Chapter 445: 16 Year Old Inglis and the Highland on Distance Sea (54)

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“Oh no! Fall back, mechanical dragons!”

The dragons retreated to the area just in front of the evacuation facility, managing to shield themselves from the falling debris.

“Leone…!”

Leone, who had fallen to the bottom of the large hole, remained unmoving. At this rate, she could be crushed by the descending rubble. Liselotte dived straight down at full speed toward Leone.

“Grab her!”

“On it!”

Rafinha stretched out her hand and lifted Leone’s body, still clad in golden armor. Liselotte swiftly changed direction and glided into a nearby open space at the side of the large hole, just as a massive boulder came crashing down where Leone had been.

“Phew… that was close.”

They had made it just in time. If they hadn’t reached her, Leone would have been crushed by that boulder.

“Yes… but, this place—” Liselotte looked around. It was an eerily silent space, filled with an air of stillness, with bare, natural stone surrounding them. Close by, a massive stone structure stood—a sarcophagus.

“The Sarcophagus of Greyfriar?”

“Yes, it was said to be just below us.”

“Inside might be Lady Eris and Princess Meltina of Venefique…”

If Eris emerged now, it would be incredibly reassuring. And they needed to rescue Princess Meltina as soon as possible.

A loud noise resounded from above. The opposite side of the large hole—the one leading to the evacuation route—had collapsed, further widening the gap. Amidst a downpour of debris, a massive shadow began to descend.

“Hahahahaha! Did you see that, you little brat?!”

It was the faceless giant, wielding a massive golden halberd that matched its colossal size. Could that be Charlotte in her weaponized form? Embedded in the giant’s chest, Maxwell was shouting triumphantly.

“What is that?!”

“I… I don’t know, but it’s… dreadful!”

Liselotte was right; it was an overwhelming and terrifying sight. Rafinha wasn’t sure what had happened, but this monstrous form was incredible in many ways.

Before the sinister giant, a small girl landed lightly on her feet.

“Glis!” Seeing her face brought an immense sense of relief. Rafinha’s face brightened as she called out to her.

“Rani! I’m so sorry. Are you alright?!” Inglis ran over to Rafinha, her face filled with worry. The faceless giant’s golden halberd had unleashed a massive explosion, shattering the ice chunk that had blocked the large hole.

But it didn’t stop there. The surface above had also been blown apart, widening the hole even further. The force of the blast had pierced through Inglis’ layered defenses of Ether Armor and Dragon Ice Armor, leaving her injured.

Her arm bore a raw, scraped wound, and the damage to her armor was evident. Yet, more than anything else, Inglis had felt a burst of Ether energy from below just before the giant’s explosion.

For a moment, she feared that Black Mask from the Ironblood Chain Brigade had infiltrated the area. The thought chilled her to the core. However, seeing Rafinha and the others when she descended brought immense relief.

“What happened just now? Was Black Mask here…?!”

“Huh? No, not at all. Leone was possessed by Tiffany and was being controlled. To stop her, I shot a light arrow from the Flowing Radiance, but… it felt different somehow.”

“Yes, it was a strong, blue light, almost like the kind you emit, Miss Inglis,” Liselotte confirmed.

“…! So, that was you, Rani?”

“Yes. I felt like I wasn’t myself—there was this overwhelming power.”

What could this mean? How did Rafinha wield Ether?

“……”

Perhaps it had something to do with how Rafinha had returned to her normal form more quickly after the Artifact that Inglis was previously messing with caused both of them to temporarily regress into children. Normally, since Inglis was a Divine Knight—a demigod-like existence—it would be strange for her to suffer worse magical effects from the same accident.

While it could be blamed on an unlucky angle, it didn’t seem like something that could be brushed off so easily. But what if Rafinha, even if unconsciously, had gained the ability to channel Ether energy? If she possessed even a fraction of the magical resistance Inglis had, then it would make sense that she would return to her normal form first, purely by chance.

And why would Rafinha gain such a capability?

There was only one possible explanation: it was due to Inglis. Her presence had influenced Rafinha.

Just as the Dragon Roar of the Dragon God Vufailbane had imbued Inglis after consuming so much of its flesh, the Ether from Inglis had permeated and settled within Rafinha, who had grown up alongside her all this time.

Inglis hadn’t known that Ether could exhibit a similar effect to Dragon Roar. But looking back on her past life, no one else had spent as much time with her as Rafinha.

While Inglis had many comrades who had shared in her struggles and victories, and loyal vassals who had served her faithfully, none of them had been by her side every waking moment or shared their sleeping quarters with her.

“I see… Because you’ve been with me all this time, Rani, it’s possible that my power has passed on to you.”

That deep, profound bond had allowed a part of Inglis’ power to transfer to Rafinha. And perhaps that was why Inglis hadn’t noticed the change taking place in Rafinha. Even when she sensed Ether nearby, she had thought of it as her own and hadn’t questioned it. The strong surge of Ether she had felt earlier had indeed resembled her own.

The Ironblood Chain Brigade’s Black Mask possessed exceptional control over Ether and could wield Ether energy similar to Inglis’. That was why Inglis had assumed Black Mask was nearby.

“Passed on to me…? Can that really happen?”

“It seems so. I didn’t know either… but it might be similar to Vufailbane and how Dragon Roar became a part of us, too.”

“Like mister dragon…? I mean, it’s not like I ate you or anything, Glis.”

“Fufu. You’re welcome to eat me, if you’d like.”

Inglis’ knowledge, experience, time, and Ether—she would allow Rafinha to take it all in, to consume it.

If it proved useful, that would be more than enough, and Inglis would be glad. She wanted to do everything she could for Rafinha, who was as precious to her as a beloved granddaughter. That was the instinct of a guardian—or rather, a grandparent.

Suddenly, the distant sound of rushing water echoed around them.

In no time, it closed in, flooding the depths of the pit. A tremendous volume of water quickly covered the ground where Inglis and the others stood.

“Oh…! The impact must’ve shifted the island, causing the path to the evacuation route to sink into the ocean!”

“We need to get Leone, quickly!”

Liselotte flew toward Leone, intending to lift her up. Though Leone was still clad in Tiffany’s armor, she showed no signs of resistance.

“Glis! At this rate, the Sarcophagus of Greyfriar will be submerged too! Miss Eris and the princess are in there!”

“Right, we need to lift it up!”

They had to raise it and move it to higher ground, somewhere still safe.

“I HEARD THAT!! TAKE THIS!!!” Maxwell, embedded within the faceless giant, let out a scream. “YOU CAN’T EVADE THIIISSSS!!!!!”

The faceless giant aimed the tip of its golden halberd directly at the Sarcophagus of Greyfriar. Knowing that Inglis would have no choice but to protect the coffin, it was a calculated move, forcing her into a defensive stance.

Even understanding that, there was no choice but to defend.

“Hyaaah!” She extended her hand, intercepting and holding back the massive weapon. “I never intended to!”

“YOU AND YOUR BRUTE STRENGTH!!!”

“Glis!!”

“It’s alright! Rani, go with Liselotte!”

“O-okay!”

As Rafinha dashed toward Liselotte, the ground beneath Inglis’ feet crumbled at the exact moment she was pushed aside.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep