Chapter 113: The Strategic-Class Spirit in the Mine—and an Unexpected Surprise

"The shadow of death hangs above us all. Some may be harder to accept than others, but unless you can get past that there can be no future!"

— Tsunade, Naruto

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"So this is the mining city of Gedonelune? It's like a ghost town," Rinslet commented, observing the dilapidated surroundings.

"It's been abandoned for decades. It's no surprise it looks like this," Claire replied, her eyes narrowed as she peered into the darkness.

The ruined buildings were dotted with flickering will-o'-the-wisps, emitting an eerie pale light.

These were low-ranking spirits, drawn to the abandoned city.

Evil spirits often gathered in such desolate places.

"Hey, can you get off him now?" Claire glared at Fianna, who was still clinging tightly to Roy.

"No, I have to protect Roy. I can't leave his side," Fianna insisted.

Roy sighed inwardly.

She was clearly terrified, yet she still claimed to be protecting him.

"You're the one who needs protection! And where's your contracted spirit? The Elementalist who stole the documents might be nearby. You should summon your spirit and be prepared," Claire chided, though her words held a hint of concern.

It was true that they could encounter danger at any moment in this place. Being prepared was crucial.

"Well..." Fianna faltered, unable to refute Claire's logic.

But summoning her spirit was easier said than done.

She bit her lip and turned away, trying to maintain her composure. "It's... not the right time yet! The contracted spirit of the Ordesia royal family is different from your cat. It can't be summoned casually."

"What did you say?!" Claire bristled.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently.

"What's happening?"

"Is that an earthquake?!"

"It must be the Strategic-Class Elemental. The seal has been broken," Roy said, looking towards a nearby mountain.

The mountain crumbled, collapsing inwards.

Smoke and dust billowed from the newly formed chasm, obscuring the scene.

"This is bad!"

"That thief must have done this!" Ellis exclaimed, clenching her fists.

"What do we do? If the Strategic-Class Elemental falls into enemy hands, it'll be disastrous," Rinslet said worriedly.

"Let's go check it out. If the Elemental has been released, we'll have to deal with it," Roy said with a shrug.

The girls nodded in agreement, and they cautiously approached the collapsed mine.

...

As the dust settled, they could finally see the Strategic-Class Elemental.

It was Jormungandr, a monstrous serpent from Norse mythology, said to be large enough to encircle the world.

It was the most powerful monster among the giants, known as the "Midgard Serpent."

It was the second child of Loki, the god of mischief, and the giantess Angrboða.

Its siblings were Fenrir, the monstrous wolf, and Hel, the goddess of death.

Its nemesis was Thor, the god of thunder, the strongest among the gods. Due to its destructive potential, Odin had cast it into the depths of the ocean.

The Jormungandr before them, although not the one from mythology, was similar in appearance.

And its fate was also quite similar. Due to its ferocity and destructive tendencies in the Elemental Spirit World, it had been sealed by the Elemental Lords and cast out.

It was then used by humans as a weapon of war.

But it was eventually sealed again.

Now, freed from its seal, it rampaged, destroying everything in its path.

Claire and the others were terrified by its monstrous aura.

"Is... is that a Strategic-Class Elemental?"

"It's terrifying!"

"There's no way we can defeat that!"

"It has been completely unsealed. I can't reseal it now."

"Don't worry, I'll handle the big snake. Your opponents are over there," Roy said calmly, pointing towards a group of figures approaching them.

The girls followed his gaze.

A horde of skeletons, armed with rusty swords and clubs, marched towards them.

Black mist seeped from their bones, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"What are those?"

"Are they spirits?"

"Maybe they're corpses possessed by low-ranking spirits."

"Someone must be controlling them."

The girls were startled but quickly regained their composure.

"Protect Fianna while you fight," Roy instructed Claire.

"Why do we have to protect her?" Claire glared at Fianna, but she would obey Roy's orders.

Fianna couldn't use her contracted spirit yet.

But Roy didn't want to embarrass her by pointing that out.

He smiled and vanished in a flash.

Claire, as the leader of Team Scarlet, took charge.

"Ellis, you're the Knight. Engage the enemies head-on. I'll provide support from the middle. Rinslet, you're the sniper. Stay back and watch out for whoever is controlling those skeletons," she ordered.

"What about me?" Fianna asked, pointing at herself.

"I don't know your strength yet, and Roy told us to protect you. So, just stay behind us," Claire replied.

In battle mode, Claire was a completely different person, a reliable leader.

"I can help too," Fianna mumbled, but she didn't argue.

She had no way to defend herself and had to accept their protection.

Following Claire's instructions, the girls charged towards the approaching skeletons.

"Sylphid Hurricane!"

"Flame King's Breath!"

"Ice Shot!"

Ellis, at the forefront, summoned her Ray Hawk and unleashed a whirlwind that scattered the skeletons.

Claire, behind Ellis, lashed out with her Flame Whip, then launched a powerful fire spell that obliterated a large group of skeletons.

Rinslet fired a barrage of arrows, each piercing through several skeletons.

She also scanned the surroundings, trying to locate the one controlling the skeletons.

The three girls worked together seamlessly.

With Ellis holding the front line, Claire and Rinslet could focus on attacking from afar.

Fianna, realizing she couldn't contribute, bit her lip in frustration.

The skeletons seemed endless.

Even after fighting for a while, they were still surrounded.

And they were starting to tire.

"This is bad!" Claire cursed under her breath. She shouldn't have charged into the horde.

