Ryu constantly reflected on herself.
I'm not strong enough; I can only watch my companions get hurt in front of me. I must work harder!
Meanwhile, Suzuki Jun covered her severed right arm, turned, and walked to the sturdy metal wall, sitting down.
She pressed the cut end of her severed arm firmly against the metal surface, then held her handgun in her left hand, aimed it at her temple, and smiled at the stunned two women with narrowed eyes.
"See you in a bit~"
Bang—
The sudden gunshot startled the Beast Tamer.
He quickly checked the metal wall all around; there was still no crack, which made him secretly sigh in relief.
"What? Another useless attempt?"
He hadn't understood anything the girls had been saying since the beginning.
He only knew that they seemed to think they had a way to break through this wall.
But he scoffed at the idea.
If the two adults in the organization could break it, he would naturally believe it.
Even the strong one from the Freya Familia, the Beast Tamer admitted, could break it given some time.
But for mere Level 3 individuals to attempt such a thing was so absurd it was laughable!
"Hey, hey, hey, why have you been silent since just now? Didn't you say you wanted to catch me? Didn't you hate me enough to kill me? Why is there no movement now?"
In the indestructible metal cage, the Beast Tamer was incredibly relaxed at this moment.
He leaned against the inner wall, shaking his head and shouting loudly to the outside, his voice filled with contempt and triumph.
"How come you're helpless against my [Absolute Defense]?"
"It's a pity your companions are being surrounded and killed, while you're being impulsive here. Perhaps if you keep wasting time, you'll only be able to collect their corpses~"
He idly fiddled with the beads in his hand, humming a tune, planning to immediately retrieve those control collars after the girls retreated.
This failure was only due to incomplete information!
Who could have known that woman Alise still had a hidden flying ability?
She usually pretended to be simple and cheerful, but her cunning was so deep; he had truly underestimated her!
A hint of apprehension flashed in the Beast Tamer's eyes.
However, although he had lost some combat power, it wasn't a loss to uncover that guy's trump card.
Besides, Astrea Familia isn't a bird-person Familia; it's not like everyone can fly, right?
Only she can do it; it won't affect the overall situation!
My air-ground coordinated micro-operation plan is absolutely flawless, and next time it won't be a small skirmish, but a full-scale assault!
Thinking this, the Beast Tamer straightened his back even more, a wild grin appearing on his face, and he was about to continue openly mocking these girls, whom he considered "foolishly persistent."
An anomaly that shouldn't appear in his confidently absolute defense!
—On the originally unbreakable metal wall, an arm had extended out!
In that hand, a strange, pitch black weapon was firmly clasped.
The pitch black muzzle was cold and indifferent, like the gaze of death, aimed steadily at his glabella.
The Beast Tamer, who had been immersed in the wanton mockery of being "carefree" just a moment ago, now had his pupils constrict to their extreme!
All his pores instantly burst open, as if bitten completely by ten thousand venomous snakes from his spine.
His mind went blank, and his thoughts rushed like a flood breaking a dam.
How is this possible!
How could her arm pass directly through my invincible absolute defense?! And without even a sound!
It must be cheating, absolutely cheating!
What is wrong with the women of Astrea Familia!
Fear and terror surged like a raging tide, his voice immediately cracked, his tone changed, and he trembled, crying out in panic and pitifully.
"N-no, wait... wait a moment, we can discuss this again...!"
However, the slender finger, unmoved, decisively pulled the trigger the next second.
The gunshot boomed, and blood and brains splattered across the small metal barrier.
The echo of his plea for mercy abruptly ceased, and the entire space was left with only the silence of death.
Suzuki Jun expressionlessly retracted her arm, gazing at the metal barrier that still stood before her.
"You even prepared your own coffin in advance, you truly are quite resourceful."
Turning her head, she saw Alise and Ryu staring at her with blank expressions.
"H-how did you do that?"
Suzuki Jun smiled sheepishly.
"Actually, it's my first time trying it... Lord Rhode once mentioned something, that demi-humans have two absolute rules."
"Firstly, the resurrection and limb regeneration of demi-humans cannot be blocked by anything, no matter how sturdy!"
"I used this point to break through the opponent's defense~"
After transmigrating to another world, facing these beautiful, kind, and powerful girls, she had felt somewhat inferior before.
But now that she had also helped them, Suzuki Jun finally gradually regained her confidence.
Alise was the first to snap back, scratching her head before revealing a bright smile.
"I didn't expect such a thing... Mm-hmm, I'll remember that!"
"By the way, is that winged creature your summon?"
Suzuki Jun summoned her IBM and explained to them.
"This is an IBM, a power that some demi-humans (acdi) awaken; you should also have the potential to awaken them."
"Eh? But why don't I feel anything?!"
