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(left to right)

The Integrity Knights

First Army, draw your weapons and prepare for battle!

Vice Commander Heaven iercin "word# Fanatio

$t%s all ri&t, don%t worry' Frarant (live "word# Alice

$%ve let down) Alice*sama%s e+pectations) Frostscale

&ip# -ldrie

.eneral) /ar0 .od Vector, &u&' Commander 1ime

iercin "word# 2ercouli

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ae 3*4

(left to right)

The Army Invading the Human Empire

1rample t&em' .iant 1ribal C&ief "irosi

$, 5uberi*sama, will be ta0in your &ead' lains .oblin

1ribal C&ief 5uberi

1&e 6adiant 7edium needs to be captured wit&out &armin a

&air on &er &ead' -mperor /ar0 .od# Vector

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8et%s o say &ello to t&ose $nterity 5ni&ts! 1ent& C&air

of t&e Fist Fi&ters% .uild $s0a&n

$ will eliminate t&e five $nterity 5ni&ts wit&out fail'

Head of t&e /ar0 "orceress% .uild /'$'8'

.oddamn &umans! (rc 1ribal C&ief 6irupirin

ae 9*:

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(left to right)

;ou brou&t about a miracle) and saved me' 1rainee

"wordswoman 6onye

"tacia) sama

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Chapter 18 War of the Underworld

Chapter 19 The Radiant Medium

Seventh Day of the Eleventh Month of the Human EmpireCalendar, 380

20:00

1

The Dark Army had just begun to move, kicking up

a huge dust cloud behind. The dust cloud began to

color the sky of the Dark Territory, already dotted

with blinking, blood-red stars, a deep shade of

gray.

Peering into the simple telescope generated with

rystal !lements, "night ommander #ercouli

looked up and mumbled softly$

%This is astonishing& 'eems like that so-called

Dark (od )ector has his heart set on you, lil* miss.

The entire army is coming after you.+

%e should be& happy, suppose. At least this is

much better than being ignored.+

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Alice muttered as she swallowed her nervousness

along with some lukewarm 'iral ater.

n the uneplored / only to those of the 0uman

!mpire, of course / Dark Territory wilderness, on

a small hill about 1ve kilol south from the valley,

the Defense Army decoy division was having their

1rst short break.

The (uards were very ecited.

'ince an ntegrity "night had sacri1ced himself to

nullify a large-scale art that had plunged everyone

into the abyss of despair, they were all determined

once again, believing that they should treasure

their given chance.

2eanwhile, however, Alice was still unable to

accept the reality of !ldrie*s death.

Although it had not been long since they 1rst met

in the entral athedral, much had happened.

3ecommending that Alice try some wine or snacks

when he discovered them4 telling her bad jokes

from time to time4 there had not been a 5uiet day

with !ldrie.

'he had often pu66led over whether this young

man was here to learn swordsmanship and arts, or

just to be troublesome. #ut now, she understood.

'he understood how much !ldrie had been 1lling

her heart with levity.

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These things just seemed so normal that I took

his presence for granted. Why am I just realizing

how precious he was when hes not here

anymore

As she ga6ed towards the 2ountain 3ange at the

!dge that spanned the northwestern sky, she

gently touched the coiled whip strapped to the

back of her waist. 'he could now well understand

why "irito would not want to relin5uish !ugeo*s

sword.

As though he were waiting for Alice to open her

eyes again, the "night ommander said$

%About the current strategy& #asically, until all

four ntegrity "nights in this decoy division are

fallen, we*ll keep drawing the enemy away and

shaving them o7. Are you okay with that8+

Alice vehemently nodded to the "night

ommander, who stood beside the tallest boulder

on the topmost part of the hill.

%This is how see the situation$ we*ve eliminated

half of the invading army of 1fty-thousand and

have almost wiped out the most troublesome Dark

'orceresses. e*re left with wearing out their

main forces to some etent, which are the Dark

"nights and the 9ist 9ighters& and also defeating

Dark (od )ector. :nce we achieve these, the

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remainder of the enemy would be very likely to

agree with a peace treaty. hat do you think

about that8+

%0mm& the last problem is, who*s gonna be the

one to head over there. f that 'hasta kid*s still

around&+

%'o, the Dark (eneral is really& Are you certain

about that, :ji-sama8+

%0e wasn*t there when took a glance a while ago.

;ot only 'hasta, but his apprentice, the female

knight who fought you once wasn*t there either,

lil* miss.+

0e sighed roughly. Alice knew that #ercouli

secretly had great epectations of the Dark

(eneral and his apprentice.

'haking his head slightly, the oldest "night

muttered in a low voice.

%;ow we can only hope that the Dark "night who

took over 'hasta*s place would be happy to pass

on his will. ;ot very likely, though&+

%;ot very likely8+

%;ope. Those who live in this Dark Territory don*t

have any written laws like the Taboo nde.

There*s only an unwritten rule ordering them to

obey the strong. And& unfortunately, the

ncarnation of Dark (od )ector is overwhelming&

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A novice youngster obviously won*t be powerful

enough to resist&+

ndeed, when she declared her own identity in

front of the enemy a while ago, a terrifyingly cold,

bottomless dark energy had reached out from the

core of their formation, and she clearly felt it

sticking to her. t was the 1rst time she had this

sort of feeling since awakening as an ntegrity

"night. f one were to say the ncarnation of

0ighest 2inister Administrator resembled

crackling bolts of lightning, what she had felt

would be pitch-black emptiness.

'he was getting goosebumps just thinking about

it. alming herself, Alice nodded.

% see& don*t epect many people to disobey a

god, anyway.+

3ight after she said so, the "night ommander

chuckled and slapped Alice*s back.

%!ven though you say that, lil* miss, you, "irito

and !ugeo, you three appeared over there in the

0uman !mpire. apping wings, the

two looked up.

3enri*s dragon, "a6enui, was descending to the

ground. The young knight deterously leapt o7

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before the dragon*s claws even touched the earth.

0e jogged over to #ercouli and urgent words

began to tumble from his mouth.

%ommander ?our 0ighness, report@ There is an

area of shrubbery about one kilol south that would

be suitable for an ambush on the enemy.+

%(reat. (ood work on the scouting.

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Alice thought for a moment, then a similar smile

spread across her face$

%;o one can become an ntegrity "night without

altering their memories and free6ing their

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uninterested in anything other than training to

improve his body. n his mind, even if he became

the target of large-scale arts like those he had just

seen, he had absolute con1dence in repelling

every single one of them using only his 1sts and

spirit.

The 9ist 9ighter tied belts onto his naked, muscular

torso burnt to a reddish-copper color, wearing only

shorts and sandals. 0e turned to the 1ve-thousand

powerfully built men and women as their leader,

and to the Dark "nights following them. They had

hardly begun moving for 1ve minutes, but already,

there was a nearly thousand-mel gap between the

9ist 9ighters and the Dark "nights.

%The "nights are riding on horses but they*re just

too slow, as usual@+

A hulking man stayed by skahn*s side, taller than

him by more than a head. 3ight after hearing his

insult, the man*s rock-hard face smiled wryly.

%That*s inevitable, Champion.+

Addressing the currently strongest 9ist 9ighter in

Dark Tongue, the hulking man continued.

%They and their horses are wearing armor as

heavy as themselves.+

%ompletely useless, though@+

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oncluding thusly, skahn faced front again.

'haping his right hand into a tube, he 5uickly put

it against his right eye.

At the center of the >ame iris, his pupil enlarged.

%:h, the 0uman !mpire guys have started to

move as well. 'eems like they*re& not coming this

way. They*re still trying to run away8+

0e clicked his tongue.

Though they looked as dim as the stars above

them, skahn could perfectly capture the enemy*s

activity 1ve thousand mel away. 0e thought for a

moment, then said$

%0ey, Dampe. The !mperor*s command was to

chase after her and capture her, right8+

%'eems like it.+

%3ight&+

0e rubbed his nose with his right inde 1nger,

then grinned with con1dence.

%

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were wrapped with white straps of decorative

rope.

%

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#oth the swordsmen and the sorceresses

considered the summit of all arts to be Cinterruptin

a taret wit& $ncarnation' $n ot&er words, overwritin

e+ternal events wit& imaination'

0owever, 9ist 9ighters thought the opposite /

strengthening their own bodies with ncarnation.

'urpassing their original limits, they would

strengthen their naked bodies with defensive force

stronger than steel, and wield their 1sts with

attacking power enough to crush boulders.

