I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　There are four people in this room, including Iris. The restrained Aria and the man in white who kept his distance - Kufilio. And the boy in front of Iris, Kufilio.
　Of the two Kufilio's, only one seems to be able to participate in the battle.
　The white-robed Kufilio stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes.

The white-robed Kufilio narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin, "Hmm, make it quick, Kufilio. It's going to take a while, including the time to fix the device. The longer Iris is gone, the more cautious she'll become. If that happens, even if you become Aria, you will fail.
"Becoming Aria: ......?

　Iris heard those words and checked the devices around her.
　At least she knew that the one attached to Aria was 'not good' for her.
　Seeing Kufilio in the form of a boy, Iris guessed everything. --He's been living in the same way for years now, changing his body.

That's it. That's why he's still a child.
Kufilio, even though you're going to kill him, I don't think it's a good idea to reveal too much ...... about him.
"Hahahaha!　That's part of who I am, isn't it?

　If it is possible to transfer memories, it is also possible to copy them.
　It's the same person, even if the body of the differently shaped Kufilio here is different. The Darkness of the Empire--if it possesses such an inhumane technology, then the word "darkness" is certainly correct.
　But now Iris is not going to mention that issue.
　There's only one thing to do - defeat Kufilio in front of him to save Aria.

"Good concentration. If you had taken one more step, that blow would have gone right through my guts, wouldn't it?
"......

　Iris doesn't answer. He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and took a slight step forward.

But that step is far, isn't it?
"...... Yes, it is.

　Kufilio's point is not wrong.
　One more step and Iris would have defeated Kufilio. But if she had taken that step, her neck, which was bleeding slightly, would have tingled. It was a pain that made him realize that he was fighting for his life.
　Kufilio had also fired a blow to kill Iris.

"Hmm...

　He exhaled a small breath.
　This pain is a hindrance to Iris right now.
　All he needed to do was to focus his attention. In order to save Aria, all you need to do is to defeat Kufilio.
　In order to do that, Iris does not pay any attention to the fatigue and pain in her body.
All she needs is the sensation of grasping the SHI-DEN, and she will leave everything behind to complete the Princess of the Sword.

I'm coming.

　These words were like a switch for Iris.
　At the same time, Iris kicked the ground with her left foot. She closed the distance between her and Kufilio and flashed.

"The same thing--!

　Kufilio took a large step backward, trying to block with his dagger.
　He must have sensed something in Iris' blow. As if to give him a further push, Iris swung the "purple light".
　With a slight cracking sound, lightning flashed. This is not Iris's magic power, but the unique lightning of the SHI-DEN. It does not scatter around, but glows as if it were wrapped around the blade.
　Kufilio deflected and avoided Iris's blow. He quickly adjusted his stance, and this time Kufilio stepped forward.
　A piercing blow. Iris blocked it with her blade. The sound of metal scraping echoed, and Kufilio slid his blade - Iris moved the "purple light" slightly as if to play it, and deflected the trajectory of Kufilio's dagger.
　The technique of sliding the blade against the blade -- this is something that Kufilio can do. Even though he thought he had defended himself, the dagger would reach his body in an instant.
　The fact that Kufirio could move in such a way as to slide the tip of the blade calmly in the midst of battle showed that he possessed such outstanding skills.
　However, that technique would not work on Iris right now. He just watches his opponent's movements and reacts to them - like a built in system.

I see, in terms of swordsmanship, she is certainly worthy of the name "Princess Swordsman", which is borrowed from the name "Swordsman".
The only thing that will come out of your praise will be the blow that kills you.
"Haha, that's great!　But I didn't say that to praise you. But I didn't say that to praise you. My skills are only for killing. ...... I won't stay with your fighting style forever.

　With those words, a black hole appeared around Kufilio.
　It's the same magic that Aria uses. No, it's the same magic that Aria learned from Kufilio. It's a spell that connects space to space and allows things to pass through.
　It's a different type of magic than the usual "attribute magic", and can be categorized as "non-attribute magic", which is a unique type.
　If you look around you, you can see a black hole appearing around Iris. What Kufilio took out were several blades.

