Crackle crackle! As sparks scattered from our locked swords, Elysium raised his voice and asked, "How did you get back from"World of Oblivion: Judgement"!? My plan should have been flawless!"
"Yeah, and flawless it was. We'd never imagined that you'd have Patty disguise himself as you."
"That's right! That's exactly why I gave him"Metamorphosis", the superpower that allows him to alter even his presence! In spite of that, you still managed to come back! How!?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's because—you looked down on humans."
"What do you mean…!?" Elysium frowned uncomprehendingly.
I said, "You looked down on humans, on Kaya-san, hence you didn't even bother to investigate her. You saw her as nothing but a piece of trash that's not worth worrying about. You never even entertained the possibility that such an ordinary girl, who is neither a saintess nor a goddess, could bear the Phoenix Seal!"
Wham! I kicked him, sending him flying away, but almost immediately Elysium returned with a big swing of his blade, and our swords were once again locked.
"That's impossible!? Your crest is meant to strengthen the saintesses!? Why did you engrave it on an ordinary girl!?"
"Well, she's my wife, duh. Isn't it only natural for me to do so?"
"Enough with your nonsense!"
—BAM!
"Gh!?"
Elysium kicked me away in anger, and then he wrapped his tachi in a black aura before swinging it down at me.
"Just die you! End of Gehenna!"
—SLASH!
It was the deadly sword technique that he had used back in the dwarven village.
But.
—Clang!
"Ngghh!?"
I caught it with my evolved 'Fist' Hallowed Sacred Treasure.
Naturally, it caused Elysium to open his eyes wide in shock.
"How did you stop my blade!? This move sliced your body in two before!?"
"Yeah, it did. Back then you cleanly bisected me along with my Phoenix Robe, which was made from Hihiirokane. But this move of yours is powered by 'filth', isn't it? Unfortunately for you, anything with 'filth' will not work against me now. Open your eyes wide and look closer," I said, gesturing to his tachi that I was still holding with my left hand.
"Wha!?" Elysium opened his eyes wide, "What is going on…?!"
It seemed that he finally noticed.
That there wasn't even a speck of 'filth' left on the blade of his tachi.
"Don't tell me, you…"
"You guessed it. I've purified the 'filth'!"
—Wham!
"Gwah!?"
I mercilessly threw my right fist, whose power was comparable to the highest level of Combat Art, into his abdomen.
My purifying power didn't work on him from a distance—likely because he had the powers of the goddesses—but it seemed to have some effect when I sent it directly into his body through my punch just now.
Well, he had absorbed so many monsters, so it was only natural.
"Gh…" Elysium glared at me, seemingly holding back pain.
"And let's make one thing clear," I said to him in an enraged tone, "You're the one who should cut your nonsense, you scum. You've made my wife cry over and over again. To you, she may be just a lowly human, but she is the most important person in the world to me. That's why I engraved the Phoenix Seal on her—it's the proof of our 'bond'."
"The proof of your bond, you say…!?"
"Yeah, you heard that right. And that's what has allowed me—no, have allowed us to come back to this world. How does it feel, god-wannabe scum? How does it feel for your perfect plan to get thwarted by an ordinary kind-hearted girl?"
"You lowly human…" Elysium brandished his ominous tachi, veins popping out from his forehead.
As such, I transformed my 'Fist' Sacred Treasure to the 'Sword' Sacred Treasure and said, "You lost to said lowly human, you know."
"Silence! I will make sure you can never open that impudent mouth of yours again!"
Gou! With fighting spirit erupting from his body, Elysium shot toward me like a meteor.
◇
Meanwhile.
"—Phalanx Blow!"
—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
『Gigyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?』
As she watched monsters' corpses piling up in front of the gate, Iris tried to steady her breathing.
"Haa, haa… ugh!?" But she fell on her knees, unable to bear the exhaustion.
Just how many monsters had she killed?
Regardless, their attacks showed no signs of slowing down. Iris and her sisters were nearing their limits.
The same was true for the soldiers.
Not only were they defending their country, but they were also fighting to protect the refugees from Lastall.
They were already exhausted mentally and physically.
At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Berqua fell like Lastall.
"What should we do…" Iris drooped her head, biting her lip hard.
If only Exa-san and the others were here, Iris struggled to hold back her tears—it was at that time.
『―Gugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! 』
"…Huh?"
Although it was only a part of them, the monsters suddenly started attacking each other.
They had been so orderly, so why… Iris wondered, stunned. But suddenly their figures flashed in her mind.
"Could it be that Exa-san and the others have returned…?"
They must have.
So, she had to make sure to hold on until the end.
"Ghh…"
Gritting her teeth, Iris spurred on her exhausted body and stood up again.