"Confirming that the high elves have begun to engage...

　Cyclops' large eyes caught the fight that had occurred on the opposite slope.

　When operating an objective rifle, she did not need a bipod. She does not need a scope. She has a strong enough shoulder to catch the recoil of the rifle and a vision that allows her to see easily at a distance of about two kilometers. Special turret goggles are available, but these are only used for checking farther ahead than that, for example.
　Even at this time, Cyclops had a complete understanding of the battlefield through his naked eyes. Taking up position on the opposite mountain slope, it was her job to follow the movements of the enemy and her allies with her eyes. And if necessary, she would support her allies with ultra long-range precision fire.

　After coming in contact with the target skeleton, the High Elf had also encountered an individual who was probably one of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights). The High Elves then began to fight with the individual in question. The target was left behind.
　The skeleton's left arm was unnaturally enlarged, and then transformed into a more disastrous shape. Cyclops lowers his turret goggles and switches the lens. The moment he switched to the magic-sensing lens, the skeleton's left arm could be seen leaking excessive energy from it.

　As I thought, that was the king piece.

　Cyclops raised his goggles and placed the stock of his objective rifle against his shoulder. The trees growing on the slope were in the way, but even so, it was easy enough to blow off one arm. The target's large eyes, which seemed to take up half of his face, caught the image of his target.

''I found it!
"...and...?

　I've been concentrating on sniping, and at that moment, Cyclops was only somewhat late in noticing the presence approaching from the side to strike. Although his body was slightly deflected, he was unable to avoid the girl's kick. A dull thud runs through her entire body, and the next thing you know, her body has been blown wide open.
　Pulling up her body, which creaks dully in pain, Cyclops looks up. There stood a girl with dark pink hair, only ten years old. An aerosol-like substance with an eerie hue drifted around her like a mist. It was the underworld miasma.

　Cyclops had heard the rumor that there was a girl in the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights) who could control the miasma. In other words, she was the one in front of him.
　Upon closer inspection, she was the girl who had blown off her arm with a sniper and then instantly regenerated and disappeared. I thought she had escaped, but it seems that she realized where we were.

''The Underworld Sword (Miasma Caliber)!

　The girl screamed and pulled out a sword from the miasma. The black sword barrel, which seems to be coated with darkness, does not reflect any light and melts into the evening darkness.
　Cyclops lowered his turret goggles again. He switched the lens and checked again the amount of magic power scattered in the atmosphere. Around the girl, the figure is blurred by the drifting underworld miasma, which is eating away at the magic power. At the same time, I could see a 60 centimeter long space extending from the girl's hand, a space where no magic power exists at all. That 60 centimeters is, in other words, the length of her gain.

　The turret goggles had two meanings: one was to confirm what was thus invisible to the Cyclops' eyes. The other is to protect her single eye, which could be a weakness due to its size. With the goggles down, Cyclops is now ready for battle. He put the objective rifle back on his shoulder and reached for the revolver on his waist belt.

''The underworld miasma fighting method (Calamity)---''

　The girl grips the hilt of her sword with both hands and takes a sitting position. In the time it took for Cyclops to pull his gun from his holster and put his hand on the striking iron, the girl raised her sword with great force.

''Haze slash (strash)!

　The sword of the underworld miasma caliber (miasma caliber) raised, the blade of the underworld miasma caliber sword tore the space as it was. It ate away the magical power lurking in the atmosphere, turning it into the same miasma, and the power propagating between the miasma instantly separated the joint surfaces of space. The cyclops flew his body backwards to escape from the range of the slash.
　The space that was cut in half was immediately connected to its original form after it shattered and swallowed the surrounding trees.

　Immediately after the space was connected, Cyclops pointed the muzzle of his gun at the girl's head. There was no hesitation in the action of pulling the trigger.

　If it's a human being, the impact that would shatter the bones of your shoulder is easily received by Cyclops' thin, strong arm. The bullet that flew out landed on the girl's forehead with astonishing acceleration and murderous mass. A bright red flower scatters and the girl's head is half blown off. But it was only for a moment, and the underworld miasma immediately gathered and regenerated her head.

