Gray mana surged fiercely.
“…Whew~”
Redin whistled as he watched the gray storm whipping past beyond the bowstring. Robert ranked fourth among the swords of the Empire. Though it was true that he was stronger than Redin, the Fifth Bow, the force Robert was emanating now could hardly be seen as just that of the fourth rank.
Even though Redin knew that he and others held hidden tricks up their sleeves, he could confidently declare:
“This… looks like I’ll really beco the Fourth Bow.”
That wasn’t so hidden trick; it was a full-force strike. A blow gained at the cost of staking his life, suppressing the instinctual urge to survive with unyielding willpower. Witnessing this, Redin clapped inwardly in admiration.
“Wow. Our senior is really sothing when it cos to loyalty.”
He couldn’t let go of the bowstring to clap, so he did so in his heart. But being impressed was one thing, and wanting to risk his life like Robert was another matter entirely.
‘Loyalty? Sure, that’s great.’
After all, the reason Redin could enjoy his luxurious lifestyle was that the Empire held him in good regard. So, if soone were to ask, “Does loyalty put food on the table?” he could answer, “It actually does.” But if his job to earn a living put his life at risk, he could abandon loyalty without hesitation.
“Still, I should at least show so respect.”
He didn’t want to be questioned by the esteed Sage, after all.
Ssssss— Hoo….
Redin’s gradually slowing breaths ca to a complete stop. His figure, as he stared intently in one direction, looked more like a well-crafted doll or a still painting than a living being. He paid no mind to his hair whipping around in the fierce currents of gray mana, keeping his focus solely on his target.
Finally, the opportunity ca. Robert’s sword flashed, aid squarely at the girl’s shoulder. Even with Redin’s eyes, trained by years of archery, he couldn’t see how the outco had been reached. But even that lightning-fast strike hadn’t reached the girl.
‘It’s open.’
Redin’s keen eyes caught the mont when the Magi surrounding the girl montarily dissipated. Before his brain could issue a command, his well-trained fingers moved instinctively.
So might say, what’s so special about nocking an arrow and shooting it? But even those who thought that would be left speechless if they saw the arrow Redin had just released.
The light gathered on the bowstring shot forward.
Paaaaat—!!
A light, perhaps too distant to call a comrade yet too close to call a re ally, shot forth through the opening Robert had created at the cost of his life.
The combined full-force attack of two Masters pierced through a thick wall and reached the ruler.
“…!”
Whoosh!
A light, soft sound rang out. But the result was anything but light. The girl’s body, struck by the light, was sent flying into the distance.
“…! Kana!”
A scream-like shout echoed from sowhere, as if it were a signal. Redin finally exhaled the breath he had been holding and lowered his bow. The price of unleashing such a fatal shot was not a small one.
The gray Magi gradually dispersed, revealing the scene. Even though Redin couldn’t fire any more arrows today, it didn’t matter. The pervasive Magi around them was receding, and the prey, struck by the arrow, lay motionless on the ground.
“When I heard they were bringing three of the Empire’s swords and even the Sage, I honestly thought it was overkill.”
They had gathered enough power to easily crush a small nation and directed it all at a single person. If this wasn’t an overinvestnt, then what could be?
“So, what do you think after seeing it for yourself?”
“It might actually not be enough. If they were going to bring three, they should have brought more, don’t you think?”
“Haha. We couldn’t defy strict regulations, could we? Losing two capable mbers is truly a pity.”
“Haha….”
Strict regulations, sure. But if they truly wanted to, they could have overlooked such regulations. Redin hid his true thoughts behind a pleasant smile, following the Sage’s lead.
“I never imagined that a wraith of a fallen kingdom could wield such power. Even so, it’s only natural for a wraith to return to where it belongs.”
“Well, I agree with you on that.”
The Sage tapped the end of his staff against the ground.
“But isn’t it a bit too early to feel assured?”
“…Pardon? What do you an—?”
Ssshh—
“…Huh?”
