Chapter 34: The Girl and the Boar
The majestic ancient fortress of Nuraghe has now mostly become nothing more than a complete heap of stone rubble.
On the other side, the still barely preserved part of the fortress had already been deserted by the few remaining locals, scared away long ago—leaving only a boy and two girls behind.
A silver-haired girl stood on a steep slope, her expression solemn, displaying the resolute pride of a knight. Her beautiful silver hair was tied into a long straight ponytail. Her slender beauty and petite figure formed a perfect combination, like a fairy of the moon descending to earth.
Both hailed as child prodigies of Milan, acknowledged for their extraordinary talents at the age of twelve, and officially knighted and gifted with the holy sword of Saint Raphael, Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar had been bound together by such a shared destiny from a young age.
"Lily, we really are tied together by the bonds of fate," Erica said, seemingly having completely forgotten how just moments ago she had been beaten into a sorry state. Her gaze flitted between the boy and the silver-haired girl.
She keenly sensed that there was some unknown connection between the two.
However, she ruled out "love" outright.
Liliana Kranjcar spoke in a tone far too serious and formal for her gender and age. Though flawless in both appearance and intellect, she would make a fine knight, a good wife, even a great mother—but never the kind of girl men loved most, the sweet and pampering type like an adorable kitten.
As for the chance that this inexplicably strong young warrior boy might have that kind of relationship with Liliana Kranjcar, Erica saw no possibility at all.
"Please don't use such overly familiar ways of addressing me. Our meeting was not a coincidence... Don't make me repeat what I've already said, alright?"
"Okay, Lily," Erica replied without changing her attitude in the slightest.
Liliana's face showed visible displeasure, yet she somehow looked rather cute. She then turned to look at Hikigaya, who was watching the scene like a spectator, her expression tinged with hesitation and helplessness.
Realizing this, Hikigaya was speechless—because right behind the three of them, that pig was wreaking havoc on the ancient cultural relic that the locals took pride in.
Though he didn't know what exactly these two women were up to, was it really okay for them to be neglecting their duties like this? Aren't you two magicians from Italy?
"Ahem…"
Hikigaya cleared his throat, then pointed to the jet-black pig that was growing more excited by the moment. The powers of anger and destruction were already overflowing from that dark mass, spreading toward the trio's location.
"You're really not going to go beat that thing up? This place is pretty much toast already, right?"
Just as he finished speaking, a giant stone flew over his head, smashing the archway behind him to bits.
Well, so much for the "peerless Nuraghe fortress." By tomorrow, it'll be a pile of rubble.
Hikigaya noticed the two Italian girls looked clearly annoyed and embarrassed. He was pretty sure his guess as to the reason for their embarrassment was correct.
"Hehe, what a mischievous beast," Erica said, making a beckoning motion. The magic sword that Hikigaya had previously knocked from her hand flew back into her grasp. "Well then, Lily, shall we begin? After all, that is divine power we're dealing with—I wouldn't be so arrogant as to not invite you."
"I told you not to call me so intimately…"
Liliana glanced cautiously at Hikigaya, but seeing that he showed no objections and even looked quite pleased as he sat down on a rock nearby, she relaxed a bit. Then, turning back to Erica, she regained her stern tone—a display that Hikigaya took in with amusement.
"But sparring with you is indeed very tempting. I'll accept your invitation."
"Of course. I've never been turned down before," Erica said with a proud laugh—only for it to come to an abrupt stop.
Clearly, she had just remembered how someone had flatly rejected her not long ago, and even taught her a harsh lesson…
But it didn't matter much. After a momentary distraction due to a certain someone, the two girls snapped into full combat mode.
They began chanting their spell.
"Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani! My God! Why have You forsaken me!"
"People, hear the Lament of David! Why have the heroes fallen! Why have their weapons perished!"
Just like the spells of China and Japan, the Western spells also draw from history and mythology.
The incantation Erica Blandelli chanted was one of hatred and despair, while Liliana's "Song of the Bow" was a lament for the fallen ancient heroes.
Both were top-tier combat magics capable of wounding even gods—one of the reasons why the girls had already reached the rank of great knight at such a young age.
Of course, Hikigaya had no clue about any of that—but that didn't stop him from thinking, "I don't understand it, but it looks really cool."
It felt like watching the final part of a movie trilogy in the theater without having seen the first two.
You had no idea what the plot was, but the special effects were awesome.
He noticed that a massive amount of spell energy was gathering around the two girls—so intense that even a god-slayer could not ignore the ominous feeling it gave off.
This made him immediately realize that the magic they were using was likely the highest-level spell capable of harming gods.
"We declare in the name of our Lord, standing at the center of the world to serve before You, and offer praise!"
"O bow of Jonathan, weapon of heroes swift as eagles, strong as lions—it is now the time to come into my hands!"
The magic energy continued to rise. Even the divine avatar that had been demolishing the ruins seemed to notice. It turned its massive body, blood-red eyes glaring toward the trio—more precisely, the two girls.
Feeling that pure malice from a higher being, the girls couldn't suppress a chill in their hearts.
But since this was only an incomplete god—just an avatar—the oppressive pressure was not yet enough to crush the hearts of the girls. They only felt slightly uncomfortable before regaining composure and then shouting out their curses.
"Retreat at once, O god! Lose your light! Cease your breath!"
That was Erica's shout—fitting her violent personality perfectly.
If a human were the target, they would really go blind and their heart would stop. But for a god, it was a different matter.
Anyway, Hikigaya didn't see any sign that the pig's vision had worsened. If anything, it just looked more like a severe case of red-eye, and its temper had gotten even worse…
For example, it was now charging straight at them with a deafening roar.
Its cry turned into a shockwave. With every step, its enormous body made the earth tremble.
"Those who block my path shall suffer calamity! Dust to dust! Ashes to ashes!"
Liliana shouted as well.
She pointed at the plants, which all crumbled into sand and dust. Then, as her finger pointed toward the pig's body…
"ROOOOOOOAAAAR—!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the beast's mouth. Hikigaya didn't know if it was just his imagination, but it felt like the pig was laughing…
As expected, this was hopeless. Just one avatar was like this, and these two girls were basically just posturing.
Shaking his head, Hikigaya stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and looked toward the wild boar that was now completely closing in.
So ugly. Hurry up and kill it already…