by Fujino Omori
With the exception of the whites of her green eyes being red, her face was expressionless. She kept her gaze fixed on the blue light rising from the stone beneath her feet. There was no personality or emotion in her demeanor; she was like a doll walking on a cloud.
“…”
The Amazons made many faces at her as she passed. Aisha watched Haruhime’s approach and opened her mouth just before the renart walked in front of her. However, no sound came out.
Haruhime briefly looked up in her direction, a weak smile in her eyes as if she was trying to convey something to Aisha. But the Amazon closed her mouth, hands shaking as the young girl passed by.
Haruhime arrived at the altar and climbed to the top.
“Kneel here.”
“Yes…”
She placed her knees on top of the center of the glowing stone as ordered.
Several chains fit with shackles hung from the tall pillars surrounding the altar. In the next few moments, they were attached to her wrists, ankles, waist, and neck.
It was said that the renart experienced extreme pain when their soul was being transferred from their body to the Killing Stone during the ritual. These chains were to prevent Haruhime from thrashing wildly when the time came.
“…”
On her knees and in chains, Haruhime truly looked like a maiden about to be sacrificed to a deity, or at the very least the centerpiece to some ancient ceremony. Even the Amazons surrounding the altar lost themselves in the poignant beauty of the scene.
“With this, we can finally fight against Freya Familia.”
From the opposite side of the Floating Garden came a sight that brought grins of anticipation to their lips: the Killing Stone had arrived.
The fist-size, bloodred crystal had been attached to the end of the hilt of a ceremonial longsword.
Its blade would pierce Haruhime’s body and give the stone direct access to her magical energy. It would become the bridge her soul would travel across as it was sealed inside the Killing Stone. The blade itself glistened in the moonlight while the stone on its hilt released an ominous red glow.
Haruhime felt a twinge of fear the moment the weapon came into view. She quickly closed her eyes, shook her head, and looked up at the stars.
Her eyes were greeted by countless sparkles of light behind a golden moon.
The light that would kill her.
Then again, it would be the light that would save her from the pain and suffering in this world.
Illuminated by a dazzling moonbeam, Haruhime let her head drop.
There were no tears. It was her heart that cried. But she didn’t let it show.
Her tiny body held in all the sadness, pain, happiness, and regret.
All the memories she’d made in the past few days, meeting that boy and reuniting with that girl, everything was packed tightly together and hidden away.
Her mind a blank slate, Haruhime slowly closed her eyes.
“—The enemy is attacking!”
A shrill voice reached her ears a moment later.
Haruhime’s eyes shot open as her head sprang up. The intense sounds of weapons crashing against one another echoed from the entrance bridge that connected to the Floating Garden.
What appeared was a young girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail, charging into the ranks of Amazons.
“Lady Haruhime—!”
Mikoto jumped over the guards at the gate leading to the Floating Gardens and raced toward the altar.
The guards were already alerted to her presence; trying to hide was meaningless at this point. She drew in a deep breath of air and shouted loud enough for the girl chained to the glowing stone to know she was there.
“Again?!”
The Amazons around the altar grabbed their weapons and charged toward the oncoming Mikoto.
However, they came to a stop about thirty meders in front of the altar. Mikoto, already badly injured, stopped in the face of the wall of Amazonian muscle and steel. All the guards she’d snuck past caught up behind her and fanned out. Mikoto was now completely surrounded.
“Seriously, you came here alone?!”
Samira smiled as if she’d taken a liking to the brave and reckless human.
The rest of the Berbera soon donned the same grin, eager to see what was about to unfold.
“Hey Haruhime, your hero is here!”
Samira looked over her shoulder at the girl in chains. What color remained in Haruhime’s face drained in the blink of an eye.
Her body tried to jump into action but was quickly held back by the chains.
“Why…WHY?! Leave, now, Lady Mikoto!”
The rattling chains accented Haruhime’s screams as she struggled against them.
Despite being rejected before, Mikoto appeared before her once again. The human girl looked up at her with an awe-inspiring gaze.
“That’s impossible, Lady Haruhime. No matter how many times you refuse me, I will do what I have always done since our childhood. I will take you outside.”
Memories of days long past in their hometown in the Far East.
She had told them everyone would get angry, that they should just let her be, so many times. But they ignored her pleas, not giving any pause to being labeled delinquents, and still came to take her out of her family’s manor.
Nothing had changed. Mikoto was the same as ever and Haruhime knew that look in her eyes. The emotions that had been so tightly confined within the renart broke free once again as her eyes glistened with tears.
“You lookin’ pretty cool right about now.”
The gray-haired Amazon Samira watched Mikoto’s dramatic entrance and her long-distance reunion with Haruhime with delight.
“Hey, Phryne, Aisha. Let me have her!”
She turned to face the commander and the heart and soul of the Berbera, practically the captain of their familia.
“You two already had time to play! Let me have a turn!”
“…Ge-ge-ge-ge-geh, have some fuuun. We got time anyway.”
Phryne glanced at the moon before a vulgar laugh rushed forth from her lips.