And, of course, they would train their legs to run

faster than horses, while barefoot.

%:::::0, 3AAAAA0@@+

ith a powerful roar, skahn kicked the ground

and began sprinting forth. Dampe followed along

with the other hundred 9ighters in hot pursuit.

The air behind them was split apart4 the ground

shook furiously.

%//@8+

n order to keep close with the (uards who had

started moving to the shrubbery suitable for an

ambush, Alice walked a few steps, then looked

back as she soon felt something strange.

omething is coming.

nd theyre fast.

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hen she looked closely, she could see a cluster

of a hundred men bulging out of the slowly

approaching enemy army, and closing the gap at

a terrifying speed. They were even faster than the

horseback riders running with all their might. 9or a

second, Alice thought they were Dragon "nights,

but soon reali6ed that there were too many of

them, and that they were actually moving on the

ground.

%& 'eems to be the 9ist 9ighters.+

#ercouli muttered beside her.

%They are&8+

'he had heard that name before, but this was her

1rst time witnessing them with her own eyes. This

was because the ones who usually appeared at

the 2ountain 3ange at the !dge were mainly

(oblins, :rcs, and rarely, Dark "nights. The 9ist

9ighters had never even attempted to invade the

0uman !mpire.

!ven so, having the advantage of a very long life,

it seemed that the oldest ntegrity "night had

eperience battling the 9ist 9ighters. 0e continued

somewhat nervously.

%They*re a pain to deal with. Esually a sword*s

gonna hurt bare 1sts, but they*ll keep rejecting

that.+

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%0uh&8 3eject&8+

Theres no way anyone can reject "eing cut, Alice

thought. #ut #ercouli shrugged and said$

%?ou*ll know what mean when you 1ght them.

#etter for us to handle them together, lil* miss.+

%&&+

Alice swallowed hard. #ercouli just claimed that he

could not handle them by himself4 they must be

etremely powerful opponents.

0owever, what the "night ommander said net

destroyed her painstaking concentration and

spirit.

%And, by the way, lil* miss& ?ou*re not okay with

stripping down, are you8+

%0aah@8+

nstinctively, she crossed her arms in front of her

chest and s5uee6ed out a sharp voice.

%h-what are you talking about8@ :f course don*t

like stripping down@@+

%;o, don*t mean that& ell, do mean that&

just wanna tell you that armor and clothes are

useless against their 1sts, and they may hold you

back, so&+

After saying those pointless words as he scratched

his chin, the "night ommander shook his head as

if to say, %'uit yourself+.

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%Anyway, if you*re gonna 1ght in that, get your

Armament 9ull ontrol Art ready.+

%:& :kay.+

Aniety trickled down her spine again. As it

seemed, the enemy team was composed of

around a hundred men. f she needed to utili6e the

full power of the 9ragrant :live 'word against

such a small team, they were de1nitely not easy

opponents.

0owever, there was one problem.

hen she had released the Creflection*concealed

beam art, and during her battle against the Dark

'orceresses, she had twice used the Armament

9ull ontrol Art, consuming a large portion of the

9ragrant :live 'word*s

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#ut within their tens of seconds of conversation,

the enemy team of 9ist 9ighters had already

closed in to a distance from where Alice could

begin to make out their masculine physi5ues. 'he

could not let them get any closer to the (uards,

who were still preparing the ambush.

Alice bit her lip, nodded to the "night ommander,

and was about to slide down the rocky slope to the

north.

3ight before that, however, a timid female voice

called to them.

%*ll go.+

Alice spun around in shock4 beside her, #ercouli*s

eyes widened as well.

The one who had been standing there without

their knowledge, was one of the four ntegrity

"nights joining the decoy division / the one other

than #ercouli, Alice and 3enri.

'he was tall and slender, clad in drab gray armor.

0er hair, also gray, was parted so crisply that it

looked arti1cially plastered to her head, ending in

a tight ponytail. 0er face was refreshingly clean,

but showed not a shred of emotion. 'he was

probably around twenty, like Alice.

0er name was 'heyta 'ynthesis Twelve.

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The Divine nstrument strapped to her waist was

the C2lac0 8ily "word'

0owever, she was seldom referred to as such.

henever they happened to mention her in

conversation, the "nights addressed her by

another nickname.

C1&e "ilent'

Alice was not shocked because she had

volunteered to battle the 9ist 9ighters.

'he was shocked because this was literally the

1rst time she heard the voice of The 'ilent 'heyta.

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Territory, there was only one Dark "night whom he

had respected as a true 1ghter$ the deceased

Dark (eneral 'hasta.

#ut while he was meditating as he stood by for the

order to attack, he had sensed the ntegrity

"nights* 1ghting spirit and aggressive energy, and

that was something.t least they arent just

relying on their high+class weapons'he thought.

There must "e impressi!ely trained "odies

"eneath the armor and swords.

ith heightened epectations, skahn couldn*t be

more ecited about 1ghting them 1st-to-1st.

'o.

hen he 1nally sighted a "night in front of the hill

where the enemy army had stopped minutes ago,

the 9ist 9ighter chief*s mouth dropped open,

dumbstruck by her standing 1gure.

$ow thin.

'he seemed to be a woman, so maybe her lack of

a muscular build was inevitable4 even so, she was

way too thin.Although she was clad in metallic

armor, she still looked more fragile than any of

skahn*s female 9ighters. 0er armorless body

would only be about as muscular as a 'orceress*s.

!ven the long sword hanging from her waist

looked like a roasting spit.

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'ignaling with his right hand for his subordinates

to stop, skahn skidded to a halt, kicking up a dust

cloud. 3aising his eyebrows that were curled up at

the end like a >ame, he opened his mouth.

%ho*re you8 hat the hell are you doin* here8+

'lightly shaking her long, straight gray hair, the

female "night tilted her head. 'he looked as

though she were thinking of what to say / or

rather, pondering whether she wanted to answer

the 5uestions.

0er brows, eyes, nose, and mouth looked as

though they had been sculpted with a sharp knife.

ithout a shred of emotion on her clean face, the

female "night spoke 5uietly$

%*m here to stop you.+

skahn ehaled a large amount of air from his nose

and mouth4 no one knew whether he was laughing

or upset, but in the end he just shrugged.

%-oucan*t even stop a little kid. :h, know&

?ou*re a "night good at arts, eh8+

There was another awkwardly long silence before

she answered.

%Arts are not my strength.+

rritated by his enemy*s belittling attitude, skahn

said$ %ell, whatever,+ and called out one of his

subordinates. %?otte, 1ght her.+

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%0ere come@@+

A rather diminutive female 9ighter leapt out of the

formation with a vigorous reply. Despite that, she

was still several times sturdier than the female

"night. 9leing her sti7 muscles and darting to

and fro, she revealed a savage leer that was

completely di7erent from her opponent.

%0AA0@+

9rom 1ve mel away, the female 9ighter punched

the air, generating wind that rustled the female

"night*s hair.

!ven then, there was not an ounce of 1ghting

spirit on the "night*s slender face. nstead, she

looked confused and whispered softly.

%& =ust one&8+

%That*s my line, you skeleton@+

urling her thick lips, ?otte shouted.

%After teach you a lesson, *m gonna stu7 lots

and lots of dried meat into your tiny little mouth

before 1nish you o7@ =ust pull out your sword

already@@+

ith a face as though saying B'o you have nothing

more to say*, the female "night gripped the

handle on her left waist.

hiyuran. atching sight of the e7ortlessly drawn

blade /

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%&what the fuck@8+

skahn, who had backed o7 and crossed his arms,

shouted instinctively.

%Thin+ was an insuFcient description. The

scabbard already looked like a roasting spit, but

the blade inside it was just a cen wide, like a

child*s 1nger. The sword was matte black and thin

as paper4 just being able to see it was diFcult

under the starry night sky. 0ow fragile.

?otte*s face >ushed red with anger.

%& ?* gotta be kiddin* me&+

Performing a short martial dance, or rather,

battering the earth with her feet, the female

9ighter charged straight and 5uickly closed the

distance between her and the "night.

!ven to skahn, that was 5uite an impressive

sprint. Team 3abbit of the 9ist 9ighters* (uild were,

unlike their name, elites that were not only agile,

but skilled precision 1ghters.

i"at%

'plitting the air, ?otte lashed out.

Enable to avoid the close-range attack, the female

"night defended with her paper-thin sword.

The resounding noise was piercingly high, as if

created by a collision of two metal objects.

