Chapter 9: Crusade
The beast of the land appeared on the outskirts of Greille. Its roar echoed through the air, reaching the Galarc army stationed on the plains away from the city, the base by the lake behind them, and even the neighboring cities and villages.
“That’s the beast of the land that His Majesty described... I had my doubts, but...”
Leading the Galarc army was the deputy commander of the First Order of the Galarc Knights, William Lopes. With his enchanted spear in hand, he trembled at the presence of the beast. Even someone with as much experience as him was almost frozen to the core and paralyzed with fear.
“We must retreat immediately! All forces, retreat! Retreat! Fall back to the base at the lake! Change courses now!”
However, William was a brilliant commander. Having received orders from King Francois in advance, he yelled the retreat order to the troops.
The troops were all professional soldiers with training and expertise. It was also fortunate that Francois had limited the scale of the army so that they could be more mobile in an emergency. But the fact the army was only composed of cavalry—another decision made with mobility in mind—backfired. The horses and griffins that had been raised for the military were so frightened, they wouldn’t move as ordered. Some people were thrown from their horses, and the army fell into disarray.
◇ ◇ ◇
Inside the city, the residents were similarly trembling at the appearance of the beast of the land, which was the size of a small mountain.
“...”
It stood outside the city with its back to the residents—if it had been facing them, they probably would have panicked. No, it wouldn’t be strange for them to panic anyway, if they continued to have no explanation regarding the beast. However...
“Everyone! That is a miracle created by Saint Erica!”
“It is the beast of the land, and it is our ally! Rest assured, it’s on our side!”
“Saint Erica is both a saint and a hero!”
The people from the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica all knew about the beast of the land. They immediately called out to the residents, assuring them it was friendly.
“The beast of the land obeys my orders! As proof, you can see how it remains still as it waits for my command. I will now give the beast an order—the order to protect everyone and eliminate the Galarc army outside these walls!” Erica said, trying to emphasize the beast of the land’s harmlessness.
“Can you forgive them all?! They declared you traitors without listening to what you had to say. They treat you like filth and throw you away. Can you forget the noble class for that?!” she asked the people, stirring them up. “I cannot! The way nobility decides the value of others and places itself on top is an unforgivable evil of this world! Such people must be erased from this world! That is why I ask you all—can you truly forgive the royalty and nobility outside this city?!”
Her earnest words seemed to strike the hearts of those listening, as voices began to rise across the square.
“I can’t forgive them!”
“That’s right!”
The frustration from constantly being oppressed normally had nowhere to go. But now they were being told it was okay to release those feelings, which was why their emotions exploded.
“However, humans must not fight for hatred! Fighting for hatred is another evil—you must not attack others out of rage!” Erica preached her ideals. “Judging the evil in this world is a special duty bestowed upon the gods. You are not gods, so you must remain good through your actions!”
Erica continued calling to the people, advising them not to turn to evil.
“Vengeance is mine. I will reply. Your rage is my rage! That is why, as the hero and agent of god, I will execute judgment on everyone’s behalf!” she declared grandly.
“Yeaaaaaah!”
“Great Hero!”
“Saint Erica!”
“We’re not afraid of the duke! The army doesn’t scare us!”
“We’ll follow you and your beast of the land!”
“Those with the will to fight, rise!”
“Saint Erica will lead us to victory!”
“It’s a crusade! Yes, this is a crusade!”
Voices called through the square one after another.
The spirits of the people had risen to the max. There were some parts of the Saint’s speech they didn’t understand, but her feelings had been conveyed.
Yet, for a brief instant, there was a cold look in Erica’s eyes.
“The evil will receive the divine punishment they deserve! Everyone, this is a crusade! Now go, beast of the land!” she ordered.
However, on the head of the divine beast scowling outside the city like a guard dog was a young man in black, swinging down his sword. It was Rio. Immediately after he finished swinging, a slash of light was released, swallowing the giant head. The four-legged beast’s huge body stumbled, sinking down.
“So he survived. I knew it.”
Erica smirked, looking up at Rio above.
◇ ◇ ◇
Rio and Aishia noticed the beast of the land’s appearance just as they finished their interrogation and were about to leave the building.
“WROOOOOOH!”
The monstrous roar could be heard through the thick walls.
“Oh no...” Rio mumbled bitterly.
He was inside the building so he couldn’t see what had happened, but there was only one thing he knew that made such a noise. At the same time, the information he gained from the interrogation was rendered effectively useless.
I’ll go check. Aishia immediately turned into her spirit form, slipping through the wall.
I’ll be right behind you, Rio replied, already running. He flung open the balcony doors of the building and burst outside, rising straight to the skies.
“I knew it...!”
The monster was dozens of meters tall, making it extremely easy to spot.
It hasn’t started rampaging yet.
Like Aishia reported, the beast of the land was still standing frozen for some reason. Far in the distance, William could be seen hurriedly getting the Galarc troops to turn back. The beast had its back turned to the city, so it was yet to notice Rio floating behind it.
The worst is yet to happen. I have to hurry.
