I waited for a few hours, and before I knew it, it was 4 PM. It was safe to say that I hadn’t been spotted nor sensed. That said, it was odd.

There’s still no movement. Whoever I was waiting for seemed not to want to spend any time outside. Are they under orders not to come out, or are they perhaps waiting for something? Probably the former. If the curse this person has is meant to kill everything that enters its range, then it’s possible that whoever was sent here was meant to be a just in case situation. I could imagine them being recalled in the near future.

Should I go ahead and return home? I’d say that my mission is accomplished… No, this curse is too dangerous. I won’t be able to take it into my own body, so I’ll have to settle for killing them.

I had no qualms with killing. It wouldn’t be my first time, but it would be the first time I’d killed someone because I couldn’t take in their curse. Of course, they’d already killed a massive number of people here, and they were likely affiliated with Edinburgh. I couldn’t afford to be sentimental.

Of course, there was always the case that the person didn’t want this. Killing them would probably be a mercy.

“Hmm?” As I made up my mind, the door to the mansion began to creak open. I guess they decided to leave.

“He’s right there, Persephone!”

“Have fun, love!”

“What?”

I turned around when I heard the voices of a young man and woman yelling out, but there was nothing there. Anywhere. There’s someone here who can resist a curse this powerful?

Fwoosh!

While my mind was distracted, a stream of ash suddenly assaulted me from behind. “Damn!”

I quickly pulled out my gun, and right before it reached me, I shot a compressed wind spell from it to disperse the ash. Right, whoever screamed called out my position. They must be able to see me, but they’ve got someone else attacking me. Need to stay focused!

I promptly stepped out of the corner I was hiding behind and walked into the street. “Jeez, relentless!” Of course, as soon as I stepped out, I was being assaulted by a significantly greater amount of ash.

“Wind Casting: Current Wall.”

This was a spell that ordinarily created a rather large burst of wind. It explodes outwards from around the user and blows everything away for but a moment. But when I use it, it becomes a powerful air current that wraps itself around me and keeps away anything too weak to withstand the air. It can’t keep people away, but it could easily disperse the ash and keep it at a distance of at least 85 centimeters.

That’s why when I cast it, the ash, as expected, burst away from me and was kept at a distance.

What the hell?!

Or at least it did for approximately three seconds. My spell suddenly vanished and the ash continued its assault. I promptly fired my gun at my feet and used Expulsion to fling myself into the air, but the ash caught my feet as I escaped, ripping up my shoes and pants.

It’s not strong enough to pierce my skin at least, but I’d rather not be naked.

The ash continued to chase me mid-air, reminiscent of when I was fending off Morrigan Corvas’s feather in Crestfall. Like I did then, I defended myself by flinging myself away from each tendril of ash and shot a short burst of wind when I could to disperse any ash that came too close.

Still, any time I destroyed one tendril, it quickly reformed elsewhere, so my efforts in that regard were fruitless.

This short chase in the sky lasted for nearly two minutes before the ash finally surrounded me like two tidal waves. “Well that’s annoying.” 

I could fire stronger spells with my gun, but only in one direction. Having to counter two at once required both of my hands. 

Holstering my gun quickly, I spread out my arms and gathered Ether into both of my hands. 

“Wind Casting: Great Whirl.”

The air around me immediately countered both waves of ash, tearing them apart just before they could reach me, spinning the ash all around me like a tornado.

What’s going on with my conjuring?

This spell was meant to last for a short while, yet it still vanished after a few seconds. I fell in confusion back to the ground.

“Damn, they got me.”

As soon as my feet touched the ground, however, a small patch of the earth suddenly atomized and turned into ash, causing my feet to sink in. This wasn’t that much of an issue for me honestly, even as the ash solidified back into the earth around my feet.

Whoever this is has a lot of conjuring skill. Between that and the interference with my own conjuring, this will be a rather frustrating battle.

I decided to allow myself to remain in this sticky situation. If they were going out of their way to capture me like this, I figured they might want to talk to me or come to escort me personally.

