Ryu turned her head and met Noah's gaze.
'Do what you want to do.' Even though there was no verbal communication and Noah didn't give her any special look, Ryu felt like someone was saying that to her in her ear.
"Um!"
Without needing any more words, Ryu felt a closer connection with the boy in front of her than when they had been honest with each other not long ago. That was their spirit resonating at this moment.
The next moment, Gale drew her sword and went into battle!
...
"Defend!"
For Evilus, who wreaked havoc in the city and was hated by everyone, that golden gust of wind was a figure that terrified them even more than first class adventurers like the Braver, and Nine Hells. After all, those big shots who are famous in Orario also have their own rivals, namely the executives of Evilus, and they don't have the spare power to deal with these low level minions.
But the girls of the Astraea Familia don't care whether you're a nobody or not. These young women, active on the front lines of the fight against evil, will mercilessly crack down on all illegal acts, whether it be murder, arson, theft, or robbery.
Among them, the most impressive to urban dwellers and Evilus were the crimson lycoris wielding fireworks, Yamato Rindou with her gleaming sword, and the gale before them!
Although the members of Evilus here are quite elite, if it weren't for the fact that they were fighting as a group and that Valletta was overseeing the battle from behind, they would probably have scattered and fled long ago.
Facing the oncoming gust of wind, the members of Evilus raised their Magic swords...
However, a flash of light appeared in their field of vision. Unlike the dazzling light of an exploding Magic sword, it was a deep and silent dark blue radiance that seemed to devour all the light and sound in the surrounding area.
Accompanied by a tingling and numbing sensation on the skin, a solemn chant with a wondrous magic spread out. Although the voice was soft and gentle, as if it came from the horizon, it seemed to be spoken directly into everyone's ears.
Then, lightning flashed!
Just as countless magical orbs, including electric arcs, flames, and intense light, erupted from the Magic swords and were about to strike Gale, a figure wrapped in blue lightning arrived first! Almost at the same time, a sword light arrived that shattered all obstacles!
More than ten elite members of Evilus were killed the instant the sword flashed, and their Magic swords were shattered simultaneously. The immense magical power instantly spiraled out of control, causing a massive, earth shattering chain explosion!
Wow, that's amazing! I couldn't even see how he surpassed me!
Ryu's vision finally caught sight of Noah, who had somehow passed her and arrived among the members of Evilus, already wielding a sword. No, that was already the second sword strike!
This time, the lightning fast sword energy emanating from the sword shattered the magical explosion in front of Ryu, clearing a path to the unconscious children. Along the way, Ryu didn't need to waste any effort to dodge or attack, because the enemies were killed the moment she saw them by the sweeping sword light.
The exhilarating feeling of running straight through the enemy even reminded Ryu of the feeling of changing into new armour after waking up on the first day of the new year!
However, reality didn't allow Ryu to enjoy it for long, so she forced herself back to her senses. Because the distance of several hundred meters between Ryu and those children was covered in the blink of an eye.
Ryu herself, along with Noah, was less than twenty meters away from Valletta. Given Ryu and Noah's speed, and Valletta's strength as a first class adventurer, crossing this distance was only a matter of moments, practically face to face.
Ryu's heartstrings didn't relax.. instead, they tightened even more, and she kept her eyes glued to Valletta out of the corner of her eye. If the other party were a simple-minded killer like that idiot, Ryu wouldn't be so wary. But standing before them was Arachnia, a woman known for her intelligence and ruthlessness, capable of clashing with heroes multiple times!
Although somewhat reluctant, Ryu had to admit that she was far inferior to her opponent in terms of scheming and intrigue. Would Arachnia just let me take those children away like that?
Even a fool could tell that this was impossible. Whether it's planting bombs on the hostages, setting traps around them, or even having the hostages themselves disguised as members of Evilus...Ryu, who has already paid the price in many past battles, has long been familiar with these methods. Therefore, while gripping her sword tightly, she simultaneously observed Arachnia and the children's condition, calculating every possible scenario.
However, all of them came to nothing!
No matter how much she planned, Valletta's actions still exceeded all of Ryu's expectations. Because she didn't take any action at all! The way she simply stood there motionless, without even adopting a defensive or offensive stance, made Ryu feel extremely uneasy. Because that look, that smile, that expression, was definitely not about looking down on oneself and being too lazy to take action; on the contrary, it was a kind of pleasure in watching the prey run into a trap!
Something's not right!
Ryu subconsciously glanced at the unconscious children...three girls, two of whom had similar faces, perhaps sisters, but both looked to be five or six years old. They're just ordinary children.. there's nothing unusual about them. Even the her intuition told her this.
Should I retreat? Or advance? Or attack Valletta?
