<Goddess Vysis>

The Sound Orb———- yes, I know that magic tool.

I can’t tell what kind of signal that sound was supposed to be.

But its purpose…… that, at least, I understood instantly.

It was all just to buy time.

————I blundered.

A detached force must have been making for the labyrinth’s exit.

They likely made sure sound could carry, to regroup with the rest of their allies.

If Loqierra was among them, then it’s not strange that they’d know the nature of this labyrinth.

That Fly King and Seras were merely buying time———— stalling me.

So I was the one being lured?

From the royal chamber, from the field of reinforcement sigils——— however……

Did they not consider the chance of their detached force running into me midway?

They might have thrown their comrades to their deaths for nothing.

……I see.

I thought they were the sort who’d prioritize their allies’ safety.

But unlike Ayaka, they do have the resolve to cut their own loose.

[Fufu, what a despicable lot……]

I murmured with a quiet, mocking tone, and made my decision.

Right now, I am dancing in the palm of the enemy.

That much is clear.

If that’s the case, then even “this place” might have been chosen to lure me out.

I don’t yet know what trick they’ve used, but everything feels as though it’s unfolding just as they intended.

At the very least———–

Remaining here would be unwise.

I began to move toward the nearby window.

My clone shifted as well, fighting Seras while retreating.

With a sharp crash, I shattered the glass and leapt through, out into the castle courtyard.

A relatively open courtyard.

A moment later, my clone burst through the wall, following me out.

Seras and that Fly King are also pressing forward, maintaining their pursuit.

(How deftly she moves…… protecting the Fly King behind her all the while……)

There were only low shrubs, flowerbeds, a small fountain, little cover to speak of.

I naturally accounted for ambushes from the second floor windows or rooftops.

However, those vantage points were beyond the range of the Forbidden Curse and Abnormal State Skills.

That’s why I chose this place.

Rather than hide, I prioritized standing beyond their reach.

Although…… perhaps there was another reason.

Maybe I simply found the indoors too stifling.

Maybe I just wanted to breathe beneath the open sky.

A faint, self-mocking smile tugged at my lips.

————Indulging such idle thoughts is the height of folly.

Focus. Crush the enemies before you.

(……This clone is proving less convenient than I expected.)

For a moment, I considered abandoning the clone and withdrawing.

But the farther it drifts from my true body, the weaker it becomes.

When I sent my clone to Ayaka and Asagi, their role was reconnaissance.

I had accounted for some weakening in exchange for distance———-

But at that time, combat could be left to the Divine Servants.

But in this situation…… letting the distance grow would be a mistake.

If Seras were to destroy my clone, it would be checkmate.

Especially now that its strength has been increasing over time……

If it weakens from distance, that gain would be nullified.

(……Tch.)

If only I could create two clones.

One of its flaws, only one can exist at a time.

I picked up a shard of broken glass and hurled it at the Fly King.

Seras crushed it effortlessly, as if merely doing it in passing.

(And besides……)

What vexes me most…… is that my own power remains restrained.

If only———– I could have used Divine-Class Magic in this battle……

(That wretched Anarveil……)

Because of that witch, the [organ] necessary to wield Divine-Class Magic has been sealed shut.

Even after forcefully enhancing my body through excessive consumption of the black-purple orbs, that organ refused to open.

Perhaps…… if it hadn’t closed off……

Would I not have become something far stronger———- something evolved beyond this form?

(Every last one of these insects———– They are nothing but nuisances……)

Even that Seras Ashrain……

To think she possessed such prodigious talent for battle……

At first, I had merely intended to use her as a disposable [reward].

When I heard of her peerless beauty, recognized by all as one of rarest, I assumed that was her only worth.

Back then, I hadn’t thought her to be anything more than moderately capable. Google seaʀᴄh N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

I had received reports that she was competent, yes, but she was nothing exceptional……

The information circulating about her painted no such impression either.

John Doe, Ruin Seal.