A defensive battle will be annoying, and while I can still cast my spells, I can’t maintain long-lasting spells. Still, if I can just wait until they come to me, then I can just hit them when they come into range.

Soon enough, my predictions came true. Step, step, step, step, step. From beyond the numerous bodies along the street, a single woman was making her way in my direction.

She’s seen better days, I thought. She was quite gaunt. She looked as though she was very fragile, and yet there was also a hint of youth to her. Her dress was as long as her body and was black with red narcissi designed along the hem. She wore black high heels and black lipstick. She had pale skin, red hair, and sad Ruby colored eyes. 

It was clear to me at that moment that this woman was indeed the Cursed. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t remove this curse, because I could see in the expression on her face that she was suffering. She seemed sad, like her only purpose in life was taken from her.

Still, she was my enemy. I couldn’t let sympathy get in my way. “You’re rather skilled as a conjurer, ma’am. Not many people can corner me so easily.”

The woman stopped walking and kept her distance. Her gaze which was cast on the ground slowly tilted in my direction as if she was acknowledging my presence. “…I’m surprised you can even be this close to me without dying. I’ve rarely come across someone like you.”

“Well I happen to be a special case. Area-of-effect abilities of curses have no effect on me.”

“Is that so?”

The woman looked up and down as if she was appraising me. “Your presence is most odd… It’s as if you’re not there, even though I can see you with my own eyes. Is this a part of your own curse?”

I was slightly relieved. It seems I can hold a conversation with her, just like Morrigan and Cecil. Morrigan and Cecil were members of Edinburgh’s army, but they were actually pretty easy to talk to. It looked like this lady was the same type. “Yes, it is.”

“It must have been hard for you.”

“Well it can be rather inconvenient. Not being felt, not being able to feel. It’s caused some issues for me in the past, but it’s something I’ve come to accept.”

“…I envy you. While your curse may be rather painful, I would take it over my own any day,” she said, casting her gaze back down to the ground.

“If I might ask, is your curse responsible for the deaths of everyone in this town?” I kept my tone friendly when I asked this question. She’d probably felt enough pain at the painfully obvious answer to this question, so I figured it would only hurt her more if I came at her like she was at fault.

“…” Silence was her only answer.

“I see. That’s unfortunate. I can tell by the strength of your curse that it would be almost impossible to remove.”

“I won’t question how you can tell how powerful it is. Your assessment is correct. Removing this curse is impossible. Holy Water was completely ineffective, and the one who cursed me is far more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”

That caught my attention. “Do you know who cursed you?”

“Yes. I know not his name, but my father was responsible for my birth and curse.” She looked even sadder than before.

I was surprised by this answer. Her father? Who is her father? How could he have so much power?

I pondered her question while decidingly tossing aside my own theory. I must have been wrong about who cursed her, so it was likely there were two separate entities with this kind of strength. But that’s still terrifying to think about.

“I’ve always hated him. He raped my mother, Chthonia, and abandoned her impregnated self on the side of the road. My mother loved me, though, and raised me in the small nation of Luvenia.”

Luvenia? Didn’t that country die years ago?

Luvenia was a nation that once bordered Edinburgh. It wasn’t all that big, but it was well-known for its large fields of crops that were spread throughout various villages. It was rather prosperous and was recognized as the Farming Nation.

One day, however, following the mysterious death of a local village, the entire nation felt a crippling shock. The capital city of Luvenia exploded, leaving behind only fire and destruction in the area surrounding the massive crater.

After that, Edinburgh quickly took advantage of the confusion to lay claim to its lands. Naturally, all of Luvenia was absorbed into Edinburgh, and the other nations dared not to fight back, fearful that their own nations would fall the same way as Luvenia.

“When my father learned of my existence, he cursed me and left me behind, proclaiming that the nation that harbored me would not leave unscathed. Everyone around me died, including my mother. A few days later, on my thirteenth birthday, the country collapsed with the destruction of the capital.”

Intriguing. It is true that nobody knows what happened in that country, but it’s been speculated that Edinburgh was responsible. Perhaps it’s true, and her father was one of their army? They do seem to have a large number of powerful people.

