“Aira!”
Christian, who had been quietly lost in thought, was startled and drew his sword.
At that moment, Christian felt a chill run down his spine. It was a warning signaled by his entire nervous system, senses, and instincts.
The intense killing intent from near his neck made Christian grit his teeth and gather his mana.
Defend?
No, he couldn’t block this.
Swish—!
As Christian instinctively ducked down, something sharp grazed right over his head.
Though the attack intended to cut his throat, it merely managed to sever a few strands of his hair.
“You dodged that?”
The opponent, seemingly surprised that Christian dodged, quickly redirected their sword from below, aiming for a counterattack that drew genuine admiration.
“You’re quite an interesting one, aren’t you?”
Christian dodged his attacker’s sword with-nimble footwork, adjusting his stance while identifying the attacker who had ambushed him.
“August Varian?”
Skin as dark as a black pearl and hair the color of silver-white; eyes that captured the moonlight.
It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t a mistake.
The face and physique matched the being from Christian’s memory.
“Oh, how do you know my name? Ahaha, I’m not that kind of person.”
“……”
With exaggerated gestures, August Varian twirled the dagger in their hand and smiled.
That figure conjured buried nightmares from forgotten memories.
‘It can’t be.’
While appearances can be deceived, replicating the essence and nature of a being is impossible.
Especially that slightly sticky, unique mana barely detectable—Christian never forgot it for a single moment.
“Ha, haha……”
The woman before him was truly August Varian.
What he witnessed at the market was by no means a delusion.
But why did she attack him? Why did she appear at this place?
Could it be that she returned to the past with memories of her previous life as well?
“Hmmm? Oh dear? Sir Kel Grigor, you seem unable to bite down your prey in one go. Looks like your claws lack nutrients, you should take supplements.”
The rebuke was met with a lion-like roar from Kel Grigor, who had been persistently targeting her.
The roar, infused with mana, momentarily numbed the senses and pushed Nemea into danger, but by her side stood Aira as well.
With the two complementing each other’s lacking areas, Kel Grigor expressed his frustration through his entire being when he found it hard to overpower them.
“Oh my, how cruel. Can’t hide your age… oops!”
Christian’s sword shot toward August Varian’s face in a surprise attack, which she evaded with a mere tilt of her head.
It would have likely cut a few strands of hair, but she seemingly dodged it as if she foresaw how Christian’s sword would move.
Yet August Varian didn’t counterattack during the resulting gap after Christian’s assault.
And Christian also halted all movement, vigilantly gazing at August Varian without following up with further attacks or defenses.
“That’s unusual.”
August Varian tilted her head as she gazed at Christian.
“We’ve never met before, right? I don’t understand why you look at me with such intensity.”
“…….”
He tried to suppress his emotions, but it wasn’t easy, as his breathing had become slightly irregular compared to usual.
Christian seemed to recognize this discrepancy, slowly sheathed his sword, and mumbled.
“Your conduct hasn’t changed a bit from then to now.”
“Have we met before? I don’t have the best memory, but I usually remember handsome men once I see them.”
As she tilted her head, Christian bared his teeth in a savage grin.
“You don’t need to try and remember. And you won’t need to in the future either.”
Watching August Varian, who didn’t recognize him, Christian confirmed she didn’t have memories of a past life.
If she intended to agitate him, she wouldn’t have feigned ignorance; instead, she would’ve mentioned the comrades he killed—something far more effective.
No, the reason why she appeared before him, why she pointed a blade at him again, didn’t matter.
Christian quietly raised his sword and aimed it at August Varian.
“This time, I will end you.”
The mana reservoir flared open, and the accumulated mana flowed through his body.
Christian’s mana, raging like a storm, surged beyond him, manifesting externally.
“This place will become your nightmare.”
***
“W-what exactly is this person?!”
The assault by the beastmen left Aira bewildered.
Her practical experience was limited to half-baked monsters, and wielding a sword seriously against humans, even those who aimed to kill her, felt strange.
However…
“Take this!”
Nemea, seemingly undaunted, swung her sword at Kel Grigor, who slashed at her with claw-like nails.
Swoosh—!
The three waves of power, capable of tearing through anything in their path like Kel Grigor’s claws, were easily fended off as he targeted Nemea.
