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“Damn…! This small fist… how heavy…!” Charlotte grunted.
“Impressive! As expected!” Inglis praised, exhilarated by the challenge.

Charlotte’s skill was remarkable, far surpassing that of the Hyrule Menaces Inglis had encountered before. She couldn’t help but wonder—if Charlotte was indeed Liselotte’s mother, could the aptitude for becoming a Hyrule Menace be hereditary?

Liselotte was said to possess an extremely high aptitude. If Charlotte also had an exceptional natural affinity, it could explain her extraordinary power. And if that were the case, Liselotte might one day attain a level of strength comparable to Charlotte’s, should she undergo the same transformation.

The clash between Inglis and Charlotte left them evenly matched, and both warriors landed gracefully on the ground. However, the faceless giant took advantage of the brief opening and slipped past Inglis. It grabbed the tail of one of the mechanical dragons and slammed it into the earth with overwhelming force.

BOOOOM!

The ground trembled violently from the impact, shaking everyone nearby.

“Oh no! The mechanical dragon!” Rafinha gasped.

Just then, a massive black blade came crashing down onto the giant’s outstretched arm.

“Take this!” It was Leone’s black greatsword—an Artifact. She had enlarged it and aimed a precise blow at the giant’s arm, hoping to sever it.

“Leone! Nice one!”
“Good job!” Rafinha cheered.
“But… I can’t cut through!” Leone gritted her teeth as her black blade sank into the giant’s arm, but not deep enough to sever it entirely. The trapped mechanical dragon thrashed on the ground, struggling to free itself.

“! That’s it…! This should work!” Rafinha exclaimed, pulling back the bowstring of her Flowing Radiance with determination.

“Leone! Don’t pull the sword back—just push it in deeper!”

The arrow Rafinha released glowed with a soft, pale blue light—imbued with the miracle of healing.

The arrow struck Leone’s black greatsword, and the healing energy spread along the blade. Empowered by the Gift of healing, the sword bit deeper into the giant’s arm than before.

“Damn it! A Healing Gift!” Maxwell growled, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“Healing powers affect the undead, don’t they!? This thing should be vulnerable too!” Rafinha exclaimed triumphantly.

“Good memory, Rani…! Well done!” Inglis called out encouragingly as she parried Charlotte’s halberd. Rafinha’s growth was evident with each passing moment.

“Now we can cut through!” Leone declared, redoubling her effort.
“I’ll help as well! Hyaaahhh!”

Liselotte descended swiftly, her white wings—granted by her Gift—flaring behind her. She swung her halberd down with force, striking in tandem with Leone’s greatsword. Their combined strength severed the faceless giant’s arm cleanly.

“““We did it…!”””

Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte cheered together, their voices filled with relief and triumph.

The freed mechanical dragon flapped its wings, lifting off into the sky—only for disaster to strike in the next instant. A golden flash streaked toward the dragon’s neck.

With an explosive shockwave, the dragon’s head was severed clean from its body. The headless dragon plummeted to the ground, landing with a thunderous crash, lifeless and still.

“Nooo!”
“Hehehe, too bad… It was false hope, wasn’t it?”

The one smiling was Tiffany, clad in golden armor. Unlike most Hyrule Menaces, who transform into weapons such as swords or spears, Tiffany’s weaponized form took the shape of armor—granting her a humanoid body rather than becoming a weapon herself.

Arles, once part of the Venefique army and now a knight academy instructor, was known as a Shield Celestial Princess, acting as living defensive equipment. Similarly, Tiffany’s golden armor amplified her physical abilities—heightening her defense, speed, and strength, much like Inglis’ Ether Armor or dragon ice armor.

With her enhanced abilities and the armor’s durability, she had decapitated the dragon with a single devastating kick.

While exchanging rapid blows with Charlotte, Inglis kept a sharp eye on Tiffany’s movements, ready to intervene if necessary.

Since Rafinha had chosen the path of a knight, Inglis knew she couldn’t shield her from battle. But watching Rafinha face top-tier opponents—like a sigil knight or Hyrule Menace—still weighed on Inglis’ heart. She couldn’t help but worry.

“Then again, even if its arm is cut off… it just regrows,” Inglis muttered.

The faceless giant brought its severed wrist to the stump, and as if nothing had happened, the limb reattached seamlessly.

“It’s back!”
“Even though we cut it off!”
“It’s not working…!?”

Although Maxwell controlled it, the giant was essentially made of magical fluid. Cutting or stabbing it wouldn’t deliver a decisive blow.

To destroy it entirely would require overwhelming power—such as an Ether Strike or the Dragon God Vufailbane’s breath.

Rafinha’s miracle arrows, powerful though they were, might not be enough with just one shot. Perhaps dozens—or even hundreds—would be necessary to bring it down.

“Well, thanks to all of you, we bought enough time! They only managed to take down one!”

As the battle raged on, the remaining mechanical dragons took advantage of the opportunity, flying into the giant hole created by the faceless giant. Six mechanical dragons were still intact, and the last one prepared to dive into the hole.

“Take care of things here! I’m going to help evacuate the residents!” With that, Vilma leaped from the edge of the hole, landing on the shoulder of the final mechanical dragon.

“Rani, you and the others go too! I’ll hold things down here!” Inglis called out.
“Got it…! I’m counting on you, Glis!”
“Hold on to me, both of you!” Liselotte instructed as she grabbed Rafinha and Leone.
“Yes…!”

With that, Liselotte followed Vilma, carrying Rafinha and Leone. Inglis smiled inwardly—now she could fight without worrying about her friends.

This was the best outcome. It allowed her to enjoy sparring with Charlotte, Tiffany, Maxwell, and the faceless giant while keeping Rafinha out of danger.

“Tiffany, follow them,” Charlotte ordered.

Tiffany’s expression twisted into clear displeasure—obviously unhappy about receiving instructions from Charlotte.

“Now, now, Miss Tiffany. Why not get along with your team and face me together?” Inglis smiled gracefully, her words smooth and playful as she tried to soothe Tiffany.