The man's smirk widened slowly, curling across his face with a dangerous calm as he leveled his sword directly at them. The steel glistened with a faint reflection of the red moonlight, a cold shimmer that carried with it an unspoken threat.
Yuuna's breath hitched sharply, her chest rising as though she had swallowed the tension in the air. Her eyes began to glow faintly, and she raised her hand without hesitation. Crimson sparks danced at her fingertips, flickering wildly like unstable embers that threatened to ignite into a raging firestorm at any moment. The pressure around her hand alone was enough to make the air ripple with heat.
"Step behind me, Kouhei-kun," Yuuna whispered, her voice low but steady. Her eyes never wavered, locked entirely on the intruder before them.
But Kouhei didn't react. He stood frozen, not even turning his head at her words. His gaze drifted somewhere else—somewhere far beyond what she could see. It was like he was trapped in another world, staring at something invisible, something only he could sense. Yuuna's chest tightened. It was the same eerie strangeness she had noticed earlier with Yuzuha.
She looked back at the man.
This man wasn't just any assassin. She could feel it in her bones.
The stranger chuckled softly, his laugh carrying arrogance so thick it almost drowned out the silence.
"Heh… crimson magic, huh? As expected of the Crimson Princess herself. Just as dangerous as the rumors say. But still—"
His blade vibrated with a chilling hum as he spun it smoothly in his hand. The metal edge caught the moonlight, flashing like a streak of crimson death.
"—you're still not enough to stop me."
"Try me," Yuuna shot back, her voice low, sharp, and filled with venom.
Crimson light erupted violently from her palm, bursting outward like molten fire breaking through stone. The sheer force rippled the air as her arm swung forward. The blast screamed across the space between them, lighting the night in streaks of red as it tore toward the man like a cannon shot.
The man clicked his tongue, body blurring as he darted sideways, boots skidding against the dirt. The crimson sphere roared past him, heat washing across his cheek as it missed.
The blast slammed into the earth with devastating force. The land erupted instantly, dirt and rock splitting apart as though they had been struck by a meteor. The ground cracked open, the earth groaning before collapsing inward, the smell of smoke and scorched dirt filling the air thickly.
The shockwave hammered against Kouhei, forcing him to wince as his ears rang painfully.
But the man… only smirked again.
"Impressive. Really impressive. But if that's all you've got…"
He vanished in a blur.
The blade sliced through the air, its edge hissing as it carved straight toward Yuuna's throat.
Yuuna's eyes blazed crimson. With a snap of her fingers, glowing shards of energy spiraled up her arm, forming a blazing shield in front of her.
The impact was deafening. The blade collided with the crimson barrier, sparks scattering in every direction as the sheer force rattled her body to its core. Her arms shook violently under the pressure, bones vibrating as she clenched her teeth.
"Tch—!" Yuuna hissed through grit teeth.
The man pushed harder, his sword screeching like metal grinding against glass. "You can block, but for how long, Princess?!"
The barrier groaned under the strain. Fractures ran across its surface, crimson sparks bursting outward like arterial spray in the night.
But Yuuna only smiled through the cracks.
From the shattered fractures of her shield, crimson tendrils whipped outward like flaming serpents, snapping toward his torso with explosive force.
The man twisted violently, barely dodging, but one glowing lash grazed across his shoulder.
"AGHHH!" His scream tore through the night as the stench of charred flesh filled the air. He staggered for a split second, his sword arm faltering from the burn.
Yuuna's eyes sharpened. She seized the chance, slamming her other hand down onto the ground.
Glowing symbols spread beneath the man's feet like wildfire. Crimson chains burst upward, glowing white-hot as they coiled around his legs like snakes and tightened with crushing force.
The ground sizzled where the chains touched, steam and smoke rising into the air.
The man snarled, muscles bulging as he strained against them.
He raised his sword high, energy surging down the blade before he brought it crashing down.
The chains shattered instantly, shards scattering like molten debris across the dirt.
Yuuna's eyes widened in shock. "He… he cut through that?!"
