POV: Loyce
Pain rang out like a bell in my body, sharp and relentless. My limbs trembled, and every movement sent ripples of heat and pressure through my bones. Blood trickled from my nose in a steady stream, staining the scorched stone beneath my feet. Angelic Armor shimmered faintly around me—thinner now, the once-radiant gold cracked like porcelain, heat bleeding off in waves.
Across from me, Mars stood resolute, blade gleaming with crystal-infused mana. He wasn't some reckless grunt; his movements were precise, deliberate, and honed by cruelty and conditioning. The Diamond Kingdom bred killers, and he was no exception.
Asta clashed with one of the remaining soldiers, his sword of anti-magic cutting clean through layered earth armor. Sparks flew each time steel met steel. He was relentless, driven by something more than instinct—a desperate need to prove his strength. Noelle, only a few feet away, sent out focused spheres of pressurized water, her breathing sharp and strained. She was improving. Her spells had control, power, and—more importantly—intent.
Mars raised a wall of crystal between us again, layering defense on offense like a soldier who had lived too long in war.
"You don't look like someone who should still be standing," he said, even-toned, as though he wasn't already regenerating for the third time.
I wiped my nose with the back of my arm. "Good thing I don't listen to enemies."
I lifted my hand.
[Sun Magic: Solar Pulse]
A ring of searing golden light erupted around me, compressing mana into a shockwave that shattered the crystal wall instantly. The force sent Mars skidding several feet back, boots carving tracks into the ancient stone. He grimaced, eyes narrowing as he flared more mana.
Regeneration again, I thought bitterly. Of course.
"Noelle! Asta!" I called out over the rising heat. "Cover each other. I'll handle this one."
Asta was about to argue, of course. "But—"
"That's an order."
He fell silent, lips pressed into a line. Good. He was learning when to push and when to hold back.
Mars surged forward again, this time without warning. His sword came down in a jagged arc, its edges glowing with volatile crystal magic. I stepped aside, barely dodging the slash, then twisted and punched him in the ribs. Something cracked under my fist.
He didn't scream. Instead, he used the blow's momentum to grab my arm and slam me shoulder-first into a stone pillar. I felt something in my back pop. Vision went white for a moment.
[Sun Magic: Flare Guard]
A burst of solar heat erupted around me, knocking Mars off me in a wave of concussive force. He hit the floor hard, rolled to his feet, and crouched low.
I dropped to one knee, panting. My body was at its limit.
Azazel's voice hissed in my skull like a reprimanding parent.
You need to retreat. You can't keep burning your life force like this.
"I can't let them fight this guy alone," I growled under my breath.
You've already hit your casting threshold. This isn't like using a grimoire—you're channeling everything raw. You're forcing your soul to keep up with spells it was never meant to cast alone.
I watched Mars's form shimmer, his wounds closing in real-time. That damn regeneration spell again.
"Then I'll outthink him," I whispered.
Meanwhile: Golden Dawn Corridor
Yuno paused, the hair on his arms rising. He turned his head sharply as the air trembled.
"Did you feel that mana shift?"
Mimosa nodded, brows knit, her palms still glowing as she treated a wounded comrade. "A clash. Big one. Something's happening nearby."
Klaus groaned. "Let me guess. The Black Bulls. Can't take them anywhere."
Yuno didn't dignify the comment. He turned on his heel and started moving.
"Where are you going?" Klaus demanded.
"There's someone up ahead. Strong. Too strong to be left alone."
Mimosa quickly followed. "Then we're going too."
Back to Loyce
I tried to push to my feet. My legs buckled, and I collapsed again. Mana overflowed, pulsing wildly, erratic like a broken heartbeat.
Mars walked toward me, slow and certain, sword poised to end it.
"You fought well," he said flatly. "But you're done."
Noelle's voice cut through the haze. "Loyce!!"
Asta charged forward, sword raised. "Get away from him!"
Too slow.
Mars raised his weapon—
[Sun Magic: Final Echo]
A blast of radiant mana flared from my back, lifting me off the ground. My armor reignited in brilliant arcs of gold and white. Wings of sunfire stretched behind me.
I didn't cast it.
Azazel did.
This will cost you, he warned.
"I know," I said aloud, voice steady despite the pain. "Let it."
I rocketed forward like a meteor, Mars raising his blade just in time to meet me. I caught the weapon in my bare hand. It sliced into my palm, blood hissing against crystal—but I didn't stop. I drove a burning fist into his stomach and then unleashed a concentrated flare directly into his chest.
The explosion lit the room. Mars screamed and flew back, crashing into the far wall and slumping to the ground.
He didn't rise.
Aftermath
The moment hung still.
Yuno arrived first, cloak billowing from his sudden burst of speed. Mimosa and Klaus were only seconds behind him.
He saw me: standing—barely—wings flickering, heat rolling off me like a dying furnace.
Our eyes met. Something unspoken passed between us. Recognition. Not the kind born of familiarity, but of resonance. Like two tuning forks vibrating in perfect harmony.
He doesn't understand why.
But he knows.
Asta was at my side in an instant, catching my arm before I fell. "You okay? That was insane!"
Noelle moved behind him, shielding us both as Mimosa stepped forward and began casting healing magic.
Klaus, of course, couldn't resist. "I suppose even the Black Bulls can produce someone useful every now and then."
"I could say the same about you," I muttered.
Asta laughed. "Man, you were awesome! You totally roasted that guy!"
"Yeah," I mumbled. "Almost roasted myself too."
Azazel chuckled quietly inside me.
You did well, Fallen Angel.
I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes as the healing light wrapped around me.
The job wasn't done. But I had bought us time.