Chapter 29
The battle with Ceres resus. While the Blade of Darkness cannot destroy Ceres' armor, Claire's sword easily breaches her defenses.
Through the combined attacks of Yuurai and Claire, the wounds on Ceres' body continue to increase.
(Claire is strong, but that Sword of Gaen is quite sothing too... I'm not planning to take it from her now, and honestly, it would just be a waste in my hands, but I can't help feeling I've missed out on sothing valuable.)
Yuurai uses the Blade of Darkness to throw Ceres off balance, while Claire seizes the openings to strike. This cycle repeats, gradually weakening Ceres.
They are managing to wear her down, but they haven't landed a decisive blow. Ceres seems to know which areas are critical to protect, diverting Claire's attacks away from those spots.
(Do I need one more trick up my sleeve? My magic isn't very effective against her...)
Even using Pain again has no effect. Trying to stop her movents with Marionette magic doesn't work either. ntal Corruption is repelled as well.
(A user of Light Attribute, how troubleso. She's really hard to fight. Should I get closer and use Absorption on her magic? But to do that, I need to be much closer. The effective range is at most two ters. To do it properly, I'd need to touch her. I'm not good at close combat, and if I get too close carelessly, I'll likely get slashed... Oh, right, there's Servant Enhancent. Claire can be the target. I've never needed it before, so I completely forgot it existed.)
Just as Yuurai is about to enhance Claire.
For a brief mont, Ceres stumbles. Claire doesn't miss the opportunity and aims a thrust at a vital spot.
Was it a trap to lure Claire in? Ceres easily deflects Claire's sword and targets her neck.
Yuurai instinctively manipulates the Blade of Darkness to divert Ceres' sword. Claire's neck is cut by a few milliters, but it isn't severed.
Before Claire can imdiately counterattack, Ceres spits blood and falls to her knees.
"......Huh?"
Yuurai is confused, but upon closer inspection, she notices a sword protruding from Ceres' abdon. The one holding that sword is Gilka.
Gilka leaves the sword in Ceres' abdon and, with another sword, stabs Ceres in the back this ti. Ceres collapses and stops moving.
If the intent were to kill, she would have aid for the neck, so stabbing likely ans it's to immobilize the opponent.
"......I was wondering how long you'd stay hidden, but swooping in to steal the best mont? That's sneaky."
"Shut up. I was just waiting for the right mont. Everyone, no matter who they are, loses focus on their surroundings in critical monts like this."
"Does Gilka have so kind of Stealth skill or sothing?"
"Yeah, pretty much. It's a lousy skill, but it's handy in a fight."
"I see. That sword of yours seems to have so special power too, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does."
"......We'll likely face more situations like this in the future, so maybe we should properly discuss each other's strengths and abilities."
While saying this, Claire calmly cuts off Ceres' right arm from the upper arm.
"Ughaaaaaaaah!"
(......Huh? What? What is this person doing all of a sudden?)
While Yuurai stands there dumbfounded, Claire proceeds to cut off Ceres' left arm as well. Ceres groans in agony again. Her expression is one a woman should never have to wear.
"Um, Claire?"
"What is it?"
Claire, with an utterly calm deanor, now cuts off Ceres' right leg from the thigh.
"Aguuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"
"Shut up. Be quiet for a bit."
Claire stomps on Ceres' face. Perhaps her nose breaks, as Ceres' face distorts significantly.
While Ceres is dazed, Claire cuts off her left leg as well. Ceres lets out a scream that can't even form words.
"Uh, Claire?"
"Oh, just wait a mont, Yuurai. I need to stop the bleeding so she doesn't die."
"Okay......"
Wondering how she'll stop the bleeding...
A fla ignites on the sword Claire holds.
She presses that fla against the severed stump of Ceres' right leg first.
A sizzling sound of burning flesh echoes.
"Agyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Shut up."
Claire stomps on Ceres' face again.
With Ceres slightly quieter, Claire continues the cauterization.
The flesh burns. A foul sll fills the air. Ceres' screams reverberate.
"I told you to shut up."
Having finished cauterizing, Claire steps on Ceres' throat. Ceres' voice stops. Though she's still coughing.
"So, Yuurai. Did you call for sothing?"
"......Claire, you're surprisingly bold with your actions."
It doesn't seem like she intended to kill, but there's a considerable sense of madness in this.
