Chapter 6

“Master!”

Despite Milkit’s desperate cries, her master’s body was torn apart by the wind magic, disintegrating and falling in a parabolic arc. Her arms, legs, neck, and torso. Six parts sank into the soft ground, and the blood seeping out stained the leaf litter.

“Ahh... ahhh... ahhh...!”

It was all so sudden—despair took over her body, and Milkit’s feet felt as if they were bound to the ground, unable to move. It wasn’t that she was afraid of death. It wasn’t that she was afraid of dying. The overwhelming size, the sharp claws that could easily dismember a human body, the pointed fangs, and the powerful magic. Any of these, if directed at Milkit, would leave her unable to resist. When faced with such an overwhelming difference in power, humans instinctively feel fear. Her legs, trembling uncontrollably, wouldn’t listen to her. It wasn’t that she wanted to live; it was that she wanted to escape. Milkit strongly willed this.

“Guhaaaaa!”

Anzu roared, dug her front paws into the ground, and leaped at her prey. In front of the approaching massive body, Milkit instinctively crouched, protecting her head. The enemy passed by, grazing her arm, and landed a short distance away. Her heart pounded, and she gasped for breath, her lungs quivering. The paralysis was gone. Milkit knew she couldn’t escape with her legs, but she had to act to increase her chances, no matter how slim.

She kicked the muddy ground, stumbled, and ran forward. Anzu, seeing her attempt to flee, still seemed to have plenty of room to spare. After all, a single leap was enough to close the distance easily.

“Uu... hii... hii... haa... aah...!”

Milkit’s running form was awkward and slow. Anzu came to a conclusion. She was “prey” and also “toy.” From then on, Milkit was toyed with. Anzu leaped at her multiple times, intentionally missing, and enjoyed watching her roll and crawl. When she tried to tear Milkit’s clothes with her claws, the girl’s high-pitched screams were even more amusing. When Anzu opened her mouth and let out a small roar, Milkit curled up like a beetle, which was even more entertaining. However, Milkit’s body was fragile, and the extreme tension was draining her strength. Seeing her reactions becoming weaker, Anzu seemed to grow bored and finally decided to finish her off. This time, she aimed to kill. She gathered strength in her front paws and was about to leap—

“It hurts, you know.”

Someone grabbed Anzu’s tail and said.

“Really, it hurts a lot. In this situation, should I be amazed by the power of epic gear, or should I lament the fact that I can still chatter away even after taking such damage and healing so quickly?”

The tail is a sensitive area. Despite this, the person gripped it tightly and pulled. Anzu bared her fangs, frowned, and tried to turn around, but—

“What did you do to my slave, you monster!”

Pon—Snap! Flamm swung his greatsword with one hand and severed Anzu’s tail.

“Gwoooooo!?”

He jumped from the pain running through his buttocks and writhed on the ground, shaking the earth. Flamm raised his greatsword higher—his shoulders still not fully healed, his face contorted in pain—and brought it down on the struggling hind legs.

“Gyaahhhhh!”

The sharp blade tore through the skin, and the deep wound gaped open, spilling blood. Anzu screamed and rolled, knocking down trees.

“See, it hurts, doesn’t it? But it hurt me more, considering my body was torn apart. I’m still not fully healed, but I can feel it healing, and it’s still excruciating!”

Words didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help but raise her voice. The pain was that intense.

When hit by the wind magic, Flamm was sure he was dead. His consciousness faded as blood flowed, and he felt extremely cold. He hoped Milkit could escape, at least. But strangely, the bleeding stopped, and the separated parts of his body felt connected by magic. Then, an invisible force pulled the parts together, and the healing began. It took longer than when he was eaten by a ghoul, but he was still alive. If his head had been crushed before regeneration, he would have died instantly.

“Master, you’re safe... I’m so relieved.”

Milkit, standing behind the enemy, clasped her hands at her chest in relief. Flamm, too, was relieved to see her alive and exhaled deeply.

“Milkit, get away while you can!”

“I understand, Master, please be careful.”

Milkit ran back the way she came, giving Flamm one less thing to worry about and allowing him to focus on the battle.

“It’s hard to be careful when the opponent is like that.”

Flamm chuckled, and Anzu, now focusing on her, ignored Milkit’s escape.

“With her injured leg, I have the advantage in speed. If I just watch out for her claws, fangs, and magic... I should be able to defeat her.”

Flamm tried to convince herself, though she had no real basis for it.

She didn’t close the distance but ran in an arc to take the enemy’s right side. Anzu always faced her, but blood continued to flow from the injured leg. The longer the fight, the more disadvantageous it became, so Flamm was anxious. Anzu made the first move.

