I can hear the laughter. A high-pitched laugh, a baboon, a baboon.

　A horrible, yet unpleasant voice. Ever since I started hearing this voice in my sleep, there is no such thing as a good night's sleep in Wisteria.

　To be honest, that perception hasn't changed much since I learned of the existence of the same source being (anima). The thought of whether such a thing was really another me always flickered in Wisteria's mind.

　Even now, the Demon God is laughing at her again. He is laughing at the Catalan Desert, where a storm of unimaginable destruction is brewing.

　Just as a horde of demons is closing in, they are swept away by a terrifying ice storm, and shortly afterwards a huge rush of light swallows up the ice storm as well, turning the vision silver.

　Wisteria has no idea what's happening. However, there are some things we do know. What is currently unfolding in front of us is a fierce battle in the divine realm. If you take even one step outside of the invisible barrier that Sora has created, the Wisteria will be reduced to a fine powder of dust and disappear the moment you do so.

　The only thing I can do is to watch in silence. At the very least, you can slump to the ground so as not to get in the way of the fighting Sora.

　The haplessness of the first swordsman's appearance is unintentionally accompanied by a smile of self-mockery. Perhaps the demon god is laughing at his pathetic host. If so, I may have been able to communicate with the same source being (anima) for the first time - that's when Wisteria was caught up in such a backward-looking thought.


'Wisteria,'

Yes?


　Suddenly, Wisteria raises her depressed face in a hurry when Sora calls out to her. She was not expecting it at all, so depending on how you listen, it might have sounded like a "hiya".

　In contrast to the panicked Wisteria, Sora asked in a calm voice.


''I ask you, is there any way to do something about this attack?　To be more specific, I'd appreciate it if you could take ten seconds off my shoulders.


　Hearing this, Wisteria was stunned, but looked at the scene before her again.

　Sola raised her left hand and built a wall of magical power to prevent the silvery muddy stream rushing in from the west direction. It was as if it were a dam to hold back the onrushing flood, and in Wisteria's vision, the two energies were clearly reflected in a violent competition.

　A deafening roar. A splash of magic power scattered in the aftermath of the collision.

　Just by being hit by this splash, Wisteria's body would melt like candy. There's no way she can take advantage of it. I must exert all my strength and say that if I could endure it for even half a second, I'd be happy.

　When I told her this in a trembling voice, she nodded as if she were thinking about something.


'I see. Then I guess we're going to have to go straight here.'

What, straight up?

Yeah, I'm gonna keep him at a distance.


　Sora said, walking up to the enemy while preventing their attacks. For the umpteenth time, Wisteria was stunned.

　Perhaps anticipating that reaction, Sola continues to explain.

　There was no guarantee that the enemy's power would be exhausted first, even if they endured it as it was. There is also a way to catch the rays of light fired by the enemy, just like catching the tip of a spear with a shield, but the effective range of this enemy's attack is too wide for me to be able to successfully catch it. If it's not done well, the balance of your balance is upset because you tried to catch it, and you will be blown away.

　If that is the case, the best strategy is to close the distance between you and the enemy while receiving the attack head-on, without trying to trick them into doing so, Sora said.

　Not only did he say that, he did it. It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it.

　Needless to say, once again, the enemy was beyond the desert. It is far away, not even in the Wisteria's view. I wonder how much time I would need to spend on foot to close the distance between me and that enemy.

　It's not just time. The amount of time you would have to spend preventing the enemy from attacking you would be enormous.

　Besides, the current Catalan Desert was difficult to walk through. The sand around us is melting away because of the high heat. The sand is melting away, and if we stepped in, we would be burned to the bone in no time.

　It was obvious to everyone that Sola's "straightforward" approach was a reckless attempt. Perhaps even Sola must have known that. Still, the reason Sora took action is because he thought that even if it was reckless, it was better than sitting still.

