Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (WN)

「――up. ――eyes. ――ease!」

The feeling of gently being shaken made Shizuku murmured 「Uu?」 as she regained her consciousness.

Her whole body hurt. Her eyelids were also feeling terribly heavy. She felt slightly annoyed from getting her body shaken. But, that too only lasted for a brief moment.

「Please waketh uppp. I beg thee! Shizuku-dono! Get a hold of thyselfff」

Because the voice that she heard clearly sounded like it was going to cry soon.

「Uu……Tio-san?」

「O-oooh, that’s right! It’s Tio! I’m glad thou art awake, Shizuku-dono!」

Her slightly hazy sight cleared up instantly along with that joyful voice.

The first thing that she saw was pretty golden eyes that were blurred with tears. And then a beautiful woman’s face that relaxed with relieve.

It made her heart unconsciously skipped a beat despite being someone of the same gender.

(Really, even though she’s peerlessly beautiful if she act normally like this……)

She got such thought in a daze.

「Shizuku-dono. Art thou perhaps thinking something rude right now?」

「I-I’m not at all.」

Even though the way she was pouting her lips looked childish unlike her usual self, it seemed that there was no change to her sharpness.

「T-that’s right! Where’s Suzu and Ryuutarou!?」

Her last memory before it was cut off was the ground collapsing and her body enveloped in a feeling of weightlessness. Though at that time Tio should be mustering her wind magic to desperately draw them toward her.

「If it’s those two……」

「S-Shizushizu? Tio-san? Ah, ouch ouch-」

「Are we, alive? Tsk, my head is pounding.」

It seemed that those two had also just woken up. It seemed they were injured but it wasn’t too serious. They got up with their own strength and shook their head. Tio patted her chest with a relieved sigh and lowered her eyebrows.

「Forgiveth me. Mine healing magic art imperfect……」

It seemed she had been applying healing magic to the three of them all this time. The way she was sitting on the ground femininely while her shoulders were drooping in dejection, how to explain it, it tickled their desire to protect. Even though she was Tio!

「D-don’t apologize Tio-san! We are alive like this all thanks to you!」

「Yeah! Look-, I’m bursting with strength like this thanks to you!」

「Thank you! As expected from the guardian dragon!」

The three stood up altogether and made a show of how energetic they were.

Tio looked at them with an upward gaze while asking 「Really……?」 uneasily. Cute. Such sentiment and, This isn’t Tio! such feeling were clashing with each other. It felt like it would damage their brain.

「M-more importantly! This place……where are we?」

In order to maintain her sanity (?), Shizuku ran her gaze at the surrounding. There was one light sphere floating above their head to illuminate the area. It must be Tio’s magic. There was no other light source.

This place was undoubtedly a manmade passage, made from metal with white base color. Its width and height were around ten meters.

「Suzu and everyone fell didn’t we? The ground crumbled……」

「This place is, the underground ruin right? I’m amazed we were saved……」

Right at her side, Suzu and Ryuutarou were shaking. One side of the passage had collapsed completely. That side became a wall of soil and rock.

The after wave from the Serpent’s breath attack and the Centauros’s attack. While their consciousness was fading during that time, they could still barely sense that they were falling without being able to do anything. They were prepared to die at that time.

The two tilted their heads in confusion, because their survival couldn’t be simply attributed to having good luck. Tio gave them the answer.

「Umu. Truly, Nagumo-dono art an astonishing personage.」

「What do you mean?」 Shizuku asked her. Tio then pointed at a corner of the rock and soil. There was a hole there.

「In that situation, he sent his cross objects to us in order to giveth us protection.」

It was the four point barrier that was formed by the Cross Bits. It protected the four completely from the ground’s collapse.

「After that I became able to use magic normally. I was able to solidify the surrounding whilst the barrier was still active. From there I dug a hole and came out to here.」

When they looked at Tio’s face once more, they noticed that there was hint of fatigue there from using healing magic and earth magic consecutively despite not having much aptitude with them originally.

「Most likely, Kaori-dono and the others were also given the same treatment.」

Tio let out a passionate sigh with gratitude that came from the bottom of her heart. Her cheeks were slightly colored red.

