Chapter 43: The Vampire Lord vs. The God-Slaying Ice Wolf

What sticks with me most is the final memory I have of her—the moment I had to say goodbye to a comrade who meant everything to me.

It happened about two years into our journey, during the decisive battle against the third of the Four Heavenly Kings. She had thrown herself in front of an enemy’s strike to shield me. The cost of that protection was the lower half of her body.

"[Summon]! Phoenix! Caduceus! [Heal], [Heal]—[Heal]!"

I summoned the undying bird I was contracted with and brandished a staff possessing the highest recovery potential in existence. I tried everything to mend her, but there wasn't a single sign of recovery. Her life force was simply draining away, faster than I could chase it.

“It’s no use, Reima. She’s a vampire. My holy-attribute blood and recovery magic won’t work on her.”

"Then... then take my blood—"

“Are you a fool? Even for me, a wound like this is terminal. Don’t spill your blood in a lost cause. I have no desire to see you hurt yourself on my account.”

"Don't give me that! You said we'd finish this journey together! You said we'd take down the Demon King as a team! You can't just end it here!"

“...You’re far too loud, you know? Besides, if my life was the only sacrifice needed to bring down a Demon King Seed... isn't that a fair trade?”

"Like hell it is! Hey, Phoenix... tell me! Who can save her?!"

I clung to the bird, desperate for an answer from a creature whose entire existence revolved around the arts of medicine and preservation. But the Phoenix remained silent. Instead, it focused its efforts on knitting my own minor wounds, pouring its power into me rather than her.

“Your companion is wise. Truly, she is the Divine Beast Phoenix. And besides... I can’t be saved. I know that better than anyone.”

Even as death claimed her, she wore a smile.

True to her nature—noble to the very end, always the one protecting us—she maintained a dignified expression despite the agony. She reached up, gently resting a hand against my cheek.

“I’m leaving the rest to you, Reima. You save the world. If you could save a wretch like me, the world should be easy. I’m counting on you. Goodbye... my Hero.”

"—Heh. Fine. I hear you. It’s a promise, Laura. I’ll kill the Demon King. I’ll save the world. I’ll make sure everyone hears the stories of what you and the others did. So... just rest easy. You know how strong I am, right? I’ll have it finished in no time. Hey... answer me..."

That was the scar I could never forget. The record I wished I could erase—the memory of the first time I lost a friend in that other world.

Tsubaki-san led us to the training grounds, where Luna and Laura were already squared off.

Luna stood empty-handed, while Laura used her own abilities to manifest a scythe made of blood. The signal to begin hadn't been given yet, but the air was already thick with an overwhelming tension. This wasn't going to be a mere sparring match.

Personally, I didn't want them to fight. But I knew they both had things they needed to settle, so I chose to stand by and watch it through.

I asked Algol to act as the referee, trusting his lack of favoritism to keep things fair. The rest of us waited inside the Sun Barrier Sol had erected.

Luna's probably going to go all out without my support...

Apparently, Sol had realized this as well, and he was working hard to ensure the spectators remained unharmed by the fallout.

"Don't hold back, Laura," Luna said. "If you do, you'll die."

"I am well aware that I cannot afford half-measures against you. [Origin Burst]: [Vampire Lord]!"

Laura wasn't playing around. She unleashed the full power of her Mythologia origins. This was her true form—a scion of the True Ancestor bloodline, a vampire who commanded the night and was hailed as the King of Monsters.

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, I quickly asked Sol to expand the barrier’s scale to prevent the estate’s buildings from being leveled.

"Let the match begin," Algol announced. "But for the record—try not to kill each other."

"I'll do my best, Algol..." Luna murmured.

"As for me," Laura added, "I'll be satisfied as long as we clash."

In an instant, the freezing air radiating from Luna coalesced into physical weaponry. Swords, axes, spears—every conceivable blade materialized and rained down on Laura, leaving her without a single inch of space to maneuver. Luna wasn't being creative; she was simply generating tools for slaughter and launching them with lethal intent.

"[Tomesis]!"

However, Laura was a veteran of Mythologia as well. While the onslaught was formidable, she had the means to counter it. By using her blood scythe as a catalyst, she invoked a phenomenon of pure severance, cleaving every weapon within her sight in two.

"Your fighting style hasn't changed a bit," Luna observed.

"Is that so? Perhaps you’ve forgotten that I was the one who drilled close-quarters combat into you and Reima?"

