(This scenery is nice. Everyone is shining with all their might. Just like back then— — Ah, I might get a little sentimental.)
As the battle was about to begin, Maria was secretly recalling memories of past battles. You might wonder why she was being so leisurely, but she couldn’t help it since the memories had surfaced in her mind. Her moment of sentimentality was unstoppable.
Those gentle memories of youth, where many heroes attacked her one after another. The sudden, impromptu feast with a god who charged in alone, as if screaming “thief cat.” The friendship-destroying fight with Vakara that began over a disagreement about whether one was a dog person or a cat person. The fist-to-fist conversations with the strongest humans who appeared like sudden mutations, long after the culture of heroes from other worlds had been completely eliminated. The eyes of a cute high school girl from Japan, filled with ambition, killing intent, giant-killing prowess, and madness. Her first meeting with her neighborhood friend Kuon, and then their first fight, followed by a budding friendship. A small trouble with the locals that occurred in another world she was visiting, leading to a war against a nation, et cetera, et cetera— — The scenes that came to mind were varied, the eras and opponents different. But what they all had in common was that, for Maria, they were all unforgettable and wonderful memories.
(Hehe, I was a bit more of a tomboy back then than I am now. But my essence hasn’t changed at all. The closer the opponent, the more I feel alive. That’s why I love fighting strong opponents. But even more than that, I love meeting people I like through battles. But even more than that— — I love fighting flashy battles with strong people, and shining brightly! Yes, in every memory, I am truly shining!)
…Yes, for Maria, they were all wonderful memories.
“Nun!”
“Sei!”
“Nda naa!”
Even as she was lost in thought, attacks from Kelvin and the others continued to pour in. Gerard’s fatal slash, powered by his magic sword, Sera’s magic fist unleashed from a fully armed state, Boga’s giant body charging with flames erupting— — all of them were full-power attacks.
“Ah, sorry, sorry, I just remembered it had started, didn’t I?”
“!” “!” “!”
Maria spoke as if she had just realized it. Instead of dodging or defending against these attacks, she met them head-on. Or, rather, it would be more accurate to say she accepted them.
Gerard’s slash severed Maria’s slender neck, showering the surroundings with a rain of blood from where her head had been. Sera’s strike pierced deeply into the core of Maria’s body, which was now a head shorter, and even went all the way through to the back. Boga’s giant body, flying from above, delivered a further follow-up attack. The pitch-black boulder crushed Maria’s head with its momentum, leaving no trace of its original form behind. It was a complete overkill, carried out with brutal thoroughness. However, please wait a moment. Maria’s previous words must have come immediately after those attacks.
“Good, there’s no hesitation, it’s very good. That spirit, capable of becoming a demon for its goal, can actually be crucial at the last minute. It’s different from those naive heroes who get hung up on peculiar points of conscience… It makes my heart pound with excitement♪”
In a corner of the field, far from Sera and the others, Maria stood up, fully intact, from the seawater that filled it. Simultaneously, Maria’s body, which Sera had pierced, scattered into red mist.
“……If you’re going to revive, at least do it from your crushed head or your hole-ridden body. Why are you reviving from there?”
“Why? Because my blood flowed here? I just wanted to surprise you a little, there’s no deeper reason. Besides, you’re really merciless. Chopping off my head, piercing my chest, crushing my head— — you shouldn’t do this to such a pretty opponent—”
“— — Heavy Wind Pressure: IX.”
“Pigya!?”
While the surrounding seawater and environment remained unchanged, a deadly pressure bore down solely on Maria. It was a load so immense that even if the target were an S-Rank Monster, a pool of blood would form in an instant. It was by no means something that could be ended with a cute scream. Though, Maria managed to get away with just that.
“Even so, an opening is an opening, you know!”
A sudden surprise attack from behind. Ange, in her kunoichi attire, emerged from the seawater and once again succeeded in taking Maria’s head. It seemed she had approached in a translucent state from underground and perfectly executed a “Deadly Blow.”
“Waaan!”
Almost simultaneously, Alex leaped out from Ange’s shadow and relentlessly slashed at Maria’s body with the Lethal Play Sword held in his mouth. The focus was on speed rather than power, and the wounds inflicted were all shallow. However, as if this were more than enough, Alex returned to Ange’s shadow with a look of satisfaction.
“Dahak, if you miss now, you’ll be ruined as a man.”
“Don’t put weird pressure on me! You too!”
“I’m fine because I’m not a man.”
The attacks continued relentlessly. Bullets from Mudoph from a distance, and what appeared to be plant seeds from Dahak, pierced Maria’s separated head and body. The attacks, fired like a machine gun, did not stop, and Maria was truly being turned into a sieve. Mud’s bullets exploded inside her even after a direct hit, inflicting further fatal wounds, and Dahak’s seeds took root within Maria’s body, seemingly infecting her with some mysterious plant.
“Hey, my plants will die from the explosion! Go easy, you idiot!”
“My master told me not to hold back. Dahak, you’re the one making a fool of yourself by forgetting the orders.”
It seemed that, just like their attacks, their bickering was also non-stop. Perhaps to avoid getting caught up in the attacks of the Dragon Kings, Ange disappeared again into some darkness. Meanwhile, Gerard and Sera, who had been pushed away earlier, had closed the distance by flanking from outside the trajectory of the bullets and seeds, preparing to engage in close combat. …But, however.
“Nngh!?”
“This— —!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m starting to get a feel for everyone’s characteristics, even if it’s just a little bit?”
It was a momentary event. Gerard’s magic sword, intended to detonate her body, and Sera’s fist, which controlled reason and was mixed with blood, were caught by Maria’s thin, hole-ridden arms. Gerard’s sword was caught with just two fingers in a perfect sword-catch, and Sera’s fist was stopped with just one finger.
* “Damn, is this Kuon’s technique!? Gerard, are you able to move on your end!?”
* “Not at all, it won’t budge! What is this, does it work on armored bodies too!? I’m perplexed by this unprecedented sensation!”
To Maria’s surprise, she had used Kuon’s Aikido. Gerard was completely immobilized through his sword, and Sera through her various armed fists. Meanwhile, Maria was continuing to endure the gunfire from Mud and the gravity pressure from Kelvin, but she appeared to be quite accustomed to it. Her lofted head had also regenerated by some unknown time.
“Don’t be so surprised. I’ve known Kuon longer, you know? So it’s not strange that I can do this, is it? M-M-MOREOVER~, I’ve been thinking for a while now, but Sera-chan resembles someone I know. That, combined with it, makes me feel so nostalgic— — Huh, what?”
It was Maria’s turn to show surprise next. And it was for good reason; the two she had immobilized with Aikido had disappeared from in front of her. However, the cause was quickly discovered.
“As expected, you’re being ridiculously reckless. I thought I was used to regeneration from fighting Rukil, but the real deal is completely different, I’m realizing that now.”
Kelvin, stopping Mudoph and Dahak’s attacks with a gesture, stepped forward. Flanking him were Gerard and Sera, whom they had lost sight of moments before.
“Hmm? Did you move them over there with Summoning Magic? It’s different from how I thought it would be used, but it seems convenient for emergency evasion. But still, I can use teleportation magic too~!”
Saying this, Maria puffed out her chest, which she didn’t have. This was also the moment her body, which should have been full of holes, was instantly healed.