「I was able to faintly see at the far away while falling. There was a red light. There was no doubt that Nagumo-dono also protected the other side.」

「……I see, so Nagumo-kun did that. Then they must be alright.」

「Seriously? Even though we almost died just from the shockwave……」

Shizuku let out a relieved sigh, while Ryuutarou’s palm slapped his own forehead to express his own astonishment.

「But……those things, what were they? Something like that……it’s just absurd.」

Suzu hugged her own body. She looked completely scared.

It couldn’t be helped. Those golems were things that were beyond human’s understanding. They were the embodiment of unreasonableness.

「They must be connected with the memories that Tio-san and everyone lost right? Perhaps, Kouki-kun’s disappearance was also……」

If that was really the case, there was nothing that could be done. It was impossible. Suzu almost said that. Shizuku and Ryuutarou also became enveloped with stifling mood. However they couldn’t speak any more words. Because they were interrupted.

「THERE ART NO PROBLEEEEMMMMM!」

The loud voice echoed repeatedly through the passage. Tio yelled her declaration.

She stood up and put both her hands on her waist while puffing out her chest impactfully. Her expression looked totally smug.

Suzu lifted up her face in a snap. Shizuku and Ryuutarou’s eyes also opened wide like saucers.

「N-no problem you say……」

「Umu! There art not really any reason why it wouldst not be a problem but, it wouldst be fine anyway!」

What she said had no basis at all. She also had no plan. But, confidence was the only thing that she had in spades. Tio winked exaggeratedly at the bewildered Suzu. And then, she said it. No, she declared, she swore it.

「I wouldst protect all of thee at the very least! I swore it on mine pride as a member of the dragon race!」

Tio puffed up her chest. The gazes of Shizuku and co were drawn toward it regardless of their will.

Because, her hands that were placed on her waist were shaking.

She was bluffing. Tio herself must actually be completely filled with fear herself. She must be feeling nothing but uneasiness. But she was desperately hiding it to give encouragement to the three of them.

「In any case we ought to advance forward for now! This place art undoubtedly the aforementioned ruins. In that case, we wouldst be able to reunite with Nagumo-dono and the others somewhere in here. Now, follow me!」

The current Tio was nine years old girl. She was suddenly in an unknown place when she realized it, surrounded by unknown people, and got dragged into an abnormal situation where only her body had grown adult.

And yet, this was how she acted. She was taking the lead. She straightened her back and held back the shaking of her hands while preparing herself to become a shield for the others when pushes came to shove.

「……So, this is the dragon race.」

It was Shizuku who unconsciously muttered that. This, this was exactly the noble and proud sky race that made even Yue idolized them.

Despite the childishness of her heart, the mentality, the way of life had been properly passed down to her.

*Baam* A sound that even sounded pleasing to the ears echoed clearly.

Tio jumped while yelling 「What theee!?」. She hurriedly turned around and found Suzu there with both her cheeks reddening. It seemed that she had slapped her cheeks with her hands.

「Yosh! Let’s go!」

She started dashing forward with light footsteps to stand at Tio’s side. And then another *Bam-* followed.

「Even Ryuutarou-dono, just what in the world art thou doing?」

「Don’t mind us, Tio-san. I just felt a but pathetic.」

「O-ou? Art that the case?」

「Fufu. Yes, that’s right.」

Shizuku also did *Bam-*. The three all had swollen cheeks while standing at Tio’s sides.

As though to say that it would be them who protect Tio right now.

「Now, let us move.」

Their attitudes must have conveyed something to her. Tio’s eyes blinked for a moment before her expression softened. Her shaking stopped.

「Umu-. Let’s go!」

Tio’s light sphere silently moved forward. It drove away the darkness further inside the passage and illuminated their path forward.

The four nodded to each other and started advancing forward.

*Kotsu kotsu* The sound of footsteps stomping on metal floor and the sound of breathing were strangely penetrating deep into their eardrums. They kept walking for a while through the unchangingly dull passage.

Naturally, they attempted to contact the others through “Telepathy Stone”. The “Designation Stone” that had beacon effect was also working, but there was no answer from Hajime.

