I sprinted straight towards Biner.
Biner’s ice-blue eyes pierced me with cold intensity.
Biner’s weapon was a bow.
While I did have the skill [Tomahawk], in a ranged battle, she would clearly have the advantage no matter how I looked at it.
Conversely, if I could close the distance, I should be at an advantage.
If I could get within axe range, I would win.
And then—
I’m sorry, Biner, but in reality, this battle is overwhelmingly in my favor.
If it were before I fought an Ancient Dragon in the Elf village incident, the tide would have been very different—
“—[Goukyuu]!”
From the bow Biner drew taut, an arrow was loosed.
An incredibly fast arrow, clad in a pale blue radiance, flew directly towards me without missing its mark.
It was a shot with the power of a Ballista, a power I’d seen when facing bandits.
With my Fighting Spirit, I shouldn’t be killed in a single blow, but there was no doubt it had enough power to inflict serious injury if it hit me directly.
My sprinting movements, the arrow’s flight, and Biner’s movements after releasing her shot all appeared in slow motion.
If I jumped to the side right now, I could somehow evade it.
But Biner, after finishing her shot, seemed to be aiming for something.
I took my next step forward, “straight ahead.”
“[“Kyoku”—Wait, you’re not dodging!]”
Biner’s surprised voice.
Yeah, there’s no need to.
I muttered inwardly and activated my skill.
“—[Yagaeshi]!”
—*Guii!*
The pale blue arrow meant to pierce me changed its trajectory on its own.
Just before hitting me, it sharply curved upwards and flew in a completely different direction.
“No way, did it miss…!? —No, that’s wrong!”
Biner cried out in surprise again, but immediately leaped back from her spot.
An instant later—*Dogoooon!*
Where Biner had been, an arrow descended from above and violently gouged the ground at my feet.
Seeing the result, Biner’s face turned pale.
“Wh-what…!? —Damn it, then once more—[Goukyuu]!”
Biner loosed another arrow.
An unbelievably fast rapid-fire shot, impossible for a normal archer.
But this time, it backfired.
It was “too soon.”
*Bo—Guii!*
Biner’s arrow, emitting a pale blue radiance, took an impossible trajectory again, avoiding me.
Then, with a sharp curve, it headed back towards Biner herself, who had fired it.
“Wha-…!? —Guh!”
Biner somehow managed to evade that one too by turning her face aside.
The arrow roared and bored a hole in the stone wall of the ruined temple behind Biner.
The skill of the Holy Axe Lombardia, [Yagaeshi].
It was one of the four skills I acquired when I defeated the Ancient Dragon.
Its effect was to “repel” any ranged attack, except for magic.
This was also said to be a skill that manipulates causality, and during the activation period of this skill, no ranged attack would hit me. Instead, the projectiles would attack the person who fired them.
The duration was five seconds.
Like [Absolute Defense], it could only be used as a temporary measure.
But this time, the effect was tremendous.
For an archer like Biner, it was a skill that could be called a natural enemy.
And I was now only ten steps away from reaching Biner.
“Guh…!”
Biner, looking flustered, began to run sideways, as if fleeing from me.
I knew that the effect of [Yagaeshi] lasted for five seconds, but Biner did not.
All she observed was that both of her deadly arrows had been repelled.
By now, she was likely utterly confused, with no idea how to fight.
However, Biner’s agility was still slightly superior to mine.
If I continued to play this game of chase, I would eventually be outrun.
So, before that—
“—[Holy Smash] [Tomahawk]!”
I unleashed the combined technique, similar to when I became a staff user like Kokuma, towards Biner.
Lombardia, its blade shining intensely, flew towards Biner, spinning rapidly like a boomerang.
“Wha-…!? Gguuuh…!”
Biner hastily stopped and intercepted it with her bow—
“—What is this power…!? I’m being pushed back… Aaaahhh!”
While the bow itself wasn’t destroyed, the impact couldn’t be fully negated.
Biner was blown away by Lombardia’s power—
—*Zudoooon!*
She violently collided with the trunk of a large tree that stood in her path.
“Gah…!”
Biner slammed her back against the large tree trunk with tremendous force.
The girl coughed weakly and then lost all strength, slumping down.
Meanwhile, the large tree Biner collided with—
—*Mekimeki mekimeki… Zu doooon!*
It was snapped by the impact of the girl’s body and fell.
I caught Lombardia, which had bounced off Biner’s bow, and walked over to Biner, placing the axe blade against her neck.
“I win, Biner.”
As I said that, Biner weakly raised her face.
“Guh, guh…! Hah… Y-yes… I lost… But what was that…? That was downright cheating… All the arrows I shot came back at me…”
“If I’m going to spoil the surprise, that was a super short-duration defense skill, lasting only five seconds.”
“Ew… how cruel. So if I had fired a third shot, it would have gone through…?”
“Well, yes. But even then, I would have ignored it and charged in to capture you. I wouldn’t have been taken down by an arrow of that power in one hit.”
“Oh well… So either way, I lose… You’re strong, Douglas-san… I’m so frustrated…”
Saying that, Biner sighed and looked up at the sky.
Then she looked back at me and said.
“Well, I lost, Douglas-san. Kill me. —Although, you probably won’t.”
“Yeah. But in return, I won. So you’ll have to do as I say regarding a few things.”
“Are you going to take me by force? —Heh, fine. In Tifereth’s style, this is the law of the jungle, after all? Besides, Douglas-san, you’re rather cool.”
Biner said that and gave a mischievous giggle.
“…Seriously. You and Marukt, what do you even think I am?”
“Hmm, a beast that attacks beautiful women, perhaps? But Marukt said the same thing? That means Douglas-san, that girl is quite fond of you.”
“Hmph, is that so.”
What is this now, I can’t make heads or tails of it.
There are so many points to retort, and the conversation is heading in completely the wrong direction.
How did it turn out like this?
But Biner smiled again, a wistful smile, and said to me.
“But seriously, I tried to kill you, Douglas-san, and lost. So you can do whatever you want with me, boil me or roast me. I no longer have the right to complain about it.”
Boil me or roast me, huh?
Hearing that, I gave Biner an instruction.
“Is that so. Then, first point. —Biner, you are not to kill any more humans for purposes other than self-defense. I know your Dragon person goal is to absorb human lives into that so-called Dragon Divine Artifact. Despite that, I’m telling you. You will not kill any more humans.”
Then Biner responded with a smile.
“I’m sorry, Douglas-san. I don’t think I can do that.”
“Wh—?”
To my question of “Why?”, Biner replied.
“What Douglas-san can do to me is only here and now. If you release me, that’s the end of our conversation. From now on, I will act by my own free will. Even a savanna lion cannot interfere with the actions of the prey it lets escape, can it?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“And I will surely choose the path that walks with my kin, again and again. —That won’t do, Douglas-san. It’s either release me or kill me. Or perhaps, will you put a collar on me and make me a slave?”
“…I see. Understood.”
I pulled the blade of Lombardia away from Biner and stood up.
I did not want to kill this Dragon person girl.
Seeing my action, Biner let out a sigh.
And then she said.
“You’re too soft, Douglas-san. If you, who possess such power, are like this, you won’t be able to stop our Dragon person ambition. In that case, humanity’s destruction is inevitable.”
But I shook my head at Biner.
“No, you’re the soft one, Biner.”
“…What do you mean? Did you decide to kill me after all?”
“No, I won’t kill you. But Biner— I will forcibly take you here and now.”
“…………Huh?”
Hearing my declaration, Biner charmingly tilted her head.
To this girl with ice-blue eyes, I lunged like a carnivore that had caught its prey.