“I’ve lived with this curse for over a decade, and I’ve watched many people die. Eventually, a man from Edinburgh who could resist my curse offered me a chance to kill my father. Maybe with his death, I could be free from this curse.”

A man from Edinburgh who can resist curses? That sounded very intriguing to me. Aside from myself and my own circumstances, I’d never met or seen anyone who could resist curses. Curse? Blessing? Most likely. I can’t imagine technology or magitech being able to resist a curse this powerful.

I continued to listen to the woman’s story. I really wasn’t expecting her to be as talkative as this, but she probably had never gotten to talk to anyone for a long time. Not truly. Even if she had me “trapped,” it was likely she wanted to keep me alive so that she could talk. I wouldn’t be surprised if she intended to offer me a position with Edinburgh.

“I formally accepted this offer. When I did, he called me Spade 4 and branded tattoos on my stomach. Then he told me to wait. And so I did. For years, I waited and made myself stronger. Finally, I was tasked to come here. I didn’t want anyone to die, but if I could do this, maybe I’d be one step closer to killing the man who cursed me.”

The woman raised her gaze and looked straight into my eyes. “I’ve been alone for a very long time. My task was to wait in this town until I was recalled, and if anyone were to reach this far alive, to capture them and to make them a proposition.”

She raised her hand as if she wanted me to take it. “My name is Persephone Kore, Spade Four of Edinburgh’s Deck of Fifty-Four. Please, take my hand and become one of us. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

I knew it. I felt for their woman. I did. She’d led a tragic life. Perhaps if it were anyone else, they would have said yes. Or rather, maybe if I could devour her curse and make her normal again, I could convince her to return with me to Keres. Still, neither would work. I had responsibility and family. Her curse was too powerful and was a threat. I’d hate to do it, but I had to kill her.

“I’m sorry, but I have to decline.”

“…” Persephone pulled back her hand. “I understand. It is most unfortunate.”

As she said her words, I could hear the sound of the earth beneath me cracking and sinking. It was turning into ash and pulling me in.

No second chance at negotiations then? A shame.

“My last set of orders was to kill whoever declines the offer. I’m sorry. I wish you’d change your mind.”

“It’s a shame we have to do this, but if this is the way it has to be…”

Click…

I pulled out my gun and fired towards the woman, releasing a ball of flames.

Crash!

But to my surprise, halfway there, it collapsed into the ground.

“No spell can reach me. They feel the effects of my curse just as humans and beasts do. They lose their motivation to continue and merely fall.”

You call it losing motivation?

I’d fired an ordinary fireball at her before. It wasn’t a slow spell at all, but it clearly wasn’t fast enough to reach her.

In that case!

Zzzzzzzzz! Crash! I pulled the trigger and released a powerful stream of lightning at her. Lightning was among the fastest conjurings of all, so it should have been able to reach her. 

And yet it didn’t. It got maybe as far as the fireball did.

“Huh. Guess speed doesn’t mean much either.”

“As long as you are in range, no spell can last. All elements are useless.”

I looked down as we talked and saw that I was halfway buried in the ground. I wanted to at least appear weaker than I am, but I guess I don’t have a choice but to show some of my skills.

Deciding to release my own shackles, I pointed at the ground and shot my gun. At first, nothing came out. But a second later, the earth rose up, taking me with it. Unfortunately, though, it quickly crumbled as soon as it pulled me up a meter above the ground. Even solid spells like earth fall apart?

“So you got out of that?” Landing back on the ground, I turned to face Persephone who was lightly smiling. “I see.”

I pointed my gun at her once again and pulled the trigger. If speed doesn’t matter, then what about something that doesn’t have to obey the laws of our world?

From my gun, I released a spatial spell, Severance. It was a simple spell, but it was extremely dangerous. It could ignore defenses as tough as Diamond and as heavy as gravity and could easily sever anything that came into contact with it, like cutting butter.

And yet…

Slash!

Even that spell was forced to the ground, leaving a single gash that scarred the earth.

