“Feld, why…”
I had asked everyone in Rainbow Sword, including Feld, not to interfere. There was also the matter of settling things with Carla, but a battle with a combat power of 5000 could result in instant death if there was no way to evade the attacks.
The reason Dolton had the Rank 4 adventurers step back during the Rank 6 Minotaur Murderer battle in the dungeon three years ago was the same. That’s why my companions had accepted my selfishness. Feld should have understood too.
“It’s okay, Aria.”
Feld kept the demon in his sights, speaking in a calm voice.
“Don’t fight ‘alone.’ I’ll get stronger too.”
“Feld…”
I thought adventurers should fight where they were best suited. But it was different.
Feld… the members of Rainbow Sword were ‘warriors’ before they were adventurers. Feld said he would get stronger to fight alongside me, who possessed abnormal power.
He was willing to risk his life for that. It was the same as what I was doing to resist fate, and stopping him would be denying my own beliefs.
“…I understand. Fight with me.”
“Leave it to me.”
A strong voice replied from beside me without us making eye contact. But it was good that we weren’t facing each other… because even in this situation, I’m sure I would be smiling.
“It’s coming!”
At the same time as Feld’s warning, we felt an increase in mana from the demon (Colette), and as we jumped back, the roof of the temple where we had been standing was blown away by a Miasma Bullet.
“…………”
Colette distorted her previously grinning face unpleasantly, looking down at us from the night sky, and silently fired Miasma Bullets from that woman growing out of her left arm.
I evaded them, and Feld slashed apart the Miasma Bullets he couldn’t dodge with his Greatsword.
Even Miasma Bullets that would corrode ordinary weapons unless imbued with mana couldn’t leave a single mark on the Greatsword made from the Dark Dragon’s horn.
Colette’s face twisted unpleasantly as she attacked us.
Was it because Feld had interrupted her fight with me? Was it because Feld’s strength was more than she had imagined? But that wasn’t it. It was because Feld wasn’t afraid of the demon.
With Feld’s arrival, the ‘impatience’ within me had disappeared. The demon (Colette), who fed on negative emotions, felt unpleasant about that.
“…Disappear.”
Colette’s figure vanished from sight. Colette, who had darted out at a speed that even my and Feld’s eyes couldn’t follow, targeted Feld, who was the source (・・) of her displeasure.
“Damn!”
Feld, sensing it only by instinct, swung his Greatsword, but due to the weight of the sword and the difference in combat power, he was slightly too late.
“Haa!”
“!”
Taking advantage of the momentary gap when Colette was distracted by Feld, I slashed at Colette from the side.
“Uooooooooh!”
In that instant, Feld’s Greatsword, which had caught up to our speed, was swung at Colette, and Colette used that woman as a shield to avoid a fatal wound.
The Dark Dragon Greatsword could damage even a Greater Demon. Whether it could actually defeat one was another matter. Colette couldn’t ignore Feld’s presence, and that slight gap manifested as a result.
Feld would get stronger. Until then, I wouldn’t let him die.
“Giiiiiaaaaaaaah!”
The woman screamed from the intense damage, and Colette jumped back. But the woman’s Magic Stone hadn’t been cut, and it was regenerating rapidly with the demon’s mana.
But—.
“Feld, be careful! Something’s wrong!”
The expression disappeared from Colette’s face, and I felt a change and stopped.
All mockery and unpleasantness vanished, and Colette, who had quietly begun to rise into the sky, thrust that woman growing out of her left arm towards us.
She should know that Miasma Bullets wouldn’t be decisive against us. Even so, the fact that she had risen into the sky meant she intended to use some kind of trump card, and I heightened the mana within me to use Iron Rose…
“Now, it’s your turn, Contract Holder-sama.”
Zuban!
Colette’s mana was poured into that woman, and Colette chopped her off with a hand chop.
What was she thinking? A demon’s strength should depend on the amount of mana. Why would she pour mana into that woman, even at the cost of lowering her own combat power, and then discard her?
That woman, having received most of the demon’s mana, fell under her own weight.
“She’s coming, Aria!”