Urza’s Dragonslayer.

Four Revered Saints’ Agito Angoon.

And of course———- Bakuos’ “Strongest Human”, Civit Gartland———-

Compared to those, she had never struck me as their equal.

All anyone ever spoke of was her beauty.

An Elf of such divine allure that even the Mad Emperor and the Jewels of Magnar paled beside her.

And yet……

With a faint bitterness, I watch her swing that luminous blade.

[……………………]

Had I known her true power————- I would have brainwashed her, and made her my personal aide.

No, more than that.

I might have even granted her Demi-Godhood, and brought her into the war against Heaven itself.

Far more worthy than that half-baked fool, Nyantan.

I click my tongue inwardly.

(That d*mned Holy King of Neia……)

If only that decrepit old fool hadn’t thrown a tantrum and had simply offered her up.

He stubbornly refused to hand the Elf over, clinging to her as though she were his lifeline.

Could it be————- at that age, he’d gone mad with lust?

Even so, was she worth forsaking his entire kingdom for?

My anger boiled over, so I granted his wish, and had Neia destroyed.

I later heard that after his kingdom’s fall, the Holy King withered away, confined to some small manor, living out his final days as a pitiful prisoner.

No doubt tormented by thoughts of his ravaged homeland and fallen daughter.

They say he lost his mind before death claimed him.

Serves him right.

He defied my command, and that is the price.

Had he obediently handed over that ugly wench, he might have died with dignity.

And now…… my eyes settle upon the knight princess I failed to seize.

(……No.)

That strength……

It was not something she possessed when I first demanded her surrender.

No doubt Mimori shaped her into what she has become.

As a piece on his board.

The thought stirs irritation in me.

That d*mned fly and the path he took to get this far……

Without Seras at his side, he would surely have perished halfway.

Yes…… if that formidable vanguard had not been with him———–

If Seras Ashrain did not exist……

[……………………]

Accursed small fry.

I command my pieces as an absolute sovereign.

Meanwhile, Mimori———— you are trash, so you must rely on others.

You couldn’t even rely on yourself.

A solitary, supreme warrior who can accomplish more than enough on her own.

A weakling who can do nothing alone, whose only skill is petty trickery.

That is the absolute difference between you and me————- Mimori.

[…………?]

I sense one more presence here.

Not something newly arrived……

But a presence that has lingered at the edge of my awareness as a niggling discomfort.

(This is…… a monster? Ahh———–)

That slime used in the battle against Wormungandr huh.

Of course.

When I first detected the presence, I couldn’t decide whether there were three or two of them.

But one was so faint I judged there to be two.

(So the slime is hiding inside that late-version Fly King outfit……)

However……

“Because he’s together with that slime, the one behind that mask must be Mimori.”

To simply assume something like that is dangerous.

…… ———–No, more importantly.

At the sound just now, his companions———- or perhaps Mimori herself will gather here.

There is no doubt that the sound was a signal for that.

[……………………]

Incidentally, the word for “retreat” did not exist in my mind at this moment.

Though the labyrinth may have disappeared, the reinforcement enchantments of the royal chamber have not vanished.

“To withdraw to the royal chamber with my clone and fight there.”

Whether a retreat would succeed is unknown, but it’s a viable strategy.

Still, she did not choose it.

Why?

Because my sense tells me that if I leave this place now————

I might let Touka Mimori slip through my fingers.

If the one inside that late-version Fly King armor truly is Mimori……

Then there is no guarantee he would obediently pursue me should I retreat.

If that is him, then he’s already “right there”.

I can no longer allow such a massive source of uncertainty to exist.

I cannot endure it.

Unwilling as I am to admit it……

Until I eliminate Touka Mimori, completely and utterly————

I will never again live in peace.

I will end, here and now, the being who threatens my tranquility.

This is the deciding moment.

A complete and final duel, with both our existences on the line.

[————-Come, Mimori. Let’s settle this.]