“Sister!”
Though initially hesitant, Aira covered Nemea’s openings, attacking Kel Grigor from the side, forcing him to back off. In that brief moment, Nemea pressed the retreating Kel Grigor, swinging her sword.
“Hmm!”
Clang—!
As Kel Grigor’s upper body swelled, his muscular arms absorbed the waves emanating from Nemea’s sword.
“Tough as nails!”
Despite enhancing the cutting power of her sword with mana, she couldn’t even scratch him.
Or rather, the harsh metallic sound and the tingling sensation radiating from the blade was akin to striking an unyielding shield.
‘How do you handle something like this…?’
It was the same not only with Nemea’s attacks but also Aira’s. Kel Grigor’s robust form served both as an offensive and defensive tool.
It compelled contemplation. Although the man’s identity and objective remained unclear, they had to subdue him regardless.
“Ugh?!”
Kel Grigor inflicted a lengthwise gash on Nemea’s arm with his claws.
Seeing her defenseless form, dropping her weapon and huddling, he hesitated.
Nemea, who thought she was a goner, sensed the reaction and swiftly retrieved her sword, unaware that Aira, who watched from behind, was oblivious to the interruption. She merely panicked at Nemea’s peril.
‘A monster with tough armor.’
An approach for handling such a monster.
That was…
“Heup!”
Thud—!
Aira grasped her sword with both hands, pushing her body activation and waves to their limits as she thudded forward.
She completed the entire process within a single breath—a result achieved through extensive training with Christian.
“……?!”
Kel Grigor, who had relentlessly targeted Nemea, only briefly diverted his attention from Aira.
To his eyes, Aira possessed considerable mana but was ultimately unworthy of confronting him.
Moreover, since the ambush, having killed two lackeys, the plan was to retreat promptly after retrieving the target; the delay involving both himself and August Varian had created urgency, resulting in vulnerabilities.
And Aira exploited that vulnerability sharply.
As she neared and brought her sword down, Kel Grigor raised his arms, hardened with his robust exterior and enveloped in mana, to block her.
Bang—!
“Grah?!”
The overwhelming weight, impact, and unforeseen mana exceeded his expectations.
The oppressive force and energy created chaos inside and outside his body.
In the end, Kel Grigor could no longer resist, being driven against an abandoned building’s wall.
Crash.
The wall shattered, collapsing over him with debris burying his body, leaving Nemea dumbfounded at the absurdly brutish strength Aira displayed.
Facing Nemea’s gaze, Aira glancing at the rubble-turned-grave sneered.
“Hmph! No matter how tough, is it tougher than a demon beast’s body?”
“…… I will serve you as my older sister from now on.”
“What are you saying?”
Though Aira tilted her head at Nemea’s nonsense, Nemea approached sincerely.
“But are you alright? A potion… Oh, I left my bag.”
Realizing her usual small bag was left behind, Aira sighed. Watching her, Nemea nonchalantly commented.
“It’s fine. A lick of spit would heal this.”
“…… Spit can cause infections, which make wounds worse.”
She carefully applied pressure with a handkerchief, asking gently.
“Do you know that person?”
“No.”
“They seemed to specifically target you.”
In reality, Nemea had felt that way too.
The man had solely targeted her. Additionally, while his attacks were sharp and menacing, they avoided vital spots.
Even possessing enough skill to back her into a corner, he didn’t seem like an ordinary assailant.
Though attaching “ordinary” to assailants seems odd, it harbored a degree of logic.
“There are some things I suspect, but I’ll tell you later.”
Aira nodded slowly, relieved that he didn’t seem linked to Christian.
But…
“…… Then, who exactly is she?”
“…….”
Nearby, Nemea quietly asked, watching Christian, who was similarly ambushed.
Though she should have rushed to help, her feet felt heavy.
Aira felt the same; her gaze at Christian held numerous questions and emotions.
‘Why is he that intense?’
Christian’s desperate swordplay seemed so unfamiliar to Aira.
Even against demon beasts, Christian never lost his cool, yet now he unleashed such intense mana that it pricked her skin.
This was more than just expressing mana outwardly; it was like projecting his intent through it.
And that intent was…
“I don’t know either.”
It was killing intent, directed to slay his opponent.