The Girl Raised by the Death God Holds the Sword of Darkness in Her Arms - Volume 7.1 - Chapter 16.5

V

Xenia walked toward her as though nothing had happened. Olivia copied it like a mirror. When the distance between them was all but gone, they both came to a halt.

You seem to have finished your preparations. And yet... Xenia looked at Olivia’s forehead, then snickered. Don’t tell me that is what’s different? If so, I shall be terribly disappointed.

“You really do talk a lot. Not like Z.” Without any warning, Olivia’s foot whipped up at Xenia, sending it flying straight up. She went after it, unleashing an unbroken series of slashes as she caught up.

I stand corrected, it said as it parried her blows with its scythe. You are indeed different from before.

“Humans grow, you know.” Though she had been beaten to a pulp last time, her experience fighting Xenia combined with training specifically for this battle meant that to a degree, she was able to predict what it would do and move accordingly. As the great scythe slashed at her from the side, she slammed the ebony blade down onto it from above, using the recoil to jump over Xenia’s head. Twisting around, she kicked hard at its unprotected back, then released a volley of firebombs as Xenia advanced in a straight line toward the ground. Wreathed in flames, the god of death came to an abrupt stop just before it hit the ground, as though it had stopped time, then lowered its toes lightly to the ground. By the time Olivia made it back to the ground, the flames were gone without a trace.

A mere human could not grow enough for it to matter to me in such a short period of time, Xenia said. Explain.

“I trained with Z,” Olivia declared proudly.

Your explanation is grossly inadequate. There are limits to what even a supreme being can teach.

“Z told me that when humans have something to protect, they can do things beyond their limits. And I’ve now got more people I want to protect than I can count.”

In short, there is no real reason for how you came by this power? When Olivia nodded, Xenia’s shoulders shook with laughter. Z would never spout such nonsense.

“You only say that because you don’t know Z at all.”

I know nothing of Z? After we have come through eons together? Do not make me laugh.

“Time’s got nothing to do with it. I’ll prove it.” Olivia held the ebony blade level, then, running her finger along the blade, she traced the words Dimension Eater into the metal. At once, pain shot through her whole body like lightning. Olivia’s face twisted with pain. Mitigating the emerging melody of annihilation with the vast amount of Odh flowing through her body, she simultaneously manipulated her Odh with supreme finesse to use Ultimate Break Down Swift Step, the same technique she had used against Zebulla. Leaving behind all traces of her presence, she silently closed with Xenia. Her first blow followed without delay, taking off Xenia’s right arm. Xenia jumped back and her second blow did not meet its mark.

Humans never learn, it said, paying no attention to its severed limb. No matter how many times you cut off my arm—?! Xenia broke off, staring hard at its arm. Its face was just as blank as Z’s, making it difficult to read its emotions, but Olivia could sense its dismay.

What did you do?

Olivia was silent.

I asked you what you did! it shouted.

“Do you think I’ll tell you?” Olivia replied, her voice perfectly calm.

Inferior life-form... it hissed. You dare! 

Without warning, Olivia found herself enclosed in a great black sphere. Xenia clenched its left fist and the sphere gradually began to cave in with a heavy noise. Olivia slashed wildly at it but was unable to inflict any damage.

She heard Xenia’s voice from outside the sphere. In a single minute, the sphere and you in it will be erased from this world. Give up. 

“Giving up...” Olivia took a deep breath, then raised both arms high above her head, swapped the ebony blade to her other hand, and shouted, “...isn’t an option!”

Stabbing the sword down hard into the base of the sphere, the blade’s edge flashed with black light. As the sphere shattered apart, she leaped, immediately assuming a fighting stance, but Xenia was nowhere to be seen. Without dropping her guard, Olivia descended in free fall. As she did so, she caught sight of a scythe spinning silently toward her in her peripheral vision. By arching her upper body, she managed to avoid the blade by a hair. Still off-balance, the next thing she saw was Xenia closing in on her, its great scythe raised in both hands.

I can’t dodge that. In which case— With what time she had, she leaned to one side. As Xenia passed her, it tore a gash in her left shoulder. Even through the protective barrier that the magic ruby had bestowed upon her, the pain was terrible. Olivia couldn’t keep back the cry that escaped her. As she landed on the ground, she looked up. Xenia, short its right leg, sent black mist coiling around itself. Olivia had something Xenia did not—the fighting instinct and iron determination that Z had drilled into her. Now, they gave her a greater advantage. Xenia alighted on one foot.

Why does it not restore...? it wondered. Then it seemed to start. Surely not?! You didn’t teach that to the Deep Folk girl?! It fixed Olivia—or more accurately, the ebony blade in Olivia’s hand—with a furious stare. You betrayed us!!! it howled. The endless empty space twisted menacingly at the sound. Olivia was still gripped by excruciating pain that no ordinary person could have endured.

My body will only hold out another few minutes, she thought. And the effects of the magic ruby won’t last much longer either.

As though to cut off the sweat that continued to pour off her, Olivia used Ultimate Break Down Swift Step.

Offering support to a lowly human! Xenia spat. It is too much—Z will regret this when I throw your head at its feet!

Their blades clashed furiously, striking up, down, left, right, never staying in one place. The shock waves could not so much as die away, they came so ceaselessly.

Olivia was mildly astonished that the loss of its right arm and leg seemed to not have affected Xenia’s movements.

Still, it fights like an amateur. There are loads of openings I can take advantage of. Indeed, Xenia was struggling to fully counter Olivia’s mix of feints and real attacks. She had landed more than a few slashes on it. But I’m not getting through. I’m still not getting through.