Redin instinctively turned to look at the spot where the girl had fallen, his voice slipping out in shock. He had clearly seen the arrow pierce her heart. Even a Master-level fighter, or soone stronger, wouldn’t survive with a pierced heart. That was for certain.
“…How is this possible?”
The girl, whose heart had been pierced, was staggering back to her feet. A clear mark where the arrow had passed through her chest was still visible. As Redin watched in shock, the girl finally stood upright, coughing up blood.
“…It hurts, you know.”
“…Did she just talk?”
“Never seen soone speak before?”
The girl, Kana, spoke nonchalantly and then glanced at the sword in her hand.
“Hmph.”
With a flick of her hand, the jet-black sword disintegrated like dust. What should have left her empty-handed now saw a pale red sword forming in her grasp.
“I almost died of frustration.”
The Magi might be a nacing weapon, but wielding it without finesse drastically reduced its effectiveness. Using such a powerful weapon so clumsily was a sha. Even the system created by the so-called administrator was poor in design.
“Putting a hole through soone’s chest… Well, I suppose I should thank you for giving the advantage.”
Thud.
The sharp blade pointed directly at Redin. Three different hues of Mana flowed along the sword’s edge—an ominous black Mana that felt dangerous just to look at, a fierce red Mana that seed capable of tearing anything apart, and a pink Mana that, while not as distinctive as the others, held a presence that couldn’t be ignored.
“Insane.”
Redin let out a breathless laugh, seeing the three colors of Mana blend effortlessly without clashing or rging. Three different colors… It was so unrealistic that it was almost laughable.
“Now, it’s ti for Phase 2.”
“Phase 2?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t understand if I put it like that.”
Muttering sothing unintelligible, Kana pulled her arm back—the sa arm that held the sword.
“…!”
Danger…!
Without ti to think, Redin’s body rolled across the ground.
“Ugh!”
A dull impact sent a shiver through Redin. He had only enough strength left to move, so following the sudden command caused his body to ache. But that pain didn’t matter. If he hadn’t thrown himself out of the way, he wouldn’t be alive to feel pain at all.
“Ha, haha….”
Behind him, a massive hole had opened up in the landscape. The center of the lush mountain had been carved out in a perfect circular column, leaving a clean, gaping void.
“I tried to make a matching one for you.”
You dodged.
“Matching one?”
Redin reflexively repeated Kana’s murmur. Matching, my foot. If that had hit, it wouldn’t have just left a hole—it would have erased him completely, leaving no trace that Redin ever existed.
Reading the emotion in Redin’s voice, Kana shrugged her shoulders.
“You never know, you might have survived.”
“No. If I took that, even a dragon would die.”
“You’re exaggerating. Look at . I got a hole in my chest, and I’m still alive.”
Cough.
Kana coughed, and dark red blood spilled from her mouth. Her clothes, covering her chest, were stained deep red. Redin, watching her, muttered under his breath.
“Monster…”
“The Empire’s folks always call that.”
“Isn’t it natural to call a monster a monster?”
“Mm….”
Kana didn’t argue. There was no point in arguing with soone who wouldn’t listen. They weren’t exactly having a friendly conversation in the first place.
Kana was far from the kind of person who would chat warmly with soone who had pierced her chest.
“Oh, you’ve co back to your senses.”
“….”
“If you frown like that, even I might get hurt.”
“Sorry. I have a fear of snakes.”
“Haha, I get it. Girls your age tend to be particular. Compared to most, you’re actually pretty mild.”
“Really? Then, that’s unfortunate.”
“….”
Unexpectedly, her reaction was different. The Sage had expected her to bare her teeth and rush at him, but her calm response made him tense.
“Because I intend to show you just how particular I can be.”
“Damn….”
Before the words had fully left her mouth, a sword beam ca flying. No, it had already transford beyond just a sword beam—it was a phenonon. The Sage frantically swung his staff to defend against it.
The barrier, once used to imprison others, was now deployed to protect his own life.
