"!"


    I raised my body immediately and stood up.


    "Sir Nyrel?" Milleia stood up with a questioning gaze but I was too concentrated on looking around me.


    Where?!


    [What happened?]


    ''Do you see something approaching us?!''


    I asked Jarvis without choices.


    [No…]


    "Hey! Be on guard! The enemy is approaching!" I called out, making sure my voice carried to everyone.


    In response to my warning, they all swiftly stood up, gripping their weapons tightly.


    "There!" Elona eximed, her voice filled with urgency. We all turned our gaze in the direction she indicated.


    A dark, indistinct figure was hurtling toward us at an rming speed.


    Who could that be?


    -Bam!


    With a thunderous impact, the figure reached me in an instant.


    Shit!


    "Reflect."


    -Booom!


    In an instant, a powerful feminine voice resonated, conjuring a massive mirror that materialized before me and forcefully repelled the dark entity.


    "You saved me there, Mary," I acknowledged, offering her a grateful smile.


    "W-Who is she?" Jayden stammered, bewildered by the sudden appearance of Mary.


    "She is a friend of Sir Nyrel," Milleia answered, providing a brief exnation.


    "Wow! She''s stunning!"


    "R-Right!"


    "I think I''m in love."


    I chose to ignore the cringe-worthyments from Jayden''spanions, focusing my attention on the situation before me.


    Observing the figure more closely, I finally recognized that it was one of the corrupted beings associated with the Iris Project. Just like Pyres and Morino, once they died, they were transformed into these abominations.


    But that face... it looks so familiar...


    "D-Dn...?" I muttered, ncing at Miranda standing beside me. Her previouslyposed expression had turned pale, and she stared at the figure with a mix of fear and recognition.


    Dn?


    Isn''t he one of her childhood friends?


    The guy who irritated me in the dungeon and had a crush on her?


    So he died... and now they''ve corrupted him.


    Dn''s face twitched mechanically as he heard Miranda''s voice. Oozing ck substance covered his body, and his eyescked focus. His hands disappeared, reced by dark, spiked appendages. He took a step forward—swiftly.


    Fast!


    Thanks to the enhanced perception of the Falkrona Bloodline, I could barely track his movements.


    He was heading straight for Miranda.


    Huh?


    I stood dumbfounded as Miranda made no attempt to defend herself. Instead, she wore a nervous smile and walked toward Dn.


    "D-Dn, it''s Miranda. Don''t you recognize me? Someone is controlling—"


    What the hell is she doing?!


    "Mary!"


    I called out to Mary, and a mirror materialized behind Miranda. In an instant, she was pulled into it and reappeared behind me through another mirror. Without sparing a nce for Miranda, I stepped into the mirror myself and swung my two short swords.


    -Spuuuurt!


    Dn was caught off guard, but the repulsive ck entity managed to block my des. In a swift motion, I leaped back into the mirror, instantly reappearing in a different location.


    It''s too dangerous.


    I mustn''te into direct contact with that dark creature.


    "Dn, what are you doing?" Miranda''s pleading voice reached my ears, infuriating me.


    "He is dead!" I shouted with frustration.


    Miranda''s face paled at my words. "N-No... he''s... he''s alright..."


    "M-Myra..." Elona attempted to rise, but the toll of our previous battle rendered her immobile.


    "M-Mi-Mira-nda...!" A strained voice emerged from Dn, but it wasn''t him. It was just the remnants of his fading consciousness.


    "Y-Yes! It''s Miranda!" Miranda''s smile grew, her steps drawing her closer to him.


    I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat as I watched Miranda approach with a desperate, trembling smile. Tears welled up in her tangerine eyes.


    "R-Rah!" Dn''s head contorted unnaturally, and he lunged at Miranda.


    "Hexagonal Barrier!" Milleia swiftly intervened, conjuring a shimmering blue barrier in front of Miranda.


    Booom!


    Dn''s spiky hand shattered the barrier in an instant, but Milleia was quick on her feet, creating multipleyers behind it to reinforce the defense.


    "Sir Nyrel!"


    Understanding Milleia''s intentions, I summoned a mirror behind the unstable Miranda and whisked her away, bringing her closer to our group.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Dn''s attention immediately shifted toward Milleia and Miranda as he propelled himself off the ground.


    "Mary, take Miranda away," Imanded, positioning myself in front of Milleia, who struggled to summon another barrier.


    "Reflect!"


    BOOOOOM!


    Upon collision with my mirror, it shattered, propelling both Dn and me backward. I crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain as I fought to catch my breath.


    My body was reaching its limits after enduring numerous battles.


    I have to sever his head.


