Ophelia’s first move was to alter the geometry of the battlefield. She veered off the straight path to the small island, splashing through the shallows at the water's edge, all while favoring her injured leg.

The burning behemoth tore through the torii gate and emerged. The creature seemed wary of the water, but it cautiously waded in. Ankle-deep water posed no real threat to the incarnation of fire.

Where the behemoth stepped and planted its hands, the water instantly boiled away into thick clouds of steam.

That Demon… So this is Homura, the one Jinichiro Akai supposedly defeated twenty years ago.I won’t waste time wondering how it was resurrected. A body that burns like a boiling cauldron… Anyone needing to get close to attack is checkmated from the start. Not that it matters to me.

Once she had a clear line of fire that wouldn’t endanger Ikaku, the young heiress went on the offensive.

She held a total of six silver swords.

In the West, silver blades are a traditional weapon, used in Exorcisms since antiquity. The ones Ophelia wielded were a Mage’s weapon known as Silverbane.

As projectiles, the swords excelled; their mass generated immense kinetic energy, enough to pierce armor and penetrate deep into flesh. The blades were also well-suited for enchantments, readily accepting spell Codes and incantations.

As an Exorcism tool, however, they weren't mainstream because they were difficult to use. Still, it was a type of Soulgear that held a powerful allure for a certain breed of connoisseur.

Ophelia’s Silverbane, in particular, was a custom set. Their extremely short, two-centimeter grips made them all but impossible to wield conventionally.

But for someone with the grip strength to hold the blades between the fingers of a clenched fist, this design had a distinct advantage: one could naturally hold three or four at once. And if you could hold them, you could throw them all at once.

She whispered, “Fly unbroken,” and unleashed the swords, three from each fist.

The gleaming blades tore through the air, flying too fast for the eye to follow. All six struck the burning behemoth fifteen meters away with terrifying accuracy.

The behemoth reacted, raising an arm to shield its face, but its movement was sluggish compared to the projectiles’ speed.

“GUUUOOOOHHH!!”

Homura halted its advance, hissing steam, and let out a cry of agony.

Its carbonized fur was a thick, heavy, hardened mat. On top of that, it was cloaked in immense mana, giving it incredible physical resistance. And yet, the pain got through.

Ophelia Luxor, at the tender age of eighteen, was already a Viscount-rank Mage. The silver swords, charged with the girl’s own refined mana, could easily neutralize the Mana Armor of a Category 6 Demon and deal damage.

It blocked with its arm, but four still hit its torso. On a normal-sized target, that would have been a fatal blow.

But on something that size… it’s like sticking a sewing needle in a bull. Considering its immense life force, it’s not nearly enough.

“GUUUOOOOOOHHH!”

Homura’s carbonized fur erupted in flames. It blazed crimson, like embers fanned by a great gust of wind, the flames surging with renewed intensity.

It charged, the water sizzling away beneath its feet. Ten meters long. Weighing dozens of tons. And it was fast.

Billowing steam, it charged onward.

Ophelia turned and ran, creating distance. She drew fresh blades from within her coat, then spun back around.

Homura flinched.

“Fly unbroken—!”

Another volley of six silver flashes flew toward the behemoth, whose own flames lit up the cavern like a great pyre.

Homura leaped sideways, but by the time it bent its knees to jump, the entire volley of silver had already found its mark.

“GAAAAAH… AAAAAHHH… AAAAAHHHHH!!”

It braced itself on its powerful arms, refusing to let its knees touch the ground.

“You’re quick for your size… I’ll give you that much,” Ophelia declared with an air of absolute confidence.

With a flick of her sleeve, she grasped new hilts. Mana surged, and blades of shimmering silver slid smoothly from them.

The velocity of Ophelia’s Silverbanes were otherworldly.

The behemoth had no way to dodge.

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