With Kuromueina’s arrival, the girl’s expression contorted in shock for the first time.
What kind of monster is this? she thought, her instincts screaming. The quality, density, and control of her magic... she’s in a completely different league from the others!
Using her innate insight, she appraised Kuromueina’s true strength and immediately understood that it was off the charts. Cold sweat trickled down the girl's spine as her composure evaporated.
Despite the girl's obvious distress, Kuromueina spoke in a remarkably gentle voice.
"Now then, I’d like to hear your name and the reason you attacked my family—"
"Haaahhh!"
"—I see. You aren't in the mood to talk, are you!"
"Gah!?"
It happened in the blink of an eye. The girl thinned the hand Kuromueina had seized until it was as fine as a thread, slipping the restraint before instantly restoring its mass to slash at her.
Under normal circumstances, the girl might have acted with more composure, but ironically, her mental state was far from stable.
The primary reason was that she had been the undisputed strongest being in her original world. No one there could even threaten her life; she hadn't felt a true sense of mortal peril in tens of thousands of years.
Yet, immediately after arriving in this world, she had been met with the killing intent of beings capable of ending her life—and she had responded with everything she had.
She had felt a fleeting sense of relief when she held the upper hand in the previous skirmish, only for a powerhouse who felt utterly invincible to appear before her. For the first time in millennia, she felt the cold shadow of death looming over her.
The girl could not die. If she fell here, she would never fulfill the wish of her best friend. Driven by that desperation, she moved with everything she had to eliminate the threat before her.
Her strike was parried by Kuromueina’s left hand as if she were merely brushing away a stray spark. Immediately after, a punch of cataclysmic power slammed into the girl.
As Kuromueina followed through with the strike, a mushroom cloud erupted in the distance.
"The rest of you stay here," Kuromueina told her family. "I'll handle this."
She crossed the distance to where the girl had been sent hurtling in less than a second, standing leisurely before a massive cloud of dust.
Any ordinary demon would have been obliterated by that blow, but Kuromueina didn't think for a moment that the girl was dead.
In truth, Kuromueina had no intention of killing her. She was kind—excessively so. While she was angry that her family had been harmed, she didn't want to take a life if it could be avoided.
"If possible, I’d really like to talk this out... but I suppose that’s asking too much," Kuromueina sighed.
Almost the moment she spoke, several streaks of light sliced through the dust cloud.
"Weave the Bonds! Hecatoncheir!"
"Ngh... This is..."
Kuromueina’s eyes widened slightly as she saw the girl emerge, cloaked in radiance like falling stars.
What is that? Kuromueina wondered. I can feel a great power, but it’s slightly different from magic power. Is it a magic I don't know? Or some other ability? Either way, she’s still standing after taking a direct hit, so I can't afford to be careless.
Gazing at the girl charging toward her, Kuromueina quietly clenched her fist and took a combat stance.
A fraction of a second later, flashes of starlight and jet-black radiance collided and exploded.
Listening to the thunderous roars echoing from the distance, Ein and the others stood in a line, awaiting Kuromueina’s return.
"We cannot see the battle from here," Ein murmured, "but the fact that the sounds are still echoing suggests she is actually holding her own against Chrome-sama. Quite a feat."
"...Will Kuromueina... be okay?" Isis asked, her expression clouded with worry.
"It is impossible for Kuromueina to lose," Lilliwood said, attempting to reassure her while she healed her own wounds. "However, I doubt this will be settled quickly. That girl was truly strong. You understand that better than anyone, don't you, Megiddo?"
"Yeah," Megiddo grunted. "The reason we were on the defensive the whole time is simple. It wasn't power or speed... it was combat technique. In that one area, she was far beyond us. It’s frustrating to admit, but her movement, her adaptability, and her situational judgment were so perfect it was enchanting."
"Actually," Magnawell interjected, "if you hadn't released all that bloodlust to begin with, would we have even needed to fight?"
"Ah... You think so too? Honestly, even to me, she didn't seem like the type you couldn't talk to. My bad."
"There is no use dwelling on what has passed," Magnawell sighed. "Even we could not remain entirely calm when faced with such an expert."
Megiddo, who was the catalyst for the conflict, honestly admitted his mistake and bowed his head when Magnawell pointed it out. Since even Ein—who had spoken briefly with the girl—hadn't been able to make a calm decision to negotiate in the heat of that struggle, no one blamed Megiddo further.
The five demons sat in silence, waiting for Kuromueina’s victory.
What a waste, Kuromueina thought idly as she exchanged blows with the girl.
She’s incredibly strong, but she isn't making full use of her massive magic power. Maybe she has no experience fighting with it fully released? If she mastered that power, she would be even more formidable.
During her internal monologue, one of Kuromueina’s arms was severed. She didn't seem particularly bothered; the flying limb dissolved into black smoke, and a new arm regenerated instantly.
Amazing. She isn't letting me move the way I want to at all. She parries all my attacks and capitalizes on the slightest opening... Hmm. I guess I still have room to grow too. Maybe I should polish my techniques again before I fight the 'other me'...
Despite the girl's desperate assault, Kuromueina remained composed. It was only natural; while the girl was a master of technique and currently overwhelmed her in that regard...
