【Disaster Slayer】, Shala Crosshoff

On the rooftop of the building opposite the pop-up shop where Bella, the Black Knight, and Norn stood.

Whoooooosh...!!

Two magicians clad in black coats gazed down at them from the railing.

"To think a single contract would pay this much. That girl Norn must have quite the bounty on her head."

The first to speak was a red-haired woman with a sharp bob.

Her name was Nia Balk.

Her piercing eyes, black combat attire, and the black-feathered hawk perched silently on the back of her hand marked her as anything but ordinary.

Though it looked like a simple bird, it was her Third-Tier summon—a high-performance reconnaissance familiar capable of detecting presences dozens of kilometers away.

Her track record of tracking down and assassinating high-ranking magicians had earned her the alias "Hawk's Eye" in the underworld.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm taking the bigger cut. The final blow is mine."

Beside her stood another woman, her long, dark hair cascading down to her waist as she crossed her arms.

Her name was Carmine Belladonna.

Her pale skin and crimson eyes carried the sinister chill of a venomous serpent, and her Tier manifested poison itself into reality.

Her ability to corrupt mist, blood, and even magic power into lethal toxins had earned her infamy as the mastermind behind a legendary assassination that paralyzed an entire city.

She was known as the "Venom Queen."

Needless to say, both were notorious criminal assassins even within the magician underworld.

Swipe. Swipe.

Nia stroked the hawk on her hand and scoffed at Carmine's words.

"Hah. You?"

Carmine's lips twisted into a smirk.

"The moment my poison spreads, it's over. All your bird does is scout the way."

"And yet, if you can't find the target, your poison is useless."

A tense current crackled between them.

Whoooooosh...!

The hawk flapped its wings and let out a low cry, while a crimson miasma seeped from the woman's feet like rising fog.

"...Don't cry when we settle the payment after the job."

"I'll throw those words right back at you."

A brief silence.

Then, in unison, their gazes returned to their target.

"Because it's precious, I'll keep it in my bag at all times~!"

"But I'm the one carrying it?!"

"Uweeeeeeeeh—!!!"

"Just how bad is your motion sickness, Bella...?"

A young girl with orange hair, wearing a shark-themed hat.

Norn Whiteday.

Soon to become the head of the Whiteday branch of the Valentine family—an incredibly valuable target.

The moment the assassins' eyes locked onto the building—

Click. Click.

The quiet tap of heels against concrete echoed from behind them.

"........."

Both froze simultaneously.

There had been no presence.

Just seconds ago, the rooftop had been empty.

Yet now, standing behind them, was a woman in an immaculate white maid uniform.

Her silver-and-red bicolor hair swayed gently in the wind, and her crimson eyes stared at them with not a trace of emotion.

Norn's personal guard and maid—

Shala Crosshoff.

"...Since when?"

Nia muttered without realizing it.

Even her reconnaissance hawk hadn't sensed her approach.

Shala clasped her hands politely and smiled.

"Surely you didn't think she'd be left unguarded?"

Her voice was soft.

But beneath that softness lurked a pressure far beyond mere killing intent.

"If you have business with my mistress... I'd like to ask one thing first."

"Tch."

Sssssssssssssss...!!

Carmine clicked her tongue, and venomous mist coiled around her.

"Move. Or I'll kill you first."

Shala's smile didn't waver.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

One step forward.

The air grew heavy.

"Who sent you? You don't strike me as the type to act without a contract."

"........."

"If you tell me now, I'll make it painless."

Sliiiide.

Nia slowly drew a dagger from her coat.

"And if we refuse?"

Shala narrowed her eyes slightly and bowed politely.

"Then I'll start by removing an arm and a leg—one at a time—until you answer."

Her tone was courteous.

But there wasn't an ounce of jest in her words. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

".............."

Silence swallowed the rooftop.

For the first time, the assassins realized—

They weren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hunters here.

They were the prey.

Nia's composure vanished instantly.

"...【Disaster Slayer】."

At those words, Carmine's pupils trembled.

A title granted only to the strongest magicians in existence.

And this monster was standing before them—wearing a maid's uniform, guarding Norn.

"...This is bad."

Nia muttered under her breath.

Grind.

Carmine clenched her teeth.

