"Ara~? This is the first time I've seen someone use ice magic so exquisitely."
While dodging and blocking, Elsa teased the silver-haired girl providing support from a distance.
"Why, thank you~!"
Emilia replied as she continued attacking, her fingers tightening slightly.
The massive ice tree instantly shattered into countless icicles, pouring down mercilessly toward the black-haired woman on the ground.
Whoosh whoosh!!
Like a torrential storm, the icy shards blanketed the entire room in an instant, chasing after Elsa as she leapt about and deflected them with her daggers.
Sizzle sizzle!
During this, the Shogun infused the icicles with Electro. After Emilia refined them once more, a frigid vortex crackling with lightning manifested before everyone, sweeping up nearby objects as it barreled straight toward Elsa.
"!"
Seeing there was nowhere left to dodge, Elsa immediately pulled up the fluffy cloak behind her, wrapping it tightly around herself.
Boom boom!!
A violent explosion of fire and light erupted from her position!
Whoooosh!
"Waaah!!!!" ×N
The onlookers who had been idling around were blown off their feet by the shockwave, sent flying toward the distance!
"...?"
The Shogun glanced at Emilia in the distance. The girl gave her an adorable wink.
"Haa..."
She let out a soft sigh. Emilia could have handled this easily on her own, yet she insisted on joining in. Well... it had always been like this before.
Whoosh whoosh!
As the smoke cleared, a battered and tattered Elsa appeared before them once more. The cloak she had used for defense was completely destroyed, leaving only her sleek figure clad in a tight black bodysuit.
"You're quite tough-skinned."
Emilia couldn't help but comment.
"Ara~ I'll take that as a compliment."
Elsa replied casually.
At this point, eliminating the girl according to the original plan was no longer realistic. The plan had already fallen apart. Prolonging the fight would only be foolish—she needed to retreat. But how?
Elsa began to think.
"If you're considering how to escape, I advise you to give up."
The Shogun stepped forward, raising her naginata before her once more.
"That may not necessarily be true."
Elsa smiled, then instantly dissolved into a black shadow, intending to dash for the exit at full speed—however—
Sizzle!!
In that very instant, a streak of lightning cut straight through her body.
Slash!
The next second, her right leg was severed as easily as slicing through vegetables.
Elsa froze for a moment, then, carried by inertia, fell to the ground with a heavy thud, sliding several meters before finally stopping.
Bright red blood gushed from the cleanly cut stump. Yet its owner made no cry of pain. She simply stared blankly at the scene, then even extended her tongue to lightly lick her own blood.
"Ah~ So I really can't escape after all~?"
Her tone remained as casual as ever as she leaned against the wall beside her and slowly rose to her feet.
Hum~
The Shogun's figure reappeared. She looked at the woman's current state, exhaled softly, and approached her step by step.
"..."
Watching the purple-haired woman draw closer, Elsa produced a small spherical object—something like a flash grenade—with her remaining hand, intending to crush it. However—
Crack!
An ice spike struck her hand with precise accuracy, shattering it and causing blood to spill out in large amounts.
"How frightening~ Are you going to kill me?"
With no options left, Elsa asked as though she had resigned herself.
"That depends on your performance."
After speaking, the Shogun glanced at Emilia, who had walked over.
Emilia nodded in understanding and raised her hand. Frost gathered around Elsa's body, and before long, crystalline ice bound her firmly against the wall, leaving her unable to move.
"Is that so~? Then how should I perform?"
Elsa looked at the two beauties before her and asked with a faint smile.
"I have questions for you."
Emilia stepped forward, her voice cold.
"By all means."
Elsa replied, gazing at the girl's face from such close proximity.
"Who hired you? And why did they want me dead?"
She asked.
Meanwhile, the Shogun dispersed her naginata and crossed her arms, watching leisurely.
"..."
Elsa offered no answer.
"How about this? If you tell me, I'll let you leave. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?"
Emilia said.
