The Nartheis core located in Gray's head constantly transferred mana to the creature's chest. Naturally, it shouldn't have been capable of doing something like that with the amount of energy it still had. Unless it was receiving mana from another source through the core itself, which was exactly what was happening at that moment.
Upon noticing Gray approaching after leaping, Elowyn had already prepared a sword to counterattack. However, there was a problem with her strategy: the creature intended to explode.
"What?"
The princess widened her eyes as she realized what was about to happen. Gray was using its accumulated mana to trigger an explosion. There was no time to react. A massive detonation engulfed the area, swallowing all three in a wave of destruction.
For a few moments, everything was covered by dust and debris. When Elowyn finally managed to open her eyes, she was met with a scene that left her completely astonished. Enrico was standing in front of her, protecting all three of them with his own body. His back had been severely damaged by the explosion, and blood was running down his wounds.
'Shit... That hurts.'
[Damn it! It's a good thing she did that now. If it had managed to trigger that explosion at one hundred percent of its strength, you would be dead.]
'What wonderful luck I have...'
Elowyn looked at Enrico, still trying to understand why he had put himself in that situation.
"Why did you...?"
"Now isn't the time for that, Princess. This fight isn't over yet."
Before she could continue, Enrico sensed a presence right behind him. Gray had survived its own explosion and was now approaching like a predator that had finally found an opportunity to reach its prey. With its mouth wide open, the Nartheis lunged forward to bite Enrico.
Narisse, who had just witnessed his sacrifice to protect them, reacted immediately. She raised one hand and spread her poison across the creature's entire body. Then, she clenched her fingers tightly, causing the substance to take the shape of an enormous claw that enveloped Gray and hurled it away.
Narisse sighed in relief at having managed to save him.
"Lord Enrico, try not to die!"
"I didn't think I'd hear that from someone around here."
Enrico struggled to his feet and turned toward Gray. Elowyn and Narisse could see the blood running down his back, while a little farther away, Grark remained nearly out of strength, struggling to keep his eyes open.
'I want to fight too... I'm a warrior...'
He looked at Enrico with admiration in his eyes.
Despite his injuries, Enrico showed no intention of retreating. He began advancing toward Gray again, who had already gotten back up and was running toward him.
"Damn... This guy has a void inside him, and yet..."
Elowyn showed a slight expression of frustration before running after him, summoning another sword in her right hand.
She couldn't understand how someone whose very essence seemed to be emptiness could repeatedly place himself in front of others to protect them. However, at that moment, her priority was to survive and repay, for the first time in her life, something someone had done for her. She preferred to leave those questions for later.
Narisse, meanwhile, clenched her fists, frustrated that she couldn't do more for the orc. Still trying to find a way to keep him alive, she was preparing to continue his treatment when she felt a hand grasp hers.
It was Grark, who, even in that condition, could still show that he had something important to say.
"Human friend... I need... you to do something for me..."
"If you can talk, focus on surviving! That way, I can..."
"Please... My two leaders... need me."
Narisse clenched her fists. She looked at Grark and then at the two who were still desperately fighting Gray. After a few moments, she turned her attention back to the orc and silently nodded, understanding what he was asking.
"Fire Lines!"
"Golden Chains!"
The two attacks came from different directions, trapping Gray between the lines of fire and the magical chains. The creature let out a roar and released an enormous amount of mana, enough to break the lines and destroy the chains.
Enrico and Elowyn immediately realized that Gray was considerably weaker, probably due to Narisse's poison. This was the opportunity they had been waiting for. They needed to end the fight before the creature could recover its strength.
Elowyn let out a tired sigh as she looked at the Nartheis.
'I don't like using my best attack when it's already practically defeated, but in my current condition, this is my only chance.'
Enrico observed his opponent, calculating how much mana he could still use.
'I need to prepare an attack powerful enough to kill it. But it should still have enough mana to activate its intangibility.'
Both knew it wouldn't be easy. They would have to surpass their own limits to finish the fight. Without hesitation, they exchanged a brief glance and advanced together for the first time since the confrontation began.
Enrico took the lead and punched Gray directly in the face, making the creature's head jerk upward for a moment.
The Nartheis immediately tried to retaliate, moving one of its claws to slash his body, but Elowyn stepped in and positioned a golden sword in front of Enrico, deflecting the attack. With her other sword, she took advantage of the opening and cut Gray's knee.
Without needing to communicate, they both made their next moves.
"Golden Flame Swords!"
Combining their magic, the two created several swords that appeared around the Nartheis. Upon receiving Enrico and Elowyn's command, the weapons advanced simultaneously, attempting to pierce the creature's body. The attack managed to hit its target, but Gray activated its intangibility ability at the last moment, escaping once again.
'I can feel it... This time, it'll be the last.'
