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Rain - Volume 5 - Chapter 6.2

Published at 26th of October 2019 10:56:36 AM


Chapter 6.2

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Chapter 6: A World of Eternal Darkness

Part 1

Shelfa called out to Ralphus and the others, who were guarding her back, in worry.

“If I run, then everyone else here will…!”

“You’re her target, Your Majesty! You running away will help the others left behind as well,”

Gazaram called back before muttering,

“but still, what the hell is with that monster!? Her strength was something else! Is she a Dragon Slayer or something like the General?!”

“——I don’t know. But in any case, it’s obvious that we’re no match for her.”

They heard a loud crash, like the entire palace was collapsing, coming from the hall they had just escaped the moment the words had left Ralphus’ mouth.

Everyone stopped in their tracks. Rather, the corridor was shaking so badly that they could no longer run. When they turned around, they found that Noelle had destroyed the door —wall surrounding it and all— and was calmly walking toward them.

It hadn’t even been that long since she had first broken in through the ceiling.

“Hmph. Where are you running? There’s no way you could escape me.”

Ralphus stood his ground, perhaps because he had acknowledged the confidence in her words or perhaps because he had discerned Noelle’s immense strength as a fellow warrior.

“Gazaram. Take Her Majesty and flee downstairs. You have to regroup with Rain! I, Ralphus, will stall her here!”

“I’ll stay with you!”

It was not Gazaram who replied.

It was Falna, who had received her knighthood today.

She was wearing a dress, but she had ripped off most of her long skirt so it was easier to fight in.

Then, she unwound the long whip that had been wrapped around her waist and stood in line with Ralphus to block the corridor.

Gazaram finally returned to his senses.

“Ridiculous. Like hell I’d leave behind a newbie and my liege’s best friend and run! I’ll be the one staying behind!”

“I don’t want to sacrifice you all and run away by myself either!”

Even Shelfa joined in on the protest.

“Good, you lot.”

Noelle seemed strangely impressed for some reason. She continued,

“you’re all weak by my standards, but I acknowledge your resolve. I’ll do my best to refrain from taking your lives.”

Her exposed limbs accelerated as soon as she had finished speaking. Afterimages shadowed them as she decided to attack Ralphus and Falna standing at the vanguard first.

Ralphus and Falna quickly braced themselves.

But, right before Noelle’s attack could land, yet another crash echoed throughout the corridor. The wall next to them (which was also made of hard stone) crumbled into pieces and a slender figure jumped into the fray.

The figure slammed bodily into Noelle and pushed her into the wall opposite ——it was Sylvia, who had come running before even Rain did. She had been fast asleep in the room she had been granted and had woken up and come flying as soon as she had sensed the danger.

“I won’t have any excuse to give Rain if I let Her Majesty get hurt while I’m right here (though she had been asleep). So, I’ll have you prepare yourself!”

“Preposterous! Who do you think you’re picking a fight with, bitch!”

“That’s my line!”

They were close enough in proximity they were almost touching, so they naturally didn’t pull out their weapons. Noelle and Sylvia switched postures like they were skilled martial artists (wrestlers), locked hands, and pushed forcefully against each other.

The sturdy stone walls crumbled easily every time one of them was pushed against it.

“You’re getting on my nerves, woman!”

Noelle went in for the attack, irritated.

She let her daemonic strength do the rest of the talking and slammed bodily into the corridor wall with Sylvia in tow.

As a result, the stone wall broke apart as if it was a toy made from building blocks and they plummeted to the ground below.

 

 

Meanwhile, Rain, who was heading toward the palace at full speed, was met with an obstacle. The Galfort palace consisted of two separate buildings, and he had reached the walkway between the building where the garden was and the other building when he was obstructed by a line of enemies.

A girl in a miko outfit —an unusual sight in this kingdom— and three prisoners were blocking the path before him.

Naturally, the three prisoners were the three behind Shelfa’s assassination attempt whom Rain had easily captured, and they were standing behind the white-haired girl like retainers waiting upon royalty.

Suddenly, the girl introduced herself.

“My name is Claire. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“You don’t need me to tell you who I am, right? But man, today’s really not my day. Everything’s happening all at once.”

“Yes, I can tell……though I am sure you already know of the intruder’s identity.”

She directed her unfocused eyes at Rain and slightly bowed her head. Her vivid scarlet eyes made quite the impression.

“I’d have loved to celebrate our reunion and take the chance to talk to you about a lot of things, but it’s too bad. ……You really came at a bad time.”

Claire looked truly apologetic as she lowered her eyes.

“My deepest apologies. However, I have decided to make the most of this opportunity, since I do not believe the chance will come again. Like you, I, too, care greatly about my comrades.”

The three behind her shrank back as if they were awe-struck by her words.

They looked like they throw themselves to the ground and prostrate before her any second now.

“……There’s a lot I want to ask you, like why you came here as soon as the barrier broke. But, I can generally guess your reasons, so I’ll save the rest of my questions for later. In any case, get out of my way. I don’t have the time to be playing around with you!”

Rain purposefully increased his magic and covered his entire body with a bluish magic aura.

He lowered his posture slightly and stared directly at Claire and her party.

“Let me warn you that you won’t just be going to jail this time. If you won’t get out of my way, then I’ll defeat all four of you right here, right now!”

Bajeel and the other two prisoners stepped back before they knew what they were doing when they heard the unmistakable bloodlust in Rain’s words. The knowledge that they were no match for Rain had already permeated their bodies.

But Claire, and only Claire, did not seem the slightest bit perturbed.

——A gentle smile spread across her face instead.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~

 

The two opponents plummeted from a height that would have spelled certain death for any normal human and pulled away from each other right before they hit the ground.

Both Sylvia and Noelle had successfully managed to land in the courtyard.

“Hmm? You aren’t human. That being said, you don’t seem to be a daemon either,”

Noelle said with a pleased look on her face as she generated a sword of light in her hand.

Sylvia checked no make sure that no one else was around before she readily nodded and said,

“I’m not human, and I’m not a daemon either. But in any case——”

Her wine-colored eyes narrowed. She continued,

“I can’t just ignore you if you’re here to defeat Rain.”

Her expression changed as she looked to Noelle’s hand and said,

“That sword of light in your hand proves what you are without any room for doubt…… As expected of a daemon!”

She laughed. Sylvia continued,

“the entire blade is made from your own magic aura, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure any normal rune master’s magical energy would dry up in a second if they tried to make a sword like that.”

Indeed. Sylvia, a rune master of the strongest class, had grasped the true nature of radiant sword Noelle was holding in but an instant.

