"Ngh!"
I parried with the <Sword of Raging Flames> in a split second, but the impact was staggering. The pressure felt as if a massive boulder were grinding me down. My arms screamed in protest, and my knees felt like they were about to buckle.
"Ryune! It’s me, Kiska!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, but not even a flicker of emotion appeared in her eyes. Now an inhuman entity, she simply rained down pitch-black blades with single-minded intensity.
"Kh...!"
My sword arm trembled. A monstrous strength, one I never could have imagined from the Ryune I knew, assailed me without mercy.
But more than that, my heart was shaking. I couldn't believe that the kind Ryune, the girl who had been fighting for my sake until just moments ago, could change so drastically.
Then, I suddenly heard the voice of her heart. The effect of this room was still active.
(No... stop it... I don't want to hurt Kiskacchi...!)
It was a faint voice, but it was undeniably hers. She was fighting against her own body.
"Ryune, hang in there...!"
I called out to her as I desperately intercepted her attacks with my sword.
(No! Kiskacchi, run! I... I can't stop!)
Her inner voice echoed in my mind, but the incantation for her next magic had already begun.
"Second Tier: Shadow Claw: Claw."
Claws of black mana pierced my legs. Unable to stay standing, I collapsed to one knee. My mind raced—what should I do? At this rate, I was going to be killed by Ryune’s own hand.
"Third Tier: Dark Array: Shadow Ring."
With nowhere to run, waves of mana battered my body. The pain was so intense I felt my bones creak, and my consciousness began to flicker.
However, amidst the agony, I noticed something.
Ryune’s movements were definitely slowing down.
Her breathing was ragged, sweat beaded on her forehead, and her knees were trembling. A look of exhaustion, something she hadn't shown even while fighting Elsie, was bleeding from her entire being.
(My mana is at its limit... but I can't stop the rampage... At this rate, I’ll... Kiskacchi...)
Her inner voice was a fray of pain and fatigue, suffering under the weight of her own magic's madness.
"Ryune! Don't try to hold it back!"
I shouted, teetering on the edge of collapse.
"Don't worry about me! Just let out everything you have left!"
(But if I do that, Kiskacchi will—!)
"Just do it! Or do you plan to keep torturing me with this half-baked mana forever?!"
Her movements hitched for a split second.
"If you give it your all, it'll be over in a single strike. Believe in me and just let it out!"
As if she had been sprinting at full speed for miles, Ryune’s body swayed violently. Nevertheless, she began her final incantation.
"Dark Magic, Thirteenth Tier: Void Law: Nihilism."
In that instant, the very air around her began to warp. A vortex of pitch-black mana, incomparable to anything she had used before, coalesced around her. The room groaned under the pressure of that ominous power.
But it lasted only a heartbeat.
"Ugh... ah..."
The strength drained from Ryune’s body, and the incantation was severed. She collapsed to her knees as the black mana dissipated like mist.
Though her horns and claws remained, the eyes of the girl lying on the floor were finally lucid again.
"Looks like... I won the bet..." I wheezed.
I was so exhausted I didn't think I’d be able to move for a while, either.
◆
Some time passed after Ryune collapsed.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Kiskacchi..."
I heard the soft sound of sobbing. Ryune was crying where she lay.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because... I hurt you so much... And seeing me like this... Kiskacchi, you must be disillusioned, right?"
"I was surprised, sure. But I also remember that you were only trying to protect me."
Ryune’s eyes widened in surprise.
"You used the power you’d been hiding just to save me from Elsie. This is just the price you paid for that."
I looked over at her, still sobbing in her demonic form. If she hadn't unleashed that power, Elsie would have killed us both.
"Thank you. You’re so kind, Kiskacchi."
"I'm not being kind. I'm just stating the obvious."
My words seemed to put her at ease, and her expression softened, only to turn solemn again a moment later.
(But I didn't want Kiskacchi to see me like this... No matter how nice he is, this form is scary...)
Her thoughts leaked out again. The Room of Truth was still at work.
Involuntarily, I took another look at her.
Two large horns, long claws, and sharp teeth. Even her eyes were nothing like a human's. It was certainly a startling sight to see for the first time, but only because she looked like a member of the Demon Race. Now that I knew it was her, I didn't find it frightening in the least.
In fact, I thought she was cute.
She had been cute before, but she hadn't lost any of that charm just because she'd taken on a demonic form. If anything, the horns and claws were just extra charm points.
I really didn't want her to feel so down about it.
"K-Kiskacchi... that's really embarrassing..."
Ryune turned bright red and looked away.
Ah, right.
My inner thoughts were being broadcast to her, too. I had completely forgotten.
"Er, well... that’s how I feel, so don't beat yourself up over it."
I tried to brush off my slip of the tongue. My desire for her not to be pessimistic was genuine, so even if the delivery was unintentional, I suppose it was good that it got through.
"O-okay..."
Ryune nodded briefly, still looking bashful.
"If you’ve got your strength back, let’s move on. We can't keep Nyau waiting forever."
I gestured toward the exit Elsie had mentioned.
Part of me also wanted to leave the Room of Truth immediately before any more "accidents" could happen.
"Right."
She agreed, and we hurried toward the exit. In the distance stood a door that was clearly the way out. The treasure chest was supposed to be just beyond it.
(Uuuuugh, what am I going to do? He said that so suddenly... I think I might have actually fallen in love with Kiskacchi. I’m so embarrassed right now that I can’t even look him in the face properly.)
"Wait, what?"
I reflexively spun around to look at her.
I couldn't help it. There was no way I could stay cool after hearing something like that, even if it was just a thought.
"!!!!!!!!"
Ryune realized her mistake instantly, and her eyes welled up with tears of pure mortification.
"Kiskacchi, you idiot!" she squeaked in a tiny voice.