"Hehe~ I see... so you were specifically waiting for me to show up."
At that moment, a woman's voice—strangely soothing in tone—drifted from the rubble of the shattered wall. Yet there was nothing soothing about the person herself. She was lethal.
Tap... tap...
Emerging from the smoke, Elsa licked her lips dangerously. Though her clothes were not torn, they were covered in dust. Even so, it did nothing to diminish the radiant smile on her beautiful face.
"..."
The Shogun narrowed her eyes at the woman before her.
So it really was this one. The same person who had slaughtered everyone in this building last time.
She didn't yet know the true purpose—but she was certain it had something to do with Emilia. Perhaps the insignia.
Rustle~
Emilia instinctively assumed a battle stance and stepped in front of the Shogun, as if to shield her.
The Shogun glanced helplessly at the girl blocking her path.
Did she think she was that weak?
Well... never mind. She rather liked this somewhat adorable habit.
"Back to my question. Why did you attack us? And who are you?"
Emilia asked coldly.
"...She won't answer."
The Shogun spoke calmly.
If it were that simple, things would be easier. Someone like her was clearly an assassin of sorts—there was no way she would reveal her employer.
"That's right~ Professional ethics, you know."
Elsa smiled.
Emilia glared at her, the chill gathering in her palm intensifying.
"By the way, I've never seen the belly of a half-elf before. And you..."
Her deep violet eyes shifted to the purple-haired woman beside Emilia, curiosity and fascination flickering within them.
"I can tell you're special. I was very satisfied with your reaction just now. I crave fighting the strong... so—"
Swish swish!
She skillfully twirled the daggers in both hands.
"Play with me again, hmm? Little beauty~?"
Elsa looked at her with dangerous anticipation.
"With pleasure."
The Shogun sneered faintly. She spun her naginata just as smoothly and rested it behind her, arcs of lightning flashing intermittently across her body.
"Hey!! What is this?! This isn't what we agreed on!"
After settling Old Man Rom, Felt stood up and shouted at Elsa in dissatisfaction.
Weren't they supposed to trade the insignia?!
Her voice sounded oddly out of place in the ice-cold atmosphere.
"Hehe~ You still don't understand?"
Elsa laughed mockingly.
"Huh?"
Felt frowned.
"The owner of the insignia is here. The chances of you bargaining are practically zero."
"Wh—don't tell me you—!!!"
Felt's heart sank instantly.
"So I've changed the original plan. I'll simply kill everyone here who is involved."
Tap... tap...
She toyed leisurely with her jagged, fang-like dagger as she paced.
"Besides, you failed to complete your task properly. You talk big, but you work sloppily and greedily. You even let the owner trace you back to your hideout. In the end, you're just trash from the slums."
Her head tilted slightly, a smile on her lips—but her tone was utterly cold and merciless. The words pierced straight through Felt's pride.
"!!!"
Felt trembled with anger, clenching her fists unwillingly.
"What a joke!! Bullying a little girl for fun—you disgusting gut-loving sadist!"
At that moment, Subaru, who had been uselessly lingering in the background, suddenly found his courage. Probably because he thought their side had the advantage, he began loudly berating Elsa.
"Felt is doing her best too! She's fighting hard just to survive—!"
Crackle!!
A sharp streak of lightning grazed Subaru's face instantly.
"Gaaah!!!"
He let out another socially mortifying scream, clutching his slightly scorched cheek as he collapsed onto the floor again.
"How noisy. Trying to justify a thief's actions is the height of stupidity."
The Shogun withdrew her hand and mocked him coldly.
Struggling to survive?
And that makes stealing acceptable?
Why not think about Emilia for once? What did Emilia ever do to deserve this? What kind of one-dimensional thinking was that?
[Heh...]
Ei couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hehe~ You're truly interesting~ I can hardly wait to cross blades with you."
Lick~
Elsa ran her tongue over her lips again.
"Emilia, stand behind me."
The Shogun stepped forward and instructed the girl beside her.
"Eh? No~ I want to—"
"You're not her opponent."
She cut her off.
"Mmph~ Th-then together—"
"You'll only get in the way."
She interrupted again.
"I'll be careful~!"
