Pythia raised her hand and pointed toward the distance.
"...Look over there."
Ryke and Kaelira followed her gesture.
Far beyond the battlefield—
the burning wreckage of the airship that had been brought down earlier was still falling apart.
Black smoke billowed into the sky.
Fragments of twisted metal continued raining toward the ruined streets below.
Pythia spoke calmly.
"...Before the military managed to eliminate the first Rift Breaker..."
"...it appears the creature managed to destroy one of their ships."
Ryke stared at the burning wreckage.
"...If that's the case..."
His eyes shifted toward the remaining airships.
"...When their cannons were still operational..."
"...and now they're cooling down..."
He frowned.
"...Wouldn't the remaining ships be destroyed soon?"
Pythia shook her head.
"...No."
Ryke looked at her.
Pythia continued.
"...The Rift Breakers won't attack something they don't perceive as a threat."
"...As long as the ships remain at a safe distance..."
"...the creatures won't necessarily pay attention to them."
She pointed toward the sky.
"...And as you can see..."
"...they're moving higher."
Ryke followed her gaze.
The remaining airships were gradually increasing their altitude.
Pythia continued.
"...They're deliberately keeping their distance."
Then—
several faint ripples appeared around the ships.
A translucent barrier began forming around each vessel.
Kaelira's eyes widened.
"...They're putting up barriers."
The protective fields quickly expanded.
One ship.
Then another.
Then the third.
Pythia watched the barriers forming around the remaining airships.
"...And they're only activating the ships' barriers now."
The protective fields continued spreading across the hulls until each vessel was completely enclosed.
Kaelira's eyes narrowed.
"...You said they're only activating them now."
She pointed toward the burning wreckage in the distance.
"...So you're saying the ship that was destroyed didn't have its barrier up?"
Silence.
Pythia looked toward the falling debris.
"...That's likely."
Kaelira stared at her.
Pythia continued.
"...If its barrier had already been active..."
"...it wouldn't have gone down so easily."
Ryke's expression tightened.
"...So the military underestimated the threat."
He looked toward the destroyed airship.
"...And they learned the hard way."
His gaze remained on the burning wreckage.
"...At a pretty costly price."
Silence settled between them.
Then—
Kaelira's ears suddenly twitched.
Her eyes shifted toward the distance.
"...Wait."
She pointed toward the sky.
"...Look."
Ryke and Pythia immediately turned.
Several airships were approaching from far beyond the city.
Their silhouettes slowly became clearer as they moved closer.
Ryke's eyes widened.
"...Reinforcements."
He stared at the incoming vessels.
"...They're sending more ships."
He looked toward the Rift Breakers.
"...So those creatures can be taken care of after all."
Pythia remained silent.
Ryke glanced at her.
"...Right?"
Pythia slowly shook her head.
"...No."
Ryke looked at her.
"...No?"
Pythia continued staring at the approaching vessels.
"...How many combat ships do you think this city has?"
Ryke blinked.
"...I don't know."
Pythia kept her gaze fixed on the approaching airships.
"...Dresvalle is a major city in the southwestern region of the kingdom."
She continued calmly.
"...It lies within the territory of Wysteria, under the rule of Viscount Zilvyr."
Ryke listened quietly.
"...The city has more than four hundred thousand citizens."
Kaelira's eyes widened slightly.
"...That's a lot."
Ryke nodded.
"...Yeah."
"...I agree."
Pythia continued.
"...And a city with that many people would normally possess ten or more combat airships."
Silence.
Ryke slowly looked toward the approaching fleet.
Pythia's expression remained serious.
"...What I'm trying to say is..."
"...Even if every combat airship in the city were deployed..."
"...it would be useless if the Rift remains open."
Silence followed.
Ryke stared at her.
"...So you went through all of that just to tell us the city is doomed?"
Pythia glanced at him.
"...Not exactly."
She looked back toward the battlefield.
"...The people of the city don't know about the Rift yet."
"...They believe they're simply dealing with a powerful monster."
Her eyes narrowed.
"...So the military and guilds will continue fighting."
"...They'll continue sending forces."
"...And they'll continue trying to eliminate every creature that emerges."
She paused.
"...But eventually..."
"...they'll realize the truth."
Ryke frowned.
"...And how is that supposed to help us?"
Pythia nodded.
"...We're going to use that to our advantage."
Kaelira looked at her.
"...How?"
Pythia's gaze shifted toward the distant ruins.
"...Before these creatures were able to emerge..."
"...the situation inside the ruins was different."
Ryke's expression changed.
"...Different?"
"...Yes."
Pythia continued.
"...Something has changed."
"...The Rift Breakers are no longer being killed before they can reach the surface."
Silence.
Ryke slowly looked toward the ruins.
"...You mean..."
He hesitated.
"...The vampires aren't taking care of them anymore?"
His eyes widened.
"...What happened?"
"...Are they dead?"
Both Pythia and Kaelira immediately turned toward him.
Their eyes narrowed.
Ryke froze.
Cold sweat slowly formed across his forehead.
"...What?"
Neither said anything.
Ryke raised both hands defensively.
"...I'm just asking."
"...It's not like I meant—"
Kaelira's glare sharpened.
"...Just keep your mouth shut, alright?"
Ryke immediately nodded.
"...Alright."
"...Fine."
Pythia calmly turned her attention back toward the battlefield.
"...And that is impossible."
Ryke blinked.
Pythia's expression hardened.
"...My Lord cannot be killed by creatures of that level."
"...It is best that your insignificant mind does not attempt to comprehend what my Lord is capable of."
Ryke stared at her.
*...There it is again.*
*She's normally so calm.*
*Smart.*
*Reasonable.*
*But whenever it's about him...*
*...she completely changes.*
He sighed inwardly.
*...It's like someone flipped a switch.*
Ryke looked toward the ruins again.
"...Then what do you think happened?"