“_Grr, ugh._”
I couldn’t even wiggle a single finger. I realized too late what was happening, and my own helplessness became a source of shame.
“_Haa, huff!_”
I struggled to twist my body on the tree, trying to stand up, but a groan escaped me from the pain in my abdomen.
The blood flowing from my wound wasn’t as much as I had expected.
Still, my clothes were soaked, but perhaps because it wasn’t originally meant to kill the enemy but simply used the bones of a magical beast as a weapon, the wound wasn’t very deep.
But that didn’t comfort me at all.
Rather, that fact stabbed my heart even more painfully.
I had suffered such a crushing defeat without even wielding a proper weapon against my opponent. I knew the level difference, but feeling resentful was still feeling resentful.
I tried again to twist my body and get up. I pressed both hands against the wound in my chest and looked ahead.
A priestess was walking toward the Grand Witch.
She was acting as if she could kill the Grand Witch at any moment, relaxed and enjoying herself. She knew all too well how humiliating it was for the opponent.
“_Hoo, ugh._”
What’s the big deal about being the academy’s top swordsman?
“_Grrr._”
Where on earth is this so-called talented young girl?
“_Hic._”
Tears that had formed at the corners of my eyes fell onto the ground of the Demon Realm. The pain in my chest hurt, but it was the words of the priestess that pierced my heart like thorns, tightening it at the same time.
I was afraid of defeat, so I overly created a massive enemy.
Somewhere along the line, I realized that I liked Daniel McLean. The pain I felt in my heart in Yggdrasil was the beginning.
If there had been some special incident, would I have been able to accept it?
If I had helped overcome trauma like Eve…
Or if I had been rescued like May when I was kidnapped…
Or if I had helped escape from the Chokugen Faction like Sen…
Or if we had been hostile to each other like Elise, but eventually ended up together…
If there had been some moment that left a mark on my memory, would things have been different?
I still vividly remember the moment I acknowledged my feelings.
It was when I was waiting for Eve and Tana at the café in front of the dormitory, sipping coffee. Simply put, Daniel had asked me with a smile.
“What’s your favorite coffee?”
It was the first time in my life I felt so ridiculous and yet empty. Why was it then? What was so special about it?
But it all came to me so simply.
Ah, I’ve liked this man all along.
And I felt a bit resentful.
Why was it that, unlike other female students who had special experiences, I realized my feelings during such everyday conversations?
Wasn’t it okay to have a more dramatic, romantic experience straight out of a book?
“_Huh, huu._”
So, I gave up.
Realizing my feelings like this would never lead to a relationship with Daniel McLean. So I hoped that he would end up with Eris, who was far superior to me.
I wanted to comfort myself, saying he was a man I could never have anyway.
Endless tears poured out.
I regretted my past foolishness.
If I had known that a time would come when I would lose like this and die, I should have just said it outright.
I shouldn’t have let an elf take you.
My head was spinning, and my body wouldn’t cooperate. The desire to fight had completely vanished, and all that filled my body was pure helplessness.
_Boom!_
From afar, the _roar_ of ancient magical beasts echoed. Was Daniel McLean caught up in that fight?
What an impressive man, I thought.
“People are always swayed, shaken, and lost. That’s just how it is.”
His words, too loving yet somewhat resentful, echoed in my ears as I ached to rest.
“But you can ultimately remain calm in any situation.”
“Enough.”
I just want to rest now.
My body and heart, both torn to shreds by that priestess, didn’t even want to move a finger, and I wanted to stop thinking completely.
“Even if shaken violently, you’ll eventually find your place again.”
“Please, stop.”
Just stop it.
Don’t tell me I have potential.
Don’t give me that trusting gaze.
“That’s a wonderful talent for a swordsman.”
“Why?”
Why must I be shaken by your words?
Until just now, I absolutely didn’t want to stand up.
I felt I had no talent, and no matter how I struggled, nothing would change.
My confused thoughts hadn’t settled yet.
But why?
Why can I rise again when I hear your words?
Kneeling, Hayun slowly wiped her tears away with her sleeve. Just like her wet sleeve, her face must have been marred.
