"How should I put this… although every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite, Shizuka's family scriptures are a bit too hard to read."
Sitting outside the barrier and watching Shizuka and Nagi go back and forth, fighting fiercely without pause, Duanmu Huai yawned.
"I still don't quite understand, Master."
Even at this point, Aegis seemed unable to fully sort out the relationship between Shizuka and Nagi.
"Do they count as sisters? Like me and Kagari?"
Oh right—there was still that yandere doll sealed away in his hand of cards.
"More or less."
Looking at the frenzied Nagi on the other side, Duanmu Huai sighed helplessly. From a certain perspective, Nagi really was quite similar to Kagari. Their tragedy lay in the fact that their biological fathers never actually wanted them.
Back then, Kagari's creator wanted to create a doll like Aegis. But the Kagari he made by copying the process turned out completely different from Aegis, and so the latter simply gave up in despair.
Nagi wasn't much better. Although they had only exchanged a few words, it was clear that her father had never truly cared about her either. He loved the wife he had stolen far more than his own daughter…
How should one put it… self-inflicted sins bring inevitable ruin.
So you see, extreme love ultimately only summons chaos and destruction. Thinking about it carefully, Nagi's father deeply loved Shizuka's mother—so deeply that he killed her husband and seized her, and even after her death continued obsessively loving only her. That could be considered a model of deep affection.
But this kind of affection is something most people would rather not have.
Deranged obsessive believers… are beyond saving.
So you see, once anything reaches an extreme, it only brings tragedy and destruction.
Just like right now.
That said… Shizuka isn't cutting it.
Watching Shizuka being beaten by Nagi to the point where she could barely hold on, Duanmu Huai shook his head repeatedly. Earlier she had spoken so righteously about how she had to get her revenge, but now she couldn't even get back up. At this rate, let alone revenge—she was going to die here herself.
"Bang!!"
With an explosion, Shizuka was knocked to the ground. Her clothes were now completely shredded, her breathing ragged, sweat pouring down her body.
"I really don't understand…"
Nagi stood before Shizuka, staring coldly at her half-sister.
"You were already weaker than me, yet you still dared to hold back in front of me?"
"Because… I really have no reason to fight you at all…"
Looking at Nagi, Shizuka's expression was complicated. Just as Nagi said, she hadn't truly gone all out. On one hand, her emotions were in chaos; on the other, she didn't know how to face this younger sister of hers…
After all, they were born from the same mother.
"Hmph, foolish."
Nagi snorted coldly, then clenched her right hand and aimed it at Shizuka.
"In that case, go die—————!"
"Whoosh—————!!"
However, before Nagi's words could fall, a sharp sword aura suddenly howled through the air, shooting between the two of them and cleaving a massive crack into the ground. Nagi was shocked and hurriedly withdrew her hand, retreating and turning her head.
She saw that Duanmu Huai had stood up at some unknown moment, holding a greatsword in his hand.
"Alright, Shizuka, that's enough. It's getting late—we should get going."
"W-wait… I haven't taken my revenge yet!"
"Oh, no need. I already took care of that old man for you."
"Eh?"
Hearing Duanmu Huai's reply, both Shizuka and Nagi froze, then turned their heads. Only then did they realize that Duanmu Huai's sword strike had not only shattered Nagi's magical barrier and stopped their fight—it had also split the container holding the old man's body cleanly in half!
At this moment, the old man's corpse lay scattered on the ground, his eyes clouded as they stared blankly at the sky, mouth agape, completely motionless.
"Father! Father!!!"
Seeing this, Nagi rushed over and threw herself beside her father's corpse. Shizuka, meanwhile, stared blankly at the body, her heart filled with mixed emotions, unsure of what she should even say.
"Alright, it's done. Let's go."
Duanmu Huai walked over to Shizuka and pulled her up. At this point, she seemed completely absent-minded, allowing herself to be lifted without resistance. It wasn't until Duanmu Huai carried her in his arms and walked toward the edge of the tower that Shizuka finally realized something was wrong.
"Wait—what are you doing?"
"Running. I used a bit too much strength in that swing earlier and didn't rein it in."
"Used a bit too much strength??"
Shizuka froze at his words. Before she could react, she felt the surroundings shake violently. Then she saw the tower beneath her feet split apart, breaking into two halves that slowly toppled to either side!
Good grief—you split the entire tower in half with one strike?!
At this point Shizuka was completely dumbfounded, but Duanmu Huai had no time to chat. Holding Shizuka with one arm and grabbing Aegis with the other, he leapt straight down, jumping off the collapsing tower!
"Uwa—————!!!"
