Looking back, it seemed Elysia's two theories regarding the bizarre situation in Nagazora City were both correct.
The fact that someone had slaughtered a massive number of Honkai beasts didn't contradict the idea that these creatures had been herded into a single location.
Thinking of this, Elysia couldn't help but glance at Durandal. The other woman was staring intently at the swarming Honkai beasts below, seemingly scouting for a place to land.
"If you really are my lover, then you should know that those beasts down there can't lay a finger on me. It doesn't matter where we land."
Elysia watched as a flicker of unease crossed Durandal's face after being called out.
A playful smile tugged at the corners of Elysia's lips. "So, you really were doing it on purpose. You just wanted to stay close to me a little longer, didn't you?"
Durandal: "..."
Choosing silence over an answer, Durandal simply guided them down toward the rooftop of a relatively low building.
From this vantage point, they were perfectly positioned to snipe the Honkai beasts gathered before them.
Upon landing, Elysia felt a palpable sense of reluctance from Durandal, yet the woman still chose to let go.
From that single gesture, Elysia felt she had finally grasped the core of her companion's personality.
"You've been hugging and holding me since the moment we met, and you hovered in the sky just now because you didn't want to come down."
"Your true intention wasn't just to be close to me—you wanted to see if the intimacy would jog my memory, right? You're a very disciplined person. Disciplined to the point of being almost rigid."
Despite being surrounded by a tide of Honkai beasts, Elysia didn't feel like she was in any real danger. She even found the breath to offer this analysis of Durandal.
"Perhaps. But you're wrong about at least one thing."
Durandal looked at Elysia's puzzled expression and took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in her heart.
She raised her lance and charged into the fray, leaving only a single sentence echoing in Elysia's ear—
"My intention was indeed to be close to you. If the circumstances weren't so wrong, I would have used far more aggressive means to restore your memory. If that time comes, you can judge for yourself just how 'disciplined' or 'rigid' I truly am."
Though Durandal didn't specify what those "aggressive means" were, Elysia wasn't exactly naive. It only took a moment for the realization to hit her, and her face flushed a deep crimson.
She charged into the beast tide with her bow drawn, as if trying to vent her embarrassment and frustration on the monsters.
At the same time, a familiar sense of indignation welled up inside her.
Deep in the recesses of her memory, she felt as though she had been provoked by this person's words many times before.
Elysia hesitated, wondering if she should tell Durandal about this sensation. But on second thought, if she did, wouldn't the woman just double down on the verbal teasing?
She wasn't some kind of masochist; she wasn't about to go looking for trouble.
However, because of this "wanting to speak but having to stay silent" dilemma, Elysia felt even more stifled. The frustration in her chest didn't dissipate as she culled the beasts; instead, it seemed to pile up.
She could only conclude that this woman who had suddenly appeared claiming to be her lover had a god-tier talent for being annoying. She was Elysia's natural enemy.
Durandal, of course, had no idea that in this second "first meeting," she had managed to wind Elysia up all over again.
Her focus was split between the beasts in front of her and Elysia a short distance away.
Even knowing that these creatures were no match for Elysia, she subconsciously kept her eyes on her, ready to intervene at a moment's notice should anything go wrong.
Elysia was well aware of Durandal's scrutiny, mainly because she was busy observing Durandal in return.
Of course, their motives were different.
Durandal was worried about her safety, while Elysia was gauging the woman's actual combat prowess.
However, perhaps because these Honkai beasts were simply too weak, the cleanup felt more like a casual stroll for both of them. It was as easy as sweeping dust. Because of this, Elysia couldn't even begin to guess the upper limits of Durandal's power.
Still, what Durandal had shown so far was enough to prove that her "floor" was staggeringly high.
At the very least, based on this performance, the only person in the entire Fire Moth who could stand on equal footing with her was Elysia herself.
Elysia also thought back to the two high school students she had rescued earlier. Once that white-haired boy received professional training, he would likely become quite formidable as well.
But both she and the future Kevin reached their heights because of the vast resources and heritage of Fire Moth.
How did this girl, who clearly didn't belong to their organization, achieve this level of strength?
Could there be another hidden organization in the world with a foundation that rivaled Fire Moth?
At the thought, Elysia knit her brows slightly.
To be honest, having another powerful group fighting the Honkai wasn't a bad thing in theory.
But even with only Fire Moth, the internal infighting was already severe. If another organization was added to the mix, she couldn't imagine how much human potential would be wasted on petty friction.
Consequently, after only half an hour of fighting, Elysia lost her heart for the battle despite having plenty of energy left.
She let loose an arrow, instantly clearing the path between herself and Durandal.
Before other beasts could swarm back in to block the way, Elysia sprinted to Durandal's side and looked her in the eye. "Can we find somewhere to talk properly?"
Hearing this, Durandal nodded.
However, she didn't move to leave immediately. Instead, she raised Abyss Flower, her expression turning solemn as she chanted:
"I am the Black that swallows all; I am the White that gives birth to all. Born before creation, existing after annihilation. Divine Key: Abyss Flower, First Rated Power—Banish Bloom!"
As the words left her lips, a burst of pure, holy white light radiated outward with Durandal at the center.
Wherever the white light passed, the Honkai beasts vanished before they could even react, decomposed into raw Honkai energy.
Because of the sheer number of beasts destroyed, the local concentration of Honkai energy spiked visibly.
With the area cleared, Durandal finally turned back to Elysia. "This place seems suitable enough for a talk now."
Elysia scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, the dense swarm of beasts that had covered the area just moments ago had been completely wiped out by Durandal's finishing move.
The once chaotic battlefield was now quiet and safe.
Most importantly, there were likely two hidden meanings behind Durandal's display.
First, it was a glimpse into the tip of the iceberg of her true power.
Second, it was proof that her resolve to fight the Honkai was no less than that of anyone within the Fire Moth.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL