Author's Note:

Almost all my exams are over. The admission tests were really crazy. Regardless, I am trying to get 'English Literature'. Is there anybody among you who belongs to the 'Department of English' one way or another? Let me know! Anyways, I really hope I can get this. Please, please, pray for me!

I have tons of other interesting stories. Check them out in my profile. Just in case this site dies: I have an AO3 account— same username and profile picture.

A Half-Elf To The Rescue

The night air crackled with tension as the hooded figures advanced, their synchronized steps echoing like a death march. Their robes, black as midnight and embroidered with twisted symbols, billowed in the chilling wind. Their presence sent an unmistakable shiver down Subaru's spine—she had seen these bastards before, felt their blades slicing through her flesh, heard their laughter as her world faded to black. But not this time. Not again.

A sharp hum filled the air as Rosewall raised a single, gloved hand. A smirk curled his lips as prismatic orbs of pure mana coalesced around him, spinning like planets caught in orbit. With a flick of his fingers, they shot forward like falling stars, slamming into the cultists with explosive force. The first few caught off guard were obliterated instantly, their bodies bursting apart like wet paper dolls. Those who survived staggered, robes singed, limbs trembling from the sheer magical pressure.

"Puck, dear, do try to keep up," Rosewall called over his shoulder, his usual drawl laced with amusement.

Puck grinned, floating beside Subaru, his small form radiating icy mist. "I was just about to say the same thing, Clown."

With a lazy yawn, Puck inhaled deeply, then exhaled. A wave of frost surged forward, creeping along the ground and encasing the nearest cultists in thick, unrelenting ice. Their muffled screams barely made it through their frozen prisons before the ice shattered, leaving behind nothing but brittle remains.

Ram, standing atop a nearby carriage, raised her wand, eyes gleaming with calculated focus. A surge of wind magic burst from her, sharp as a thousand blades, slicing through the cultists like paper in a storm. Cloaks were torn, limbs separated from bodies, blood painting the dirt road beneath them.

Meanwhile, Subaru gritted her teeth and extended her hands. Her magic pulsed erratically, unstable but potent. She forced it forward, and a wave of invisible energy slammed into the charging cultists, sending them sprawling. It wasn't as elegant as Rosewall's magic, nor as deadly as Puck's frost, but it was enough to buy them time.

But then—there was Darkness.

Darkness, the so-called crusader, the noble warrior who should have been cleaving through enemies with righteous fury… instead, she was doing exactly what Subaru feared. She stormed forward, arms spread wide, her body unguarded.

"Oh no," Subaru muttered.

"Oh yes," Puck countered.

Darkness reached the cultists, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Come on!" she moaned. "Strike me down! Cut me! Pierce my body with your wicked blades!"

The cultists froze. One actually took a step back.

A particularly brave (or incredibly disturbed) cultist raised his dagger and hesitated. "Uh… what?"

Darkness clenched her fists, her entire body quivering with anticipation. "I can't be harmed! Your attacks mean nothing! Try your best, and you'll never break me!"

One of the cultists finally swung his blade, cutting across her arm. The strike barely made a scratch against her armor, but the sheer delight on Darkness's face made the cultists visibly recoil.

"Oh, come on!" Subaru groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "At least try to act tough, you perverted knight!"

Inside the carriage, Kazuma did what he did best—nothing.

"Yeah! You got this! I believe in you!" he cheered half-heartedly from his spot, reclining with his arms behind his head. "Moral support, baby! Woo!"

Megumin, meanwhile, was still on the carriage floor, struggling to stand. "Just… give me a minute… ugh…" She reached for her staff, missed, and collapsed back down with a weak groan. "I'll— I'll cast Explosion in a second, I swear."

At least Aqua was doing something. Sort of.

The self-proclaimed divine goddess was holding her staff high, radiating with holy energy. A brilliant light shone down upon the battlefield, washing over the cultists. Some flinched in pain, others merely looked bewildered. One particularly buff cultist blinked rapidly before looking around in confusion.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he muttered, his voice tinged with horror.

Aqua grinned, chest puffed out. "Behold! The divine Aqua has saved you!"

The man furrowed his brow and reached into his robes, pulling out a tattered book. "What's this?"

Aqua frowned. "Let me see that…"

She snatched the book from his hands and flipped through the pages, eyes narrowing. She skimmed through twisted incantations, cryptic symbols, and strange diagrams before her gaze landed on something that made her tilt her head.

"Hm, hm, interesting. So if I chant this line, I could potentially return back?!"

Subaru's stomach dropped. "Wait. Aqua, don't—"

But it was too late.

Aqua gleefully chanted, "Mehmehpæogãl? jǢna hê gǣr."

A beat of silence.

Then—

"Aqua, you're fading!" Subaru yelled, panic surging through her.

Aqua blinked and looked down at her hands, now shimmering and transparent. "Yes! I can finally return back to my realm!"

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one.

Kazuma let out an inhuman shriek as his body began to fade. "WHAT THE HELL, AQUA?!"

Darkness was fading too, her expression torn between confusion and… excitement?

Megumin, still struggling to stand, looked down at herself in growing horror. "No! No, no, no! I haven't used Explosion yet!"

Subaru's mind raced. "If you and Megumin go away, how can we fight these lunatics?!"