Samira had been tasked with overseeing the ritual preparations and hadn’t been part of the rabbit hunt. Phryne didn’t see any problem with letting her have her way. “Yeayuh!” Samira clapped her hands together in excitement.
Aisha made no attempt to stop her and watched on in silence.
“Please! Please stop this! Lady Phryne, Lady Aisha!”
Paying no attention to Haruhime’s cries in the distance, Samira stepped out of the ring of Amazons encircling Mikoto.
“That’s how it is, so humor me. Tell you what, you beat me…and I might listen to what you have to say.”
“…”
Already feeling the eyes of all the Berbera squarely on her, Mikoto turned to face her opponent.
A tenacious grin grew on Samira’s face. Mikoto knew that she had no choice but to play along.
This situation might even work to her advantage. At the very least, it would allow her to buy time for Bell to arrive, or even open a path for him to the altar. Mikoto’s mind was set.
The human stayed silent as she withdrew Ushiwakamaru, the blade she had borrowed from him. She held out the weapon in front of her, holding it backhanded in a defensive stance.
The corner of Samira’s lips turned upward, elated that her challenge had been accepted. She chose not to use any weapons at all and stared down Mikoto as she stretched her arms and legs.
They stood not too far away from the entrance to the stone bridge. The bloodthirsty Amazons lined up shoulder to shoulder, creating a ring around the combatants. Their battle started with the utterance of a simple phrase:
“Here I come!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Samira had launched herself toward Mikoto in a full-frontal assault.
“—”
The oncoming attack was too fast for Mikoto to block or counter, so she was forced to focus completely on dodging the
first strike.
“!”
The Amazon’s large fist passed just in front of her eyes as she got her head out of the way in the nick of time.
But that left-handed jab was only a feint. Samira turned that momentum downward, placing her left hand on the ground and sweeping her legs upward.
“Guh!”
Mikoto caught a glimpse of Samira’s right heel in time to block the attack with Ushiwakamaru.
Her arms went numb as if getting hit by the blunt end of a steel pipe. A shock wave of pain tore through her body, knocking her off balance. Samira wasted no time pressing her advantage.
“Just like that, try and keep up!”
A barrage of fists and feet rained down on Mikoto.
Each one of the copper-colored streaks that was coming at Mikoto had enough power to send her reeling. The human focused everything she had on getting far enough out of the path of each strike that her Defense could withstand the blow if she couldn’t dodge it completely. No wasted motion, no room for error.
—As I expected, Level 3.
Her opponent’s ash-gray hair shook back and forth, her minimal clothing holding tight to her body as she moved. Samira’s overwhelming dance of death proved to Mikoto what she had already suspected: There was a large gap between her own Level 2 Status and the Amazon’s. She had no way to overcome her opponent’s overwhelmingly superior power, combat style, and footwork.
How many of the Berbera surrounding her were just as strong as Samira? Their yells seemed distant to her as that realization set in. Sensing the fear creeping into her heart, Mikoto shook it off and regained her calm center.
She and Bell had already decided that they would save Haruhime no matter how insurmountable the odds appeared.
“Hiiiya!”
“Hah! Not bad!”
Samira blocked Mikoto’s first counterattack with her right arm.
She smiled as if enjoying the pain shooting through her arm, after taking the full force of Mikoto’s kick. Then she returned the favor.
“UgAHH!”
Mikoto went airborne.
Ushiwakamaru knocked from her grasp on impact, Mikoto watched the blade land at the feet of their audience while on her back in the middle of the ring. Rolling over her shoulder to face forward, her eyes opened wide as Samira charged her once again.
“You done?!”
Mikoto’s eyes narrowed as the Amazon’s right fist came hurtling toward her face.
Now or never! Mikoto grabbed ahold of the fist and guided it over her shoulder—into a throwing position.
“?!”
The hollering Amazons and Samira herself took notice.
A judo-style arm throw. Another combat style instilled in her by Takemikazuchi—Mikoto seized her chance to use one of these techniques.
Monsters in the Dungeon came in all shapes and sizes, making her judo training practically useless. However, this Far Eastern style was extremely useful for manipulating the bodies of human opponents.
These techniques were designed to help take down larger, stronger fighters. She was on the verge of accomplishing something grand.
Mikoto exhaled with all her might, her muscles contracting at full power to bring Samira down onto the stone surface.
“Hey, nice!”
But Samira had other ideas.
Commenting on her technique in mid-throw, she casually twisted her right arm and broke free.
“!”
The throw was a mere heartbeat away from being completed. Now free, the Amazon grabbed onto Mikoto’s body with both hands—and threw her.
“Wha?!”
Just before the Amazon’s back hit the stone floor, Mikoto’s eyes registered two flashes of tan skin go under her left arm and around her neck. The next thing she knew, Mikoto had been forced skyward by the sheer muscle of her opponent. “Ow!” yelled Samira in pain as her rear end landed squarely on the hard surface. At the same time, Mikoto had been thrown all the way to the ring of Amazons.
The closest one watched with glee and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick that sent Mikoto tumbling back into the center.
“Was that one of those Far East moves? That was pretty.”
With that, Samira closed the distance between her and Mikoto in the blink of an eye.
