Chapter 67

"Things can't go on like this... Saiga, I'm going to use it."

"You... but that will drain almost all of your magic. And it takes time to activate..."

"That's where you come in. Please guard me until it activates. I'll take down at least one of them."

"Tch... I got it!"

Saiga stepped in front of Kuroinu.

Kuroinu quietly clasped her hands and closed her eyes.

(If Kuroinu's move succeeds, we'll be close to victory... The problem is whether I can hold these two off...)

He swung his spear once and steeled himself.

Despite his sluggish thoughts, his actions were filled with fighting spirit.

"---I'm going."

Shironeko and Mineko leaped forward.

Shironeko's claws approached Saiga, who was holding his spear in front of him.

"Here I come!"

He blocked her attack and immediately thrust at Mineko, who was trying to flank him.

Mineko managed to stop and avoid the attack, but she had to back off to regain her momentum.

Shironeko, whose claws had been deflected, pulled back and lunged again.

"Huh... Your eyes are getting used to it!"

"Is that... so...!"

Claws and spear clashed, producing a high-pitched sound.

Saiga, despite his bravado, glanced back.

There, Kuroinu stood, still not moving.

(Not yet, Kuroinu...!)

A torrent of claw strikes.

It was already difficult to block them all without taking any damage, and he had several cuts.

Still, he couldn't back off.

If he did, his defenseless companion would be killed.

However, this was irrelevant to the cat sisters.

"〈Heavy Foot〉!"

"Tch... Damn it!"

He blocked Mineko's flying kick, which came unexpectedly after she dodged his spear.

The impact was too much, and he was blown back several meters.

"Ouch... damn..."

Saiga, wobbling, stood up and readied his spear again.

Kuroinu was still a bit away, but he could hold on a little longer.

However, a scene that seemed to mock him unfolded before his eyes.

"Hah... You've got to be kidding me."

Something was jumping around at high speed in front of him.

The sound of feet hitting the ground came from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location.

Sometimes the sound came from two places at once, confirming that at least Shironeko and Mineko were jumping around.

However, Saiga couldn't see them at all.

Then---

"Oof!"

One of their body slams grazed his body.

Just that impact made him stagger and stumble.

"What kind of power is this...?"

"〈Cat Hopper〉, don't think you can avoid it!"

By applying partial beastification to their legs, they used their incredible leg strength to bounce around like superballs.

Considering the speed at which they were moving, a normal person would be shattered instantly upon contact.

Saiga's ability to withstand even one hit was commendable.

"Ugh!"

A barrage of body slams assaulted Saiga.

Large masses hit his shoulder, leg, and abdomen at high speed.

He had already dropped his spear and could only protect his head with his arms.

Still, Saiga endured and continued to endure.

"Hey! Saiga! I'm ready! Fall back!"

Relief washed over him.

With his last bit of strength, he jumped to Kuroinu's side.

"Ah!"

Mineko, who had stopped bouncing, let out a cry.

One of the weaknesses of 〈Cat Hopper〉, the inability to aim precisely, had backfired.

While the technique was powerful, wide-ranging, and restraining, the high speed made it difficult to aim accurately.

Initially, when Shironeko and Mineko first developed this technique, they often collided with each other.

After they learned to coordinate, they perfected it, but the weakness remained.

However, they had overlooked something.

"Please... do it!"

Kuroinu extended her hand.

Mineko felt a terrible premonition, her fur standing on end.

But it was too late for her to intervene.

(We've won...)

Saiga, despite his ragged breathing, was certain of victory.

As he relaxed, he realized something.

(Huh... Where did Shironeko go?)

"It's over, 〈Time Magic---"

The end is you---

The voice came from behind Kuroinu.

It was too late to react.

The sharp claws slashed her throat, spraying blood.

Neither Saiga nor Kuroinu could react.

"Hide and seek, a great success."

