Tears streamed from her verdant eyes… a final act of despair. Granger gritted her teeth, expressing fervent rage, and chanted her newly finished verse.
"Holy lance… shed thy restraints... Rhongomyniad!!!"
A brilliant flash of light emerged, bleaching everything around it. The time that passed, the shrill hum, transformed the fleeting seconds, making them feel like the end.
After the light, the smoke settled, leaving small stones skittering across the floor. The mage was gone, leaving the blonde and her fallen friend on the bathroom floor.
She ran without a second thought, scooped Hikari into her arms, and fled far away.
As she ran, her friend whispered in an imperceptible language. Ryoka responded desperately: "Hikari, hold on! I'm going to help you..."
The intense run made her calves throb; even though it hurt, she ran as fast as she could. She didn't look back, nor did she pay attention to where she was going.
Feeling exhausted, she entered a forest, among various ruins in one section, and leaned Hikari against the wall of an ancient structure.
Ryoka, utterly exhausted, sat down panting. She looked at the sky, which was beginning to darken; the environment turned orange, signaling the last minutes of the visible sun were fading.
I have to do something... If I don't... My friend... She's going to die...
A single tear fell from her right eye. She wiped her face and stood up, an idea forming in her mind, preparing for the terrible confrontation to come... She went to Hikari and said:
"Wake up! I need you... Now!"
"Ryo... ka..." Hikari said, breathing with difficulty.
"Perform a binding ritual with me. I'll watch the area while you do. You will use a Command Seal. Say that you will grant me mana. That way, I can have a chance to drive away the Infernal Saint."
"Not this again... Friend... Fairy tales..."
"This isn't a fairy tale! You saw it yourself! You could have died, or something much worse! Stop being so stubborn, damn it!"
The darkness that had already settled over the region was now filled with orange hues, dominating the area, making it hotter. A familiar aura was present once more.
Ryoka bowed her head, then screamed in rage: "You wretched witch! Even if I die here, I swore to myself and to my reincarnation... I will protect everything I love, even if I die in vain!"
Revealing her large, intricately detailed scythe, she gripped it firmly with determination. The Saint unsheathed her sword. She planted her enormous banner in the grass, staring at Ryoka with immense confidence and mockery: "Witch? Infernal Saint? Hmmm... Call me whatever you want. Regardless of the name you give me, the result will be the same... Death awaits you!"
Ryoka's advance was fervent, making clear the unparalleled anger she felt. Each step was slow, so hot it burned the grass and soil before her. Her sword was bathed in flames; she pointed it at Ryoka and launched a wave of fire, which was extinguished by a quick slash from Granger's scythe.
Ryoka charged towards her, leaping and obscuring the brief moonlight with a spinning slash imbued with holy light. The Witch blocked the attack with her sword, leaned close to Ryoka, and stared at her with a malevolent smile, saying, "Too weak!" She placed her left hand on Ryoka, conjuring a fireball and hurling her away.
Ryoka hit a tree and fell, landing seated near Hikari, who was still semi-conscious. The Saint began her prayer to finish her: "Are you ready to burn amidst the flames?"
"—This is the howl of a hate-filled soul! *La Grondement Du Haine!*"
The already darkened sky was illuminated by the Saint's flames. The winds, which once felt like they came from a glacier, became as hot as a forge.
The flames accumulated on the sword were unleashed upon Ryoka. At that very instant, the flames crystallized, transforming into a massive arrow of ice, which was launched against the Saint.
"Damn it! Who did that?!" She staggered back, her stomach pierced and bleeding.
From among the trees emerged a maiden who, even from a distance, emanated a freezing air, as cold as Siberia. Her long dress, the color of snow that heralds winter, stained the lawn with snowflakes.
Her long hair flowed in cool tones. Her calm gaze was chilling, filling the Saint with utter contempt.
"Good evening... My Master wished for me to assist..."
Right behind her, a young woman brushed ice off her jacket, the kind commonly worn in extreme northern countries, sighed, and said to her Servant, "I know you're the quiet type, but try to be less... frigid in these situations..."
Granger recognized her, responding with excitement: "Celina! It's been so long!"
"You wretch! I'll ruin your shitty little face...!" the Saint screamed, furious at being ignored by them.
"Anastasia, freeze her. I'll check on Aka."
"As you wish, my Master..." Raising a hand against the kneeling Saint, she froze her, leaving her immobile.
"Hikari! What happened to her?"
"She had trouble breathing... Some debris must have hit her after the explosion. She had gone to the bathroom after we had an argument. It was all so fast..."
"Alright, save the details for later. I'll try to perform first aid. Please, if you don't mind, perform the Master and Servant binding ritual. She needs to be able to defend herself."
"Right!"
Kneeling in front of Hikari, Ryoka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began her prayer: "I answer the call of the Grail. I shall obey its will. I swear… that I will perform all good in this world, I will defeat all evil in this world. O seventh heaven, clad in thy threefold words of power, come forth from the circle of binding... Guardian of the Balance!"
A magic circle bloomed beneath them. The circle's code collapsed, causing a rift to open beside them, which pulled them inside. The enormous vortex...
...made silence prevail.