"Absolute Defense Domain" (5.2K)

Corone panicked on the spot, having never experienced anything like this before.

"W-What do we do?!"

She looked at Yotsuba Mahiro with hopeful eyes; this man was the only one she could turn to for help now!

"Calm down, Corone."

Riku remained calm and composed, saying, "We can take shelter in the underground space below to avoid this storm."

He was already used to this kind of life. While searching for supplies, he had encountered this "death storm" countless times and dealt with it with ease.

"There's no need to go through all that trouble."

Yotsuba Mahiro said, "Anyway, there's still some distance to go, I can take you back directly."

"Huh? It's directly...?"

For some reason, Corone had a bad feeling.

"Directly, it means flying straight back. Don't you want to experience that?"

He could teleport, of course, but at this moment he would rather fly and see the scenery around him.

Before Corone could even get close, he grabbed her, followed by Schwi, and carried Riku on his back. They immediately unleashed their flight magic, hurtling out of the old Elf at incredible speed, escaping the approaching "death storm."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh--"

Under the crimson sky, a shooting star streaked across the heavens, accompanied by a faint, echoing scream.

"It's going to fall! It's going to fall!!!"

Corone was held in his arms with one hand, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, showing no sign of loosening, as if she wanted to strangle him.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so nervous... Don't worry, even if you let go of me, I won't fall."

Yotsuba Mahiro tapped his chin on the arm wrapped around Corone's neck, trying to get her to loosen her grip a little, but to his surprise, she only hugged him tighter.

"No way!!!"

Corone screamed and yelled into his ear with her eyes closed, as if she were really going to fall off him at any moment.

But how could that be possible?

If Corone hadn't been so terrified, even without physical contact, Yotsuba Mahiro could have used other magic to fly her back to the settlement.

Fortunately, Yotsuba Mahiro simply ignored her and let her shout and yell.

Shout, shout, once you vent, you won't be afraid anymore.

However, it was a different Schwi fast as Anse with her waist drum tucked into her waistband.

She was very curious about the magic that Yotsuba Mahiro displayed; to be precise, her database didn't match it at all—it was magic that had never been recorded.

Whether it was the activation method, the technique, or the medium, none of them were things she had ever seen before.

"It's amazing..."

Schwi her breath.

Then, she glanced back at the approaching storm.

"... The 'death storm' is getting closer... it'll catch up with us in about five minutes..."

"Five minutes and one..."

"5 minutes and 2 seconds..."

Schwi, tucked under his arm, seemed to be reporting the time like a reversed electricity meter.

But actually, it doesn't matter whether the storm comes or not, and it doesn't matter if we catch up with it.

An "Antimatter Barrier" can completely block it; if that doesn't work, "Material Burst" or "Heavy Metal Burst" can be used to destroy the storm with high temperatures.

As long as you're bold enough, even a storm can be dealt with... cough cough, there are always more solutions than problems.

At the same time.

"Brother Mahiro..."

Deeper into the snow-covered forest, at the foot of a sharply protruding rocky mountain, lies a hidden cave that looks no different from any other wild animal den.

Miyuki Shiba stood there gazing at the massive storm slowly moving towards them in the distance, a look of worry gradually appearing in her eyes.

Although she knew her brother Mahiro was very powerful, the storm in the distance was far too large and too terrifying.

She was very worried that Yotsuba Mahiro be in danger.

Moreover, he has been gone for several days. Given Yotsuba Mahiro's speed of going out, he should be back by now, but he has yet to be seen.

Are they trapped in the storm?

The moment this terrifying thought crossed her mind, Miyuki quickly shook her head to clear her head.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

"Let's go back first, Miyuki. There's no point in continuing to wait like this."

It was Mayumi spoke; she had accompanied Miyuki outside to welcome Yotsuba Mahiro's return.

The inability to see anyone caused her to panic, especially when she saw the enormous storm slowly rotating in the sky like a millstone.

Miyuki didn't speak, but simply nodded in agreement.

But just as she turned around, preparing to return to the settlement deep within the cave, Miyuki and Mayumi suddenly stopped in their tracks.

They exchanged a glance.

They seemed to hear a faint sound coming from afar, like someone calling out, and it sounded very familiar...

"That voice... it should be Miss Corone, right?"

That's Corone's voice!

In other words--

Yotsuba Mahiro is back!

When they looked in surprise toward the source of the sound, the two of them were stunned, especially Mayumi, whose surprise turned into an indescribable expression.

