A storm rages a short distance away.
　I glanced at him and saw the wind raging like a dragon, swallowing Arios and the others.

　Will they be okay?
　I don't like the guy, but if he falls down here and now, he'll be dealing with two Iris at the same time.
　At the very least, I hope he can keep it until he does something about us, but....

'Hmmm, which way are you looking?'
Huh?

　The next thing I knew, Iris was approaching in front of me.
　Even though he was looking at Arios, he should have been on guard against Iris...

　What speed.
　He closed the distance between them in just a moment.
　Its physical abilities could be comparable to the cat spirit race.

''Unyaah!

　The Kanade jumped high in the sky.
　It spun around and came crashing down.

　It landed like a meteorite.
　A powerful kick is delivered to Iris.

　However.

Oh, my. You're looking good.
Mmmm, meow...!

　Iris caught Kanade's thrust with both hands.
　She didn't appear to be taking damage.
　On the contrary, she had a spare smile on her face.

''It's not over yet!

　Kanade spun around and landed dexterously on the ground.
　Without a moment's pause, he rushed forward like a cannonball.
　He slammed his right and left fists in succession.
　Furthermore, he spun on the spot while trying to take advantage of those flows.
　Aiming at Iris' neck, he connected with a sharp spinning kick.

　There's no way to miss here.

　Like a pincer, I, too, slam a kick into Iris from the other side, but....

"Hmm.

　Once again, the attack is blocked.
　Iris didn't use her hands this time, but received our attack with her unprotected body.
　I could only feel a sensation as if I had struck thick rubber, but there was no response.

　As I thought, Iris's body seems to be wrapped in some kind of ward.
　I'm not sure what kind of thing it depends on, but.......
　If we hit him with more attacks than his durability, we should be able to offset it.

'Nina!'
Hmm...!

　With a huff, I shifted and Nina appeared right next to me.
　As it is, she touches me and Kanade.
　Once again, she takes me and Kanade and transitions away from Iris.

'We'll do it too!

　


Oh, what?

　As Tina shouted, Iris' movements visibly slowed down.
　It was a magic that applied the possession ability to stop the opponent's movements.
　This can only be handled by Tina, a ghost.

　Iris's wards seemed to only prevent attacks, and she was affected by Tina's magic.
　Chance is now.

'Tania!
I've been waiting for you.
Watch that direction!
'I know, I'm not going to screw up and bring the village into this!

　Tania's Dragon Breath.
　For a moment, the world turns white.

　A huge rush of light is released and engulfs Iris.

''Guh........!

　Tania, who has been trained to the hilt by special training with Suzu-san, unleashes a desperate strike.
　It seems that this is indeed irresistible, and Iris's face is twisted in a pained manner.

　And then.........

　Kink!　With a high-pitched sound, something shatters.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's a good thing that they're still so fierce.
It's got to be some kind of warding.
Does this mean that our attack will work?
Yeah, I did it.
That's what I call Tania.

　Kanade praises Tania, who is proud of it.
　You're very close.

Are you still going to do it?

　When asked, Iris laughs wryly.

''Hmph........Do you think you have beaten me just by breaking the wards?　It's sweet. If anything, we're about to make a real killing.
...kill each other, right?
Can I help you?
Do you really have to do that?
What?

　When I asked her a question, Iris raised her eyebrows as if she didn't understand.
　She gives me a strange look, as if I'm speaking the language of an uncivilized land.

　The other party is a being that is said to bring disaster.
　He was called a demon and was sealed away.

　Maybe it was a reckless act to persuade such an Iris.
　Or perhaps it's a meaningless act.

　Iris has already killed a number of people, he said.
　And he says he plans to kill many more people in the future.

　He is definitely an existence that is called 'evil'.

　But.........
　For some reason, I don't see Iris as simply evil to me.
　Every time I think back to that night's encounter, I think so.

　So.

　If I could, I would want to talk it out.

'Is Iris's goal really to kill people?　Is that all you have?
....
'It won't erase the sins you've already committed but it won't make you any more guilty, will it?
....
'Maybe we've had a misunderstanding. There may have been a misunderstanding. Maybe there was a difference in perception. So ... can't we talk about it first?　We can fight afterwards, can't we?
....

　Iris is stunned.
　Next, he chuckles.

''Hmph........I'm surprised. To say such a thing after this period. You are more of a good-natured person than I thought, aren't you, Rain-sama?
It's Rayne!

　For some reason, Kanade proudly beamed.
　Tania and Nina have a similar look on their faces to Kanade's.

　That means they agree with what I'm doing.
　It's nice to see everyone's approval, even though it's at a time like this.

'Good-natured Rain-sama I've never seen anyone like you before.
'Really?　I'm sure there are guys like me all over the place...
No, sir. There are very few people like you the rest of us are less than trash.

　There was a clear hatred in Iris when she said that.

　A deep, deep hatred........
　A chill that seemed to be swallowed by the blackness of the dusky, bottomless darkness.

　The hatred Iris had just unleashed would only be a part of the whole.
　Just a small part.
　And yet, I can't help but feel a chill run down my back.

But, however?　If you want me to miss the other humans, I can't comply.

　Iris smiles madly.



　The girl, Iris, had a deep hatred for every inch of her life.
　She had an overwhelming hatred for humans.

　What on earth could make her like this?
　What kind of experience would give you such a crazy reminder?

　I'm slightly put off by Iris' unfathomable hatred.

　But.
　But I can't retreat from the situation here.
　If I retreat, the villagers will be killed.
　Iris will surely kill them all, just as she declared.

　I can't allow that to happen.
　I can't let it go unnoticed.
　No matter what the circumstances, we can't leave it at that.
　For the sake of the villagers ... and for the sake of Iris.

'Negotiations are broken........'
'Hmmm I'm sorry to hear that. So, what do you want to do?　Do you want to kill me?
"We will fight but we will not kill each other. Iris I will stop you.
''........Hmmm. Really interesting person. Okay, if you can do it, try it.