"Haa, haa… this sure was an eye-opener…" Although Ryugu was putting on a tough face and smiling leisurely, injuries covered all over her body.
It was likely that she was nearing her limit.
She tried to get up over and over again, but every time her strength failed her and she fell back down onto her knee. Her breathing had been haggard since some time ago, too.
"I told you. You can't defeat me."
Needless to say, the one standing uninjured in front of her was Tirna.
Thanks to Exa's"Substitute"that was activated through the Phoenix Seal, she had succeeded in resisting Ryugu's counter-based fighting style.
But because she didn't want to put too much burden on Exa, Tirna wanted to finish the fight as soon as possible.
"To think your husband has that sort of power… it's completely out of my expectation…"
"In that case, stop your resistance. I don't want to put further burden on Exa."
――Crackle, crackle!
With that, Tirna pulled her lightning-clad fist to her waist.
She was thinking of finishing Ryugu with a single blow so as not to let her suffer, but—
"—Tirna! Above you!" Shiva suddenly shouted.
"—!?"
"Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaarrrrrr!!"
――BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
Out of nowhere, a long-bodied flying dragon flew down—no, dove down from the sky and swallowed Ryugu whole.
As Tirna and the others were stunned by the sudden turn of events, the dragon turned toward them and said, "Sorry~. We can't have her die yet~."
"This voice, are you Patty…!?"
"You're correct~. Wait, I have no time for chit-chat! See you guys later~!"
――Flap!
"Gh!?"
Tirna and the others could only watch on as the dragon—Patty soared back into the sky, kicking a cloud of snow in his wake.
◇ ◇
Meanwhile.
"…Phew." I released a small sigh while looking at the crackling cinders on the ground, what remained of Kitezh.
Maybe because I had killed him too many times, he couldn't maintain his sense of self in the end, but well, he was broken, to begin with.
It was a most fitting end for him.
"Alright." As his remains were being swept away by the wind, I looked back at the forest behind me and said, "Why don't you come out now, Canaan?"
Then.
"…I knew you'd notice." A dark-skinned man walked out from the shade of the trees in response to my call.
He was the dark elf and former 'Bow' Saint, Canaan.
At one point, he was blackdollified and had attacked the village, but it appeared that he'd been working for the village since.
"Since when did you know I was hiding nearby?"
"About the same time as Zana and the others went away."
"So, from the beginning, eh…"
Haah, Canaan slumped his shoulders with a sigh.
I said, "Well, it was a wise decision. Because, honestly, I didn't know what I might do if someone butted in."
"Really? Now I am sincerely relieved that I stopped myself from showing up. In any case, have you gotten stronger again? You were far more powerful than when you had fought with me."
"Well, you can say so. That guy did something that he should never have done. So, I used 50% more power than I usually did."
"50%…? More like 5 times to me…" Canaan directed me a suspicious look, and I pulled the corners of my lips into a smile.
Canaan then walked over, "So," and said, "Is all this instigated by Elysium-san? I was standing watch on the other side of the forest, so I don't know the full detail of what happened here."
"Yeah, most likely. Now he has the power of genesis god and is trying to destroy not only humans, but also the demi-humans he once tried to protect. For that purpose, he created 'demons' from monsters, who are innately stronger in all aspects compared to the existing races."
"I see. So, you mean to say that that clown was one of those 'demons'? He was certainly a fearsome foe. Well, he was just a small fry to you, though… In any case, it seems that the situation is more serious than I expected."
"Yeah. That's why, though I know you've been persecuted until now and I honestly feel bad asking this of you, I'd like to ask you to protect everyone in this village with your power as the 'Bow' Saint. Would you do it?" I asked earnestly.
Canaan heaved a small sigh and pointed his thumb at the spot where Kitezh was reduced to ashes. "Do you really believe that I can refuse after seeing that?"
"Haha, you've got a point there, I guess."
"Well, thanks to you guys, the way the others see me has changed a little. If I meet my end before I can completely change their opinion of me, I definitely wouldn't be able to leave to the afterworld in peace, so, sure, I'll help." Canaan shrugged his shoulders.
"Thanks, I'm counting on you," I smiled.