Space and matter became distant concepts after Valimar's blinding light engulfed the Class VII students. It was as if her very soul had been lifted from her body, Laura thought as she felt herself float and be carried away. The weight of her sword, the feel of her clothes, her own body, nothing felt real as she looked around to the kaleidoscope of colors that surrounded her and her friends, all seeming to experience the same sensations as her, wordlessly and wide eyed letting themselves be carried away by this strange force.

Blue, red, green, amber, golden, silver and obsidian, a rainbow made of the colors of septium swirled around them in a tube of light. They could be moving faster than the most advanced airship in the world but the lack of acceleration, wind or moving scenery made the whole process feel like being gently carried away. Not unlike moving underwater, Laura spun her ethereal body to look behind her (or was it above her?) to see Valimar, and Rean, flying along with them, guiding them even. What did it feel like, she wondered, to bear a power capable of so much?

Ahead of them the passageway of the spirit path ended on a bright white light that surrounded the travelers and indicated the end of their journey.

Valimar and the members of Class VII materialized in a flash of light and not a single one of them managed to keep a steady foot on the ground, feeling wobbly and disoriented for a moment. Only Celine could maintain herself balanced due to being a cat and she felt very smug about it.

"Everyone alright?" Rean asked.

"That was… That…" Shocked by the experience, Machias stuttered while using Elliot's body for support.

"It was awesome! Do it again!" Millium predictably yelled.

"It was strange but not unpleasant," said Laura. "I believe we are all well, Rean. What about you?"

He replied by leaving the cockpit and stretching out his body and letting out a somewhat tired groan. "I'm okay. Taking the spirit path really takes out of you though. If that's the case for him as well, I guess we don't have to worry about Crow teleporting all over the country on his Divine Knight."

"Valimar, what's the status of your mana reserves?" Celine asked.

"I have enough mana to take the spirit path once more as well as around 15 minutes of combat in case the need arises. I advise restraint."

Elliot looked around them, taking in exactly where Rean had brought them: a massive cavern at first glance but then there were the catwalks and other structures and machinery lying around. His eyes then locked in on the vast chasm behind them and the place clicked on his mind. "Speaking of which, Rean. Is this where I think it is?"

"Yep, we're on the Sachsen Mines just outside Roer."

"This is where you and Crow fought C… Err I mean…" Fie trailed off awkwardly, remembering what the Phantom Thief had said.

I should have stabbed the two of them back then. "Yeah, he gave me the idea," Rean casually said as he pushed that thought aside. "It's outside the city, out of sight and big enough for Valimar to fit in. Luckily for us it looks like the mine is closed."

"That last point is actually of utmost importance, Rean. What would happen if miners were working here right now and we appeared out of thin air in front of them? It is hardly the kind of attention we need at the moment," Jusis pointed out.

"I figured we'd sweet talk them into keeping this a secret," Rean responded casually with a shrug. "We're friends with Alisa and Angelica and the mine chief knows us, he would support us."

Jusis sighed and rubbed his face. That wasn't a plan at all, Rean had barely thought things through. "You would do well in taking into consideration what might be on the other side before teleporting us. What if you couldn't convince the chief? Or if there were spies among the workers ready to inform the Nortian army? This is not the time to unnecessarily take risks."

Rean's face twisted into a frown for a fleeting moment, not downright a scowl but close, before returning to a neutral stance. "That's fair, but my options were limited."

His response was noncommittal, the kind reserved to let a topic die because one doesn't care to continue, and it troubled Jusis somewhat. But this wasn't the ideal moment to argue and he couldn't help but feel he was to blame for the situation they were put in by allowing a spy to catch on to his plans.

"Now that Jusis mentioned it, why isn't there anyone working here?" Emma looked around, searching for any signs of people but it seemed the mine had been completely abandoned. Even more than that, judging by the state of tools and equipment strewn about, people left in a hurry.

Following Emma's questioning, Machias adjusted his glasses in his usual thoughtful pose. "With a war going on you would think that mines would be churning out ore as quickly as possible to satisfy the demands of the armies. This is an incredibly valuable location for both provincial and Imperial armies, it makes little sense for it to be abandoned right now."

Goosebumps ran up Emma and Celine's bodies, leading to the girl going pale in the face. "Oh crap," the familiar stuttered.

"What's wrong, Emma?" Laura asked her friend with concern and the answer came in the form of a series of loud roars echoing from the tunnels.

