The mana Eugene gathered to activate Prominence dispersed. Eugene glared at the sky for a moment, then cleared his expression and regained his composure before turning around.

He noticed Kristina wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and asked, "Are you okay?" The barrier she formed using divine power had not been weak by any means, but it had been no match for the sheer power of Edmund's attack. Kristina had endured the brunt of the destruction, her barrier shattered by the force of the onslaught.

“I am… fine,” Kristina said while catching her breath and calling on the Light. The throbbing pain she felt was washed away by her divine power. But even though she was relieved of the physical pain, she could not find peace. “I apologize, Sir Eugene. I was lacking….”

“Don’t say that.” Eugene interrupted her with a nonchalant expression. He didn’t want to betray his true emotions to Kristina, especially when she had such clear blood stains around her face. However, his answer only caused Kristina more distress.

Kristina lowered her head while chewing on her lips. Eugene clicked his tongue at the sight and pulled out a handkerchief before approaching her. “He’s called the current generation’s Staff of Incarceration. In addition, he was drawing power from all sorts of sources. Even if you are the Saint, you couldn’t possibly maintain the barrier under those conditions.”

“…Right.”

[Hamel is correct, Kristina. Even for me, it was impossible to suppress the Staff of Incarceration by myself three hundred years ago.]

It felt as if the curses and hatred they felt from the Death Knight were haunting them. However, Anise could pull herself together, knowing that the Death Knight wasn’t really Hamel.

[How dare they,] spat Anise.

But it did not mean she had dispelled her anger. On the contrary, her anger simmered beneath the surface, sharpening into a fine edge. Anise could not bring herself to forgive the Death Knight and the black...