<h4>Volume 9, Chapter 6 - Scarlet Valkyrie</h4>
Part 1
Amidst endless darkness, even cker than night--
The demon sword of darkness gradually regained consciousness.
Here was a mental realmpletely isted from the outside world.
Prohibiting movement, this ce only allowed the existence of consciousness.
Currently, the demon sword that stood as her temporary state was being carried by the hell cat girl.
"--How ironic. To think I would be saved by a rival whom I once tried to kill."
In the darkness, Restia sighed softly.
The damage inflicted by the divine armament would not recover immediately. Due to the effects of the strong Geis, there was also no way to return to her main body.
As much as she disliked it, for the time being she had no choice but to remain in the form of the demon sword.
Drawing her knees up to her chest, Restia surveyed the darkness enshrouding her surroundings.
A pitch ck darkness surged forth, restless.
This was not the darkness of the night which calmed her heart.
Instead, this was some otherworldly substance possessing astounding will.
Absolutely something that should not exist in this world.
Furthermore, it was three years ago, just when he was about to realize the Wish -- That darkness devoured her.
People had no idea, but the so-called miracle of the Elemental Lords that could reputedly grant all Wishes, its true form was this astounding darkness--
"Over these past few days, the rate of corrosion has increased greatly -- There''s not much time left."
Restia showed anxiety on her face.
"Next, I shall be the Enemy of the World."
Dark light lit up in her dusk-colored eyes.
(...Kamito, even if it would cause you to resent me, hate me.)
Even if it would cause her great suffering.
What Restia recalled in her mind was the promise he had made in his youth.
Should there evere a time in the future when I have changed so much I am myself no longer--
--Kill me.
Part 2
"...?"
Hiding in the ruins, ire turned her head towards the demon sword of darkness resting against the wall.
The demon sword, which had remained silent all this time, seemed to be murmuring something.
(...Was it an illusion?)
...However, the demon sword remained silent.
The sharp de of darkness shone with ominous luster as it reflected the moonlight.
Earlier, Restia was heavily injured by the divine armament that pierced her chest. Even for a high-level spirit like her, recovery would take quite a long period of time.
(--That knight hasn''t caught up yet.)
Leaning against a wall in the ruins, ire searched the area for presences.
It was inconceivable that Luminaris would give up so easily--
At this moment, ire felt a powerful presence up in the air, causing her to tremble intensely.
"That''s...!"
In the evening sky, a gigantic spirit resembling a multi-headed dragon was flying.
(Demon spirit...)
During the daytime, no spirits could be sensed other than those ghosts in this abandoned city.
But as soon as the sun went down, it was as if the city changedpletely.
It became a literal "City of Demons" with violent and ferocious demon spirits roaming the skies.
Furthermore, the spirit flying overhead belonged to the highest rank, categorized as "archdemon ss" by the Spirit Knights of the Empire. An existence that none of the elite de Dance participants from various countries could possibly handle alone.
If one were to attempt ying it, most likely an entire division of elite spirit knights would be required at least.
However, Kamito had apparently defeated an archdemon ss spirit singlehandedly before.
(...Probably some kind of joke. How could a single person defeat something like that?)
ire looked up in trepidation at the demon spirit flying in the night sky.
Of course, from the demon spirit''s perspective, beings like ire werepletely insignificant. So long as she did not attack first, it probably would not assault her--
"Meow..."
Scarlet also seemed to have sensed the danger and had humbly curled into a ball.
After some time, the gigantic demon spirit leisurely flew into the distance.
"...It''s gone."
Seeing that, ire breathed a sigh of relief.
...As soon as she rxed, a rumbling informed her of the hungry stomach.
Speaking of which, she still had not eaten yet.
ire took out the little pill from her pocket and ced it in her mouth. Seeing Scarlet wagging its tail as if it wanted one too, she gave the cat a pill as well.
(...What a tasteless meal.)
However, ire was used to such lonely meals. Before she met Kamito, she spent her days alone in the Academy residence, subsisting on canned food.
--Completely different from several years ago.
Although the Elstein family''s dining table was not as luxurious as other great nobles, they did have exclusive chefs in the city who could provide hot meals on demand.
Also, wheneverrge scale festivities were being held in their territory, their subjects would prepare and bring all sorts of prided specialties of local cuisine.
(...The Fire Spirit Festival once a year, how nostalgic.)
Stroking Scarlet''s head gently, ire muttered in her heart.
