dragged into the blast, breaths thin as smoke, more out than in.

At center field, the Crimson Sun breakers didn’t net Kuso in one sweep after all.

Kuso’s breakers answered in kind, blunting the surge—effective, but far from collapse.

Eddie’s Magic Breaker completed. A hawk-headed mask crowned him; muscle bulged like coiled cable. The spear danced, then lunged like a dragon.

Peggy’s hair turned water-blue, her eyes deep as the ocean; nothing else changed.

But her body moved beyond human. Light steps tapped, leaving trailing shades, then she flooded Eddie with rainstorm strikes.

Speed let Peggy carve many cuts across Eddie.

Even at full tilt, she couldn’t sink the blade an inch.

His body held like rock. Her second-tier high-stage [Cyclone] couldn’t shake a third-tier mid-stage [Earthquake] Magic Breaker.

“Bang—”

“Ah—ah!” Peggy’s sword was knocked flying; she caught herself with a hand on stone.

Eddie, strength like a landslide, slammed her delicate form into the floor.

Spiderweb cracks burst outward. Shock and pain drowned her; darkness took her.

“Peggy—” Sais cried from afar, her guard against Gill loosening without meaning to.

“Zheng—” Bloodsword sang and slid past her defense, carving a vertical line along her scented shoulder.

“Ah—” Sais reeled like lightning struck, dragging back several meters.

“Ha... ha...” She clutched the wound. Flame-red hair storm-tossed, sweat beading like dew.

“Tss... ahh...” Her shoulder burned. Bones felt ground to dust; her soul was gnawed by ants.

“This sword... something’s wrong...” She forced focus through pain.

“It’s cutting at the soul, not the flesh.”

She had tasted pain enough, yet few blades made her cry out.

“Rest easy. I won’t kill you.” Gill raised Bloodsword, his face a frost of murder.

“But your subordinates—I’ll give Medith a big surprise when she returns.

Don’t call me vile. You were the ones who stabbed first.”

Melia and Rita stood back-to-back, bodies mapped with wounds, clothes shredded like torn banners.

Melia’s cloak bore a black sun, now ripped open.

Strands of Crimson Sun within it flickered like candles in gale, snuffed by a breath.

Under Gill’s mad rush, Sais wouldn’t last long.

Not far, Lina had sunk into hard combat; defeat was only a matter of time.

Peggy lay badly hurt, lost to darkness.

Crimson Sun members clung to breath; the loss felt sealed.

“Rita... at this pace, none of us may last till Medith returns.

Anger rules them. If we don’t die, they won’t stop.

So... I’ve got a plan to force a breakout.

Listen. In a moment, grab Lina, Peggy, and Sais and run up.

I’ll cover you.

Once you’re out, head for the main city gate. Run as far as you can.” Melia’s voice carried hard resolve, iron in cold rain.

Rita sensed it. “Mel... sis? And you?”

Tears brimmed as she looked at Melia’s beautiful, sultry face.

Melia’s long, fine ponytail had come undone, green threads spilling across shoulder and chest like ivy.

“I’ll be right behind you.

Fool, I’m not dying.

Trust me. This plan will work, if you give it everything.” She brushed Rita’s tears away with a smile.

“Promise me. Don’t look back, okay?” Melia smiled like spring blossoms—joy overflowing, bitter pain under petals.

Rita hugged her, bit down on silver teeth, burned through mana, and sprinted for Lina.