The clash of Ascalon and the Holy Spear echoed through the air.

Cao Cao and I locked blades briefly before stepping back, marking the start of Kyoto's final showdown.

Saji, in his Dragon King form, grappled with Yasaka in a kaiju-sized brawl, while Miu unleashed a massive magic circle nearby.

"You think you can reverse my magic? Not happening!" Georg snarled, spreading his mist around Miu.

Is that jerk trying to teleport her?

My worry vanished as a tornado whipped up around Miu, scattering the mist. "No interruptions!" she shouted.

Countless magic circles bloomed around her, unleashing an otherworldly barrage of every magical attribute, raining down on Georg like a storm. When the onslaught ceased, the area was a scorched wasteland.

Incredible power! The Demon King's daughter doesn't mess around.

Georg, shielding himself with mist, was sweating. "What's that spellwork? Not Nordic, not white or black magic… what is it?"

He's clearly intrigued by Miu's array. Makes sense—Rossweisse had a similar reaction to this otherworldly magic.

"Now, shall we continue, Yuuto Kiba?" Siegfried called.

"This time, my blade will reach you," Kiba replied.

Kiba drew his holy-demonic sword; Siegfried unsheathed Gram, the demonic emperor blade. They charged, trading a flurry of precise strikes, dodging and parrying with minimal movement.

Siegfried's sword held the edge in quality—Kiba's blade was chipping under the onslaught. "As expected of the mightiest demonic sword," Kiba said, leaping back. He discarded his damaged sword, conjuring two new holy-demonic blades and summoning seven more around him.

"No more probing. I'm going all out," Kiba declared.

Siegfried grinned. "Then I'll get serious too!" With a flick of Gram, silver arms sprouted from his back—his Twice Critical subspecies Sacred Gear. A crushing pressure radiated from him, his killing intent surging.

"Balance Breaker!" Three more silver arms emerged, each wielding a blade, one glowing with light. Six swords total—an Asura-like stance.

"As a former church warrior, I can wield light swords too," Siegfried said. "This is my Balance Breaker, Chaos Edge Asura Ravage. My Twice Critical subspecies doubles my strength per arm. With my skill and demonic swords, it's more than enough. How far can you go, Kiba?"

"Until you fall. I'll keep swinging," Kiba replied, smirking.

Their clash resumed, a brutal dance of blades. Don't die, Kiba.

While trading blows with Cao Cao, I scanned the battlefield.

Nearby, Irina and Jeanne were locked in combat. Irina swung her light sword; Jeanne parried effortlessly with her rapier. "Not bad! Worthy of Michael's Ace," Jeanne teased.

They fought without locking blades, darting and striking with precision. Irina's agility, honed since the Kokabiel incident, was impressive—her speed and technique outshone Xenovia's power-based style. Her angel training had made her even faster.

Yet Jeanne kept pace. When Irina raised her hand, conjuring a barrage of light spears, Jeanne shouted, "Holy Sword!" Swords sprouted from the ground, intercepting the spears.

Irina's eyes widened. "You made holy swords… from the ground? Your Sacred Gear—"

"Caught on, huh?" Jeanne winked, sticking out her tongue. "My Sacred Gear, Blade Blacksmith, can create holy swords of any attribute. Can't make holy-demonic swords, though."

Of course—Kiba's holy-demonic swords, born from his and his comrades' unique bond, were an anomaly, fusing holy and demonic forces.

Glancing at Kiba and Siegfried, Jeanne grinned. "Ziggy's fired up, so I'd better step up! Balance Breaker!" Countless holy swords erupted from the ground, forming a massive dragon behind her.

"A dragon…?" Irina muttered.

"This is my subspecies Balance Breaker, Stake Victim Dragoon," Jeanne said. "Let's continue, Angel-chan!"

Jeanne lunged, her holy sword dragon attacking from the side. Irina barely dodged, but a graze on her left arm drew blood—a deep cut.

"Irina, you okay?" I shouted.

She gave a thumbs-up. "I'm fine! This is nothing!"

"Healing!" Asia sent a wave of healing aura, sealing Irina's wound instantly.

