Chapter 16
With a swift stride, Mireille closes the gap between us and swings down the sword he holds in his hand at me.
「Hoh.」
With my decay magic, not only do I dissolve the sword Mireille is holding, but also all the concealed weapons he’s integrated into his body. In response, I thrust my fist towards his approaching one.
Our fists collide. Then, our feet. And next, magic.
Flames conjured by my magic crash against Mireille’s winds, becoming an ever-blazing inferno.
「『DIE!』」
Amidst this chaos, Mireille activates his clan’s secret gravity magic.
A crushing gravitational force assaults me… surrendering to its power, I let it disintegrate my body.
Morphing from a physical form into a vast flow of blood, I disperse, blanketing the entire room.
『Blood Rain.』
「Wh-what the…!?」
A flash emanates from the vast amount of my blood that covers the room. It pierces through the barrier protecting Mireille’s body, destroying it.
「Flash Draw.」
The dispersed blood in the air reforms, and I take shape once more. Clasping the hilt of the sword at my waist, I take a step.
「!!!」
Merely drawing and slashing.
A straightforward and simple sword strike… but its very simplicity makes it profoundly challenging, a master technique. Approaching Mireille with this Iaido technique, I cut off both his arms in a flurry.
「…Ugh.」
Having lost both arms, Mireille frowns, then kicks off the ground, putting distance between us.
「Still want to continue?」
Transforming the blade back into mere blood, which pools on the ground beneath me, I stand atop it and address Mireille, who’s bleeding from his severed arms.
「…Keh keh. You’ve really sharpened your skills. They’ve become so refined. Impressive.」
Despite the continual flow of blood and the intense pain he must be feeling from the lost limbs, Mireille shows no sign of distress. He just gazes at me with a grin.
「I’ll be waiting for you to drop by again.」
「That won’t happen a second time.」
「Keh keh. I’ll tell my subordinates not to attack you or that princess, Millia. You two should head back together… Until next time, our golden vampire lad?」
「…Goodbye, for eternity.」
With a pained expression, I turn my back on Mireille.