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Mason glanced at the unconscious Catalina, she could not fight anymore, her body had been tormented with strong thunder magic enough to kill a whale, yet she had somehow take it and was still breathing.
?
Although she had Aegis, her Cheat Ability, Fernando was the wielder of Penetrate, the power to ignore any kind of defense or resistance, through it, he was able to break Catalina's barrier and hit her directly for great damage.
Mason quickly coated Catalina with bandages and then gave her a mana and health potion, putting her within his Gravity Domain.
He couldn't let her die, her Cheat Ability was way too strong and useful, and well, she was also a friend.
"I have to bring her to a safe place… but where? Roberto is already not here…" thought Mason, gritting his teeth as he noticed the blazing battle in the sky between Natalia and Leonia… Natalia was being overwhelmed with ease.
"Natalia…" thought Mason, as he could not do anything to help her right now, as he would be risking Catalina's life.
"Cecilia… Perhaps leaving Catalina with her… I have to go!" thought Mason, rushing through the ruins while evading the explosion of flame released by Natalia and Leonia and the holy light and time magic from Eustace and Gabriel.
However, against his expectations, Nina appeared right before him!
"Nina?! Are you okay?" asked Mason.
"…Yes, I am fine. Please, let me protect Catalina, go back to the battle, and help Eustace, Mason!" said Nina.
Mason felt like something strange was going on.
He could barely recall what happened before the loud explosion.
But he recalled that something took hold of her and she had fallen into the ground, struggling to breathe.
But now, she was completely fine.
Was that just some attack that she got through?
Perhaps nothing too bad?
She seemed completely fine.
Way too fine.
Deep down, Mason felt as if something was wrong.
His Detection Skill was throwing him alarms…
Nina was… dangerous.
Somehow, the ally that he could never perceive as dangerous, one of his friends and Heroines, was dangerous to his perception now…
Why was that?
Mason felt as if something wrong was going on with Nina.
Her appearance seemed way too stiff now that he realized.
And she was even expressionless.
Despite Nina always wearing a worried expression.
Aside from all of those clues, he could feel like something weird was within her…
Something… strange…
"Nina… No… I will do it myself…" said Mason, trying to simply avoid Nina while there was still time…
"What a pity… Very well then," said Nina, nodding in understanding as Mason managed to walk away.
BOOM!
Only for a giant wall of earth to block his path!
Boom!
Another more emerged, and another, and another!
Until he was enclosed inside a large room of hard rock!
"Nina! What is the meaning of this?!" asked Mason.
"I am sorry but… You will have to die… for Master…" said Nina, as her eyes glowed eerily… She was not the same as before!
Nina closed her fist, as the four rock walls suddenly began to condense, she wanted to crush Mason and Catalina together!
The walls began to squeeze around Mason, the ceiling too, it was completely dark!
Catalina was unconscious, there was no way out!
Or there was?
Mason had a powerful Cheat Ability.
He had trained it his entire life… And he swore that he would use it to protect his family and friends!
By combining his Magic with his Cheat Ability, he could enhance the powers!
Mason quickly began to conjure a spell, as he generated enormous gravitational forces, clashing against the walls and ceiling of rocks, crushing them, and sending them flying!
BOOM!
"Nina… I do not know what has gotten into you… but if you attack me again… I will be forced to take action!" said Mason, his eyes blazing with conviction!
"Hehe… I couldn't expect less from a Hero!" laughed Nina, as she began to unleash enormous spears made of earth towards Mason surging from the ground, one by one, he evaded and destroyed them in time!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mason used his Gravity Pull Spell to fly into the air, evading with great swiftness as he made his way towards Nina!
"What has gotten into her… Nina's expression and way of speaking are not- Ah! No… I thought we killed him! You!" roared Mason in anger, as he had guessed the identity of the being that had taken into Nina's body!
Nina simply smiled maliciously as she stuck her tongue out.
"Hehe… Hehehe… Surprise!" she laughed, showing a stupid expression, as Mason's face was engulfed in rage!
"Josef! You bastard! Let go of Nina's body!" roared Mason, unleashing a powerful gravity force that was blocked by a gigantic rock wall!
BOOM!
