Ellen's first target wasn't the Princess.
Though the Princess was closer and had just hurled her away with a shockwave, Ellen didn't believe she could defeat Tohka—a fully-powered Spirit currently in a furious rage—and then casually retreat before Schicksal intervened.
That would be far too wishful thinking.
Right now, the Witch was injured, had played with the Princess's emotions, and was stuck in the awkward position of being relentlessly targeted by the Princess.
Besides, it wasn't exactly a secret that among Spirits, some were stronger than others.
Compared to the Witch who had just been easily shattered by her, the Princess's attention was fixed firmly on Ellen.
In terms of pure combat ability, the Witch couldn't hold a candle to the Princess.
Having made that judgment, Ellen's best move would have been to lie low and then strike the fatal blow when the Witch was at her weakest. But time was of the essence; she had no choice but to enter the Princess's attack range and force a life-or-death confrontation with the Witch.
The enemy was wounded and not skilled in combat, while she was the world's strongest Mage. Fighting under the same hail of attacks, the outcome would likely be decided in under a minute.
As for whether the Princess would stop her assault, Ellen found it highly unlikely.
After all, she was also the Princess's enemy—it was just that the Princess hated the other one more at the moment.
If Ellen actively stepped into her line of fire, there was no reason for the attacks to cease; if anything, they'd probably become even more overwhelming.
However, before she could put her plan into action, she saw the Witch in the sky suddenly begin to waver unsteadily.
Sword pressures whistled past incessantly, and the violent winds stirred by the overwhelmingly dense spiritual power made it harder and harder for Natsumi to maintain her balance.
It hurts… and it's so unbearable…!
Natsumi's wounds were far from small.
Not only had she failed to staunch the bleeding or bandage herself in time, but she'd also been pushing her body through intense exertion.
The accelerated blood flow, coupled with the tearing of her wounds from movement, had worsened her condition significantly since the initial injury.
'Am I… going to die?'
An unprecedented sense of misery filled Natsumi with panic and helplessness.
Her control over her spiritual power faltered drastically under the weight of her turbulent emotions.
Forget maintaining precise flight—even the disguise cloaking her body vanished completely in that moment.
If Ellen could notice this shift, Tohka, the one launching the attacks, certainly wouldn't miss it.
The rationality she'd lost in her fury began to return as she saw the other's form shrink considerably. Watching the teetering figure, Tohka instinctively halted her assaults, realizing she ought to go help.
After all, they were both Spirits.
Tohka could understand that sorrow of not belonging in this world, the sadness of being unable to find one's place—a pain that could drive someone to do almost anything.
The latter part was something Shiori had said.
Tohka wasn't great with complex reasoning, but because Shiori had followed it with, 'Tohka, you're truly amazing for choosing to trust me despite carrying such sadness,' Tohka had made a point to remember it.
Yet… knowing something rationally and acting on it were two different things.
If one could always follow logic, they wouldn't be a sentient being but a machine. Everyone had moments where emotions clouded their judgment.
So, even though she knew she should go catch Natsumi, the memory of Natsumi impersonating Shiori to deceive her made it impossible for Tohka to simply let bygones be bygones.
'Perfect chance.'
Though the situation wasn't unfolding as she'd anticipated, Ellen wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by. Not only was the flight unsteady, but the disguise had failed too—it was a gift from the heavens.
With that thought, Ellen shot forward from behind Tohka, snapping the latter out of her emotional turmoil.
'Oh no!?'
Only then did Tohka remember her primary enemy. Even if she didn't like that Spirit, she didn't truly wish for her to die here.
She hurriedly wanted to unleash a sword pressure, but with the three of them almost perfectly aligned, Tohka couldn't guarantee she wouldn't accidentally hit Natsumi.
"Got you!"
A smile finally broke across Ellen's face. Even if this mission had alerted their prey and failed its main objective, at least she'd have something to show for it back at headquarters.
It would spare her the embarrassment of another 'world's strongest Wizard returns empty-handed' report.
Yet, the next instant, her smile froze.
The reason: her blade was blocked by a blue-white scythe—a painfully familiar weapon that sank Ellen's heart.
Rita!? Is Durandal here too!?
Shifting her gaze slightly, Ellen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It wasn't Rita. True, no matter how fast Schicksal reacted, mobilizing personnel took time.
Besides, with the alarm sounded, it wouldn't be just Schicksal responding. DEM and AST certainly wouldn't let them arrive so easily.
Still, even if it wasn't Rita, the fact that her opponent fought without using a Territory marked her clearly as a Valkyrie.
Only those Valkyries—the powerhouses who could calculate strength in tons without even needing Realizer Units—could fight so freely in the sky with just their bodies.
"Don't get in my way, Valkyrie."
After the failed strike, Ellen withdrew slightly, reassessing the girl who'd caught her attack.
She looked young, probably around the same age as that Origami… Damn it, why did Schicksal keep churning out so many prodigies?
"Apologies. Even though Seele doesn't fully understand what's happening, Schicksal does not condone killing Spirits without prior deliberation."
A girl with short black hair, clad in a Lolita-style Valkyrie uniform, stood between her and the Spirit.
Ellen was pressed for time, and the armor on the black-haired girl was clearly not some mass-produced model or an upgraded version like Origami's.
As everyone knew, such custom-made Valkyrie armor had only appeared for two individuals so far.
And both of them belonged to S-Rank Valkyries.
An S-Rank Valkyrie already had the capability to be a real nuisance. Ellen had no desire to waste time on her and retorted casually, "DEM isn't aiming to kill, but to capture. What, is Schicksal the only one allowed to seize Spirits?"
If this Spirit was barely holding on, one good strike would settle it. Besides, if the girl just stepped aside obediently, Ellen wouldn't even need to kill—she could simply take the Spirit back.
"If DEM also has a method to prevent Spirits from causing Spacequakes, please propose it at an open conference."
Black Amber couldn't be bothered to engage with such nonsense.
Natsumi was unsure about the current situation.
She had thought she was saved, but judging by Ellen's words, Schicksal wasn't exactly benevolent either… and… so many people had seen her true form now!
"Then there's nothing more to discuss."
Knowing she couldn't talk her way through, Ellen snorted coldly and raised her greatsword, pointing it at Black Amber. "One last chance. How do you think you measure up against Rita, or Durandal?"
She refused to believe that a Schicksal Valkyrie wouldn't know what she meant—or her track record.
As humanity's strongest Mage, she had easily subdued Rita and lasted three rounds against Durandal. As a fellow Valkyrie, this girl should understand perfectly well the weight those names carried.
Black Amber: …Can't be bothered to waste words on the ignorant.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.