Hana had hoped to find the attacker who had fired three shots at the castle. It was hard to tell with certainty, but it was obvious the shooter had done so from the mountains. It fit the same pattern as the strike she had been forced to endure at the academy.
At first, she assumed the cursed blow had come from Sulva, but that misunderstanding was quickly cleared when a second arrow shot past her as she extracted Veronica and an unconscious Albo.
Thankfully, Oktavia had taken control of Saya’s body, giving her enough breathing room to escape unscathed. But a larger problem presented itself as soon as she began dashing toward the mountains.
A barrier erected itself without warning, heralded only by the ringing hum of an otherworldly lullaby. It surrounded the city, extending just beyond the circular stone walls that encased it.
Those at the gates were spared the intense physical turmoil, but the rest of the population was not so fortunate.
Using the power of the wind, she lifted herself upward. Yet even with her overwhelming magical energy, she felt her strength wane. Weakened by the barrier, it seemed the curse not only halved her magical output but also added a crushing weight to her body.
Though difficult, she somehow managed to stay upright. However, that was all she could do.
To the overly agile Hana, being stuck in one spot for even a second felt like an eternity. Her eyes scanned the perimeter before her as her legs trembled, begging for rest. Before her, the very people she had sworn to protect were being consumed by the abhorrent black and red mud.
Unlike Rias’ typical feasts, these sludges were far more efficient. They cared little for savoring the taste of flesh, favoring optimization instead.
The distance between her and the city’s exit was only a mile. Yet taking even a single step required most of her willpower and magical energy just to push through. An aerial dash was out of the question. In her current state, she would simply crash back down before managing any other movement.
In all her years of fighting formidable opponents, she had never encountered a curse caster capable of immobilizing her so easily. If Rias or Sulva stood before her, they could kill her without resistance.
And yet she stood alone, her only enemies the slowly approaching tides of sludge.
To the Sword Saint, this was the gravest blunder she could make. Not only was she defenseless, she had also failed to tighten security beyond the city walls. Knowing that Viera’s magical power was waning, she should have taken greater precautions against a threat like the Feathers of Celica.
Her lockdowns meant nothing in the end, as the knights and the people they were tasked with protecting lay on the ground, powerless and unable to act, forced to watch their loved ones suffer.
The sludges were only five steps away from her. She possessed the greatest magical capabilities in the city besides Viera. If they were to consume her, there was no telling how much of a power boost Rias would obtain.
Forcing as much magical energy into her body as possible, her internal gears entered a state of fight or flight. Fear was an emotion she was deeply acquainted with, but never had she needed to harness the emotion itself to amplify her magical properties.
A howling wind surged from her skin, bursting outward like steam from a boiling pot. Her magical gears whined as her blood boiled within her. Her body temperature shot up instantly, the clothes clinging to her frame as they soaked through with sweat.
Her metabolism burned through every meal she had eaten that day. To her relief, she had consumed mostly carbohydrates.
With the aid of the wind, the sludges were torn apart like paper fed into a shredder, leaving no trace of their existence behind. Her body still felt heavy, but at least she could move somewhat freely.
It was only a matter of time before she collapsed from fatigue. To alleviate that problem, she would need to either reconvene at the castle or run straight out of the city. In her current state, the barrier had been erected for approximately three minutes.
No matter how strong a curse was, maintaining a citywide dome would certainly consume an immense amount of magical energy. This was not a hypothetical, but rather a matter of when. If she survived the next few minutes, she could return to her original task.
A single question ran through her mind.
Why?
If they wanted to target the Sword Saint, a smaller barrier would have been far more effective and efficient, especially if the cult intended for the caster to participate in the siege. What was the point of locking down the entire city?
Is it to disable the knights so they can get easy targets?
It was the most logical conclusion. Since it was daytime, the cultists would have far more difficulty repeating what had happened at Kala. Their sneak attacks would be borderline useless in the light.
By disabling the knights in such a manner, it would give the sludges enough time to gorge themselves.
But her assumptions had one missing factor. She assumed the people being devoured were being transferred to Rias’ main body. The truth, however, was right behind her. The sludges had never been interested in supplying their master with magical energy.
Gourmet Army, Rias’ Soul Symphony, was an ability that granted different parts of his body sentience and the capacity to evolve. They achieved this by merging with humans and generating new bodies for themselves.
