CH 30

With her sword shattered, Hydra tossed the hilt away, and leapt away to gain some distance.

Despite her physical and mental exhaustion, she still seemed to be capable of moving.

[I see now… It’s you. You seduced Seto and brainwashed him, didn’t you!?] (Hydra)

[Seto, please step back. It’s a woman’s job to beat up crazy girls like her.] (Satis)

As she declared that, Satis took off her glasses and took a few steps in Hydra’s direction.

[I’m not crazy! I bet you were planning to use your charms to seduce Seto into attacking me and the others! Ain’t that right!? That’s exactly the kind of plan a schemer like you would come with!] (Hydra)

[I won’t waste my time arguing with a mind so rotten it won’t listen. I’d basically be talking to a wall. Keep your paranoid delusions to yourself.] (Satis)

[Shut up! Heehyahaha…! Let me show you something good. See this? This belonged to the leader of the bandits who attacked me. It may look like any regular pill. But when I swallow it…] (Hydra)

Hydra took out a red pill, and chewed on it.

At that moment, her complexion suddenly improved, and at the same time, something like blood vessels emerged on her face.

Her thin body bow looked nourished and strong, and the look in her eyes got as sharp as a monster’s.

[A magic drug that temporarily boosts your power, I see. You really think you can beat me with that?] (Satis)

[Heeheehee…! One thing’s for sure, it helps me put up a better fight.] (Hydra)

She took a fighting stance and slightly lowered her center of gravity.

Her palms were opened like the sharp claws of a tiger or a dragon, and positioned them facing up and down.

Seeing Hydra’s stance, Satis also held her fist in front of her.

However, Seto could not help but feel worried for her.

Even if she was a demon, she was more of a mage than a brawler.

Meaning she was not very skilled in melee combat.

Even if her physical abilities were superior to those of humans, he was not sure how well she could fare against Hydra’s martial art.

He especially wondered how well she would handle Hydra’s onslaught now that the latter had undergone heavy enhancements.

[Satis, can you do hand-to-hand combat?] (Seto)

[I’m not really good at it. But I won’t feel satisfied until I’ve landed a blow on that woman. Don’t worry, I’ll end this quickly.] (Satis)

And so, the two women engaged in a fistfight under the moonlight.

Hydra leapt forward while screeching like a bird, and unleashed a consecutive series of kicks aimed at Satis’ head and torso while in mid-air.

Thanks to her enhancements, her agility was augmented.

Satis managed to partly dodge the first blow, and parry the second one with her palm, but that last one was so powerful that even she felt her hand go numb.

[I’m not done yet!!] (Hydra)

After landing back in the ground, Hydra instantly re-assumed her fighting stance, and performed a series of attacks on Satis using her palms, her elbows, her backfists, her fingertips, the sole and side of her feet, her knees, and every possible part of her torso.

Her martial art was a fighting style designed for places where the footing was usually unstable, such as on a rocking ship or in mountainous areas.

The strength in her legs and waist and the agility of her techniques were further strengthened by the use of that pill.

Honestly speaking, this put Satis, who was inexperienced in close quarter combat, at a disadvantage.

Nonetheless, she was no pushover.

[────Hmph!] (Satis)

[Guhah!?] (Hydra)

She delivered a powerful body blow into Hydra’s stomach.

The moment the latter flinched from that, the former raised her right foot as high as she could and landed an ax kick.

Hydra’s face was distorted with pain and shock as her head took the full brunt of that move.

She staggered a few steps backwards and shook her head to stay conscious, but she could not stop herself from wobbling.

[Oh my~! How embarrassing it would be if you went down in only two hits.] (Satis)

[Shut up!!] (Hydra)

Next, both of their roundhouse kicks clashed and thundered.

Taking advantage of the momentum of the repelling, Satis lowered her center of gravity to the ground by moving like an enchanting dancer, and caught Hydra’s leg in a foot sweep.

The latter was completely caught up in her pace and helplessly crashed into the ground.

However, she was no amateur either.

Although she fell, she managed to cushion her fall and use the recoil to get back on her feet.

Annoyed at her persistence, Satis attempted to punch her again.

[Hah!] (Hydra)

Hydra’s legs generated a powerful tremor in one step.

As soon as she got close to her opponent’s bosom, she put her own body weight and the energy she had built up in her core into her right elbow, and struck Satis’ open chest with it.

Satis’ eyes widened as she was blown away by the impact of a blow that felt like taking a cannon shot at an extremely close range.

[Satis!!] (Seto)

Seto unintentionally shouted her name.

Satis, however, did not tumble over, and kept her feet firmly planted in the ground.

Then she responded with a nonchalant look on her face.

[That blow just now did startle me a bit. I would prefer it if you used those kinds of attacks from the beginning.] (Satis)

[Y-You’re still standing after that!? …You’re as tough as they say, leader of the Demon King’s army. Destroying you will be a real achievement.] (Hydra)

[I’m still a demon, after all. …Also, I’m not part of the Demon King’s army anymore. Same as Seto.] (Satis)

[…What?] (Hydra)

[But it’s not like you can understand what I’m saying anyways, given your current state. …So I’m going to put you to sleep!] (Satis)

[Don’t screw with meeeeee!] (Hydra)

The two female fighters closed in on each other to trade blows once again.

The battle between a demon and a lunatic unfolded under the moon.

All Seto would do was watch over this fight.

Satis…! (Seto)

Satis was going for a roundhouse kick while Hydra was attempting to throw a punch, and both of their fighting spirits made the land tremor.

[────HERE I COOOOOOOME…!!] (???)

A loud voice suddenly resounded.

At that same moment, someone violently crashed into Hydra from behind.

It was the guard, Kilim.

Not only did she close the distance so fast that neither Seto nor Satis even noticed her, she tackled Hydra from behind with that same momentum.

[Guaaaahh!?] (Hydra)

The impact was so great that she lost her balance and leapt toward Satis with her body bent backwards.

[Ah…!] (Satis)

Satis noticed immediately, but it was already too late.

Her powerful kick knocked Hydra off balance and burst into the side of her defenseless face.

[Bwaaaaaaaahh…!!?] (Hydra)

A strong tackle from behind, and a strong kick in the face.

The force of that kick caused Hydra’s body to rotate tremendously and be blown sky-high.

She spun like a top, her eyes rolled over, and her consciousness completely flew out the window.

Then she fell to the ground and tumbled over a few more times with the sound of her bones and flesh being broken and torn.

[Halt, you damn peace-threatening lunatic! In the name of this village, I command you to freeze!] (Kilim)

Like the guard she was, Kilim pointed her sword at Hydra, who was lying on her back, with her arms and legs bent in every direction, and bleeding in various places.

[Um… she’s not moving anymore.] (Satis)

[…Eh? Ah, really? …Th-Then get up already!] (Kilim)

[You think she can!?] (Satis)

Thus, Hydra’s attack was quickly brought to an end by Kilim’s burst on the scene.

And due to this incident, the duo decided to leave the village ahead of time.