#linding golden sparks shot out.

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mmediately after.

The needlelike sword was easily bent.

skahn smiled. A normal sword would never cut

the skin of a 9ist 9ighter.

The children born as 9ist 9ighters were thrown into

the training facility as soon as they became 1ve

years of age. Their very 1rst training was snapping

a cast iron knife with one punch.

As they matured, cast iron would be replaced with

wrought iron, and knives would be replaced with

long swords. ;ot only did they have to split them,

they had to withstand slashes from the weapons

without any protection. Through their training, the

adolescents were con1dent that blades were

nothing to be afraid of. I am in!ulnera"le to

"lades.That belief / in other words, ncarnation,

turned their bodies into steel.

As the guild chief, skahn could stop a needle G

cen in diameter with his eyeball.

Although ?otte, a normal 9ighter, had not trained

her ncarnation to this etent, she was one of the

ten group leaders in Team 3abbit. 0er 1st did not

lose to any sword.

!specially not that pitifully thin one.

All of the 9ist 9ighters had one image in their

heads$ the horribly bent black needle would snap

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with an embarrassing crack, and a 1st would sink

into the female "night*s face.

Thew.

A strange sound, like a whip slicing the air.

?otte fro6e, her 1st hovering in the air. The punch

barely gra6ed the female "night*s right cheek, and

the "night*s hand lifted up.

skahn could not see the black blade clearly from

his position.

/ What the hell Thats a pretty large target to

miss.

The chief cursed. /!en if -otte wins this "attle'

shell ha!e to start her training all o!er again in

the arenas third+class waiting room. 0o matter

how tough ones *st is' its useless if it doesnt hit

the oppone

?otte*s clenched 1st silently split apart between

her middle and ring 1nger.

%h&&&+

n front of the stunned skahn, the 1ssure

continued from ?otte*s wrist to her elbow, through

her upper limb, and passing through her shoulder.

Perfectly displaying a cross section precise to the

bone, muscles and even the thinnest blood

vessels, the outer part of ?otte*s right arm

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dropped onto the ground. :nly after did blood

erupt in multiple jets, forming a crimson mist.

%/ (0AAAAAAAAAAAA@@+

Ettering an earsplitting shriek, ?otte collapsed to

the ground, cradling her right arm.

The female "night retracted her arm, and

breathed a small sigh.

#ack during her life in the entral athedral, C1&e

"ilent 'heyta seldom spoke. This was not due to

introversion, nor because she hated everyone

else.

=ust to avoid attention from other ntegrity "nights

/ she suppressed her own eistence, hoping that

no one would challenge her to any sparring

matches.

f she were to cross swords with anyone, even if it

had been "night ommander #ercouli, she possibly

could have killed her opponent.

9earing that this might happen, she had kept

silent in the hundred years living in the athedral.

!ven if she spoke, her familiar caretaker and the

elevating-disk operator girl were the only ones she

would talk to.

'heyta was entirely a swordsman, synthesi6ed

after winning the 9our !mpires Enity Tournament.

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0owever, the records of that year*s tournament

were completely erased. The reason was that, in a

tournament that appraised the principle of mercy

as one*s best 5uality, blood had been shed$

'heyta had brutally murdered every single one of

her opponents.

The high-ranking ntegrity "night 'heyta 'ynthesis

Twelve, in a certain sense, shared a similar

mindset with the chief of the 9ist 9ighters* guild,

skahn.

skahn thought only about beating up something

or someone, while 'heyta was interested in

nothing but slicing things in half. Despite that,

from the bottom of her heart, she had never, ever

enjoyed it.

'he would just cut. hether it be human or object,

when she was confronted with something, 'heyta

could already see its cross section sliced clean.

henever that happened, she was never able to

stop herself from reali6ing it. f her opponent were

a wooden practice dummy, she could even cleanly

sever it with her hand.

'heyta had always suppressed her cut-hungry

nature as something sinister.

The 1rst to perceive this deeply hidden impulse in

her heart was the 0ighest 2inister Administrator.

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9or two hundred years, Administrator had been

attempting to deduce the 'pacial 'acred !nergy

Theory, which was now common knowledge to

every learner of arts.

hile the 0ighest 2inister was still researching,

she became deeply obsessed with the last and

largest war in the Dark Territory that put theCAe

of 2lood and $ron to an end. Administrator was

concerned that it would be such a waste for no

one to collect the virtually in1nite 'acred !nergy

that had been released from the 1erce battle

between the 1ve Dark Territory races, which took

place in the wilderness between the 0uman

!mpire and the mperial apital :bsidia.

Despite that, she had been careful to never visit

the Dark Territory herself. nstead, she had

summoned "night 'heyta. The 0ighest 2inister

had whispered to 'heyta, who had already earned

the moniker, C1&e "ilent?

1 2ourney there alone and look for something in

the "attle*eld. demonic "east' or something of

the sort unharmed "y the war would "e "est if you

can *nd one. If not' any large animal will do.

"ird or an insect at least. 2ust *nd me anything

thats engorged with pacial acred /nergy.

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1 ring it to me' and from it' I will fashion a

3i!ine Instrument for you.

1 sword with the highest 4riority' a sword that

can slice anything in half $ow a"out that

'heyta could not resist the temptation. An

ntegrity "night could not disobey an order from

the 0ighest 2inister anyway, but she, without

taking a dragon to get over the 2ountain 3ange at

the !dge, trekking thousands of kilol deep into the

land of ash, arrived at the battle1eld that stank of

blood.

There were no moving creatures where the 1ve

races had strained their limits to kill each other.

;ot even a mouse or a crow had survived, let

alone a beast.

#ut 'heyta did not give in. sword that can slice

anything in half.The phrase had captured her

heart, leaving her unable to think of anything else.

At the end of her three day search /

'he 1nally found one lone black lily, wobbling

>imsily in the wind.

That small >ower was the only object that had

survived the vast battle1eld, charged with 'pacial

'acred !nergy.

The 0ighest 2inister Administrator generated an

etremely slim sword out of the >ower that 'heyta

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brought back, and bestowed it upon her with the

name C2lac0 8ily "word'

A year later, after killing an ntegrity "night in a

duel, she was put into hibernation at her own

re5uest.

'heyta did not know whether she sighed out of

sympathy or intoication when she cut the female

9ist 9ighter*s 1st.

ome to think of it, she also did not understand

why she had volunteered ten minutes ago to

defend this place, speaking to the "night

ommander and breaking her silence. 3ather, she

was unaware of any motivation to join the Defense

Army half a year ago, volunteering herself while

all of the "nights were invited.

Is it "ecause I hope to protect the $uman /mpire'

like the other ,nights

#r is it simply "ecause I want to cut

#r 1 it wants me to cut

Well' it doesnt matter anymore. The situation is

what it is' and theres no way to stop the sword

anymore. 5ets just hope that there wont "e too

many li!es taken.

'heyta calmly raised her head, and glanced at the

terri1ed 9ist 9ighters who had fro6en to the spot.

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ithout a trace of hesitation or fear, the gray

"night gripped her slender, pitch-black sword, and

slashed head-on towards the hundred 9ist

9ighters.

%& hat an incredible performance.+

At Alice*s hoarse comment, #ercouli muttered in a

low voice.

%3ight&

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'he could not feel 'heyta*s murderous intent at

all. ;ot only that, she could not even feel a shred

of hostility.

If so' then how is she a"le *ght so ferociously

%Don*t think about it. !ven though *ve been

watching her for more than a hundred years, still

understand nothing about her. ;othing.+ The

"night ommander whispered and turned around.

%e can leave this to her. The main enemy army

should be arriving very soon4 we have to prepare

for the counterattack over there.+

%& :kay.+

;odding and looking away from the battle below

her, Alice followed him.

About a thousand kilol south from #ercouli and

Alice, who were walking down the hill, the gray,

rough wilderness 1nally came to an end, where

some irregularly shaped shrubbery grew in the

area. The main formation of the decoy division

was concealed among them.

They consisted of one thousand (uards, two

hundred Ascetics, and a supply team of 1fty

people. They had to face the 1ve thousand 9ist

9ighters with such a small force.

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ntegrity "night 3enri had ordered the (uards and

the Ascetics to hide in the plants* shadows,

dividing them into twenty teams. The supply team

wagon had carved fresh grooves into the only

narrow path that stretched through the entire

wooded area. The plan was to perform a pincer

attack as the enemy followed the ruts into deep

enough woods.

