Kelvin’s Residence – Underground Training Hall
In the center of the training hall, the stage for our decisive battle, Colette was casting Survivor’s Divine Realm on both sides. Since Touya’s barrier remained intact from the previous battle, Rion and Setsuna were the targets.
“Um, Colette. Can Mun-chan join too?” Nana asked, her gaze shifting to her backpack.
“Of course. Lord Kelvin already informed me of this. Who would complain when a tamer uses a monster?”
“Oh, thank goodness… Mun-chan, you can fight with us!”
“Gya!”
Nana breathed a sigh of relief. The way her chest sank as her hands landed there, despite her petite frame, it was surprisingly full.
“Lady Rion doesn’t know the full extent of everyone’s abilities beyond what Touya showed earlier, so please be mindful of when you use them. Alright, I’ve finished with Mun too.”
“Understood. Thank you for everything, Colette.”
“You’re welcome. Now, next is Lady Rion.”
Colette moved towards Rion, who was facing her. Rion appeared to be stretching at that moment.
“Colette. Are Setsu-chan and the others done?”
“Yes, my work was perfect, if I may say so myself. All thanks to Lord Kuroto. Now, I will cast the barrier on Lady Rion as well.”
“Ah, wait a moment. I just remembered, Alex is taking a nap right now. Alex—we’re going to have a match soon, so wake up!”
Rion crouched down slightly, placing her hands on her cheeks and speaking towards her own shadow. After a moment, Rion’s shadow began to swell considerably with a low growl. Those watching from a distance grew wary, wondering what was happening. Soon, it transformed into a large, great wolf, which then let out a huge yawn.
“Woooooon…? (Is it mealtime…?)”
“Hahaha, what are you mumbling about? But maybe Older Sister Efil can make something if I ask her.”
“Gau gauu (Efil!)”
Alex ran towards the spectator seats. As soon as he reached his destination, he was embraced by Shutra.
“Is that giant wolf the monster Rion-chan controls? …I feel an incredibly strong presence from it.”
“Is she my kind of tamer too?”
“No, the roster lists her as a swordswoman. Well, seeing the wolf moving away from this spot, it’s unlikely to participate in this fight anyway.”
“Cute.”
As this was happening, Rion seemed to have received her barrier as well. With a bow, Colette returned to the spectator seats.
“We will now begin the mock battle. Are both parties ready?”
“We’re ready!”
“We are too!”
Touya and Setsuna would be on the front lines, Nana in the rear, and Miyabi somewhere in between.
“Very well. Then, let the match commence— Begin!”
Melfina lowered her hand with an inexplicably Japanese-style shout.
***
We all chuckled wryly at the somewhat period-drama-esque words of the Goddess, but the match had started nonetheless. First, I faced my opponent. Rion-chan drew a sword with a black blade from its sheath, preparing to wield it in both hands. I heard she was a dual-wielding swordsman, so I hoped Touya, who possesses the ‘Swordsmanship’ and ‘Dual Wield’ skills would have the advantage. ‘Dual Wield,’ a skill only obtainable by Heroes, alone puts one at an advantage in close combat.
Furthermore, her not knowing our information was a significant advantage. My ‘Iron Cutting Fist,’ if it lands, can cleave through anything regardless of the opponent’s status. And we can always catch Miyabi and Nana’s unexpected magic. We even have the grown-up Mun. I’m sure we can manage.
“Everyone, we’re going all out from the start!”
“That’s the plan.”
“Yeah!”
Touya, who had already duplicated Sacred Sword Will into two and taken his stance, urged us on.
“Great, Avenging Undead Ghost!”
In response, the ground beneath Miyabi’s feet surged, and the Oni appeared, seemingly lifting Miyabi onto its shoulder. This vengeful spirit was the red-eyed giant Oni that Lord Kelvin had defeated at the bandit hideout in Traage. Miyabi had resurrected by channeling her hatred and resentment into it daily, and had even managed to strengthen it.
“Mun-chan!”
“Gyarrr!”
