Elven Village Defense Battle ⑨

[Katia]

Julius's unleashed lightning magic.

Yet, even that remains out of reach for me.

Title acquired upon defeating the Earth Dragon within the Elro Great Labyrinth: Dragon Slayer.

The skill known as Dragon Power, granted by that title, enhances stats while active and inhibits magical effects.

It is inferior to the magic-inhibiting effect of a genuine dragon, but it is sufficient to block lower-tier spells.

Julius is currently employing lower-tier spells with rapid activation as his primary offense, attempting to prevent my approach.

Julius's status, as one capable of becoming a Saintess, should be considerable. If that is the case, then I should also be quite strong among reincarnated individuals.

The advantage of possessing the Dragon Power skill favors me, it seems.

Julius's choice was not incorrect.

While Yuri specializes in magic, I am a versatile type capable of close combat, though leaning toward magic.

If he allows me to close the distance, my victory is assured.

That is why he chooses rapid-fire spells designed to delay, sacrificing long-cooldown, high-power magic.

Yet this only prolongs the battle unnecessarily. It does not alter the imbalance in my favor.

I neutralize the approaching lightning with Dragon Power and cut through with near-total immunity.

Without Dragon Power, evading or defending against lightning magic would have been extremely difficult.

During my encounter with the Earth Dragon in the Great Labyrinth, I felt no sense of life. Yet that battle granted me this powerful skill. The outcome may have been fortunate.

As Yuri prepares his next spell, I release a counter-magic in return.

The forest makes it impossible to use my favored element—fire.

A fire would be disastrous.

I unleash a light magic instead.

A beam strikes Julius’s shoulder.

Like the lightning magic he uses, this is a lower-tier spell with limited power—but without the dragon’s protection, Julius cannot defend against it.

Julius grimaces in pain.

His expression carries shock.

Did you think you could win by closing the distance?

I am a magic-oriented versatile type.

Not for nothing did I train alongside Shun since childhood.

Julius should know this.

Still, the Julius I knew last spent his time at the academy.

In a brief span, I endured countless trials and grew stronger.

The dragon’s power was gained this way—but more than that, I believe it is the result of battle experience.

In the Elro Great Labyrinth, the presence of death was always near—something never experienced during training.

That experience of overcoming it is what separates me from Yuri now.

"Why!?"

Yuri shouts, unleashing a lightning spell.

The dragon power neutralizes it. Damage taken is immediately restored.

"How dare you stand before me after betraying Yugos!?"

"I did not betray him. I merely returned to my original state."

"Stop speaking nonsense!"

I myself had been under Yugos's indoctrination.

I know the extent of its influence.

It cannot be undone by words alone.

So I will silence her by force.

The beam pierces Yuri's body again.

The beam, moving at light speed, is as difficult to evade as lightning.

It struck the sole of Yuri's foot.

Yuri collapses to the ground, struck in the leg.

Though Yuri can cast healing magic—damage is negligible—but the momentary loss of balance cannot be recovered.

Closing the distance in an instant, he pierces Yuri's body with his beloved rapier.

Appearing as a fatal wound, yet the effect of the skill "Tactful Limitation" allows only consciousness to be stripped.

A minimal treatment is applied to keep Yuri alive, then restrained.

By chasing Yuri, the distance from Shun and the others had grown significantly.

Return immediately.

Upon returning, Shun stood over Yuugo, who lay face-down, sword pointed at his throat.

Ah. As expected.

With counterfeit power, Yuugo could never prevail against Shun.

Yuugo's body was riddled with wounds. Shun bore not a single mark.

Really. A cheat, aren't you?

Come to think of it, even during the battle against the Earth Dragon in the Elro Great Labyrinth, Shun remained unharmed.

"Is it over?"

"Yes."

Yes, using masculine speech patterns is growing tiresome.

"Not yet… not yet… it's not over!"

"No. It's over. You can't defeat me."

Yuugo struggles to rise, his body weak, then collapses again onto the ground.

Only his willpower earns acknowledgment. But one might also call it stubbornness.

"Shun. End it. You have the right."

Honestly, I too wish to end this man.

He took many things from me.

Those things will never return.

I want to direct the anger of that loss at him.

But Shun lost more than I did.

If the killing blow is to be struck, Shun is the better choice.

"No. I won't take his life."

Yet Shun says something unbelievable.

"What was that?!"

Ah, I let out my true voice without thinking.

But that doesn’t matter.

"What do you mean by this? You’re not seriously planning to spare him?"

"Ah, ah…"

"Don’t joke around!"

I thought he was soft, but this is beyond what I imagined.

"He is a danger with no benefit. His mere existence is harmful. He must be executed immediately."

"I’m sorry, Katia. I understand your feelings. I don’t forgive Yugo either. But even so, I will keep this man alive. Alive. To suffer until his death."

Shun’s eyes meet mine directly.

There is no wavering in them.

No matter what I say, it will be futile.

There is nothing I can do.

Perhaps I will lose Shun’s favor because of this.

But keeping Yugo alive—there is no way that can be allowed.

I began constructing the spell to deliver the final blow to Yugo—

"Naah. That's just too soft."

A roar.

A shock.

I instinctively raised my hands to cover my face. My entire body was enveloped.

I realized it was Shun’s body.

D-d-d-don’t—don’t hold me like this!

The shock passed. Shun immediately released me.

Ah.

"Who the hell are you?"

Shun’s gaze fixed on a man standing there—man who had crushed Yugo beneath his foot.

Yugo’s head was gone. His body was flattened under the man’s right foot.

A small crater formed at the man’s feet. The impact was clear.

Where the hell did this man come from?

Judging by the situation, he must have arrived from somewhere above.

No—such details are irrelevant now.

The issue is his identity.

Two horns marked the man’s forehead.

His form resembled a human—but not a human.

He was likely a demon.

A high-tier species among ogre-like creatures.

A race possessing intelligence equal to humans, wielding the power of a monster with terrifying precision.

Yet even that becomes irrelevant.

I stare at the man’s face—eyes wide with shock.

Shun likely bears the same visage.

“Have you forgotten me after so long?”

I—no, we—know this face.

The overall appearance has shifted, but the resemblance remains unmistakable.

“Kyoya.”

Shun murmurs the name quietly.

It could only be Kyoya, our close friend from our previous lives, Sasajima Kyoya.