Chapter 687 For Love and Honor
While some of Lucien"s wives struggle to face the Naga Elders due to their low overall power or challenges related to their lack of a specific elemental power, one group that surprises everyone is the one led by Maggie.
When Maggie joined Lucien"s family, she was merely a little girl afraid of everything and everyone.
She never stood out much in terms of her skills or personality, and apart from her vision ability, there was nothing that made her particularly noticeable.
However, she has always worked hard to make Lucien proud, and now everyone can see the incredible woman she has become.
Leading the lovely pair of elven mother and daughter, under the protection of Knight Dawn, Maggie swiftly identifies the weaknesses of her opponent with her vision ability.
"His armor!" She clarifies to her teammates. "His dark armor is vulnerable to certain elements."
"Which ones?" Ghalenna quickly inquires while keeping the Naga Elder under a barrage of arrows from herself and her daughter.
Marie is not the only girl with a sharp mind, and Maggie promptly devises a plan.
"Use your nature mana in your arrows!" She instructs Ghalenna and Ghilanna.
The elven mother and daughter duo promptly do so, and thanks to their nature mana, a variation of life energy, they can imbue normal arrows with that energy, creating a vast supply of effective shots against the Naga Elder"s dark armor.
"Just hold on a bit longer, Dawn!" Maggie cheers on her sister.
She knows that despite being immensely strong, Dawn cannot withstand as many blows from their adversaries as Jeanne does with her soul weapon s.h.i.+eld, so they need to defeat the Naga Elder fast.
Much like the other girls engaged in close combat with the Naga Elders, Dawn sustains serious injuries, nothing truly life-threatening but enough to make Lucien"s heart ache as he watches the fight from a distance.
Indeed, he would have dashed in to protect his wives purely out of his own will, but his sisters and the Sins manage to restrain him, telling him that if he doesn"t recover quickly, many good women may perish in battle instead of his girls merely getting wounded.
The girls also feel Lucien"s anguish each time they get hit by the Naga Elders, but they communicate with him mentally, a.s.suring him they are fine with each fresh wound.
In this way, even though she suffers multiple injuries, Dawn persists, maintaining her already broken s.h.i.+eld in front of her sisters.
She never thought that Lucien or the other girls would genuinely accept her into their family, but they did so without reservation, and now she will defend her family with everything she has.
And even though her strength is vastly inferior to that of her adversary, the coordinated attacks of Ghalenna and Ghilanna, guided by Maggie, make an impact before Dawn can no longer endure the wounds.
In fact, the Naga Elder"s armor begins to crumble rapidly under the enchanted arrow onslaught from the elven girls.
"Now, fall back, Dawn!" To finish it off, Maggie signals to Dawn, and as the brave knight retreats, she bombards the target with a ma.s.sive fireball.
People often overlook that besides her vision ability, Maggie has fire affinity. This latent talent was relatively weak in the beginning, but Lucien"s demonic energy enhanced it to the point where the ingenious Maggie can be quite lethal with her fire spells.
Maggie spares no effort and uses almost all of her fire mana in that attack, utterly destroying her opponent"s dark armor with the a.s.sistance of Ghalenna and Ghilanna.
"Take a rest, my sister..." Maggie, almost out of breath, says to Dawn as both pause for a moment to recover.
"We"ve got this!"
"Yeah, leave it to us!"
The elven duo steps up and ends the battle by killing the Naga Elder with considerable effort. In the end, Maggie is the only one who emerges from the battle unscathed, which fills her with guilt.
But her team commends her because they understand that it was only due to her outstanding leaders.h.i.+p that they managed to defeat such a formidable enemy with just a few injuries as the cost.
That battle proves to be more challenging for other girls who didn"t antic.i.p.ate such a formidable challenge.
This is the case for Helena, who despite being one of Lucien"s most powerful wives, encounters a significant issue when facing the Naga Elder.
That problem is the same as what the other girls encounter—the dark armor of their adversary.
While the other girls employ different strategies to tackle those armors, Helena can only rely on her brute strength since her dark and spatial mana has no direct effect on the dark armor.
Battling alongside Helena is Oya, whose power stems entirely from the brute force of her claws and fangs, both of which are ineffective against the dark armor.
After several minutes of battling an adversary with flawless defense, Helena and Oya sustain numerous injuries.
Lucien struggles to bear the pain of his girls, but in the case of Helena and Oya, both are resilient women who only grow more determined as they get hurt.
