Vassenia was sitting on the wall fanning herself as a Recovery mage monitored her condition. She still trembled slightly as she looked up at Ateia.

“So…y-you aren’t here to wipe me from the face of Aelea for the desecration of the dead?”

Ateia tilted her head.

“Um, why would I be? I thought the Necrotorum didn’t permit the use of corpses without contracts verified by third party authorities?”

She turned to look at Magister Lampronia, who began nodding her head repeatedly and as fast as she could.

“Yes! Obviously! All necromancy and death magic conducted here is in full accordance with all Imperial regulations!”

Vassenia held herself with her arms.

“B-But…y-your an Aesdes! Y-You’re above the laws of mortals!”

Lampronia turned pale at that. Ateia blinked a few times.

“Oh…is that right?”

She turned to Taog who shook his head.

“Um, don’t ask me? But…I mean, you are an Aesdes so…”

Amulius cleared his throat again and Ateia jumped, flushing slightly.

“Well, um, Victoria…err, the other Aesdes didn’t mention necromancy or anything to me. I guess I can ask later, but they’re a bit busy as far as I know. For now, we’re here on behalf of Her Majesty Seero, the Queen of the Dobhar and Amicitia Populi Elteni, who was requested by Emperor Lucius to aid you and purify the Banshee’s Cove.”

Vassenia and Lampronia’s eyes widened.

“The Queen of the Dobhar? And Emperor Lucius? They…they know Aesdes?”

Amulius sighed and stepped forward.

“In any case, we would ask you to prepare a force to assist us in the dungeon assault. I recommend we do so sooner rather than later.”

He pointed to where the dungeon entrance, where another ghost ship was just sailing out of the cove. Lampronia ceased trembling and her eyes narrowed.

“Right, I’ll talk to the Legate right away. The Pale Lady shall organize the Pale Harbor’s forces and maintain the defense.”

She glanced over at Vassenia, who nodded.

“R-Right.”

Amulius nodded and joined Lampronia to arrange the details. Meanwhile, Ateia looked up at the sky. Taog glanced at her.

“What is it?”

Ateia shook her head.

“Nothing, it’s just…I was wondering what Victoria was up to in all this…”

Colleöne flew through the sky, wearing a suit of golden and silver armor with a winged helmet over her golden hair. She gripped the Blade of Valor with both her hands, an aura of light shining around her as she swung the golden blade forward. She moved quickly, blinking across the sky in a golden flash that extended her swing into a wide arc. In this way, she cut off every head of the giant, multi-headed snake before her in a single attack. She exhaled her breath and glanced around the battlefield with a frown.

Colleöne had returned to the Blessed Land as quickly as she could once she learned of the situation. The return of the Aesdes’ most skilled and experienced warrior turned the tides of the Blessed Land’s defense. In addition, the Aesdes themselves had gathered their nerve. Her beloved Velus had collected the fighters into an increasingly coherent force. Her heart clenched and she felt warm at the sight of her beloved, taking command to defend her own home…and then shook her head, for now was not the time for such thoughts. Additionally, others of the Aesdes who had not fought before were starting to find their courage, and joined the line as they were able. Others who had not the skill or temperament for battle found other ways to contribute. Some healed, and lent their power to strengthen the front. Others prepared the way, shifting the land itself to block and contain their foes. The Lord of Dance and Celebration and the Lady of Song and Heart joined together to lift the spirits of the defenders. The Lady of Hearth and Home…was currently bashing a drake over the head with her beloved frying pan.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

And yet…the situation was not developing according to their hopes.

The Aesdes had secured their defense and the line was holding…but such was not their aim. In terms of pushing towards the Cores of her and Shialnor’s design, they had made little progress. And Colleöne could only grit her teeth, for this was a direct result of her and Shialnor’s work.

Because of recent events, the existence of Holy-attribute monsters, and the means by which to imbue the Holy mana of Aelea into the mana-constructed bodies of dungeon monsters were recorded upon those cores. As such, the monsters they now faced were imbued and empowered via the Holy mana of Aelea…so not only were they far stronger than the average monster, but they were also not especially vulnerable to Holy mana. They were counted as inhabitants of the world, and the world itself did not reject them.

And that meant that the Aesdes lost their chief weapon against such foes. Under normal circumstances, the mere presence of an Aesdes would suppress and frighten monsters; weaker monsters would even perish outright if they got too close. And should an Aesdes deign to direct their actual attention to the task, none but the most powerful of monsters could stand before them for long.

But not against these foes. Against these monsters, the Aesdes had to rely on their own power and abilities. And worse…their power had waned. Anualë had temporarily quarantined the Blessed Land to prevent additional corruption from spreading, while Shialnor and Colleöne were preventing mana from their cores from leaking out as well. But this meant that the normal flows of Holy Mana between the Blessed Land and the rest of Aelea had slowed to a trickle. The Aesdes were the caretakers of the world, empowered to call upon its power to aid in their duties…but they were not the masters of the world, and so not the rightful masters of that power. They were now reduced to their base strength, the powers that were intrinsic to them as individuals.

This still left them as gods among men, but not as masters of the world. And since most of them had never had to fight a remotely equal enemy, most were still adjusting to the task.

Colleöne was one of the few among them who had, and so tore through the battlefield. But like Shialnor, a great deal of her power was wrapped up in the Core that empowered the champions of the world. She was left now merely with her own strength and skill as a warrior…and a warrior she was. With each swing of her sword, one or even many monsters lost their lives, and she reclaimed whatever bit of her power had been granted to them. But, she was not yet powerful enough to overturn the entire battle on her own. The stream of monsters seemed endless.

Colleöne ducked under a volley of arrows, and a moment later appeared next to the offending skeletons. She spun around, smashing them to pieces with the weight of her sword before vanishing once more. The Lord of Craft and Forge had been knocked over by a giant, and she stabbed her blade into the monster’s neck before it could assault him further.

The battle would turn to their favor eventually now that the defenses had stabilized. For all the danger, not a single Aesdes had fallen, for even weakened beings of their stature were not easily slain. With each passing moment, the Aesdes grew more accustomed to the nature of this fight, and the defense grew less and less desperate. And with each monster they slew, Colleöne and Shialnor reclaimed a bit more of their power. In time, they would be able to push the monsters back, and reclaim their cores entirely.

But that was not enough.

Colleöne knew of what was going on down in the world below. She knew that while the Aesdes were occupied, the dungeons were going haywire and all the people of the world were under threat when they did not have her boons to assist them. She knew that Ateia and her friends were at the forefront of those trying to hold the line. So every moment the Aesdes spent defending was a moment that all that they worked and cared for was at risk.

And worse…

Colleöne knew, as the Lady of Courage and Victory and the most familiar of the Aesdes with war, that this played into the hands of their enemy. Anualë hadn’t the chance to tell them who was responsible just yet, but there were very few beings in all of known existence who could wound the First of the Aesdes and strike at the Blessed Land. Regardless of their exact identity, this was a being on par with the Aesdes in either lore or might, or perhaps even both. Such a being was now on the loose beyond their sight and attention, and who knew what they might do in the meantime.

And that wasn't all…Colleöne had a feeling that this being was the one behind the Heralds of the New Dawn. It would explain the cult’s unexpected capabilities…and their ability to escape notice until now. And if that were true…that meant the being responsible for the assault on Colleöne’s home was also the one who had targeted her kin, and who could do so again while the Aesdes were occupied.

Colleöne grit her teeth…but there was little she could do at present. The quickest way to protect the world below was to win the fight going on here. So Colleöne gripped her sword and got to work.

All the while praying that should anything happen, a certain dungeon master and hero might surprise her once more.