Chapter 267 – Ashes (1)

“Ah… Ah…”

Why is Ash here… ?
Why… Riff?
Why?

Was it Ash who was chasing Riff?
That makes no sense.
Leaf is a researcher in the Defense Force, and Ash is a magical girl in the Defense Force.

You can always go to the reef at any time, even if you don’t chase it.
But why are you killing Riff?
How is Ash here… Why riff… ?

She thinks it can’t be, but disturbing delusions run through her head.
Did you notice something when you saw Rapid going home late today?
Please try to kill me… ?

It can’t be… Do not do that…
I thoroughly… Never to be heard… With Rapid, as secret friends…
However, it was caught by Riff.

What if Ash noticed like Leaf?
If that’s why you came to kill me… Then why would you kill Riff?
What was the conversation between Leaf and Ash?

Cooperation, this time… Really… ?
Is it the same every time?
This isn’t the first time… ?

Why, why, why, why riff, why here, why…
The hypnosis app wouldn’t have caught me.
No way…

Die if caught
Have no choice but to die
You have to run away, you have to ask Esther to save you.

“Eh, Shide… ?”

Confused and scared, I called Esther and froze.
Esther’s mood is strange.
The unbearable heat pierces the skin coldly.

“Ash yee!”
“Sleep… !”

Before I could say anything, Esther smashed the door down.
It raises its magic power, reveals its presence, and appears in front of Ash.
I was in despair hiding in the dark in an unexpected situation for no reason.

Why is Ash here, why is Esther suddenly, why, why, why.
In a confused situation where nothing made sense, Ash turned his gaze to Esther.
Expressionless and calm, he pulled out the sword that burned Leaf’s brain.

“Esther.”
“You… You…”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it here.”
“Was it you… ?”

Esther glared at Ash and slowly lowered her body.
It spreads its wings and prepares to attack at any moment, revealing its sharp fangs.
The hostility that has reached its limit turns into fire and engulfs Esther’s body.

“Answer me… Ash…”
“… What?”
“Maria! Rusty! The other guys… Did you kill Parawel, Kirin, everything, everything? You ask!!”

I was taken aback by Esther’s cry and turned my gaze to Ash.
Maria… A magical girl who died before… Rapid couldn’t save…
A magical girl who died after being stabbed in the womb, heart, and brain by a monster.

Rusty is the 7th magical girl who went missing at the top.
Esther tells Rusty that she is dead, not missing.
I don’t know who Parawel or Kirin is… If I don’t know, she’s probably a low- or intermediate-level magical girl.

“Ah… Yes, I killed him.”
“This, bastard, gaaaaa!!”

Ash tilted her head with an annoyed expression on her face, and Esther rushed at her in an instant.
Esther, who had disappeared from view, appeared behind Ash in an instant.
Esther’s one wing, severed in an instant, falls off and wriggles out of her.

Ash held high heels with blades out high above his head.
Her invisible movement countered Esther’s charge, kicking her up and cutting off her wings.

“… It’s pretty fast, Esther.”
[Using NGD-5 crystals.]
“As expected, growth is fast.”

Ash slowly lowered his raised leg and stood straight on the floor.
An ominous energy climbed up Ash’s legs like a snake climbing, transforming into a battle suit.
A circuit-like pattern is drawn on the tights-like combat uniform that covers the entire body, and a red crystal appears in the center of the chest.

“It just went well… I thought I’d check it soon.”

Esther clenched her teeth and gripped the fiery sword with trembling hands, perhaps shocked by the gap that had been felt in just one clash.
The severed wing and Esther’s severed wing extend their tentacles and combine to regenerate.
Ash waited for Esther to recover and turned his wrist around his sword.

“I will play. Esther, do everything you can.”
“Die!”

The moment Esther was enraged, I was overcome with a strange sensation.
Esther’s time entangles me.
Esther’s view, not my own, overlaps with mine.

Esther rushed in and spun with her fiery sword in both hands.
Ash dodges it lightly and stabs Esther’s throat with his finger.
It’s not an attack… Just stabbed

“Kuaaaaa!!”

Esther raises the tip of his tail to a shooting star, then stabs his tail, aiming for his neck and slashing her fiery claws.
Ash avoids all of those attacks with just a slight twist of his body.
Shooting Star dodges, grabs the tail with the fingertips and twists it to cut off the tip, and melts the fingertips with the blade of the sword in line with the trajectory of the swing.

“Why why why!! You, why are you!!”

I know all attacks.
Was it because he had fought countless times with Esther?
As if knowing the future, Esther’s attack is foreseen in advance.

“This much?”

Ash’s sword rips through Esther’s wings.
Cut off his tail, and poke his neck with your fingers.
At that point, I realized what decapitation was.

“I would have told you to write them all?”

Ash’s sword deflects Esther’s lightly, and his fingers stab her throat.
Ash pierces Esther’s ankle with a sharp heel and stabs Esther in the chest with his fingers.
Ash cut off Esther’s wrist and stabbed Esther’s belly with her finger.
With this, he died five times.

“Ah ah ah ah ah!!”

Esther shed tears and swung her sword.
From his left hand, emotions of anger, sadness, betrayal, and despair are mixed.
I was confused as I watched Esther overcome with mixed feelings.

