"Tailless… is trying to break free?"
The scorching flames carried by the raging airflow caused Miyabi's hair to whip wildly behind her.
Her once smooth, silky black hair clung to her skin under the intense heat.
As time passed, delicate beads of sweat gradually soaked the dark strands, deepening their color until they looked almost ink-black.
Even her clothes began sticking tightly to her body, outlining her graceful figure as her breathing slowly became uneven.
The moment Wise met Miyabi's gaze, he immediately grabbed the scabbard lying at his feet.
He rushed toward her, but just then, the flames surrounding the blade suddenly turned blood-red, causing Miyabi to lose focus for a brief instant.
"Miyabi! What should I do? Seal the blade with the scabbard?! Miyabi!!"
Wise's shout finally snapped her back to reality. Gritting her teeth, Miyabi adjusted her grip on the sword.
"...Hold the scabbard tightly!"
The moment she spoke, Miyabi struggled to force the blade back into its sheath while Wise firmly assisted her.
However, the energy fluctuations erupting from Tailless were far too violent, making the process incredibly difficult.
'This won't work. I need to suppress this blade!'
Wise quickly made up his mind.
The only direct method he had to deal with the situation was...
'System, put all my charm into this! Target the blade! Don't mess this up!'
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the system immediately executed the command.
In an instant, the raging flames surrounding the demonic blade froze abruptly.
At the same time, Miyabi's delicate body trembled violently.
The demonic blade, Tailless, was finally forced back into its scabbard, and the surrounding abnormalities vanished almost immediately.
As though all her strength had been drained away, Miyabi collapsed into Wise's arms.
"Miyabi? What's wrong?" Wise asked anxiously.
But instead of her voice, the system answered first.
[Ding! Target Miyabi: has increased her favorability toward the host by 20. Her current favorability is now 80. Additionally, 3000 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 28,900]
"I... I'm fine. Thank you..."
Miyabi's breathing remained slightly uneven. She first lowered her gaze to the blade in her hand before looking at Wise with a complicated expression.
She still could not understand the will the blade had conveyed to her moments earlier.
What exactly had happened?
At the same time, the system explained the reason behind Miyabi's sudden increase in favorability.
On one hand, the two of them could now be considered comrades who had faced life and death together.
After all, without Wise's help, Miyabi likely would have struggled to survive the crisis alone.
On the other hand, because Miyabi was the current owner of the demonic blade, Wise's use of charm to suppress Tailless had affected her indirectly as well.
Not long afterward, somewhere within the Outer Ring Hollow region...
"Um, Miyabi...? Are you... doing okay?"
Looking at Miyabi, who clearly seemed distracted, Wise could not help asking again.
However, she still answered in her usual calm tone.
"This is the third time you've asked during this journey. Why?"
"Sorry... We just experienced something straight out of an adventure movie. That strange flaming whirlwind can't possibly be good for the body, right?"
"I am fine. There is no need to worry."
Her answer was firm, but her current appearance hardly looked convincing.
"But your hair's all curled up from the flames."
"...This is a natural curl unique to members of the Hoshimi Family. There is no need to worry about my condition. I've experienced situations far worse and more complicated than this. An incident of this level will not shake me."
Miyabi tried her best to maintain a composed expression, but Wise suddenly seemed to think of something.
Then, while she was not paying attention, he abruptly pretended to panic.
"Miyabi, sparks are coming out of the blade!"
"What?!"
Miyabi instantly tensed and turned toward the sword, only to find absolutely nothing unusual.
"I'm sorry, I lied. See? You're obviously really flustered."
"...That's not funny at all. And my reaction was completely normal!"
Miyabi stubbornly defended herself, leaving Wise at a loss.
"Alright, alright, I just... Miyabi! Y-You're on fire!"
"Where?!"
Miyabi gasped nervously and quickly checked herself again.
Once more, nothing had happened.
"Sorry, I lied again. See? You fell for the same trick twice in a row. That definitely counts as being flustered."
"...You! You've mocked me repeatedly. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I just want to help you. I don't have any bad intentions," Wise said gently.
"A member of the Hoshimi Family wouldn't normally fall for the same trick three times. But Miyabi, you already did. That means the situation is actually pretty serious, right?"
Wise's sincere tone gradually caused the irritation in Miyabi's eyes to fade, replaced instead by confusion and a trace of unease.
"...When the blade lost control earlier, you rushed into the flames without any protection. Why?" Miyabi asked quietly.
"You had already calculated the direction of the exit. With your abilities, you could have abandoned me and escaped without worrying about being captured."
In response, Wise simply smiled.
"Because I'm your Proxy. Even if this is only a temporary partnership, I promised I'd get you out safely. So I will."
"...!"
Miyabi fell silent once more.
After a long pause, she slowly raised her sword and held it horizontally before Wise.
"It is a treasure passed down through generations of the Hoshimi Family. A blade that accompanied my ancestors as they punished evil and upheld justice."
Her fingers lightly brushed across the sheath as she spoke.
"Ever since my father personally crafted this scabbard for me, it has never shown any abnormalities. Even deep within the core region of Hollow Zero, the blade never once lost control."
Miyabi stared at the now-silent demonic blade, deep concern visible in her eyes.
"I... don't know why this happened. The only explanation I can think of is that some external factor triggered the change. Father might know more, but contacting him will have to wait until we leave the Hollow."
A faint trace of helplessness appeared on her usually composed face.
"Besides, at this time of day, he's probably attending another banquet hosted by the Mayor, secretly pouring out his red wine and replacing it with fruit juice. Getting in touch with him won't be easy."
For perhaps the first time in a long while, Miyabi genuinely felt uncertain.
In the past, whenever she encountered danger, her overwhelming strength had always been her greatest source of confidence.
But this time...
"May I take a look at it?"
Wise suddenly spoke up, causing Miyabi to glance at him in surprise.
"...Aside from being a Proxy, are you also a swordsmith?"
Miyabi already knew Wise's swordsmanship was exceptional.
However, just like herself, being skilled with a blade did not necessarily mean understanding how blades truly worked.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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