The dreary quiet that enveloped the expanse seemed to last an eternity.
A choice had to be made among those who were still conscious, but it was not an easy one to make.
"I didn't say anything before because I didn't ever want you people to use it. As the future of humanity, if any of you succumb to a curse that permanently damages you, or removes you from the fight, then… our chances of victory in the long run will be greatly compromised."
As Adonis said this, a slight scoff echoed from Alicia.
"So why suggest it now?"
His face fell even further as he clenched his fist, bracing himself to answer the question.
"The circumstances have changed. The way I see it… there's really no way out this time. Humanity is doomed either way, so it's best we go all-out and fight to the bitter end."
It would be foolish not to use everything at their disposal at this point.
"If you each upgrade your abilities to the fullest, that will place it at the epitome of SS Tier, which should allow us to obtain victory." Adonis added, staring at each person among the audience.
Alicia's Healing would prevent them from dying as they made their attack. Belle's Wind Magic, coupled with her Heretic Class Privilege would give them the offensive advantage. Lucielle's power to hijack or jam the Skills of her enemies would be a perfect counter to the Dragons, and Brutus could be their vanguard and hold off the Lord.
"I'll have to use Limit Transcension again so I can assist in the battle. It'll greatly drain my Stats, but if I manage to kill the Lord, then I should be able to regain all of it."
That was the most optimal solution at the moment.
"But what of the aftermath? What will happen after we kill the Dragon? Won't the other Lords be alerted by that? Wouldn't that cause even more calamity to befall us?"
This question from Lucielle caused Adonis to nod his head and bite his lip slightly. It seemed he was out of words to say.
"Even if they are alerted, I'm sure the death of a Dragon Lord will cause them to exercise more caution in whatever next step they want to take. That should buy us more time to evacuate the city or at least prepare for another attack."
Once again, everyone was surprised by Alicia's words. Even though she spoke in a dead, completely emotionless tone, her voice rang with mechanical logic.
"I agree with Adonis. This seems to be the most optimal choice for survival."
At the very least, if they managed to kill the Dragon Lord, they would have a day or two before a full-blown invasion happened.
"If that's the case, we can simply use the Box again and unleash our full potential."
"B-but the Curse—!"
"Would you rather be cursed… or be killed?" Alicia's words echoed harshly as she stared coldly at Lucielle.
The Grand Mage backed off, and decorum took charge.
Then, as if out of nowhere, Belle's tiny voice echoed something that all of them must have considered at least once, but no one was able to say.
"S-Sir Ralyks… might come to save us…"
Judging by the devastation around them, and the chaos that had already been wrought by the Dragons, coupled with no signs of salvation from anywhere, it was safe to say that the Dark Adventurer was not present.
"I think it's best not to rely on Sir Ralyks." Adonis smiled as he looked at Belle's teary eyes.
"B-but… where is he now?"
As she sobbed, Alicia sighed and looked far into the distance.
"He might be dead too."
Her words caused Belle's widened eyes to bulge even further, and tears flowed from them as she considered the possibility of those words.
"What? Why would you even say that?" Adonis swiftly snapped at Alicia, but she displayed no remorse for her words.
Instead, she simply shrugged and muttered a half-hearted response.
"Just a hunch."
Once again, silence echoed among the gathered students. No one uttered a single word as they kept interchanging glances among one another.
Then—
"I should be the first to use the Box. With it, I can heal all of you and return your bodies to optimal status. I can also heal everyone else and get potential backup." Alicia stood to her feet, stretching her hand towards Adonis as she maintained an upright posture.
Still, there was no emotion in her eyes.
One by one, everyone rose to their feet, including Adonis who kept staring at Alicia with hints of worry and concern.
"A-are you sure…?"
Her plan made sense, and it was indeed optimal for her to go first. But this bravery of hers also meant that she would be the first to be affected by the curse once the effects of the Box was over.
Most people would be terrified of that.
"Don't worry about me." Alicia made a hollow smile as she stretched her hand even further to him.
"I'm fine."
Adonis handed over the box to her, and it began to pulsate with a somewhat ominous power the moment the transfer was made.
"Remember not to use it until the Dragon Lord shows up. We need to conserve as much time as possible before—!"
~VWUUUSH!~
In the blink of an eye, the trio of Dragons returned, all of them looking good as new.
They all had humanoid appearances, with the General and Commander respectively keeping their heads bowed as the Dragon Lord stood before them.
He still had a calm smile on his face, with both hands placed behind him and a gentle aura surrounding his stifling presence.
"So, have you made your decision?" He asked.
Adonis and the rest of the humans gulped. It was now Alicia's cue to unleash the power of the cube and then pass it to Lucielle, who would shut off the Lord's Skills.
Afterwards, Belle and Brutus would take their respective turns and attack, while he joined the fray.
That was the plan. However…
"Sorry, Adonis…" Alicia's voice coldly rang in the air as she grabbed the box with both hands and stared at it with eerie intent.
"... But I'll be doing this on my own."
No one understood Alicia or what she meant by that, but they could already sense the ominous effects of her words.
However, to her, she saw something else.
'I… I can't let this happen…'
Two of her friends were dead—first Snow, then Rey—and now there seemed to be certain death waiting for everyone else.
Even if they didn't die, they would get cursed with permanent effect; and that was all for a temporary boost in power.
Were they even guaranteed to win, even with the upgrade? No.
Their experience within the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon already showcased that splendidly. In essence, more people were most likely going to die or suffer for a cause that was not assured.
Alicia could not accept that.
So, if that was her line of thought, why then did she agree to the plan? Well…
'It was all for this moment…'
Before Adonis—as well as everyone else—could say or do anything, the voice of the girl echoed out with thunderous power.
"[Divine Beast Summon: Divine Tier]."
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Thanks for reading!
I have been building up and hinting at this for a while now; especially when Ater warned Rey not to do it. And now, it's finally time…
I hope you're all excited.