Firing ice wasn't the extent of Luna's repertoire; her specialty was actually brawling. Even as she pelted Laura with ice, she closed the distance to deliver a flurry of strikes. Laura dodged them all, however, and moved for a counter.

"[Gouen]!"

Flames erupted from Laura’s hand—one of her primal authorities. These were hellish embers that would never extinguish unless she willed it. It was a "cheat-level" magic that could incinerate even Luna's ice—ice so cold it made the traditional concept of hell feel lukewarm.

"Hey, Kaiser... was Laura always that strong?" I asked.

"If my memory serves, she never used power like this before. She usually stuck to shadow manipulation magic."

"I’d heard the stories," Tsubaki added, "but even as a childhood friend, I've never seen her like this. It’s a bit frustrating, honestly."

"I wouldn't feel too bad," I noted. "Laura needs specific conditions to get this serious. Given her personality, it's not the kind of thing she could easily achieve in this world."

"Conditions?" Ayane piped up, her eyes narrowing. "Now that you mention it, you were talking to her right before the fight started... and your finger is bleeding."

"You're too observant for your own good, Ayane. She'll probably explain it herself later. Anyway, watch—things are about to move."

As we spoke, the battle continued to evolve at a dizzying pace.

My words drew everyone's attention back to the center of the yard just as Laura charged. Gripping a pair of scythes, she tore across the ground in a straight line. She was likely using [Physical Enhancement], as her speed was almost enough to catch Luna off guard.

"Finally. You're actually going on the offensive," Luna said.

Luna didn't back down. Anticipating the charge, she threw up a wall of ice to intercept.

Wait—it wasn't a defensive wall.

On closer inspection, the ice was covered in thousands of jagged needles. If Laura finished her charge, she’d be shredded. A split second later, the yard erupted.

The impact against the ice wall caused a massive explosion, shrouding the training ground in a thick white mist.

"You're as much of a muscle-brained meathead as ever," Luna's voice drifted through the haze.

"I recall Reima complimenting me for that quite often."

"You do realize that wasn't a compliment, right?"

As the mist cleared, I saw a massive hole punched through the center of the ice wall—it looked like it had been pried open by brute force.

The two combatants put distance between themselves again. Apparently, the blood had completely rushed to their heads, because they both began to chant. I could tell they were fully immersed in the fight now, which was exactly why this was becoming dangerous.

“The mouth of the abyss lies to the northeast, a garden of ice and mist where darkness reigns. Born of the frozen prison is the demonic legacy that feasts on lifeblood. Now, let all things be frozen.”

Luna’s chant gave birth to a black sword. I couldn't even fathom how much mana had been compressed to create that thing; it felt like a concentrated mass of barrier magic. It was a reproduction of one of the [God-Slaying Magic] spells I usually invoked through my equipment. Even if the output was lower than the original, the sheer power was terrifying.

Just breathing the air made my lungs ache with the cold. I realized that if I stayed here much longer, my body would freeze from the inside out. I immediately reinforced Sol’s barrier. It was a pure survival instinct—even without being the target, the ferocity of that spell was enough to make me prioritize everyone's safety.

“Twilight sky, chaos unto the world—destruction unto the earth... Cast the multitude of all things into the abyss.”

Laura countered by manifesting a single spear. It was saturated with demonic and chaotic mana, vibrating as if it were on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown.

Both of those spells were bad news. Even if they were blocked, the sheer kinetic energy would level the entire area. My current barrier wouldn't stand a chance.

But just as the two were about to release their spells, something leaped out of my Soul World and positioned itself directly between them.

"[Niflheim Dáinsleif]!"

"[Abyss Collapse]!"

"Alright, you two are overdoing it. Let's think about the strain you're putting on Reima, shall we? So... let's just stop all this magic right now."

A single word of power echoed out. The moment I heard it, I knew who had forced her way out. I felt a wave of relief that we were saved, but my soul practically withered at the thought of the sheer mental exhaustion I was about to endure.

The newcomer was a beautiful girl with pearl-colored hair and eyes like polished rubies, topped with a pointed hat. She had the ears of an elf but the tail of a demon. She beamed a smile at me while effortlessly neutralizing both world-ending strikes simultaneously.

"Yoo-hoo, Reima! A different big sister came to save you, not just little Baha-chan! It’s your dear Merli-oneesan, back at last! You’re free to pamper me as much as you like!"