''A monster........!

　Cyclops lets out a short curse along with a cluck of his tongue.

'Well,'

　The girl laughed, holding her newly regenerated head in one hand.

'You're a monster. You and I are both. A monster whose body has been tampered with to specialize in fighting.''
....!

　Cyclops raised his objective rifle again. He pointed the muzzle at the girl. It was not a weapon that could be used against something in human form at this close range. However, Cyclops did not hesitate.
　A bullet flies out following the life ring. The bullet, this time, destroyed the girl's chest. Blowing up flesh and bone was not enough. It is a large caliber bullet from an anti-material rifle that can penetrate tempered glass and aircraft canopies. It could easily destroy a human body. But I wasn't convinced of victory. I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. While the girl's body is beginning to regenerate, Cyclops runs down the slope.

　He raises his turret goggles and checks the battle situation again.

　Akeno is engaged with the unicorn and the snow woman. A man from the Clockwork Alliance was chasing the other bloodline candidates. That's the sixth seat, "Sword Violence Number". It seemed like it was only a matter of time before all the bloodline candidates over there fell into the hands of the Empire.
　Shakko is at war. So are the High Elves. But from a broader perspective, the war situation is already settling down. The capture of the bloodline candidates. Once both armies are done with that, they will naturally have no choice but to retreat. If that's the case, the one we should be most concerned about right now is that skeleton that has the power of the king's piece in it.

　The Cyclops pulls the bottom of the playground and ejects the empty shell casings.

　Which hand will that skeleton end up in? It would be difficult to recover if the Wang piece was lost to the Empire.
　Then Cyclops suddenly realized that the girl's presence was not following him from behind. At the same time, he spotted what looked like a swiftly moving shadow in the corner of his widely developed vision. Cyclops turned his eyes in that direction, running as if rolling down a slope. There was a single figure of a man, running like a beast through the trees.

''That's...!

　I didn't know him in person, but he looked familiar. He couldn't be scowling. Cyclops put more pressure on his legs as he kicked down the slope.



'Seiyaaah!
Taaaaah!

　The collision between Ei and Koganei was enough to shake the atmosphere, make the trees creak and roll up the earth.

　Koganei had probably reached Phase 3 by descending under the control of his blood family. It was unclear to what exactly his abilities were. But when you consider the race ability that used spirit magic at will in Phase 1 and the spirit possession ability that Ryuuzaki told me about in Phase 2, the current power is definitely an extension of that.
　That ability that is quickly transforming the composition of the body into fire, water, wind, or earth. Is it something that should be called 《Spirit Fusion》? Since he is manipulating his body with his magic ability, which was of a high level to begin with, there are no gaps in offense or defense.

　As for Koganei's side, it was still predictable.

　But what exactly is Ei's ability?

　Each blow released from his black armor was an extremely heavy blow. Was the steam and flames spouting from his back really caused by Ei's ability, or was it the power of this black armor? Ei didn't seem to have awakened to Phase 2 until the moment he left Kyousuke and the others. However, no matter how much of a special item was loaned to him by the Imperial side, it was hard to imagine that he was able to compete with Koganei in Phase 3 in his Phase 1 state.
　In other words, Ei had awakened to Phase 2. However, we don't know what kind of power it is.

　Ei's fist catches Koganei's body. Koganei instantly fused his body into a spirit fusion, turned into wind and tried to start his escape. However, as soon as he did so, high heat vapors erupted from Ei's entire body. Wrapped in the heat, Koganei's body had no place to escape, and his spirit transformation was released. Perhaps due to the damage from the heat caused by the steam, his body, which was rolling down the slope of the mountain, appeared to be slumped in pain.

''Hino.........!

　With one hand on the ground, Koganei coughs and looks up at Ei. However, Ei's steps did not stop. The fists in both of Ei's hands, the gauntlet part of his armor, were found to turn bright red hot. The moment the fists were swung down, Koganei's body changed its shape as if it was popping.

