'Sir Ralyks… it's all because of you that I'm alive right now…'
Belle's thoughts were lost in the storm that was her rage and grief. As she stared down the person she desired to kill, most of her thoughts were stifled by noise.
'If not for the ring you bestowed to me… I would probably be dead right now.'
Her '[Enchanted Ring Of The Caster]' was something special, after all. Not only did it boost the Magic Power of the target by an unfathomable degree, but it also doubled the attack potency of any Spell used.
Thanks to these attributes, Belle was able to keep using high-level Magic and not run out of Mana like she would have otherwise.
'Thank you, Sir Ralyks…' As her thoughts trailed, she raised her hand and pointed it in the direction of her foe.
There was no real need to point her hand towards him, as her Spells would follow her command regardless, but Belle felt her body moving on its own.
The prime reason for her Spell's efficiency and power, apart from the immense advantage that her ring offered her, was the nature of her Class.
[Heretic Mage] was a Class that focused mostly on offense.
One of her Class Privileges was the automatic imbuement of a 'sure-hit' effect on any Magic Spell she used. That way, regardless of defenses, it would automatically travel and hit the enemy.
If you added that to the nigh-infinite Mana and 'double power' that her ring provided, as well as the high-level Magic Spells she had in her arsenal, it wasn't a surprise that she was able to keep up with the enemy that she fought.
It was difficult at first, but she was able to keep up with the Dragon Commander and turn the tables around.
This was also not too surprising since, other than Adonis, she had the highest Level among the Otherworlders.
Despite all of these abilities that she possessed, it was even a surprise that she would be placed in charge of rescue rather than assault. With her power, the Otherworlders would have stood a much better chance fighting the Dragons.
That was her rationale, and the reason why she opted to join the assault team.
But—
"No. Our main mission isn't to defeat the enemies, but to save as many people as possible. Your task is far more important than ours, and we need someone strong enough to carry most of that burden alone."
—That was what Adonis told her.
She would take the lead in the rescue operations, as the person with the most Mana of the bunch. Rey would simply be her assistant—a footsoldier in the cause.
Belle could definitely understand Adonis' rationale. He, as well as the other Otherworlders were already plenty strong. However, their skill-sets were very limited compared to hers.
Only she could summon a tidal wave of water to douse the flames around her, while also using her winds to carry as many people to safety.
In terms of versatile Magic, she was the best.
Even if she was also incredible at offense, her competence in Magic made her the prime choice in rescue, so she accepted the role without making a fuss.
But now…
"I couldn't care less if they die or not…" Belle growled, forgetting about the rescue operation that she had put on hold for her vendetta.
None of those nameless and faceless people mattered to her at this point.
"You killed Rey, you bastard! You killed my friend—the one person that Sir Ralyks told me to look out for the most!"
Belle's tears overflowed even more as she shuddered at the thought of what Ralyks would say or do to her in response to this gross failure on her part.
'He'll be so disappointed in me. He might not talk to me again. He will hate me for sure!'
More than anything, Belle didn't want to be seen as incompetent by Ralyks. He was the one that she wanted to stand beside one day.
To do that, she would have to prove herself.
Belle already knew that, and she worked incredibly hard to gain his recognition and attention.
But now… all of that was ruined.
"Because of YOU…!"
A single pulse rushed from her hand, and it instantly traveled to her target, crushing his face with a powerful press of wind.
"Guark!"
Blood gushed out of the Commander's face as he crashed on the ground, falling weakly on his knees as he stared fearfully at Belle.
Personally, she couldn't care less about his pain or fear.
She didn't think anything of it. Right now, all she wanted was to inflict as much damage to the enemy and hope that he could somehow restore Rey's life to him.
'He can't be dead. I can't let him die… I can't… he can't…!'
Her eyes widened even more as she kept sending shockwave after shockwave at her adversary.
Each hit caused rubble to fly in multiple directions, crushing the charred earth even more than usual. Slices of wind cut through the enemy's wings as they regenerated and he tried to escape.
His flesh was crushed.
His bones were grinded.
His blood was spilled.
Over and over… and over again.
"Bring him back…" Belle whispered. "Bring Rey back…"
After dealing multiple strikes, to the point where the Commander was unrecognizable from his previous, glorious estate, she screamed at the very top of her lungs.
"BRING REY BACK, YOU FILTHY PIECE OF SHIT!"
As her voice echoed throughout the area, everyone around her were finally able to hear the incoherent words she had been mumbling for some time now.
Their eyes widened upon hearing the news.
However, no one said anything. Perhaps they were too scared or startled to speak.
Until—
"W-what did you say…?" A certain brunette raised her head for the first time in so long, her swollen eyes wide with disbelief as she mechanically turned to Belle.
Alicia, still kneeling, moved her trembling lips, staring hard at her ally.
"... What did you say about Rey?"
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Thanks for reading!
Well, tragedy hits just when victory is achieved. This certainly sucks, doesn't it?
I wonder if this fight is truly over, though…
