Pegra narrowed his eyes, observing Karyu at his side and then their opponent. If those words were true, then this fight would be more difficult than he had originally thought. Raising his hand, he snapped his fingers, and feathers covered both his and Karyu's bodies, temporarily increasing their power. Turning slightly downward, he spoke softly so that Rina could not hear.
"Karyu, activate the Bond now."
Karyu ground her teeth, irritated, but raised both hands. Dark symbols appeared around her wrists, connecting into spectral lines that advanced toward Pegra, wrapping around them like invisible chains.
"Profane Vigil Bond… activated."
In the next instant, Pegra felt his own existence become heavier, more solid, as if it were bound to his companion in the space between them. His mana stabilized, and a strange sensation ran through his body. Now, any damage he took would not be his alone.
"Very well."
"Shut up—see if you don't die, that would be awful for me."
Ignoring Karyu's words, Pegra spread his wings completely, scattering black feathers through the air.
"Human, you have advanced farther than you should have. From here on, there is no retreat."
"Such fine arrogance for someone who has realized he is inferior to me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"From the expression you were making just now, the two of you must have noticed the difference in power…"
Lowering her head, Rina's expression became cold and grim. She could be gentle when she was with her family or her Ketsumei, but with enemies, the only thing they deserved was her coldness.
"So why don't you just run like rats already, or at least let me open that golden square behind you?"
"You unbearable human."
"I think she's amusing."
Rina slid her foot along the ground, assuming a low stance. The katana in her right hand was drawn back, while her left hand touched the hilt of the second sword. The pressure of mana around her rose abruptly, making the air vibrate. Karyu's eyes widened at the sheer amount of power coming from Rina.
"Pegra, be careful, her mana is—"
To both of their surprise, her words came too late, because Rina vanished. It was not a simple fast movement; it was as if the air itself had been torn. Pegra felt the impact before he even saw the attack. A blade pierced through his defenses, cutting diagonally across his torso. Black blood sprayed from the wound, staining the ground. Behind him, Karyu let out a cry of pain.
"Aaahhh!"
The Profane Vigil Bond pulsed, dividing the damage. Karyu dropped to her knees, gasping, clutching her own abdomen where an identical wound had opened. Pegra grabbed his spear and slashed, cutting Rina's shoulder. Seeing that he had managed to endure the pain of the magic imbued in her katana, she let out a whistle.
"Nice pain resistance, but not as much as my Ketsumei's."
With a second swing of the katana at Pegra's knee, Rina vanished again, dodging a second attack from Pegra's spear. She reappeared a few meters away, spinning the katana to clean the blood from its blade.
"That's an interesting ability of hers, dividing the pain. I think we have someone who can do the same."
The Nartheis's expression grew serious, while behind him Karyu stood up, healing the two cuts that had appeared on her body with her magic. Gritting his teeth, Pegra assumed a guard stance once more.
He drove the tip of his spear into the ground. His black feathers spread through the air and began to spin around him, forming a whirlwind.
"Executioner Formation."
The feathers elongated, hardening like living blades. Dozens of them fired toward Rina from every possible angle, blocking as many escape routes as she could think of. At the same time, Karyu managed to remain standing more easily; her pain tolerance was worse than Pegra's, which was strange for someone with such an ability, but she had never needed to use it often, so she had never trained her resistance.
"Vigil Domain!"
From Karyu's feet, shadows on the ground expanded, covering the entire area in front of the colossal door. Within this domain, the darkness seemed denser, like an invisible swamp that drained Rina's movement and mana, leaving her weaker. Rina observed everything carefully. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her cheek in a thoughtful manner.
"From the looks of it, my Ketsumei is having fun, but I think he'll love fighting you too… should I leave you alive?"
The surprising thing about Rina saying those words was that the feathers reached her vital points and she did not seem to care. At the last second, Rina twisted her body, her katana making perfect cuts, deflecting, splitting, or simply erasing the feathers from the air. Even so, there were many. Some managed to tear her clothes, leaving superficial cuts on her skin.
Inside Karyu's domain, her movements grew heavier, so each step required more strength than it should have.
"Mobility reduction and passive mana drain? That's really annoying."
Pegra advanced through the air, wings beating powerfully, his spear raised and channeling dark red energy into its blade. His speed seemed to increase along with the magic he was about to use.
"Die, human!"
A downward strike loaded with brute force and concentrated magic. Rina crossed both swords at the last instant—one with the scabbard and the one she had been using since the beginning of the fight. The impact was so strong that the ground cracked beneath her feet, sinking a few centimeters. Rina felt the bones in her arms vibrate from the force of the blow, and a stab of pain ran through her muscles.
"That… is a very strong strike."
Pegra's eyes widened in disbelief. This human simply never stopped surprising him. This magical attack used the opponent's own defense upon contact, converting part of the opponent's defensive resistance into offensive power for his spear.
"You blocked it?"
"Actually, I just distributed it between my two katanas."
The aura of the second katana, still sheathed, began to leak—a chaotic and unstable energy. She pushed with force, driving her opponents back, and finally drew the second sword from her waist. The instant the blade was revealed, the air itself seemed to change, and Rina smiled in a strangely gentle way at the sword.
"Ego Weapon Enrico."