Without uttering a word, the girl held up two knives, one black and one
white, and quietly took her stance. The girl's face was hidden by her
robe, and although it was impossible for one to read her expression,
they can feel impatience from her.
(Unbelievable… These guys are ridiculously strong. If people with this
strength are considered "average in this world"… This is going to be
bothersome.)
The Demons in front of her eyes are so powerful that they are almost at
the top of this Demon Realm, but the girl from another world doesn't
know that.
Although the girl shuddered at the thought that there could possibly be
so many powerful people in this world, she kicked the ground and
charged, not showing the agitation on her face.
[Hah! If she's charging at us, that means we're going to fight, right!?]
When Megiddo sees the girl coming towards him in a straight line, he
ferociously smiles and welcomes her with a powerful swing of his fist.
As the enormous Megiddo swings his fist to her approach, the girl
evasively leaps and begins running up Megiddo's arm.
(No matter how I look at him, he looks like the type of person who
would try overpowering others with his power. His swing is big and his
movement is slow… But it looks like he would have a tough defense.
These muscles of his look like he can take quite a beating. In that case!)
Even as she analyzes Megiddo's power, she doesn't stop moving.
Holding the knife in a back-handed grip, with the momentum of her
charge, she swung her knife towards Megiddo's face.
However, her slash is stopped by Ein, who suddenly appears and grabs
the arm holding the knife.
(Instantaneous movement? No, I can't see any signs for such
movements… It's also unlikely for her to move at a speed that I could
not perceive. If she grabbed my hand instead of attacking me, the most
likely scenario is that she stopped time. She couldn't attack me with
time stopped, so she grabbed me to try and stop me…)
Grabbing Ein's arm as she saw through her ability in a moment's
thought, she twisted the arm that Ein grabbed and freed herself from
her restraint.
At the same time, her gaze quickly moved to check the others.
(The others haven't attacked. Based on the way she stands, her eye
movements, and the way she kneads her magic power, that white hair is
probably a magic-user. That one with her butt on the tree is probably
someone that has attacks that reach everything on a certain range, but
it seems like she's more focused on her friends. I guess she's probably a
support type. It doesn't seem like that stupidly large lizard… Is it
because that thing's attack range is too wide and could engulf its
friends?)
Even though she was thinking of all these things, the girl's movements
didn't slow down at all, and she evaded Megiddo's fists as if she was
flowing water.
As the girl had analyzed, Megiddo and Ein were the ones in charge of
melee combat, while the others were preparing to attack when the girl
took her distance from them.
In the meantime, Ein stopped time again and tried to get behind the
girl… but she stopped moving and released her hold on time.
[T- This is… magic threads? S- Since when are these…]
A huge number of magic threads appeared around the girl, and they
prevented Ein from taking action. The magic thread was very thin, and
the magic power contained in it is weak. They were so weak that they
could break with just a mere touch…
However, this magic thread is only immensely effective against Ein.
When she stops time, objects are never destroyed and remain
unchanged. Therefore, this thread can never be broken during a time
stop… It's an obstacle that only prevents Ein's actions.
Ein had only used her ability against the cloaked girl once… and after
just seeing it once, the girl had seen through Ein's ability and even
prepared countermeasures against it.
Ein was also one of the most powerful people in the Demon Realm, and
that's why, she intuitively understood. The girl in front of them is
dangerous… and that the longer the fight goes on, the worse off they'll
be…
[Isis! Don't mind us! Please shoot!]
[Uuuu… I… I understand.]
Following Ein's words, Isis spread her hands out, and as if in response
to her actions, a huge magic circle appeared in the sky.
And from that magic circle, a blue flash of absolute zero that freezes
everything in its path…
[Don't underestimate me!]
[Wha… Reflection Magic—— Kuhh.]
With a swing of the girl's knife, the flash went to Isis as if it was
reflected in a mirror, to which Isis hurriedly evaded.
But after the girl turned her back in response to Isis' magic, Megiddo
swung his fist at the girl.
[You're full of gaps!]
[…I don't have such things.]