Even now, ire could still vividly recall the figure of her elder sister in morous ritual attire as she danced in offering during the festivals back then.
--It was a memory of her happy everyday life that had vanished like a dream.
At this moment.
"...!?"
Sensing the presence that suddenly appeared, ire went into high alert.
With her left hand, she grabbed the demon sword of darkness that was leaning against the wall.
"...Who is it!?"
A wild animal''s low cry responded to her sharp question.
(...A wolf?)
This word entered her mind momentarily but she instantly rejected the notion.
Wild animals could not possibly appear in this abandoned city.
If they did, they must be--
"--Scarlet!"
ire swiftly chanted spiritnguage to release her elemental waffe.
The burning mes lit the dim surroundings.
"...!?"
Appearing out of the darkness was a pack of ck hunting hounds.
Five... Or was it six? --Their outlines flickered nonstop as if melding into the surrounding darkness.
"...Why? I couldn''t sense any elementalist just now."
As if responding to ire''s murmurings, a voice answered:
"My legion spirit Shadewolf possesses skills in tracking and presence concealment. Ordinary methods cannot detect us."
A girl approached from the entrance of the ruins.
ring sharply, this girl had hair that was cut short like a boy''s.
"--Special Operative of the Sacred Spirit Knights, A Cedar."
The girl bowed politely then snapped her fingers.
Hearing the sound, the wolf pack began to make intimidating howls as they encircled ire.
"That demon sword, hand it over."
"I''m sorry, I cannotply."
ire struck the floor with metongue to deter the wolves.
(...A special operative, in other words, an expert tracker. What a troublesome opponent.)
The wolves were very likely the minions of the shadow spirit.
Despite the name of the Sacred Spirit Knights, it did not imply that all members employed spirits with the holy attribute.
After all, an unbnced teamposition of that sort would be unlikely to win the current de Dance with its team format and regtions.
Shadow spirits possessed excellent skills in presence hiding.
Although the me spirit Scarlet was stronger in pure offensive power, ire could not afford to be careless because shadow elementalists were skilled in special de dances.
"Go forth and capture, Shadewolf!"
Heeding the calls of A Cedar, the shadow wolves attacked one after another.
ire swung her whip to trace out a column of fire in an arc.
--However, the enemy anticipated her move. The wolves instantly melted into the shadows on ground and dove into gaps in the rubble to get around the wall of me.
"...Tsk, take this --!?"
Faced with a pouncing wolf, ire incinerated it at thest second using her whip.
An endlessly criss-crossing mad storm of whip strikes made it impossible for the wolf pack to approach.
"As befits one hailing from the renowned lineage of me priestesses--"
"After all, I''m used to training animals!"
"I hope you will refrain from throwing insults, ire Rouge!"
A Cedar snapped her fingers again.
The shadow wolves divided and increased their numbers.
(...With this many, I''m not going to be able to handle them!?)
Instantly, the tides turned on ire.
There was no end to things when dealing with legion spirits as enemies.
"Go forth and devour, scorching ball of congration -- Fireball!"
Releasing spirit magic from her palm, ire blew away the shadow spirit.
The shadow wolves dispersed like mist but they were not defeated by the attack just now.
Legion spirits which relied on numbers for victory were rather tricky to deal with. In that case--
(--I''ll just attack the elementalist directly!)
ire kicked the ground to elerate and closed in instantly.
Due to the nature of their duties, special operatives tended not to be skilled in closebat using elemental waffen.
The wolves that had escaped the earlier explosion now bared their fangs and ws as they gave chase, however--
"Toote!"
ire brandished metongue as she ran, establishing a barrier around her.
Using a whip in a one-against-many de dance was precisely ire''s forte.
Within the blink of an eye, ire had closed in before A, then--
"--Turn into charcoal!"
Mercilessly, she swung down the fiery whip.
A whip strike with god-like speed, so fast that there was no trail of its trajectory.
During practice, the only one capable of dodging this move was Kamito.
A Cedar was just about to be devoured by the crimson mes -- However.
"I am the shadow that moves in time -- Shade Leap."
Her figure disappeared from before ire like an afterimage.
(Transfer type spirit magic...!)
ire''s mind began to turn rapidly.
(I remember amongst spirit magic with the shadow attribute, Transfer type magic--)
Having learned at the Academy about the basic magic systems of all the major attributes, ire had them all memorized with certainty.
The title of the "Problematic Honors Student" was not simply for show.
(...It is supposed to be a magic system with many ws that make it hard to control.)
