If she wasn't mistaken, the magic Su Mo had just cast was related to the Boots of Hermes he had purchased earlier.
Erica was already well aware of Su Mo's formidable insight.
Still, she couldn't fathom how a simple status-buffing magic, normally used to accelerate one's own movement and reduce body weight, could be extrapolated by Su Mo to the level of spatial teleportation.
It wasn't that magic capable of spatial transfer didn't exist in the world of Campione!, but such spells were at least at the level of Great Magic.
Even a Grand Magus would have to choose the right time and place, and expend a massive amount of resources and personnel just to have a chance of successfully casting it.
Even a monster like a God-Slayer, even a martial arts grandmaster of heaven-sent talent like Luo Hao, had to immerse themselves in the esoteric arts for countless years before they could successfully cultivate a similar "Ground-Shrinking" technique.
Yet Su Mo had accomplished it in a matter of minutes.
The thought of it was just... well, alright, that alone wasn't actually that shocking anymore.
When faced with a monster who had ascended to the strength of a Paladin on his very first day of encountering magic, Erica found it difficult to be surprised by anything he could do.
However, the other members were still thoroughly shaken.
Kanae: "Is that the Divine Beast Erica was talking about?"
Kanae: "What an overwhelming presence. It's terrifying even through the screen. Was Erica really fighting a monster of this level before?"
In the world of Demon Slayer, Kanae's face was a mask of shock.
Even though she knew Erica's enemy was a Divine Beast, knowing and seeing were two entirely different experiences.
In her eyes, a power of this level was already comparable to the gods of imagination. In front of a Divine Beast of this caliber, never mind the Upper Moons that the Demon Slayer Corps had never managed to truly subjugate, even the legendary Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, would be as fragile as an ant.
It wasn't just Kanae; even for Rin Tohsaka, who came from a higher-level world, this was an unprecedented experience.
Rin Tohsaka: "So this is Tier 2, the power to destroy a city... it's this incredible?"
Looking at the ruined city and the waves that had been parted all the way to the shore, she began to re-evaluate the meaning of a Divine Beast.
"Even in the Holy Grail War, most of the legendary Heroic Spirits probably couldn't compare to an existence of this level in terms of power and rank!"
Even the heroic spirits from the Age of Gods themselves, many of whom were famous for slaying demonic beasts, rarely had the qualifications to take on a Divine Beast.
Only the absolute top-tier Heroic Spirits could possibly possess the power to rival a Divine Beast, or even a god.
Rin Tohsaka: "Speaking of which, Lord Su Mo is Tier 2 now as well."
Rin Tohsaka: "Does that mean Lord Su Mo's power is already on par with a Divine Beast?!"
If she went by the old records, with Su Mo's current strength, it seemed he wouldn't even need to summon a Heroic Spirit to fight his way through the entire Holy Grail War by himself.
At this thought, an idea began to stir in Rin's mind.
Perhaps asking the Tier 2 powerhouse, Master Su Mo, for help was a bit more reliable than asking her now-outdated Tier 1 friend, Big Sister Erica.
Of course, that was all contingent on him being willing to help her.
Madoka: "I'm so glad Erica-oneechan is okay! The big brother is so amazing!"
Madoka, who was most concerned about her friend's safety, let out a sigh of relief. Then, her attention, unlike the others, was not drawn to the boar that had plunged into the sea, but to Su Mo himself.
Madoka: "Ah! Su Mo-oniichan is so handsome!"
Madoka: "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to."
After getting a clear look at the handsome, black-haired, black-eyed man before her, Madoka couldn't help but exclaim.
As soon as she said it, she realized her slip of the tongue and immediately covered her mouth, her little face flushing crimson.
What if I made him angry by commenting so frivolously on his appearance?
Fortunately, the others in the group were considerate enough to ignore Madoka's embarrassment and started to agree.
Rin Tohsaka: "Indeed!"
Rin Tohsaka: "I never expected Lord Su Mo to not only possess astonishing wisdom, but also a beauty that is unparalleled in this world!"
Half out of sincerity, and half for her own little schemes, the young Rin began to lay on the flattery thick.
Seeing their comments, Kanae, who was normally more reserved, couldn't help but agree as well.
Kanae: "It's true. Lord Su Mo is as handsome as a god!"
Praising a man she didn't know for the first time, even with such a simple statement, made Kanae's cheeks feel warm.
At that moment, her younger sister, Shinobu Kocho, was nearby, playing with their adopted sister, Kanao.
Noticing her older sister's fluctuating emotions—getting excited one moment, then suddenly blushing the next—and recalling how she had been zoning out by herself lately, a bold thought struck Shinobu.
"Is my sister... experiencing the first blush of love?"
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and Shinobu froze on the spot.
Damn it! Where did this wild man come from, to capture my sister's heart and soul like this?
Still, my sister is at the age where she should be getting married. I suppose I can't stop her.
A girl of sixteen or seventeen was already past the suitable age for marriage in this era, practically considered a spinster.
"?"
Seeing Shinobu's ever-changing expression, the stoic Kanao tilted her head slightly, as if to express her confusion.
When Shinobu didn't respond for a long time, Kanao gathered her courage, walked over to Kanae, and lightly repeated the two words Shinobu had just said.
"First... blush?"
What does that mean?
Whoosh!
The instant Kanao uttered the phrase, Shinobu felt her ever-gentle and beautiful older sister's gaze, sharp enough to kill, land on her.
With Kanae's intelligence, she knew instantly that Shinobu had taught Kanao that word. There was no one else here.
I let you play with her, and you lead her astray?
"Sister! No, wait, let me explain!"
"I didn't mean to teach Kanao bad things, I was just saying you were experiencing the first blush of—ah, no, Sister, I was wrong! Waaaaah!"
Accompanied by Shinobu's flustered cries, the Butterfly Mansion, wreathed in wisteria, once again became a lively place.