Author: Akashari	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Mo… Axio! What’s going on here?”
“Wha-, Master?! Why won’t you ask me instead?!”
“An unidentified girl barged in and wiped out nearly all the adventurers. She’s a Thunder War God fanatic! Be careful—touching her means getting electrocuted!”
“Of all things, it had to be one of those berserkers. This is going to be a hassle…”

The Thunder War God Thuru—true to the name—was the deity of thunder and war.

Known for being hot-tempered and a heavy drinker, legends even claimed he once killed another god during a drunken brawl. Naturally, his followers revered combat and bloodshed, believing them to be the ultimate offerings. In some regions, their practices were outright labeled heretical.

“Ufufu… Miss Laika, it seems a bloodthirsty little electric rat has wandered into the city.”
“…I recall Ascles—dedicated to healing—has a notoriously poor relationship with them.”

The Saint who had flown in alongside me from outside the city radiated an anger I’d never felt from her before.

Though her face wore a smile, her aura was anything but calm. For the first time, I found myself feeling fear toward a Saint.

“Ugh, I knew I smelled a snake. You’re one of those spineless Ascles followers, huh? Plenty of your beloved injured people scattered around for you to play with,” the girl taunted.
“If you truly serve a god, you ought to mind your words. Your behavior tarnishes the very dignity of the deity you worship.”

“Didn’t you just call her an electric rat a second ago?” I retorted to the Saint.
“What about it?”
“…Nothing. But why on earth is a Thunder War God fanatic causing chaos here?”
“Master, Ragna is after the dragon gem!” Momo answered.
“I see. I don’t know the reason, but her goal is clear. Not someone we can reason with.”
“Hah! Like you were planning to make friends in the first place!”

It couldn’t be mere coincidence that Ragna chose this moment to attack, targeting the dragon gem. There had to be some connection between her and the ghost ship.

Even if there wasn’t, she had been in battle mode from the start. Diplomacy was off the table.

In other words…

“Guess there’s no choice but to smack the lights out of ya!!”
“I’m not too happy that we’ve reached the same kind of conclusion.”

While dodging the swings of the massive hammer, I let out what was easily my biggest sigh of the day.

With this feeble body of mine, there was no way I could block those strikes directly. Keeping my distance and attacking from afar was the only reasonable strategy, but…

“――Almighty Thunder! Thunderous applause!”
“Tch, there it is…”

The moment I created some distance, a sharp bolt of lightning came crashing down from above.

Lightning —“god’s roar”¹— was the very embodiment of divine authority. It resided in a realm beyond human reach, where even magecraft couldn’t imitate it.

A direct hit wouldn’t leave me unscathed. Yet dodging lightning, which strikes down by propagating through the air itself, was almost impossible.

The followers of the Thunder War God Thuru possessed the unique ability to wield such lightning as magic.

“Saint, do you have any energy left?!”
“Regrettably, I used most of it to purify the ghost ship,” The Saint replied regretfully.
“And Axio… is barely standing. Looks like it’s all on me.”

I cast a quick glance behind me. Axio’s arm was bent in a grotesque direction, and though he maintained a calm facade, his condition was obvious. He had exhausted himself providing support fire at Claxton. He didn’t have the strength to face this Thuru fanatic.

“I’m still here, Master!”
“You’re out of your league. One touch and you’ll get electrocuted. Just focus on protecting the baby!”
“Ugh… O-Okay!”

At this point, Momo, with her bare-handed fighting style, would only throw her life away.

From our brief exchange, it was clear—this girl was strong. Her technique was crude, but her raw strength and power output more than compensated for it.

She was a daunting opponent, especially right after fighting Claxton. But there was no time to complain.

“You… you’re strong, aren’t you? Mind telling me your name?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have a name worth remembering. There are plenty of people far better than me.”
“Yeah, well, that much humility comes off as arrogant, you know? I’ve only ever met a handful of wizards as strong as you.”
“Then perhaps you just haven’t met enough people. Broaden your horizons, and you’ll see I’m hardly special.”
“Hah! Hah! Hah! — You’re gonna regret that!”

A burst of light erupted from the girl’s body, a widespread discharge using her magic power as a conduit.

If even one of those arcs hit me, my muscles would seize up instantly, leaving me at her mercy—and that massive hammer would make quick work of me.

But haphazardly dodging wasn’t an option. Momo, the baby, and the wounded wizards and sorcerers scattered around the area would all be in danger. A single misstep here meant casualties on our side.

“Tch… Awaken.”

With a spell, I raised a wall of earth, blocking the immediate threat in front of me.

Battles against Thuru’s followers demanded constant vigilance. They used electrified terrain, sudden overhead strikes, and close-range assaults to overwhelm their opponents. Drop your guard for even a second, and it was game over.

Always think one step ahead. What would she do next?

A massive wall had risen between us. Her next move would be…

“…Straight through it, no doubt.”
“Bullseye! DIE, YOU B̲A̲S̲T̲A̲R̲D̲!!”

The earth wall I had fortified extra thick crumbled like brittle sand under the force of her hammer. As if her devastating lightning weren’t enough, her brute strength was terrifying.

To be honest, dealing with this was exhausting.

“Testing testing… Laika, can you hear me? This is Axio. I’m sending a one-way message—just my words reaching you.”
“Hm?”
“What the hell are you spacing out for?! Let your guard down, and I’ll crush you!” The girl howled.

The voice in my ear didn’t seem to reach the girl swinging lightning and hammer wildly at me. A wind-based spell to carry words, no doubt.

Though she was fully focused on me, I noticed Axio and Momo had disappeared. When did they manage that? That crafty guy… he’s using me as bait, aren’t they?

“Hold her attention for five minutes. We’ll do everything we can on our end in that time.”
“Easy for you to say. What do you think I am, a miracle worker?”
“What the hell are you mumbling about, you—whoa?!”

The moment she raised her hammer, I sank the ground beneath her feet, aiming to topple her. She twisted her body midair, dodging the pitfall by a hair’s breadth. Her reflexes were terrifying—possibly even sharper than Momo’s. And he expects me to buy them five whole minutes against this?

“Honestly, every last one of you treats me like a tool.”

I took a deep breath, reassessing my reserves of stamina and the dwindling tricks up my sleeve. In my head, I calculated how many seconds I might actually hold out.

Fine. I’ll take this as a challenge. Five minutes against a hammer-swinging sorcerer? Watch me pull it off.

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