Without waiting for Aishia’s response, Rio approached the beast of the land.
Okay...
Aishia seemed to be bothered by something, her reply coming one beat late.
This was because her vision in spirit form was different to that of her materialized form. Right now, she was capable of visually seeing the waves of spiritual presences she normally couldn’t detect.
What have I forgotten?
Once again, she was on the verge of remembering something. Every time she looked at the beast of the land, that feeling intensified. She just needed one last push.
Aishia?
Rio was unable to see Aishia in her spirit form, but he probably sensed something strange about her half-hearted response earlier. He called out her name worriedly.
...What?
There was a slight pause, but Aishia responded in her usual tone. In the time she had been absorbed in her thoughts, Rio had reached the skies above the square where Erica was located.
Erica was in the middle of giving her speech to the residents. Whether it was because she was mid-speech or because she was yet to give an order, the beast of the land wasn’t moving. Either way, Erica was most certainly in control of the beast.
The Saint is in the square. Three of the people we came with are dead. The man named Gilbert is still alive, but...
Did those men do something to the Saint?
Most likely. That’s probably what incited the residents. I’ll take this chance to make a preemptive strike on the beast. Please go and report this situation to His Majesty at the base. Tell them to leave us and run.
All right.
I’m going to start stocking magic essence.
Rio drew his sword. He wavered for a moment, wondering whether to attack Erica or the beast of the land first, but decided on the one that could do more damage. Besides, there was no guarantee the beast of the land would disappear if Erica was defeated first anyway.
I’ll be right back.
Aishia began moving in her spirit form. She could travel faster if she materialized and accelerated herself with spirit arts, but she didn’t want to risk being detected by the beast. That’s why she planned on waiting for the moment Rio attacked before materializing.
“As the hero and agent of god, I will execute judgment on everyone’s behalf!”
On the ground, Erica’s speech was reaching its climax. The residents began roaring in excitement.
Okay...
Rio was able to refine the magic essence required. He condensed all the essence into his sword, not letting the slightest amount escape.
“The evil will receive the divine punishment they deserve! Everyone, this is a crusade! Now go, beast of the land!”
As Erica was saying those words, Rio closed in on the beast of the land from several hundred meters away, aiming straight for its head.
“Hah!” He slammed a powerful strike into its vital point. The beast’s head was enveloped in light, stumbling forward as its four legs were shaken off-balance.
That wasn’t enough!
Rio readied his sword once again, promptly changing course midair and aiming for the beast’s rear. The snake heads at the end of its three tails had their mouths open, ready to fire a blast of light—until Rio slashed at them with a similar blade of light.
After that, he continued refining magic essence to create giant blasts of light aimed at the base of the tail and the body of the beast.
“GRAAAAAAH!”
The beast of the land suddenly leaped upwards, attempting to blow away Rio floating above its back.
“Huh?!” Rio used the wind to move like a leaf, evading the beast. The beast of the land was still full of life, baring its full hostility towards Rio. It had been damaged by the attacks Rio landed, but the wounds were healing before his eyes.
As I suspected... It was pretending to be dead last time I cut its neck.
He still had no idea how much damage it would take to defeat this beast. But he had to try anyway.
Meanwhile, in the skies away from the city, Aishia materialized.
“RAH!”
The beast of the land whipped around in her direction with a start. It glared at Aishia with clear hostility, and the three snake heads at the end of its tail opened their mouths at her. Magic essence gathered so that it could fire a blast.
“RRAAAGH?!”
However, Rio landed a slash of wind at the beast’s abdomen. The hundred-meter-long torso of the beast shook violently in the air.
“Your opponent is over here.” He didn’t believe it could understand words, but he spoke to it anyway.
“GRAAAAAAH!”
The beast of the land glared at Rio in annoyance and roared. Thus, the battle between Rio and the beast of the land resumed.
◇ ◇ ◇
In her materialized form, Aishia made the last five kilometers of the distance to the lake in half a minute. She spotted Miharu and the others outside a tent and landed beside them.
Celia, Satsuki, Francois, and everyone else were all watching the beast of the land with pained expressions.
“Ai-chan!” Among them, Miharu called out, running up to Aishia first.
“Spirit girl—Aishia. Is that the beast of the land? It seems like it is fighting someone...” Francois asked with a tense look.
“Yes. Haruto is keeping it from running wild. The army is pulling back to this base right now, so flee on the enchanted airships immediately once they get here.”
“I see... All right, I understand.”
“Also...”
Aishia was about to continue speaking, when—
“Is that the beast of the land?! Amakawa is fighting that thing?!” Duke Gregory shouted from beside Francois.
“That’s what she just said.”
“No, I just didn’t think it would be a monster like that...!”
“Hmm. That’s because you didn’t believe the beast of the land existed to begin with. But there’s no time to be dealing with you right now. Wait, Clement,” Francois said, dismissing Duke Gregory in annoyance.
“I’m going to fight with him. Don’t worry about us when you flee.”
“All right. Sorry about that.”
