Chapter 57 – Evil Star

Cherry blossom-colored mana drove back the magi. The fully formed circular motion shattered the saw blade.

Then, the figure before her pulled her in.

“…Ah, Lady?”

Yurasia, her body in tatters, collapsed weakly. Her injuries were severe upon closer inspection.

Blood flowed down her face, and a large gash marred her side. All her fingers were twisted, her forearms broken, and coin-sized holes punctured both her thighs.

However, her limbs remained attached. She was breathing and recognized who I was. Her mana channels weren’t severed, and there was no mana overflow. It was simply a case of mana exhaustion.

Just a little more, and Yurasia might have broken through the wall of the fourth rank, so I held back Fabiana, who was about to rush in, and kept watch.

As I expected—no, beyond my expectations—Yurasia had done exceptionally well. Her body was intact, her rank had advanced, and she even managed to cut off the Demon’s arm with her sword aura.

Even after pushing herself to such an extreme, she was in this condition.

“You’re in pretty good shape.”

“…Wh-what? I’m, I’m so, so, huff… hurt… I almost… almost died… And that’s… that’s all you have to say?”

“Why? Should I give you a kiss when it’s over?”

I chuckled and picked up the broken half of her sword lying on the ground.

“…Kik, kik. Hik… virgin!! Virgin smell, purest of all virgins! Who are you, who are you, who are youuuu!!!!”

Then, I threw the broken sword at the Demon charging at us.

“What the hell? Calling me a virgin on our first meeting? You damn bastard.”

Thwack—boom!

The sword, trailing a pink tail like a meteor, pierced the Demon’s abdomen.

“Kiieeeeek!”

The Demon, with the sword embedded in its abdomen, crashed through several walls, flung far away by the impact.

“Damn, that thing’s ugly as hell.”

I shuddered, pouring a potion into Yurasia’s mouth. Then, I turned to look at Fabiana, who was embracing Silina and administering a potion.

Silina was fine. In fact, she was in better condition than Yurasia.

Yurasia must have protected her. Just before I arrived, I saw Yurasia standing defensively in front of Silina.

There was also the body of a dead human and a corpse that had been torn into four pieces… likely a Black Magician.

Judging by the condition of the human, they seemed to have attempted to assassinate Silina. The Black Magician likely died at the hands of the Demon.

It seemed they managed to handle things well.

I had faith in Yurasia, but I never imagined she would do this well.

The people and students we passed on the way were all unharmed.

The only real issue was magi poisoning, but Fabiana’s antidote took care of that.

Yurasia saved everyone within her reach.

She was impressive. Very impressive.

I’d love to pat her head and heap praise on her, but unfortunately, there was no time for that.

From a corner, I called out to Fabiana, who was stabbing the corpse of the traitor while holding Silina.

“Fabiana, Senior. As I mentioned earlier, that promise applies to Silina too, so please tell her.”

“…Eliaernes. Your opponent isn’t a creature, a Black Magician, or even a mere Demon—it’s a true Demon. Are you sure about this? Wouldn’t it be better to face it together?”

She stopped her stabbing and wiped the blood from her face, asking with concern.

Another psycho, clearly.

“No, just stay here and protect the others. If you join me, they’ll all die.”

I shrugged, taking off my hood and draping it over Yurasia’s shoulders.

“You did well. And congratulations on reaching the fifth rank. That was impressive.”

“…Sniff… I, I tried so hard… to save everyone… and, and even the princess… I tried, I really tried…”

“Yes. You did very well. You’re truly amazing, Yurasia.”

I gently wiped Yurasia’s tears before standing up.

“Now that you’ve advanced, it’s time to teach you something new.”

I split my loosened hair and tied it on both sides.

“Watch closely.”

Wrapping my hands in bandages, I moved forward.

“This is a lesson that’ll become blood and flesh.”

Simultaneously, the cherry blossom-colored mana erupted wildly.

***

Ordinary humans cannot face Demons.

They can’t even confront them. So victory, naturally, is impossible.

The magi Demons emit tears humans to pieces, and a simple swing of their hand shreds frail human bodies.

On the contrary, ordinary humans cannot harm a Demon’s body. Only a fifth-rank martial artist wielding aura or magic of the fifth circle or higher can inflict a scratch.

The only ones who can escape a Demon are those who have reached the sixth rank. And only superhumans at the seventh rank can face and potentially defeat a Demon.

Yet, what was this sight before them?

Boooom―!

“Kiieeeek!”

Craaash―!

“Screeeech! Impudent wretch!!”

Crunch!

“Grrrrraaagh!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!!”

A human was fighting a Demon. A small girl was driving the Demon back.

With no weapon or armor, she was beating the Demon with her fists.

She hadn’t been hit even once. As if she could predict every attack, she dodged, deflected, and countered them all.

While doing so, she landed dozens of blows.

She punched the same spot repeatedly. She kicked the same place again and again. She slammed down wherever she’d struck before.

That’s all she was doing.

Just…

Beating it down.

It was clear she was doing something.

But it was impossible to tell what. It was impossible to see clearly.

It was unseen, yet—

Fabiana couldn’t imagine Eliaernes losing.

On the way here, Fabiana had struck the labyrinth’s walls several times.

She pierced them with her sword, kicked them, and slammed into them.

Still, the labyrinth’s walls and ceilings remained intact.

But now, before her eyes, everything was crumbling. And Eliaernes was easily fending off attacks that tore apart the labyrinth.

What’s more, she was pounding on the Demon with those dainty little fists. They looked soft and weak, yet each punch forced the Demon to cough up blood and retreat.

No.

They weren’t just fists.

Fabiana let out a hollow laugh.