「There isn’t any fork in the path……」

It seemed that the spot they fell into was accidentally a connecting passage. Or perhaps was simply outrageously huge. The passage that kept continuing forever straight forward was unwittingly lessening everyone’s tension.

Perhaps that was why, it seemed that Tio’s childish heart had moved on from vigilance toward a different matter.

「Couldst I ask thee a question……」

The strangely hesitant tone made Shizuku and others went Hm? in puzzlement.

「This art, just to check, umu, I simply wish to ask in order to confirm it but……」

「Ou? What’s the problem, Tio-san? You can ask us anything.」

Ryuutarou smiled cheerfully while at his sides Shizuku and Suzu were secretly looking at each other because they had sensitively guessed what Tio might asked.

「Truly? Then allow me to ask……what art the relationship……between Nagumo-dono and me?」

She sent questioning glances to them with an upward gaze. Her eyes were filled with embarrassment, and just a little bit of expectation.

Ryuutarou’s smile froze on his face. However his eyes were busily darting around.

「Y-you guys are comrade yeah? Ones that trust their back to each other, yeah?」

「That art not what I’m asking.」

Ryuutarou’s vague answer made Tio-chan’s expression turned serious.

Ryuutarou sent a gaze that asked for help to Suzu and Shizuku. Because, when he was asked with that question, what crossed his mind was naturally the case of “ass pile bunker” that he heard the story of in the palace. The usual things.

Although, there was no way they could tell a mentally nine years old girl that she was in a relationship that was formed from getting punished.

「W-what’s with that reaction-? So there was something? There really was something between us!?」

Tio blushed and looked around at Shizuku and others with sparkling eyes.

She looked very curious with the romantic matter that her adult self was getting into.

「Err, are you perhaps, curious about when Nagumo-kun declared that he will definitely recover the memories of Tio-san and everyone?」

Shizuku dodged the question for the time being by asking back. Hajime was certainly exuding unusual atmosphere when he declared that he would recover the memories of Tio and others.

Tio nodded and asked.

「There was also that, And there was also how he protected us. Even though he was the one in greatest danger during the fall.」

Tio looked toward empty air in remembrance while pressing her hands on her chest.

「I wonder why. When I thought about Nagumo-dono, mine chest, tightened ve~ry hard deep inside.」

「「「……」」」

「My heart told me, that I wouldst be fine as long as I’m beside that person. It’s just like, when Chichi-ue gave me a hug. But, it also feels a bit different……it’s like a peaceful feeling, like I’m feeling fulfilled. Such warm feelings filled me when I thought about him.」

Shizuku and others looked at each other once more. They all felt like they were going to groan Uaaa~ voicelessly together. If possible they wanted to cover their faces with their hands.

Tio was walking quietly in a modest way, while she was shyly hiding her blushing face with the sleeve of her kimono. Her loveliness was through the roof! She looked completely like a girl in love. She was exuding a very thick bittersweet atmosphere. Even though she had no memory, or perhaps because she had none at all that she was expressing her feeling in her heart too honestly.

「……However, the way Nagumo-dono looked at Yue-dono……forgive me, I hath asked a strange question.」

Tio was sharp when it came to the subtlety of the heart even with her amnesia. She put on a weak smile that looked slightly sad. It was unbearable to see. And so Ryuutarou reflexively,

「I think there was something between you two! I don’t really know though!」

He used his last resort, “I don’t really know though”.

「That’s right! How should I say it, that, yes! Nagumo-kun, he often did things like tying Tio-san……I think if my memory isn’t mistaken I guess!」

「Tying me!? What do thy mean by that!?」

It meant literally that. They had lost count how many times Hajime had tied her up with wire until she became like a cocoon before leaving her alone. Each time Tio would go haa haa with ecstatic expression while crawling on the ground in high speed after her master. They had lost count how many times they had witnessed such perversion.

「At the very least he had made Tio-san very happy many times! Yes! So much so that it made everyone around you two drew away each time! It was like you two were inside your own world!」

「I think there’s no other man who can receive a perve――unique person like Tio-san other than Nagumo yeah!」

「U-unbelievable! Our relationship art actually that special!? Awawa……what a predicament. Perhaps, I hath actually climbed up the stairs of adulthood――」

「In a sense, I think you had climbed it up to the top and even higher beyond that! Suzu can’t even keep up with that!」

「I couldst not believe it!」

Shizuku and others kept blabbering from following the momentum. 「The adult me, art amahzing……」 Tio said while hiding her lips with her sleeve. Surely she was grinning widely behind that cover.

