Abel was among the first the point his weapon skyward, but as the colossal Nevermore circled away, he allowed it to return to earth. His muscles were tense, twitching slightly, mirroring the anticipation in his mind. As one of the nearby girls spotted the Grimm approaching through the trees, he readied himself again only to be appalled by the sheer number of the monsters. Though the sunlight shone brightly enough for the shade cast by the trees fringing the clearing to be mitigated, the crimson eyes of the Grimm still flickered menacingly. The idea of a quick retreat sat just fine with him.

As the other team raced off, Abel instinctively took a few steps after, only to hesitate and turn around. Gwyn, Aurelia, and Nevin had yet to get moving. If they really were a team now, he guessed he was obliged to look out for them—or, at the very least, die with them. He switched the Ampere back to blade mode and banged its butt against the stone brick of the dias. Several hundred feet away, the dreadful twin heads of a King Taijitu slithered nearer. “Where to?” Abel shouted.