Essentially, the hilt in Noelle’s hand was the only real part of the sword, and it didn’t have a “blade” like a normal longsword would. In other words, no blade had been attached to it in the first place.

The brightly shining blade was entirely composed from Noelle’s magical aura —a feat that was otherwise impossible if not for the fact that she was an upper-class daemon with a vast capacity for magic.

“Oh? You know quite well. My sword of light isn’t the kind of weapon that humans say are ‘imbued with magic.’ For example, I can even pull off tricks like this quite easily.”

Noelle suddenly swung her sword of light as she spoke.

An instant later, a crescent moon-shaped arc of light flew directly at Sylvia.

“——! Ugh!”

Sylvia hadn’t been able to dodge it even with her superior reflexes and it ripped through her right shoulder. A string of red blood danced in the air under the sun. Moreover, the arc of light continued past Sylvia, gouged out a chuck of the earth behind her, and destroyed a corner of a flowerbed.

Noelle grinned. However, the smile quickly vanished and was replaced by bafflement.

Sylvia’s wound——was rather deep and had reached all the way to the bone, but it closed up visible until it was completely gone. Naturally, the blood she had shed didn’t return back inside her, but the girl with the twin tails kept her composure.

“You’ve brought out another annoying sword, I see. ……Looks like I won’t need to hold back against you.”

“Hold back? That’s some nonsense you’re sprouting. Besides, you don’t even have a weapon —are you planning to fight me with just your magic?”

“Well, swordplay isn’t my specialty. ——Though, I’ve only ever been beaten at it once.”

Sylvia’s eyes narrowed in nostalgia as she spoke.

“Hmph. That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve lost.”

“I suppose not. But, I’m not ashamed of having lost to him. After all, he’s a bonafide genius,”

Sylvia said calmly before her usual gentle look vanished from her visage and she raised both of her hands.

A brilliant magical aura enveloped her entire figure.

“Allow me to send you back not to the spirit world, but to Hades! Tell everyone you meet there that you were defeated by Sylvia Rosenberg! I’m sure it’ll be something to brag about!”

A black triangular shadow several meters wide appeared around Noelle as soon as the words had left Sylvia’s mouth. It was a type of closed barrier, and it became a solid shadowy prism that trapped Noelle inside a moment later.

And, before Noelle, with a quizzical look on her face, could swing her sword of light again——

Sylvia raised the levels of magic in her body and thrust her finger at her.

“Triangle Extinction!!”

The magic that had converged inside the barrier exploded at her cry. Electricity discharged, and the inside of the barrier was ravaged by bluish white lightning and stormy gales. The castle wasn’t safe from the explosion either and was shaken by violent tremors.

Even the guards, who had finally appeared on the scene, were no exceptions to the trembling and fell over as they lost their footing.

It was only natural, as the entire castle was shaking.

The magical storm only rampaged within the closed barrier, but its aftermath reached the world outside. Half of Galfort Castle would have collapsed if the barrier hadn’t been there.

However, the prism expanded before Sylvia’s, who was bracing herself without letting her guard down, eyes and was destroyed. Another shockwave burst out as it vanished and knocked over the guards again just as they were getting back up on their feet.

What little of the flower beds that had remained where now cleanly gone, and a giant fissure ran up the palace wall with a disconcerting creak.

Then, Noelle dashed out as if she was chasing after Sylvia, who had quickly put up a shield and had leapt away. Noelle had wounds all over her body, but they all healed by the time anyone was able to so much as look at them.

“You broke right through it, huh? ……Not bad,”

even Sylvia could not help but groan. She continued,

“at this rate, I might not have the leeway to worry about the castle as we fight.”

“Do you really think you have the time to worry about that, you fool?! In any case, that last attack really pissed me off. I’ll have you pay me back for that!”

“You’re the one who attacked first! You’re the one who needs to prepare yourself!”

The two girls readied themselves to clash again.

 

“Wait, Sylvia!”

 

They both looked up to find Rain looking down at them from the corridor they had destroyed and fallen out from earlier.

He had run all the way there, only to find that he had missed them both because they had fallen outside the castle.

Rain nodded in thanks when his eyes met Sylvia’s.

Then, with his far-reaching voice, he said,

“I’m her objective. So……can I leave the rest to you?”

Sylvia only hesitated for but a moment.

Her opponent was one thing, but she ultimately decided to have faith in Rain’s current abilities.

——I would’ve been a little (actually, a lot) worried if this was ten years ago, but now…… she thought.

“There aren’t many people who can fight on even grounds with me, so this was pretty fun ♪. I would’ve ignored them if anyone else tried to intervene. ……But if it’s my former student-cum-current liege asking, I suppose I’ll have to respect your wishes.”

Sylvia shrugged and continued,

“that’s just how it is, so I’m done here. I’m pulling out.”

She readily dispelled the magical aura that had been writhing around her entire figure.

Her fighting spirit and bloodlust vanished completely as well.

The change in her attitude was so sudden that even Noelle lost interest.

Noelle’s bloodlust dwindled considerably, and she clicked her tongue as she said,

“hmph, do as you wish. I’ll take you on again once I’ve defeated him. You just get to put off your death for a little while longer.”

Sylvia crossed her arms behind her back and smiled. Proudly, for some reason, she said,

“well, I wonder about that. I’m sure you’ll find that defeating Rain’s going to be a lot harder than you think. ……Don’t come crying later, okay?”

 

~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Rain was about to jump down after he saw Sylvia give a small wave of her hand and fall back. However, someone suddenly grabbed his sleeve and caused him to stumble.

“Whoa.”

He swiftly turned around and found that his eyes had met with Shelfa’s.

She had beat the guards in running to him and had grabbed him by the sleeve. She was normally quite gentle, but she was always rather quick during times like this.

Rain almost complained, but he was rendered speechless once he saw how moistened her eyes were.

With little other choice, he whispered to her so that Ralphus and the others couldn’t hear.

“It’ll be over soon. So quit worrying.”

“I don’t doubt that you’ll be victorious, Rain……but please don’t get hurt.”

“Well, I’ll do my best. Anyway——”

He then said the first thing that came to mind.

“I’ll give you a kiss when I get back, so let go of me for now.”

Shelfa let go at light speed.

“Really, you will!?”

Rain waved at his belatedly approaching friend and Gazaram instead of replying.

“Well then, I’ll be back soon.”

And with that, he quickly jumped down.

 

 

Rain jumped down several dozen meters and landed safely in the courtyard.