But Duke Gregory ignored the situation at hand. “Wait! Is Amakawa fighting that monster?! What happened to eliminating the Saint?! Did he fail?!” he continued, hounding Aishia with questions.
“That’s not what happened. Haruto and I were inside the consulate when it woke up. We saw three of your subordinates dead in the square. They probably started something.”
Aishia explained what happened, then gave her own guess as to why.
Francois immediately regarded Duke Gregory with suspicion. “Clement. What did you order your men to do?”
“Wha... I-I know nothing! That woman is rambling pure nonsense! Why did you even infiltrate the consulate? And why were you even with the reconnaissance team in the first place?!” Duke Gregory wailed in a panic.
“Enough of this, Clement! Are you really going to make a bigger mess of this situation and risk my rage?”
“Ah...”
Duke Gregory paled, snapping his mouth shut at Francois’s uncharacteristic explosion of anger.
“This is an emergency situation. You should prepare for evacuation. Your reply?”
“U-Understood. I apologize for making a fuss...”
Gritting his teeth down on the mix of panic, uncertainty, anger, and fear, Duke Gregory left them.
“I’m going to go back, then. The Saint is alive, so we have to defeat her too,” Aishia said, showing no interest in Duke Gregory as she turned around. But just as she was about to fly off again, Gouki called out to her.
“One moment please, Lady Aishia.”
“Yes?”
“Leave the subjugation of the Saint to Kayoko and me. You two focus on defeating the beast of the land. We will depart right after you.”
“Okay. Thank you. The Saint was in the square in the city. But she might have moved by now.”
“All right.”
“See you, then.”
With that, Aishia flew off.
“You heard her. Let’s go, Kayoko.”
“Yes, dear.”
It was only natural for them to assist their master. Kayoko expressed no objections as she nodded quietly.
“In that case, please ride on Ariel. I will accompany you,” Orphia said, offering Ariel as a means of transport.
“We’d appreciate that,” Gouki accepted, bowing his head. “Let’s leave right away. We should head for an open space for our departure.”
Then, he started to walk away, heading for an open space where Ariel could materialize, when...
“Hold on!” Celia and Liselotte stood together. Aria, who was behind them, was the one who had stopped Gouki.
“The two of you don’t know what the Saint looks like. Would you consider taking me along?” Aria asked, seeking Gouki and Kayoko’s permission to accompany them. She then turned to her master, Liselotte, to do the same. “Lady Liselotte, I owe a great debt to Sir Amakawa. I also have a score to settle with Saint Erica. You are my appointed lord and master, so please grant me permission to go.”
“You may go, but you have to return,” Liselotte agreed, respecting Aria’s intentions. She then turned to Gouki and Kayoko. “She’s my most skilled subordinate, so I believe she will be of help to you. Is it all right if she accompanies you?”
“We would be glad to have her. Let’s get going.”
Gouki left, taking Kayoko, Aria, and Orphia with him.
“We’ll focus on protecting the base. The beast of the land’s attacks may fly this way,” Sara suggested.
“Hel and Ifritah might need to help out too,” Alma agreed.
Hearing that, Miharu offered to supply her magic essence. “In that case, I’ll provide the essence they need to materialize. You two should save your essence.”
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Rio was engaged with the beast of the land in a close-range battle.
“GRAAAGH!”
The beast swatted at Rio as though he were an annoying fly buzzing around its body. It wouldn’t have been surprising for a creature of its size to create earthquakes with every leap, but Erica must have ordered it not to damage the city, as its landings were surprisingly light-footed.
“RAH?!”
Each time Rio spotted an opening, he would envelop his blade in wind and light and create a slashing attack that was twenty meters in length, aiming it at the beast’s body.
At a glance, fighting at such a close distance seemed dangerous—but the most troublesome attack the beast of the land possessed was the breath attack it released from its mouth and tails. By sticking close to its body, Rio succeeded in sealing those moves. In that sense, he seemed to have the advantage. However...
It heals rapidly every time I damage it.
His attacks themselves seemed to be effective, but there was no way of telling how much so. Was there no limit to the beast’s recovery? How much damage was required for a fatal wound? Would it eventually fall if he continued attacking it? There was no way of knowing.
I can at least buy some time, he thought.
“GRRR...”
The beast of the land halted its swinging at Rio and stopped moving.
What is it thinking?
He had a bad feeling about it, but Rio continued his attacks.
“RRRGH!” The beast of the land motionlessly endured it; in fact, it seemed like it wasn’t affected at all.
What?! Just as Rio released another slash, the beast twisted its body. The next moment, it used Rio’s attack to sever its own tails.
“RAAAGH!”
The three tails started flying of their own will, accelerating towards the Galarc army that was still retreating—and the base with Miharu and the others past them.
“No!” Rio tried to pursue the tails in a fluster.
“GRAAAH!”
But the moment he turned his back, the beast of the land let out a breath from its mouth.
◇ ◇ ◇
From the square where Erica was located, it appeared as though Rio had been swallowed by the beast’s breath.
“WHOOO!”
Cheers erupted from the residents. They were worried when Rio first appeared out of nowhere and put up an even fight with the beast, so they were clearly relieved at this turn of events.
