A fearsome strike from Yoon Si-woo descended from the sky with incredible speed.

His sword, trailing shadows of black light, fell like a lightning bolt, slicing through the ground where Beatrice had been standing.

Simultaneously, a sharp splash of red blood adorned the air.

Seeing that, I clenched my fist tightly, relieved at the thought that the enemy had been dispatched. However,

“Damn… that was shallow.”

It soon became clear, with Yoon Si-woo’s self-recriminating mumble echoing in my ears, that my earlier thoughts were premature.

Glancing sideways, I noticed Beatrice, just as Yoon Si-woo had described, scanning her chest with a dazed expression, blood oozing from the shallow wound he’d inflicted.

Though her expression showed a hint of panic, she stood upright, suggesting that she hadn’t sustained a fatal injury.

Tsking his tongue in disappointment, Yoon Si-woo wrapped an arm around me, pulling me back as he leaped away to create some distance.

“Fortunately, it seems I arrived just in time. Scarlet, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

Once he felt there was a sufficient distance between us, he promptly asked about my condition.

Considering he should be the one worrying about himself, having just used that much power from his witchcraft.

“I’m fine. More importantly, are you okay? You didn’t overexert yourself fighting that lesser demonic beast, did you?”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry. I can still keep fighting.”

When I, in turn, asked about his condition, his casual yet reassuring smile indicated that he genuinely didn’t seem to be lying. Still, the fact that he had to keep fighting didn’t sit well with me.

It would have been better if he could have ended it with that one attack.

“What a pity. It was a golden opportunity to finish it in one go…”

While I lamented, Yoon Si-woo, with a sharp gaze directed at Beatrice over there, muttered as if he shared the same sentiment.

After murmuring that, it seemed he was searching for the reason he hadn’t finished Beatrice off in one strike, prompting Lucy with a question.

“Lucy, what was wrong with my attack just now? Was it because the blade wobbled as I swung while jumping down?”

[That strike wasn’t bad. If it were the monster from earlier, it would have been sufficient. The only issue is that the girl’s power was stronger than expected. As a witch, it seems her abilities exceed those of her subordinates.]

“Definitely… there was a stronger feeling of resistance the moment the blade touched her than with that monster earlier.”

[That resistance caused the sword to delay slightly, allowing her to react to the attack. But now that I know, it isn’t a major issue. If the resistance is stronger than I thought, I can simply cut through it more perfectly. And she isn’t as large as the previous foe, so she might be easier to deal with.]

Responding to Yoon Si-woo’s question, Lucy pointed out that this opponent might be easier to handle than anticipated.

She probably thought Beatrice looked like an enemy that Yoon Si-woo could defeat with his abilities.

Indeed, considering Lucy’s capabilities could counter Beatrice’s skills, there was an advantageous aspect to the situation.

However, for some reason, upon hearing Lucy’s words, I began to feel an odd sense of foreboding rising deep within me.

Beatrice, that Beatrice.

Could she truly be defeated that easily?

Suddenly, such thoughts crossed my mind.

“…Heh.”

At that moment.

“That hurts… Yes, this is what pain feels like… After a long time, it’s truly a refreshing stimulus.”

Beatrice’s voice came from afar.

“You, over there, you’re strong, huh? You even managed to injure me like this after killing Bay.”

Staring blankly at the blood flowing from her wound, she then looked over at us, particularly at Yoon Si-woo.

“Thanks to you, I feel a bit more excited now.”

At that moment, glancing at us, Beatrice’s mouth twisted into a smile like melted cheese.

“Shall I show just a little bit of my true strength?”

And then, as her gaze fixed on us, her expression twisted into something sinister.

“──!! Scarlet, watch out—!!!”

Just as I noticed something unknown springing forth from her,

“YAAAAH?!”

“Ugh—!!”

I was violently sent tumbling backward along with Yoon Si-woo, who had shielded me.

-■■■■■■!!

If Ari hadn’t come flying to catch me, I would have rolled right off the rocky mountain.

My vision swayed as if my head had been shaken violently by the impact, and chills crawled across my body.

I couldn’t immediately comprehend what had happened, but one thing was clear.

“Th-that… if Yoon Si-woo hadn’t been right in front of me, I would have died just now.”

Panting from the fear of imminent death that had approached so closely,

I struggled to calm my trembling hands, hearing Lucy’s voice speak stiffly.

[I… think I need to cancel what I just said. There’s a problem. That girl is a damn troublesome enemy.]

With that sense of urgency in her voice, I realized that the attack we had just faced was Beatrice’s.

But how?

Wasn’t Beatrice’s power the ability to negate anything that touched her?

“…Was she also capable of expanding that range?”

