“Erika! Quick! Estimate our chances.”

  I already made myself and idea, but I wanted to make sure.

  [Analysing… If any of your followers fought her alone without extreme tactics, she would destroy them, in group there is a chance. Based on her Ether reading, she belongs to at least a late level Rank 1 or low level Rank 2]

  Erika could estimate their levels based on her making system. That was good, not needing to calculate it manually.

  [Fighting her by yourself is a good option, but we don’t know the full extent of her combat capabilities]

  “Erika, finish analyzing the barriers. I will talk with her.”

  [Analysis almost done]

  Good news then.

  “Listen,” I transmitted my word through the area. Her only ear twitched, meaning she heard me, “we warned you to leave, now your subordinates paid the consequences. If you leave now, we will spare your life.”

  “Spare my life?” She asked, transmitting her voice the same way, “Just because you managed to beat a group of weaklings, you think you get me to order me around?”

  With a frowned eyes, a smirk formed on her face. Ethereal yellow energy formed around her, and I could feel the magic essence surrounding us moving.

  She began to cast a spell.

  It began with a crack of energy on top of each dome. Then it spread through the whole interior.

  It was like electricity made of Ether, and it hit everything inside of the domes!

  The screams of my wolves, including Luna, Fir and Aspen, traveled through as each one got his with the terrible onslaught of electric magic.

  They could not move, and they were in extreme pain while it lasted!

  Then it stopped.

  “Hahaha! You had the bravery to keep your tail up, stupid wolf!” She yelled, “Now, surrender or that will continue to hurt!”

  “Huh…?” I kept my voice low, “I was not injured…”

  The magic avoided me. Like it was trying not to hit me. All my wolves were injured, although they were slowly recomposing. They began to yell back at Earless.

  What I noticed, though, was that the enemy wolves that were inside of the dome did not get hit either, every ray avoided them like they avoided me.

  [Analysis complete. The three domes are a constant flow of solid Ether moved through magic channeling. Channeling any kind of spell to that level requires a big amount of focus and will. This comes with a few caveats, even if it is strong]

  [Each ripple you saw when something hit the dome was the energy dissipating, breaking a portion of the barrier, and then rebuilding itself at immense speed. If this focus is broken, then the barrier can be destroyed]

  I could only imagine the amount of focus she must have had.

  But her Ether was…

  No, she only knew how to use it well, much better than I did. But she still had limits.

  My wolves slowly got up.

  “Is everyone okay?” I approached them.

  “Y-yeah… it stung a ton, but that’s it” one answered.

  “Luna’s spells hurt more than that.” another one said, sitting, “I don’t want a repeat, though.”

  They seemed fine. Although I am sorry they had to suffer Luna’s wrath.

  And about that spell, which was eye-catching…

  “That was a weak spell.”

  [Exactly]

  “And why did it not hit me?”

  [Analysing… I don’t have access to her mind, but it most likely had to do with how she was willing to spell. If it only was meant to hurt enemy wolves, then it might have missed everything else]

  Was magic really that malleable and finicky?

  Question for later. A plan had formed in my head.

  Earless was panting.

  “In Ella’s name… that took the most of me.” She said, “I doubt that I killed any of them, the King would kill me if I came back empty handed… but, hehe… that should have scared them.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Then her eyes went wide.

  “Shit! They are not giving up!”

  I began to hit the barrier multiple times. Ripples signaled every swing I did against it, attacking it with the strongest practiced strikes I could muster. Ripple after ripple, making sure she had to focus on keeping that thing up.

  “Everyone! Attack the barrier!” I ordered the wolves beside me.

  They all began to throw themselves at the barrier, bite it, and make it ripple to force her to keep pouring magical energy into it.

  “Damn you all in Ella’s name!” Earless cursed at her. “She will rain her wrath upon you all for sullying her name and going against her mandate!"

  It pissed me off hearing her say her name like that. As if she knew what Ella wanted. Granted, I did not know her that much, but she was one with my soul, and I knew she was full of crap.

  Earless growled and got up, showing her teeth towards the dome we were at, seeing how the ripples traveled each time larger.

  Keeping the barrier up must have been turning into a much more daunting task. She was trying to keep her focus solely on the one that was getting attacked, and that was part of my plan.

  “Now!” I yelled.

  Earless noticed something to her left, and jumped away from a giant wind blade that almost hit her

  “What the…? Who is there?!” She asked.

  She scouted the different ruins from where it came from, only to see a silhouette running through them, to which she began to hurl magic spells, missing entirely.

  Shin, who attacked Earless while she was distracted, began to hide on the ruins, trying his damnest to stay out of harm’s way. His magic was not strong for combat, that is we all learned, but I knew it would distract her!

  Moments before, I contacted Shin. I knew that if I could manipulate sound to be heard all around me, I could do it in specific places. And thanks to [Soul Sense], knowing where I wanted to sound to work, it was easier. But that took much more MP than doing it normal, and I reached the low 60% already.

