episode_0120

“Uh… Erwin? How are you here?”

The one who froze stiff, startled as if she had seen a ghost at the unexpected appearance of this unexpected figure, was Leona.

‘Leona didn’t know. Then, does that mean the Porter didn’t just get lucky?’

Ariana had already anticipated something like this and calmly analyzed the situation. The Porter, who knew an absurd amount—even more than she did after years of gathering all sorts of information while researching in the Demon Tower—was beyond peculiar.

If that was the case, then it wasn’t strange that he could heal Erwin, who should have been beyond saving, and make her fight again. That’s what she had assumed, but judging by Leona’s reaction, it seemed she was wrong.

“Must’ve been Marika. Knowing her, she wouldn’t just leave a wounded comrade to suffer.”

“Looks like you knew. Then why didn’t you stop her?”

“Because you’re also one of my targets for revenge. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down in Dasurin, doesn’t it? It’s not like I’d lose just because you tagged along anyway.”

“Arrogant as ever. Well, not like you’re wrong.”

Erwin, who had walked over slowly and positioned herself between Ariana and Leona, leisurely moved to a nearby tree and leaned against it.

Leona smiled at her as if she had found hope.

“Anyway, good to see you, Erwin. If we join forces, we can take down Riel—”

“Ah, hate to disappoint, but I can’t fight. In exchange for healing me, I promised Marika I wouldn’t fight Riel. Besides, I’m not fully recovered enough to fight anyway.”

It was immediately clear this wasn’t a joke or a lie. Her shoulders shrugged lightly, and the hand she gestured with held neither an elven bow nor arrows.

Ariana furrowed her brows at Erwin’s incomprehensible behavior and asked,

“Hmm? Then why are you here, you pointy-eared bitch?”

“As a party involved in this matter, I came to see its conclusion. What else would there be?”

“I’ll give you credit for walking right into a beating. So. Where’s Marika? Did you come alone?”

“She’s not coming here. Why would she walk into a place crawling with bloodthirsty lunatics like you? I asked her to take care of our daughters for me before coming.”

Ariana stalled for a moment, unable to decipher Erwin’s intent.

Something felt off. She wasn’t acting hostile on the Porter’s orders, nor did she seem to have regained her senses and reflected on past events.

Her attitude was completely different—no, the polar opposite—of Marika’s. Seeing it only made Ariana feel like she was missing something.

“Well, just wait a bit. I’ll finish Leona off quick and get back to you.”

There was still something she didn’t know. Determined to wrap this up swiftly and pry the truth out of Erwin, Ariana redirected her attention to Leona.

With even the Eternal Frost sealed off, magic wouldn’t be an easy matchup. Ariana had only suppressed Leona before through sheer difference in power, but Leona’s frost magic was incompatible with the Empire’s fire-wielding warriors.

“The flow of mana’s changed. Planning to fight me in close combat?”

“I’d rather not waste mana on small fry like you when Yuria’s still around.”

Though Leona was one of the Empire’s finest warriors, chosen for the Hero’s party, she was two whole tiers beneath Yuria and Ariana in both baseline skill and potential.

If Leona had grown this much, just how strong had Yuria become? Ariana wasn’t afraid of losing, but she wanted to conserve her mana, so she enveloped her body in magical energy.

Even then, her physical reinforcement was on a completely different level than usual—so much so that she wouldn’t lose to anyone in raw physical ability.

With speed that made her seem to vanish, Ariana closed in behind Leona.

The momentary lapse made Leona spin around in a panic—which only played into Ariana’s hands.

CRACK!

The instant she turned her head, a fist slammed into her face. Before the ringing in her skull could even fade, Ariana struck again—another brutal punch, followed by a spinning kick to the abdomen.

Leona’s body lifted into the air before crashing into a rock. The impact shattered her armor, fragments crumbling away.

“Today’s armor was cheap. One hit and it’s done?”

“This was high-grade armor from Blacksmith’s…! You freak!”

In truth, no armor short of orichalcum could withstand Ariana’s strikes.

“Must be because your good orichalcum set got wrecked by Marin. Guess I have him to thank again this time.”

“Tch. You’ll regret breaking my armor.”

Leona tossed her shield aside and gripped her greatsword with both hands. Though she normally wielded a tower shield as tall as herself and wore heavy armor, it wasn’t to protect herself.

Erwin and Marika—excluding Yuria and Ariana, whose skills were in a league of their own—Leona had always shouldered the penalty of fighting with massive gear to shield her party from enemy attacks.

But now, stripped of all burdens, holding nothing but a single sword, Leona’s strength entered a realm Ariana had never seen before.

“Even if you ditched the armor, that oversized sword will still slow—”

A vertical streak of light cut through Ariana’s body.

For a moment, it looked like she had been split in half—until her form dispersed like smoke, leaving only an afterimage.

A deep gouge remained in the ground where she had stood, cracks branching out like spiderwebs.

