After seeing Nosfy off, we rushed through the Great Holy Capital and reached the entrance to the Underground City in a few minutes.
Flames raged from the entrance leading underground, repelling any visitors. However, Rainer used Wind Magic to create an opening and force our way through.
Stepping on the scorched stone stairs, we pushed through the flames, descending as our skin burned. We saw the Underground City, now unrecognizable, and gasped in surprise at the drastically changed landscape.
“T-This far…!!”
The underground townscape, which was safe this morning, was utterly destroyed.
It wasn’t just re-enveloped in roaring flames like when I first visited. The houses that lined the streets had collapsed, with more than half of them reduced to ruins. Wall fragments were scattered everywhere, broken food stall frames were exposed, and much of the wood had turned to charcoal.
And in the sky above the collapsed underground city, a sun that shouldn’t have been there shone brilliantly.
It was a sun so bright it swallowed the light of the burning city.
The luminosity, which should only exist at the edge of the sky, was contained within this narrow underground city. It was clear at a glance that its brightness was not natural. Honestly, it was painful to even keep my eyes open under the brightness, which surpassed that of the surface during broad daylight.
The underground city had collapsed, filled with purgatory, and a man-harming sun was shining.
As I finished surveying the situation, the word “hell” came to mind, a cliché comparison.
It seemed Rainer and Ragune-chan, walking beside me, felt the same.
They were sweating profusely, squinting, and taking half a step back. Their instincts likely warned them against proceeding further into this underground city.
However, having come here in pursuit of Nosfy, we could not afford to retreat now.
Just as the three of us braced ourselves and started to move forward—a voice reached us from the shadow of a nearby building.
“—B-Big Brother! You’re back!?”
Reaper slithered out from the shadows of the mansion. Following her, pulling my sleeping sister by the hand, was my younger sister.
Seeing the two of them, I felt relieved that the situation wasn’t the absolute worst and called back:
“Reaper! You and Hidaki are safe too…!”
“Yeah… I was making sure my sister was safe and securing our escape route. That’s why I was here.”
“Good judgment, Reaper…! So, what happened after that!? What happened after I left the mansion to cause all this!?”
“W-What do you mean…? After you guys left the mansion, a lot of things happened… First, Sera-onee-chan came to the mansion… and while that was happening, Snow-onee-chan’s brother put some strange poison in the food… Then they used Light Magic on us when we were weakened… but it didn’t affect everyone—um, and then—”
Reaper tried to explain what happened after I left, but she couldn’t quite piece it together. Her demeanor made it clear that a series of unusual accidents had occurred.
I immediately cut her off, grabbed her by the shoulders, and demanded:
“—Where should I go!?”
There was no doubt that time was of the essence.
Reaper seemed to understand, not repeating her interrupted explanation. She touched her chin in thought—and gave me the essential information for this situation.
“There’s a lot going on, but I think stopping the four people fighting in the center is the most important thing to do first!”
“The center, huh? I’m on my way! Reaper, you stay here and look after Hidaki!”
“Okay, I will!”
With that exchange, I started running.
Following Reaper’s instructions, I headed straight for the center of the Underground City, accompanied by two Knights.
—During the run, a piercing sound that shook my eardrums echoed from above.
“―――――, ――――――――――っ!!!!”
Instinctively, I covered my ears from the high-pitched sound, like fingernails scraping against a metal plate.
I immediately tried to locate the source of the sound. I climbed onto one of the still standing buildings in the Underground City and looked up at the sky.
Squinting intensely through the dazzling sunlight—I understood the source of the high-pitched noise.
There was a human figure within the sun.
I realized that this person was emitting the high-pitched sound and forming the sun with magic.
As I continued to stare, the magical sun began to change.
Gradually, the spherical shape distorted, and the sun spread across the sky like an amoeba. The sunlight irregularly invaded the Underground City, illuminating it completely. As it spread over a wide area, the sun’s luminosity lessened, and I could discern the identity of the person at the center.
“D-Dia…!”
Dia, with a pained expression, leaped and cried out her magic. Her overwhelming magic power and her scream mixed in her throat, turning the magic name into a sound that was not human.
