Chapter 22. Prayer and Salvation (10)

Before I knew it, Ria hugging my waist became our unique fighting style.

Come to think of it, it was like this from the beginning. To hit the guy high up in the sky, we had no choice but to do it this way.

I heard the horse whinny. I can’t fully read the animal’s thoughts- but well, I think it might have liked me a little. Or was it just a gentle creature?

As we leaped upwards, the horse slowed its pace. It must have been difficult.

We moved away from the other knights and from Gloria and Davi, who were chasing us with all their might, falling behind and soon disappearing from sight.

I wondered if that horse would survive. I hoped it would. Only life itself could run in the swirling storm of magic power, and that’s why it carried us this far.

The knights’ speed also slowed down a bit compared to before. Even if they can run through the sky, they aren’t riding an airplane. No matter what, a person running with all their might cannot be faster than a horse running.

I heard the sound of the wind blowing. It was a little unsettling and scary that my feet weren’t touching the ground, but I knew Ria’s hand would never let go of my waist.

This trust was a trust that had continued since the first time we fought together.

The speed was slower than a horse running, but the speed of ascending upwards was fast. In an instant, my vision floated above the sky, and I could see the scene below.

Everyone was fighting.

From afar, I could see the people who had started fighting the demons and monsters before us. From here, they looked like tiny flags, but the light emanating from those flags was astonishingly bright.

For the first time, I think I understand the feeling of believing in a being.

Because, in the dim landscape, that light was beautiful and eye-catching.

I could also see the light of Si-yun’s sword as he swung it. Cutting down several monsters at once, and facing the demons that swarmed in front of him, he truly looked like a knight from an old tale.

The reason the hunters and knights behind him, and Yuri drawing magic circles, don’t lose courage- it’s all thanks to Si-yun’s existence.

Did I look like that too?

Did I look like such a shining being?

I wrapped my body in holy power. To shine a little brighter. So that even people far away could have hope.

I thought that was my responsibility.

The points of magic power that had been spread far away rose into the sky one by one and flew towards us. I saw the monsters scattered all around collapsing rapidly. A few demons were stabbed and torn by swords, spears, and magic in their confusion.

Those points of magic power were gathering towards the giant.

“—-.”

The giant said something. But I couldn’t hear the sound properly. It just sounded like a buzzing low noise.

Is it because it’s so huge that even the sound is distorted?

A hand came flying.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Ria shouted and swung her sword.

Unlike other demons, it didn’t pull its hand away from the sword strike.

Screech.

A finger-like part was cut off, but the giant hand approached as if to strike us.

I swung my hand. A shining red droplet flew towards that hand and touched the magic power that formed its body.

And it shone brightly. Only then did the giant pull its hand back from us.

Then came tens of thousands of magic power clusters. Each one was huge. They were about the same size as what had been falling on our heads earlier.

It’s difficult to block them all. The number flying like a flock of migratory birds in winter made even me, watching, tremble a little.

But-

“……Ha!”

Ria let out a laugh for some reason and leaped powerfully.

A jump much higher than Ria’s usual steps on air.

Looking down, I saw a magic circle drawn in the air.

Gloria. Davi.

At the very bottom, a huge purple magic circle was drawn. I don’t know exactly what it was intended to do.

However, since it’s outside the range of my holy power, she must be trying to do something on her own.

White lights burst additionally from the sky. Seeing them, which looked like stars descending below the sky, I stepped onto them.

I put my hand into my pocket.

And took out a jewel.

The large magic stone, specially made with the technology of the gnomes, had been shining brightly by receiving my holy power all the way here.

It was the only means by which I could unleash intense holy power without consuming myself.

And.

The ring sparkling on my hand.

“Going!”

Ria shouted. My vision shook violently up and down.

In front of us, there were several magic circles. Just like creating stairs made of glass.

I looked down. Although it was quite far away, I could see Gloria looking up at us and smiling. Davi, with a slightly scared expression next to her.

Although scared, Gloria and Davi were holding hands tightly.

Ria gritted her teeth and ran.

Thump!

The magic circle in the middle broke. The monster wasn’t just standing there.

“—-!”

Shouting in an unintelligible voice, the monster raised one foot high.

That won’t do.

I threw the jewel I was holding with all my might.

A white light, against the black background, fell as a single drop onto the monster’s face. Sensing that the light was unusual, the monster swung its hand.

