Chapter 180: Aoba / The Woman only Taiyou can kill (2/2)

He had restored silence to the hallway, what with the fallen men and the girl.

Squatting next to the girl, he checked on her.

The somewhat pale look was the same as ever, but it had returned to the level that it was when she had first appeared.

Perhaps because she had escaped from the control of the dagger, though unconscious, she was quite calm.

Taiyou was relieved.

As if saying that this time it was finally over, he took a big breath once more, relaxing his body.

After doing that, he looked at Aoba sitting down beside him on the ground.

「You alright」

「Yeah, totally」

Aoba replied, forming a smile. However, she remained sunk down to the ground.

Her legs were curled into a female sitting posture.

Remaining in that pose, there was no sign of her getting up.

Taiyou wondered if she was paralyzed.

「I just want to put this sort of thing to an end」

Perhaps because he had recognized that everything was over, Taiyou went to Aoba’s side, sitting down.

When their shoulders were touching and he felt warmth, he began whispering to her.

「I thought my heart would collapse」

「Although I was happy. After all, I felt like I was fighting alongside you like all those other times. Hmm, if anything, maybe I was the strong one?」

「When we get back home……no, tomorrow……no」

Every time he put it to his mouth he would shake his head, beginning to deny his own previous words.

「As early as tonight I’ll resume levelling up. Because even earlier, if I had been faster I would have been able to catch up, plus you wouldn’t have had to be put in such danger」

「Yeah, I’m in complete agreement with you raising your level」

「Huh？」

Taiyou had seriously thought she would say「No, no, you don’t have to worry about that」. Inclining his head, he looked at Aoba with a curious face.

「Right now you can fight while carrying me, right? And you probably could have carried even another person and fought, right?」

「Well……if I had to」

Looking diagonally upward with a pensive expression, he nodded at what Aoba said.

He felt that even carrying one person in each arm, he could still move fairly well.

「Which means that if you try harder, you’d be able to carry all of us, right?」

「No no, that’s gotta be physically impossible. That’s seven people we’re talking about」

「Although it would physically be nine people」

「That’s even worse！」

「Hmm, couldn’t something be done about that? Even if it isn’t physical」

「Oh――」

Well-versed・・・・・in that area, a certain situation arose in Taiyou’s head.

「……So you guys would be my wings」

「Wings？ Is everyone going to cling onto your back？」

「No, I don’t mean that！」

「Nine sets of wings on your back eh, that’s kinda cool」

「That’s scary！ It would be scary to have nine girls physically clinging to me！」

「Nine is a good number. It’s odd, so we’d be asymmetrical to the left and right, kind of like a fallen angel」

「Are we back in the eighth grade or what！」

「Ah, but, seems like that girl is the only one you can’t hold. She’d probably want to fight by herself」

「Yeah, she probably would……」

While conversing with each other, Aoba naturally rested her head on his shoulder.

A warm atmosphere drifted through. He wanted to bask in this moment with his bride.

However――

「Taiyou-chan Taiyou-chan！I have indeed looked at our surroundings」

Taiyou opened his eyes wide.

Hera, who couldn’t read the situation, had returned.

However, that was very much like her. Not reading the situation was something like her unique specialty.

Which was why Taiyou didn’t especially point it out, just seeking the report.

「How was it？」

「Everyone other than the unconscious people have run away. The old hag is still sprawled over where we were earlier」

「Alright, then let’s tie her up while she’s still unconscious. And then let’s contact Youran and ask her what to do」

「Seems like it’s not here」

「Let’s also take this girl along with us. I’m sure it’d be fine if we took her to a hospital or something」

Taiyou said, picking up the girl in the hospital gown.

Curious, he checked on Aoba, but she was nonchalant, and Taiyou inwardly gave a wry smile at his absurd fear.

「Ahh, I see that you broke this」

Hera said, looking at the dagger split in two.

「Yep」

「But I wonder what this could be」

Hera said as she tapped the broken blade.

That moment――

（Thump！）

Close to his ears, his heartbeat roared like thunder.

Immediately following, a sensation attacked him as if his whole body were burning.

「Wh…at……is this……」

「Hera-chan！」

Aoba’s voice was that of a scream. When he began following her surprised gaze――。

It was a thirty centimeter body. An existence outside of humanity.

A lifeform still wrapped in mystery that regular humans could neither see nor touch.

The naked soul――pulsated in a red color along with the magic sword that sucked life and soul.