    With the staff unable to aplish the task, I could only rely on Trinity Nihil. However, how am I supposed to get close enough to him to deliver a fatal blow?


    Narrowing my eyes, I forced myself to stand, murmuring, "AP Conversion."


    [2572]


    [2569]


    Maryprehended my n and shattered all the mirrors surrounding her, creating sharp shards that she hurled at Dn. However, to our dismay, the shards effortlessly passed through his body, as if piercing through water, nullifying her attack.


    Now!


    Summoning a mirror, I materialized behind Dn, brandishing Trinity Nihil and aiming for his neck. But at thest moment, a spike jutted out from his back.


    "Argh!" I blocked the spike with my de, but the force propelled me through the air, hurtling hundreds of meters within a split second.


    BOOOOM!


    "AGH!" I coughed up blood and copsed to my knees. "Ah... ah... ah... damn it..."


    [He is approaching.]


    I lifted my gaze and saw Dn charging straight at me.


    Fuck!


    Frantically surveying my surroundings, my eyes widened as I spotted the portal leading to the 48th floor.


    Thankfully, Mary arrived and positioned herself in front of me, but...


    It was dangerous.


    "Mary, move."


    "No."


    "It''s dangerous!" I warned, urgencycing my voice but she was still heeding to my words and prepared herself to parry the attack.


    "N-Nyr?" With no other options, I instinctively grabbed hold of Mary by her waist and leaped into the portal. My vision blurred as we emerged on the 48th floor.


    Hopefully, he won''t follow us--


    "!" I swiftly rolled on the ground, narrowly evading the corruptive spike.


    Mary appeared once again in front of me, but she dissipated into her own dimension with a radiant light, as I had depleted most of my mana.


    I let out a relieved sigh before channeling Ruah around Trinity Nihil.


    As Dn''s spiky arm reached out for me once more, I deftly sidestepped and swung my sword with all my might. Trinity Nihil sliced through the dark substance effortlessly, severing his arm.


    "RAHAHHHA!" Dn roared in agony, stumbling backward.


    -Whooosh!


    Suddenly, an arrow soared through the air at high speed, piercing Dn''s stomach. I nced behind him and saw Miranda, bow at the ready. She fired another arrow, conjuring a gust of wind that gently propelled me backward, creating a safe distance between me and Dn.


    Sliding back along the ground, I watched as Mirandanded gracefully before me.


    "Kill him," I instructed her. I had no doubts that she possessed the capability to do so.


    "No. There must be another way--"


    "Stop that!" I snapped, unable to bear the sound of her hopes any longer. "Can''t you see that he''s dead?!" I pointed at Dn''s bloated body, where no blood even spurted after I severed his hand or after he was struck by Miranda''s arrow.


    "N-No... I''m sure that if--"


    "There''s no way he can be--" My words caught in my throat as I reached out, gripping her arm to make her face me.


    "..."


    Miranda met my gaze with her tangerine eyes brimming with tears.


    You haven''t changed, Miranda.


    Always shedding more tears for others than for herself.


    "!" Positioning myself protectively in front of Miranda, I brought down my sword, parrying the ckish substance. But his other spike struck my de once again, sending me hurtling through the air, with Miranda sheltered securely behind me.


    "Ugh!" Both of us rolled on the ground, and I ended up taking the brunt of the impact, shielding Miranda.


    "A-Are you okay--"


    -Bam!


    I mmed my right hand onto the ground near Miranda''s head, as wey on the ground. "Listen, Miranda." I removed my mask.


    "!" Miranda''s eyes widened as she saw my ck hair fading to gray and my red eyes returning to their amber hue.


    "Your friend is dead. How long will you continue to cry? I''m not asking you to stop crying, but not right now. This isn''t the right moment. I may not be able to defeat him, but you can."


    "E-Edward--"


    "You''ve lost one of your closest friends, but you still have many others who care about you, Miranda. Elona, Aurora, Lea, Ca, Theo, your younger brothers, your father."


    As she listened to my words, Miranda covered her eyes with her arm, tears streaming down her face.


    "Aunt Olivia wouldn''t want to see you crying like this, Myra." Out of habit, I gently patted her hair and slumped down beside her.


    Miranda sniffed and slowly stood up. Retrieving her bow, she gathered an immense amount of mana. Her hair radiated a dark green glow, elongating as if moved by an unseen wind. "Aeolus," she muttered, and a sublime arrow materialized on the bowstring.


    The ground beneath me rumbled from the sheer pressure of Miranda''s awakening. "I-I''m sorry!" She closed her teary eyes and released the bowstring.


    -BOOOOOOM!