"It doesn't do any good to pretend you 't see what's going on."— Yūya Mochizuki, Another

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  This letter was from the Principality of Rossvale's representative team, the Rupture Division. The end of the letter was signed by their leader and stamped with the emblem of Rossvale.

  "This emblem seems authentic. I don't think it's a fery," Fianna said, examining the letter carefully before pg it oable.

  "The Principality of Rossvale, huh..." Roy pondered.

  Rossvale was a newly formed natioablished by a group of radicals who had decred independence from the Holy Kingdom of Lugia.

  They didn't have a long history, and this was only their sed time participating in the Bde Dance.

  However, this team of girls wielding high-ranking Holy Spirits was sidered a potential dark horse iour.

  "Their leader, Mil Bassett, is the oo watch out for," Cire ented.

  "If I remember correctly, she's only thirteen years old, the you partit in this tour, right?" Roy asked, stroking his . He had a clear memory of this young prodigy.

  "Why do you remember her so clearly?" Cire grumbled, puffing out her cheeks.

  "Oh, my memory has always been good," Roy replied with a shrug and a grin.

  "Roy-san, making excuses is unbeing of you."

  "You never let up, do you?"

  "As expected of the Night Demon King. Your targets range from lolis to mature women."

  "Roy, do you have a preference for young girls?"

  ...

  "Est?! Why are you joining in oeasing?!" Roy excimed, his eye twitg as eve joihe chorus of pyful accusations.

  "Ahem, so Cire, do you agree to the alliance or not?" Roy coughed, quickly ging the subject.

  The tour rules didn't prohibit alliances between teams.

  "This could be a trap," Fianna said cautiously.

  "Yes, they could be luring us into an ambush," Ri agreed.

  "If it's not a trap, I think it's worth sidering," Ellis tered. "Even if we don't form a full alliance, sharing information could be beneficial."

  "And I heard that the Elementalists of the Rupture Division all wield powerful Holy Spirits."

  "If we form an alliah them, they could bee valuable allies."

  As a Knight from a military family, Ellis had a practical mi.

  "Roy, what do you think?" Cire asked, deferring to his judgment.

  The others also looked at him expetly.

  "It could indeed be a trap," Roy admitted. "But I think it's worth the risk. Even if it is a trap, with me here, there's nothing to fear."

  "If Roy-san says so, then I agree," Ri said. Ellis and Fianna also nodded in agreement.

  They trusted Roy implicitly.

  "Then it's decided. We'll meet with the Rupture Division and discuss the alliance," Cire decred.

  She touched the emblem oter and ted an intation in the Spirit Language.

  The emblem burst into fmes, transf into a small fire spirit.

  Cire had released the guide spirit sealed within the emblem.

  It was a low-ranking spirit, only capable of simple tasks like guiding people.

  But it was a veool for unication, often used by Elementalists to tact each other.

  "Their designated meeting point is about two hours away on foot."

  "Did they specify hoeople should e?"

  "No, but we 't all go, we?"

  "That's true..."

  "I think we should all go. That way, even if it's a trap, we won't be defeated individually," Roy said, shaking his head.

  "You're right," Cire agreed.

  "Should we abandon our current base?" Fianna asked.

  "Don't worry. With me here, anywhere be our base," Roy reassured her with a smile, patting her head.

  "Okay..." Fianna blushed and nodded.

  ...

  They packed some essentials a off.

  The small fire spirit, fluttering in the air, led the way.

  Following it, they wouldn't get lost even in the dense forest.

  Roy led the way, the girls following closely behind.

  Cire, as she walked, couldn't help but steal g Roy's back.

  Suddenly...

  "Aah!"

  Something slippery slithered across her feet, causio stumble.

  "Cire, what's wrong?" Roy asked, turning around in .

  He saw a small snake coiled around Cire's feet.

  Roy swiftly grabbed the snake's head and tossed it into the bushes.

  "Are you alright? Did it bite you?" he asked, catg Cire before she could fall.

  "I-I'm fine. Just a bit startled," Cire replied, her heart pounding and her cheeks flushed.

  She couldn't meet his eyes, overwhelmed by a strange shyness.

  "So you're afraid of snakes?" Roy teased gently.

  "I-I'm not afraid! I just don't like them," Cire retorted, blushing even harder and looking away.

  "The stray cat was pletely frozen in fear," Ri ented with a smirk.

  "Shut up, Chihuahua!" Cire snapped.

  "Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's hurry," Roy said, pg a hand on each of their heads, sileng them.

  As he was about to tinue, Cire caught his arm.

  "W-Wait for me!"

  "Cire?"

  "I-I think this position is quite nice," she mumbled, her head lowered.

  "That sly cat! I want to hold his arm too!" Ri decred, grabbing Roy's other arm.

  "Let go, Chihuahua! You're hindering Roy!" Cire protested.

  "Hmph! You let go first!" Ri retorted.

  "It's fihis isn't hinderi all," Roy said with a sigh, looking at the two girls ging to his arms.

  He tinued walking, pulling them along.

  Fianna and Ellis gred at them but could only follow.

  They tihrough the forest, taking occasional breaks, until they finally reached their destination.

  The fire spirit leading them stopped and hovered before an a, weathered ruin.

  This abaemple seemed to be a reli the Age of Myths, when the human world and the Elemental Spirit World were still one.

  Only a few crumbling walls and pilrs remained, half-buried in the earth.

