"...That's fine."
Hina made a suggestion that was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious. I politely declined and pointed at one of the horns jutting out from the dragon's head. With Hina's permission, I embraced the horn and pressed against it.
...From above, Hina pressed against my back, embracing me tightly.
"Princess Hina?"
"We're taking off. ...Hold on tight with your teeth."
"Ah..."
Hina interrupted my question and warned me with a fearless smile. In an instant, I felt a floating sensation, as if my body was being lifted.
Already, the dragon had pierced through the clouds. And then, it descended rapidly...!!
"....!!?"
It was like an incredibly intense roller coaster ride. Even more astonishing than that. The sensation of floating, centrifugal force, and the surrounding scenery assaulted me, becoming a primal source of fear. I instinctively clutched the dragon's horn tightly. Hina, who was embracing me from behind, held on even tighter. Various thoughts crossed my mind, but above all, I felt a sense of relief.
"I can see it."
Amidst the sound of tearing through the sky, Hina murmured by my ear. Despite the overwhelming wind pressure pounding against my entire body, I widened my eyes to confirm her words. We were still at a high altitude, and when I looked around, I could see a rounded horizon. I directed my gaze downwards. Yes, I saw it clearly—it was the lake.
"All right, here we go."
"Huh?"
As Hina declared, she separated me from the dragon's horn. She then grabbed my waist and wrist, kicking the dragon's head. Wait, wait, wait, wait!!?
"That's... that's seriously dangeroussss!!?"
‘ヾ(*´∇`)ﾉ I'm gonna dieee!!’
Like a fired cannonball, Hina and I were propelled forward from the dragon. We leapt off, and immediately, an overwhelmingly powerful gust of wind assaulted my body. Various foolish words resounded in my mind, but I had no energy to retort. I involuntarily grimaced. Tears welled up in my eyes. And then, I screamed. After all, the ground rapidly approached. It's dangerous, we're going to crash...!!
"Kaze Makura (Wind Pillow)."
But my concerns were unfounded. As soon as Hina swung her drawn sword, the resulting wind pressure cushioned our descent, drastically reducing our falling speed. We landed gently, as if a parachute had been deployed.
"...Huff, huff. That was close, wasn't it?"
‘(；∀；) Extreme sport might be too late!!’
Exhausted by the roller coaster-like experience, my heart raced foolishly while I collapsed onto my knees, heaving sighs. Hey, White Spider, you're a nuisance...!!
"Princess Hina, this is...this is really too much!!"
As I expressed my deep unease about the overly exciting mode of transportation, I recalled Hina's character setting as a lover of scream-inducing attractions. I remembered how, as a child, I used to swing on swings with an absurd amount of force. Irrelevant memories flooded my mind.
"Well, this is the place... Now, let's welcome them."
"Wha--"
‘...!! (゜ロ゜ノ)ノAwawa!? They're already!?’
While I was thoroughly shaken, Hina remained calm and surveyed the surroundings. She muttered indifferently. I, too, sensed a presence and stood up with ragged breaths. I readied my spear. Unexpectedly, even the white spiders were astonished.
Emerging as if waiting from the rock shadows or the water's surface were various youkai creatures: lizards, gold snakes, Mamushi Snake, alligators, turtles, soft-shelled turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders... A horde of small creatures the size of dogs and larger ones easily surpassing the weight of cows. Their mouths open, baring their fangs and extending their tongues. With cold, reptilian eyes, they fixate on me and Hina, instantly recognizing us as prey and closing in. I instinctively try to step forward in front of Hina to fulfill my role as her servant, but...
"Disappear."
It ended in an instant. With a gust of wind like a storm, Hina brandishes her drawn sword. She swings it around as if dancing. Before even counting to five, the slaughtered youkai creatures surpass fifty, and by the time I reach ten, the number nears a hundred. It was a massacre, a slaughter. Screams resound one after another, echoing throughout the entire area, and the surface of the riverbank's water is dyed a dark, bloody red. Annoyingly so.
...And it was nothing more than a provocation to attract the main target.
"They've come...!?"
Emerging from the water's surface, almost in a semi-bipedal posture, was a giant salamander, roughly the size of a small hill. It roared with an angry expression, directing its fury towards the humans who indiscriminately slaughtered its minions.
"Whoa!!"
"Don't leave my side, you'll be caught in the crossfire."
Hina immediately grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. Our shoulders pressed against each other. And then, she activated her power, her ability.
"Enbu Jigokuhen (Inferno Dance of Hell)."
With a light swing of her sword, flames engulfed the surroundings in a whirlwind. Hina's supernatural ability, extraordinary flames that brought about annihilation, spread across the area.
Like a tsunami, it surged forward, engulfing all the surrounding youkai and their corpses. Everything burned. There was no escape. Even if they fled into the water, it was futile. Hina's power wasn't simply fire; it was the concept of 'negation' taking the form of fire.
"Be careful of the fires. I've designated it to target only the youkai, but... I'm still inexperienced. Sometimes, it ends up burning other things too."
