Editing Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 7 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 13===
In that moment when she unleashed lightning magic, Kurumi saw her strategy succeed. Kurumi used lightning that favoured speed over power. Although the damage wasn’t significant, as long as it hit, it would slow down her opponent’s speed. Having been threatened using Basara, this was the most helpful attack for Kurumi who had to make the best use of her time. The problem was — it had to land a hit first.

“Eh—…?”

Nonaka Kurumi suddenly widened her eyes. Before the bolt of lightning could hit the Pegasus from below, Admirath’s giant scythe was swung downwards with a simple motion, and like a lightning rod, it changed the course of the lightning, and it hit the scythe instead. However, Admirath did not appear to have been injured. The lightning that Kurumi had unleashed was stored inside the giant scythe, causing the blade to glow with a pale light.

“I cannot possibly accept such a plentiful gift.”

Admirath smiled as he swept the scythe down towards Kurumi — along with the violent roar of thunder, lightning that was amplified by several magnitudes poured down on Kurumi.

“——!”

Kurumi hastily erected a barrier. The lightning struck the barrier that had just made it in the nick of time, erupting with a loud explosive noise, and dying everything around her completely white.  Although she had blocked the lightning strike, the dazzling electric light was still burning in Kurumi’s eyes.

“Kuh…!”

Having closed her eyes shut tightly, Kurumi was anxious to restore her vision, but—

“—Too slow.”

By the time she heard Admirath’s voice from the front, her entire body was violently sent flying.

“Aaaaaaaahh—!”

Nonaka Kurumi’s slender body crashed against the left and right rock walls several times, falling slightly each time she hit a wall. She finally landed onto the ground, accompanied by a cloud of dust.

“Ngh…ha…uh, gu…!”

The pain that she felt was so intense that it seemed as though all the bones in her body were broken, causing Kurumi’s face to grimace in pain when she tried to lift her head. She then watched as the Pegasus-mounted Admirath gradually approached her.

“!……”

Nonaka Kurumi understood what had happened to herself. In the instant that the electric light blinded her vision, Admirath immediately closed in and rammed into her with his Pegasus. He probably began to move at the same time as the lightning that was released.

''…I miscalculated…!''

Her own strategy was used against her, it was entirely her own fault that she had subconsciously let down her guard.

''…Ah…''

While Kurumi clenched her teeth in regret, she noticed that there was something on the ground in front of her. It was the thing that Admirath had given her before the battle began — a button from Basara’s uniform.

''…Basara, onii-chan…!''

“…Ugh…!”

Although Admirath was already close, Kurumi still stretched out her left hand desperately, trying to grasp Basara’s button — but that hand was pinned down by the Pegasus’ front legs with such force that even the ground beneath cracked.

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!”

It was so painful that Kurumi instinctively lifted her head, and a horrid scream was let out from her mouth.

“So you were thinking about how you could deceive me huh…didn’t I ask you to lose more elegantly?”

Admirath said with a volume that only Kurumi could hear

“But by doing this, it does make the battle a little bit more interesting. Well then, I should also arrange an ending no lesser than that — I will kill you with one strike.”

Accompanied by a brutal smile, he raised the giant scythe up high.

—The rules state that one cannot attack an opponent that has surrendered.

However, Kurumi hadn’t yet surrendered; and based on the speed of the scythe that Admirath would use to behead her, it would definitely be much faster than her cry of surrender. Kurumi didn’t want to increase the burden on others by asking for help, but they had all agreed in advance that as soon as they encountered a certain-death situation, that they would immediately surrender — all of them had to return safely. But Admirath would not give Kurumi the option of surrendering.

“Thank you for accompanying me for this pleasant dance…young Hero girl.”

“——!”

Kurumi wanted to call out Basara’s name, but she was unable to make a sound. Admirath’s giant scythe swept down towards Kurumi’s neck. In this manner, Kurumi was beheaded by this strike and lost her life — or so that should have been the case. In the next instant, the sharp ‘gakin—!’ of a metallic collision coldly rang out. That kind of solid noise was not one that would be produced by the removal of Kurumi’s head.

“……?”

Having closed her eyes during that moment as she awaited her death, Kurumi now opened them again slowly. In her painfully distorted vision, there was a something by her side protecting her — an obsidian barrier. The person who had stood in front of Kurumi and effortlessly blocked that powerful strike from Admirath was a beautiful female Demon with brown skin — Zest. When Kurumi saw the back of a sister-like Zest, she knew that she had already been rescued; so she slowly closed her eyes, and relaxed her entire body. She fainted.


