She had been told to test the power of the Night Banquet Temple. At Swordtail's words, Saya's body twitched slightly.
But she showed no sign of moving beyond that.
Under the sunlight, the dark pupils deep within her eye sockets blinked with a look of bewilderment.
"? I'll say it again. Use your ability to kill them."
Had she not heard? She issued the command once more.
But still, Saya didn't move.
She had heard that the Mask of Punishment binding Saya and Kaiser's spirits was absolute... yet Kaiser, also a Level 8, was clearly moving.
The situation was entirely in their favor. Skytail glared at Klahi and the others, Kaiser stood frozen like a statue, and Swordtail had his sword drawn and ready at all times.
It wasn't really a problem if Saya didn't move now—though it was somewhat concerning.
Swordtail issued his command to Saya once more, his tone harsher this time.
"Night Banquet Temple! I'm ordering you again! Activate your ability and eliminate them! This is an order!"
It was at that moment he shouted.
Saya, who had been staring straight at them—the twin eyes visible through the holes in her mask suddenly squeezed shut.
Her hands drifted up in a wavering motion to cover her face.
Had she given up? Was she saying she couldn't kill them?
She was Level 8. If she refused to obey orders, leaving her be would be far too dangerous. They would have no choice but to dispose of her.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak— From somewhere came a strange rustling sound.
Like sand spilling, like fabric rubbing together— "?? What is that woman—what's going on?"
"Nn!?"
He involuntarily took a step back. From behind Saya's hands, which now covered her face, something like black smoke was seeping out.
Not the black of soot. That darkness, black as the abyss itself, blanketed the entire sky in an instant.
It wasn't magic. There was none of the telltale aura that accompanied magical activation from Saya's body. Klahi and the others' expressions had gone rigid as well.
At that moment, one of the soldiers—the man who had earlier identified himself as part of the Dontan Family—screamed in terror.
"This—this sound—this rustling sound—aaaaaaaaah!?"
Enemy, ally, soldier—everyone present was swallowed up by the situation. The only one showing no reaction was Kaiser, still under the mask's control.
And then the world was enveloped in a thin darkness.
The rustling sound only grew louder.
A bad premonition struck him. This ability was—something was wrong.
The darkness spilling from her eyes stopped. Saya's hands lifted away from the mask. The eyes that now spilled from her sockets were different from before—they were red, the red of blood.
He hurriedly issued another command.
"Kill them!!"
His senses were going haywire. Something was wrong. He could feel it—an infinite number of presences that hadn't been there before.
At some point, the road had been covered with countless footprints. Bright red barefoot prints, starting from the far end of the road and vanishing right at Saya's feet.
And then, abruptly, bloody palm prints appeared on the Mask of Punishment covering Saya's face.
As if—something were touching it.
"This is a strange ability—this is bad, Swordtail!"
"I know that!"
Something was clearly wrong. Saya's thoughts were bound by the mask.
But the command wasn't being carried out.
He drew his blade. To take Saya's head. She was within range. With Swordtail's arm, it wouldn't take even an instant.
"Nn!? This—is—"
He heard the rustling sound. Somewhere in that sound lurked a primal terror.
The blade that should have taken her head couldn't even be drawn. Something was pressing down on Swordtail's arm. With the force of a vice—finger marks were left on his wrist. But it was no transparent creature.
"Skytail!"
"Gu—dammit—"
Skytail's body was suspended in midair. A handprint remained on his neck. Something was gripping Skytail's throat and lifting him up.
The absolute void he generated—the power that deflected all interference—wasn't working at all.
No—Swordtail realized with intuition.
What was pressing on his arm had appeared suddenly. Most likely, whatever was strangling Skytail had also emerged from within the barrier.
Saya's Mask of Punishment creaked and warped. Something was trying to forcibly tear it from her face.
Saya let out a scream, but whatever it was showed no mercy.
And then—the mask was ripped away and fell to the ground.
This was bad.
He tried to create distance, but the force pinning his arm showed no signs of weakening.
And then—Saya's face was freed from the mask.
Jet-black long hair, a complexion drained of all color, and—eyes that blazed crimson as blood. The rustling sound that had been growing louder now multiplied many times over.
