19. Collision (7)

Each step I took, the surrounding scenery flashed by.

Of course, all there was to see were monotonous white walls and gray iron doors, but I’d almost never moved with such full power before, so rather than focusing on the ever-changing view, my priority was maintaining my balance.

I had no choice but to grab Ryu-shin-gun with one hand and drag him along.

I was too busy trying to escape to afford the luxury of taking care of a passed-out person, so I was just barely holding on, but thanks to the impacts from bumping against the floor here and there, he seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness.

“Ugh… my head…”

With a low groan, his eyes fluttered open and quickly scanned the surroundings, then immediately turned back as if understanding the situation.

With my eyes fixed on the path ahead, I couldn’t see exactly how close Sian was, but considering the intense magical energy I felt behind me, it was clear she wasn’t far.

For now, running away with all my might was the only answer.

I do have hypnosis as a last resort… but even the short time it would take to pull out my phone to use it would probably close the gap I’d managed to create in an instant.

Furthermore, I don’t know how strong Sian is, but if I tried to hypnotize an enemy who wasn’t letting their guard down, and she broke free, all the effort I’d put into escaping would be for nothing.

In other words, no matter what plan I execute later, I have to at least reach the point where Juha is waiting first.

Frankly speaking, Sian must be toying with me right now.

Since I’m an opponent she could catch in an instant if she just used her full power, for her, this is a kind of entertainment, pretending to chase me until she gets bored and ends it.

Therefore, it was even more important to take advantage of this opportunity.

‘One-on-two, I don’t know… but one-on-three or one-on-four is different, I have a good chance of winning.’

Just in time, the corner of the hallway where I left Juha came into view.

By now, Rei should be awake, and Juha should have recovered a bit of her magic. After luring her into the hallway, I can slowly crush her based on our advantage in numbers.

Juha’s ability allows her to transform shadows into various forms, but the most useful of these is ‘Ribbon.’

From simply picking up objects from a distance, to stacking multiple layers to create a shield in actual combat, or even binding and restraining an enemy’s limbs, it was a useful ability.

‘Ribbon, huh… there was a time like that.’

Even in this moment of crisis, memories welled up in my mind.

Juha, wrapped in a milky white stocking and panties, adorned with long, flowing black ribbons, waiting for me…

I was so excited back then, how did we end up in such a strange relationship?

If I can go back after all this is over, how should I treat Juha?

It’s time to stop disappointing her every time, and like I promised last time, happily…

“Jihoo-ya, we’re almost there! Jihoo-ya!”

“Ah, I’m going in. Sorry, I spaced out for a second.”

It was a mistake caused by being lost in thought.

If it weren’t for Ryu-shin-gun’s timely signal, I would have crashed into the wall at this speed without turning the corner.

Barely managing to change direction, I saw Juha carrying Rei on her back, staring blankly in the direction I had left.

“Prepare for battle immediately!”

Slowing down so as not to collide with Juha, I finally had a little余裕 and glanced back.

Less than a meter away. Sian was staring intently in my direction, close enough to touch if she just reached out.

I was incredibly flustered for a moment and was about to accelerate again, but then I realized that her gaze was directed at someone behind me, not me.

It was Rei.

“Juha-ya! Protect Rei-eooo!”

Almost simultaneously with my shout, a green light shot out from behind.

In the blink of an eye, it swept through the entire hallway, which was about 30 meters long.

It was truly a fleeting moment.

Puhbuhbuhbung-!

Belatedly, my eardrums screamed again at the intense burst that tore through the air, but I couldn’t afford to worry about such trivial things.

Rei, no, what happened to Juha, who was carrying Rei?

“I’m okay! I can still defend well enough, so aim for the enemy first!”

Thank goodness. She’s safe.

But before I could relax, a green flash rushed towards me this time.

Light flashed, and then an intense wave that tore everything apart spread out.

Even though I had been constantly gathering magic in preparation for an attack, I was only able to barely avoid the attack after rolling several times.

