By the time Valetta came to her senses and tried to snatch her hand back and retreat, it was already too late.
Noah's "third hand" dropped down, took the dagger from his left hand, and drove its gleaming, razor-sharp blade through the fluttering cotton fluff and into Valetta's lower abdomen!
A wet, squelching sound rang out as the blade tore through flesh, mingling with Valetta's sharp, gasping "Hssah!"
The excruciating pain in her vital spot made her eyes widen. She jerked her head up and let out a thunderous, anguished roar.
"My (fore) God (kidney)!"
At a charity food stall in the northern part of the city.
"Ah! Don't drag me! Don't drag me! I still have so much I want to talk about with Lady Nine Hell! Maryu! Setier! You have to put in a good word for me too!"
"Idiot, Alise! What do you think we're doing right now? Having a party? Get back to work already!"
"But I'm the captain! The captain!! Lady Nine Hell! We'll talk again next time!!"
Watching Alise get dragged away by a white-haired werewolf and a black-haired Amazon, Riveria forced herself to smile.
"Uh, y-yes. We'll talk again if we get the chance!"
Only after the Astraea Familia had gone far away did the Elf Royalty let out a long sigh and rub her temples.
With Orario now shrouded in an atmosphere of tension that kept everyone on edge, Riveria was glad to see a cheerful young woman who could lift people's spirits. But having to bear the brunt of that enthusiasm herself was a little too much.
After all, within her Familia, she had always been the stern one who kept the other members in line.
Alise was just like an excessively cheerful puppy—no, a Big Dog!
Next time, she'd have Gareth come along. He was probably better at chatting with the younger members without putting on airs. They might even end up drinking together until they were dancing like mad.
Grumbling to herself, Riveria composed her expression and turned, staff in hand.
She had barely taken a couple of steps when she spotted a blond girl at the edge of the crowd, staring around her in a daze.
The way she looked around, now delighted, now disappointed, reminded Riveria of a lost child searching for her parents.
Riveria walked over and stopped behind Ais. When the girl still didn't notice her, Riveria couldn't help sighing. Her expression grew even more complicated than before.
A life-saving favor certainly deserved repayment. Still, it bothered Riveria that the girl she had painstakingly cared for over the past year was now so preoccupied with someone she had met only once.
"Ais, are you looking for that person again?"
The sudden question made Ais flinch. She instinctively hunched her shoulders and gripped her sword hilt, but relaxed when she turned and saw Riveria.
Then she remembered the question the Elf Royalty had just asked, and her expression grew complicated again.
"Riveria, I..."
Confusion, uncertainty, indecision, disappointment... All of it was written across her small face, making her bewilderment plain to see.
Clearly, she wasn't refusing to answer. She truly didn't know what she felt.
At the time, in that split second between life and death, she had only glimpsed a figure through eyes clouded with blood. She hadn't even seen his face before she lost consciousness. Yet in the days since, the scene kept returning to her mind, unbidden.
When she was awake, when she was asleep, when she practiced her sword, when she rested, when she ate, when she went to bed... It was always there, over and over.
As her mind traced the scene again and again, it grew more and more blurred, yet somehow more deeply etched into her memory.
She could no longer remember the details. Only the feeling of being held in that person's arms lingered on her skin.
As time passed, it didn't fade. It grew clearer, even seemed to burn hotter, as though it had seeped deep into her muscles and become one with her bones.
Whenever Ais hugged herself, she could feel that warmth again.
But that did nothing to ease her confusion—she wanted to see that person, yet she didn't know why.
What was the ripple that moment had left in her heart?
Was it gratitude for being saved from the brink of death?
Was it because she had felt his strength and wanted to learn from him?
Was it because he had made her feel something like the presence of a father?
It felt like all of those things, yet somehow none of them.
Otherwise, Ais wouldn't have had no idea what to say even if she saw him again.
Still, something hot and bitter seemed to roil in her chest, churning up the anguish, gloom, and hurt that had been building inside her for so long.
That flash of a sword, like moonlight cutting through the darkness...
Ais was like a child who had stumbled blindly down a dark road for who knew how long. The moment she saw a light that could illuminate the path ahead, she couldn't help wanting to chase after it, touch it, and feel its warmth.
That anticipation kept building until it nearly overflowed, frightening Ais a little. What if he's just an ordinary person who can't answer my questions or live up to my expectations? What should I do then?
Then Ais felt that she was being selfish, always asking things of the person who had saved her life.
"Riveria, will I get to see him again?"
Riveria didn't dare promise anything. The Loki Familia had spent the past few days using every channel at their disposal to ask around about the people involved, but they hadn't received any definite information.
"That's hard to say. Maybe you'll see him after a while, or maybe you'll see him the very next second—"
The next second, a scream rang across the city.
"Noah Cipher! You despicable, shameless coward!"
Ais instinctively drew her sword, but the moment she looked toward the source of the voice, she froze. A smile appeared on her little face.
"Riveria, you're amazing!"
Looking at the silver-haired figure fighting with Valetta in the distance, Riveria froze too.
