This sound… Kuroyuki’s ice is breaking…!?

    When I turn behind and look— I was genuinely surprised by the sight of it.

    A visible crack, spreading left and right across Kuroyuki’s ice wall could be seen.

    Behind it, was flooded with countless of silhouettes. It seems they were pushing the wall with their mass instead of breaking it.

    Kuroyuki seems to be in pain. It seems she’s almost at her limit to maintain that wall.

    If she opens up a small hole now, that will be the breaking point of the entire wall and it would still collapse.

    Kronos is at the 4th pillar at the left now, which was right next to us.

    “I got this.” Rumelia said to us.

    Which, thin threads of silver strings sprout up from the floor— sticking to the edges of the wall and ceiling like a spider web with a random pattern.

    Come to think of it… Rumelia had Earth element too…?

    C-CRACK—

    “…I can’t— Mmngh…!?”

    Kuroyuki’s ice wall broke down.

    Like hungry demons, the silhouettes desperately charge at us without being aware of the silver strings.

    Thus, all of them were disassembled to pieces by the silver strings.

    …I can’t believe they were really brainless. But anyways, just how sharp are her strings…? It cut them just like bu??er. I’m glad Rumelia didn’t use that on the mock battle yesterday.

    But even so, the silhouettes that have fallen were immediately replaced.

    Once they were replaced, they repeat the same thing by charging straight to us without being aware of the silver threads— again and again.

    “…Agreed.” August replied.

    “Kuroyuki!?” Persia shouted.

    Hearing Persia’s shout, I immediately switch my attention to Kuroyuki.

    “…Ss-sshfft… h-h-h-h-haaah……”

    She was sitting on the ground, shivering in cold.

    I immediately turn to Blaze and tapped him on the shoulder.

    “Blaze! I need your help…!”

    Together with Persia and Blaze, we immediately rush to her.

    “…D-D-Don’t u-use your f-flames…!” Kuroyuki hastily stopped Blaze with her shivering voice before he could generate some heat.

    As I asked her with a worried look, I touched her forehead. It was so cold that it stings my hand like dry ice.

    “Y-Your body is so cold…!” I inadvertently muttered.

    It’s mild hypothermia…!?

    “…I-I-It’s the… r-r-recoil……” She told me, with her voice shivering.

    “Recoil…? Of your ice element?! Why didn’t you tell me…!?”

    “…Our recoil comes at random. Sometimes we would be fine and sometimes we won’t. But… the more we use it, the more likely it occurs.” Persia said to me. “There’s a price for such a power.”

    “No wonder you guys weren’t really using that power…” I murmured.

    …Nevermind that for now.

    The condition on her hands are even worse than her body. They were frozen solid, and the skin on her hands turned blue.

    It was correct not to warm it with Blaze’s fire first, or else it would cause more damage to her body tissue, where more blisters would occur.

    But— I don’t even have room-temperature water to warm her up, not to mention warm water.

    If only Mattanarafa and her parents are here…

    Then the only choice is to use my body heat.

    Her clothes aren’t wet, that’s good.

    I immediately took off my blazer, wrapping it around her body.

    Then, I carefully cradled her body from behind, hoping to warm her up.

    “…W-What are you… d-d-doing…? Y-You… will get hurt……!”

    As soon as Kuroyuki warned me as if using the last of her strength to speak— cold air suddenly bursts out from her body.

    “Shut up…” I said to Kuroyuki. “As if I could just stay still and watch you suffering…!”

    When I coil my fingers around her hands, the coldness stings my hands as if they were penetrated by countless of needles.

    Even though it hurts, I refuse to let out a single sound.

    “Huff— Huff—”

    I adjusted my breathing to become quick paced to regulate my blood pressure, so that my body would become warmer.

    I could control my body temperature with my breathing to about 40 degrees Celsius.

    “Look out!”

    CL-CLANK— CLANK— CLANK!!!

    Suddenly, a wave of black spears came bombarding from the other side of the strings.

    Persia pulled out her cards and placed them on mid-air. Once the black spears came into contact with her card, it bounces off— as if hitting a solid wall.

    “Is everyone alright…!?” Persia shouted.

    When I raised my head and looked, Kronos’s group was protected by a metal wall. It survived the black spear barrage with lots of dent left behind.

    Yet… where’s Blaze—

    “G… Ga… hack…!?”

    —just when I was wondering where he is… Blaze made a painful sounding cough.

    When I looked— two black spears were stabbed on him.

    One pierced through on his right arm, and one went through his abdomen— impaling him to the ground.

    There’s heavy bleeding, but he was still alive.

    “B-Blaze…!” August yelled at him.

    “DON’T… MOVE…!” He howled.

    Then, he mustered his strength to grab Kuroyuki’s spear that was on his right arm.

    “GRAAAAAAAGH—!!!”

    With a boast, he pulled the black spear in one go— with his blood oozing everywhere during the process.

    “Huff— Huff—”

    Then, he mustered his strength one more time to grab onto the spear that was on his abdomen.

    “GRAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH—!!!”

    THUNK!

    He pulled the second spear out from the ground, allowing himself to stand.

    It was painful, but he endured it and stood on his spot. He raised his head to take more air for the third attempt.

    “GRAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH—!!!”

    In one go, he pulls the spear, where his intestines were dragged along with it as blood continues to ooze from his wounds.

    It was a bloody mess.

    …Maybe it was too late for me to think of this now, but I can’t believe he survived.

    Following that, blue flames gushes out from his wounds— even his intestines are burning under that blue flame.

    BANG!

    A gunshot…!?

    “Urk…!?”

    The moment I hear a gunshot, Blaze immediately reacted by receiving the bullet with his left arm. He then quickly did a side roll to Kronos’s group— shielding himself.

    And as I look to where the gunshot came from— Kronos’s silhouette was loaded with lots of gun behind it’s back.