My breath is ragged. My vision is flickering. My head is throbbing with pain. But, strangely, I feel exhilarated.
"...I can't end it here...!"
I bite my lip hard. The nosebleed trickles down the corner of my mouth, tasting bitter, but I don't care. My heart is pounding loudly. I take a deep breath, and I can feel hot magic swirling deep within my lungs.
Now I can do it. For some reason, a feeling of certainty wells up inside me. My body is battered, my bones are screaming. But even so--
"...Now I can surpass my limits...!"
Sheena--the Witch of Absolute Barrier.
I glare at her with bloodshot eyes. The余裕たっぷ(yoyuu tappuri)-filled smile she had a moment ago seems to be distorted with a hint of satisfaction at my desperate anger.
"Yeah, that's more like it."
Sheena says gleefully. As if she's happier when her prey puts up a last struggle.
Unpleasant. After all, I'm from a noble family. Besides, I have the pride of having won MVP in the equestrian jousting Chivalry Raid. I absolutely hate losing and collapsing pathetically!
"...Then I'll go all out!"
Without even wiping my nosebleed, I brace myself.
I pour magic into the soles of my feet, and the stone pavement creaks. Magic release beyond my limits. It's the first time I've ever felt so much magic overflowing. I synchronize my breathing, and then suddenly into my legs--
"Gale Boost--!"
I take off like a bullet.
I pretend to charge straight ahead, then instantly step and move to the side. I aim for the moment Sheena's gaze shifts slightly, and move around her vertically and horizontally.
A speed that makes the scenery blur and the ground recede. The breathless feeling of acceleration is irresistible. Right, left, up--I throw off Sheena's reactions with maximum erratic steps.
And a single moment is enough to land a special blow.
--Now!
I jump behind Sheena, and swing my fist charged with all my magic.
Her current gaze is forward...she shouldn't be able to see me. I have to do it here!
"Take this!"
At that moment, Sheena's head swivels around, like a snake, at an impossible angle.
Eh...to turn around and look at me behind her, her head would have to turn more than 180 degrees! I almost stop breathing at the unbelievable sight.
"Fufu...did you think you might be able to beat me?"
No way, what is this...!? The moment our eyes meet, Sheena smiles with an almost ecstatic expression.
"You know, I just love beating up strong-willed girls like you until they scream in terror and have trauma. It gives me goosebumps just imagining it."
"Wh-What are you saying...?"
All the blood drains from my body.
I want to say something back, but I can't make a sound. The sadistic gleam in Sheena's eyes pierces me coldly.
"Hyan!"
--The next moment, the scenery warps. I can't understand what happened.
Whoosh! With a crashing sound, my body is blown away into the air.
"Aaaahhhhhhhh!"
I can hear myself screaming. My body is spinning uncontrollably, and my consciousness is blurring. The scenery in front of me is a mess.
Before I know it, crash!! An impact runs through me as I smash through something, and stop embedded in a wall. A warehouse or house nearby...anyway, it seems I've slammed right through a thick wall.
"I-It hurts...ugh..."
I can't breathe. My chest burns.
This is bad...I've broken a few bones. My head is splitting, and my nosebleed won't stop. It feels like the skeleton inside my body is collapsing.
"Hee hee."
A sweet voice with a nasal tone comes from right above me. I desperately move my head, and turn my gaze towards it. Standing there, of course, is Sheena. She's looking down at my barely visible face, smiling as if she's playing with a small animal.
"Aha, smashing you through the wall might have been a bit much?"
Sheena brings her foot right next to my face, and then ruthlessly kicks my head over and over.
"Ihyah...ugh...!"
The core of my skull is shaken, and pain explodes in rapid succession. Tears well up in my eyes, and I'm terrified that I might even lose control of my bladder.
But Sheena seems to be enjoying my suffering, and laughs in a high-pitched voice.
"Kyaah! ...Hey, hey, it's boring if you don't resist more. Come on, you can still fight, right? I'll be bored if it ends here--"
"Ugh...ah..."
I can't speak. Only a groan escapes. I can feel my body trembling on its own.
Sheena continues to speak cheerfully, grinding my forehead lightly with her foot.
"You seem to have a pretty high pride? The screams of strong-willed girls are the best. I also love the sound of bones creaking. I want to torment you more...for example, breaking your bones one by one, slowly?"
Zowari...
My spine completely chills. I've even imagined it to that extent. My bones being broken one by one, and me screaming.
Sweat seeps out, tears stream down my face, and I tremble so much that my teeth chatter.
"So, what are you going to do? Can you still move, or are you already broken? ...Well, if you're broken, that'll be interesting too."
I force myself to bite my lip. The feeling of wanting to get back at her from before is now completely gone.
Scary...
Sheena takes a step back, and then raises her foot again. Is she going to kick my head off next? I don't have the slightest confidence that I can withstand the impact.
"Uuuuuu. No more..."
The voice I desperately squeeze out is so pathetic. I can only curl up while shedding endless tears.
"Eh, are you crying already? I haven't even done anything yet. Come on, crying won't help. Aha, you're making a funny face. ...Aha, show me your crying face more."
The sound of Sheena's mocking footsteps stops right next to me. I swallow hard.
--Too scared, I can't breathe properly anymore.
My head is fuzzy, and I feel like I'm about to pass out. But if I lose consciousness here, I might not even know if my bones are being broken...strangely, that makes me more alert.
At the edge of my vision, I can see the figures of Gard, Eugene, Flora, and Leon lying around, but no one shows any sign of getting up. Completely unable to fight. There's no way I can expect help.
Sheena approaches me, who is hugging my knees and shedding tears, as if she can't wait any longer.
"Come on, you're still fine. I can enjoy this as many times as I want...? --Fufu, why are you making such a scared face?"
"...Hya...n-no..."
I can't stop my teeth from chattering. I might even pee myself--no, I might have already peed a little.
S-Someone, help me...
And then, I see a man vaguely in the distance.
A man who is looking away, as if he feels like this hellish scene is someone else's business--yes, it was Setsu.
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