Her smile returned in relieve for the time being. Her adorable figure that showed no hint of her usual perversity at the slightest made everyone looked at her with warm gazes.

Tio’s face reddened even more when she noticed that.

「……Uu, please doth not look at mee」

Her voice was shaking and so small that it felt like it would vanish into thin air anytime soon.

The hearts of Shizuku and others became as one. If that guy is in this place right now, won’t his heart get pierced through in one shot? They thought.

「Mu! Look, over there! A branch in the path! Let us stop with the idle talk now!」

「Even though it was you Tio-san who bring it upp~」

Suzu teased at Tio from the side while smirking. Shizuku glanced at her and,

(Well, none of that is a lie. And the way that guy looked at her……is clearly different compared to when he looked at me.)

Thought such thing while unconsciously smiling bitterly, then she sighed. She switched feeling and looked at the passage ahead.

Certainly, they could see a crossroads ahead. They stopped walking in the middle of it.

「What now?」(Ryuutarou)

「I believe, the red light that I saw came from that direction, more or less……」

Tio pointed at the left passage. Although, what she saw happened while she was falling. And it also happened in an instant. Tio too didn’t sound confident.

All of them frowned. The clue to decide the path that they should take was too few.

Tio was groaning un un while her thought was racing. She was also sending her light sphere to each path to see if there was something. But, in the end it only showed the same dull passages everywhere without any sign to help them decide……

Although, that hesitation was immediately erased after that. No, they had lost the leeway to hesitate.

Someone came to meet them. Although it wasn’t Hajime or Kaori and the others.

「Nn? Just now, there are footsteps……」

It was a meeting that they wished for, but it happened in a way that had to be classified as the worst.

.

「――”Soaring Flash”」

.

「「「「Tsu!?」」」」

There was a flash from the right passage. Right after they saw it, the slash of light flew at them murderously.

The four of them opened their eyes wide in shock. Tio was purely surprised, while Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryuutarou were surprised because they were attacked by a very familiar attack that came from a very familiar voice.

「Tsu, don’t just stand still!」

Tio grabbed Ryuutarou and Shizuku and jumped back toward the passage that they came from. Shizuku wasn’t in the attack trajectory from the start, but she returned to her senses from Tio’s yell and immediately withdrew.

「Fuckers! Kouki you stupid idiot! It’s us! Do you want to kill us!?」

「So you’re safe you idiot! Why the hell are you here-, you idiot!」

Merciless insults were thrown from the two childhood friends.

Yes, it was without a doubt Kouki who chanted the attack just now. The technique was also his favorite special attack.

Tio guessed that this was the missing person in question and her eyes widened. Suzu was confused by Kouki’s presence, even so she naturally chanted her magic. Her experience was telling her to do that.

Shizuku and Ryuutarou were the same. They were raising their voices, but they didn’t make any movement to come out to the open anymore.

Because they felt it. That there was a dangerous enemy there! Their instinct was right.

「――”Sky Claw Rain”」

Kouki completely ignored everyone’s voice and countless light spheres rushed toward the crossroads.

Those spheres ignored inertia and came to a complete stop before making sharp turn toward Shizuku and others.

「Tsu, ――”Heaven Severance”!!」

Suzu’s preparation proved its worth. Several layers of orange barriers splendidly blocked the light spheres.

「Kouki!? What they hell are you doing you bastard! Stop it! Don’t you know that it’s us!?」

Ryuutarou’s angry yell resounded between the impact sounds.

「What art this-, art not he thy friend!? Or else it’s a wrong person!?」

「No……that’s really Kouki!」

Shizuku approached the corner and peeked out just for an instant. Her hand was on the handle of her black katana.

The person who sprinted so fast as though to blow away the passage’s darkness was undoubtedly Kouki.

