The Battle Resumes, Finn Goes Berserk

Liber leaped upward, dodging Allen's shovel-like strike.

Allen, currently on the offensive, adjusted his technique in time; bracing his rear leg and bending his front knee, he began to channel power into his legs.

Holding his weapon with both hands, he pulled back hard with his left hand—which had been loosely gripping the front of the spear—drawing the weapon out from the ripples that had formed before him.

Crouching down and then straightening up with the force of his movement, he bent his knee and struck upward toward the leaping Liber.

Simultaneously, he flicked his wrists, reversing the spear's direction so it swept past his waist to the other side.

Gripping the end of the spear tightly, he swung the shaft toward the waist of the Liber who was mid-air.

The upward knee strike was not as fast as Liber's leap.

Watching Liber's toes graze his knee as he ascended, Allen swung the spear, the shaft carving out streaks of afterimages as it whistled through the air toward his target.

Seeing that no ripples appeared before the horizontal swing—unlike when he thrust—Allen tightened his grip on the shaft and struck at Liber's side with even greater speed.

His face remained expressionless, his gaze tracking the movement of the spear, his eyes burning with vented fury.

The wind whipped up Liber's pant legs, and his airborne figure suddenly rose another distance.

Seeing that he had missed, Allen immediately stood straight and shifted his grip on the spear.

Following the momentum of the swing, he moved both hands to the center of the shaft; using that hand as a pivot, he pushed the butt of the spear diagonally upward toward Liber, who was still in the air.

Seeing Liber dodge his knee strike and the subsequent sweep, Allen instinctively shifted his stance to continue his relentless assault on the rising youth.

The butt of the spear missed Liber's legs once more, and realizing that Liber's ascent speed was unnatural, Allen ceased his attack.

He stepped back rapidly, widening the distance between himself and Liber, holding the spear with both hands at the top and bottom.

He held it diagonally in front of him, guarding against whatever new tricks the cunning brat might have up his sleeve.

Allen watched Liber's rising form with caution, but as he saw him soar higher and higher, he lowered his body, preparing to pursue.

However, he realized that Liber's height had already surpassed the rooftops of the surrounding buildings and was still climbing.

Watching Liber's rising figure, Allen slowly stood up straight, his defensive posture beginning to relax.

His mouth twitched as he saw Liber's ascent slow down, only for the youth to stop in mid-air, refusing to descend.

His cold expression crumbled, his facial features losing all composure. His fair skin flushed with blood, and his nostrils flared repeatedly.

Allen looked up, bloodshot veins spreading across his eyes as he stared at Liber.

Liber hovered in the air right before his eyes.

Then, Liber sat cross-legged in the sky, resting his hands on his knees as he leaned forward to look down at the trembling Allen, his gaze filled with mockery while his mouth offered a mock apology.

"I'm afraid I can't let you hack me to pieces, sorry about that!"

The exposed skin on Allen's body rapidly turned red, blood began to flow faster from his wounds, and thick, pulsating veins stood out on his face, writhing slowly.

He stared at Liber, who remained suspended in the air, consumed by an intense, burning rage.

The fury was so great he could barely control himself, his entire body shaking with indignation.

Hearing Liber's taunt, he quickly adjusted his stance, shouldering his spear to take aim at the figure in the sky.

Just as he prepared to throw, he saw large, intersecting ripples appear silently beneath where Liber sat cross-legged in the air.

His throwing motion froze; thinking of the spear that had returned to him earlier, Allen's rage burned even hotter, and he gripped his weapon with white-knuckled intensity.

"Thud—"

A series of footsteps sounded from behind him before suddenly stopping. Allen turned at the noise, only to see the sole of a metal boot flying toward his face.

In a flash, he swung his spear to parry the surprise attack.

Seeing his kick blocked, Bete—who usually wore a mocking expression—now stared coldly at the recovered Allen.

Bete had been rushing over the moment he saw Allen move, and upon seeing Liber dodge the attack, he had let out a sigh of relief.

He paid no further attention to Liber, focusing instead on closing the distance to Allen as quickly as possible.

Remembering the tragedy that had almost repeated itself before his eyes, Bete's expression turned icy. He glared at Allen, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he launched a continuous barrage of attacks.

Allen parried Bete's strikes, but having already been pushed to his limit by Liber, he found himself suppressed by Bete, and a fierce, murderous light filled his eyes.

Feeling the pain in his waist, he ignored the worsening of his injuries and countered with increasingly vicious strikes aimed at Bete's head and chest.

The battle between the two grew more intense, with Liber watching from the air and occasionally intervening to disrupt Allen's movements.

Bete, who had been on the defensive, gradually reached a stalemate with Allen thanks to Liber's interference.

Seeing the new battlefield erupt, the members of the Loki Familia resumed their fight against Ottar.

Loki looked up at the hovering Liber, patted her flat chest, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Almost forgot that brat could fly. Scared the hell out of me."

Seeing the dust rise again, she shifted her gaze back to the front, shouting loudly at Finn and Gareth as they launched their assault on Ottar.

"Go for it! Hurry up and slaughter that wild boar for me!"

Ottar defended against the attacks from Finn and Gareth with airtight precision, his expression remaining unchanged even as Loki's words reached his ears.

Finn, currently on the offensive, couldn't help but offer a wry smile and mutter to himself upon hearing Loki's loud encouragement.

"It's not as simple as just saying it."

"I'm afraid the two of us alone will have a hard time. It's not ideal to go all out right at the entrance of our Familia's home."

Gareth, standing to the side, blocked Ottar's Greatsword with his shield, his body sliding backward as he responded to Finn's words.

Seeing that Ottar's footsteps continued to advance relentlessly, Loki's expression grew dark as she muttered to herself.

"That bitch, she's likely using the disappearance as an excuse to actually start a war. Damn it, I should have acted sooner."

Seeing that he and Gareth could not stop Ottar's advance without using their full strength, Finn's face turned stern.

"Gareth, take the others and fall back."

Gareth, while parrying Ottar's attacks, saw the serious expression on Finn's face.

He hesitated for a moment, scanned the current situation, and after blocking one more strike from Ottar, nodded at Finn.

Seeing Gareth's signal, Finn put some distance between himself and Ottar, reset his stance, exhaled slowly, and then stared at the towering figure before him.

"[Magic Spear]"

Hearing Finn's chant behind him, Gareth turned and ran toward his companions, shouting in a low, heavy voice, "Fall back!"

"[Pierce My Skull]"

The color in Finn's eyes gradually bled into a deep crimson as he looked at Ottar, his lips curling into an exaggerated arc, his cute face slowly twisting.

Hearing Finn's chant and Gareth's shout, cold sweat began to bead on Loki's forehead as she muttered to herself from the rear.

"This is really getting out of control now."

Ottar continued to approach step by step, with only Finn standing ready before him.

"[Deep Drink--]"

Finn's expression grew increasingly wild as he recited the final incantation.