Chapter 552: Jealousy is My Power (52)
Chapter 552: Jealousy is My Power (52)
‘Thread the sun through a needle's eye.’
Right, those were definitely the words.
It wasn't something I had paid much attention to at the time. After all, wasn't it just absurd?
In a way, it was as nonsensical as a sudden demand to pierce through space itself. Even a graduate student from the Magic Department, famous for their slave-like endurance, would have shaken their head at such an instruction.
However, I wasn't given a chance to argue.
A woman’s frail scream echoed from the distance.
“…Aaah!”
“Pfft, aha… Hahahaha!”
And then, a boisterous laugh followed.
It was a jovial rhythm that didn't suit the clear, pure tone of the voice at all. I didn't even feel the need to check who it belonged to. The source of the voice was obvious.
One was the Vampire, and the other was the Sword Duke.
Soon, the Great Witch and I turned our eyes back toward the battlefield. There, I saw the Vampire barely holding her tattered clothes together with her arms. Beside her was a girl whose uniform was equally shredded in various places.
The girl’s eyes were burning with a fierce competitive spirit—so much so that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it 'madness.'
Gritting her teeth, the Sword Duke raised her voice.
“How do you like that, you monster! I told you… I give back exactly what I receive!”
“Is she insane?!”
Strangely, the roles of aggressor and victim seemed to have been reversed.
But I could tell.
Scars were beginning to mark the Sword Duke’s body just as much as the Vampire’s.
What if the 'Sword Duke,' a vital part of our combat power, was forced to withdraw like this?
There would be no answer.
A monster on par with a Master could only be dealt with by another Master.
As if reading my thoughts, the Great Witch let out a low sigh.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“And you, Great Witch…?”
The answer to my question came with a bitter smile.
“I think I’ll play with my wretched sister for a change. You go join that sword maniac.”
Only then did a hypothesis flash through my mind.
“Then, if the Sword Duke cleaves through space and I provide support…!”
“No, the sword maniac won't do. The spell formula forming this barrier is related to the Five Elements. In other words, it’s impossible to break unless you use my Secret Arts, which contain a similar logic.”
Looking at me, whose last shred of hope had been crushed, the Great Witch merely snorted.
“This barrier was prepared for decades, maybe even centuries. That’s why the caster can hold their own against a Master… Naturally, you shouldn't take it lightly.”
“…Then why the Sword Duke?”
“She’s still a swordsman, isn't she? She might give you better advice than I can. Well then, I’m off.”
With that, the Great Witch waved her hand and walked away.
She continued until the sound of her footsteps drew the attention of the two women.
A look of bewilderment crossed the Vampire’s face, she who had been focused on the battle.
“You, how…?”
“Don't underestimate me too much, you mediocrity.”
As she spoke, the Great Witch slowly turned one of her palms upward.
Soon, fire, water, and lightning began to hover above it.
“Even if I can't draw out my full strength, I can still use the power of these three elements in this state… unlike a certain someone with no talent.”
It was a blatant provocation.
The intention was obvious, but the Vampire wasn't the type of person generous enough to overlook such a thing. If anything, she was consumed by an inferiority complex.
Creeeeak!
The sound of her teeth grinding together was so loud it seemed they might shatter.
The one who was actually flustered was someone else.
The Sword Duke looked displeased and tried to stop the Great Witch.
“Old woman, are you crazy?! This monster is mine…!”
“Is that so? Then I guess I’ll just go back to teaching the kid.”
“…But I’ll make a special exception and let you have her!”
The girl, convinced instantly, immediately kicked off the ground and retreated.
It was exactly what the Great Witch had wanted.
Actually, it was the same for the Vampire.
The Great Witch took a deep breath to calm her mind. Even so, she couldn't entirely erase the hostility reflected in her light green eyes.
“Heh, this brings back memories.”
“…I don't remember a thing.”
The Vampire cut her off sharply and began to spread a blood-red mist.
The air touched by the mist began to shimmer. Even at a glance, it was an extraordinary technique.
“Because I’m not the same person I was back then, got it?!”
Then, an explosion.
The blood-red mist expanded, melting everything in its path. Crimson blades, emerging abruptly from the gaps in the distorted space, aimed for the Great Witch’s fragile skin.
It was a grueling fight.
