I told Blaze and August to gather at Kronos's group— where he's repairing the second stone pillar (from the entrance) at our left. "You alright— August?" I asked. "Are you in any condition to fight…?" "Huff… Huff… Uh… Yeah… I'm okay…" August's face was drained white, and he looks exhausted. Looks like that moment of fear dried out his will completely. "Kronos, just concentrate on your stuff," I said to Kronos. "Kuroyuki is holding them back, so this will be a quick strategic meeting." "You seemed like you had some sort of idea in your mind," Persia said to me with a serious look. "Indeed. In a group of three… I want you guys to take turns supporting me to destroy those things." "…Our copies, you meant…?" August murmured. "Kuroyuki is maintaining the wall right now. If we let one of those things enter our territory… we could gang up on it." "But how are you going to defeat those things?" Persia asked. "Aside from their weapons… our attacks would go through them." "I could dest

"This is— Nngh…!" It seems Kronos realized what those are. He immediately summons another wall at my side, protecting us from the incoming bullets barrage. The silver threads protecting us from the puppet silhouettes are no more because of the black spears and bullets. The fortunate thing is, the puppet silhouettes are gone for good as well. "Kuroyuki…!"  After confirming that Kronos's thick wall is enough to shield us, Persia quickly turned, squatted down while looking at Kuroyuki with a worried expression. "…I… I'm okay now…" Kuroyuki told me, with her face looking pale. "…Go help them." "Don't talk nonsense!" Persia scolded Kuroyuki. "The worst two elemental recoils are ice and fire! There's no way you are okay…!" "H-Huff…"  

"What do you want, Black Sword…!?" I yelled. "My name is Night Fury." When she replied, her playful tone suddenly became stern.  Did she really care about her name this much…? "Then what do you want, Night Fury…?"  When I asked again— Night Fury came closer to me. She was so close enough that her mouth was just right next to my left ear— but I had to pretend that I couldn't see her. "That should be my question, my dear master~ Had thou not come here in seek for power?" "Mrk…!?" As she whispered to my ear, I immediately backed away while swinging my scabbard at her— which she dodged by backing away. "Yet… you don't seem like you want power." She said to me. "What if I am… and what if I'm

AND WHY SHOULD I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT!!? I AIN'T DYING HERE TODAY!!!   I firmly gripped on the scabbard in my hand—   CLANG—!   —and stabbed it to the ground, letting it to act as a support while I mustered my final ounce of strength to lift my exhausted body.   "HAH— HAH— HAH— HAH—"   It became even harder to breathe than it already was by standing.   "Those who had forsaken me from my freedom…… must pay with their lives……."   …Night Fury's murmuring is scary.   In this darkness, where I can't even see my own five fingers…   CLANK—!!!   What—!?   As if a metal rod hitting a bell, the sound echoed throughout the entire room as the ground shook.   That was— the pillar…!?   She's trying to smash the pillar open!?

Principal got himself a floating chair. He pulled it along with him and sat at my left.   “…It did.” He said to me. “You were already dead when I returned. That thing sucked out your life force— that’s why your heart stopped.”   “…Huh? Then… why am I still alive?”   “I simply resuscitated your heart.”   “Wait, what?” I uttered. “Like, normally? A Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)?”   “And a little spark with lightning magic.” He said to me. “…It wasn’t easy. For the first two hours… your heart stopped beating after 10 minutes, and I had to resuscitate you for 30 minutes until your heart beats again— for three times.”   …I’m surprised I do not have any brain damage.   “CPR for thirty minutes…!? You should’ve just—”   “—give up on you? NEVER.” He said to me with a glare.   “…Tch, so stubborn,” I u