Tch! How irritating!
Strengthening my body, I braced against the wind. Those children seriously intended to fight me with petty tricks! Through the howling of the gale, the distinct sound of glass shattering could just barely be heard.
This is why the war needs overseers! These heretics will reveal everything with their recklessness!
"Wind blade!"
The girl launched herself forward, using the blast of wind she had just created as a slipstream to enhance her speed. Of all the elements, the Lord had seen it fit to bestow upon her bloodline that which was the most noble? They were unworthy of such generosity!
"Hmph, the gall…"
The force of the impact between her green blade of wind and the black keys was enough to send me skidding backwards. The girl's momentum had continued, however, and she kept her blade locked with the black keys I had raised to defend myself. Damn this girl; black keys were not meant for such close quarters combat!
"You would dare defy the will of the Lord!"
"Your false god holds no dominion over me!"
…She burns too…
"Then perish!"
Knocking her blade aside, I dropped the keys in my right hand and punched forward. It was enough to send the girl flying backwards through the air, coughing up some blood. Before she hit the ground, however-
"Air step!"
The voice was shrill, but she wasn't down just yet. In fact, she was floating. Just above the ground, as if she could walk on the air itself…
Typical… what was a heretic without their blasphemous tricks!
"Immolate!"
Setting my remaining keys on fire, I hurled them towards the girl. In her weakened state, this would be enough to-
"Haa!"
One, two, three… the flaming black keys smacked into one of those floating sheets of parchment. On contact, the flames were doused; the blades dispelled. I could only reason that it was due to the fact that the hilts of black keys were not magical in nature that they simply bounced off the sheets of parchment, rather than disappeared.
"You" I glared at her boy companion. "That's not western magecraft."
"You're right" he nodded. "I never liked the law of equivalent exchange. So here, you can have these back!"
…No, it hadn't been just three sheets of parchment. It had been three trails of parchment. From above, the left and the right side of the girl, three bolts of fire shot out from the ends of the trails, heading right for me. Tch!
Phwup Cl-Cl-Clang!
The sound of black keys clashing with one another was immediately noticeable. So, the boy didn't just redirect the fire, but the blades of the black keys as well.
"…Well now, between the three of you, I don't know who is the greater heretic."
"I mean, if it's not me, I'm going to be offended" the master without his servant present chimed in. "Actually, considering all I've seen, I'd even argue it's you. What kind of priest rambles on and on about God, yet tries to set children on fire?! Never read anything like that in the Bible; you lot are supposed to be the forgiving type. Or was what happened to Jeanne D'Arc just not enough to get the pyromaniacy out of the system?"
That settles that matter… Oh, how I will enjoy cleansing your soul in the holy flames of the Lord…
"Master!"
"Not now, Rider!"
"There is only time now, master! Let us retreat for today."
"No! Not until every last one of these heretics have been returned to the Lord for judgement!"
"I understand-"
"You understand noth-"
"Rrrrrraaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!"
Despite everything, even my attention was drawn to the sound of the bellowing roar. Something like that could only have come from… Damn idiot! Have no you sense of where you are! If you can't control your servant properly then stay outside the city limits!
The ground shook as the new servant approached the battlefield. There was a loud crash, followed by another right after, and finally-
The little yellow building of sheet metal and wood exploded into bits, sending shrapnel flying. Without stopping his charge, the servant barreled his way across the field, heading right towards us all.
Somewhere behind the servant, hidden within the dusty scene of the rubble, came a commanding shout.
"Annihilate them all, Berserker!"