A''s figure vanishedpletely.
Instantly, ire jumped away from her position.
(Shade Leap -- its effect is the transfer between shadows that are closest together...!)
Beneath ire''s feet, her shadow was shaking unnaturally.
But having seen through her opponent''s attack, ire had already prepared countermeasures.
"O me, dance a magnificent rondo -- Fire Burst!"
She chanted spirit magic at high speed in midair.
Countless glowing spheres of heat appeared from her palms and banished the surrounding darkness with dazzling light.
Unlike the Fireball, this movecked damage but could shock and awe the enemy through powerful light and noise.
The white sh instantly cleared the ground of shadows, cancelling the Shade Leap magic.
Suffering the bacsh of the cancelled magic, A was ejected onto the ground.
Landing nimbly, ire instantly attacked with metongue.
"Yah!"
The special operative was enveloped in fire and sent crashing into the floor.
With a cracking sound of air, ire pulled metongue back into her hands.
"--Victory has been decided."
Just as she was about to inflict a decisive blow--
"...!?"
She found her foot sinking into a shadow on the ground as she took a step forward.
"...This is an Istion Barrier!?"
ire eximed in surprise.
Before A started the fight, she must have set a trap in the surroundings--!
"...How careless, hell cat user. After all, special operatives are most adept at relying on traps to fight."
Lying on the ground, A smiled.
However, even with one foot swallowed by shadows, ire remained calm andposed.
"Relying on a barrier of this level, do you really think you can catch me?"
The victor of the de dance was already decided.
Struck by a direct hit from metongue, A was incapacitated from fighting within the near future.
Unless the ensnarement urred during battle, otherwise this type of Istion Barrier, which only took mere minutes to dispel, was virtually meaningless.
"No, I have already achieved my goal."
"What?"
"Because my goal was to keep you pinned down in this location."
"...!"
ire clicked her tongue as she realized her own stupidity.
(...Herrades are nearby?)
On further thought, it was only natural.
Otherwise, this girl would not havee to challenge her one on one.
--In that case, it was imperative to escape from here as quickly as possible.
ire lit a fire with her finger and traced out a magic circle in the air for dispelling the barrier.
''--This method will not be anywhere quick enough, you know. ire Rouge.''
"...!?"
ire suddenly looked down.
The exasperated voice came from the demon sword held in her left hand.
"...You recovered your energy?"
''Only a bare minimum, enough to transmit my thoughts. Still not enough to resume human form... That aside, use me to pierce that shadow. Your spirit magic takes too long.''
"Eh?"
''Do it quickly. The Pdin is hastening to this ce.''
"...I-I got it."
ire frantically nodded and used the demon sword''s de to stab the shadow.
Instantly with an ear-splitting metallic ng, the Istion Barrier ensnaring ire''s foot was easily broken.
"How could this happen!?"
A eximed with surprise.
(What power...!)
ire could not help but gasp.
Simply within an instant, a barrier that would upy an experienced elementalist quite some time was dispelled--
--Well then, hurry and leave this ce.''
"W-Why are you giving me orders!?"
Despite retorting back, ire was already preparing to flee the scene. However.
"Do you really think I would let the same prey escape twice?"
"...!?"
On the other end of the dim passage came a solemn voice.
"Well done, A. Please rest there for a while."
As her military boots sounded with every step she took, Luminaris Saint Leisched approached.
Then from the opposite end of the alleyway came another person--
"I''ll shoot you full of holes if you dare move."
Wielding a silver longbow, yet another girl of the Sacred Spirit Knights.
(...This is bad.)
The two knights were closing in on ire with a pincer formation.
Her escape routes werepletely sealed off.
(...This is hopeless. Nothing I can do but fight?)
Paying attention to the archer behind her, ire readied metongue.
The one before her was the runner-up from the previous de Dance who had fought and lost to Ren Ashbell.
Although ire had no idea how well she could fight against an ace-level elementalist--
--She could not allow herself to be defeated here.
ire had a Wish she must realize no matter what.
Also--
(All this time, Kamito has protected me many times.)
She gripped the demon sword of darkness in her hand tightly.
Holding the contracted spirit from Kamito''s past, the darkness spirit girl.
(...Therefore, I shall in turn protect what''s precious to Kamito!)
Reacting to the divine power she released, metongue''s mes intensified instantly.
The mes were so astounding that even Luminaris disyed wariness and halted her advance.
"ire Rouge. Why are you going to so far in protecting that darkness spirit?"