"I know...! So we carve a way out."

Even if it meant running.

They moved simultaneously.

"SCREEEEEEEEE—!!!"

The hawk split the sky, distorting Shala's vision as it multiplied into dozens of illusions before diving.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT—!!

"Oh my."

"Y'know... If I kill you here, I'll be the 'Disaster Slayer Slayer,' right?"

"Is that so?"

Carmine grinned at Shala, who remained motionless.

"Sounds like a title worth having—so why don't you die here?!"

FWOOOOOOOOOSH—!!!

In an instant, a black Tier unfurled beneath Carmine's feet.

"All that breathes shall become poison. All that flows shall become venom. Fourth Tier—『Venom Garden』."

A toxic fog swallowed the rooftop, turning even the air into a lethal miasma.

Sssssssssssssss...!!

The ground melted. The railing rotted black.

The ultimate technique of a magician.

Fourth Tier—Tier Expansion.

Carmine was already a powerhouse rivaling S-Rank.

"Sigh..."

But Shala merely exhaled and raised both fists.

"Is this all you have?"

CRACK.

The moment her fists clenched the air, space itself shattered like glass.

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRACK—!!!

"Wha—?!"

"WHAT THE—?!"

The assassins recoiled as fissures split the rooftop.

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRACK—!!!

The fractures swallowed the poison whole, and Carmine's Tier began collapsing in on itself.

"M-My Tier... just like that...?!"

Carmine couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Her infallible technique—destroyed so effortlessly.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF—!! WE NEED TO RETREAT—!!"

Nia's shout snapped Carmine back to reality.

"GODDAMMIT—!!!"

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING—!!!

She conjured dozens of venomous spears and hurled them from all directions.

"Struggling is unbecoming."

FWOOOOOOSH—!!!

Shala swung her fist through the air once more.

CRACK. CRRRRRRRRRRRRRACK—!!!

Space folded, and the spears vanished into the fractures.

"Got you."

Nia had been waiting for this opening.

Her hawk dove at Shala from behind, aiming for her eyes, while she lunged from the blind spot with her dagger.

A flawless pincer.

But Shala didn't even turn around.

Flick.

"Huh...?"

A single tap of her finger, and the space before her inverted.

WHOOSH—!!

"SCREEEEEEE—?!"

The hawk lost all sense of direction and crashed into the wall, while Nia's dagger stabbed into twisted space instead of Shala.

The next instant—

Poof.

Shala vanished from sight.

"Huh...?"

THUD—!!!

A single blunt punch caved into Nia's stomach.

CRACK. CRRRRRRRRRRRRRACK—!!!

The impact didn't just strike flesh—it warped space itself, shaking her entire body.

"UGWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH—!!!" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She vomited blood as she was sent flying dozens of meters, slamming into a rooftop structure.

BOOOOOOM—!!!!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!"

Carmine screamed as she pushed her Tier to its absolute limit.

"Miss. If you try to sustain an already collapsing Tier, your body won't survive."

"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS—!!"

Giant serpents of venom lunged to swallow Shala whole, but she only regarded Carmine with detached concern.

Step. Step.

Shala advanced calmly.

And then—

BOOM—!!!

A single fist shattered the void.

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRACK—!!!

Space splintered like glass, and the venomous Tier was torn apart at the roots.

The fractures reached Carmine in an instant, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and she stumbled back in terror.

"N-No way... Twice... My Tier... Cough...!!!"

She collapsed to her knees, vomiting blood.

Yank—!!

Shala grabbed her collar and lifted her effortlessly.

"Frankly, I find the title 【Disaster Slayer】 rather cumbersome."

"G-Guh...!"

"But as a way to demonstrate the gap between you and me... it serves its purpose."

Shala smiled faintly.

"Now then, back to my question."

Her voice remained calm and polite.

"Who sent you?"

"U-Ugh...!!"

Carmine trembled violently.

The being before her wasn't just a magician who overpowered magic.

She was a monster who bent the laws of the world with her fists.

Realizing that, all that remained was despair.

Whoooooooosh...!!

"As expected of your skills, Miss Shala."

".........?"

At that moment, a voice called out from behind her.

"But I'm afraid your stage ends here. It's time for you to exit."