Level 8 Hunter. Night Banquet Temple—Saya Kuromizu.
Swordtail and Skytail possessed power that rivaled or even surpassed high-level Hunters, but the girl before them was on an entirely different level.
She was far too alien. His arm... wouldn't move. His sword... couldn't be drawn.
There was nothing there. At least, nothing that Swordtail could see. But presences—countless vague, hazy presences—surrounded them.
And then, without even glancing at Swordtail—her enemy—Saya took a small breath and spoke for the first time.
"Whew... that was close. I didn't think I'd actually be able to use my ability in the morning..."
"..."
But it wasn't over yet. Saya was letting her guard down.
He had misjudged. He had failed. He shouldn't have let her use her ability. He should have killed her instantly—before his arm was sealed. He shouldn't have listened to Jean's request.
This was—without question, an ability that could make someone the boss of an organization.
But while the ability was certainly powerful, her body was fragile. He had heard about the time she was captured.
He read Saya's breathing. The instant her consciousness—ever so slightly turned toward them—was interrupted, Swordtail kicked a piece of rubble from the ground with all his might.
A chunk of debris the size of a human head hurtled toward Saya at high speed, right on target. Almost simultaneously, Swordtail charged toward her.
His arm still wouldn't move. True, Swordtail's essence was swordsmanship, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight without a blade.
He would finish this—right here, right now.
For the first time, Saya showed a reaction as Swordtail closed the distance in an instant. Her crimson eyes gleamed.
"You—understand nothing. You should have killed me quickly—before I had a chance to use my power."
"Nn!?"
The rubble he had kicked in a surprise attack broke apart just moments before reaching Saya. The rustling sound echoed right beside his ear.
Swordtail's body struck something. A knee strike powerful enough to easily kill a person failed to reach her small frame.
That was when Swordtail finally noticed.
Reflected in Saya's crimson eyes—something other than himself.
Saya let out a soft sigh and spoke in a near-whisper.
"Kaiser, do your job for once—at least for the finale."
Kaiser, who had been waiting for an order, collapsed to the ground.
No—something was pressing down on him from above.
Countless palm prints surfaced on the mask worn by the crumbling Kaiser.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Saya Kuromizu. Saya of the Night Banquet Temple. And this—is my 'rustling.' You can't see them, can you? But they're clearly visible to me—these children of mine."
It was said that witches gained their power through pacts with demons. But this was no summoning.
This was—a Mystic Eye.
The power to perceive and command autonomous, terrifying entities!
No—not merely command.
If she could command them, then Saya should have obeyed Swordtail's order, and these rustling things should have killed Klahi.
The only thing he knew for certain now was this: With this power, this woman had fought for seven days and seven nights.
To think that a Level 8 like this existed—to think she could take on both Skytail and Swordtail simultaneously, even if it was a surprise attack!
Kaiser's mask was torn away, and his spirit was freed.
Kaiser crumpled to the ground, but quickly rose to his feet and clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Dammit—what a mess I've made. To think that Kaiser Jigurudo would be rendered completely useless during the Level 9 trial. Truly, if not for Saya, this would have been the worst humiliation of my life. Or perhaps... this was all part of Thousand Transformations' plan?"
Saya looked at Kaiser with exasperation as he showed no concern whatsoever for the bizarre situation around them.
"There's still cleanup to be done, you know."
From the distance came the sounds of battle between Jean's forces and the allied armies of the other royal families.
Skytail, still strangled and suspended in the air, raised an arm and turned his palm toward Kaiser.
The surrounding soldiers had been completely overwhelmed and rendered useless. Saya retreated to a safer distance and caught her breath.
Klahi, who had been frozen until now, enveloped himself in lightning.
It wasn't over—the battle wasn't decided yet.
Kaiser shrugged and, as if recovering his composure, broke into a grin.
"Exactly! Absolutely right, Saya! This Army-Breaking Heaven Dance has nothing to be ashamed of! And truth be told—I'm quite skilled at cleanup work myself. After all, I've handled the aftermath of wars across fifteen kingdoms. We'll leave the main show to Thousand Transformations, so let me dance for the finale, won't you?"
And in the darkness deeper than night itself, the rustling sound echoed on.