"Milia! Watch your back!"
"Helen! Hold off the Awakened Being on the right! Don't let him get close enough for a surprise attack!"
"Cynthia! Get over here! We have a lot of wounded who need urgent treatment!"
"Fūrola! Go help Clare! Taking on three Awakened Beings at once is too much for her!"
"Sorry, I can't get away right now. Have Galadria go first."
Amid the shouts ringing out one after another, the organization's last few surviving elite Claymores had unwittingly banded together.
This time, they were no longer fighting for lofty, nebulous goals like "protecting humanity" or "eliminating man-eating monsters," but to survive this brutal war themselves.
Meanwhile, the Dark Twins, ostensibly the organization's strongest trump card, were locked in battle with Luciela, the South Abyss, in the nearby woods.
Since both sides possessed power typical of Abyssals, neither could gain a decisive victory in the short term. They simply did everything they could to keep destroying each other's bodies and draining each other's Yoki and life energy until one side could no longer hold out.
Judging by the current situation, neither side could be expected to show signs of faltering for at least several hours.
After Arisia fully awakened, in particular, her arms became enormous, incredibly sharp blades. Every swing shredded swathes of trees, rocks, and hills, practically reshaping the surrounding terrain single-handedly.
Luciela, meanwhile, made full use of her versatility and agility, her two tails always attacking from unexpected angles.
Although she was often at a disadvantage in direct clashes, she always managed to force her opponent back at crucial moments.
Strangely, however, despite her usually flamboyant temperament, she showed no desire to attack this time, a rare occurrence. She merely kept defending passively, seeking not to gain ground but to avoid mistakes.
The moment she