''Dah!''

　Koganei's entire body instantly turned into flames, and he spun out an armor made of earth and rock as he wrapped his body in the flames. Catching the red-hot fist with one hand, he struck Ei's armor as hard as he could with his other hand.

''........!

　But Ei's body didn't budge. He grabbed up his other fist that had struck him and he spewed out a tremendous amount of steam from the slit in the back. Naturally, he got into a posture of comparing forces and twisted Koganei's body down with ease as it was. Ei stepped as hard as he could with one foot on the rock armor that had fallen to the ground.
　Koganei also turned all of the remaining rock armor into flames and broke away from Ei's attack. The two sides continued to be unable to make any decisive moves. The two men separated and stared at each other, both kicking at the earth in an attempt to collide again in their standoffish positions. That's when.

''Ei!　Koganei!

　Kyousuke intervened between the two men's clash. He pushed Koganei off to the side and slammed his fist as hard as he could at Ei's armor. The response was dull and thin, like punching a thick concrete wall. Kyousuke didn't mean to go easy on him at all, but Ei's armor didn't budge.

'Get out of my way, Kyousuke!

　Ei shouted out in a rage as well as a manifestation.

''What has Koganei ever done to you, and what will he do to you if you leave him alone!　You really know what you're doing!
Shut up!

　But even Kyousuke shouted back to bite back. It is Koganei's eyes widen at the reaction, which is approximately unlike them.
　Ei, too, was caught off guard by the unexpected words, and his movements stiffened for a moment.

　Already, Kyousuke's body has become an Extreme Cross. His expression was clearer because his face was closer to a human in construction. With both eyes lifted, his brow wrinkled, and his mouth knotted wide, that expression was one of indignation that Kyousuke Soraki still hadn't been able to conjure up.

'Did you think I was going to shed tears and say, 'Stop fighting, both of you!　I didn't come to stop a fight. I'm here to give you guys a shot!

　Both Ei and Koganei quieted down in the face of Kyousuke's rage.

''........Oh, Utsurogi, do you want to hit me too?''
'I punched Ei. It wouldn't be fair otherwise. Maybe later.

　Kyousuke's gaze turned to Ei. Meanwhile, Rin, who had merged with him, remained silent and attentive to her surroundings.

''Ei, you're on the Empire's side, aren't you?''
Yeah.

　After a slight pause, Ei replies.

'Is there a reason?'
I've made a promise to the Empire. If you help us, they'll help us get home. So I'm going to...

　I knew that's about right. Ei, too, is the type of person who holds it together to try to manage on his own, so it's just as well.

'I'm not Koganei either, but I don't trust the way Teikoku does things. Can't you get out of it?
''No......... Nekomiya and the others are being held captive.

　That was, as a matter of fact, a difficult problem to solve. If Nekomiya and the others had been captured, then in effect, Ei was as good as being held hostage. However, it felt somewhat unnatural to Kyousuke that he, who wasn't too concerned about others, was so fixated on 'getting the whole class back safely'.

''Ei, what do you want to do?''

　Kyousuke asks, looking at Ei from the front. He can't read the expression on his face from Ei, who is wrapped in armor. Eventually he said this much quietly.

''I can't say...''
Okay.

　Kyousuke replied briefly, too, and took a Jeet Kune Do stance.

'Don't do it, Kyousuke. You can't beat me with you.'
I don't care.

　The words I uttered were filled with a renewed fury.

'I'm going to beat you until you can't talk in your sleep anymore!
'You don't know what's going to happen to Nekomiya and the others!
If you're serious about that, then I'll support you...!

　Kyousuke leaned closer to Ei as he took a stance.

'I'll help!　You, Koganei, and I aren't handy enough to do everything by ourselves!　Ei, what do you want to do!
....!

　Every time Kyousuke leaned in, Ei retreated, showing his agitation.
　One more push, or maybe two. But in any case, Ei's turmoil was great.

'Trust me, Kyousuke.... I will definitely bring you back to your world........!
So why don't you let me help you with that!
I don't want you to get your hands dirty!
...Utsurugi, get back!