“Still think I’m easy prey?”

“I’ll admit it—you’re way stronger than I thought. But…”

Ariana accelerated, darting forward even faster. Leona swung her greatsword to intercept, but Ariana dodged effortlessly, slipping inside Leona’s guard.

Strands of hair were severed as Ariana weaved past the blade. Realizing it was too late to retract the sword, Leona dropped it and raised her arms to block.

Just before Ariana’s fist connected with Leona’s face—flames erupted from Leona’s arms.

The fire coiled around her body, surging upward. Hesitation flickered in Ariana’s eyes, but she didn’t stop. This wasn’t her fight against Leona—it was a fight against the Porter.

Rather than aiming for a flawless victory, she chose to end this quickly before expending more stamina and mana.

FWOOOSH!

Ariana’s mana clashed explosively with Leona’s, a blistering wave of heat erupting between them.

Ariana’s mana was overwhelming, but Leona had the edge in physical conditioning. Ariana’s fist failed to break through Leona’s guard.

‘But I still have the upper hand, even if just slightly.’

Seeing pain flash across Leona’s face, Ariana didn’t relent, driving her fist deeper into the flames.

Her strike slipped past Leona’s guard and smashed into her cheek.

“Ghk!”

Taking hits wouldn’t win the fight. Leona closed the distance, pressing into Ariana’s space.

If she trapped her in close quarters where neither could dodge, the advantage would shift. From the start, Leona hadn’t planned on winning—only on draining as much of Ariana’s strength as possible, per the Porter’s orders.

Her flaming body came within inches of Ariana’s face. There was no room to evade. At this range, Leona’s mere proximity would inflict severe burns.

“Got y—!?”

The instant Leona thought she had seized victory—her feet left the ground.

“Dumbass. Did you forget what Dark Moon was?”

With her balance disrupted from leaning forward, Dark Moon’s gravity reversal sent Leona floating upward, flipping her upside down.

Ariana didn’t miss the massive opening this created.

“Huh—!?”

A fist buried itself in Leona’s gut before gravity reversed again—slamming her violently into the ground.

KABOOOM!

A dust cloud exploded outward. Blood gushed from Leona’s mouth.

Ariana’s fists didn’t stop. Pinning Leona down with a knee to her chest, she rained blow after blow.

Each strike echoed like hammering steel.

By the time the barrage of explosions filling the forest ceased, both women were a mess.

Leona’s face and body were covered in bruises, while Ariana’s skin was scorched black in places.

“Looks like Dark Moon alone won’t break the Porter’s hold. If it’s power granted by the Goddess like Marika said, then it must be a form of divine energy.”

This time, Ariana’s hand shimmered with sacred power.

“Hah… Ugh, what are you—”

“I’ll force it out if I have to. Because there’s something I need to hear you apologize for.”

The look on Ariana’s face was less that of a healer and more of an executioner.

Without mercy, she unleashed her divine energy. Each surge through Leona’s body weakened the Goddess’s interference just a little more.

CRACKLE! ZZZT! ZZzzzzzt!

When Ariana finally stopped, Leona had already lost consciousness.

“Erwin, you’re next.”

“Fine, but it’s pointless.”

“Not from your perspective, maybe. Leona’s out cold, so I can’t prove it, but she’s free of the Porter’s control now.”

“No, I’m sure you know more than me about magic and divine energy. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then?”

Ariana’s eyes narrowed sharply. Erwin’s demeanor had been suspicious from the start.

But Erwin just smiled calmly and said,

“I’ve been cooperating with the Porter of my own free will since before being affected by any ability. Unlike Leona there, who was just being used as a puppet. I’m his one true lover—”

GRAB!

Before she could finish, Ariana seized her by the throat.

“Is that a joke? Or an order? If it’s real, you know I can’t let that slide, right?”

“Don’t believe me? That I chose the Porter? Unlike a selfish bitch like y—Ghk! Hrk!”

Despite her choked gasps, Erwin smirked defiantly—but Ariana’s expression didn’t waver.

Her grip only tightened.

“Then die.”

Breath failed. As her windpipe constricted, it felt like her neck would snap before she suffocated.

Just before losing consciousness, Erwin sensed death—then a blade’s aura shot toward them.

Ariana easily dodged the attack meant for her and muttered toward its origin.

“Late, aren’t you? Ah, couldn’t bear to see your comrade die, so you rushed here in a panic?”

The sword aura was unmistakable—her former lover’s. But its sharpness was incomparable to before.

Had she grown this much? It was nearly at her master’s level. Cold sweat dripped as Ariana stared into the darkened forest.

“Yuri—”

Her imagined reunion with her beloved crumbled instantly.

“Sadly, I’m not Yuria. I won’t let you go any further. Turn back now—Riel.”

The one standing there shouldn’t have been here—couldn’t have been here.

One of the few remaining acquaintances of Riel Frost…

Cecile Astria stood in Ariana’s way.