In a desperate move, I threw the Tower card I had towards Anakura.
One moment, my vision was filled with a blinding white light, and the next, a deafening explosion ripped through the air. The sheer volume of the sound and light paralyzed me.
“Aaaaaahh!! Wh-what, this…!”
A foul smell of burnt feathers filled the air. The sound of a hand slapping the ground after a splash finally brought me back to my senses. Smoke billowed from Anakura. Had he been struck by lightning? I didn’t understand the meaning of the Tower card, but I knew it boded ill.
Even so, Anakura was still conscious and trying to flip the next card with trembling hands. What a bastard. I couldn’t afford to lose here. I would keep fighting, even if it was just me. I gripped my sword and shield again. He would likely unleash a barrage of Flame-like Magic. I would block them with my shield and retaliate with another lightning strike.
Don’t think you’ll get away with this after all that.
My body grew hot, and the fear vanished.
“Karubene, can you move?”
“Huh? Brother, what is it?”
“I’ll cover. You come from behind!”
I kicked off the muddy ground and ran. Of course, the opponent countered.
“I can do this kind of trick too.”
When I held up a card, flames erupted from it. I deflected the fireball flying towards me with my shield, cutting through the rain. Next, it was three cards. The ground shook, and lightning struck right next to me. Before I could even scream, I was blown away, my whole body covered in mud. But could I give up? I would win, no matter what!
Think. Just rushing forward would lead to me being defeated by the card magic. Right, the rain. Rain makes me think of Water Mana. Then, couldn’t this cloak be put to good use? Even I, who can’t use magic, could unleash its power. The only problem was that I couldn’t control it.
“What are you thinking! Die already!”
An Elf knight wielding a sword. The next moment, my body was sent flying through the air. Below, I could see Karubene being blown away to the side. If I fell like this, I’d surely take damage. My nerves reacted to the pain faster than my body could register it, and I spun my body. I grabbed my cloak and swung it towards the ground.
As if living up to its name, the silk, thoroughly soaked with rainwater, expelled a torrent of water. With that momentum, I softened the impact of my landing. My feet buckled. Damn it, the ground was just as waterlogged and muddy. In that case, I’d use it to my advantage.
From there, I spun my body further and used the thrust of the water to propel myself forward. In my blurry vision, Anakura’s figure, which I couldn’t quite aim at, came into sharp focus. My forward rush seemed to make him panic, slowing his judgment.
“Karubene!!”
I called out to her, catching a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye. Even if I was blown away, even if my whole body was covered in mud, I would crawl back up. I threw my sword at her feet.
Anakura’s gaze flickered for a moment. I continued straight ahead and quickly swung the cloak draped over my shoulder.
Water jetted out from the cloak, which had spread out like a fan, slicing into the opponent’s skin. While he was reeling, Karubene charged forward, dagger in hand.
“Gah, Aaaahhh!!”
Electricity flowed from the Enchanted Sword embedded in his side. Anakura’s body convulsed and he collapsed to the ground.
“Haa, haa… We did it, Brother.”
“Yeah, we did.”
I fell to my knees on the muddy ground. I had won, yet my heart felt empty. I had lost too much. I clenched the mud in my hands, putting all my strength into my arms.
“It’s not your fault, Brother. Right?”
“…But.”
But I was the one who did it. Even if I was bewildered by his techniques, it was I who did it. It was me.
Hot tears ran down my cold cheeks, mixing with the rain. I had never been this strong before. I didn’t understand why. There must have been many stronger people. Was it because I had made my companions attack each other? In the end, fighting as a group against one person gave them an advantage.
“…Brother, Brother!”
Karubene’s shoulder shook me, and I looked up. Dirt flew everywhere, along with my shield and sword. What happened? My mind couldn’t keep up.
“Guh!!”
I couldn’t breathe, and I could hear Karubene groaning in the distance. I couldn’t move. Why? The pain arrived late, as if my body was finally recognizing it, and it flowed from my fingertips towards my heart. All I could see was an overcast sky.
“Hahaha, you thought you won with that? I told you, luck is on my side. All that matters is that you disappear, Arisugawa Hiroaki!”
A giant shadow dissolved with a slurping sound. Could it be that an Earthworm had appeared here? Right where we were standing. My vision blurred with water droplets clinging to my eyelashes. Within it, a single card faintly emerged.
“Nine of Swords, hahaha, lucky me! Disappear!”
I didn’t understand its exact meaning, but I knew it was a significant card. I had to escape. I had to escape or I would be killed! I covered my head with my shield and lay flat on the ground. …But nothing happened.
Slowly, I raised my head and saw a wet, torn card lying on the ground.
“That’s far enough. Stay away from my companion.”
From behind Anakura, the figure of Sylvie, whom we had been pursuing, appeared.