Fie immediately took her weapons out and assumed combat positions, followed by the others. "I guess that explains why nobody is working here."

"What the hell was that!?" Machias pointed his shotgun to a tunnel with a shaky hand.

"Vita told you magic knights are running amok Erebonia, right, Rean?" Emma asked, scratching her chin in thought. "They were created by alchemists centuries ago to rival the Divine Knights although they were never capable of surpassing them. While many were destroyed during combat, others were hidden away in pocket dimensions or buried deep into the earth, just waiting for the right moment to be awoken from their slumber."

There was another series of bone chilling roars and the caverns and tunnels of the mine shook with the pounding of heavy fists and ancient weapons striking the walls of the mine.

"And the mining activity ended up spurring these magic knights into activity, I imagine," said Jusis.

"Simply excavating them shouldn't be enough to wake the magic knights. They are reacting to the movement of the spirit veins which is being caused by whatever Vita is planning," Celine explained.

Rean took stock of the area they were in and started pointing out what he thought. Thankfully it seemed that their current location was safe from the magical golems, so they were at least afforded some respite to plan. Aside from that, the tunnels were too small for anything bigger than an orbal car to pass through, leading to the conclusion that the magic knights didn't have free passage through the mines. But neither did Valimar.

"Millium, Jusis, where was Instructor Sara meant to meet with Gaius and Alisa?" Laura asked when Rean finished exposing his thoughts, hoping that maybe Rean could use the spirit path again to reach them and avoid the alternative.

The younger girl bounced excitedly, eager to respond and with a wave of his hand, Jusis let her speak. "They've been holed up in an abandoned cavern around the mountains so should be pretty close actually! Sharon found them just recently and managed to get a hold of a radio, that's how we got to communicate."

"Interesting, it must be a cave completely disconnected from the mines then, otherwise they would've been made aware of the magic knights and not stuck around for long," Emma said.

"It should be easy then, we could just call them on the ARCUS and as long as they are close enough and the reception is good we will find them, we just have to-" Elliot's positive streak was suddenly interrupted by another set of roars. "We just have to get past all the monsters…"

"And how does anyone suggest we do that?" Machias rubbed his forehead, already feeling a migraine coming.

"We just gotta run past them really fast," Fie simply said as she unholstered her weapons because yes, of course, what other option did they have to throw themselves onto the unknown of tunnels infested with magical knights? Machias' migraine hit him with full force.

It seemed it would be another boring day, Alisa mused to herself as she sat down just outside their hideout, hugging her legs and watching the clouds pass by. As boring as it could be to be when you are holed up in a cave on a mountain because you're hiding from enemy forces that want to kidnap you because you're a person of interest during a civil war. It had been very tense initially but that novelty could only last for so long after they settled in the Eisengard Mountains near Roer.

It had been one hell of a month, fleeing from Trista with Gaius, meeting up with her grandpa on the way, getting completely barred from entering her hometown due to guards on every entrance, settling on this neat little hideout her grandfather knew about on the mountains and then Sharon showing up looking as pristine as ever somehow. The maid was off now though, gone to meet with Instructor Sara somewhere else.

"Why can't the instructor just come straight here?" Alisa had asked when Sharon was about to leave.

"Because, my lady, she could be followed on her way out of Bareahard or our communications could have been intercepted, so Lady Sara will take a detour to lose any would be pursuer and meet me on a pre-designated location and from there we will promptly return here."

So it wasn't all tedious, every new bit of information they gathered about the state of the country was cause for intense pondering and discussion, although she could've gone without her grandpa trying to push Gaius to hook up with her. Not that her classmate isn't incredibly handsome and charming and any girl would be lucky to date him but he just wasn't her type, he lacked a sorta fiery personality and inner turmoil that really drew her in.

I wonder if Rean is okay. I wonder if Laura is okay. Those two have to be.

"Are you okay, Alisa?" Gaius said as he approached her, coming back to their hideout after doing so scouting to see if anyone, friend or foe, had passed by.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just…" The blonde fought and lost a battle with a yawn, which led her to shake her head and get up. "Ugh, look at me, I'm supposed to be paying attention in case we get a call on the radio and watching out for enemies and yet here I am, feeling bored."

