She remembered the little trinket the man had tucked into the sleeve of her kimono before he left.
It was a crude little box, seemingly molded from some kind of dried yellow herbs.
He had said, "If you truly find yourself at a dead end, crush it."
At the time, she had thought it was just some small trick to comfort her, but now, it was the only thing she could think of.
Despair, like freezing seawater, submerged her. That little box was the last straw she could grasp at, even if it might shatter at the slightest touch.
Haruhime trembled, her hands bound by iron chains as she struggled to grope within the folds of her clothes. The cold metal chafed against her warm skin, bringing a sharp sting. Finally, her fingertips brushed against the corners of the small box.
Using every ounce of her strength, she squeezed it out from her collar.
"The ritual... begins!" Ishtar raised her hands high, her voice filled with a feverish excitement, completely oblivious to Haruhime's small movements.
Now!
Haruhime dug her nails in and violently crushed the fragile herb box.
There was a soft crack.
The box split open as expected, but the miracle she had envisioned did not happen. There was no blinding light, no world-shaking sound—only a wisp of yellow smoke, thinner than a strand of hair, curled up from the cracks in the box before vanishing instantly into the night wind atop the tower.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
A sharp-eyed Amazon warrior nearby noticed her suspicious movement. With a quick stride, she rushed forward and roughly slapped Haruhime's hand. The remaining shards of the herb box flew out, rolling across the floor, only to be ground into dust under the warrior's boot.
"Behave yourself, sacrifice!" the warrior warned viciously.
Haruhime's heart sank into a bottomless abyss along with the shattered box.
As I thought... it was a lie.
Even her final hope was a falsehood.
She slowly closed her eyes, a single trail of tears finally escaping her restraint to slide silently down her cheek. The world faded into darkness.
Meanwhile, in the tower's passageways.
Lynn was pressed against the shadow of a massive statue like a gecko. The several squads of Amazon warriors patrolling back and forth before him were as tight as an iron bucket brigade, making his scalp tingle.
"This is a problem. With this density of guards, am I supposed to just go Dynasty Warriors on them and slaughter my way in?" he muttered under his breath, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the cold stone base. "But with my current stats, I'd probably be chopped into mincemeat in three seconds..."
Just as he was weighing whether to throw a rock to lure a squad away, a translucent interface, unique only to him, popped up before his eyes without warning.
That familiar UI, textured like smoldering embers, made his spirits soar.
[Cooperator: Sanjouno Haruhime has used the Furlcalling Finger Remedy]
[Respond to summon and enter the cooperator's world?]
[Yes / No]
The corners of Lynn's mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
"I knew it. How could that old man's stuff be useless?"
He didn't even bother wondering how the thing could teleport him across space. For a Tarnished, acting as a Sun Knight to help someone hunt a boss in the Lands Between was a daily occurrence.
Without hesitation, his mind locked onto the large "Yes."
The moment he confirmed, his body stiffened. A golden light erupted from within him without warning, as if a thousand suns had been ignited simultaneously in his chest. His form began to dissolve, turning into countless tiny, shimmering particles of warm golden light, like dandelions scattered by the wind.
"What is that light?!"
"Over there! Behind the statue!"
The Amazon warriors at the passage entrance were startled by the sudden glare. Crying out in alarm, they gripped their weapons and rushed over.
However, by the time they reached the back of the statue, the area was empty. Only a few specks of golden stardust that hadn't yet fully dissipated swirled slowly in the air before completely merging into the darkness.
The warriors looked at each other, their faces etched with confusion and vigilance.
"Where is he?"
"There was definitely something glowing here just now..."
"Search! Search everywhere! A rat has slipped in!"
Atop the tower, upon the sacrificial altar.
Ishtar was just about to chant the incantation for the ritual when a piercing golden light exploded in the center of the altar without warning!
The light was so pure and dazzling that it seemed like the first ray of dawn tearing through the night, forcing everyone present to instinctively squint their eyes.
"What is that?!" Ishtar's chant was cut short. She looked toward the center of the light, her face a mask of shock and fury.
Within the radiance, countless golden particles rapidly converged and restructured. A slender figure shifted from ethereal to solid, stepping calmly out of the light to land firmly upon the altar.
He wore a suit of simple light armor, his black hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze. His sharp eyes swept calmly across the scene before finally landing on the tear-stained Renard girl chained to the stone pillar.
He stood directly in front of Haruhime, shielding her.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
Haruhime slowly opened her eyes, blurred by tears, staring in disbelief at the silhouette before her—a man who looked as though he had descended from the heavens.
Lord Lynn!
"You... how did you get in here?!" Ishtar's face turned ashen instantly, her voice shrill with extreme rage. An intruder? No, this wasn't an intrusion! He had appeared out of thin air!
Lynn didn't even bother to look back at her.