She felt a strange urge to laugh.

In the distance, a shooting star was hurtling toward them at breakneck speed.

Among the shooting stars were Yotsuba Mahiro, Corone who was being held, Riku who was being carried on his back, and an unidentified object hanging from their waists!

"Aaaaaah! Slow down! Slow down! It's going to break! It's really going to break!!!"

"Haha, no, no, I believe in Corone's ability to handle it!"

Accompanied by faint screams and arrogant laughter, the flashing meteor light completely broke through the predatory range of the "Spirit Corpses" storm and rushed straight towards this side.

They were moving so fast that Corone didn't have time to react before they hit the ground.

Boom--

With a deafening roar, dirt flew everywhere, surging outwards like a tidal wave, creating a terrifyingly deep crater.

Yotsuba Mahiro stood in the center of the pit, put down Schwi and the limp Riku, and patted Corone's arm, saying, "Hey, let me go, we're here."

"Aaaaaah... wait, it's actually true...!"

The girl, who was screaming just a second ago, found herself dumbfounded on the ground the next.

Although the surrounding scenery seemed somewhat different, she still recognized that this was outside the settlement.

Just hours ago they were in the old capital of the Elf, and now they've already arrived...

"I told you, it's very safe, right?" Yotsuba Mahiro teasing voice drifted over, and Corone's cheeks immediately flushed red, feeling a little embarrassed.

Reflecting on her actions, she realized she might have overreacted...

"Well, for someone experiencing this for the first time, your reaction is quite good."

Yotsuba Mahiro praised without reservation.

This is not empty praise or an attempt to please anyone; it is simply the truth.

Corone's performance had indeed exceeded his expectations.

Chapter 416 "Absolute Defense Domain" (5.2K)

"... Someone... is coming."

Schwi detected a living being approaching, [Analysis] -- it's a human.

"Huh?"

Upon hearing Schwi's words, Corone immediately looked up and around, only to see two familiar figures come into view.

"Miyuki, Mayumi?!"

"Miss Corone, welcome back." Miyuki smiled and bowed slightly to the girl as usual, then looked at Yotsuba Mahiro.

"Brother Mahiro, welcome back. Your journey must have been very tiring."

"It wasn't tiring at all, not at all. On the contrary, Corone provided me with a lot of fun during the journey, especially just now, did you hear that? Shouting so loudly..."

"Yes, I heard it perfectly clearly."

"Hehe, that's right."

Miyuki and Mayumi both covered their mouths and chuckled, and even Riku nodded sincerely, "This is the first time I've ever heard Corone shout so loudly."

"Ugh..."

Seeing this group of people ganging up on her, Corone puffed out her cheeks angrily and said, "I... I had no choice, this is my first time..."

The Ex-Machina girl following behind Yotsuba Mahiro watched the pleasant exchange between the group, her eyes flashing with data as she recorded everything.

I plan to analyze it gradually when I have time.

Then, he added a reminder:

"... Be careful... Death is imminent..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Riku's expression turned solemn as he gazed at the enormous storm several kilometers away, the wind pressure of which they could already feel.

"Let's go inside; death is imminent."

"What a terrifying storm..."

"Yes, that's right. I feel like if we get caught up in this, I'm afraid..."

They can never get out again.

Mayumi didn't say the second half of her sentence, but everyone present understood.

However, as they were preparing to return to the settlement, Miyuki discovered the girl following Yotsuba Mahiro.

"Brother Mahiro, what's that...???"

Upon hearing her words, Mayumi noticed him too, giving him a resentful look as if to say, "Isn't having me and Miyuki enough? You scoundrel, you're out looking for other women! And such young ones at that!"

"Oh, you mean her? She's just a souvenir I brought back. Don't worry about her."

Souvenirs?!

Don't worry about it!

Who would bring such a troublesome creature Ex-Machina race back to the settlement as a souvenir?!

Although Corone had already accepted Schwi, she couldn't help but mentally criticize him after hearing his words.

In her mind, the only person who could bring back Flügel and Ex-Machina so easily was Yotsuba Mahiro.

"... Corone's heart rate is rising... her breathing is erratic... Could it be that Corone is Mahiro in her heart?"

"H-How could that be! I would never do such a thing..." Corone was clearly flustered; even someone who didn't know her well could tell she was genuinely embarrassed.

But Schwi continued to ask: