The “Eleventh Crossroads.”
This is the busiest intersection in Fuziaze, where the nation’s “Magic Stone Lines” converge.
The intersection, where roads about thirty meters wide connect, is large enough to be called a grand plaza, providing ample space for magical battles.
With only a fountain and stone statues as obstacles, it’s also ideal for keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Of course, that’s if you don’t consider the ordinary people passing by.
Now, I’m sitting side-by-side with Tiara-san on a bench where I was eating lunch alone a week ago.
While I used to draw curious stares from many people, today, with my companion, I don’t feel out of place in this street’s distinctive sweet atmosphere. Even so, Tiara-san’s attire is so plain that she doesn’t quite blend in.
Looking to my right and left, I see nothing but noble couples dressed in dazzling attire.
I force down the feeling of nausea from the crowds and focus on keeping watch.
Come to think of it, I think today is some kind of holiday.
The air feels a few percent sweeter than it did a week ago, perhaps due to the date.
“Dating” in the morning, how envious.
Meanwhile, we’re preparing for a bloody battle to the death—
Just as I’m about to mutter a complaint, a voice calls out from next to me.
“Preparation complete. …But I can’t move any further like this, you know? Can you really protect yourself alone?”
Tiara, having quickly finished the preparations, looks at me with concern.
It seems she managed to make it before anyone could attack us.
They might not have expected us to be openly resting at the nation’s largest intersection. Anyone looking for a fugitive would typically search alleyways like the one we were in earlier.
“Ah, it’s more than enough. I was planning to take on everyone in Fuziaze by myself anyway, so I’m fine.”
“Good answer. Alright, let’s shift into interception stance! Hunker down.”
As planned, Tiara finished all her preparations and is now getting off the chair. Unable to even sit up, she sits on the ground without minding the dirt.
Her time, it seems, is truly running out.
Not only is she lacking strength, but her expression is devoid of life. Her sweat has stopped, her breathing is shallow, and her body is cold. Her body looks as if she’s completely prepared to die.
I stand up from the bench and focus all my attention on guarding our surroundings beside her, who lies defenseless.
My hands rest on the twin swords at my waist, increasing the internal pressure of the magic power within me, ready to cast spells anytime.
However, as expected, doing so draws attention.
It looks like a couple who were sitting on a bench, but one of them is now on the ground, and the other is standing guard beside them. It’s natural for people to wonder what on earth they’re doing.
The passing couples stare at us.
One pair shies away warily, another walks past without interest, and a third begins to discuss approaching us from a distance.
Then, a few tens of seconds after we entered our interception stance— a gentlemanly noble with blond hair approaches and speaks.
“…Are you alright? Should I lend a hand?”
Behind him, his companion looks at us with genuine concern.
Honestly, this is outside of our plan.
While slightly impressed by the unexpectedly high caliber of Fuziaze’s citizens, I shake my head.
“We appreciate your kindness. However, we’re fine. She’ll feel better if she rests.”
“No, not just her… you look pale too. Wouldn’t it be better to move to a quieter place? If you’d like, we can help.”
Nodding towards the lady behind him, Tiara signals to me with her eyes that she has a same-sex companion to help and I needn’t worry. She seems not only kind-hearted but also considerate of the details.
However, I shake my head again with a wry smile.
“I’m sorry. She said she wants to be here. It has to be here.”
“Here…?”
“Yes. So, we don’t need any help.”
Imagining the tragedy that might unfold, I firmly refuse the kind noble couple and send them away.
“I see. Well, I apologize for intruding. Take good care of her. And don’t overexert yourself.”
Without imposing his goodwill, the noble man easily withdraws.
His eyes lingered on the knight’s armband on my shoulder. Perhaps he concluded that since I’m a knight of the Grand Cathedral, things shouldn’t go too badly. He was perceptive and made a sound judgment, which was fortunate.
“Thank you.”
After expressing my gratitude, I watch the backs of the kind couple as they leave.
Following their lead, the other pairs who were observing us from a distance also move away. Though they seemed worried, they seem to have given up after seeing our response.
Some might have felt reassured upon noticing my armband, while others might have reported us to nearby gendarmes as a precaution.
Before long, the news reaches the ears of the pursuing knights, and Fedelt and his group arrive.
I wait for the time of the assault, without a hint of complacency.
The sun gradually rises.