Emilia puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"...Haa. Fine."
Crackle—!!!
In the next instant, her figure dissolved into lightning and shot toward Elsa. The violent current stirred up dust in all directions!
"Eh? Ah... wait—"
Emilia froze for a split second before hurriedly raising her hand to provide support. Unlike the Shogun, she was not skilled in close combat. This was the only way she could assist.
Crackle—!
The bolt of lightning streaked past Elsa's side, then abruptly shifted direction and flashed to her right, striking!
"Hehe~ Good~!"
For a brief moment, Elsa's eyes lost focus. Then she snapped back, recognizing the lightning-fast figure and smiling knowingly.
Hummm~
The Shogun flooded her naginata with surging lightning and slashed out a blade of energy. Elsa bent her waist with gymnastic flexibility, narrowly evading it.
Boom!!
The fantastical violet blade carved across the interior of the building. With a crashing sound, a long gash split through the sturdy wall, revealing the golden hues of the setting sun outside.
"!" ×N
Everyone present—except Emilia—was stunned by the display.
"..."
Tap. Tap.
Elsa landed back on the ground after narrowly dodging the strike. She glanced at the massive cut in the wall, then touched her still-bleeding forehead. The hair above it had been scorched beyond recognition, thin trails of black smoke rising into the air.
"It's been so long since I've felt this excited~!"
That thrill teetering on the edge of life and death—this was the sensation she loved.
With elegant fluidity, the Shogun spun her naginata halfway before settling into stance once more, feet planted firmly as she faced her opponent.
"That was only the first round. I could have ended you just now—I simply felt like playing a little longer."
She sneered at the black-haired woman.
"Hehe~ How frightening~"
Whoosh!!
Elsa rolled her neck lazily, then vanished in a flash, appearing at the Shogun's side. Like a black cat, she slashed fluidly with her dagger, aiming for vital points!
"Too slow~"
The Shogun shook her head faintly. Her body dissolved into lightning and slipped past the strike in an instant.
"Oh really~?"
Elsa showed no sign of panic. Instead, she predicted the Shogun's landing point, leaping into the air like a hunting leopard and unleashing a spinning combo!
Clang! ×N
In the next second, long and short weapons collided in rapid succession like machine-gun fire. Sparks burst from every clash, bright as welding arcs, strobing through the gradually darkening room.
"Hahaha~ Wonderful, wonderful~!"
Even while locked in fierce blade combat, Elsa murmured in exhilaration. She seemed unconcerned by the clear disadvantage she was in, as though the battle itself was all she desired.
Clang!
Their blades met again. Two pairs of violet eyes—each with a completely different temperament—locked onto one another.
"I am the Bowel Hunter—Elsa Granhiert."
She introduced herself with a smile mid-clash.
"Raiden Shogun."
The Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly as she responded.
"What a beautiful name. The one who gave it to you must have placed great hopes upon you."
Whoosh!
They broke apart, only to collide once more.
"I've fallen for you~ Miss Raiden~"
Seeing the increasingly obsessed gaze that seemed ready to devour her whole, the Shogun sighed faintly.
"You're rather unwell."
She commented dryly.
"Hahaha~ Did you only just realize~?!"
Crackle!!
Lightning erupted violently from the Shogun's body, blasting Elsa backward several meters with ease.
Tap... tap...
Midair, Elsa twisted gracefully and landed in a feline crouch. But in the next instant, she felt the ground beneath her turn icy cold. Her brows furrowed. Reacting instantly, she raised her daggers defensively before her.
Crack!
In the next moment, multiple razor-sharp ice spikes burst up from the floor like rapidly sprouting frozen trees, branching wildly and even piercing through the ceiling above!
Clang clang!
Using her daggers to deflect the relentless spikes, Elsa seized an opening and hurled one blade toward Emilia from a distance!
"!"
Emilia formed a defensive gesture. A shield of solid ice expanded instantly, knocking the incoming dagger off course. She then shifted her hand into a sword-finger motion, causing the towering ice growths to surge toward Elsa once more.
Crash~
The shrill sound of shattering ice filled the room. Aside from the three combatants, everyone else present covered their ears in discomfort.