A little time had passed, and we were in the middle of clearing Area A on the third floor of the Magic Tower of Earth.
“Hey, doesn’t something feel off?”
Yunia, standing in front of the mechanism meant to deactivate the gimmick, suddenly stopped and spoke.
“What do you mean by ‘off’?”
“Did you find some kind of strange gap or opening?”
“No. It’s not that… I just wondered if activating this might trigger something on the other side too.”
Yunia looked at me.
“Right?”
“What about it?”
“You’re magically linked to Fenrir over on that side, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Aren’t you?”
Of course, it’s Yunia.
While others failed to perceive it even in this mental realm, only Yunia had sensed the faint thread of mana connecting me and Fenrir.
“You’re right. We are linked through mana, but it’s not like we can influence each other. We’re just able to stay aware of what’s going on in real time, that’s all.”
“Then answer me, Phoenix. Over on that side—how long did it take to deactivate the gimmick?”
“I’m not quite following your point.”
“I mean, how long have they been waiting there after reaching the gimmick?”
“…”
In response to Yunia’s question, Ludmila moved to stand behind her.
Though Yunia was someone Ludmila admired, now that there was rivalry between them, it was natural she’d be a little on edge.
“The opponent is an Instructor. Given that, it’s not strange if they arrived much earlier.”
“Which means… we’ve never managed to beat them, even once, despite facing the same gimmick.”
“Clearing this place doesn’t mean you have to beat the other side. What matters is successfully completing your assigned gimmick to open the door on the opposite side.”
I pointed behind Yunia, at the now-activated device.
“Exactly. Every time we reach a device, it’s already activated. That’s because Instructor Esta is going all-out, slicing through every monster that appears.”
“…I see. S-rank really is strong. Even though we’re tackling this with seven people.”
We had five A-rank fighters on average.
If you exclude me and Shuri, who are technically support rather than combatants, that leaves five actual challengers for this trial.
In contrast, according to our perception, there was only one challenger on Instructor Esta’s side.
Just as I wasn’t actively assisting our team in battle, Fenrir on the other side also wasn’t helping Esta as a fighter.
If anything, the opposite might be true.
“Keep it up. We’re probably only halfway through. Who knows? Maybe even Instructor Esta will start struggling soon and take longer by herself.”
“You’re not… transmitting what we say here to Instructor Esta, are you?”
“Not at all.”
That, I could say with confidence.
“They’re super busy over there right now.”
* * *
Clang!
A savage sword aura came flying for the collarbone.
I ducked behind a charging monster, but the blade cut clean through the beast, aiming to slice through even me—Fenrir.
[What should we do~?]
‘Just deal with it properly.’
Fenrir, who had partially taken over and assimilated my body, swiftly swung his blade.
Instructor Esta, charging at me while dodging the falling monster, thrust her sword—held like a rapier—right at me.
Solar plexus. Thigh. Forehead. Abdomen.
In less than a second, she precisely targeted vital spots—any one of which, if grazed, might kill instantly.
She was either genuinely trying to kill, or so confident that even her serious strikes wouldn’t get through.
Even when fighting monsters, Esta rarely showed such full-intent slashes, but now her sincerity forced my body to instinctively react.
[Well then. I guess we’ll have to counter with this.]
FWOOSH!
From the heart, a blast of powerful mana surged forth.
It wasn’t an attack with the sword, but rather a tricky mana-based technique—perfect for testing Esta’s reaction.
Shlunk!
Esta’s sword stabbed into me.
The first thrust hit my solar plexus, and then, following her muscle memory, she stabbed toward familiar targets—but when she struck the abdomen, her eyes widened in shock.
“What…?!”
The sensation of hitting a real body.
Her expression panicked from feeling her sword pierce actual flesh.
“……!”
But she quickly steeled herself, stepping forward and slashing diagonally with her sword instead.
Whoosh!
Fenrir split apart.
At the same time, compressed air exploded outward, engulfing Esta—but the mana cloaking her body repelled the blade-like gust, forming a shield.
“Impressive.”
Fenrir spoke through my mouth.
Now standing over ten paces away, he clapped his hands with the sword planted in the ground.
“You were startled because you thought you killed someone. Did you swing thinking it didn’t matter if you killed? Or were you just sure it wasn’t real?”
“…If it were anyone else, they might have been confused.”
Instructor Esta steadied her stance and pointed her blade at me again.
“But I don’t believe Phoenix would die from something like that.”
“Wow. That’s a whole lot of faith in your disciple.”
“…Hard to say. Am I speaking to Phoenix now, or to the Demon Duke of the Demon World residing within him?”