His figure blurred. He leaped out to the intersection in one leap with “Ground Shrinker”. His gaze ran through Shizuku and others for just a moment. But, he showed no sign of stopping.

「――”Reflection Wall”」

He somersaulted forward while at the same time deploying barrier midair. It was a simple barrier with reflection effect that they had never seen Kouki used before. He used that as foothold to blast himself off like a pinball.

「Kouki, what’s wrong with you!?」

Shizuku yelled like that even while drawing out her sword.

Kouki cut apart the “Heaven Severance” barrier like it was a scrap paper. Then his sword slashed at Shizuku without pause. Shizuku blocked it with the black katana. The impact made her hands felt numb.

The attack was very sharp and heavy. It wasn’t a joke. He was seriously trying to kill her.

「Kou, ki?」

The moment they locked swords with each other, Shizuku became speechless as she peered into Kouki’s eyes from that close range.

It was so, so lifeless. His gaze was empty as though he was just a puppet.

「Asshole! What the hell are you doing sleepwalking like that! Koukiii-」

Ryuutarou stepped forward from Kouki’s side. He punched with his vein pulsing on his forehead.

It was a wonderfully textbook “straight thrust” that was befitting of a karate expert. But,

「Kyah」

「Wha-!?」

It was Shizuku and Ryuutarou who let out the agitated voices. Kouki had relaxed himself with superb timing and made the flat of his holy sword slid on the black katana to redirect its trajectory toward Ryuutarou.

Ryuutarou dodged it just barely, but both Shizuku and him got cold sweats because they almost finished off each other.

They reflexively glared at Kouki. But, he wasn’t there.

「Behind!」

Shizuku tripped Ryuutarou’s legs. Kouki had circled to their back with a movement so smooth it was like a flowing water. His slash after that grazed Ryuutarou’s head as he stumbled down.

「You-」

Ryuutarou who almost got his head lopped off looked furious, but naturally Kouki didn’t stop.

He expressionlessly and robotically slashed diagonally with the holy sword to reap the lives of his childhood friends. Shizuku slashed back at him, but this situation where Kouki was attacking them was making her movements lacked luster.

「Get a hold of thyself! I doth not know the situation but, everything wouldst be over if thou doth not survive first!」

A scolding that was even filled with dignity resounded. A bullet of compressed wind assaulted Kouki. It was parried easily with the holy sword, but it was enough to give Shizuku and Ryuutarou a breathing room.

「Don’t blame us if you get injured!」

Shizuku discarded her hesitation and slashed seriously. Sound and sparks of swords clashing bloomed continuously.

She pushed, pushed, and pushed. She continuously unleashed attacks like surging wave with the techniques of Yaegashi-style. And then she realized.

「Y-you-. Aren’t, Kouki!?」

The sword exchange said as much as verbal speech. It was possible to understand the opponent even more eloquently than words.

Though Shizuku didn’t have the slightest intention to say such phrase that sounded like coming from a master swordsman in a period drama.

But it was only at this time that she couldn’t help but feel it keenly.

Kouki was fighting not with Yaegashi-style that they had learned together, nor with kendo, nor with the swordsmanship of the kingdom’s knight that he had trained hard in since coming to Tortus. It was an unknown swordsmanship that he was performing with terribly smooth movement despite its solidness.

Even though her specs were inferior compared to Kouki, Shizuku believed that she was Kouki’s superior purely in swordsmanship. Her face was gradually showing impatience.

It wasn’t working. Her sword was getting blocked, parried, diverted. Her openings were being accurately targeted and she was counterattacked in a way that sent chills into her guts. He was doing that while also handling Ryuutarou’s pincer attack and Tio’s support, while also firing light bullets at Suzu.

On top of that, with each second that passed and each blow that was exchanged, Shizuku’s technique was getting seen through and adapted to!

The opponent’s skill was definitely master class. It was a swordsmanship that was similar but actually completely different from Kouki who recently was getting increasingly more reliant on his specs while forsaking his technique.

Therefore, Shizuku relied on a method that had to be called as heretical as a swordsman.

「You-」

She pointed the tip of her scabbard at the opponent and pressed a switch on the grip. It activated the needle gun that was inserted in it.

As expected it must be unexpected.