3enri had already heard from the "night

ommander that their swords would be ine7ective

on 9ist 9ighters, and he had heard about their

weakness as well.

9ist 9ighters were not good at defending

themselves against 'acred Arts.

n the northern wilderness where not even moss

could grow, there was simply not enough 'acred

!nergy to deploy any high-powered arts, but the

air should be thicker in the shrubbery. The

Ascetics hiding behind the leaves would ambush

the enemy together, then retreat to the south

while protected by the (uards. 9rom the above,

1ve Dragons would torch the enemy with their

>ame breath in the midst of the chaos.

Prepared for a 5uick retreat, 3enri stationed the

eight supply team wagons at the southernmost

part of the shrubbery area. 0e determined that,

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the further away from the front line, the safer they

would be.

0owever, just as 3enri was devoting his mind to

preparing the ambush, the 1ve (uards, who were

stations around the wagons just in case something

happened, silently died, one after another, without

uttering so much as a whimper.

ts entire body clad in glossless black metallic

armor that was 1tted with a demonic horned

helmet, a shadow moved soundlessly.

#efore him, a (uard of the 0uman !mpire

Defense Army looked left and right, alert. 0e didnot, however, look behind him at all, because the

other (uards should have been watching that

space.

The shadow entered his blind spot, approaching as

if it were gliding. A long sword was e5uipped on its

waist, but it did not draw. nstead, it casuallyraised the tiny dagger in its right hand.

t stretched its left arm like a black snake, blocking

the (uard*s mouth and nose.

At the same time, its right hand >ashed, slitting

his eposed throat in a straight line.

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n complete silence, his

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protecting, but to travel somewhere far away from

the battle1eld, far south, in the middle of

nowhere.

hen the enemy eradicated the Demihuman

troops with a laser beam like those in sci-1

movies, (abriel had already predicted that part of

the enemy would be selected to enter the Dark

Territory.

#ut when )assago heard this, he 5uestioned why

he had to speci1cally move south instead of north.

0earing the reply %

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A fair-skinned young girl with tea-colored hair,

which was not a face of the Dark Territory, stuck

her head out of the roof. Perhaps she had sensed

something, as she was looking around with a

nervous epression.

As )assago stayed still, it did not take long for the

girl to step carefully out of the cart. 'he whispered

something to someone in the wagon, and 1nally

began to walk slowly.

earing minimal defensive e5uipment on top of

gray clothes that looked like a high school

uniform, the girl was heading straight to )assago*s

hiding place.

3esisting the temptation to whistle, the assassin

gripped his blood-soaked dagger tightly in his

right 1st.

%/ D::::;*T&+

9orced to watch his 9ighters, whom he had

painstakingly trained, e7ortlessly defeated

nearby, skahn screamed in anger as he recovered

from shock.

%(!T T:: :"?, ?:E #T0@@+

"icking onto ground hard enough to produce a

giant crack, he 1ercely charged.

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9lames erupted on his taut right 1st as though

they were the scorching fury itself.

0e punched straight at the neck of the gray

ntegrity "night. 'parks >ew from his 1st, creating

a bla6ing tail in the air along its path.

At that moment, the "night had just 1nished a

slash with the sword in her right hand4 she tried to

block skahn*s punch with her gauntleted left

hand.

/ To my punch all armor is no more than

paper%%

The strike engorged with ncarnation collided into

the female "night*s palm4 blinding sparks burst in

all directions.

mmediately, the gray gauntlet shattered with a

deafening crack, and the armor pieces from her

arm to her shoulder were shredded and blown

away.

ountless cuts crossed the smooth, white skin of

the eposed left arm4 droplets of blood >ew into

the air like grains of sand. 0owever, surprisingly,

he did not feel any bones breaking.

!ven though it should be ecruciatingly painful,

the female "night only frowned slightly, her right

hand >ashing her super-slim sword while her left

hand grasped skahn*s right 1st.

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,iiin%A high metallic noise resonated, and sparks

burst again from the 9ist 9ighter*s elbow.

The source of 9ist 9ighters* strength was the

con1dence of being invulnerable to all blades. n

order to obtain that con1dence, they wrapped

their bodies only with belts, eposing their skin.

The moment they fell back on any kind of

defensive e5uipment, a 9ist 9ighter*s ncarnation

would be weakened.

Therefore, skahn was trying to de>ect the black

blade that was about to cut through his right arm,

just with his determination.

#ut.

The dense frigidity that almost sank into his skin

was completely di7erent from what he had felt

from any other sword, even having taken slashes

from them with bare skin.

This paper-thin sword was not just cold, hard steel4

it represented will. nstead of a desire for victory,

it was simply a thirst for division.

'ensing this, skahn re>eively punched with his

left 1st.

4o%'hattering the air, the punch pierced the

space where the female "night had been an

instant ago.

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That was impressively agile, but she did not

completely evade the strike$ the punch gra6ed her

gray chestplate. As the "night jumped out of the

way, her chestplate shattered just like her

gauntlet had.

#ut skahn was not uninjured either.

:n his inner elbow, at the point that had met the

blade for less than a second, there was a very

shallow cut. A tiny droplet of blood slowly beaded

out from its center. :nly a drop / yet a drop

nonetheless.

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%Tsk& hat the hell are you talking about8+

skahn clucked his tongue, feeling his spirit

weakened from her o7beat attitude. 0owever, as

he looked around at the 9ist 9ighters on the

ground, he recovered his anger.

Twenty of them of them, men or women, were

moaning, their arms or legs having been cut from

their bodies by the slim sword. The most

unforgivable thing was, not only did the female

"night harm his subordinates, she was apparently

merciful to them by sparing their lives. ;one of

the injured had lost their heads. ith her skills and

the sharpness of the sword, the "night could

easily have made that etra stroke if she wished.

%& 'o you treat us like wood dummies for your

fucking sword practice. Enforgivable& *m gonna

beat you to a pulp@@+

&un' zat' zun%%

The remaining active 9ighters followed the 5uick

steps of the 2artial Dance. 9ierce war cries

overlapped with their stamping on the ground.

#oh' rah' oorarah. #oh' rah' oorarah.

As they stomped and vibrated the air, the 9ist

9ighters intensi1ed their ncarnation. Drops of

sweat >ied o7 from their copper skin, transforming

into >ying, bla6ing sparks.

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The ntegrity "night did not move, as if she were

waiting for skahn to reach his maimum state.

/ Thats right.

The 9ist 9ighter champion stopped his steps4

>ames roared from his reddish golden curly hair,

and blinding light e7used from both of his hands.

The female "night, as his opponent, was

persistently calm. n her right hand, the pitch-

black super-slim sword was giving o7 a free6ing

energy.

%0eeeere come, you #T0@@+

'etting the air abla6e with apow, skahn instantly

closed the distance between them in a straight

line.

The female "night e7ortlessly swung the sword in

her right hand.

Thew.

=ust before the 1ne black line touched skahn*s

shoulder /

9aster than the sword that swung earlier than him,

a blow from the 9ist 9ighter struck the female

"night*s left leg. ;ot a punch, but a kick. 0is right

foot shot up, hitting the gray leg guard directly

with his toes.

ith astonishing re>ees, the "night stopped her

sword and leaned forward, avoiding a fall, but the

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left leg guard was instantly shattered. The skirt

around her waist was torn4 her toned yet slim legs

were eposed.

%Don*t think 9ist 9ighters can only punch@@+

(rinning con1dently, skahn began a high kick

with his left leg.

The female "night turned her wrist, trying to parry

the kick with her sword.

The instant that the blade and the leg clashed, a

deafening crack was accompanied by a shower of

bla6ing sparks. The 9ist 9ighter hief pulled his

toned left leg back, feeling a sharp pain, and

suddenly thrust his right 1st forward.

#athed in crimson >ames, the strike hit the

"night*s chestplate s5uarely in the middle.

,a"oom% An almighty eplosion propelled the two

of them away from each other. skahn back>ipped

in midair and landed on the ground.

0is left leg stabbed with pain again. 0e glanced at

it.

:n his rock-hard shin that could easily bend a

steel bar, a fresh cut carved a straight line. Dark

red blood >owed out at once, dripping onto the

black ground.

'nickering at this small scratch, he observed the

enemy.

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The female "night managed to withstand this as

well, but she pressed her left hand onto her chest

and coughed a few times. 0er chestplate, already

damaged, had shattered completely4 her right

hand gauntlet and the gray clothing covering her

chests were the only things left on her upper body.

