The broad sword clashed. Cyrus pulled his body back.
Cider Claiborne had told him to lure the two to the study. He could quickly understand what the intention was.
'Much better than killing.'
Once victory was assured and Golden Claw was taken, Esperanza would want to eliminate future troubles. Cyrus didn't want to kill his siblings. However, if Esperanza wanted it, he couldn't stop her. He didn't have the nerve to do so.
But if they could be sent back to where they originally belonged...
Cider probably had no intention of considering Cyrus at all, but that thod was the best for either side.
'If it succeeds, that is.'
"You seem to have the leisure for other thoughts while facing ?"
Daria bared her fangs. The sword path suddenly penetrating into his embrace was sharp. The blade, blue with magical power, scread.
"Where's that woman and you're alone? What about the Count? They didn't all hide, did they?"
The answer to that question was replaced by a spine-chilling bullet. Daria's eyes widened at the bullet that flew from the second-floor railing.
"Oh my. There really isn't any."
Esperanza sighed as she looked down at Daria, who was confronting Cyrus, from above the railing.
This was troubleso. Still, since the location was the research lab and that Cyrus was injured, Cider probably wouldn't be easily beaten, but... Esperanza gestured to Cyrus who was trying to block Daria's attack. Anyway, Cider's safety was the priority.
Cyrus, who had withdrawn his sword, ran up the stairs.
Instead of going down to where Daria was, Esperanza waited for Daria to co up. Sure enough, the heated Daria kicked off the ground and leaped up, reaching the landing in one go.
When she took her next breath, Daria's blade was striking down as if to split Esperanza's gun barrel.
Esperanza slightly twisted the angle of the gun barrel and deflected the sword. Guns were sturdy, but inadequate for facing swords. Moreover, the angle was bad. Her bent wrist complained of pain.
'What to do about this...'
There was also the thod of pushing with magical power, but today's magical power consumption had already been quite large. She needed to save magical power in preparation for when Daria used Golden Claw.
Thinking this, she retreated with large steps. Daria imdiately followed. However, the mont Esperanza stepped on a certain point in the corridor, small holes opened in the wall and bullets flew out. Real bullets, not magical ones. Bullets rained down and stuck in Daria's sword before falling.
"What is this?"
After stopping briefly, they ca flying again. To avoid the bullets that strangely seed to chase her, Daria changed direction and ran. As a result, she was getting closer and closer to the study.
'It really is rabbit hunting.'
Esperanza blocked the path with her body to prevent Daria from choosing the wrong direction at intersections. Other than that, she did nothing.
The gunfire stopped. Then Daria pulled out a pistol from thin air. Twisting her body to precisely snipe the gun barrel of the wall that had already closed took only the ti to blink an eye.
Admirable skill. If it wasn't during combat, she might have applauded, but Esperanza coldly suppressed the interest that had briefly surged.
Daria, who had put away her gun, glared at Esperanza.
"There are more of these, aren't there?"
She didn't want to lie. When she didn't answer, Daria gritted her teeth. Esperanza said with a sigh:
"You would have done the sa thing. Right?"
Considering that she had lured Cider to the specific location of the audience chamber, there was no way she hadn't set up any devices there.
"Damn bitch, I didn't even get to use mine!"
"That's just your lack of ability."
Bloodshot eyes snapped up to look at Esperanza. It seed like sothing had properly touched a nerve in Daria.
"'Lack of ability.' Don't make
laugh."
She montarily flinched at the low sound that seed to rumble in her throat. Blue energy imdiately rose on the sword she lifted instead of the gun. Ready to block whenever an attack ca.
And as soon as Esperanza raised her sword, she had to parry the sword strikes that poured down as if tearing open gaps. Her feet on the smooth carpet were gradually pushed back. Esperanza focused on deflecting and blocking attacks as much as possible while ntally calculating the position where the next machine was waiting.
The sound of scraping tal made her dizzy. The automatons that appeared several more tis in between were quickly dealt with by Daria. Even so, there was no hesitation in attacking Esperanza.
Strong and skilled. How much effort had it taken to reach this level? Had she been naturally gifted at physical work like Esperanza? If they had t in the ga, she might have spoken to her first.
But this person before her eyes was nothing but a marauder. She had killed countless people without guilt, planned to kill more, and made it into a ga to sell to unknowing people. This strength was only a ans for that.
Her mind grew cold. Esperanza slightly twisted the angle of her sword. The mont Daria's sword entered her embrace, she pulled her body to the side and quickly penetrated the gap. At the sa ti as the inside of her arm stung, she made a long cut across Daria's waist.