"Thanks, Asia! I'm not losing here!" Irina's light sword flared brighter as she charged Jeanne.

Hold on, Irina.

Explosions rocked the battlefield as Rossweisse and Hercules clashed. "Such defense! My magic barely fazes him!" Rossweisse unleashed a barrage of Nordic spells, but Hercules laughed, charging through them with minimal damage. Follow current novels on novel⸺fire.net

Is he resistant to magic?

Rossweisse dodged his punch, which smashed a tree to splinters with a deafening boom. "My Sacred Gear, Variant Detonation, makes my attacks explode on impact!" Hercules roared. "Everyone's going Balance Breaker, so I'd better join in! Balance Breaker!"

His massive frame glowed, sprouting jagged protrusions across his body—missile-like spikes. "This is my Detonation Mighty Comet! Time for a real explosion show!"

Hercules targeted Rossweisse, who leaped back, conjuring a defensive magic circle. His missiles rained down, triggering a massive blast. The shockwave reached us, kicking up dust.

Rossweisse emerged, blood trickling from her forehead despite her barrier. Her enhanced Rook durability couldn't fully withstand Hercules' raw power. His defense was the real problem—her attacks barely scratched him.

Asia healed Rossweisse, who nodded thanks before summoning a new magic circle—a summoning array. A decorated sniper rifle materialized.

A gun?!

"A replica of Leafa's magical gun," Rossweisse said. "I never thought I'd use it."

When did she get that? Multiple magic circles, including Leafa's style, formed at the rifle's muzzle. "I modified it for my use. I can't rapid-fire like her, but—"

A high-pitched whine grew as light gathered at the barrel, forming a basketball-sized orb. Rossweisse pulled the trigger.

BOOM! The light shot forward, blasting Hercules back through rubble.

He emerged, more damaged than before. "Nice power! This is more like it!" he laughed, launching missiles as Rossweisse countered with her gun, both charging into the city.

You've got this, Rossweisse.

Cao Cao twirled his spear. "Your team's impressive. I thought we'd overwhelm them, but I underestimated you. We planned based on your data, but…"

"Your data's outdated. Don't underestimate us," I shot back. Our battles in another world had massively boosted our strength. Without that, we might've been crushed.

"Remarkable growth. Care to share how?" Cao Cao asked.

"Figure it out yourself," I said.

He smirked. "Maybe I will."

I had another concern: Diarmuid, the latecomer. Xenovia's dual swords—Ex-Durandal and likely Excalibur Destruction—clashed with Diarmuid's twin spears, unleashing devastating holy power. Yet Diarmuid parried effortlessly with her slender arms, countering with a blinding thrust from her red spear.

"What spearwork!" Xenovia retreated, dodging, but scratches marred her cheek and arm. The long and short spears' varying ranges made evasion tricky.

"Xenovia!" Asia sent healing aura, but Xenovia gasped, "The wounds… won't heal?"

We stared, stunned. Asia's healing, capable of mending any injury, failed against mere scratches.

No way!

Diarmuid thrust her yellow short spear forward. "This is Gáe Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality. Its wounds don't heal. Take care, Durandal wielder, or die."

A spear that prevents healing? Even Phoenix Tears might be useless!

"Xenovia, don't take a single hit from that spear!" I shouted.

"Got it!" Xenovia readied her swords, sweat beading on her forehead as she closed the distance with Diarmuid. Their dual-wield duel resumed, sparks flying as Ex-Durandal met Gáe Buidhe.

Hold on, Xenovia.

"Checked on your team?" Cao Cao asked, clashing with me.

"You're doing the same, worrying about your 'comrade,'" I said, glancing at Diarmuid.

He gave a wry smile. "Calling her a comrade is… generous."

Is she that bad in the Hero Faction? Her "freeloader" nickname says it all. Such a waste of a beauty!

CLANG! Our weapons sparked as we flipped back, landing.

"Time to get serious," Cao Cao said. "I need to support Georg."

"Agreed. To save Yasaka and protect everyone, we end this fast."

Some of us are struggling. I need to wrap this up and help.

I unleashed Ascalon's holy aura; Cao Cao released his spear's. The colliding energies bathed the battlefield in blinding light.

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