Just as Allen was about to unleash his Mukōon no Tachi (Silent Blade),
a sound like glass shattering echoed behind him—a crisp, ice-crystal-like cracking, reverberating in the air.
Allen's wrist dipped slightly as he concealed his blade stance.
He turned his head.
A massive ice blade extended from Sylphy's outstretched fingertip!!
With a single strike, she split the enemy's skull in half!
Blood gushed forth. The headless corpse tumbled from the window into the carriage, the decaying head hitting the floor with a wet smack, like rotting mud.
Allen froze for a moment and turned to look at Sylphy.
Her face had gone pale, and the Dōhō Mahō (Earth Fort Magic) surrounding her crumbled like loose sand.
She stared blankly at the mutilated human head she had just killed. Her reddish-brown pupils kept contracting. In her eyes, the floor was like the minced bones and flesh she'd seen at home when preparing food for magical beasts.
If only she could convince herself that this was a magical beast. Killing those never gave her a guilty conscience.
But the shattered ear, the eyeball with trailing bloody nerves on the floor, the torn scalp and pale skull, and the peeled-back face—all clearly told her:
This was a human.
And she was the one who killed him.
Sylphy tried several times to look away from the mangled head, but in the end, she forced herself to stare at the wreckage, veins bulging slightly on her temple amidst her white hair.
As if trying to force herself to accept:
"It's fine... it was just a bad guy."
After all, she was going to travel as an adventurer with Allen and Roxy in the future. She couldn't afford to flinch at something like this.
But the crumbling Dōhō Mahō betrayed her. She wasn't as calm as she pretended to be.
She was only seven years old, after all. Her expression was... hard to read.
"Stop looking already!"
At that moment, Eris suddenly turned her head away, puffing her cheeks as she glared directly at Allen.
Even as a young berserker, Eris had a high tolerance for "new" things, but even so, her face had turned pale.
Still, she maintained her stubborn posture, staring at Allen as if to say, "See? I'm tough too!"
Outside the carriage came the sound of ice blades piercing the rain. Rudeus, in the rear carriage, was clearing out the kidnappers with his ice magic. Under the flickering firelight, ice blades flashed like streams of light, piercing through the last of the terrified kidnappers who had already started to flee after seeing the brute force of the Buena men.
With hurried splashes of water, Rudeus charged through the rain, shouting as he emerged from sleep.
"Allen! Sylphy!! Are you two okay?!"
Allen gave Sylphy, whose expression was clearly off, a long look, then turned and shouted toward Rudeus, "We're fine!!"
But within Allen's Ryūkan (Flow Sense), Sylphy's heartbeat echoed.
Thump thump.
Intertwined with the others in the carriage.
Thump thump.
It was very distinct. Including Allen's own, there were six heartbeats—three of which were erratic.
But the other three...
Were calm. Too calm.
As if everything unfolding was well within their expectations.
Allen's pupils shrank!
Something's wrong!!
At the same time, Eris's breathing suddenly turned erratic!
He snapped his head to the side—
Two flashes of steel erupted in his vision!!
From the "corpse" that had leaned in earlier! A trick of the Hokushin Ryū (North God Style)! The severed head was real, but the real assassin had been hiding under that hooded raincoat!
Allen's form vanished like a wisp of smoke.
The next instant!
In Eris's terrified, crimson eyes—
A burst of fire exploded!
Blades clashed mid-air, sparks flying!
The sparks sizzled against her pale skin, leaving pinpoint bloodstains! Even with the reflexes of a beginner swordsman, Eris could only stare blankly at the figure before her!
There were two blades:
One aiming for Eris's face—slightly slower.
The other, a precise strike targeting the exact position where Allen would be mid-attack with Mukōon no Tachi—aimed directly at his neck!
A choice.
But Allen made his decision the moment the blades lit up.
His Ryūseiki (Dragon Holy Ki) compressed in his abdomen, instantly dyeing his aura.
Iwa no Ryōiki (Stone Domain) exploded out.
Even the flickering carriage candlelight seemed to freeze.
Allen's pupils slowly turned toward the two small figures beneath the hooded raincoats.
A long-prepared, sinister strike from Hokushin Ryū!
In moments of extreme danger, people often experience sensory and mental overload. Allen had usually used Suijin Ryū (Water God Style) techniques to enter that state deliberately.
But today—after so long—he genuinely felt the danger of death.
He could feel the icy wind brushing his neck—death was near.
Thoughts raced like lightning—
Too late. Iwa no Ōgi (Stone Secret Technique) won't block in time!
Hairs sliced! Blade tip grazed skin!
That sensation—chilling...
But in his mind, Allen was screaming:
My body can't keep up with my thoughts!!
The candlelight danced in his pupils—not with fear, but excitement!!
When was the last time he felt this alive?!
During his sparring with Lieta? And what use was Iwa no Ōgi against her back then?
No Iwa no Ōgi? No way to counterattack?
Hell no! You think I'm just some weakling?! I'm a Suijin Ryū Kenshō (Water God Style Sword Saint) with perception at my core!!
Dagger tip! Blade edge! Thin and sharp!
Blade length: 2 cm. Width: 0.2 mm.
Tilt your head 30°! The blade might cut your windpipe, but not the artery!
The blade's too short!!
Blade light flashed through the carriage!
Allen's neck sprayed a fountain of blood—splattering across Eris's stunned face!
But Allen's hand remained steady.
Mukōon no Tachi was already unleashed!!
Blade flashed!
The carriage was split clean in half!!
BOOM!!
A sudden burst of sparks exploded into the air!
The attacker instantly dropped the dagger aimed at Allen's neck, drawing a longsword from their waist—barely blocking Allen's deadly strike!
With a thunderous crash, the carriage was cut into two! The floor tilted. Eris, Sylphy, and the cat-eared maid collapsed into the pool of blood-soaked mud.
The attacker's figure had already retreated two meters away.
In the dark curtain of rain—
Four rabbit ears twitched under the downpour.
Beneath them—two smiling faces, one male, one female.
Beastmen—of the Miltait tribe.
Their names?
Hokushin Ryū's Northern King—"Twin Blades," Nakuljad!!
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]