The man was so tall that you had to look up at him.
He might have been over two meters in height.
He was heavily muscular, his body trained to the absolute limit.
And yet, that tightly honed physique spoke of a veteran warrior who had survived countless battles.
The greatsword strapped to his back.
It was as enormous as the man himself, so massive that my own sword looked like a child’s toy in comparison.
More than anything else, what stood out was his blue hair.
Blue like the sky, clear like water.
It was so beautiful that one could find themselves mesmerized by it.
"You are...?"
Shielding Aisha and the others behind me, I drew my sword.
"So you are Fate Steart."
The man’s voice was as cold as ice.
And yet, there was neither hostility nor killing intent within it.
It was as if he felt nothing toward us at all...
As though he did not hold even the slightest interest in us.
"And those over there are the shrine maiden and the divine beast... hmm, so there’s a fairy as well."
"Are you... connected to the Alliance of Dawn?"
Shrine maiden and divine beast.
Very few people referred to Aisha and Snow by those titles.
I raised my guard even further.
Putting strength into my legs so I could move at any moment, I heightened my battle aura.
Even so, the man showed no reaction.
As though he were simply standing in the middle of an ordinary day, he neither drew the sword on his back nor released any pressure.
That calmness only made him more unsettling.
"Yes, that’s correct."
"You admit it rather easily."
"There’s no point in trying to deceive you poorly, is there? Besides, this makes things quicker."
The man gave a polite bow.
"My name is Xenoas. I discarded my family name."
"—!?"
One of the executives of the Alliance of Dawn...?
Was he really the genuine article?
...No, he had to be.
Otherwise, there was no way he could possess such overwhelming pressure.
Even though he was doing nothing, just being near him made it hard to breathe.
Like standing before a ferocious beast, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for even a single moment.
"I have come to take the shrine maiden and the divine beast."
As expected, it came to this.
I had hoped things might turn out differently, but reality didn’t seem willing to be that kind.
"...Licorice."
I called out softly.
"...Take the two of them and run."
"...Eh, w-wait... what about you, Fate?"
"...I’ll somehow buy us some time."
"...Then I’ll stay too—"
"...No. Right now, Aisha and Snow’s safety comes before anything else... and besides, if I don’t fight while focusing solely on myself, I’ll probably be taken down immediately."
I hadn’t actually seen Xenoas fight.
He still hadn’t even drawn his sword.
Even so, I could tell he was a monstrously powerful opponent.
My instincts sensed the danger, alarm bells ringing nonstop inside my head.
Even my back trembled.
To be honest, I wanted to run away...
But still.
"I will protect Aisha and Snow."
Once again, I raised my sword and glared at Xenoas.
"Excellent fighting spirit."
Though his expression did not change, Xenoas showed a faintly gentle atmosphere as he spoke.
However, it lasted only for a moment.
The instant he reached for the greatsword on his back, the air began to tremble violently.
"I shall acknowledge you as an enemy."
"..."
"Now then, let us begin."
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