"No Marriage, Please! vs. Marry Me or Die: The Ultimate Love Showdown" - Episode 29

“False Light Attribute: Lucifer”

“Nocturnal World of Shadows”

Both my opponent and I activated our Unique Magic at the exact same moment.

“──Deploy: Activate.”

My enemy’s Unique Magic—area-of-effect type. The surroundings were now completely engulfed in darkness. Choosing such a confined space must have been part of their strategy all along.

When the opponent unleashed their magical domain, I made sure to plant a certain spell in response.

Though I could no longer rely on vision for information, I used my skill Presence Detection to accurately grasp the situation around me.

“Heh heh heh… So, how will you move within this domain? Let’s see what you’re capable of.”

That voice dissolved into the darkness, melting into the very air. Now then—how will they strike? I held back, watching carefully. Still, I’d already understood the nature of their Unique Magic.

“──Here it comes.”

From the pitch-black ground emerged three shadowy humanoid figures. Each one charged toward me. I reinforced my body with Light-attribute magic and countered.

The shadow clones coordinated with each other in their attacks, but I focused on one—driving a handblade straight through its heart.

It melted away into a puddle and vanished. One down. These three shadow puppets weren’t being used to distract while the real body hid and waited—I knew that much already.

“You’re the real one, aren’t you?”

“Oh? Impressive.”

The shadow attacking from my right—it was the true body. I immediately cast a spell in its direction.

“──Holy Lance.”

A spear of radiant light shot forward, piercing through the target’s heart—but it melted into the shadows again. In that instant, another shadow slipped behind me and pressed a knife to my neck. I tilted my head just in time to dodge, retaliating with a kick—only to have it blocked completely.

We both backed away to create distance.

“Hmm… That reaction speed—clearly you’ve already grasped the nature of my magic. Controlling Light-attribute abilities too? You’re no ordinary opponent. But… judging from your mana signature, that’s not pure

Light magic, is it? Your mana manipulation is incredibly delicate. That means your Unique Magic won’t last long.”

Correct. So, he’d already deduced that much from our exchange. But I had also seen through his magic.

“You’re the same, aren’t you? You control shadows through a Dark-attribute Unique Magic. Choosing this confined space is proof enough—your magic has a high mana cost. Area-of-effect types like yours consume mana just to sustain themselves. On top of that, I doubt you can afford to cast additional spells while maintaining the field.

So, you create a favorable battlefield with your Unique Magic, then use low-cost skills to attack. And, to control shadows, you yourself must also become one with them—am I right?”

“Kukuku… Oh yes. That’s it. Yuri, you’re magnificent! Indeed! Crushing weaker foes is fine and all, but facing someone who thinks on the same level… this is what elevates me! Hahahaha!”

Neither of us can drag this fight out. We need to settle this soon. But if my assessment is correct, my mana will run out first.

My opponent seems to realize that too. He doesn’t increase the number of shadows. Just the original three—with one real body hiding among them. Destroying the puppets causes them to melt away, but they regenerate almost instantly.

They keep pressing shallow attacks, steadily forcing me to expend mana. But I’m well aware of their aim. From here on, it’s all a battle of wits. Whose prediction will prove sharper?

The true duel begins—!

“──Holy Blade.”

I conjured a sword of pure Light in my hand. Infused with the maximum amount of mana, it shimmered like a fragment of the night sky—like fallen stars floating in the darkness.

“Oh? So, you’ve realized the stalemate and decided to go all out. Fine then. I’ll show you the same.”

The number of shadow puppets increased rapidly—ten now surrounded me. Ten against one. But with full-body reinforcement, I tore through them one by one. At this moment, I had the advantage. Thanks to my

Light-enhanced Presence Detection, I could follow every movement.

Eventually, only two remained. My opponent’s mana must be reaching its limit—no new shadows appeared.

Now came the question: Was the one I was currently clashing blades with the real one? Or was the real enemy lurking behind?

I had already seen the path to victory.

“Haha! This is the end…!!”

Another shadow closed in from behind. Now I was pinned—a classic pincer attack. Forced to react to one or the other. As the one behind shouted triumphantly and struck—

—I activated the spell I had set up at the very start of the battle. And it wasn’t Light-attribute magic.

“──Dark Lance.”

Yes. I unleashed the Dark-attribute Dark Lance—not at the enemy behind, but at the one in front. A black spear erupted from the ground, skewering the real body from abdomen to shoulder.

Bl00d splattered. My opponent collapsed, and his domain magic faded away. As my vision returned, I saw him lying on the ground, his face twisted in pain.

“Ggh… You… You read me?”

“Yeah. You shouted on purpose, didn’t you? I figured that was your move.”

“Hah… Hahaha! So, I was outplayed at the very last second… And that Dark spell—you’d prepared it?”

“I planted it when you activated your Unique Magic. Since it was also Dark-type, I figured it would go unnoticed. But… yeah, it was a gamble.”

“I see… So, my defeat was sealed from the start…”

His hostility was gone. He looked as if he had come to terms with everything, gazing blankly at the ceiling… and then—

Click—a sharp crunching sound echoed.

“──Yuri. Whatever path you take, I’ll be watching from the depths of hell.”

“A suicide spell—!”

I immediately cast Holy Wall to defend against the blast. When the smoke cleared, not even a speck of dust remained. It was as if he had never existed. Similar explosions echoed in the distance—likely his allies had also self-destructed.

Just like Cedwyn… I had hoped to capture him and extract information, but they wouldn’t make it that easy. The war with the Empire has only just begun. I reminded myself once more of its looming threat.

“Yuri!”

“Onii-sama!”

As I stood reflecting on the battle, Ria and Eve came running toward me, throwing themselves into my arms. I held them gently.

“Are you okay!?”

“Onii-sama, you’re not hurt, are you!?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Looks like you two won your battle as well.”

“We did.”

“Yes. And it’s all thanks to you, Onii-sama…!”

Eve softly leaned her body against my chest. So… she’s grown even more than I imagined. Perhaps now, neither of them truly needs me anymore.

I was thinking about what to do next. I already knew where Theo—the protagonist—would appear. Maybe it’s time to leave the girls in his care and act on my own.

Parting with them will be a little lonely… but that’s how it must be.

As we prepared to leave the battlefield, I thought I heard someone whisper something faintly—but I couldn’t catch what it was.

Most likely, it was just Ria and Eve talking about something. With that thought, I started walking again.

________________________________________

“Fufu… Onii-sama… from now on, we’ll be together forever and ever. We’ll never be apart again. Never. Right, my most beloved Onii-sama?”