“Oh? …And what are you doing?”

Upon the back of the Pegasus, Admirath asked with a smile.

“—The victor has already been decided.”

Zest quietly stated the truth. Kurumi was in a state in which she could no longer fight.

“I don’t think so — since she has not surrendered, the fight goes on.”

“Then as a representative of the Moderates faction, I declare that Kurumi-san has lost, is that alright?”

In place of Kurumi, Zest surrendered to the frivolous Admirath.

“However, according to the rules…”

Just when Admirath seemed as though he still had more to say—

[—Very well, I accept the surrender of the Moderates faction.]

The voice of the Council representative, Mardones, resounded throughout the battle space…the battle space was then lifted and the stage was restored to its original state. Being able to save Kurumi’s life caused Zest to feel relieved, but—

[However — even if it was to save your comrade, you still interrupted this battle before the outcome was decided. Such outrageous behaviour that insults the noble spirit of the duel is something that I cannot turn a blind eye to.]

“………”

Amidst the overwhelming echo of the audience, Zest was unable to make any words in defence.

[The one who has violated the rules is not the girl named Nonaka Kurumi — it is you, Zest.]

Mardones said with a smile

[So in my opinion, I think it is most fair that you receive an automatic loss in the fourth round that you were to take part in due to the rule violation of the Moderates faction…what do you think of that?]

“………!”

Zest unwillingly bit her lips. Even if she was filled with dissatisfaction, it was a fact that she had committed a major violation, and continuing to fight against it would only serve to worsen her side’s position, and it could even put Kurumi into a dangerous situation again.

“…I understand.”

After Zest accepted the penalty of disqualification, the centre of the arena became silent again. Surrounded by malicious outbursts from the audience, Zest carried Kurumi off the stage. After walking some distance into the passageway leading to their lounge, she saw a person standing before her. It was the fifth warrior who was supposed to go after Zest — Yuki. Upon seeing her, Zest lowered her eyes and said

“I’m sorry…I simply couldn’t help it.”

Including Zest’s automatic defeat, the Moderates faction had now suffered three losses. Perhaps she should have asked Yuki or sought the opinions of her other team members before acting. Although this battle had taken the form of one-on-one duels, it was in fact the decisive battle between the two major factions of the Demon Realm. Even if everyone had agreed to do their best to return safely, the battle was always something where they could lose their lives at any time, and Kurumi must have held that thought in her heart. —But, Zest could not restrain herself. She could not allow Kurumi whom she treated like her own younger sister to simply die in front of her own eyes.

“…How is Kurumi?”

Hearing Yuki ask this with a whisper, Zest carried Kurumi in her arms until she was right in front of her. Kurumi was bruised and injured, but her breathing was stable.

“She’s fine…at least, her life is not in danger.”

“……Thank you for saving Kurumi.”

“You’re welcome…”

When Zest replied shortly, and Yuki’s expression relaxed a bit — something fell out of Kurumi’s hand, and it made a crisp sound as it rolled to the side of the stone slate ground. Looking closely, it was a button from the uniform of Hijirigasaka Academy that Basara wore.

''…Why does Kurumi-san…''

Have this thing? …In front of Zest, whose mind was filled with such doubts, that button drew a circle on the floor and then stopped moving. Since Zest’s hands were occupied while she held Kurumi, Yuki kneeled down to pick it up — but she did not expect that she wouldn’t even be able to touch it, as the button seemed unable to retain its form and it turned into a powdery dust.

“——”

Seeing this — Zest immediately understood everything. The reason why Kurumi’s performance seemed dismal, as well as what tricks Admirath and the Council had used against her, all of it was made clear.

“Those cowards…!”

With an indescribably repressed anger, Zest clenched her teeth and turned around…she turned back towards the stage in order to correct the sordid behaviour of Admirath — but she was unable to step out. Zest did not stop of her own volition. There was a hand gently pressing down on her right shoulder, as if to pull her back. Normally speaking — her anger would not be stopped by something like this, it would be easy for Zest to free herself. But — Zest could not do it. It was because the aura that was released from the girl who stood by her side with her hand on top of her right shoulder felt so cold that it might even have frozen her. —Her beloved younger sister who was just as precious Basara, Zest and her comrades had been exploited and trampled over by others. An unforgivable anger had instantaneously transformed into a murderous intent that was as cold as absolute zero.

“…I’m leaving Kurumi in your care.”

Yuki looked towards the other side of the dark passageway — the stage of the battle. After softly saying those words, she left behind Zest and the Kurumi in her arms, and slowly advanced forwards.