Dia released particles of light from her lost right and left arms and spread wings from her back that I had never seen before. It was likely that this amoeba-like sun was her magical wings.
The excessive amount of light-elemental magic poured into her wings had caused them to go beyond the role of flight and become a sun. And I knew why Dia was exerting herself so much.
There was no doubt that Dia had lost herself in her magic right now.
Her screams, her expression, and her magic—everything suggested a rampage.
I reconfirmed the little time we had left and increased my speed.
However, before we could reach her, the situation escalated.
Dia, floating in the sky, abruptly stopped spreading the high-pitched sound and slowly spoke human words.
She looked directly down and uttered a single phrase.
“…Cheater.”
Her voice was small.
It was small, but carried a strong emotion and, at the same time, contained abnormal magic power.
It was likely unleashing an effect similar to neutral Vibration Magic. The small voice filled the entire Underground City and gradually expanded.
Hearing that vibration, a shiver ran down my spine, and my body almost stopped. It was highly probable that the voice was a special type that induced fear or some other status ailment.
Dia rained down her small voice onto the person on the ground.
“…Rustiara is a cheater. A cheater cheater cheater cheater cheater. Coward! I—I’ve always held back…! I’ve only ever watched from afar…! I can never step out from under that tree…! And now I can’t even go home…! Only Rustiara is swinging her sword in that place…! I want to be with Kanami too…! To swing swords together, to live together, to be together together—!!”
At the end of that curse—was Rustiara, who was on the ground.
From my vantage point high up, running through the Underground City, I strained my eyes and could barely make out her figure, like a speck of dust.
In the center of the Underground City, I could see Rustiara shouting something back at Dia, who was directly above her. But—
“—Shut up! Shut UP!!”
Dia’s response from the sky was a strong rejection.
Though I could only hear Dia’s voice, I could tell the persuasion was not going well.
Furthermore, along with that cry of denial, magic was unleashed from Dia’s left arm. She must have instinctively chosen a magic she was proficient at. It was a magic I knew well.
“—Flame Arrow!!”
It was a familiar magic, but its scale was unlike anything I had ever seen.
White light falling from the sun. The diameter of that Flame Arrow was over ten meters. It was no longer a beam of light, but a star of light. It was better to describe it as if a barrier of light itself was being shot downwards.
Rustiara, who seemed to have sensed the activation of the magic beforehand, escaped from the range of the Flame Arrow.
Afterward, the magic’s light illuminated the center of the Underground City and melted the ground where Rustiara had been. It didn’t have penetration power, possibly due to its wide range, but it evenly flattened the ruins.
Seeing this magic that surpassed even the Guardian, my running speed increased.
Then, before Dia could unleash her next attack, I managed to reach the vicinity of the Underground City’s center. As expected, the mansion that existed this morning was nowhere to be seen, and instead of ruins, it was nearly a flat plain.
In a corner of that plain, Rustiara was facing a mass of flame.
A pillar of fire stood there, slightly different in color from the flames of the Underground City. Within that pillar of fire, large enough to swallow a person whole, Maria was on her knees, clutching her body with both hands.
Maria, with a pale complexion, pleaded with Rustiara.
“Rustiara-san, hurry! Please escape far away! If this continues, I’ll kill you…! If you weren’t here, we wouldn’t have gone this far…!”
Maria, who seemed to struggle even to shift her body, looked up at Dia in the sky and explained their threat.
As she said, Dia, who seemed to have lost sight of Rustiara in the magic’s light, was merely vacantly looking around in the sky, showing no sign of preparing to cast another spell.
However, Rustiara did not accept Maria’s proposal.
“It’ll be fine without me…? Maria-chan, that won’t solve anything! It’s okay, I’ll handle it!”
“B-but…! If this keeps up, eventually I will too…! Hngh…!”
“I’m sorry, Maria-chan…! I decided I would never leave anyone behind again…!”
Maria bowed her head close to the ground, and Rustiara was trying to continue persuading Dia.