“Wow. I’ve never faced a curse more annoying than this.” This is going to be tricky if Space doesn’t work. I guess I’ll have to do a few more experiments.

“It’s the deadliest defense of all.”

“Even my defense seems mundane by comparison.”

“I’m glad you can survive it. Perhaps you can grant my wish. Let’s watch and find out.”

Persephone clapped her hands together and started chanting a spell.

Guess she’s ready to go! 

I ran forward, intending to attack her up close with my fist. It may not have been very classy of a man, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that.

“~~~~, Ash Casting: Hades’ Guard.”

Just as my fist reached her, a wall of ash stood in my way and collided with it.

A shield of ash. It’s not hard, so it’s absorbing the impact of my attack and dispersing it. Clever.

“Ash Casting: Hades’ Claws.”

As I pulled my fist away from the wall, numerous spears of ash burst forth from it and began trying to hook into me. It may not have been able to hurt me before, but it didn’t seem like she was aware of that, so I decided to jump backwards. No need to reveal my defenses here.

Since the attack was still coming at me despite this, I fired my gun beneath me and flung myself into the air. It wouldn’t work if I used Solid Step like before. I may have technically been in range at the time, but I must have been far enough away that spells weren’t quite affected. At this range, however, it would merely fall apart like the earth spell I cast before. I could only continue to release the instantaneous Expulsion spells to stay in the air.

“~~~~, Ash Casting: Hades’ Claws.”

Using the full cast of the spell increased the size and speed of the claws, and even the number of them increased dramatically. It’s going to be pretty difficult to evade and attack at the same time, but I should be able to manage.

As I floated through the sky, attempting to escape from the various tendrils flying at me, Persephone cast yet another spell.

“~~~~, Ash Creation: Hades’ Fortress.”

Around her, six dark gray pillars rose from the ground. They reminded me of towers connected to a fortress’s ramparts. Interesting.

I continued to evade the tendrils of ash. It was rather annoying, but once I learned the pattern that they were attacking me in, I found that there were spaces were I could attack. However, as I learned before, destroying these tendrils would be pointless. They’d just reform. If this was the case, I’d need to attack Persephone directly.

The earth spell I used earlier was small and collapsed pretty quickly, but it looked like the dirt still returned to the ground rather than vanished. The same can be said for the projectiles I sent earlier, but they also weren’t too far from the ground to begin with. What would happen if I attacked from directly above?

I began evading towards her direction, still high in the sky. Once I had a small amount of breathing room…

Click!

I fired another Severance spell at her.

“How troubling!”

I continued to dodge the tendrils that were after me, disappointed with the results of my last experiment. It vanished halfway to her. Is this curse directly affecting the Ether?

If her curse was directly affecting the Ether rather than the spell itself, then that explained why my spells weren’t reaching her. She said that everything loses motivation earlier. Maybe her curse is causing the Ether to dissipate. Without Ether, spells can’t last. 

I’ve been using a mediocre amount of Ether for these spells, firing my gun. But what would happen if I cast a large, more solid spell above her. Like say a flood.

Using my gun to focus on evasion, I aimed my free hand and began gathering Ether. It was time I cast a powerful spell.

“Water Casting: Torrential Cascade.”

I used this spell in Crestfall to try and crush my enemies under immense pressure. I used my gun back then to fire it, so it wasn’t as powerful as it could have been. Even now, it’s weaker than it could be because I’m casting it without a chant. 

Even so, casting it with its name…

Whoosh! Splash!

“What an incredible spell…”

Persephone could only watch as a torrent of water, almost like a River, flowed from my hand. Compared to when I used it in Crestfall, the sheer volume of what I cast was triple that.

Torrential Cascade was one of the most advanced water spells of all, what with the sheer amount it could generate. Last time I used it, it had enough power to flood a street. This time, there was easily enough to destroy the nearby mansion plus several nearby streets and anything on them. It was one spell I would never use with my own house nearby.

The ash chasing me was washed away. I was certain that this spell would defeat Persephone. Her curse wouldn’t be able to do anything to it in time, and the immense volume of the water combined with the effects of gravity would easily kill anyone caught up in it, enhanced or not.

