Rising Fury

With few enemies standing between them and the Great Hall preceding Kishirika's former throne room, it only took a few minutes for Paul and Party to arrive outside a black barrier covered in esoteric, glowing blue runes.

Recognizing the barrier at a glance, Kishirika preempted Paul's inevitable question, explaining, "This is the result of someone using Demon Eyes of the Absolute Void. They stockpile Mana over time and allow a person to create a nigh-impenetrable barrier."

Though he was well aware of the Demon Eyes of the Absolute Void, Paul couldn't help frowning when Kishirika said it was nigh-impenetrable. She enjoyed exaggerating things, but she was usually pretty straightforward concerning Demon Eyes and their effects.

Preempting Paul's follow-up question, Kishirika adopted a toothy grin as she added, "You might not be able to break it instantly, but the duration of the barrier decreases as it accumulates damage. There is also a hard limit to the amount of magic power the eyes can store. The record is around 39 hours, held by yours truly."

Hearing everything he needed to hear, Paul shifted his attention to Ei and said, "Tear it down." in a firm tone.

Without needing to be told twice, Ei struck her iconic pose, pulling a tachi formed of pure Electro Elemental energy from between her breasts before spinning in a graceful, clockwise motion and unleashing a terrifying sword slash that seemed to rend the very fabric of space and time. It was easily a God-Tier sword slash, but while it left a large, Electro-purple scar on the barrier, it failed to cut through it.

Adopting a visibly annoyed expression, sparks began to emanate from the depths of Ei's eyes. She had yet to replenish the energy she expended in her fight against Atofe, but it hurt her pride to be unable to perform when her Master needed her.

Before anyone could think to stop her, an aura of Electro Energy burst out of Ei's body, violet-purple lightning crackling around her before her form morphed into a series of afterimages. If one strike didn't work, Ei decided she would just keep hitting it.

As it was pretty rare to see Ei so 'emotional,' even Paul had to take a step back as the aura exuding from the purple-haired Archon's body settled in him like a sheer cold. It wasn't his first time enduring Ei's sword intent, but he still felt he was being cut apart just observing her in action.

Making things much easier for everyone present, Zhongli waved her hand to generate a rectangular stele of Geo Energy in the middle of the group. The moment it was fully formed, it began to release pulses of golden light that washed over everyone present, shrouding them in an amber-colored barrier that mitigated the effects of Ei's sword intent.

Inspecting the malleable barrier covering her entire body, Kishirika was about to ask how durable it was when a frighteningly loud sound, similar to all the glass on a skyscraper shattering, echoed through the area. Ei's onslaught was akin to a Sword God unleashing numerous Longswords of Light in concert, so the infamously indestructible barrier didn't even last six seconds before shattering like expensive porcelain.

Seeing the barrier shatter into countless pieces, Ei turned around with a rare, self-gratified smile as she stared at Paul in a manner that expressed, 'Look at what I did. Feel free to praise me.'

Though he intended to do precisely that, Paul wasn't even able to get out the first syllable before a bright white laser left white hot trails across the barriers of nearly everyone present. The only exception was Paul, as both Ei and Zhongli reacted to shield him with their weapons and bodies. Even then, visible lines were left on both their weapons and bodies, clear proof they had failed to deflect the surprise attack.

Before Paul could fully process what had just happened, Zhongli erected a wall of Geo before exhaling a rare sigh of relief and asking, "Is everyone okay?"

Thanks to the barriers Zhongli had created for them, the only person to sustain even a minor injury was Ei, or, more accurately, her kimono. The back was unaffected, but the nigh-instantaneous white light had burned through the fabric of her obi, kimono, and bodysuit. It also left a burn on her skin, but it was nothing life-threatening.

Recovering from his momentary stupor, Paul's complexion was several shades lighter as he asked, "What the fuck was that?"

Before Zhongli could offer her speculation, Kishirika answered, "That, my beloved fiance, was the Longsword of Light..."

Looking toward Kishirika, Paul made no effort to conceal his incredulity as he retorted, "Bullshit. The Longsword of Light is a close-range technique, not something that can be utilized at long distances..."

Crossing her arms, Kishirika gave Paul an, 'Are you seriously arguing with me?' kind of look before reiterating, "It is the Longsword of Light. Just not the technique."

Knowing Paul was going to demand answers, Kishirika averted her eyes, staring at the wall created by Zhongli as she asked, "You've heard of the legend surrounding the Sword Sanctum's creation, right? About how the first generation Sword God utilized his Longsword of Light to slice off the top of a mountain?"

Seeing Paul nod out of the corner of her eye, Kishirika explained, "The original Sword God didn't utilize any techniques. He was just a guy that swung his sword faster than anyone else. What made him such a pain to deal with was the sword he wielded. That's what you just witnessed, the original Longsword of Light, a weapon so absurd it could even leave scars on the Moon..."

Opening his mouth, Paul wanted to refute Kishirika's words, but the look on her face was as serious as they came. She clearly had some personal experience with the Longsword of Light.

