Chapter 38
In the pre-dawn light on the ridge, the sentry stood watching the sky. Lloyd was known to use Rheairds, after all.
He didn't hear Yuan's quiet footsteps coming from behind him, nor the soft crackle as the ball of electricity grew. Then a hand was clamped around his mouth, and the crackling ball pushed into his back.
Yuan held on despite the thrashing, then let the limp body drop down. He put two fingers to his mouth and gave a soft whistle.
Genis tried to sneak along after him, but stumbled. The angel had to grit his teeth and remind himself that the boy was at that clumsy stage, and telling him to be quiet wouldn't gain any immediate, and therefore useful, improvement.
When the silver-haired half-elf had caught up to Yuan, he whispered, "I'm ready."
Yuan nodded, and spread his wings again. The flight down the mountain to the deserted pit was short and uneventful, but Yuan noticed some activity in the camp, but only could see it by dint of having angelic eyesight.
They set down on the side nearest the camp, having reasoned they could destroy two sides from here, and then be across the pit by the time the guards swarmed the spot, from which Genis would collapse the third side.
Yuan set Genis down. "Hurry up," he snapped.
"I'm working, I'm working," Genis gritted as he began to put Master Crowley's spell together. The elf master of magic had been rather proud of this one. The only drawback was how carefully it had to be put together. But Genis wasn't called the Mana Master for nothing.
The ball of incandescently white mana blasted off like a cannon, taking only a second to impact on the side, and then the very rock was ripped asunder as the detonation blazed like the sun for an instant.
Yuan was stunned at the power of the magic user. He couldn't remember seeing a more destructive spell.
Chaos erupted behind them, but Genis was already constructing the second spell. After ten seconds, he had it ready and the second side, too, had an enormous crater put into it.
Yuan grabbed him and took flight as the small army came rushing out of the camp, to gawk at the devastation. They'd get a nasty surprise if they didn't move before he and Genis reached the other side, he reflected.
The other heard the explosions, and forced themselves to wait ten minutes. Then Raine, Athan, Presea, and Elpida got onto their Rheairds.
Lloyd, Sheena, Zelos, and Ribs saw them off.
"Will you be all right?" Zelos asked them for the tenth time.
"Yes. With my healing abilities and the other's combat, we should be able to handle ourselves," Raine said.
"We have a sixty-seven percent chance of survival," Presea said clinically.
They all looked around at her.
They stared.
She giggled. "Just kidding."
The Rheairds lifted up.
"Good luck!" Lloyd called after them.