The pitch-black blade was raised high, tearing through the darkness as it slashed toward Mary.
But the strike failed to hit its target. The moment Charlotte moved, the Golden Eye had already captured the trajectory of the blade. Almost at the same time, Mary's body began to move on its own. She twisted her entire body, drawing a curved arc to the left, her left foot naturally stepping forward, narrowly avoiding Charlotte's attack.
"Charlotte! Stop!!"
Mary's cry of anguish failed to halt Charlotte's advance. She tightened her grip on the black sword and thrust forward again. At that very moment, Mary's right hand reached into the void—and then she felt a burning sensation from her fingertips.
At the same time, a pure white blade, almost mirroring Charlotte's, emerged from the void and settled into Mary's hand.
"This is…?"
Staring at the white blade that resembled a newly sprouted bud, Mary was stunned. But soon, she noticed the ring on her right hand—the anti-evil item Duanmu Huai had given her. At this moment, it was radiating a dazzling light.
"Clang clang clang!!!"
Black and white blades clashed violently, yet neither side could find an opening.
"Please, Charlotte! Throw away that sword—don't come any closer!"
Though Mary cried out in resistance, the Golden Eye seemed to have completely taken control of her body. Under its influence, Mary repeatedly dodged Charlotte's lightning-fast attacks while instinctively countering with her blade.
But this wasn't what she wanted.
She didn't want to pierce her friend with that sword—she only wanted to take Charlotte away from here!
"Charlotte———!"
Yet Mary's pleas had no effect. Charlotte's voice, instead, grew sharper.
"Don't point your sword at me!"
Charlotte's movements accelerated, launching attacks at a speed impossible for ordinary people to perceive. Yet none of it escaped the Golden Eye's perception. The blades clashed again and again, and amid their collisions, an eerie burst of laughter echoed.
"Hahahahahaha! Sword against sword, person against person. How ridiculous, how laughable."
At the pinnacle of the boundless darkness, a man dressed in a French court jester outfit, wearing a mask, stood watching the girls' battle with interest, arms raised theatrically.
"In the grand play performed by these maidens, as the curtain falls—behold! The darkness descends, and the black Charnoz shall devour this world!"
But at that moment, a cold, deep voice cut through.
"Honestly, for an Outer God to toy with a little girl's feelings like this is pretty low."
The instant the words fell, a cold, sharp cane suddenly shot out from behind the jester, hooking toward his neck. The jester twisted, dissolving into the shadows like wind, only to reappear elsewhere.
Then, from the other side, Duanmu Huai strode out, gripping his cane, his cold and indifferent gaze fixed on the jester.
"You could've just gone and tempted some idiot scholars, lunatic sorcerers, or deranged artists. But no—you had to mess with a teenage girl. Bit small-minded, don't you think?"
Duanmu Huai spun the cane lightly in his hand and looked at the jester again. The latter merely struck an exaggerated pose under his gaze.
"The girl twisted the darkness, came to the Gate of Tartarus, and formed a contract with me. She made her choice. That is enough."
"Yeah, sounds reasonable. But what does that have to do with me?"
Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the cane and slammed it heavily against the ground. The entire space seemed to tremble.
"Listen carefully, you piece of trash. The Inquisition doesn't play by your rules. Rules? Order? Contracts? Sorry—you don't get to decide that. We do. And tricking a minor who doesn't even have full legal responsibility into making a deal…?"
He sneered.
"Sorry—the Inquisition declares your contract invalid!"
Duanmu Huai looked utterly disgusted. Honestly, this kind of manipulation of children just felt cheap to him. Girls Charlotte's age being a little chuuni, having fantasies—that's normal. Back in the day, didn't he himself wave around a thick stick shouting lines like "O key of darkness filled with power…"?
And then throw in something like "The world shall perish, and I shall live forever."
Trying to exploit that kind of thing? That's just shameless.
It's like surveying teenagers worldwide asking if they'd want the world to end, getting 90% "yes," and then using that as proof that humanity wants extinction—complete nonsense.
"So? What are you going to do?" the jester asked.
"What do you think?"
Duanmu Huai grinned coldly.
"You'll find out soon enough. Die, heretic!"
The next moment, he gripped his cane and launched himself at the jester.
The battle continued.
"Clang clang clang clang!!!"
Against Mary, Charlotte pressed forward relentlessly, giving her no room to breathe. Although Mary could block Charlotte's almost invisible speed thanks to the Golden Eye, she still couldn't find an opportunity to turn the tide.
"Charlotte! Listen to me… Charlotte…!"
Several times, Mary tried to speak—tried to remind Charlotte of their happy days. Ashe was still waiting for them. They were supposed to stay over at Mary's house, have dinner together, bathe together, chat together…
But every time she opened her mouth, Charlotte's storm-like attacks forced her to stop, giving her no chance to speak.
"Don't get in my way, my dear Mary Clarissa! Why? The two of us together… we won't fear, won't cry, won't fall into sorrow again! As long as I'm with you… Mary!"
"Clang—————!!!!"
The blades collided again before separating, trembling violently in their standoff.
"That won't work, Charlotte. I told you—just the two of us isn't enough."
Mary stared at Charlotte and spoke.
"Didn't we promise? You, me, and Ashe—together…"
But her plea failed to make Charlotte lower her weapon.