The man sneered at her, eyes narrowing. "Did you really think cheap tricks like that could hold me?"
He lunged again, faster this time. His sword carved the air, aiming straight for her ribs.
Yuuna barely managed to bring up another barrier, the crimson shards locking into place at the last second. The impact was monstrous—she was thrown back several meters, her heels dragging trenches into the dirt as she struggled to remain standing.
Kouhei snapped, if only for a moment, out of the illusion plaguing him. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
"Yuuna—!" he shouted.
"Stay back, Kouhei-kun!" she barked, her voice trembling but sharp. Blood dripped from her lip, her entire body trembling as crimson sparks exploded across her skin. Her magic pulsed wildly, surrounding her in an aura of living fire that made the ground quake beneath her.
The man twirled his sword with casual arrogance, leveling it at her heart.
"You're strong, I'll admit that. But you're bleeding yourself dry. How much longer before that crimson of yours consumes you?"
He knew—everyone knew—the Sarushima clan's weakness. Their mana reserves were limited, too small to sustain their overwhelming destructive power.
Yuuna's breath was ragged now, chest heaving. Sparks snapped and hissed at her shoulders, crimson fire clawing desperately at her skin like it wanted to devour her from the inside. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novᴇlfire.net
But she only smirked through the pain.
"Long enough to kill you."
Her body erupted. Crimson fire surged outward in a blazing wave, the earth beneath her cracking like shattered glass under the weight of her aura. The carriage behind them buckled, wood splintering violently before snapping apart.
The man's arrogant smirk faltered—for the first time.
Yuuna moved first. Her figure blurred, flames trailing like comets in her wake. In the blink of an eye, she appeared right in front of him, her hand blazing like molten steel.
Her palm slammed into his chest. A crimson blast exploded point-blank.
The man's body was flung backward violently, crashing through the dirt like a ragdoll before smashing into a massive boulder.
The impact shook the ground. Dust and debris clouded the air, swallowing the battlefield in a haze.
Yuuna stood panting, crimson fire still roaring across her body, her chest heaving as she tried to steady herself.
The sound of metal and stone.
The man rose slowly from the rubble, coughing blood as he dragged himself upright. His armor was scorched and half-melted, glowing faintly where her blast had struck. His face was pale, but his lips twisted into another maddening smirk.
"…Heh. Not bad. Not bad at all. As expected of the daughter of Sarushima Kazuhiro-sama." He spat blood from his mouth before raising his sword once again. "But you'll need more than that to kill me."
Dark energy began to coil around his blade, swirling like a storm of shadows. The air itself grew heavier, pressing down on Yuuna's shoulders.
Her expression hardened, crimson flames snapping angrily around her. She could feel it—the raw pressure of something dangerous.
The man leveled his sword directly at her.
Yuuna's eyes shot wide.
The sword descended from above.
She caught the strike at the last second. Crimson shards exploded outward violently, the collision rattling her body to its very core. Her knees buckled under the crushing weight of his strike, teeth clenched so hard it sent pain through her jaw.
The battlefield shook as their clash lit up the entire area.
The ground tore itself open beneath their feet, jagged lines spreading like veins of destruction. Chunks of dirt and rock shot upward, scattering into the night air as if the earth itself couldn't withstand the force pouring out between the two of them.
Yuuna's jaw tightened, teeth grinding together as she forced her magic to swell. Her body trembled under the sheer weight of it, but she didn't let go. "Nghhh—!" she growled, her voice straining.
Her crimson aura burst outward in a violent surge, the flames no longer resembling simple magic but a storm of raw, untamed power. They flared so fiercely that the air warped around her, and then—
The explosion detonated with a thunderous roar, shockwaves tearing through the ground. The man was blasted back, his figure hurling across the ruined field. Dust and dirt swirled around him, but even through the chaos, he slammed his sword into the ground, blade carving deep as he dragged it along the earth to stop himself. Sparks flew as metal scraped against stone.
He steadied, feet planted firm. And then—he laughed.