It’s almost time to call it noon rather than morning. Ordinarily, the ceremony would be over by now, and I’d be savoring a lavish meal at the Grand Cathedral.
But that is no longer possible.
The most significant factor preventing that peaceful future is arriving now.
Though unseen so far, their intensely unique presence signals their arrival.
“—They’re here. As planned, my daughter first. Just don’t miss the timing.”
“Ah, I understand. You too, I’m counting on you.”
At high noon on a clear day— under that clear sky, the “Eleventh Crossroads” is bustling with people.
Suddenly, that crowd parts.
From the unnaturally divided crowd, a single girl appears.
A girl with golden hair fluttering, radiating magic power that intimidates her surroundings, her sharp eyes fixed forward.
Everyone present feared standing in her line of sight. Consequently, a path opens before the girl, as if a precious carpet, hesitant to be stepped on, has been laid out.
The solitary walking girl— Rustiara Fuziaze’s appearance draws all attention at the “Eleventh Crossroads.”
It’s only natural, as she is currently the most famous, most revered, and most beautiful girl in Fuziaze. Rustiara’s popularity in Fuziaze is immense. All people, regardless of gender, were captivated by Rustiara’s gait.
Normally, Rustiara would smile warmly and interact with the nation, but she has no room for that now.
She’s serious.
Her expression is solemn. The magic power she usually suppresses churns, exuding an aura befitting a figure of great stature. Her seductive charm, which forcibly captures everyone’s attention, leaks out.
The surrounding murmur intensifies.
Voices of “beautiful” are heard from here and there. Whispers of “she must be the real thing” are heard. Yet, no one can approach her. There’s no opening.
This, too, is the power of the girl named Rustiara. Her excessive nobility makes people hesitate to approach, to touch— even to speak to her.
Rustiara walks serenely and wordlessly along the created path, stopping directly before us.
She then speaks, just as the noble gentleman did earlier.
“…Tiara-sama, you look distressed. Are you alright? I’ll lend you a hand. If necessary, I’ll lend you my body as well.”
Her expression and words are similar— but her resolve is incomparable to the man’s. Even if refused as an intrusion, she would never give up— prepared to bet her life.
However, so are we.
Both Tiara and I are betting our lives on this gamble.
Steelng my resolve not to back down, I stand before Rustiara and declare.
“If you want Tiara, defeat me first.”
“Rainer, you’re in the way.”
“That’s what I should be saying.”
Declaring my intent to fight, I draw “Sylph Ruf Bringer” and “Knight’s Sword” and thrust them into the ground to assert my claim to fight here. Then, I take up “Helvirshine’s Twin Wings” and point its tip forward.
Facing my fighting spirit, Rustiara narrows her eyes and looks around.
“…Were you waiting for me? Did you think I wouldn’t do anything reckless if there were onlookers?”
Half of the couples at the “Eleventh Crossroads” have stopped walking and are watching our movements. Their revered Living God has appeared, and a tense atmosphere is brewing. It’s natural for curiosity to turn them into gawkers.
“You’re naive, Rainer. I’m the type who gets even more fired up when there are spectators.”
“Is that so? If you do something reckless here, your position as the Grand Cathedral’s administrator will be…”
In response to my fighting spirit, Rustiara laughs with even greater resolve.
It’s not the smile of a Living God who managed the Grand Cathedral, but the smile of Rustiara, an explorer. She’s excited by the prospect of a great return, willing to overcome any risk. A madman’s grin of a thrill-seeker.
“My position isn’t that important. Anyway, after reviving Tiara-sama, I was planning to leave everything to Fedelt… More importantly, there’s something more significant here right now. I have something I want to obtain even if it means abandoning everything in Fuziaze.”
“You were planning to hand it over to that Fedelt…?”
“If you consider reality instead of ideals, Fedelt is the one who should rule Fuziaze. Compared to those infuriating Senate members… well… — But let’s stop wasting time. We don’t have much left—”
I wanted to buy time with a long conversation, but it doesn’t go as planned.
The conversation is cut short at an opportune moment.
Rustiara likely wants to finish the fight before the dying Tiara does something reckless. Before the conversation ends, she takes a step forward and shouts loudly as she walks.
“—Everyone around, I’m sorry! I’m about to fight! Please move back a little!!”
With that, Rustiara kicks off the ground.
