Just like your ideology, right? You reap what you sow. Ah, but its a bit unfortunate. I wanted to torment you more before killing you...

Not a twitch could be seen from her blood-related father anymore. Zesshi moved her gaze to the Elf corpses around her.

Now that she thought about it, she really didnt need to go this far. It would be a lie to say that her hatred towards her mother wasnt a factor in her killing them all. However, most of all, she didn't wish for the country she loved to do the same things this bastardwhose very existence in the same world as her made her nauseoushad done. She thought that they would be better off dead, so she sank these female elves into a sea of blood.

Those people, who optimistically thought that these elves could have achieved happiness elsewhere, probably wouldnt understand Zesshis actions. In a similar vein, Zesshi couldnt understand those kinds of people either.

Zesshi suddenly looked at the entrance.

A dark elf girl could be seen in the gap of the still open door.

There was no doubt that she was one of those kids that drove the Elf King into a corner.

Upon seeing the mark of royalty in those eyeseach of a different colorZesshi let out a small sigh.

Decem mistook Zesshi, who he had never met, for their mother. Then, this should be his grandchildZesshis niece.

A little surprised at her own unexpected reluctance to kill this child, Zesshi kicked the Elf King, already dead from getting his chest caved in, towards the child with her full strength.

Ordinary people, no, not even outliers should have been able to avoid it; yet, the girl did, by just jumping aside primly.

The corpse hit the opposite wall and bloomed into a bloody flower with a loud sound.

{To think that she avoided it...her physical ability should be comparatively high. That guys wound looked like it was from a blade though...}

The girlher niece was holding a black staff, a weapon to bonk with. A glance at that guys wound was enough to know that it was from a different weapon. He actually did say those kids, so there should be one more at the very least. However, there were also magic items that could create blades of magic or could change themselves into blades.

She couldnt disregard the possibility that this girl was the one who wounded the Elf King.

{Or maybe the other child caused the chest wound while this one smashed his legs? With her staff...or magic?}

But why did this dark elf girl wound the Elf King?

No, there were many things to hate him for. Perhaps she was the same as Zesshi, inheriting her mothers hatred for the Elf King. This could be the case, especially since she looked too young to have her own reason to hate the Elf King enough to wound him so grievously.

It was also possible that she just wounded him while frolicking around, but the circumstances just now denied that possibility. Even though he was already dead, the girl avoided the body she kicked instead of trying to retrieve it.

E-excuse me, y-you see. Where are you from onee-san?

Very shya cute girl who was male fantasy made manifest. She was from a different world compared to Zesshi, such a girl asked her a question.

But a single glance was enough for her to see that the girl was different inside. The girl didnt look like she was scared by the Elf Kings corpse behind her or the massacre done by Zesshi in this room.

{She can still behave like that after avoiding my attack? Uwaah. It's highly likely her shyness is just an act, that just makes me more cautious...well then, what should I do?}

How should she answer the opponents question? If possible, she wanted to avoid a battle and feed her false information while taking her time to gain as much information as possible from the other side.

But that was impossible.

The Elf Kings words implied there were multiple enemies. In case this was the one who wounded the Elf King, the fact that there wasnt a single drop of blood on herthere should have been some even if she was healedmeant that there was an overwhelming gap between the strength of the Elf King and this girl.

Even if this girl wasnt the one who did it, considering that she was chosen to be the one to give chase, she and her comrades shouldnt be taken lightly. She didnt know how strong they were, but even Zesshi would be in danger if she let them regroup.

This was her chance to deal with the girl alone, before her comrades arrived. Instead of gathering intel, she should seize the initiative and defeat her here in a short and quick battle.

{The idea that your enemys enemy is your friend is just optimism. You'd more likely be correct to treat them as a new enemy instead.}

She thought for a moment and then, with a smile to ease up her opponents caution, Zesshi finally answered.

Good morning. I am...someone from the Sorcerer Kingdom, but what about you? Are you alone?

The girls face twitched a little. Her shy attitude didnt change, but it slightly felt like she was thinking about something.

{I cant read her. Ive made a mistake. I should have asked a leading question...With this reaction, I cant read if she doesnt know about the Sorcerer Kingdom, if shes from there, or if she sees it as an enemy. Considering that she didnt immediately attack me, the possibility of her being hostile to the Sorcerer Kingdom went down a little, but maybe she is just stalling like me to gather more information...aah, maybe I would have gotten a different reaction if I had mentioned the Council State instead.}

She mentioned the Sorcerer Kingdom because there was intel that the Sorcerer King had a Dark Elf as one of his retainers.

They didnt get this information by sending spies into the Sorcerer Kingdoms internal organization.

It was because the Thousand-League Astrologer had confirmed the presence of a dark elf girl beside the Sorcerer King in the battle against the Kingdom on the Katze Plains.