"That's okay, Alisa. Honestly, half of the reason I volunteered to go out was because I couldn't stand sitting here doing nothing anymore. Watching the sheep back home is more exciting," the Nord had started with a calm smile but that quickly faded into a look of concern when he thought back on his homeland.

"You're worried about your family, aren't you?"

"I'm sure they're fine, living between Erebonia and Calvard my father has contingency plans to deal with the possibility of conflicts rising and reaching the highlands. Still, I can't help but worry about them. Speaking of which, where's your grandfather?"

"He said he wanted to go fishing so he did."

"Is it safe for him to go out on his own?" Gaius said, slightly worried but Alisa waived away his concern.

"That old man can talk his ass out of any problem. And if he can't talk, he has his gun and a combat orbment, he's gonna be fine."

"If you say so," reluctantly, Gaius conceded to his classmate's words. It still troubled him how she could talk this way about her elder, even in front of him at times, but then Gwyn Reinford was far from the type of elderly person he was used to.

"Speaking of which…" Alisa unamusedly extended her hand towards the figure of her grandfather down at the foot of the mountain, but then as the older man approached she noticed he was actually running and waving his arms. Alisa was then quick to grab her orbal bow and rush to Gwyn along with Gaius.

"Grandfather, are you okay? Did something attack you?" She asked while Gwyn caught his breath and Gaius searched around for danger.

"You kids… Are gonna want to see this…"

At the same time as the mostly reunited Class VII made their way through one section of the Sachsen Mines, carefully avoiding the magic knights stuck on the cavern system, a man and a woman walked through the tunnels in an almost lackadaisical fashion on the other side of mine. The man had his hands on his pockets and shoulders slouched with an unimpressed expression on his face, the clear perfect picture of boredom that made even the greatest slacker of Thors seem like its most attentive student.

"What a pain in the ass," he grumbled after a loud yawn.

The woman on the other hand walked upright and poised for combat, determined and vigilant. nothing could distract her. Aside from her companion's constant complaining about being bored and how it was all a waste of their time. That ticked her off. "Yes, I have heard you say it at least three times already."

"There's a war going on and instead of getting sent into the heat of battle they make us do pest control, this is bullshit."

"Our role in this war is to act in the shadows, not to put on public spectacles, but if you're so annoyed you are more than free to do whatever you want," she huffed and tutted at her partner. "That is the way of the Enforcers as you are aware."

Throughout their whole conversation the duo was completely unperturbed by the constant and loud roars of magic knights that echoed through the mountain despite how much louder they got, signifying they were approaching the creatures. Quitting their bickering for a moment after exiting a tunnel, the pair looked around the open area they found themselves in where three of the magical golems mindlessly walked in circles and occasionally let out their disturbing roars, but upon feeling the presence of the new arrivals the monsters stopped dead on and turned their gazes towards them with unnatural synchronicity, something that the woman couldn't help but find a little unnerving.

"Psh, whatever. Burning tanks, burning knights, all the same shit. Let's get this over with."

Gwyn Reinford took his granddaughter and her friend on a long walk around the mountain, selges away from their hiding spot, which explained why he had been so tired. Still, that the former CEO was capable of running all the way there then walking back proved he was very much in shape for his age, "For that and other kinds of physical activities if you kids get my meaning," he would add if anyone dared complimenting his stamina, so both kept quiet in that regard.

Alisa tried to ask him again and again what was so important that he had to show them but her grandfather just kept playing it up as a mystery. It was maddening but at least it meant it wasn't anything dangerous. Maybe.

"Well, there it is. Didn't I tell ya? Words do it no justice," Gwyn spoke as they turned around a corner to face the strangest sight they had seen since Valimar materialized behind Rean a month ago.

On the wall of the mountain lay what appeared to be a gigantic suit of armor, not dissimilar to the panzer soldats from the Noble Alliance or Rean and Crow's Divine Knights, and although its armor was different from either of those, that was the least of its differences. For one thing, this knight had a human torso but four legs, like a horse. And as if that wasn't enough, only the left side of the creature was visible, its other half was stuck on the mountain, embedded into the rock.

"Well, this is certainly not something you see every day."

"I thought nothing could phase me after seeing so much strange stuff at school but…"

Gaius and Alisa muttered to themselves, weapons at the ready although they had little hope of fighting this beast if it attacked them. Sensing their presence, the golem moved its free arm, uselessly trying to pry itself off its prison.

"What the hell is this thing?" Alisa said.