I interrupted between the two of them and told them I would take over.
“It’s fine, both of you! I’ll handle it from here! Rainer and Ragune-chan are here too!!”
From the conversation so far, I had a general understanding of the situation.
As Nosfy had said, Dia had lost her mind due to Arti’s magic. It was likely that Maria was also under the same spell. However, it was less effective on Maria, who had experienced it once, and hadn’t completely driven her insane. That was likely the case.
“No, Christ. I’m here… but Ragune-san seems to be a little delayed.”
When I looked back, only Rainer had followed.
Chances are, Ragune-chan would be arriving late again. But reinforcements were reinforcements. Maria, standing in the pillar of fire, showed a look of relief at our arrival.
“K-Kanami-san… You came… I’m sorry, Arti’s magic from before has affected everyone… I… I’m at my limit just trying to hold myself back…”
“You don’t need to worry about it. Just holding back is more than enough. I’ll finish it from here, so rest assured.”
“…Yes.”
Maria pressed her forehead to the ground and became completely still. She was likely concentrating on restraining herself. The flames below weren’t stopping, but they shouldn’t be attacking indiscriminately like Dia.
Next, Rustiara reacted to my appearance.
“Uh, uhm… welcome back?”
She didn’t show the same joy as Maria.
Instead, she looked as if she didn’t understand why I had come.
“Ah, I’m back. Rustiara, you and Reaper should regroup and get out of the Underground City immediately. I’m going to break the Great Holy Capital’s barrier and fight seriously. With my Distance Mute, I can dispel even Arti’s magic…!”
Dia remained still in the sky, and Snow was not yet in sight.
Thinking this was the time to use a great magic, I started to gather my magic power.
However, Rustiara in front of me stopped me by shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Kanami. Please don’t dispel Dia’s or their magic. Leave this to me.”
“…Huh? Wh-what are you saying? Is there some kind of problem…?”
I asked Rustiara for the reason, wondering if Nosfy had left some kind of trap.
“No, this is like a really rewarding event if you manage to overcome it, right? So, I’d rather not give it up~?”
For a moment, I couldn’t quite grasp the reason she gave.
But as soon as I realized Rustiara was refusing for a trivial reason, I raised my voice.
“A-are you an idiot!? This is not the time for jokes!”
I shouted that I couldn’t possibly accept such a reason, but Rustiara didn’t back down. She dropped her joking expression and earnestly pleaded.
“I’m sorry, I’m not joking… If I back down here, I can never be happy ‘together with everyone’ for the rest of my life. I won’t even be able to mention it anymore, I feel like… So, please…”
“I-is this that story again…!? This isn’t the time to talk about that…!?”
Rustiara’s dream that we talked about last night.
A future where “everyone is together.”
She was repeating that story.
However, I thought that kind of thing could be handled by building relationships during more peaceful times.
If she wanted to become friends with everyone, she should have her magic dispelled quickly. That’s what I thought, but Rustiara’s idea was the opposite. She appealed with a completely contrary way of thinking.
“No, now is the time… As I told Maria-chan, this is a chance Nosfy prepared for us—! —Growth Extended!!”
“Wh-what, hey—!!”
And then, casting an enhancement spell on herself, she pushed me aside.
At the same time, the place where we had been standing just moments before exploded. I clearly saw that moment.
A person fell from the sky like a bullet, shattering the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
I, who had been knocked aside, regained my footing and watched my companions emerge from the sandy smokescreen.
“Haa, haa, haa…! Lady Rustiara…! My Kanami…! Don’t talk about me behind my back—!”
Snow, with blue wings spread wide, her arms covered in reptilian scales, and her eyes shining like rubies, had awakened her blood and undergone “Dragonization.”
As I had expected, her magic indicated something was wrong. She swayed, her mouth agape, taking deep, gasping breaths. Then, after a flashy entrance, she began to ask herself questions, ignoring us.
“Aaah, aah, aaah…!! Wh-why is that…? Why does this always happen to me…? —Yes, I know. It’s because I’m me, that this happens… I’m no good… No matter what I do, I’m no good. Trying my best is pointless. Nothing I do works…!!”
