Leaving Yuusuke and Lisha behind, Kanami and the Guardian with wings flew through the night sky. The Guardian used her wings, while Kanami used the recoil from the 'Grem (Karmic Wind Bullet)' to leap through the air.
They landed on the rooftop of a tall building, a rarity in this area. Below, sparse lights were visible. Kanami had already scattered the 'people-clearing' magic as bullets in the vicinity. Soon, any human presence in the area would vanish completely. That would mark the true beginning of their battle.
Kanami pointed both gun barrels and spoke aloud.
"Even though we're enemies, it's impolite not to introduce ourselves before a one-on-one duel. My name is Kanami Ländtor Sith Fador. If you at least choose to die as a human, then state your name."
The Guardian with wings returned a bored look in response to her speech. However, pierced by Kanami's unwavering gaze, she nodded slightly and answered.
"...I don't particularly care about how I'll die now, but I'll tell you my name. I am Irial. I won't ask for forgiveness; take this name with you to the underworld in your anger."
She didn't mention her surname, whether because she never had one or to avoid implicating her relatives, it wasn't clear. Regardless, announcing her name in this manner indicated that she was prepared to become humanity's enemy.
Kanami resolved her doubts and pressed her fingers on the trigger with determination.
The lights below vanished, and even the moonlight was obscured by clouds. Whether it was due to this or if one of them had sensed the beginning of their movements, the spear and bullets clashed in the darkness, creating a vivid display of light and sound.
Perhaps Irial had felt that long-range exchanges were unfavorable based on their earlier encounter, as she used her wings to close the distance rapidly.
Kanami responded by firing lead bullets in rapid succession, but Irial deflected them all with her spear and continued to advance.
As the distance closed even further, Irial activated magic. Six small-winged spheres appeared around Ilial.
"'Astra (Guardian Angel)'."
Kanami immediately performed a mid-air somersault.
The beams emitted by the Guardian Angel grazed her fluttering gothic dress. She was able to dodge all six beams simultaneously only because of her Shayka Eyes, which allowed her to predict the trajectory of the attacks in advance. Otherwise, avoiding them at this speed would have been impossible.
As she heard the sound of the building burning, Kanami cursed under her breath.
"You really do love automation to the extreme, huh?"
She reloaded her guns while taking steps.
In this situation, Irial had the advantage in terms of speed and firepower. The distance between them was now minimal. Kanami skillfully evaded the consecutive beams while squeezing the trigger.
"If it's a battle of speed, I'm up for it."
'Voltra (Hundred Thunder Bullets)'.
What was unleashed from her twin guns was a swarm of blinding white light that filled the rooftop. Hundreds of branching lightning bolts tore through the air and scattered indiscriminately.
The Guardian Angel also fired beams to intercept the thunder, but it was overwhelmed by the thundering attacks from multiple directions.
In the meantime, Irial had closed the distance to Kanami.
In an instant, she launched a three-hit thrust. Facing the approaching strikes aimed at her face, chest, and abdomen, Kanami dodged the first strike and parried the rest with the gun barrels.
Leaving behind sparking flashes, Kanami cast her own magic at Irial.
At close range, it wasn't just about the distance of the spear; she aimed the gun barrels and pulled the triggers. Just doing that allowed her to unleash attacks that were on par with the spear thrust.
Moreover, it didn't require any recoil.
In an instant, six bullets were fired at Irial.
At that moment, Irial's eyes widened.
'Blast (Heavy Bombs).'
With a deafening explosion, flames swelled, enveloping Irial in six fireballs.
"――!"
But it didn't end there. Kanami had also preloaded four 'Grem (Karmic Wind Bullet),' and she fired them into the flames.
The tempest swirled, becoming a storm of flames. Illuminating the night sky as bright as midday, the fiery tornado ascended into the sky with the force of a dragon taking flight.
A human swallowed by the fiery dragon's belly would normally turn to ash in an instant.
But Irial was no ordinary Guardian, having been chosen as one of the guardians.
Gradually, within the blazing flames, a bright white light intensified.
In the next moment, within the storm, the wings of light flapped vigorously, blowing away the flames along with their radiance.
Unscathed, Irial narrowed her eyes within the white light.
"That gun of yours, it's a magic tool, isn't it? Engraved magic for generating magic bullets. It seems you can generate six bullets at once for each gun."
Kanami reloaded her gun while spinning it in her hand and retorted.
"Satisfied with flaunting your ability to see the obvious, are you?"
As Irial had deduced, Kanami's revolver was a magic tool created by the Fador Empire. It was named 'Felger.'
Felger could generate six magic bullets with each reload. While the Gorin-shiki (Five element) magic guns used by anti-demon only enhanced the power of bullets, this one constructed the bullets themselves with magic.
Therefore, the choice of bullets was versatile. Kanami created magic bullets as needed, allowing for multi-faceted attacks. That was her way of fighting.
"Your magic, as Yuusuke-sama mentioned, is indeed based on the wings. But the magic you cast is quite simple, desu~wa."
The mechanism was similar to magic circles. Due to the limited surface area of the wings, the magic she could use had to remain relatively simple.
In the end, both Irial and Kanami were aiming for the same form of magic. Quickly activate magic, then overwhelm the opponent with both quantity and power.
Perhaps Irial's magic was inherently suited for forming and maintaining magic circles.
If it were Yuusuke, as soon as he saw through the opponent's magic, he would charge in without hesitation and crush them, no questions asked.
But this time, this opponent was entrusted to Kanami.
This task was something only she could accomplish.
It was a request from someone she could only look up to as a distant existence, someone she had admired from afar.
Kanami felt a weight she had never experienced before.
With frills and hair swaying, the princess laughed aloud.
"Well then, we may not have food or music, but let's have an enjoyable dance, shall we?"
Instead of taking each other's hands, the two of them pointed their gun barrels and spearheads at each other, surging with magic power.
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