Feeling the weightless freefall and hearing the howling wind in her ears, Shizuka shut her eyes in terror. Yet the violent impact she expected never came. Instead, after a moment, she felt her body grow light. When she opened her eyes, she realized Duanmu Huai had already placed her on the ground.
They were far away from the tower now. Turning her head, Shizuka could see the remains of the Jump Tower collapsing with a thunderous crash, the rumbling from the ground making her body tremble slightly.
"Nagi… she'll be okay, right?"
Looking at the completely collapsed Jump Tower, Shizuka murmured softly. Her feelings toward her half-sister were extremely complicated. Before coming here, she had never imagined that Nagi was also a child born from her mother…
"She won't die. Probably ran off hugging her dad's remains."
Duanmu Huai patted her on the shoulder and handed her a cloak.
"Alright, worry about yourself first. Aren't you cold?"
"Huh?"
Shizuka subconsciously took the cloak, then froze. Only then did she feel a chill across her chest. When she looked down, her expression stiffened—
During her fight with Nagi, the opponent's final spell had blasted into Shizuka's chest. Though it hadn't caused a fatal injury, her clothes had been completely destroyed, leaving a large, very revealing hole…
"…Thank you."
Her face reddening, Shizuka hurriedly wrapped herself in the cloak.
"Alright, let's head back. Uruze is very worried about you."
Duanmu Huai said no more, turning with Aegis and Shizuka toward the Night Raven Blackstar parked nearby.
However…
Just as he turned around, Duanmu Huai suddenly saw several spells shoot in from all directions, smashing directly into the Night Raven Blackstar. The next moment, the gunboat exploded violently under the barrage, turning into a heap of wreckage.
Immediately afterward, hundreds—thousands—of Demon soldiers poured in from all sides, surrounding the three of them completely.
"Hahahaha! Didn't expect there to be humans here!"
"Kill them! Kill them!!"
It's over!
Seeing the Demon army encircling them, Shizuka's face turned pale. It was obvious—they had no way out. Faced with this Demon horde, there was only one ending for them.
But… at least my father's revenge has been fulfilled. In that case, even dying here would leave no regrets…
…Huh?
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Shizuka suddenly shuddered. A terrifying, overwhelming pressure abruptly descended, making her entire body tremble uncontrollably!
Very quickly, she realized this pressure wasn't coming from the enemies ahead—
It was coming from right beside her!
At the same time, Duanmu Huai's low voice sounded in her ear.
"You damn, filthy scraps of demonic trash…"
Duanmu Huai slowly raised his head, his eyes blazing with raging fury.
"I just got a brand-new ride—no, a brand-new gunboat! First time taking it out, and you bastards blew it up?! You fuckers! You're really sick of living!!!!"
With Duanmu Huai's roar, in the next instant, an unparalleled pressure filled with killing intent, death, and destruction erupted from his body, spreading outward. The Demons had never experienced such a horrifying presence—most of those hit first rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the spot. Some even stopped breathing entirely, becoming cold corpses on the ground!
"Clackclackclackclackclack!!"
Shizuka wasn't doing much better. Even though Duanmu Huai's fear aura wasn't directed at her, she still went limp and collapsed to the ground, her mind completely blank, teeth chattering uncontrollably. At this moment, she felt as if she were hanging above an endless abyss, ready to be thrown down at any second!
"Die, you demonic scum!!"
At this point, Duanmu Huai finally stopped holding back. His original plan had been to take Shizuka back to the Fortress City first, then consider how to deal with the Demons. But he hadn't expected these bastards to be so blind—
I just got a new ride, and you fuckers dare blow it up?!
If I don't beat you until your faces bloom like peach blossoms, you'll never understand why flowers are red!
Since you chose this path yourselves—
Then go die!
I'll make you demonic trash understand—
There is no retreat!
Only death awaits you!!
With Duanmu Huai's furious roar, cold, pitch-black flames erupted from his body. Immediately after, dozens of dual-blade-wielding black figures emerged from the flames—
They were the attendants of destined death: Black Blade Assassins!
Like a pack of leopards, they pounced straight into the Demon army. Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and a brutal slaughter erupted instantly!
The Demon army had never imagined that the prey they had surrounded would bare its fangs instead. But it was already too late. The Black Blade Assassins tore into them like wolves, causing the already trembling Demon army under Duanmu Huai's fear aura to completely collapse. Many Demon soldiers didn't even resist, screaming as they turned and tried to flee.
But Duanmu Huai clearly had no intention of letting them go.
As the Demon soldiers scattered and fled in terror, Duanmu Huai—his entire body wreathed in black flames—leapt into the air like a meteor, charging straight into their formation!
(End of Chapter)