I don't think it's fair to say that I am...
　They call me the "Hero of Horizon".

　I once exposed a rogue lord's corruption and....
　That's what the people of the city called me after I defeated a demon tribe that suddenly appeared in the city.

　I'm not a hero, but........
　I don't feel bad about it, as it's kind of a testament to the dearth of people in town.

''Uh ... Rifa.''
Hmm?
Maybe you don't know the name of that hero?
I don't know.

　Rifa gave a small nod.

'But I heard it was very famous. I figured I'd find you here in a heartbeat.
I see.
'Does Lane know any heroes?　If so, please introduce me.

　Rifa bowed her head in a bow.
　Then she looked at me with her straight eyes.

　Those eyes are so beautifully clear, they don't seem to be thinking of anything bad.
　It must have some important purpose.

''Well I'm that hero.

　I decided to reveal our identity honestly, thinking that there was no evil heart.

''........Rain?''

　It seemed unexpected and Rifa rolled her eyes.
　She doesn't change her expression much, so this kind of reaction is new to her.

''Really?''
It's true.
But you don't look strong.

　It was a word that came easily to me.

'Rain is strong, okay?　We're signing up with the strongest species, and not only that, but we're also a very good beast tamer.

　Kanade says that to follow up and takes a gesture that makes Rifa think.

'A contract with Kanade that's great. And Tina?'
Yeah. We have a contract with Lane's husband.
But Tina is a ghost.
Rain's husband also has this crazy power called Phantom Tame.
Huh, Phantomime...?

　He'd never heard of it, and Rifa was upset.
　Well, it's a rare thing to use a ghost as an emissary.
　I've never seen one other than the uncle next door in my hometown.

'Well then ... but ...'

　Rifa mumbled, mumbling and thinking about what it was all about.
　What on earth is the purpose of this?

Rain.

　Somewhat later, Rifa looked at me.
　He had the most serious look on his face so far.

'I'm going to fight me.'
'What?　Why?
I want to see what Rain can do.
'I don't want to hear that...'

　You can't fight them for no reason.
　And moreover, the opponent is a girl.

　Well, since she's the strongest species, maybe there's no need to worry about that.......
　Still, when it comes to fighting, there's a lot of hesitation.

'Can you tell me why in detail?　I'm not exactly convinced that they want me to fight because they want to see if I'm strong enough.
"Mmm.

　Rifa looked troubled.
　She seems to be somewhat hesitant about mentioning the reason.

　There's a feeling that if you ask her persistently, she'll tell you.......
　It sounds like an important reason for that, so I don't want to force it out of you.

''...Okay, let's fight.''
Are you sure?
Good. I understand that it's very important to Rifa so I'll fight you then. I'll leave it up to Rifa to decide whether or not to tell me why.
Thanks.
Only, I'm not that strong, so don't complain if you're disappointed, okay?
'Lane's husband, how long are you going to be wrong about this?'
If Rayne's weak, what's going to happen to the rest of us?
"Fun.
...Please don't make us both feel like we're being agitated.



----------



　I couldn't fight inside the house, so I moved to the yard.
　It was still cloudy, but the rain had stopped, which was just fine.

　I confronted Rifa about 10 meters apart.

''Rain, go for it!
Rifa works hard too!

　Kanade and Tina are cheering me on.
　Next to them, Luna was sitting on the ground, crunching down on a piece of candy she had brought from home.

Mmm, I hadn't heard of this event. I'm excited.

　Apparently he heard a story from somewhere and came to watch the show.
　
　Luna wouldn't have to worry about getting caught up in the aftermath of the battle.

Let's go.
Yeah, come on!

　Rifa kicked the ground and the battle began.

''Phew!''

　Rifa charged in.

　Fast!
　It should have been about 10 meters away, but in an instant it was right in front of me.
　Apparently, Refa's physical abilities are quite high.

　However, even I can deal with this much.
　Thanks to my contract with Kanade, I'm as powerful as the cat spirit race.

　Stifle the surprise right away.
　I calmly swiped the fists that Rifa unleashed with no hands.

　He didn't expect to be able to stop it.
　Rifa rolled his eyes in surprise, then leapt backward in alarm to keep his distance.

'You do.'
I've been through a lot of trouble in my own way.
I'm a little serious.

　The pressure released from the Rifa becomes stronger.
　I was naturally forced to take a stance.

　After a few seconds of standoff, Rifa charged again.
　There was no particular change in its speed.
　He said he was going to get a little more serious, but doesn't that mean his physical abilities are going to increase?

　I'm wondering if...
　For now, I'm just going to intercept Rifa.

　Rifa's assault is indeed fast.
　I think it's beyond the limits of a person.
　But I've dealt with non-humans in my own way and.......
　Most importantly, your eyes get used to it for the second time.

　I cleave with my right arm and strike a counter blow as Rifa charges.
　That blow definitely catches Rifa, but........

What?

　Just before his fist hit Rifa, his body scattered four times.

　
　Refa's body turned into countless black bats and scattered around him.

''Nya!　Hey, I turned into a bat!
What does this mean...?
"Well, well, well...

　It seemed unexpected and surprising to everyone watching the game.

　Meanwhile, countless bats were flying around....
　They rallied behind me, taking me by surprise.
　Then the bat takes the form of a man and Rifa appears again.

''What, what is that?''
My ability.

　Rifa rushes in from behind.
　I tried to defend myself in a hurry, but I was so upset by the unexpected sight that my guard was delayed.

''Guh!''

　The impact.

　Instantly, the heavens and the earth were reversed.
　I was blown away while spinning around in a circle, rolling over and over again on the ground.
　I finally managed to stop when I was able to stick my arm on the ground, but........

'Duh........that one worked.......!

　It doesn't seem to be a broken bone, but bruising is a certainty.
　I'll have to do some healing magic myself later, or have Sora or Luna fix it.

Finished?

　Rifa didn't give a chase, but asked somewhat disappointedly.

'You're strong for a human. But not to that extent.''
Well it's too early to tell.

　I don't want to be defeated like this, my mere competitive spirit flares up and I stand up.
　Now ... it's time to fight back.