“Pffft.”
Fenrir chuckled, mimicking someone’s laughter, and stretched out a hand.
“Obviously, right now, it’s me—Fenrir, one of the Seven Dukes of the Demon World—dwelling in this body!”
BOOM!
With a snap of his fingers toward the sky, a beam of judgment shot out.
A monster charging from the side to ambush was instantly riddled with holes, disintegrating like it had been hit by scattershot.
“Feel honored. You’re not the first human to draw this move from me… but you’re still among the few!”
Not the first.
Back when I fought Fenrir, he had already shown me this very technique that had momentarily caught even Esta off guard.
“Humiliating, isn’t it?”
“You mean the ‘first time’ thing?”
“No. Considering your speed, the moment I stabbed your abdomen and briefly hesitated, you could’ve slit my throat then and there, couldn’t you?”
“You’re not wrong.”
“So you were holding back.”
“Of course I was. Do you know how many times you’d have died if I had fought seriously?”
Whoosh!
Instructor Esta swung her sword wide to the side.
A monster had leapt from the darkness to attack her, but it was instantly sliced in half and collapsed.
“The world really is… vast. I thought I was quite the powerful one on the surface, but to think something this strong existed in the Demon World.”
“Planning to descend to the Demon World just to spar? The moment you did, the Angels would cry, ‘This fiend!’ and launch a holy inquisition to kill you.”
“But it’s fine here, isn’t it?”
Instructor Esta tapped her foot lightly on the ground.
“The fact that Phoenix—who never shows this kind of power anywhere else—is revealing his other side here must mean… this place is a mental realm.”
“……”
“I’m guessing it’s a space the Angels can’t observe. Am I wrong?”
“Hmmm.”
Fenrir let out a low, thoughtful hum.
[What should we do~? Are you going to say it?]
‘If I say anything now, it’ll be in your voice. That’s not happening.’
He made the sound like he was brooding, but in reality, we were taking a brief strategy time.
‘And if a rough male voice suddenly comes out of this body, that’d be hilarious. What is this, some kind of Vermilion Bird possession?’
You’ve crossed swords with Instructor Esta. What do you think of her? Is she someone who can be trusted with the truth?
I had to leave this decision entirely to Fenrir.
Reading someone’s character through swordsmanship and presence—that was his specialty, not mine.
“Well, alright. You’re not wrong, and I can tell just from the way she points her sword that she’s someone who knows how to keep her mouth shut.”
“Then…”
Slash—!
Instructor Esta closed the distance in an instant and sliced through the air.
A monster that had appeared behind her had its head cleanly severed, and at the same time, Fenrir flicked his fingers toward her back.
Kyaaaargh!
Three monsters were bisected at once, and the two of them were now less than a meter apart—so close that a single swing would surely hit a vital point.
“Fenrir.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t care if you’re one of the Seven Dukes of the Demon World or a God of Wind—if you lay a hand on my disciple, I won’t forgive you.”
Instructor Esta glared at Fenrir and issued her warning.
“…Oh?”
That was… honestly, an incredibly moving thing to say.
“Didn’t I say Phoenix is hearing everything right now?”
I was listening.
“I know. I said it for him to hear.”
“Oooh, how bold.”
Instructor Esta clearly didn’t care who was listening.
“Looks like you’re acting all noble and protective, cherishing your disciple like a proper adult… but heh heh heh, I see right through you.”
Fenrir, after all, was a Demon Duke of Hell with a playful streak a mile wide.
You could say that’s true of all of them, but Fenrir was especially notorious for it.
“You’re thinking, ‘Once he graduates…’ Right?”
“…!”
“Hey, I’m not judging. It’s a positive thought. Even in the Demon World, laying hands on a minor is strictly forbidden.”
“What are you even—!”
“So in that spirit, consider this a trial run. Our relationships with Phoenix are already complicated enough. He’s our hope but also… well, maybe I should put it like this instead?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Phoenix is like a son to us. So, if you want our son, you’ll have to defeat me first!”
What in the actual hell—
I wanted to say that, but mana-wise, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“What? Are you scared?”
“…I didn’t expect something like this to happen to me.”
And truth be told, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t oppose a romantic atmosphere between a heroine—someone who could become the Apocalypse—and another person.
“Then I’ll defeat you and take him myself, Demon Duke of Hell.”
Clang—!
All the surrounding monsters vanished at once as Fenrir dashed down the inner hallway.
Slash, Slash!
Instructor Esta cut through monsters as she pursued him at full speed.
To defeat the strong.
And to claim what she desired.