[What!? Tsk…]
But the girl's reaction was quick, and without looking back, she threw
her white knife at Megiddo. Caught off guard, Megiddo's movements
slowed down for a moment before he took evasive movements.
After brushing away all the magic threads that the girl had installed, Ein
joined the battle again, but the girl's evasiveness was so precise that it
was hard to catch her.
However, it was not as if the girl had the leeway to fight back either. She
couldn't find an opening to fight back, so she could only stay on the
defense.
The battle is in a stalemate… The moment that thought crossed the
minds of everyone present, the girl took action. It would be unbearable
for her as a lone person to force an endurance battle against a group of
people.
That's why, the girl changed her mind and distanced herself from
Megiddo and Ein. She also knows that making such a decision would
make Isis and Magnawell come after her…
As the girl moves away from Megiddo and Ein, Isis unleashes her AntiReflective Magic while Magnawell unleashes his breath, blowing at a
wide range—— but they lost sight of the girl.
"Nhuu!?"
[…Dis… appeared?]
They looked surprised for a moment, but the two of them were
overwhelmingly strong people… and they immediately found the girl.
Before they knew it, the girl had moved to the spot where the white
knife she had thrown to Megiddo had fallen, and with a fluid motion,
she picked it up and held up her stance.
Thereupon, the white knife in the girl's hand began to vibrate at super
high-speed, making a high-pitched sound.
[…Pierce, Death.]
"Guooohhh!?"
"Magnawell!?"
The white knife thrown by the girl pierced Magnawell's paw with the
speed of a flash. It easily shattered Magnawell's tough scales, but for
someone of Magnawell's stature, it can be considered as just a scratch…
However, he was more than a little shocked at the ease with which his
own scales had been pierced, making Magnawell's thoughts blank out
for a moment.
And with the disappearance of that girl again, Magnawell reflexively
leaped up to the skies.
"Guooohhh!?"
[…As I had expected, you lizards have soft underbellies.]
[Whha!? That b*stard… she's making that instantaneous movement
again…]
With the astonished and the others at her back, the girl quietly takes
aim at Magnawell that has leaped into the sky.
(Seriously, this big lizard is a hindrance. A super-massive attack that I
can't brush off… It would be extremely troublesome if I fight him along
with the support of that time-stopping woman. With that body frame, it
can't fly, but it can still leap huh… Now then, I guess I should kill it
already huh?)
The girl wanted to somehow bring Magnawell down in her next attack,
but such expectations disappeared when Magnawell spread his huge
wings that covered the sky.
"Now you've done it!!!"
[Uweeehhh… For something as disgustingly big as it, it can fly huh.
Seriously—— Whoa there.]
[You're quite carefree even though you're fighting us huh.]
Muttering with a disgusted expression on her face, the girl evaded Ein's
incoming attack and moved away.
As Ein waved her fist in pursuit, she was unable to carelessly use her
time-stop because she was wary of the girl's magic threads.
[It's not that I'm carefree… It's just that you folks have never
coordinated with each other in a fight, have you? Your coordination was
a mess. You worry about shooting your allies, so you end up not doing
anything at all.]
[But that doesn't really change the fact that you're at a disadvantage
though?]
A little surprised at the girl's response, Ein speaks up as she continues
her attack. Brushing aside the fists fired at her with an unbelievable
speed, a fearless smile on the girl's lips.
[Disadvantage? I'd like it if you don't try to make me laugh though…
After all, even if there's a difference in numbers, it doesn't really mean
anything , you know?]
[Hoohhh…]
[You must be an idiot huh? "You can't call something an advantage if
you can't even take advantage of it". Your greater numbers isn't an
advantage when you can't even take advantage of it. Come say that
again after you practice your combinations.]
[I see, I've learned something new today. "After we bring you down", this
will be my something I will study.]
Just as the girl said, Ein and the others had never fought together that
much. This is because each of them has overwhelming power… They
didn't coordinate with each other, because they could win without
needing coordination at all.
However, they can't say such a thing against this opponent. Even when
she's fighting with Ein and the others, she still has the leisure to talk.