He coolly turned toward Noelle like nothing was wrong and began walking up to her……slowly. He passed by Sylvia along the way and raised his hand up slightly in gratitude.

Sylvia high-fived him audibly and gave him a few words of encouragement.

“That child’s pretty strong, you know? Don’t get hurt, all right?”

“……You both say the same things. I might get a little roughed up, but I’ll still win.”

“I don’t doubt you will, but try not to get too hurt……if possible, don’t get hurt at all.”

Sylvia walked away with one last smile.

Rain and Noelle faced off against each other next to the demolished flowerbed.

 

“You’re finally here.”

Noelle looked like she had regained her cheer now that her intended opponent had arrived.

She smiled, as if she was waiting for the fun to start, and studied Rain from head to toe. While she did, the guards who had been pathetically knocked over around them slowly got back up (or they were unconscious and were carried away), and more guards and knights poured out from the palace in droves. Galfort Castle was the royal castle, after all, so there were more than enough of them to go around.

Enough reinforcements gathered around Rain and Noelle at a distance in numbers that could have made up an army and waited for a chance to intervene.

Moreover, guards continued to blow their whistles in the distance, perhaps because they had realized that Claire and the prisoners had gotten away, and their surroundings were noisy beyond compare. Still, Noelle’s bold attitude never once crumbled all things despite.

She looked only to Rain, as though they were the only people present in the courtyard.

Eventually, she nodded in apparent satisfaction.

“Hmm. I can feel the pleasant force of your power even though we’re only standing here, Rain, or whatever your name was. No wonder Leygur was being wary of you,”

Noelle whispered honeyed words that were completely at odds with her bloodlust form earlier.

Rain simply nodded and replied calmly, as though they were simply gossiping.

“Well, there’s nothing I could do about it even if you didn’t feel anything while standing before me. ——And by the way, why are you targeting me? Are you one of Leygur’s comrades? Are you here on his orders?”

“I’m not here on anyone’s orders! Besides, I’ve never once been his retainer. We were kindred spirits until just a little while ago, but we aren’t even comrades now. The reason I’m targeting you——”

She let out another chuckled before continuing,

“is because you once defeated Leygur. Anyone would want to fight you after hearing about that, don’t you think?”

“I see……. Well, I’m not gonna complain if it means that strong enemies are seeking me out.”

Rain tilted his head to the side and continued,

“but you were here yesterday too, weren’t you? I saw you looking down at me from the sky.”

“Oh, so you did notice? I didn’t attack yesterday because I wanted to make sure you had enough time to rest. So, did you rest well?”

Noelle charged up her fighting spirit once again after one last smile.

A magical aura covered her supple, effeminate limbs again and her wave of power expanded.

Then, in a voice only Rain could hear, she said,

“it’s only polite that I name myself when standing before a suitable warrior. My name is Noelle. I am an upper-ranked daemon from the spirit world. Carve my name into your heart in this short time before you die.”

“You’re absolutely sure that you’ll win——is that what you’re trying to say, huh? That’s some nerve you’ve got, saying that to me.”

“……Pft. My confidence is justified, no?”

Rain drew his magic sword and readied his stance.

Then, he spared no effort to smile the brazen smile he always made before a fight.

“Countless people before you spat out similar things at me. But never once did things go the way they thought it would!”

Rain ran toward Noelle once the words had left his mouth.

 

He closed the short distance between them in an instant, and just before their swords clashed——

Noelle suddenly took to the skies, contrarily to Rain’s wishes.

She ascended to roughly about the same height as the ramparts without taking out her wings and she glared down at Rain with a sword of light handing from her hand.

Then, she raised up her right hand and took aim.

“First, allow me to test to see if that confidence of yours is backed by actual ability. Try blocking this. ——Light!!”

An instant later, the entire courtyard —no, the entire palace was dyed in a silver-white light.

The light could probably be seen from anywhere within the capital, and it almost felt like Noelle was trying to destroy the entire castle.

Rather, she might actually succeed if Rain didn’t block it properly.

A massive beam of heat and light, at least several meters wide in diameter, made of highly condensed magical energy rushed toward Rain at full speed. The magical attack was swift in a way made possible only by daemons, who didn’t need to chant a rune to use magic, and any normal mage would not have even had the chance against it even before considering the vast difference in skill between themselves and Noelle.

“Cheeky, aren’t you?! Don’t lump me together with your average mage! ——Field Reinforcement!”

Rain purposefully reinforced his invisible defensive field, which he generally didn’t even need to be conscious of, and widened its area of effect.

——Noelle’s magical attack crashed against it a moment later.

Normally, the field would become rainbow-colored and absorb any magic that opposed it, but that didn’t happen this time around. Even after being reinforced, the field creaked and turned red hot as it was hit with an extraordinary volume of magic that surpassed the field’s tolerance. The field, which had once protected an ancient dragon for millennia, was only able to halt the beam for but a few seconds.

The brilliant beam of light penetrated through and proceeded past it unhindered.

As it did, Rain, highly conscious of the fact that his allies were gathered behind him, steeled himself.

——After all, their fates were as good as decided if he dodged.

“Tch! This is nothing!”

Instead of flying out of the beam’s way, he raised his hand like Noelle hand and created a magic shield in front of himself.

The beam of light and heat crashed into it the moment it appeared.

The colossal energy pushed Rain backward like it was trying to crush him in his entirety.

Judging by the sheer amount of magic there was and its colossal destructive power, he probably wouldn’t even leave any ashes behind if he took this head-on but failed to block it properly.

But Rain blocked it. Though he had been pushed back five meters by the time the beam that clashed with his shield finally subsided.

 

“You did well to block that. But our fight’s only just begun!”

Noelle suddenly nose-dived while wielding her sword of light before Rain had even a chance to catch his breath.

She unleased one slash after another at a speed even Rain’s eyes could barely keep up with.

An afterimage of her sword, which looked like a trial of light, scraped Rain’s collar when he dodged by twisting to the side as his instincts dictated. He reacted immediately. He capitalized on the chance when his opponent pitched forward ever so slightly and scythed his magic sword horizontally.

He did not hold back even a little.

And yet, his swipe, which should have sliced Noelle cleanly in two, only passed fruitlessly through an afterimage.

“——!”

Rain’s warrior instinct rang shrill in alarm as the illusion of Noelle faded away like a mirage.

It was only for a moment, but I lost track of my enemy!?

He was taken by surprise, but Rain still managed to obey his instincts and bend his upper body back by pulling back his rear leg. Noelle’s sword of light whisked by just a few millimeters in front of him.

Then, both he and Noelle slashed at each other as if they were about to lock blades.

