A flurry of Cryo, Pyro, and Electro elements shot toward Noah and the girls, the Iniquitous Baptist giving them no time to get into position. As the attacks approached, brilliant starlight flashed around Noah as he pour prana into his Lightsaber-lux. Then he moved.
With a diagonal upward slash, he cleaved through the incoming Cryo blades. Placing his other hand on the base of the hilt, he swept the saber horizontally, cutting through the Pyro spheres. Using the momentum from the swing, Noah turned with smooth flow, finishing with a powerful downward strike that split the incoming Electro beam cleanly in half.
Noah straightened up and flashed a confident grin at the Baptist. The Black Serpent Knights charged forward, met quickly by Kiana and Lumine as they moved to intercept.
The Windcutter Knight was the first to reach them, clashing blades with Lumine until Kiana stepped in and delivered a sharp kick that knocked it back.
From a distance, Cryo arrows rained toward them, fired by the Shadowy Husk: Defender but Miss A launched her own Pyro attacks, intercepting the projectiles midair and shielding Kiana and Lumine.
Elysia responded with a volley of her own crystal arrows, aiming to pin the Husk Defenders. But the Shadowy Husk: Standard Bearer stepped forward, raising a shield of Pyro energy to block the incoming shots.
Suddenly, the Rockbreaker Axe Knight charged at Kiana, axe raised high. Before it could strike, Noah extended his hand, using the Force to shove the massive enemy backwards. The knight's heavy body slammed into the Windcutter Knight and the Line Breaker, pinning them down.
Miss A wasted no time; she pointed her staff forward and fired a focused Pyro beam, but the Standard Bearer's flame shield held strong, neutralizing the attack. The Line Breaker then glowed faintly, healing itself, the Rockbreaker Knight, and the Windcutter Knight as they slowly stood.
"Captain, leave the knights to us," Kiana said as she holstered her pistol and summoned her trusty bat.
"...Are you sure about that?" Noah asked, glancing at the girls. His eyes remained fixed on the Baptist, Lectors, and Heralds, who had yet to make their move.
"Yes. Leave the knights to us. Just focus on the Baptist," Lumine replied, her grip on her sword tightening. "These knights... they're from Khaenri'ah."
At her words, Noah and the others fell silent, their expressions turning solemn.
"Please don't be sad," Lumine continued, her voice steady with determination. "I want to do this. I want to free them from being used by the Abyss. I want to let them rest. It's the least I can do for them."
"....I see," Noah said softly, nodding in understanding.
"It'll be fine, Captain," Miss A said as she tapped the edge of her witch hat. "We're not just some weak girls who need you to protect, you know."
"That's right, Captain~ We're your partners. We're the ones who will accompany you on this strange and wonderful journey until the very end," Elysia added with a confident smile.
Kiana gave Noah a wide grin and a peace sign, while Lumine offered a small smile assuring him they could handle it.
"Ahaha... you girls win," Noah chuckled. "Then I'm leaving it to you all."
And with a pop, he disappeared.
"Hmph! As Captain's best girl, I'll lead the charge, alright?" Kiana declared, resting her bat on her shoulder with a playful grin.
"Do you really have to say that out loud?" Elysia rolled her eyes as she drew her bow.
"...I'll cover Kiana then," Lumine said calmly, stepping into position.
"Shall we then, ladies? Let's show Captain our dazzling selves and make him fall for us even more," Miss A added with a confident smile, raising her staff as Pyro energy gathered at its tip.
"Agreed!" Kiana, Elysia, and Lumine answered in sync as they advanced.
------
Noah reappeared near the Baptist, lunging forward with his blade but was immediately intercepted by two Abyss Heralds, one wielding Hydro and the other Cryo.
Above! Without needing to look, Noah sensed a Pyro sphere forming above him. He kicked the Hyrdo Herald to the side and used the momentum to shift direction. The Pyro sphere then dropped down, crashing into the Cryo Herald and melting its shield.
Noah turned, slashing through incoming elemental attacks launched by the Baptist and the Electro Lector. He sprinted toward the downed Cryo Herald to finish it off but the Hydro Herald blocked his path.
A fierce clash erupted between them. The Abyss wasn't about to waste an opportunity. The Baptist summoned Cryo energy, freezing the field beneath Noah's feet. The Hydro Herald wrapped him in a torrent of water, soaking him just as the ice surged, freezing his legs in place.