  Beyond the ruins was a cliff, and they could hear the roar of a waterfall.

  ...

  ...

  "This seems to be the designated meeting point," Ellis observed.

  "It looks like the ruins of an aemple. And there's a river nearby. It's an ideal location for a base," Fianna ented, surveying the surroundings.

  "Look, there are traces of a barrier here."

  They followed Cire's gaze and saw a symbol resembling a coat of arms etched onto one of the pilrs.

  "It's the emblem of the Principality of Rossvale. It's quite ret," Cire noted, her expression cautious.

  "But... the barrier didn't activate wheered, did it?"

  "Yes, it seems the barrier has beeroyed. This pce is no longer a funal base."

  "What happened?"

  "Did the Rupture Division abandon this base?"

  ...

  The girls were fused.

  "The Rupture Division is at the bottom of the waterfall," Roy suddenly said, pointing towards the waterfall.

  They approached the waterfall.

  "There's a cave behind it," Ri observed, her sharp eyes notig the hidderance.

  "That must be where the Rupture Division is hiding."

  "What do we do now? Go in directly?"

  "Could there be traps?" Cire hesitated.

  "Don't worry, there are no traps. Let's go take a look," Roy reassured them, then used his magic to levitate them and fly down towards the cave behind the waterfall.

  "Aah!" The girls yelped in surprise.

  But they quickly became excited as they realized they were flying.

  "This is amazing! We're flying!"

  "Roy is incredible!"

  "It's different from using wind magic."

  "Take me flyiime!"

  ...

  "Don't worry, you'll be able to fly freely soon," Roy chuckled.

  Ohey became Devils, they would naturally gain the ability to fly.

  They arrived at the cave entrance.

  "Let's go in."

  Roy held Cire and Ri's hands, while Ellis and Fianna followed behind.

  They ehe cave.

  Dark clouds had gathered in the sky, and a heavy downpan.

  "You're finally here," a cold voice echoed from the depths of the cave.

  A bright light illumihe cavern.

  A young girl stood before them, holding a glowing spirit crystal.

  She wore a white knight uniform with red ats.

  Her dark brown hair swayed as she moved.

  Her most strikiure was her heteroatic eyes: one blue and one amber.

  "You're Mil Bassett, the leader of the Rupture Division," Cire said, reizing her.

  "Yes." Mil nodded.

  "We came here to discuss an alliance, as you requested. But when we arrived at the designated location, there was no ohere," Cire said, her arms crossed. "What's going on? Care to expin?"

  "I apologize for that. I didn't expect... that moo attack our base," Mil expined.

  "Monster? You mean the Elementalist from the Inferno?"

  "Yes, we were defeated by her."

  "Defeated... by just her?" The girls couldn't believe it.

  Muir Alenstarl, a member of the Inferno.

  The sed-ranked Military Elementalist from the Instrual School, known as a monster.

  She was the one who had attacked the airship with the Destroyer Spirit. She was indeed powerful.

  But they hadn't expected the Rupture Division, a team known for their strength, to be defeated by her.

  "So that's why you proposed an alliance?" Cire asked.

  "Yes. The alliance will st until we defeat that Inferno member," Mil firmed.

  "The Holy Spirits we wield are incredibly powerful. Although I 't reveal their abilities, I assure you that we'll be valuable allies."

  Mil's proposal was simple.

  She wao form a temporary alliah Team Scarlet to defeat the Inferno.

  Cire sidered the offer.

  Mil was essentially seeking their prote.

  No one khat Mil's tracted spirit...

  was actually a Strategic-Css Elemental.

  Such a powerful spirit couldn't be trolled by a single person.

  Mil's teammates were there to help her trol it.

  But now that her teammates were eliminated, she couldn't utilize the Strategic-Css Elemental's power.

  "I agree," Cire said after a moment of sideration, gng at Roy before nodding.

  "Then the alliance will st until we defeat that Inferno member. Is that acceptable?" Mil asked.

  "Yes. But the Magic Stones we obtain during this time will be divided equally between our teams," Mil added.

  "Okay, I uand," Cire agreed.

  It would be strange if Mil didn't have any ditions.

  Requesting a share of the Magic Stones was reasonable. After all, there was no point in participating if they couldn't obtain any.

  They reached an agreement.

  Setting a time limit for the alliance was a natural precaution.

  After all, only four teams could advao the final round.

  It would be o expect the alliao st until the very end.

  "May I ask you something?" Cire suddenly asked.

  "Go ahead."

  "Why did you choose us for the alliance?"

  Cire wasn't suspeg any ulterior motives. She was simply curious.

  "Why do you ask?"

  "You could have asked the Silent Fortress team. Their base is closer to yours."

  "Because Roy... is an incredibly powerful Elementalist," Mil replied ftly.

  Roy chuckled.

  Their barrier had beeroyed during his battle with Leonora the ht. Any Elementalist with ill iions or a spirit capable of sharing its vision with its tractor could have easily observed the fight.

  It wasn't surprising that they knew about his strength.

  "Don't py coy. I'm talking about your Bde Dah Leonora Lancaster st night," Mil said, her gaze unwavering.

  "You saw that?!" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "All the members of the Rupture Division wit. We expected Team Scarlet to be eliminated on the first day, but you surprised us by defeating a powerful oppo like Leonora."

  "And I know a certain bargaining chip that might be effective against you." Mil looked at Roy with an unreadable expression.

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