She rushes at me, who is holding twin swords, without a hint of hesitation, with her bare hands. Naturally, I swing my swords— though I can’t kill her, my aim is to sever her arm— and Rustiara completely reads this intention.
Rustiara twists her body and skillfully dodges both swords with minimal movement.
In an instant, the advantage of sword reach is nullified, and an enemy fist fills my vision as it approaches.
I also dodge it by twisting my body.
Simultaneously, an impact from the side hits my injured leg.
As my body sways sideways, I realize I’ve been tripped along with the punch.
As my stance lowers, Rustiara’s fist attacks again. This time it’s a downward right punch from above.
“—《Wind》!”
The wind magic I prepared in advance activates.
For a Knight of Wind, a ruined stance is not a lapse.
For me, who can use the wind as a footing, every stance is a perfect position. While forcibly evading Rustiara’s downward right punch, I launch a head kick. Unlike with swords, I don’t have to hold back with martial arts. It’s a kick with all my might.
Rustiara takes the high kick, with its impossible stance and angle, directly to the side of her head. At the same time, her downward right punch lands squarely on the ground.
A series of large and small explosions.
The ground shakes like an earthquake, and a large fissure, unlike anything a human could create, runs through the “Eleventh Crossroads.”
Using the recoil of the high kick, I jump back.
The distance is re-established, with the web-like cracks on the ground in between.
At this point, several screams, like silk being torn, erupt from the surroundings.
What seemed like a minor scuffle has now escalated into a clash of violence where deaths could easily occur. Like scattering spiderlings, the onlookers start to distance themselves. However, some women, having fallen due to the ground’s vibration, are unable to stand up in their panic. Some are on the verge of hysteria. The “Eleventh Crossroads” falls into a minor chaos due to the impact of a single punch.
However, Rustiara and I continue to exchange fighting spirit, indifferent to the surrounding situation.
“You’re still good… In that case, let’s start with Rainer. Excuse me, but I’ll knock you unconscious…!”
“Try it if you can…! You damn woman…!”
I utter unfamiliar, vulgar taunts to focus the enemy’s attention on me.
Learning from my experience in the previous fight with Nosfy, I’m trying to find a way to fight without being ignored.
It’s not just that I don’t want Tiara to be targeted, but I also don’t want the ground to be destroyed recklessly like before. This location is crucial for our future plans.
“Rainer aaah!!”
Rustiara screams and charges in a curved path.
In response, I stand before Tiara and regrip my twin swords. I know the enemy intends to abduct Tiara at any opportunity. I take a defensive stance, determined not to let her get close.
Rustiara, who lunges forward, dodges the tip of my sword by a hair’s breadth and retreats. However, she immediately regains her posture and attempts to close the distance again from a different angle.
There’s a rapid back-and-forth exchange.
Understanding her disadvantage in reach, she tries various attacks, never overextending, and exploiting the situation where I can’t leave Tiara’s side. Although Rustiara appears to have lost her composure, her combat skills remain first-rate.
“Tch. If this continues, it’s impossible— then, a weapon—!!”
Rustiara abandons her charge and moves towards a nearby structure.
The structure at the center of the “Eleventh Crossroads”— the fountain and the stone statue.
She then roughly tears the stone statue from its base.
“Wh—!?”
The screams of the surrounding civilians intensify.
Rustiara, seeking a weapon, chose the ornate stone statue above all else. It’s no wonder the screams escalated. Facing a sword with bare hands, prioritizing mass over blades for a weapon— frankly, it’s the thought process of a monster, not a human.
Amidst the chaos, as if a monster had appeared in the middle of town, Rustiara jumps with the stone statue held above her head.
Despite her exhaustion, she moves exceptionally well.
It’s overwhelming physical prowess derived from her Strength and Stamina stats. It makes learning about “unquantifiable numbers” until recently seem foolish, as Rustiara’s physical abilities are outstanding.
It’s an imposition of ability that crushes subtle elements like ingenuity, prediction, luck, and opportunity.
That’s Rustiara’s fighting style.
“Eat this—!!”
“—《Wind》!”
Rustiara easily jumps directly above me and throws the stone statue she’s holding.
It’s an effective move against me, who has no choice but to intercept rather than evade.
Even if I cut the stone statue with my sword, the fragments don’t stop. If even one of those fragments hits Tiara, it would be disastrous. I might be willing to die, but it’s bad if what she’s doing now is interrupted.
