"Wait a minute, newcomer! We haven't finished with the young lady yet!" Chigusa protested.
"My right elbow is crushed, so continuing against him would be difficult," Fate said calmly. "Tsukuyomi-san is preoccupied with the Shinmeiryuu practitioner, and your shikigami have been dispelled. ...Trying to fight them all now would be unwise."
"...I suppose you're right. Fine then. No point in making these wounds worse. Let's retreat."
"A wise decision. Tsukuyomi-san, fall back."
"Aww, really? What a shame. Well then, Senpai, I'll be taking my leave for tonight!"
Tsukuyomi threw a final, parting strike with her dual blades. Sakurazaki parried one and dodged the other, and Tsukuyomi used the recoil of the clash to flip backward, landing neatly beside Fate.
"Until next time."
With Fate's final word, a thick mist swirled around them. By the time a gust of wind blew the fog away, the three of them were gone.
Part of me wanted to give chase, but I looked at our group: Negi, a fresh magic school graduate; Kagurazaka, who was barely fighting via Pactio energy; the unconscious Konoe; and her bodyguard, Sakurazaki. Oh, and Chamo the ermine. Only Sakurazaki was a reliable combatant here. Chasing them would be poking a hornet's nest.
"...They're gone. Or rather, they chose to let us go."
Sakurazaki nodded in agreement. "Yes. Tsukuyomi and that boy, Fate, clearly had strength to spare. For them, this attack was likely just a probe—a way to gauge our combat power."
"Most likely. They aren't enemies we can afford to be careless with."
The dread I'd been feeling since the start of this trip... was it all because of Fate? The danger I sensed from him was immense. But deep down, I had a feeling he wasn't the only threat lurking.
"Axel-kun... don't you think that was a little too much?"
Negi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"...What was?"
"Well, I mean... what you did to Fate's arm... his elbow..."
"Yeah, I agree," Kagurazaka chimed in, nodding. "That was way over the line."
I let out a long, weary sigh. I knew exactly what they were getting at.
"...Are you two still thinking about combat in terms of that mock battle with Eva? That was practice. Real war is bloody. If you don't take the enemy down completely when you have the chance, you won't survive what's coming."
If the crisis I felt was real, things were about to get very "bloody" very fast.
Negi and Kagurazaka looked unconvinced, their young faces clouded with unease. Sakurazaki, however, remained silent, her expression unreadable.
"Nngh..."
At that moment, as if to break the tension, Konoe finally began to stir.
"My lady?!"
Sakurazaki's stoic mask shattered instantly as she rushed to Konoe's side. Negi and Kagurazaka followed suit, dropping our argument for the moment.
"Konoka, are you okay?!"
"Konoka-san!"
"Huh? Setsu-chan...? I had the weirdest dream. I was kidnapped by a monkey, and you guys came to save me..."
Sakurazaki gave her a soft, relieved smile. "You're safe now, my lady."
Konoe beamed back at her, looking truly happy. "I'm so glad... I guess you don't hate me after all, Setsu-chan."
"Eh? W-What... I mean, excuse me! I—it is my happiness just to protect Konoch—I mean, My Lady! I... uh... Excuse me!"
Flustered to the point of breaking, Sakurazaki practically bolted from the scene.
And just like that, the lecture Negi was about to give me was lost to the chaos of the moment.
Character Status
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 38
PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Ground: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (Move +3) - Cost: 4 SP
Effort (2x EXP) - Cost: 8 SP
Focus (+30% Hit/Evade) - Cost: 16 SP
Direct Hit (Ignore Barriers/Size) - Cost: 30 SP
Awaken (+1 Action) - Cost: 32 SP
Love (Accel+Focus+Strike+Alert+Valor+Effort+Fortune) - Cost: 48 SP
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis (Nendoryoku) LV.10
Attacker (Damage x1.2 at 130+ Will)
Gunfight LV.9
Infight LV.9
Will Limit Break
Geass (Grey)
Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summoning)
Dark Magic
???
Total Kills: 376
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