Shironeko, who had slipped out of 〈Cat Hopper〉 and hidden behind Kuroinu without being noticed, looked down at the fallen girl with a smug expression.

Saiga, focused on guarding, hadn't noticed the sound had become singular.

Kuroinu, who was channeling a great deal of magic, couldn't detect her presence.

Most importantly, Mineko's constant movement and talking had perfectly masked Shironeko's presence.

"Hey... Kuroinu..."

Saiga lifted the fallen Kuroinu.

She was already gone.

All he could do was spit out the blood from her body into a puddle.

It was too sudden.

No, it was a decisive blow.

Shironeko's attack was a killing blow, fueled by the resolve to end it.

In battle, the one who lands the decisive blow wins, and the one who fails to defend loses.

Kuroinu had lost.

"Next is you. If you surrender now, I'll make sure you don't suffer."

The claws that had killed Kuroinu were now at Saiga's throat.

"Damn it... What about our dinner plans..."

Saiga was crying.

He was mourning the loss of someone he loved.

"You bastards... I'll kill you."

He was filled with rage.

"I'll gut you, riddle your body with holes, gouge out your eyes! I won't forgive you!"

The claws moved.

"〈Elastic Magic〉... Needle!"

"!"

Shironeko instinctively pulled back her claws and jumped back.

The countless needles that had pierced through Saiga's back and clothes continued to extend, pursuing her.

"What... the hell...!?"

Shironeko kept jumping back.

The needles didn't extend straight; they changed direction to follow her, curving in multiple layers.

"Sis!"

"You die too!"

Saiga's arm, in a literal sense, stretched out toward Mineko, who tried to intervene.

Caught off guard, Mineko stumbled but was then grabbed by the throat.

"Ugh... This is... Unique Magic...?"

"Die... you damn cats!"

"Guh..."

The grip on her neck tightened.

In her suffering, Mineko felt her thoughts fading.

Kuroinu and Saiga had been the longest acquaintances among the black-robed group.

Both were victims of the human plan to create "human weapons" and had known each other since the research stage.

They had encouraged each other and even fought.

Saiga had been in love with her since then, but she never seemed to notice.

He followed Fuyuma because Kuroinu had decided to go.

Without her, nothing had meaning.

Without her, there was no reason to fight.

But at the very least, he had to avenge her by killing these two.

"Let go of Mineko!"

Shironeko, pursued by the needles (now more like tentacles), ran toward Saiga.

The needles couldn't catch up to her speed.

"Shut up and die!"

With a crude and unrefined roar, more needles shot from his back.

Shironeko, caught off guard, barely managed to dodge.

"My 〈Elastic Magic〉 can extend and retract anything as I please! You can't escape!"

(Shit... This is bad...)

Shironeko, dodging the needles, thought.

The "bad" wasn't about the needles being too hard for her claws to cut.

(If Mineko loses consciousness, it's bad...)

"Die! Die!"

Mineko's consciousness was fading.

If this continued, her neck would break or she would suffocate.

But Shironeko's concern was elsewhere.

"Saiga! Stop! If you keep this up, Mineko will lose consciousness...!"

"Shut up!"

His grip tightened even more.

Mineko was no longer able to maintain consciousness.

Yet---

"Like this! Die! Die---"

"..."

Saiga's extended arm was gone.

It had been bitten off by a large cat.

The cat, which could crush him, spat it out like trash.

"..."

"---Mineko is good at partial beastification but bad at full beastification. So if she loses consciousness during a fight, she becomes an uncontrollable beast... Got it?"

"Shh!"

"..."

There, Saiga was being pummeled by the giant cat.

His face was already smashed, and the initial curses had turned into nothing but the sound of punches.

"When Mineko goes berserk, her strength is five times greater... My condolences."

"Fsh... Fsh..."

The black-furred cat, dripping with Saiga's blood, let out a roar to the rainy sky.

Another battle had ended on another battlefield.

---

It feels a bit unsatisfying... Hmm...