55. Calamity Star
55. Calamity Star
With a shove, Silina's eyes flew wide as her body was pushed aside.
At the same time.
Shhk— With a blood-chilling sound, a curved blade tracing a strange arc surged up from the spot where she had been standing just moments before.
Then, Untra, her escort knight who had been standing beside her, swung his two daggers in time with the curved blade's movements.
And standing in that spot was Eurasia.
Silina's body slowly began to tilt. Even so, three blades rushed toward Eurasia. At this rate, Eurasia's body would be pierced through.
And as if that weren't enough, one of those daggers was clearly about to bury itself in her pale white nape.
Had an imperial knight allied himself with Demons?
Since when had he been trying to kill her?
On whose orders?
She didn't know. She didn't need to know.
There was no time to feel betrayed.
The escort knight had clearly become an enemy.
So she had to move. She had to kill him.
Silina gritted her teeth. She somehow steadied her center and swung the axe in her right hand up in a great arc.
But Silina's axe touched nothing.
Too late. Eurasia was going to die because of her.
Just as she thought that.
Clang—!
Eurasia's sword, swung in an instant, blocked Untra's dagger.
Then— fwoosh! Blue Sword Energy bursting from the pitch-black blade slowed the curved blade's speed.
In a moment Silina couldn't even properly perceive, Eurasia had blocked two attacks.
Silina had only a moment to marvel before her eyes locked onto the curved blade that was still swinging.
At that speed, she could react.
Having judged what she needed to do in this situation, Silina immediately threw herself forward.
And she shouted.
"Everyone, fall back!"
"Y-yes, understood!"
Silina raised her axe at the same moment the academy students obeyed her order.
Clang—!
Two axes stopped a single curved blade. But it was heavy. She was being pushed back. At this rate, her stance would collapse. She didn't know what was beyond the wall, but she felt the gap between them bone-deep.
Even so, Silina did not retreat.
Behind her stood Eurasia.
Eurasia, who had risked her life to protect her, even if only for a brief moment.
And so, there was Eurasia, whom she could trust.
She couldn't guarantee the outcome, but she could buy time.
And Eurasia answered that thought.
"Hup!"
A short breath. Following that breath, blue Sword Energy carved through the air and surged toward the curved blade. Crrk—! Unlike before, properly formed Sword Energy pushed the curved blade back. At the same time, Eurasia charged forward.
"Your Highness!"
There was no conversation. Blue eyes simply met platinum eyes. But those blue eyes held a fierce will. Meeting that gaze, Silina understood Eurasia's intent.
Silina moved immediately as well.
Her target was Untra—until moments ago her escort knight, but now an assassin.
She didn't know how long it would take for the Demonized Human beyond the wall to cross over.
But she would kill Untra as quickly as possible.
That was their plan.
Golden Mana wrapped around Silina's body—she was only Tier 3. Crrk— Her two hands, gripping the axe handle as if to crush it, swung.
Behind her, Eurasia's sword, wreathed in blue Sword Energy, split the air.
Silina's attack was a feint.
Eurasia's sword strike was also a feint.
The killing blow was the blue Sword Energy hidden behind them.
Untra perceived it.
With light footwork, he evaded Silina's axe. He briefly adjusted his grip and swung his dagger upward to block Eurasia's sword. Then, taking in the blue Sword Energy scattering in all directions, he swung the dagger in his right hand.
At the same time— flash! Eurasia's Sword Energy scattered.
Sleeves torn into dozens of shreds fluttered through the air, and through them Untra came rushing closer.
And around Untra's entire body.
"...Aura."
Aura—the symbol of Tier 5—cloaked him.
Protective Aura.
He had hidden his Tier. He had concealed his cards.
She had believed Untra, who had served as her escort knight, was Tier 4. But she had been wrong.
Silina bit her lip and, with hands beginning to tremble, adjusted her grip on the axe.
On the other hand, Eurasia's eyes were calm.
With those calm eyes, she measured Untra's Realm against her own. She thought of a way to pierce his Protective Aura.
'Protective Aura? If it were Tier 6, maybe not, but if it was only someone barely into Tier 5, I could pierce it. That, um, I read it in a book. It's nothing special.'
The words Eliarnes had said when she reached Tier 4 circled through Eurasia's mind.
'First, Protective Aura consumes a lot of Mana. If you drag it into a long fight, you can win. No, she said you can win.'
But if that wasn't possible.
'Sharpen your Sword Energy to its limit and just pound one spot like hell. Without giving them a break. Constantly.'
From the start, it had been made for killing opponents stronger than herself.
'Because that's the fighting style Eurasia is learning right now.'
Even if she couldn't believe in herself, she believed in her master, Eliarnes. And so she decided to believe in herself—the self Eliarnes believed in.
'Eurasia, you can definitely do this.'
So she could do it.
"Your Highness. Please aim where my sword points. Keep attacking without giving him a chance to breathe, if you can."
"...Understood."
After that brief exchange, Untra entered Eurasia's range.
Her target was his right leg.
She would cut off the leg. She would render him nearly combat-incapable, then deal with the Demonized Human that would come next.
Her thoughts were set.
