"Let's duel, Tobiichi Origami! Today, either you die—or I perish!"
Like a giant dragon whose scale had been touched, the current Yutsuki was like a completely different person from the girl who, just minutes ago, had been constantly avoiding conflict with Tobiichi Origami, using cheap tricks and running around acting flippant.
Her gaze, containing cold and piercing killing intent, seed tangible. Even from nearly a hundred ters away, it made Origami feel a stinging sensation on her skin.
But it also proved that her lie had successfully enraged Yutsuki.
Origami tensed all the nerves in her body, gripped her weapon tightly, and piloted her CR-Unit towards Yutsuki.
"—Ratziel!"
As expected, this ti Yutsuki didn't turn and run. Instead, she took a step forward, leaped off the roof of the building, kicked hard against the wall, and charged head-on towards Origami while simultaneously gathering iron sand to charge energy.
In just two blinks of an eye, the distance between the two was less than ten ters.
(Deploying localized Territory—Coordinates locked, comncing gravity enhancent.)
Watching the other party rapidly approach, Origami secretly set up a high-density Territory along Yutsuki's flight path. Just as the other party was about to step into her Territory, she swung the beam sword in her hand forward. Parts of the light blade detached from the edge, transford into magic artillery shells, and rained down on Yutsuki like a downpour.
As the main weapon of DEM's specially made CR-Unit Mordred, 'Clarent' could change its form within a Territory, transforming into a magic cannon and a laser sword.
But in reality, this so-called transformation rely changed the weapon into a form better suited for demonstrating appropriate performance; its fundantal nature didn't change at all.
Relying on her precise manipulation of the Territory, Origami could easily launch a bombardnt while maintaining the form of a laser sword, catching the enemy off guard.
However—
In the next instant, Ryougi Yutsuki, who should have been trapped in the Territory and bombarded to death by countless magic bullets, vanished into thin air from Origami's line of sight.
"Optical camouflage!"
Origami's pupils shrank violently. She quickly understood the other party's trick and swiftly switched the Territory around her to thermal imaging.
Pulling hard on the thrusters, the powerful thrust combined with the Territory's inertia regulation allowed Origami to forcefully twist her upper body during extre high-speed flight. Simultaneously taking advantage of the montum, she gripped the beam sword tightly and swept it forward.
Clang—!
As if striking solid tal, sparks flew from the tip of the light blade. Imdiately after, Tobiichi Origami saw strands of brown hair fluttering in the wind, and that pincer-shaped cannon just inches away.
"Railgun."
Subsequently, Ratziel, which had parried the beam sword, unleashed terrifying power right at Origami's side.
Although this strike didn't injure Origami, the recoil from the shot allowed Yutsuki to quickly escape the coverage area of Origami's Territory. After a few backflips, she landed on the ground.
"Tch, blocked as expected."
Seeing that her surprise attack didn't work, Yutsuki clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Hah... Hah..."
Origami panted slightly. She was surprised to find that her forehead was already covered in sweat.
If she hadn't noticed in ti just now, she probably would have been defeated in the very first clash.
(I see... So this is the most dangerous Spirit that even Ellen Mira Mathers finds troubleso.)
Origami had to admit that, even though she had reminded herself several tis, seeing the other party get enraged so easily earlier, she had subconsciously underestimated her enemy.
However, even such a tiny opening wasn't missed by the other party, who bit into it like a vicious wolf.
Ryougi Yutsuki was indeed enraged by her, but she hadn't lost her cool. Or rather, she was the type who beca calr and more decisive the angrier she got.
Although both were Spirits, unlike the overwhelming pressure born from absolute power differences she had previously felt from Tohka and the others, what Origami felt from Yutsuki was a subtle yet fatal sense of threat.
Not just Spirit power; as long as it was usable, everything beca Yutsuki's weapon. Because of this, even though both only deployed partial Astral Dresses, Ryougi Yutsuki's threat level was far greater than the other Spirits.
"But in the end, that's all it is."
In just a few breaths, Tobiichi Origami had completely regained her composure.
"I definitely won't lose sight of you again."
Gripping the laser sword tightly, Origami utilized the massive acceleration generated by the thrusters to close the distance to Yutsuki and swung down a heavy blow.
"Guh—"
Raising Ratziel to block the strike, she deflected the force while simultaneously using the montum of Origami's sword to quickly retreat.
But even so, Origami could sharply see Yutsuki's wrists trembling slightly.
"As expected... no matter how you try to compensate in other areas, a Spirit whose powers have been sealed is definitely weakened."
"..."
Yutsuki didn't answer. Instead, iron sand whips resembling giant pythons lashed out towards Origami.