“Ha! Ha ha!”
“He got blown away!”
“There’ll be nothing left of him!”
They all rejoined
“Did you see that? His attacks are powerless before the beast of the land! But the reverse does not apply! He was the strongest warrior of the enemy, and he is now defeated! This is the moment to march forward! Let us go!”
Erica chose this moment to start running for the gate of the city.
“Follow Saint Erica’s lead!”
“Victory will be ours with Saint Erica’s guidance!”
“The kingdom’s army won’t stand a chance either!”
“Chaaarge!”
“Raaah!”
The residents were completely swept away by their elation. Most of the people in the square hadn’t been carrying weapons on them, yet they rushed out the gate completely unarmed.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Rio had just accelerated to the side, escaping the attack range of the breath aimed at his back. However, doing so caused him to fall far behind the tails flying ahead. Rio chased after them as fast as he could.
“GRAAAH!”
The beast of the land used another breath to obstruct Rio from pursuing. “Ngh!”
Aishia would protect the base by the lake even if Rio didn’t take chase, but there was a chance the retreating army could suffer damages.
Just then, a thick beam of light fired over from the direction of the lake. It struck all three of the snake-headed tails in succession, repelling them midair.
Aishia!
Rio could see it was Aishia who had cast the art. She proceeded to create huge orbs of light and fired them with rapid succession and precision. An intense explosion occurred with each impact, swallowing the helpless tails.
“Hssshah!” the tails hissed.
“GRRRAH!” roared the beast; it tried to interrupt Aishia with a breath.
“I won’t let you!” Rio shouted, immediately cutting deeply into the beast’s neck to throw off its aim. The tails suffered a barrage of Aishia’s attacks in that time, eventually becoming unable to maintain their shape. They dispersed into the air like a spirit leaving its material form, disappearing completely.
“Sorry I’m late,” Aishia said, appearing right beside Rio.
“No, you came just in time. Thank you.”
You really saved me, Rio was about to say, when—
“GRUUUH!”
The beast of the land opened its mouth wide, accumulating magic essence for its next attack.
“Hah!”
“Out of the way.”
Rio and Aishia both activated their spirit arts before it could attack. They both created huge fireballs in the same breath, firing them into the beast’s mouth.
“RAH...!”
The explosion in its mouth shut the beast up all at once. Aishia took that chance to give Rio an update on what happened.
“Gouki and the others said to leave the Saint to them. They asked that we focus on taking down the beast of the land,” she said.
For a brief moment, Rio looked opposed to the idea of Gouki bringing more people into this dangerous area. But he didn’t have the leisure to handle both when the beast kept regenerating on the spot, so he resolved himself to his only option.
“I see. In that case...”
“Yup. We’ll defeat this thing.”
Even if they couldn’t defeat it, they had to suppress it to prevent it from causing any damage to the others. Rio and Aishia immediately turned to attack the beast of the land together. By then, the beast had almost completely regenerated the tails on its body. “UUURH!”
Rio and Aishia fired large orbs of light to prevent its full regeneration. It was hard for Rio to reach the body and three tails in a single attack, but he was fighting together with Aishia right now.
I’ll focus my attacks on the front half of its body.
Then I’ll take care of the rear half and tails.
Thanks. Not having to worry about the tail attacks will be a great help.
They communicated telepathically while flying at high speed, planning their strategy. Not having to allocate as much brainpower to evasion made it much easier for Rio to fight.
There may be a limit to its regenerative ability. Let’s suppress it by sticking close to its body and attacking in waves!
Got it.
The two of them had the best coordination and support for each other. The beast of the land attempted to ward them off by swinging its tails and expelling its breath, but...
“GRAAAH!”
None of its attacks made contact. In no time at all, the two of them had begun to overpower the beast of the land.
◇ ◇ ◇
At the same time, Ariel was flying high in the skies above. Riding on its back were Gouki, Kayoko, Aria, and Orphia. They had a clear view of Rio and Aishia suppressing the beast of the land below.
“Wow, watching those two fight together is something else,” Gouki murmured. The beast of the land in the distance almost seemed pitiful. But despite that thought, he observed the battlefront carefully.
“Hmm. There’s a crowd rushing out of the city,” he said, spotting the running group with his spirit arts-enhanced eyesight.
“The person leading the group at the front is Saint Erica.”
Aria identified the Saint to Gouki and Kayoko.
“Excellent. That makes things easy.” Gouki grinned.
“Let us go, dear.”
“Indeed!”
The couple leaped from Ariel’s back as though they were merely stepping off a small platform. But instead of falling through the air, they started running across invisible footholds in the air.
“Amazing...” Aria mumbled as she watched them descend. Their current altitude was nearly three hundred meters. Even if she enhanced her physical body with her sword, she’d die falling from this height.
Seeing Aria left behind, Orphia smiled wryly.
“Ha ha. I’ll lower us so that you can get off the normal way.”
◇ ◇ ◇
Erica was running at the front of the pack when Gouki and Kayoko descended before her. “Halt.”