They made a detailed report on the Sorcerer King and his forces after using illusions to recreate the scene the Thousand-League Astrologer saw. They also saw the dark elf who was the only one attending him through the illusions, but they werent able to see her face clearly due to the blurriness.

That was something that couldnt be helped. The Thousand-League Astrologer couldnt divert her energy to remember a single person as she had to observe the entire battlefield. Plus, what happened after made such a strong impression on her that a lot of other information had flown straight out of her mind.

Remembering that vague picture, it felt like this girl wasnt the same one as the dark elf that followed the Sorcerer King back then. They both held a black staff but the armor they wore was completely different. Well, there was also the fact that she didnt remember anything except for the gear because the illusion was of very low quality.

If this girl really was from the Sorcerer Kingdom, what would she have chosen to wear when she planned to come here? The answer: she would have been completely geared up just like Zesshi was. This was a battlefield. Anything could happen here so it was impossible that someone would appear in their usual attire. Even the defensive gear Kaire and the Thousand-League Astrologer wore were chosen only for their ability, disregarding the fact of whether they suited them or not.

That said, the Katze Plains had been a battlefield as well. Truly strong people didnt use multiple sets of serious battle gear generally.

That was because excellent gear was a necessity to ascend to higher tiers of strength, and they would need to polish their skill with a single piece of equipment for that. For example, there was someone skilled with a club who was given an axe after they were recruited into Black Scripture, they had to spend years to get proficient at using it.

Going by this logic, the girl from the Sorcerer Kingdom and the one before her should be different people, but there were too many things in common between them for her to come to that conclusion.

Thats why Zesshi asked a suggestive question to reap some information from her reaction but got nothing in return.

{I am better at reaping with this scythe though,} Zesshi thought and slightly strengthened her grip on the great scythe.

(T/N: the original is a wordplay on asking a suggestive question () from the sentence before, which literally translates to grabbing by a sickle/scythe. Zesshi jokes that she is better at using the scythe in her hands instead.)

And there was also the fact that the girl was not human.

Zesshi could mostly differentiate between the faces of fellow humanoids, but she was not perfect at it. There were some things that one wouldnt be able to perceive if they were not of the same race, so the other races tended to look all the same to her.

Ah, eh, Y-yes. I am alone...

I see. Then everyones probably worried for you.

{Haa. She lies so easily with such a cute face...absolutely different from how she looks. In that case, any information I can get from her is highly likely to be false. Theres no use in continuing this conversation when I already know that she has other allies here. First, I should incapacitate her with force and move to a different place. Its better to draw the truth out of her at a later time, either through magical means or through physical pain...}

The girl shyly raised her hand which was not holding the staff to touch the necklace hanging from her neck.

A behavior like that was nothing out of place. It looked like her hand was just searching for something to grip to soothe her unease. One could call it a shy and girly action but Zesshi, who sensed the disconnect between the girls appearance and her true self, didnt think so.

Tch!

Zesshi reduced the distance between them in a single motion, faster than her tongue click could dissipate in the air. While putting on her helmet, she swung the weapon she was holdingCharons Guidanceto graze the ground at the girls legs.

If she could, she would cut her legs.

A no-holds-barred attack with her full strength behind itan attack even the man who was the strongest of her comrades would find difficult to avoid.

That attack

Was deflected back by the girl planting down the staff by her feet.

The weapon that could easily cut through even steel was deflected, but Zesshi wasnt surprised. She expected this possibility, but the fact that Zesshi's full-powered attack couldn't even make the girls hand flinch was beyond her expectations. Then

{So shes a martial-type.}

She has now got a clue on the classes held by the dark elf girl.

{...Wait a minute? A lightly equipped warrior? No way...though its not confirmed that the Elf King was his only child...her appearance...}

Both Dark Elves and the Elves had the same lifespan, so the speed of their growth should also be the same.

W-what are you doing su-suddenly...

{Is it possible that she was from a different bloodline? ...Am I thinking too deeply into it?}

It looked like the dark elf girl was muttering about something, but Zesshi continued to swing her scythe, trying to think. She had already decided to fight her. From now, there was no need to talk anymore except if she wanted to stall for time or if she had won.

Zesshi burst into the corridor, chasing after the girl who jumped back.

Rotating the great scythe in a wide arc to accumulate a lot of inertia behind it, Zesshi swung at the girls ankles.

Swinging such a large scythe meant that she naturally hit the floor and the walls along the way, but that was not an issue. The weapon once held by the savior God of the Theocracyno, of humanitySurshana, could easily part the walls and the floor in its path. There was a slight resistance but it barely slowed down the great scythe.

But it was deflected.

Again.

And again.

The three attacks that followed each other like lightning struck at the same spot. All of them were parried by the black staff held by the girl. Her parries were not exactly graceful but the explosive power in them was massive. The girls lightning speed was on the same level as her without a doubt.

