Rakudo turned his back, waiting for the barrier formed by those white stripes to catch him like a trampoline and gently set him down on the ground, as if a mother were tucking her child in with a blanket. That was when he noticed several glowing white triangles shimmering beside him. He looked up and saw that the spot where the Evil Dragon had been was now encased in white geometric planes, forming a massive polyhedron that spun like a Rubik’s Cube, scattering rainbow lights under the sun.
“What are you doing, Moti? Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m trying to attack her.”
“I told you not to mess with that one!”
“How do you know she won’t attack again? I’m protecting you, you dumbass.”
“Why, you little brat!”
Rakudo was so frantic he nearly jumped to his feet.
Usually, he was the one complaining about others nagging and dawdling, but now here he was, playing the worrisome old hen.
The shield took on a net-like structure, with orderly arrays of magic forming layer upon layer of rigid planes that overlapped one another. Under the influence of even more spells, it became a high-energy barrier capable of both offense and defense. The field gently lowered Rakudo to the ground.
Without a word, he bolted toward Moti. Though most of the ground here had been blasted into a horrific wasteland, he had still left himself a few “bombing blind spots” as escape routes.
Rounding the corner into a smoke-filled alley, Rakudo ran a hand through his hair and called out to the little girl standing at the far end, shrouded in her black robe.
“Ahem, Moti, you’re being totally unreasonable. Where’s the Hero? What about Klaus?”
“They’re on their way.”
The girl called Moti didn’t pause her casting just because Rakudo had arrived. Her index finger traced circles in the air, like a magician weaving a spell. From this angle, Rakudo couldn’t make out her face—only her pale, chubby chin was exposed to the air.
She wasn’t looking up at the sky. Perhaps no one knew what she was actually focused on.
“I’ll catch this Evil Dragon.”
“You’d better not be so sure of yourself. As someone who’s been through it, I can tell you responsibly that even if the Hero came personally, it might not make a difference.” Rakudo stepped closer and bent down, tempted to poke her on the head, but he held back, afraid of disrupting her magic. He had no idea how to talk her out of this.
Yeah, because things had gone too smoothly.
“Elves and beastmen are all easily swayed types who bow to their own interests, Moti. She’s different from the others, got it? Maybe even different from Orman. If you keep this up, you’ll lose.”
“Moti won’t lose.”
Just as Rakudo was about to call out her hotheaded recklessness, the geometric shield clenched tight around Xuefei like a fist, halting its rotation. For a split second, it really seemed like the Evil Dragon had been sealed away.
“Got her,” Moti murmured softly, like a little sparrow. “No, she hasn’t made her move yet.”
“I won’t give her the chance.”
Countless spell orbs—shaped like icicles and forged from Moti’s specialty in geometry—trembled in the air like spinning screws. In the next instant, they all locked onto Xuefei, stabbing toward her mercilessly, like a magician thrusting knives into a box containing his assistant.
With a tremble, her small hand clenched into a fist. The geometric icicles detonated in a burst, blooming into beautiful silver-white fireworks across the sky. Even Rakudo had to admit it had far more elegance than his own bombs.
Under the compression of those geometric barriers, scarcely anything could survive. It was said that the horrific pressure could even act on the structures of microscopic particles, instantly crushing an unprepared person into a perfect cube.
“My god, what kind of freak are you?” Rakudo often felt helpless about the abilities of the rest of the Hero Party—they were just too powerful.
Compared to his bombings, their powers operated on a conceptual level.
Of course, he had that god to blame for saddling him with such an undignified ability. If he hadn’t trained it to perfection, he’d probably struggle just to inflate a balloon.
“…”
But Moti fell silent.
Normally, this arrogant little girl would cap off a victory over an enemy with some cool, chuunibyou line. But now she was quiet…
As Rakudo peered intently at the empty sky, Moti’s voice sent chills racing down his spine right alongside his goosebumps!
“Run!”
“Found you.”
Xuefei stood right in front of Rakudo. She had noticed the little girl who had just tried to kill her, but paid her no mind. Instead, she fixed her attention on Rakudo.
So, she could kill both of them remotely with magic if she wanted.
Rakudo knew full well the reason himself.
“The Hero—where is he?”
Rakudo’s eyes flew wide. When he saw Moti vanish into a white triangle that materialized out of nowhere, he finally understood: this Evil Dragon hadn’t given a damn about Moti at all.
~~~
Because Moti wasn’t even here!
The Moti he’d been seeing this whole time was nothing but an illusion conjured from geometric shapes. The real her had probably scampered off to who-knows-where, far beyond the horizon, to watch the spectacle of his demise.
“Wait…!” Rakudo let out a wry, helpless laugh and slumped against the wall, as if surrendering to his fate.
“It looks like your companion’s given up on you. I hope the Hero proves less cold-blooded than her.”
Truth be told, Xuefei was just as stunned.
Weren’t they supposed to be allies?
Betraying a teammate over something this simple?
Xuefei vowed that unless Rakudo pulled out some genuine skills, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him right here—even if he was human. And for good measure, she’d take out that Moti too, to keep him company in death as punishment for ditching her partner. It would also let her formally fulfill the Winter Queen’s mission.
Rakudo clenched his teeth.
Just when he thought death was staring him in the face, his communicator crackled to life.
“Moti, rescue Rakudo. He cannot die.”
The Hero’s voice rang out, neutral and rationally steady, closely followed by Moti’s.
“……Tch.”
“‘Tch’? What the hell does that mean? Is saving my ass really so damn embarrassing? Sorry for forcing you to burn through your magic like this!”
Rakudo turned tail and bolted. Before he went, he rubbed his fingers together. A faint cubic shape flickered into view atop them, though it seemed the shell’s space had warped from being squeezed too hard.
It was a bomb he’d prepped three minutes earlier—a desperate counter for his escape.
If even this couldn’t save him, Rakudo would have no choice but to howl at the heavens and curse those unjust gods.
Xuefei didn’t give chase.
Her white robe had shredded away in the fight, leaving her in a backless silver gown. Faint scales sprouted along both sides of her shoulders, while her thigh-thick dragon tail swished lazily back and forth. Her calves, sheathed in white stockings, gleamed like masterfully sculpted art. Yet anyone foolish enough to be taken in by her cute, girlish looks would be yanked back to reality by the purple scales glowing with malevolent energy and her draconic eyes.
Xuefei’s focus shifted forward, to the silver-white sphere Moti’s illusion had left behind.
At the same moment, that loli voice crackled through her ears like bad radio static:
“Infinity’s geometry, compressed into a sphere. A perfect sphere. You are now nothing but a beast in a trap.”
