But.
「Ara. For all that bold talk, is this all you’ve got?」
Nea sneered sarcastically.
Even though my strike had landed cleanly, she neither staggered nor flinched.
It was like punching a diamond. There was almost no impact.
「This is the gap between a human and a spirit.」
The very next moment.
Her fist slammed into my side.
「Gghaa!」
A groan escaped me.
Then came a kick. Followed by another blow.
Kicks. Punches. Her strikes crashed into my body.
I blocked.
I deflected.
I got hit.
Blocked again.
More blocking.
I was sent flying by a kick.
…It was all I could do to defend.
-0-
〈Soldiers’ POV〉
The knights and soldiers of the order watched the battle between Nea and Henry unfold.
Most were thrilled to see the spirit dominating.
「Incredible!」
「That’s Nea-sama for you!」
「She’s completely overwhelming Henry, even though he was so strong!」
「Nea-sama truly is the strongest!」
「How’s that, Henry?! Witness the power of Nea-sama!」
「Aaaaah, Nea-sama!! Nea-samaaaa!!」
Some cheered.
Some were in rapturous awe.
Some shed tears of joy.
Some threw up their arms and shouted in ecstasy.
Others fell to their knees and offered prayers.
All of them rejoiced in Nea’s apparent superiority.
Incidentally, few paid any mind to the fact that some of their comrades had just been obliterated by Nea’s spear.
So long as a spirit did it, even mass slaughter was accepted without question.
Yet.
Among the crowd, a few observed the scene with cooler heads.
One knight, for instance, was stunned not by Nea’s strength. But by Henry’s resilience.
(He’s still standing even after taking Nea-sama’s attacks…!?)
Normally, a single blow from a spirit would kill outright.
Yet this man, who had already single-handedly overwhelmed the temple knights, was still holding his ground against a spirit.
It defied everything the knight believed about human limits.
Who was Henry?
Could he really be just a human?
The knight began to seriously question it.
And.
Amidst the raucous praise and fervent devotion, one person watched the duel with complex emotions.
It was Alexia.
(So I… lost to Henry, didn’t I…)
She remembered it clearly.
How, while under Nea’s control, she had raised her sword against Henry.
And been defeated in an instant.
(And now… Nea-sama is fighting Henry… It looks like he’s losing, but… is he really?)
Henry was taking heavy hits from Nea, clearly sustaining damage.
Yet there was a subtle air of composure about him.
(…Henry.)
She whispered his name in her heart.
Alexia still felt loyalty toward Nea.
But now, some part of her resisted.
After all.
She had just been turned into a puppet, against her will.
Such thoughts were forbidden for a citizen of the Theocracy.
But.
Her heart was no longer with Nea.
It was with Henry.
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