Marie and Joseph nodded, then walked toward the souls hovering above the fallen Phantasm Beasts.

Marie approached the Butterfly Princess's soul, extending her hand toward the fading light.

Once she touched the soul, golden and orange light began to move from the soul, flowing from the soul into her palm.

The light washed over her entire body in waves, coating her skin with radiance that made her seem to glow.

Reinhard watched as Marie trembled, her entire frame shaking violently. Her other hand rose to clutch at her head, fingers digging into her scalp as if trying to hold her skull together.

Her expression shifted in pain mixed with something else, something overwhelming that threatened to consume her awareness. She groaned before gritting her teeth as her knees buckled slightly before she locked them, refusing to fall.

Joseph had already placed his hand on the Stellar Bone's soul. White light rushed over his body, which was pure, making him seem like a statue carved from marble.

He gritted his teeth to the point Reinhard could see the muscles on his face. While Joseph's other hand pressed against his forehead, the pressure was visible in how his fingers dug into flesh.

He groaned louder than Marie, unable to suppress the sound, and his body almost fell over from the intensity.

But after a bit, both finished simultaneously, the light fading from their bodies. They stood gasping, sweat coating their faces despite the cool air.

Joseph straightened with visible effort, clenching his fist experimentally, and then he walked toward the Nibel Eater's corpse, his steps slightly unsteady.

While Marie closed her eyes, most likely imagining the skill she wanted from the Butterfly Princess and connecting it to her Beast Symbol.

Most likely the one with the four clones and the true body, all striking in perfect coordination, or that dash that made her move at lightspeed.

Although both of them move at lightspeed, though. Reinhard thought with an inward hum before his gaze shifted to Joseph.

Joseph placed his hand on the Nibel Eater's soul. White-blue light washed over him, which made his body shiver, and then he groaned again. His eyes squeezed shut, face contorting with pain and effort, with minutes passing in silence broken only by his breathing.

Marie opened her eyes first, a grin splitting her face despite the lingering discomfort. Light appeared at the back of her hand, shining through flesh. Above her Beast symbol was a single dot materialized on the left side, and it displayed the Butterfly Princess image.

Joseph opened his eyes moments later, sighing heavily. He rubbed his forehead with one hand while crouching and then pushing himself up before closing his eyes.

Reinhard and the other watched patiently as Marie walked over. Once she was near him, she grinned at him before turning to Joseph and pumping her arm up to cheer for him.

After a bit, Joseph opened his eyes fully as a light shone at the back of his hand, and two dots appeared above his Beast Symbol.

Reinhard smiled. "What did you gain?"

Marie's grin widened. "I got the Butterfly Princess's 5 Strikes skill. The one where she leapt into the air, sent four clones to strike with light swords, and finished with the real body in a combo."

"That would be extremely useful." Reinhard said.

Roana's expression showed agreement. "It would be good for evasion and attacking both."

Scáth chuckled, her wine-colored eyes gleaming. "I can already guess Joseph got what we mentioned?"

Joseph nodded, standing fully now. "I got the Nibel Eater's Spiraling Death. The one where it is moving back and up, spinning like a drill covered in icy wind and spikes." He paused. "And from the Stellar Bone, I got Stellar Dance, which creates forests of bone spikes that extend from each other."

Gran nodded once, satisfaction evident despite his usual reserved demeanor. "Alright, let's go. Our team got even stronger, and now we're better prepared."

They turned toward the corridor's end, where the doorway to the next chamber waited.

Everyone rushed forward through the hallway, their boots pounding against stone. The gas lamps flickered as they passed, creating shadows that couldn't keep pace with their speed.

After a bit, the space opened dramatically once more into a massive room that dwarfed everything they'd seen above. The ceiling stretched perhaps fifty feet overhead, supported by thick pillars carved with symbols that caught lamplight in strange ways. The black floor was smooth stone, and at the far end, it was elevated on a platform with stairs leading up to it.

On it was Anasha, who was sleeping soundly.

Reinhard's eyes widened, his entire body freezing on the spot as he saw her.

Anasha's blue hair was longer than he remembered, cascading past her shoulders in waves that looked unkempt. Even while sleeping, he could see her trembling with her curling up as if trying to make herself smaller.

She wore a simple black dress with black shoes and a white necklace around her neck.

Symbols covered the platform beneath her feet, it was intricate patterns that glowed faintly with blue light, creating a circle perhaps ten feet in diameter.

But Reinhard ignored all of that.

As he tensed up, he rushed forward to the surprise of the others. A large thud sound rang out as Reinhard's vision narrowed to a single point of the sleeping Anasha as he rushed over the stone floor.

Drasil Step.

Time began to slow extremely.

Reinhard's friends seemed to freeze mid-action as he rushed through the slowed time. The wide area between the entrance and the platform blurred past. His boots landed on the platform's metal surface, each step ringing soundlessly in the slowed time.

Reinhard reached the metal stairs, and he quickly took his first foot onto the stairs. Then time returned to normal as he lifted his other leg up to launch himself up.

Something grasped the back of his shirt with terrifying strength.

Reinhard felt himself lifted, his forward momentum arrested violently. Then he was airborne, hurled backward through space with enough force to make his vision blur.

He crashed into the floor twenty feet from where he'd been, the impact made him frown as his body rolled. The momentum carried him across smooth stone before he stopped, and then he gritted his teeth.

He pushed himself up and looked up to see what had stopped him with a glare.

And to Reinhard's surprise, it was the Director who stood on the stairs where Reinhard had been about to step.

She descended slowly while her masked face revealed nothing, but her body language spoke of someone completely in control of the situation.

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