“Oh? Who might you people be?” Erica looked at the middle-aged couple with black hair curiously. She must have found them similar to the Japanese people on Earth. But encountering them here didn’t change anything.
“Well, whatever. What do you want?” She didn’t care.
“It doesn’t matter who we are. On behalf of our master, we have come to stop the person in control of that monster,” Gouki declared, drawing his prized sword Kamaitachi.
Kayoko similarly drew her kodachi. “We cannot let you pass us.”
“Why, you’re like a samurai and a ninja! How fascinating.”
In contrast to Erica’s words, her tone and smile were completely devoid of emotion.
“I see... You have such an empty look in your eyes,” Gouki observed.
“The eyes of a troubled woman,” Kayoko agreed.
“Saint Erica!”
Just then, Aria arrived belatedly, dropping from the sky. Ariel passed over at an altitude of ten meters, flying away once again.
“Oh, you’re here as well.” It seemed Erica still remembered Aria.
“I heard you survived being stabbed in the heart. So I came to finish you off.” Aria also drew her sword and readied herself.
“Hehe. Are you capable of such a thing?” Erica smirked boldly, readying her staff.
“Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of facing you alone.”
“Oh? Three against one sounds terribly cowardly.”
“Can you blame us? This is a battlefield. The enemy that invaded without warning is right before us.”
As a seasoned veteran, Gouki brushed off Erica’s taunting remark easily. Her ability gave her the strength of an army. There was nothing wrong with teaming up in a group of three to defeat her—or rather, kill her. Merciless as it may have been, that was their goal.
“You have plenty of comrades behind you, anyway,” Kayoko said, looking at the crowd of people that had followed Erica out of the city.
“I won’t let anyone approach, so fight to your heart’s content!” Orphia called from Ariel’s back, firing a warning arrow with her bow. The ray of light that shot down split into countless branches, raining before the crowd.
“Whoa!”
“Eek...!”
The crowd screeched to a halt.
A militia... No, they’re not even wielding proper weapons.
In short, Erica had brought unarmed humans onto the battlefield. Gouki was shocked at their appearances up close.
“You cannot be sane... You brought the residents out without even arming them. What were you thinking?”
Erica cocked her head curiously. “I don’t remember bringing them anywhere, though? They stepped onto the battlefield of their own will.”
“This is a result of you deceiving them with your words,” Aria stated as if it was obvious.
“No, my words had no effect on them. If they did, they wouldn’t have come after me.”
“What are you saying...?”
“I told them about how humans are foolish and evil. It seems they won’t understand even if it kills them.” Erica sneered scornfully.
“Hmm. Either way, everything will be resolved if we defeat you. Both the troops behind you and that monster will lose the will to fight,” Gouki pointed out. The crowd was clearly losing their will to fight already, seeing the barrage of arrows Orphia had released.
“Yes, that is true.”
“In which case, we should get started.” Gouki took half a step forward, ready to face Erica. “Hmph.”
Just then, a knife came flying from within the crowd. It was aimed precisely for Gouki’s heart, shooting at a terrifyingly fast speed. But Gouki merely flicked his sword, knocking the knife away.
“Lady Saint...”
One man rushed forward from the crowd. He was surprisingly fast to approach Erica, immediately bowing his head in a fluid motion.
“Oh? You are...”
“My name is Gilbert.”
“Yes, I remember,” Erica said, looking at his face. “The one who had a change of heart.”
“You are too kind, Great Saint. Earlier, you said that one should not fight out of hatred. That only the gods are allowed to bestow punishment upon others. In which case, I wish to fight to protect you. I know I originally came here to kill you, but will you allow me to fight to protect you?” Gilbert drooped his head as though he was completely enraptured by her.
“Isn’t that one of the men that infiltrated the city with Sir Haruto?”
“He seems to have switched sides.” Gouki and Kayoko looked on in annoyance.
“I am grateful for your devotion, Gilbert. Please give me your assistance.”
“I am but a lowly human only capable of killing others. I have committed many sins throughout my life. But that is why I may be of use in this situation. Allow me to join you on your journey.”
“In that case, please take care of one of these three. I will take on the remaining two.”
“As you wish.” And so, Gilbert joined Erica’s battle.
At that, Kayoko turned to Gouki and Aria. “I will handle that man... You two focus on the Saint.”
“Hehe. Now it’s three against two.” Erica smiled fearlessly.
“Your destiny to die here will not change,” Aria said coldly.
“Will you people be able to kill me? I shall look forward to it. Truly,” Erica replied, almost as though she desired that. “Let’s begin.”
She then raised her staff and slammed it into the ground. Countless spears of dirt immediately attacked Gouki, Kayoko, and Aria.
“...”
The three reacted instinctively, leaping back. The spears became obstacles hiding Erica and Gilbert from view.
However, Aria and Kayoko immediately dashed around the spears from each side. This left Gouki behind the dirt spears.
These two are fast. They must have enchanted swords.
As a fellow enchanted sword wielder, Gilbert immediately sensed that they were formidable opponents.
