“...I see.”

A single clash—
A metallic clang rang out.

Ziel sensed that he was at a disadvantage in terms of weapon durability if he tried to overpower it by sheer force. Realizing this, he leaped far back to create distance.

A slight numbness remained in his right hand.
The one standing before him now was someone who could give him this much of a response—
Even though he had already bested the Demon Sword in combat.

At this point, he didn’t even need to check the magic circle to know.

“Thirteen Gate Oni... Being classified as a mid-tier External Demon Beast is no exaggeration.”

He adjusted his glasses with a click and charged forward.

Bamboo forest, torrential rain, a moonless night—
Once more, deep in the darkness southwest of the town, sparks flew as Ziel engaged.

The message had already been sent.
One of the disciples who had been on night patrol with him had withdrawn at the moment of first contact with the Thirteen Gate Oni and had immediately run to alert the town.

The Oni had not shown itself since its battle with Saminato until now.
Ziel had assumed it was simply waiting for Saminato to succumb to the poison.

“Was there some other condition—?”

A powerful swing—

Ziel narrowly dodged a sweeping kick that nearly grazed his head.

—But it didn’t matter.
Why it had appeared here didn’t matter.
What mattered was that if they killed this thing, the battle would turn in their favor.

And—

“—Got you!”

As he dodged the kick, he grabbed its leg from below.

If he could lift it, flip it over, crush it, and slash its chest open—
He put all his strength into it, trying to rise—

“What—?!”

Again.
He had heard of this beforehand, enough to send a shudder through him.

“Phase Shift.”
The mysterious technique that had caught Saminato off guard—
A bizarre phenomenon that momentarily nullified incoming attacks.

It happened even now—
Even though Ziel had firmly gripped both of its legs, the sensation suddenly vanished.

Ziel was left standing defenseless.

The Oni’s demonic claws swung straight for his torso—

Just before impact, an arrow flew in.

“Ggh—”

“Tch, that was close.”

The arrow passed right between Ziel’s raised arm and torso, a blind spot for the Oni.

The arrow itself was nullified by the Phase Shift, but—
Even that brief moment was enough for Ziel to regain his footing.

“Stay focused, Dragonslayer.”

As he pulled back to create distance, a voice called out from behind him.

He didn’t even need to turn around to know.

“Are you sure about coming here instead?”

“I checked—there were no demon beasts around the town perimeter. If something happens, I’ll rush back immediately. I’m not as fast as you, but I can move pretty quickly.”

—But before that.

A sword was drawn.
A lone shadow emerged in the darkness, stepping beside Ziel.

“If we can kill this thing, that’s the best outcome.”

“Both of us, at once, huh?”

Chikano.
She stood at Ziel’s side, sword at the ready.

Their opponent was a single Oni.

Its four limbs were steeped in deadly poison, its monstrous strength could split the ground, and a single glare could freeze a serpent in place—
A grotesque demon beast, a manifestation of ancient death.

A flash of lightning illuminated its face, twisted into an eerie grin in the darkness.

The magic circle of an External Demon Beast was carved deep into its left eye.
And on its left shoulder—perhaps the wound Saminato had inflicted—
Even that had nearly healed.

“We haven’t figured out the trick behind Phase Shift.”

“But it definitely has limitations. If it were invincible, it wouldn’t have hesitated to finish off my father. …And this might be our last chance.”

We’ll do what we can.

With that whispered resolve, Chikano lunged in.

Sparks flew—
Scattered, fell, and were swallowed by the rain.

They fought.
Against a nightmarish demon beast, one that only a handful of humans in the world could even survive a few seconds against.

And in the end—
Only two things would happen tonight.

One—
They would fail to defeat the Thirteen Gate Oni.
They could not unravel the mystery of Phase Shift.
Their attacks were wasted, and their only success was barely managing to push it back towards the mountains.

And—

Their greatest combat assets were now completely occupied with this fight—
Leaving them unable to help anyone else.

“I’ll go.”

That instinctive decision—telling Chikano so—
Klaha was convinced it had not been a mistake.

Because there had been no other choice.

When the four bells rang—
When the town was alerted to the Thirteen Gate Oni’s presence—
Chikano had been forced to decide.

Should she chase after Icca, who had just disappeared?

Or should she go to reinforce Ziel, who was surely already engaged in battle?

Klaha had seen her hesitation.
Had she not hesitated, she would have taken off immediately—
She was someone with quick instincts, something Klaha had come to understand over the past few weeks.

So she had volunteered.

She would go after Icca.
Chikano should go to Ziel.
That would make the decision easier for her.

And so—
She ran.

Through the rain—
Following the traces of Icca, who had vanished moments ago.

Among the choices available then, this had been the least mistaken one.

And emotionally—

She had also wanted to do this.

“—Ah.”

Her steps halted.

Not because Icca’s trail had vanished.
But because it continued—

Leading from the town towards the bamboo forest in the northeast.

“...He went in.”

Klaha hesitated slightly.

The appearance of the Thirteen Gate Oni was linked to the large-scale invasion from two weeks ago.

The outer perimeter was said to be full of powerful demon beasts.
And she knew she was not capable of handling them.
Ziel and Chikano’s decisions had proven that by keeping her away from perimeter patrols.

Going any further—
Meant stepping into certain danger.

But—

“If I hesitate now—!”

She had already declared she would handle this.

