18 Keep Watching from Below the Stage (1/2)

'What on earth is happening?'

Iris is dashing through the royal capital at full speed in the dead of night, her red hair fluttering after her.

A building was cut. She doubted her ears when such a report came to her. But while heading towards the scene torn between belief and disbelief, successive reports reached her continuously.

Large scale attacks are occurring simultaneously all over the royal capital.

It did not take long to draw such a conclusion. But problem is, the targets of attack share no point of commonality that they can determine.  A trading firm, a warehouse, an eatery, a noble's private residence... the fact that these attacks were premediated is clear to see, but their aim is unclear.

But it is actual fact that the entire royal capital is currently shaking.

All members of the Knight Order have been dispatched as emergency response, and the evacuation of important people are underway. Many citizens are watching from their windows despite the late hour, and not few of them are even approaching the attack sites in curiosity.

Iris continues rushing towards the biggest scene, all while shouting at any citizens she passes by to return to their homes.

This is definitely no simple incident.

Iris' intuition is telling her so.

Then abruptly.

A scream reaches Iris' ears.

”M-, monster! It's a monster, we need reinfor-...!!”

It is a knight's voice. He is not far.

Iris changes her direction and heads straight for the origin of that scream.

She turns the corner, takes an alleyway, then comes out onto a main avenue... a monster is there.

A gigantic, ugly monster.

It is swinging around its bloated, bloodstained left claw, reducing the nearby knights into meat patties.

”What is this...?!”

Though surprised, Iris does not stop moving.

”Fall back!”

Unsheathing in a flowing motion, followed by a flash of white in the darkness that runs through the monster's torso.

All the way through.

The huge monster was cut down, just like that.

”Are you all alright?”

Not even bothering to look at the falling monster behind her, Iris immediately addresses the knights.

”Thank you for saving us, Iris-sama!”

”As expected of Iris-sama! To bring down such a monster with only one swing!”

All of the knights turn out to be largely unscathed. The ones that are still alive, that is.

”We lost 8 men.”

Only one blow per person, that's all it took.

Iris' wine-red eyes are shaking at the sight of their gruesome corpses.

”You all go on ahead and retrieve the remains. I will report to your squad lea-...”

”IRIS-SAMA!”

Abruptly, one of the knights raises a shout.

The others also point behind her with voiceless shouts.

”Wha-...!”

Iris brandishes her sword even while turning.

At which time, her sword clashes with the monster's left arm.

”Kuh...!”

Finding herself being pushed back, she immediately releases an enormous amount of magic to reinforce herself, which gives her enough strength to fully receive the blow.

Riding the momentum, she dashes into the monster's chest and severs its legs. Keeping her eye fully affixed on the monster this time, she retreats from its maai.

The very next moment, the monster's left arm mows through her previous position, flying past so closely that the wind pressure severs several strands of her red hair.

”It is regenerating...?”

The bisecting wound that she had inflicted earlier is already nowhere to be seen, and its legs are also already regenerating at a visible rate.

”Impossible... to be cut in half by Iris-sama but still regenerating...”

”You're joking, right...?”

”All of you, fall back.”

Iris calls out to the shaken knights while stepping forward to receive the monster's follow up attack.

That attack has speed, has strength, and has weight.

But it is too simplistic.

”A mere monster in the end.”

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There is no mercy in Iris' counterattack.

Cutting up its arms, severing its legs, and detaching its head

Her attacks rain upon the monster in unceasing fashion, as if to say ”if you can regenerate this, then let's see you do it!” in brazen challenge.

No resistance is allowed. The monster can only stand in place and be one-sidedly cut up.

But, even with that.

”You're still regenerating?”

The monster still lives.