Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter9 (section)

===Part 1===

Amidst intensely burning flames, Team Scarlet's blade dance was starting.

With a furious howl, Nepenthes Lore released dark tentacles in all directions.

"Freezing fangs of ice, go forth and pierce -- Freezing Arrow!"

However, Rinslet's freezing arrows froze the countless tentacles, turning them into ice blocks that shattered upon falling to the ground.

"Leave those tentacles to me!"

"Yeah, I'll rely on you for support, Rinslet!"

Kamito readied his sword in a stance and walked side by side with Ellis.

"I will handle frontline defenses while you attack, Kamito."

"Got it."

Her ponytail was blowing haphazardly in the wind. Those stern brown eyes of hers, adorned by her eyebrows, glared straight at the enemy before them.

Kamito had fought in unison with Ellis numerous times on missions of the Sylphid Knights. She was a teammate he could entrust to protect his back with great assurance.

With Ellis and Kamito as the vanguard, Rinslet providing long range support fire, Claire commanded the team while she engaged in guerilla and disruption tactics. This was Team Scarlet's basic tactical formation.

--This is what you meant by the power you have obtained?

Restia's impatient voice resounded in Kamito's mind.

--How disappointing. Clearly no matter how many more people you gather, none of them can even hold a candle to you alone.

(--Well then, let's see, shall we?)

Kamito declared to her in his heart.

Then he whispered to Ellis beside him.

"Don't touch that thing's demon sword. Most spirits cannot withstand it. The only one who can clash blades directly is my Est."

"Understood."

Ellis nodded.

"Also, beware of that black mud. As soon as you touch it, your divine power will be stolen."

"What?"

Ellis' brown eyes stared wide.

The dark mud was continuing to spread. It had already invaded the majority of the ground. As a result, they could not even approach the immediate surroundings of Nepenthes Lore.

"Ellis, can you open up a path?"

"Yes, leave it to me."

Ellis agreed and readied Ray Hawk in a horizontal stance.

Rumbling, tempestuous magical wind gathered a the tip of the spear -- then she softly chanted the words of release.

"Evil winds<!--凶ツ風 I don't really agree with calling Ellis' wind "evil" but whatever, it's in the terminology ''I would suggest inauspicious, ominous, or simply deadly instead''--> -- Go and rampage!"

Instantly, innumerable blades of wind sliced the ground, blowing the mud of darkness away.

While the blades of wind were released, Kamito sprinted like wind across the torn open ground.

Nepenthes Lore's repulsive gaze seemed to pierce Kamito.

Such astounding killing intent, enough to make an average person lose consciousness, yet Kamito endured it head on.

He could not back down from fear now. Even when the opponent was a terrifying monster--

(...After all, the young ladies are watching me!)

The onslaught of raging blades of wind approached, but Nepenthes Lore easily deflected them with a flash of the demon sword of darkness.

(--Now is the moment!)

The instant before the mud of darkness invaded the ground again after being blown away...

Kamito leaped.

Maintaining his forward leaning posture, he closed in instantly, riding upon the roaring wind. These coordinated tactics were learned through training together with Ellis.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

As the Demon Slayer flashed with silver-white brilliance, Kamito chopped straight down.

The astounding shockwave shook the atmosphere.

Wielding the demon sword of darkness, Nepenthes Lore blocked this full powered attack.

However, Kamito's movements did not end there. Using the sword hilt as a pivot, he changed postures in midair, taking advantage of the deflection of Nepenthes Lore's blade to land a solid slash on the shoulder.

With a splatter of viscous dark matter, Nepenthes Lore's massive body shook slightly.

Landing on the ground, Kamito mercilessly followed up on his attack.

Chopping, thrusting, sweeping -- the sword flashed in the dark night.

A spectacular flowing blade dance worthy of the strongest blade dancer, Ren Ashbell, at peak performance.

The everchanging motions of Kamito's movements overwhelmed Nepenthes Lore's reaction speed.

Widening its great gaping jaws, Nepenthes Lore let loose a roar of pain.

