“However, that was not what I was referring to. It is Rina Katou who is beyond my expectations.”
I suddenly felt powerful mana coming from Katorina. Magical energy gathered in her wings, and an agonized look came to her face…before her body rose off the ground.
“How very unexpected. Who could have known Rina Katou would grow so strong from her demonic transformation? This is a pleasant surprise, of course. I never believed she would have such an aptitude for being a demon. It’s enough to make me a bit jealous, really.”
I couldn’t help but sweat as I watched Katorina.
“Huh?”
“Rina’s…flying?”
Katorina was hovering in the air.
“Who could have expected she would be even stronger than me, and I would end up borrowing her power instead?”
Oh, I got it now. I had to agree—normally no one would have considered that. I bet Andrealphus really hadn’t thought this would happen.
Funny he should say that, though. I was surprised, too. I hadn’t thought this possible, either.
I looked at Katorina as she flew through the air.
One reason Rina Katou, one of the main heroines, is considered to be so strong is because of her ability to wield her demon powers. She already packs a punch in her usual form, but her speed and strength increase even further as a demon, and she gains the ability to use dark magic.
However, these aren’t Katorina’s only strengths. Her mobility increases as well.
In MagicalExplorer, ninjas have the highest mobility. They can use an overpowered, nigh-instant teleportation skill and are very fast. The only characters who have a similar degree of mobility are those who can pull off legitimately instantaneous teleportation, and Katorina, who can fly in her demon form.
Of course, there are other characters who can fly. However, she is faster and more mobile in the air than any other. Since she has access to both powerful combat abilities and invaluable thief skills, many players would include her in their parties.
The only ones who didn’t were the kind of people who were exclusively into girls with big boobs.
There is one thing to be aware of when using Katorina, though: She doesn’t have immediate access to flight after her initial demonic transformation. Her flight skills are locked behind an event where she gains a deeper understanding of her demonic abilities. Katorina never flies in her boss fight.
Yet despite that…
“She’s flying.”
“Sure is.”
As Nanami and I spoke like unconcerned onlookers, I heard the Saint sigh.
“So those cute little wings weren’t just for decoration, hm? Could we tear them off her, then?”
Well, that was quite an ominous thing to say, now wasn’t it?
I then saw Katorina start to move, heading toward the Saint. Sensing danger, I stepped out in front of the Saint.
I immediately confronted Katorina; if she did go over to where the Saint and Iori were, there was the risk she might kill someone. Even I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold out against the Demon’s Pain spell and Katorina’s attack chain at the same time.
Fortunately, when I went out in front, Katorina tried to attack me instead.
It wasn’t the same type of attack as before. Now that she was floating in the air, she wasn’t just attacking with her claws.
“Since she’s in midair, she can use both her hands and legs in combination.” It felt a bit like I was on the other end of a fighting game character’s one-sided flurry.
Right arm, left leg, left claws, a right-handed kick. If I didn’t guard properly, I would have gotten hit with all the attacks in succession and been knocked out cold.
And now, the downsides of my decision to use my new stole were coming into play.
“My defense is a second too slow…”
My body was rapidly accruing damage.
If I had practiced more thoroughly with this stole—if I had been able to exhibit its true power—I would have been able to block all of Katorina’s attacks.
Nevertheless, I didn’t necessarily believe I could have gotten by with my previous stole, either. The amount of mana the new one could hold was on an entirely different level, allowing it to harden twice the amount as my old stole.
As I slowly took more and more damage, a healing spell hit me from behind. The Saint had sent some my way.
Now thinking I could still hold out a long time, I readied my stole and tried to fire myself up, but things didn’t quite work out that way.
Katorina was looking down and had stopped moving.
“Rina Katou, what do you think you’re doing? Hurry up and kill him!”
Andrealphus ordered her. However, Katorina simply trembled, as if she was trying to hold out from attacking us.
On top of that, her black claws had disappeared, too. Still shaking, she lifted her head.
She was crying.
“Kousuke, please. Kill me.”
Teardrops flooded down her cheeks.
The fact that she had regained some of her senses must have meant the others had destroyed a magic stone. Maybe even both.
“Kousuke, please. I’m just barely keeping my body in check right now, but I won’t be able to last long. I don’t want to hurt you all more than I already have.”
At first, I couldn’t understand why Katorina would suddenly say something like this, but then it hit me.
It was because I was weak.
Despite my boast that I could take everything she threw at me, I had suffered quite a bit of damage. Katorina hadn’t wanted to attack me or Iori and the others. Until a short while ago, these things had been fine because I had remained pretty much unharmed, but now I was quite hurt.
The thought must have crossed Katorina’s mind. Whether she was being manipulated or not, she had harmed her friends. She cared about her friends, and she’d even showed a brief moment of genuine concern for me when I had joined the Ceremonial Committee. She must have been under an unimaginable amount of anxiety and strain right now.
But that was precisely why…
“Nah, we’re not going anywhere.”
I wanted to save her at any cost.
“I’m saving you no matter what. Hearing you say that just made me even more determined.”
I figured Iori and the others felt the same way—the looks on their faces remained unchanged.
There was one person, though, who heaved a big sigh, as if to douse our enthusiasm.
“…Foolish nonsense,” Andrealphus spat. “Rina Katou. Think this through—you’re a demon. Look at your body. Look at the reality of your situation.”