“Waa… weren’t you even stronger than before?”
“For mine own self, ’tis but within the margin of error.”
As Eri and Inari exchanged words like that, the other four stared in shock.
Yes, Woodmen were not considered powerful monsters. Humanoid, wielding a variety of weapons, but any reasonably trained awakener could handle them.
But what they had just witnessed was far beyond “reasonable.”
“That aside… no reinforcements yet. It would be easy to assume there aren’t any, but—Jane!”
“Leave it to me—[Shadow Hide]!”
Jane’s body was swallowed by a swirl of black mist until she vanished completely.
Shadow Hide—a concealment skill that erased presence in darkness, hiding even scent. As long as the user moved through shadows, discovery was near impossible. To searchers, it was like looking for a shadow lost within shadow.
“Impressive, no? Even we cannot tell where Jane is.”
“Umu, truly a fine technique.”
“…But doth thine eyes not follow her all the same?”
“Who can say?”
The truth was, her magical aura was not concealed. Inari could clearly see where Jane lurked. She thought: if another awakener with similar vision faced her, they too would see. But there was no need to say so aloud.
“’Twould seem weak against foes who can see magic.”
“That’s… actually true. Regular Hide can’t even conceal scent, so this is an upgrade. But—you can see her, can’t you?”
“Aye. Magic leaks forth. Were she to conceal that, the technique would be flawless.”
At that, Shizuna lightly nudged Ririka.
“…So? Can you see her?”
“Nope, nothing.”
“Right.”
If a Magician like Ririka couldn’t see, then a Samurai Master like herself certainly couldn’t either, Shizuna thought. Still… one day, such vision might prove useful.
After a short while, Jane reappeared before them, canceling Shadow Hide. Her expression was tense as she pointed to the hut.
“Two of them, clinging to the ceiling. It was… seriously horror-movie material.”
“Ugh… that’s the annoying kind.”
Yes—that was the troublesome trait of Woodmen. Perhaps because they were not human, or perhaps due to some peculiar ability, they scaled walls and trees silently, as though with suction cups, then dropped down to strike.
A dangerous foe indeed. Normally, one might ignore them. But this was a large-scale subjugation. They had to be dealt with.
“Alright, everyone gather. We need ideas. How do we handle Woodmen on the ceiling inside a house?”
At Eri’s command, they huddled and began offering suggestions.
“What about blasting fire magic into the house? If it works, we finish them in one strike.”
“Not bad, actually…”
“But fire magic eats a lot of mana. Doing that for every house is… rough.”
“Then maybe just basic fire spells? When they react and come out, Shizuna can cut them down.”
“Yeah, that sounds pretty solid…”
As ideas came forth, Eri turned to Inari.
“What do you think, Inari?”
“Hmm…” Inari nodded.
“Would it be wrong to simply destroy the house?”
“Eh…? I’ve heard dungeon objects are heavily resistant to destruction. And even if you could, who knows what would happen…”
“Fumu. Then if we go with fire as discussed, I have a stratagem.”
“A stratagem… wait, when you said ‘fire,’ don’t tell me—”
“If we put this whole village to the torch, surely they shall panic and flee.”
“Wow… thoughts, everyone?”
Eri looked around. The others mostly gave approving shrugs. The only hesitation came from Ririka.
“Um… torching the whole village would mean pretty wide-area fire magic. Do you have enough mana for that?”
“No problem at all.”
“…Then no objections. Inari, if you would.”
“Umu. Stand back a little.”
Inari ran her fingers along her blade.
At her touch, Kogetsu ignited, the steel shrouded in flame before roaring alight.
“Secret Sword: Kusanagi.”
She swung. The arc of the blade blazed into the earth, fire racing outward, sweeping across the ruined village.
It was not large to begin with. As the flames spread, doors burst open and Woodmen leapt forth with weapons raised. But the fire clung to them, consuming them instantly.
“GROOOOOHH!?”
“KO-KO-KO-KO-KO-KO!”
“KO-KO-KOOOOHH!?”
But of course.
This was no ordinary fire—it was divine foxfire, born of Inari’s divine power.
It had once burned through wolves with ease. Woodmen stood no chance. In moments, they crumbled to cinders, leaving only magic stones behind.
Watching this, Ririka could only stare into the distance. As a magic damage-dealer herself, she could not even muster jealousy. The difference was simply too vast.