There was not much left on her lower body either$

only a torn skirt and her right shin guard.

!clusive to those born in the 0uman !mpire, her

snow-white skin seemed to glow even in the

darkness. 'eeing this, skahn sneered$

%;ow you look more like a 1ghter, but there just

aren*t enough muscles. (o eat and train more,

bitch.+

The 9ist 9ighters around jeered at her, but the

"night calmly tore o7 a hanging piece of cloth

from her left shoulder and raised the sword in her

right hand. Thew.

%& #ut you*ve become a bit softer just now.+

%& T0! 9E" DD ?:E 'A?8+

0is nostrils >ared and he bared his canine teeth.

!ven though he was bluFng with his epression,

skahn felt that his breaths had become slightly

5uicker.

Theres no way my spirit would decrease just "y

seeing some unco!ered lim"s. The women o!er

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here show much more of their skin e!ery day' only

a fresh trainee kid would hesitate just "y seeing

that.

The whole world is made out of opponents that I

must "eat up with my tough "ody' e!en if its a

foreign woman whos slim enough that the wind

could "end her "ones' whose skin is shining white.

%There*s no turning back& *m gonna show you all

*ve got@@+

0owling like a wolf, skahn jabbed his inde 1nger

at the female "night$

%'o show me yours as well, bitch@@ Don*t give me

that fucking sleepy face@@+

As he said so, the "night looked confused again,

and touched her own cheeks and the middle of

her forehead with her left hand. hanging her

eyebrows* angle into a slightly 1ercer look, she

said$

%#ring it on& please.+

%&& ?eah, bring it on.+

Ill "e thinking nonsense again if I follow her pace.

skahn inhaled deeply, gathered power in his

stomach, and violently bent over.

Putting his left 1st to his waist, and pointing his

right 1st at his opponent, he noisily ehaled the

air. As he repeated the rough breathing, his parted

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legs began to glow red, drawing power from the

ground. The energy channeled through his body

and gathered at his 1st.

rimson bla6ing >ames gradually shone yellow,

and eventually turned bluish white.

;ow skahn*s right 1st was at a temperature so

high that it could almost burn the air, making

high, sharp noises.

The female "night faced him sideways, etended

her left hand to the front with her thumb and

1ngers neatly lined up, and swung the 1ne sword

in her right hand behind her. 0er arms aligned in a

straight line, giving a feel of strength like a

catapult prepared to launch with full power.

The tension in skahn was so immense that he felt

like he was already split into half, from the head

all the way down to the stomach. And yet he

grinned ecitedly.

/ hes the *rst one to "urn me up this much.

#oth of them moved at the eact same moment.

The "night*s sword drew a pitch-black crescent

curve in the air.

The 9ist 9ighter*s 1st became a bluish white

comet. At the instant that they collided, powerful

shockwaves eploded outward, cracking the

ground on their way. The remaining 9ist 9ighters

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surrounding the two were irresistibly blown

backwards.

The sword and the 1st were only meeting at the

si6e of a needle*s tip, yet they were battling

intensely. 'urpassing its limit, the compressed

power shot forth into a beam of light, bursting into

the night sky.

ith 'heyta*s combat skills, she could have

defeated her opponent without this kind of stupid

competition of brute strength.

'lightly surprising to her, the intensity of the

young 9ist 9ighter*s ncarnation was at the level ofa high-ranking "night. !ven so, he concentrated

all of his ncarnation at his 1st as he charged, and

other parts of his body actually looked rather soft

to 'heyta. t seemed that she could have evaded

the straight punch and cut his head o7 right away.

'heyta, however, did not choose to do that4instead, she countered the opponent*s white-blue

glowing 1st head-on. There was no rationale to

this decision4 she was simply following her body

and her sword.

'heyta was rather confused by herself. 'ince a

hundred years ago, she had already reali6ed that

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she had none of a "night*s appraised mental

5ualities, such as pride or nobility. 'he would cut

because she wanted to, and that was all she

desired.

t should mean the same when %slice+ is replaced

with %kill+. :nly when she had been assigned with

the mission of securing the 2ountain 3ange at the

!dge, 'heyta could release her true self. 'he had

ended countless lives of Dark "nights or (oblins

by mercilessly cutting their necks.

'he had been suppressing her nature as

something sinister, so much, in fact, that she was

called C1&e "ilent, but w&y did s&e not c&oose to 0ill in

t&is particular battle< "&eyta was deeply pu@@led'

#ut even that was just too much to think about.

;ow, at this moment, there was only herself, the

#lack

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1 o youre one of the elegant $uman /mpire

residents "orn with such a delicate *gure' "ut

were the same kind of people' huh.

6lick. A small vibration could be felt from within

his 1st.

skahn reali6ed that the noise was not because of

any cracks on the opponent*s black sword, but it

came from the fracturing bones of his own 1st.

1 0o good. /!en this doesnt get through' huh.

1 ut' well' thats how it is.

f his 1st had been completely cut, for sure the

black, slim sword would cut his entire body in half

as well. !ven though he epected for such a

result, skahn felt no fear. Im not going to meet

such a great opponent like her for a second time.

If so' well' this isnt such a dum" way to die.

3ight at the moment when he thought so, and was

about to close his eyes for a long nap.

The pressure added onto his 1st slightly

weakened.

ompressed at one point to its limit, the pressure

released all at once, blowing skahn and the

"night away from each other as if they were mere

leaves. 0e suddenly noticed why his opponent*s

ncarnation had weakened. A large silhouette had

tried to slip in between the two.

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'itting up on the ground, skahn yelled at the huge

man who fell down as he did.

%Dampe, you bastard@@ & oating dust, the enemy "night that

had lost almost all of her e5uipment and clothes

slid her slim sword back into its scabbard, as

though she did not care at all.ae B

%0ey, bitch@ Don*t think you*ve won like this@@+

The young 9ist 9ighter screamed, forgetting that

he had just been preparing his mind for death.

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'waying her gray hair, the "night >icked her head

to look at skahn, and tilted her head as if she

were searching for the right words to say.

%Emm, that, Bbitch* thing& ould you please stop

that8+

%apping wings, a mild voice came down.

%& *m not running away. *m& 'heyta 'ynthesis

Twelve.+

0e stood up with Dampe pulling his hand4 skahn

watched the Dragon*s silhouette vanishing into

the nocturne darkness, and clucked his tongue

again.

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f he were allowed, he would love to 1ght that

strong opponent again after a year of intense

training, since his reali6ed that he had a lot to

improve on.

0owever, skahn was mature enough to know that

his personal desire would be nothing in front of

the war strategy.

:nce his team rende6voused with the 9ist 9ighter

main army, they would have to crush the enemies

together with the Dark "nights. There might not

be a chance for them to 1ght again.

If only I could o"tain the 8Radiant Medium9/

After a moment, skahn clucked his tongue for a

third time, this time to himself for having such a

thought.

/ What a retard I am. egging the /mperor to

sa!e the life of that female ,night as a reward

:y entire tri"e will "e furious at me.

Pulling himself out of the thoughts, skahn went to

the subordinate that held a jar of medicine, in

order to cure his left leg.

2

Thats right.

2ust come ;ere like that.

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)assago thought as he savored the pleasure of the

ambush, like a piece of candy in his mouth.

:y hiding is perfect.Though the metallic armor

had some drawbacks, he was still able to melt into

the shadow of the shrubbery.

The black-haired girl was cautiously surveilling her

surroundings, but her eyes merely passed through

the bush that )assago was hiding behind. H

meters left& I meters&

/ ashing right

before his eyes.

%& hoa@+

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As he hurriedly backed o7, the tip of the blade

whistled under his cheek, where his bare skin was

eposed.

The girl, who had seemed not to notice him at all,

suddenly unsheathed her sword from her left waist

and slashed towards him without even turning

around. That was one awesome counter. 0ad he

stepped forward just a little more, his throat would

have been cleaved in two.

'pinning around, the girl held her sword properly.

0e could see no surprise in her sapphire eyes,

though they revealed fear and hostility. )assago

couldn*t help but admit that his hiding was seen

through very 5uickly.

Twirling the dagger in his right hand, he opened

his mouth.

%Hey, baby.+

0e suddenly remembered that !nglish wouldn*t

work, and switched to =apanese that sounded

almost native.

%0ow*d you know, little girl8+

The girl replied coldly while gripping her sword,

fully alert.