After a sufficient bout of self-deprecation, she finally spoke in a hollow voice, looking alternately at Rustiara and me.
“Lady Rustiara, I’m no good… Because I’m so useless, I desperately want Kanami… I can’t live without Kanami… So, Kanami… Please, Kanami… Kanami, Kanami, Kanami—”
However, the conversation quickly broke down, and she tried to turn towards me, who was on the opposite side of Rustiara, calling my name.
“—Snow!! Look here! It’s okay, I’m listening! That’s the thing we talked about on the ship a little while ago!”
But before she could turn, Rustiara shouted, stopping Snow’s movement. There was a clear intention that *she* would be the one to talk to Snow, and she had no intention of yielding to me.
Snow, called to a halt, turned back to Rustiara and continued the broken conversation.
“Kanami would let me be spoiled… But Kanami isn’t mine alone anymore… Ugh, ugh, ugh… L-Lady Rustiara, if only you weren’t here, he would have been mine…! You always say sweet things, but in the end, you keep him all to yourself…! He was mine…! Kanami was mine…!”
“Hmm, that way of thinking that someone belongs to someone else is Snow’s biggest flaw… If you could let go of that, I wouldn’t mind you being spoiled as much as you want, you know…”
Rustiara responded seriously to Snow’s clearly unstable words. Despite the situation, Rustiara tried to engage with her concerns through their usual conversation.
However, predictably, Snow couldn’t continue the conversation normally and her voice grew louder with excitement.
“—Yes! I’m no good! No good, no good, no good! I know I’m no good! Because I’m no good, no good, and useless—this happened! I can never protect everyone! I always put everyone in danger! Me!! Even today, it’s because I let my guard down with my Older Brother—ah, aaah…!! It’s all my fault after all! Because of me, because of me, because of me, aah, aahh, aaaahhh—!!!!”
Her cry finally turned into a roar. This was no ordinary roar; it was a “Dragon’s Roar” imbued with magic, something only Snow, a Dragon Person, could use. It mixed with the “Dragon’s Wind” generated by the flapping of her blue wings that sprouted from her back, threatening to engulf everything around them.
Vibrations and wind filled with immense magic power. My entire body trembled, my eardrums felt like they would burst.
To escape this place, I checked on my companions around me. Rainer, who was behind me, had already fled outside the magic’s range before anyone else. Maria, who was a little further away, was blocking all of Snow’s attacks with a pillar of fire. In a simple contest of magic power, Maria would not lose. As long as she stayed crouched within that flame, no half-hearted attack would penetrate.
The only one left was Rustiara—but she alone was not coping with the “Dragon’s Roar” and “Dragon’s Wind.” Or perhaps, she wasn’t trying to. She took the full force of the vibrations and wind, her face contorted in pain, yet she tried to move forward.
I quickly approached Rustiara, embraced her body like a sack of grain, and moved away from the roaring Snow.
There was no sign of Snow pursuing us. Snow had turned into a gale and continued to scream in one spot. Like Dia, she was unable to see her surroundings, her priority being to vent her stress. If left alone, she would likely continue her tragic roar, suffering by herself forever, becoming the storm itself at the center of the Underground City.
As I put distance between us and the tempest, I spoke to the woman in my arms while running, trying to persuade her.
“Rustiara! Everything you’re saying now isn’t the true feelings of Dia and Snow! Don’t take this farce full of malice seriously! This magic is just stirring up the dregs at the bottom of their hearts and igniting them—”
“I know. I heard from Maria just now, so I understand. —But! I don’t think this is a farce…! I don’t believe the dregs at the bottom of one’s heart aren’t one’s true feelings!”
Rustiara interrupted me as I carried her. Instead, she tried to persuade me.
“In other words, this means—we can now grasp what normally takes years to bring out…? It means we can become close to everyone without skipping any steps…? I don’t want to waste the chance Nosfy gave me…! I’ve been waiting for this…!”
“You, don’t tell me…!”
