Act 4: Feeble Boy Stumble
Right after the curtain rose, Hinata and her ally had the upper hand.
Two angels versus over a dozen members led by “Gouki”.
The former were clearly at a numerical disadvantage, so the latter attempted to overwhelm them with brute force.
The members all unleashed their divine gifts at once—
First, the palms of the combat-focused angel, moving at high speed, pierced the solar plexus of the two members at the front.
Struck in a vital point, they lost consciousness unceremoniously.
Slightly behind her partner, floating tables and chairs rushed at the members.
One whose unlucky hit knocked him out, while several others suffered significant injuries.
Overcoming their numerical disadvantage, the angels pushed back against the members.
“Tch.”
Gouki, observing this, made a quick decision.
“I thought they were just some winged bugs, but it’s those rumored rising stars. Two of ’em too. — You lot! There are targets around too. Aim for them!”
Quickly giving up on overwhelming the girls with force, he ordered his subordinates to target the “targets” — the civilians who had not yet evacuated.
After giving that order, Gouki himself didn’t move, standing with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
With the first floor now a battlefield, the safest route for civilians was to head to the adjacent Building B.
Exiting from the first floor of Building B would be the safest route.
However, the walkway connecting Buildings A and B was like the narrow part of a peanut.
Due to this narrowness, the evacuation was progressing painfully slowly.
What would happen if they targeted the defenseless guests in this situation?
The answer was obvious.
“Damn it!”
Angels protect people.
Hinata to protect the evacuees on the first floor, Rui to defend against attacks aimed at guests on the second and third floors.
The two partners faced their respective enemies with perfect coordination.
Rui had the heavier burden.
She intercepted the enemies’ projectiles and sent them back.
She blocked fire and water with collected debris.
Flying through the atrium, she desperately fended off the fierce attacks to protect the civilians.
Meanwhile, in the first-floor hall, Hinata was subduing the members attacking citizens.
She countered the enemies’ numerical advantage with overwhelming speed.
The battle had reached a stalemate.
—Yet still, the angels were pushing forward.
There was a fundamental difference between the carefully selected angels who had undergone relentless training, and the rabble who had merely received divine gifts.
While Rui focused on defense due to her wide coverage area, Hinata on the ground gradually eliminated enemies.
In less than a few minutes from the start of the battle, about half of the members had been subdued.
All that remained were the members attacking Rui.
Just as Hinata was about to move in to support,
“Well then, I guess it’s about time for me to make a move.”
The one who showed movement was Gouki, who had been quietly observing the battle until now.
“Lately, I’ve been chased around by that silver woman from your place. Haven’t been able to rampage to my heart’s content. Let me have a little fun.”
“…Fun, you say?”
The level of caution and priority suddenly changed.
Hinata faced Gouki as the most dangerous opponent in this situation.
Rui was still fully occupied protecting people from the remaining members’ attacks.
While she was successfully defending, she had no leeway to intervene in the ground battle.
However, conversely, it could be said that the members, excluding Gouki, had to focus solely on attacking Rui.
Instead of many against one, a one-on-one situation between Hinata and Gouki had developed.
“Hah—!”
The first move was Hinata’s, superior in speed.
She aimed to take down the giant with a powerful strike to the solar plexus, just as before.
“——”
However—that blow was stopped.
Not caught by hand.
In fact, Gouki hadn’t even moved.
The fist, accurately aimed at the solar plexus, had hit its target.
But,
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“Ugh…!”
There was no usual iron gauntlet.
The impact, as if striking a lump of iron, transmitted directly to Hinata’s hand.
“You’re quite weak, little fly,”
Gouki laughed off the attack he should have received.
Then, he raised his arm.
“Now, it’s my turn.”
“…!”
The giant’s big swing ended in a miss.
While Hinata easily avoided it, anxiety began to gnaw at her heart.
(My attacks… aren’t working…!)
It was probably the enemy’s divine gift lux.
Against this large man, Hinata’s punches were not effective.
“I missed. What a shame, what a shame.”
Gouki’s words, not sounding the least bit regretful, only fueled her anxiety.
As if to shake it off, Hinata kicked off the ground.
Her speed far surpassed Gouki’s.
All that was left was to somehow land an effective attack.
And yet—
“…Damn.”
Extremities like limbs, vital points like the neck.
Even aiming for these from blind spots and catching him off guard, Hinata’s attacks had absolutely no effect on Gouki.
It was like punching steel.
She was only wasting her stamina.
Gouki mocked the girl.
“Come on now, I haven’t even moved yet!”
“…If that’s the case!”
Hinata launched another attack, this time aiming for the enemy’s eyes.
There was no room for mercy.
She threw a punch targeting the absolute weak point that would surely land,
“——Ah.”
And it was easily caught.
“If I know it’s coming, even I can catch it at this speed!”
“Gah…!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the arm holding Hinata’s fist was swung down.
Unable to escape, the girl was slammed into the ground.
Her small body bounced off the ground from the intense impact.
“Hina!! —Tch, get out of my way!!”
Rui screamed and tried to rush to her aid, but the members’ attacks prevented her from doing so.
“I’m… fine…”
Hinata stood up unsteadily, her sense of balance disrupted.
It was just one hit, but the demonic strength had dealt significant damage to the girl’s body.
But she had also learned something.
Extraordinary durability, speed that could catch Hinata’s strike even if predicted, and destructive power.
“Your divine gift lux… it’s some kind of ‘body enhancement’, isn’t it…? And an exceptional one at that…”
“Haha, correct!”
Gouki laughed in high spirits as he revealed the truth.
His smile spoke volumes.
Even if you know that, what can you possibly do?
—What can I possibly do?
Hinata had told me to “run away.”
Yet I didn’t join the wave of evacuees, instead hiding in a store a little away from the battlefield.
It’s not as grand as saying “I didn’t run away.” The truth is, “I couldn’t even run away.”
If I stayed there, Gouki, who knows my face, might see me, and in the worst case, Hinata might recognize me too.
But I didn’t have the courage to abandon a girl who was practically my sister right before my eyes.
So, I’m just a coward hiding at the bare minimum distance, neither running away nor staying.
That’s who I am right now.
Ideally, I’d rush in gallantly to help.
If only I had that kind of power.
The divine gift lux I possess is no different from those of the fallen members lying there.
Even Hinata took considerable damage from Gouki’s single strike.
Her previously nimble movements are now a shadow of their former self, and she’s likely to fall in the next exchange.
If that happens, Rui, having lost one of her wings in her partner, will surely fall to the ground as well.
That’s how ferocious and formidable an opponent they face.
After all, he’s someone they were supposed to fight a bit later.
He’s an opponent meant for Hinata and Rui when they’ve grown stronger than they are now.
The current pair is no match for him—and naturally, I’m not even worth comparing.
“Something… anything…”
It was clear that if I just waltzed out there, I’d only end up being a nuisance to Kushina and Hinata.
If it were Kushina…
No, that’s not an option.
If I could tell her to help, she would definitely come.
But the price for that would be an enormous amount of her lifespan.
That’s absolutely not something I can allow.
“…Damn it.”
I cursed, clenching my fist.
Even in this situation, can I only rely on others?
As my fingertips grew cold,
I suddenly realized a way I could be useful.
“…Ah.”
Slowly, I took out the pocket watch hanging from my neck.
As I turned the crown, a black robe appeared as if seeping out of space, enveloping me.
—If I’m prepared to throw away my current position, I might at least be able to buy some time.
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