Chapter 3.14 - Tuesday, July 19th, 8.14pm

Current time: 8.14 p.m.

“NYA!!!”

BROOOOM!!!!!!!!!!

By the time we arrive at the battle scene— the cat, summons a lightning strike from above at the snake.

Actually, by summoning lightning… it’s more like turning bad-luck into misfortune— adding this horrible weather, she turns the snake’s bad luck into misfortune, thus, as lightning strikes, it would strike her.

“E-Eek………………...!” Restia inadvertently shrieks from the lightning.

Currently, we are hiding behind the bushes and trees near them, while under the protection of an invisible barrier that’s able to fabricate their view on us as invisible and blocks out sound from reaching them.

That man is the one maintaining the barrier.

The trees nearby the cat and the snake breakdown on the centre of their trunks while burning in flames, it might be because of the lightning strike.

Some of the other trees are blackened, crumbling, withering and rotting. It might be because of the poison and acid from the snake.

Though the man next to me prepared a night-vision goggle for me, for now, the fire is so bright that there’s no need to wear it.

By the way, the snake manages to evade that lightning strike, despite having a big and long body.

Not only that, the snake could turn invisible by altering the colour that is reflecting on her scales.

However, it seems to be useless because the cat can tell where she is…

“HISS—”

“Nya!”

As the snake tries to attack from behind— the cat made a mighty jump, while stepping her tiny paw on the giant snake as she lands.

BAM!!!

“—SHAA!!?”

Damn…! The wind pressure from that powerful blow brought down several trees…!

Such ridiculous strength…!

The snake writhes in pain— her body and tail are slamming and crushing the trees nearby.

This is bad… the snake doesn’t seem to be fine at all.

Why is this fight so one-sided…? I thought there would have been an exchange of blows between each other.

“Gefðu það upp, snákur.” (Give it up, snake.)

“Give it up, snake.”

Just when I am wondering what is the cat saying… the man next to me suddenly translates their language to us. Though I’m not sure if it’s accurate or not, judging from their situation— I could only believe it as such.

“…You knew their language…!?” I inadvertently said.

Restia seems to be just as surprised as I was.

“Well, yeah— I just sort of know. I wondered why.” He said with a low voice while scratching his head with a confused look.

Just how many times are you going to surprise me…?

“Af hverju— af hverju ertu að gera þetta…!?” (Why— why are you doing this…!?)

“Ég hef beðið í mörg ár bara eftir deginum í dag! Ég drep þig sama hvað það þarf!”

(I have been waiting for many years just for today! I will kill you no matter what!)

After he translates their conversation, it is that moment I saw the cat raising her paw while standing on the snake’s head.

“H-Hey! Do something!” I said to that man.

“Deyja.” (Die.)

WHAM!!!

“HISSHAAA…!!?”

With just that one stomp with her paw on the snake, the mighty blow cracks the ground till it crumbles, forming a hole just below the place she stomps.

…The snake definitely suffered a certain amount of damage.

“Why aren’t you doing anything…!?”

“……………”

While telling him that, that man did not reply. Instead, he turns his head away from me just to look behind.

“A-Arf…”

After a short while, Fenrir’s daughter— no, Dómr’s daughter kneel with all fours, while whimpering with fear.

The moment I realize, the Alpha Fenrir wolf, Dómr, is watching us from behind.

How did he get in the barrier…!?

“…Run, brat.” That man told me. “He’s not here to greet us.”

“How could I probably run in such a situation…!?”

“I don’t know. If you want to save those two— I suggest you make it quick before me and this thing fights for real.”

That man, while blocking me from moving forward with his left hand— he stands up in front of us, facing Dómr.

“Dómr…”

I find myself saying his name without knowing.

Dómr visibly flinches and stops approaching us.

“…So, you finally know my given name.” He murmured. “This also means you knew I’m your father’s contracted beast.”

“Tell me the truth, Dómr.” I took a deep breath and uttered. “What exactly happened to my parents…?”

“My memories were erased— and now I’m merely following his final commands,” Dómr replied with a depressed look. “I don’t have an answer, child.”

There’s no reason for him to lie. If his memories are erased… then I’m sure, dad is the only one who could do it so thoroughly and cleanly.

“What did my father ordered you to do…!?”

“Either the snake or the cat— you are allowed to choose which one I would spare.” He told me with a fierce gaze.

—this is absurd.

“Impossible!!! My dad would never give such an order!!!”

“Choose one, child. No one is allowed to interfere with me.”

He’s— he’s serious……!

“NYA!!?”

When I immediately turn to face the cat and the snake— I find the cat slammed on a tree, by the snake’s tail.

Both the snake and cat are suffering from massive injuries, and struggling to get up.

And because of the fire— it’s getting harder for them to breathe with such a grave injury.

They could barely move.

Yet— they still move. Because both of them could heal their injuries with their magic.

I’m sure they’d still keep on fighting, till they exhaust their mana down to the last drop.

“The snake, or, the cat?” Dómr asks. “Make your choice.”

“Come on, brat… Choose one and get over with it…! I don’t want to fight that thing…!” That man said.

Why!? Why does it need to be the snake or the cat…!?

“Big… Big brother— I’m scared……”

Restia, who is next to me all along, clings exceptionally tight on my clothes as she already were, while the rabbit on my hands shivers as if it were the last of her strength.

“I— I…!”

My voice stutters from the pressure.

To kill either the snake or the cat…? Why!?

Both of them did nothing wrong…!

I can’t make a decision that’s concerning to one’s life— I know ‘I’ told me to trust Dómr— but it’s regarding someone’s life…!

“Gargh………!” I groaned.

Pulling the sword out from my waist— I place it below Dómr’s daughter’s neck.