She suspected there was more than one person controlling the skeletons.

Otherwise, their divine power would have been depleted by now.

Just as they were struggling, Fianna finally spoke up.

"Claire, I have a way to deal with these skeletons!" she declared with determination.

...

...

"What? You have a way?" Claire asked, surprised, pausing her attacks.

"Yes. I learned a ritual dance at the Divine Ritual Institute. It can cause these skeletons to go berserk," Fianna explained.

Claire considered this for a moment, then decided to trust her.

"Alright, prepare the ritual dance. We'll protect you from these skeletons."

If the skeletons went berserk, they would attack each other.

Then, they could use the chaos to escape.

Fianna smiled, grateful for Claire's trust.

She took out a small fan and began to dance.

Ritual dances could produce various effects depending on the dance performed.

They could strengthen seals, bless Elementalists, and much more.

Fianna was performing the seventh ritual dance, the Dance of Berserker.

It could activate and enrage sealed spirits.

As Fianna danced, the flames within the skeletons' eye sockets turned crimson.

The skeletons started attacking each other.

The pressure on Claire, Ellis, and Rinslet lessened considerably.

Only a few skeletons still targeted them.

"That should take care of them," Rinslet said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Don't let your guard down. The one controlling them hasn't appeared yet," Claire warned.

Despite the improvement in their situation, she remained vigilant.

Just then, a voice echoed through the horde of skeletons.

"Lightning Spirit, manifest!"

A bolt of lightning flashed.

It tore through the skeletons, heading straight towards Fianna.

"Look out!" Ellis shouted, jumping in front of Fianna and thrusting her Ray Hawk.

BOOM!

"Aah!"

The lightning bolt struck the Ray Hawk, sending Ellis flying.

"Ellis, are you alright?" Claire caught her.

"I'm fine. He's strong!" Ellis said, wiping the blood from her lips, her expression stoic.

"Don't worry, we're not alone!" Claire reassured her.

"O fangs of ice, pierce my enemy! Ice Shot!"

Rinslet had spotted the attacker when he launched his lightning attack.

She fired an ice arrow.

"Hahaha, not bad!"

The attacker dodged the arrow and emerged from the shadows.

He had short red hair, crimson eyes, and his body was covered in strange markings.

He didn't look like a good person.

This was Jio Inzagi.

In the original story, he had claimed to be a Demon Lord candidate.

But he was actually just a subordinate of Rubia Elstein, a test subject.

He had been sent here by Rubia to unseal and control the Strategic-Class Elemental.

"Who are you?" Claire demanded.

"Hahaha, I am Jio Inzagi! As expected of the Sylphid Knight Captain. You actually blocked my attack," Jio sneered, looking at Ellis.

"Damn it! I won't allow you to tarnish the honor of the Sylphid Knights!" Ellis declared, standing up and pointing her Ray Hawk at Jio.

"O winds of disaster, transform into countless blades and cut down my enemy!"

She unleashed another Sylphid Hurricane.

Wielding her Ray Hawk, she charged towards Jio, countless wind blades swirling around her.

Even if he dodged the spear, he would be torn to shreds by the wind blades.

But...

"Mirror Spirit, appear! Reflect!" Jio shouted.

A shiny red mirror materialized before him.

Ellis's attack struck the mirror, and the wind blades were reflected back at her.

"Look out!" Claire cried, lashing out with her Flame Whip and wrapping it around Ellis's waist.

She pulled Ellis back, saving her from her own reflected attack.

"Thank you," Ellis said gratefully.

"Now's not the time for that. We're a team," Claire scolded her for acting alone.

"Y-Yes, I was reckless." Ellis apologized.

"Alright, let's attack together. He's no match for us," Claire declared confidently.

"Okay!" Ellis and Rinslet nodded in agreement.

They attacked as one.

Ellis held the front line, blocking Jio's attacks.

Claire and Rinslet unleashed their full power.

Their coordinated assault forced Jio onto the defensive.

Strictly speaking, Jio wasn't an Elemental Spirit Contractor.

He had been implanted with numerous cursed seals.

These seals provided him with divine power, allowing him to use sealed spirits.

Sealed spirits were different from ordinary Elemental Spirits. They were single-use consumables.

He didn't have any contracted spirits.

Under the girls' relentless assault, Jio began to falter.

Just as he was about to be defeated, a clear voice rang out from behind him.

"Retreat."

Jio looked towards the Strategic-Class Elemental.

It had vanished.

"Did you succeed?" he asked as he retreated.

"No. Things didn't go as planned. It seems the Dusk Witch intervened," the voice replied. "Retreat. Although you're just a test subject, you're still valuable."

Jio's face contorted with rage.

"Taste the agony of rotting innards! Putrid Poison Spirit, manifest!" he roared, attempting to escape.

As Claire and the others pursued him, a thick purple mist enveloped the area.

Claire coughed, covering her mouth and nose.

Ellis and Rinslet also covered their faces, but it was too late. The poison had already entered their bodies.

Just then, a gust of wind dispersed the mist.

The girls gasped for breath, relieved.

"Roy, you're back!" Rinslet exclaimed, seeing him.

Roy had casually waved his hand, creating a gust of wind that blew away the poison.

"You did well," he praised them.

He had been observing their battle after dealing with Jormungandr.

Overall, they had performed admirably.

But they had been too eager to chase after Jio and had fallen for his trap.

If Ellis had noticed the poison mist sooner, she could have easily dispersed it with her wind spirit.

"Damn it! He got away!" Claire cursed.

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