Emerging from the backpack, which seemed to connect to another dimension, was Mun, who had evolved from a ‘Young Fire Dragon’ to an ‘Ancient Fire Dragon.’ The elastic backpack opened wide, and Mun soared above us. Mun, who had fought evenly with Farnis’s Fire Dragon, had become a reliable ally, far more so than when she merely followed behind Nana.
I couldn’t fall behind either. I could now activate ‘Iron Cutting Fist’ without any preconditions. While individually we may not yet match Lord Kelvin and the others, as a team, we wouldn’t lose—
“Huh, she disappeared…?”
“—!!” Nana, behind you!”
A sudden shout. It was me, who had been observing Rion-chan, who had the best visual acuity among the party, that I noticed first. Rion-chan, moving with terrifying speed, was rushing towards Nana, who was in the rear. She ran in a circle around the training ground, her trajectory leaving behind crackling sparks and scorch marks.
“Eh?”
I had alerted them to the danger, but Nana’s speed was not enough to evade. She would be defeated the moment she turned around. Miyabi was close, but it was too difficult to chant a spell. Touya, who was at the front, was out of the question. Then, I… no, that might also…
“Gu, Aah!”
“Mun-chan!?”
It was Mun who saved Nana from danger. More accurately, it became a substitute. Rion’s deadly blade, aimed at Nana’s neck, was intercepted by Mun, who had jumped in between, and severed its head. Mun, having jumped out of the backpack and able to observe its surroundings, likely detected Rion-chan just as I did.
“I thought it would be quicker to hunt down the commander of the dragon if you had one. She seemed to be a support type. Yes, you have a good child, Natchan.”
“Eh, ah, eh…?”
Nana was bewildered by Rion’s smile, which was utterly unsuited for combat. Before her eyes, Mun was regenerated by Colette’s power. Then, with its massive body, Mun was blown out of the barrier that covered the training ground. It seemed that if a fatal injury was sustained, the participant would be ejected from the match. I wish they had explained that… No, I should be grateful right now. Even while regenerating, seeing Mun in such a state would have been detrimental to Nana.
“Nana, move!”
Miyabi, riding the Oni, shouted as they charged. The Oni raised its fist, about to strike Rion-chan. Right, this is no time to be spaced out. Even though Mun became a scapegoat, she was still close to Nana. Touya and I also ran at full speed to assist.
“I’m sorr—”
“Yes, this is no time to be spacing out. Electromagnetic whip.”
“Ahh…”
Something long and thin wrapped around Nana’s arm. At that moment, Nana shuddered and was about to collapse to her knees. Was that a type of electric shock? However, just before that, the floor was covered in ice, and icicles shot up one after another. Nana had chanted ‘Ice Heaven Temple’ just before losing consciousness. This drastically reduced Rion-chan’s speed and rendered her unable to use support magic.
—Crack! Crack!
“Ah, it’s surprisingly brittle.”
No sooner had I thought that, she forcefully pulled her frozen leg free. Moreover, her body was moving normally. Even so, her movements should have been greatly restricted.
“Looking away is forbidden.”
The Oni’s fist, controlled by Miyabi, swung.
“I’m watching, Micchan. I’ll return Natchan.”
As Rion-chan swung her arm, the electric wire wrapped around Nana retracted. Like an electric whip, it snaked out, lifting Nana, who was about to faint, into the air—right into the path where Miyabi’s Oni was about to attack.
“Tch…”
Miyabi uttered with displeasure, halting the Oni’s fist in an emergency. Colette’s secret art only worked on wounds that would cause fatal damage, and the escape from the field was the same. This made Nana a convenient shield. With Nana right in front of her, it might be possible to rescue her. But if she grabbed Nana with her fist, the electricity would transfer to the Oni, and the shock would travel to Miyabi on its shoulder. Before that, it felt like a trap. Miyabi seemed to be thinking the same thing, unable to reach out for Nana, who had been tossed into the air.
“Aren’t you going to catch her? Well, I’ll do this then…”
Rion-chan swung the electric whip again. This time, Nana flew towards us. This made her a useful weapon. I almost forgot, but Rion-chan was Lord Kelvin’s sister.