I had assumed that those in such a state wouldn’t be rational, but Rustiara seemed to find value precisely in *that* state. Their differing perceptions left me speechless. Meanwhile, Rustiara’s face lit up with excitement.
“Perhaps it’s thanks to Nosfy’s magic…? My head feels so clear. I feel like I can say everything honestly now.”
At the mention of that word, I immediately brought up Rustiara’s Status. More than her remaining HP or MP, I first checked her status ailments.
However, there was no “Purification” like with Elmiraud and the others. It simply indicated that her condition was pristine.
In other words, Rustiara was simply expressing her true feelings in the normal sense. I listened to her genuine wishes, straight from her heart, no longer needing magic for them.
“I want to accept even the smallest fragments of everyone’s feelings… Since I’ve decided we’ll be together forever from now on, I don’t want any secrets… I want a true bond with everyone! Now, thanks to Nosfy, I can achieve that…! So please, Kanami! Leave this to me!!”
Then, Rustiara cried out and jumped off my shoulder, standing alone on the ground. I was stunned, unable to look directly at her.
Rustiara’s clothes were torn in various places, and the edges were scorched. Countless raw wounds peeked out from the ripped holes and hem. Bruises had turned her skin blue, and red blood dripped from her cuts, staining not only her limbs but also her head, and coloring her left eye bright red.
She was truly in ruins. This was a battle where one wrong step could have been fatal, I could easily imagine. Yet, Rustiara had not drawn the sword at her waist. There was no trace of the ‘Heavenly Sword Noah,’ which was considered a divine artifact in Revannism, being used.
Perhaps Rustiara had not counterattacked her companions even once. She had endured attacks, coming close to death multiple times. She was out of her mind. And still, Rustiara desired this battle, begging me, “Let me go.”
I was bewildered, unable to fully comprehend her feelings. I remembered that Rustiara was once created as if to disregard her own life, forced to live a fleeting existence and favoring risks. However, that curse had been lifted a long time ago. Since then, Rustiara had been living as herself, without being swayed by anyone—and yet, this. She was intending to return to the battlefield with a body on the verge of death, disregarding her own life.
While I was lost in confusion, Rustiara began to move on her own. She waved her hand widely behind me, shouting, and ran off with her back to me.
“Ragune-chan! I’m begging you, please stop Kanami for me! Rainer, please too! I’m going!”
“Gasp, gasp, gasping… W-what?! You’re leaving as soon as you arrive?!”
Looking back, Ragune-chan, who was out of breath, had just caught up. Rustiara was serious. She was even willing to implore a close friend to prevent my intervention.
“W-wait, Rustiara!”
I tried to chase after Rustiara, who was turning back to Snow and Dia, leaving me behind. However, a figure stepped in between us. A knight wielding a sword in each hand. It was Rainer, most unexpectedly.
“Christ, I support Rustiara. I’m not sure, but… this won’t lead to the worst outcome.”
Rainer, who had been silently following us since we came underground, blocked my path here. Moreover, his reasoning was far too vague. It was precisely because he was a knight I had trusted that I felt a surge of anger from the pit of my stomach at his defection at this critical juncture.
“Not sure…? Don’t mess with me, Rainer! Even if it doesn’t lead to the worst, we don’t know what will happen! Remember what happened during Tiara’s ‘Rebirth’ ceremony the other day? Rustiara was in a terrible situation because she was so defenseless like this?! Rustiara really goes through with it when she decides! Is she planning to take all of that ridiculous magic power without any resistance?!”
“But the ‘Rebirth’ ceremony succeeded because of it. I had the same thought as Christ right now back then… but looking back, I think it was the right thing to do then. Thanks to that, Al and Emily are still our companions. If Rustiara had crushed Emily without question then, it wouldn’t have ended so cleanly.”
I tried to admonish him by citing the battle in the Cathedral a little while ago, but Rainer retorted that it was the correct decision. I had heard about the events in the Cathedral before my arrival during our ship journey. It was true that if Rustiara had fought seriously at that time, they would not have obtained evidence that Fedelt was manipulating Emily from behind the scenes. Because Emily succeeded in capturing Rustiara, Fedelt’s scheme was exposed by his own words. If everything had ended without that, it’s questionable whether Emily could have reconciled with those around her without any lingering resentment. It was precisely because Rustiara believed in Emily’s conscience and accepted the sleeping magic without resistance that the bond between those two rookie explorers was not severed.