“Gaaaaaa!”

She flapped her wings and soared into the sky.

“She flew!?”

Flamm, expecting a direct attack, was confused. Anzu’s wings weren’t meant for long flights but were powerful enough for gliding and assisting jumps.

The overlapping leaves made it hard for Flamm to pinpoint Anzu’s exact position. Anzu, however, used the time in the air to locate her target and aim. Using her wings, she could adjust her landing point. When she was ready, she dove, heading straight for Flamm. Flamm heard the sound of the air being cut and dodged instinctively.

Zuuuuuun!

Anzu landed, the impact shaking the ground, leaves falling, and the earth forming a crater. But an attack that misses is meaningless. Flamm, standing a short distance away, saw the large opening created by the overaction and prepared to strike.

Goooooo!

Immediately, a gust of wind blew through the forest. The previous attack wasn’t just a fall from the sky; Anzu had used a more powerful wind magic than the one she initially cast on Flamm.

“Damn, I was supposed to watch out for the magic... kyaaa!”

Flamm tried to resist but was blown away. Despite her newfound power, she was still a novice in combat. No matter how much she tried to convince herself, the fighting techniques weren’t ingrained in her body. Like Anzu, she had several openings.

“Gah!”

Flamm crashed into a tree, feeling her spine snap. As she slid to the ground, the healing was complete. Lying on her back, she saw Anzu’s claws approaching through her blurred vision. She gathered strength in her arms, quickly got up, and dove forward. The sound of the tree being broken behind her made her feel nauseous. If she hadn’t dodged, she would have been in the same state as the tree. She landed and stood up, realizing her sword was missing. It must have fallen when she was blown away. But the emblem on her palm indicated the epic gear was stored in a pocket dimension. She focused and called the sword, and “Soul Eater” appeared.

“Haa, haa, that’s efficient... as expected of epic gear.”

She gripped the sword with both hands and faced Anzu, who was also regaining her stance and glaring at her. “Watch out for the magic,” she reminded herself. Anzu’s fighting style was more diverse than she thought. Close and long-range, she had no openings. So, it was probably impossible to win without taking damage. The approach she should take—what a novice like Flamm could do—

“My strength is this... body, right?”

—Cutting the flesh to sever the bone. She wasn’t used to the pain, but the ability to heal from any injury as long as it wasn’t fatal was an overwhelming advantage. She should use this from the start.

“I don’t like pain, but... if I die, Milkit will probably die too. Thinking about it that way... the hero in me will work hard, right?”

She closed her eyes and imagined Milkit running through the forest, seeking an escape. She felt a surge of courage. Remembering the warmth of their hands when they held them, she was sure of her courage. The hero in her was simple. She would risk her life for a girl she just met.

“Then, let’s do it again, hero!”

Flamm, with a sarcastic tone, ran straight at Anzu. Her greatsword, held low, occasionally scraped the ground. Anzu, aware of her power, didn’t run but advanced to meet the challenge. One step, two steps, three steps—collision. As they closed the distance, Anzu’s claws aimed to crush Flamm’s head. Flamm crouched and leaned to the right. The claws missed her head and instead slashed her left shoulder. Torn flesh flew. The exposed bone felt a burning heat. Her brain hadn’t registered the pain yet. Before it could, Flamm continued her forward momentum and, as they passed each other, slashed Anzu’s side with the broad blade.

“Giiii!”

“Gwooooo!”

Both let out cries of agony, the damage was equal. But the difference was clear. Flamm’s wounds healed in seconds, while Anzu’s remained.

She stopped, slowed down on the slippery leaves, and quickly turned to face Anzu again. Anzu, still in pain, flapped her wings and began a familiar movement.

—If she’s using this timing, it must be her trump card.

The wind magic that had torn Flamm’s body apart. She remembered the pain and the sensation of her body disintegrating, feeling a chill down her spine. Fortunately, Anzu’s concentration seemed affected by her injuries, and the magic wasn’t as smooth as before. But even so, it would be difficult to interfere with the magic at this distance. If she tried to stop it, Anzu could switch to a claw or fang attack, potentially dealing a fatal blow. So, she had to dodge—no, could she dodge the invisible blade aimed at her head? It was difficult, not impossible, but highly unlikely. Flamm had no means of long-range attack. Was there any way to reach her? Her eyes fell on a tall tree, its trunk within reach of her sword.

“Haaaaaaa!”

There was no time to consider the success. She swung her greatsword with all her might, striking the tree trunk.