When did I learn advanced incantation magic?
Battle!
"Die!"
With a roar, a long sword sliced through the air, hurtling toward him with a piercing whistle.
Facing the blow, Noah narrowed his eyes. He planted his feet, gripping the hilt with one hand and supporting the blade with the other.
Then he met it head-on!
"Clang—!"
Sparks burst where the blades collided. The shrill clash of metal made teeth ache and lungs shudder.
Noah had been ready for it, but the immense force coursing through his sword still sent him sliding backward against his will.
His soles left long, scorched tracks across the stone paving. He only managed to steady himself when he was almost at the wall at the end of the alley.
"So this is the strength of a Level 5 adventurer?"
Noah flicked his sword and rolled his wrist, shaking off the lingering numbness.
Just judging by strength alone, the gap seemed a little large.
No, it was enormous.
Not only had he yet to fully recover from his battle with the Demon King and the subsequent struggle to his limits, Noah was certain that even at his peak, he couldn't match Valetta's strength.
And Valetta clearly wasn't even a strength-focused fighter.
But that was the only gap between them.
Noah had hardly ever fought from a position of advantage. In fact, he had always fought at a disadvantage.
Losing to his opponent in strength alone made this one of the smallest gaps he'd ever faced.
Fighting had never been about strength alone, or about comparing any single stat. Otherwise, everyone could just show their numbers, let the weaker side concede, and be done with it. What would be the point of fighting?
If anything, humans had never beaten monsters by overpowering them in raw stats.
"Hmph! Now that you've seen the difference, stop struggling! Just die quietly! I'll make it quick!"
Her furious strike hadn't killed Noah outright. Though surprised, Valetta quickly grew anxious.
The wound that had pierced her lower abdomen was, to her, a mere fatal injury. But the relentless, agonizing pain shooting through her body was shaking what little reason she had left.
Damn him! Curse him! Kill him!
A moment ago, Valetta had wanted to recruit Noah. Now that she understood he had deceived her, she hated him just as much!
Only a small part of her killing intent came from humiliation. The rest was wariness!
Whether Noah had planned it in advance or improvised on the spot, the fact that he had managed to trick her was proof enough of his intelligence!
This guy was definitely more dangerous than Finn!
And to think he was so young, yet already strong enough to stand against her! What would happen if he had a few more years to grow?
Then she'd have to deal with two men whose hearts were blacker than coal. Wouldn't she spend every day thinking so hard she went bald?
Valetta didn't care about her looks, but after seeing the miserable sight of Thanatos after he went bald, she still thought dying in battle would be more pleasant!
So, for the sake of her hair, she'd kill him!
That was the only thought in Valetta's mind now!
Meeting that gaze, blazing with bloodthirsty fury, Noah remained unfazed and simply swung his sword.
"So what if there's a gap? I've spent my whole life fighting uphill battles!"
As Valetta stared in astonishment, Noah charged forward instead of retreating, launching his own attack!
He pushed off with both feet and shattered the ground. A blast like an explosion erupted, kicking up clouds of dust as Noah vanished from the spot.
His silver blade sliced through the air, breaking into a dazzling gleam beneath the sunlight as it came at her with Wind-Chasing Lightning-Pursuing speed.
By the time Valetta reacted, the blade was already at her doorstep. Her pupils shrank.
She instinctively retreated while raising her sword to block.
But to her surprise, the swordlight, though wrapped in a fierce aura, dissolved like a mist the moment their blades touched. She felt no force behind it at all.
At the same time, a sharp pain flashed across Valetta's face. She instinctively turned her head aside.
The sword tip missed, but the sword energy still sliced across her cheek, drawing several drops of blood that scattered through the air.
"You—!"
Valetta tried to roar through her injury, but Noah drove her back with an even faster flurry of sword strikes, forcing her to swallow the words she'd been about to say.
She instinctively retreated, but the blows pursued her relentlessly.
The escaping sword energy shattered walls, while a fierce wind swept away the bursting clouds of dust. Then the silver-haired youth lunged out with thunderous force.
The two chased each other out of the alley, leaped onto rooftops, then landed on the main street.
The swords left countless afterimages, and their shrill howls swept across the area, cutting everything in their path to pieces.
Valetta swung her sword to block, but the instant that swordlight touched her, it flowed around her like water, then left wounds all over her body. She couldn't bring her strength to bear at all!
Technique!
The difference was in technique!
She had the overwhelming advantage in both strength and speed, but the gap between their swordsmanship was even greater!
She was actually losing to this brat in technique!
Once Valetta realized it, her lips twisted.
When the chase finally reached the roof of a large, single-story building, she simply abandoned defense and swung her greatsword at Noah with savage, beastlike force.
Facing the sweeping slash, which made the air shriek in pain, Noah bent backward and dodged by a hair's breadth. Then, without even looking, he thrust his sword forward.
A perfect opening—there was nowhere to dodge.
The blade grazed Valetta's arm and sliced through flesh and bone in an instant. Blood sprayed everywhere!
Before you continue