Without another word, he stepped forward, drew a blade that looked more like a fang, and cut through the flames reaching for her. Then, with all five fingers stretched out, he come at the black-robed man again.
"Huh?"
The moment Vane tore open the cloak, something felt off. The texture was all wrong, it wasn't skin underneath.
Just a squirming mess of black, twitching flesh. His battle aura sliced through it instantly, turning it to frozen ash. 'A decoy. Seriously? That twisted bastard actually made a fake?'
Disgusted, Vane crushed the remains and turned sharply. But, where was the real one?
"…Got you."
A grin stretched from inside the black hood.
Nearby, Malrik groaned, defeated. Even he had to admit, it was a perfect distraction. The guy really was a master at throwing people off.
Still shrouded in ghostly mist, the man reached for Bryella again. His hand shimmered with magic, trying to burn away her consciousness like before.
This time, it worked. She was worn down, too much had happened, and her resistance was faltering.
Perfect timing. This was his shot. The black-robed man smirked.
"…No. You're the one who got played." Vane's grin was even bigger.
A sharp roar tore through the air. A massive wyvern made entirely of solid ice dropped from the sky with a chilling scream.
Five stories tall, its frozen jaw opened wide and clamped down on the man's extended hand, fangs crunching like icicles snapping.
"…Eh?" The man froze, wide-eyed, as Bryella smirked and gave him a cheeky wave.
Vane raised his arm, revealing a glowing blue claw mark on his forearm. They'd gotten lucky.
During the earlier chaos, Bryella had managed to gather enough ice energy from the city to summon this thing. Normally, it'd take hours of preparation.
The frost beast suddenly jerked, its mouth glowing from inside. Firelight leaked out as heat cracked through the surface.
But Bryella didn't hesitate. She waved her hand, sending another surge of elemental ice forward.
The cracks froze over, sealing the fire away. The man's arm, still trapped in the wyvern's jaws, stayed locked tight.
She'd practiced this move. And she had another reason for stepping in just now. She turned to Vane, studying him with a furrowed brow.
"…Have we met before? No, wait. It's not you, it's something on you…"
She had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.
"First of all, it's not a thing," he said dryly. "But clearly, you don't remember."
"You know?"
"Only from what it told me, "
Before she could ask more, Vane yanked her behind him.
The ice beast started to convulse. Then, without warning, its head burst open, its brain cavity blown apart like a black hole tearing itself inside-out.
Ice shards scattered everywhere. From the swirl of shadows that followed, figures started emerging. No time to think.
The edges of the black cloak twisted into writhing tentacles, gripping the rubble and dragging out Malrik's half-frozen body.
The man glanced back one last time.
"We'll meet again."
"Leave him here!!" Bryella leaped, slashing the air. Sharp ice talons flared behind her.
Even the flames swirling around Vane were frozen solid from the sheer force of her power. But all she hit was rubble.
"…So that's it? That fire… it burns memories?" She remembered now, how earlier, the enemy slipped away by scaring her into freezing for just a second.
Vane breathed hard and turned. A black haired girl was hurrying over, helping Bryella to her feet. She looked worried, chest still rising and falling from the run.
"Are you okay? Did he escape?" Elara asked, anxious.
"He did," Bryella replied, frustrated. "And later, you and I are going to have a talk. You clearly know more than you've been letting on."
Vane narrowed his eyes and took a drink from the flask at his belt. "Alright, but first… we double the guards. They're about to trigger a beast tide against the city."
"What?! Are you sure?"
Vane's expression darkened. Beast tides weren't a joke.
But Elara's next words were even worse. "It's not just this city. Every outpost and satellite town in your territory, including the capital, is getting hit. They're performing a ritual. Something big."
"…A ritual?"
"Yeah. Something massive."
"…Hold up." Vane scanned the area. A few wounded soldiers emerged from the shadows. One leaned in and whispered something. Vane nodded grimly. He turned back to Elara and let out a tired sigh.
"I came here to check out a dragon sighting. But now? We've got way bigger problems. Let's move. And you, ice girl, you're coming with me to the capital."
"…Dragon?" Bryella stepped out from behind Elara.
"Yeah. A white one. But right now, that's not our top priority."
"If it were a black dragon, I'd be less worried."
"…?"
***
"It's so cold…" Syltra muttered, shivering as icy wind whipped around her. She stood on a corner balcony of the mage tower built into the city wall, using the high vantage point and a set of magic amplifiers to rain spell after spell down on the beast tide below.
Above, the sky was clogged with flying monsters, forming a thick black curtain that seemed to crush the light. Only the aerial mages' nonstop bombardment could punch holes in that mess, carving gaps and painting the air with blood and falling corpses.
On the ground, it was hell. Monster after monster threw itself at the wall like they didn't care about dying, their bodies stacking into a sloped hill of gore and broken limbs. Some had even started using magic, earth and ice-type, to build staircases up the side of the wall.
The snow and dirt had turned red. Dead bodies littered the field. The walls were cracked, scorched, and blasted full of holes. They were only still standing because the mages kept repairing them on the fly.
Soldiers gritted their teeth, stabbing their spears with every ounce of strength left. Huge cannons impaled monsters like meat skewers, blowing through three at once.
Syltra? She looked like a zombie. Her eyes were dull, and her wand moved like her arm didn't belong to her. Everything hurt. Her limbs were stiff from exhaustion.
Still, she forced herself to cast another spell, draining the last scraps of mana and mental energy she had left. She didn't even have enough potions to keep going properly, just a few drops left.
All she could do was hold out until someone else came to take over. "Ugh… damn it. My crystal's not even warm yet!"
She felt a sharp jolt in her chest. Earlier, to survive a sneak attack from a giant flying beast, she'd had to use a high-purity elemental crystal, a rare one she'd spent everything on.
She'd pawned heirlooms, borrowed from friends, even cut back on food just to afford it. All to boost her wand.
Now? That crystal was burnt out. No glow. No power. Just a gray, cracked stone with its insides blown apart.
"South-east corner! Don't let it through!"
A shout snapped her back. Something was crawling up the wall, a two-headed, eight-limbed magical beast tearing at the fortifications.