That was the nature of the creature Saya had fought at the Church.
Surrounding Hana was an army of similar hand-like creatures, human faces protruding from their palms. By linking their lifespans to the deceased, the hands severed their connection to their master, granting themselves full independence.
Raising her blade, Hana readied herself to kill the monsters before her. The runes on her swords were faint, equally affected by the strange curse looming above them. If the hands were anything like Rias, then her physical attacks would have no effect.
The only way to defeat them would be with her wind magic.
But with the way I am right now, I can only maybe kill one or two.
With no other choice, she entered a battle stance. Nearly three dozen hands writhed before her, ready to tear the Sword Saint apart and consume her. Though they had no means of communication, their exaggerated movements reeked of mockery.
They knew better than anyone that Hana’s attempt to fight would be futile.
Blade raised and target locked, the Sword Saint stood on the brink of what could very well be her final battle. Just as she prepared to give her life, a single, soft clap echoed from somewhere behind her, rippling through the city, followed by a languid command.
“Kayy~ I need everyone to stop what they’re doing.”
The voice was soft as silk, slow as honey, as if savoring the taste of each word. It pressed against her chest, deep and resonant, more like a physical embrace than a sound.
Atop a lamppost sat a tall woman in a long, flat white dress that accentuated her figure. A black veil draped over her head, cascading to her ankles and obscuring her face from view.
Hana turned, her brow furrowing. The answer was obvious. She had simply overlooked it. Who else could have erected such an overwhelming cursed barrier?
It was an opponent she had faced before, back when she fought alongside Kuno. A mage who specialized in support spells originating from what the Butterfly Mage had called the Third World.
“Lucia Lulla.”
“Yess! That’s me~ I’m so glad you remember me!”
“It took using every single drop of magical energy I’ve saved during my life, and quite a bit more from my master, but the cast was a complete success. What do you think of the barrier?”
Her tone brimmed with confidence, as if there were no one left in the city capable of opposing her.
At least, that was what she likely believed.
Calculations ran rampant through Hana’s mind. If she had been forced to face an army of sludges, she would have died within minutes. But her cocky opponent was made of flesh and bone, someone who could be cut.
It was her unique and mysterious spells that made her truly dangerous. By casting her “Rain Rain” song, she could essentially teleport anyone to a random location within the vicinity. Under normal circumstances, this would not have posed a problem. Hana could simply run back.
But with the barrier active, she would have to dodge every spell in any way possible.
“I’m actually quite proud of this! I don’t think anyone’s capable of even moving in this barrier, with the exception of the Butterfly Mage, of course.”
Her rambling continued, just as Hana had hoped. A silent surge of magical energy welled beneath Lucia’s feet.
Five seconds.
That was the minimum required to sing the lullaby in full. Three, if she rushed it.
All Hana needed to do was strike before she finished.
Speed was everything. In a way, Hana commended their strategy. If Lucia removed her from the battle entirely, they would have free rein over the city.
But they underestimated her battle instinct. Lucia let out a soft chuckle, then inhaled to begin her song.
This was her time to strike. Exploding upward, she made her way toward the lamppost Lucia was standing on. Her weight grew heavier with each passing millisecond, her movements slowing drastically.
Even if she failed and was teleported away, with her current positioning she would still be able to land on a nearby roof, allowing her to return to the battle as quickly as possible.
But her plan fell apart when Lucia sang a different tune.
Twinkle,
Twinkle,
Little
Star.
How I wonder what you are!
Despite the red dome blocking out the blue skies, various specks of light twinkled beyond the clouds before raining down hails of light. Swallowing hard, Hana raised her blade just in time, only to be pushed back into the ground by the spell.
The spell operated completely differently from her last encounter. During her previous battle, the “Twinkle, Twinkle” spell only served as a guiding system, possessing no combat capabilities whatsoever.
But she hadn’t discovered a major factor that played into the functionality of the spell.
“Last time, you were lucky,” Lucia spoke over the dust of the impact. “I couldn’t use half of my magic because you caught me at a bad time. But this time, I’m prepared.”
Memories she had discarded returned to her as her body struggled to get back up from the impact. The weight of her armor and the curse held her down as if an entire building were on top of her.
The spell Lucia used was one meant as a guidance system to help her escape. That was its main functionality during the nighttime. With the sudden transformation of the sky, and her overtly busy schedule throughout the day, she had lost track of time.
