A considerable amount of time had passed.
Dante, who had been locked in a sword dance with Lucius, sensed that the time of his omnipotence was drawing to a close.
The almighty power emanating from his sword was diminishing, and the dragons that danced along its tip were growing faint.
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to Dante’s fading dragons, the lion’s azure flame enshrouding Lucius still blazed with vibrant blue.
Undoubtedly, the battle had been in Dante’s favor.
Against the horde of dragons dancing alongside Dante, Lucius could only do his best to endure.
However, Dante was certain that if this fight were to continue, he would ultimately be the one to fall.
Beside the old lion, who stubbornly held his ground without faltering, countless beasts began to gather.
The moment Dante showed any weakness, they would bare their sharp fangs and pounce.
‘This is as far as I go.’
He could no longer prolong this.
In any case, he had bought enough time already.
Seeing that no one had emerged from inside yet, it was clear that an internal struggle must have erupted, but that was beyond Dante’s purview.
“It’s a shame, but let’s settle this another time!”
Though it was regrettable to leave the old lion without a decisive conclusion, he had no choice but to retreat now.
Having finalized his thoughts, Dante immediately pulled a smoke bomb from his cloak and hurled it to the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
A thick, acrid smoke enveloped the arena, yet Lucius’s azure flame cut through it, illuminating Dante’s path as he pursued him.
The knights, too, confirmed Dante’s position as revealed by the azure flame, launching arrows and spells, but Dante’s sword effortlessly parried every single attack.
Having fended off his enemies’ attacks, Dante landed safely in the spectator stands. Then, gripping his katana with both hands, he unleashed a final dragon towards the arena.
-KWOOO!
The dragon’s target was not Lucius, but the neck of a distant knight.
The knight raised his shield against the oncoming azure dragon, but that small shield would never be enough to stop it.
Clang!
Before the azure dragon’s maw could ravage the knight, a blue lion, spewing mighty flames, tore apart the charging dragon’s jaws.
The azure dragon, slashed by Lucius’s blade, burned and vanished.
Beyond the vanished azure dragon, Lucius gazed in the direction where Dante had stood.
‘He didn’t attack this knight to take their life. He attacked them to impede my movements.’
Despite knowing this, Lucius moved to save the knight.
“Damn it.”
Ultimately, just as Dante had planned, Lucius, whose movements were hindered, was forced to let him escape.
****
A small lion, radiating white flames, ran.
Leaving a trail of intense fiery footprints, it cleaved and incinerated obstacles in its path, swinging its sharp claws, known as a greatsword, at the enemy.
V began to grow increasingly agitated by Noir’s transformed appearance.
She had been nothing more than a trembling mouse hiding in a hole, yet now she charged forward, embodying a lion.
Even if her abilities had dramatically improved through this sudden growth, Noir’s skill still paled significantly in comparison to V’s.
At best, she could barely hinder V. However, the presence of the shadow trailing Noir transformed Noir into a formidable adversary for V.
‘Damn it! I need to deal with this before the knights arrive…!’
Assassins are creatures heavily influenced by their environment.
Though Noir might be nothing more than a kitten to V, the mere emergence of a confident frontline created hundreds of justifications for the assassin’s actions.
If she hurled rock spikes at the ‘mouse,’ M’s shadow would parry every single one, carving out a path.
Should she attempt to pinpoint the shadow’s location, the ‘mouse’s’ white flames would sweep through the area.
The floor, ravaged by the prolonged battle, created numerous shadows under the golden waves of white flame and Dandelion (TL Note: A magical ability or item, likely associated with golden energy or light) and from within those shadows, M’s dagger would fly.
If she blocked the dagger, a massive greatsword would cleave through the air, and the moment she dodged the greatsword, a shadow would once again pierce the space.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!”
V had anticipated victory ever since she pierced B’s heart.
Amidst the golden waves generated by Dandelion, the assassin couldn’t conceal their presence, and V never imagined that M, no matter how skilled, would lose against an assassin whose actions were restricted.
And indeed, V had held the upper hand.
