No longer human

"My, what a predicament you've all fallen into. Do you know what you're doing, Sir Andrew?" Leiger asks as he steps forward only to find himself with blue flames snaking around his body.

"Ghn! Is this your doing, Adela?" Leiger is unable to break free from the cerulean flames wrapping around him.

"Yes. You've never been killed in public before so what would happen if you do come back in a different body, what would the people begin to think?" Adela smiles candidly at the thought of putting the vile doctor in a bind.

Suddenly more cerulean flames burst out from the gallows and begin tearing everyone's binds like they were razor blades than fire. It's as if the fire that Adela has responds to her mood, and right now she's ecstatic causing much of her strange blue flames to lash around.

Hagurd is the first to act in this strange situation, rushing towards Aranea and grabbing her away from the walking disaster that is the Cerulean Witch. He does the same with Melissa but as he drags her out of the gallows, he can see her eyes growing all the more enraged.

Her glower right now is the same as the people who were glaring at them, they crave vindication for the loved ones they've lost.

"Lu, why?" Andrew asks as he grabs and pulls out the sword in Lu's chest.

The gaping wound immediately closes but Lu wonders why there's still a tinge of pain pricking her heart. The archdemon didn't have the luxury to find out the pain in her chest as Adela snaps a trinket off from her neck and throws it towards Lu.

"That's the catalyst for the mass transportation circle that I drew on the ground just outside of the manor. It'll teleport you all to safety so get going~" Adela waves goodbye to Lu who only turns her back to the Cerulean Witch.

"Did you have any other plans, Drew? Ones that don't involve you always hurting and sacrificing yourself? I told you didn't I? That I'd share your stupid burdens." Even when her chest is still hurting from Melissa's hateful glare, Lu finds it in herself to smile faintly at Drew.

Andrew sheaths his black executioner sword and stares at Lu. He doesn't know what to make of a situation like this, and he's just as lost as anyone at the turn of events.

He has a lot of questions that he wants answers to but as it stands there's no time for that. The guards that were trying to control the crowd are now preparing themselves to subjugate not just Adela but everyone else.

Everyone got off the gallows and are now standing in the plaza, waiting for the cue to sprint back to the manor.

"We're definitely going to have a long talk after this, okay? And-" Drew glances at Melissa before looking back at Lu. "If we're going to share our troubles then I'll try to help you with Melissa."

With that, Andrew caresses the top of Lu's head before turning around to face the horde of knights gathering before them. They're keeping their distance while waiting for the order to charge, not out of discipline but out of fear for the archdemon before them.

"Andrew? Hey, let's go. What're you doing?" Lu asks as she sees Andrew picking up a Dane axe from the ground and wielding it along with the demon binding sword.

"Someone needs to hold them back and someone else needs to protect the group as they make their way to the manor. I'm trusting you again to have their backs, Lu." Andrew puts the Dane axe on his shoulder and looks over the horde of knights to see Basil and Caron on the other side, trying to slip past the guards.

Andrew charges the Dane axe in his hand and with a swing of it, he creates a violent surge of cerulean flames that cuts a path through the army of knights. Caron and Basil run through the opening while it's still there and Andrew points at the two of them to join the rest.

The Dane axe in Drew's hand crumbles into dark dust after being used once. It's always been the case for him whenever he's imbuing any weapon he wields. The sole exception being his black executioner sword.

"Andrew!" Melissa shouts throwing a phial of vis to Drew as the group flees from the plaza.

"All of you, get going!" Drew shouts forcing everyone to listen, even Lu who could only look back in worry for Drew. She sees him looking back at her with a small smile on his face as he catches the vis phial in his hand.

Seeing his strong back as he confidently stands in front of an army of knights numbering in the hundreds doesn't ease her heart at all. It makes her worry that Drew is putting up a confident façade to assure everyone.

Lu soon finds that it's too late to turn back now as the sounds of the fighting grow so distant that she can barely hear it.

"How valiant of you to stay behind for them~ and what chivalry for you to stay by my side!" Adela's gleeful tone did not match the glower that's she's giving Drew. "Do you honestly think I need your help against these knights?"

"I'm not helping you. If I were to let you handle this situation, my conscience would die on me at the thought of you killing all these people.

Just like what you did with Melissa's entire town." Andrew downs the vis phial in his hand and it brings him back to full.

Seeing that he's all alone, the army of knights finally charges towards Drew. They're confident that he can't do anything against a large army by himself, unlike the archdemon.

Andrew runs up towards them and leaps into the air. The knights with spears hold their weapons up to try and skewer the anti-mage as he falls right onto them.

He throws something at them while he's falling and then he unsheathes his black sword, hurling a small blue blaze at the lancers. The blue fireball erupts into a frighteningly massive cerulean inferno that sends a good portion of the knights flying across the plaza.

As the brilliant blue firestorm subsides, the knights see Andrew standing at its center with unconscious knights beneath his feet. Drew's entire body is emitting steam as heat inside him rises in response to him bringing down the temperature in his surroundings. His breaths look like fumes.

He sheathes the demon binding sword to his belt and holds up three phials between his fingers. Two of the phials were crystallized while the other is liquid. He had used one of the crystallized vis phials to create that tornado of fire.

"I can do this all day," Andrew says intimidating the knights with his cold voice and darkened scowl.

…

As Cecil finishes stitching Sigmund's wounds close, she hears another loud howl ripping through the sky. She looks towards the direction of the plaza and sees billows of white smoke coming from it.

The air around Aspen grows colder that, out of concern for Sigmund's health, Cecil takes her blazer off and puts it over him as a cover for the cold.

"S, -Sir are you alright?" She asks, growing anxious by the minute as she now not only worries for Sigmund but also for Erize and the rest who are in the plaza.

Her heart is sinking at the thought of Erize and Andrew in danger, but she can only wish that there were more of her to help those dear to her.

"I'm fine. I'll live and it'll be thanks to your amazing suture skills," Sigmund manages to crack a smile as he praises Cecil. He wants to say more but believes that now's not the time for it. "We need to- Cecil!"

Sigmund warns Cecil of something behind her, but he didn't need to as the presence alone made Cecil go from worrying about others to worrying about her own life.

The mercenary that she thought had died quietly, is now back up and standing over the two of them. His shadow casts itself darkly on the two of them. Turning around, Cecil sees Shin's twisted grin and bright yellow eyes looking down on her.

"Don't go dying on me yet. I want to do this all day!" Shin shouts as he raises his katana and brings it down on Cecil, but there to save her is another red-haired Cerenian who parries the katana with her sword.

Along with the Cerenian girl is Heka who rushes besides Sigmund and Cecil.

"That was a close call. You made a rational decision, Sir Erize," Heka says praising Erize as he kneels beside Sigmund and begins to sing a hymn of healing similar to the one Caron used.

"Erize? Weren't you supposed to be at the plaza?" Cecil asks

"You and Sir Sigmund were taking too long! So I was contemplating whether or not to go to where you are or meet Andrew again," Erize says to Cecil without turning her gaze away from the mercenary.

"More and more lambs gathering together to protect each other? Fine by me." Shin's bloodthirsty glare locks onto Erize as he pulls the broken rapier from his back.

"But you know right now I might cry and lose my composure if I meet him by myself, especially now with what he's doing.

Maybe it's just because I'm being a coward, but I want to meet Drew together with you, Cecil." Erize ignores Shin's words and focuses on her heart as her sword Dyrnwyn catches fire.