　Rather than taking no steps and just waiting for the situation to improve, she should act on her own, even if it is reckless. This is also to avoid giving the enemy the initiative.


　--strong, I thought.


　I can't even compare it to Wisteria, who is crushed by the demon god's laughter and her own helplessness and only smiles at herself.

　There is even the option of abandoning the Wisteria as a liability and fighting. If you do that, surely there are plenty of ways to fight.

　But Sora was not about to abandon Wisteria. Probably, she didn't even think of such an option.

　Thinking that far, Wisteria felt as if she realized another reason why Sola had chosen a recklessly straightforward approach.

　Probably just to do nothing and just endure the enemy's attacks, Wisteria thought it was a strange thing to think. Wisteria's original purpose was to bury herself before the evil spirits took over. And as mentioned above, right now, outside the barrier wall, there is enough magical power blowing around to turn Wisteria into ash dust.

　It's dangerous, Sola must have thought. So he pointed "ahead" by acting. She also distracted herself by talking to them. Perhaps she also noticed that Wisteria let out a smile of self-mockery.

　How could she even care about a limping weakling in this crisis?


　--strong, I thought. Strong, of course, with a strong mind.


　And I think that's the answer to the question I asked earlier - how could he maintain his human form with such power?

　No matter how much power it possesses, it will not be distorted, swallowed up or moved.

　Wisteria feels a dizzying envy at the stark contrast to her own existence, which is upset by a single laugh from Pazuzu.

　And then a change occurred in the roaring sound that had been pressing down on her ears.

　At the same time, Sora faintly furrowed her brow and opened her mouth.


''The power has gone up another notch... no, is this converging the attacks?　It seems that they're getting impatient.

Scared...?

''Normally, the enemy would be blown away immediately, but it doesn't blow away for any length of time, so I'm trying to focus my power on a single point. You're a very short-tempered illusory species, there's probably still plenty of magic left in you.


　'I wonder if there's a reason why you can't keep up this attack for a long time,' says Sora.


'Like, for example, because it's too high a fever, and it's going to involve all of our allies around us.

''Well if that guess is correct, then we have a new hand in the enemy.

Hmm, that's true. Well, the fact is, for whatever reason, the enemy has changed its mind. I think we should take advantage of this--Wisteria.

Yes!


　This time he answered correctly.


It's logical that if you narrow down the power, the range of your attack will be reduced. If you do it right, you may be able to catch their breath. If I deflect the breath, get on the claw solus and tell the people at the Leeroy Oasis that the enemy is a behemoth. The enemy is a behemoth.

Behemoth do you understand?

Yeah, the Tongan entity (Anima) told me. What's the reaction there, too?


　It's obvious that it's referring to the Demon God (Pazuzu) and Wisteria can't help but look down.


''The laughter is audible... but other than that, nothing...''

Yeah. Well, no need to panic.


　When Wisteria nodded at her for not being useful at a crucial time, Sora responded blithely, without a trace of blame.


As I said before, there are dozens of anima, and there are a hundred different ways to acquire a heart outfit. You just have to hurry up and make it happen slowly.

But I can't help you in this time of crisis.


　As she was about to say it, Wisteria realized that it had become a futile tedious tedious word and kept her mouth shut.

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do with it.


''If you want to be useful to me, then yes, if you can survive this crisis and both of us survive, you can say one thing you'll say, or something like that, I'll be more than willing to do it, no matter what.

"...?　You know, if that's what it takes to help you, I'm open to all kinds of suggestions, not just one.


　When Wisteria responded in confusion, Sora made another troubled face.

　Shortly after that, the roar of the enemy's attack increased as the pressure of the enemy's attack increased again. Sola broke off her conversation with Wisteria and turned to face the direction to the west where the enemy was. The fact that her face looked relieved for a moment was probably due to Wisteria's imagination.

　The proof of that--.


You'll move after the count of ten. Be ready to move.


　Sora's next words were resolute and showed no sign of agitation.