If she had simply maintained distance and blocked blind spots with colossal rock walls, V’s victory would have been assured.
-CRASH!
A massive explosion accompanied the swordplay, as the greatsword was wielded in a reverse grip.
V raised the floor to block the explosion, but from the shadow that emerged behind the rock wall, a dagger flew, aiming for V’s heart.
“Kuh!”
The moment that ‘mouse’ intervened in the battle, its dynamic shifted dramatically.
While the ‘mouse’s’ movements were simple, their coordination with M was menacing.
As if anticipating every single move the ‘mouse’ made, M executed the most fitting follow-up actions.
‘Where did I go wrong?’
No matter how much V pondered, she couldn’t understand why things had become so twisted.
She had simply considered and chosen the optimal path to becoming a Nine.
Yet, the outcome of those choices was this disastrous situation.
‘Should I have killed M first, instead of B?’
No. M seemed unaware of B’s abilities, but V already knew what B’s power entailed.
An enhancement spell that coated the body in steel. It was the worst possible counter to V, who manipulated rock.
Had she killed M first, V would have been overwhelmingly defeated by B.
‘Then, should I have informed B of M’s betrayal and launched a joint attack?’
That, too, would not have worked.
While B’s cooperation might have allowed her to quickly eliminate M and the ‘mouse,’ a betrayed B would undoubtedly have been wary of her.
Ultimately, killing B first was undeniably the optimal choice for V, who aspired to become a Nine.
That left only one conclusion.
From the very beginning, V was fated never to become a Nine.
“That can’t be. That can’t be!”
As the word ‘fate’ surfaced, V’s mouth twisted, and nausea churned within her.
Fate, which disregarded all human effort, choice, and thought, only to deliver a predetermined outcome, was the word V despised most.
Yet, the very fate V so vehemently rejected and loathed was now tightening its grip on her, manifesting as the lion and the shadow.
****
It was a peculiar sensation.
The swordplay that once swept her away, the magic that was still clumsy—now, both flowed naturally as she willed.
This shift in her heart, a small yet profound change, accelerated her growth, which had been stagnant since her father’s death.
Furthermore, thanks to the boy who responded perfectly to his every subtle movement, Noir was able to definitively corner the mage who was several steps ahead of her.
A formidable foe she had to fight with unwavering resolve, and an ally who understood her movements better than anyone.
Though it was a new sensation she’d never experienced before, and not entirely unpleasant, the fear on Noir’s face slowly faded, replaced by a nascent smile.
****
Regrettably, I once adored a character named Noir.
I would take Noir into dungeons unsuitable for her, and in PVP, she always occupied a spot in my party.
The problem was that this motherfucker repaid my affection with betrayal.
Noir was the reason I eventually quit Destiny, a game into which I had once poured a substantial amount of money.
‘How dare she insult a maid like that?’
‘How much did I cherish you!?’
Despite my outcry, Maid Bikini Noir was eventually released in Destiny, and I, shedding tears, deleted my account.
Thus, when I encountered Noir yesterday, I felt incredibly conflicted.
A murderous intent flared in a corner of my heart, yet her still-young appearance also softened my resolve.
‘How on earth should I perceive this Noir?’
‘Should I accept her as the ugly, foul sinner who defiled maids?’
‘Or should I view her as a separate entity from that sinner?’
I wrestled with my thoughts about Noir all night long.
It was a relentless succession of worries that seemed endless.
However, observing Dante incessantly chattering beside me, I finally managed to put an end to my deliberations.
This bastard was already practically a separate individual from the original Dante, so it was unreasonable to treat Noir alone as merely a game character.
If this world I now inhabited was another reality, then equating its inhabitants with game characters would be a mistaken notion.
I decided to consider this world’s Noir as a distinct individual from the original Noir.
Even though I considered my own tolerance and understanding to be on par with a saint’s, the lingering sense of unease persisted as I found myself fighting alongside Noir.
‘Hoo… ‘
‘I must endure. I’ve already decided to accept her as a separate individual; I can’t possibly unleash this deep-seated fury upon Noir now.’
‘I have to bear with it, somehow.’
