La Tarajue, La Saqat: Because She Is the Hero (3)
A moment ago, the corpse dragon that had been sent flying by Emilia's kick staggered to its feet. But chunks of its body crumbled away with a hiss, and it collapsed once more. Like the black knight, it wasn't in perfect condition—and Emilia had poured all her mana into that full-force strike, figuring it might go berserk on its own.
'There are still people who haven't gotten away.'
'And the Second Princess is here too.'
For some reason, Count Melrn was here as well, seemingly shielding the Second Princess. But that had to be an illusion. Him saving anyone? Ridiculous. The bastard was just human garbage.
She'd sort out what the hell was going on later. Right now, she had to deal with the monster bastard in front of her.
"―――――Taaaaah!!"
Clang!Kachiiing!!
With a roar brimming with fighting spirit, Emilia clashed against the black knight. Against the Death Knight wreathed in black mist, she countered with her two beautifully gleaming swords.
Including his helmet, the knight looked twice her size. No way she could match him in raw strength—but Emilia didn't back down an inch. She stuck to him like glue.
Black-and-white sword flashes crossed repeatedly amid a cacophony of clangs.
『――――――!!!』
A joyful bellow erupted from the Death Knight. But the high-pitched roar gradually deepened into something heavier, more terrifying.
His seals weren't fully broken yet. He'd only just awakened from slumber, moving like a corpse to obey the command of the king he'd sworn loyalty to.
But now, facing his target at last, he was slowly regaining his former self, bit by bit.
The black mist seeping from his armor grew thicker with time. Like shaking off sleep, his aura intensified step by step, revealing his true nature as the Demon King's loyal servant.
Chaaaaang!!
"Tch…!"
Once more, the jet-black greatsword collided with her twin longswords, spewing sparks. Emilia's grip faltered, and she dropped one blade.
The sword cracked along its length before shattering into pieces.
The black knight seized the opening, swinging his greatsword—but Emilia's hand was already half-buried in the shadow at her feet.
As his blade came down, she whipped up both hands. In them gleamed a fresh pair of longswords, just like the last.
Kagaaaaang――!!!
Collision after collision. Black mist and silver streaks tore through the air again, sparking wildly amid the din.
* * *
'Emilia…? What the hell is Mona doing?'
Facing this chaos, Count Melrn frowned as he kept his distance from the fight with the princess in tow.
Emilia had definitely been with Mona. An unexpected mess, sure—but the optimal move here was to grab Emilia and hole up somewhere.
Mona wasn't built for this kind of breath-stealing brawl, but with her vast knowledge of spells and rituals, she could've hidden Emilia away easy enough.
No telling how Mona—who'd been with her—had let Emilia end up here alone. And as her contractor, he could sense Mona wasn't tucked away in Emilia's shadow either.
Just look at her: naked body clumsily draped in a curtain she'd ripped down, no illusion spell in sight. She'd clearly slipped out of Mona's camouflage range.
Of course, jiggling tits made for awkward movement buck-naked, so maybe that played a part.
'Where the hell is Mona….'
First things first: find Mona. Grill her about that knight she was surely tied to, and figure out some way to end this fight.
"……Sister Lia…?"
A soft, fragile voice tickled Count Melrn's ear as he pondered. The princess—half-clinging to him in their escape—peered past his body at Emilia facing off against the knight. Her gaze held a glimmer of envy.
For some reason, Count Melrn fought back a sigh and whispered to her.
"Your Highness, we need to move. Now."
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Count Melrn. I swear, this kindness…."
"Let's go. Now."
The little bird-like princess flushed red, flustered by the arms of the first man to hold her. Guiding her along, they neared the banquet hall's exit and linked up with a handful of her surviving personal knights.
Under their escort, he slipped away with the princess. His heart wanted to stay where Emilia was—but hanging around wouldn't let him do shit.
'Find Mona. First, find Mona.'
Count Melrn's hidden eye glowed red beneath his hand. Faintly hovering over it shimmered the 【Contract Seal】, proof of his bond with Mona.
* * *
Clang, ching!Clang!Kaaang!Chaaaaang!
――Slash, slash, slash, slash, thrust.
――Slash, slash, block, swing, slash, duck, dodge, swing again.
Surging slashes. Twin silver sword arcs. Relentless, razor-sharp strikes dazzled the eyes, flying every which way. Block one, and two more came back at you.
Charge head-on with brute force? She'd flow around it like water, slipping in from your blind spot for a killing blow.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!"
Another roar. Exploiting their height difference in reverse, she dropped low like a beast, targeting the knight's lower body.
Against his pitch-black plate armor, Emilia had zero defense—but her light frame let her ramp up speed at will.
Match power with speed. Give him no room to think.
Clang, clang, chingching!Chingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingchingching!!
Up close, where a split-second lapse meant your head came off. No gaps allowed. No ground yielded.
No retreat. No collapse.
She clung and fought. Swung without letting up.
The black knight parried her onslaught—and grew sharper, stronger by the moment.
But in response—or even more so—Emilia's momentum held firm. Her speed and power surged as she pressed the attack.
Pakiiing!Crang!
"Agh! Damn it!"
Again, at the crucial moment, a sword snapped in two. One blade couldn't take her power and shattered.
She couldn't hold back a frustrated curse.
『――――――』
Now timing her sword breaks, the black knight swung for her exposed neck without pause.
Emilia leaned back, dodging.
Chiii…!
A shallow cut grazed her jaw. But luckily, that was it.
Tap, tap, taa!
A few backward steps to open distance, then a cat-like backbend into a full backflip, widening the gap further.
"Huff, huff, huff…!"
Emilia wiped sweat trickling from her jaw with the back of her hand. Stray bangs clung annoyingly to her eyes.
Sweat-drenched, shoulders heaving as she panted—unlike her foe. The black knight looked unscathed. As an undead, fatigue wasn't a thing for him.
Worse: the more they fought, the more of his old self he reclaimed. He only got stronger.
No reason for him to give Emilia a breather.
Just close the gap with his footwork, keep pressing, and wear her down.
Clank…!
But after half a step forward—he froze, armored foot heavy on the floor.
『…………?』
His gaze dropped to Emilia's feet.
From the shadow there—the same spot she'd drawn her swords from before—came an ominous surge of mana.
The mana felt familiar. Much like his comrade's.
And faintly, he sensed traces of it on his opponent too. On that woman.
Now, it pulsed vividly from Emilia's shadow.
"Annoying as hell. What the fuck is taking so long?"
"You slug. You're so damn slow!"
Emilia muttered in exasperation. No sign of her drawing new swords.
"Monaaaaaaa!"
The black knight still eyed her shadow warily. It quivered like sludge for a moment—then abruptly ballooned outward from her feet.
Spreading like an erosion across the banquet hall floor. Shooooaaa…
『…………!』
The shadow surged toward the black knight without hesitation. He countered by slamming his greatsword into the ground.
Thud!
With a heavy boom, the blade pierced the floor. The shadow halted at his feet, like hitting an invisible wall—drawing a sharp line.
It couldn't touch the knight. But radiating from Emilia, it kept expanding outward.
――What are you planning?
The knight glared at the shadow—and Emilia.
She wiped sweat, heaved for breath. Yet she grinned with delight, zero fear in sight, locking eyes with him.
And the next instant.
From the bizarre shadow blanketing part of the hall around her—
Swords erupted. Shunk, shunk, shuuunk—countless blades rising like sprouting thorns.
"Alright, let's keep going, you damn tin can."
Emilia shouted, grinning ear to ear with genuine glee.