I clenched my fist, the muscles of my arm focusing... And I swung the Holy whip against the Dark Seal.

And the resulting noise made me raise my arms to my head, out of sheer reflex. It was not even too loud. But... we all heard a crack. A cracking noise that echoed through the cave. That almost sounded like it echoed inside of our skulls. As I glanced back, I saw Elly visibly wince. Venefica remained unphased, however, and simply gave a slight nod. Clearly encouraging me. "Again."

So I did it again, feeling adrenaline fill me. I clenched my hand, and swung again. And again. And again.
Each time, the Demon Layer created a new crack in the ice sphere. When suddenly, the black fog began to spill out of it- and a white light shone from inside.

The cracks began to spread throughout the globe, without my needing to strike anymore. I simply watched, amazed-

As the sphere suddenly burst open.

And a person fell out.

"Where... What... happened?"

I watched, mouth slightly agape, as the prisoner was released... and collapsed onto the floor, prostrated. Ice shards fell all around next to them, but dissolved instantly into wisps of blue smoke as soon as they hit the floor.

I couldn't even check behind me to witness Elly and Venefica's reactions. I was too stunned by what I was seeing.
A curvaceous body, covered by a black Gi with red stripes. Her ass was fairly round, though not as impressive as Mika's, and her ample breasts were pressed against the floor.

For some reason... a beautiful woman was the last thing I'd expected to free. But even more stunning than that was what she wore on her back.
A sheathed katana, in a black sheath. With specks and lines of gold ingrained in it. Even I, who hadn't seen weapons in a long, long while... could tell this sword was beautiful. And deadly. What was she, a samurai?

Had seconds passed? Minutes? I could not have told you. I simply stood there, mute, holding the Demon Layer lightly at my side... when the girl's arms moved.

And slowly, she pushed herself up... and stood, her shoulders swaying.

"I... remember. I was... sealed. They trapped me. Who-"

The woman raised her head... and stared right at me. I closed my mouth and gulped... as a sudden shiver of fear ran through my spine.

She was so close. Merely a few steps away from me. From this distance, I could see her short brown hair, almost as short as a boy's. And her blue eyes. Eyes as blue as the sky... which began to narrow.

"Who freed me."

Suddenly, the woman opened her mouth, as if to speak. Then her intense gaze shifted off me- and her eyes opened wide.

I half-turned, almost as in a reflex. Elly looked just as shocked as I am. Her book was held limply in her hands, and her glasses were falling off her nose, but she was staring right back. But her reaction wasn't the surprising one, I quickly realized.
Venefica was staring right at the woman... and her gaze was just as intense. She was staring like she'd suddenly found an adversary.

I opened my mouth... trying to form words. To speak. We'd come here for a reason. We'd freed someone from a Dark Seal. Now we just had to talk-
But as I turned back towards the girl... she was no longer there.

A flash of black and red was all I saw. It flew past me, by my side. And I turned again, fully this time. Not quite understanding what I was seeing.

The woman had her knees bent, and her hands on her sword. Her sword at her side. And with a sudden flash of light, she unsheathed it.
And swung it towards Venefica, who was right in front of her.

"No-!" Was all I could shout. But it was useless. Hopeless-

And then, a split second after I saw the woman strike, the blade stopped. It stopped, what seemed like merely inches from Venefica's chocolate-skinned neck.
And it felt like my heart dropped into my chest from relief. It was all I could do to not drop the Holy whip, trying to tighten my grip around it and stand up straight. Elly wasn't as lucky, outright falling to her knees in shock, dropping her book onto the cave floor.

But Venefica and the woman didn't even glance at us. They kept staring into each other's eyes, though Venefica looked mildly... disappointed.

"... Well, you're faster than my little pet here. That's for sure. Faster than any adventurer I've seen so far, in fact. But how come you're trying this? Don't you know it won't work?"

Then, her voice suddenly took a more... sugary tone. "Try this for size instead, sweetie."
And in one, fluid motion, Venefica's tall body bent forward... and wrapped the Gi-clad woman in her arms, burying her face in the bunny woman's ample breasts.

I felt... some drool fill my mouth at that, but shook it off. This wasn't the time. Especially since I wasn't even sure what I was seeing.
"A battle?" I thought. It... seemed like one.

Then, as fast as she'd been swallowed by the tall witch's embrace, the woman slipped out of her grasp, like a snake. In one smooth move, the katana was sent back into its sheath, staying at her side.
The woman's face was red... and she spoke. And just as the rest of the situation did, her voice surprised me. Light. Young. So young... but full of anger. Determination. And killing intent.

"... How dare you attempt this, monster. I'll carve you in half for this."

Venefica straightened her body at that, lazily stretching her arms up- and shamelessly flaunting her valley of cleavage to us. "Oh dear... oh dear. It seems we're in the middle of a very awkward situation." She winked at me. "Nicely done, darling.~"

I wanted to sputter out something, but the woman's angry gaze suddenly fell on me. And suddenly, knowing that the barrier existed didn't seem to matter anymore. All that I'd faced since coming to Lucidia felt... irrelevant.
Suddenly, I was afraid.

Then the woman glanced away, looking back and forth at the three of us. And spoke again. "I will find you again. All of you." And her voice made it impossible for me to doubt her.

In an instant, the katana was on her back, and the girl made a flurry of handsigns. Venefica tisked, and quickly raised her hand, sending long white tendrils from a rune flying towards her-
But it was too late. The swordswoman disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke... and eventually, I found the willpower to look back at Venefica. Who still didn't look that fazed, as she simply rested her hands on her ample hips.

And all I could say was... "... What have I done?"