"...None of your business."
"--Is it because the demon sword belongs to the Strongest de Dancer, Ren Ashbell?"
"Like I said, none of your -- Eh?"
ire''s jaw dropped in surprise.
For an instant, she could notprehend what Luminaris had said.
"...Just now, what did you say?"
"...? Could it be, you didn''t know?"
This time it was Luminaris who disyed an expression of surprise.
Next--
"Then I shall tell you. The darkness spirit over there is the elemental waffe -- the Vorpal Sword."
An unbelievable statement was announced.
"--Namely, the sword used by the strongest de dancer during the de Dance three years ago."
Part 3
...After several seconds of silence.
"...Eh?"
ire uttered a weak powerless sound.
"What do you mean...?"
"Exactly as the words say. The demon sword you are holding right now in your hand is the contracted spirit of the Strongest de Dancer. The elemental waffe -- Vorpal Sword."
Luminaris repeated the same content.
"...!"
ire instantly opened her eyes wide and her gaze fell upon the demon sword in her hand.
...Luminaris did not appear to be lying or providing misdirection. Furthermore, this rigid Pdin did not seem like the type to care for word games.
However.
"...H-How did you find that out!?"
ire questioned to corroborate.
...Indeed, the sword''s appearance was extremely simr.
But despite the simrity -- it was not entirely the same.
The appearance of the elemental waffe used by Ren Ashbell whom ire had always idolized and revered remained vividly in ire''s memories to this day.
...ire could not possibly make a mistake in recognition.
Elemental waffe were existences that materialized the user''s psyche. Hence it was understandable for Kamito and Ren Ashbell -- two people whose sword skills originated from the same master -- to have simrities.
However, Luminaris quietly shook her head.
"...I know without a doubt. After all, I fought directly against that demon sword three years ago."
"..."
ire closed her mouth.
--Indeed, Luminaris had engaged the Strongest de Dancer, Ren Ashbell, in de dance during the finals three years ago.
As an elementalist of the highest ss, discerning the true nature of elemental waffen she had faced directly inbat before should not be a difficult task.
Since she had determined this demon sword to be the Vorpal Sword, it was equivalent to saying -- it was fact beyond a doubt.
The darkness spirit Restia was Kamito''s contracted spirit in the past.
At the same time, Restia was the demon sword of the Strongest de Dancer, Ren Ashbell''s -- Vorpal Sword.
From this, one could conclude--
(In that case, Kamito really is...?)
ire felt her breathing quicken and her heart beginning to race.
All along, ire had suspected Kamito''s true identity many times.
When Kamito used the same sword style as her, ire had even sought Ellis'' aid to investigate the truth.
However, no matter how much she suspected, some part of her mind remained in denial.
Three years ago, the Strongest de Dancer, Ren Ashbell, had appeared out of nowhere like aet.
Through her overwhelmingly powerful and magnificent de dance, she became the "maiden" idolized by all princess maidens across the entire continent.
The one whom ire had idolized from childhood and regarded as her goal--
--Turned out to be right by her side all this time.
"That darkness spirit is taking part in the current festival as a member of Team Inferno. With that, it should be an elementary exercise to specte that she is Ren Ashbell''s demon sword, right?"
Luminaris continued to disy a surprised expression.
She looked like she was not aware of Restia being Kamito''s contracted spirit, and she even believed firmly that themander of Team Inferno was the real Ren Ashbell.
ire''s gaze stopped on the demon sword of darkness in her hand.
"...Is that really true?"
She asked.
But the demon sword did not reply.
Whether this was intentional or because she simply exhausted her power to dispel the Barrier, ire was not sure--
"..."
ire felt her throat dry up. Her mind was in turmoil.
...The truth has yet to be confirmed.
She could not be sure that Luminaris'' words were the truth.
However--
(The fact that Kamito is Ren Ashbell, the Strongest de Dancer...)
...There was no feeling of being deceived.
Because Kamito''s wish to keep it a secret was understandable. Furthermore, the trusting rtionship they had built up over their days together was not so shallow as to waver so easily on a discovery like this.
"...~I, how shall I face Kamito from now on?"
ire felt her cheeks heat up instantly.
...She had yet to settle her emotions.
Even though it was not the time to waver before a formidable enemy--
"--In any case!"
Luminaris closed in further at this time.
"Hand the demon sword over. It is an existence that will one day be the Enemy of the World."
"...!"
ire brought her awareness back to the enemy at hand and readied metongue.