“So you’re the one facing me,” he said to the approaching Kayoko, taking out a throwing knife hidden under his coat and flinging it with his right hand. He then took out another knife with his left hand and closed the distance with Kayoko.
Kayoko swung the kodachi in her left hand, deflecting the throwing knife. Her speed didn’t falter at all as she drew closer to Gilbert.
Once the two were within reach of each other, their left hands swung at a speed faster than the eye could see. The screech of metal clashing with metal echoed.
“Splendid,” Gilbert grinned. A knife had suddenly appeared in the right hand he had held lowered. The knife was soon released, flying towards Kayoko’s throat.
“...” Kayoko swung the kodachi in her right hand, knocking away the flying knife without even looking.
Gilbert backed away, eyes widening faintly. “I’m shocked. Most of my opponents die from that right away.”
“I learned from your match with Sir Haruto that you excel in targeting people’s blind spots. And I know how to deal with the devious techniques of assassins.”
“Oh? You don’t seem to be from the same profession. Were you a bodyguard of someone important?”
As Gilbert guessed, Kayoko was once the royal guard of Rio’s mother, Ayame. She had learned various assassination techniques and how to counter them in order to protect her charge.
“You’re very talkative for an assassin.”
“I’ve already washed my hands of the profession.”
“Your hands seem to be contradicting your words.”
Another throwing knife had gone flying as they spoke, weaving through the gaps of awareness. Kayoko knocked it away in annoyance.
“Alas. It seems the best way to kill you is from up close.”
No sooner had Gilbert said those words than he started running, holding the knife in his left hand ready as he took another throwing knife out with his right hand. At the same time, he glanced over at the Saint fighting Aria beside him.
“Ooh, Lady Saint!” At the shocking scene beside him, Gilbert came to a screeching halt.
◇ ◇ ◇
A bit earlier, having just evaded the rising spears of dirt, Aria charged in the opposite direction to Kayoko, rushing straight for Erica.
Erica exceeded her in physical strength, but Aria’s technical skills balanced the scales. If she faced her in her best condition in a direct battle, it would only be a matter of time before she won. However, there was one way for an amateur at combat to win against a seasoned fighter.
This woman is prepared to take damage in exchange for the chance to counterattack.
And that was to place one’s life on the line, attacking with the intent of getting attacked in the process. But it was a much harder method of fighting than it sounded, and not an option for the average person.
There was no way for someone to truly put their life on the line unless they had no fear of being hurt and absolute confidence in their ability to endure any attack. And there was no human that fulfilled such criteria. Yet, Erica probably fulfilled both.
“Hehe. You seem rather wary of me, even though you’re stronger.” Erica smirked tauntingly.
“Now that I know you can survive a sword through your heart, it’s only natural. But...” If she knew Erica’s goal, she could plan how to deal with it. “I don’t know how your abnormal vitality works, but you put too much trust in it. You’re completely defenseless,” Aria stated. She then rushed right at Erica.
“Oh?” Surprised by the choice to charge forward after being so wary of a counterattack, Erica lifted her staff curiously.
“...Oh?” Erica looked around. At some point, Gouki had rounded behind her, where he stood now, posing at the end of swinging his sword. With allies on their side, there was no need for them to take a one-on-one approach with fear of counterattacks. They could just send someone to make a surprise attack from behind.
“It’s just as the young ones described. You’re truly an amateur at combat, completely open to attack. It doesn’t leave a good taste in the mouth, but...”
With a whoosh of wind, Gouki flicked the blood off his sword. Erica’s head rolled across the ground.
“You said it was two against one yourself, no?” Aria said, stabbing her sword through Erica’s heart from the front. If their opponent didn’t die to a sword in the heart, they’d just behead her. Then stab her through the heart on top of that.
“Ooh, Lady Saint!” Just as Aria withdrew her sword, Gilbert witnessed the terrible sight and yelled. He tried to run over to Erica in a hurry.
“Your opponent is over here,” Kayoko intervened, stopping him.
“Ngh! Move it, you hag!” Gilbert yelled in fury.
In contrast, all the warmth drained from Kayoko’s expression. “...”
“It’s fine, Gilbert.” Erica’s detached head disappeared. In the next moment, it was reattached to the body it should have been separated from. Erica had called out to Gilbert with a hole in her chest.
“Wha?!” Aria immediately backed away from Erica.
“How mysterious...” Gouki also leaped back.
Was she really human? They stared at Erica in wonder.
“That wasn’t enough to kill her...?” Aria muttered in shock.
“Strange, isn’t it? I’ve tried it myself, you know. If you cut off my head and take it away from my body, one will disappear and reattach itself to the other. In the beginning, I lost consciousness when I died, but even that stopped happening.” Erica cracked her neck as though to test the strength of the reattachment.
“Are you truly a human?”
“I wonder that myself.” Erica casually agreed with Aria’s sentiments.
“Ooh, Lady Saint! Great Hero! You truly are an agent of the gods! I am convinced of that even more now!” Gilbert yelled, rejoicing Erica’s revival.
“That’s right—I am an agent of the gods. That is why it is my duty to present the answer only the gods know to everyone. Until my duty is over, I cannot die.”