%& 2y senpai told me$ don*t just rely on your

eyes4 feel with your entire body.+

%'-senpaaai&8+

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As he blinked in confusion, )assago felt the sting

of some ancient memory. I must!e heard that

somewhere

#ut before he could form any substantial thought,

the girl took a deep breath and let out a deafening

scream.

%!nemy@@ There*s an enemy / @@+

0e clucked his tongue, and retracted his short

knife back to the right of his waist.

Well' guess thats the end of the game.

)assago threw up his left arm with an eaggerated

motion and shouted as well.

%(uys& (et to work@@+

This time, the girl*s eyes widened in genuine

shock.

9rom within the shrubbery tens of meters behind

)assago, there came the scuKing of rustling

branches4 it was created by the thirty lightly-

armored scouts selected from the main Dark

"night army rising to their feet, one after another.

A second girl jumping o7 the wagon, along with

the ten or so (uards dashing from the north in

response to the girl*s warning, were e5ually

dumbstruck.

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%h& The enemy*s at the back@8 And there*s

about thirty people@8+

ntegrity "night 3enri repeated loudly, hardly

believing the distress call from the supply team.

This is "ad 1 This is "ad%

f the wagons were assaulted and the supplies

were burnt or destroyed, the entire army would

grind to a halt. ;ot only that, there were three

people over there$ two trainee girls who had sworn

on their lives to defend it, and also a young man.

I ha!e to send them a rescue team of a hundred'

no' two hundred men. ut if I split the main army

e!en further' they might lose to the enemies

approaching from the north. y then' they would

immediately lose to the enemys o!erwhelming

num"er.

Wait' may"e our am"ush plan has already "een

e>posed If it has' then should I ha!e the entire

army retreat further south' and wait for another

chance

Enable to come up with a proper conclusion, 3enri

stood still. Then, a rough voice entered his ears.

% never thought that they would*ve predicted us

going south and laid an ambush here ahead of

us&+

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"night ommander #ercouli and Alice had just

returned from the northern hill a kilol away. 3enri

viewed them both as possessing strength that

towered far into the clouds above, but no longer

could he detect even a sliver of calm on their

faces, and especially not for Alice. 'he looked as

though she were ready to >y for the supply team

at once.

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0is right hand, rough as the gnarled trunk of a

tree, slowly drew the Time Piercing 'word from his

left waist.

#y the aged blade*s fading gleam, one could

clearly tell that the sword only possessed a

miniscule amount of

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%"ek& "ekek.+

A muKed cackle slipped out from his mask.

/ This is it. This is the feeling.

This is the joy of playing with someones life and

relationships with a "lade. This is why I just cant

stop player+killing.

%& won*t kill her, as long as you stand and watch

right there.+

hispering to the red-haired girl, he crouched

net to the girl called 3onye.

#ehind him, about thirty bloodthirsty soldiers were

inching closer, step by step.

Tears of fear and humiliation beaded within

3onye*s eyes. 0er 1erce determination sank into

the depths of despair, and //

&&&8

'uddenly, 3onye*s eyes shifted focus from

)assago*s face to the sky.

'omething was re>ected in her watery iris.

/ 5ight.

2ilky white, radiant particles descended, slowly,

gently, softly, like snow.

As a weird shiver ran down his spine, )assago

slowly lifted his head.

The night sky was pitch black. The stars were

blood red.

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n such a background, there >oated a small

silhouette / and yet its presence was ludicrously

huge.

/ Thats a person. woman.

'he wore a breastplate gleaming with a shine akin

to that of a pearl. 0er gauntlets and boots were of

the same sheen.

0er long skirt was sewed together with countless

small pieces of cloth, >uttering like wings. 0er hair

>ying in the wind was in fresh chestnut color/

%'tacia& sama.+

3onye murmured from below.

These words did not reach )assago*s ears. The

instant he had caught a glimpse of the woman*s

face descending from the sky, the assassin had

leapt to his feet as though he were being yanked

upwards.

9reed from )assago*s grasp, 3onye immediately

backed away to where the red-haired girl was, but

he did not even bother to look.

The silhouette >oating in the air stretched out her

right arm.

'he gently swept her delicate hand across.

5aa ///////L

3esembling a chorus of thousands of angels, an

overpowering harmony shook the world.

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'pectrums of polychromatic light swallowed

)assago.

The ground beneath his feet vanished.

As he fell into the in1nite darkness, )assago thrust

both hands upwards, trying to grab onto the tiny

silhouette.

%9uckin* really8 & *mon, fuckin* really8+

A trembling voice slipped from his mouth.

That face.

That hair.

That atmosphere.

%sn*t that& C1&e9lash from "o#8+

The "night ommander #ercouli stood still as he

raised his beloved sword.

#efore him, there yawned an enormous chasm in

the earth, over a hundred mel wide. 0e ga6ed far

towards the hori6on to his left and right, but there

was no end to be seen. The depth was

unpredictable4 bits of rock here and there dropped

into the abyss, yet no sign of impact against the

bottom reached his ears.

Tens of seconds ago, this rift in the earth did not

eist.

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9rom the sky, variegated rays of color had poured

down with a grandiose harmony, and as they

touched the ground, it began to fracture.

There is a"solutely no way to trigger such a

ground"reaking change' not with one thousand

scetics' or e!en ten thousand scetics. 4erhaps

not e!en the $ighest :inister dministrator

herself.

This is the power of a

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9rom this, the "night ommander detected a

sense of hesitation towards wiping out a multitude

of lives.

n other words, this was done according to human

will.

3

1 =aster.

1 =aster' @uickly get me to the ground' to where

,irito+kun is.

?uuki Asuna had logged into the Enderworld with

'uper Account MN,C1&e .oddess of Creation "tacia.

Protected by the fall-cushioning mechanic onlyavailable on the 1rst log in, she repeated her

lover*s name in her mind.

Almost an hour had passed since an unknown

armed group had stormed the independent marine

biology research mega->oat, the C(cean 1urtle'

%*ll go,+ Asuna had declared to "ikuoka 'eijirouand company, and 9ullDived using 'oul Translator

;o. I. 0iga Takeru located her insertion

coordinates, which should have been right above

where "irito was now. hen she landed, her lover

would de1nitely be waiting there for her.

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Accompanying her nearly insane yearning, a

stabbing pain racked Asuna*s head. 'he grimaced

on re>e, resisting the discomfort.

'he had been warned about the side e7ects that

would occur with usage of the Cunlimited

landscape alteration ability, the administrative

authority given to the 'tacia account. The area*s

2nemonic Data was absurdly large4 as the data

instantly transferred repeatedly between Asuna*s

'T< and the 2ain )isuali6er, which stored the data

of the entire Enderworld, her 9luctlight would

overload.

As 3AT0*s chief engineer, 0iga had strictly told her

not to recklessly change the landscape too much

/ to stop whenever she felt a headache.

#elow her were a thousand men from the 0uman

!mpire, and two enormous crowds from the Dark

Territory that were approaching them from both

the north and south. As soon as she reali6ed that,

despite the advice, she had immediately chanted

the commands.

'he put the cluster from the north to a halt by

opening a long, wide valley in front of them. #ut

for the thirty men drawing near the location where

"irito might be, she had no choice but to erase the

ground they were standing on.

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They are all human "eings with real souls. They

are the true "ottom+up Is that ,irito has stri!ed

for two years in this world to protect.

4erhaps this sharp pain is their intense fear and

grudge Aooding into the T5.

!ven so, Asuna closed her eyes tightly, then

opened them wide and freed herself of her

hesitation.

0er priorities had been determined for years.

9or "irito / "irigaya "a6uto, she would commit

any sin. 'he would accept all deserved

punishment.

At long last, the descent came to an end in tens of

seconds that each felt like an eternity4 the tips of

her pearly boots touched the black earth.

'he was in a wooded area 1lled with twisted

bushes. ithout a moon, there were only

ominously shimmering red stars, faintly shining

down from the night sky.

Asuna shook the remaining headache away and

straightened her back. 3ight net to her feet, a

dark, deep hole opened in the ground, into which

she had plunged an armored knight-like Dark

Territory man. t would be rather dangerous to

leave it there, but she had diFculty handling the

landscape again in a such a short time.

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'he heard the neigh of a horse nearby4 looking in

that direction, she reali6ed that a few large

wagons were standing behind the bushes,

seemingly hiding.

1 Where Where are you' ,irito

=ust as Asuna was desperate to the point of nearly

crying out his name, a trembling voice called to

her.