Now was not the time to think too much. Kamito''s true identity could be ponderedter.
(This is Kamito''s sword and his precious contracted spirit. Therefore--)
Feigning ignorance as she swept away the prating ache in her heart--
ire voiced out her determination.
"I have no reason to hand it over to you!"
The burning metongue shed across the night sky.
Part 4
Both Luminaris in front of ire and the knight in the back took action simultaneously.
Ignoring the archer behind her, ire faced Luminaris.
(The rule of one-against-many engagements is that the first strike must eliminate the greatest threat...!)
Chanting a spiritnguage incantation--
"Go forth and dance, the crimson mes summoning destruction -- Hell ze!"
In the forward direction, ire released the strongest spirit magic with the fire attribute.
This astounding heat wave, hot enough to melt rock, engulfed Luminaris.
(...Sess! Once a direct hit--)
But in the next instant.
"...!"
The intensely burning mes were instantly extinguished.
What sliced through the mes -- was a sh of dazzling brilliance.
(That is...!)
ire had seen the sword before.
Three years ago, Luminaris had used this elemental waffe on the stage of the de Dance finals.
"With brilliance that illuminates for eternity, the demon vanquishing sacred sword -- Murgleis!"
Luminaris called out the sacred sword''s title sonorously.
The sword de gave off blinding light, devouring the mes, the torrential light sliced through the dark night.
"Guh...!"
Faced with dazzling light, ire could not help but narrow her eyes.
"Together with Her Majesty the Queen''s sacred sword, Durandal, they are known as the highest ranking elemental waffen. Don''t delude yourself into thinking it could melt from mes of that level!"
Luminaris stabbed the sacred sword into the ground.
Instantly, the ground shattered as a sharp de of light rushed forward in a straight line.
If ire attempted to evade by jumping, she would probably be a target for a second sh.
"--Block it, me Wall!"
ire urgently chanted defensive magic.
Intending to reduce the power of the de of light--
"Yah!"
But the de of light easily sliced through the me barrier and struck ire''s body directly. As physical damage instantly converted into psychological damage, her mind was shaken.
"...Guh, ooh.."
"Wow, one hit was not enough to take you down?"
Luminaris expressed mild surprise in her voice.
(...Damn it, so this is what it means to be an ace-level elementalist.)
Not just martial arts. The total volume of divine power at their disposal also differed substantially.
Despite releasing the spirit''s power to such an extent, Luminaris remainedpletelyposed.
"ire Rouge, you are an excellent elementalist. However--"
Luminaris stopped in front of ire whoy copsed on the ground.
Then--
"You are still too inexperienced."
She stepped on the demon sword of darkness held firmly in ire''s hand.
Readying Murgleis with both hands, Luminaris pointed her sword straight down.
"Vorpal Sword -- I originally hoped to defeat you in a proper de dance."
"No, stop..."
ire desperately moved her fingers as she panted.
The darkness spirit Restia -- she was precious to Kamito.
(I, must protect her...!)
ire mustered all her strength, trying to pull back the darkness spirit who was stuck in demon sword form without any power.
"Please spare me the futile struggle. I have no wish to enact unnecessary violence."
However, Luminaris'' military boot crushed ire''s left hand.
"...Ah, o...!"
The blunt sound of bones shattering could be heard.
ire suppressed the scream rising in the depths of her throat.
An overwhelming disparity in power. Despite the progress ire had made during the current de Dance, her difference in levelpared to Luminaris was still massive.
At least, in a one-on-one de dance, she had no hope of winning.
(...But clearly that "Ren Ashbell" is even more powerful than Luminaris.)
She recalled the scarlet-masked elementalist she faced off against in the forest.
During that time, even partnered with Rinslet, they could not even put up any meaningful resistance.
Suddenly.
(Right, back then...!)
ire had a sh of inspiration.
The mes she disyed for Rinslet who was about to be killed.
(That Ren Ashbell imposter called it the mes of Elstein...)
If I could once again release those mes that incinerated other mes--
"...mes!"
Just like back then.
ire imagined mes dancing madly and lit a fire in her right hand.
However--
(...No good, not this type of fire!)
These current mes were converted from one''s own divine power using the contracted spirit as a medium.
Fundamentally different from those mes that incinerated other mes.
"You still have strength to resist huh?"
Luminaris announced coldly, pointing the tip of her sacred sword at ire''s neck:
"However, it is futile. You shall be defeated and retired right here."
"...!"
In that instant.