Whether she truly thought that or was just playing into her role of the Saint, Erica made her declaration dramatically.
“That’s impossible!”
“Hmm...”
At the realization they were facing an inhuman existence, Aria and Gouki both let out anxious noises.
“Foolish humans. Let me ask you once again. Will you really be the ones to kill me? Are you capable of such a thing?”
“...”
Neither Gouki nor Aria could answer.
“Please kill me. If you can, that is.” The magic essence flowing out of Erica’s body surged suddenly.
Good heavens... She still had this much magic essence hidden?
Gouki was taken aback by her overwhelming power. But for the sake of his master, he couldn’t back down. He had absolutely no intention of losing.
Thus, the battle with the Saint resumed.
◇ ◇ ◇
Kayoko and Gilbert’s battle also resumed.
“Bwahahaha!” Gilbert was cackling louder than he had ever laughed in his life. He was grateful for her two resurrections and the fact he had met her sublime existence today.
Kayoko swung her two kodachi with a disgusted look on her face. Facing her, Gilbert had a long-handled knife in his left hand and a short-handled throwing knife in his right. The strength of their physical body enhancements appeared to be equal as they exchanged blows with each other.
In the midst of one such exchange, Gilbert threw another throwing knife with his right hand relaxed at his side. He flung it with the snap of his wrist, resulting in nearly no warning motion.
It would have been impossible to react without watching his hands. But he had used the same type of attack on Kayoko already.
“...” Kayoko deflected the knife with a bored look.
“Heh.”
Gilbert smirked as he moved to release the knife in his left hand at Kayoko’s body. He twisted his arm like a snake to alter the trajectory of the knife, but Kayoko used the kodachi in her right hand to knock the edge of the knife before it could change course.
“Impressive, but...!” Gilbert stumbled backwards, left hand recoiling from the deflection. His right hand had lost the throwing knife, so he was full of openings in his current posture. At least that’s what it looked like.
Kayoko stepped forward to pursue him. Gilbert used the momentum of the recoil to swing his left knife and stop her. But the kodachi in Kayoko’s right hand parried the knife, allowing her to strike the kodachi in her left hand at his unguarded solar plexus.
“Guh!” Gilbert grunted as he thrust his right shoulder forward to evade the strike. This inevitably caused his left hand with the knife to pull backwards. The kodachi in Kayoko’s left hand swiped through empty space.
“Hmm...?” Gilbert’s mouth was twisted in a smirk. But when he heard the screech of clashing metal before him, his eyes widened. He immediately looked down.
“Your techniques are truly devious.”
The kodachi in Kayoko’s right hand was held up against something Gilbert held in his right hand. “Something,” because the object couldn’t be seen. The invisible object was actually Gilbert’s knife-shaped enchanted sword.
“Could you see it...?” Gilbert asked in astonishment.
“No. The invisible weapon was beyond my expectations. But I assumed you were doing something with your right hand, so I was able to deal with it. I said I was experienced in dealing with the tricks of assassins, did I not?”
Kayoko made it sound simple, but it was an invisible knife—the perfect weapon to catch someone unawares. If anything, she was the strange one for blocking it so naturally.
“Ha ha, how formidable. It’s the first time someone’s ever blocked this enchanted sword’s attack, you know. And for me to be beaten at my own game...”
Using the kodachi in her left hand, Kayoko pierced Gilbert through the heart. She then withdrew her sword and quickly backed away.
“Oh, Lady Saint...” Gilbert called for Erica, then collapsed.
“Finally, some quiet.” Kayoko sighed in annoyance and turned her gaze towards Gouki’s fight.
◇ ◇ ◇
Erica caught sight of the fatally wounded Gilbert. She paused mid-battle, ignoring Gouki and Aria to run over to him.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, Gilbert,” she said to him.
“I am...unworthy...of such words...” Gilbert closed his eyes with a satisfied expression.
“May you rest in peace.” Erica stabbed the end of her staff into the ground in a silent prayer. Several seconds later, the ground folded up to swallow Gilbert’s body.
“You may not die to a sword through the heart, but aren’t you ignoring us a little too much?” Kayoko’s voice said from behind her.
The next moment, a blade of water stabbed through Erica’s heart from behind. The one who had attacked her was Kayoko. The kodachi in her hand had extended through spirit arts, creating a blade to pierce Erica’s chest.
“You won’t even allow me to give a proper burial... How saddening,” Erica sighed sadly, her heart still in a skewered state. Blood poured out of the wound, staining the ground where Gilbert was buried.
“I heard you ordered the beast of the land to attack your own comrades. And now you’re burying allies in the middle of battle? That’s quite the dramatic change of heart,” Kayoko said, glaring at her back coldly.
“He had only just met me, yet he believed in my words faithfully. I believed he was worthy of my compassion. However...”
Erica had been standing with the end of her staff stabbed into the ground, but the next moment, dirt spears shot up from the ground at Gouki, Aria, and Kayoko’s feet.
“Huh?!” They all jumped aside at once.