Wary of that, my and Feld’s attention turned to that woman, and at that moment, Colette, who remained in the sky, spread her arms like wings and began to sing loudly.
“―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――!”
Zawari… the night trembled. As I strained my eyes at the chill running down my spine, I saw something like Mana Particles gathering from all over the Royal Capital towards Colette.
Was Colette planning to do something more? I felt her diminished mana begin to increase again.
“Feld, leave that woman to me. I’ll take care of the demon—”
“Aria!”
Feld, interrupting my words, stepped forward and swung his sword as if to protect me, who was about to fly into the sky.
Gigiii!
“!”
“Feld!?”
Feld, who had deflected an attack from ‘something,’ frowned slightly.
“Don’t let your guard down!”
At Feld’s shout, I braced myself, and the upper half of that woman made of Worms, who had fallen, was trying to stand up while regenerating her lower half.
“Kihaha.”
As that woman grinned, cracks appeared on her, and at the same time as she shattered, a small figure jumped out from within.
“Kyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!”
That ‘Shadow’ jumped in with a speed that seemed to blur, and this time I stepped forward to protect Feld, thrusting my Dagger out in a counterattack.
Gakin!
“!”
While frowning at the impact as if I had struck a rock, I dodged the arm-swinging attack unleashed by that ‘Shadow’ by leaning back, and kicked it with the heel of my boot.
Perhaps its weight was as it appeared, as I and that ‘Shadow’ bounced off each other from the force of the kick, and Feld, seeing that as an opening, stepped forward and swung his Greatsword down.
But—.
“—Cure—”
A black flash burst forth from that ‘Shadow,’ grinning with a ‘familiar face,’ and Feld’s arm, bathed in that light, split open and blood spurted out.
“Feld!”
I instantly stood in front of Feld, blocking the strange black light with my Magic Shield, and brushed away the Mana Particles with the hem of my black dress. What was that attack just now? No, more than that…
“What is that…”
Feld, protecting his arm, let out a stunned voice, and I frowned as I saw it.
A face I knew well… that face was.
“…’Me’.”
“Kihaha.”
That woman, seeing my expression, let out a cheerful ‘laugh’ with a ‘face’ of satisfaction.
A delusional phantom created with the power of a demon, with that woman’s obsession and persistence as its core… Black hair. Pitch-black eyes and black skin. The face wearing a tattered dress made of Worms was very similar to mine.
However, it was smaller overall than the current me, with younger features and a different hairstyle. But I had seen that figure before.
It was the figure of ‘Original Alicia,’ the heroine of the Otome Game, within that woman’s ‘knowledge’—within me.
But what was that power? I had almost no knowledge of the original work. But I knew only the general outline. In that outline, the ‘me’ in the game had gained a special power and was called a Saint.
“…Holy Magic…”
“What?”
Feld’s presence wavered at my muttered words. He seemed to know about it too, but I had also heard about that kind of special magic from my master.
Holy Magic was a technique closer to ‘Primordial Combat Art’ than magic, and it was ‘sacred magic’ that only those recognized by Spirits could wield. Even if that woman had obsessions, it was unthinkable that she could use such power with that woman created by the power of a demon… But with the ‘knowledge’ of that woman, I, combined with my master’s teachings, arrived at one possibility.
“Be careful, Feld!”
Feld jumped back at my shout, and Dark Alicia chanted ‘it.’
“—Treat—”
Once again, a dark flash was released, and black mist mixed into the atmosphere it touched.
“Get back!”
“Aria!”
Sensing what it was, I jumped back, kicking Feld’s chest, who was momentarily slow to react, and forcefully made him retreat as if kicking him off the temple roof.
That black mist touched the flames and swirled up, and the bodies of the former believers who touched it discolored and rotted away in an instant.
As I thought, this power wasn’t Holy Magic. This was—.
“…Black Magic…”
Holy Magic, recognized by the Spirits, granted Holy attributes to Light-attribute magic, expanding its range and effect. The Saints of the past used it to save many people, and Alicia in the Otome Game also used it to fight the Evil Race and Carla.