"It's a tempting offer. But as I said before, it's professional ethics. I cannot reveal my employer's name. Doing so would make me an incompetent assassin."
Elsa shook her head.
"Do you understand what will happen if you refuse to speak?"
The Shogun leaned closer, arms folded as she tilted slightly against the wall while looking at her.
"Hehe~ Of course I do. The fact that you're kind enough to inform me—I'm quite touched, Miss Raiden~?"
Elsa gazed at the beautiful woman before her with a fascinated expression, then raised her blood-stained hand to caress her face.
Smack~
The Shogun seized her wrist instantly, stopping the motion, and flung it aside in disgust.
"Are you certain?"
Emilia asked coldly.
"Mm. You might as well kill me. That way, neither of us owes the other anything. Isn't that right?"
Elsa shrugged casually. Though bound in ice, the chill had already seeped into her entire body, yet she remained utterly relaxed.
"Shogun..."
Emilia instinctively looked toward her, as if seeking her opinion.
"..."
The Shogun regarded the smiling black-haired woman before her and let out a faint breath.
"Since she's put it that way, refusing would seem impolite."
She teased lightly.
"..."
Emilia understood. She and the Shogun stepped slightly aside, subconsciously averting their gazes. Emilia gently clenched her hand.
"How gentle—"
Squish!!
Before she could finish speaking, multiple ice spikes erupted from within the crystal restraints, piercing through the black-haired woman's body completely. In an instant, the clear ice was dyed red, blood seeping down and pooling onto the floor below.
Gazing at the desolate moonlight filtering through the cracks of the ruined roof, the two of them realized just how much time had passed.
"...I only came to retrieve a badge."
Emilia let out a soft sigh, hiding her slightly trembling hand behind her back.
The Shogun casually surveyed the surroundings, including the stunned onlookers. Her gaze lingered especially on the tracksuit-clad boy. He was staring blankly in their direction, seemingly lost in thought. That face... she remembered it.
Wasn't he the one she had seen before—the one who had been cut in half?
"!"
At that thought, suspicion flickered across her mind. During the previous rewind, that power had seemed to originate from his body. In other words, the rewind—most likely—had something to do with him?
Yet at this moment, he showed no sign of any strange ability. In fact, he looked utterly useless.
"Let's go."
She spoke to Emilia.
"Wait... Shogun."
"Hm?"
"I... I'll go check on them."
Emilia gestured toward Felt and the others.
"Oh... go ahead."
She nodded. After watching Emilia walk over, she followed as well.
Emilia approached the two and lifted her skirt slightly as she crouched before the still-weak Old Man Rom. Activating healing magic, she treated his injured leg—the wound she herself had caused.
"...!"
Felt had been cautiously shielding Old Man Rom, but upon seeing Emilia's actions, she slowly lowered her guard.
"I'm sorry... I had no choice at the time. That badge is truly important to me. And you were at fault first."
Emilia glanced at Felt as she spoke.
"...Tch."
Felt averted her gaze.
Meanwhile, the Shogun walked over to Natsuki Subaru. Seeing him seated on the floor, she crouched slightly to meet his eye level.
"!"
Subaru snapped back to his senses. Faced with her peerless beauty at such close range, his face flushed red for a moment.
No way!
How many beautiful girls are there in this other world?! After Emilia-tan, now another peerless beauty? As expected of another world!!!
He indulged in wild fantasies as though he had already forgotten the pain from earlier.
"Yo~ Miss~"
He flashed what he believed to be a rather decent smile.
"What's your name?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly. Inwardly, she felt only disdain, though outwardly she asked as calmly as ever.
"My name's Natsuki Subaru~!! Ignorant and penniless, pleased to make your acquaintance!"
Subaru sprang to his feet instantly, striking an exaggerated pose with his right hand raised high as he delivered a ridiculously awkward self-introduction.
"I can tell."
She replied with undisguised contempt. From that introduction alone, she could imagine how hopeless his situation was. She had also noticed the convenience store bag he had been carrying since earlier.
What kind of bizarre equipment was that?
—
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