"Ugh..."
Daria, who swallowed a reflexive groan, gripped her side. Blood seeped through her hand. It was a fairly deep wound.
The swordsmanship Daria used, to put it sowhat roughly, had no foundation. It felt close to practical rcenary techniques. She compensated with frightening montum and overwhelming use of magical power, but Esperanza was a rare opponent against whom such strengths didn't work. The mont the sword tore through skin, Daria also realized this fact.
Damn it. Daria, who cursed viciously, raised her head. I'm not wrong. I won't fail. I haven't gotten anything yet, so I can't stop here.
"There's no way you can stop ."
It can't be like that. It can't be like that.
The low whisper scratched at her ear. That obsessive voice. It had been the sa reaction just before. Sothing seed just within grasp.
Even though both had sustained large and small wounds, the battle continued without break. The mont their swords clashed again, Esperanza suddenly asked:
"Why?"
Daria desperately swung her arms. While struggling to block the brutal force, she added:
"Why can't I stop you? Because you're strong?"
"You're just my imitation! You're wallpapered with the system I made, and you think you can beat ?"
Storm-like sword strikes pushed Esperanza back, back. Esperanza gauged the mansion's structure in her mind. She was getting close to the study.
"Since you sold it to , it's mine. It's work to make money, isn't it? Killing lots of people too, pushing them into monster pits to die. Did dozens die just at Sterling? Hundreds? What about at Pinent House? That can't be all of it."
Daria's body was covered with large and small wounds. Esperanza had also sustained quite a few injuries, but she was in better condition than Daria. Swinging that badly wounded body, Daria shouted as if struggling desperately:
"Does this world look real to you? This place is fake, and they're not even real people. What's wrong with making so money from that? What's wrong with
using it?"
"What right do you have?"
The sight of people being torn apart by disaster, that horrible scene of brains emptying out. Creating countless such things and saying 'What's wrong with making so money?' Was that really all there was?
This was the utterly vulgar true face of the skilled swordswoman, powerful mage, and puppet master who manipulated the queen. Esperanza distorted her face with the surging disgust. Daria's cheek turned deathly pale.
"Don't despise !"
That was a scream. Esperanza coldly lowered her eyes.
Daria shook her head wildly. With a completely hoarse voice, she scread as if her throat would burst:
"What do you know? You, you of all people, what right do you have? I've never once lived a life where I didn't worry about the next al. Do you know about debt that can't be repaid even by selling organs? How dare you judge
when you obviously grew up in a flower garden?"
Her bloodshot eyes looked like they would bite Esperanza at any mont.
Esperanza bit her lips hard. When Cyrus said he made the ga to earn money, Esperanza had imagined a better situation than this. Sothing like two geniuses sitting in a garage inventing computers. But the reality she faced was more terrible.
Don't despise . Don't pity
either. I'll kill you.
Daria's eyes shook with blue light. Her rough hand swept through the air and pulled out a golden blade. The thing curved like a beast's long claws trembled while holding magical power. Esperanza tightened her grip on her sword.
There's no one without a story. Daria wasn't the most unfortunate person in the world, and that misfortune didn't justify her cris. Daria could have used that power in other ways.
But Esperanza swallowed all those words.
Whatever she said would be aningless. A few teaching words wouldn't make the weight of the life Daria had carried her whole life disappear, nor would it bring back what Daria had destroyed. She wouldn't change her mind now either. Condemning was easy, but...
"Fine. I won't judge you. Not because you're wrong, but because I'm stopping you because you're interfering with . You won't feel wronged by sothing like this, right?"
Daria just glared with beast-like eyes and breathed heavily. What she was thinking, how she had received Esperanza's words—nothing could be known. One thing was certain.
'She's coming.'
The parts inside 'Golden Claw' began to move with rattling sounds. Esperanza raised her sword and roughly pressed forward before Daria could fully activate Golden Claw.
Daria raised Golden Claw to block the sword. However, she couldn't hold out and was pushed back. Her back touched a large door. That didn't matter. Once this properly turned on, she would finish off that woman. Though magical power was running low...
That's when it happened. The door opened, and Daria lost her balance and fell. Esperanza's sword roughly scraped against Golden Claw.
Just as the tumultuous battle was about to resu with only a change of location, a heavy vibration was felt underfoot. The vibration that started from deep within the study eventually shook the entire mansion.
Reviews
All reviews (0)