“Match, beginnnn!”
Ranruru’s cry, more spirited than ever, signaled the start of the match. On the stage where her voice echoed, Rion drew the Demonic Sword Caladbolg and the Lethal Play Sword from their sheaths, while Rami cloaked her hands in lightning and the two muscle-bound individuals spread their arms wide. Though their appearances and implications differed, an offensive pressure emanated from each of them.
“Well, it’s good that the match has started, but first, we need to settle this!”
“Yeah, you’re right!”
The more participants there were in a battle, the more targets one had to be wary of. In this very beginning phase, where both sides were observing each other, it was Bourgeoise and Oddrad who moved first. Naturally, Rion and her companions heightened their alertness.
“Ta-da! The fleeting flower that shines in broad daylight! Glostina Bourgeoise, here to shoot straight for your heart!”
“Took you long enough! The beast that breaks through the earth from below everyone’s feet! Oddrad, I’m gonna gnaw through your heart!”
—Dah-Dah-Dah!
It was precisely like the dramatic entrance of the heroic heroes and heroines dreamed of by boys and girls, broadcast on Sunday mornings. The audience, with no prior knowledge, could only stare in stunned silence at the sight of the muscle-bound individuals striking dramatic poses. However, they could see it. They could see the colorful explosions happening behind them, even knowing they were illusions. Rion, in her usual state, would have likely shined with excitement at the sheer perfection of the poses, setting aside the actors’ costumes and appearances. Yes, Rion, in her usual state.
“Lightning Superconduction.”
However, this was a battle against opponents. Flashy poses were not in her sights; rather, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to attack, Rion began chanting a spell. The S-Rank Red Magic, Lightning Superconduction, an upgrade to lightning reactions, affected the entire party. This magic not only greatly increased Rion’s abilities but also Rami’s agility and reaction speed. Furthermore, she infused that lightning into Caladbolg, completing the preparations before the battle. The two, now visually more dazzling, clad in electricity, simultaneously launched their attack on the hero and heroine.
(Oh my, so impatient. But then again—)
(—We’re just as ready for battle, you know?)
Just as Rion’s lightning-infused blade and Rami’s fists were about to touch Glostina and her companion, a dazzling something erupted from the two muscle-bound individuals. It was a brilliant purple and green light.
“Nn!?”
Following the urgent alarm of their Danger Perception ability, or its equivalent intuition, Rion and her companions instantly changed direction. They retreated, drawing zigzagging trajectories as if struck by lightning.
(If I had swung my sword fully, I think the attack would have hit at least once. But I also felt like I would have received a more painful counterattack.)
(And what is that? It’s beyond creepy!)
Having put distance between themselves and their opponents, Rion and her companions faced forward once more.
“It was the right choice to pull back your attack. My aura has a really sticky quality, you know!”
Emerging from the light before them was Glostina, enveloped in a purple aura and spreading large wings that resembled butterflies on her back. With a snap and a fluttery kiss as a service, more screams erupted from the spectator seats.
“Indeed. But you’ve noticed not only the noble fairy dancing on my older disciple’s stage but also the killing intent of the earnest demon who devours my rage!”
Beside that purple pervert stood Oddrad, now manifesting a green aura. Two horns resembling those of an oni grew from his head, and combined with his muscular physique, he indeed looked like a true demon. However, the color of his aura was vibrant; if Glostina’s aura was poisonous, his felt fresh and invigorating. Befitting his robust appearance, he acted with dignity, and the screams directed at Oddrad seemed fewer.
“…You’ve mastered the essence of Gordian, haven’t you, old man? And those wings, Guro-chan, you didn’t have them before, did you?”
“Heheh, thank you! Since my Older Sister constantly evolves, I have to try my best to bloom too! These lovely wings might have been born from such deep-seated thoughts of mine. In other words, a developed form of the noble fairy dancing on stage!”
“Ri-chan, try to burn those wings off. Seriously, it’s disgusting.”
“It was a pretty close call for me! But I know how to use it! Come at me with all you’ve got!”
“That’s a blatant counterattack setup. I’m not a cheap woman to fall for such a lure.”
“Oh really? Then I’ll get a little dirty from this side. —Scale-dust Barrage!”
As Glostina spoke, she flapped her wings vigorously. Though the scene was quite noisy, poisonous scales (?) scattered from her wings and began to spread rapidly across the stage. The speed at which the scales polluted seemed even more ferocious than they looked.
“This is…”
“Well, it’s poisonous, just as it looks. I really respect Dahak-chan’s strategy in the Beast King Festival, so this is a imitation of sorts. Oh, dear! I said I’d play dirty, but I went and explained it like a lady!”
“Gwahaha! My Older Female Disciple is so kind!”
What Glostina was referring to was the match between Dahak and Gordiana. At that time, Dahak, realizing he couldn’t win in a head-on confrontation, had enclosed the stage in a botanical dome and filled the air with a potent poison. While the exact type of poison was still unknown, what Glostina was emitting from her wings was a type of poison gas, similar to that used then.
“We don’t mind if we continue our little chat like this, you know~”
“If you keep blabbering, the more disadvantageous it will be for you–”
—Dah-Dah-Dah!
“–What the!?”
“Oh my?”
A colossal lightning bolt suddenly descended from above the two figures who were so openly inviting them. Oddrad and Glostina narrowly dodged it. The unnaturally curved lightning struck the stage, partially destroying the supposedly sturdy platform and kicking up rubble with the impact. Moreover, it seemed the attack was not a single strike.
—Rumble, rumble…
A sound that seemed to constantly vibrate the very air echoed at the height of the stage’s barrier. By some unspoken means, a pitch-black thundercloud had spread across that height. The lightning that had just struck was, in fact, unleashed from this thundercloud.
(It’s troublesome if I can’t breathe, and poison is definitely bad for my skin! For the sake of our beauty, let’s attack quickly, Ri-chan! Unleash, Thunder God Cloud!)
While Glostina and her companion were engrossed in their conversation, Rami had been secretly chanting a certain spell. The thundercloud above the four was Rami’s original S-Rank Red Magic, Thunder God Cloud. When fully deployed, it was said to cover an entire mountain. This dark thundercloud would endlessly unleash countless powerful lightning strikes. Although each individual strike was only powerful enough to reliably crush a large rock, when they rained down like a shower, the situation became entirely different. It would eventually turn into something capable of obliterating a mountain.
(Yes, that’s the plan! If they don’t know what we’re doing, the best strategy is to not let them do anything! It’s hunting time, Purple Lightning Giant Hound!)
While the attention of the muscle-bound duo was directed towards the lightning descending from the heavens, Rion completed her next spell. It generated a giant hound formed from purple lightning. It bared its fangs, let out a growl, and selected its prey from amongst the rain of lightning. Then, in the next moment, it coincidentally made eye contact with its chosen prey.
“Oh my! I’m going to be eaten!”
Responding to Glostina’s cry as she flapped her wings and soared into the air (in reality, a mid-air leap using Heavenly Walk), some of the audience members were already on the verge of retiring.