"No frigging idea," Gwyn said enthusiastically. "Not a panzer soldat, that's for sure. Maybe it's one of those Divine Knights you told me about and someone's stuck in there?" A low roar reverberated through the ground, sending faint vibration to the onlookers. "Or maybe not."

"It reminds me of the Guardian of the highlands," said Gaius. "Maybe this is related?"

"I kinda feel bad looking at it, do you think it's in pain?"

"Whatever this creature is, Alisa, I don't think it would spare the same pity for us. I believe we should return back to our hideout until Instructor Sara and Sharon then move to somewhere safer."

Another roar but louder and not muffled by rocks came from the general direction of the centaur-like knight followed by a series of loud crashing noises. The cacophony of sounds continued for several minutes, making Alisa and Gaius take combat positions as they slowly backed away from the knight, and when it finally stopped another type of commotion started, but a more welcomed one.

"See, I told you we were on the right path! We just had to follow the signs."

"Those signs were old and rusty, they could have been wrong!"

"They were old and rusty, that means this section is abandoned and there's less chance of people to be waiting on this side. Even if the mine is shut down for the moment it doesn't mean they shouldn't keep guard on the main entrances but a back exit that nobody uses could be overlooked."

"Exactly."

"You two are the worst!"

Alisa could recognize that bickering anywhere. Rean, Machias, Fie…

"And if there was somebody we could just fight our way out!"

"Can we please actually come up with a contingency for once instead of making up as we go along?"

"I don't disagree, Jusis, but that is the risk we have to take in these highly unpredictable times."

Millium, Jusis, Laura…

"I'm just glad we're finally out of there, those mines are even scarier with all of those magic knights on the loose."

"Yes, and they started getting even more agitated as if something was spurring them. That can't be good."

"Be as it may, it's not our problem for now. Search for the rest of your friends and get this over with."

Elliot, Emma and… Who was that last one talking?

The voices got progressively closer, making Alisa and Gaius pay more attention to them than the horse knight they were so intrigued by moments ago. Taking their eyes away from the monster, they watched as their classmates rounded a corner and came face to face with them.

Stunned silence filled the air for a moment at the unexpected encounter before cries of joy were let out. Concerns about the knight embedded into the mountain were forgotten as hugs and handshakes and greetings were exchanged. Despite all they had been through in the past month, all the students of all Class VII were finally together again.

"It seems the winds finally graced us with good tidings."

"I should have never doubted for a second that all of you would be okay, especially you," Alisa said as she gave Rean a friendly hug.

"Because I'm awesome?"

"Because you have a thing called idiot's luck," she laughed and so did everyone else, even Rean. It was impossible to not get in good spirits in that situation. All that was left was to wait for Instructor Sara and Sharon to return and everything would be okay.

"H-holy crap, what's that!?" Elliot shrieked as he pointed at the buried magic knight.

Surprise and shock cut the happy reunion short as the new arrivals took sight of the monster and got ready for combat but that also ended shortly when Alisa explained that the monster seemed stuck. It was then time for Rean's group to explain what they had gone through to leave the mines, as well as how they got inside in the first place.

Of course, that didn't explain why there was half of a magic knight laying in there, leading Emma to theorize that maybe the golem had been hidden in a pocket dimension but shifts in the mountainous landscape resulted in the previously empty space becoming occupied by stone and rock.

"Should we do something about it? It could be dangerous if someone were to get too close to it," said Elliot.

"If the situation in the mines is as bad as you kids described, this whole mountain is too dangerous to get close to. I'm surprised Marquis Rogner hasn't sent troops to clean it up yet," Gwyn said.

"I would say it's only a matter of time until the Nortian Army is here, as tied up with the war as they might be, it would be foolish to just abandon the bounty of resources in these mountains. We should leave as soon as possible," said Jusis.

"First we have to wait until Instructor Sara and Sharon arrive but after that we are just ready to go," Alisa said with a little bit of excitement in her voice, happy that she wouldn't be holed up in a cave just waiting for something to happen anymore. "Where are we going anyway?"

"We're going back to my hometown first then there's a lot of stuff we have to catch everyone up on," said Rean as he explained in broad strokes where he and the others had been, deciding that they could leave the finer details for when they were settled back home.

"Emma, you're the one knowledgeable about the subject. Is that supposed to happen?" Laura called their attention to the magic knight, its arm moving erratically as it tried to pry itself off the rock wall before punching its prison with thundering force.

