"Tch!"
The red-haired woman clicked her tongue.
She shot Eiji a sharp, knife-like gaze, but he ignored it with an air of effortless ease.
He was no ordinary fighter.
A typical Level 3 or Level 4 would never be able to snatch someone from her grasp with such precision.
Having been thwarted by him twice in a row, the red-haired woman finally recognized the threat this young man posed.
"Ais, what are you doing?!"
Eiji ignored the red-haired woman's chilling killing intent and turned to Ais instead.
Seeing her dazed, almost soul-lost expression, he couldn't help but frown.
"How... do you know that name?"
Ais did not respond to Eiji.
Her eyes were locked onto the red-haired woman opposite them, filled with urgency.
"Ooooohhhhhhh—!"
At that moment, suddenly—
The jewel cradled in the red-haired woman's arms—the fetus within—abruptly opened its eyes and let out a piercing scream.
The fetus squirmed within the gem as if struggling to break free. Its tiny hands and its grotesquely misshapen head swelled and expanded, pushing out from the jewel.
"Stay calm!"
The red-haired woman immediately furrowed her brows, barking an order at the fetus in her arms.
"AAAAAAAHH!!"
But the fetus paid her no heed. Somehow, despite its small size, it summoned incredible strength, breaking free from the red-haired woman's grasp and launching itself toward Ais with astonishing agility.
The moment the fetus moved, Eiji reacted without hesitation, activating his Absolute GodSpeed ability and lunging forward at an even greater velocity.
He didn't know exactly what that fetus was, but he knew it was nothing good.
Ais was still frozen in place when Eiji tackled her to the ground.
The two tumbled across the rocky terrain, narrowly dodging the airborne fetus-jewel, rolling over twenty meters before coming to a rough stop.
"Did you forget everything I taught you?"
Eiji sat up, staring straight at Ais beneath him. He subtly moved his hand away from her chest.
A complete misunderstanding, I swear.
"Meditate. Don't lose to your own emotions. The fight isn't over yet. Ask your questions after the battle!"
Eiji didn't know why Ais had such an extreme reaction to that name.
But he knew what should and shouldn't be done right now.
This was clarity in its purest form.
"If you want answers, then defeat her!"
Eiji pointed at the red-haired woman in the distance and shouted, "Capture her, and all your questions will be answered!"
Ais's eyes flickered.
Ever since she had seen Eiji's status, her emotions had been in turmoil for days.
For several nights now, she had been dreaming of her childhood, her longing for her parents growing stronger than ever.
That deep yearning, which had once been a source of warmth, had now become a breeding ground for vulnerability.
"…You're right."
Ais stood up from the ground, the confusion in her gaze gradually fading.
"Thank you. I'm clear-headed now. I'll make that woman spit out the answers!"
Phew.
Her resolve had returned, even stronger than before.
Eiji secretly let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, if he had to face that red-haired woman alone—who was at least Level 5—the pressure would have been immense.
"Ooooohhhhhh!!"
At that moment, a terrifying roar echoed from the distance.
The two turned toward the sound—
"What the hell is that?"
"…No idea."
Their gazes locked onto the source.
It was a monster that bore some resemblance to the man-eating flowers rampaging through the streets.
The fetus-jewel had somehow embedded itself into the monster's body, fusing with it like an engraved mark. As the monster let out a dying wail, its body swelled at an alarming rate.
A bad premonition crept over Eiji.
So, he decided to strike first.
From his waist pouch, he retrieved another sword shard and hurled it toward the fetus-jewel at breakneck speed.
Clang!
But suddenly, his vision blurred.
The red-haired woman had appeared in front of the monster, sword in hand, deflecting the shard with a crisp metallic sound.
"Heh, I was waiting for you."
A smirk curled at the corner of her lips, filled with defiance.
Seriously, lady?
You managed to block a supersonic sword shard?
"Your opponent is me!"
Ais stepped forward, her fighting spirit fully reignited.
"Interesting."
The red-haired woman sneered, showing no fear.
"Since the jewel has already fused, I must take you back with me. Otherwise, this trip would have been wasted."
Their eyes met.
The next moment, in an instant, both figures vanished from sight, leaving only afterimages in the air and the continuous clash of steel echoing through the battlefield.
It was unclear whether it was Ais or the red-haired woman's intention, but their battle quickly moved further and further away from the clearing.
"Oooooohhh!!"
The fetus-jewel let out another roar.
With a loud boom, several more man-eating flowers emerged from the crystalline walls, wriggling toward the fetus as if drawn by some unseen force. They merged into the rapidly expanding mass of flesh.
And then, as if reaching its final stage—
The fetus-jewel seemed to undergo a metamorphosis, its body shifting and revealing a humanoid form. From the flesh of the monstrous being, a female figure emerged.
From afar—
The massive body resembled a giant octopus, with each man-eating flower morphing into a tentacle. Its total height exceeded seven meters, and its width was even more staggering—over ten meters, even with its tentacles retracted.
Above the writhing mass of limbs, the upper half of a female body took shape. It was brightly colored, distinctly feminine in form, yet it lacked eyes and a nose, bearing only a mouth filled with rows of shark-like fangs—like a faceless horror.
"So, you're my opponent, huh?"
Eiji stood on the rocky terrain, gazing up at the towering eldritch creature.
No matter how he looked at it, the monster was utterly grotesque. Its overwhelming presence was the real deal, likely on par with a Level 5 in strength.
But he wasn't the least bit afraid.
"It doesn't seem intelligent, so I doubt I can get any useful information out of it."
Eiji retrieved three more sword shards from his pouch.
His instincts told him that the faceless female torso was its weak spot.
Holding the shards between his fingers, he poured every last drop of his remaining magic into them, making them glow with a dazzling silver radiance.
Eiji assumed his stance, then spread his arms wide.
Unlike Sword Step, which was used for dodging and required the fastest possible start-up speed—often injuring the ankles—flying swords had no such concern. They could be accelerated mid-flight, ensuring that his hands wouldn't bear the strain.
Who knew how long he had trained in secret to perfect the timing of these techniques?
***
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