Boom! A powerful Stomp shook the ground. The force rising through her lower body transmitted to her arms. She immediately swung her sword in a wide arc.
Crash—! Sword Energy split into dozens of branches erupted from the tip of Eurasia's sword. But Untra, wreathed in red Aura, did not stop his steps.
He lightly swung his dagger. The Aura bursting from it tore the blue Sword Energy to shreds. Likewise, Eurasia's sword did not stop either.
Through the gaps in the scattered Sword Energy, voluminous golden hair fluttered. The pitch-black sword carved through the air. Behind it, two axes swung in off-beat rhythm.
Clang— clang—! In a split second, Untra lightly deflected five attacks and swung both hands. Boom! With an explosive roar that shook the earth, a dizzying shock slammed into the two of them.
Their insides rang. Their bones ached.
Cough— Blood seeped from Silina's lips.
But there were no wounds. In that split second, Eurasia's sword had barely deflected the Aura that had been aimed at herself and Silina.
Even so, the remnants of the Aura had swept over their bodies. The impact, as if they had been struck by a massive hammer, lingered fully.
With arms trembling violently, Eurasia gripped her sword. Her eyes were still sharp, and the killing intent emanating from her body was fierce.
Seeing that, Untra clicked his tongue.
"Only Tier 4, yet impressive."
Then he sneered.
"A girl with such a bright future dying so pointlessly in a place like this. Truly a shame."
Before his words ended, Eurasia charged.
Silina followed behind her. Untra watched them leisurely, then swung his daggers.
There was no need to block. Thinking that, Untra maintained his Protective Aura and focused solely on attacking with his two daggers.
Three weapons swung in a single exchange.
Counting the Sword Energy and killing blows hidden within, there were over a dozen. But Untra had plenty of room to spare.
Even though he didn't have his main weapon, his axe, and only had cheap daggers.
He was certain that two mere girls at Tier 4 and Tier 3 could never pierce his Protective Aura.
And indeed, that was how it was unfolding.
In the drawn-out exchange, the relentlessly swinging sword and axes shook Untra's Protective Aura but could not pierce it.
Meanwhile, wounds steadily accumulated on Eurasia's and Silina's bodies. Though they hadn't been stabbed or cut in vital spots, the bleeding was gradually increasing.
Their expressions twisted, and the gaps between attacks grew longer. They were clearly exhausted.
Silina's condition was especially terrible.
Not only was she inferior to Eurasia in stamina, strength, Realm, experience—everything—but all of Untra's attacks had been aimed at Silina.
A pale, drained expression. Eyes screwed tight with pain.
Bright red blood flowing between soft pink lips.
Untra's sneer deepened.
He burst out Aura and raised his arm high.
That moment.
Untra's instincts flared.
An inexplicable sensation prickled at his nerves.
What was threatening him right now?
The thought didn't last long.
Rrrip— the sound of something tearing.
He hastily lowered his raised arm and turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.
His waistband had torn.
His body was wrapped in Protective Aura.
The Mana consumption was heavy, but it hadn't run dry.
Rather, he had more than enough Mana in his body to kill the two girls before him.
And yet, his waistband had torn. For a split second, his Protective Aura had been pierced.
It hadn't merely wavered. It had been pierced.
How? He was given no time to assess the situation. Silina's axe came swinging down just above the torn waistband.
Clang—!
The axe was blocked by the densely gathered Aura. But that wasn't the end. Behind it— clang! Another axe struck the head of the axe pressed against the Protective Aura.
Then, crrk— it dug into the Aura.
Untra's eyes flew wide.
He raised his lowered arm. He had to block the next attack. The next attack would obviously be the blonde girl's sword. Thinking that, Untra moved.
At the same time, Eurasia's attack surged in.
Not her sword—her knee.
Eurasia's knee slammed down onto the back of the axe that had torn through Untra's Aura.
Crunch—!
"Gaaah!"
The axe bit into his thigh. More than half of it sank in. Muscle tore and tendons snapped.
Untra's massive body began to fall.
From the sudden pain, his Protective Aura destabilized. The armor that had held firm began to waver.
Eurasia did not miss that opening.
Crunch— She drove her knee in again, sinking the half-buried axe even deeper. Bright red blood burst out as Untra's leg was completely torn apart.
The Protective Aura vanished. Untra's body was still tilting. He reached out one arm to brace against the ground. Silina's axe knocked that arm away. The other arm as well. And so, Untra's body fully toppled.
No Protective Aura. No Mana wrapped around him.
No defensive gear, no armor, none of it.
What lay before Eurasia's eyes was a fully exposed neck.
There was only one thing to do.
Eurasia raised her sword.
At the same time.
Shhk—
Thud.
Untra's head rolled across the floor.
"...What the."
Eurasia had only raised her sword.
She hadn't swung it. Silina, standing beside her, hadn't swung her axe either.
And yet, Untra's head had been cut off.
"Kik, hihik, hik, kihik! Kik!"
Then, a chilling laugh from beyond her field of vision.
Eurasia's head turned. Silina's head lifted. Blue eyes and platinum eyes stared at the 'something' standing before them.
And the two of them realized.
"Kihihihihihihik. The smell of virgins."
That an inescapable death had arrived.