'It won't be able to escape my attacks anymore.'
Enrico and Elowyn appeared on opposite sides of the creature, preparing their next attacks. Gray, however, reacted unexpectedly. With a leap, it launched its body into the air and landed on the roof of a nearby house.
"Wait... Is it going to run away?"
Enrico asked, noticing the sudden change in its behavior.
"There's no way I'm letting that happen!"
The two realized Gray was about to escape and immediately ran toward it. The creature prepared another leap, this time intending to cover an even greater distance. However, before it could take off, it was grabbed by several poison claws that appeared around it.
Enrico and Elowyn were surprised when they realized who had intervened.
Enrico looked at the girl with a slightly confused expression.
"Shouldn't you...?"
The girl turned her face away, avoiding his gaze. Even so, she continued maintaining her magic to prevent Gray from escaping.
Enrico bit his lip and turned his attention back to the Nartheis in front of him. Using Charged Impulse, he advanced at high speed and managed to appear behind the creature. With a powerful kick, he sent Gray crashing directly into the ground.
Several swords appeared above the Nartheis, forcing it to use its hands to propel itself and leap again, trying to escape Elowyn's attacks.
Narisse made another movement with her hand, creating new poison claws to block some of its possible escape routes.
Enrico didn't know exactly what she intended to do, but he realized this was the perfect opportunity to prepare his next attack.
"Hey, Princess! Can you give me a hand? I can't use much magic right now."
"What a mediocre amount of mana."
"And you have a body that looks like anything but a durable one."
Elowyn let out a small snort at the provocation but decided to help him. She created a golden sword behind Enrico, positioning the blade with its blunt side facing him. With a movement of her hand, she launched the weapon directly toward his back.
Enrico understood her intention and immediately positioned his feet forward, preparing to take advantage of the impact's force to propel himself even faster. His crimson eyes followed Gray's every movement as he adjusted his posture to execute the attack.
'First, the Crimson Gauntlet on my feet.'
Enrico transferred the mana to his legs, causing the protection covering his hand to disappear and concentrating all that magic in his right foot. The change was quick, but it required precision. He couldn't waste that moment, as Gray was already beginning to move, trying to escape once again.
Without hesitation, Enrico planted his feet against the surface of the golden sword. The blade served as a support point for the propulsion he was about to execute. Then, in the next instant, he released all the accumulated force and shot directly toward the Nartheis, like an arrow launched toward its target.
Gray noticed his approach and immediately tried to retreat. Its body moved to escape the attack, but before it could gain any distance, it felt something gripping its feet. No matter how hard it tried to pull away, it couldn't break free.
Enrico continued advancing. However, when he looked down, he realized who was preventing the creature from escaping. For a brief moment, his expression changed.
Grark.
Even lying on the ground, with half his body destroyed and on the verge of death, the orc had still found the strength to grab Gray. His arms remained firmly wrapped around the creature, preventing it from escaping, while a proud smile remained on his face. He knew his body could no longer keep fighting, but he could still help his companions in some way. And at that moment, that was enough.
Enrico clenched his fists.
'So that's what Narisse wanted... This must have been your wish, wasn't it, Grark?'
His crimson eyes shone intensely as he continued advancing, never taking his eyes off the enemy.
"Thank you, Grark... This victory is yours."
His body spun in the air, and Enrico adjusted his posture, concentrating all his strength in his right foot. For an instant, his silhouette seemed to take the shape of an arrow about to hit its target. Then, he descended with a powerful kick, aiming directly at Gray.
The Nartheis sensed the danger and desperately tried to free itself. It still managed to raise one of its hands toward Grark, preparing to attack him and force him to release its body. However, it was already too late.
Enrico's kick struck Gray squarely, and the force of the impact tore through the creature's body, opening an enormous hole in its chest. The Nartheis didn't even have an opportunity to react. Its body immediately lost all strength, and any attempt to escape came to an end. At last, Gray had been defeated.
Enrico remained in the air for a brief moment before landing. His gaze passed over the enemy's motionless body, but he didn't linger there. As soon as he confirmed that the battle was over, he turned his attention to Grark, who was still lying on the ground.
"Seriously, thank you for saving me, Grark..."
Grark slightly raised his face. Even with his strength running out, he still managed to answer:
"No problem... Boss..."
Those were his final words. After fighting to his limits and remaining by his companions' side even when his body could no longer keep up, Grark had finally fulfilled his duty as a warrior. His proud smile remained on his face as his eyes slowly closed.
Enrico remained silent before that scene. Beside him, the two women also looked at the orc's body lying on the ground. Neither of them could find the words to say at that moment.
Grark had fought until the very last moment, not only to defeat the enemy but also to protect those he considered his leaders. And even in the face of death, he had not abandoned his path.