 

Crackle crackle crackle!!

 

Noelle’s scarlet blade of light finally clashed against Rain’s magic sword.

From a high stance to a middle stance and back to a high stance——they crossed blades multiple times until they finally caught each other’s blows firmly and locked blades. Rain had begun laughing at one point at how each of Noelle’s attacks had been followed by an afterimage.

She’s seriously strong!

The daemon girl, too, was smiling from across their crossed swords.

“To think that a mere human could keep up with me to this extent! Your abilities are something to behold, of course……but so is that sword of yours.”

She looked to Rain’s magic sword and continued,

“most longswords are rent in two once they clash with my sword of light, and even swords that were imbued with magic begin chipping away after a few strikes.”

“……This sword here has probably the worst origin story ever, but ability-wise it’s undeniably the strongest sword in the world. Even I don’t think I could create a magic sword that matches it.”

Rain flashed a grin and continued,

“besides, it comes with an amazing bonus in that strong enemies keep coming after me for some reason when I have it with me!”

Rain pushed back Noelle’s sword of light as he spoke and leapt toward her chest.

He had meant to use footwork to trip up her long legs——but. Her long and slender legs refused to budge, as though they were firmly rooted to the ground.

Instead, he was met with a sudden counterattack as Noelle thrust her hand out before his eyes.

“Light!”

“Tch!”

Rain immediately gathered his own magic to counter Noelle’s.

They released their respective magics almost simultaneously, which clashed at point-blank and offset each other. They hadn’t managed to neutralize the resulting shockwave, however, and both Rain and Noelle were blown backward as the magics blinded them.

Rain was blasted toward the palace, and Noelle was blown in the opposite direction.

And yet, Rain reflexively twisted his body mid-air. He kicked hard against the palace wall and sprang forward before he was slammed against it back-first like a crushed frog.

Essentially, he had triangle jumped himself in another direction.

His movements put an unbelievable amount of pressure on his legs, but he managed to pull it off without breaking them.

He was aiming for Noelle, who was desperately braking in the air.

Noelle suddenly tried to look toward the palace, as if she was looking for Rain, who was supposed to have been smashed flat against the palace walls. She had turned toward the wall that Rain had just kicked off of, and therefore inadvertently created a clear opening.

And Rain refused to let that half-second opening escape him.

“Where do you think you’re looking?!”

Rain fell toward her diagonally from above like a black streak of light.

Noelle had noticed Rain’s presence before he had called out and had reflexively tried to dodge him.

“Ugh!!”

A blue flash of light struck her diagonally and left behind an afterglow as a trail of fresh blood chased after Rain as he fell.

She hadn’t managed to evade him.

Rain, who had landed soon afterward, nimbly leapt back and cautiously prepared himself for a counterattack.

“……Now you’ve done it.”

Noelle’s voice was overflowed not in resentment, but in praise. She continued,

“to think that you would not only be able to keep up with my speed, but that you’d even manage to hurt me. ……He was right. Looks like I was underestimating you a little.”

“You still are, you know?”

Rain retorted from the ground. He continued,

“you’re praising me just for being able to keep up with you——which means you’re still underestimating me big time.”

He thought Noelle might get upset, but she smiled pleasantly instead.

“……Normally, I would have flown into a rage by now. But I’m only finding myself liking you more for some reason.”

Then, an unexpected third party attacked Noelle as she made to descend after her amicable words.

“——! Hmph!”

She readily beat back multiple arrows that had come flying toward her while whistling in the wind.

“You’re acting in vain! Who are you!?”

Her mood immediately soured as she turned to a corner of the courtyard.

There, she found Elena Felicia Hartoul, donned in a flamboyant dress, who was yelling as loudly as her voice would allow her.

She was in visibly high spirits as she thrust her white feathered fan at Noelle’s direction.

“Now, you lot! Capture that impudent intruder! Make me look good in front of Lord Ralphus so he praises me!”

That’s your motive!?

Rain grew exasperated by how Elena’s words hid none of her interior motives first before he paled upon realizing what had just happened.

“Ugh. That idiot!

Rain and Ralphus’ men had only surrounded him and Noelle from a distance and wisely had not stepped into the fray.

One reason they had not done so was because none of Rain or Ralphus’ aides had ordered them to, but another was because the mid-rank commanders, like the platoon leaders and centurions, were refraining from intervening and were watching the situation carefully until the perfect opportunity presented itself.

But it looked like it was too much to ask for Elena to have the same wisdom.

Elena’s unit had run out from their lodgings, which just so happened to have been safe, in droves, and Elena had ordered the archers to attack. Ralphus or someone would probably rush to her side quickly enough——but they wouldn’t make it in time for the immediate crisis.

Naturally, Noelle wasn’t one to simply laugh and let it slide.

“You foolish girl who can’t read the situation! (Rain totally concurred.) This is what you get for being so thoughtless!”

Noelle swung her sword of light in a wide and hearty arc after she was done with her rebuke.

A crescent-shaped arc of condensed magic flew toward Elena and her troops. The arc turned horizontal once it was released and grew to over ten meters in length.

It looked like Noelle planned to finish them all off in one go.

“——! Kyah!”

With her white feathered fan still in hand, Elena’s golden curls trailed behind her as she moved with surprising speed. She had quickly hidden behind a nearby subordinate with the intent of using him as a human shield.

Not the worst reaction, but that probably won’t be enough to save you.

……Well, I suppose it’ll just be an unfortunate accident. I haven’t known you for very long, but so long in Hades.

——Elena out——

 

Rain honestly thought this for a moment, but his body moved in the end.

He couldn’t simply watch and let things unfold if he took his friend into consideration.

“Besides, I need to show her that I have the upper hand when it comes to ranged attacks!”

He had already swept the Siren’s Blade in a straight line by the time the words had left his mouth.

The magic sword once again made a sufficient display of its power as it unleashed an “invisible slash”, which had once made the people of Celestia, a small kingdom, tremble in fear. The invisible wave of power chased after the crescent-shaped arc of light and shattered it spectacularly right before it hit Elena and her troops.

The giant arc of light dispersed into tiny glittering fragments that flickered as they vanished.

Moreover, Rain’s “invisible slash” didn’t stop there and continued until it split a thick tree in the courtyard directly in two. Noelle watched the tree as it audibly crashed down before she turned sullen.

She immediately returned her attention to Rain.

“That was uncalled for!”

She stopped floating in the air and flew down before she dashed toward him. She was incredibly fast, too. Her speed was in no way inferior to Rain’s.

This time, it was Rain’s turn to greet her with a magical attack.

