She instinctively looked down, but it was already too late. Just as the spear was about to pierce her—CLANG!
A chain wrapped around the shaft at the last second, stopping it only inches from her body.
Zeir immediately pulled the chain back, yanking the Devourer off balance.
Before the enemy could recover, Azul lunged forward and drove his spear straight through the Devourer’s chest.
The Devourer let out a pained scream before his body went limp.
"There are enemies below us too!" Zeir warned.
No sooner had he spoken than several more Devourers rushed out from beneath the palace ruins.
"They’re trying to surround us!" Orion shouted.
Just then, the system’s familiar voice echoed inside Roxanna’s mind.
[Congratulations, Host! Side Mission Complete: Save the Prince of Aquillian!]
[Reward:
- 1× Advanced Regeneration Injection
- 41,500 Spirit Points (SP)]
[Bonus Reward:
- New Title Unlocked: Guardian of Aquillian — Title Effect: All allies within a 30-meter radius gain a 15% increase in Defense and Healing received.]
[Reward: +36,000 Spirit Points (SP)]
[Remaining Spirit Points (SP): 525,950]
Roxanna blinked several times in confusion. [But... I haven’t completed the mission yet, have I?] she asked.
The system answered almost immediately. [Even though you haven’t left the palace grounds yet, Azul has already escaped from the palace prison.]
[That’s why the mission is considered complete!]
Roxanna’s eyes widened with excitement. [So that means... I can use my new title now?]
[Of course!] the system replied without hesitation.
[As long as the title has been unlocked, its effect is already active.]
A warm energy suddenly spread from Roxanna’s body. It flowed through the seawater like gentle waves before reaching everyone fighting beside her.
Almost instantly, Azul felt his aching muscles become lighter.
Zeir noticed the cuts across his body no longer stung as much.
Even Orion, who had barely been able to straighten his back just moments ago, suddenly found enough strength to tighten his grip on the spear he had just taken from a Devourer.
"Huh?" Orion muttered, staring at himself in surprise. "My body..."
The deep wounds covering him were still there, but they were closing much faster than before. The pain was fading, and his strength was slowly returning.
Azul glanced at Roxanna and immediately understood what had happened. "You did that?"
Roxanna nodded with a bright smile. "Yes!"
A confident smile appeared on Azul’s face as he tightened his grip on the spear. "That’s great."
Right after that, the three of them began attacking with even greater ferocity. A 15% boost might not sound like much, but on the battlefield, even a small advantage could change everything.
After all, Roxanna’s healing ability was already incredibly powerful, so an additional 15% felt like a blessing.
Their movements became faster, their defenses stronger, and every wound healed more quickly than before.
Unfortunately, no matter how fiercely they fought, the three of them still couldn’t hold back the endless wave of Devourers on their own. More enemies kept pouring in from every direction, as if there was no end to them.
"They just keep coming!" Orion shouted as he drove his spear into another Devourer’s shoulder.
No sooner had he pulled it back than two more enemies rushed in to take the fallen one’s place.
It was as if the entire palace had emptied its soldiers onto the battlefield.
Azul clicked his tongue. "At this rate, they’ll wear us down first."
Zeir’s chains lashed through the water again, knocking several spears away before wrapping around a Devourer’s leg and hurling him into his own allies.
"Don’t lose your focus!" he shouted.
Roxanna tightened her grip on Mera, making sure he wouldn’t suddenly try to run away.
Just as they started to think they had reached a dead end, something completely unexpected happened.
BOOM!
The entire seabed shook violently as a massive axe tore through the water like a falling meteor.
The huge blade slammed into the front line of Devourers, sending several of them flying in every direction. The impact was so powerful that deep cracks spread across the stone beneath it.
The charging Devourers came to an abrupt stop. "What... what was that?!" one of them shouted in shock.
Then a familiar voice echoed across the battlefield. "You’ve been picking on my mate for long enough."
[Calen?!] Roxanna cried inwardly. [What about Azura?! Did you leave the others behind?!]
Calen immediately looked at her. Then, without saying a word, he glanced toward an empty area beside a large rock, silently letting her know that the others were hiding there.
"I’m sorry..." Calen said through their telepathic bond. "But I couldn’t just stand by and watch all of you risk your lives."
"Besides..." His voice softened. "Our daughter won’t have a good future if her mother and fathers die here."
Roxanna held her breath for a moment, staring at Calen with a complicated expression.
Part of her was unhappy with the decision he had made, but at the same time, she knew it would have been impossible to escape by leaving only three people to fight against the Devourers.
Behind Calen stood Bion, Tian, and Caspian, all ready for battle.
Seeing that Heron and Darius were nowhere in sight, Roxanna quickly realized they had stayed behind to protect Queen Maristella and little Azura.
"Your Highness!" Caspian shouted as he hurled the Wind Piercing Spear through the water. "I found your weapon!"
Azul raised an eyebrow, wondering how Caspian had managed to retrieve it without anyone noticing.
But it seemed that his weapon had also been kept inside the tower where he had been imprisoned, and Caspian had simply slipped inside during the chaos to retrieve it.
"Good work!" Azul shouted from a distance.
The moment he had his spear back in his hands, everything felt different. It fit his grip perfectly, as though it had never left him.
With a powerful swing, he sent several Devourers flying backward.
His attacks became sharper, faster, and far more powerful than before, forcing the Devourers to retreat step by step.
Roxanna, who was watching the battle from a distance, couldn’t help but wonder, "Why hasn’t their leader come out yet?"
"He died."
Roxanna’s eyes widened when Mera suddenly spoke beside her.
He added, "Sybill has taken his place."