Let's see you dance.

　He shoots several blades into the black hole.
　As soon as they are inside, they fly out of the other holes toward Iris.
　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.


　From one hole to another--the blades fly erratically at Iris.
　But Iris was not intimidated. Just as Kufilio had said, she danced around the blades as if she were dancing, and then she swung her "purple light" to knock them away. But...

"!
"Iris!

　The one who screamed out in grief was Aria.
　The chains holding her made a cracking sound.
　The pain that runs down her back. Even Iris had a hard time avoiding all of it - but she didn't look back.
　Two more blows. Two more blows, one to the arm and one to the thigh, piercing the blade - and then Iris took a big step forward.
　Kufilio's eyes widen in surprise. It's a risk to take a big step forward when you don't know where the blade is going to come from. 　
　But she came towards Kufirio without hesitation to break the situation.
　She unleashed a thrust. She pointed the blade straight at Kufilio, but was blocked by the dagger.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. It was the same technique that Kufilio had shown earlier. It was the same technique that Kufilio had shown earlier. Even after all this time, Iris was still using the enemy's techniques in her fight.

"Hahahaha!　That's really funny!
"No, it's not funny at all. I'm not funny. I'm going to break that relaxed expression right now.
Yeah, I'll kill you, too.

　Once again, Kufilio unleashes his blade.
　The Kuro Hole appears around him, and Kufilio himself closes the distance to Iris.
　As they crossed blades, more blades flew from around them. Iris moves her body slightly to avoid them.
　--She is able to do this because of her training with Arutha. In one-on-one combat with a sword, Iris is close to being the strongest.
　But in a fight with an assassin like Kufilio, there are always a lot of twists and turns.
　It's not like I've never experienced anything like this before, where blades are flying at you from different directions.
　However, Iris dodged them and continued to slash at Kufilio.
　The pain in her back increased with every movement, and she bled profusely from the blade that had pierced her limb.
　As fresh blood danced around her, Iris's consciousness began to fade away.

"Squirrel!　--
(Aria ......?)

　I can hear Aria's voice.
　But she can't hear well. Yes, Iris stood here, trying not to focus on most of the sensations. But the pain is increasing, because now Iris is starting to lose her concentration.
　With wounds all over her body, Iris finally turned her gaze to Aria.
　A brief moment in the middle of battle. He saw Aria's grief-stricken expression.

"Don't be silly!
No!

　She flicked back Kufirio's blade with a squeal.
　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I have.
　The reason why she has such an expression is because of what she is now. Anger at Kufilio, and anger at herself.
　The next blow would surely reach Kufirio.
　But Iris' body stops there. She loses her balance and almost falls to the ground.
　Kufirio doesn't miss it. He immediately takes a step forward and approaches Iris to put the finishing touches on her.

(I--)

　I lost. I'm still not convinced of that fact. I tighten my grip on the SHI-DEN and try to block Kufilio's blow somehow. Just then, Kufilio noticed something and moved backwards. --Iris's feet collapsed under her and her body fell.
　However, someone immediately supports Iris' body.
　Surprised, Iris looks at the person and can't help but feel a sense of relief. He had told her that she could rely on him.

"Iris, are you at your limit?

　The boy - Alta - looks at Iris and says.
　Glancing backward, he saw that he had cut through the wall. In any case, Iris smiles and replies to Arta's unorthodox question.

I can still do it.
So, I'll leave it to you.

　You'll be able to find a lot more than that in the market.
　He is already beyond his limits. But still, Arta leaves it to Iris.

I'm surprised. I'm surprised you're here, and I'm surprised the kid can still fight. But I don't know if that's a good thing - she's going to die.
It's not up to you. That's for you to decide. And--



　Alta glanced at Aria.
　With Arutha there, it was safe to assume that she was at least safe. Iris ran towards Kufirio again.