At that moment, Shion didn't pursue her. Instead, she oddly retreated towards me.
"Uh?"
Shion, why are you coming so close to me? If you do, there's a high chance I'll get caught in the crossfire and die.
"Ugh!"
I let out a silly sound.
The Oni-God Sword that Amaranth was holding was glowing.The sword glowed a sinister black-purple, a color of ominous portent.
"It's impossible... She's already fired it twice today... It's inconceivable to fire the Oni-God Sword three times in one day! And to fire the Oni-God Sword repeatedly while using the Raksasha Sword simultaneously, it would require a level of magical power on par with Shion," Holi exclaimed.
"Holi, we're going to fire too," Shion declared.
"Yes, let's counter it," Holi agreed.
"That armor is impervious to swords and magic. So, we'll strike in the moment of exhaustion after its discharge."
"Be mindful of your own exhaustion. Your time in that form is running out."
"Do you think I, along with Holi, would lose to such a weakling?"
"Not at all."
Shion raised her Holy Light Sword in an upper stance, causing the blade to emit a dazzling light.
Amaranth swung down her Oni-God Sword at the same time Shion swung down her Holy Light Sword for interception.
I couldn't see what happened next.
I was watching Shion and Amaranth's swordplay intently, but it was physically too bright to see anything.
An immense amount of light collided, creating a blinding flash and a thunderous noise that threatened to burst my eardrums.
I was incredibly curious about what was happening, but I couldn't see anything.
This was a world beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Shielding my eyes with my arm, I waited for the flash and the thunderous noise to subside.
I couldn't see what was happening, but presumably, the light slashes from the Holy Light Sword and the Oni-God Sword collided and neutralized each other. I guess.
When the light and noise subsided, I cautiously observed my surroundings.
Inwardly fearful, I half expected to see Shion defeated on the ground.
But then,
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
I heard Shion, letting out a war cry that was quite inappropriate for a girl.
Moreover, she discarded the Holy Light Sword near me.
"Uh?"
At that moment, I was utterly dumbfounded.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Shion had abandoned the Holy Light Sword, her source of the Hero's power, and was charging towards Amaranth unarmed.
It was an act of sheer madness.
"Has she gone mad? To challenge me, barehanded!" Amaranth exclaimed.
Amaranth swung her Oni-God Sword towards Shion.Faced with Amaranth, who was effortlessly swinging the Oni-God Sword while fully protected by the Rakshasa armor, Shion charged unarmed. Why would she do such a thing...
"Guhaa!"
My question was answered in an instant. Shion easily dodged the Oni-God Sword, leaped into Amaranth's embrace, and struck her armor with her fists.
If someone like me, a mere ordinary person, could survive Amaranth's slashes for a few minutes due to Holi's possesshion, then it was nothing for the real deal, the genius among geniuses, Shion, to dodge Amaranth's swordplay, get close, and land blows.
However, not even the Holy Light Sword could destroy the Rakshasa armor.
Then,
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Ugh! Ah... ga!"
If the armor couldn't be destroyed, then the person inside it could be. Shion struck with punches and kicks, delivering shocks to the body inside the armor.
Full plate armor might be impervious to sword slashes and spear thrusts, but maces or flails could effectively break bones.
Of course, normally it wouldn't be more effective to punch rather than slash with a sword.
But Shion is, well, not normal.
Amaranth was pummeled relentlessly, unable to retaliate. She was blown away, but Shion was already there to kick her further into the air. As Amaranth twirled in the air, Shion leaped and delivered a punch to her stomach, slamming her into the ground with enough force to create an indentation.
"This is absurd..."
I was left speechless by Shion's inhuman agility and power.
"Big brother, it's almost over. It's going to be alright now. I'm going to snap this guy's neck now."
Saying something so frightening so nonchalantly, Shion was poised to finish off Amaranth, who lay motionless.
It's a bit late to realize, but once a god sword recognizes its owner, the physical abilities remain enhanced even if separated from the sword. Indeed, Saffron could recall the True Vacuum Sword from a distance and activate it even when far from her.
Currently, Shion, having let go of the Holy Light Sword, still possessed that extraordinary strength.
"Wait, Shion..."
"What is it?"
Shion, straddling Amaranth's head with both hands gripping it, tilted her head cutely.Just as Shion was about to twist Amaranth's neck off, something about it made me hesitate. Amaranth, in some ways, reminded me of Shion. She was an incredibly dangerous woman I had encountered, yet not inherently evil, just foolish. Was it really right to kill someone who was merely blindly following someone else's orders? Despite being a grave threat, if she realized that killing the hero was impossible, she would understand that her master’s orders were based on a lie.
Moreover, I was convinced: Amaranth could potentially become Shion's strongest ally. She had the makings of an invaluable companion.
"Hold on a moment, big brother. I'll finish her off quickly."
"No, no, no! Wait, Shion!"
"It's no use. I don't like her. Anyone who tries to kill you deserves to die."
Ignoring my pleas, Shion grasped Amaranth's head firmly, preparing to wrench it off.
"Wait...?"
Suddenly, a woman with flaxen hair appeared beside Shion, who was straddling Amaranth. I recognized her. She was the woman who had escaped with Cineraria, the owner of the Teleportation Sword.
"There she is!"
The woman, dressed in martial arts attire, struck Shion with the Teleportation Sword.
"Yikes!"
I couldn't help but scream. Shion easily dodged the attack, but the giant axe-like Teleportation Sword slammed down hard on Amaranth, who was still lying beneath Shion. The Rakshasa armor in the form of an armor and the axe-form of the Teleportation Sword collided, creating a deafening clatter of metal.
It was a reckless act, probably based on the assumption that Amaranth's armor was of equal hardness. Were these two also companions?
"I was not ordered to engage with the hero at this stage."
"Saved by the bell! Thanks, Jasmine!"
"Don't mention my name in public, please!"
"Oops! My apologies, Jasmine."
"Never mind. Is the king's assassination complete?"
Amaranth looked around, bewildered.By then, King Dalia had long abandoned us and fled. He was probably back near the royal city by now. Shion, having returned near me, gripped the Holy Light Sword again, remaining vigilant. Likely, she prioritized protecting me over attacking since there were now two potential enemies.
I felt like a burden...
"Well, it's good enough that we were able to execute Cattleya, whom the army adored, on the king's own orders. It's a significant blow to the royal family's influence."
"Hmm..."
"Also, we've successfully transformed the boss of the new dungeon into a member of the Juan tribe, so our plan is progressing smoothly."
"Great! Cineraria will be happy!"
"...Please stop shouting our allies' names in public."
Jasmine, the martial artist, seemed utterly exasperated with Amaranth. Amaranth, having lost grip of the Demon God Sword during the fight, summoned it back and pointed sternly at Shion and me.
"I'll let you off this time! But it won't be so easy next time!"
She threw this parting shot and grabbed Jasmine's shoulder. In an instant, they vanished.
They didn't just become invisible like Saffron. They literally disappeared from sight, likely teleported away by Jasmine's sword.
I was engulfed in despair, pondering Amaranth and Jasmine's conversation. There truly were people gathering Saintly Swords and their wielders for some scheme. And they had already assembled several: Amaranth, Jasmine, and Cineraria – the strongest, the most elusive, the necromancer.