"…I've already given up everything, Mary. Everything except you. So you should give it up too!"
"No—I won't give up! Not anyone! Not you, not Ashe, not anyone! I came here because of everyone… and also Mr. Duanmu Huai…"
"…Mr.?"
Hearing that name, Charlotte's gaze flickered.
"Mary… who is that?"
"Huh?"
For some reason, Mary suddenly felt a different kind of pressure from Charlotte—like some kind of demon was awakening.
"You… got involved with a man I don't even know, behind my back? Wasn't it Mr. Howard?"
"No, that's not… Charlotte???"
Watching Charlotte lower her head and mutter, Mary panicked. Then Charlotte lifted her head again, staring straight at her.
"As I thought… you should stay here with me, Mary. Just the two of us, forever…!!"
"W-wait, what?!!!"
Before Mary could react, Charlotte launched another attack—far more ferocious than before, like a raging storm.
As she defended, Mary tried desperately to explain.
"Charlotte, wait! It's not like that! Mr. Duanmu Huai is a really good person!"
"Clang clang clang!"
"He's been helping both of us! It's thanks to him I made it here! And even though he looks scary, he's actually very gentle…"
"Clang clang clang clang!!"
"Ah, you've met him before! When I almost drowned trying to save that kitten—it was him who saved me…"
"Clang clang clang clang clang!!!"
Mary had thought that explaining things would help Charlotte understand—but the more she explained, the fiercer Charlotte's attacks became.
Why is this happening???
If Duanmu Huai knew what Mary was thinking, he'd be speechless. This was straight-up a Cthulhu version of Kannazuki no Miko. He'd definitely make Mary read the whole manga later.
Was she trying to persuade Charlotte—or just buff her into a rage state?
Fortunately, Charlotte's increasingly frenzied assault also meant she had finally exposed an opening!
"Clang!!"
At last, the black and white blades collided once more. Mary raised her right hand with all her strength, knocking Charlotte's blade high into the air.
At that moment, her right eye clearly captured Charlotte's movement.
All she had to do was grip her sword and strike down—
"Mary…"
At that moment, Charlotte seemed to realize her defeat. Her emerald eyes looked at her friend, tears forming at the corners.
And in that instant, Mary made her decision.
"Charlotte!!!"
She threw the white blade in her hand far away—
Then rushed forward, tightly embracing Charlotte.
At that moment, Mary remembered their childhood conversation at the Brontë household. They had talked about so many things—love, mothers, school, the future… and that promise.
"It's okay, Charlotte. Everything will be fine. Even if the world ends and only the two of us are left, it'll still be okay. I'll protect you, Charlotte. I'm strong—strong enough to replace a prince. Even if there are boys, I won't lose to them. Even if Mom isn't here, I won't cry. So it's okay."
Yes—since childhood, Charlotte had always been afraid of something. And every time, Mary would hold her hand.
"As long as we're together, there's nothing to fear. Let's do lots of happy things—study together, eat lots of sweets. And then grow up together, fulfill our dreams."
"Dreams?"
"Yes! Become elegant ladies, as beautiful as our mothers. Fall in love with a wonderful prince, eat delicious food, get married, have four children, and…"
"But… what if something scary happens…?"
"It's okay! When that happens, Mary will defeat all the scary things! Charlotte—I'll protect you!"
That was the promise between two young girls.
"I promised, Charlotte. I'll protect you."
Holding her tightly, Mary whispered. Her friend's warmth, her scent, her hair—it all returned to her grasp once more.
"Why… Mary? Why… did you throw away your sword?"
"There's no need for us to fight like that. Because… we're friends."
"…Friends."
"That's right. So you can't stay here alone. If you stay here, we can't do anything. You, me, and Ashe—we still haven't had tea together, haven't gone out to eat, haven't gone to the theater. There are so many books to read, so many conversations to have… okay, Charlotte?"
"But… Mary, I've already given everything up. I made a contract with him…"
"That doesn't matter. Charlotte—come back. Being together is what matters most."
"Mary…"
At last, Charlotte's body seemed to lose all strength. The black dress covering her began to melt away, and she closed her eyes, falling asleep in Mary's embrace.
"Rumble rumble rumble!!!"
The ground began to shake. The next moment—with a loud bang—a massive object crashed down beside Mary, startling her.
Turning around, she saw Duanmu Huai standing not far behind, his foot resting on what looked like fragments of a shattered statue.
"Mr. Duanmu Huai? This…?"
"Alright, congratulations, you're done. Hand her over—we're leaving. If we're late, we won't get out."
"Huh?"
Before Mary could process it, Lorena leapt up from the other side.
"Sir Knight, Miss Mary—there are too many! We can't hold them back!"
"I know. Don't panic."
Duanmu Huai waved a hand and looked up at the sky.
"Alright, come here and hold onto me."
"Huh?"
"Now!!"
Though confused, Mary carried the unconscious Charlotte and rushed to Duanmu Huai's side. He pulled them both into his arms like holding cats, while Lorena skillfully climbed onto his shoulder.
"Um… what exactly is happening…?"
"Don't talk. Close your eyes. Bite down!"
The moment his words fell, Mary felt an overwhelming force surge beneath her—
And in the blink of an eye, she was launched straight into the sky!