Ah, I understand. I understand what Rainer means. But it’s also true that if Rustiara had defeated Emily without question that time, Rustiara would have been much safer. If I had been there, I would have prioritized Rustiara’s definite safety. Absolutely! Just like I would now!
“Christ, you always say it’s important to believe in your companions… Can’t you trust in the bonds between them and just watch their conversation…?”
Seeing that I showed no signs of being convinced, Rainer continued. This time, he was trying to persuade me by digging up my own past words. He accused me of not putting my words into practice when it mattered most, despite repeatedly saying I believed in my companions. He questioned whether my past pronouncements of ‘belief’ had only existed within calculated safety.
“I believe! Of course, I believe in everyone… but! It depends on the time and situation, doesn’t it…! Rainer! Don’t you realize that what we’re talking about right now is Nosfy’s goal…?!”
“…I’m sorry. I don’t think so. Rather, the current flow is on this side—Rustiara’s side.”
“This?! What part of this is that?!”
I spread my arms, indicating the transformed Underground City, and asked Rainer to reconfirm the current situation. On the ground, Elmiraud and the others had escaped, they were robbed of their magic stones, Glenn had become an enemy, and Nosfy had gotten away. Underground, flames had reignited, the mansion had disappeared, Rustiara was on the verge of death, and all of their companions were in crisis—if this wasn’t Nosfy’s orchestrated flow, then what was it?
I glared at him with genuine fighting spirit, but Rainer didn’t move. Perhaps disliking the tense atmosphere between us, Ragune-chan sided with me.
“Oh my gosh…! Rainer! I don’t really get it, but when things get serious, that’s when the strongest Kanami’s Older Brother comes in! Somehow, Older Brother will persuade everyone, and they’ll all come to their senses! I’m sure of it!”
Ragune-chan presented the same solution as me and looked back and forth between my face and Rainer’s. In the process, our eyes met. Her anxious expression and my anxious expression reflected in her eyes overlapped.
Indeed, Ragune-chan is just like me.
We share the same feelings. That’s why I can empathize with her.
With a reliable ally added to my side, I confidently take a step forward. Ideally, I wanted Rainer to back down according to the majority’s decision.
However, he doesn’t move an inch, continuing to stand his ground.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not moving. This is for Christ’s sake too. —Let me confirm it now.”
For *my* sake…!?
After so openly defying me and then brazenly claiming it’s for my sake, my face contorts. Even as I’m speaking with Rainer now, Rustiara is running, moving further and further away. Because Rainer is blocking my path, Rustiara is on the verge of death.
Rustiara was almost killed just moments ago.
At any moment, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to have died.
And now, Rustiara is trying to return to that battlefield. She’s visibly heading closer to death. You expect me to just let that happen…?
There’s no way.
That is simply unforgivable.
If Rustiara were to disappear, who would…
My entire mind is engulfed in fear.
I’m terrified.
I’m afraid of losing Rustiara.
The moment I clearly recognized this, my scope of thought narrowed.
All I could see was Rustiara’s retreating back. My anxiety swelled so much that my chest felt heavy, as if a lead ball had lodged itself in the center of my heart. Within my sluggish brain, I could only focus on one thing: that the one I must protect is “The One and Only Destined Person.” Rustiara must not die. She absolutely must not die. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely—
—It overflows from my capacity.
At that moment.
I drew “Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen” from my Inventory and dashed forward.
“Rainer!! If you don’t move, I’ll knock you out!!”
Closing the distance, I swung my sword sideways, aiming to knock away the twin swords in Rainer’s hands.
“—Tch!? Just as I thought!!”
Rainer exclaimed in surprise, but he accurately followed my movements with his eyes and, without forcing a direct clash, retreated to evade.
Unlike with Noir-chan, I couldn’t end this in a single exchange this time.
