Lyriana stared at Illyria for several seconds.
Her crimson eyes remained cold.
Then—
she slowly spoke.
"I warned you."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Hannah.
"But it seems you chose to ignore my warning."
She looked back at Illyria.
"Yet you still wish to meet His Highness."
She stepped aside.
"Do as you wish."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You'll soon realize the futility of your decision."
Illyria's expression didn't change.
"That's not your concern to worry about."
She calmly raised her chin.
"As long as I'm here..."
Her gaze remained fixed on Lyriana.
"...I'll deal with whatever happens."
Ryke stood several meters away, watching the exchange.
He scratched the back of his head.
*So that's his name.*
*Draven.*
His eyes shifted between Lyriana, Illyria, and the cloaked figure standing beside her.
*But I still don't fully understand what's going on.*
*Who are these people?*
His gaze settled on Hannah.
She was standing quietly beside Illyria.
Ryke looked her over.
*And what's with the other one?*
He narrowed his eyes.
*With that height...*
*She looks like a kid.*
He paused.
Then his expression changed.
*Wait.*
*Draven also looks like a kid.*
Ryke remembered the first time he had seen Draven.
*But that's because he's a vampire.*
His gaze shifted between Hannah and Lyriana.
*Are these two also vampires?*
Ryke frowned.
*What the hell did I get myself involved in?*
He quickly shook the thought away.
*Whatever.*
*I'll worry about that after I survive this place.*
---
Illyria slowly stepped forward.
She raised both arms.
Mana immediately began gathering around her.
**WHOOOOOM!**
The air around her began to tremble.
Hannah's cloak fluttered violently from the pressure.
Ryke's eyes widened.
"...She's a Mana User too?"
Illyria's expression remained calm.
Water began gathering around her raised hands.
**SHAAAAA!**
A massive amount of water condensed in the air.
The surrounding guards instinctively stepped backward.
One of the mages shouted—
"Another attack!"
"Prepare your barriers!"
Several magic circles appeared simultaneously.
**WHOOM! WHOOM!**
Illyria's golden eyes narrowed.
"Relax."
The water around her hands continued swirling.
"I'm not here to fight all of you."
Her gaze shifted toward Lyriana.
"I'm here to make sure we reach Draven."
Lyriana remained silent.
Hannah finally stepped forward.
Her hood shifted slightly.
Her pointed ears became visible.
Ryke's eyes widened.
*Definitely not human.*
Hannah glanced toward the battlefield.
Then toward Lyriana.
"Illyria, we don't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
Her voice was calm.
"But we're not leaving."
Lyriana's expression remained unchanged.
Illyria remained calm.
Then—
she glanced toward Hannah.
"Yes, Princess."
Ryke's eyes widened.
Pythia's expression also changed.
Both of them turned toward Hannah.
*Princess?*
Ryke stared at her.
*Did she just call her Princess?*
His eyes widened slightly.
*So she's actually a princess?*
He looked at Hannah again.
*What kind of princess is she?*
Beside him, Pythia was thinking the same thing.
*A princess...*
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
*So she's a princess.*
*But a princess of—*
Her thought was suddenly interrupted.
"Come along, Pythia."
Lyriana's voice was cold and decisive.
"We don't have time to waste."
Her gaze shifted toward the spatial circle.
"We need to secure the circle."
Pythia immediately nodded.
"Yes."
Without wasting another second—
Lyriana and Pythia rose into the air.
**WHOOSH!**
Their bodies lifted from the ground as they flew toward the spatial circle.
Ryke watched them leave.
His expression instantly changed.
*Hey, wait!*
*Don't leave me here with them!*
He looked toward Illyria.
Then toward Hannah.
Then back toward the two figures disappearing into the distance.
*Wait...*
*Should I probably go with them?*
But—
Ryke didn't take a single step.
He simply stood there.
*Staying here is stupid.*
*At least I know what happens if I follow them.*
*I'm not getting involved with whatever this is.*
Illyria slowly turned her attention toward the hall.
