Xika's face darkened. She immediately sent Sebolutes a Magic Message.
Sebolutes soon replied, telling them to wait where they were. Suzune was nearby and could reach them quickly.
Xika relaxed a little. Modi's face lit up with eager relief. "Great! If Lady Suzune steps in, she can definitely save Uncle Del."
Before he had finished speaking, a building burst apart with a boom. Amid a cloud of dust, someone came tumbling through it and landed in the street a little over a hundred meters away.
The man was in a terrible state, covered in dust from head to toe, with blood pouring from his scalp. One arm hung bent at an unnatural angle. Bracing himself against the ground with his good hand, he knelt on one knee. It was Delstad, who had stayed behind to hold off Frio.
As the dust cleared, Frio walked out through the hole in the building. The muzzle of the Floating Cannon hovering beside him glowed brighter. A lethal shot had already gathered within it, aimed at Delstad ten meters away.
Yet Delstad showed no fear in the face of death. Defiance burned in his eyes. The Psychic Energy within him was nearly spent, but driven by his fierce will, it still churned like an overboiling furnace, charged with explosive power.
"Uncle Del!" Modi cried when he saw him.
Despite the distance, Delstad heard him in his heightened battle state, and his heart sank. Modi's still here? Why hasn't he run? Then he caught sight of Xika beside Modi and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With Xika there, he should be all right.
"Where are you looking?" Frio called. He seized the instant Delstad was distracted and launched an Arcane Missile.
The Arcane Missile was cleverly timed: its whistling flight sounded almost identical to