“Still?!”

I was shocked when I was proven wrong. The ash that was nearby was washed away, and yet the water never reached Persephone. Halfway there, it faded into nothing. Casting type spells are completely useless then!

“You should stay aware of your environment.”

“Hm? Wha-”

Having been distracted, I somehow missed that all of the ash was gathered above me. Without any time to move, all of the ash fell on me. Unable to hold it back, I crashed into the ground.

“Shit!”

I had my arms and gun pulled up in an attempt to keep it off of me, but it was pointless. The ash was still pelting me relentlessly. Even if I used Expulsion against the ash, it wouldn’t do anything. Not if fired from my gun, anyway. Not with this amount.

Fine then!

My instincts told me that even if I cast it without a chant not from my gun, it wouldn’t be enough force. It had been a long time since I first used this spell at full power, but I felt it would be necessary.

“Ash Casting: Pits of Tartarus.”

“!” Another spell?!

Before I could even cast the spell I wanted, the ground beneath me opened up, turning into ash and pulling me in.

“I’m sorry…”

It was hard to hear over all the ash pushing against me, but I could’ve sworn I heard Persephone. Before long, I was deep in the earth, and the ash around me returned to being earth.

This is one of the numbers of Edinburgh’s army? Her strength is abnormal. I know that numbers are still more like foot soldiers, but they’re also still part of their main force. If this is how all of Edinburgh’s main warriors are, then I could only Imagine what would happen if they were to declare war against the world.

I remembered how Cecil Rhodes used his Diamond Conjuring and abnormal physical might to injure me, and then I remembered the little girl, Sachi, who had an incredible support ability. Alongside the others I met that day, it was a gathering of monsters. Anyone would agree.

Damn. I need to warn Deirdre.

“~~~~, Wind Casting: Expulsion!”

The situation was dire, so it was time I stopped holding back. I needed to find a way to defeat this woman and leave. That was why I used a full powered Expulsion. Used at maximum strength from me… Well, I think it would be safe to say that it becomes nothing short of a bomb.

As soon as I let the spell loose, the ground all around me crunched and crackled as it burst away from me. All the wind was compressed and released in an instant, so anything around me would feel the impact. Used poorly, this could end the lives of many.

In an instant, the sky opened up before my eyes, and I jumped. I was not bound by the earth.

Then it’s time to go point blank!

“Wind Casting: Fleet of Foot.”

The wind compressed at the sole of my foot and released in an instant. Unlike Expulsion, this spell is better used when I’m running. It’s a short burst I can use to catch my opponent off guard.

And that was precisely what I did.

“No way!”

As soon as I touched the ground and released this spell, Persephone turned around with her eyes wide open. She must not have thought I could survive all of that. Naturally, she also couldn’t keep up with my speed, so I was directly in front of her.

“Hah!”

And with a mighty swing, I brought down my sword.

Crash!