Flash.

As soon as it touched the monster’s hand, the light burst. The monster barely managed to step with the foot it had raised. Its face looked down at us. It had no expression, but it felt like it was glaring at us.

The wind and rain became much stronger. Now, as we had seen, it felt like a typhoon had formed around us.

Outside, we probably wouldn’t be visible anymore.

And from all around, attacks aimed solely at Ria and me-

“Anna.”

Ria whispered.

She said that while looking at the magic spells flying towards us like buckshot.

“Now, we are in a higher place.”

I think I understood what Ria was saying.

“Let’s go.”

At my words, Ria wore a confident smile.

There was no need to explicitly ask each other to do their best.

Ria leaped up powerfully, stepping on a fragment of a broken magic circle.

We went higher, and higher.

And-

We plummeted towards the magic spells flying towards us.

While tightly hugging one side of Ria’s waist, I extended my left hand forward. In the black background, only the ring on my finger shone brightly.

In front of us, a translucent white mirror appeared.

The mirror repeatedly broke and then reattached.

Magic struck our bodies. Although the power was greatly weakened, we couldn’t completely block it as much as the monster had prepared for.

Not the power of a single demon, but a being formed by the fusion of multiple demons.

That’s how it looked to me.

The magic spells scattered like buckshot soon gathered into one light.

Like my light, they shot black light at us.

Blood dripped from my hand. I heard a slight cracking sound- and that light began to split to the side.

Both I and Ria.

We were probably shouting with all our might.

Ria extended her sword.

I grabbed Ria’s hand.

Like when we were dancing. Like the dance we did in the Dwarf Kingdom, I held one of Ria’s hands and hugged her waist with my other hand.

Ah, it’s a little disappointing.

That the armor is so stiff.

Well, in this situation- it’s a very luxurious thought.

I could see the tip of the sword melting a little. The holy sword flickered, as if its very form was disappearing.

Two Saintesses.

One person’s God.

And one person’s Saintess.

And lovers of each other.

The complex hearts of these two people mixed, becoming a single sword in themselves.

“—–!”

Thwack.

I heard a painful cry, and we were also hit hard by something.

Even in such a situation, Ria didn’t let go of my body.

It stung here and there. It was hard to breathe. The place we had ascended to seemed like a land made entirely of magic power. The magic power was so dense that I couldn’t see properly.

It must be on the giant’s body.

Did it change shape again?

Ria gripped her sword in reverse.

Then she knelt on the ground and drove the sword in.

The ground shook. Both of us were tossed about as if we would fly away at any moment.

I grabbed the hilt of Ria’s sword with both hands.

And pressed down with all my might.

White energy settled around us. The ground made of magic power began to melt little by little, and the place where the sword was embedded sank particularly deep.

Both I and Ria, shouting powerfully, pushed the sword down with all our strength.

And.

The sword went deep down.

Ria reached out and grabbed my shoulder.

But I grabbed Ria’s hand.

“……Where are you trying to push me away?”

A look of panic appeared on Ria’s face.

From below, countless thorns sprang up.

“How many times have I told you not to sacrifice yourself alone? Why would you throw away the biggest weapon here?”

I said that and hugged Ria tightly.

Once again, I heard the sound of breaking from my hand.

Ah, aren’t my fingers getting dangerous soon?

Blood gushed from my hand.

“……Don’t think about sacrificing yourself alone.”

Ria whispered in my ear.

The surroundings exploded in white.

The area around us, where we were embracing with the sword, vanished. The thorns flew away in an instant, and the black surroundings also brightened instantly.

Before I knew it, we were falling.

“……Ria!”

And then, what was inside the giant’s vanished head was revealed.

Magic point.

As expected, there was a magic point that looked similar to the one we first found.

“—-.”

The giant, whose head was gone, spoke.

The giant’s voice was unintelligible again this time- but it wasn’t that difficult to infer that it was laughter.

As I reached out towards the magic point.

Ria hugged me tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going alone?”

Ah, I see.

Right.

To the very end, we were playing such tricks on each other.

We were truly an inexplicably strange couple.

The magic point exploded.

However, before the magic point could blow away the surroundings, I was able to envelop it with holy power.

Neither Ria nor I died. We were truly immune to ‘magic’ alone.

However, in an instant, what was visible before my eyes changed.

Just like we had experienced once before.

Similar to when we went to meet Anna and Marie from another world.