Corrupted divine power spewed out in vast amounts, tainting the surrounding ground instantly.

"...!?"

Kamito smacked his lips in midair.

As soon as he landed on the mud, his divine power would be immediately robbed from him.

But just before he touched the ground--

"--May your pure white sighs give form to eternal frozen ice -- Frost Prison!"

A massive freezing arrow flew like a shooting star and struck the ground beneath Kamito's feet.

Instantly, rainbow-colored magical ice spread and froze the mud of darkness.

Kamito's boot soles landed on the magical ice. Then with the slimmest of margins, he dodged the sweeping demon sword of darkness using a sliding motion.

"Thanks for your great help. Great job, Rinslet!"

"Hmph, naturally!"

Rinslet proudly swept her hand through her hair.

Kamito jumped from the ice and attacked Nepenthes Lore with godlike speed in a triple combo.

"--Still not enough!"

Double, then triple -- a five-hit combo delivered with thrusts mixed in.

Taking advantage of openings in the demon sword of darkness, Kamito attacked in rapid succession as if performing a dance.

As numerous dark tentacles attacked from behind, they were all struck down by Claire's Flametongue.

Kamito's skill with the sword was completely dominating.

Nevertheless, his face displayed anxiety.

(--This won't end if this continues!)

Like a mass of shape-shifting darkness, Nepenthes Lore's body immediately regenerated as soon as it was damaged.

(Furthermore, my divine power is reaching its limits--)

Terminus Est's brilliance was weakening as it flashed in the dark.

Even as an elemental waffe of the strongest class, her true worth could not produce effect without the contractor's infused divine power.

In a moment of distraction, Kamito's sword was deflected by the demon sword of darkness.

"...!?"

Just as Kamito was sent off balance--

The tip of the demon sword released the Vorpal Blast --

"--Kamito!"

With a crimson slash, Flametongue coiled around Nepenthes Lore's arm.

With the trajectory of the sword's fall diverted slightly, the jet black lightning flew past Kamito.

The resulting lightning strike vaporized a fan-shaped segment of the forest.

"--That was really close... Yah!"

Claire found herself flying through the air. Nepenthes Lore had grabbed Flametongue and flung sideways in a horizontal sweeping motion.

"Claire!"

Kamito was about to hurry over--

But suddenly halted his steps.

Without him noticing, the viscous darkness was approaching before him.

The repulsive darkness that stole divine power as soon as contact was made, was spreading with astounding speed.

This massive amount did not come simply from the elementalists Nepenthes Lore stole divine power from.

Rather, the monster had amplified its power after making contact with the leylines flowing in the ground.

Kamito's surroundings had turned into a swamp of darkness. As things stood, Kamito's foothold would soon be engulfed as well.

(Even the stronghold...)

Kamito gnashed his teeth.

Crushing despair loomed over him as if materialized tangibly.

Terminus Est's brightness had weakened greatly.

In his current state, Kamito did not even have the strength to slash apart the darkness and break through by force.

--This is the end, Kamito. You cannot defeat this sort of power.

As the spirit seal on his left hand stung with pain, Kamito heard the transmission of Restia's sweet and beautiful voice.

(I...!)

The approaching darkness surrounded Kamito.

"Kamito!"

"Kamito-san!"

Ellis and Rinslet screamed.

Completely cut off from any escape route, Kamito's feet were just about to make contact with the darkness--

"Damn it...!"

At this moment--

Suddenly, dazzling brightness erupted from the ground beneath.

"...What!?"

The ground that was covered by the viscous darkness began to rumble and heave as if boiling. Down below, numerous shining magic circles appeared one after another -- !


The darkness cornering Kamito from all sides receded like a tide.

"What on earth happened...?"

"--Flowing through the leylines of the stronghold, holy power is pouring out nonstop!"

Claire yelled.

"Leylines... Then it's Fianna?"

The stronghold constructed by Fianna was specially designed to be able to adjust the flow of leylines from the central hub, thereby allowing support effects to be delivered from the blessing of spirits.

But this overwhelming power carrying the holy attribute, what was supplying it--

"Could it be...!?"