　In the middle of his question and answer session, Koganei's voice from behind him made Kyousuke gasp.

''Hahaha!''

　With a high-tension shout, a monster jumped in from the side. It has a muscular physique and an all-back head of hair. The red eyes with their murderous intent and the large canine teeth peeking out of the mouth reveal the monster's origins. It's Luke, the one who was fighting Filhana earlier. The moment the blood-soaked fist was slammed down, Kyousuke's body was blown away with ease.

''Looks like we've been playing friends a little too much, man!　Skeleton!
Ugh...!

　Kyousuke's blown up body is slammed into the trees. The liquefaction does not work. Immediately after, the Extreme Cross was released and Kyousuke and Rin's bodies separated and fell to the ground.

'Shakko, what are you doing!
"Stop screwing around!

　Luke, who was called Shakko, replied to Koganei's criticism with an angry voice.

'You can't wear out now against the Dial Knights, can you!　Let's just collect the King's piece and retreat!

　They'll know where the pieces are. Is it natural? They've made such a big deal of it. Kyousuke stands up with one arm held down. When Shakko was walking towards us, Ei tackled him this time and blocked him.

''I won't let Kyousuke fall into the hands of the blood family...!
You're the man!

　Ei joined Shakko's body and Shakko responded by holding his armor down. Naturally, the match shifted to a contest of strength. Shakkou's physical strength, which played out a fierce fight to the death against Filhana and easily blew away Kyousuke's body, however, was a solid competitor to Ei's.

''Ah, ah?　This guy....!

　The mocking laughter disappeared from the sound of Shakko's voice. A tremendous amount of steam blew out from Ei's back. At the same time, Ei's black armor pushed up Shakko's body with a gulp, as if competing with a contest of strength.

''U, oh...!

　He was beating that Luke in a contest of strength. That fact startled Kyousuke somewhat. Was that the power of the black armor, or was it Ei's own power?

''Isn't that a big deal?''

　At the sound of her voice, I turned around to see Filhana, bleeding from all over, standing with a gentle smile on her face. Only the pocket watch hanging from her neck was giving off a strange glow.

It's a golem made by the Five O'Clock "Firing Bone Crusher". It's made of very robust materials, so it can exert that much power depending on its power.
Power...
'This is Akira. Is it called the God's Core? I heard it's far more powerful than the current magic reactor. I don't know the details.

　Filhana chuckled, put her hands behind her back and said, 'Well.

'Well, Utsurogi. You've heard how Akira feels. Please descend to our military gates. I assure you of your personal safety and eventual return.

　Kyousuke glanced at Rin. She was completely stretched out and unable to move.
　He has seen what Filhana is capable of. He knows that he's no match for her here in defiance, but Kyousuke couldn't help but be annoyed that he was obeying what she said.
　The Empire stinks. That's all we know at the moment. The Empire is not evil by any means. At least, they are not an entity that can be as clearly opposed as the blood family. That's why Ei, too, had made it a matter of right to go down to the military ranks himself.

　But he could not descend to them here.

　Any number of reasons could be listed.
　One could list them, but Kyousuke had abandoned thinking about things with logic at this time.

　The Empire doesn't like it. That attitude, trying to pull an overwhelming amount of power and hold him down from above.

'Don't go any closer to the Uzurogi.

　Koganei intervened between Kyousuke and Filhana. Once again, there were four enemies with the power of the Dial Knights class here, two from each side, for a total of four people. But this shouldn't be the only one. Kyousuke looks around.

　Immediately after, Kyousuke's left arm was blown off from around his shoulder.

''Nah...!

　No pain. But there was a shock. My left arm, blown off, dropped onto the fallen leaves and made a crunching noise. A few beats later, it scraped through the branches of the trees and a woman landed on the ground.

　The gaze of everyone present is glued to Kyousuke's blown-up left arm.
　A left arm that was merely the left arm bone of a Lesser Demon joined together. But in it dwells the power of a god, a relic of the ancient, mythical war era, the "king piece". Empire and bloodline. It is a power that neither side can help but desire.

