Time rewinds to a day earlier.
At the moment of the fall.
Allen and Sylphy plummeted rapidly through the air without the aid of Rudy's Fueki Mahō (Wind Magic) support!
They were so close—just how close?
The gales between the cliffs scattered Allen's long hair, his glasses having already shattered during the first charge through the monsters, and even the band holding his hair had long since been claimed by the winds.
The howling wind roared like a shrill symphony; his slightly coarse brown hair and her soft, smooth green hair intertwined in the dance of a tango.
Entwined and tangled in the wind.
In that fleeting moment of falling.
The two locked eyes in the darkness at point-blank range, each feeling the other's breath on their face.
Allen's brows shot up, his shock impossible to conceal—he couldn't fathom why Sylphy would do this? How could she react so quickly to grab his hand?
Yet Sylphy, squinting against the wind until her eyes curved into lovely crescents, wore a panicked yet stubborn look. Her reddish-brown eyes stared directly at Allen's face with the same serious expression he often wore when scrutinizing someone.
At this moment, there was no suspension bridge in the air.
But the two fell from the invisible bridge together.
The winds howled beside their ears.
Light and shadow streaked past their eyes.
Hearts thudded wildly.
Allen froze only for an instant before reacting, his eyes snapping open as he wrapped Sylphy tightly in his arms, bellowing instinctively.
"Are you trying to die?!"
No time to hear her response—his Kanryū (Flow Sense) technique churned frantically.
Sylphy clung to his torn, bloody back, greenish healing light flickering and failing to coalesce in her palm as fear prevented her from properly casting her Chiryō Mahō (Healing Magic).
Frowning, she abandoned the spell, tears welling at the corners of her eyes yet stubbornly crying out something.
The wind shredded her syllables into broken fragments.
"No!"
"Let!"
"Go!"
Allen couldn't make out what she said, his pupils sharp as needles as he scanned their surroundings with Suijinryū (Water God Style) perception, information flashing through his mind in lightning speed:
'Right side is open valley, no echo… front same… back smooth airflow… left—'
Chaotic winds!
'That's wind scraping against rock—that darkness is thicker than elsewhere!'
'The cliff!!'
The thought dropped like a stone into his mind. Still clutching Sylphy, he swept his palm from overhead to his side, releasing Dōki (Battle Aura) to pulverize stones above them. Controlling the force with precision, he pushed the air currents aside.
Sure enough, within a moment the chaotic flow confirmed his guess.
'Two meters!'
His brain overclocked, Kanryū blazing, Allen finished his analysis in less than a second. He hurled a Setsuzan Ochi (Avalanche Drop) behind him, scattering Dōki to propel them sideways, then thrust his blade into the cliff face!
With a screech of sparks, the blade bit into rock, and their bodies jerked to a halt as inertia whipped them back.
The blade bent into a huge arc, fire glinting in his pupils—but his face remained grim.
Before his eyes, the thin blade flexed almost ninety degrees, still bending.
Then.
The blade snapped!
Allen's preferred thin longsword couldn't withstand the choice—imbuing Dōki made it more brittle even as it bit rock.
This was within his expectations, but he couldn't risk waiting until the very bottom to stab the cliff. If the soil was damp and the blade failed to catch, there'd be no time to adjust.
So he had aimed earlier. Luckily it worked.
Now, suspended briefly in the air, Allen looked at the broken blade, feeling himself start to fall again, eyes flashing coldly.
'Judging by the fall time, still dozens of meters to the bottom. A direct drop will kill me!'
'I'll use the "adhesive" trait of Ryūsei Dōki (Dragon Holy Battle Aura) in quadrupedal stance—sure, I might break limbs, but I can heal them. As long as—'
'Sylphy's fine!'
His mind raced as he bellowed down.
"Hold on tight and don't let go, you hear me?!"
"No!!!"
"You hea—huh?!"
Allen's legs were poised to brace against the wall when a sharp denial came from his arms. He'd never been refused by Sylphy before, and he glanced down in shock.
At that instant.
The wind picked up.
Not the wind of falling—but the gust conjured by the girl in his arms. Without him noticing, Sylphy's legs had wrapped around his waist like an octopus. She extended her palms, closed her eyes, steadied her breath—and unleashed Fueki Mahō at full power!
Mana gushed unchecked through her palms, the shrieking wind hammering the air below to slow their descent!
Allen felt her legs around his waist, hot friction burning his skin.
But she couldn't maintain the pressure, and her legs began slipping.
Allen's mind whirled—this wasn't what he'd intended, but there was no time to explain now. If he hesitated, the increasing speed would crush them.
So he used Kanryū precision to lock his grip on her waist, fusing their bodies into a single unit to distribute the force.
Their fall steadied at last, but they still dropped! His earlier estimate was correct—74 meters to the bottom. Free fall time: 3.89 seconds.
After her spell? Seven seconds.
In those seven seconds, Allen adjusted their position perfectly.
Below, the sound of monsters smashing into the ground like bursting water balloons rang in his ears.
Seven seconds passed.
With a heavy thud, a shockwave rippled from Allen's feet as his knees buckled, joints creaking. Soft green light flickered, his back and knees instantly healing.
He straightened slowly, feeling Sylphy's hair tickling his cheek, and let out a deep breath.
'Her wind spell was strong enough that it felt like we only fell ten meters. Minimal damage. Huge help.'
He patted Sylphy's head and stepped back to look at her.
But instead of the relieved smile he expected, her face was despondent, eyes brimming with tears. She stared at him, lips quivering between a smile and a frown. Finally, confirming he was unharmed, her tears overflowed as a brilliant smile bloomed.
All year she'd been mimicking his serious demeanor. But now, at last, the little girl's pure emotion returned to her face.
Allen, though, froze.
The sun had sunk behind the peaks, and the moon hung high.
The clouds receded, and the moon slipped free.
A silver ribbon of moonlight fell before them.
At that moment.
In Allen's tight, stunned pupils, Sylphy's soft green hair swayed in the moonlight, snowflakes dancing like falling stars.
The moon's halo caressed her hair, reflected in her eyes.
Her hair shimmered gently.
Like moonlight.
Pure and flawless.
(End of Chapter)
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