The Sekirei’s Covenant

"Cough cough…"

Thrown to the ground by the boar's tremendous force, Erica clutched her chest with one hand, her face contorted in pain.

The once queenly, dignified, and warrior-like beautiful girl was now utterly disheveled. Her fair, rosy face was smeared with dirt and grime, losing some of its elegance but gaining a trace of pity.

"Erica, keep going. I hope we can meet again alive!"

Recalling her uncle's parting words, Erica gave a bitter smile. She hadn't understood them before, but now she finally grasped their meaning!

Thud thud thud… Each step the giant divine beast took made the ground tremble. Watching it approach, despair flickered in Erica's eyes.

Indeed, humans were too insignificant before these mighty gods!

But she was Knight Erica Blandelli. Even if she died, she would die honorably on the battlefield, never retreating in the face of despair!

Regaining a determined expression, Erica struggled to stand, her beloved sword Cuore di Leone held before her, ready to fight to the end!

But just then—

"Really, still trying to be tough at a time like this? Even stupidity has its limits!!!"

A man's scolding voice rang out, and a figure suddenly blocked Erica's path. To her surprise, it was the poor-looking youth she had previously ignored!

"Why did you come back? Don't you know this place is dangerous?"

"Also, what do you understand, you guy? How dare you say I, Erica Blandelli, am stupid, I…"

Usually proud, Erica couldn't stand being called stupid by a random passerby. Her temper flared instantly, and she turned to Sora with a furious expression.

"Enough! At a time like this, you're still trembling. It's really foolish of me to have come back to save you!"

"I can't hold on much longer. You'd better run for your life!"

Interrupting Erica, Sora drew the long sword from his back and spoke with a hint of exasperation, his expression grave as he faced the giant boar steadily advancing.

"Hah… You want me, a knight, to run away?! You…"

As a knight, Erica's pride made her instinctively resist the idea of "running away." She was about to retort but suddenly stopped.

What did he just say? He came back to save her?

Looking at the figure standing in front of her, Sora's back straight and firm, Erica's initial disgust and aversion vanished instantly, replaced by a strange ripple of emotion spreading through her heart like waves.

She said nothing more and showed no intention of running away alone. Erica just stared blankly at the figure ahead…

"Even a pig is this strong. Gods really are a bunch of perverts."

Feeling the overwhelming pressure radiating from the boar, Sora furrowed his brows and muttered to himself. Fully focused, he didn't notice Erica staring at him in astonishment from behind.

"There's only one chance. I can't hold anything back!"

Watching the giant boar accelerate toward him, a gleam flashed in Sora's deep black eyes as he made his decision.

"Ah!!! Ah!!! Ah!!!"

Without hesitation, Sora gripped his sword with both hands, and a fierce aura burst from him. Low growls escaped his mouth as he fully unleashed his power!

The next moment, under Erica's endlessly surprised gaze, powerful energy burst from Sora's body, swirling around the purple-gold long sword in his hands, forming a sword-shaped phantom radiating intense pressure.

Centered on the long sword, the phantom rapidly expanded until it became a towering giant sword dozens of meters tall!

"Roar!!!"

Sensing a threat, the boar let out a loud roar and charged at Sora with even greater ferocity!

"Get lost!!!"

With a shout, Sora swung his sword, driving the massive sword phantom to strike the boar.

Boom!!!

When the sword phantom struck the giant boar, a thunderous sound erupted. Erica's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as the boar was actually cut and knocked into the air!

Yes, knocked into the air—not dozens or hundreds of meters, just one or two meters off the ground, which was nothing compared to the boar's huge size, but it was definitely lifted off the ground!

Boom!!! Roar…

When the boar's massive body hit the ground, a painful scream mixed with the impact echoed, shaking the earth. A powerful shockwave swept dust and debris rapidly outward, making the scene look extremely dramatic!

"Cough, cough… How is this possible…"

After everything calmed down, Erica got up from the ground in a very disheveled state, not even caring about the dirt and dust on her. She looked at Sora, half crouched on the ground, then at the divine beast boar lying nearby, her expression full of endless shock.

This guy actually defeated a divine beast…

"Roar, roar, roar…"

The boar seemed to have gone completely berserk, roaring furiously and struggling to stand up again!

"Hah… Hah… What are you still standing there for? Run now!"

Pale as paper, Sora had exhausted all his strength with that full-power strike. Even so, it only knocked the boar down without causing much real damage. Worried, he shouted at the still foolishly standing Erica.

"Ah… Oh! Oh!"

This time Erica didn't stubbornly refuse. Sora's actions had truly shocked this usually proud genius magic girl. The image of that sword strike knocking the divine beast away was deeply imprinted in her heart, perhaps never to be forgotten…

"Idiot woman, stop right there!"

Seeing Erica obediently turn to run alone, Sora almost exploded with anger and shouted again.

"Don't call me an idiot!"

First calling herself stupid, now an idiot, Erica immediately flared up and shouted back at Sora angrily.

"You jerk, is this how you treat your savior? I've used up all my strength. If you're running, take me with you!"

Looking at the boar glaring at him with hatred as it got up again, Sora said with a grim expression to Erica.

"Uh…"

Startled, Erica almost stumbled, thinking he was going to say something else. Turns out he was just a one-time-use guy who had run out of strength and wanted her to carry him away!

"Hmph, you're the first one to dare call me, Erica Blandelli, an idiot woman!"

"This time I'm definitely remembering this, you damn guy!"

With the situation urgent, Erica said this while running back and grabbing Sora. Although Sora was not light, for Erica, who had trained for years, it was no problem.

"Fly, Hermes' Boots!"

Using a jump spell again, Erica took several leaps and quickly escaped the battlefield with Sora…