Her expression remained calm.
"Let's clear the hall."
The moment she finished speaking—
the water surrounding her suddenly erupted.
**SHAAAAAAAAA!**
A massive wave surged forward.
"Hey—!"
Ryke's eyes widened.
"Wait!"
The wave crashed through the hall.
**BOOOOOOM!**
Water flooded across the floor with terrifying force.
Tables, broken weapons, debris, and everything else in its path were swept away.
"Hey!"
Ryke's face changed.
"HEY!"
The water rushed toward him.
Ryke immediately turned and ran.
"Wait! Wait! I'm still in here!"
**WHOOOOOOM!**
The entire hall began filling with water.
The current surged toward him.
He jumped backward.
**SPLAAAASH!**
The wave rushed past his feet.
"Hey! Watch where you're aiming!"
Illyria didn't even look at him.
The water continued spreading throughout the entire hall.
---
Meanwhile—
on another side of the spatial port—
Kaelira was still fighting Captain Darian.
The two had been locked in a brutal exchange of blows.
Kaelira suddenly heard the tremendous roar of rushing water.
Her ears twitched.
"What the hell?"
She turned her head.
A massive wave was rapidly approaching.
Her eyes widened.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The water crashed into the battlefield.
Kaelira immediately moved.
**WHOOSH!**
She leaped sideways and landed against one of the nearby pillars.
Her claws dug into the stone.
She quickly climbed upward.
Below her—
the water swept through the hall.
Captain Darian's expression changed.
"What—?!"
He immediately drove his sword into the ground.
**SHRAK!**
The blade plunged deep into the stone.
Darian grabbed the hilt with both hands.
The water slammed into him.
**BOOOOOOM!**
His body shook violently.
His boots began sliding across the floor.
"GRRRAAAH!"
He tightened his grip.
*I can't hold this for long!*
The force of the water continued increasing.
Darian's arms trembled.
His sword dug deeper into the ground as he desperately tried to resist being swept away.
But—
the water kept rising.
---
The remaining mages reacted immediately.
One of them spread his wings and flew upward.
"Get out of the water!"
He barely managed to rise several meters—
before a massive water tentacle suddenly erupted from below.
**SPLAAAAASH!**
"What?!"
The tentacle wrapped around his leg.
"NO!"
It violently pulled him downward.
**WHOOM!**
The mage crashed back into the flood.
Other mages desperately maintained their barriers.
Several magic circles flickered around them.
**WHOOOM!**
A wall of mana appeared.
The rushing water slammed against it.
**BOOOOOOM!**
For a brief moment—
the barrier held.
The mages gritted their teeth.
"Hold it!"
"Don't let the barrier break!"
But the pressure continued building.
Cracks began spreading across the magical barrier.
**CRACK!**
The mages' expressions changed.
"No..."
**CRAAAAACK!**
The barrier shattered.
**SHIIIIING!**
Water immediately flooded through the opening.
The remaining mages were engulfed.
"AAAH!"
"Help!"
Their bodies were trapped inside the rushing water.
They couldn't move.
They couldn't escape.
The water completely immobilized them.
Then—
the entire flood surged toward the entrance.
**WHOOOOOOOSH!**
The mages were carried along with it.
Guards, debris, broken weapons, and everything else caught within the current were swept toward the massive doorway.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The water burst through the entrance.
The remaining mages were flushed out of the spatial port—
and into the streets beyond.
**SPLAAAAASH!**
A tremendous wave poured into the streets of Dresvalle.
The flood continued rushing forward—
carrying the remaining enemies farther and farther away from the spatial port.
Back inside—
the hall was suddenly almost completely empty.
Kaelira remained perched high on the pillar.
She looked down at the flooded battlefield.
Her eyes narrowed.
"...This is getting interesting."
Captain Darian was still gripping his sword.
His body was soaked.
His breathing was heavy.
And the water continued rushing around his legs.
He slowly raised his head.
His eyes locked onto the direction from which the water had come.
"...Who the hell did that?"