 

~~~

With my sword reaching for Persephone’s head, my victory was within reach. But…

Crash!

What? Again!

Like before, as soon as I got close to her, a wall of ash appeared to defend her. However, when I looked to the side, I noticed it was coming from the tower-like creations that surrounded her. So that’s what it does!

I quickly turned my attention away from them, though, and aimed my gun at Persephone over the ash.

Click!

A burst of flame burned forth from the end of my gun and made its way to Persephone. Instead of dissipating, however, more ash appeared to block its way, just like with my fist.

Close range does work, but these towers are going to block me.

“Wind Casting: Expulsion.”

A regular cast Expulsion ended up blowing away the ash that gripped onto my hand, but it was meaningless. As soon as it was blown away, more ash immediately appeared. Fast! 

“Damn!”

I couldn’t stick too close, so I jumped away to gain some distance. Persephone was clearly in shock when she saw me standing several meters away from her.

Her curse prevents conjuring from a distance while her ash defends her from physical damage and close range conjuring. She’s got a solid defense, but it’s not completely useless. The ash can still be blown away by wind or washed away by water, but not being able to conjure properly means it’ll be hard for me to take advantage of her natural weakness.

“There’s not a scratch on you…”

As I was lost in thought, I could hear Persephone mutter. Thinking about it, I looked down at my body. My clothes were in tatters, but like usual, none of her attacks managed to pierce my skin. It seems my Body Enhancement is holding up.

Wait… Body Enhancement still requires Ether. Even if I’m cursed, shouldn’t her curse still be forcing my Body Enhancement to weaken? Or maybe because of my immunity to her curse, spells and Ether directly connected to my body aren’t affected.

“I buried you after unloading all that ash which can wear away any human into a skeleton. Then you become the epicenter of a massive explosion and touch my ash again, and yet you’re unharmed?”

It was understandable why she was confused, but I considered it helpful that she mentioned it. She gave me an idea.

“Ash Creation: Hades’ Ramparts! Ash Casting: Hades’ Rampart Cannons!”

Different approach, huh?

From the sides of her towers, she created fortress-like walls that connected her towers together. Then, from those ramparts, numerous balls of ash came flying forth in an attempt to crush me, as if they were cannon balls. Once again, I took to the sky. Just because she didn’t hurt me before doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have the capability to at all. Better safe than sorry.

Looking down from the sky, I could see a massive crater from where I was buried. I destroyed several streets and buildings with that, yet she wasn’t affected? The ash must have protected her from the concussive force.

I returned my focus to ashen cannonballs, but they didn’t aim at me. They just randomly crashed into the ground, leaving the ash to create a film-like puff of smoke all over the ground. What’s she doing?

“Ash Casting: Hades’ Claws.”

Once again the tendrils of ash were sent after me. This time, though, I responded much faster.

“Flash Casting:…”

A gathered Ether along the edge of my gun and the edge of my hand.

“…Lunar Rain.”

I swung my gun and hand like blades, releasing bright flashes of crescent shaped blades. Each one easily cut through the tendrils long before they could reach me, but the numerous blades never reached the towers or ramparts.

So I can’t overwhelm her with numbers either. Still, that proved my theory.

Flash casting ultimately was concentrated Ether that gave blade-like qualities to anything and could be weaponized like a flying blade as well. It was perfect to test whether Persephone’s curse was directly affecting Ether, and considering the results, I was right.

I didn’t have time to sit around. It took no time for the tendrils to reform themselves.

Ether is directly affected, so casting is practically worthless unless it's instantaneous like Expulsion or point blank. I should’ve used Severance when I was up close to her before, but I didn’t want to waste Ether. Severance, though simple, was spatial, so it cost a lot. If I was wrong, then it would’ve been a waste of Ether.

But my Body Enhancement is still active. My curse makes me immune to hers, so maybe Ether concentrated in or on my body isn’t affected? It would explain why I’m able to cast these spells at all.

As a test, I decided to make a weapon with creation. “Creation: Knight.”

In my hand, a sword appeared. As one of the tendrils got close, I used my sword to cut it in half. 

It’s not vanishing.

Unlike the casting spells, the sword I made didn’t vanish. I used the sword and my gun in conjunction to defend myself from the ash. Could I use this at long range?

As soon as I could, I tossed the sword at Persephone. There was enough force to pierce through several tendrils along the way, but sadly, the sword ended up vanishing, just like casting spells.

So if anything I create leaves my immediate location, then the curse will disturb the Ether and destroy it.

I wanted to create another sword for myself and continue experimenting, but the tendrils continued to assault me. They certainly did not let up for an instant.

