Old Wounds

Finally, Charlotte, Zoe, and Alysia joined the fight.

Sybil stood on the sidelines.

Alysia attacked the hero directly with Aqua Magica.

Gerald fired lightning-wrapped cannonballs at the tigers.

“Listen, we need to work together,” Charlotte shouted.

“Of course, Captain,” Leif answered.

“Tell us what to do, Miss Charlotte!” Gerald shouted as he continued to attack.

“Let’s get into formation!”

“Understood!” Everyone answered in unison, except for one person.

Gerald and Leif stepped back and took their positions.

Arthur, Zoe, and Charlotte did the same.

“Miss Alysia?” Charlotte noticed her absence.

Alysia didn't seem to be listening. She kept attacking.

“Miss Alysia, you need to go back!” Charlotte shouted.

Her attacks grew stronger and stronger.

“I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”

The hero easily dodged the attacks.

“Come on, we don’t have time!”

“I don’t care. I’ll kill him!”

The infected tiger and the humanoid beast had time to attack. With no other choice, they broke formation and split up.

Gerald and Arthur attacked the humanoid beast. They inflicted damage on it, but the roots on its body kept regenerating.

The tiger stayed with Charlotte, Leif, and Zoe. It unleashed ferocious bites. Its sharp teeth were capable of piercing any surface.

“Zoe, we need cards!”

“I prepared some on the way here.”

She took six cards out of her pocket watch. With great skill, she tossed them toward her companions.

Everyone received one. They glowed with a golden light.

However, just as the card was about to reach Alysia, she rejected it.

“Lens, what are you doing?”

“I don’t need your help, Hufgens!”

Alysia lifted Bastion into the air.

“Pure Aqua Magica. Snake!”

A snake made of water began to attack the hero.

“Miss Alysia, we need to focus. This isn't a game!” Arthur also scolded her.

“Shut up! I need to avenge him… It's the only thing I can do.” Her voice cracked.

The hero began to laugh heartily.

“So you met that other guy... He was really strong... It was a pleasure to kill him.”

Alysia's eyes filled with anger. She clenched her teeth so hard she almost broke them.

“Don’t talk about him.”

She lifted Bastion toward the sky once again.

“Pure Aqua Magica. Upside Rain!”

A gray cloud began to form in the sky and began moving toward Bastion.

“Miss Alysia, what are you doing?” Gerald also got annoyed.

“You're exhausting us!” The hero's distorted voice screamed.

The hero's corrupted part, the one filled with roots, branches, and dead wood, began to deform. Suddenly, his arm turned into a ball covered with thousands of sharp thorns.

“Miss Alysia, move!” Charlotte warned.

Alysa ignored her.

Charlotte wanted to go with her, but the tiger lunged at her.

She turned a branch in her hand into a sword.

“Zoe…Please…”

“Leave it in my hands!”

Zoe rushed over to where Alysia was standing.

She glanced at her pocket watch. There was only one card left.

For herself.

Zoe hesitated a couple of times, but she had made up her mind.

Without Alysia noticing, Zoe handed it to her.

Alysia began to glow gold.

“What are you doing, Hufgens?”

“Come on… We were just about to destroy her!” The hero complained. “Well… I guess it’s your turn.”

The hero threw that giant, thorny root ball.

There was no time to react. It hit Zoe.

She was sent flying and crashed into a house.

She broke through the wall.

A huge cloud of dust formed.

There was an overwhelming silence.

“One down, five to go!” The hero celebrated.

“Zoe!” Charlotte screamed.

Charlotte tried to run toward her, but the tiger kept attacking her relentlessly.

Everyone else, despite the shock, found themselves forced to keep fighting.

Alysia, who had canceled her Magica Spell, felt as if the world were spinning around her. She felt intense pressure in her chest, and her jaw tightened even more.

Without hesitation, she ran to where Zoe had been thrown.

When she entered, she saw Zoe lying on the floor, barely conscious.

Her breathing was slow, and she had many wounds all over her body.

Alysia approached slowly.

She knelt beside her.

“Why did you do that, Hufgens?”

“Y-you're so strong... W-we need you...”

“I didn’t ask for your help!” A flood of tears streamed down Alysia's face.

“I-I’m… sorry…”

“What?”

“A-about the tournament…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I-I’m sorry… I messed up… Sorry I lied…”

“That doesn't matter now, Hufgens.”

“At first... I hated you for the way you treated Charlotte, but now... you're not so bad... Lens…”

Alysia pressed her lips together and looked away.

“I’m also sorry…It's my fault, but I need to…”

“Maybe… that’s not what you need…”

Alysia turned to look at her back again. She could see the tip of Bastion.

“Thank you, Hufgens…”

“W-we should help the others…”

“You can't go on like this... You need to heal yourself…”

“I will, but I need to help Charlotte… I promised I would protect her.”

Alysia hesitated.

“C-can you trust me, Alysia?”

“I will, Zoe.”

Alysia emerged from the rubble with Zoe on her shoulder.

Zoe held her pocket watch.

She took out a card and pinned it to herself.

Zoe was still weak, but she managed to recover a little.

“We’re ready… Let’s get rid of that bastard,” Alysia announced.

Alysia stood beside Zoe. She put her desire for revenge aside to protect her.

Charlotte felt as if her heart were burning. Her breath caught in her throat, and her jaw tensed.

In an instant, she grabbed the tiger and slammed it against the ground.

Her hands were shaking.

The roots on her arm began to strangle the beast.

“Pure Magica. Nullify You.”

It turned into flowers.

Slowly, the beast disappeared.

Without pausing, one of the roots reached out toward the humanoid beast.

She pulled it toward herself.

She also slammed it against the ground.

“Pure Magica. Nullify You.”

The same thing happened.

Without waiting a second, Charlotte gave the order. “Formation!”

“Understood!” Everyone answered in unison.

They took their places.

The hero's smile faded.

“It's you against us now.”

“Really? Try this one on for size.”

The hero tried to whistle again, but Charlotte quickly used the roots on her arm to stop him.

“Not so fast!”

The hero tried to break free, but to no avail.

“I said I'd help you... But you'll pay for hurting Zoe.”

Once again, his arm was transformed into a wooden ball covered with thousands of sharp thorns. Each thorn oozed a blood-colored liquid.

“Bring it on, Charlotte Armelier!”