If that’s the case, what would be the power granted by being recognized by a “demon” instead of a “Spirit”?
The [Treat (Cure)] that Dark Alicia used to erase poison created poison by touching the atmosphere. The [Cure] she used first didn’t heal Feld, but injured him.
Reversal of effects—. [Treat (Cure)] becomes [Poison], and [Heal] becomes [Wounds].
The answer is “Black Magic.”
“Kyahahahahaha!”
That woman, imitating “Dark Alicia (the original Heroine),” laughed with a distorted face as she threw a punch.
Even a clumsy attack can be a deadly blow if it has enough speed. Dark Alicia, approaching with arrow-like speed using Body Enhancement with a vast amount of Mana, was dodged by me with a somersault, and I kicked her with the heel of my boot, which had a blade.
Clang!
As expected, it’s hard. I think a level 5 Combat Art could cut through it, but can I hit her at this speed?
But if I move away, Black Magic will come. I can evade it with Real Breaker, but if I use the Iron Rose, I can’t use Combat Arts.
The sense of security I had with the big Feld is lost, and a slight anxiety takes root in my heart. But I gently push that feeling into the depths of my heart and mutter with narrowed eyes.
“Fine by me…”
Clang!!
Dark Alicia, approaching again with terrifying speed, is met with my Black Dagger in a counterattack.
“Kii?”
Dark Alicia, who had the Dagger slammed into her brow, looked puzzled. Without even being conscious of it, I moved forward on reflex alone and slashed Dark Alicia’s neck with the Knife in my right hand.
“Kiha!”
Responding to that, Dark Alicia throws a punch. I dodge that fist, which makes a roaring sound from point-blank range, with my skin, and close the distance even further, kicking her jaw upwards from directly below.
“Kiha!?”
Yes, this is a settlement. Seven years ago, I was attacked by you, learned the truth, and gained the “knowledge” to escape fate.
I won’t let anyone say that even my father and mother’s deaths are part of the “story.”
I deny the Otome Game. I deny you, who sought it. I won’t use my trump card on the likes of you. I’ll kill you with “my” power, gained from “your” knowledge.
“Kikaka!”
Dark Alicia swings her arms wildly. In terms of speed alone, she’s not inferior to Colette. I follow only the movement of that Mana with my “eyes,” watch only the movement with Detection, sense the approaching wind pressure on my skin, and while avoiding that attack, I unleash the Black Dagger.
Clang!!
If I hit her head-on, my arm will take damage. But at that moment, I twist my wrist, and at the moment of impact, I release the shock with my arm joints and muscles, and drive only the shock and Mana into the enemy.
“Kiha!?”
Dark Alicia, confused by my sudden change in movement, kicks at me with a puzzled look.
Focusing my nerves, predicting the speed and power with all my senses, and moving before the attack is launched, I put my hand on the ground and jump over that kick, slamming an elbow strike into her face.
“Kika, kaka, ka!?”
Dark Alicia, confused by the damage that continues to accumulate gradually even without external wounds, jumps back.
“—[Purify (Clean)]—”
A flash of darkness spreads, and the Black Magic [Purify (Clean)] scatters a vast amount of Miasma, collapsing the burning Temple roof.
I watch it with my newly acquired “Mind’s Eye,” dodge it with the Light Magic [Purify (Clean)] I chanted, and slash Dark Alicia’s face with a Knife wrapped in Mana Control.
“Kiii!?”
Colette gave that woman this power because Dark Alicia is my natural enemy. If I fought her head-on, even Real Breaker would struggle, and I would be needlessly exhausted, and time would be wasted.
This is stalling for time. Colette’s trump card wasn’t Dark Alicia, but the “negative emotions” gathered from all over the Royal Capital.
In the sky, Colette noticed my gaze, and her distorted smile said, “It’s too late.”
All the “negative emotions” from the Royal Capital—anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, hatred, suspicion, etc.—gathered in her right arm raised to the night sky, and a vast amount of Miasma was about to be created.
The power of a “Nightmare” that manipulates nightmares. If a lump of Miasma, a dozen meters in diameter, were to fall on the Royal Capital, the Miasma would defile the land for decades, centered on that point.
