Ophelia smiled wickedly as she watched the small green woman plummet back down.

Filled with rapturous glee, she released her hold on the arrow and sent it hurtling toward the goblin.

She knew her arrow wouldn't be able to kill the bastard, and whatever damage she suffered would be quickly healed by the winged woman; however, Ophelia was still content with the prospect of causing them pain.

'I hope it hurts…'

The smoky phantom behind her whispered in her ear:

"That was close… But now you caught her attention. I don't know your plan on how to fight her, but good luck."

As for who 'her' was…

Ophelia knew her as the Demon who had tortured her brother.

Of course, she'd only heard the second-hand recount from Leila, but that was all she needed to fuel her ardent desire to inflict an incomprehensible brutality upon the fiend.

Ophelia summoned another rose arrow and quickly nocked it before pulling back and sending it toward the pink and black fiends below.

As she did, the green woman and the winged one began to shoot up the side of the canyon toward her.

Ophelia ignored them for now and continued firing at the lesser fighters.

With the entire village having helped to fill her core at blazing speed, she had the necessary Aether reserves for an extended fight. Yet she knew that, even with her improved power, she would never be able to beat the two women.

So, her goal right now was to whittle down their forces while they were still scaling the wall.

Well, that and sending a message.

Ophelia managed to fire off four more arrows before the winged woman barreling toward her forced her back and away from the edge.

The Demon shot up into the air and, with the cloudy sky as a backdrop, spoke down to her, an iron halberd in her left hand.

"Hello, Ophelia…"

Ophelia's response to her greeting?

Another arrow she sent arcing in the air.

The shot was easily evaded by the demoness, but the message was clear:

'I don't talk to beasts…'

The goblin soon followed and vaulted onto flat ground, which was covered in endless thorny roses she's spent the last few days preparing.

The small woman squealed in pain as those thorns pricked her bare feet.

The winged woman floated down next to the green one, placed a hand on her shoulder, planted the halberd at her feet, and said while staring at Ophelia:

"I'm Salome… my master wants to capture you alive. I want the opposite. So, struggle and give me just cause, will you ᥫ᭡?"

'I already knew your name, filth.'

Ophelia stared at the two with an icy glare as she dropped her hand to her side and let her bow transform into a flail. A dark resolve emanated from her very being as she slowly walked toward the cretins, the roses splitting to forge her path.

The demoness's wings glowed as a plethora of quills separated from her body and floated around her. Then, she shot off the ground and high into the air above.

At the same time, the green one shot straight for her with the spike of the halberd lowered.

The quills began to rain down from above…

But it was of no consequence to Ophelia.

Two incredibly thick stems from the ground shot up like tendrils and swatted the quills away one after another. When those quills tried to rise again, they were consumed and captivated by roses, locked in a petal prison.

As for the goblin…

She'd already been charging with each step, having to plant her feet in thorns, but it only got worse when Ophelia stomped on the ground, and a secondary tide of thorns rose up and threatened to swallow the charging girl.

Before the thorny wave could crash into her, the goblin jumped back. But in doing so, the thorns from the roses on the ground had full liberty to prick and prod to their desire.

By the time the goblin had come to a stop, green blood streaked down and covered her ankles.

'Ah…'

Upon spotting that foul beast's blood, delight filled Ophelia.

Eventually, the demoness, who realized her quills were ineffective, flapped her wings and shot toward Ophelia.

Mias whispered in her ear again:

"Keep your distance from her."

'Easier said than done!'

Ophelia spawned a thick rose in front of her as she began jumping away, but the demoness easily swiveled to the side and continued in hot pursuit.

The demoness closed in, and Ophelia grew a shield from her wrist, which she barely managed to raise in time to swipe away the fiend's claw.

But the fiend quickly gripped Ophelia's forearm with her other hand.

Immediately, Ophelia could feel her Aether being drained.

Ophelia resisted the draining as best she could as she turned and unleashed the flail upon the demoness, who caught the spiky ball with the palm of her hand, allowing it to stake through her.

'This mad woman…'

The goblin began charging at Ophelia from behind at a terrifying speed, ready to cleave her in half.

Despite Ophelia's Aether being drained and her having used half her reserves already, she looked over her shoulder and back at the goblin with a wicked grin.

'Got you.'

A thorny vine that had been snaking from Ophelia's boot, hidden among the other roses, appeared from the ground and wrapped around the green girl's ankle, halting her advance.

Then, more and more thorny vines spawned and raced toward the girl, ready to slither around her body.

The demoness wasted no time on hesitation. Letting go of Ophelia's wrist, pushing her to the side, and flying after the goblin.

Ophelia continued to surge the thorny tide forth as the rose shield on her left wrist twisted into a bow and the mace in her right into an arrow.

She reeled back and released.

'Pathetic.'

The demoness swiped away the arrow with her wing while ripping the goblin free of her vines. Then she dashed away just in time to dodge Ophelia's wall of thorns.

***

Salome floated to the ground with Toy cradled in her arms and using the tips of her wings to smack away the incoming arrows.

'This girl…'

She was strong. Much stronger than Salome had anticipated…

Not that she was nearly strong enough to beat Salome, but she was at the point where Salome wouldn't take the fight with leisure.

Each motion needed to be thought out; each attack calculated.

More rose petal arrows flew toward Salome, who flapped her wings forward, sending her back and away.

When she was safely out of Ophelia's range, she set Toy down after healing her.

'She knows my power, does she?'

Ophelia hadn't been trying to straight-up kill either of them, not that it seemed she didn't want to. But it appeared that the girl knew Salome's vitality-drain ability. It would also appear she knew she cared for Toy and would use it to heal her.

Toy dodged the roses on the ground as she looked up at Salome with a gloomy expression.

"Sorry, master."

Salome held a comforting smile on her face as she replied:

"It's alright, sweetie."

She put her hand on the goblin's head and ruffled her hair before adding:

"But stay out of this. Regroup when the others arrive and get in position for assault."

Salome recalled all the untrapped quills she could and rocketed high into the air.

Ophelia's eyes were trained on Salome, but her bow stayed drawn and pointed toward Toy.

Toy was much too far for Ophelia to have a chance at hitting the lithe goblin, but the intent was clear behind the action.

It was a statement. A statement saying she would make Salome feel the same pain as her. She would let Salome know loss as she did.

Salome scoffed as she watched Toy dodge Ophelia's arrow with ease.

'Pshee.'

Salome received her message with grace and returned one of her own. Of course, Salome was much more vocal and bold.

She couldn't help but rip out the corny line.

"Your brother, Laertes, was it? You should have seen how he pleaded for us to spare you."

Salome flapped her wings and shot toward Ophelia, whose face contorted in rage.

A thorny pillar shot up from the ground in front of Salome's path.

Salome kicked off the pillar to the side, then began redirecting her descent to circle around Ophelia and land behind her.

Ophelia remained standing with her back to Salome.

In a high-pitched voice, Salome screeched:

"Please, I'll tell you anything, just spare Ophelia!"

Then Salome laughed horrendously.

"Of course, he pleaded for us to kill you! Isn't that funny?"

Ophelia sneered, then turned and raised her bow again

"He wanted to make sure you didn't become a servant of Lust. So, why don't you help me fulfil his last request and die pitifully?"

Ophelia drew the string back taut and let go, aiming her shot at Toy.

'So be it…'

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