Chapter 428 - 428 - Leon: ALL IN!

Persephone, running at Leon's side, noticed the fervent gleam in his eyes that he had no hope of hiding, and shivered; even her steady traveling breath skipped half a beat.

She smacked his arm and groused under her breath:

"Leon, rein it in. I can practically hear the cash register going off in your head."

"Huh?"

Leon jolted out of his daydream, instinctively slapped a fresh layer of Frost Armor on himself, then quickly smoothed away his grin and said, straight-faced:

"Oho... pardon me, pardon me. Nearly let my true colors show..."

Behind them, Irisviel, Margaret, Aura, and Laurier all stumbled mid-stride, nearly tumbling into the waterway beside them.

A howling screech tore through the air!

Shadows came surging up out of the waterways with a great splashing: giant blue crabs, ferocious "Mermaids," spear-sharp Raider Fish, Crystaroth Urchins... all manner of aquatic monsters unique to the Water City surfaced one after another, a dense swarm of scarlet eyes completely surrounding Leon's party.

Everyone's footsteps halted as they swiftly shifted into a defensive formation, mages inside, vanguards outside.

"We're surrounded."

"Jeanne? What's the call?"

Jeanne swept her gaze around, taking stock of the monsters' numbers, then narrowed her eyes for several seconds at the rate the creatures were pouring from the caverns ahead and behind. Once she had judged the balance of strength between the two sides, she lightly waved her hand:

"Fight at will!"

"Ha, that's exactly what I was waiting to hear, Jeanne!"

Laurier, who had been raring to go, stepped out with her left foot, bent her knees, and sank into her stance, the beloved blade in her hand, polished to a gleam, quivering lightly with a turn of her wrist. Her eyes lit up, and she drew a deep breath...

"Hurricane Aria!"

As azure wind armor wound around her body, the corner of Laurier's mouth curled up:

"Everyone, here I go!"

Her figure blurred in place for an instant; before the afterimage had even faded, her true body had already swept into the monster pack like a gale.

"Can't let the junior steal the lead now."

As the words fell, a silver-haired figure flashed past before everyone's eyes like a streak of lightning.

"Holy Sword!"

Steel punched into flesh in a rapid flurry! Laurier and Kureha, two agility-type swordswomen, drove into the enemy formation like knives, azure and golden swordlight twining together, and within a few breaths they had carved back and forth through the monster swarm several times over! Blood rained down in sheets, dyeing the winding waterways red in an instant.

Yet the slaughter did not drive the monsters back. Dark shapes churned beneath the water, and countless "flying fish" burst from the surface like arrows loosed from a bowstring, tracing dense arcs through the air and forming a shrieking "rain of fish arrows" that plunged straight for the party's center!

"Leave it to me."

Rose stepped forward with a smile, bending her knees and raising her shield.

But before she could channel her magic, another voice came from behind her:

"Rose, let me try!"

Margaret stood within the party's protective ring, a bright light shining in her eyes.

"Want to test the strength of Level 3 monsters?"

Rose grasped her intent almost at once. The pure white light flowing across her shield stalled briefly, and she nodded to her:

"You may. But... the moment there's danger, or your magic falls short, I'll take over immediately. Iri, you come too."

"Okay, Rose."

Leon arched an eyebrow and quietly stepped to one side.

Out of habit he slapped on another Frost Armor, dug a handful of Magic Powder out of his belt pouch, and raised his hand three times in a row to refresh everyone with Word of Truth: Endurance, Strength Blessing, and Arcane Wisdom. Then he split off two ice-crystal clones and set them to guard the party's rear, and only then settled in to quietly watch Margaret's and Irisviel's performance.

Einzbern Bloodline, activate!

Dress of Heaven, activate!

Holy Maiden of Winter, activate!

The Falna on Irisviel's back turned searing hot. With her skills all fired, a surging power rushed through her whole body.

"Haah... the power... it's welling up!"

Her eyelids dipped, a swift and graceful chant slipping past her lips. Then the exquisite Winter Angel wand in her hand stabbed forward...

"Black Grail, sing! Black Grail!"

A ring of black shot through with red unfolded from her as its center, sweeping over every companion like ripples. Everyone felt power surge up inside them, as though they had been lifted yet another step higher.

A party-wide aura boost, the same kind of magic as Aura's!

"Angel's Poem: Eagle!"

With two magics cast in a row and her condition pushed to its peak, Iri's silver hair streamed behind her. Legs drawn straight, rising lightly onto her toes, chin tilted slightly up, she waved her wand in gentle arcs, her figure unfolding with the elegance of an orchestra conductor. Between sweeps of the wand, a giant eagle with a wingspan of over five meters appeared out of thin air and dove with fierce momentum, plunging straight at that swarm of giant blue crabs!

...

Karmic Flame Scorching, activate!

Flame Phantasm Transformation, activate!

Flame Disaster, activate!

Karmic Flame Three Calamities, activate... Limit Off!

At the same moment, Margaret's magic had finished its chant as well.

"Come forth...!"

Her crimson hair streamed back in the wave of heat as the wand in her hand danced, scarlet flames swelling with a roar and taking shape. An elemental being over three meters tall, composed entirely of flame, came roaring into existence before her.

"Karmic Flame Calamity All-Slaying Heavenly Maiden!"

A thunderous roar erupted!

Heat rolled off in waves, and the instant the Heavenly Maiden appeared, everyone instinctively backed away several steps.

Not because of danger, but because... it was just too hot.

"The temperature of Margaret's magic seems to have climbed quite a bit again..."

"Looks like her Magic has grown quite a bit. Once this expedition ends, with how involved they've been the whole way, leveling up should come easily."

Before Persephone and Jeanne could finish whispering, Margaret moved once more.

"In my hand is fire, and its form is a sword! Karmic Flame Calamity: Flame Sword!"

The flames hissed and spat!

The Flame Phantasm Transformation skill granted her free control over the shape of her flames.

Drawn by her mind, the flames blanketing the ground converged on the wand in her right hand, soon condensing into an ornate single-handed sword made entirely of fire.

She gave it a few test swings.

Firelight rippled along the blade; stray sparks dropped to the ground, sizzling a fine web of scorch marks into it.

Regarding her handiwork, Margaret nodded.

"Perfect. But it drains a lot."

Margaret bit her lip and leveled the Flame Sword forward...

"Heavenly Maiden, attack!"