Liber leaped upward, dodging Allen's sweeping strike.
Allen, already on the attack, quickly changed tactics. He braced himself on his back leg, bent his front knee, and began to put power into his leg.
Holding his weapon in both hands, he loosened his right hand and pulled back hard with his left, which gripped the front of the long spear, drawing it out of the ripples before him.
He crouched, then straightened in one forceful motion, bending his knee and striking upward at Liber as he leaped.
At the same time, he twisted his wrist, reversing the spear's direction and shifting it to the other side, close against his waist.
Gripping the butt of the spear, he swept its shaft toward Liber's waist as Liber hung in the air.
The rising knee strike wasn't fast enough to catch Liber as he leaped.
As Liber's toes brushed past his knee, Allen swung the spear so fast that its shaft left afterimages, whistling through the air toward Liber.
When Allen saw that the horizontal swing of his spear didn't produce ripples like his thrust had, he tightened his grip and struck even faster at Liber's side.
His face remained expressionless, his gaze tracking the spear, but his eyes burned with pent-up fury.
The gust from his swing lifted Liber's trouser legs, and Liber's airborne figure suddenly rose even higher.
When he saw that he'd missed, Allen immediately straightened and shifted his grip on the spear.
Following the momentum of his swing, he slid both hands toward the middle of the shaft. Using the hand holding the middle as a pivot, he pushed the butt upward at an angle, attacking Liber while he was still in the air.
After seeing Liber dodge his feinting knee strike and horizontal sweep in succession, Allen instinctively shifted his stance and continued his relentless attacks on the airborne Liber.
The butt of the spear missed Liber's legs once again. Realizing that Liber's ascent was strangely fast, Allen stopped attacking.
He quickly stepped backward, putting distance between himself and Liber, and placed one hand on each end of the spear.
He held it diagonally in front of himself, guarding against whatever new trick the slippery kid might pull.
Allen warily watched Liber's rising figure. As he saw Liber leap higher and higher, he lowered his stance, preparing to pursue him.
Then he realized Liber had already risen above the surrounding rooftops—and was still climbing.
Staring at Liber's still-rising figure, Allen slowly straightened. His defensive stance began to relax.
The corners of his mouth twitched. Liber's ascent slowed, then he stopped in midair without falling.
Allen could no longer keep his cold expression. His features began to contort out of control. His fair face flushed red, and his nostrils kept flaring.
Bloodshot veins spread across Allen's eyes as he looked up at Liber.
Liber was hovering in midair right in front of him.
Then Liber sat cross-legged in the air, rested his hands on his knees, and leaned forward to look down at Allen, whose body was trembling slightly. His gaze was mocking, but he spoke with an apologetic air.
"Sorry, but I can't let you chop me into pieces!"
The exposed skin on Allen's body quickly turned red. Blood began flowing faster from his wounds, and thick veins stood out on his face, pulsing faintly.
He glared at Liber, suspended in midair, consumed by fury.
He was so enraged that he could barely control himself. His whole body trembled with anger.
He heard Liber's taunt.
He quickly adjusted his stance and rested the spear on his shoulder, taking aim at Liber in the air.
Just as he was about to throw it, he saw a vast web of ripples silently appear and crisscross beneath Liber's cross-legged form.
His throwing motion stopped abruptly. Remembering how the spear had returned before, Allen felt his anger burn even hotter, and tightened his grip until his knuckles strained.
"Thud—"
A series of footsteps approached from behind him, then suddenly stopped. At the sound, Allen turned his head—and saw the metal sole of a boot flying straight at him.
In a flash, he swung his spear to fend off the surprise attack.
Watching his kick get blocked, Bete, whose face usually wore a mocking expression, fixed a cold stare on Allen, who had reacted in time.
Bete had already rushed over as soon as he saw Allen in action. When he saw Liber dodge the attack, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't pay Liber any more attention, instead focusing on closing the distance to Allen as quickly as he could.
Remembering that the same tragedy from the past had nearly unfolded right before him again, Bete's expression turned icy. A glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he launched another relentless assault.
Allen repeatedly blocked Bete's attacks. He was already rattled by Liber, and now Bete was pressing him hard. The vicious glint in his eyes grew even more pronounced.
Feeling pain in his waist, he didn't care that fighting would worsen his injuries. He attacked Bete's head and chest with increasingly ruthless strikes.
Their battle grew more intense. From above, Liber watched the fight and occasionally intervened to disrupt Allen's movements.
With Liber's help, Bete, who had been on the defensive, gradually reached a stalemate with Allen.
Seeing the battle erupt anew nearby, the members of the Loki Familia resumed their fight with Ottar.
Loki looked at Liber hovering in the air, patted her completely flat chest, and sighed in relief.
"I almost forgot that kid could fly. Scared me half to death."
She saw dust rising again over there, then turned her attention back to the fight in front of her. Finn and Gareth were attacking Ottar, and she shouted to them.
"Come on! Hurry up and kill that wild boar!"
Ottar defended himself flawlessly against Finn and Gareth's attacks. Loki's words reached his ears, but he showed no reaction.
Hearing Loki's loud encouragement, Finn, who was attacking, couldn't help giving a wry smile. He spoke quietly.
"It's not that easy."
"The two of us alone might have some trouble. We can't exactly go all out right in front of the Familia's door."
Beside him, Gareth blocked Ottar's greatsword with his shield and shifted backward, responding to Finn.
Seeing Ottar continue to advance, Loki's expression darkened as she muttered to herself.
"That bitch is probably using the disappearance as an excuse to start a war for real. Damn it, I should've made a move sooner."
Finn saw that he and Gareth couldn't stop Ottar's advance without using their full strength. His expression turned grave.
"Gareth, take the others and fall back."
Gareth, who was fending off Ottar's attacks, saw the serious look on Finn's face.
He hesitated at first. Then he surveyed the situation, blocked another of Ottar's attacks, and nodded to Finn.
After Gareth agreed, Finn backed away from Ottar, reset his stance, and slowly let out a breath. Then he fixed his gaze on the towering figure before him and began to chant.
"[Magic Spear]"
Hearing Finn chant behind him, Gareth turned and ran toward his companions, barking in a low voice.
"Fall back!"
"[Pierce My Skull]"
Finn's gaze gradually took on a crimson hue as he watched Ottar. The corners of his mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin, and his cute face began to twist.
Hearing Finn's chant and Gareth's shout, Loki began to sweat as she muttered to herself.
"He really can't control it now."
Ottar kept advancing, one step at a time. Only Finn, standing at the ready, remained before him.
"[Deep Drink—]"
Finn's expression grew more and more unhinged as he chanted the final words of the spell.
Before you continue