“I won’t have any compassion for you.” Erica stared at them with vacant eyes.
“Goodness. Fighting an opponent that doesn’t die from stabs and cuts is rather unpleasant, isn’t it?” The battle seemed to have left a bitter aftertaste in Gouki’s mouth, as he frowned in shame.
“But we have no choice but to keep killing her. As many times as it takes, no matter how many times she revives,” Kayoko stated flatly.
“Fortunately, this woman is an amateur at combat. We have all the opportunities we need,” Aria agreed, readying her sword.
“Hehehe. Go on, come at me then.” Erica readied her staff leisurely.
“Hmph.” Gouki disappeared. He approached her with the movement spell Rio used—coined Shukuchi by Satsuki—and swung his sword as he passed.
“Oh my...” Erica’s body was split into two. But the two pieces were being drawn together as though time was rewinding. In order to prevent that, Kayoko landed a knee kick to Erica’s upper body, sending her flying.
“Magicae Displodo.” Aria pursued Erica’s upper body while chanting a spell. A magic circle appeared before the left hand she had extended. In the time it took the spell to activate, Aria leaped, catching up to Erica’s body, and slammed the essence cannon into her from point-blank range.
“Haaah!”
The thick beam of light swallowed Erica’s body. However...
“So you can withstand an intermediate-class attack spell from up close too,” Aria muttered, furrowing her brow in contempt.
“Are you satisfied now?” Erica’s voice called from where her lower half was lying. At some point, she had returned to her unharmed state and got back to her feet.
“Hmph!”
But Gouki and Kayoko immediately struck, piercing her heart and throat respectively.
“This is the most I’ve ever died in such a short span of time.”
As she said those words, Erica swung her staff. Gouki and Kayoko immediately leaped away to avoid the attack. Once Erica finished swinging, Aria cut off her arms, which were holding the staff. Using the momentum of her motion, she turned her blade and slashed Erica’s body with a return swing.
“When will you people learn?” Erica muttered tiredly. “No one can stop me.” She lifted her staff.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Rio and Aishia were both under attack.
“RAAAH!”
The beast of the land opened its mouth. Light gathered rapidly, aiming at the spot where Erica and the others were.
“No!” Rio had experienced the attack before, so he knew that the beast of the land was about to fire at everyone where Erica was located. This allowed him—and Aishia—to react rapidly. They locked onto the beast’s face, which had stopped to take aim.
“I won’t let you!” Rio released a blast of magic essence. Aishia created three orbs of light, firing them at the three snake heads.
“RAH?!”
A total of four explosions occurred at once. For a brief instant, the world turned white as a tremendous noise thundered through the area. The force of the explosion blew up the beast’s head, causing pieces of its skull to go flying. But Rio and Aishia knew that this wasn’t enough to defeat it—they had already damaged it to this extent countless times.
This much was nothing for the beast of the land’s superregenerative abilities. Rio and Aishia braced themselves, watching for the beast’s next move carefully. The pieces of its head were rapidly regenerating already.
“Ruuuh...”
It was strangely quiet. Just a short while ago, it had been rampaging violently in a mad rage, but now there was a strange clarity in its eyes.
“What? It suddenly calmed down...” Rio said, confused as he noticed the abnormality.
“Did it fight wildly enough to settle down?”
“No, I don’t think that’s it...”
That didn’t sound possible, but it was true it had calmed.
What to do...
They could use this chance to attack it, but it would just be a waste of energy if they couldn’t defeat it. It didn’t seem like the beast was about to make an attack, so they decided to observe it for a little longer.
“Grrr...”
The beast of the land stood still as it stared down at Erica. Then, for some reason, it glanced over at Aishia. Finally, it gazed over at the lake. The beast looked between those three points once more.
“It disappeared...?”
Like a spirit returning to its spirit form, the beast of the land vanished.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, just before the beast of the land disappeared...
“Bwahaha! Sir Haruto saved our lives.”
Gouki had noticed the beast of the land aiming at them, but Rio and Aishia had stopped it immediately. That realization made him burst into hearty laughter.
“Goodness. If only he had died back then,” Erica sighed, looking up at Rio annoyedly.
“Kayoko, have you noticed? The more we kill her, the faster she heals from her wounds,” Gouki said to Kayoko, who was standing beside him, without taking his eyes off of Erica.
“Yes, and her movements are getting faster. Things may get a little tricky if she gets any faster than this.”
“At this rate, I’m going to run out of magic essence...” mumbled Aria.
“Hmm. How should we deal with this...”
In their current state, they hadn’t succeeded at anything more than buying time. And at this rate, even their ability to do that seemed limited. Gouki hummed in thought, considering their options to break through this situation.
“Hehehe. I’m still brimming with power. At this rate, I won’t even need the beast of the land to—” Erica cut off midsentence. “Why... Why has the beast of the land...?”
The beast had disappeared. Erica’s eyes widened in surprise, even though she should have been the one in control of it.
“Aaaaaah!”
Suddenly, despite having endured numerous attacks without so much as a flinch until now, Erica suddenly clutched her head and screamed.
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