"Useless."
Relying on the protective shield deployed by her Territory, Origami blocked out the iron sand, which was all bark and no bite.
"Railgun."
Seeing the orange beam rapidly approaching her, Origami relied on the physical enhancent provided by her Territory to flash her body to the side, dodging the Railgun. After a burst of acceleration, she once again closed in on Yutsuki.
"I'm not a Bandersnatch; I won't be baited so easily."
Considering that the other party could still parry her slashes, and that the power and speed of bombardnts fired while in sword mode would be reduced, Origami switched 'Clarent' into cannon mode.
However, just as Yutsuki thought she was about to fire point-blank at her face, Origami suddenly took a few steps back and abandoned the shot.
"Deliberately luring to use the cannon... your goal was a chamber explosion."
Origami stared at the weapon in her hand and had Mordred scan itself.
As expected, although she thought she had completely blocked out the iron sand, so fine grains of iron sand had unknowingly blocked several of Clarente's magic transport lines.
If she used the high-output cannon mode, in the next second, her weapon would probably suddenly explode just like Ellen's did last ti.
"...Tch."
Seeing the other party click her tongue in displeasure, Origami beca even more certain of her thought.
Up until now, the reason Yutsuki had been able to stalemate Ellen with just a partial Astral Dress, or even cause mutual destruction, was entirely by relying on these unexpected, bizarre tactics to catch the enemy off guard.
But once these bizarre tactics were used in battle, they beca known quantities, and their effectiveness when used again would be greatly reduced.
Iron sand whips, massive lightning strikes, actual lightning bolts from the sky—aside from the Railgun, none of these truly high lethality, overt attacks could exert their destructive power while using a partial Astral Dress.
Optical camouflage could be detected by thermal imaging once known. Hacking techniques had already been countered by Westcott. Inducing chamber explosions was a tactic that easily triggered vigilance after being used once.
In other words, the current Yutsuki had very likely exhausted all her tricks.
(But, in the end, it's only 'very likely'.)
Silently warning herself internally, Origami manipulated her Territory to clear the iron sand from her magic lines. Maintaining her vigilance, she quickly closed the distance to Yutsuki and unleashed a lightning-fast flurry of slashes with her laser sword.
"Guh—"
Fierce clashing sounds echoed one after another between the two. Although it was quite a struggle, facing Origami's tricky and swift slashes, Yutsuki barely managed to parry them relying on Ratziel's sturdiness. The few strikes that slipped through basically couldn't cause any fatal injuries either.
However, even when using a bow, which is clearly disadvantageous in close combat, and without using any cheap tricks, Yutsuki was still able to hold her own against Origami, a professionally trained Wizard. Origami couldn't help but marvel: even without a Spirit's power, if the other party beca a Wizard as a human, she would probably be an ace-level existence.
"—!"
She realized that for a split second, she actually thought about a future where the other party was 'human'.
"No! No! No!! You are a Spirit! If you are a Spirit, then you are absolutely unforgivable!"
Desperately warning herself, Origami began to increase the grip strength on Clarent.
That's right, regardless of a Spirit's good or evil. As long as she killed one, then in the future, no matter what kind of Spirit she faced, even if the Spirit who killed her parents was truly innocent or forced into it by unavoidable circumstances, she would be able to decapitate them without hesitation.
If following her conscience and justice ant letting her parents die in vain, if it ant all her efforts up to now would go down the drain.
Then, she must beco a villain!
Clang—
Pushing the Territory's enhancent on her body to the absolute limit, Origami forcefully swung the beam sword in her hand. The Ratziel in Yutsuki's hand finally seed to reach its limit under the continuous barrage, shattering into particles of light and scattering into the air.
I won!
Origami couldn't help but think. An Angel is a Spirit's absolute weapon. Once the Angel is destroyed, it takes a considerable amount of ti to gather Spirit power and summon it again.
However, when she looked at Yutsuki again, the slightly excited feeling in Origami's heart suddenly cooled down. Because in Yutsuki's eyes, Origami saw absolutely no emotion representing surrender.
Does she still have an unplayed trump card?
Origami imdiately rejected this thought. If she really did, she should have used it before her Angel was destroyed.
She saw Yutsuki, completely unard, seemingly uncaring about the beam sword about to sever her head, raising her right hand high.
No! Sothing is definitely wrong! An inexplicable sense of crisis hung high in Origami's heart. It forced her to pull back her beam sword and switch to using a Territory, attempting to restrict Yutsuki's movents—
However, just at that mont, an intense headache struck Origami.
Slap—!
Then, accompanied by a crisp sound, a plain and simple slap struck Origami's face without any resistance.
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