Kouki perfectly deflected the needles that were fired rapidly at him, even so he warily took distance from her after that.

「Tsu, haaaaaaah」

Shizuku exhaled loudly. It felt like the sword clash that lasted for less than a minute had shaved off her mental strength drastically. Sweat drenched her body and her front hair got stuck on her forehead.

「Shizushizu! You alright!?」

The light bullets had stopped when she noticed and Suzu and the others ran toward her.

「……Does this mean that Kouki also lost his memory?」(Shizuku)

「Then did he get brainwashed too? He even attacked us.」(Ryuutarou)

「It seems his situation art different from us.」

Regardless of the truth, this wasn’t the time to think about it. Multiple floating objects appeared soundlessly from deeper inside the passage where Kouki came from.

They looked faimilar. Those were the pyramid shaped floating objects like the one that appeared in the tree house.

There were ten of them. They arrived in a neat flying formation and lined up orderly beside and above Kouki. Shizuku obeyed the red alert alarm that was sounded by her instinct and yelled.

「Suzu!!」

「Become the holy domain and let none of the god’s enemy through――”Holy Severance”!!」

Although the chant was shortened, a barrier of the greatest class was produced. It was the accomplishment of Suzu who hadn’t let her guard down.

Because without that, all of them would have become filled with holes in their body.

*Kyuuun* The pyramids made such light sound and light converged on the middle of their surfaces. Right after that, countless lasers clashed on the barrier. Many ripples formed on the barrier and an unpleasant sound was ringing out.

Suzu let out a pained voice 「Kuh」 while Kouki lifted up the holy sword that was starting to be tinged with light.

Then reinforcement appeared from deep inside all the passages. The floating pyramids kept increasing in number with each second that passed.

It was just a matter of time before they got completely surrounded.

「T-t-t-this art not a problem! I wouldst protect everyone!」

Tio desperately encouraged them but, she couldn’t hide the trembling in her voice. Suzu and Ryuutarou’s stiff faces were clearly expressing their tense feeling when faced with this dangerous situation.

「……This, is bad.」

Cold sweat trickled down Shizuku’s cheek. While inside her heart she thought of that reliable man.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Far at the north side, even deeper underground than the location of Shizuku and the others,

「Hiiiiiiiiiiih, save meeee~~~~~」

A pathetic scream was echoing. The one running without any care of appearance or shame while holding her head that had its rabbit ears flattened down was naturally Shia.

Her face looked horrible. All kinds of excretions like tear and snot and saliva were flooding out. It was a face that a beautiful girl should never make.

「It’s fine! Everything is fine so calm down, Shia!」

「I-i-i-i-i-impossibleeeeeeee-」

It stood to reason. After all even Kaori who was soothing Shia was also feeling her hair stood on ends, so it couldn’t be helped.

After all, the enemies that were attacking the two……

Were innumerable number of snakes.

The two fell into a half destroyed dome shaped space while being protected by the Cross Bit, but then a lot of snakes came out in that place that had several exits.

They had grey color and length around two meters. Their bodies were made of metal with patterns covering the body surface. Yes, it was a great swarm of the small version golems of that Serpent. The sight of them clinging all over the ceiling, wall, and floor was more than enough to make even Shia who should be used to seeing something like snake to feel agoraphobia.

After all, number was strength. Because of that they forcefully escaped from that space, and then Kaori intercepted any who got closer while they kept running until now in order to not get surrounded.

「Nnn――”disintegratiooon”!!」

The disappearance of the magic power dispersion effect was a silver lining of this situation. Although Kaori still wasn’t used to the apostle body. Her activation of the most atrocious magic “Disintegration” was slow, and her control was shoddy. Her mental strength was shaved away by the intense focus that was required.

Even so, the magic had enough extermination power to sweep away the approaching grey snakes that were at the forefront. If she fired the magic in sweeping arc, a gap of more than ten meters would immediately be opened up between them and the approaching torrent of snakes.

「――”Heaven Severance”!! “Binding Shining Blade”!!」

She also didn’t forget to use the light element magic that she was good at. After all great variety of magic were constantly coming from the grey snakes. She blocked the attacks with several layers of barriers, and fired light swords for binding the individual grey snakes that leaped at them to the floor. Even then some would still get through and she would cut them up or repel them with her twin great swords. She was protecting Shia.