It was overwhelming strength.

Speed and destructive power that seemed to confirm that the chase so far had been just a game.

If only I could bind her with Juha’s Ribbon, I could try to counterattack, but in my current state, where I’ve already lost my rhythm, I can’t do anything and will just keep getting hit by the relentless attacks.

“I’ll go over there! Just hold on a little longer!”

Still, I’ll struggle somehow.

Sian’s attacks have overwhelming speed but lack precision, so if I can just keep dodging like this and aim for a moment to counterattack… it’ll be difficult, but not entirely impossible.

The moment a gap appears, I’ll bind her with Ribbon and unleash a barrage of attacks all at once.

I’ll trust Juha’s natural sense, and for now, the only way is to keep dodging Sian’s attacks one by one and advance little by little.

Then, Ryu-shin-gun approached me.

“Jihoo-ya. I have a favor to ask.”

I thought he was far away, recovering.

He wouldn’t have called me over to talk about trivial things in this situation, so he must have something urgent to say.

Ryu-shin-gun quietly opened his mouth with a determined look on his face, as if he had made a serious decision.

“Just once, just once, hold Sian for me.”

“I was already talking to Juha about… here it comes.”

Kwaaaang-!!

At first, it was so fast that I couldn’t even react, but after dodging a few times, I think I can roughly follow it with my eyes now.

I waved my hand to clear away the rising dust clouds, and unintentionally continued the words I had cut off.

“I was talking to Juha, and if there was an opening, we were going to bind her with Ribbon first and then unleash a barrage of attacks together. But it doesn’t seem possible yet since they still seem to be in good shape…”

“No, you don’t have to do that much. It only takes a second, just hold her for a moment so I can see her clearly.”

“What…? Just for a second…? Ah, right.”

Suddenly, I remembered something I had forgotten.

The guy in front of me is the protagonist of this world, and the ability that protagonist has is powerful enough to turn the tide of battle… I had him by my side and didn’t remember for a long time.

The Replicator’s Life or Death Duel.

Once a day, regardless of any restrictions, he can designate someone and execute a one-on-one duel.

At this time, all his status ailments and negative effects are reset before the duel, and if he wins, he can ‘replicate’ a part of the other person’s ability and absorb it into his own.

However, can the current Go Ryu-shin-gun win against Sian?

His physical abilities have increased dramatically since awakening his Saint Mark, but it’s only the first awakening, and he must be an empty can with no substance at all.

Still… if Ryu-shin-gun is saying this, he must have something in mind.

He knows his own strength best.

For now, trusting Ryu-shin-gun’s judgment and creating a decisive opening was the closest thing to an answer.

“I don’t know what kind of secret weapon you have, but I’ll trust you for now. You have to succeed.”

“Okay, I… believe in you too.”

After saying that, Ryu-shin-gun turned around and walked away from me again.

I don’t even know if I can create an opening, so what are you trusting in to give me such a heavy task?

Well, I have Juha and Rei, but… were we ever that close that we built up that much trust in each other…?

I don’t know. I’ll just have to try.

Worrying about it won’t give me an answer, and I’m not really that curious anyway. What’s important now is stopping Sian.

[3/3]

The Critical Shield worn on my wrist emits a faint blue light.

With the Critical Shield’s protection, I should be able to withstand a few of Sian’s attacks.

Of course, even then, if I get hit directly, I’ll somehow block the physical damage, but my body will be torn apart by the subsequent shockwave.

Therefore, I’ll change the plan slightly from now on.

Barely, like a bullfighter, I’ll slightly dodge Sian’s attacks… and create time for Juha to aim for the gap and bind Sian’s arms and legs.

I have only three chances.

If I get hit head-on, I’ll die instantly.

Juha and Rei shouldn’t get caught up in the attacks while I’m dodging.

“I’m doing a bullfighter’s job for the first time in my life…!”

Of course, the thing I have to dodge isn’t a bull, but a very scary monster.

Anyway, if I’m a bullfighter, I’m a bullfighter.