Tohka was not like those so called battle maniacs who worshipped violence.
She simply hated humans.
Humans who kept pestering that child and hurting her.
Humans who spoke sweet words and kept deceiving her.
Tohka hated them from the bottom of her heart.
Whether they were evil or kind, in the end, what they brought to that child was pain and sadness.
If they had never t, she would not have suffered.
In that case, Tohka had no choice but to use absolute force to draw a line between herself and the outside world.
But before long, Tohka realized sothing.
Power could protect that child, but it could not save her.
Even if she cut the world apart, that wounded heart still would not heal.
And so, after thinking for a long ti, Tohka returned to the human world.
The world was vast.
So vast that Tohka did not know how to find the person that child needed.
Because of that, Tohka could only keep releasing spirit power waves, making her presence clear while removing the pests who held malice toward her, and wait for the other side to appear.
However, what she finally heard was news of that man's death.
Tohka could not hide her disappointnt.
Yes.
Disappointnt.
In truth, she had vaguely sensed this fact from the beginning. If that were not the case, that child would not have been in such pain and despair.
But only after truly confirming it, only after realizing the disappointnt in her own heart, did she understand how much hope she had held.
That was why, when she heard Ryougi Yutsuki's request, Tohka felt only contempt and anger.
Yutsuki knew nothing.
She had rely stolen Sephira Crystals from other humans and happened to keep them alive, and now she thought she could save Tohka?
In Tohka's eyes, Yutsuki had not co to save that child.
She had co to kill her.
And yet, looking at the brown haired girl charging straight toward her now, Tohka could not help thinking that maybe she was the one who knew nothing.
Yutsuki dodged and parried several of Tohka's slashes head-on, then rushed into Tohka's chest range and twisted her body, swinging Ratziel's blade.
But her target was not Tohka.
It was the guard of Nahemah.
——Clang!
With a crisp sound, the short blade, already badly damaged, shattered into particles of light the mont it struck the Demon King.
Of course, Yutsuki's attack had not been completely useless.
The vibration traveling through Nahemah made the web between Tohka's thumb and forefinger go slightly numb.
"——Tch."
Tohka clicked her tongue in irritation.
She pressed her left hand over her right, tightened her grip on the sword handle, and forcibly swung Nahemah toward Yutsuki.
But Yutsuki seed to——no, she had indeed predicted her movent. She summoned her twin blades at the first mont to block, then naturally retreated along the direction of the force, enduring the blow with the least possible damage.
After landing lightly, Yutsuki charged again without any pause, repeating the sa movent as before.
(This girl... is she aiming for my weapon?)
Tohka thought.
After summoning the Wizard CR-unit, Ryougi Yutsuki had stopped using every Angel except Ratziel.
And whether attacking or defending, every strike of hers was aid at Nahemah from start to finish.
Honestly speaking, the twin blades ford from that longbow did not have the sa terrifying destructive power as the other Angels. Even if they struck Tohka's Astral Dress, they would only leave shallow cuts.
Perhaps Yutsuki had seen through that, so she focused all her attacks on Tohka's Demon King instead.
(Ah, what an irritating person.)
Tohka thought.
Logically, even if Nahemah was knocked away, Tohka could solve that by simply summoning it back. It would not prove anything.
And yet, for so strange reason, Tohka could clearly feel the intent behind each of Ryougi Yutsuki's strikes.
——I will not hurt Tohka.
——I am stronger than you.
Honestly, that made Tohka extrely angry.
Her pride in her own strength.
Her care for Yatogami Tohka.
The two things Tohka was most proud of were being placed directly on the table by Ryougi Yutsuki in an almost provocative way.
Clash.
Shatter.
Reform.
Clash again.
Watching Yutsuki continue this self-punishing fighting style, Tohka began to understand the aning of the words "the result of a battle is not only life or death."
The instant Nahemah left her hand, she would lose.
Not only in strength.
But in resolve as well.
"...Hmph."
Thinking that, Tohka unconsciously smiled.
(What is this? I am clearly being looked down on completely. Why am I smiling? Am I... happy right now?)
As their blades clashed, Tohka caught a glimpse of Yutsuki's focused face and felt a faint confusion in her heart.
Although the form was different, she truly felt sothing similar to Itsuka Shido from this woman before her.
It was sothing she herself did not have, sothing Yatogami Tohka needed.
Selflessness and sincerity.
(But!)
With a heavy impact, Yutsuki was sent flying back more than ten ters by the force of Nahemah.
"——Pah! Haa..."
Yutsuki spat blood-stained spit onto the sand and adjusted her breathing for a mont.
(Did I give too much ground?)
Thanks to Future Calculation and the healing flas, Yutsuki did not have any serious wounds. But because she had focused only on attacking Tohka's Demon King, she had inevitably exposed many openings and had to take several of Tohka's blows head-on.
"Seriously... We've already reached this point. Can't you just read the mood and admit defeat?"
Yutsuki said helplessly.
"Admit defeat?"
Tohka gave a light laugh. She raised Nahemah and pointed it straight at Yutsuki.
"Sorry, but this much is not enough. If you truly want to accept it, then speak with strength!"
Sincerity alone was not enough.
That kind of thing was kindness toward others, but cruelty toward oneself. If one was careless for even a mont, malice would eat through it and break it apart.
Everything that had happened was the best proof.
So prove it to , Ryougi Yutsuki.
Prove that you have the strength to carry that resolve through.
"You're really troubleso. Couldn't we just talk properly instead of going in circles like this?"
Yutsuki could not help complaining.
"Sorry. This is the only way I know how to express myself."
The two looked at each other, then both smiled.
In the next second, their figures vanished from the desert.
What followed was a rapid burst of tal clashes, as fierce as machine-gun fire.
Block, chop, slash, lift, thrust——Yutsuki gave up all techniques that made use of her long-range advantage. She sharpened her nerves to the limit and challenged Tohka with pure swordsmanship.
She left her wounds to the healing flas.
She left the pain to her willpower.
If her weapon broke, she would summon it again.
If once was not enough, then ten tis.
If ten tis were not enough, then one hundred tis.
Finally, after Yutsuki's relentless effort, a crack appeared on Nahemah's blade.
(Tch.)
Sensing the change in her Demon King, Tohka clicked her tongue inwardly.
It was no wonder.
In such an intense battle, Yutsuki had kept aiming at the sa spot with every attack. Even the indestructible Nahemah would eventually reach its limit.
At that mont, Yutsuki had only one short blade left in her hand.
Most likely, the next strike would decide the outco.
(Is this the end?)
Tohka thought as she watched Yutsuki swing down her blade.
But just then, she suddenly saw a soft ribbon glowing faintly appear behind Ryougi Yutsuki at so unknown ti.
"——!!"
Tohka's pupils shrank sharply.
As if aiming for the instant when Yutsuki had all her attention focused on Tohka, the ribbon silently stabbed toward Yutsuki.
"Move! Ryougi Yutsuki!"
Tohka roared.
"Wha——?!"
Before Yutsuki could react, Tohka moved in front of her, took Yutsuki's strike with her own body, and forcefully pushed her away.
Then, the harmless-looking ribbon easily pierced through her Astral Dress and ran Tohka through.
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