Chapter 45: The sword is fast? Punch fast!

“Arrogant fool—”

Reida’s angry shout was cut off as Zero shot forward like a black bullet, her speed so blinding she left only a streaking afterimage through the flames. The ground tiles shattered under her explosive acceleration, spraying debris like shrapnel into nearby walls.

Reida’s golden eyes narrowed. She didn’t fully track the attack, but her battle-honed instincts screamed of lethal danger closing in!

Instinctively, she raised her sword across her chest. Her golden armor gleamed like a divine icon in the firelight, its protective enchantments humming, capable of shrugging off a Ghost-class monster’s full strike. But then—

Boom!!

Zero’s fist hit like a meteor, its power far beyond her slight frame, raw and brutal, slamming into the sword’s spine!

The impact sent Reida flying back several meters, crashing through a low, broken wall before she steadied herself. Her armored boots carved deep furrows in the ground, her sword hand numb and aching, her breath catching.

Such monstrous strength! Before this mission, Reida had faced nearly every Dragon-class Ouroboros cadre, thinking she’d seen all the powerhouses. Yet Zero’s strength surpassed them?!

Before Reida could recover, Zero’s second assault hit.

A sweeping kick unleashed a shrieking gust. Reida dodged, slashing back to exploit Zero’s brief vulnerability. But Zero, as if anticipating, twisted mid-air at an inhuman angle, her right leg arcing like a battle-axe toward Reida’s ribs!

“Ugh!”

Reida grunted, a sharp pain stabbing her side, her breath faltering. Her blessed Holy Gold armor should’ve absorbed most of the impact, yet Zero’s savage force still sent her blood churning.

This black monster fought with no regard for convention!

“Osmanthus Sword, Armament—”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Zero’s voice pierced like an arrow, her fist, wrapped in terrifying wind pressure, striking before Reida could finish. Reida aborted her chant, raising her sword to block.

Tch…

Reida’s swordsmanship and Osmanthus Sword were masterful, but Zero’s relentless, in-your-face style cramped her, thwarting every move. She tried pulling back to chant and unleash Justice’s true power, but each attempt was cut short by Zero’s ferocious strikes.

Crack!

A sharp, grating sound rang out. Reida’s armguard, blocking a vicious elbow strike, bore a clear crack.

How could flesh and bone challenge enchanted knight armor and sword—and break it?!

Reida’s mind reeled. Was she even fighting a human? Her vaunted swordsmanship and magic felt feeble against this irrational black magical girl.

Zero gave her no time to dwell. Seizing Reida’s brief lapse, she closed in, her whip-like leg, packed with devastating force, swinging like a cannon shot at Reida’s waist. The move lifted her skimpy battle skirt, flashing in the desolate, firelit ruins, unseen by any.

Reida’s pupils shrank. She twisted to dodge, her sword flicking upward to force Zero back.

But Zero reacted faster, shifting her attack mid-air. Her sweeping leg snapped upward, smashing the sword’s blade!

The blow, heavy as a thousand tons, forced Reida to her knee, her golden sword nearly slipping from her grasp.

Alarm bells screamed in Reida’s mind, but all she saw was the lace pattern on Zero’s glove.

A fist slammed into her chest, hurling her backward into a crumbling wall, kicking up dust and debris.

“Cough… cough…” Reida struggled up, blood trickling from her lips. Her chest armor bore a dramatic dent, the earlier block clearly injuring her.

“Wide open…” Zero rubbed her fist, panting slightly, sweat beading on her brow. Even she was nearing her limit after such relentless output.

Reida took a deep breath, suppressing her churning blood. She knew being dominated like this would lead to defeat from exhaustion. This black magical girl’s close-combat skill and instincts were absurdly strong!

But… just a brute with no real experience! That punch was a fatal mistake, flinging Reida dozens of meters, creating unprecedented distance!

“Osmanthus Sword—” Reida’s golden eyes flashed, her clear chant rising again.

Zero lunged to interrupt, but as she moved, searing pain shot through her like venom, countless needle-like burns spreading from her spine. Her vision blurred, her body froze, nearly collapsing.

“Damn this side effect, worst timing…!”

Gritting her teeth, she forced through the bone-deep pain, throwing a desperate punch—

But the pain-induced delay cost her.

“—Armament Full Dominion Release!”

With Reida’s sharp cry, her ornate sword erupted in blinding golden light, far brighter than before! The blade seemed to melt, transforming into endless osmanthus petals, a golden sea swallowing Zero’s punch wind entirely.

A few scattered petals flickered like broken stars before fading. But the rest, as if alive, spun rapidly, their edges glinting with lethal sharpness, forming a storm of golden blades surging toward Zero.

Zero recalled the tanky monster at school, obliterated by this golden petal rain, leaving no trace.

Her heightened senses in transformed state screamed warnings—each delicate petal held enough power to slice steel!

Used to crushing foes with raw power and dodging with uncanny speed, Zero faced an attack so vast, numerous, and gapless that her speed and strength seemed useless for the first time.

“Ora!”

Zero roared, throwing both fists, her winds scattering the nearest petals. But more spun back, relentless.

Unavoidable petals sliced her exposed arms like razors. Sharp pain flared, deep cuts blooming on her porcelain skin, blood soaking her black lace gloves.

“Tch, damn it!” Zero gritted her teeth, eyes fierce despite the pain.

“They’re fast. Gotta bypass them… no, too wide, that’d waste stamina. Then… charge through!”

Deciding in a flash, Zero stomped the ground, abandoning defense against the endless petal rain. She leaped backward toward a derelict three-story building.

Her form traced a black arc, landing precisely on the second-floor wall. Her legs surged, their slender frames unleashing impossible force.

With a boom, the crumbling building collapsed under her step, bricks and concrete flying.

Using the recoil from shattering the building, Zero shot through the pursuing golden petals like a cannon, tearing through in a near-suicidal charge toward the airborne knight controlling the deadly spell!

Golden light left bloody streaks on her battered body, her bold outfit now shredded. But Zero’s eyes locked on the golden figure.

Reida hadn’t expected such madness—Zero daring to crash through the lethal petal storm of her Osmanthus Sword’s Full Dominion Release.

In her brief shock, Zero broke through, her fist a black shadow fueled by blazing rage and killing intent, aimed at Reida’s face.

“Die!!!”