“Ash Casting: Hades’ Funeral Pyre.”

Before I knew it, two of the tendrils had gotten too close and started glowing somewhat orange. Oh no!

Boom! Boom!

I tried to escape, but both of the tendrils blew up in a massive explosion. Fortunately, I was able to fix my posture and land on my feet. That said, it took no time at all for me to continue to be bombarded in the same fashion by the other tendrils.

“One quality of ash is that it can retain heat. My ash in particular does more than just retain heat. With continuous movement, it builds up kinetic energy and heats up. Once it reaches a certain level, I can trigger a powerful explosion.”

This is problematic! I was jumping away from all the various explosions heading my way, but the flood of flames just would not subside. More and more tears appeared in my clothing.

“Ash Casting: Tartarus Rising.”

Then, before I could get close, all of the ash on the ground and the smoke coming from it began to glow orange.

Shit!

It was fortunate for me that the tendrils got slower as she began to cast it, because in preparation for it, I quickly started my next experiment.

“Water Enchant: Aqueous Film.”

Boom!

My body was engulfed in a pillar of flames that spawned from the ground. The explosion was absolutely massive. If anything were caught up in range, there’s no way they’d survive.

She didn’t fire those cannonballs at me but at the ground. That was preparation for that explosion. I’m glad Enchants also work. 

My gut told me that I’d end up getting injured if I let that explosion touch me, so I mitigated that by wrapping my body in a thin film of water. Basic, but strong enough to keep most flame based attacks at bay.

So long as I get within her range, I can use casting. So long as it’s part of my body, I can use any other form of conjuring.

“Creation: Knight.”

I made another blade for myself to continue fighting before running through the flames, protected by water.

“You’re still unscathed. You are a powerful one.”

More and more tendrils fired at me in an attempt to make me stop. At this point, she had to know that she couldn’t hurt me, so she was probably planning for something else.

I cut through tendrils after tendrils, explosion after explosion. The town around me certainly wouldn’t be able to last this kind of battle. It was likely falling apart all over. It was almost tempting for me to try using Chaos, but it wouldn’t work in this situation, so I pushed back the thought.

“Wind Enchant: Gale Armor.”

As I fought my way through, I wrapped a breeze around my body. With this, the ash wouldn’t be able to touch my body.

Eventually, I managed to make it to the tower and ramparts. These would make for a powerful physical defense, but I was prepared this time. Even if they were going to try and push me back with wave after wave of ash, it wouldn’t be able to handle what I was going to do.

“~~~~…”

And just as I reached this castle…

“Earth Casting: Tectonic Shake.”

The earth beneath me shook violently and extremely quickly. The ground and the ashen fortress split all over. This was more than just an earthquake. It was a megaquake. After all, it wasn’t just the immediate area that was falling apart. The entire city and the area around it also felt the tremors. Buildings collapsed into rubble and bodies were falling into the cracks between rising and falling ground.

It was unfortunate that the spell, though powerful, wouldn’t last for very long thanks to her curse. But it was still long enough. The towers and ramparts also crumbled away under the incredible tremor. They were still attempting to push me away, but now they were barely able to push me back.

“Amazing…” Persephone mumbled as I closed in on her and brought down my sword…

More ash?!

Despite what I intended, however, the ash still managed to get in front of my blade and reduce the weight of the attack. My swing was shallow.

Persephone stepped back and pressed her left hand up against her wounded shoulder. Her blood flowed warm against her hand and down her black dress. 

“I’m bleeding…”

“Sorry. I was trying to make it quick so you wouldn’t hurt too badly, but you’re much more powerful than I imagined.” Too powerful, I might add.

“…My dream.” She muttered softly. “If you can do this… then…”

I stared in confusion as she muttered to herself. Meanwhile, I was making necessary preparations. The Tectonic Shake was canceled out right before my blade connected, so we were standing on the ground, keeping our balance. While she spoke, I secretly deactivated my Aqueous Film and holstered my gun.

The ash got in the way. Next time, it’ll go through.

“Wind Enchant: Division Blade.”

So that she wouldn’t catch on, I whispered my spell, bringing forth a slight breeze around my blade. With this, the ash wouldn’t be able to stop me next time.

Finally, Persephone released her wounded shoulder and looked at me as if she had regained her hope. “It is within reach…”

I prepared my blade and pulled back my foot, ready to take charge.

 

“…Crumble…”

 

What?! No, I can’t let her activate that!

In a slight panic, I flung myself forward at full speed. I could not allow her to perform her next action.

But it was too late…

 

“Askafroa.”

 

Chapter’s a tad early, but still, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Next chapter will be Saturday, March 16.