Ash and Esther’s movements resembled each other.
Esther uses an unusual combo with kicks interspersed between her attacks.
As soon as his opponent shows an opening, Ash leaves a fatal blow with a bladed high heel.

Long-distance magic that doesn’t care about short distances, and if you try to open up a little distance, use instantaneous magic that is not so strong and trick you.
Ash did not act like that, but the moment the distance widened, he returned the flying magic to the blade and embarrassed the opponent.
Esther’s attacks were repeatedly countered by Ash in a similar way to Esther’s.

Sharp movements that seem to know the opponent’s actions in advance, speed battles that focus on melee attacks, counterattacks, firepower, nails, and blades.
Actions that prioritize dealing with monsters over saving lives.
… Fire sword.

Ash is the magical girl that Esther most wants to be like.
The attack doesn’t work.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t win.

Even though they are the same burning white swords, the two swords are slightly different.
Ash’s sword is cold and hot, and Esther’s sword is hot.
Ash’s sword is a bit thinner, Esther’s is larger.

The moment the swords of fire met, the difference between Esther and Ash became apparent.
Esther’s sword melts and falls.
Even though it’s the same fire… It melts in the fire of ash.

“Why is it!!”

Ash hit Esther’s arm as she screamed.
Cut off his ankles, cut off his legs, and sever his regenerating tentacles.
Ash said in a cold voice to Esther, who was suffering one-sidedly.

“Use Eclipse.”
“Aaaaagh!”

As if resisting, Ash’s sword passes through Esther’s translucent body.
Then Esther, who had lost her temper, swung his claws, and Ash’s sword pierced Esther’s heart.
Immediately, colorful flames rose from Esther’s body.

“Super nova…”
“Ash yee yee!!”
“Is this the end?”

Ash’s sword cut Esther’s body in half.
Esther, whose upper body and lower body are separated, sets off fire from behind and rushes towards Ash.
Ash grabbed hold of the crashing horn and aimed his fiery sword at Esther’s throat, where white fire fell like tears.

“Ha… Ha… Ha…”
“I guess this is the limit for now.”

Both wings are clipped.
One arm was missing below the shoulder and the other below the elbow.
Even under the chest, there is nothing.

Ash took off his combat uniform without a trace in front of the messed up Esther.
It is an unrealistic sight, holding Esther hanging by the horns in his hand.
Esther was completely defeated by Ash and muttered in a weak voice.

“… Me too, nya… ?”
“What?”
“Me too… On purpose… That’s it… ?”
“Ah… Yes, that’s right.”
“No way… Lily… Do?”
“… You talk a lot.”
“Under… Haha…”

Esther let out a dejected laugh and extinguished the fire that was burning in his half-remaining body.
A painfully empty feeling is felt from his left hand.
Esther lost.

I wrapped my arms around my body, which trembled without rest and remained motionless.
You have to run away.
Right now… You have to run away somehow, somewhere.

Esther is Negative’s executive, even if she dies, she comes back to life.
However, he dies now.
You won’t be able to protect me

“… Kill.”

Esther muttered in a weeping voice, completely devoid of his usual spirit.

“Sure, you… Kill…”
“It’s impossible for you.”
“If you don’t try… Don’t know…”
“Yeah, you won’t know until you try… Whooping… No.2.”
[Nano monomolecular cutter, movable.]

Ash, who heard Esther’s sad words, suddenly covered his mouth and laughed.
It is a bright smile that does not suit the situation and is genuinely happy.
Ash said while piercing Esther’s heart with a smile that even felt creepy.

“Esther… This is why I can’t hate you.”

Ash released his hand from Esther’s horn.
Through his left hand, he feels Esther’s consciousness blow away.
Somewhere far away… Esther is disappearing.

Ash lifted one of his hands as he smiled as he watched Esther lose focus and cut out his heart.
I stared at Ash’s hand, which was suddenly lifted up.
Esther’s eyes suddenly come into focus and turn anxiously and quiveringly toward mine.

“Stop, let go… ! That… Please… ! Please… ! Magic, you’re a girl… ! You… !”
“Isn’t that a negative answer, Esther?”
“Stop it!!”
“See you later.”

I feel Esther’s consciousness return from her left hand.
However, Esther’s consciousness, which flashed back for a very short time, disappeared again like an illusion.
The body that had been reconstructed with fiery fury breaks down with despair.

“Star formation… Is it yet…”
[Cooling.]

Ash put down the sword that pierced Esther, who gradually turned to ashes and disappeared.
The crystal-shaped handle opens with a push-pushing sound, revealing an interior full of colorful jewels.
Ash raised his hand toward me and chanted his magic spell.

“Adonis Sun blade.”

The moment Esther’s heart, pierced by Ash’s sword, completely disappeared, a strange sound came from her left hand.
With a bizarre overlapping voice, a disc-shaped blade of flame appeared from Ash’s hand.
The moment I recognized that fact, I felt something cold in my lower back.

“Uh… ?”

Suddenly, your back touches the ground.
The cold sensation disappears and turns hot.
Legs without an upper body in sight… The lower body of a person standing in a sitting position is seen.

As if burnt, blood gushed out from the cooked cut surface.
The pain that tore the whole body from the open wound crawled up.
I realized later that I had been cut by Ash.

“Aaaaa!!”