I immediately requested cooperation from my allies behind me.
“Ragune-chan, please!”
“Roger! I’ll look for an opening to strike! Protecting the lady is my duty too!”
Ragune-chan focused all her attention on delivering a surprise attack, infusing her right hand with magic power while maintaining a certain distance. She had successfully landed a surprise attack on Rainer during the Dance Battle Tournament in the past, so I had high hopes for her. With a smile at the advantageous situation, I charged at Rainer once more.
In response to my sword, Rainer activated magic.
He must have prepared it in advance while he was standing his ground.
“—Magic, Helvishein Duet Sword!!”
It was a magic I had never heard of or seen before.
As the magic activated, strong winds erupted from the area near his shoulders, like wings.
The winds then quickly converged, forming ‘arms’ that gripped the other set of twin swords at his waist. I initially thought it was a blood magic due to the family name attached, but its effect was purely Wind Magic.
Using all four of his arms and four swords, Rainer blocked the slash of “Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen.”
I immediately gripped my sword again and swung it from a different direction.
The Aleis style of Swordsmanship is designed to be effective even against an opponent with four arms. Without hesitation, and without any mercy, I tried to knock Rainer’s swords away.
However, Rainer once again managed to block my slash at the last possible moment.
Swords clashed, sparks flew, and the cycle repeated.
Even after more than ten exchanges, I still couldn’t find an opening, and I started to panic.
“—Tch!? These arms can keep up with Rowen’s Swordsmanship!?”
I knew Rainer possessed world-class Swordsmanship as a dual-wielding swordsman. But even so, I believed Rowen’s Swordsmanship would be overwhelming.
Caught off guard by the prolonged sword fight, I reassessed Rainer’s strength.
Meanwhile, Rainer also showed an expression of surprise, just like me.
He must have thought he could find an opening with these four arms, which seemed to be his trump card. However, he cursed the reality of being barely able to defend himself.
“Damn it! Even with three of us attacking, we’re no match for him!?”
We both made no effort to hide our surprise.
And amidst this stalemate, the swordplay continued.
I quickly re-evaluated Rainer’s growth.
A short while ago, when he was able to hold back Nosfy in the labyrinth, he possessed strength comparable to the Guardians.
However, the Rainer I was fighting now far surpassed that strength.
I heard that while I was fighting Titty and Aid in Viais Country, Rainer had a bit of training with Saint Tiara in the country of Fuziaze.
I didn’t get the details, but it seemed he was trained in “unquantifiable numbers.”
That brief training had drastically changed Rainer’s fighting style.
The changes were minimal in his Status display, so I hadn’t noticed them during our sea voyage.
He had become exceptionally skilled at fighting in a way that, while not necessarily winning, ensured he wouldn’t lose.
Yes—It was abnormal.
…Isn’t his defense just abnormally good?
I’ve launched several sword strikes that I was certain would be victorious, but they’ve been barely repelled time and time again.
Even Ragune-chan is trying to move when she sees an opening, but Rainer always anticipates her initial movement. It’s an intuition that can’t be explained by skill alone.
I quickly added the option of bypassing the enemy, rather than incapacitating him, to my considerations.
Somehow, I wanted to leave this troublesome Rainer behind. However, it was difficult to outrun him, as he specialized in speed with his Wind Magic. I regretted not being able to use Dimensional Magic, Default, to distort the distance. Of course, the Great Holy Capital’s barrier wasn’t so weak that I could break it while fighting.
I gritted my teeth.
With Rainer’s unexpected tenacity, I couldn’t advance an inch, and second after second ticked by.
Even now, seeing Rustiara moving further away from the corner of my vision was so frustrating that I felt like I was going insane.
And then, Rustiara finally reached the spot where we had fought earlier.
It seemed she was going to try and persuade Dia first, not Snow.
She chose a high point amidst the collapsed buildings, stood on it, and began to shout towards the sun in the sky.
She’s going to continue her reckless endeavor from before—!
I could witness this reckless challenge.
While fighting Rainer, I watched it over his shoulder—
