The remaining three froze. The woman they had been told had never cast a spell in her life had just crushed one of their own with a single strike. Esther stood quietly, her expression cold and unreadable. Yet they weren't afraid.
Not yet.
She had unleashed an A-Rank spell moments ago. No matter how abnormal her magic reserves were, that kind of output couldn't continue forever. She would tire. And when she did... She would die.
The cracks running across the stone golem's arm slowly sealed. Its master slammed his fist into the ground. The golem answered.
BOOM!!
Its gigantic arm crashed down toward Esther. She raised the enormous water hammer above her head and caught it. The impact drove her feet into the earth.
"So this is all you've got?" the earth mage sneered. "You little girl..." "I'll crush every bone in your body."
He pressed harder. The golem's weight doubled. The second earth mage thrust both arms forward. The massive boulders orbiting him shot through the forest one after another.
POOM!!
The first slammed into Esther's side. Her body shuddered. Before she could recover...
POOM!!
Another smashed into her shoulder, nearly striking her head. She gritted her teeth, still supporting the golem's enormous hand. The air mage spread both palms. Six spiraling tendrils of compressed wind burst from behind him. They lashed toward Esther like gigantic whips.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Each strike peeled away skin. Blood sprayed into the air. The whips were powerful enough to split trees apart. Against human flesh... They were merciless.
The ground suddenly trembled again. Esther's eyes widened.
The earth beneath her split open. Another golem. Larger. More refined. Its body rose from beneath the forest floor before lifting both fists high above its head. Then—
BOOOM!!
Its hammer-like fists crashed onto the first golem's arm.
CRACK!!
Pain exploded through Esther's body. Both legs buckled. Bone snapped beneath the unbearable force.
"AAAHHH!!"
Her scream echoed through the burning forest. The wind intensified. Leaves ripped from branches. Entire trees bent beneath the pressure.
The air mage smiled. Above him, two enormous serpents of compressed wind twisted into existence. They roared forward. Straight at Esther.
Still pinned beneath two stone giants. Still enduring the relentless wind lashes. Still bleeding. Still standing. Yet... She hadn't been struggling without purpose.
Her body had been buying time.
Water gathered silently around her. Six enormous spears formed behind her back. Each shimmered like polished crystal. Each carried enough force to slice straight through a human body. With a single motion—
They fired.
BOOOM!!
Two pierced both golems. Two shot toward the earth mages controlling them. One raced toward the twin air serpent. The last streaked directly for the air mage himself. The forest exploded into splintered wood as the spears carved through tree after tree.
Every shot struck perfectly. Except one. The air serpents twisted through the sky at the final instant. The spear narrowly missed. The remaining five found their targets.
BOOM!!
Stone burst apart. Water erupted from the wounds. The earth mages stared down at the gaping holes torn through their bodies as they dropped to the ground. The golems had been pierced as well. None of them screamed. They didn't need to.
C - Rank mages possessed remarkable energy for healing. Pain meant little if time remained. And the surviving air serpents... Would buy them exactly that.
The forest became hotter. Much hotter. A violent heat wave swept through the trees. Leaves curled. Branches ignited. From somewhere beyond the smoke... A furious whisper drifted through the flames.
"I'll kill that girl..." "I don't care if she dies anymore."
The voice burned with rage. Esther turned. The fire mage. He was alive. Far beyond the trees, flames erupted into the sky. The entire forest began catching fire far too quickly.
The first air serpent was almost upon her. She remembered. Her hand shot upward. The final water spear returned to her grasp. She threw it. The spear pierced straight through the serpent.
POOF!!
The creature burst apart. But the moment it exploded... A hurricane of compressed air rushed outward. Air fed fire. The flames swelled violently. Then... A deafening roar shook the forest.
"DRAEGOIS!!"
The voice echoed between burning trees. Another wave of heat crashed over the battlefield. Hotter than before. Louder than before. The fire itself seemed alive. Esther turned. Too late.
A colossal dragon of fire burst through the inferno. Seventeen feet long. Its jaws alone were large enough to swallow a grown man whole. The heat reached her before the dragon did. Her hair curled.
The fine hairs on her skin burned away. Her flesh began to blister. Instinct took over.
"WALL!!"
She screamed. An enormous wall of water erupted before her. The dragon collided with it.
BOOOOOOM!!
Water hissed into steam. The wall held. For a heartbeat. Then the other air serpent slammed into the dragon's back. The flames surged. The fire grew brighter, hotter, faster. The water wall evaporated before Esther's eyes.
Steam swallowed the battlefield. The dragon burst through.
CRAAASH!!
It struck Esther head-on. Even after the water reduced much of its power...
The impact launched her through two massive trees before the third finally stopped her. Her back slammed against the trunk. Blood spilled from her mouth.
Her vision blurred. She could barely breathe. Her magic... Was almost gone. One attack. That was all she had left. Slowly... She raised one trembling hand toward the steam. Her voice was barely audible.
"Currency Divider..."
Three translucent blades formed before her. Thin. Elegant. Sharper than steel. They floated one above another with perfect spacing.
They vanished into the steam. The fire mage laughed.
"Found you."
He charged through the white mist. He never saw them.
SLASH!!
The three blades crossed his head in a single instant. Blood exploded outward. Brain matter splattered across the ground. His body dropped to its knees.
Then collapsed face-first into the dirt. Silence. Esther staggered forward through the steam. Every step hurt. She stopped beside the corpse.
"...Good."
Beyond the steam... Only two enemies remained. The surviving earth mage. And the air mage. She stretched out her hand. The water blades answered her call, slicing back through the forest.
A chill ran down her spine. Behind her. She turned.
SLASH!!
An earthen blade carved across her cheek. Blood sprayed into the air. The second earth mage had circled behind her while his wounds regenerated. He smiled. Until he heard something.
WHISH!!
The returning water blades. Too late.
SLASH!!
All three tore through his back. They burst from his chest before dissolving into water. The earth mage collapsed without another sound. Two assassins... Dead. Esther didn't wait. She turned and ran.
Toward QUEI. Hours passed. She ran through another forest. This one denser. Darker. Quieter. Every breath burned. Every step sent agony through her shattered legs.
Eventually... Her body refused to continue. She slid against the trunk of a giant tree and collapsed.
"...So this is how I die..." Her eyes slowly closed. "...without leaving anything behind."
The forest trembled.
THUD.
A tree crashed somewhere nearby. Heavy footsteps followed. Someone was approaching. Esther couldn't move. Her vision had become little more than shadows.
A blurry figure emerged between the trees. He wasn't running. He simply stood there. Watching her. Smiling. It was the first time...
Rôjàñri met Esther.
---
Esther smiled softly as the memory faded. She looked at Yamato.
"...And you know the rest."
Yamato sat in silence. The gentle woman who had raised him... Had once fought four C-Rank assassins alone.
Killed two. Escaped the other two. It was difficult to believe. Esther noticed the look on his face and laughed quietly.
"That was a long time ago. I don't fight anymore."
A faint smile appeared on Yamato's face. "So that's where I got it..." "My survival instinct."
He stood and stretched.
"I'll fix the roof first. Then I'll help you around the house... I've still got five days left."
He stepped outside toward the forest to gather materials. Esther watched him leave. Then quietly returned to her chores.
For the first time in years... She hoped those five days would pass as slowly as possible.