“...Really.”
Snowrealm took two steps back, leaving enough space for Seina to stand alone at the front of the rooftop.
She didn't say anything more. She held her straight sword at her side, her right hand resting on the hilt, ready to strike at any moment.
The ice-dust chain swayed gently around her wrist, gleaming coldly under the moonlight—a silent promise of protection.
Seina swallowed hard.
Her fingers rested on the bowstring. The touch was cold yet familiar, and she could clearly feel the texture of every single thread.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous for her first real battle.
The Erosion Bodies hadn't noticed her presence yet. Their bodies glowed and dimmed under the moonlight, like some kind of hideous breathing.
She could hear her own heartbeat, pulsing much faster than usual.
This was her first time facing a real enemy alone.
What if she messed up?
What if her arrow missed? What if they got too close? What if—
Her spiraling thoughts were cut short by a sudden weight on her shoulder.
Snowrealm had walked up behind her at some point, gently tapping her shoulder with her scabbard to pull her out of her wild imagination.
“It's normal to be nervous during your first real battle,” Snowrealm said. “I was the same. My palms were drenched in sweat the first time I faced an Erosion Body alone.”
Snowrealm pulled her scabbard back. Ice dust drifted from her hand onto the roof between them, condensing into a thin layer of frost.
“Just remember two things. First, they are more fragile than you think. Second, I am right behind you.”
Seina gripped the bow's riser tightly and leaped down from the rooftop.
The night wind howled in her ears as she flipped in midair. Her boots caught a rusty steel beam, using the momentum to stabilize her landing.
The Erosion Bodies sensed her presence almost the instant she landed.
They turned their heads in unison, the cracks on their heads splitting open as countless dark green compound eyes lit up in the darkness.
Star-trail crouched in the shadows, its tail freezing in midair.
It watched Seina land on the ground less than ten meters away from the Erosion Bodies.
Did this kid... stay in the hospital so long that she lost all her common sense about combat?
Or had she spent too much time with Snowrealm, and seeing how cool her senior looked in close combat made her want to copy her?
You're an archer!
Archers aren't supposed to jump right into the enemy's face!
What are you going to do, whack the Erosion Bodies on the head with your bow?
Kizuna, please don't tell me you're planning to strangle an Erosion Body with your bowstring.
Wouldn't it be better to just keep your distance and shoot arrows?
Your mana attribute is sound, so your arrows naturally carry melodies and tracking abilities. Why on earth are you fighting point-blank?!
Seina's breathing hitched. Under the moonlight, the patterns formed by those compound eyes looked exceptionally eerie.
They sprang from the steel beams, lunging at her from three different directions.
She recalled what her sister had said: just treat the audience like wooden posts.
These Erosion Bodies were far uglier than wooden posts, but the logic was the same.
Seina closed her eyes and drew her bowstring to its absolute limit.
A light purple glow surged from the contract mark on the back of her hand, spreading along her arm to the bow's body, coating the entire weapon in a faint shimmer.
She channeled every ounce of energy she could muster from her magic circuits into her hands. The light arrow on the bowstring gradually turned from light purple to a brilliant, blazing white. The light at the tip of the arrow grew brighter and brighter in the night, like a falling star about to strike the earth.
She could feel the mana inside her draining rapidly. The shock of the continuous infusion made her fingers tremble slightly.
Star-trail's eyes widened in disbelief once again.
Betting all her mana on the very first shot? Doesn't she know that archers need to pace themselves?
That's not how an archer fights!
You're supposed to kite the Erosion Bodies from a distance!
And then, when they're near death, finish them off with a final, flashy blow!
Who the hell jumps right into the enemy's face and unleashes their ultimate?!
The bowstring buzzed with a low vibration, and Seina was on the verge of losing control.
Just as the power was about to slip from her grasp, a subtle warmth quietly seeped in from her mark.
Star-trail's mana felt like an invisible hand gently resting over the back of her hand, helping her steady the bowstring and quietly smoothing out the residual tremors.
She had no time to wonder where this help came from; she simply chose to trust it instinctively.
She released her fingers, and the light arrow shot off the string, carrying her entire will toward the densest cluster of Erosion Bodies.
There was no visible trajectory to that arrow.
It was light itself—a beam that tore the night sky in two.
The moment the arrow hit its target, there was no deafening explosion. Instead, a ripple of light purple silently expanded from the point of impact, enveloping all three Erosion Bodies at once.
Wherever the ripples touched, the Erosion Bodies' movements ground to a sudden halt, and the glow of their compound eyes flickered a few times before going completely dark.
All three Erosion Bodies crumbled into dust at the same time, raining down onto the steel beams with a soft, rustling sound.
Seina remained in her shooting posture, the bowstring still vibrating gently against her fingertips.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the iron scaffolding, casting a silver trim over the hem of her light purple skirt.
She stared down at the dissipating dust, unable to believe that she had wiped out those disgusting, terrifying Erosion Bodies with a single shot.
It took her a long moment before she managed to squeeze out, “I did it,” her voice still carrying a hint of lingering shock.
Snowrealm leaped down from the rooftop, landing right beside her.
She bent down to inspect the residual mana traces left behind by the dissolved Erosion Bodies. Confirming there were no stragglers, she stood up and looked at Seina.
“A triple kill with one shot. Well done.”
“...Really?” Seina blinked, her voice slightly dazed, as an incredulous smile slowly spread across her face.
“I really did it all by myself? Three of them? With one shot? Am I actually that strong? No, wait, let me double-check. They were real Erosion Bodies, right—”
“They were real,” Snowrealm said, her lips curling into a soft smile as she nodded at Seina.
She took Seina's wrist to check the burn on the web of her hand—a scorch mark left by the rapid, intense release of mana, which was already breaking out in tiny blisters.
“The first time you channel your mana at full power, your finger joints will struggle to take the strain. Rinse it with cold water when we get back, then apply this.”
She pulled a healing bandage from her waist pouch, cut a strip, and carefully wrapped it around Seina's fingers.
“Kurokawa-san—no, Senior Snowrealm. Was I a bit too reckless when I jumped down just now? I should have kept my distance and tested them with some arrows first, instead of jumping right in front of them.”
“Did Star-trail teach me about that? I was just too excited. My mind was so focused on shooting that I completely forgot about positioning. Star-trail, if you can hear me, come on out. I know you're nearby.”
“...So you do realize you were reckless.”
Star-trail stepped out from the shadows nearby, its tail still stiff from the tension.
It sat down at Seina's feet, looking up at her.
“Jumping right into their faces to shoot on your very first battle... You're an archer!”
“But I won! And in a super cool way, too!”
Seina crouched down, picked up Star-trail, and held it up in front of her face. “Was my shot cool or what? You saw it, right! Even I didn't expect it to be so powerful.”
“It was cool, yes. But you're not allowed to do that again.” Star-trail dangled in midair. “Archers need to keep their distance. If that arrow had missed, you wouldn't be bragging to me right now—you'd be carried back on Snowrealm's shoulder.”
Star-trail paused, then gently rested its tail over the freshly wrapped bandage on her hand.
Scold first, then praise—Star-trail knew how to play this game.
“...But your shot really was beautiful.”
Star-trail turned its head aside, its ears twitching. “Being able to channel that level of mana in your very first battle shows you weren't daydreaming during my lessons.”
Rate on N.U.