“…What?”

In a moment of confusion, I heard Yoon Si-woo’s voice.

As I asked him back in surprise, he seemed to think it was faster to show me than to explain, tapping his foot on the ground.

Looking where he pointed, I finally understood what he was indicating.

Right in front of where Yoon Si-woo stood, a line was clearly drawn.

This line curved gently, continuing on to form a circular shape at the basin on the mountain’s summit.

What was peculiar was that Beatrice was standing in the center of it.

Inside the circle, the stones and gravel strewn across the ground had vanished completely, as if they had been skillfully chipped away.

That evidence was clear and undeniable, revealing an unsettling fact to us.

Beatrice’s most threatening ability was the barrier that erased everything it came into contact with.

But it wasn’t just a matter of surrounding herself with that barrier; she had the ability to extend its range.

“…What in the world is that?”

A sigh escaped my lips.

To think she could control the range of her power that erases anything it touches—what kind of inhuman ability was that?

Facing the Witch of Gluttony was different from this feeling of despair, one that threatened to break my will.

“…Scarlet, stay back. I can’t protect you while in the middle of this fight.”

But Yoon Si-woo was different.

Gripping his sword, he was still ablaze with fighting spirit.

“…Can we win? Against someone like her…”

I asked him that.

I honestly couldn’t see a way we could win.

But Yoon Si-woo nodded at me and replied.

“We can win. Right, Lucy?”

[Yes, just because she’s incredibly tricky doesn’t mean she can’t be defeated.]

Despite the grim situation, Yoon Si-woo alone remained unshaken.

Was it because he possessed superior abilities compared to others?

Or was it because he had a heart stronger than anyone else?

I couldn’t fathom the reason he could be that way.

Because I couldn’t be that strong.

Yet, as long as he wouldn’t give up, I resolved not to give up either.

I decided to trust Yoon Si-woo and keep my distance, watching over him.

Once Ari, carrying me, soared up from the rocky mountain’s peak, Yoon Si-woo raised his sword as he murmured.

“Then, let’s try attacking from a distance first.”

[So we’re responding to ranged attacks with our own, huh? It’s not a bad idea.]

Shortly after that murmur, Yoon Si-woo slashed his sword down.

Seeing the result of that action took my breath away.

Yoon Si-woo’s sword seemed to slice through the sky.

It was a strike of staggering power, too incredible to be described merely with words.

Even more astonishing was that despite that sword strike aiming to cleave the mountaintop, it hadn’t managed to strike Beatrice at all.

What surprised me even more was that Yoon Si-woo didn’t seem shocked at all.

“Seems it’s not going to work, huh. I had a good guess, but…”

[That girl’s ability is no joke. To think that merely imbibing your sword energy wouldn’t be enough to cut through her.]

“Then we have no choice but to strike directly.”

Realizing that only a direct hit would be effective against Beatrice’s ability, Yoon Si-woo dashed towards her.

At the same time, a small circle that appeared within the large circular mark drawn on the mountain peak began moving toward Yoon Si-woo.

That terrifying circle approached him in the blink of an eye, and just seeing it made me want to scream.

But before I could scream, Yoon Si-woo’s sword was already swinging.

There was no reason it shouldn’t land if he struck directly. As Yoon Si-woo’s sword met the invisible barrier, a sound like glass shattering resonated, and the barrier divided in half.

Yoon Si-woo burst through the gap of the now-split barrier.

And I saw that as the barrier he cut through vanished, another circle spread out around Beatrice. This time, I genuinely let out a scream.

That insane ability—could she freely destroy and recreate it at will?!!

[Si-woo.]

“I know.”

Yet Yoon Si-woo didn’t seem startled at all, cutting through the newly-formed barrier, as if he had anticipated it all along.

Of course, even if he cut through the barrier, Beatrice could just create another one.

Watching from a distance as the two engaged in their exchange, I came to realize something.

That seemingly invincible ability of Beatrice indeed had a flaw.

That flaw was that after she dispelled her barrier, it took a moment for her to recreate it.

And for someone like Yoon Si-woo, that moment was,

“…Huh?”

More than enough time to reach her with his blade.

Yoon Si-woo’s sword flew toward Beatrice.

She twisted her body to evade, but failed to avoid it completely, receiving a severe wound from her shoulder to her side.

With a loud splatter, blood gushed forth.

If she were an ordinary human, she would soon bleed to death from such a heavy injury.

“Ha… you’re stronger than I thought… that hurts… if I’m not careful, it’ll really become dangerous….”

However, despite her grave injury, Beatrice didn’t seem distressed at all.

“That’s why I—”

She murmured, a smile on her face.

“…must get serious if I want to win.”