Soon, the magic knight's armor started to acquire an orange glow that quickly turned into incandescent whiteness that sent waves of hot air in the students' direction. The golem roared and struggled as it slowly started to melt, a tortuous death even for a monster they didn't even know if it was alive or not. If it was it didn't have to endure it for much longer as a blast of fire cut through a hole through its armor like a lance and slayed the incapacitated magic knight.

The monster soon disintegrated, leaving a magic knight-shaped hole in the mountain and the crowd watching the event looked for the magic specialists for guidance but neither Emma or Celine could explain what had happened.

"Wew, now that was fun. Normally I can never do that trick 'cus they start squirming and… Well, what do we have here?"

Out of the smoking crevice emerged a tall man in loose fitting clothes. Sporting a long red coat, glasses and an unkept head of blue hair with pink highlights, this individual was the greatest fashion disaster imaginable. But despite his slouched and uncaring posture as he moved closer to them, they couldn't help but feel intimidated by him.

Rean especially felt perturbed by this individual. There was something about him, his appearance, his features, that reminded Rean of something in the back of his mind. A strange type of recollection, as if he had seen him before.

Following behind the man, came the sound of coughing and choking and an annoyed grunt. "What is wrong with you!? I told you to not do that, not all of us can breathe smoke and do you think this armor is made of breathable material? It's not! I'm covered in sweat like I've been in a sauna!"

"Hey, we've got company, pay attention," the man said.

Coming out of the mountain was an armor-clad woman, wielding a sword and shield in a most picturesque image of a knight, although not as dignified as one would expect with her puffed up cheeks and annoyed expression.

The appearance of the duo put Class VII on alert and combat-links were immediately established between them as they moved to combat positions, spreading themselves out in two teams and surrounding the potential threats. It was as if the month they had spent apart had been no time at all as they easily went back into being comfortable fiighting alongside each other, and that was just an effect of their combat-links.

Unimpressed by their coordination, the man stroked his chin as he stared at them through narrowed eyes. "Aren't those the Class VII brats?"

Not a good start if that's how they were being referred to, Rean thought, hand resting the hilt of his sword.

[Awakener, do you require assistance?]

"Stay on standby, I'll call you if I need you."

[Acknowledged.]

"And who are you two?" The swordsman asked.

"Name's McBurn and Miss Prim and Proper here is Duvalie," the man replied to his partner's annoyance.

"If you're going to introduce me, at least do it properly," she hissed as she shook her fists, not unlike an irritated child. Between that and that McBurn character's complete uncaring attitude it was starting to look like they weren't that dangerous. Noticing the strange looks she was receiving, the woman turned to Class VII and put herself in a more dignified posture with raised chin and a balled fist to her chest. "I am Duvalie The Swift, head knight of the Stahlritter and honored servant of my illustrious lord, Arianrhod the Steel Maiden!" She beamed with unrestrained pride at saying those words. McBurn rolled his eyes.

Laura furrowed her brow. Stahlritter? Steel Maiden?

That answered some questions but raised a few others, although it wasn't hard to deduce the answers and Rean gripped the hilt of his tachi. "You are with Ouroboros, aren't you?"

"Indeed. We are on a mission to clean up the mines of the magic knights infesting them," Duvalie replied.

Just those two people to kill all those magic knights that infested the mines? No, that couldn't be true. Maybe they had left their panzer soldats inside along with their companions and used some kind of weapon to destroy the magic knight stuck on the mountain. Rean took stock of them, she was clearly a sword fighter but what about him? There were no weapons he could see, maybe a hand to hand combat? The Phantom Thief was no slouch as their multiple encounters with him had shown and if those two were as strong as him they had to be careful.

"If that's the case… How is this going to turn out?" Rean looked around him, everyone was ready for combat. They had to hold out until Sharon and Instructor Sara arrived, then he'd summon Valimar and get everyone out of there.

"I doubt you can give me a show but you can try," McBurn replied with a sardonic smirk.

A moment of silence hung in the air for a moment before Gwyn stepped forward and put himself between the two groups. "Alright, everyone. Let's take a breather here."

"Grandfather, get back here!" Alisa shouted.