The shock wave from Xenia’s scythe as it deflected her blade easily sent her flying.

Ngh! It’s carrying me off...! Olivia bit down instinctively on the tip of her tongue and just managed to keep her grip on consciousness. She hugged her knees and somersaulted to kill her momentum, then, the moment her right foot touched the ground, she launched into Ultimate Break Down Swift Step. She resumed her relentless rain of sword blows. At a glance, they might have appeared to be evenly matched, but Xenia was still just getting started.

Olivia, meanwhile, was bound by the magic ruby’s time constraints and was close to her physical limit. Above all, she felt like if she lost concentration even for a moment she would black out from pain. Can I really win against Xenia? she wondered. Then she spat out a mouthful of blood and her feelings of despair with it. It’s no good losing your nerve now, she told herself. Z said you can win, and Z never lies. That means you’re not using enough of your power yet. Remember your training! Hit faster! Harder!!!

Even as her own blood obscured her vision, Olivia’s sword attacks approached their zenith. But even that was not enough for her to land a fatal blow on Xenia. The moment she moved to a new position to avoid a blow from the scythe, indescribable agony shot through her. Not now...! She’d only left herself open for a second, but in this battle, that was all it took to seal her defeat. To make matters worse, instead of attacking with its scythe, Xenia kicked at her with the blade of its foot, a move so unexpected that her reaction came fatally slow. Xenia’s kick bounced off her head, violently rattling the inside of her skull. Her legs ceased to obey her, and she fell to her knees with a thud.

I am going to devour you entirely, Xenia said, its voice echoing discordantly. Unable to lift so much as a finger, Olivia was just barely aware of Xenia’s scythe swinging down.

Come on, move!!! she begged. But her plea went unheard. Thrumming with menace, the scythe reached the right side of her neck—then, without warning, Xenia vanished from sight.

“From here on, we do this together.” Following the voice, Olivia looked up to see Felix standing before her. She felt an inexplicable rush of happiness and a smile broke out across her face. “This is no time to be smiling,” Felix said.

“You’re right. I don’t know, I’m just really happy.”

Felix looked over to where he had sent Xenia flying. “I cannot use my right arm. I am sorry to say that all I can do is back you up.”

“Cool. Even that will be super helpful.”

“...It’s coming.”

Xenia came at them with deadly intensity, skimming over the ground with its scythe held out in front of it. Olivia and Felix both raised their swords to meet the attack. As the scythe slashed across parallel to the ground, they both immediately dodged with Ultimate Break Down Swift Step, then launched a simultaneous attack from both sides. Felix moved around picking up the gaps between Olivia’s attacks, but even then, Olivia grew more and more frantic as her attacks all barely missed. She slashed wildly with the ebony blade.

“Not enough!” The ebony blade danced wildly. “Not enough!” She slashed out hard. “Not even close to enough!!!” As the seemingly endless back-and-forth continued, Xenia’s scythe slashed once again at Olivia’s chest. It was easy enough to dodge. Olivia dropped, sliding over the ground and under the scythe. Just then, she caught sight of a new scythe that made her hair stand on end.

“Don’t you dare!” Before the attack reached her, Felix beat it down with his sword.

Begone, scum! Xenia shouted. Felix was sent flying by the shock wave, slamming repeatedly into the ground—then he stopped.

“Gyaaah!!!” Olivia pushed past her limits. The ebony blade was everywhere, like a riot of blossoms. Black beams of light streamed from her eyes as the blade moved faster and faster. Power far beyond any human kept her body from falling apart, then began to alter her physical appearance. The most explicit sign of this was the black blood that flowed from her nose.

There!

Olivia caught the slight waver in Xenia’s posture in the moment that it dodged her thrust. Twisting herself around recklessly, she laid the flat of her blade down at an angle, then, with a scooping motion, she flung the scythe up into the sky. Xenia threw itself back, landing sitting on the ground. Olivia set it in her sights, then, with a cry that burst from her whole body, she brought the ebony blade down. Xenia’s hand snapped up to grip the blade and block the attack, but Olivia paid this no attention. She kept pushing with every ounce of her strength.

Just a little—just a little bit further...! she thought. Just as the tip of her blade touched Xenia’s head, it began to be gradually pushed back. She no longer had the strength to push through again. With a cruel screech, their stalemate was broken. The ebony blade flew up in a high arc through the air above them. All that remained was the shattered fragments of the magic ruby. Olivia looked up as Xenia looked down at her. Their positions had been completely reversed.

I couldn’t keep my promise to return. I’m sorry, Claudia. I’m sorry, everyone... The scythe bore down mercilessly on her. All she could do was watch. Then, in her ear, she heard the voice of the man who fought alongside her—the man who, thinking he was dead, she had forced from her mind.

“Hundredth Order God Killer.” White light burst from Felix’s sword. It skimmed the top of Olivia’s head, then shot straight through Xenia’s defenseless form. Then—

“Huh? What...?” Olivia saw a woman swathed in white mist. She reached out a hand to stroke Xenia’s cheek, then wrapped the god of death in a loving embrace. It was like a scene out of a storybook. As Olivia stared in amazement, the woman looked at her with a tender smile. Now, this is your chance...

I knew an attuned was lurking in there! Xenia screamed. Let go of me! Let go! 

Xenia writhed, trying to break free of the woman’s grip. Its furious yells brought Olivia back to her senses. She summoned up all her remaining strength, then swung the ebony blade in a perfectly straight line. Xenia vanished in a burst of mist and incoherent shouts. As it did so, the great black gate began to crumble with a violent crashing. The woman vanished too, dissolving into the background. Tranquility returned to the white space...