“We both have pretty strong defenses... I guess this leaves me no choice,” Yukihime whispered in a defeated tone. Of course, it wasn’t the battle she had given up on, and soon, her body was emanating with even more star power than when she had activated Absolute Azure. “I didn’t want to use this, but it looks like I’ll need to go all-out to defeat you,” she said, in a tone colder than any of the ice that covered the ground. “You’re going to see what happens when I use all of my strength... and then this battle is going to end.”
Yukihime raised her hand up high, and a gigantic star circle appeared in the sky.
Rods from God – In our world, there exists a weapon that can fire a metal rod from a space satellite at ten times the speed of sound. It was as powerful as a nuclear bomb, and could become even more powerful if used in the right way. The moment Yukihime learned of its existence, a thought popped into her head. One day, science may surpass star sorcery itself... And then: But not just yet.
After all, Yukihime already possessed a star sorcery that was both more efficient and more powerful than any of that. There was no need for her to drop down a rod from outer space – for she could already materialize an even bigger chunk of ice in an instant.
“Level 1 Prohibited Star Sorcery – Azure Judgment: Starpiercer.”
That was its name. Yukihime possessed two spells that first required permission from every member of the Council of Seven Houses, and Azure Judgment was one of them.
Yukihime let the chunk of ice fall from the sky. It was a simple spell, but it was just as powerful as a meteor. At that moment, Yukihime could have caused hail to rain down on the entire world and destroy everything – for she had received permission beforehand.
Luckily, Yukihime could adjust the power of the spell. If she went all-out, it might end up destroying Otherworld City itself, let alone the southernmost district. At its current power, it should have been more than enough to defeat the opponent in front of her.
Down came heaven’s judgment. A chunk of ice big enough to blot out all of Elemia’s sight slid out from a huge star circle in the sky and came plummeting down upon her.
Elemia gaped. Her confident smile had been replaced by utter shock.
“No... way...”
Mere moments ago, Elemia had admitted that Yukihime Yukigane was no weaker than any member of the Seven Wicked Knights. But that was as far as she went. She had seen Yukihime as an equal, nothing more, and in a battle of equals, Elemia was still confident that she would come out on top.
Neige, the ice elemental that Elemia had spoke of earlier, was the 7th Wicked Knight. Elemia knew that she’d never lose to Neige. But what Elemia witnessed now made her realize that Yukihime was not only stronger than Neige, but far stronger than Elemia herself. And not only that, but – Elemia didn’t even want to consider such a thought, but there was no denying it – Yukihime might have even been stronger than Redge, the leader of the Wicked Knights, and the ruler of their world.
Elemia couldn’t win. She was far too outclassed.
“So what?!”
Still, she refused to back down, even if Yukihime was stronger than the Dark Emperor of Khaos Schwartz. In fact, that was precisely why she couldn’t.
For an instant, old memories washed through Elemia’s mind. Her entire life had been nothing but a cruel joke. Abandoned by everyone she ever knew, she had no choice but to let vulgar strangers violate her with their dirty hands in order to survive... that is, until he saved her.
That’s why. “I won’t let you...” That’s why she couldn’t lose. “I won’t let you stand in his way, you puny little girl! I won’t let a single grain of sand cloud Lord Redge’s path!”
As if to encourage her shaking legs, Elemia roared. Then, she transformed her silver armor back into a hammer. After pouring every last ounce of star power into her weapon, she shattered the ice at her feet with a single strike.
Through the cracks in the ice, Elemia could just barely see the ground. Instantly, she created a star circle. Mounds of dirt shot up, ripping through the ice. Soon, all the dirt clumped together, until it resembled a giant made out of earth and stone.
The giant swung its fist up at the chunk of ice. The punch was large enough to easily flatten several houses, yet it was still dwarfed by the size of the ice. And so, its fist crumbled upon impact. Moments later, the giant itself was mercilessly flattened. The difference in scale was simply too great.
Finally, the chunk of ice reached the ground. Moments away from being crushed, Elemia felt neither fear nor despair.
“I’m so sorry... Lord Redge...”
A deafening boom erupted through the area, followed by a violent wind. The entire district quaked as the ice chunk eclipsed it. Dirt beneath it was blown up into the sky, creating clouds of dust. A shower of mud and ice followed, and soon, the entire area had been sullied.
