Chapter 347.2. Nostalgic Style Battle

“Did you have that much information?! How did you manage it?”
“Ah, w-well, I-I have my network of information, you see…”
Masatoshi reveals signs of agitation in response to Captain Gotou’s words. Well, he can’t exactly disclose the source of his information. So, these guys were the antagonists in the original story? They seem vaguely familiar from the game, but I can’t quite remember.
“Let’s start over, shall we~? Flutter~”
[Dance of the Falling Leaves]
Leaves swirl from Tamamo’s fan, resembling a flurry of cherry blossoms as they assail Anna and her companions. Annal uses [Black Hole] again to suck in the leaves, and Eli retreats with him, creating distance.
In the meantime, Mii-chan sends her thoughts to Hugin to analyze the opponents. The cawing of a crow can be heard from somewhere, analyzing the powers of the two.
-Annal: Level 61-
-Eli: Level 69-
Confident in battle, and at the level of the head of 36 nobles in human terms. Well, they might be more than that.
They’re not opponents for Yamiyo and the others right now.
And they’re not enemies for Mii-chan either. They’re foes she could defeat with a single punch.
Not too long ago, I would have attacked the enemy first and easily defeated them. But now, things are a bit different.
It’s scary. The thought of feeling pain fills my heart with fear. That’s why I hesitated to join the fight.
Switching her consciousness, I think it’s a good opportunity to endure a real battle with pain. So, I should step forward. Let’s gather some courage.
[That’s why I’m here!]
-Sub Event: Do Your Best-
I smile at System-san’s log. With a kick to the ground, I quickly overtake everyone and head towards Annal and Eli.
“Whoa!”
“This one!”
[Overwhelming Blade]
Eli reacts swiftly and swings her axe down. If Masatoshi’s explanation is correct, her attack carries a lethal force.
If I take the hit, it would result in serious injury.
However, to purposely endure the attack, I cross my arms to block it.
With a powerful force, my arms ache intensely. The impact is so strong it feels like my arms might get torn apart. My feet sink into the ground, and my body tilts from the force.
“Kuh!”
Biting down on my teeth, I endure the pain. Blood drips from the cut, falling to the ground.
Normally, I would have retaliated without concern. A little pain was nothing and would have responded mechanically, counterattacking the enemy.
But now, having endured the pain, my body hesitates for a moment, and she can’t counterattack.
“I got you!”
[Overwhelming Blade Barrage]
Eli roars and spins her axe like a whirlwind, launching a series of attacks.
Scary. It hurts. I fear getting cut like this.
However, this is what it means to be an ordinary human.
“Tei!”
Shifting her body slightly, I avoid the 1st strike. Taking half a step back, I watch the 2nd pass by my face. As the 3rd approaches her torso, I use a knee strike to deflect the axe.
“What!”
“Just because it hurts doesn’t mean I get weaker. Sometimes, having fear sharpens my movements. I don’t want to get cut. It hurts a lot! So, I can move more delicately and carefully than before.”
“Ah, can’t hit this little one!”
“And take this!”
[Apply Pressure]
Entering Eli’s embrace, I strike her fist into Eli’s pigeon-tail. Piercing through the magic armor, she feels the sensation of crushing the torso.
“But… so, that’s…”
Folding her body into a crooked shape, Eli collapses with a pained expression. Without paying attention to the fallen Eli, Miu heads towards Annal.
“No way, Eli-chan with a single blow!”
[Whirlwind Sharp Blade]
Annal, astonished, employs a speed-focused martial technique. The short sword glitters, leaving multiple light blades in its trail, all heading toward Miu.
[Phantom Step II]
Performing light and intricate steps, Miu leaves behind several afterimages and moves at high speed.
“Guu! Ah, can’t hit her!”
It was probably a confident martial technique, but all the blade trajectories simply passed through the afterimages, barely grazing Miu.
Because I can see them. I’m seeing everything. The start of the attack is the tension in the shoulders, where the gaze is focused. The atmosphere they emit and the flow of their attacks.
Miu observes Annal’s attacks, analyzes them, and reads all the trajectories.
Stepping confidently into the attacks that never hit Annal, Miu clenches her fist.
“It’s troublesome to be able to consider others’ pain, isn’t it?”
[Apply Pressure]
With a strong sound, Annal’s body also folds into a crooked shape like Eli’s. Annal widens her eyes and sways unsteadily.
“B-But. I-I should have… stopped…”
Looking down at the collapsed Anna, Miu murmurs as she recovers her numb arm.
“Mii-chan decided to be an evasive shield. A job change from tank, huh?”
Because I don’t like pain. And there’s a tingling sense of guilt when it comes to killing the opponent.
From now on, those I’ll exterminate will likely be monsters or beings related to gods. Humans, except for the decided enemies, won’t be killed.
Until now, I hadn’t paid much attention, much like cutting weeds. But I remembered that humans aren’t weeds.
The newly adopted combat style of Miu, with her gray hair flowing, is accompanied by a faint smile.