Helena stands as an unyielding bastion of fort.i.tude, even in the teeth of the most ferocious tempests. In stark contrast, Oya"s anger swells, bubbling over into a tempestuous rage in response to the futility of her relentless a.s.saults.
While Oya"s intelligence has undoubtedly blossomed, her strategy is still largely dictated by her primal instincts. These instincts whisper a sobering truth - she has not yet ama.s.sed the power required to contend with such a formidable adversary.
Despite her tenacious attempts to pierce the Naga Elder"s defenses with her razor-sharp claws and lethal bite, she is met only with failure.
In a heart-stopping moment, Oya is violently flung by a potent blow, spiraling mercilessly into the churning ocean depths below.
"OYA!!!" Helena"s voice rings out. She acknowledges the wounds that mar her own body, but her thoughts are consumed by worry for Oya"s condition.
Yet, bound by the unbreakable ties of partners.h.i.+p, she must grit her teeth and maintain her battle stance against the lurking nemesis, despite her urge to aid the fallen tigress.
Oya splashes into the water, physically unbroken, but with her spirit bruised and battered.
Oya views herself as Lucien"s most loyal ally, forever shadowing his steps, her claws ready to shred any threats. Yet how can she maintain this role when she herself is trampled by the Naga Elder?
She suffers the indignity of defeat in the presence of a sea of onlookers, under the watchful gaze of her esteemed master, and before the eyes of her own progeny.
A furious "Roarrr!" echoes from tiny Ko as she witnesses her mother"s struggle in the sea, injured and vulnerable. The little tigress is held back by the girls aboard the Sea Devil, her gazer fixed on the unfolding scene.
Moon tigers are majestic beasts of honor, born into the cycle of combat, living for the thrill of the fight, and embracing death on the battlefield.
They may be indifferent to accolades in other domains, but on the war front, their dignity is forever on the line.
The tender roars and heartfelt encouragement from her daughter reverberate in Oya"s ears. She yearns to rise, to launch herself into the fray once more.
But the grim reality weighs heavy on her heart; she simply lacks the strength to tackle such a nemesis.
And so, rather than doubling down on her raw strength, Oya turns her gaze towards Lucien, seeking wisdom and guidance from her revered master.
But Lucien is at a point where he can no longer extend his aid beyond what he has already imparted. Oya understands this truth, knowing her master"s presence transcends physical boundaries, his potent energies residing within her.
Channeling these energies with mindful intent, rather than leaning into her natural instincts, Oya orchestrates a remarkable transformation.
The Mother Tigress does not conjure a radiant blade like Olivia"s, nor a s.h.i.+mmering s.h.i.+eld akin to Jeanne"s. Instead, she calls forth something truly suited to her nature.
Harnessing her soul"s might and amplifying it with Lucien"s energies, Oya manifests an astonis.h.i.+ng suit of armor enveloping her entire form.
As resilient as her indomitable spirit, the armor gleams with a dazzling silver hue, extending even to the tips of her lethal claws and fangs.
The power coursing through Oya does not surge abruptly; however, this new soul-forged armor provides not only unparalleled defense but also augments her already formidable strength.
Now, the armored matriarch barrels towards her adversary, her stride steady and unwavering. Lucien and young Ko watch in awe as her moment of triumph unfolds.
*ROAAAARRR!!*
Oya"s triumphant roar resonates across the battlefield, commanding the undivided attention of every soul present. With a fervor akin to a tempest, she launches herself at her quarry.
The Naga Elder struggles to extricate himself from the wrathful tigress, but her fangs—sheathed in that marvelous layer of enchanted steel—penetrate even his formidable dark armor.
Physical onslaughts would normally be stymied by such defenses, but Oya"s armor—a manifestation of her Moon Tiger soul"s might—enables her fangs to breach all manner of protections.
Raw, untempered power—this is Oya"s domain. As she wrestles to shatter her adversary"s armor, the Naga Elder doesn"t remain a pa.s.sive target.
Before he can inflict harm upon the tigress, her partner—stealthy as a shadow—materializes behind him, pinning the Naga Elder"s arms in a vice-like grip.
Caught in an inescapable hold, the prey is powerless to respond. Oya proceeds to fracture his menacing dark armor before lacerating his chest, her razor-sharp fangs wrenching out his pitch-black heart.
Among the ten Naga Elders, his demise is agreed upon as the most savage. And even though her pristine white fur is tainted a deep crimson beneath the radiant armor, Oya can return to Lucien with her head held aloft in pride.
Her honor remains unscathed, her place at her cherished master"s side as firm and unyielding as her steely fangs.