Chapter 726: This couple was terrifyingly strong
Rhodes’s judgment wasn’t wrong.
Though the remnants of the Petryula Bandit Gang were fierce, hardened by countless battles and escapes, they were still nothing more than a defeated army, scattered and beaten down. Their morale was in shambles, their equipment broken, and against the well-coordinated teamwork of three Mermaid Heel mages, they began to crumble quickly.
At first, the bandits had sneered at their opponents, three women alone, far from reinforcements. They thought it would be an easy job. But instead of a quick victory, they were met with overwhelming resistance. Each mage fought with strength and confidence that far outclassed them.
The gunmen still fired in ragged bursts, but the swordsmen had already lost the will to charge. Even the officers wielding staves flinched, glancing warily toward the cliffs as though expecting another sudden ambush from above.
Yet the three mages weren’t as relaxed as they looked.
The Petryula remnants were stronger than the mountain rabble they had cleared out days before. Despite knowing the terrain well, the three women hadn’t yet broken their formation even after such a long fight.
"Araña, I...!" The freckled girl, Beth, panted heavily, carrots flying weaker and slower from her hands as her magic waned.
Araña, clad in her spiderweb-patterned bodysuit, called back firmly, "Hold on, Beth! They’re almost finished!"
"Yes!" Beth gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder, though she knew her stamina and magic power couldn’t compare to her two companions.
Araña seemed to sense this, and her sharp voice rang out across the battlefield: "Risley, cover Beth more!"
"Leave it to me!" Risley shouted. She sprinted across the field with startling speed, slamming her fist into a rifleman about to shoot Beth. Then, in the same motion, she vaulted up and stomped down hard on his back.
"Don’t underestimate plump girls!" she roared.
The gunman screamed, body arching before collapsing, froth at his mouth as the thought flickered in his mind: ’No one ever underestimated you in the first place...’
Their enemies’ numbers dwindled rapidly, their formation scattering. Just as the bandits seemed ready to flee, a red flare shot up from behind the mountain, bursting in the sky.
"It’s the Boss’s signal!" the bandits cried, faces lighting up with hope. Abandoning the fight, they bolted for the hills.
"A flare?" Beth muttered, confused.
The three women exchanged wary glances.
"Don’t chase them yet," Araña warned quickly. "It might be a trap."
Her words proved right almost instantly. From the cliffs above, bandits shoved down boulders and logs. Heavy shapes thundered toward them, crashing into the battlefield below.
The three dodged nimbly, leaping clear of the deadly rain. Beth staggered, nearly tripping in her exhaustion, but Risley caught her easily with one arm and dragged her out of harm’s way.
"Thanks, Ri..." Beth began, but her words caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she spotted something glimmering in the forest beyond. "Wait... what’s that light?"
Araña and Risley turned their heads, and froze. Their faces drained of color.
"That’s... a Magic Convergence Cannon!"
"Run!" Araña shouted. "Run in the same direction as the bandits!"
Risley didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Beth tighter and bolted, her figure stretching into her slender form to gain more speed. After a few strides, she glanced back with horror. "Even if we run, they’re not stopping the shot?!"
"The distance is too far!" Araña’s voice cracked with despair. "I misjudged... I’m so sorry!"
In the world of magic, the Magic Convergence Cannon was a weapon meant for sieges, capable of obliterating fortress walls in a single strike. No mage could withstand a direct blast.
Beth’s freckled face went pale. "Are we... are we going to die?"
"Don’t say that!" Risley barked, even as fear shook her voice. In her slender form, she pushed herself harder, sprinting with everything she had. "As long as we run fast enough, it might miss!"
But the three of them knew the truth. The chance of escape was slim.
The cannon’s muzzle glowed with blinding intensity, a deep hum shaking the air. Then, with a deafening roar, a beam of pure white magic erupted forth. Even from hundreds of meters away, its destructive power pressed down like a crushing weight, making the earth tremble beneath their feet.
Looking at the attack’s trajectory, it was impossible for it to miss.
Risley threw Beth, who she had been carrying, forward. Beth tumbled into Araña, and the two went sprawling across the ground.
Risley herself shifted into her plump form, planting her feet firmly as she spread her arms wide to shield her fallen companions. She grinned at their shocked faces and declared:
"Don’t underestimate plump people~!"
"Risley!!!"
"No!"
BOOM!!!
The deafening blast ripped the air apart. It roared like thunder, the gale whipping their hair and driving grit into their faces.
But the searing pain they braced for never came.
Confused, the three opened their eyes, and Risley turned to see a tall figure standing before them.
He stood sideways, a radiant golden shield blooming from his right hand, while his left hand lifted in an easy wave as if greeting friends rather than saving lives.
"Nice to meet you, three beautiful ladies," Rhodes said with a calm smile. "Do you need help?"
Behind him, the explosion finally died away. The backlight was so intense that, for a moment, the three couldn’t even make out his face, only that the silhouette looked impossibly tall, and the voice impossibly warm.
When the light-shield faded, a crash came from the treeline, and a figure blasted into the sky.
Rhodes chuckled. "To be safe, my wife went to deal with the gunner. Sorry for stealing your target."
As the light cleared, Araña finally saw his features and gasped. "You’re... Saint Rhodes!"
Beth clutched her cheeks. "The Saint Ten himself?!"
Risley blinked and asked, "Then when you said ’wife’... you meant Miss Mirajane?"
They’d all heard plenty of talk, after all, Kagura had attended Rhodes and Mira’s wedding, and gossip about the newlyweds had spread fast, even the silly tabloid scandal involving Yukino.
Risley, who had always been a fan of Mira, felt her heart skip. Every time she saw a picture of Mirajane she’d sigh, ’She’d be even more beautiful with a little more plumpness.’
Before the three could recover, a commotion rose behind the cliffs. They stiffened, ready for another fight.
But Rhodes lifted a hand. "Relax, it’s ours."
Sure enough, a bizarre company of magical beasts trotted up. Wolves dragged bandits by the ankles, Wraiths floated by carrying limp prisoners, Blue had two bandits slung over his shoulders, and Red carried several more across his back.
Every last one of the thirty-odd bandits had been rounded up, whining and helpless.
And then, Mira descended. Clad in her Satan Soul form, she landed gently, one hand gripping the burly bandit leader by the collar, the other carrying the twisted wreckage of the cannon like it was nothing more than a toy.
She looked at the three younger mages and asked softly, "Are you alright? No one’s hurt?"
Her voice was calm and tender, even though her form radiated sheer demonic dominance.
Risley’s eyes lit up with sparkles. ’Miss Mirajane is just too cool!’
Araña and Beth, meanwhile, kept staring between Rhodes and Mira, the bandit gang that had nearly cost them their lives had been erased in mere moments.
This couple was terrifyingly strong.