Though hastily erected, it was still a barrier created by soone at the pinnacle of magic. It wouldn’t be damaged by any ordinary attack… but the attack he faced now was far from ordinary.
The sword energy, imbued with the three distinct natures of mana, struck the barrier.
Crack!
Snap!
Rip!
The sword energy collided with the barrier, biting, tearing, and slicing through it. Even a barrier crafted by the esteed Sage proved no different than the hide of a low-level monster before such an attack. It was aningless to consider what might have happened if he had more ti.
The staff in the Sage’s hand shone brightly, the mana stones embedded within it glowing in unison. Threads of silver wove through the air, and in an instant, a magic circle materialized.
Leap.
The mont the magic circle glowed, Kana’s back ca into the Sage’s view—a defenseless, exposed back.
Crack—
A shattered fragnt of space struck her slender back.
Boom!
Flash—!
A roaring thunder followed, and a blinding flash descended. Perhaps it was an expression of anger at the mountain that had been left with a gaping hole. The lance of lightning, falling from the clear, cloudless sky, was enough to evoke the wrath of a god.
An advanced magic spell, incomprehensible even to most ordinary mages, was unleashed in an instant. It demonstrated why he was called the Sage of the Empire without a doubt, but his expression remained far from pleased.
Sizzle…
The electric current that had coursed through the ground faded, and the fractured space nded itself. In the crater left by the impact of the lightning, a pair of pink eyes erged.
“Why don’t we call it a draw?”
“If you were going to say that, you shouldn’t have attacked in the first place. Then I might have considered it.”
“You attacked first. This was self-defense.”
“It’s not self-defense; it’s excessive retaliation. I attacked once. You attacked twice.”
“Co on now, you have to consider the strength of your attack.”
“…I don’t care about that.”
Kana retorted.
“And besides, you’re the one who attacked while I was just standing there. So, if anything, this is self-defense on my part.”
“Let’s get things straight. If we’re going to argue like this, I saved the life of your old subordinate. You owe for that.”
“…I do appreciate that.”
He was one of my lingering regrets, after all. I’m grateful you prevented from dealing with that regret myself.
“That’s that, but we still have unresolved grievances between us.”
As long as the deep-seated resentnt buried in the core of their hearts remained, a peaceful resolution between them was impossible.
“I see.”
The Sage nodded calmly, acknowledging Kana’s resolve. He already knew that persuading her was out of the question. He also knew that Kana would co for his life.
Yet, he remained unperturbed.
“That’s unfortunate. I wish I could help ease your resentnt, but I have too much at stake here.”
After all, though he was present in this place, it wasn’t really him. Even if his heart were pierced and he died here, he would not truly die.
“You know that, don’t you?”
“Considering that, you sure ran away in a hurry.”
“I still have things to do, so I can’t just leave myself to die.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Kana raised her sword again.
‘…Pointless.’
Even though she knew it was just a projection, she still charged in, determined to kill it. It seed she was completely out of her mind, even if she looked calm. The Sage could see Kana’s life force dwindling by the mont. If she kept this up, she would face death sooner rather than later. Predicting the imminent future, he began drawing a magic circle to prepare for the approaching attack.
Clang!
But contrary to the Sage’s expectations, Kana’s sword pierced not where he stood but into empty space. The crimson sword seed to stop as if it had pierced through sothing unseen.
“What are you—”
Just as the Sage was about to question her strange behavior, a pale, delicate hand reached through the void where the sword had struck.
“…?!”
The Sage’s body, as if being pulled by so unseen force, flew through the air.
‘…No!’
For the first ti, a sense of alarm broke through the Sage’s usual calm deanor as he was thrown through the air. And right in front of his eyes, the pink-eyed girl grinned brightly.
“Aha! Got you at last.”
“What the—”
Before he could fully react, Kana swung her arm, sending the Sage hurtling once more.
“Gah!”
The hard ground greeted him.
“How does it feel to be pulled out of your nest?”
Kana looked down at the Sage, who writhed in pain, and smiled cheerfully.
—
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