Kelvin’s Residence – Underground Training Hall
Ryuka was the first to move. At the signal, she entered stealth mode and sprinted towards Touya’s blind spot. She lowered her stance again, intending to close the distance instantly.
(What!?)
*THUD!*
The moment she tried to run, Ryuka inexplicably tripped and fell, making quite a racket. Even in stealth mode, making a loud noise drastically increased the chance of being discovered. Touya seemed to have found Ryuka because of this.
This training hall was open to everyone living in the mansion, and Ryuka, an apprentice maid, had often entered it for training with Gerard and Rion. In other words, she should have been familiar with it. The polished, sturdy floor offered excellent grip, far more than it looked. If Ryuka, who was accustomed to it, had been in her usual state, such a mistake would have been highly unlikely.
(Ryuka, what are you doing in front of Master!)
(Whoa, I can feel Mother’s anger emanating from behind me…!)
As if to express Ellie’s anger, flames ignited in her right hand. The jewel on her bracelet sparkled, gradually taking the shape of a crimson lotus.
“Explosive Burial Dragon!”
After completing the incantation, a dragon wreathed in flames appeared. Although smaller in comparison, it bore a striking resemblance to the dragon heads of Efil’s Multi-headed Fire Dragon.
(Hurry up.)
(Got it!)
By conjuring this dragon, which stood out among Ellie’s magic, she succeeded in capturing Touya’s attention. With his gaze averted, Ryuka faded back into stealth, her presence becoming faint. It was a testament to the mother-daughter bond, having spent most of their lives together.
“Hero-sama. Though I may not be a match for the Head Maid, I, Ellie, will face you.”
“Creating a dragon is incredible. But you know, we’ve fought even more powerful dragons than that, so here I go!”
*CLANG!*
Touya deflected the kunai thrown by Ryuka, who had circled behind him while still in stealth, with his Sacred Sword, as if he had seen it from the start. That moment marked the beginning of Ryuka’s emergence and Ellie’s manipulation of the Aerial Explosive Burial Dragon, setting the stage for the real battle.
Ryuka employed a hit-and-run tactic, throwing kunai she had hidden. However, for some reason, her aim was off even here. One out of every two kunai missed due to her sweaty hands or a speck of dust in her eye, and whenever she tried to approach, she would stumble. Although she managed to recover just in time with her innate agility, she couldn’t exert her full strength like this.
“You’re fast, but not as fast as Setsuna!”
“Hmm…?”
Ellie, who was fighting alongside her, seemed to be experiencing the same issue, as she was unable to properly control the Explosive Burial Dragon. Ellie’s style was to have the Explosive Burial Dragon gouge the training hall floor and aggressively hunt down its prey like a hunter, but today, she lacked the usual finesse in wielding her magic. The dragon’s movements were erratic, and even Touya, who was engaging Ryuka, managed to evade it. In essence, her strengths were being nullified.
(…It seems Ryuka is also not in good form. In that case—)
Ellie switched the Explosive Burial Dragon to auto-mode and ignited flames in her right hand again.
“Fire Rain.”
She enlarged the flames she had conjured and flung them into the sky. The celestial phenomenon, which spread over a wide area, soon descended upon the ground as a rain of fire, attacking both Touya and, incidentally, Ryuka.
“Whoops.”
“Eh, w-wait a minute!”
The fire rain, which should have fallen randomly within the area, fell only slightly around Touya. As if to compensate, it began to converge towards Ryuka in a group. Still, Ryuka, using her “Acrobatics” skill, managed to dodge them all by a hair’s breadth.
“I wonder if Ellie is starting to notice Touya’s nature,” Kelvin murmured from the spectator seats.
“Nature, you say?”
“It could be said to be the effect of Touya’s Unique Skill, ‘Absolute Gospel.’ What do you think, Efil?”
“Well… seeing the dire situation of Ellie and Ryuka, perhaps a power that brings misfortune to those who oppose the user?”
“A skill of that degree would be cute. Do you remember? Touya’s ‘Absolute Gospel’ is the same ability as the previous Hero, Serge Floa. In other words, he’s so lucky that his opponents defeat themselves, and things naturally progress in his favor even if he does nothing.”
Kelvin showed Efil a memo from the “Apostle of God” that he had shared through his subordinate network.