You've done it, Cyclops!

　Shakko screams.
　Shakko tries to pull Ei off of him to retrieve his blown-up hand, but he yanks his arm with a gulp and slams his body into the earth. The monocular female Cyclops runs off with a large rifle on her shoulder and a large rifle in her hand. As she went, Filhana blocked her path and slammed a straight punch into Cyclops' slender body from the front. Cyclops' body rolls through the trees.
　Filhana returns the kibisu and reaches for the rolled arm bone. But it was blocked by Koganei, who jumped in from the side. With one arm, Kyousuke runs over the fallen leaves, trying not to let either of the forces hand over that royal fragment to him. However, a thin-faced man appeared in front of him, sword in hand, blocking his path.

''I see, the king piece,''

　The man picks up the arm bone and mutters.

'I didn't expect to get it here. Did you know?　Filhana.
'No, no. It was a surprise. Rambalt.

　At the man's question, Filhana shrugged off the question. Then, for the first time, Kyousuke learned that Filhana had kept the information about the king piece secret from the Empire.
　The man, like Filhana, wears a pocket watch around his neck. He was a member of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights).

　The Imperial Clockwork Alliance, Filhana Grambana. Rambald Gaudin. And Ei Hino.
　The Red Moon Bloods, Shakko of Rook. Cyclops. And Yoshiki Koganei.

　Sandwiched between them are Kyousuke and Rin.

　Both Ei and Koganei seemed to be concerned about Kyousuke, but the interest of both camps was now shifting completely to Wangkata. The blood side, Shakko and Cyclops, were about to pounce on Ranbalt with the king piece soon, and Filhana stood to protect him.

''Kyou........Suke-kun.......''

　Awareness flowed into my head. At the same time, I felt Himemizu Rin's touch on my foot.

Rin, are you okay?
Let's run, Kyousuke-kun...

　The proposal that Rin made in her muddled consciousness was something that Kyousuke could not possibly tolerate at that time.

''(Since the Empire and the bloodline are standoffish right now, this is our chance........ Otherwise, we'll end up being caught by one of them...)
(I don't know if everyone else is safe.)
(I don't know if he's okay, but he's alive.)

　Rin's consciousness is gradually becoming clearer and clearer.

　Yes, the chances of them being killed by the enemy are actually infinitesimal. The Empire has Ei, and Koganei is in the bloodline. That fact in itself was annoying to Kyousuke, but their presence was also a guarantee of safety for the classmates captured by both camps.
　The worst thing that could happen was that all of his classmates would be captured by one camp or the other. In such a case, it would be nearly impossible to save the classmates captured by both camps in the battle between the Empire and the Blood Race.

　That suggestion of Rin's suggestion to escape was certainly a logical one.

　However.........

(Not in theory or anything)

　Rin's consciousness said once and for all.

''(Kyousuke-kun, you told Hino-kun. What do you want, Kyousuke-kun?''
.........
I want you to be safe. That's why I'm making this proposal.

　Kyousuke regulates his thoughts as he assesses the situation in front of him.

　What do I want to do?
　I want to get the Wangkata back. I want to bring Ei back to his senses. I want to punch Koganei once, as promised. I want to save my invisible classmate. I want to meet up with everyone who may or may not be safe.
　When I think about it, things come to mind one after another.

(If Kyousuke-kun wants to, I'll be the bait.)

　Hearing those words, Kyousuke couldn't help but raise the white flag as well.

''d*mn it...!

　Spitting out a small word, Kyousuke looked down.

　There are many things I want to do.
　But 'sacrificing Rin' for that is one of the things Kyousuke doesn't want to do the least.

''(We have no choice but to run away?)　(Are you sure that's the only way you're going to be able to do this?)
(Even if you stand up to them, you won't stay safe. Kyosuke. We're helpless now.

　Rin's cruel manner is probably due to her single-minded desire for Kyousuke to escape.

