Karubene, Piyo, and I defeated one of the enemy’s companions by combining our powers.
With the Minotaur, Dona, defeated, a waver has appeared among the enemy members. I wonder if they expected her to be taken down. That’s right, if we fight like this, little by little from the edges, we might find a path to victory.
Cedric and I made eye contact through a gap between our fighting companions. He remains still, observing the battlefield intently. He hasn’t even drawn his sword yet. Just how much power does this youth possess?
For now, I need to focus on the battle in front of me. Who’s next? Veronica and Lucy are fighting closest to me. She should be fine; she’s quite strong even within this team. No, wait, it doesn’t look like it. Veronica’s wings have been shredded as if cut by scissors, and she’s breathing heavily. In contrast, her opponent appears nonchalant.
“Veronica, are you alright?”
“Hmph, don’t worry about me. You should run now.”
Even if you tell me to, I can’t just run away by myself like this. Besides, even if I ran, I’d just get caught in the end. After all, they came all the way to the depths of this jungle to find us.
“Hah, what a joke. Your companions are nothing special. Don’t get cocky just because you defeated Dona. If you want to join in, fine, come at me.”
Lucy beckons with a smile, her iron claws extended.
“Be quiet and don’t fall for the provocation. You go.”
“You’re still breathing heavily, yet you act so desperate, old woman.”
Veronica kicks off the ground and closes in on her opponent. She swings a fist clad in knuckles, but the opponent dodges nimbly and strikes back. With a swift blow, black feathers are stained with blood.
“Kuh…”
“Too slow. Ugh, I hate getting old. Besides, what you’re doing is just brawling. You might have been strong among thugs, but you have too many openings to fight me.”
He yawns deliberately. Lucy is right; her movements are efficient and refined. Veronica, on the other hand, is just punching with brute force. But there’s nothing to be done about it, as Veronica never learned martial arts. She might be stronger than most, but she’s still one of the so-called ordinary people.
At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before this is decided. I have to do something, but what? Rushing in head-on will definitely fail. If only I could stop those swift movements, perhaps something could be done. Still, my sword wouldn’t land a single blow.
“I’m going to end this soon. Dawn will break.”
Lucy’s figure flickered and disappeared for a moment. Veronica also seemed to lose sight of her and stiffened. Then, a black mist began to swirl around her. What is this…? The next instant, the sound of kicking off the ground and the clash of feathers echoed.
“Ugh… damn it.”
Only the sounds of impacts could be heard. It was already getting dark, and with the mist, I couldn’t understand what was happening.
“Piyo, can you clear the smoke with Wind Magic?”
“I’ll try.”
As Piyo flapped its wings, the wind swept away the black smoke. What appeared was Veronica, standing covered in blood, and Lucy, darting around her at incredible speed. Upon closer inspection, she was unleashing slashes while moving swiftly.
“Veronica, escape into the sky.”
“No, if you do that, you’ll just play more into their hands.”
If Piyo, who can fly, says so, it must be true. Then what should I do? Veronica remains immobile, unsure where to escape.
“Hahaha, you’re no different from a scarecrow for practice. You’re too weak.”
Lucy stops attacking and flicks the blood from her claws.
“Hey, you get it now, don’t you? I was going easy on you. If I really wanted to, I could have taken your head off in a second.”
The dripping blood falls to the ground, staining the stones red. Even Veronica, who was so strong, is no match. Was our victory just a fluke? If the Minotaur hadn’t been careless and had come at us with full force, the outcome might have been reversed.
Still, Veronica lowers her arms, which had been crossed in front of her chest, and assumes a stance.
“Are you still going? Ugh, I’m getting bored. Fine, I’ll kill you now.”
After a casual smile, she struck. It was too fast to comprehend. I blinked, but not even a blink would have helped. The iron claws were embedded in Veronica’s abdomen.
“Ah… Veronica. Dammit.”
“Don’t move from there. I’m going to stab deeper into your gut. You’re overreacting for just a little stab.”
Veronica, her face contorted in pain, desperately holds onto the opponent’s hands.
