Encore 55 — BLOOD (II)

Lights twinkled like stars behind Hoshi as she stared at Yuichi, blankly.

"I'll just render you useless and then get the girl."

The stars behind her curved around Hoshi and rushed towards Yuichi like lasers. They converged more and more, the closer it got to him.

The boy leapt towards the lasers instead of blocking or dodging them. They missed him and went for Lucia, who was standing still.

"Ah, you—!"

Hoshi had to deflect the lasers of light herself, to ensure that Lucia would not get injured.

(This bold boy! He used the target as bait! If she even has a scratch on her, we won't be able to receive the grimoire...)

Yuichi stopped a metre before Hoshi and twisted his waist as he clenched his fist. He launched his fist at her, firing a bolt of lightning.

As it came into contact with her body, the lightning dissipated against a thin barrier.

"Huh?"

The moment he noticed it, Yuichi retreated to Lucia's side.

"To think you would be able to attack me directly by playing me for a fool."

Hoshi grimaced, gritting her teeth in frustration.

(She has a mana barrier around her. A powerful one that can neutralise my lightning bolts. I would use Tainted Wisdom but...)

"I'll just use the solution. Fang Blade."

There was another flash and a thunderous boom. From Yuichi's right hand, a sword of electricity sparked into reality. From the blade of the sword, fangs of electricity extended out of it, towards Yuichi.

He tensed his leg muscles and bounded once more. Hoshi fired another round of the stars—he sliced through each one in quick succession.

(That winged sword... It's dangerous. The appearance doesn't exactly calm me either...)

Hoshi thought.

As she was caught up in her thoughts, Hoshi failed to realise the blade being swung toward her. At the last second, she leapt backwards, dodging Yuichi's horizontal slash.

"Barely—"

As she sighed in relief, her cloak tore.

(Huh? He hit me?)

There was no blood, but Hoshi was still shocked.

(Yes, I did dodge at the last second but that still shouldn't have hit me—)

When Yuichi spun his blade as a taunt, she realised.

(The two wings on the side have an irregular shape. Nevertheless, the tip of the winged blades are curved. Even if I dodged the main blade, the curve of the wing caught me. It's bait. They're not wings, but fangs.)

Hoshi backed away, carefully watching Yuichi's sword. She was being careful, however, that did not happen.

Before she realised it, Yuichi was already within range. She knew she could not dodge in time without getting seriously injured; Hoshi used a concentrated star to propel herself upwards onto the rooftop. Yuichi watched her, smiling up at her.

(He's not chasing me?)

The woman then observed Lucia moving closer to Yuichi.

(That's right. His goal shouldn't be to catch me but to recover Lucia Winters. I'm at a disadvantage.)

"I guess I'll bomb this whole area."

(Lucia Winters will not get hurt. Not as long as Yuichi Asame protects her. He will. I guarantee it.)

A large star twinkled behind her. It pulsed like a heart and progressively grew bigger.

Meanwhile, Yuichi was panicking.

(Maintaining Maximum Voltage and the Fang Blade is exhausting. I have 30 seconds left. Seems like she plans to bomb us. If I stop it and threaten her, she's bound to run away.)

He prepared himself, putting the sword on his back and bending his knees.

"I'll kill you in the name of my Lord! Grand—!"

"Iron Emperor Style..."

They both stopped, turning towards the intersecting alleyway. A girl walked through the alleyway with bags in her hand. She raised an eyebrow when she saw them both.

"Hm?"

Yuichi furrowed his brow while Hoshi cackled.

"RUN!"

They both stopped their attacks directed at each other. Yuichi deactivated the Fang Blade and dashed toward Hoshi. However, it was too late, Hoshi had already fired a star at the girl.

Yuichi would not make it in time.

"Ascalon."

A sword appeared in front of the girl, blocking the star fire. She dropped her bags and cracked her knuckles.

"I have no clue what's going on but... you tried to attack me when I'm in a bad mood."

The girl, Myraliana, grabbed her sword and aimed it at Hoshi, who was looking down from the rooftop.

(She's a Streia? Is she a Magus? She seems too young to be one...)

Yuichi thought to himself.

"Ascalon; Pierce."

The blade of Ascalon began glowing white. She plunged the blade into the ground.

The ground beneath Hoshi's foot rippled. A blade pierced through her foot and grazed her right eye as she bobbed her head backwards.

"Goddamnit! This ability!"

Hoshi gritted her teeth when she realised who the girl was.

The boy, watching next to the small girl, turned off his Maximum Voltage. His sword dissipated. Suddenly, he stumbled.

"Ah, are you okay?!"

Lucia caught Yuichi. She had tears in her eyes, worried.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little burned out."

"Girl! You're Myraliana Khine Agnes, are you not?!"

Myraliana tightened her grip around Ascalon. She glared at Hoshi. Her voice deepened.

"Don't you dare call me by my middle name. I am not Khine Agnes, I am only Agnes."

"That's beside the point! What's a mercenary like you doing here, interfering with my—!"

Hoshi froze, feeling the pressure emanating from Myraliana.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care. For mentioning my middle name, I'll kill you."

The blonde-haired girl threatened her, pointing Ascalon directly at her.

"So fucking unreasonable...! I'm surrounded by mindless people—no one with any credible brain cells whatsoever! It's every single one of them!"

The cloaked woman fumed. She touched her eye and gouged it out.

"Listen up, you fucking bottom-feeders! Lord Neferia always get what she wants! Be prepared to die for her divine cause! And you, Lucia Winters!"

The small girl shivered as Hoshi violently called out her name.

"Once we extract the Sable Aquarius from you, I'll tear you apart limb from limb! It's all because of you that my body has been desecrated by none believers!"

She roared ferociously.

Hoshi had been mentally broken. Yuichi was the only one shocked by her sudden personality switch. It was not that her personality switched, it was simply that she suppressed it.

Her body began slowly fading away in black smoke.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"How did you...?!"

Myraliana loomed behind Hoshi like a shadow. She sliced at her neck but missed as Hoshi fell off of the building. Instead of cutting her neck, she created a horizontal wound on her face, adding to her wounded eye.

Hoshi snapped.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH! MYRALIANA KHINE AGNES! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN UNTIL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! I'LL BURN YOUR INSIDES AND HAVE DOGS FEAST ON THEM! I'LL KILL YOU IN THE MOST BRUTAL WAY POSSIBLE! JUST YOU WAIT, YOU—!"

Hoshi faded into black smoke.

Myraliana clicked her tongue and Ascalon disappeared from her hand.

"You said my middle name twice, fucking bitch."