Though she tried to appear composed, pushing back the blood-red mist with mana and parrying the blades of blood was no easy task. Furthermore, the momentum contained within those blood-red armaments was beyond imagination.
Thump, thump, thump!
The noise sounded like a hammer driving a chisel.
Moreover, all sorts of natural forces were pouring out from the rifts in space torn by the blood-red mist. Storms, lightning, and high-heat flames licked the air, covering the world.
I couldn't hide my worried expression.
It was just that someone blocked my path before I could do anything.
Tap.
The girl landed in front of me with a swagger, her uniform in absolute tatters. In fact, it had lost its function as clothing to the point where her pure white skin was visible without any filter.
It was an incredibly embarrassing sight.
I quickly averted my gaze, but the girl didn't even seem to realize what was wrong. She looked quite pleased as she raised the hand holding her sword and shouted.
“Kid, have you finally made up your mind? Good, that’s how it should be. Of course… a swordsman should learn from a swordsman, shouldn't they?”
“Um, Elder…?”
Feeling embarrassed, I couldn't take my hand off my face as I spoke cautiously.
The girl looked at me as if she didn't understand. Her innocent reaction made a pang of guilt press down on my chest.
I closed my eyes tight and shouted.
“That, your naked body…!”
“Huh? Oh, ooooh!”
Only then did the Sword Duke let out an exclamation as if she had realized something.
Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking things would get easier.
I felt the Sword Duke surreptitiously leaning toward me.
A mischievous smile filled my vision.
“How is it? Pretty, isn't it? Hmm?”
What was she talking about?
I could only stare down at the girl with wide eyes. But then, the pure white skin in the corner of my vision forced me to look away again.
When I hesitated and couldn't answer, the Sword Duke let out a chuckle and shook her head.
“Right, right. It’s a natural desire… I understand. If you want, shall I let you touch it?”
“No, what are you saying… Have you finally gone mad, Elder?!”
At this point, I couldn't take it anymore.
I raised my voice in shock, but the girl only cackled as if she found it amusing.
Had the Vampire played some kind of trick on her?
Just as I swallowed hard, genuinely terrified.
“…Don't be like that, here! Go ahead and touch it!”
What the girl held out so confidently was her sword.
The silver sword she had been holding.
For a moment, my eyes went blank as I failed to grasp the situation. Regardless, the Sword Duke only wore a satisfied smile.
“I didn't know you knew the name of this sword. ‘Pure White Naked Body’… It’s a relic said to have been made during the era of the Unified Empire. The tragic love story of the blacksmith is quite impressive, too….”
“Sword Duke.”
When I cut her off, the girl looked at me as if she didn't understand why.
I hesitated for a few seconds while looking into those blank blue eyes.
In the end, I could only let out a sigh.
“…The Great Witch is struggling. Let’s go, quickly.”
“Hmm, is she? That old woman needs to suffer a bit, though.”
Fortunately, the Sword Duke was surprisingly compliant.
Though, to be honest, I wanted to tell her to cover her cleavage first.
With that, the Sword Duke and I were able to start our strategy meeting immediately.
“Sword Duke, can you thread the sun through a needle's eye?”
It was a blunt question.
And it was the core of the problem we faced. Facing this mysterious question, the Sword Duke’s reaction was quite simple.
“Hmm, was the medicine not enough…?”
“No, no. Those are the Great Witch’s words.”
Only then did the Sword Duke stop rummaging through her clothes.
Though I doubted there were any inner pockets left in those shredded rags anyway.
A hum of contemplation escaped the girl’s closed lips. Meanwhile, explosions continued to echo behind us.
Boom, boom, boom!
Occasionally, a sound that made my eardrums ring was added to the mix. A quick glance showed spheres tracing countless trajectories of light and the blood-red mist locked in a struggle for power.
And then, a fracture.
Immediately after a cracking sound brushed past my ears.
An explosion that shook the very foundations of the earth erupted.
The aftershock alone was enough to make the entire world tremble. Facing the wind that scratched my skin like talons, I pressed the girl for an answer.
“Is there anything that comes to mind?!”
Perhaps that was why.
“Can a sword cleave the sky?”
The Sword Duke began an unexpected, Zen-like riddle of her own.
I swallowed a curse under my breath.