Reluctantly, I choose magic on the spur of the moment and try to deflect the falling stone mass to the side.
Naturally, Rustiara appears from behind the statue and closes in without giving me a chance to breathe or rebuild my magic.
I try to swing my sword to push her away, but she grabs my wrist, about to start the arm movement. I try to strike Rustiara’s temple with the hilt of my other sword, but she gets even closer and dodges.
I’ve completely lost the advantage of sword distance.
Even as I try to retreat and create distance, Rustiara, anticipating this, presses forward. She then uses her hands to flick away my wrists, not my twin swords with blades, in a safe manner.
I futilely try to thrust my knee upward, but she deflects it and her hands move efficiently, suppressing the initial movement.
“Kuh!”
My sword’s advantage is nullified, and I’m being pressured with martial arts.
I realize it’s disadvantageous to hold swords at this distance and try to let go— but that decision is too late. The moment I let go of the swords, Rustiara’s right elbow strikes my solar plexus, expelling all the air from my lungs.
“Gah—!!”
Furthermore, from that elbow strike, a right backfist attacks my face. I manage to avoid a direct hit by tilting my face to the right, but Rustiara’s whip-like left arm strikes the front of my face.
Her aim is a merciless eye-gouge. Even without poking her fingers, she momentarily blinds me by striking the entire surface of my face.
—It’s no good.
Her martial arts are too superb.
I only know the martial arts taught at the academy, while she uses moves I’ve never seen.
The moment my vision is taken, I concede the match.
Simultaneously, I feel shock and pain in my jaw and thigh, and both my legs leave the ground.
When I open my eyes, which are still hurting, Rustiara is behind me, pinning me in a bear hug.
“Haa, haa! Alright, I’ve got you! Now—”
Rustiara, exhaling her disheveled breath into my ear, begins her next move, confident of victory.
At that moment, I look around within the range of my vision.
And then, at the edge of my vision, I confirm the presence of my objective— I curse and buy time to match the timing.
“Let go, you strong woman—!!”
“Let me tell you, I won’t let go even if you explode with magic. I’ll just choke you out and end it.”
As Rustiara says, detonating magic at such close range would be meaningless. I remember being caught and checkmated by Christ during the Dance Battle Tournament, even when I did the same thing.
But that’s fine.
It’s okay if the one-on-one between Rustiara and me is my loss.
“Then, I’ll break free by force—!!”
“You can’t. I’ve completely got you in a hold.”
I know you have me in a hold.
My aim now is not to escape the restraint.
My aim remains— to neutralize Rustiara. That’s all.
Frankly, Rustiara is too focused on me.
Her thinking ability has likely decreased due to her poor health.
Like everyone else, Rustiara is also rushing towards victory in a panic.
This is precisely my advantage— only I can afford a defeat that isn’t fatal. Therefore, I can wait patiently. Even while being squeezed, I can calmly assess my surroundings.
—I can see the enemy’s surprise attack is proceeding well.
And so, with the intervention of a third player on the board, Rustiara’s checkmate is disrupted.
“\”\”\”\”—Resonance Magic, 《Invincible Ice Room》!!”
The same shout echoed from all directions.
And then, a pale blue magic power filled my vision. At the same time, Rustiara’s power constricting my neck loosened. To be precise, Rustiara and my bodies were forcibly frozen by magical power.
Without a doubt, it’s the barrier magic I endured with Christ and Titty a few weeks ago. It’s likely that one of the “Magic Stone Humans” mixed in with the surrounding civilians managed to activate the magic successfully.
After we became immobilized by magic, a man emerges from the crowd at the opportune moment.
“Hahahaha! Splitting hairs amongst ourselves, how amusing!”
With guarding knights flanking him on either side, he laughs from a safe distance. However, he quickly stops laughing, returns to his professional demeanor, and addresses the surrounding spectators, proclaiming their righteousness.
“Everyone, rest assured. Now that our Knight Order has arrived, we will apprehend anyone who causes trouble in Fuziaze. Regardless of who the opponent may be, there are no exceptions for those who harm citizens.”
In response to his statement, more knights appear.
At a glance, there are about fifty. Among them are a few “Magic Stone Humans.”
Presumably, Fedelt’s knights had already surrounded us before Rustiara arrived. However, they waited until their forces were ready and the situation developed. Thanks to that, they now gain the spoils of war at the most opportune moment.
Truly… the most opportune moment.
For me as well—