"Relax, Alisa. As a CEO I was a formidable negotiator," he turned to the duo with his best salesman smile, back from the days when he was starting the Reinford company and looking for investors. "Now, Ms. Swift and Mr… McBurn, surely you have little to gain in fighting a couple of kids and an old man. I'd say it would even be to your detriment as I believe cleaning up the mines is more important to supply the Noble Alliance's armies than the capture of a group of people who don't amount much in the grand scheme of things."

"You're Gwyn Reinford, correct? You're wanted as well," Duvalie simply said, not moved by the man's attempt at calming down the situation.

While that happened, Laura repeated the knightly woman's words to herself. It couldn't be a mere coincidence, could it? Toval had briefed them a bit on the secret organization before they left Legram, schemers working in the shadows conspiring with the Noble Alliance for their own purposes, Vita Clotilde and the Phantom Thief among them and now this woman naming herself after Eisenritter… It made something ugly rise inside Laura.

"Now, missy, let's be reasonable. There's no motive for anyone to fight. Technically we aren't on anybody's side, we're just civilians and-"

"Stahlritter? Steel Maiden!?" The Arseid swordswoman bellowed with her sword raised at the duo, her voice drawing the attention from the others. "You dare bersmich the good names of the Eisenritter and Saint Sandlot!?"

Duvalie was unimpressed by the girl's outburst but curious about her words. "And who do you think you are to speak to me like this, little girl?"

"I am Laura S. Arseid, proud descendant of Shion Arseid and follower of the Arseid school of the sword, and I demand an explanation for this mockery of my family's legacy and that of the Lance Maiden!"

"Laura, you gotta chill out," Fie whispered to her friend as she felt the tension starting to rise. The others had similar thoughts, regardless of how she felt about the woman and what she had said, this clearly wasn't the time to let emotions take over.

"Oh, I see, you're the Arseid girl…" Duvalie's eyes narrowed as she looked at the young woman challenging her. It made her laugh openly and out loud in an almost mean spirited way. "Is that what you truly believe, that you follow the teachings of the Lance Maiden? Ha! How little you actually know!"

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know! But I won't tell you! Suck on that, Arseid fledgling!"

By this point Gwyn had completely given up on trying to deescalate the situation and was carefully backing away from the Ouroboros duo while the two women yelled at each other. The others were feeling similarly hopeless about things ending in conflict and were prepared for things to blow in any second now, the only one not phased at all by the situation was McBurn, who just loudly yawned.

"So, we doing this or not?"

"Sharon has been out for a while, she'll be here soon with Instructor Sara. We can hold out for that long, right?" Alisa whispered to Rean.

"Yeah, I think we can," Rean said confidently. Even if the fight turned south he could get Valimar there and scare those two off. Yeah, they could do it. "Class VII, engage!"

Alisa and Machias fired the first shots meant to separate the duo while Elliot and Emma cast protective Arts on their friends while the melee fighters rushed for their targets.

Laura's sword clashed with Duvalie's shield with full force but the knightly woman barely reacted to the attack and moved to counter with her own weapon, which would have ended badly for the Arseid were it not for Gaius coming up from the side and meeting the blade with his spear. It seemed Duvalie was locked in a struggle match against the two but she was actually strong enough to push both teens back, causing both to jump back and away from her and give space for come rushing in with a haymaker from Airgetlam that forced her to jump to the side, just to be in line for a gunshot from Machias. The projectile bounced off her armor and Duvalie let out an annoyed "hmph" before initiating her own assault.

On the other side, Rean and Fie were dispensing quick attacks against McBurn while being cautious as the man had yet to demonstrate what his offensive abilities were as so far had simply contented himself with dodging and keeping his distance.

"That the best you can do?" McBurn said, unimpressed. "Thought the Sylphid at least would put up more of a fight," as he said that an arrow came flying at him but McBurn avoided it but put himself in position for Jusis who came rushing at him with a thrust of his sword. McBurn spun on his heel at the last second, twisting around and letting Jusis pass by him before delivering an elbow to the back of his head.

"Fine, I'll give it that you're trying."

Rean and Fie came at him again but this time McBurn decided to show a fraction of what he was capable off. With no previous warning, an explosion of fire surged from him and pushed his two attackers back and flames engulfed the man, swirling like a whirlwind before subsiding.

The moment didn't go unnoticed by the other side of the fight and Duvalie took the opportunity to dispense a flurry of attacks against Laura, the girl barely being able to defend herself. "Some 'proud descendant of Shion Arseid' you are. You can't even pay attention to the fight!"