“Heh…”

They were fists cloaked in aura.

More precisely, at the moment of impact, cherry blossom-colored mana flared and surrounded her fists with aura.

It detonated on impact.

“Just moments ago, she was at the fourth rank… When did she…?”

Until they arrived here, Eliaernes was at the fourth rank. Yet, facing the Demon, she suddenly awakened to the fifth rank?

Even more astounding—

Upon reaching the fifth rank, she was displaying an almost supernatural mastery of aura.

It was unbelievable.

A genius, a monster—she surpassed all those descriptions.

She seemed… almost inhuman.

Even Yurasia, who lay behind her, barely managed to cut off the Demon’s arm with her sword aura.

That alone was a feat of prodigious talent, beyond ordinary human limits.

But what was this?

“…The reincarnation of a hero?”

It was absurd to even consider.

Yet what was unfolding before her eyes defied belief.

Fabiana de Hermann.

She always thought of herself as a genius.

Never once did she think herself weaker than others.

But neither was she complacent in her talent.

She trained relentlessly, even nearly dying when her mana went out of control.

But now—

She felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Could she even stand beside her?

“…Hah.”

She could.

If she entered the fray with the resolve to die, she could, for a fleeting moment, match Eliaernes’s stride.

But that would be all.

Once that instant passed, she would die.

Thus, she held back.

Fabiana knew the difference between courage and recklessness.

“…It’s beautiful.”

So she stood, deflecting the aftermath of the battle, and simply admired it.

“She’s protected two princesses; the imperial treasury will have to be opened.”

And she decided she’d prepare everything she could for her.

The same went for Silina.

Though her unhealed wounds ached, and her consciousness faded, Silina’s eyes were the keenest of anyone here.

She could see, even if faintly.

The Demon’s strength—

And the greater power of Eliaernes’s martial prowess.

And Yurasia—

With wide eyes, she witnessed Eliaernes’s movements.

And she, of all present, was the most astonished.

Even after countless duels and shared experiences, she had never seen Eliaernes fight with her full power.

A duel, no matter how real, is still a duel.

Even if it resembles a real battle, in the end, it’s only practice.

Moreover, Eliaernes was the sole daughter of the Eustetia family.

The direct heir and future head of the Eustetia house.

Who would dare threaten her life? Certainly, no one within the empire.

Thus, Eliaernes had never fought in earnest, and Yurasia could only guess at her true strength.

However, she never imagined it would be this powerful.

Or could this even be considered her full strength?

She wasn’t certain. Eliaernes’s face still held that same calm, confident smile.

That’s why Yurasia was sure Eliaernes would win.

And—

Holding her pounding heart, she wondered,

‘…If we truly make it out of this, maybe… she’ll kiss me?’

Yurasia, who held unwavering faith in Eliaernes, never once considered her defeat.

Instead, she recalled that playful smile, her scent, her warmth, her touch, and her voice.

***

Finally, the battle neared its end.

The Demon, battered beyond recognition, staggered, halting its attacks.

Yet its ferocity had not died.

It was sharper now, almost foreign compared to the Demon it had been moments before.

And that Demon spoke.

“…Pink. You, you’re pink. Yes, pink. The unforgettable color. The loathsome cherry blossom. The detested cherry blossom. Hero. Eustetia.”

It had not lost its reason.

Its voice was no longer grating.

Its body, which had twitched violently before, was now steady, and its unnerving eyes grew deep and calm.

“You are… a descendant of the cherry blossom.”

Eliaernes tilted her head at the words.

“Getting your senses back from being beaten to a pulp—that’s pretty messed up, don’t you think?”

“Yes… finally, I’ve found it. A descendant of the cherry blossom. Eustetia’s blood. With just you, with just you, I can finally… return to Lord Labyrinth’s embrace.”

“Talking all about yourself, aren’t you, you damn bastard.”

Hoping it might reveal something about her comrades, she provoked it, but its reason hadn’t fully returned.

That was only natural.

The Demon before her was a wretch abandoned by the very one it served—Labyrinth.

A Demon cast aside in this way cannot bear the magi bestowed by its master. Its body becomes grotesquely distorted, and it loses most of its power.

But that doesn’t make it completely weak.

It still possesses enough strength to slice through most fifth-rank warriors in an instant.

Its tough, resilient body, characteristic of Demons, also remains.

In any case, it had lost its reason.

This Demon had gone mad, consumed by magi.

There was no need to continue talking.

With that thought, Eliaernes stepped forward to end the Demon’s life.

Simultaneously—

“Then, the magi I’ve accumulated will be used for you.”

The Demon moved.

It stretched its tentacles toward the labyrinth’s core.

Soon, the tentacles wrapped around the core and drew it back. Returning to its mouth, the core was thrust into its eight-parted maw.

Gulp.

As it swallowed the core, all the surrounding magi focused on the Demon.

Crack—

The entire landscape twisted. The ceiling collapsed, the ground surged, and the walls crumbled. Finally, the labyrinth disappeared.

“Tsk. Couldn’t you just die quietly? Struggling till the end…”

Now, what remained was the partially destroyed interior of the museum—

And the barrier of the labyrinth separating the museum from the outside world.

And, the Demon, with all its wounds healed and power greatly enhanced.

Behind her—

Ordinary people had already fainted and lay frothing at the mouth from the Demon’s intense presence.

Silina and Yurasia, who had managed to stand, collapsed again, trembling.

Fabiana, biting down on her tongue to stay conscious, gripped her sword tightly.

And Eliaernes—

“What is all this…?”

Gazing around at the exposed interior of the museum, she laughed like a child receiving a gift.

“There’s so many weapons!”