When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 23 The power to protect

“Why? How? I don’t understand…”

Amethyst looked at the demon standing before her and felt extremely confused.

It was supposed to be the most powerful blow. There was certainly a sensation of piercing through the body.

On the other hand, the cat demon, with veins bulging in apparent anger, still had a creepy smile on its face.

“Indeed, you, in purple, are quite strong for a budding adventurer. I think you’re no less than a Gold-class adventurer by now.”

The cat demon genuinely praised Amethyst.

Then, wielding its right hand equipped with claws, it deepened its ominous smile.

“That’s why I think you’ll be my ‘best’ nourishment.”

“――!”

A shiver ran down her spine.

She was going to be killed. Without a doubt, torn to shreds.

The hand wielding the claws seemed to be filled with a trembling force, indicating an uncontrollable passion towards her.

It was the undeniable proof that Amethyst’s lightning strike from earlier had taken effect.

However, that had, in turn, become the trigger to infuriate the demon.

Suddenly, Amethyst felt intense pain in her abdomen.

“Guah!”

Thrown from the spot, rolling on the ground, scattering the bushes with each revolution.

Looking around, the cat demon had kicked its legs up.

Amethyst quickly understood that she had been kicked away.

Her body creaked with pain, but she immediately tried to get up by placing her hands on the ground.

However, the cat demon wouldn’t allow it.

In the blink of an eye, it approached, and with a powerful stomp, it crushed Amethyst’s abdomen.

“Gu… Ugh…!”

“I won’t just kill you. I’ll make you suffer to the fullest before tearing you apart.”

Pressed against the ground as if her back was being pushed down, she was mercilessly trampled.

The cat demon seemed to find it amusing, persistently grinding its foot into her abdomen.

Unable to move due to pain and fear, and with almost no remaining magical power, she couldn’t resist.

At this rate, she would truly be killed by the demon.

As it said, she would become the “best nourishment” solely for strengthening the sacred treasure.

(I’ve lived to be the “best” without anyone knowing…)

Drowning in despair, suddenly she heard voices of girls from nearby.

“Ame!”

“…!”

Startled by the hurried voice, Amethyst was taken aback unexpectedly.

That’s right. Now is not the time to be pessimistic about reality.

She didn’t care what happened to herself. So, she had to save those two at all costs.

Amethyst used her head while enduring pain and fear.

After a moment of thought, she came to a conclusion…

“Y-you two, run!”

“Huh?”

“It’s safer to escape from here! Just go quickly! I’ll handle this…”

In an instant, the cat demon stabbed Amethyst’s left arm with its claws, making a sharp sound.

“Guah!”

“What… will you do?”

“Ame!”

(It hurt.) The stabbed area burned with pain.

She had already strained her left hand just to cast the maximum-powered spell earlier. On top of that, being pierced by a sharp blade, Amethyst felt intense pain, enough to make her want to scream.

Nevertheless, she managed to endure somehow.

With a determined effort, she squeezed out her voice, simultaneously appealing to Spinel and Lapis with her eyes.

“Just go!”

“…”

The two were wetting their faces with tears.

Scared. They didn’t want to die. But there was no way they could leave Amethyst behind. Such hesitation could be seen in their expressions.

However, as if urged by Amethyst’s gaze, the two ran away from the scene.

(That’s right. That’s how it should be…)

Currently, Amethyst lacked the “power to protect” those two.

So, letting them escape from this situation was the correct decision.

Above all, this was the responsibility of her weaker self.

If she had been stronger, things wouldn’t have come to this.

“Well, I can always kill them slowly later. So, it’s your turn now.”

Because she had been bestowed with a B-rank divine artifact. No, she had no intention of making excuses like that.

She should have put in more effort.

As usual, striving for the best.

Because she hadn’t put in enough effort, she was now on the verge of being killed by the demon.

If only she had been able to defeat it with that one blow, things wouldn’t be like this…

“Why do you look so puzzled that the lightning strike didn’t work, hmm?”

“…”

The cat demon, while looking down on the person it was trampling, posed the question.

Amethyst, in response, twitched her eyebrows slightly.

Hit the mark. She had indeed wondered about that.

Why couldn’t she finish it off with her maximum power, the “Purple Lightning”?

She considered that the demon might have superior durability, but…

It seemed like it wasn’t just that.

No, maybe she wanted to believe it wasn’t just that.

Being unable to accept that her full-powered strike didn’t work against the demon, she felt there must be a special reason.

“Well, before killing you, I might as well show you something special.”

Saying that, the cat demon raised its claws.

“Enchanting Magic—【Dark Thundercry】”

As it uttered these words, “jet-black lightning” resonated in its claws with a crackling sound.

A significantly powerful enchanting magic enchantment.

And the attribute of that lightning was…

“Black… thunder…”

“That’s right. The magic enchantment residing in my sacred treasure makes it tough for your magic to affect me. Feeling a tingling sensation is something I’ve gotten used to, nya~.”

Seeing the demon laughing derisively as if mocking her, Amethyst inwardly cursed, “Damn it!”

Coincidentally, it seemed the demon possessed a power similar to her own magic.

While Amethyst reluctantly accepted this fact, she cursed her own bad luck.

“Well, consider it a little souvenir from the realm of the dead. It’s about time for you to die, nya.”

“――!”

The cat demon raised its claw imbued with black lightning.

Amethyst, upon seeing it, gritted her teeth strongly.

The demon had declared earlier that it wouldn’t kill her easily.

In that case, she thought…

(I won’t be killed without a fight!)

Holding her abdomen, Amethyst tried with all her might to free herself from the demon’s foot. Although she couldn’t fully retreat, she created a slight opening.

In that moment, Amethyst rolled away from the ground, attempting to quickly put distance between herself and the demon.

There was just a little bit more. Some magical power still remained.

With that, she hoped to strike back somehow…

“Nyah!”

The cat demon didn’t let her escape. Its sharp black leg pierced into Amethyst’s side.

“Guah!”

Thrown and rolling on the ground again, this time the pain made it impossible for her to move. Still, managing to lift her face to look at the demon, it had a creepy smirk.

The claw imbued with black lightning was poised.

To pierce through the delicate body of the young girl, a sharp blade gleamed.

Then, like a demonic black cat, the creature exerted force into its legs, digging into the earth, and kicked the ground.

“Well then, little lonely kitty!”

A blade filled with murderous intent approached.

Amethyst, cornered to the brink of being killed, didn’t give up. She pondered without surrendering.

Should she counter with “Purple Lightning”?

No, here, she had no choice but to create the “Purple Lightning Barrier” that had stopped the demon’s movement earlier. In that moment of immobilization, she would create distance again.

Then, she would gather magical power once more using the skill “Charge,” and this time, she would surely finish it…

(…I can’t do anything anymore.)

Amethyst, for the first time since arriving here, let out a sigh of weakness.

No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t have enough magical power. Her abilities fell short.

There seemed to be no solution to break through this situation.

She had no choice but to accept it.

Her own death. Defeat. Pain and suffering.

The realization that all her efforts had been in vain.

Accept… nothing…

“N-no…”

Amethyst’s voice trembled.

She didn’t want to accept that her end would be so miserable and cruel.