Vol 3 Chapter 31 – I’ll show you my magic (【The Exonerator of the Maritime Nation】Arc)

“Give up already.”

“Give up? … I’m sorry, but I don’t like giving up.”

Satsuki and Kuroda face each other.

A battle that erupted between them several tens of minutes ago.

While Kuroda appeared completely at ease, Satsuki was battered and bruised.

(Now, what should I do? My right arm is broken, and honestly, I don’t know how much longer I’ll remain conscious…)

Even in this desperate situation, Satsuki continued to search for the best plan without giving up.

(Really, it’s hopeless…)

Satsuki muttered that to herself.

With every blow from Kuroda’s attacks, her ability to move diminished. And with each hit, the strain on her body increased.

“Let’s finish this.”

Saying that, Kuroda slowly closed the gap between her and Satsuki.

The short dagger clutched in her right hand flew straight toward Satsuki’s heart.

But Satsuki remained calm.

In an instant, slipping out of Kuroda’s view, she quickly circled around to Kuroda’s back.

Then, she raised her right foot high and delivered a powerful heel drop onto Kuroda’s back.

“Guh…!”

Kuroda fell to the ground with a pained expression, but she quickly rose to her feet, once again grasping her short dagger as she turned to face Satsuki.

“Interesting. You can still move this much.”

“You’re being pretty condescending…”

Satsuki looked toward Kuroda with a wry smile.

“But I can’t afford to lose either. So——————.”

Satsuki’s aura changed completely.
It was as if she had become a different person.

“…!”

Overwhelmed by that aura, Kuroda involuntarily stepped back.
But she quickly regained her composure and once again grasped her short dagger.
Then, she slashed at Satsuki.

“Goodbye.”

Yet Satsuki made no move to dodge.

“——————I’ll show you my magic.”

Satsuki re-aimed her revolver—having regripped it with her left hand in place of her immobile right arm—and pulled the trigger.
Two bullets fired from the barrel, flying straight toward Kuroda.

“Futile. I’m still fine.”

Without a hint of labored breathing, Kuroda elegantly dodged the bullets.

“Tch…”

Satsuki clicked her tongue softly.
Seeing that expression, Kuroda couldn’t help but smile.

“What will you do? Give up?”

“There’s no way…!!”

With that cry, Satsuki pulled the trigger of the revolver once more.
Two bullets were fired.

“I told you it’s useless…”

Once again, Kuroda dodged the bullets.
But in the next moment, as one of the bullets Satsuki fired passed right by Kuroda, it suddenly changed course with a metallic sound and flew toward the back of her head.

“…!!”

Kuroda’s eyes widened in slight surprise, and at the last moment she dodged the bullet before shifting her gaze toward Satsuki.

“What was that…?”

“Surprised? That was my magic.”

“Magic? What a ridiculous joke. It was nothing more than a ricochet that nearly hit by accident.”

“Hehe… Do you really think it was just coincidence?”

Satsuki flashed a defiant smile.

Kuroda wore a suspicious expression, but after a few seconds of silence, she turned back toward Satsuki.

“…Enough. There’s no point in talking any further.”

“Yeah. Even 【Onee-san】 is nearly at her limit.”

Satsuki crossed her left arm over her body as if embracing herself.

Then, she once again flashed a seductive smile.

Kuroda was visibly unsettled by Satsuki’s attitude, yet she maintained a composed front. Still, Satsuki knew it was nothing but a bluff.

“Die.”

“…You too!”

Satsuki fired the two remaining rounds from her revolver.

Kuroda tried to dodge the bullets again, but, as with the first two, they changed course and flew toward her.

“Gah…”

The final bullet grazed Kuroda’s right elbow as she attempted to evade.

Staggering slightly backward, Kuroda retreated while wiping the blood from her wound and glaring at Satsuki.

But she let out a short laugh, shook her head lightly, and turned back toward Satsuki.

“Admiration. But this means your defeat.”

“…Yeah. Looks like 【Onee-san】 is done for.”

Satsuki no longer had the strength to resist. Her body screamed, and blood flowed from her left eye.

The fight was over.

“…Something’s not right.”

Yet Satsuki’s expression was——————

“But that doesn’t mean I’ve admitted defeat.”

It was the look of a warrior convinced of her victory.

“What are you saying…?”

In an instant, a small sound—”Toss”—was heard.

At that moment, Kuroda felt an odd sensation in her body. The cause was unknown, yet it was a feeling she had experienced before.

“Ah…”

“It seems you’ve finally noticed.”

Kuroda observed liquid dripping at her feet.

“Incomprehensible. Incomprehensible.”

She shifted her gaze to her abdomen. There, a hole had formed, and blood was gushing out.

“…Ah, ahh.”

Blood continued to flow from her abdomen. In that moment, Kuroda finally understood that Satsuki’s bullet had entered through her back and pierced her abdomen.

“…Ah, ah… wh-why… th-this…”

Kuroda was dumbfounded.

“I told you so, didn’t I? My magic.”

Satsuki retrieved the revolver that Kuroda had deflected and thrown to the floor. Judging it to be in working order, she nodded in satisfaction and then stared at the crouching Kuroda.

“Whenever I see you, 【Kuroda-chan】, I just feel like saying this.”

For her—so accustomed to a world of black and white—the third color, red, now filled it. It signified that her time was nearly up.

Satsuki let out a small sigh.

“Checkmate, you know.”

Muttering that, she departed the scene.

————————————————————

“I never expected to be taken down like this…”

Satsuki dragged her feet as she walked through the inn, feeling uneasy about the situation.

“Why is there not a single person from the inn here?”

Satsuki called the inn staff, but no one answered. Come to think of it, not a soul had come to assist during the fight with Kuroda.

“This gives me a bad feeling…”

She arrived at the room where the staff should have been. However, there was no sign of anyone.