"Is this my victory, then~?"
Bringing a finger to her cheek, Kurumi smiled flirtatiously. If that was true, her reward would be Yuki himself. Materializing her spark gun, she aimed it at him.
Whether Yuki had compassion or not, a win was a win.
"No... This is my victory."
Yuki, despite being injured on the ground, denied her words. He had managed to win.
"A sore loser, Yuki-san? How tasteless."
Confused by his words, Kurumi blinked several times. She was still standing; she couldn't see how Yuki had won.
"Forget something? I said, 'I will make you mine.' Please... check your left chest."
Feeling incredibly tired, Yuki closed his eyes, indifferent to whether Kurumi would devour him or not. He trusted in his Original, trusted that Kurumi would honor their agreement. If he had lost, he would keep his word.
"Um?"
Seeing Yuki lose consciousness, Kurumi lowered her head and checked her left chest, lowering her neckline as Yuki had instructed. To her surprise, she opened her eyes wide.
"Oh~ my... Did I lose, then?"
Sighing in sadness, Kurumi had no choice but to admit her defeat. She didn't know when or how Yuki had done it, but there was no doubt she had lost in an incredible way.
After all, beneath her chest was a clock mark, very similar to Zafkiel. Although confused at first, she soon understood. Yuki had marked her as his partner, and the worst part was that she had accepted that mark.
"I was so close..."
Looking at the helpless Yuki, Kurumi shook her head. As Yuki had said, she wouldn't do something as audacious as attacking him. Although she knew the time invested in this battle was significant, she could recover.
"You can't trust the future."
Sighing in defeat, Kurumi remembered when she was in her world and used the fifth Hei bullet. She had foreseen this battle and her victory. She had anticipated everything up to the free fall, but somehow, Yuki managed to turn the tables. Using Hei was no longer an option; it was a valuable lesson for her. It might work on mages in her world, but on people like Yuki, who had the power to create illusions, it was a no-go.
"It can't be helped... A loss is a loss."
Although she had lost, it didn't mean it was over.
No, this was about to begin.
"Yuki-san will have to take responsibility for this. Hihihi."
With a hand on her lips, Kurumi laughed flirtatiously. She had been marked, and even though she didn't know how Yuki had managed it, she wasn't cheap. She would make sure every tick on the clock was paid for.
"I guess my 'future' must not die, Yuki-san~... Zafkiel."
Calling her angel again, Kurumi aimed her gun. Yuki was hurt, but not for long, as she would use the fourth Dalet bullet to heal him. However...
*Shiiiiii
Jumping backward, Kurumi avoided a powerful sword strike.
"Well, well... that was close."
Blinking innocently, Kurumi looked at her attacker, who, in response, stared at her with sharp eyes and positioned herself in front of Yuki to protect him.
"Enemy... Must kill."
This person was Ais. She had been lurking near the impact to hunt a clone of Kurumi. However, upon hearing the terrible impact, she ran, finding a surprising scene. Yuki, badly injured, and the huge crater—she never thought she would see Yuki in this state. To her, Yuki was invincible.
Seeing this woman also injured but standing, aiming at her master, Ais didn't hesitate to attack. She had seen several of them dead, as well as several Yukis die, and now finding one alive, aiming at her master, was something she wouldn't stand for, not with the psychological tortures she had experienced from Yuki.
"Ara~, Ara, what a strange guest we have here."
However, Kurumi only smiled at her threatening aura. This girl had been 'hunting,' after all, so Kurumi knew of her presence.
"Is there something you desire, miss? As you can see, I'm a bit busy."
"..."
Although she spoke in a gentle tone, Ais didn't respond. She only furrowed her brow more. This woman gave her a bad feeling; the aura she carried reeked of blood. So, she didn't move without thinking, although she had done so initially, that was a surprise attack. Now that she looked closely at her opponent, she knew her opponent was very formidable.
"Haa~, how frightening~. Poor me, a lady like me being looked at in that way."
Widening her smile, Kurumi rubbed her arms enthusiastically. Ais's gaze was something she was familiar with—an intense look that would protect a loved one.
"Hm?... This is getting more interesting; the other guests have arrived."
But as she contemplated Ais, Kurumi turned her head, where several people were heading towards them.
"Ais! Wait!"
Being the first to arrive, Tiona opened her mouth at the sight of the disaster, as well as Yuki in the crater.
"Champion-sama! What happened here?! Who did this?!"
With absolute disbelief, Tiona pointed her finger at Yuki while looking at Ais, who didn't take her eyes off Kurumi.
"Shut up, Tiona. The enemy is still in sight."
With a furrowed brow, Riveria was the next to appear. Like Ais, she didn't like Kurumi at all. Kurumi's scent of blood burned her nose.
"That's true..."
Taking a battle stance, Tiona's expression turned serious.
"Keep her busy for a few seconds; I'll heal Champion-sama. Maybe if we help him, we can defeat her."
Taking an elixir from her suit, Riveria stated her goal. She never thought of fighting alone against someone who defeated Yuki; fighting her alone was just an illusion.
"Alright, count on us."
Assenting to her response, Riveria descended into the center of the crater, holding her staff, ready to cast a spell at any moment.
To their surprise, Kurumi remained in the same place, seemingly unconcerned.
She just squinted her eyes while scanning the area with her shadow still in the sky.
(These people aren't normal. Maintaining such vitality under my shadow is surprising.)
Bringing a finger to her cheek, Kurumi stared intently at these people. She was very curious. Yuki had already told her about them and that in this city, there were Gods and adventurers. Judging by their aura, these people were adventurers.
(Interesting... Very interesting. Coming to this world was the right choice.)
Licking her lips, Kurumi dispelled her shadow. There were many variables in this city that she needed to explore, and keeping her shadow wouldn't be good. Moreover, seeing the concern on these people's faces, Kurumi could see that they were here to help Yuki. That's why the hostility from the swordswoman was significant.
(Haa~ Yuki-san, are you a sinful man?)
Having these beautiful girls enter the battle for his sake was something Yuki should be grateful for. If her instincts didn't fail her, the swordswoman felt something beyond a friendship for Yuki.
(What excellent taste... She looks delicious~)
With her eyes gleaming, Ais's vitality and power were greater than the other two. Kurumi even began calculating how many turns on the clock she would gain by devouring her.
(What a shame~)
However, Kurumi couldn't do that. There was a Yuki clone in that girl's shadow, so she shrugged. Yuki had attached great importance to this girl, after all. Inori also had a clone shadow following her, and even Hestia had her clone. Est was the only one Yuki didn't care for; after all, Est couldn't move more than 15 kilometers away from Yuki. Their contract didn't allow it. They were partners, destined to share a life together.
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