Verifying Paul's thoughts, Kishirika met his gaze and said, "The original Sword God was not the first to wield the Longsword of Light. Before him, it was wielded by that annoying vixen that became Saint Milis, the King of Heroes, Ars Anemoi Asura, and the Holy Dragon of Light, Lucielle..."

With an expression that was equal parts pain and fury, Kishirika balled her hands into fists as she added, "No other weapon in history has slain more Demons than the Longsword of Light. Those chicken bastards concealing themselves in the Heaven Continent forged it with the intent of wiping us out completely, but humanity used it as an instrument to persecute us..."

Slamming her fist against the wall, Kishirika's expression revealed a trace of madness as she growled, "That bastard, Laplace! We went through hell to steal that blade from the humans and seal it away! What could he have possibly been thinking!?"

Raising his hands in a placating gesture, Paul attempted to calm Kishirika down by assuring her, "It's going to be okay. Once we defeat whoever has the sword, we'll seal it away so that no one can ever use it again..."

Reacting to Paul's words, Kishirika stared at him with one of the most intense expressions he had ever seen, her voice filled with venom as she retorted, "Oh? Do you mean to tell me you would give up the opportunity to wield one of the most powerful weapons in the world? With your Mana reserves, the Longsword of Light would easily elevate you to the status of a God. Can you resist such a temptation?"

Catching the frenzied Demoness by surprise, Paul didn't hesitate for a single moment before answering, "Without question. I already have more cheats than I know what to do with. At this point, I wouldn't accept such a weapon even if you tried to force me..."

"..."

Though she wouldn't have believed any other human making such a claim, Kishirika felt the tension in her body relax when she noticed the sincerity and visible frustration in Paul's eyes. She had momentarily forgotten due to her anger and frustration, but Paul really did have an overabundance of gifts and blessings. So much so that he pushed himself beyond his natural limits just to feel worthy of them...

Feeling a lot calmer, Kishirika inhaled a deep breath before exhaling a long and exasperated sigh. Then, as if her prior anger had been nothing but an illusion, she regained her customary shark-toothed smile and replied, "Oh, yeah. I got so caught up in the moment that I nearly forgot how ridiculous your existence is. You don't need a weapon like the Longsword of Light to leave a path of destruction wherever you go..."

Furrowing his brows, Paul was about to insist he would never do such a thing, but, as per usual, Kishirika interrupted him. This time, however, she didn't use her words. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, locked them in place, and planted a kiss on his lips.

As surprised as he was by Kishirika's sudden 'assault,' Paul instinctually lowered his hands to grasp the shapely Demoness's ass. Fortunately, her armor left her two pliant mounds completely uncovered, so he was able to enjoy the texture of her springy bottom through the remarkably thin fabric of her plugsuit.

Eager to reclaim both the Longsword of Light and her throne, Kishirika retracted her lips from Paul's immediately following his first squeeze. She also knew he wanted to save the little girl wearing an animal costume, so before he could lean forward to steal her lips, she stared into his eyes and stated, "If we don't hurry, that girl you sent ahead to scout will die..."

Though he felt like a brick hit him in the face due to how quickly Kishirika changed the subject, Paul quickly recovered, releasing the violet-haired Demoness from his embrace as he turned to Party and asked, "Zhongli, Ei, can you handle it...?"

Without needing to consider her response, Zhongli nodded her head and replied, "As fast as the attack was, it didn't deal a substantial amount of damage to my barrier. If Lady Baal and I combine our powers, defeating the enemy shouldn't be an issue."

Eager to get back at the person who had damaged her outfit, a gift Paul had invested a small fortune to acquire, Ei narrowed her eyes and added, "Leave it to us. I'll show you that not even light can escape the bounds of Eternity..."

Resisting the urge to ask how Ei's concept of Eternity had anything to do with their present situation, Paul nodded his head and expressed, "Good. I entrust this matter to the two of you. And if it turns out Sayu has already fallen...show them no mercy..."

After nodding in concert with one another, Zhongli manifested a second Geo Stele, providing everyone present with a barrier. At the same time, Ei took a stance for the second time since her summoning. What left Paul at a loss for words was the fact it was clearly the stance for the Longsword of Light. He had never once seen Ei perform the technique, but he could easily guess what was going through her mind...he didn't know if it was due to her pride or something else entirely, but she evidently intended to surpass the 'original' Longsword of Light with her own...

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After failing to eliminate her targets the moment they broke through her barrier, the Black Knight began to feel nervous for the first time in her life. The power of the Longsword of Light diminished with range, but the Great Hall was only 200m in length. Even if she was severely weakened due to her internal injuries, she should still be able to slice through a Saint's touki at five hundred...

While moving around her sword to prevent it from melting the castle floor and walls, the Black Knight shifted her gaze to the severely injured figure on the floor, Sayu. She had lost an arm and a leg, but a quick application of Healing Magic had prevented her from bleeding out. The Black Knight had initially intended to question her once she woke up, but she was now starting to look like perfect hostage material...

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(A/N: No actual lolis were harmed in the making of this chapter.)