"Luminaris-sama!"
The archer girl screamed shrilly.
metongue turned back into the hell cat and roared as it attacked Luminaris.
"Scarlet!"
"What a loyal and dutiful spirit."
Luminaris turned swiftly and swatted Scarlet away with one strike of the sacred sword.
Scarlet was instantly sent flying and crashed into the ground.
Even its desperate strike ended in failure.
(It''s all over, is it...?)
ire bit her lip hard.
Having exhausted thest of her strength, even maintaining her consciousness was difficult.
At this moment.
''--There''s still a chance, you know.''
A whisper was heard in her mind.
(...Darkness spirit?)
Restia was talking directly to ire''s consciousness like earlier.
''ire Rouge. Perhaps in your current state, you might be able to draw out her original power that was sealed.''
(...By her you mean?)
In her mind, ire questioned back with surprise.
''Please call out her true name. The spirit weapon once known as the bloodstained princess. The utmost treasure entrusted to the Elstein bloodline -- the Scarlet Valkyrie.''
(Scarlet Valkyrie... Could it be that--!)
ire opened her eyes wide.
(You know Scarlet''s true name?)
Come to think of it, that "Ren Ashbell" also mentioned this name before.
--The me spirit serving the Elstein family, whose true name had been lost in the distant past.
''ire Rouge, touch the body of my de with the back of your hand. I shall transmit to your mind directly her image. As reluctant as I am to awaken my enemy, there is no other choice now that things have progressed to this point.''
(...Eh?)
''Hurry!''
Hearing Restia urging her--
ire steeled her determination and used the back of her right hand -- the fire spirit seal to touch the tip of the sword.
She had no choice but to believe in the darkness spirit and take a gamble.
"...Guh, ahh..."
Apanied by an acute sense of pain, an expanding torrent of images surged into her mind.
The crimson princess knight wielded a massive scythe as she faced armies of countless spirits in battle.
--The one who guided courageous warriors to the final battlefield.
--The one whom the mes of destruction obeyed, bestowing eternal demise upon foolish enemies.
''Her name is--''
ire loudly called out the true name transmitted from the darkness spirit.
"Her name being, the Scarlet Valkyrie -- Ortlinde."
Instantly, crimson mes swallowed Scarlet''s body.
"...What!?"
Luminaris eximed in rm.
Next--
"--You have finally called out my name, Master."
Out from amidst the wildly dancing mes, a girl appeared.
Part 5
The sight of the red-haired girl appearing out of the crimson mes--
Made ire even forget the pain in her bleeding right hand--
"It''s Scarlet...?"
ire murmured in shock.
Within ire''s hazy and unsteady field of vision--
The girl stepped up to protect ire, facing off against Luminaris.
A petite, graceful and slender figure.
Pristine paleplexion, d in a dress of mes.
Emerging from her crimson hair that was redder than fire--
Triangr ears like a cat''s.
"Yes, Master."
The pair of cat ears moved slightly.
The red-haired girl nodded as she stared at Luminaris before her.
"The Scarlet Valkyrie -- whose true name of old is Ortlinde."
"...!"
Instantly, the mes on the girl''s body burned even more intensely.
ire held her breath in the face of such mes that seemed as if though they were charring the night sky.
(Amazing...!)
In contrast to its cute appearance as a cat, Scarlet was already a powerful spirit.
However, the girl before ire''s eyes -- was an existence far surpassing norms.
"...Is that the me spirit''s true appearance?"
Luminaris groaned in her throat.
Her expression no longer disyed the sameposure as before.
"Spirits bearing human form are known as the highest level spirits--"
Staring at Scarlet unerringly before her eyes, Luminaris held the sacred sword Murgleis with both hands.
"Luminaris-sama!"
At this moment.
An arrow of light shot at Scarlet from behind.
This was the doing of the other female knight lurking on the other end of the darkness.
She probably intended tounch a surprise attack from the direction opposite to Luminaris.
However.
"--Too slow."
Scarlet created little fireballs in both hands.
The fireballs silently rotated around her, easily deflecting the iing arrow.
"...Wha!"
"Over there--"
With a mere turn of her finger--
Suddenly, a fireball flew towards where the arrow was shot from--
In the next instant, an astounding explosion was heard as a pir of fire emerged.
"...!"
Taking this as the signal for their fight to begin--
Wielding Murgleis in her hand, Luminaris stepped forward forcefully, instantly closing the distance.
"--Master, please issue your orders."