"Ah, that... probably because your bloodline hasn't been fully activated; you need to die once."
"I see.... then I'll leave it to you."
"???"
Suzuki Jun tilted her head, a head full of question marks.
"Huh? What do you mean 'leave it to me'?"
Alise puffed out her chest, a smug expression on her face.
"Even if we run at full speed now, we can't avoid the trouble of detours, but if we can fly, won't we be able to go in a straight line and find Rhode quickly?"
"Although it will delay a bit of time, the result will only be more efficient. Hmph, don't underestimate my calculation abilities!"
Now it was Suzuki Jun's turn to widen her eyes in surprise.
"Are you perhaps thinking..."
Beside her, even the slow-witted Ryu understood Alise's idea at this moment.
She also clenched her fists, staring earnestly at Suzuki Jun, her beautiful sky-blue elven eyes without a trace of hesitation.
"Please don't underestimate us! For Rhode, our resolve will not lose to yours!"
Suzuki Jun was momentarily lost in thought, then showed a helpless smile.
Are they all idiots?
No wonder Lord Rhode is so fond of these girls.
And...
She secretly glanced at Alise, who had a brilliant smile on her face.
I just had her cut off my arm, and now she's asking me to finish off both of them...
It seems like a small revenge, no matter how you look at it?
Could this girl be a little devious?
She muttered to herself, while raising her pistol and aiming at the two girls.
"Then...."
Alise and Ryu closed their eyes simultaneously, chuckling softly.
""—See you later!""
On the other side.
Kaguya gritted her teeth, desperately suppressing the churning in her stomach and the cold sweat crawling up her spine, clutching Shimomura Izumi's remaining severed arm.
Blood continuously seeped from the elbow's severed end, staining her fingertips and the back of her hand crimson.
Kaguya's eyes showed a mix of fierce aggression and lingering dread, along with an unprecedented bewilderment.
—Just moments ago, she had personally used an Iai Slash to shatter Shimomura Izumi's body, at her request and under her gaze, and with internal conflict, she had sliced her into a unrecognizable pulp of flesh, splattering blood mist!
Every swing, though it landed on Shimomura Izumi, also left traces of near-collapse on her spirit.
Laila's face was pale, leaning against the wall beside her, dry heaving non-stop.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Kaguya fiercely gulped down a bottle of recovery potion, restoring her high-intensity consumption from just now, while also trying to calm her complex emotions.
At this moment, she wished she could immediately rush to Rhode's face and give him a full-body massage with her fists!
Why did he talk nonsense in front of other guys!
That disgusting family's inherited Iai Draw Slash, although it could instantly cut a person into several pieces, its purpose was only to ensure the opponent was killed without any resistance.
Who, besides a psychopath, would finely mince an opponent into a meat paste when killing them!
Especially when that person was a companion she recognized!
Those few seconds she had just experienced were absolutely the most intense challenge to Kaguya's psyche!
Even in her hometown, during the days once considered a living hell, she had never felt such deep pain and distortion as she did just now.
Compared to just now, she even somewhat missed her "beautiful" childhood.....
Heh, should I thank that guy?
Directly fighting fire with fire had cured her inner trauma and childhood shadows; Kaguya even felt that after confronting her own weaknesses, she was now invincible.
Laila turned her head away with a complicated expression, her tone awkward but with concern.
"I knew you, this young lady, still couldn't do it. Although my strength isn't great, let me do it. I'm not very confident at this distance, but there's still a slight possibility!"
Kaguya looked up at her, took a deep breath, and the gradually recovering magic power in her body sharpened her gaze once more.
"Don't underestimate me, Pallum..."
She slowly lowered herself, adopting a stance, her body taut like a drawn bowstring, the severed arm tightly gripped in her hand raised high, like a javelin about to be thrown.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her aura suppressed to the extreme.
"And how could I so casually waste her resolve."
This was the strongest strike she could unleash by squeezing out her remaining magic power and stamina—using the air as an invisible scabbard, and the severed arm as the final blade.
"Go, Izumi!"
—Iai, Draw!
Kaguya let out an angry roar, her arm suddenly straightened.
The severed arm traced a final afterimage at her fingertips, then shot out of her hand like unleashed lightning!
The air was suddenly torn apart, and a sharp sonic boom, almost piercing the eardrums, exploded!
The air along the path was distorted by high-speed friction, creating visible ripples of airflow that spread in a ring.
The full release of Lv3 power, the severed arm transformed into a meteor, tearing through the air, chasing after the rapidly fleeing archer!
High in the distance, the archer, who was briefly gliding between rooftops with the aid of a magic tool, was startled by the commotion behind her.
However, when she looked back, she sneered.
"Giving up? You childish little girls."
Her eyes were contemptuous, and she casually twisted her body, as if watching ants struggle in vain.