But the fact remained that it was still daytime.
A star would have no problem twinkling in the night sky. But during the day, when the sun was present, the spell’s distant dots of light would have to shine brighter than the solar system’s guardian star to make themselves known.
And what better way to catch one’s attention than to shoot down in front of them?
Hana’s body shut down. With the excess amount of magical and physical energy burned, she had no hope of getting back up, let alone participating in a fight. Gritting her teeth, she tried to brute-force her body into obeying her mind’s commands, but it refused.
Any more, and she would cease to function completely. She had already overexerted herself during the first burst of magic, going into complete overdrive for her leap toward Lucia. Expecting more was greed that rivaled that of Velion’s Emperor.
“You went down much easier than I expected,” Lucia said as she stood before her, leaning forward and meeting Hana’s gaze.
“I was right to use up three years’ worth of magical energy to put up this barrier.”
She sighed. “You do have a chance to live, though, if you tell me where the blue-haired girl is.”
“N-never.” The word struggled to leave Hana’s mouth. Her entire body shook under the weight of the curse as her consciousness started to fade and her eyelids began to lose strength.
Without concealing the overflowing sadism in her voice, Lucia smiled at her. “Oh, that wasn’t a request. I’m going to get that information out of you regardless. So stay still for me, ’kay~?”
The hands’ attention diverted as an undisturbed mana source beckoned them like a light to a group of moths. To the hungry creatures, the Sword Saint no longer held the most appeal. In the red-filtered city, a singular entity with blue hair stood out amid the chaos.
It was like ice on fire. A blue pin in a puddle of blood.
In an instant, Hana felt the wind hit her face as her body seemingly levitated into the air. Her hearing was muffled, cracked by the imbalance of her senses. The lashes of her eyes obscured most of her vision, but she caught sight of a familiar set of blue eyes.
Typically, carrying something as heavy as a maiden in full armor would have been impossible for Saya. But with the ability to shift her weight and enhance her physical properties, what once seemed impossible was now a thoughtless gesture.
Her movements halted as a sea of hand-like creatures blocked her path.
“H-how?” Hana mumbled her question.
“I don’t have a Birthmark. My magic stays inside my body no matter what.”
She looked up at the barrier.
“It seems that the curse greatly slows your mana regeneration, but since I don’t expend it out of my body in the first place, I’m not affected.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it hurt at first. But at least I can still move.”
Saya’s eyes scanned for a possible exit, but she was surrounded by an army of those who wished to consume her flesh. Turning on her Soul Sight was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. Her gears were already flowing with magical energy at maximum effort. Adding another equation could introduce unforeseen complications.
“Hmmm, you’re not the same girl, are you?” Lucia asked, standing no more than thirty feet away. Her tone carried an unmistakable blend of curiosity and hatred, lacking the enjoyment she had exuded merely moments earlier.
“Your eyes aren’t yellow. Are you the wrong one?”
Saya froze.
Her greatest trump card had been cast away willingly. She had been willing to activate her Soul Sight if she were against Sulva or Rias, but she had forgotten about the two unaccounted-for actors who had also been present in Kala.
Wait. Two?
A hiss tore through the air above her, shattering nearby windows and scraping against the thin wooden surfaces of the buildings. It moved effortlessly, unaffected by the rest of the world. Without any further warning, the bolt pierced the castle window, followed by an explosion of red and black lightning.
The Queen!
She gulped before taking a staggering step back. Without a barrier of ice to protect the castle, it was nearly guaranteed that the shot had struck the throne. Even if Viera had managed to block it, the lightning would have caused significant damage to everyone around it.
I’m cut off. I can’t go anywhere at this rate.
That lady’s right behind me, and the only way to cut past these hands is to…
I might have to use my Soul Sight.
But there still might be a way to save them right?
I had no choice yesterday, but these transformations are fresh.
“If you surrender yourself,” Lucia shattered her train of thought, “then I promise that the Sword Saint will live.”
“We’re here for you. Everyone else is unnecessary.”
Fuck it.
Sinking into a deep blue, the crimson world vanished under the activation of her Soul Sight.
Blocking her path were no longer just the mud-like hands, but the threads lining up as a wall above their heads. Each hand possessed the bodies of two or three innocent people, barely kept alive to be used as magical batteries.