Book 2: Chapter 41 (2/2)
Alice grunted as she shoved the axe away. She managed to say, “I demand more pay,” before reengaging Abel who had recovered his balance.
“The Fangs of Capitis have launched a brutal attack, pulling out all the stops, yet Tafel and Alice have managed to hold on! Tafel continues to draw mana in from the surroundings. There’s not many magicians out there who can chant while engaging in a swordfight! Even if she were to lose here, I don’t think many of us will be able to forget the performance she’s displayed so far,” the referee said. “But how much longer can they hold out? Just what spell does Tafel have in mind? Is it enough to turn the tables?”
Alice yelped as a projectile hit her from behind, striking her left shoulder. Smoke drifted up from the rifle-wielding Fang’s weapon, and the white mage standing beside him gave him a high-five. Alice ground her teeth together, ignoring the pain, as Abel’s flaming sword struck her shield again and again. Each hit was heavier than the last, and her arm numbed under the repeated strikes. The only thing stopping her from surrendering was the sound of Tafel’s chanting, rhythmic and steady despite the fact the demon was fending off two people.
Tafel’s blade had dissolved the whip-wielding Fang member’s weapon, and she made quick work of him by bashing his head with her sword’s hilt. The axe-wielding berserker was a lot harder to deal with, his strikes coming from all directions. He disregarded defense as his wild attacks opened up his guard, but the rifle-wielding Fang prevented Tafel from striking those flaws with well-timed bullets.
A loud cracking sound echoed through the arena, causing the referee to gasp. “Alice’s shield has broken under Abel’s dragon rush! It’s all over now folks! It was only a matter of time before Tafel x Vur lost, and it looks like the time is now. Fighting six people with two guaranteed their loss from the start, but despite this, Tafel and Alice have put on an extremely good fight, well deserving of their triple-S status! Alice has been thrown out of the arena by Abel, but Tafel’s still struggling. Is she close to finishing her incantation? Just what does she hope to accomplish!?”
Tafel retreated backwards while blocking Abel’s and the berserker’s attacks. Sweat poured from her forehead, but her voice remained steady. Bullets occasionally glanced off her limbs, causing bloody wounds to appear, but she ignored them. After a fierce exchange that ended with one of the berserker’s axes embedded in her thigh, Tafel’s eyes widened as her voice rose. The white light that had been snaking out of her feet the whole time engulfed the arena and shone as bright as the moon on a cloudless night. Tafel practically shouted her last words as she parried Abel’s strike, “Large-scale teleportation!”
Abel’s eyes widened as a pillar of light engulfed the arena. The referee’s jaws fell open and closed before falling open again. “What’s this!? Tafel managed to complete her spell! It’s too darn bright right now! Even I can’t see what happened from my vantage point!”
Alice pursed her lips as she raised her head off the ground. White mages were treating her injuries—mostly burns on her arms and bullet wounds everywhere else. She stared into the light until it died down, revealing a single figure standing in the arena.
It was Tafel.
Tafel turned her head and smiled at Alice before using her free hand to make a thumbs up gesture. Then she collapsed onto the ground, a puddle of blood spreading out from her body. The white mages on standby ran up to the center of the arena, casting healing spells on the fallen demon.
“Tafel’s the last one standing! I repeat, Tafel’s the last one standing! There’s no signs of the Fangs of Capitis anywhere!”
Alice struggled to stand and wobbled over to Tafel’s side. “That was unexpected,” she said and sat down. “Where did you send them?”
Tafel turned her head so her face wasn’t buried in the ground. She exhaled. “I’m not sure…. Somewhere far.”
“…”
“I mean, they’re probably still on this continent,” Tafel said and pursed her lips. “I think.”