A crisp voice with a touch of sternness was heard.
"...Please order the Scarlet Valkyrie -- Ortlinde!"
Gradually slipping towards unconsciousness, ire cried out.
"Defeat the enemy!"
"Understood, Master."
Scarlet swiftly swung her arm towards the air.
With a burst of scattering fire, she summoned a massive crimson scythe in her hands.
Its ferocious appearance seemed as if it were forged out of the mes of hell directly.
Held in this adorable little girl''s hands, it seemed extremely out of ce.
"--O Knight, thou art the one who prevaileth against the trials of fire!"
Luminaris chanted for protection against fire.
Producing slicing wind from the swings of her sword, she shed apart the burning mes.
Scarlet leaped with agility, swinging the massive crimson scythe in midair.
With an ear-splitting sound of impact, sparks flew all around.
The shockwave from the sh caused rubble on the ground to fly.
This was a de dance between a topnotch elementalist and a top-ss me spirit.
"Amazing..."
Seeing the de dance being performed before her eyes, ire could not help but exim in admiration.
Scarlet''s movements far surpassed her speed in hell cat form.
Although they were well-matched in the initial shes, the tides quickly turned against Luminaris who could not defeat the iing mes.
"...So this is the power of a top-ss spirit!?"
"--Unforgivable. I cannot show mercy to you who have hurt Master."
Scarlet swung the massive crimson scythe, her shes forming mes that began to burn.
The scorching mes she produced could not be defended against by mere defensive magic.
"...No matter what, I cannot lose in this kind of ce!"
Despite the mes surrounding her, Luminaris continued to swing her sword.
"I must resume my duel with her and bring victory back to my homnd--"
"Regrettably--"
Instantly, Scarlet''s figure vanished.
Or rather, using the sacred sword''s de as a stepping tform, she jumped into the air at once.
"You will disappear here."
--The crimson crescent shone against the dark night.
An expression of despair was spreading from the blue eyes of the Pdin as she gazed upwards.
Next--
"O mes, let a night of red descend upon the earth -- Crimson Judgment."
The dancing mes of congration devoured Luminaris.
Part 6
In the dark underground maze, the aroma of pancakes spread through the air.
"...So very tasty."
The mysterious young princess maiden was enjoying the delicious pancakes.
Nibbling away in small bites, she looked extremely adorable.
"I can make as many as you want, so please eat to your heart''s content."
"Thank you..."
The girl nodded happily.
(By the way...)
Rinslet suddenly inclined her head in puzzlement.
(...This child, who is she actually?)
...Her identity was aplete riddle. How should one put it? No humans were supposed to be present in a ce like this except for participants in the de Dance.
(Perhaps...)
Rinslet suddenly thought of one possibility.
"Like Est-san, she is a high-level spirit--"
Then her presence in Astral Zero could be exined.
"...?"
Her cheeks stuffed full of food, the girl looked in Rinslet''s direction.
"...You, perhaps you are a spirit?"
"..."
The girl silently nodded.
...It looked like the spection was correct.
Rinslet adjusted her sitting posture lightly.
This was the proper etiquette for a princess maiden towards a high-level spirit.
"Well, may I be so bold as to ask what your divine name may be?"
"..."
The girl averted her gaze... Clearly she did not want to answer this time.
"Well, may I ask why you have appeared in such a ce?"
"..."
No answer either. --Just as Rinslet concluded that...
"...No idea."
The girl looked up and gave that answer.
"...No idea?"
"Can''t remember."
Did she lose her memory?
But spirits were not supposed to lose their memory--
(...Wait a minute, there''s also another case like that.)
Rinslet had heard that the sword spirit Est only retained portions of her memory because of the irregr contract she established with Kamito.
Perhaps this spirit who resembled a girl in outer appearance also lost her memory for some reason.
Otherwise--
(Could she be toying with me?)
Rinslet muttered in her mind.
"Just now, you said you knew the spirits whose names are carved on the stone wall, right?"
"..."
The spirit girl nodded.
"Scarlet Valkyrie -- Ortlinde. In the Spirit War several thousand years ago, she was the me spirit revered and feared as the bloodstained princess."
"Why would you know something like that?"
Although Rinslet felt it was a little impertinent to question a high-level spirit like this...
"...When clearly you''ve lost your memory."
Rinslet still felt she had to add thest statement.
"I have been imprisoned in this underground maze all along. The only thing I could do to alleviate boredom was to decipher the voluminous history carved on the stone walls."