%& 'tacia& sama8+

'he turned her head around, and saw two girls

leaning against each other as they stood. They

were both wearing gray jumper skirts, just like

school uniforms.

Their faces were a little strange. They did not look

=apanese, nor they did they look estern. Their

skin were smooth and cream-colored4 the girl on

the right had hair in maple leaf red, and the girl on

the left had hair in a dark co7ee brown.

Two timeworn long swords hung from their belts.

The red-haired girl opened her mouth slightly, and

a small voice slipped out once more.

%Are you& (od8+

Perfect =apanese, yet her intonation was very

subtly foreign. Thus, Asuna felt she had glimpsed

the Enderworld*s three-hundred year independent

history.

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1 ,ikuoka+san' $iga+san' look at what you!e

created.

1 To 7ath' this might only "e a simulation' "ut

this entire world and the people li!ing here' are

genuinely ali!e.

%& ;o& 'orry, *m not a god,+ Asuna answered as

she gently shook her head.

The girl with dark brown hair wrung her hands.

%#ut, but,+ she whispered. %?ou*ve kindly saved

my life with a miracle. ?ou*ve saved all of us from

those scary soldiers from the Dark Territory&

?ou*ve saved the (uards, the Ascetics& and

"irito-senpai.+

hen she heard that name, Asuna gasped, and a

violent twinge shot through her heart.

'he straightened her body that almost lost

balance, and 1nally s5uee6ed out a feeble voice,

her lips trembling.

%& just came here to meet him, "irito& Please

tell me& here is he8

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The surrounding swordsmen clad in uniform armor

formed an open circle, staring at her from a

distance4 Asuna walked through its center as the

girls showed her the way.

'he was taken to the back of a wagon. A thick,

canvas-like curtain was hanging from the roof, and

she could not see inside.

%"irito-senpai is insi&+

ithout waiting for the red-haired girl to 1nish,

Asuna pushed the curtains aside with both hands

and jumped onto the deck. 'he stumbled as she

advanced.

0anging from the roof of the cabin, a small lantern

threw dim light onto stacks of wooden boes and

barrels. 'he slipped through the tiny space

between them, getting deeper and deeper into the

wagon.

'uddenly, she was hit by a nostalgic smell, as

warm as the sun, as refreshing as a slight bree6e

over grasslands and forests.

'ilvery light re>ected into Asuna*s eyes, which

adjusted to the darkness.

t was coming from a wheelchair made of a metal

frame and pieces of wood.

n the chair, there was a 1gure in black, sitting

spiritlessly, its body sagging like a shadow.

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%&&&&(h.+

:verwhelmed by a storm of emotion, Asuna was

struck dumb. !ven though she had envisioned a

multitude of scenarios, the words for their reunion

became stuck in her throat.

;ow lying in the 'T< ;o.O on the :cean Turtle in

the real world, the one she loved most was there,

in the form of his soul.

0urt, damaged, but certainly alive.

ack when ,irito met me again in the hospital in

Tokorozawa' when I didnt wake up e!en though I

was released from the death game #' ,irito

must ha!e suBered the same pain' and was as

determined as I am now.

/ Its my turn. Ill de*nitely sa!e you' no matter

the cost.

'oftly ehaling her stuck breath, Asuna whispered$

%&& "irito-kun.+

The right arm was missing from his emaciated

body. 0ugging the black and white swords, his left

arm jerked when Asuna*s voice resonated.

0is face stared downwards, and his eyes were

empty4 both trembled in tiny spasms.

%Eh&&+

A broken, hoarse voice slid from his parched lips.

%Eh& Aaaa& Aahh&&+

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Taka' taka.The wheelchair was shaking. 0is left

arm sti7ened, and tendons pu7ed up on his neck.

Two tracks of tears slid down his bowed face and

dropped onto the scabbards in his arms.

%"irito-kun& !nough, that*s enough@@+ Asuna

shouted.

'he kneeled, and gently but tightly, hugged her

lover. 9rom her own eyes, she also felt warm li5uid

gushing out without end.

ae 4

'eeing each other once more, curing "irito*s soul,

his consciousness would return/

t would be a lie if she said she had not hoped so.

0owever, Asuna understood that the damage

dealt to "irito*s 9luctlight was deep. "irito*s

9luctlight core, or self-image, had been destroyed.

As long as they did not reconstruct it somehow, no

matter how much input he was eposed to, he

could not articulate a proper output.

0iga*s voice resounded in her mind.

1 It seems that he has some accomplices I

mean comrades. Theyre arti*cial =luctlights' of

course. nd most of his comrades died when they

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fought the 6hurch' so in the end he se!erely

"lamed himself when he succeeded in contacting

us. In other words' he attacked his own =luctlight.

Desolation, regret and despair had cut a

bottomless hole into "irito*s heart.

/ /!en if that hole were in*nite emptiness' I will

*ll it up. If I cant manage that "y myself' Ill enlist

the help of those who connected their hearts with

you. There just isnt any loss that cant "e

replaced with lo!e.

Asuna felt her determination replenish$ she would

not let "irito feel any sorrow again, not a shred of

it.

/ I will protect this world' which ,irito lo!ed and

li!ed in. Ill protect it from the mysterious

attackers and e!en from 7T$.

After hugging "irito tightly for one last time, Asuna

stood up straight.

'he spun around4 and as tears >owed down her

cheeks, she smiled at the two observing girls.

%Thank you. ?ou two have been protecting "irito,

haven*t you8+

The dark brown-haired girl nodded humbly, and

replied with a 5uestion in a trembling voice$

%!cuse me, may & have your name, please8 f

you*re not 'tacia-sama, then& who are you8+

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%2y name is Asuna. *m a human like you. And just

like "irito, come from the outside world& for the

same purpose.+

4

All $ can say is) $%m rat&er surprised'

(n t&e second floor of t&e imperial t&rone carriae, beside

.abriel w&o overloo0ed t&e sudden crac0 in t&e round, came a

voice t&at seemed Duite rela+ed'

He turned towards t&e voice and saw, poppin up from one of

t&e various &atc&es in t&e dec0, t&e burly face of a middle*aed

man' He recalled t&at t&is was 8enil, t&e &ead of t&e

7erc&ants% .uild' 8enil Eoined &is lon sleeves and performed

a sincere salute'

&ile &e seemed to be one of t&e few remainin .eneral nits,

t&is man did not seem li0e &e possessed any notable fi&tin

prowess' &at was t&e matter< .abriel raised an eyebrow in

ac0nowledement' 8enil lanced left and ri&t, but &is body

remained facin .abriel' He saw t&at Vassao was not around,

but did not say anyt&in else and saluted once more'

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;our 7aEesty' 1&e moon will rise soon) $f t&ere are no

furt&er orders to be e+ecuted accordinly, $ &umbly reDuest t&at

t&e troops be allowed to rest and dine'

(0ay'

He peered into t&e blac0, apin c&asm aain'

1&e scouts t&at &ad been sent to report on its si@e &ad not yet

returned' $n ot&er words, it wouldn%t be Eust a few mel' And by

t&e loo0s of it, it seemed t&at a &ole of t&is dept& was not one

t&at could be easily filled in wit& raw civilian manpower'

redictin t&at t&e enemy army &ad manaed to infiltrate t&e

sout&ern parts, w&ere Vassao and &is subordinates were, t&ere

was now an e+tremely &i& c&ance t&at t&ey would all be

eliminated if t&ey did not&in' 2ut even if Vassao &imself

were to die &ere, &e would still awa0en in t&e real world'

Gow &e &ad to use t&e flyin nits' 2ut t&e /ar0 5ni&ts only

&ad ten draons' He did not 0now t&e number of trips it would

ta0e to transport twenty t&ousand footsoldiers'

(r maybe it was possible wit& maic' 2ut accordin to t&e

/ar0 "orceresses &e &ad consulted, creatin a sufficient bride

for t&e entire army to cross was not possible' $f t&ey were all as

powerful as t&eir leader /'$'8, maybe, wit& more /emi&uman

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sacrifices) 2ut reports told t&at /'$'8' &ad been vapori@ed in

battle by an enemy 5ni&t%s counterattac0'

1 =or someone full of am"ition' you left the "attle

so @uickly.