「Where-, where should we go――bugyaaa!?」

Shia stumbled. At a place where there was nothing. Her face collided on the floor and her body slid forward while her body was bending backward. Her panty was in full view.

「W-what a hopeless rabbit-」

Kaori didn’t stop running. She used a chain of light――”Binding Radiant Chain” to reel Shia to her before immediately placing her body on her shoulder. She also used healing magic on Shia because her nose was bleeding river.

「T-thank you so much desu-. I thought you were a slightly scary person but, you’re a good person! You are my savior desuu!」

「Your welco――wait a second. What do you mean scary person!?」

「Eh, ah, no, that issss……the way you looked at Nagumo-san was a bit……」

「A bit what I wonder!? I wonder!?」

「Hih, I’m sorryyy-. You’re scary just as I thoughtttt~」

The rabbit immediately shrunk back in fear just from Kaori raising her voice a little.

For Kaori, Shia was already a superhuman since the first time they met. She was a girl who was far stronger than herself.

She was bright, courageous, and she would laugh fearlessly even when challenging a powerful enemy. Shia was such person who she even harbored admiration to.

(But, this is the original Shia……)

That was exactly why she had a thought. Just how much courage Shia had mustered in order to change herself.

Just how much fear, feeling of inferiority Shia had overcome to reach that point.

(To steal that memory, everything that she had been accumulating until now……unforgivable-)

Kaori felt destructive anger toward that Centauros that was clad in Shia’s magic power.

「It’ll be fine-, I’ll protect you Shia! Until you regain yourself!」

「K-Kaori-san?」

She saw a crossroads at the front. Grey torrent was flooding out from there. Great swarm of grey snakes also appeared from the left and right passages. It seemed that they had been encircled.

「Kaori-san, the front too!」

「I, know! Power is justice at this kind of time! Isn’t that right Shia!」

「What are you talking about desu!?」

Obstacle could just be smashed to pieces with power. After all power was strength!

Kaori stopped running and aimed the magic power that she had kneaded over and over toward diagonally below the wall, and fired.

「This is the strongest attack that I can do right nowwwww――”Disintegration-“!!」

Silver flash swelled up. A bombing with diameter that might reach three meters pierced diagonally below the metal wall, turning everything on its path into dust without exception, digging a hole to deeper and deeper underground.

「Kuuh, my control is-」

Kaori was desperately suppressing the power that threatened to go out of control. Even so there were many deviations with the casted magic, and in addition her compression was shoddy and midway the magic burst and dispersed……

When the silver light vanished into thin air, there was a crooked and jagged hole like a natural cavern left in its wake.

「Come Shia! Jump in!」

「Eh, impossible desu. It’s dark, scary. A hole that’s made with that kind of magic might cave in any――」

The great swarm of grey snake would close the distance and pincer attacked them soon. Kaori was holding them back with “Divine Severance” and felt an irritation that was similar like what Hajime felt against the Hauria clan in the past at the sea of trees.

「Stop complaining and just goooooooo-」

「Hiih, I’m sorry! I’m, going no――AAA!?」

In the end, the panicked Shia stepped too hard and slipped. She couldn’t soften her landing and fell into the hole where she starting rolling flashily like a swastika. Screams like 「Gubee!? Bigya!? Aa, AAA~~~!?」 were echoing.

「S-SHIAAAAA~~~!!」

Kaori hurriedly fired “Disintegration Feathers” to the surrounding ceiling to cause a collapse and blocked the path.

She also applied regeneration magic to the “Divine Severance” itself so it would regenerate, then she hurriedly chased after Shia.

Oh? The scream stopped……

「Awawa, what to do! I thought that Shia would be fine because of her toughness but……if by any chance she……it’ll be possible, to resurrect her right?」

Kaori sent a light sphere ahead to illuminate the path and went down the crooked cave for a while.

Shia seemed to have rolled down until very deep. When she found her, it seemed that she got stuck midway on a rock that didn’t vanish because the disintegration attack dispersed.

Shia’s upper body was bending into “