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—Southwestern outskirts of Tsutrail, near the Second Labyrinth—
A lion-like magical beast leaped at an explorer from a blind spot.
"Uwaaaaah!?"
By the time the explorer noticed the lion-like magical beast's approach, it was already right in front of him, and he could not dodge.
"——! Space Leap!"
Rain, who heard the scream, instantly constructed and activated Space Leap.
She forcibly separated the explorer and the lion-like magical beast through teleportation.
"I-I was saved..."
"Do not let your guard down! If you lose focus, you will die next time!"
Selma's sharp command flew at the explorer, who was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Y-yes!"
The explorer tightened his resolve and returned to the front line.
"One minute until the next rotation! Explorers on the front line, do not relax until the switch is complete!"
""Yes!!""
Selma sent instructions via telepathy to the explorers facing the swarm of magical beasts.
The explorers who had been resting at the rear took combat stances.
Just a few seconds before the switch between those fighting and those resting, Rain, who was on the front line, raised her voice.
"I will cover the gap during the rotation! Everyone, pull back! Super Explosion!"
An explosion struck the front line, slowing the magical beasts' advance.
Not missing that opening, the explorers who had been fighting on the front line retreated.
With the front line thinned, Rain activated another spell.
"Space Leap!"
She teleported the rubble that had once been the collapsed outer wall of Tsutrail into the sky above.
Rubble rained down from above, assaulting the magical beasts.
During that time, the explorers who had been resting returned to the front line.
"...! Rain! That is enough, pull back for a bit! We do not know if this is the end yet!"
Selma shouted at Rain as if scolding her.
Rain herself was breathing heavily with her shoulders heaving while blood flowed from her nose.
Rain had been fighting continuously ever since the magical beasts began appearing on the surface.
She had clearly overused her magic.
The damage was showing as nosebleeds.
Rain was already suffering from a severe headache.
"...Sorry for worrying you. But I cannot run away from this battle no matter what!"
Rain continued her attacks without slowing down as she replied to Selma.
At the same time, magical beasts had also emerged from the Fourth Labyrinth where Katina and the others were, but the individual strength of the magical beasts here was higher.
On top of that, a cyclops had also appeared on this side.
Selma and the others were forced into a disadvantageous position, but thanks to Rain using Space Leap without restriction, there had still been no deaths.
(I believed the cult's words and ended up driving the Dawn Village to destruction. What has already happened cannot be changed. ...But if something is about to happen, I can change it. If the cult is going to turn Tsutrail into a mess, I will do everything I can to stop it!)
Rain had learned from the information Selma obtained through Spirit Resonance that the enemy this time was the Cyclamen Cult.
Rain, who had been used in the past and pulled the trigger for a massive massacre, still could not fully process that event even after nearly ten years.
(I do not think this will atone for my sins. ...But I do not want to regret anything anymore. I cannot retreat from here!)
As if to admonish herself for the sin of destroying the Dawn Village, Rain had sealed the use of Space Leap, but she was now utilizing it to the fullest to support the disadvantaged front line.
She supported during the rotation of combatants, teleported explorers who were about to be attacked by magical beasts to safety, and more.
Despite being tormented by headache, Rain's will to fight had not weakened at all.
However, the massive use of magic was steadily eroding her combat ability.
Even so, she continued fighting alongside the other explorers against the swarm of magical beasts, and finally the number of magical beasts began to visibly decrease.
"Hah... hah... hah... Good, with this..."
"Rain! The number of magical beasts has calmed down. Pull back for a bit already! We do not know if this is truly the end."
"...Yes, you are right. Let me do that—"
"Uwaaaaah!?"
One of the explorers fighting the cyclops separately from the main swarm let out a scream.
That explorer had lost his balance.
The cyclops mercilessly swung its fist down.
"——!"
Rain tried to activate Space Leap as she had done before.
(——!? The spell construction is not keeping up. At this rate—)
Normally, by the time Rain thought of activating Space Leap, she would have already completed the spell construction.
But the current exhausted Rain could not activate it instantly.
Everyone realized the explorer's death was imminent.
"No..."
At the same time as Rain's voice of despair leaked out, countless lines of light ran between the cyclops's swinging fist and the explorer.
A spider-web-like regular hexagon of light appeared in the air.
It caught the cyclops's fist as if enveloping it.
"Enchant: Fire."
Telshe, holding a sword-shaped magical tool, muttered, and blazing flames wrapped around the blade.
Telshe activated her ki while closing in on the cyclops and sliced off its arm.
The cyclops let out a scream-like roar.
Ignoring that reaction, Telshe kicked off the ground and moved far above the cyclops's head.
At some point, what she held in her hands had changed from a sword to a bow and arrow.
"Enchant: Thunder."
As Telshe muttered while nocking an arrow to the bow, lightning crackled around the arrowhead.
The cyclops looked up at Telshe.
At that instant, Telshe released the arrow.
The arrow struck the cyclops's single eye and pierced straight through its brain and skull.
"You have not changed at all in overestimating yourself and causing trouble for those around you, Rain."
Telshe landed near the powerless fallen cyclops and directed cold eyes at Rain.
"Older... sister...? ! Be careful! That cyclops does not die...!"
When Rain raised her voice, the cyclops, whose brain should have been crushed, attacked Telshe by swinging its arm.
Telshe showed no sign of surprise and kicked off the ground to dodge the attack while creating distance.
The cyclops stood up, and its single eye gradually began to regenerate.
"...It has been given Self-Healing. What a troublesome modification."
Telshe muttered while glaring at the cyclops.
This cyclops, unlike the one that had appeared on Katina's side, did not have a mechanism to fire magic bullets but instead possessed the ability of Self-Healing.
Rain slowly approached her.
"Older sister, why are you here...? Did you come to help us?"
"Helping is merely incidental. I only want to increase the information to offer to our king in case this plan proceeds smoothly. ...More importantly, teleport me and that big oaf to a place where the trees are still thick."
"Eh, why...?"
"You do not need to know the reason. Just do it quickly. You are very good at that sort of thing, right?"
"——!"
Rain was indirectly pointed out for how she had unquestioningly used Space Leap ten years ago after believing the cult's words.
Her expression twisted in pain.
"Hey, you are Rain's older sister, right? Why are you treating your younger sister so coldly!"
Selma could not bear it and stepped between the two.
"Selma Claudel. This is a problem between us sisters. You have no right to comment when it has nothing to do with you."
"What did you say? I am Rain's comrade—"
"It is fine, Selma. ...I will teleport you now, older sister."
Rain stopped Selma as she tried to confront Telshe.
She then teleported Telshe and the cyclops to the location Telshe had specified.
"Why did you stop her?"
"Older sister treats me like that because it is my fault. Because I am the one who is wrong..."
"I do not know what happened between you and your sister, but if she is your sister, she should accept you!"
"...Thank you, Selma. But right now we need to deal with the cyclops, so..."
"From her movements earlier, I can imagine your sister is no ordinary person, but how strong is she actually?"
"...Actually, I do not know the details of older sister's strength either. ...But I think she is probably stronger than us. Because—"
"Hm? Because what?"
"Never mind. For now, we need to reorganize our formation while the number of magical beasts is low."
"Yes, that is true."
While keeping Telshe, who was facing the cyclops in the distance, in her field of vision, Rain and Selma began reorganizing their formation with the other explorers.
(Because older sister single-handedly destroyed the Hagwell family, a lineage of mages, ten years ago. Father was also a renowned mage. Yet he was easily defeated by older sister.)
Believing in Telshe's victory, Rain turned her attention back toward the magical beasts emerging from the labyrinth.