"Imprisoned?"
If this girl really was a spirit--
Physical imprisonment in a maze was not possible.
Probably through some kind of magical means, she was sealed here.
"So who did--"
Just at this moment.
"Yah!"
The ground shook intensely, causing debris to rain down noisily from the ceiling.
Shielding the girl reflexively, Rinslet looked up.
"I-It''s an earthquake?"
"Earthquakes do not ur in this abandoned city."
The girl shook her head.
"Very likely, a powerful spirit is rampaging on the surface."
"A powerful spirit?"
Rinslet''s expression froze.
On the surface, the final round of the de Dance was in full swing.
Perhaps, Kamito and the others were facing a crisis right this moment.
"...What is it?"
"It''s no time for me to be dilly dallying here like this."
Rinslet stood up. Although she wanted to learn more about this spirit who bore a young girl''s appearance, it was clearly not the asion for this.
...In any case, she had to leave this underground maze to search for herrades.
Then--
The girl wiped her mouth using the sleeve of her priestess uniform and stood up lightly.
"...Follow me."
"Eh?"
"The exit, I''ll show you."
Part 7
Kamito and Ellis shifted to some nearby ruins away from the ce they had been staying earlier.
Staying in one spot was not a wise idea because as soon as an elementalist skilled in espionage spotted them, barriers and other traps could be set.
Compared to the Tempest where it was advantageous to establish and defend a stronghold as early as possible, the Cross Fire requiredpletely different tactics.
"Is the poison all gone?"
Lying down on his back against the stone floor, Kamito asked.
"Yeah, I feel much better... All thanks to you."
Ellis blushed in response and nodded.
"However, uh, I hope you do not get the wrong idea. J-Just now, it was all because of the aphrodisiac from the poison! O-Only because of it, did that kind of shameless behavior..."
"...Y-Yeah, I understand."
Recalling what had happened during the poison treatment, Kamito became embarrassed as well.
...The two of them avoided eye contact.
"I-It''s about time we went to sleep. At this time, it would be best to stay away from outside."
The abandoned city at night was the city of demons where archdemon ss spirits roamed.
In a certain sense, they were even more dangerous than meeting an enemy team.
"Mmmhmm, you are right. Because de dances in the night are dangerous! O-Of course, even though I mentioned de dance in the night, do note I am not referring to that particr meaning!"
"...Ellis?"
"H-Hurry and go to sleep! We must leave this ce early in the morning."
"You''re not going to rest, Ellis?"
"I have rested enough. After all, you were keeping watch all this time. When early morning arrives, I will wake you up."
Wielding Ray Hawk in her hand, Ellis shook her head.
Kamito could not help but smile wryly.
"This is totally fine for me. In past missions, there were times when I went days without sleep."
"Missions?"
"Uh yeah... It was back during the days at the Instructional School."
"...Sorry. I have made you remember unpleasant memories."
"No--"
Kamito scratched his head awkwardly.
The memories he recalled were of the two whom he used to team up with.
Lily me and Muir Alenstarl.
These girls, whom he had not seen for four years, had now reappeared as Kamito''s enemies.
--Is there no other way of life for the children who grew up in that facility but this?
"...Those two''s hearts are probably still sealed and locked away."
By that insane facility that was now destroyed.
Pitying them would be an act of excessive arrogance.
(--I had Restia.)
Without her, Kamito''s hands would probably bepletely stained with bloodshed.
Hands that were not for protecting preciouspanions--
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble --!
Suddenly, the ground shook intensely.
"Wha!" "...Hmm!"
The quake sent Kamito tumbling forward and falling into Ellis.
Burying his face into a soft mountainous valley, he was about to suffocate.
"Uwah! K-Kamito, what are you doing! I-I am not quite ready yet..."
"S-Sorry... No wait, what on earth is happening--?"
As he lifted his head up from Ellis'' bosom, in the next instant--
BOOM...!
The ceiling of the ruins suddenly vanished.
"...!"
As if sliced open by a sharp de.
Appearing right above was the starry night sky of Astral Zero.
And also--
A gigantic and vicious me demon, wielding a fiery whip.
"A demon me spirit...!"
On the shoulder of the vicious demon that spewed forth scorching mes--
Sat a girl dressed in the Theocracy''s military uniform.
Innocent eyes of pure blue. Ash-gray hair tied into twintails on the sides of her head.
"Muir..."
"Onii-sama, let''s y?"
The Monster of the Instructional School smiled adorably towards Kamito.