CASE 214: HUMAN.

''...''

The woman in front of me exudes an otherworldly aura.

Not like that of demons, strangely enough, yet equally as irritating. The fact that I can't accurately sense her strength means that it wouldn't be easy to subdue her.

''I'll take it as you really are Buezrith.'' 

Gently moving Claire aside, I take out my sword. Feeling the blade, which is refined from the hydra's scales, and its somewhat squeaky equilibrium, I have to remind myself to find a new one sooner or later.

Eyes on my hand, the maid chuckles, ''Well... normally, I wouldn't bother announcing myself like an idiot. I'm not the same as those guys you've beaten.''

Something is off about this woman.

Is it her overly calm attitude, or the utter lack of that same madness I see in past demons? At any rate, she seems too... human.

''Bravo, Aurora.'' Buezrith suddenly starts to clap, breaking my chain of thoughts. ''I commend you for getting this far, but your journey ends here.''

''Nonsense talk, I see.'' I let out a sigh.

''Sure. Think what you want.''

In an instant, the smirk on her face vanishes. As though a magical transformation, her maid outfit disintegrates, replaced by a pristine white and gold nun's habit. Her eyes turn blood red, a metallic scent filling the air.

''Like it or not, you have interrupted HIS plans. You lot... have gone against god's will.'' She says, her voice low. ''And for those who have committed blasphemy, only one ending awaits them—death.''

''That sort of mindless monster is hardly a god.'' I snort. ''The likes of you who are born from his madness don't have the right to judge.''

''Oh, really?''

Not to waste any moment, I shoot myself forward, instantly covering the distance between us.

With dense light and ice magic etching into my blade's veins, I hurl a flurry of slashes at Buezrith. Expectedly, the woman nimbly avoids most of it, her movements seasoned. It is as if I'm facing a master with countless hours of experience.

''Don't be so impatient. I'll play with you.''

''...!''

Bare hands?

I can't help but frown. At this level, I doubt she's foolish to underestimate her opponent. So, it can only be that she is sure of her superiority.

Whatever it is, I still have to grasp her level.

''Tch.''

And for the first time in a while, I feel my inexperience. It's not just about magical power or skills, but a fundamental difference in understanding. Every stroke of my sword feels wrong—like they're being read so clearly it's almost embarrassing.

With just her hands, Buezrith easily parries off my attacks.

So, after a bit, I promptly stop and take a step back.

''...''

The woman stands still, staring down at me idly. If she's in that mood to torture her opponent... fine. I'll take on her challenge. Although I feel sorry for the Apollo Duchy, nothing can really be done.

I can't fight seriously while trying to protect this fragile library, can I?

''Oh?''

''Aurora...!''

Turning around, Claire's complex emotions hit me at once. Almost crying, however, filled with determination, yet soaked in grief. Not long after, her tears roll out, soon blown by the swirling output around my sword.

''...If you want to fight, come here. If not, stay close to Goatman.'' 

''I'll fight!''

Clutching the holy sword, Claire's figure shines a brilliant gold. Looking at her like this, some sort of relief fills my mind.

Half a moment later, the two of us dash forward.

Tearing through the stray pages, I swing my sword at Buezrith. Perhaps Claire has scrutinized my fighting style for a long time, but her assists are quite decent.

She knows that her power is lacking, so she doesn't try to take the lead, instead focusing on creating opportunities for me to take advantage of. That, plus my semi-serious mana output, proves to be effective.

The freezing cold staggers the air.

The stinging light sharpens that coldness.

Very quickly, the floor and various furniture nearby collapse, taking us down to the first floor. Small wounds accumulate on Buezrith's slender body, from which... red blood flows.

''...Human, huh.'' I mutter.

Briefly breaking out of the struggle, Buezrith sighs, ''Now you know.''

The signs are there. From her demeanor to her lack of aversion to light attributes... just as I thought. If that's really the case, the strategy needs to be changed.

But that's only me.

''Why... why did you do it?!'' Claire yells. ''You're... no, you were a human just like us. How could you be so cruel?!''

''I worship the omnipotent god.'' Buezrith calmly replies. ''I worship domination. The moment I realized Neveah's laughably 'human' status, I knew I could only turn to that entity. After all...''

The nun's lips break into a sinister stretch as she wryly laughs, ''How could one resist after looking at HIS true power...?''

''...''

Claire's gaze gradually turns hateful—no, maybe the grudge is merely manifesting. I, too, can't stand this kind of lunatic, so I understand.

''But that's all you'll know.'' The woman's smile once again vanishes. ''Now, die.''

''!!''

The next moment, Buezrith's figure blurs.

At an astonishing speed, even for me, she nearly blinks her way toward us, a faint trail of darkness tracing her silhouette.

Darkness.

Wielding the power of demons and those who worship the Heavenly Demon, Buezrith lunges at me fiercely as though a beast. Her claws seemingly tear through the fabric of reality itself, leaving torn, ripping wounds where she attacks.

Hanging on with my reflexes pushed to the maximum and a whole lot of spatial magic, I can't help but feel the difference in our power.

Is this really the 'demon' who is, supposedly, adept at mental magic?

Or... were we deceived all along?

''Ngh...!''

As we fight, the library quickly becomes a mess. Still, it is mostly me avoiding the opponent's attacks, as I still don't know what kind of effect they will deliver if we clash.

At some point, I want to counterattack.

I want to, but... it's hard to find an opening. Buezrith's advances are not relentless by any means, but she does it in such a way that makes me waste a lot of energy defending.

It doesn't seem like I can hold back any longer.

''Oh, that's dangerous.''

Funneling the energy deep within my void, I subtly change my blade's coating. What used to be a crisp gold-white color now turns a bleach white, its hazy nature apparent.

The Sword of Nihility.

''Oh, that's dangerous.''

Expectedly, Buezrith immediately backs away the moment she senses this power. 

''Divinity, huh... how annoying.''

Something has changed about the way she acts—once again. My intuition is whispering to me danger. Even so, I won't run just because of that.

I've been through this kind of situation countless times, haven't I?

''A-Aurora...''

''Stay back. I'll take care of this.''

After a short interval, the fight continues.