Point-of-View: Cusnai Bronztan

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"Hey, you, Niski!" Called out Shiro, walking over to her as he singled her out, a nervous look on her face as he approached her.

"Y-yeah, what is it?" She inquired warily.

"Go get your arm fixed, you do realize that Corruption Magic can grow it back, right?" He replied with a raised eyebrow.

"..."

"..."

"Wait, what!?" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"Huh? You mean you didn't know?" Responded Shiro with a look of surprise.

"Wha-...of course not! Why would I stay one-armed if I knew that I didn't have to!?" She replied indignantly.

"Whatever, I don't care, just go get it fixed!" Snapped Shiro impatiently.

"Oh, uh...right."

With that, she rushed back towards the gates, her expression looking like she was barely able to contain herself...well, she's regaining a lost limb, so I can hardly blame her.

"Hey, couldn't you have healed her yourself?" I asked Shiro curiously.

"Nope. If I was capable of that, then that bastard Kuro would have already done so a long time ago. Sharing my Healing Factor with an injured person only works when the injury is still an injury...after the wound fully closes up and heals, it's too late for me to do anything about it," He explained.

"Oh, I see...," I replied.

"Corruption Magic is different though, and even though healing isn't its main use, it's still got more advanced healing than my Healing Factor. Well, sort of...Hacte regrew a bunch of lost limbs in Silvland, and if I remember right, significant healing with Corruption Magic uses up your life force...the greater the injury that it's healing, the more your lifespan is shortened. Huh, I guess I should have mentioned that to her...eh, whatever, it's probably not going to cost her more than a couple of years or so, and with the payoff being that she gets her arm back, I say it's totally worth the price," He said with a shrug.

Have to admit...he kinda has a point there, I'd definitely sacrifice a few years if I lost my limbs and that was the only way to get them back...

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Point-of-View: Kuro Black

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Huh...wow. This changes everything. Well, okay, that might be kind of an exaggeration, but it's still a pretty major bit of information...Corruption Magic can heal better than my Healing Factor can...at least when it comes to closed-up injuries.

Yes, I've been spying on the Rustlands, as well as the Laus Domain, of course, and just now, I learnt quite the useful detail thanks to that imposter. I'm spying on him using a Snow Serpent, which was hiding in a nearby bush and had an invisibility spell cast on it.

Still can't believe Belia allied herself with the Rustlands...then again, predicting her decisions and moves is a waste of effort, so whatever, I guess.

This information is quite ideal...as it turns out, one of my strongest subjects could use a foot. Specifically, I'm referring to Rion, who lost a foot during the initial Vampire attack, he's gotten used to his prosthetic and all, but it's no substitute for a real, flesh and blood foot. Now, then...I suppose I should go heal him...heh, bet that stupid imposter won't be happy if he finds out that he just helped me...

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Point-of-View: Shiro Blanc

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Hm, I'm not sure why, but I suddenly feel kinda irritated...eh, whatever, I'm probably just bored with this.

I decided to take this at least somewhat seriously, since, like I said, it increases my own chances of survival...honestly, I'm more concerned with Abyss than the Laus Domain...that display of power shown by Azyl at the end of the battle in the Elf forest was terrifying, I don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against that level of power.

As things stand, the only one in the Rustlands stronger than me is Belia herself, though Shin is strong and fast enough to keep up with me at full power, I suppose. Oh, and speak of the devil...

"So, you're finally done sulking in your room, huh?" I greeted Shin as he approached us.

"Hmph, and I see that you're no longer putting on a nice guy facade," He frowned in response.

"Uh-huh, there's no need to anymore...so, what are you doing here, anyway?" I inquired curiously.

"I heard about this training thing...I thought I'd come take a look, I've been watching for the last few minutes," He replied with a shrug, before adding, "Your methods are very inefficient, by the way. In a real battle, everyone's going to be a lot more spread out, a situation where it's seven against one is extremely unlikely."

Wait, how long had he been watching? I didn't notice him at all till just now...

"Yeah, well, I never claimed to be a flawless teacher or whatever. Do it yourself instead of backseat-driving," I scoffed in response.

"Hm...why not? Alright, two of you, pair up and come at me," He instructed, drawing out his sword, "Feel free to volunteer."

Huh? What's happening? Wait...was he just bored and came here to have something to do? Another possibility is guilt...after we revealed that everything we told him and his friends about the Rustlands was a lie, they've been feeling pretty guilty, since they're now living with the same people whose friends and loved ones they helped kill. Well, whatever, no sense in speculating, let's see how he does here...

"I'll take you on!" Volunteered Minise with a confident grin, before turning to Cusnai, "Hey, Cus, wanna be my partner?"

"Well...sure, fine, I guess," She replied reluctantly after mulling it over for a second.

"I should warn you, if your weapons clash against mine, they will definitely, without a doubt, shatter. Also, unlike this dick, we'll be using that safety barrier, because that's just common sense," He remarked, giving me a pointed glare.

Is it just me or has his character kinda changed? Before, he seemed like a typical generic anime protagonist, and now he's more...irritable and kinda gives off an emo vibe. I'm fascinated to see how much more this world can change him, have to admit.

"Suit yourself, I still think those barriers are counter productive," I responded with a huff.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't asking you...bitch," He replied icily, before Cusnai took out a Spell Card and activated it, forming a safety barrier around the three of them.

Sheesh, what crawled up his asshole? I mean, sure, I played a key role in manipulating him and the other summons into doing our bidding, and you could say that, as an indirect result of that, three of the six of them were now dead. But come on, that was like...months ago. Get over it already, am I right?

Oh, looks like the fight is about to start, let's see how this goes...Shin drew out his sword and took his stance, bracing himself in preparation for the two girls to attack him.

Cusnai shot towards him and tossed a couple of vials at him, which he began to bat away with the flat of his blade, but the moment he struck them, both vials exploded, sending him stumbling back with a few burns on his arms, though he managed to keep his balance, as Cusnai swiftly halted and flung one of her spears at him like a javelin, crackling with lightning.

He stepped off to the left to avoid it, right as Minise sprang up behind him, grabbed the handle of the spear and slashed at him with it, which he was just barely able to respond to, quickly spinning around and blocking her slash with his blade...and the moment the spear struck the sword, it shattered like glass, Minise's eyes widening in alarm.

Cusnai began to close in on him from behind, as Minise started to back away...and then, in a rapid, swift motion, Shin swung his sword in a perfect arc around himself, right before Minise could get out of his range and right as Cusnai entered it.

The force of the swing sent out a slashing shockwave, which struck the barrier and cracked it severely, as the two girls got teleported out before they could even react.

"Aw, man, my spear," Whined Cusnai with a look of disappointment, as she walked over and picked up the pieces of her shattered spear.

Seriously, do I have to spell it out again? Why does no one think a bit more before-...ugh, whatever.

"Hey, you can just go find someone with Alchemic Magic and get them to fix it up, simple as that," I pointed out.

"Oh...right, I didn't think of that," She responded, before standing back up as she picked up all the broken pieces and rushing back towards the gates, "Thanks, Shiro!"

Huh...that might be the first time someone's genuinely thanked me, with me not having done something deceptive to result in it. And you know what...I don't hate it...

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