"No way, she's way too strong. No way in hell I am leaving her to go now! Not until Master comes…" said Nina with a strange tone of voice.
"Master? What… who are you talking about?! Are you working for Gabriel?" asked Mason, evading Nina's powerful rock fists, rock spears, and rock blades!
"Hehe… I don't work for anyone other than Master… and all of them are victims of Master's plans…" said Nina.
"I don't remember you being this serviceable with anyone, you were an insane creep! Who would you even call a Master?!" roared Mason.
"Hehe… Can't you remember? The only one that can show us the great light! The only one who can give us a true purpose in life… to serve him! The only one who can dominate everything in this world!" laughed Nina, as she generated countless blades of super-hardened stone, firing them towards Mason as Mason flew high into the air, shaping his gravity force as a formless power, and throwing it towards Nina!
Nina smiled back as she suddenly took ahold into the skies by making a rock beneath her float, evading Mason's attack by a pinch!
"The only one who can show… That's… The Tamer… the one that disappeared so many years ago?! No way… he's still alive?!" asked Mason.
"Mason, you seem to be completely unaware of everything around you, just how foolish are you?" laughed Nina, as she created a giant made of stone with six arms and six weapons, rushing towards Mason as the gigantic weapons began to fall over him one by one!
Josef was employing Nina wonderfully, Mason had never remembered Nina using her abilities like this, it seemed that she was hindering such power with her low imagination and lack of motivation, but Josef was using it excellently, in fact, it was as if he multiplied Nina's strength several times by just using her powers himself!
Mason tried to evade as much as possible, but the gigantic weapons made of stone fell over him one by one, he resisted using large barriers of gravity, but that could only get him as far, as he was blasted into the ground!
Nina smiled wickedly as she glanced from above at Mason's battered body, he was on death's door, and was barely managing to pull through by protecting Catalina…
Mason vomited blood, even with his Skill, he could not heal his own wounds and he had a very hard time using them while in midair… Nina's strength was simply… overwhelming.
"So this… was the true strength of Nina… Josef… you bastard…" muttered Mason.
"It is a pity that Master cannot tame you, as he had decided that it would be better to dispose of you… Please, die," said Nina, as the enormous stone weapons began to fall over Mason, who resisted as much as he could using his Gravity Barriers, but each one simply broke, and if he even managed to break one of the weapons and arms made of stone, new ones emerged from literally everywhere… Nina's power was just overwhelming when used by someone that could unlock the complete capabilities of her mind and imagination!
Clash! Clash! Clash! Clash!
Mason tried to escape, to do… whatever he could!
But…
It was too late.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Gigantic rocks began to shower over him, he evaded some, but the debris fell over his body, leaving him with wounds, as he barely managed to crawl out of such onslaught.
"I told you that there was no escape… fool…" said Nina, as Mason was startled as the floor bulged, and a sharp spear made of stone emerged from it, pointing itself towards his chest!
"LET HIM GO!"
However, the voice of Lucas emerged from this chaos, as seven artificial spirits appeared around him, flying towards the spear of stone, and breaking it into pieces with combined elemental attacks!
Then, Lucas used a wind attribute artificial spirit and took into the skies with Mason!
"Lucas, you're alive!" said Mason in happiness, as he remembered that Lucas was fighting Evelyn, the Scarlet Knight, the last time he saw him.
"I somehow managed to escape from Evelyn! Let's get out of here!" said Lucas.
"What about Eustace… and the rest?!" asked Mason.
"There's no time for them now-"
SPLAT!
Suddenly, the wind stopped existing, fading away.
Mason glanced at Luca's face, which had exploded out of nowhere.
Countless blood needles coming out of his very head.
And to his side, he saw the floating figure of Evelyn.
"Took me long enough…" she sighed, using her Blood Manipulation over her own body to make the blood flowing inside of her very body float, bringing her body up into the sky.
"Lu… cas…" muttered Mason, as he fell into the ground from a high altitude!
Everything was falling apart.
His companions were all dying…
Was there… any hope?
The answer was simple.
A gigantic hand made of stone neared Mason, crushing him into the ground!
"Ceci… lia… Nnnggyaaaaahhh!"
BOOM!
Flattened like a pancake alongside Catalina… Mason got his answer.
There was no hope.
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