  “Shin! Can you hear me?”

  “Huh?” his ears perked when he heard me, and looked around, “M-master Alice? Where are you?”

  “In combat! I need your help, you are the only mage we have available!”

  “B-but I don’t know how to fight! What could I do?”

  “Simple! I need you to distract an enemy mage. Just distract her, don’t try to defeat her! I am trapped, but if you keep her busy for enough time I might be able to escape and then run to help you!”

  He hesitated, looked at the exit and the rest, who noticed he was speaking with someone he could not see. Fortunately, he had enough bravery in his soul to run out and rush to our aid.

  And it was working. When I hit the barrier with a strong strike, a hole appeared, but it closed quickly. It was still not enough, but Earless was failing to keep her focus on us.

  “Shin, stay safe and keep her distracted!” I asked him.

  He could be in danger, so I had to act fast!

  And Shin, to my already worried mind, was completely scared of getting hurt! He moved behind a ruin, which got immediately destroyed by one of her attacks.

  He tried to run, but a ray that hit just in front of him made him stop.

  “You!” Earless yelled, and began to walk towards him, “I didn’t know some wolves managed to escape.”

  “Eeeh… you are confusing me with someone else?” he answered.

  “Grrr!” Earless was pissed to no end.

  Without saying another word she began to walk towards Shin, growling and presenting her teeth. With magic, she summoned several ice spikes, all aiming at him, threatening to shoot at any moment.

  “You made a mistake when you messed with me… now die!”

  She fired all the spikes towards Shin. He summoned a barrier made of magic to stop the spells.

  She launched the spells.

  But I got there just in time! I cut through each one before they hit him, and he left unscathed.

  “What the… a human weapon?!” Earless asked.

  Thanks to Shin pissing her off, the hole appeared again and I managed to leave and fly as fast as I could! I arrived just in time to stop her attack.

  “Aaah!” I yelled when I hit the last one.

  I yelled because of the surprise that I managed to do that. I could not believe it but I had to return to reality.

  “M-master Alice!”

  “Leave, Shin, you did your job!”

  “Oh no! You won’t!”

  Earless began to cast a spell, but I reached and hit her with my handle. Whatever spell she was about to use on top of Shin got interrupted!

  She had a big magic capacity to cast spells, but she had to keep focusing. As long as she kept those big domes on top, she had limited powers. And she seemed tired, her breathing was heavy.

  “You are going to die if you continue with this.” I said.

  “Shut up! And what are you, anyway?! What kind of spell are you using to look like a symbol of Ella?!”

  “You kept naming her. You also follow her teachings, don’t you?”

  “I am a devout follower. Heretics like you, who don’t follow the king’s holy plan, would not understand that! Now, show yourself! Who is the wolf who is controlling this sword?!”

  She looked around, as if trying to find me.

  She was desperate, trying to find the real me when I was right in front of her. Maybe, in her mind, it is impossible a sword is helping the wolves that are against the King.

  “I am right in front of you. I am the sword you see, floating here…”

  “Silence!”

  Earless broke her focus on the barriers and began to attack me with spells. I dodged and blocked them, but soon I figured they were meant to distract me as she moved close to me.

  Her fangs began to shine golden, and she tried to take a bite of me! I swung back, but she dodged by twisting her whole body and falling to the ground on her four feet.

  She was faster than I imagined, and I felt too much energy on that attack.

  Differently from Forehead, who used ranged spells, Earless was close combat.

  She attacked once more with the same attack, and she hit me with it!

  Earless did not grab me, but I saw my HP go down by 25%. That worried me, my metal items were low.

  I tried to stab, but even if she was slow to dodge me completely, she moved to the side where my edge was not, and just lost a couple of hairs.

  Then, after we passed by, she kicked me against a rock!

  [Warning… 43% HP remaining!]

  Dammit! She knew how to fight when she was focused! I hoped to turn it into a full on war of attrition, but she was not running out of MP before I did with HP if that continued.

  New plan.

  I activated [Poison Form], and stabbed once more.

  She dodged the same way, predicting where my edge was!

  “Now! Transform!”

  I transformed into my Short Sword form, which had a second blade on its side.

  The light took her by surprise, but it was too late. The edge on my strong part formed already and cut her in the cheeck.

  She moved her whole body when she felt the pain, and growled at me.

  “Hehe… I knew that was going to work.” I said.

  “Is just a bit of blood, you damn mutt!” she said, still believing I was another wolf, “I will kill all of yo-... Ugh!”

  Her body gave up.

  “W-what did you…?”

  “I said… I am here. I am the sword…” I approached her, “and I don't appreciate you hurting those who I care about.”

  “N-no! S-swords are Ella’s s… symbol! S-she favors the… King!” She complained, fighting against her body.

  She used too much magic during our fight, plus the poison and the bleeding effect of my sword. The side I cut on her face was completely red.

  "Then, go ask her who she favors."

  And I cut her neck.