That was the only area where she excelled. Power, speed, durability, and even total magic capacity—Kuromueina far surpassed her in all of them. Had the girl used her magic perfectly, the outcome might have been uncertain, but as things stood, the chance of Kuromueina losing was zero.
This might drag on, though. I didn't want to use it because the collateral damage would be immense, but I don't see another choice...
She could wait until the girl’s stamina or magic failed. No matter how many attacks the girl evaded or parried, she would undoubtedly be the one to collapse first.
However, that would take too long. Given the girl's reserves, the fight could last ten days or more, and the devastation would spread across the realm.
Kuromueina opted for a swift conclusion at full strength.
The girl’s knife passed harmlessly through Kuromueina’s body as the surroundings were suddenly swirled in black smoke. Then, a pair of golden eyes opened within the darkness.
"Wha—!?"
The girl reflexively froze. Her opponent, who had already seemed invincible, had just seen her magic power surge several... no, several dozen times over.
Kuromueina did not miss that momentary hesitation. The black smoke coalesced into a giant fist and slammed into the girl.
"—Ngh!?"
The impact was so immense she couldn't even scream, yet her mind continued to race.
Too fast! Too heavy! I can't bleed off the momentum... This is bad. My consciousness is going to black out for a second...
In a battle of this caliber, a fraction of a second was a death sentence. Her body, conditioned by vast experience, acted before her mind could finish the thought. She snatched a small sphere from her belt pouch and hurled it at Kuromueina while being sent flying.
The sphere detonated with a light so blinding it filled the dark void. The girl slammed into the ground and lost consciousness for a heartbeat, but she forced herself upright before her body could even register the agony.
"You truly are remarkable," Kuromueina’s voice echoed.
"I... can't die."
"Hmm?"
"I can't afford to die here!! Now—Weave the World! Hecatoncheir!"
Faced with Kuromueina’s overwhelming power, the girl finally played her ultimate trump card.
The ultimate form of the Heart Tool Hecatoncheir activated. The starlight scattered around her was sucked back into her body.
But once she had absorbed all the light, the girl suddenly vomited blood and collapsed to her knees.
"...?"
"Why... Why won't you work...?"
Kuromueina had done nothing. The girl knelt there, staring at her hands in disbelief.
Why? Hecatoncheir isn't responding... No power is coming...
The reason was simple: her greatest trump card had misfired. Her expression was one of total shock, but after a moment, the realization dawned on her, and she broke into a tragic smile.
I see... So that’s it. No matter what name I took or what form I assumed, I told myself I was still Alicia. But the truth is, I was just pretending not to see it...
The source of her power was her heart. The bonds she had woven were her strength, the very foundation of the hero who had survived a thousand crises.
My heart... Alicia’s heart... was shattered a long time ago.
The signs had been there all along. In the heat of battle, that old feeling—that she could become stronger without limit—had vanished.
Her heart, riddled with holes from the people she had lost, had crumbled away without her noticing. Now, only the smallest fragments remained.
Then who am I? This creature simply existing with a broken heart... what am I? I don't know. But one thing is certain.
Gazing up at the golden eyes in the dark with fading strength, she shed a single tear.
"I'm sorry... Iris... I couldn't keep... our promise."
She hung her head, waiting for the end. But death did not come.
Seeing her lose the will to fight, Kuromueina returned to her usual form, approached the girl, and reached out.
"Eh?"
"Don't move," Kuromueina said with a faint smile. "I'm going to use healing magic."
The girl watched in disbelief as her wounds began to knit back together. Once the treatment was done, she spoke in a small voice.
"Why... Why didn't you kill me?"
"Lots of reasons. I didn't want to in the first place, and I don't really know your side of the story yet. But the biggest reason... well, I think it's because if you can still cry while thinking of someone precious, you shouldn't die yet."
"..."
The girl fell silent at the words. Finally, she sat back on the ground and looked up at the sky.
"I give up. I've been completely beaten. Do with me as you please."
Her tone had shifted to a more humble, polite style of speech—perhaps a sign of her acceptance that she was no longer the hero Alicia. She surrendered herself to Kuromueina’s judgment.
Kuromueina gave a small, wry smile.
"In that case, would you mind telling me your story? Oh, but first, introductions. I'm Kuromueina. What’s your name?"
"My name...?"
The girl hesitated. She had no desire to call herself Alicia anymore. Alicia was a hero whose heart was broken; she was merely a leftover piece of that person.
"Hmm? Do you not have one? I can give you one if you like!"
"..."
"How about Drei?"
"No... I think I'll call myself Shaltier."
Shaltier. In her world, it meant 'Fragment of Fantasy.' She chose it as a reminder that her current existence was merely a fragment of the dream the hero Alicia had once held.
"Shaltier? But what about Drei? I worked hard on that!"
"Absolutely not. What a lame name..."
"L-Lame!?"
"Kuromueina-san... Kuro-san, your naming sense is a bit tragic, isn't it?"
"Tragic!?"
Seeing Kuromueina’s visible shock, the girl—Shaltier—finally let out a genuine laugh for the first time since she had arrived in this world.