Even if Valletta were to kill her to death, Ryu wouldn't be so conflicted, because then she could simply grit her teeth and fight to the death.
At this critical moment, a pair of eyes flashed before her eyes.
'Do what you want to do.'
The thunder that was originally chilling had now become as soothing as the gentle drizzle outside the window during an afternoon nap.
I'll rescue the children! Leaving them here will only be a burden to him!
With the gloom in her heart gone, Ryu's body seemed to become lighter, and her speed increased to a visible degree. Because the blonde elf's transformation from hesitation to determination was so sudden, Valletta didn't realize what was happening until Ryu had wrapped the girls in her cloak and taken them away.
"Ha, never mind..."
Since it wasn't a main meal anyway, it's fine if the side dishes ran away. Turning her gaze to Noah, Valletta comforted herself in this way.
But even knowing they're just cannon fodder, isn't this happening way too fast?
Upon seeing a member of Evilus die by Noah's sword, Valletta couldn't help but grit her teeth and gasp. It's unclear whether more than twenty seconds have passed since the blonde elf ran out, but over thirty members of Evilus have already perished.
No! I can't wait any longer! I'm definitely no match for this monster now! If he were to strike me head on with his sword, I'd probably be killed.
Noah, who was in the middle of killing people, suddenly noticed something was wrong and took a moment to glance at Valletta. Then he saw countless eerie geometric patterns emitting a ghostly glow suddenly appear on the ground.
A magic circle centered on Valletta!
Noah was still unsure what had happened. But one thing is certain...never let the enemy achieve their goal! Noah then spun around, brushing aside the other Evilus members who were launching attacks, and raised his sword to strike Valletta!
"You brat!"
Valletta stared wide eyed, raising her claymore to parry while simultaneously trying to dodge Noah's strike. What she faced was a defeat that was to be expected.
Noah's slash easily shattered the cursed weapon and drew a trail of blood on Valletta's body. The aftershocks spread outwards, shattering rocks and sending flying fragments that pierced the trunks of several thick trees.
However, Noah frowned.
Although the sword strike had ravaged Valletta's life, Noah was not satisfied. He achieved little in his life, but he was confident in his swordsmanship, cooking skills, and appearance.That sword strike, though impromptu, was perfectly timed in terms of angle, speed, and power. It should have decapitated Valletta. How could it have missed?
Sensing something amiss, Noah didn't have time to think. He kicked up a cloud of sand and swung his sword again at Valletta, who had rolled to the side.
This time, although the blade shattered the rock beneath Valletta, sending countless sand and stones flying like missiles that blasted her beyond recognition and left her bloodied and mangled, she still managed to dodge the fatal attack by the narrowest of margins. The situation was just like the reversal a month ago, with Noah launching a series of attacks, all of which were narrowly avoided by Valletta.
The only thing that remains unchanged is that the person covered in blood is still Valletta.
After unleashing three more sword strikes in a flash, but still failing to end Valletta's life, Noah finally stopped to examine the abnormality in her body. With her right hand almost completely severed and blood gushing from her thigh, Valletta used her severed claymore as a crutch to barely stand up.
Valletta took out a potion, tilted her head back and swallowed most of it, then sprinkled the remaining potion on herself...all within seconds. After finishing one bottle, Valletta pulled out another and drank the potion like a thirsty person guzzling water from a spring.
"As expected, getting close to you would be terrible!" Valletta, her face contorted with rage and stained with dust and blood, could barely open one eye, yet she still grimaced with a hateful, twisted smile. "But Noah, if you can't kill me, you'll just have to wait to die!"
Upon hearing Valletta's voice, Noah abandoned the physical examination. There's no need to look any further, even a fool could tell that this was the work of the magic circle beneath them.
"Was it this circle that caused this?"
I need time to recover, and the magic needs time to take effect!
Although villains in Heroic Tales always die from talking too much, Valletta judges that it is more advantageous for her to stall for time.
"That's right! This is my magic
...Shaldo Although it's an extremely long spell, I can't leave this barrier, and it consumes a lot of Mind, its effect is Basic Ability Reduction. Anyone who invades the barrier without my permission will have their basic abilities forcibly reduced with each action and this effect accumulates infinitely!"
Seemingly overjoyed to finally see her prey caught in the net, or perhaps to vent her anger at being so thoroughly ravaged, Valletta roared with the power of her magic. "You can't escape now! Who told you to run around and slash like an idiot just now!"
Valletta was right. Noah estimated that in the short time since Valletta activated the magic circle, the enhanced abilities he received after receiving the Falna had decreased by nearly one tenth. If he continues to try and kill Valletta, his abilities will decline even faster.
But Noah realized that this magic posed no threat to him. Even if he can't kill Valletta, he can at least escape.This distance was only a matter of moments.