⟨⟩ ⟨⟩ ⟨⟩
On the other side, on the wide, straight path of the Storm of Road. The blue sky was still clearly visible, the clouds moving calmly—but not the things beneath it.
Flynn was still facing Takechi, who still had a smirk on his face, while Flynn stared at him with a sharp gaze. Lilith and Iris also noticed the current situation, their bodies tensing.
Flynn remembered the incident when Takechi reabsorbed the Dark Chimera into a Knightley Road-like device, which then released dark energy into the infori, sending it to another dimension.
Flynn wondered.
(That Knightley Road-like device… It might be another variant of the Knightley Road, but how could the Knightley Road summon a Core with just the sacrifice of a Nephilim's life?)
He then thought about the infori, who was currently in an unknown dimension.
(If it's true that information was transferred to another dimension, then theoretically, there must be a way out of that dimension.) However, Flynn remembered that the history written by the Nephilim race wasn't entirely accurate, especially...
(...! But, there's very little history written about the Cores. Their origins, why, and how they came to be in Orleans are mysteries that remain unexplained. Which means...)
The history of the Cores was unknown to any race in Orleans, not even the Seraphim.
The Cores were legendary creatures that only appeared in the early days of Orleans, when the Nephilim and Seraphim became the dominant races in Orleans.
Flynn knew all this; as the youngest captain of the Knightley Queen, he had already learned something related to Orleans' past and the world tree—Everness.
But, as Flynn was thinking, Takechi made his move, throwing the same knife Lilith had thrown at Flynn earlier.
(...?!)
However, he moved his sword and slashed at what was in front of him. This sent the blade aimed at him flying upward, but Takechi's actions didn't stop there.
A blue energy emerged from his palm, which he then quickly released toward Lilith and Iris.
Lilith and Iris weren't expecting this, but Lilith tried to use the power she had. She also released a similar blue energy toward the one aimed at her, causing the two energies to collide in midair.
BOOM!
It created a strong, cold gust of wind around her, even creating a thick, incredibly cold fog.
Flynn was initially confused by the power. "Wait, isn't this...?" but then he realized, and then whispered to himself, "...Second-tier ice magic, Blizzara!"
Flynn's vision was obscured by the strong, cold wind, which made his eyes sting slightly from the temperature. He couldn't see what was in front of him now.
But unbeknownst to Flynn, Takechi did something.
Lilith and Iris also covered their faces with their hands, unable to see anything ahead.
From within the fog, a red light flashed before their eyes. However, the red light seemed to be blazing, like a newly lit fire amidst the darkness.
Takechi's right palm emitted a large flame. He ran towards Lilith and Iris from within the fog, smiling with satisfaction, his eyes wide open as if eager to see the death of the two Seraphim.
However, his eyes felt no chill from the fog.
"I'll burn you!" he shouted.
Flynn heard the voice, which clearly came from Takechi. "Oh no!"
He immediately moved toward the source of the voice, walking through the fog, but he was now disoriented. The cold temperature emitted by the two energies made it difficult for him to move his eyes and body and see.
Even though Flynn was experienced in handling magic, his physical endurance had reached a level far superior to that of a normal Nephilim.
His eyes were still unable to withstand the wind combined with the incredible temperature of the ice.
Meanwhile, Takechi finally reached Lilith and Iris, who seemed surprised by his sudden arrival.
"Die, you stupid Seraphim!"
Lilith and Iris couldn't dodge, but Takechi still launched a sudden attack towards them with flames in his hands. Lilith closed her eyes, trying to block the attack.
However, before Takechi could incinerate them both, a blue-white circle appeared, a stark contrast to this dimension, with spiraling energies steadily heading towards the center of the circle.
The circle was some kind of dimensional portal that had appeared out of nowhere, its light dispelling all the fog within.
"What...?"
The three of them stared at the circular portal, from which information poured out and ultimately struck Takechi.
The two rolled on the ground until they finally lay on the floor, enduring the pain.
Flynn, now able to see again, was shocked to see Infori, who had returned safely, but had appeared out of nowhere. "Infori?!"
Takechi, finding this strange, asked, "How did you come back?" He then stood up and glared angrily at Infori. "Why didn't you turn to ash there?"
The returned Infori didn't respond for a moment, only thinking about the pain he had suffered from exiting the completely inefficient portal.
"Ouch, that hurts..." Infori said.
Irritated by Infori's disregard for his words, Takechi drew his sword from the sheath at his left waist. He then advanced to attack Infori.
Flynn warned Infori to get out of the way. "Watch out!"
Infori, hearing this, immediately turned to his left and saw Takechi swinging his sword. The blade would have slashed his neck if Infori hadn't reacted at all, but Infori immediately raised his left hand, which held the gauntlet, upwards. The Gauntlet of Rebirth blocked Takechi's sword blade.
This shocked Takechi; he hadn't expected the Gauntlet of Rebirth to be attached to his left arm.
"That's impossible...!?"
Lilith and Iris, who also saw this, were shocked and confused.
"Gauntlet of Rebirth...?!" Lilith exclaimed.
"How is that possible...?" Iris wondered.
Flynn stared silently at Infori, wordless. Because he knew that while seeing Infori wearing the gauntlet that had once gone out of control was indeed surprising, the situation was still unfavorable.
"..."
Then, Infori pushed himself forward and stood up. This caused Takechi to take a few steps back.
"Haha." Infori chuckled. "You're probably wondering why I can use this gauntlet now. Honestly, I don't know why."
"Tch…!"
"But I'm not complaining."
Without further ado, Infori dashed towards Takechi. In one powerful movement, he swung the sword in his right hand, its massive blade slicing through the air and aiming straight at Takechi without hesitation.
But Takechi parried it with his sword.
It didn't stop there.