“Go!”

He pointed at her and the magical balls of light that had appeared above his head rushed for Noelle at once.

“——! Shield!”

she cried out just as the balls audibly made their impact.

The highly condensed magic exploded like large flowers one after another, and they flashed brilliantly with each hit.

The resulting light was so bright it obscured Noelle from view.

“I’ll break that shield of yours!”

Rain’s attack continued without pause as he cried out powerfully, and the balls of light assaulted the daemon girl like meteors. Noelle, however, was not one to be done in so readily.

She took flight, shaking off the incandescent whirlpool of light, and had entered Rain’s range in the blink of an eye.

“Fall down!”

“Do you really think it’ll be that easy?!”

Creaaak!

The magic imbued within the magic sword and the sword made from pure magic——the two swords clashed and the repulsion between them let out a large burst of light.

A numbing shock ran from Rain’s hands all the way down to his feet when he blocked Noelle’s sword. She was insanely strong, despite her girlish looks. Moreover, unlike Bajeel from yesterday, she also had more than enough speed to spare!

Rain twisted his body a little and tried to maneuver around her blow by redirecting the power behind it.

But then, Noelle swiftly reached out and grabbed his arms.

The beautiful daemon girl smiled.

“I’ve caught you?”

“——Ugh!”

She pushed into him like she was hugging him and readily lifted him up.

He couldn’t swing his sword because they were stuck together. But, more importantly, he couldn’t brush her off quickly enough because she was so insanely strong. Then, he felt Noelle kick off hard against the earth.

She leapt high in the air while maintaining her hold on Rain, and——Rain felt a huge impact on his back before he fully realized what was happening.

He had been slammed against the palace wall.

He heard and felt the cracks appearing on the wall and giant pieces of it broke off and fell……he also heard screaming from somewhere. He even tasted something sour come up from his throat. He was desperately keeping his grip on his consciousness when he heard Noelle whisper in his ear.

“……Looks like you’re paying too much attention to your surroundings. You don’t seem to be using your full power.”

Noelle sounded deep in thought.

She held Rain down by the throat as she moved her free had in precise movements. She appeared to be drawing some kind of sigil, but Rain unfortunately couldn’t see what it was.

“In that case, why don’t we move to somewhere we can both fight to our heart’s content?”

“More importantly, I’m gonna get you in the face when I throw up, damnit!”

The world around him blacked out and changed scenes before he could fully finish his rather impudent sentence.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Part 2

Rain noticed that his surroundings had changed completely when the world brightened up again.

But Noelle threw him into yet another wall immediately afterward, and he broke through and fell behind it this time. His nausea worsened as his field of vision shook.

His enemy had easily spun him around in a full swing before throwing him, and he felt like he had cracked every bone in his body.

He would have been crushed if not for the sturdiness of a Dragon Slayer’s body.

Rain stood right back up but was lightheaded and shaky in the knees. He was rather impressed with himself for not having let go of his sword after everything he’d been through. He walked back outside through the broken wall.

Noelle did not follow up with another attack and was floating in the air instead, giving Rain a chance to finally confirm the situation.

He was standing in the middle of a deserted and dusty road in an unfamiliar town.

All the buildings around him, including the house he had been thrown at like an insect, were reduced to ruins. There was no sign of people anywhere even though it was noon. The town was completely dead. And, Rain perceived that the temperature around him had risen sharply, despite that it was the middle of winter, and the atmosphere was even shimmering from the heat.

He saw an endless stretch of desert beyond the far-reaching clouds of dust around him.

I’ve been here before……damn, she teleported us out this far?

Rain sullenly furrowed his brows when Noelle kindly explained things to him.

“——Celestia. They say that’s what these ruins were once called.”

She looked around at her surroundings with a distant look in her eyes and continued,

“I only first came here yesterday myself, after hearing about this place from my comrades. I’m told this is where our invading army suffered a serious defeat at the hand of humans.”

 

——Huh?

Not only was this the first he’d heard about this, but he hadn’t even anything close to it.

His opponent, however, continued before he could ask her about it.

“Well, not that I care about something that happened that long ago. I hadn’t even been born back then. In any case, no one will bother us here.”

Noelle scowled a little as she spoke.

She had thought that the wound Rain had given her earlier was just a scratch, but it was a lot deeper than she had anticipated.

The bleeding hadn’t stopped yet. Wounds inflicted by magic swords healed slowly because of the magic imbued within them, and daemons were of no exception to that norm. Still, Noelle shook her head as if to shake off any pain she felt, floated down to the ground, and dashed toward Rain.

She raised her sword of light high above her head and brought it down with enough force to split Rain directly down the middle.

Rain, too, went on the offensive at the same time she did. He lowered himself so close to the ground he could have been crawling and swung his sword up in a hearty swing, meeting and repelling Noelle’s sword of light.

Then, he followed up by front kicking her exposed skin.

“Ugh!”

Noelle’s internal organs didn’t explode as a normal person’s would have, but she still grimaced and stepped back.

Then, Rain stepped in toward her like the wind.

He spun his tall frame around dizzyingly and rent at Noelle’s torso with speed and power behind his magic sword. He only managed to graze her just below the chest, but there was surprise written on Noelle’s face as she fell back yet again, unable to endure the blow.

“It was a bad idea for you to change up the stage!”

Rain refused to allow Noelle to escape his range. He stuck close to her and showered her with a flurry of slashes. He continued,

“I can fight to my heart’s content now.”

“Tch! You’re faster than you were before!?”

Noelle looked panicked, the first time she had worn such an expression today, and she leapt far back and tried to escape to the skies.

Rain, however, had kicked off against the earth at almost the same time. He, too, flew toward the heavens without missing a beat.

“——Don’t underestimate me! You daemons aren’t the only ones who can dance through the skies!”

He maintained his distance and altitude with his own magic, just as his words suggested, and he glided faster than did Noelle in the same direction she had gone.

Noelle noticed that Rain’s shadow had fallen upon her and tried to look up. Just then, he fell down on her like a diving bird with a single slash of his magic sword.

 

Creak!——Crackle crackle!

 

Noelle twisted her body and caught the blow spectacularly. She could not escape the resulting impact, however, and came crashing down.

She landed hard on her back and cried out as Rain flew down at her from the skies.

Rain looked like he had multiplied in Noelle’s eyes as he came at her while swinging his blue magic sword.

 

 

Noelle was able to respond as Rain took the offensive, but she began to get pushed back. She had long since stopped being able to hide the panic on her pretty face.