Laura bit back an insult, she had already allowed the woman to get under her skin once, she wouldn't give way to further provocations. Instead, Laura focused on Duvalie's movements; the woman was incredibly fast and she could tell she wasn't giving her all in this fight. A diagonal cut, then an horizontal one followed by a shield bash. She left no openings for Laura to take advantage of and simultaneously could keep the other at bay while taking care to not allow their ranged attackers to get her in their sights. The woman was formidable, there was no question about it.

Feeling his classmate's intention through their combat-link, Gaius initiated a quick flurry of attacks against their quarrel, focusing on her legs to trip the woman. With dextrous agility, Duvalie moved out of the way of the cross spear and turned her attention towards the Nord; using her sword to parry his strikes, she could've easily follow up with an attack that would've cut him down but then came in Laura with a low swiping attack and Duvalie firmly placed her shield down to protect her hip.

"Pfff, did you truly believe this could wor-"

The word remained unsaid as Laura raised her leg and kicked Duvalie in the chest then followed it up with a thrust of her sword that the knight had to block to avoid being skewered, at which point Gaius threw a feint with his spear just to step aside and let Millium rush in using her combat shell in its hammer mode. The intelligence agent almost knocked the sword out of Duvalie's hand but the knight managed to pull her arm back at the last second and got hit in her forearm instead and was pushed back.

"Maybe you ought to gloat less and pay more attention to the fight," Laura said.

Meanwhile, Rean, Fie and Jusis avoided searing flames being flung at them by their adversary. It was madness, they couldn't even get close to him anymore and even Alisa and Elliot had become targets and couldn't provide proper cover fire. Stranger of all, was that Elliot was pretty sure he had cast Anti-sept, the Art meant to stop any other kind of Arts casting, but that didn't stop McBurn from summoning his flames, and nobody could see where his battle orbment was.

Away from the chaos, Gwyn watched the ongoing battle in complete dejection, frustrated at not being able to do anything. The simple orbal pistol in his hand felt heavy and completely useless. "I guess I am getting too old for this sort of business," he said with a forlorn expression.

"You get used to it," Celine said and drew the former CEO's attention. He looked at the feline with a raised eyebrow but didn't show too much surprise at her. Having traveled far and wide across Zemuria he had seen and heard weider tales. "Don't try anything crazy, Emma didn't say anything but I'm supposed to watch out for you."

A stray fireball from McBurn came hurling at them and exploded at the magic barrier that surrounded Celine and Gywn. They were unscathed but the impact made both recoil.

"L-like so."

"Well, you have my thanks, my lady cat."

This was turning bad fast, Rean would need to call in Valimar but would these people be that intimidated by the Divine Knight? The Zephyr jaegers certainly weren't, so why would this crazy fire guy who won't shut up about wanting a real fight be? Wouldn't Valimar actually be cumbersome and get in the way of his friends trying to avoid being burned to death? There were too many uncertainties and he couldn't count on his friends running away while he held off the two Ouroboros agents, bless their hearts they'd stay with him.

But that was fine because Rean had another card on his sleeve. This would be the first time he would willingly summon the ogre power since the day the war started but he trusted his capacity to handle it, he couldn't afford to be scared of it anymore, not after all the time he Instructor Sara and Laura had helped him, not with the stakes getting higher and higher.

It's just another part of me, I am in control, I am its master.

Rean positioned his sword with the tip of the blade facing down in his most commonly adopted stance and moved so he'd get behind McBurn while Jusis and Fie relentlessly attacked him, the older man avoiding their attacks with no problem. A ping was sent from his combat-link to them and both doubled down on their assault.

"This is just getting annoying now," McBurn tisked and with a wave of his hand produced a wall of flames that pushed Fie and Jusis away with a wave of scalding hot air. If those kids didn't step up their game soon he wouldn't even give them the dignity of dying, he would just leave.

That was the moment Rean had been waiting for, some sort of big move that would require a bit more concentration from their adversary. The Eight Leaves practitioner rushed in a burst of speed, getting into attack range in a fraction of a second. The steel of his tachi sang as it rose from the ground but McBurn wasn't an Ouroboros agent for nothing, being able to sense incoming attack, the man was quick to turn around and step back to avoid it, but that was okay because Rean expected as much.