Hina sighed, and if I followed her gaze, I could see an example of that. Objects surrounding us, also engulfed in flames, had only specific parts burned away. A large boulder, for instance, had a corner disappearing as if a sugar cube had melted, creating a surreal and unreal scene.
'Roarrrr!!?'
"What!? It's still alive!?"
Within the raging inferno, the giant salamander continued to rage, its entire body turned into a massive torch, yet it moved as if nothing was happening. The power of 'annihilation' didn't affect it...?
"No, that's not it... It's the mucus."
Hina stared at the great youkai before her and discerned the reason why her power wasn't effective. The salamander continuously secreted mucus from its entire body, creating a barrier that prevented its flesh and 'annihilation' flames from coming into contact.
"I could continue burning it until the mucus dries up..."
"No, Princess. That might be difficult."
"What?... I see, that's true."
As Hina made a suggestion, I voiced my disagreement. At the same time, I pointed to a location, and Hina also acknowledged my opinion.
The salamander had submerged half of its body into the lake. However, it wasn't to escape from the 'annihilation' flames.
The salamander absorbed water from the lake through its lower body, as if it were breathing through its skin. It replenished the mucus that was consumed in large quantities to counter Hina's power from the water in the lake. It was clear that a battle of attrition would be futile due to the vastness of the lake.
"In that case, how about this?"
Hina swung her sword as if to say that if burning wasn't feasible, then cutting would suffice. However, the mucus was versatile. The thick film of mucus intercepted even the impact of the wind blades. The blades couldn't pierce through to the body. It would likely be the same even if she directly thrust her sword into it.
Mocking us after nullifying Hina's attack, the grotesque creature growled. Then, it shook its entire body, unleashing splashes of burning mucus towards us...!!
"Hmph!"
Instead of water droplets, it was a shower of fiery droplets. Hina stood in front of me, and with a swing of her sword, she deflected them. However, it was a trap. Immediately afterward, a dark liquid was released straight towards us. The venom approached...!!
"Don't move from behind me."
"Princess Hina!?"
Hina uttered words of caution as I tried to respond. My movements slowed. In that instant, with a sizzling sound, the young girl's body before me dissolved. It turned into a doll-like figure that crumbled like mud. The clothes sagged halfway due to the partially melted fabric, revealing the festering, poisoned skin that burned and became a fresh, pristine white, akin to newly fallen snow. The surrounding scenery danced with sparks and ash, engulfed in scorching flames.
"This is the end!"
'Grr...!!?'
In an instant, flames spread before my eyes, accompanied by words spoken in a calm tone. Almost simultaneously, a thrown sword pierced through the mouth of the mountain pepper fish.
The thrown sword, moving at a speed faster than sound, tore through the youkai's head itself, twisting and tearing it apart. Even the formidable mouth couldn't withstand the impact of the sword being driven into it.
With a thud, the great youkai lost its head and collapsed. I found myself speechless, my mouth gaping open in a foolish manner. Silence dominated the surroundings...
"...Well then, is this what it's come to? Hahaha, surprisingly potent poison. Did it melt not just the flesh, but even the bones?"
Breaking the silence, my childhood friend's casual remark echoed in my ears. At the same time, I understood what she had been aiming for. Along with that understanding, however, I couldn't help but feel anger at her reckless action.
"Princess Hina! No matter what, this kind of reckless approach...!!"
Before I could restrain myself, words of admonishment were about to escape my lips... but in the next moment, the scene before me robbed me of speech. I lost my words.
It was utterly divine. The doll standing there was draped in attire partially melted and hanging by the dissolving liquid. The exposed, poison-ravaged skin was a grotesque sight, yet it was currently burning and turning a fresh, pure white like newly fallen snow. The surroundings were filled with sparks and ashes dancing in the inferno.
Continuing to be embraced by scorching flames, what was reborn from the crimson lotus was a slender, fragile figure with a meager flesh. The girl, with delicate lines, had a somewhat perverse semi-nude appearance.
She was truly a phoenix. The embodiment, anthropomorphization of a phoenix, an immortal bird... such words involuntarily came to mind. I sighed, captivated by the fantastical sight before me. And as I did, the first princess of Onitsuki noticed my gaze and turned around, her crimson eyes locking onto mine.
"Well then, it's getting quite late. We shouldn't linger any longer... Shall we return to the camp?"
Her hair fluttering in the hot wind, the princess extended her white hand, which had miraculously turned back to normal from the decayed state just moments ago. She wore a gentle smile brimming with boundless affection as she incinerated everything in her surroundings...
"...Yes."
While still entranced by the scene, I answered like a delirious person. As I answered, I hesitantly reached out my hand toward the outstretched palm.
...With a mixture of relief that she was unharmed and indescribable anxiety and fear.
The mid-afternoon sky had completely turned to the deep crimson hue of twilight....
Fan art:
Title: The lonely Miss Murasaki, "Stop, those words affect me..."