"......It's her fault for targeting Yuurai. She should be grateful she's not being killed."
(Hmm? Is Claire angry because I was targeted? Did she care about that much?)
Though curious about Claire's feelings, Yuurai decides to keep quiet, thinking it might be an unnecessary comnt.
Then, shrugging her shoulders, Gilka speaks.
"Yuurai-sama, what do we do with her? I figured it's better not to kill her, so I didn't, but I can easily finish her off now if you want."
"Don't talk about killing so casually. We'll likely face more enemies in the future, but let's stick to a no-kill policy as much as possible."
"Understood. But sorry about this. I said I'd protect Yuurai-sama, but I got blown away right off the bat."
"Don't worry about it. Thanks to that, you were able to strike at the right mont."
"Thank you for understanding. Man, I'm pathetic. I thought I was decently strong, but I've still got a long way to go."
"She's Class One, right? It can't be helped. Anyway... let's make sure she can't attack us for now."
Ceres is still conscious. However, due to her severe injuries, the defense from her Light Magic has vanished.
"Y-you... what are you... ngh..."
"Just a light ntal Manipulation. Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to destroy your personality. I'm simply making it so you can't attack us."
Yuurai touches Ceres' forehead with her right hand.
"ntal Manipulation."
Activating the magic, she places a binding on Ceres' mind.
This binding prevents Ceres from attacking Yuurai, Claire, Gilka, or anyone else in the town of Grimoire, as well as the town itself. Even if she tries to attack, her body won't move, and she won't be able to use magic. Additionally, even if she has magic to undo this binding, she won't be able to use it.
(......Huh? Could ntal Manipulation have an effect equal to or greater than enslavent magic? W-well, I'll avoid pointing that out. I'm scared of how everyone might react...)
"......Alright, it's done. Well, maybe a Saint or soone could undo it, but for now, it's complete."
"......Guh. You'll... regret this..."
"No way. I don't do unnecessary killing. Gilka, you can pull out the swords now. I'd like to reattach her limbs, but..."
Yuurai looks at Claire. Claire shakes her head.
"These wounds can't be healed imdiately. I didn't just cut them; I turned the wounds to charcoal. Even with a healing potion, it'll take ten days. If it's a high-grade one, that's a different story, but... there's no reason to use sothing like that on an enemy."
"I see... Well, then, endure for about ten days. You attacked us on your own, so pay the price for that much at least."
There's no response from Ceres. She only glares with a resentful expression.
"Oh, is Claire's neck okay? You got cut earlier..."
"I'm fine. The wound is shallow. But it's healing slowly... Light Attribute attacks are indeed like poison..."
Blood is still dripping from Claire's neck. Since Undead have higher recovery rates than normal humans, it's abnormal for a light cut to still be bleeding.
"Is there a way to heal it quickly?"
"Probably, if Yuurai infuses her magic into , it'll heal right away."
"Oh? Really?"
"Your magic acts as a healing potion for . Or at least, it should."
"You know a lot, huh."
"I don't actually know. I just feel it. When I sleep with you, my body feels strangely better, so I figured your magic would work as a dicine for ."
"Oh, is that so? Well, let's give it a try."
Yuurai places her hand on Claire's wound. There's a cut about five centiters wide just above the right collarbone.
(Infusing magic, huh. Like this?)
"Ngh."
"Hm? You okay?"
Claire might have let out a faintly seductive sound.
"......No problem."
"Alright, if you say so."
As Yuurai continues to infuse magic, Claire's wound heals. In a matter of tens of seconds, it's completely back to normal.
"Good. Is it all better now?"
"......Thanks. It's a relief to be rid of that nagging pain."
As Yuurai sighs in relief, Gilka speaks up.
"By the way, what do we do about the ones up there?"
"Hm?"
As Yuurai looks up at the sky, a gigantic bird, likely the one that brought Ceres here, is still circling above.
"Shall we hunt it and eat it together?"
"......Let it be. If it's just circling like that, it probably doesn't have any combat ability. Ceres, what do you want to do with it? Will it just go away on its own if we leave it alone?"
There is no response from Ceres.
"Well, whatever. Let's leave it alone. We'll take Ceres to the castle for now. Then, we'll take care of her until her wounds heal. Gilka, carry her for a bit."
"Understood!"
Gilka picks up Ceres. As for the remaining limbs, Yuurai and Claire carry them.
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