Princess – Part 07
“What?”
Cecily could hardly believe her eyes. The swirling dust had vanished, and the three women stood unharmed.
Cecily froze in utter disbelief. The wind was rushing towards them, yet the blade of the baby-faced woman among them had sliced through it as if it were nothing. And just like that, the wind disappeared. At least, that’s how it appeared.
Gliding toward her was none other than Penelope. She gripped a straight-edged knife in her hand, the guard resembling two spheres that made the short dagger look phallic—a ballock knife.
Is that…
“It’s an Infernal Blade-killing Infernal Blade.”
Penelope locked the knife against the rapier’s blade and hilt, then delivered a powerful punch to Cecily’s side. Breath escaped her lungs. In that moment of paralysis, Cecily was shoved aside and stumbled. Just then, a shadow flickered at the edge of her vision. She swallowed a scream.
Doris appeared right beside Cecily. It was nothing short of a miracle that she managed to block Doris’s strike with her sword, but the immense force sent her flying, slamming her against the wall of a nearby house. Cecily lost her grip on her sword, crumpling to the ground.
“Three against one was unfair, huh?” Doris said.
Cecily lay on the ground, listening to Doris’s voice. A wave of pain coursed through her, binding her body. Her vision spun, and her eyes grew misty. She must have hit the back of her head during the impact. Heat radiated from her entire body, and her consciousness began to fade.
Did I lose? To these three women and their Infernal Blades? Am I done?
The women sheathed their swords and casually picked up the rapier. An Infernal Blade only held power when it had a wielder. Alone, it couldn’t function. Thus, Aria remained in sword form, toyed with in Doris’s hand.
“One down,” Doris said.
Margot ran her fingers across her red lips. “I’m just glad we got past the first hurdle.”
“Let’s hurry and regroup with Lady Charlotte,” Penelope urged.
“W-Wait.”
The three women paused and stared down at Cecily. Gathering her strength, she propped herself up on her elbows. It frustrated her to see her arms quivering like a scared critter. How could she be reduced to this state after just a few blows?
They regarded her with pity.
“You shouldn’t push yourself. It’s impressive that you withstood our Infernal Blades.”
“Give back Aria.”
“No can do,” Margot replied. “Lady Charlotte needs this.”
“Give her back.” Cecily crawled toward Doris’s legs.
“You—”
“Give Aria back!” Without a shred of dignity, Cecily clung to Doris’s leg, crying hoarsely, “Give me back my friend!”
“Get off me!”
Doris kicked her in the side of the head. Cecily’s brain rattled, and her vision turned white. But she didn’t let go.
“Give her back.”
They kicked her again, stomped her arms and back. But she still wouldn’t let go.
“Give her back!”
Cecily heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn overhead. One of the three had unsheathed their blade. Was it aimed at her arm? Her torso? Her neck? It didn’t matter. They could slice her wherever they liked. They could take whatever they wanted.
And still Cecily Campbell would not let go. No matter how much pain she endured, she would not abandon her partner.
I made a promise. To protect her.
Cecily squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for what was to come.
“Lady Charlotte!” Penelope cried.
In an instant, the air quivered with unease. Cecily opened her eyes weakly, and the tension left her body.
You again.
“Begin forging.”
Sorry for the trouble.
At the entrance of the alley stood a young man and a girl. The young man stood with blank face, while the girl held a drawn sword close to her. At their feet lay an unfamiliar girl, unconscious and sprawled on the ground.
The beginning had been announced. Lisa stood like a lifeless doll, her shoulders drooped and her left eye twitching disturbingly as she stared blankly into the void. A black sphere formed in that space, a ball of flickering flames that spat out cool sparks, possessing a mysterious gravitational pull. Cecily recognized it. A simple furnace.
Luke gripped a bladeless hilt and plunged it into the dark sphere. His arm went in smoothly like the sphere was made of water.
“Mizubeshi. Kowari. Senbetsu. Tsumikasane. Tanren. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Shinkane keisei. Kawakane keisei. Tsukurikomi.
Sunobe. Kissakizukuri. Hizukuri. Arashiage. Tsuchioki. Akame. Yakiire. Kajioshi. Shitajitogi—binsuido, kaiseido, chuunagurado, komanagurado, uchigumorijido. Shiagetogi—kudakijizuya, nugui, hadori, migaki, boushinarume.”
Luke’s lips moved, muttering an indecipherable string of incantations. Some of the words sounded vaguely familiar, and for the first time, Cecily realized he was reciting the process of forging.
“
Tsukaosame
.”
As Luke withdrew his arm, the black sphere burst and disappeared. In his hand, a newly forged katana gleamed.
Lisa’s unique ability as a demon allowed Luke Ainsworth to replicate past forging experience within the simple furnace, crafting a special blade in a fraction of the time. The katana, though powerful with its Aetherial enhancements, could only endure a limited number of strikes. Nevertheless, it had saved Cecily from before.
The newly created sword still glowed red-hot, as if it wasn’t quite finished. Cecily wondered if it was similar to the katana from before. But this one was different.
Abruptly, Luke lifted the blade above his head and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
Everything vanished in an instant—sound, sight, all of it. A series of deafening explosions tore through Cecily’s ears, the blinding light overwhelming her vision. Doris was blasted from Cecily’s grip, and Cecily herself barely clung to the ground. Not understanding anything, she screamed curses at Luke.
When the explosions finally subsided, Cecily blinked her eyes open, and what she saw left her speechless. The ground, along with the walls of nearby houses, had been obliterated, leaving a massive crater in its place. As devastating as Doris’s Infernal Blade had been, this was on a whole different level. Dust hung thick in the air like a fog.
Turning her head, Cecily spotted Margot and Penelope sprawled on the ground, unconscious and unmoving.
“Mother…fucker!”
The only one still standing was Doris. She had been blown back, her body covered in dust and cuts. Using her Infernal Blade as a crutch, she glared through the cloud of dust.
“Who the hell… could do this?!”
Luke Ainsworth emerged from the smoke. In his right hand was a cracked katana, already past its limit after only one strike. Without a second thought, he tossed it aside. It shattered into pieces upon hitting the ground. He didn’t look back as he extended his hand behind him.
“Lisa.”
“R-Right!”
Covered in dirt from the blast, Lisa staggered over and handed Luke a new sword, one that was forged normally.
Luke scanned the devastated alley. His eyes landed on Cecily, lying on the ground. Amusement flickered in his right eye.
“You look all right.”
“Y-You call this all right?”
“There’s three of them, all with Infernal Blades. A preemptive strike like this was necessary, don’t you think?”
“You destructive lunatic.”
Despite her complaints, Cecily knew the truth. Luke had come to help her.
She didn’t know all the details, but he had clearly known about the Infernal Blades and arrived just in time. It didn’t take a genius to see that Luke had rushed here for her.
“Thank you.”
He snorted in response. Sensing her tension ease, Luke offered a short reply.
“Go rest.”
Doris screamed and charged at Luke, swinging her Infernal Blade. Cecily didn’t see what happened next. Her consciousness abruptly faded, and without a trace of fear, she drifted into sleep.
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