The way that Rain seemed to attack while reading her movements in advance, like the way he had done when she tried to escape into the skies earlier, posed the biggest menace to her. When she moved her sword to the left, he would attack from the left, and when she moved her sword to the right, he attacked from the right —he was keeping up with her every movement perfectly. It was almost like they were partners in a dance.

 

Noelle knew that it was possible “read ahead” by watching your opponent’s gaze and the slightest movements of their muscles, but to think that Rain was able to do it so quickly and accurately. He had read through her swordplay habits and attack patters with shocking speed. Was that why it felt like Rain had sped up in her eyes?

It’s not that he’s getting faster, but that he’s better able to predict my movements as time passes!

“Damn you!”

Noelle noticed that she had been pushed far back from where she had originally been and grit her teeth. To think a mere human would push me this far! But, there’s no need for me to stick to swordplay!

She then decided to take some distance and attack him with magic to tip the scales in her favor.

But then, Rain moved as though he had foreseen Noelle’s change in battle tactics. He swung his magic sword into one large swipe the moment Noelle drew back.

She heard the sound of something large breaking apart a moment later.

She looked up reflexively to find that the tall steeple of a building that looked like it had once been a church had been broken to pieces by a ranged attack. Naturally, the pieces began falling directly on top of Rain and Noelle.

It was no shock that Noelle opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Wh, what are you thinking?!”

Wouldn’t doing this put Rain in more danger than a daemon like herself?!

 

But Rain had his own plans.

Certainly, it was true that Noelle wouldn’t die just because a bit of debris fell on her head.

But she wouldn’t be able to maintain her focus on Rain during the moment of impact, no matter how short that timeframe was.

It was the same if she tried to evade the falling pieces —the more attention she paid to the falling debris, the less attention she would be able to pay to him. In other words, she would leave openings. Incidentally, the hail of falling debris posed no obstacle whatsoever to Rain. He had always trained under such reckless conditions, and now his training was paying off big time.

Rain slipped through the randomly falling debris. There was no excess in his movements and he seemed to feel no danger —it was almost like the torrent of debris was avoiding his black figure on purpose.

The distance between Rain and Noelle closed as if he was simply walking across a paved road.

“Urgk!”

Noelle, who had been rendered speechless for a moment, tried to raise her hands in a hurry.

Perhaps she had realized that she was at a disadvantage and tried to clear away the debris with magic. Or, perhaps she was trying to draw a sigil so she could teleport away.

But it was none other than her enemy——Rain, who didn’t allow her the chance.

His black shadow danced toward her, and his magic sword, radiating a blue magic aura, stretched out directly at her.

Noelle still tried to repel Rain’s magic sword with her sword of light even as time seemed to freeze.

But, unfortunately, a falling rock hit Noelle’s injured shoulder and caused her to stagger. There was another piece falling directly toward Rain’s head, but he swiftly turned his head to avoid it.

 

——As a result, Rain’s magic sword pierced Noelle through her stomach before she could raise up her sword of light.

 

Noelle’s face was twisted in pain as Rain quietly asked her,

“……I think we’re done here?”

The proud daemon girl, however, laughed stout-heartedly.

“No, not yet. I accept the fact that you’re strong and I apologize for the discourtesy I’ve shown you, but I haven’t used up all my power yet. So, I won’t accept defeat!”

Noelle opened her eyes wide and continued,

“We’ll put an end to this in my barrier, deeper than the darkness itself!”

Rain felt a chill run down his back.

He obeyed his mysterious premonition and drew his sword while leaping far back.

Then, Noelle’s voice rang out after him as if in pursuit.

 

“Night World!”

 

——In an instant, true darkness descended upon the world.

 

Rain landed back on the ground——no, he landed somewhere utterly unfamiliar and reflexively told himself,

“calm down! Don’t make any unnecessary movements, and observe the situation with a steady mind.”

That being said, Rain knew that he was as calm and composed as he usually was.

He wasn’t panicked, and his senses as a warrior were still sharp——he thought. Still, it was better to remain calmer than was necessary in situations like these. After all, even the smallest mistake could immediately lead him to his death.

Rain braced himself and looked around at his surroundings.

He couldn’t see anything other than the glow of his sword’s magical aura. There was only darkness around him, and he felt as though he had been thrown into a different dimension from the town he had been fighting in earlier. There was pitch-black darkness overflowing at his feet, instead of the large street from the ruins.

It looked like——this was Noelle’s barrier.

In any case, there was no point in keeping his eyes open since he couldn’t see anything. Keeping them open might even affect his ability to make decisions. And so, Rain readily closed his eyes. He shut down the useless sense and left everything to his Ekseed.

He steeled himself to fight by only sensing his enemy’s presence without being deceived by his vision.

“Welcome to the Night World, Rain——a world ruled by eternal darkness,”

Noelle’s voice called out to him from somewhere.

Rain opened his eyes to see if anything had changed.

He didn’t see Noelle, however, and neither could he see her glow of her sword of light. Rather, even the glow from his own magic sword looked like it had dimmed. It wasn’t that the light was disappearing, but rather because the barrier was likely interfering with his vision. Rain closed his eyes again.

“I had someone I called family once. We always tried to kill each other whenever we met, though…… She was the one who originally devised this closed barrier. I was once trapped inside it mid-fight too.”

Rain kept his eyes closed and didn’t move a muscle as he listened to Noelle’s voice. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from because it reverberated heavily and came from every direction.

Rain replied calmly as he continued to probe around with his Ekseed.

“Hmm. This family member of yours sounds pretty bloodthirsty.”

“She was.”

Noelle laughed weakly and continued,

“ironically, though, I shared her talent in barrier magic, and I was fortunately able to break out of the Night World back then.”

Rain followed up,

“and then, being the shrewd thing you are, you stole the move and made it your own. I see now; I’m relieved. If you were able to break out of this, then naturally I’ll be able to do it too.”

Noelle began laughing again.

But she didn’t sound exasperated this time.

“I can no longer deny that outright at this point. The “Unknown Genius”……was it? I’d thought the name was ill-befitting for a human, but now I’m beginning to change my mind.”

After a moment of silence, she continued,

“If you can really live up to the name, then show me you can break yourself out of this. Impress me more than you already have!”

 

Yeah, just leave it to me!

 

Rain quipped back imprudently as he obeyed his intuition and held his magic sword directly in front of himself.

Just then, Noelle’s sword of light (probably) came flying at him, clashed against his magic sword, and was repelled.

The sword of light was made from magical aura to begin with, so it was easily to locate even with his eyes closed. As soon as Rain had parried it, he immediately swung his magic sword in a wide arc in the direction it had come from. He was fairly confident that his aim was accurate.

