episode_0226

225.

Instead of the graceful, effortless movement I expected through the river, navigating the ceaseless, turbulent waves is agonizing. The thin membrane around my body is hindering my movements. And while I stay dry, breathing underwater isn’t exactly easy. Levi’s exceptional physical abilities allowed me to somehow overcome the strong current. Thankfully, my vision is clear, but this is anything but a pleasant experience.

“Ugh, ugh….”

I barely manage to lift my head out of the water to check the monster’s position. The torrential rain is so heavy that even Erina’s words, just a few meters away, are barely audible. If I don’t keep my wits about me, I’ll be swept away by the current. It’s difficult to sense its presence underwater. I can vaguely feel it pursuing me, but I can’t see its form. I have to rely purely on instinct to guide the monster towards land.

‘Interesting…!’

But she is a hero. A true hero bestowed with the powers of a hero. I’m not a pervert who finds pleasure in hardship; I find joy in fulfilling my role. To be certain, I go deeper into the river.

*Pogrururu―.* Bubbles rise through the turbulent waves.

‘Found it. It’s been following me well!’

Finally visible, the monster’s upper body resembles a horse, while its lower body is that of a fish—a long, eel-like tail. It circles me swiftly, creating foam. Swinging my sword underwater is useless; it just adds weight, so I left it on land. I’ll deal with it on land.

With her red hair flying, she deftly swims through the rough waves. But with this downpour, simply navigating is incredibly draining. There’s no way I can gain any real speed.

The monster, as if sensing my every move, stops circling and attacks swiftly in a straight line. Even with the river overflowing due to the rain, its width hasn’t increased two or three times.Closing the distance in an instant, Levi narrowly avoids its shoulder.

‘Tch….’

Pain isn’t protected by magic. Even with my blessings, I still feel it.

‘Come on…!’

Levi lures the monster with a gesture, leading it towards the shore.

“Haah…. Erina! I’ve lured it close!!”

“Well done, Levi-san!”

Erina fires a beam of holy energy from behind Levi. It lacks destructive power but is highly effective against the monster. Although its image is unclear, she launches it based on the approximate location indicated by the spray. Offensive magic isn’t a nun’s role, but Erina trained for this eventuality. However, this attack heavily relies on innate talent, limiting her mastery of powerful techniques.

Still, it’s enough to repel this mindless monster.

The holy light strikes the water directly. Levi escapes onto land amidst the turbulent waves. Despite the rough swim, she remains completely dry.

“…! I got it!”

A translucent, golden light flows from Erina’s fingertips, forming a distinct rope in her hand.

She’s become more skilled in the subduing techniques derived from her offensive magic. With fellow companions, parishioners, and the people of the Freed Church, I have little to worry about in battle; the most effective option is subduing. I can already handle a certain amount of magical energy with my skills, so subduing is a much better option.

Besides, this way I can easily have sex with female demons, it’s a win-win. Female demons are plentiful, but this is different. The answer to defeating the demons lies in sex. A special, aggressive, futanari penis bestowed by the goddess.

“Levi-san, I’m sorry I had to call you right away! Please help pull it in!”

With an ordinary nun’s strength, even holding on is difficult. Though the holy energy increases the effectiveness of subduing the monster, it’s still insufficient. Levi quickly grabs the holy rope and pulls with her.

“…It felt really weird, more than I thought. I’ll definitely not do it again.”

“Good thinking.”

“Erina, you can let go of the rope. I’ll pull it up in one go!”

Levi immediately pulls the monster toward the land.

*Hihiiying―!* The enraged monster’s cry pierces the rain. It breathes heavily, glaring at them. While it doesn’t emit a strong magical aura, its oppressive presence is palpable. Its long tail thrashes wildly. Even a fish of this size would be inherently unpleasant, but with a horse’s upper body, including hooves, the unpleasantness is amplified tremendously.

“Ugh. That tail is disgusting….”

“It’s not a kelpie…but it looks like a hippocampus. Be careful, as it can move quickly on land with its tail!”

Before the words are finished, bound by the holy rope, it fiercely attacks Levi. Thanks to the rain, it creates a spray, similar to being underwater, while closing the distance. Levi, like a matador, beautifully avoids its attack with her red hair flowing.

“I don’t know the difference between the two…but do we just catch it?”

“Yes!”

“Pick up my sword over there!!”

Erina hurries toward the sword left in the rain. She tries to grab and throw it quickly, but it’s surprisingly heavy. It is a thin and not overly long sword, but it is still metal. The church’s funds would allow for a lighter, better quality sword, but she cherishes this one, having grown used to it. Still, she’s kept it well-maintained and improved.

“Ugh―. It’s heavy.”

She could lift it and throw it, but it would obviously fall short. Erina has no choice but to slide the sword across the rain-slicked ground toward Levi. Levi, with a graceful evasion, catches the sliding sword. The monster’s tail narrowly misses Levi’s cheek.

“Thanks!”

She immediately draws the sword, slicing through the raindrops with a sharp swing. Matching Levi’s movements, the hippocampus stamps its hooves, kicking up water spray, and lashes out with its long tail. Levi barely deflects it with her sword; the wet ground forces her to parry rather than block, disrupting her stance.

Levi’s strength is her unrestrained style—she doesn’t adhere to any set swordsmanship or martial art. She gradually adapts to the monster’s erratic movements and slippery ground, sharpening her movements.

Erina quietly watches, looking for an opening. The advantage of her holy-energy-based techniques is their effectiveness against the monster. She can use them without worrying about harming her allies; the slight disadvantage is that the distinctive, bright light is somewhat distracting.

She could use it randomly, but it’s difficult to subdue animal-type monsters using holy energy alone. Mindless, simple monsters like slimes can be defeated with holy energy alone. But for animal types, physical attacks are more efficient.

Of course, holy energy is essential for maximizing damage. The exact mechanism remains unknown, but it’s common knowledge that the goddess’s power is required.

“Hot―!”

Seizing the momentary pause in their movements, Erina swiftly shoots a strong light imbued with holy energy.

*Hihing!!*

Levi instantly dashes into the monster’s embrace, leaping forward and severing its tail. Using the momentum of her sword swing, she forcefully cuts the horse-like upper body as well.

‘Shallow! Did it dodge?’

Blood flows from the wound, but the cuts aren’t deep. However, a clear sluggishness is evident. Erina takes the opportunity to use her subduing technique to support Levi. As if under immense gravity, the monster collapses. Even on the ground, it continues to thrash its tail menacingly.

“Good job, Erina! Keep it restrained for a moment!”

She doesn’t have any ultimate moves. She simply puts all her strength into her sword swing, striking the monster; the escaping magical energy traces the trajectory of the blow. Blood spurts into the rain and flows onto the stone ground.

“Whew. Finished off~.”

“You worked hard.”

But the rain continues to fall. A single drop of water lands on her head.The protective magic’s duration is almost over. Erina quickly calls Levi to the shelter of the building’s eaves.

“I had some expectations, you know.”

“I don’t think a mere monster could control the weather. If it were a demon, it would be possible….”

Luckily or unluckily, only a sense of unsatisfied curiosity remains. Levi slowly catches her breath and brushes off her clothes.

“What was it? Hippo…something.”

“Hippocampus. Similar to a kelpie, but its defining characteristic is its extremely long tail. It’s my first time seeing one outside of textbooks, so I can’t really say much more….”

“Hmm. There are so many fascinating things in the world. So how do we stop this downpour….”

“Wait a moment.”

A strong chill ran down Erina’s neck. As if something had been released, a distinct magical aura flowed through the air. There’s a current.