{Shes pretty good. A warrior on my level? This is bad. I will be at a disadvantage if she is completely focused on defense.}

She already understood something from this short exchange.

According to the Elf Kings words, the opponent had allies. If they were also on this girls level, then Zesshi could only put her full effort into escaping. However, it would be shallow to think that she could run away easily just because the Elf King had managed to escape. If the opponent was not an idiot, they would have some countermeasures in place now after letting the Elf King escape once.

That meant

{I will deal with her here in a short battle. Killing herit can no longer be helped. Depending on the situation, I could just return with her corpse and try resurrecting her.}

Zesshi tried to suppress her urge to look at the girls navel.

Despite wearing a dress-like metal armor, her flat and smooth navel was exposed to the elements. The girl was boldly exposing a place stuffed with important organs, a place thats considered vulnerable. That said, thinking that she could wound her deeply by attacking there was far too optimistic.

The armors defense could generally be said to be a sum of the infused magic in it, the metal used to forge it, and its special abilities. At the very least, that abdomen should still be protected by the strength of the magic power in the armor. Still, it lacked protection from the material used to forge the armor. There was no doubt that the defense there was weaker compared to other parts.

Then why was she wearing such a thing?

She was probably leading the opponents attacks there by intentionally exposing it. Its highly possible that this was a trap in waiting.

Despite realizing that, Zesshi couldnt help but slightly hope to kill the girl with a single hit by targeting that area. That was why she was trying her best to not look at it.

[Power of Gaia]

The girl suddenly cast a spell, making Zesshi widen her eyes.

Hah!? Magic!? Not a martial class!? No, no, its not like there are no martial classes that could use a little bit of magicbuteh?

Zesshi could use a little bit of divine magic, but she has never heard of the spell the girl used. It didnt affect her, so its possible that it was self-buffing magic.

If the girls main class was martial and she only slightly dipped her toes into the caster classes, then she neednt worry much. Still, it would be a serious issue if her main class was actually a caster instead.

Being able to choose any approach through the use of myriad spells would make the girl far more flexible than a dedicated warrior at dealing with a wide range of situations. If luck was not on Zesshis side, it was entirely possible for the girl to overturn the situation with some awesome magic.

Zesshis thoughts about these spells were lacking in detail, only calling them awesome magics because she was not too knowledgeable about magic casters. That was why she had to be even more on guard now. In her experience, even being able to heal just a bit, like herself, was enough to affect the course of battle.

Assuming the worst possible case, that she wasnt a warrior, what type of magic-caster could the girl be?

She didnt have absolute proof, but by considering their short exchange of attacks, she probably wasnt an arcane caster. She would have been weaker in their melee exchange if she was anything like an ordinary arcane caster. It was more likely that she was a druid or a priest, the kind of caster that was comparatively better at close-quarters combat.

She could also just be an atypical magic caster, or from other types. Psychic magic was one of them, but unfortunately, Zesshi was even less knowledgeable about those casters. There would be no end to it if she continued her conjectures down this path. It was fine to keep them in a corner of her mind and be on guard against the possibilities.

Andtaking into account that she was a Dark Elf, she was most likely a druid, even more so given that she was related to that Elf King.

Unfortunately, Zesshi couldnt do much if she really was a druid. So instead, she activated one of the two special skills she learned upon mastering the Inquisitor class. She activated it in case the girl was some kind of priest that could use high-tier magic that Zesshi didnt know about.

[Denounce Heretic].

This skill made priests who worshiped a different God expend a little more mana than usual when they used magic around her. It wouldnt show clear effects immediately, but it would slowly start hindering the opponent in a drawn-out battle or if they used stronger spells.

She didnt plan to extend this battle but decided to use it anyway in case the opponent came out casting one high-tiered spell after another. Using a skill like this that aimed for a single, very specific effect was probably wasteful when she wasnt sure about her opponents abilities, but such skills were useless if not activated at the start of the battle anyhow.

[Elemental Form - Earth].

The girl cast another spell unknown to Zesshi, turning her skin to a light brown shade.

Changing skin color was probably not the only thing that spell did. She also thought that perhaps the girl was showing her true formthat she was originally not a Dark Elf but a different racebut its useless to theorize about that.

She should not get caught up in questions that didnt have answers when in a battle with her life on the line. Such gaps in knowledge should only be guarded against.

The same went for magic.

When she didn't know what some spell did, it was best to keep her conjectures about them to a minimum. Zesshi activated another skill like the one before.

[Sentence Heretic].

It was the other special skill she gained upon mastering Inquisitor. This one also had a similar effect in that it increased the rate of failure of activating a spell. Naturally, mana would be spent even if the spell failed to activate.