Aqua hummed in thought before gripping her staff tightly and whispering (or, rather, yelling), "Whoever holds this staff, if they are Emilia, then they shall possess… 1%, no, 0.001% of the great Aqua's divine power!"

With that, she tossed her staff straight at Subaru, who barely managed to catch it before it smacked her in the face.

Kazuma gave an exaggerated wave, his voice echoing as his body vanished completely. "Bye-bye! Have fun saving the world, losers!"

And just like that, Aqua, Kazuma, Darkness, and Megumin were gone.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Ram sighed, adjusting her grip on her wand. "Well, that was… anticlimactic."

Subaru, still clutching Aqua's staff, turned her gaze toward the remaining cultists. They stared at her, then at the staff, then back at her. A mutual understanding passed between both parties.

The fight wasn't over.

Without hesitation, Subaru tightened her grip and pointed the staff forward. "Alright, you bastards! Let's finish this!"

The cultists, apparently not wanting to be outdone, let out guttural roars and surged forward once more.

And so, the battle resumed.

Û~Û

Turns out, Aqua's staff was way more useful than Subaru had expected. It practically hummed in her grip, the divine energy inside it effortlessly responding to her commands. With a flick of her wrist, frost spread like wildfire, coating the ground in shimmering ice. A single swing sent jagged spikes shooting forward, freezing cultists solid mid-step.

If Aqua had this kind of power all along, why the hell did she waste it on crying and mooching off Kazuma?

Regardless, it was an absolute game-changer for Subaru—Emilia. She had never wielded frost magic with such ease before. The power felt instinctive, as if the staff itself was whispering the best way to channel it. She moved with growing confidence, twirling the staff and launching precise blasts of ice, freezing anything that dared approach. The once-overwhelming horde of Witch Cultists was now an army of ice sculptures littering the battlefield.

It didn't take long for Puck, Rosewall, and Ram to clean up the rest. Rosewall's precision mana blasts had already left a trail of destruction. Puck had done what he did best—playing around before freezing people solid. And Ram? Ram didn't hold back, sending razor-sharp wind magic cutting through robes, flesh, and whatever else got in her way.

When the last cultist collapsed, the battlefield fell into silence.

Subaru wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, exhaling sharply. "Alright, that's that. Now—" She turned to the cultists, all of them tied up in a neat little row, looking either pissed off or terrified. "—who's the leader here?"

Silence.

She narrowed her eyes. "C'mon. Somebody talk."

Silence.

Rosewall stepped forward, his usual grin subdued. "I suggest you answer, unless you'd like to become one of dear Emilia-sama's ice sculptures~?"

More silence.

Subaru clicked her tongue, getting frustrated. Maybe… maybe she needed to act tougher? Strike a little fear into them? She squared her shoulders, put on what she assumed was a menacing glare, and stepped closer.

"You know," she started, deepening her voice just a bit, "I could just freeze your fingers off one by one. Reeeeeal slow. Or maybe start with the toes. Work my way up. Let's see how devoted you really are to your little cult."

A beat of silence.

Then—

"Aww, Lia! That's so cute!" Puck practically squealed.

Rosewall clasped his hands together, beaming. "As expeeeected of Emilia-sama~! Such charisma!"

Ram scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Subaru felt her soul leave her body.

"Seriously?! I was threatening them!" she snapped. "How did that come off as cute?!"

Puck floated in front of her, booping her nose. "Because you're you."

Subaru groaned, dragging a hand down her face. There was no winning with these people.

Then, just as she was about to try again, Rosewall's expression darkened.

He straightened up, eyes narrowing as a sudden tension filled the air. "...Oh dear."

Subaru immediately picked up on it. "What?"

Rosewall's lips twisted into something between a frown and a grin, like he was both amused and irritated. "These weren't the only Witch Cultists."

The words sent a chill through Subaru that had nothing to do with her frost magic.

"They're not?" she asked, gripping the staff tighter.

Rosewall shook his head. "More are heading for the domain." His eyes flickered with urgency. "Almost there."

Subaru didn't hesitate. "Shit! We gotta go!"

Mounting her ground dragon in one swift motion, she kept Aqua's staff firmly in her grasp. Puck settled on her head like a fluffy hat, his small form vibrating with energy.

Rosewall took to the skies, his mana-infused levitation keeping him just above the battlefield.

Ram remained behind, arms crossed, her usual stoic expression betraying no emotion. "I'll handle things here," she said, flicking her wrist toward the bound cultists. "Make sure you don't die, Emilia-sama."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement."

Subaru tugged on the reins, and the ground dragon let out a sharp cry before launching forward. Wind whipped past her as she sped toward the domain, heart pounding.

She had a very bad feeling about this.

Û~Û

Author Note: Basically Satella didn't like EmiBaru having Aqua around, so she used Aqua's idiocy to teleport them back to where they came from.

And since EmiBaru isn't divine, she can only use the staff for small power amplification and basic healing. Like in Season 3, we have seen what Emilia is capable of.

Coincidentally, my other story: 'Stone-Faced But Friendly' is also in the same arc. Check it out. Dattebayo.

Thanks for reading this chapter. Drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words motivate me to write better, larger and with more depth.

Cath you next time!