Zald said quietly, voice cutting through the noise like a knife, "If this is all you can offer, then you're not even worthy of standing beside that Morning Star."
His words struck harder than his blade. For a moment, all three froze.
Morning Star?
Why mention Akira?
Who is this man?
But before they could speak—
"Alise! Kaguya! Neze!!"
A voice called out from behind. They snapped back to reality. Now wasn't the time to ask questions.
A blur of eight throwing knives sliced through the air, each one glowing with magic and spinning like deadly comets.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Zald let out a cold breath. His greatsword spun like a wheel, deflecting each knife with mechanical precision. The clang of metal on metal echoed again and again.
While he was distracted, Alise, Kaguya, and Neze pulled back, regrouping quickly with Ryuu and Lyra.
Seeing that her companions had retreated to a safe distance, Ryuu finally allowed herself a breath of relief and then launched the magic she had been silently chanting.
"Luminous Wind!"
More than twenty massive light bullets burst forth, each orb swirling with green wind, circling before Ryuu like meteors awaiting command. She raised her sword and pointed forward. The bullets shot out like soldiers answering their call. Green streaks blazed through the air, too fast for the eye to follow.
But the attack wasn't over yet. A flash of hesitation crossed Lyra's eyes. Then, with resolve, she drew the magic sword she had kept hidden and untouched, her last resort. It was a small, fiery-red dagger, delicate yet emanating a powerful glow that shimmered like liquid flame.
As Lyra poured her magic into the blade, the heat rippled outward, and a torrent of blazing fire erupted from the dagger. It roared forward, entwining with Ryuu's light bullets to form a stunning, devastating assault.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
The whistling of each light bullet tore through the air, leaving afterimages of green and gold. The storm of light and fire raced toward Zald.
For the first time, Zald's expression shifted. A grin tugged at his lips, excitement. Finally, a real challenge but it vanished just as quickly. A flicker of disdain crossed his face.
"But... it's still not enough!" He shouted.
Zald's greatsword cleaved forward in a vicious arc. The swing didn't aim directly at them, it birthed a gust of compressed wind so sharp and sudden it sliced through Lyra's flames like paper.
The wind brought by the slash reached Lyra in an instant. Her heart seized. She trusted Akira's magic tools but instinct screamed danger. She froze.
In that frozen moment, Alise sprang into action, grabbing Lyra's collar and yanking her away just in time to avoid the deadly strike. Still, the shockwave blasted both of them backward. They hit the ground hard, shaken.
And yet Zald wasn't done. He swung his sword again, once, twice, and a black barrier of sheer force formed around him like a shield of blades.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The light bullets crashed into it one after another, each collision causing deafening explosions and sending tremors through the ground. The resulting shockwaves bent the air and shattered the terrain. Several bullets rebounded, gouging deep cracks across the earth.
But Zald held firm. His greatsword, gleaming black, cut through every bolt of light. When the dust settled, he stood tall, sweeping his blade through the air to clear the last remnants of the storm.
"This level won't kill me." He sneered.
Alise and the others stared in disbelief. Even their strongest magic had been completely ineffective.
Panting, they exchanged glances. The silence that followed was heavy with doubt.
"We can't win like this..." one of them whispered.
"Should we retreat?" Lyra asked, clutching the now-dim magic dagger.
Zald wasn't moving. But his eyes...
They burned with disdain.
Alise bit her lip. The rational part of her mind screamed to retreat. But the fire in her chest, the fury, the guilt, the refusal to give in, kept her rooted.
"Retreat—"
Before she could finish, Zald vanished. A black flash, and he was suddenly in front of them. The girls tensed instinctively.
"I'm tired of your struggle." Zald said coldly. "If you won't run, then die here."
He raised his sword high. An invisible pressure crushed the air. They could hardly breathe, as if caught in a giant's fist.
Then—
Zald's nose twitched slightly. A familiar scent. His instincts flared. He's here.
Swoosh—swoosh—
The wind shifted. Everyone felt it. A new presence cutting through the battlefield like a blade of air.
Zald spun, sword raised.
BOOM!
A spiraling tempest slammed into him with such force that the ground beneath his feet shattered. He skidded back over a hundred meters, deep trenches carved beneath his heels.
Alise and the others opened their eyes, squinting through the gale. There, standing amidst the fading storm.
Akira.
Their hearts leapt with relief. They shouted, voices trembling with emotion.
"Akira!"
Zald let out a laugh.
"Hahaha! Morning Star, you finally showed up. I've been waiting. Another minute, and these girls would've been... crushed."
Akira didn't answer, he moved. One step. Then with a burst of wind from his foot, he twisted, coiling the storm into a devastating kick aimed at Zald's shoulder.
Clang!
Foot met steel. Flesh collided with sword. The sound echoed like clashing blades, sharp and metallic.
A wave of pressure exploded from the impact. Trees bent. The battlefield trembled. Everything in the vicinity was pulled and twisted by the sheer force. In seconds, the world around them was a wreckage of craters and chaos.
From behind, Ryuu watched silently.
Akira... what are you protecting?
Alise, catching her breath, murmured, "It's just like a heroic tale..."
A mythological scene unfolded before the five girls.
A hero and a demon lord, a clash of titans, showcasing power on an overwhelming scale. A raw, untamed force that even a second class adventurer couldn't hope to reach. The sheer intensity stirred up a thousand-layered sound wave, and a palpable vortex of fear grew more and more obvious.
The slightest touch would tear you to pieces, the girls made that grave judgment. And they also realized something else. That guy's target was indeed Akira, which explained why he showed them mercy.
Ryuu clenched her fists and whispered, her eyes clouded with worry, "Don't get into trouble, Akira."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.
A ten-meter-wide storm suddenly rose from the ground, enveloping Zald. It howled, sweeping up gravel and dust to form a massive vortex.
Akira landed, his left hand stretched forward, his right fist at his waist. He squatted slightly, ready to strike. Magic power surged wildly in his body, and the surrounding wind seemed to be summoned, gathering quickly on his right hand. The wind swirled, making a whirring sound, as if a sleeping beast were waking up.
Uncle Zald's body has fully recovered, so a small attack can't leave much damage on his tough hide. So, uncle Zald… grit your teeth and hold on.
"Storm Strike!"
Akira punched. The unrivaled wind, like an overwhelming force, tore through the storm and hit Zald with fierce momentum. With a dull bang, Zald's body flew out, smashing through several walls in succession and leaving a trail of interconnected holes.
Just as Akira was about to give chase, an even louder roar echoed. He arrived at the sound's origin to find a hole in a barrier of super-hard metal, a hole that looked like it had been bitten out by a megalomaniacal monster. Zald's figure was gone.
Akira looked at the hole and felt speechless. What was that guy even doing here?
If Alise and the others had suffered any serious injuries, he wouldn't let it go so easily.
(End of Chapter)
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