“My… sword.”
Even while staggering, Hayun searched desperately for her sword. She staggered toward the two swords lying on the ground, waiting impatiently for their owner.
She picked them up again.
I remembered the conversation I had with Daniel McLean on our way to the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“Isn’t that a bit too centered around you? I don’t have that much strength.”
“No, this can’t be?”
“No, it can be?”
I thought he was teaching something nonsensical.
I firmly asserted it was impossible, and in the end, Daniel also yielded his opinion.
He had a tendency to think that things possible for him were also possible for others.
That’s why he gradually increased the intensity of our early morning workouts.
“_Huff._”
A faint smile appeared on my messy face. I recalled him grumbling yet looking remorseful.
“But wouldn’t it be really cool if this worked?”
I didn’t respond, but I agreed with his sentiment.
It would surely be cool.
“An ordinary person wouldn’t even catch your eye.”
There were so many beautiful women around him. Talented, unique, and superior girls.
What should I do to catch his eye even slightly among them?
“Thanks for letting me know.”
Slowly, Hayun leaned forward. Like a racehorse about to dash forward, one leg stretched out in front; the other stretched back.
In that excessively forward-leaning posture.
Hayun crossed her hands to grip both swords at her waist simultaneously.
One of the techniques from the Eastern Swordsmanship left behind by her mother, Yoonlan Ren: the Flash Draw.
It was enveloped in her hands “at the same time.”
So that you can see me.
“I’ll make it look cool.”
If this had a name, it would be Hayun Ren’s unique swordsmanship instead of Yoonlan Ren’s.
< Double Draw >
“……!”
The priestess’s hair swayed fiercely in the wind. She realized the girl who had charged in front of her and hastily turned her body.
If I had to express it, it was a _flash_.
Two lights flew in from either side.
Hayun’s two swords drawn simultaneously sliced through the priestess’s chest.
Blood spewed out, painting the air like a picture along the trajectory of the blades.
It was a mistake of the Priestess of Time, who thought she had completely crushed Hayun’s heart.
Attempting to retaliate, the priestess swung her sword at Hayun’s neck, despite the pain.
“I’ll make you pay for giving the witch time.”
Hayun wasn’t fighting alone.
“This is……!”
From the fingertips of the Grand Witch, black light gushed out, enveloping the entire body of the Priestess of Time. The priestess, who had tried to strike at Hayun, couldn’t withstand the incoming magic and was pushed away.
“That’s the kind of magic that sticks to the enemy until the moment they die. If a little girl can gather her strength, this grandmother can give it a shot too; magic with a will of its own will clutch you tightly and never let go.”
The black entity was merging with the fallen priestess, slowly corroding her.
“_Haa, haa. Did I win?_”
Weakened from swinging her sword too vigorously, Hayun dropped it and slumped to the ground. Her body cried out from the excessive movements.
The Grand Witch looked at her warmly, using healing magic.
“Yes, we won. Thanks to you, we can prevent the future of our witches dying.”
“Is… that so?”
I didn’t understand what she meant, but nonetheless, as Hayun nodded her head.
“Well, in a situation like this, it’s customary to leave. What a shame.”
The Grand Witch and Hayun’s eyes snapped toward the source of the voice, as if they had received a slap in the face. There, the Priestess of Time stood, having completely walked out of the black light.
“I guess the gods don’t want me to die yet.”
“Y-you, Goddess of Death?”
This time, even the Grand Witch couldn’t help but be surprised. The mark of the Goddess of Death was etched onto the forehead of the Priestess of Time.
Identical to that of the Earliest Apocalypse.
The magic the Grand Witch used chased the opponent until they “died.” Conversely, if the opponent died, the magic would naturally dissipate.
The Priestess of Time easily detached from the magic. Without a single wound.
As if she had died and come back to life.
She wore a soft smile. In that moment, both the Grand Witch and Hayun felt the same fear, but their time was over.
“I’d like to say it’s my turn, but…”
The Priestess of Time glanced back and sighed.
“It seems the conclusion has already been reached over there.”
Then, from afar, a massive _explosion_ began, sending a fierce _backlash_ toward this place.
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