If he had set some kind of trap where I stood before, then my movement has already spared me from it.

Ambushes are almost always tied to a specific place.

Once that place changes, the mechanism won’t trigger, such is an established tactic.

I think.

(Now…… What’s my next move? I feel I can win this with sheer power if I wish, but……)

Aside from Seras, the enemy has no competent combatants left.

None of them possess fighting power surpassing this, my true body.

Even my clone, given time, will overtake Seras……

Therefore———–

(I need not fear being overwhelmed in pure strength…… the problem, as ever, lies with……)

Forbidden Curse…… and those Abnormal State Skills.

Two factors that can render sheer combat ability meaningless.

But ultimately, it is only the Abnormal State Skills that are truly fatal.

Even if I were hit by a Forbidden Curse, as long as no status skill is in play……

Nine times out of ten———– no, without fail.

I myself could trample them all beneath my power.

Indeed, this battle might be unfolding according to my enemy’s scheme.

From one perspective, it might even appear that I’m cornered, at a disadvantage……

(But no……)

I am not yet at a disadvantage.

A quiet smile spreads across my lips.

……So that’s why.

If I can still feel that I’m not losing, it must mean that……

I am still looking ahead.

Even as I challenge my enemy to a duel, I’ve still been gazing toward tomorrow.

But now…… I will discard that.

I can start again from the beginning.

I can rebuild everything anew.

After this……

After I’ve exterminated every last pest buzzing annoyingly around me.

I slipped my hand beneath my clothes, fingers brushing against the inner lining until I found a “hidden device”.

Then——— I activated it.

I had never been able to test it properly, so its function relied partly on chance.

But it worked.

It was fortunate that I had created this for such a contingency.

And then……

(……I finally understand.)

I must admit it.

Not taking the initiative earlier, failing to strike first, was a mistake.

My enemies sought to confuse me with their petty tricks, to buy time.

In other words, my reading of the situation had been correct.

What I lacked was———- decisiveness.

And also……

(It may appear as though everything is unfolding just as you intended……)

But perhaps……

You too are walking upon thin ice right now, aren’t you?

I must decide.

To steel myself.

What I lacked at this moment…… was resolve.

The resolve to accept the possibility that this could lead to a crisis.

Before the rest of the worthless rabble arrive, I shall aid my clone and finish this.

At this point, it no longer matters what lies behind that mask.

(How rare it is…… to feel such resolve burning within me…… Fufu…… how amusing.)

I lower the mental output I devoted to strategic thought here.

I finally deepened my state into full-fledged combat.

My eyes…… was dyed completely black.

Transforming my right arm into a bifurcated, ominous blade———-

I drive my foot hard onto the courtyard’s stone paving.

The stones shatter from the impact and scatter behind me.

With resolve———— I leapt.

Yes.

Now that it has come to this.

I won’t know until I try.

Whether this will make the enemy crumble or not———-

There might even be a chance this action will succeed.

Yes……

I’ll move first, then decide.

Making up my mind———– I gathered my resolve.

My arm-blade collides with the opponent’s weapon.

[———————-]

Something springs up.

It cuts into my path.

[ I’ve certainly had enough of you. ]

The one who barged in dared to utter words flagrantly disrespectful to a Deity.

His eyes were like someone trying to shoot down an opponent with murderous intent.

The intruder who interrupted my resolve……

With what seemed to be overinflated killing intent, all mangled and haphazardly compressed————-

Now, that very bloodlust suffused the air.

[……………………………Impossible……]

Ayaka…… Sogou……

(How…… are you here? Why show up now? And you, it’s as if you’ve become a different person…… Who are you? And———- what’s with that look you give me?)

I ground my teeth in irritation.

[You———- utterly annoying…… BRAT! ———-Get lost, you hindrance!]

Enraged, I snarled and swung my blade.

[GET OUT OF THE WAY RIGHT NOW————-!]

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