Concentrating even more, Ein fired her fists again… but the girl
disappeared for the third time.
[!? That instantaneous movement again!?]
Yes, the ability that this girl had was troublesome for Ein and the
others. The girl had great skill at deflecting attacks, and she had speed
and power, but none of these aspects were at a nonsensical level. Ein
and the others could handle her just fine… However, this instantaneous
movement was the only thing they couldn't see through.
If Ein, who has the ability to manipulate time doesn't sense the time
being messed with, it means that she isn't stopping time. But if that's
the case, it's too inexplicable for her to disappear without a magic circle
or even a fluctuation in magic power.
But in reality, the girl disappeared before their eyes, and before I knew
it, she was directly running towards Lillywood, the white knife she had
just picked up in hand.
Ein immediately tried to follow her, but before she could do so, the girl
sent out magic threads behind her.
[…It's basic knowledge to aim at healers first, right?]
"I'm not going to let you do that!"
Ein is blocked by magical threads, while Megiddo and Isis are too far
away. Magnawell is also not suitable for a quick follow-up. But even if
that's so, Lillywood is one of the most powerful people in the Demon
Realm. When it comes to Defensive Magic, she is one of the best in the
world.
As the girl approached, a wooden wall rose around Lillywood… a wall
that even Ein and the others would have difficulty breaking. Thus,
Lillywood's main strategy was to defend before making her
counterattack.
However, the expression on the girl's face didn't change. Seeing the
wooden wall rising up from the ground, she threw her "black knife"
forward and threw her white knife behind her.
The four others who were chasing the girl thought for a moment about
the true meaning of her strange actions… and Megiddo was the first
among them to notice it.
[This is bad, Lillywood! Her ability isn't instantaneous movement! It's
"Compulsory Teleportation"! She can "forcibly transfer anything
touching the black knife to the location of the white knife"!!!]
Almost at the same time as Megiddo shouted this, the wooden wall with
the black knife pierced in it suddenly disappeared.
The girl quickly closed the distance between her and the astonished
Lillywood, sending a sharp punch forward.
"Kuhh! Uwaahhhh…"
[Lillywood!?]
With a creaking sound, Lillywood's body bent backwards and was
blown away. Seeing Lillywood, Isis let out a shriek, and Ein, who had
finally removed the magic threads around her, stopped time and moved
behind the girl. She throws her fist at the girl with all her might, but just
before it hits her, she releases her time-stop.
Thinking that she should make sure to capture her this time, the fist
that she had clenched… she had swung it to the girl's side and blown
her body away.
Ein then stopped time again, heading towards a place engulfed in a
cloud of dust… the place where Lillywood was blown away.
[Lillywood, are you alright!?]
"Yes, I'm alright."
Helping the fallen Lillywood up and with the smoke obscuring her
vision, Ein positioned herself to protect Lillywood behind her. Thinking
that she's ready to deal with the girl no matter where she attacks her…
"Ein! You're mistaken! That's not me!!!"
[Wha——– Oh no!?]
[Gotcha!!!]
Hearing Lillywood's voice, Ein understood in an instant. The girl that
she had blown away was just a clone, and that she had lured her into a
trap by daring her to attack her clone…"knowing herself that the first
thing on their minds was to get rid of her"… but, everything's already
too late.
With an ultra-thin thread of magic power stretched out, preventing Ein
from escaping, her deadly blade approached Ein from behind… Evading
it is impossible, while her time-stop ability wouldn't do anything.
And then, the girl's blade struck Ein in the back of her neck——- is
something that didn't happen.
[…Eh?]
That voice came out from the girl who was sure that it would kill Ein.
The battle was going as she planned. It was the greatest chance for her
to finish off Ein, who had the most troublesome ability among her
opponents.
However, the girl's plans only brought her thus far——–
[…I don't know what the circumstances are… but if you try to hurt my
family any more than you already have, I will not be lenient anymore.]
Yes, as if to sneer at all the plans the girl had… the strongest being in
the Demon Realm… had descended.