As she ended up using both of them, she wouldnt be able to use any other Inquisitor skills until their active time ran out, but it couldnt be helped. She would still have the physical durability and resistance against magic that was granted by the Inquisitor class so it would be tolerable.

Zesshi planned for a quick fight, but the battle went in a different direction than what she had hoped for. The present situation was not what she had in mind. For Zesshi, all paths to victory roughly fell into two categories: restrict the opponent by continuously pushing her advantage until they were crushed, or guard against the opponents attacks while gradually closing their avenues of offense to grind them down.

However, the girl came out unharmed through Zesshis attacks, turning her plan to decide the victory in a single strike into a battle of attrition, where each side took turns slowly bringing out their cards into play. Although it was irritating, Zesshi had to acknowledge that the girl was the one who had control over the field. If this was how it was going to be, then she would follow the opponents script and wait for an opportunity to derail her plans.

W-well then, please excuse me.

Perhaps two spells alone were enough for her or because she couldnt use more than two, the girl swung her staff with an apology. It came down with such velocity that Zesshis hair stood on its ends instantly.

She shuddered.

Not because the speed of her attack was unbelievably fast.

But because she felt the girls heart was not in the apology. There was no hint of it either in her tone or in her expression. Its like she was apologizing by commandlike some kind of puppet

dont think!

Thats not the important thing. The attack coming down on her was more pressing right now.

This attack was not up to her standards if as she had assumed, the girl was a warrior. It was just too simple, without even an attempt at a feint.

It was impossibly fast but it was easy enough to receive it or avoid it.

Zesshi chose to receive it. She had gotten a general idea of her opponents evasion and parrying skills, so this time she would measure her strength.

Zesshis great scythe easily held the attackor thats what she expected

too heavy!!

She should have been able to receive it easily, but instead, both her elbows and her knees were bent from the force. Forced down, the staff came near her forehead.

Zesshi gritted her teeth and with a spirited hngh!! pushed it away with all her strength. Even though the weapon was pushed back, the girl didnt break her balance at all. However, the staffs recoil made the girl wide open.

A chance.

Trying not to stare at her defenseless navel, Zesshi activated several martial arts.

[Greater Wind Stride], [Steeled Arm Strike], [Greater Piercing] [Greater Ability Boost], [Greater Possibility Sense].

It was for this moment that she held back from using martial arts before.

Her speed, agility, damage from her attack, piercing damage, and strength were all increased along with her sixth sense being sharpened to the extreme.

She was aiming for a single spot.

Her navel, which looked so defenseless.

Perhaps it was a trap, but she was confident enough in her ability to break through it if there was one. And most of all, she couldnt resist the hope that she could wound the girl seriously enough to completely turn the tides of the battle to her side. Zesshi had a reason to resolve this battle quickly.

She shrunk the distance between them at lightning speed and swung her weapon so fast that the sound left behind by the scythe cutting through the air couldnt catch up with the blade. She then directly hit the girls soft navel.

Zesshis sudden acceleration due to the rise in her abilities surprised the girl, who couldn't defend herself in time. After some resistance that was more than what she expectedhard enough to make her doubt if it was really skinher scythe broke through and smoothly pierced her skin.

{Yes!}

She couldnt help but smile.

Zesshi had a class called Executioner. It greatly increased the damage from a critical hit and sometimes even killed the opponent in a single hit. Originally, it also had the ability to deepen wounds from slashing weapons, but because she used the middle blade to pierce her instead of slashing her with the crescent blades that extended to the sides like wings, that ability wouldnt trigger in this case. Even so, this attack should have damaged the girl considerably.

However, her joyful expression soon turned serious.

The feeling that she got from her weapon was too strange.

Especially because she couldnt feel the sensation of her innards being cut.

Before she could understand the reason, a black silhouette appeared in her peripheral vision.

[Instant Counter]!

But it was too late. Just too late.

Even though it was only for a moment, her getting caught up in feeling her weapon was a mistake.

Gah! A loud sound echoed.

Her head received a hard blow from the weapon with a tremendous force behind it.

She immediately used pain suppression and jumped back a great distance using [Greater Wind Stride]. At the same time, she forcefully pulled back the great scythe, dealing more damage to the girl in the process.

Her scalp had probably split from the strong blow as blood started to trickle down Zesshi's face. Even though she was suppressing the pain with a martial art, just moving her face was enough to make pain rush through her, making her light-headed.

Zesshi was wearing the armor of the one known as the God of the Wind. Despite that, she took enough damage to make her legs unstable. It had been a long time since she was wounded to such an extent.

[Heavy Recover]

While Maintaining enough distance that the opponent couldnt reach her in a single step, Zesshi cast the highest tier magic she could use to heal herself. It was far from healing her completely, but it should be good enough as first aid for the time being. While she cast the spell, she continued to observe the girl, guarding against a follow-up attack.

And then she widened her eyes.