At that moment, Rean activated the power he was holding back and the ogre burst forth in an explosion of strength. Letting his sword continue the trajectory of his previous attack, Rean used its momentum to spin around into a downwards technique of the Helix form. Not expecting the increase of speed from Rean's ogre power, McBurn would have no time to dodge and he would be another person Rean's killed and it would be in front of his friends this time. But he had to protect them, that was all that mattered.

Except, that scenario didn't come to pass. Instead of being cut down by Rean's sword or attempting to move out of the way, McBurn simply captured the blade in his palm. The so far uninterested man let out a surprised "huh!?" with a quizzical look displayed on his face and followed up with a question so odd that was able to completely shake Rean away from his own state of shock.

"So you're mixed too?"

"What?"

McBurn's reply came in the form of an explosive punch to the gut that sent Rean flying back.

"Not by much, it looks like. But this is getting interesting," completely ignoring the rest of his adversaries, McBurn cracked his knuckles as he approached Rean trying to lift himself up. "Show me what ya got, kid!"

The swordsman heaved as he tried to catch his breath, that punch felt almost as bad as the one from Scarlet's panzer soldat. What the hell was up with that guy, how did he stop his sword with his bare hands? He was strong. Too strong. In his ogre vision, McBurn was like a huge warning sign that dulled everything else around him.

Now intent on fighting Rean, McBurn approached the teen with fists wrought in flames but a familiar mechanical roar echoed across the landscape, drawing his attention. Going around the bend of the mountain, Instructor Sara showed up tearing the ground with the orbal bike with Sharon sitting at the back.

"How about we dance a bit instead?" The former Bracer confidently yelled over the sound of the engine as she sped towards McBurn who welcomed the new arrivals.

"The Purple Lightning, now that's what I'm talking about!"

The pyromancer faced the speeding vehicle head on, ready for it to crash on him if that were to be the case, but at the last second Sara turned left and went past him. That had not been a simple game of chicken however, with covert dexterity and agility, Sharon looped one of her steel wires around McBurn's left arm and the man was dragged by the orbal bike as they headed towards the other enemy.

As her adversaries stepped away, the knightly woman planted herself in the ground and raised her shield, meeting Sara's sword head on with an explosive impact that sent waves of electricity through her body, making her buckle and roll backwards.

Sara hit the brakes and Sharon cut the steel wire that was holding McBurn, the momentum still sending the man rolling across the ground, before the bike sped away from the Ouroboros duo and towards the regrouping students.

"Well, that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Fie blurted out, visibly impressed. And she was not the only one, everyone was a bit slack jawed at the scene.

"Are you kids okay?" The instructor said as she parked the bike, looking over her students.

"We're…" Rean, still transformed, stopped himself, cleared his throat, and undid his transformation. "We're fine, instructor."

"Is that you Kreuger!? Now that's a face I haven't seen in a while!" McBurn called out as he dusted himself off, completely unphased by the ordeal he had just gone through.

Puzzled, Alisa looked over at the loyal maid. "What? Sharon, how does that guy know you?"

"All will be explained in due time, my lady."

Taking the events in a much less joyful manner than her partner, Duvalie groaned and huffed as she lifted herself up. "Great, more garbage to deal with."

Sara looked at her opponents. The woman was a complete mystery but the man was the Enforcer Nº I of Ouroboros. The Bracer Guild spared no efforts in identifying the secret organization's agents since the incident in Liberl and among them the man known as the Almighty Conflagration was the most mysterious of all, besides his appearance the only certain thing about him was that he was a problem.

"So, does anyone have any plans or are you guys okay with fighting those two?" The instructor asked, gripping her sword.

"Don't worry, instructor. I got this," said Rean as Valimar materialized in a show of light behind them and he himself quickly entered its cockpit. "We're leaving."

The magic circle of Valimar's spirit path function started to form around the entire group, slightly startling those unfamiliar with it before the others calmed them down.

Although she was relieved that the fight seemed to be over, Laura couldn't help but glare at Duvalie, her words still bothering her. Sensing the animosity coming from the Arseid girl, Duvalie met her gaze with a sneer. "Arseid! If you truly believe you follow the teachings of the Eisenritter and the Lance Maiden, hone your blade and maybe I will dignify you with an answer."

"Oh come on, things were finally starting to get good!" McBurn dismayed as he threw a fireball at Valimar, but by the time the projectile reached its destination the Divine Knight vanished along with everyone else.