Reaching behind him into the void, he drew a uniquely curved greatsword—the Bloodhound's Fang. The blade reflected a cold, murderous glint under the moonlight.
Without a single word of nonsense, Lynn flicked his wrist, and the blade flashed like a streak of silk.
Clang!
A crisp, ear-piercing sound of snapping metal erupted across the silent rooftop. The chain binding Haruhime's left wrist shattered.
"You bastard! Get him!" Phryne's roar broke the eerie silence. Her hulking frame surged forward like an infuriated tigress, bringing a gale-force wind as she threw a punch aimed straight for the center of Lynn's back!
Lynn didn't turn around. With a flip of his left wrist, the Bloodhound's Fang vanished, replaced by a kite shield engraved with exquisite patterns—the Carian Knight's Shield.
He held the shield behind him, his timing impeccable.
Bang!
Phryne's heavy, powerful fist slammed squarely into the shield's surface, but it felt as though she had struck a piece of slick, frictionless steel. All the force was deflected by a clever, redirecting energy.
At the moment of impact, the blue glintstone magic at the center of the shield flared brilliantly!
[Carian Retaliation]!
Phryne let out a muffled grunt. She was shaken by the invisible force, stumbling back two large steps, her face filled with shock.
She couldn't understand how the opponent, who was clearly only a Level 2, could parry her attack so easily!
Lynn seized this fleeting opportunity. His right hand drew the Bloodhound's Fang once more, delivering another strike.
Clang!
The shackles on Haruhime's ankles were also cleanly severed. He reached out and grabbed Haruhime's arm, pulling her up as her legs threatened to give way.
"Can you run?" he asked, his words brief and to the point.
Haruhime's mind was a blank slate; she could only stare at his profile and nod frantically.
"Seize them!" Ishtar finally snapped out of her shock.
"Hyaaah!"
The dozen or so elite Amazon warriors nearby were instantly ignited with bloodlust. Roaring, they lunged from all directions simultaneously.
The arcs of scimitars and the glint of spears wove into a seamless web of death under the moonlight, descending toward the two people in the center of the altar!
Lynn kept Haruhime protected behind him with one hand while holding the Bloodhound's Fang across his chest with the other, the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground. He stood like a monolith; no matter how fierce the killing intent surrounding him, he remained unmoved.
That web of death, in his eyes, was riddled with openings.
The first to strike were three Amazon warriors from the front. They attacked in a triangular formation, their scimitars carving three tricky arcs to seal off all of Lynn's evasion angles.
However, Lynn had no intention of dodging.
Just as the blades were about to reach him, the Carian Knight's Shield in his left hand—the one that had just blocked Phryne's heavy punch—vanished into a glimmer of light. In its place appeared an exquisitely crafted yet unusually thick heavy thrusting sword—the Godskin Stitcher.
His movements were as fast as a phantom.
The broad blade of the Bloodhound's Fang in his right hand flicked upward. Ting-ting! He precisely parried two of the scimitars.
At the same time, he leaned his body slightly. The Godskin Stitcher in his left hand struck out with "speed-of-light" precision, turning into three silver flashes.
Pst! Pst! Pst!
Three soft sounds followed in rapid succession.
The three Amazon warriors felt a sudden numbness in their wrists followed by a sharp pain. They could no longer hold their scimitars, and the weapons flew from their hands. They looked down in shock to see a pin-sized hole in each of their leather bracers.
The tip of the sword had pierced the bracers without harming the flesh, but the precise force transmitted through the strike had caused their entire arms to lose sensation.
With one move—only a single move—the three attackers from the front had lost their combat effectiveness.
Before they could react to the shock, two more figures flanked him. One swung a short axe toward Lynn's neck, while the other thrust a spear toward his waist and ribs.
Lynn didn't even look. The Bloodhound's Fang in his right hand traced a wild, half-moon arc, whipping up a fierce blade-wind that forced the axe-wielding warrior back half a step.
That half-step gap was enough.
The Godskin Stitcher in his left hand vanished again, and a staff tipped with a dim glintstone appeared in his palm.
"Don't you dare!"
Seeing her comrade forced back, the spear-wielding warrior's eyes flashed with murderous intent. She accelerated her thrust, determined to skewer Lynn through.
But she was met with Lynn's emotionless face and a sudden flash of deep blue light at the tip of the staff.
[Glintstone Pebble]!
No chanting, no preparation—it was nearly instantaneous.
A fist-sized, highly condensed bolt of magic struck the warrior's breastplate at point-blank range.
Boom!
With a dull thud, the sneer on the warrior's face froze.
She was sent flying as if hit by a battering ram. Spitting up a mouthful of bile, her feet left the ground as she plummeted backward, crashing heavily five meters away and losing consciousness instantly.
----
Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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