——But.

A chill ran down his back just then.

Something passed by directly over his head just as he threw himself to the side.

 

Was that……my own attack just now?!

 

“You noticed rather quickly. Yes, only I, the person maintaining this barrier, am able to attack while inside of it. Any other attacks are returned to the attacker. The more you move around, the quicker you’ll self-destruct.”

Then, Rain jumped back as another attack came flying at him.

——So space is distorting around itself. That, and my field isn’t working!?

He blocked the incoming blade of light with his magic sword and frowned in the darkness.

He kept his eyes closed. Attacks were flying at him from every direction, and it was more efficient to keep his eyes closed so he wouldn’t be deceived by them.

Blades of light were flying at him one after another, and Rain was blocking them by relying on his senses alone.

He sometimes evaded, and he sometimes blocked them with his sword —he was holding out for now.

But he would be defeated before long at this rate.

 

Space may have been distorted, but Rain was certain that Noelle was still somewhere inside the barrier.

But his sight and hearing had been rendered useless, and he couldn’t sense her presence either, so he had no way to ascertain where she was. If only he knew——that is, if only he could see her, then he would still have cards to play.

He probably wouldn’t be able to walk up to her at his leisure to attack, but things might work if he used other means.

If he concentrated the full might of his magic and tried to break free, he might be able to reach his enemy even if the space around him was distorted. After all, just as how Rain’s anti-magic field had its limits, Noelle’s barrier couldn’t be all-powerful either.

Rain steeled himself as he swung his magic sword or dodged with his eyes still closed. He focused his Ekseed and searched for Noelle.

And at the same time, he continued to pour magic into his magic sword.

He neglected to dodge because of his, and the blades of light he had been evading easily until now were beginning to graze him hazardously. The blades of light grazed his arms and legs.

It was one thing when they ripped through his clothes and cause him to bleed, but his left arm had been sliced deeply. An acute pain assaulted Rain as he felt a large volume of blood pouring out from the wound. Even still, Rain ordered himself,

ignore it! This isn’t enough to kill you. It’s fine as long you avoid a direct hit. More importantly, focus on your Ekseed. Think only about finding your enemy. That’s the only thing you need to do right now.

And besides……I’m already used to being in pain!

Rain grinned brazenly.

Then, perhaps because she misunderstood something, Noelle’s voice echoed around him again.

“Have you given up, Rain? ……How unlike you.”

She sounded rather disappointed for some reason. She continued,

“well, no matter. I’ll at least grant you an easy death. ——Farewell!”

 

Rain “saw” Noelle’s figure clearly in his mind just as she bid him goodbye.

He had finally found his enemy inside this distorted space ruled by eternal darkness.

 

“There!”

He put his full strength into his magic sword and threw it heartily.

He opened his eyes as he did and saw the magic sword break through a blade of light and be sucked into the space beyond it. Then, he heard a resonant groan.

He felt her reaction, though he couldn’t see it. Then, somewhat contrarily to his expectations, the Night World was dispelled.

The eternal darkness faded away and the sand-covered ruins returned.

 

 

The closed barrier was dispelled, and Rain found Noelle lying in the middle of the street just a few meters in front of him. She still had Rain’s magic sword sticking out from her stomach, but he approached her cautiously nonetheless.

After all, he knew from experience with Leygur that daemons didn’t die very easily.

Still, Noelle didn’t stand back up even when he had walked right up to her.

Perhaps that was only to be expected, though, since she had not only been slashed at, but had also been stabbed by the Siren’s Blade twice now. It was a wonder she was even alive.

Rain didn’t let down his guard as he crouched beside her and placed his hand on his magic sword.

Noelle had a strangely gentle look on her face when he said to her,

“we’re done for sure this time——right? Unless you still wanna fight?”

“No……it’s my loss.”

The daemon girl had become strangely docile.

The sharp edge had left her tongue. She continued,

“still, it’s strange that I find myself thinking that……I couldn’t help but lose since you were my opponent.”

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

“——I’ve caused you a lot of trouble. Now, kill me!”

Rain ignored her and said,

“it’ll hurt a bit when I take out my sword.”

He refused her request and pulled it out in one go. It would hurt less that way.

Then, he ripped open her swimsuit-like clothes as even Noelle protested.

“Wh, what are you doing?!”

“Jeez, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just trying to heal you, alright? I’m not going to do anything perverted.”

Light had already gathered in his hand by the time he nodded in admiration. He continued,

“But still……you have really nice breasts. They’re shaped perfectly.”

It had been a mistake to comment about them.

Noelle immediately covered herself with her hands.

“Why are you helping me?! I’m your enemy!”

“So——. Are you gonna attack me again?”

“……No. Not anymore.”

“Then there’s no problem, is there? If you acknowledge that you’ve lost and you won’t pick a fight with me anymore, then there’s no need for me to go out of my way to kill you, is there?”

Noelle fell silent for a moment when Rain admonished her before she closed her eyes again in resignation.

“You’re quite naïve. It’ll cost you your life one day, you know?”

“Look here, you. Shouldn’t you be more grateful about the fact that I’m healing you?! I don’t need your complaining, so throw me a bone here and move your hands so I can see. Quit being so stingy!”

Noelle burst out into laughter before she could stop herself.

She grimaced and stopped immediately, but it didn’t change the fact that she had laughed while seeming to enjoy herself.

“M, my stomach hurts when I laugh.”

“Yeah, I bet it does……. Bear with it for a sec, I’ll be done soon ‘cause I’m awesome.”

“……Mmm.”

Even her replies had become more docile.

There were no signs of other people in the ruined town, and only clouds of sand danced around them. The wind had a sorrowful timbre to it as it blew across the town.

Then, Noelle muttered,

“……this is the first time I’ve let a guy see my chest.”

Rain abruptly look to the skies instead of replying.

Then, he picked Noelle up in a hurry.

It wasn’t time to heal her at his leisure anymore.

“Hold on a sec. ——Someone’s coming!”

 

Noele noticed them too a beat later.

She looked out far into the distant skies. Two black dots were quickly making their way closer form far away.

The fact that they were flying probably meant that they weren’t human.

Then, before Rain could confirm anything, Noelle groaned,

“this presence……it’s those two!”

“Meaning, they’re your reinforcements?”

“As if. I wouldn’t put it past them to kill me if they get the chance. Even more so now that I’ve cut my ties with Leygur.”

“Hmm. Your comrades are pretty bloodthirsty, aren’t they?”