“Touch them— and I will take away your precious daughter’s life…!!!”

Dómr’s daughter, with full of shock, looks at me.

“Utterly foolish. That mere blade could never scratch my daughter…”

“Yes, of course. But with Restia’s magic enhancement…”

“You dare!!?”

Dómr immediately pounces— with his right paw aiming at me.

“E-Eek…!?”

Unable to do react, all I could is to hug Restia as tight as I possible could.

“Secundus ad sextum obice, explicandam!” (Second to sixth barrier, deploy!)

That man who stood in front of me, immediately summons four layers of magic barrier— like a shield, protecting both me and Restia.

THUNK— THUNK—THUNK— BAM!!!!!

Right at the last defensive magic barrier, Dómr’s claw comes to a halt.

“Darn it, brat! You had to choose the worst possible choice!!!” That man yelled at me while facing Dómr.

“Grr…”

Taking a step back, Dómr pounces forward again with a headbutt.

WHAM!

C-CRIK—

Not good, the last barrier shows signs of cracking— it can’t hold any longer.

“Guh…! Damn it— gigas lapis murum!” (Giant stone wall!)

Stomping his foot on the ground, he summons a giant wall made out of stone, below Dómr— with its size large enough to launch Dómr to the sky above the trees.

“Tch…!”

That man then takes a right forward stance— with his right hand, he lands an uppercut towards the stone wall.

BOOM!!!

The stone wall breaks and scatters to large chunks, flying towards Dómr like a catapult.

Yet— it bounces off from his fur, leaving not a single scratch behind.

“Growl…!”

“Crap— I’m borrowing your katana…!”

Dómr did a powerful slash with his claws with the momentum from his landing.

CLANG!!!

Just in time, that man blocks his powerful claw with my katana, while diverting the rest of the impact to the sides except for us.

Incredible. How is he holding on against Dómr’s strength?

However, Dómr’s still not finished— he follows up with a paw from his left.

“Guard.” He murmured.

WHAM!

While guarding his body with the scabbard wielding backhanded, he accepts Dómr’s full blow on his right, and with a quick movement by moving his body-axis— he returns the impact to Dómr’s paw, in full power, bouncing it back.

“Growl…!”

Obviously, Dómr is unscathed. However, he is left unbalanced.

“!”

When I realize, there’s a teleportation magic circle beneath that man’s and Dómr’s feet.

“H-Hold it—”

“Don’t worry, brat. I will be fine.” He said with a grin.

With that, the magic circle lets out a blinding flash.

“Guh…!”

As soon as I open my eyes, I no longer find that man or Dómr here. They were transported— but where to…?

“Why… are you here… human…?”

When the cat’s voice came across my ears, I turn to find the cat, where she’s looking at me with a surprised look.

Crap, I forgot.

The moment that man leaves— no one is able to maintain the barrier.

Facing the black cat, who just recovered from their injury with healing magic…

“Nya!”

…I find my body to be cut diagonally down across my chest by the claws of the Misfortune Cat.

The surprise made me fell down on my butt to the ground.

“Big brother…!!!”

Restia came to my aide, casting a protective barrier around us.

Magic won’t work on me, that’s why she was terrified.

“Guh…! It’s alright, Restia— it’s not that deep.”

But it still hurts.

The cat did not pursue her attacks further— and instead, she’s trembling on her spot with a pained look.

“N-Nya…! Nya…!!!”

She… looks like she’s suffering terribly.

Originally the plan is for both of them to fight till they collapsed, while I would take care of them afterwards… However, if I’m not wrong… the black cat evolved during these years.

During those years… the grief and hatred that consumes her made her to be stronger than she already is several years ago.

That’s why… the snake can’t possibly win in terms of direct approach.

…Restia is still a beginner in magic.

Dómr’s daughter is still at loss about her father’s behaviour…

Fortune rabbit doesn’t have any combat ability, and the only thing she could counter is against the cat’s misfortune. Other than that, there’s nothing she could do.

Even if all of us here adds up, I’m sure we couldn’t defeat her.

I’m quite certain the only ones capable to defeat her is Dómr or that man.

If they are transported, I’m sure they are still on this island. They probably weren’t too far away, but they won’t be coming.

The only way for us to win…

…is probably underhanded techniques.

That attack she did on me… I know she didn’t want to. Because of this, she’s in pain from hurting me and was at loss on what to do.

However, that’s not enough to win.

The only thing we could do… is to simulate the event on the past back on her to make her remember.

“…Restia, is she here…?” I asked.

“She’s almost here…”

“Good, it’s time to tell the snake to wake up.”

After a few seconds, the snake gets up while raising her head like a king cobra, staring down on the cat.

“HISSSSSSS—”

The fire’s smoke is just enough to fabricate the cat’s vision akin to the scene she saw back then. The horror that she saw during that time.

Under Restia’s signal, the snake cooperates with my timing.

The snake lunges her jaws towards the cat, where I push her away— letting the snake to hold me in my mouth.

Since I’m small enough, I hold my breath as the snake closes her mouth— timing with Restia’s illusion magic, fake-blood spills out from the snake’s mouth.

“G-Gyaahhhh…!!!!!!!!!” I did a fake out scream.

What will your reaction be… cat?

What will you do when the person you like once again dies in front of you…?

“Nya… N-NYAAAA…!!!!!!!!!!”

…An old wound reopens.

If a trauma could be healed easily, it wouldn’t be a trauma.

If I’m correct… the Snow Leopard Queen is going to reach in about— now.

“Grawr…!”

If I’m correct… Snow Leopard Queen must have got her by the nape, and escaped like the time her mother did to the cat.

As for the rest, cat— it’s all up to you to save yourself.