I could escape alone. But the residents who were late to escape, and the soldiers and knights who were guiding the evacuation, would be annihilated. If things went wrong, the damage would reach Elena and the others in the Royal Castle.
Colette’s smile deepens as she looks at me. She’s saying that if I don’t want to increase the number of victims, I should be prepared to die and take it with all my might.
“Sayonara, Aria-san.”
A voice is heard from the night sky, and she aims the Miasma Bullet at me.
But… Colette.
“You demons underestimate those who have life too much.”
Dosshuu!!
A blood-stained white arm pierces Colette’s chest from directly behind, as she tried to step back.
Colette, with a beast-like face, screamed at the black-haired girl with a morbid smile, who had appeared unnoticed.
“Carlaaaaa!!”
The huge Miasma Bullet spills from Colette’s hand and falls on the Royal Capital without being released.
Even if it wasn’t fired as an attack, the damage would be the same. With my abilities, which are focused on single one-on-one combat, I couldn’t destroy a Miasma Bullet of that size, even if I used the Iron Rose or Real Breaker.
But I could buy time until it fell.
From the moment I awakened the Mind’s Eye, I had felt a “connection.” She’s nearby. I can tell she’s fighting. You know it too, right?
—Nero—
In response to the “voice” I called out in my heart, a “will” responding to it reached me from afar.
“Gaaaaaa!!”
Dogoooooooon!!
From beyond the burning Temple, the destroyed Temple and a giant Worm are blown into the air by a “claw strike” unleashed with a beast’s roar.
The Worm, marked with huge claw marks, flies through the air like a withered branch, and the moment it touches the Miasma Bullet, it explodes in the night sky.
The shockwave scatters, shaking a corner of the Royal Capital centered on the Temple, and collapsing houses collapse. There will be Miasma damage, but it’s better than a direct hit. On the contrary, the flames that had been burning until now were carrying the Miasma into the sky.
“Gaaaa!”
Nero jumps into the air and smashes the “Magic Stone” of the giant Worm, which is tattered and falling, with its claws… At that moment, I thought I faintly heard Amor’s scream.
“――――――――――――――”
“Aaaaa!?”
Whether it was his last scream, or whether she had an attachment to his existence, “Dark Alicia,” who had been blown from the Temple roof to a nearby building, screamed like a shriek, and dark Mana Particles gushed out from her entire body.
“—[Remove (Dispel)]—!”
The Black Magic [Remove (Dispel)]—judging from its reversing characteristic, its effect is [Curse]!
The wide-ranging curse, which seemed to wring out all of her Mana, was encroaching even on my evasion space, which had also been blown to the same building.
But… I didn’t even think about evading, and as I lunged forward as if leaping out, a large Shadow jumped out from behind me.
“—[Hell Slash]—!”
The Dark Dragon Greatsword unleashed by Feld, who had fallen from the roof and still returned, cut through even the curse, scattering it with the power of his Combat Art.
“Aaa!”
“You should just die already.”
At that moment, I, who had lunged forward in a forward leaning posture, approached Dark Alicia.
“—[Dancing Ripper]—”
The raging eight-hit combo unleashed from the left and right slashes Dark Alicia’s limbs, which had reduced Mana, and the Dagger pierces the “Magic Stone” that could be seen inside her severed head, shattering it into pieces.
“—[Purify (Clean)]—”
When I purified the Miasma that remained in the Magic Stone, which had turned to dust along with the space, that woman’s scream echoed like an auditory hallucination, and the face of Dark Alicia, made of Worms, returned to that woman and disappeared as if vanishing.
All that remains is the demon Colette alone—.
“—[Holy Flame]—”
Carla’s voice is heard from the sky, and a vast flame is released, centered on the arm that pierced Colette.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…”
Colette, who had consumed her Mana, was burned without being able to do anything… But this is wrong!
“Carla!”
Sensing that, I took to the sky, and Carla, smiling at me, unleashed her flames, not only incinerating the demon but also firing towards the Royal Capital.
Carla finally makes her move.
Next time: Clash!