Rain scowled and gently placed a hand on his magic sword, which he had returned to its sheath.

It looked like Noelle already knew who their guests were.

And, depending on the situation, they might find themselves in yet another battle. After all, it wasn’t likely that the daemons would receive Rain with warm smiles and open arms.

“But still, how did they know we were here? Are daemon senses really that good? And are all of you capable of using teleportation magic?”

“No, only Leygur and I are good at using teleportation-type magic, as far as I know. This was probably just a coincidence. ……Now that I think about it, they were really obsessed with these ruins for some reason.”

“It’s not like there’s even much to see here.”

Noelle was about to respond, but she hesitated and looked away with her black eyes instead.

She had found it strange that she and Rain were talking on casual terms now. Rain, on the other hand, took off his shirt and lent it to her and even helped her back on her feet since he no longer considered Noelle his enemy. Noelle accepted his shirt with surprising obedience. She even surprised Rain by thanking him quietly.

Rain and Noelle were in the perfect mood for reconciliation when——

Two daemons with black wings flew down before their eyes.

Their wings disappeared after a flash of light and they both turned toward Rain and Noelle.

“What have we here……?”

said the mustached man in exasperation.

He was wearing riding pants and a red jacket, which made him look like a nobleman with a particularly horrid taste in clothes.

“You’re covered up in wounds, Noelle……don’t tell me you lost to that man in black over there——did you?”

Man in black……is that supposed to be me?

Rain was a little dejected.

Noelle replied to him with prickling defiance.

“It’s none of your business, Dewy. Why don’t you stop poking your nose in where it doesn’t belong and go back to the castle and polish Leygur’s shoes or something?”

……I see, it’s really hard to believe they used to be comrades.

They were the very definition of bloodthirsty. Then, the woman in the risqué dress spoke up as the sloppy smile was wiped off of Dewy’s face.

“Haha. He’s Rain, I take it? And I’m guessing that you challenged him and lost——am I wrong?”

Her red lips curled up into a smile. She continued,

“You were all bark and no bite, I see. How disgraceful.”

“……I’ll spare you the effort if you’re trying to pick a fight, Sara. That goes for you too, Dewy.”

Noelle glared at the mustached man as well. She continued,

“come! I’ll take on both of you at once!”

Noelle materialized yet another blade of light even though she could barely stand.

It looked like she was serious about fighting them.

And unfortunately, Sara and Dewy seemed to share in her sentiment.

“……Stupid girl. Do you really think you can take me on in that state?”

“It’ll be two-on-one. But I won’t hold back since you went against Lord Leygur’s will. Shall I vaporize your entire body so I’ll never have to see your face again?!”

Then, Rain stepped forward as they took up battle positions.

 

“It’s not two-on-one. Don’t forget about me.”

All three daemons looked quizzically back at him.

Noelle was wearing a complicated look on her face that was filled with a mixture of gratitude and bewilderment.

“This is my fight, Rain.”

“Not really. It’s my fight too, since I’m at odds with Leygur. And besides, these guys completely failed to understand something fundamental here.”

He turned to Sara and Dewy and, with a calm and extremely serious tone, continued,

“it’s true that Noelle lost to me, but that’s not something she needs to be ashamed of. No one can beat me. Only one warrior can stand at the very top, so it was only inevitable that she would lose. You guys are only running your mouths because you’re ignorant. Understand, you mustache freak and old hag?”

His grand speech only served to make the two daemons grow furious.

Both Dewy and Sara immediately began ignoring Noelle and glared at Rain instead, perhaps because his arrogant words had gotten on their nerves or because he had upset them by calling them names.

Still, Rain had intended to get them angry and turn the brunt of their attention toward himself, so things had worked out in his favor.

He drew his magic sword and readied himself.

“Hmph, you wish to fight? Very well. We were going to have to fight you eventually regardless. Fighting you now will spare us the effort in the future,”

Dewy replied with bloodlust filling his voice. He continued,

“……You talk big for a mere human, and you’re even wounded to boot. I find I rather dislike you!”

“Agreed. We’ll kill you along with her if that’s what you want, boy. We’ll show you how powerful we daemons really are!”

“Let me warn you, but you really shouldn’t underestimate me, you know?”

Rain ignored the pain from his wounds and purposefully showed off his pearly white teeth as he grinned. He continued,

“Leygur didn’t tell you?”

“Save your drivel for Hades!”

It looked like being called an old hag had gotten on Sara’s nerves, and she suddenly donned a magical aura around herself.

Then, her left arm began transforming from the shoulder down through her light red aura. It was changing into something that wasn’t made of flesh.

It changed so much in both size and shape that the transformation should have been impossible.

It had turned into a large pipe, or——

“……Looks like a type of heavy firearm —which don’t exist in this world.”

Noelle turned to Rain abruptly upon hearing what he had whispered.

Sara, however, hadn’t heard him, and she turned her large and completely transformed barrel on him.

Then, another voice butt in.

“Well then, let’s make this three-on-two. I’ll be joining in on the fight.”

They all turned to see a girl with twin tails gradually fading in from the air slightly above them.

Sylvia had teleported over.

Wait, you could’ve taught me if you knew a spell like that, Rain thought.

 

Sara was the first to move.

The old hag (that being said, she only looked like she was in her twenties) seemed to have a shorter temper than even Noelle, and she immediately pointed her transformed arm at Sylvia.

Boom!

A blinding ray of scarlet heat shot out——and hit Sylvia directly on the stomach, caving a large hole through her until it disappeared into the sky beyond. Quite literally, the sky behind her was visible though the large hole through her stomach.

And yet, Rain didn’t panic, and Sylvia herself was still calm.

Then, even Sara scowled as Sylvia’s wound restored itself before their very eyes. It took less than five seconds for her to make a complete recovery. Her recovery speed was astonishing. On top of that, even Sylvia’s sleeveless clothes restored themselves after she patted them down two or three times.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes and grinned.

“I let myself get hit because I wanted to see what it was all about, but it didn’t even itch, much less hurt. ……Is that all you’ve got? I’m pretty hard to kill, you know?”

“Allow me to test that theory!”

Sara was about to attack again, and both Noelle and Rain both thought, ‘This is my fight!’ as they tried to step forward.

Just then, yet another voice called down from the skies.

This time, it was an endlessly sunny one.

 

“Ha~hahahahah~~☆ I, Vinter Fon Blumehart, the Prince of the Spirit World, have come to rescue the damsel in distress!”

 

……With little other choice, everyone turned to stare at him.

He was wearing white clothes that were reminiscent of a stage costume as he descended from the skies.





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