The Herald retreated quickly. Bolts of Electro energy rained down on Noah's position, followed by a Pyro circle igniting beneath him. A tower of flames erupted, engulfing the area.
The Abyss watched as smoke slowly lifted.
The Hydro Herald, now joined by the recovered Cryo Herald, stood in front of the Electro and Pyro Lectors and the Baptist, ready to see the result of their combined assault.
With a swing of his blade, Noah cleared the smoke around him. He stepped forward, completely unscathed his robes and clothes untouched, without a single mark.
"?!" The Heralds tensed at the sight of him, perfectly fine.
The Baptist narrowed its glowing eyes.
"....I'll admit.....that was a close one," Noah said as his Protego spell faded, the Force shield wrapping his body slowly knitting back into place.
"...And yet, with all that effort, you're still standing," the Baptist said. "You truly are not normal."
"Please," Noah replied, frowning slightly. "Just because I can do something you don't understand doesn't make me some kind of monster."
In the distance, a sudden explosion sounded, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Oh? Sounds like the girls are having a blast over there," Noah said, glancing toward the explosion. Even from this distance, he could hear Miss A's laugh along with Kiana's excited shout.
"...Are you mocking us?" the Baptist asked in a low voice.
"Huh? What gave you that idea?" Noah replied, turning back toward them. He couldn't help but notice the irritated expressions on every face.
"...You!" The Electro Lector snarled and almost charged but was stopped by the Baptist's outstretched hand.
"Does fighting the commanders of the Abyss mean so little to you?" the Baptist asked slowly, though the anger in his tone was clear.
"You're facing two Abyss Heralds, two Lectors, and me—an Iniquitous Baptist," he continued. His eyes glowed ominously as elemental energies gathered Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, and Electro. "...And yet you still have the gall to worry about others... and even dare to treat us as if we're nothing."
Noah let out an amused snort at the Baptist.
"Really now? I'm only using one sword, aren't I?" he said casually.
"You bastard! Are you mocking us?!" the Pyro Lector barked. "You fought one of us before using two blades, and now, facing all of us you dare to use just one?!"
"Do we look that weak to you, human?!" The Hydro Herald roared, hydro blades forming on his gauntlets as he lunged at Noah.
"Ah… I see. Seems there's been a bit of a misunderstanding," Noah said calmly. He raised his free left hand, and with a slight motion, used the Force to stop the Herald mid-air.
"?!!" The Hydro Herald froze, completely stuck mid-jump, unable to move, his eyes wide with shock.
Noah then casually pushed his open palm forward, sending the Herald flying backward with tremendous force. Luckily, the Cryo Herald managed to catch him but the impact still sent both skidding several meters before they slammed into the trees behind them and dropped to their knees.
"You see, it's actually easier for me to cast spells and use the Force with just one sword," Noah said. With a snap of his fingers, the two boulders beside him transfigured into wolves.
At the sight, the Lectors instinctively took a step back.
"This is my usual fighting style or rather, my family's original style," Noah explained as he gently patted the heads of the summoned wolves. "For generations, my family combined martial arts and spellcasting in battle, making us extremely adaptable against all kinds of opponents. So believe me when I say... I am taking you seriously."
Noah glanced back at the silent Baptist and the Lectors. The two Heralds were already climbing back to their feet.
"Looks like you're all ready for round two," he said with a smirk.
The Baptist said nothing, remaining still.
"Silent treatment now, huh?" Noah rolled his eyes. "Well, don't fall behind, alright? This fight's supposed to be a fate-changing one for this world. Try to keep up."
That did it. Fueled by frustration, the Lectors and the Baptist launched another wave of elemental attacks at him.
"Ahaha! Now we're talking!" Noah laughed as he surged forward to meet the incoming storm.
Even with the odds against him, that grin never left his face.
-----
"Take this! Dodo-bombs!!!" Miss A's cheerful voice rang out as she tossed several white bombs, each adorned with a cute face, onto the ground around the Rockbreaker Axe Knight. They exploded in a chain reaction, shaking the ground as the knight's massive frame took a direct hit.