Far beyond the limits of Absolute Azure, a flock of birds flew over a mountain of monster corpses. Azure Judgment had also eclipsed the spot where Yukihime was standing, yet she remained unscathed. When Yukihime said that no one in the world could destroy her Azure Wall, she meant it, for she was no exception to the rule. After the attack ended and she deactivated her wall, she took a look around.
A huge crater now lay where Elemia had been standing. Panting heavily, Yukihime traversed the warped terrain. Huge beats of sweat dripped down her face as she approached the crater. Casting that spell had exhausted both her star power and her body.
Finally, she reached the edge and peered down. The crater was very deep, and littered with drops of silver liquid. Probably the remnants of Elemia’s weapon, she thought, when suddenly the silver began to squirm. Startled, Yukihime watched it move. It didn’t look like the type of weapon that stayed active after its owner died, which meant that Elemia must have survived the attack.
So then where is she?
Instantly, Yukihime figured out the answer. As disbelief washed over her, she realized the silver liquid wasn’t Emelia’s weapon, but Elemia herself. Soon, every last drop gathered up and reformed into a female torso.
“...That’s some astounding tenacity.” Now, a different kind of sweat began to drip down Yukihime’s forehead.
As Elemia’s torso extended its arms and began to crawl out from the crater, the rest of the silver liquid gathered up behind her, completing the rest of her body. Yukihime ran down the side of the crater, unsheathed Snowbloom, and thrust it at Elemia’s hands. Within them, she could see tiny silver blades. It appeared that Elemia still wanted to fight.
I know I limited the power of the spell, but still... Even though it wouldn’t kill her, I thought it would at least end the battle. Elemia’s tenacity had surpassed Yukihime’s expectations so much that she found herself feeling a bit of respect for her foe. I don’t want to kill her... But not because I’m afraid of murdering people. If I kill Elemia here, their goal will change from kidnapping Towa to getting revenge. I don’t want to kill them... I want to make them give up.
But now, when she saw how determined Elemia was to achieve her goal, Yukihime started to realize just how difficult that would truly be. As she stood there in hesitation, Elemia’s body continued to regenerate, and so, Yukihime sent star power into Snowbloom and froze Elemia’s body right there on the spot.
The moment her regeneration stopped, Elemia’s left hand suddenly turned into a blade and shot out toward Yukihime. Since she assumed that Elemia would no longer be able to move, Yukihime was wide open. The blade lightly slashed her right hand, and blood trickled out. Yukihime frantically grabbed Snowbloom with her left hand and chopped off Elemia’s right arm, then finished freezing the Wicked Knight’s body, preventing her from making any more counterattacks.
Suddenly, she felt another presence, and a massive slash shot out straight between Yukihime and Elemia.
Sensing star power nearby, Yukihime instantly leapt back. The ground was carved up, as if a massive blade had slashed through it.
A chill ran down Yukihime’s spine, and in the back of her mind, she saw her body skewered on a blade. Without a single thought, her body instinctively moved backwards to the edge of the crater.
Fear. Overwhelming fear that surpassed any kind she had ever felt before. What... is this? Near the center of the crater, right next to Elemia, Yukihime felt a strange presence.
She looked down to see a silver-haired man touching Elemia. Cracks appeared in the ice that imprisoned her, and soon, it shattered.
“I deeply apologize for falling into such a pitiful state, on top of losing... I will accept any punishment.” Elemia regenerated her lower half, then knelt and bowed before the man.
A voice as sharp as a blade echoed out. “Just make sure you stay alive, and rest for now.” After showing this bit of mercy, the man focused his eyes on the other person present.
Yukihime was in his sights now. Just feeling his eyes on her was enough to send another shiver up her spine.
A split-second later, the silver-haired man was standing in front of her. Held together with a silver strap, his silver hair looked as sharp as a bunch of hanging blades. He was handsome, with beautiful white skin, and his tall figure was clad in a jet black military uniform. Despite how lean he looked, Yukihime could tell that well-trained muscles lay hidden beneath the fabric.
“I can’t believe you actually managed to defeat Elemia,” he muttered softly. His movements looked strange, as if parts of his steps were invisible.
“Are you... the Dark Emperor of Khaos Schwartz?” Despite how obvious it seemed, Yukihime still asked the question.