“This is where you die! Go! Crush them!” Witch crowed. I was sick of that pair already. I was sick of all of these losers.

“Mr. Naofumi, please fall back!” Raphtalia said, probably including Itsuki in that.

“We will deal with this,” Glass said. The two of them raised their weapons and stood in front of Miyaji and his allies.

I was still holding S’yne, and in that moment, she came around with a moan.

“S’yne, are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m—” She staggered to her feet but was clearly still intending to fight. In fact, scissors quivering, she looked ready to leap at the moron woman at any moment.

Then S’yne unleashed threads toward Itsuki and me.

“Marionette Assist—” she said.

“It is a support skill. We will aid you as best as we can!” her familiar explained. I checked to see my stats had been boosted a little. So she had these kinds of skills too. As I’d been using Aura up to this point, it hadn’t really been needed until now.

“Master Hidemasa! We will aid you!” Miyaji’s women were still eager to fight. The situation was bad. I wanted to retreat, but I couldn’t use Portal Shield. If L’Arc’s party could remove the lock on the dragon hourglass and give us access to Scroll of Return, that might turn this situation around . . . But in light of everything that had happened so far, the end of the fighting over there might just allow even more annoying enemies to show up here.

“Die! This is where our justice seizes victory!” Armor said. Mixed with the shouts of other enemies in the room, he swung his axe into action.

“I don’t have anything personal against you, but I must fight too,” Miyaji quipped, sending out notes from his musical instrument once more. The moron woman sent her heavy-tipped chain flying like a snake for S’yne, and Miyaji’s women all attacked with each of their own weapons.

“Stardust Blade!” Raphtalia unleashed sparkling slashes laced with stars.

“Circle Dance Combination Formation: Formation One, Formation Two, Formation Three, Formation Four!” A quick combination from Glass made short work of the notes from Miyaji and also blocked the attack from Armor.

“Well, well, well, if you don’t stop me soon, I’ll send you flying again,” the moron woman said with a laugh.

“I won’t lose to—” S’yne replied, scattering sparks as she deflected the incoming chain. I could tell that her sister’s attacks were too strong for S’yne to resist for long.

“Now!” S’yne’s familiar appeared behind the moron woman and charged in, but she crossed the chain over her back and stopped the attack.

“You are naive as ever, little S’yne,” the moron mocked. Dammit. Was there no way to turn this around? Even as I thought that, a familiar-sounding spell rang out.