But her magic had always excelled at range and control; speed was never her strong suit. On top of that, there was an absolute level gap between them. Without anyone to assist her, catching him on her own was all but impossible.
But...
"Screeeee!!!"
A piercing eagle's cry tore across the sky!
A silver flash split the heavens, and with an ear-splitting sonic boom, it shot toward the spot where the ninja had last flickered, moving too fast for the eye to follow!
"Oh no!"
In the blink of an eye, it was right in the ninja's face!
With a sharp crack, the mithril eagle pierced through the void, and through the figure that had only just solidified.
"Yes!"
The gods watching the battle burst into excited shrieks and cheers!
Yet Astraea and Artemis, the two warrior goddesses, showed not a trace of joy on their faces.
"Astraea, Artemis, why aren't you two smiling? Such a brilliant bit of teamwork..."
"Which eye of yours saw the fight end?"
"Eh? But it's already..."
The fun-loving goddess's words cut off abruptly.
The pierced "ninja" suddenly burst with a pop, exploding into a cloud of white smoke.
As the smoke cleared, all that remained on the spot was a pierced wooden log.
"Ah...?"
"A Substitution Technique!"
The ninja's true body had somehow appeared behind Irisviel without anyone noticing. The pitch-black kunai mirrored the cold glint of the snow as it dropped silently toward the slender nape of her neck...
"Die!"
O my banner, protect my brethren!
Luminosité Eternelle!
With a clear ring, the ninja's supremely confident strike was blocked by a barrier out of nowhere, and the smile froze on his face.
"A protective barrier?"
He snapped his head toward the blonde woman who had been thwarting him this whole time, his eyes falling on the ceremonial sword in her hands, now wholly transformed into dazzling golden light, and instantly understood.
"It's you!?"
Jeanne didn't answer, only returned a calm, placid little smile.
The ninja assassin's aura stuttered, his whole face flushing red with shame and rage.
"You bi"
He never finished the curse before an enormous burning hand descended from the heavens and detonated in an instant.
"BOOM!"
The roar of the explosion swallowed every other sound.
The superheated flames licked at the ground; even the shattered bluestone slabs were scorched red and softened, their edges showing traces of melting.
Witnessing a strike of such terrifying destructive power, every spectator sucked in a cold breath, a chill running down their spines.
"That's... how hot does that have to be, melting bluestone slabs like that."
"Terrifying. If that girl ever landed one on me, I'd be one big bruise, black and blue all over."
"Just black and blue? Buddy, then you're doing great."
Even Riveria, a top-tier mage, couldn't hide her surprise at the destruction the burning hand had wrought.
"The power of that magic... it's clearly already beyond what a Lv. 2 should be capable of."
"Margaret, was it? Looks like the Demeter Familia has another remarkable young mage besides the Shadow of Sorcery."
By this point Loki had completely lost any interest in listening to Riveria's murmuring. The look in her eyes as she stared at Margaret and Iri was practically glowing with mad greed.
Then she shivered violently, feeling a chill creep up her back.
"Why's it suddenly so cold..."
Before she could finish, Riveria patted her arm, motioning for Loki to turn around.
"Hm?"
The next second, she met Demeter's amber eyes, narrowed in a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"..."
"Ahaha, Demeter..."
"Loki."
Demeter's voice was soft, but carried an unmistakable note of warning.
"Don't go falling back into your old bad habits, now."
"Cough, cough, I just can't help it, can't help it... It's mainly that your familia's kids are just too talented. As a responsible god, getting a little envious is perfectly natural, isn't it... And there's a good old saying back east: if nobody envies you, you're mediocre!"
Demeter shot her an exasperated look.
"I'm warning you, don't get any ideas about our kids. Otherwise... I wouldn't mind having a nice long chat with little Ais."
"Wah! Demeter! You've changed!"
"Heh."
...
While the gods were dazzled by Margaret's magic, the ninja assassin was likewise drenched in a cold sweat.
"Thank god for the Body Flicker Technique, or that strike would've..."
He glanced at the ground, where the bluestone had been melted into an obvious crater by the heat, the edges even taking on a glass-like sheen. When he looked back at Margaret, his eyes were filled with deep wariness.
"A vanguard who can deploy a magic barrier, a fire mage with horrifying destructive power, a summoning-type alchemy mage? An elf magic swordsman who commands wind magic, plus a crowd-control rearguard mage..."
The assassin had completely given up any thought of completing his mission.
All he wanted now was to get out immediately, and then get as far away from this damned city of Orario as he possibly could.
Goddammit, what happened to the "agricultural familia"? Weren't they supposed to be just honest farmers, every one of them except the Priestess of Desolation?!
Look at all those roots covering the ground, then look at that terrifying "fire demon" and the mithril eagle standing guard in front of the mages, and you call this "average strength"?
Screw you and your intel!
Right now he wanted nothing more than to grab the head of the intelligence division by the collar and slap him silly, dozens of times, back and forth.
"Hm? So you've already started fighting."
Just as the ninja was frantically calculating his escape, a voice that made his heart stop drifted lightly in from the edge of the battlefield.
He whipped his head around, and instantly felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss.
It's over! That damned Shadow of Sorcery is back!
What met his eyes was Leon, walking steadily out of the chaotic crowd with Lady Yamato Rindou carried bridal-style in front of him.
With his overwhelming stats, even carrying Kaguya he barreled through the chaotic battlefield with ease. Whether it was an adventurer on the Order Alliance side or some witless fanatic, anyone who got in his way was either casually blasted into pulp or sent flying by what looked like a careless shrug of his shoulder. Though he normally came across as a polite, scholarly mage, the truth was...
Hidden beneath that well-tailored coat and suit was the body of a monster who had undergone three sublimations, with basic abilities as high as 1599.
Did people really think any random nobody could go toe-to-toe with him?
And with his attention almost entirely fixed on the unconscious Kaguya in his arms, as he made his way through... he "accidentally" sent who-knows-how-many people flying without meaning to.
Evilus killed, Excelia +49
Evilus killed, Excelia +1
...
Evilus killed, Excelia +15
"Mngh..."
The Kaguya in his arms let out a faint, feeble moan.
Her lips were cracked and dry, her brows tightly knit, her delicate features twisted in pain from the curse's corrosion. This Far Eastern lady, normally so proud and aloof, so sharp-tongued, now showed a broken, sorrowful beauty in stark contrast to her usual self.
Leon glanced down, and his heart stirred ever so slightly.
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