Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume7 Chapter10 (section)

===Part 1===

Ren Ashbell -- The Strongest Blade Dancer.

Idolizing Ren Ashbell's blade dance, Claire had resolved herself to become a powerful elementalist.

Because Ren Ashbell was her goal, Claire never gave up no matter what hardship she faced.

She was the one whom Claire had idolized all along.

Claire had always dreamed if there was one day they could perform a blade dance together.

"--How utterly tasteless, Sjora Kahn."

Claire glared sharply at the enemy who had appeared before them--

The witch who imitated the Strongest Blade Dancer's appearance.

"Do you really think our attacks will hesitate simply because of that appearance?"

Gorgeous long hair the color of the dark night. Eyes where mysterious darkness resided.

A lovely face that seemed dignified as steel yet graceful as a flower.

The girl before her eyes was without a doubt identical in appearance to the blade dancer she had always admired.

However, Claire noticed a significant difference between this fake and the true person.

Namely, the twisted expression of mockery.

(...The Ren Ashbell I admire will never display that kind of expression!)

Claire gripped Flametongue hard in her hand.

Likewise, Ellis and Rinslet did not falter either.

Instead, Ellis became increasingly enraged.

"Unforgivable... How dare you defile the admiration my esteemed foster sister and I held for her!"

Ray Hawk's spear tip produced a powerful storm.

Indeed, trying to cause faltering through imitation was meaningless.

No matter what sort of magic was used, Ren Ashbell's noble airs could not be replicated.

"Fufu, how unfortunate, but this imitation is not limited to appearances, little hell cat. Did you really think Baldanders's powers are limited to mere transformation magic?"

In the guise of Ren Ashbell, the witch jeered as her bright red lips twisted.

"My elemental waffe, the Proteus Masques, has the ability to replicate the target's powers. Whether the contracted spirit or the combat skills remembered by the body, everything."

"...Th-That sort of thing, can't possibly--"

"Fufu, ignorant fools--!"

Sjora Kahn casually swung the demon sword of darkness -- the Vorpal Sword.

Within the blink of an eye, jet black lightning burst forth from the tip of the blade and smashed the rock surface of the floor.

"...That skill is!?"

Vorpal Blast -- Ren Ashbell's prided demon sword technique that numerous elementalists feared during the Blade Dance three years ago.

"Could it be, really..."

"She can use Ren Ashbell's abilities!?"

Ellis and Rinslet expressed shock one after another.

"Very well, let's begin to blade dance, little hell cat♪"

Mimicking the appearance of the strongest blade dancer, Sjora licked the demon sword of darkness.

"She's coming--!"

The instant Claire warned, the witch's figure disappeared from sight.

(...So fast!?)

Unable to hear a sound or feel any presence from her, Claire felt like she was moving like a shadow.

Those movements were completely the same as those from three years ago.

"Take this!"

Claire swung Flametongue with maximum power. The scorching flames of conflagration surged forth as if about to devour the stony ground.

Amidst the intensely burning flame, the witch's figure vanished.

However, it was nothing to be feared.

(If I can't capture her movements, I'll just simply burn large areas--)

Using the reaction force from striking the floor with her whip, Claire swiftly leaped backwards.

This should be able to buy some time. If Sjora Kahn really replicated Ren Ashbell's sword skills, she could not be allowed to get into range for close combat.

However, Claire's plan was instantly foiled.

(--How could this be possible!?)

Sjora was not caught inside the flames.

As though she were Claire's shadow, she stayed low and followed closely while Claire jumped.

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

Rinslet shot out arrows which followed a parabolic trajectory, but ended up striking empty ground.

Too slow. Even Rinslet's vision as a sniper was insufficient to capture Sjora's movements.

The instant Claire landed on her feet, Sjora laughed as she lurked in the shadows--

"...Damn you. Fireball!"

"Aha, silly little hell cat♪"

The demon sword of darkness sliced through Claire's chest.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

As the intense pain filled her body, Claire could not help but scream.

Despite the fact that damage caused by elemental waffen that had yet to be materialized was normally converted into psychological damage, the witch seemed quite dead set on turning physical damage to the body into pure sensations of pain.

"What a nice scream, it makes me tremble with excitement."

Bearing the face of the strongest blade dancer, Sjora's eyes displayed a taste for sadism.

"You bastard, to dare do that to Claire -- Evil winds, go and rampage!"

Ellis swung Ray Hawk and released blades of wind. However--

"Useless. That type of technique ''is completely ineffective against Ren Ashbell''--"

Running across the rocky walls to evade the wind blades, she engaged Ellis in close combat within the blink of an eye.

This was the final form of high level three-dimensional movement -- Shadow Stitching<!--影縫い-->. A type of physical technique used by assassins.

Accustomed to proper knightly sword skills, Ellis was unable to capture such movements with their myriad variations.

Rushing through an opening in Ray Hawk's movements, Sjora pierced Ellis' chest along with her armor with a flash of the sword.

"...Argghhh!"

"Ara ara, such a dismal performance? The elite of the Ordesia Empire, hmph."

She slashed again at Ellis who was standing unsteadily due to the pain.

"Keeper of the burning furnace, release your wrath -- Flame Chain!" 

Struggling to her feet, Claire unleashed Flametongue in a spiral movement.

However--

"Such lukewarm flames. Are you sure you're that Calamity Queen's younger sister?"

Sjora shrugged and readied the Vorpal Sword in a stance.

"Absolute Blade Arts, Fourth Form -- Blaze Slash!"

The demon sword swept out as if collecting the swirling flames.

"Scarlet's fire is being absorbed!?"

Expanding in size several fold, the flaming blade swung down upon Claire and the rest.

"Yaaaaaaah!"

Claire was blown away, striking the wall of the cave.

Ellis and Rinslet were successively devoured by the massive vortex of fire that covered the entire great hall.

Claire had a flame spirit's protection,  but Ellis and Rinslet on the other hand--

The two girls' bodies lay collapsed where the vortex of flame died out.

"Ah... Guh..."

Although their Academy uniforms were torn and tattered, they still managed to barely stay conscious.

Slowly, Sjora approached the two.

"...You, this...!"

Claire desperately tried to swing Flametongue but due to the concussion from striking the cave walls earlier, she could not move her fingers.

"What fools. How could you even think you could win against the Strongest Blade Dancer?"

Sjora twisted her lips with a cruel expression--

"Don't--"

The Vorpal Sword stabbed into Ellis' back as she lay collapsed on the ground.

"Guh, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Intense pain filled Ellis' entire body. Her inarticulate screams filled the entire hall.

"Ahaha, how does it feel? To be vanquished by the one you idolize!"

"S-Stop it, Ellis can no longer fight!"

"Fufu, rest assured, I will not take her life. However--"

The witch chuckled as she displayed an innocent girl's smile.

"This Blade Dance event does not prohibit the act of destroying an elementalist's mind."

Withdrawing the demon sword from Ellis' body, she then switched to stepping on Rinslet's head.

"So, this little lady here, what kind scream are you going to make?"

"YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Instantly, crimson flames erupted from Claire's palms.

"Flames are useless against me... What!?"

Holding up the demon sword, Sjora's eyes appeared to waver.

She instinctively realized that these flames were significantly different from the ones earlier.

"Impossible, such fire, identical to that woman's--"

Sjora's trembling voice was engulfed and devoured by the crimson flames.