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"This Orphanage has been officially disbanded from the church's protection!"
"What?!"
Knight Commander held high the signed paper by the very Queen of the Country. This paper disbanded this orphanage, named Starfish's Cradle, from the Church's protection, which was the only thing stopping guards, knights, or even bandits from stomping over this, which was a quite common sight in this country where the powerful could do as they pleased while the poor struggled.
Rose and Coral were naturally shocked. This paper represented more than just what Knight Commander Eustace said, but it also meant literally war for them. They already knew that several knights and guards were corrupt bastards, and that they had been actively working with bandits and thugs to kidnap children and young people, for strange and mysterious unknown reasons.
"You can't just simply…" Rose felt surprised.
"We have to run… Rose we can't take on these guys, we have to run and hide! M-Maybe if we go to the sewers…" Coral began to panic.
"Hah, you're not going anywhere you damn brats! Especially you, Rose! That Stigma of yours… It is what the Queen has been looking for all this time!" Eustace said, raising his sword as an enormous amount of powerful divine essence emerged from within it!
FLAAASH!
"[Divine Ocean Magic]: [Kraken's Tentacles]!"
FLUOOSH!
Suddenly, from within the sword's aura, an enormous quantity of blue water-like essence emerged, shaping as countless of tentacles moving towards the ceiling!
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
The enormous water-made tentacles emanated divine power, their very strength easily surpassing Rank 6 Magic Spells! By merely using this divine artifact, this Knight Commander of only Rank 4 could conjure Magic as high as Rank 7!
"Uwaaah!" Rose cried in shock, barely managing to evade a tentacle, but four more came after her, catching her and covering her in their water completely, forming a bubble and trapping her inside! As a Mermaid, she could breathe underwater just fine, but that didn't changed the fact she was being trapped and slowly brought down to the Knight Commander's claws.
"ROSE!" Coral cried in anger, as he saw five more tentacles emerge at his surroundings.
The laughter of Knight Commander Eustace echoed around the surroundings.
"Kuku, we've got what we really wanted, the rest…? Just destroy it all! You damn kids have given me enough headaches! Kill that ugly coral-covered kid! I hate him the most!"
His sword responded to his command as if it were alive, generating even more tentacles and even piranha-like summons made of water, alongside octopuses and sharks! It was an army of summoned Water Beasts!
"Uaaaagh!" Rose cried while being dragged down below.
"Aaaaggrhhhh!" Coral struggled to fight the constant swarm of Water Beasts, his corals emerged from his body constantly, piercing some and even destroying them somehow, yet he was still being overwhelmed.
"…"
"…"
Benladra and Kate glanced at the scene while feeling surprised of everything happening so fast, and even more, as dozens of Water Beasts were now about to attack them.
"Ggrrr… Don't take away… my new friend!"
Benladra's eyes glowed brightly with draconic fury. Her aura slowly began rising, and rising, and rising, until an arch of light emerged from within her body, erupting into the skies and illuminating the entire night sky for a few seconds…
FLAAAAAAASSSHHH!!!
"Eh?! What's that?!"
"L-Light?!"
"So bright, my eyes!!!"
"Gyaaaah!"
"W-What is the meaning of this?! Who is that girl?!"
Eustace's shark-like eyes opened wide in disbelief as he glanced at Benladra's awakening magical prowess. Her angered face only grew more angry as her aura shaped into a furious dragon made of light!
"ROOOOARRRR!"
The roar coming from her dragon-shaped light aura was so loud that the twenty or so knights felt completely flabbergasted! Most of them dropped to their knees in horror, yet the selected few holding special artifacts somehow resisted the enormous pressure.
"T-This is… a dragon?!" Eustace tried to keep himself calm, but the fear he was feeling was real.
Benladra's little wings grew bigger, spreading widely as she descended towards the bubble where Rose was trapped. Her Divine Light Aura enhanced her speed several times, easily granting her an incredible super-speed!
FLAAASH!
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Like a flash of light, she reached Rose and with several slashes of light coming from her tiny draconic claws, the entire bubble was destroyed and so were the surrounding Water Beasts Summoned seconds before, splashing over the floor as mere water, while Rose remained completely unharmed!
SPLAAASH!
"Uwaah- Eh?! Benladra?!"
Rose fell right over Benladra's arms, as Benladra smiled back at her.
"Don't worry, I protect my friends~!" Benladra bravely said, her light shining brightly as she quickly changed her face expression, glaring down at Eustace and company.
Meanwhile, as Coral struggled fighting the Water Beast Summons, Kate acted. In mere seconds, all sea beasts were frozen into statues, which fell into the floor below, shattering into pieces.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
"Eh? Ah? Wha…?" Coral felt surprised of how quickly things ended. "Y-You did this, Kate?! Your Ice Magic's amazing!"
"Umu." Kate nodded. "You oway?"
The little girl gentle petted Coral's head, as a cold wind generated from her magic healed his exhaustion and injuries in seconds.
"T-Thanks… But Rose! We need to-"
"Big sis' on it."
Kate and Coral glanced down below, as they saw Benladra freeing Rose in mere seconds, and then quickly bringing her back to them, so she could fight without anything holding her back.
"S-She's able to destroy the Divine-Imbued Magic of our Artifacts…?!"
"Commander, how is that even possible?!"
"Say something, Knight Commander!"
"Should we retreat?!"
The six knights holding special accessories or weapons imbued with the Divine Power from the Country's Treasure who had managed to keep themselves from falling unconscious due to Benladra's intimidation desperately asked questions to their commander.
Eustace gritted his sharp shark-like teeth, he had never expected such an outcome to happen now that he was given such a wondrous weapon… Although he also felt slightly afraid, his pride didn't allowed him to retreat.
"Cowards! Fight! They're just… a bunch of damn kids! Kill them and get the Stigma girl, she's extremely important for our Queen's plans!!!"
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