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"Enough, stop!"
Miku shouted from the puppet's back, but Yoshino simply shook her head, her pretty eyes filled with tears as she refused to stop fleeing...
(I'm sorry... I'm sorry...)
Yoshino knew it. Yuki had used himself to let them escape. She was very scared and felt guilty, so she didn't listen to Miku...
"Stop!!"
It wasn't until Miku hugged Yoshino tightly that she snapped out of it and looked at the boy in front of her.
"Yuki-san..."
"No, I'm not that fool!"
Miku scratched her head in confusion and nervousness, feeling a lot of pressure.
Yuki had stayed behind to let them escape, a very brave move on his part, but...
(That fool, that's my body!)
Miku was worried that her body would suffer and that Yuki would be caught, but she also knew that as a human, she had no power at the moment and couldn't do anything to help, which was the cause of her frustration...
(Fool, fool, fool!)
So, the only thing that calmed her was cursing Yuki in her mind. Even though she knew Yuki was stronger than her when controlling her body, she was still worried...
"No... Are you Yuki-san?"
"Hya~ What do you mean?"
Yoshino asked cautiously while Yoshinon got straight to the point.
"That's what I'm saying! I'm not that idiot!"
Maybe it was out of consolation, but Miku explained her situation.
At first, Yoshino and Yoshinon didn't understand, but after listening and thinking about it for a while, they managed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together...
Now they understood why Miku sometimes acted perverted and other times calm when they met; it was because they had switched bodies...
"So, you're Miku-chan! Hya~ what a juicy secret you two have~"
"Um... daring."
Yoshinon covered her mouth with her hand while Yoshino blushed. Switching bodies and experiencing each other's lives was very audacious.
Of course, Miku didn't care about such comments. All she wanted was to return, but doing so would mean they would be caught or worse, Yuki might die. Since he wasn't a spirit, the chances of him being killed to avoid leaving loose ends were very high...
"Yuki-san... I'm sorry.... It's my fault... If I weren't so weak... I'm such a coward...."
"There, there, Yoshino-chan, Yuki-san will be fine, don't cry."
Then Yoshino burst into tears when she realized who her savior was. She didn't know what was happening with Yuki, but it was undoubtedly nothing good, and it was all because of her. Yoshinon tried to console her, but it didn't work.
So, what to do?
Going back was not an option; they would be caught...
[Are you in trouble, do you want me to help you?]
But it was at that moment that a voice was heard. Both Miku and Yoshino turned their heads and raised their guard, thinking the worst. However, what was in front of them was a sphere...
[Don't be afraid, I don't want to hurt you. My name is Itsuka Kotori. I belong to Ratatoskr, an organization that helps spirits...]
"Help?"
"Spirits?"
Both Miku and Yoshino were skeptical and about to flee, but they couldn't do so because Kotori's next words were too enticing...
[That's right, we help spirits and we're willing to save Diva. I hope we can work together.]
"!?!"
"!?!"
Miku and Yoshino looked at each other, a glimmer of hope in their eyes...
------------
*Bam
The punches and blows sent pressure waves that created a sort of danger zone, keeping both the magicians and the Bandersnatch at bay. All they could do was group together in a donut shape, covering all escape routes of the spirit...
"Ugh?!"
Suddenly, a punch hit Yuki's stomach, making him spit blood, but at the same time, his fist struck Ellen's face.
Neither of them backed down and continued exchanging blows. This time, Yuki's face was hit while Ellen received a kick to the ribs.
The fight continued, and blood gradually spread until Yuki was the first to give in as Ellen struck his stomach again, causing his consciousness to blur...
"Puahhh..."
Yuki staggered back, clutching his stomach as blood dripped from his cherry-colored lips...
(I can't go on... This body has reached its limit.)
Even after strengthening his body with 'March' and reducing the pain with 'Requiem,' these melodies couldn't be played forever, and Ellen always destroyed Gabriel with her sword. So, Yuki's only way to win was through hand-to-hand combat...
Unfortunately, Yuki reached his limit first...
He couldn't go on anymore; Miku's body was, after all, weak in close combat. It was a miracle that Yuki hadn't passed out yet... No, maybe it was because it was Yuki that he could still stand...
"Hmm, you're getting slower. You've reached your limit."
Ellen wiped the corner of her lips and approached. As a mage trained in combat, her body was very strong, so she wasn't as injured as Yuki, at most just a few blows, nothing more.
Not to mention that although Diva was an expert in combat, her punches lacked explosive power, so Ellen could take them without significant damage.
"Cough, you're still fine... Cough, after all that..."
Yuki coughed up blood and squinted. Ellen was too strong.
"You're wrong. You're just too weak..."
Ellen's territory expanded, causing the badly injured Yuki to fall to the ground in pain...
He gritted his teeth as he watched Ellen approach.
(Damn it!)
He wanted to escape but couldn't. Everywhere he looked, there were magicians or robots, not to mention the warship. If luck was on his side, they hadn't yet discovered Yoshino and Miku's location. From the beginning, escaping had become impossible, and he only had the chance to serve as bait to let them flee.
Unfortunately, Gabriel didn't have the teleportation ability. Even if he could evade the magicians, robots, and warship, he couldn't escape Ellen.
Because of this woman, Yuki stayed to fight. Fleeing from her wasn't possible.
(I'm sorry, Miku, I just hope we don't switch bodies again...)
The only thing Yuki regretted was having Miku's body, which meant there was a risk of switching back again, and then Miku would be the one trapped. He wouldn't know how to face this girl since it would be his fault.
"It was fun, but it's time to go..."
*BOOM
Suddenly, an explosion was heard, and another warship appeared and started fighting, but it wasn't enough. A giant puppet created a massive snowstorm, dragging both the magicians and the Bandersnatch into the typhoon. The temperature dropped significantly, and the area began to freeze...
"Ratatoskr!"
Ellen frowned as she discovered the attacker's identity. Only they had the guts to mess with DEM, but that was all. If they wanted to defeat her, they needed more than that...
"Megiddo!"
It was at that moment that another voice was heard. A fire spirit appeared, and a fire cannon shot in Ellen's direction. Ellen quickly protected herself with her sword and territory. However, the attack was so fierce that it sent her flying, leaving a path of destruction and fire....
"..."
Yuki was speechless for a few seconds; the attack was terrifying. But there was no time to admire it. He got up and fled at full speed. Not only did he flee, but also the fire spirit and Yoshino followed him. Only the warship stayed for a few seconds to fire discreetly but also disappeared quickly...
By the time Ellen recovered and emerged, what she saw was an ice zone. Both magicians and Bandersnatch were injured and suffered casualties.
But this was to be expected as two spirits ambushed them, each with a powerful AOE attack...
"Ifrit? Ratatoskr? Ike will love to hear this..."
Regardless of the losses, Ellen flew away. It seemed that everything that happened was within her calculations, as she had no intention of pursuing them.
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TN: Now gimme powerstones or no extra chapters today