''Kyousuke may not be able to forgive Hino-kun and Koganei-kun. But that doesn't mean that only Kyousuke-kun will be satisfied if he gets caught fighting here).
Okay....

　The mind is whispering to the point of being somewhat abusive.

　The two camps, three against three, stared at each other.
　Hakuba, Yukinoshita, Karasuma, Kabeano, Gozashiki, Mitarai, and Inugami. Are they safe? Where are they? If they have fallen into the hands of either camp, it would be extremely difficult to rescue them with their current strength.
　It was then that Kyousuke noticed the golden twin eyes shining in the darkness, staring at us. The silvery fur reflects the faint starlight that pours from between the trees. The one who is moving his nose around as if he is looking at you is none other than the bestialized form of Inugami Hibiki.

　Filhana and Shakko and the others do not show any signs of noticing as they stare at each other. Inugami moves the tip of his nose as if inviting them to come over here, then leaps his body into the bushes and disappears.

''(Kyousuke-kun........)
"(I know)

　Kyousuke clothed himself in Rin's body and let his body slowly retreat.

''You think I'm going to let you get away?''

　A horrified voice comes from behind me. I turn around and see a face there that I saw sometime ago.

''Akeno...!
Long time no see. Skeleton. Did you say Kyosuke Soraki?

　The bright red eyes looking down at you, and the canine teeth peeking out of your mouth. That in itself is already familiar to me. But Bishop Akeno is even more unforgettable to Kyousuke.
　Three months ago, it was this bishop who killed Washio in the mountains. Unlike back then, Kyousuke and Rin now have the Extreme Cross. Aside from the other Rooks and the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), it seemed like it was possible to fight off one of the Bishops. But.

　The gaze that pierces from the opposite side of Akeno. It seems that neither the bloodline side nor the Imperial side has any intention of letting Kyousuke escape.

　Even if they defeat Akeno, it's impossible to shake off all the forces behind them.

　In the end, it's the same as that time. Kyousuke thinks.
　Even back then, there was an overwhelming difference in strength between them and their counterparts. At that time, Washio was sacrificed. Who should be sacrificed next time to escape? He clenched his fists. I was so frustrated and furious that my body seemed to have no control over it.

'Hey Utsurugi, run!

　Words I never wanted to hear, but I hear them in my ears. When I look up, the body of a raven-tengu dances down, melting into the darkness as it weaves its way through the trees. The leaf fan heaped up in his right hand creates a scythe and releases it at Akeno. The wind blade snatched Akeno's cheek, creating an abrasion.
　That's not all. Wall after wall shot out of the ground and surrounded the bodies of Filhana, Shakko and the others. That was exactly the signal. Shakko smashed the walls that appeared to surround his own body with his fists, and Cyclops also crushed the walls with the objective rifle he held in his hand.

'Rambalt!　I thought you had captured them!

　Filhana shouted, shattering the wall with her fist, after all.

''It should be. But someone got in the way...!''

　Rambaldo also clicked his tongue as he cut both sides of the wall with his long, slender sword.

　As it was, Karasuma grabbed Kyousuke's arm and glided down the mountain slope in one fell swoop. The protective wall that emerged was caused by Wall No.

'Karasumaru..., you're safe!
Yeah.

　Karasuma muttered with a bitter look on his face.

　He was safe, but that's about it. This was just a replay of a nightmare for Kyousuke. Kyousuke doesn't want to see someone else's sacrifice to save him, and he doesn't want to see it unfold. But for now, all he has to think about is getting away safely.

'What about Hakuba and Yukinoshita, and Lesvon!
I'm not looking!
Well....

　With Kyousuke and Rin in his arms, Karasumaru Yoshitsune's flight speed breaks the speed of sound. That's how fast it is, and the skillful zigzag flight through the trees is truly the result of Phase 2 ability.
　But even so, Filhana stood in front of me, blocking my path.

　The Blood Clan did not follow. Probably, both Shakko and Cyclops are aiming at Rambaldo's royal fragment as their priority.

''Oops, you can't catch up to my speed with your fists!