The human girl was still on her back, reeling from the last hit. Samira took a more playful approach to her next barrage of attacks, kicking Mikoto like she was trying to juggle a soccer ball with her feet.
“GUAH!”
“Show me more if you got ’em!”
Samira’s last kick sent the girl flying. Mikoto bounced once before finally managing to regain her feet.
However, that just opened her up to the second-tier adventurer’s merciless fists.
Mikoto’s body jerked left and right as her shoulders, stomach, and cheeks all took direct hits. Droplets of her blood flew with each blow, cutting dark splashes into the pale-blue light emanating from the stone floor. Samira’s beastly smile grew. In her eyes, Mikoto was nothing but a toy that had some hidden features. She would stop at nothing to see them.
Techniques were useless.
Mikoto’s thoughts were a mess. The only thing that came through loud and clear was awestruck horror at Samira’s wild yet perfected battle style.
The Amazon was a living, breathing weapon. Years of experience culminated in a body that could react on instinct, knew how to move without thinking. Each blow that connected delivered more than just physical pain, they were direct shots to her confidence and pride. Each impact was also the sound of her breaking down within.
Her talent and skill were outmatched.
Mikoto’s knees went weak as each new wave of attacks showed her just how much distance there was between her abilities and those of a second-tier adventurer.
“Lady Mikoto! MIKOTO!”
Haruhime’s screams had finally reached her.
“!!”
Mikoto’s eyelids flew open.
The human girl stood up strong, light back in her eyes.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Seriously, are you Level Two?”
Clearly impressed that Mikoto had taken the brunt of her full assault and remained standing, Samira joyfully complimented her fighting spirit.
Another round of fists, knees, and elbows slammed into the bruised and bloody Mikoto. However, she now had a good understanding of her opponent’s attack pattern and did her best to protect herself and avoid a fatal blow.
She even tried some more of her techniques when a window presented itself. Unfortunately, the ash-gray-haired Amazon could sense when something was coming and always managed to evade.
Winning as an adventurer is impossible!!
Mikoto screamed inside her mind as her body just barely avoided an elbow that would have broken her shoulder.
As long as they remained on an even playing field, there was no way for Mikoto to gain the upper hand. Coming to this realization, Mikoto threw her pride, compassion, and battle etiquette on the back burner.
“Listen well, Mikoto. Ninjutsu is…dirty.”
Takemikazuchi’s voice popped into her mind.
“Sneak attacks, ambushes, traps…A ninja uses every option, any means to reach their goal.”
The god she loved and respected had said this with a stern face.
“So, to be blunt, someone as straightforward and honest as yourself might not have much use for it.”
While he wasn’t eager to teach her the techniques, the deity explained his reasoning.
“True ninjas act out of devotion. Be it to a lord they must protect or someone very important to them.”
Then Takemikazuchi smiled.
“Should that someone be in mortal danger—then even someone as straightforward and serious as you can become a ninja of legendary proportions.”
Devotion.
Her devotion was to Haruhime.
If it’s to save her, then any method—!
Samira’s last kick caught her under t
he chin. Even while spinning in midair, Mikoto reached for her item pouch, took something out, and threw it onto the floor.
“Huh—smoke?!”
“A smoke bomb!”
Samira and the surrounding Amazons took a step back in surprise as a thick gray gas spewed into the air.
Along with a flash grenade, it was one of the items that Mikoto had taken from the vault. The Berbera were more surprised that one of their own items had been used against them than its actual appearance on the battlefield.
The cloud overtook Mikoto and Samira in the middle of the ring, completely hiding them from view.
“Where is she?!”
A few of the Berbera retreated to protect the altar. Meanwhile, Samira’s head was on a swivel as she searched for Mikoto within the cloud. Her own senses, a second-tier adventurer’s enhanced sight and hearing, couldn’t find the human. For the first time, her air of confidence was gone.
A black shadow appeared behind her a moment later.
“—Got you!”
A crazed grin appeared on her lips as Samira jumped high into the air and brought her heel down on top of the shadow.
Her reflexes had been spot-on, delivering an accurate blow from a nearly blind angle at blazing speed. However, her grin was gone and eyes opened wide in shock.
“Cloth?!”
Her foot had made contact with the short robe that Mikoto had been wearing as a shirt.
Substitution technique—Utsusemi.
Then Mikoto approached her opponent in earnest from behind.
“!”
She came in high, high enough to wrap her thighs around Samira’s head.
Blocking her opponent’s vision, Mikoto roared with all her might as she thrust her body back in the other direction.
“—HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
Full-Moon Throw—Mikazuchi.
Samira was lifted off her feet. Her body arced through the smoke cloud with her head pinned between Mikoto’s knees. BAM!! It made contact with the stone floor in the blink of an eye.
“GUAH!”
The sound blasted through the air, the impact strong enough to break the stone slab and leave Samira’s head buried under its surface.
“Haa…haa…!”
Mikoto gasped for breath as Samira’s body fell limp to the ground beside her.
That was the scene that the Amazons were greeted by the moment the smoke cleared. There wasn’t a sound to be heard.