.abriel t&ou&t wit& a twine of reret' 2ut at t&e end of t&e

day, an A$ was merely a piece on a c&essboard, and &er

e+istence disappeared from &is mind'

$n ot&er words

1&at yawnin c&asm was somet&in t&at upsetted t&e ame

balance of t&is world' 1&is world &ad not&in t&at neit&er t&e

Human -mpire A$ nor /ar0 1erritory A$ were incapable of

fi+in'

$f t&at were t&e case, t&is li0ely involved interference from t&e

real world' "omebody from 6A1H, probably a &i&er*up, &ad

loed in wit& a super account li0e &im'

1&ey mi&t even &ave t&e same oal' 6etrieve Alice#, t&en

eEect to t&e real world t&rou& a system console'

Alt&ou& t&ins were ettin troublesome, at t&is point, &e

could only plan accordinly'

(r rat&er t&ins were ettin more interestin'

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1&e corners of .abriel%s mout& lifted in t&e sli&test of smir0s'

After it disappeared, &e turned to 8enil'

Very well' e will set up camp &ere toni&t' Feed t&e troops

well tomorrow will be a busy day'

;es, sire' ;our 7aEesty%s benevolence is truly &umblin'

ayin &is respects once more, t&e 7erc&ants% .uild c&ief left

in &i& spirits'

III

From t&e same world as) 5irito*senpai

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1&e irls loo0ed towards t&e w&eelc&air aain, e+c&aned

loo0s, t&en bot& stifled iles' 1&ey &astily adEusted t&eir

e+pressions, and nodded'

;es) ;es) 6i&t, t&ere s&ouldn%t be any ods w&o escape

from t&e academy in t&e middle of t&e ni&t to buy snac0s)

ri&t)

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(n &is bowed face, dried tear trac0s were still visible'

1 Its all right now' its all right now' ,irito+kun.

-ou can lea!e the rest to me

Asuna said softly in &er &eart, ti&tly rippin &is left &and'

1&en s&e turned, slipped past a crate, and Eumped off t&e bac0

of t&e waon'

Kust as &er w&ite s&oes touc&ed t&e round

.olden li&t appeared before &er'

1&e lint of a sword blade'

2efore s&e could react, &er body moved on instinct' Her ri&t

&and luned for t&e rapier at &er left waist'

,yariin%

1&e sound of metal aainst metal s&attered t&e dar0 silence of

t&e woods'

&ile s&e &ad manaed to deflect t&e stri0e, t&e une+pectedly

powerful impact &ad numbed &er entire ri&t arm' &at a

&eavy sword'

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"cattered spar0s from t&e collision w&itened across &er vision'

"&e could barely discern t&e pat& of a second instantaneous

attac0'

nbloc0able wit& a sinle stri0e'

$mmediately ma0in t&at Eudment, Asuna c&ared at &er

opponent and launc&ed a succession of rapid stabs'

Her t&ird Eab finally to parry t&e incomin stri0e' "witc&in to

t&e offense, Asuna finally cau&t a limpse of t&e attac0er%s

features'

"&e asped in s&oc0'

An astonis&inly beautiful 0ni&t wit& snow*w&ite s0in,

rou&ly t&e same ae as s&e was, was larin at Asuna' Her

sapp&ire eyes emanated an animosity t&at seemed to crac0le

li0e electricity'

Her olden &air, seeminly fas&ioned from t&e element itself,billowed in t&e air' Her &efty armor and smoot& lonsword bot&

leamed a fla+en yellow'

From a distance, t&e irls loo0ed on, eyes wide' Finally, t&ey

manaed wea0 cries'

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5ni&t*sama, please stop!!

"&e is not an enemy, Alice*sama)!!

Alice#!

Hearin t&is name, Asuna was stunned aain'

1&is eleant swordswoman before &er, wieldin a weapon t&e

wei&t of a boulder was t&e world%s first true 2ottom*p A$,

t&e &i&ly adaptive artificial intellience, A8$C-< "&e was t&e

oal of roEect Alici@ation, and w&at 6A1H and t&e invaders

bot& t&irsted for t&e center of everyt&in'

2ut w&y was Alice attac0in &erhaustion "efore me.

o this is 1 a part of what I ha!e to do to make

sure ,irito comes "ack.

) 8et%s ma0e a deal'

Hearin Alice%s s&ort remar0, Asuna blin0ed in confusion'

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$%ll let you see 5irito' $%ll also tell you w&at $ 0now' $n

e+c&ane, you tell me everyt&in you 0now about 5irito'

After less t&an a second of confusion, Asuna smiled

confidently'

All ri&t' 2ut it%s a lon story' (ne ni&t may not be enou& to

tell it'

$ow uncomforta"le.outin aain, Alice demanded?

How lon &ave you been wit& &im

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1&e two lowered at eac& ot&er, as t&ou& fully clad in armor,

ready to draw swords and duel' 1&e ni&t air crac0led, and dry

leaves unluc0y enou& to land between t&em e+ploded?pishi'

pishi.

1&e one w&o bravely entered t&e battle between an $nterity

5ni&t and t&e Creation .oddess was t&e t&in voice of a

youn irl'

m)

"&oc0ed, Alice w&irled in t&at direction' Asuna followed suit'

1&e voice &ad come from a youn trainee from t&e supply team

wit& a soft cap on &er tea*colored &air and a ray ni&town

6onye' "&e s&yly clasped &er &ands toet&er in front of &er

c&est, and spo0e aain'

Actually, $, $ spent two mont&s cleanin 5irito*senpai%s room,

and &e tau&t me sword s0ills as well, and even treated us to

t&e Kumpin /eer $nn%s &oney pies several times! $t does seem

li0e very little compared to you two, but) $ also want to

s&are)

Alice blin0ed a few times before e+c&anin lances wit&

Asuna aain' 2ot& of t&eir mout&s smiled wryly at t&e same

time, as t&ou& si&in toet&er'

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"ure, 6onye*san' ;ou were a companion, after all'

Alice s&rued and nodded towards t&e petite irl' "&e could

not &elp but praise t&e trainee e+&alin and smilin in relief?

w&at commendable bravery'

2ut s&e was not t&e only c&allener'

7ay $ parta0e in t&e information e+c&ane

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Alice si&ed aain, raised &er s&oulders, and spo0e to t&e tall

.uard 8eader?

) And w&at sort of association is t&at, .uard 8eader "erlutB

Asuna and Alice met eyes, simultaneously displayed

e+pressions of 6eally, now, and nodded'

1&en you must &ave Duite a bit of information too, 8iena*san'

lease come in wit& us'

it& an odd atmosp&ere, t&e four of t&em bean silently

movin, and Alice led t&em into a small tent' "imple beddin

lay on top of two leat&er pads ne+t to eac& ot&er' (ne of t&em

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was empty, w&ile a blac0*&aired yout& wit& &is eyes closed lay

on t&e ot&er' o0in out of woolen blan0et, two lonsword &ilts

were sli&tly visible'

"eein t&is, Asuna%s lips trembled wit& a deep lonin' Alice

did not discern it'

) &at%s t&e matter

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1&e dar0 ni&t over t&e blac0 wilderness became colder and

colder, wit& only t&e violet moon s&inin silently over t&e land'

&et&er it was t&e .uards of t&e Human -mpire /efense

Army or t&e /ar0 5ni&ts and Fist Fi&ters of t&e /ar0

1erritory army in t&eir camp t&at was now split by a larecrevice, all &ad sun0 into deep sleep'

$n one corner of t&e silent ni&t before t&e final battle between

t&e two sides, only one candle inside a tent could not be

e+tinuis&ed' "ounds of Duiet lau&ter came from be&ind t&e

t&ic0 curtain, but t&e only one w&o could &ear was a lone owl

perc&ed on a tree branc&'

After t&e oil in t&e lantern was depleted, t&e four youn

women, e+&austed from tal0in so muc&, san0 into sleep beside

5irito'

A moment later, far away in Central Capital Centoria in t&e

Human -mpire, a bell steadily tolled midni&t' (f course, t&is

sound did not reac& t&e camp in t&e /ar0 1erritory'

At t&e same time

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A sensation so faint it could be described as t&e vibration of

time# reac&ed every sinle person in t&e nderworld' 1&at was

t&e sensation of t&e F8A 6ate droppin to ?, but even

someone were awa0e, t&ey would find it e+tremely difficult to

feel it'

nderworld Human -mpire Calendar, t&e ei&t& day of t&e

elevent& mont&, ;ear B=N, N?NN'

6eal orld Kapan "tandard 1ime, : Kuly N9, N?NN'

1&e timelines of bot& worlds were completely sync&roni@ed'