“Ah, that’s right. However, I didn’t sense that kind of aura when we met at Traage…”
“Perhaps there’s a condition. For example, if there are people around with a higher Luck stat than oneself, the skill might be invalidated.”
“Eh, why do you… Ah!”
Nodding in agreement with Kelvin’s guess, Nana, also in the spectator seats, reacted. She did so perfectly.
“Nana…”
“Nana…”
“Ah, ugh… I’m sorry…”
Unable to withstand the dagger-like stares from Setsuna and Miyabi on either side, Nana offered a sincere apology.
“Gyaaaaar…”
A comforting cry came from the backpack on Nana’s back.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone except our allies. Just be careful from now on.”
“Yes… Huh?”
As her hesitant voice overlapped, a violent explosion echoed through the space. Within the training hall’s barrier, flames erupted in various places, and Touya and Ryuka clashed swords amidst the gaps. Each time, Ryuka’s Reinforced Mithril Dagger chipped against the sharpness of the Sacred Sword Will, and Ryuka herself sustained numerous minor injuries. While the absurdity of her Unique Skill played a part, Touya’s raw strength also surpassed Ryuka’s. The Explosive Burial Dragon had already been cut down by the Sacred Sword.
“Ryuka! My magic will be depleted with the next spell. Consider this your last chance!”
Ellie shouted in a surprisingly loud voice. The “Crimson Jewel Bracelet” Ellie wore was an A-Rank weapon that reduced the magic consumption for fire attribute magic by one-third, increased its power, and improved the precision of control. It could be thought of as a bracelet-like staff. However, even with its power, repeated spells, such as the A-Rank Red Magic “Explosive Burial Dragon” and B-Rank Red Magic “Fire Rain,” had left her with very little MP remaining.
“I-If, then… How about this!”
Ryuka threw something black in four directions around Touya. Immediately afterward, a churning jet-black smoke erupted. Spreading rapidly, the area within the barrier was instantly shrouded in darkness. Although she considered the possibility of poison unlikely given the range, Touya held his breath just in case.
(Is it a simple blind? My first move—)
Touya’s fleeting thought was not missed by Ryuka. Three kunai, thrown from a different angle, attacked from within the darkness. One lodged itself in the floor at his feet, while the other two hurtled towards his heart and throat.
“Light Fairy!”
In response to the voice, the darkness was illuminated by light. It was here that Touya finally needed the help of his guardian fairy. With the fairy now emitting light, he could see somewhat even within the black smoke. He dodved the first kunai and blocked the second with his Sacred Sword. Then came a strike from Ryuka’s dagger. Her target was his neck.
*CRACK!*
The dagger’s blade was destroyed at the base by the swift counter-attack of the Sacred Sword. However, Ryuka’s attack was not yet over. It was a kick whose trajectory had been corrected in mid-air by her newly learned “Heavenly Walk.” It was too late to evade, and his sword was already pointed at the dagger, leaving him no time to react. His only remaining option was to brace for impact.
(Sorry, but with this physique difference, it won’t do much damage…!)
Touya, who had defended himself, felt an intensely sharp pain in his arm, far too sharp for a mere kick.
(A hidden knife in her shoe…!)
Surprised by the sudden pain, Touya immediately maneuvered his sword and struck Ryuka. The blow, though not a full force strike using the flat of the blade, was powerful enough to knock Ryuka unconscious. Yet, even in her unconscious state, Ryuka wore a smile, as if she had accomplished something.
“Hand of the Flame Demon.”
“Guh!”
For a moment, a fiery hand emerged from the residual black smoke, grabbing the Sacred Sword Will and immobilizing it. The demonic hand, large enough to envelop an entire person, burned Touya’s adjacent skin.
“This is the end.”
“Didn’t you say your magic would be depleted with that spell?”
“I seem to be having trouble adjusting my magic power. I miscalculated the remaining amount.”
As Ellie leaped, another Hand of the Flame Demon materialized in her right hand. Perhaps due to the power of the Crimson Jewel Bracelet, the flames burned even more fiercely than the hand restraining the Sacred Sword Will. Her earlier statement about her magic being depleted with the next spell was, in essence, a lie.
“Therefore, while it is not my usual style, I will attack with broad strokes. Prepare yourself!”
“I’ve been prepared from the start!”
The Sacred Sword Will shone with dazzling light. In Touya’s left hand, where the converging power was focused, was another Sacred Sword. The holy light and the crimson flames clashed.