"I admit the speed of your move is indeed fast enough, but with such an overly straightforward trajectory, I can dodge it with just a slight twist of my body."
"Long-range sniping isn't done like this~ With your temporary burst of power, you can't possibly hurt—Hm?!"
Her words abruptly stopped, and the archer's eyes suddenly widened.
The "thrown weapon" she had casually dodged was actually beginning to deform, proliferate, and grow in front of her!
Muscles and clothes regenerated simultaneously, stretching out a giant web of intertwined flesh and fibers.
The woman who should have been poisoned to death by her arrow suddenly appeared before her, her eyes cold as she stared at her.
"Ah... ah?! What the hell kind of monster are you?!"
Orario, how did it become so fantastical? I'm not playing anymore!
When I took the mission, no one said I had to deal with someone I completely didn't understand!
Frightened by the unprecedented scene, the archer screamed in horror, her pupils violently contracting, completely losing her composure.
Shimomura Izumi did not answer, merely descended expressionlessly, her knee slamming into the archer's abdomen, then wrapping around her body, plummeting straight down towards the ground of the church ruins like a falling meteor.
The archer shrieked in terror, even her plea for mercy tinged with a sharp fear.
"Let me go!! Wait! There's no need to take me down with you!"
Shimomura Izumi's gaze was as cold as ice, and she spoke softly.
"Rhode's Second Law—Eliminate evil thoroughly, root out the weeds."
The sky above quickly receded, and the ground rapidly enlarged.
The archer heard this, was stunned for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh.
"I've really lost to you, you know. When we get to hell, let's have another match. I'd really like to see that weapon of yours—"
With a loud crash, both of them simultaneously fell into a dilapidated building in Daedalus Street, blood splattering everywhere.
A moment later, in the ruins, a figure slowly stood up.
Shimomura Izumi was covered in blood, calmly speaking as she shook off the remaining flesh and blood from her body.
"Sorry, there's no place for me in hell. I only belong to Lord Rod."
She raised her hand, summoned her IBM, and soared into the sky.
Clatter—
Soon, Shimomura Izumi landed lightly from mid-air, her feet firmly on the ground in front of Kaguya and Laila.
She carried a faint scent of blood, but her aura was calm and composed, her expression unchanged.
Kaguya, with weak legs, sat on the ground, looking up at Shimomura Izumi, who was smiling. Her gaze lingered on those arms for a moment, repeatedly confirming.
—That's right, it's a complete Shimomura Izumi.
Not a vengeful spirit resurrected to claim my life.
Her voice was a little hoarse.
"That guy...."
Shimomura Izumi squatted down, meeting Kaguya's gaze, and said softly.
"Just like me before… but unfortunately, she can't be resurrected again."
Laila, who had walked over, twitched her mouth.
"Please, don't bring that up again. I feel like I don't want to eat meat for a while, and I might even have nightmares every night about being chopped into mincemeat."
"Speaking of which, Kaguya, why don't we sleep together? Maybe it'll have a miraculous effect?"
Kaguya feebly slapped the Pallum's arm.
"Get lost…"
"Hehe, I knew you only wanted to sleep with Rod. In the Familia, everyone's dream used to be the goddess's embrace, but now it's all become Rod's chest. How fickle the world is…"
"Be careful, I'll tell Astrea!"
After their rather unskilled bickering, Kaguya's complicated emotions had eased a lot. She felt a little grateful to Laila in her heart, but couldn't say it out loud.
She looked at Shimomura Izumi, who was docile and obedient in front of them, and couldn't imagine that she was such a terrifying person who could calmly endure being chopped into mincemeat.
Kaguya finally couldn't help but ask the doubt in her heart.
"...Do you have a grudge against that archer? You'd rather endure such pain to kill her?"
Shimomura Izumi shook her head, her eyes innocent and kind.
"I just arrived, how could I have enemies?"
"Then you...."
"I'm just following the rules Lord Rod taught me: once you've completely made an enemy of someone, as long as there's a sliver of possibility and ability to eliminate them, no matter the cost, even if you have to chase them to the ends of the earth, you must utterly destroy them on the spot!"
Shimomura Izumi's expression was matter-of-fact, as if she were declaring the most ordinary truth.
Kaguya and Laila's eyelids twitched violently almost simultaneously after hearing this.
Rod... is he really that vengeful in private?
They suddenly felt a bit lucky that Rod was their companion…
Shimomura Izumi recalled Rod's expression when he said that, and added.
"Lord Rod absolutely hates the scenario where 'an enemy is accidentally let go, and then causes trouble behind the scenes later, constantly provoking.' "
"He even said that as long as he has enough ability and opportunity, he will investigate the enemy's relatives, friends, and companions, doing it cleanly and thoroughly, nipping all future troubles in the bud!"