Right behind her, Kiana raised her bat, charging it with imaginary energy drawn from the Trailblaze blessing within her. With a shout, she struck the Rockbreaker Axe Knight clean in the chest, the force of the blow making it stumble backward before finally crashing to the ground.
"Alright!! One down!" Kiana cheered. Her eyes quickly shifted to the other side, where Lumine was locked in a fierce blade clash with the Windcutter Knight. Its blade glowed with Anemo energy before it launched a flurry of spinning blades toward her. Lumine parried each one with smoothly and closed the distance in one go. When she reached striking range, she gathered Anemo in her left hand and slammed it into the knight's torso unleashing a swirling vortex of Anemo blades that tore into its armor, dealing heavy damage.
"HAAAA!!!!" Lumine shouted, pressing her attack harder. The knight stumbled backward, clutching its abdomen where she'd struck, before dropping to its knees and collapsing face-first to the ground.
"...Thank you for all your hard work. May you rest in peace, Sir Knight," Lumine murmured, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Her focus still on the fallen knight, she didn't notice the incoming lance of the Shadowy Husk: Line Breaker. When she turned, the lance was already upon her—
—but Kiana was suddenly at her side, intercepting the strike with her bat.
"Kuh!!" Kiana grunted, pushed back by the force.
"Kiana!!" Lumine gasped, then immediately drove her sword down, slamming the lance into the ground to deflect the threat.
"Tadada! Miss A is here!!" Miss A cheered as she swung her staff like a bat, smacking the Line Breaker on the head and leaving it dizzy before it toppled over. She flashed a peace sign toward the stunned expressions of Kiana and Lumine.
"You..." Kiana started, but before she could finish, the area was suddenly wrapped in a glowing pink dome.
"Huh?! Is Ellie getting serious?"
"Oh!!! Miss Pink Elf's ultimate move is here!!" Miss A clapped excitedly as she watched the dome solidify. A shower of glowing pink arrows rained down on the Shadowy Husk: Standard Bearer and Defender. The Pyro shield protecting the Standard Bearer started to crack under the relentless storm of magical arrows.
Then Elysia leapt into the air, drawing her bow back for a charged shot aimed attack at the crack in the shield.
"Bye bye~" she said with a wink, releasing the arrow. It flew straight and true, piercing the weakened barrier and striking the Standard Bearer's shoulder.
Seizing the moment, Lumine unleashed her Elemental Burst. A tornado formed, pulling both the Defender and Standard Bearer into its vortex. Miss A didn't miss a beat she tossed a Dodo-bomb right into the center, turning the whirlwind into a blazing spiral of Pyro energy that scorched them both.
"…May you rest in peace," Kiana whispered, before slamming her bat down on the two knights.
As their bodies fell limp and unmoving, she let out a sigh and turned back to rejoin the others.
"So, what should we do next?" Elysia asked, twirling her bow.
But before anyone could answer, the sky flashed. Explosions of elemental power erupted in the distance where Noah was still battling the Abyss leaders.
"The Captain will be fine~" Miss A said with a smile, looking at Lumine's conflicted expression.
"Huh?" Lumine blinked, turning toward her.
"The Captain will be fine," Miss A repeated gently. "So it's okay if you want to honor them. Or even pray."
She glanced toward the fallen Black Serpent Knights.
"You're the only one here who might've truly known them. It's alright to want to give them something proper, right?"
"...But I..." Lumine bit her lip, uncertainty still lingering. She did want to give those knights a proper burial or at least offer them some peace but Noah was still fighting alone.
Then, she felt arms wrap gently around her waist. Turning, she found Elysia smiling warmly at her, with Kiana beside them.
"Do what you want, Lumi. We'll be right here with you," Elysia said gently.
"You saw it, didn't you? Captain's ridiculous fighting skill," Kiana added with a grin. "So let's believe in him just like he believes in us."
Lumine looked at them, Elysia, Kiana, and Miss A all standing by her side.
"...Thank you, everyone," she said softly.
The girls worked together to gather the remains of the Black Serpent Knights, placing them with care before burying them. Lumine then stepped forward, gently removing the Inteyvat, the national flower of Khaenri'ah from her hair.
"Thank you... for everything you did," she whispered.
Elysia, Kiana, and Miss A lowered their heads in prayer, offering silent gratitude to the fallen knights.