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“Tch… I won’t let that happen!”

“Glis, let’s protect Miss Vilma! We also need to help Miss Eris, Mais, the other evacuating Highlanders, Princess Meltina, and Miss Charlotte too!”
“Got it, Rani. Haha… we sure are busy, aren’t we?”
“The evacuation facility for the residents is underground! It’s just above the Sarcophagus of Greyfriar. The princess is inside the sarcophagus as well!”

Vilma pointed toward the central research facility.

“So, all we need to do is protect the central research facility, right?”

It was a simple, clear objective. Since the enemy would target Vilma, all they had to do was defend her.

“Do you really think it will be that easy?” Maxwell grinned, adjusting his monocle.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled once more.

“…!”
“What…!?”

Though not as violent as the explosion that initially engulfed Illuminas, the tremors were steadily intensifying.

“Below us…!?”
“Something’s coming!”

BOOM!

A massive hole erupted nearby, and the faceless giant controlled by Maxwell burst through the ground.

“That giant from before! It should’ve been blown away by Glis…!”

Somehow, it had vanished from the area near the dockyards and reappeared by burrowing underground, surfacing right in front of them.

“I see… it altered its form, went underground, and circled around beneath us. Sneaky…!”
“I have no time to toy with enemies in battle—especially not someone I have a grudge against!”
“Have I done something to earn such a grudge?” Inglis asked coolly.
“Ask yourself…!”

Indeed, Inglis had not only caught the faceless giant off guard but had also provoked Maxwell.

Before this, she had intercepted Rochefort and Arles—officers in the Venefique army—seized their airship, and even thwarted the frozen Prisma, the cornerstone of Maxwell’s ultimate plan.

From Maxwell’s perspective as a general of Venefique, Inglis had done more than enough to earn his hatred.

“Well, if you’re a loyal subject of Venefique and put your nation’s interests first, then I suppose my presence is unbearable for you,” Inglis remarked calmly.

As she spoke, Inglis noticed something peculiar about Maxwell. Like Rochefort, he possessed a special-grade rune on the back of his right hand, glowing with a rainbow hue.

However, it flickered—appearing and disappearing erratically. She had never seen a special-grade rune behave in this way before.

Maxwell’s monocle, a powerful magical artifact, granted him the ability to create and control undead. It was on par with the highest-grade artifacts, like the Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw.

Yet, it seemed that the sinister presence of the undead controlled by the monocle was starting to take a toll on Maxwell himself. The flickering rune appeared to be a symptom of this corruption.

“Wait, no…! Who are you…?”
“Kukuku… Do you really think this is the time for talking?” Maxwell sneered.
“Glis! The ground… it’s collapsing!” Rafinha shouted.

Cracks spread from the hole created by the giant, branching out into a massive fissure that grew wider and deeper by the second.

The city of Illuminas, already heavily damaged from the earlier explosion, now faced even more devastation. Sections of the island, severed from the central area, began sinking into the sea.

“The island is breaking apart!”

Leone’s words echoed the grim reality unfolding before them. The land near the central research facility, where Inglis and the others stood, was rapidly crumbling into debris bound for the ocean floor.

With the Levitation Magic Formation weakening, any land physically separated from the main island had no choice but to sink beneath the waves.

“This side is tilting too!”

Just as Liselotte pointed out, the land surrounding the research facility, where the Levitation Magic Formation was located, began to tilt under the strain. It wasn’t sinking as rapidly as the other areas, but the severe distortion made the ground unstable and unbalanced.

At this rate, even the central facility could eventually collapse into the sea. Inglis realized they couldn’t indulge in fighting the enemies targeting Vilma—not while lives were on the line.

“This is bad! We have to evacuate the residents! If this place sinks, they’ll all perish!”
“But Miss Vilma, where can we evacuate them to? The Great Arsenal is sinking, and the ship we arrived on…!”
“There’s still one option. It’ll be fine…!”

Inglis pointed to an airship hovering high above Illuminas.

It was the same airship from the Æthelstan Firm that Maxwell and the others had used to reach the city. The vessel had remained undamaged, waiting on the opposite side of the Great Arsenal.

They could use that airship to evacuate the residents.

“I won’t let you! I can’t afford to lose another precious ship!” Maxwell growled.
“…! It’s ascending above the clouds…!”

Capturing the airship and boarding the residents would be difficult. Sinking the vessel might have been easier, but that wasn’t an option—they needed it for the evacuation.

If they hesitated, the entire area might sink before they could act.

“Mechanical dragons! Load the residents onto the dragons! At least they won’t sink with Illuminas!”
“Right, that’ll work!” Rafinha nodded enthusiastically.

The mechanical dragons, which had been extinguishing fires earlier, were now idle as much of the city had already sunk. Using them for the evacuation made sense. Their large frames could carry numerous people.

Conveniently, the massive hole created by the faceless giant provided a direct path to the underground evacuation facilities.

Ironically, had the giant not made that hole, Iluminas might not have been in danger of sinking so soon.

“Alright, Mechanical Dragon unit! Head through that big hole to the evacuation facility!”

Light shimmered along Vilma’s black armor as the mechanical dragons responded to her command, soaring toward the hole. Just as they were about to dive in, the faceless giant lunged, aiming to intercept them.

“Not so fast! Giant—!”
“I won’t let you!”

—Ether Armor!

Though she kicked off a moment late, Inglis, enveloped in a radiant bluish-white glow, dashed forward to intercept the giant, positioning herself between it and the mechanical dragons.

With a powerful strike, she aimed to knock the giant away, ensuring the dragons could continue their rescue mission.

“Haaahhh!”

Her small fist shot forward, but it didn’t connect with the giant.

CLANG!

A golden halberd blocked Inglis’ punch. It was Charlotte. She had managed to keep up with Inglis, matching her even with Ether Armor activated.