There was no turning back just because she feared for her life now.

And so—

Klaha stepped deeper into the bamboo forest.

Into an oppressive darkness.
Even within the town, the rain had shrouded the night, making visibility difficult—
And now, even more so.

Around the magical stone providing light, the faint lines of rain drift like shattered souls, white and ethereal. Icca's trail, which didn't follow the maintained path, was a reckless one—kicking up mud as he went. Before long, his feet were soaked and cold, and his remaining stamina was slowly being drained.

And so, along the way—

Upon seeing lightning flash across the ground, I felt relieved enough to call out from a distance.

“Icca-san! …Icca-san!!”

The lightning ceased at the second call.

It felt as though he was trying to determine where the voice had come from.

“Icca-san,”

Calling his name once more—

“…Klaha-san?”

What kind of emotion was behind that voice? It was slightly trembling, strangely uncertain.

In the darkness, his soaked arms shimmered with faint traces of lightning.

Illuminated only by that subtle glow, his expression was impossible to make out.

Klaha had wanted to prepare words beforehand but found herself unable to.

So, she opted for simplicity—just the facts.

“The Thirteen Gate Oni has appeared.”

“—What?”

“Southwest—on the opposite side. Chikano-san and Ziel-san are engaged in battle.”

And then—

Even though she knew it was unfair to say this—

“Please come back. With the two of them gone, the town is vulnerable. Icca-san—”

“There’s no need for me.”

Those words, quietly muttered—

They made Klaha fall silent.

Because she had heard them before.

“I can't win against the Oni… You saw it, didn’t you, Klaha-san?”

“…That’s—”

She had, indeed, seen it.

Icca—who possessed far greater strength than she did—was utterly powerless before the Thirteen Gate Oni, brushed aside effortlessly.

She couldn't lie.

She couldn't say something empty like, "You can defeat the Oni."

Because deception about strength leads to death.

Half-baked kindness, misplaced optimism—those things demand life as payment in the end.

So, she hesitated.

But then, instinct warned her—she couldn't let the conversation die.

“Then why are you here, Icca-san?”

“…”

“This direction—northeast—is where the Thirteen Gate Oni fled after the last battle. It’s also where Ziel-san has frequently encountered . You knew that, and yet you came here.”

She had suspected it from the beginning.

If he was simply running away, there were easier paths to take. He could have fled without any discernible pattern.

But he hadn’t.

His tracks clearly stretched in a deliberate direction.

Because he had a purpose.

And that purpose was—

“You came here to defeat the Thirteen Gate Oni, didn’t you?”

“…I know I can’t.”

He muttered, softly.

And then, as if surrendering, he stepped toward her through the rain.

“I’m not strong enough… That’s why Saminato-sensei—”

He didn’t finish.

Perhaps because he didn’t want to admit it.

Or perhaps because he hated the thought of saying it aloud.

But Klaha already understood.

Guilt.

“…I might not be the right person to say this,”

His desperate frustration, his remorse.

The pain of knowing that his weakness had hurt someone—and his desire to make amends.

Klaha had felt that way once too.

She had failed to do what she could have done.

But Icca was different.

Even though he knew he wasn’t capable—he had still tried.

And knowing that—

Still—

“There’s nothing to gain by staying here. Not only because the Thirteen Gate Oni isn’t here—”

“…”

“…But also—”

She had almost said it before.

That his strength was needed.

But she hesitated.

Because Icca had been excluded from the town’s defenses, it would sound like a lie.

“…They’re waiting for you. Chikano-san, and the others.”

“That’s not true.”

His fists clenched tightly.

“Chikano-senpai doesn’t even want to see me.”

“That’s—”

“It’s her father!”

He shouted.

So loud that, for an instant, even the rain seemed to halt.

“Saminato-sensei was—Chikano-senpai’s…”

At that moment, Klaha understood.

Back then—

Before Icca had left the manor, his behavior.

He hadn't pried into Chikano’s thoughts.

Despite his intense emotions, he hadn’t openly blamed her.

And at the very end, the words he had left unsaid.

“…I don’t think she hates you.”

The keyword was family.

Because Saminato had fallen, Icca felt responsible—

That Chikano must hate him for it.

Klaha finally understood.

The difference between her and Icca—

He carried a much deeper attachment to family.

“…I don’t know what Chikano-san really thinks about you,”

“Then why—”

“She hesitated.”

Klaha made sure not to let bias or speculation slip in.

She didn’t want to comfort him with a careless lie.

“Even after the fourth toll of the bell—she hesitated to stop chasing you. If she hated you, she wouldn’t have.”

“But in the end, she—”

A quiet voice.

Klaha couldn’t deny it.

That would be a lie.

“…I did take it upon myself.”

“…”

“But… isn’t hesitation enough?”

Silence fell between them.

The rain seemed unbearably loud—

Pounding against their ears, stealing warmth from their skin.

A monotonous sensation, dulling the senses.

But this time—

Klaha didn’t see it as a bad thing.

He was only hesitating.

And she had no doubt—

That he would come to his own answer.

Icca lowered his gaze and wiped his face with his sleeve.

With all the rain soaking him, it was a meaningless action.

And yet—it carried a deeper significance.

She could see it.

And as he slowly—

Stepped toward her—

Klaha had to tear her gaze away.

Because right beside them—

A massive, bull-like magical beast.

A —

Had appeared.