　Filhana slammed her fist into the earth, though she wasn't sure if she heard Karasuma shouting, but she was not sure if she heard him.
　The struck fist created a shockwave that smashed through the trees, sending the earth and rock high into the air. Karasuma's body ended up plunging at the speed of sound into the wall made of that earth and rock debris.

''Guooh!''

　Karasuma crashed to the ground, throwing Kyousuke out of the way. The kuchibashi slowed down as it scraped the dirt.

　Kyousuke looked up to see Filhana slowly approaching the fallen Karasuma.

'Utsurogi, run!

　Karasuma shouts at Kyousuke as he tries to run up to him.

'Karasumaru!'
"You gotta make me look cool for a change!　I got it!

　Kyousuke hesitated as he stopped in his tracks. After all, he was just repeating the same thing he did then, wasn't he?

'I'll do it much smarter than Washio, don't worry about it!　I'm waiting for you to come help me, man!

　After all, that's the only way to believe it. With his back to Karasumaru, who gave him a thumbs up, Kyousuke started to roll down the slope again. The crucial difference from that time was that this time it was Kyousuke's own decision to abandon Karasumaru.
　There is no time to look away from reality.
　But how many people will be able to escape from this battlefield? I don't even know that.

''d*mn it...!

　Kyousuke spat the words out once more, from the depths of his stomach.

'It's hard even for the survivors!　
Yes.

　There was only one person who could hear and counterbalance the helpless anger, Himemizu Rin.



''Please help me.''

　Karasumaru Yoshitsune was on his knees with his beak buried in the ground.

''Well that's what you said you'd do wisely, isn't it?''

　Filhana lets out a dismayed sound as she clenches her fist and takes a stance.
　The ravenous circle pulls his beak out of the ground with a sloppy move.

'I can't do anything about it if I'm dead, you know. If I die, it would be bad even for the wombat who let me go and died.

　Filhana's expression clouded a bit at the mention of the name. Karasuma didn't mind and continued further.

'You seem to be more of a talker than Hino. Instead of getting me, you'll let the other guys off the hook. All right?
"...and you may end up getting caught by your blood family as a result.
But your people want the piece of the king.

　The situation is quite a tightrope to walk. In fact, Karasuma let Kyousuke escape because he stepped on the assumption that if the other side was the Imperial side, he would be guaranteed some level of safety. If this was the blood family side, I don't know what I would have done. As expected, I was not willing to accept the risk of being turned into a blood relative and let that badass skeleton man go.
　This kind of thing is probably one of the reasons why people around Yukinoshita look at him coldly, Karasuma was beginning to understand, but this is also a natural personality. The only way to get along with them is to get along with them.

''You can tell me all kinds of stories. Hey, Filhana-san.

　Filhana fitted the ring into Karasuma's beak as she tried to speak in tune. As it was, she began to contact him through communication magic.

'Rambalt, how are you doing there? Have you scattered the blood family? That's fine. What about the demons?　Azkirai is captured. You didn't hurt him, did you?

　Karasuma's eyes widen and he claps Filhana on the shoulder with a clatter. I'd like to say that the promise was different, but Filhana hadn't made that promise. It's not that he broke it. He flattens Karasuma's hand on his shoulder and bounces it off coldly.

'This way?　This one has captured the crow teng, and then........

　Filhana quickly turned her gaze into the darkness. Two shadows slipped frantically through the trees and down the slope. Karasuma saw them too.
　They were Chihaya Kabeno and Gozashiki Do-suke. It wasn't impossible for Filhana to close the distance at once and neutralize them if she wanted to. But she turned her gaze away from the two of them and said

''I've lost track of the rest. 'Yes, sir. I don't think we've been captured by the blood family. There is a cyclops on the other side that has a high sensing ability, yes. We must remain vigilant. Melody?　...you haven't seen it.

　Apparently, he's taken half of Karasuma's request. Regardless of what the rest of them would do, Filhana personally was going to miss out on all of her classmates except Karasuma. Karasumaru banged on Filhana's shoulder again in gratitude, but again, this time, he was bounced away coldly.