War of Demons and Humans — Sophia's Case

"Hey."

"What?"

"Why are we here, anyway?"

"I believe I've heard the details."

I did hear them, I did hear them!

Why are we in the city instead of the battlefield?

And with this woman, of all people!

"Please don't glare at me."

"I can't help it. You're turning your back on me, aren't you?"

Being in your line of sight is unpleasant. Being in your line of sight is unpleasant.

Don't you dare say that, you insolent one.

Shall I cut you here and now?

...Yes, I will.

"Ah, don't provoke me. My master is watching."

With that, Fermina pulls a small white spider from her clothing.

It is unmistakably her master's fragment.

Touching this insolent woman here would not go unnoticed by my master.

She glares more intensely, as if directing her frustration toward an empty space.

The reason we are in the city center during active combat has no explanation other than my master’s command.

I had expected, after such a long time, to finally have a chance to fight freely. I never anticipated being pulled away from the battlefield.

Especially for someone whose arrival is uncertain.

Since my fight with Kyoya, I have not satisfied my combat desire.

In fact, even that battle with Kyoya ended prematurely due to an unexpected interruption—left unresolved.

And I now firmly believe I will never again feel such fulfillment as I did during that encounter.

An opponent nearly equal in strength.

The exhilaration of reacting to their unpredictable moves, overcoming them.

A different kind of satisfaction than when feeding.

If the experience during battle is this intense, what must victory feel like?

The mere thought of it caused her body to tremble.

Yet that was ruined—by that man in black.

Her excitement collapsed instantly.

She could not imagine another battle with such favorable conditions occurring again.

In this world, only Kyōya was capable of matching her evenly.

Others were either weaker than her, or far stronger—led by her master.

No one existed who could match her closely, or fight her to a standstill, as Kyōya had.

And now that Kyōya had regained his senses, he would no longer fight her with intent to kill, as he had before.

Only opponents whose victory or defeat was certain remained.

Thus, that battle had been the first and last one that could satisfy her.

Having missed that opportunity, the only release she could achieve through combat was the daily accumulation of suppressed frustration.

Negative cannot be canceled out to become positive—no matter what.

Even if I thought it better than nothing, to be kept away even from the battlefield.

Does my master truly dislike me?

Ah, no—don’t think too deeply.

If the result were truly dislike, I would cry.

"Seems they’ve arrived."

The fragment attached to Fermina moves frantically, as if pleading.

What’s this—kind of cute.

No, that’s not it.

"Yes. This at least allows some resistance."

"Over this way."

The master’s fragment points in a direction.

They arrive at a quiet residential district.

A sparse neighborhood with few passersby.

From one house, men emerge, hooded and cloaked.

"Can we do it now?"

The master’s fragment nods in affirmation to my inquiry.

I lunged at the suspicious hooded group.

I struck the foremost hood with my sword.

The large sword-type magic blade crafted by Kyoya.

My power and the blade’s power converged. The hooded man merged with the ground.

Not a misstatement, is it?

Seems I overestimated my strength.

Meant to cut, but the target disintegrated completely—flattened and buried beneath the soil.

Hmm. Perhaps I overdid it?

“Hmm. Placed correctly.”

The leader-like hood observed his companion’s state with composure.

“Yet information is bait, and the falsehood was not present. Advance.”

Under the leader’s command, the remaining hoods surged forward in unison.

I cleared them with a single swing of the magic blade.

A chakram, launched from behind me, struck one hood and severed his head.

Fermine seems intent on providing cover fire from concealment.

The man whose neck was severed collapsed, and in that moment, his hood slipped off.

His ears, revealed, were long.

An elven trait.

I had attacked an elven group.

My master had fed the elves false information.

That when the demons launched a coordinated assault on humanity, I would be here in this city.

The elves, having obtained this information, were told: if they attempt anything against me, deal with them.

I wasn’t certain they’d come. But they believed the falsehood and arrived here, obediently.

Well, I am indeed here. So the information wasn’t false after all.

The leader claimed the intelligence was bait, but not a lie.

My master had expected that spreading information about me—being a reincarnated soul—would provoke the elves.

At this critical juncture, Ariel’s protection would no longer be available.

The elf lunges forward, and I strike down with the demon sword.

Weak.

Boring, I thought—then my face is struck without warning.

Huh?

What?

I cannot comprehend the situation. Dazed.

But only for an instant. The jolt of rolling across the ground snaps me back.

I rise to my feet immediately—then a foot thrusts toward me, right in front.

“!?”

I guard with the demon sword.

The blade is raised—but the foot does not sever.

A clash of blade and limb.

Looking up, I see the face beneath the hood—half-hidden, expressionless.

The leader.

I press my strength into the limb, pushing back.

The leader offers no resistance. Retreats.

I did not expect this. I, unguarded, struck.

Surprised by the speed—beyond my expectations.

But damage is negligible.

Only a lapse in caution.

That’s right. I wouldn’t have been hit by a weakling like this if I hadn’t been careless.

Still… is this guy too tough?

Why won’t the magical blade cut through?

That doesn’t make sense.

I’m starting to feel irritated.

I lash out at the leader, channeling that irritation.

The leader shows me the palm of his hand—there’s a hole, and something bursts out.

No time to dodge. Something pierces through my body.

I don’t need to check the status window to know my HP dropped.

What was that?

A laser?

Irrelevant.

Ignoring the damage, I raise the magical blade again.

Even the leader flinches—just slightly.

The blade, swung with full force, strikes the leader’s body.

A hard impact. Then resistance. Then destruction.

The leader’s body splits in two. He’s thrown backward by the force.

Exhaling, she follows the leader’s body as it flies away.

There, the leader lies—half of him, severed.

From the cross-section of his body, mechanical components are visible.

No wonder he was so hard and strong.

This man had converted half his body into cybernetic form.

I’d heard from my master that elves possessed advanced mechanical technology, but I’d remained skeptical until now.

“This is a significant miscalculation. I never expected to lose in this body.”

“Oh? Still alive in that state?”

Surprised.

Surviving after losing half one’s body.

Cybernetics are truly remarkable.

“Handing Ariel that was a mistake. Failing to kill him then proved to be a serious setback.”

“Yes. I’ll destroy the elves myself. Look forward to it.”

Of course, you’ll die here.

Strike the demon blade down—this time, end his breath for good.

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

Fermyna peeks out, glancing at the corpse—more precisely, the remains—of the fallen leader.

“For now, let’s collect this.”

“Mm.”

My master speaks little, but I know—this time, I was the bait. Only to retrieve this.

To learn the extent of elven machinery.

How far ahead they see.

Even as an ally… terrifying.