‘Only by enduring this resentment, this rage, this insult, and this humiliation can I become a truly mature maid…!’
‘Surely, even the Maid God in the heavens desires me to accept Noir with such overflowing magnanimity!’
-WHOOSH!
While I was lost in deep contemplation, Noir’s white flame, which she had wielded, finally pierced V’s rock defense.
It wasn’t that Noir had grown strong enough to overcome V’s magic; rather, V’s magic had simply weakened from the prolonged battle.
“Kugh!”
Severely wounded by the blinding white flame that pierced through the rock wall, V hastily launched a magical counterattack.
Hundreds of rock spikes flew, aiming for Noir’s throat, but Maria and Bokja managed to intercept all of them before they could reach her.
While Noir had indeed undergone rapid growth throughout the fight, I, too, felt my own abilities developing through this struggle.
The proof was that I could now perfectly deflect the spike magic that I had only been able to block halfway before Noir’s awakening.
“Hah…! Hah…!”
V’s giant arm, which she had wielded, had long since vanished, her magic seemingly depleted.
I, too, was on the verge of magical exhaustion. At most, I could use shadow magic perhaps two more times.
But that would be enough.
The rock wall that had protected V had already lost its function as a shield.
Dealing with an utterly exhausted mage would require no more than two uses of shadow magic.
“Now!”
While I intercepted the spikes, Noir tore up the floor and hurled the fragmented pieces at V.
Beneath the massive floor fragment, suspended high in the air, a long shadow stretched.
I immediately concealed myself within that shadow and rushed forward.
‘That’s one.’
V attempted to unleash magic to prevent me from escaping, but this time, the blinding white flame emitted by Noir shielded me.
As V blocked the white flame, the fragment Noir had thrown fell to the ground, scattering into countless shards, and from the shadows of those dispersing shards, I lunged behind V.
“f*ck!!!”
Having instantly burrowed behind V, I infiltrated Bokja into V’s shadow.
Bokja, merged with V’s shadow, transformed its appearance, becoming a massive blade that ambushed V from behind.
However, vigilance from behind during combat is basic common sense. V managed to block Bokja’s blade with a rock wall she conjured, drawing upon even her depleted magic.
‘That’s two.’
All my magic was depleted.
My vision blurred, and my consciousness began to dim.
In my steadily fading vision, I saw V attempting to stab me with a rock spear.
‘Fool, it’s not here, but the other side.’
****
The boy, whose magic was depleted, collapsed, and the assailant thrust a spear towards the falling boy.
And in that instant, Noir, too, was rushing towards the assailant.
-Thud.
Before the assailant’s spear could pierce the boy’s heart, the greatsword Noir thrust forward impaled the assailant’s heart.
With a crumbling sound, the rock spear shattered.
The assailant’s heart, felt through the tip of the greatsword, ceased its beating, and the white mask falling from the assailant’s face shattered upon hitting the ground.
They had won.
They had finally achieved victory against an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
“Please, please, please!”
However, even with the enemy’s heart stilled, Noir could feel neither the elation of victory nor relief.
Noir cast aside her greatsword and rushed to the boy lying on the ground.
Thump- thump- thump-
Listening closely to the fallen boy’s chest, she could discern that his heart was beating steadily.
Only after hearing the boy’s ragged breaths did Noir finally sink to the ground, overwhelmed with relief.
“Thank goodness…”
She had so many questions she wanted to ask this boy.
She had so many things she wanted to say to this boy.
She wanted to know this boy better.
Therefore, she needed this boy.
“Young Lady!”
The knights’ voices echoed from the opposite side of the collapsed entrance.
‘Everything’s already resolved, so what are they hoping to achieve by coming now?’
Noir felt a pang of resentment towards the knights for their delayed arrival.
“Haha…”
Noir stretched out beside the fallen boy, lying spread-eagled, and gazed at his face.
Despite being heavily soiled with battle wounds and dust, his face remained beautiful.
‘When he opens his eyes, I hope he’ll tell me his name.’
With that thought, Noir quietly closed her eyes.
