A sharp, blade-like gust of wind swept past, forcing Souichirou to duck. Behind him, the sound of trees falling echoed through the forest.

Arame Koushi had stopped engaging in a direct clash and was now focusing on chasing after Aya and Nina. Souichirou, meanwhile, was relentlessly pursuing her, disrupting her advance and buying time to prevent her from catching the children.

“Ahaha! It’s a game of tag! I wonder if you can catch me,” Arame Koushi laughed.

With an agility reminiscent of a wild animal, she dashed down the mountain slopes. Her movements were so swift and nimble that no ordinary human could hope to catch up.

And so, Souichirou’s movements became superhuman as well. He shot a thread of

Silveit

toward a nearby tree, letting gravity pull him forward as he swung. Using the tree as a foothold, he repeatedly propelled himself forward at incredible speed.

But relying on gravity also made his movements linear. This limitation prompted Arame Koushi to counter by unleashing her magic at him.

Her magic was a genuine threat.

True to her name, her spells—be it wind, water, or a combination of both—were nearly invisible. The sheer lack of visibility made them especially dangerous.

The only reason Souichirou could avoid them was his extensive experience. By watching her movements—her hands, her eyes—and predicting what he would do in her place, he managed to evade her spells and close the gap.

Whenever he started to lose ground, he fired a projectile spell to disrupt her.

While Souichirou specialized in close combat, he wasn’t incapable of using ranged magic. As an exorcist who often worked alone, he had learned to handle every aspect of his craft without relying on a partner like Renji, who excelled in long-range combat.

However, Arame Koushi avoided his projectiles just as deftly as he dodged her magic. Occasionally, she used the wind swirling around her to deflect his attacks entirely.

“If you’re going to run, why not flee far enough that I can’t catch you?” Souichirou taunted.

“Such a shallow provocation. Do you think I would fall for that? Do I look like some vulgar woman to you?” she replied, sneering.

“I’ve never met a monster that exercised restraint,” he shot back.

“Then perhaps I’ll be the first to teach you,” she said with a grin, snapping her black umbrella open.

“I’ll crush you flat.”

At her words, the heavy clouds draped over the mountain released a torrent of rain. It started as a few scattered droplets but quickly escalated into an overwhelming downpour. The raindrops pounded the trees with such force that they splintered and cracked under the pressure.

The water struck with the impact of bullets. A single droplet struck a tree trunk, leaving a gaping hole.

“…This is like gunfire,” Souichirou muttered. To protect himself, he conjured a barrier of magical energy overhead using

Shaping

, shielding himself from the rain.

The relentless chase momentarily came to a halt.

“Love and rain—both are better when heavy. They bring comfort, stability. What could be more important for a peaceful life?” Arame Koushi mused.

“For someone so obsessed with peace, you seem drawn to places with exorcists,” Souichirou remarked.

“Oh? Whatever do you mean?” she replied, feigning ignorance.

“You seem to know where we are,” he said, firing a compressed air projectile toward her, guided by a

Silveit

thread.

The shot roared through the rain, aimed directly at Arame Koushi. Yet the torrential downpour shattered the projectile before it reached her.

“As I said, there’s no one here capable of opposing me—”

Before she could finish, Souichirou launched himself into the storm.

The raindrops pressed heavily against him, biting into his flesh as they fell. Reacting quickly, he expanded the magical barrier above him, shielding himself as he darted down the slope.

“Oh my, how bold of you,” Arame Koushi mused. She took a half-step back, maintaining her distance with a smug expression.

Whether it was due to her arrogance or overconfidence in her magic, she underestimated him.

“…Take this!”

Seizing the opportunity, Souichirou closed the gap and drew his blade, slashing across her cheek.

Arame Koushi leapt back, startled. Souichirou, without hesitation, reformed his barrier to shield himself from the rain.

“Going into a storm without an umbrella? How uncivilized,” she said, tilting her umbrella.

“I intended to take your head,” Souichirou replied, his sword raised.

Blood dripped from the shallow cut on her cheek, black and viscous like tar.

“But at least I’ve landed a wound.”

“A single scratch, and you’re celebrating? How enviable,” she replied, smirking as she touched her cheek.

“I’ll admit you’ve marred my beautiful face. But surely you don’t think such a minor wound won’t heal with a simple recovery spell?”

With that, she attempted to heal herself.

“…Oh?” Her hand lingered on her cheek.

She touched the wound again. But no matter how much she concentrated, the injury refused to heal. Worse still, black smoke-like energy seeped from the cut.

“A failed healing spell? Or perhaps—” she muttered.

“—a mistake in your magic?” Souichirou interrupted. “Did the exorcist frighten you into fumbling your spell?”

“A rookie mistake? Please. Even a first-ranked infant wouldn’t mess this up,” she sneered. “A curse, then? Or perhaps… something even more troublesome.”

Without hesitation, she dug her nails into her cheek and tore away the damaged flesh. For a moment, her cheek appeared raw and bloody, but it swiftly healed itself.

Arame Koushi was, after all, a

sixth-ranked

being. Her experience against exorcists meant she was well-versed in countering most magic.

“When in doubt, healing everything around the injury is best,” she said.

“That might have worked against older spells,” Souichirou replied.

“…What?”

Her smugness turned to confusion as her attempt to heal herself failed again.

Despite replacing her damaged flesh, the wound remained—a fresh scar across her cheek.

Her restored face bore a single, unhealed mark.

The truth became evident:

it could not heal.

“Do you know what happens to a monster that runs out of magical energy, Arame Koushi?” Souichirou asked.

“…Of course.”

The principle at play was simple.

The exorcists’ Explore more stories with empire

Shaping

magic adhered to a strict rule: once a

change

was imposed, it could not be altered again without a new

Silveit

thread.

A wound imposed as a

Shape

was permanent. It could not be undone through healing magic.

And as long as the wound persisted, it would continue to drain the monster’s magical energy—its lifeblood—until nothing remained.

“Magic is life. Just as humans die when they lose too much blood, monsters perish when they lose too much magic.”

“This is getting… rather irritating,” she replied coldly, her playful demeanor replaced by steely resolve.

“It seems I’ll have to get serious.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep