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"Don't take it personally," says the cloaked figure. "Things beyond control, both yours and mine, have brought these unfortunate, but necessary circumstances."

She raises her hand slowly and points her finger at Meiling. At that signal, the youkai hornets rush forward like a wave crashing upon rocks. The gate guard stays calm, killing off each creature with a carefully placed punch or kick. Seems like she is pacing herself, as she knows that these are only small fry. She doesn't keep an eye off the stranger for even a moment as she fights them off. Eventually, she slays the beasts, leaving a pile of dead bodies on the ground.

"Impressive," says the cloaked figure. "After all that, you still don't leave any openings? How inconvenient this is."

The girl steps slowly forward towards the battle. Her hood covers her head, but Grimnír can almost see an amused smile on her face.

"I guess I can consider this a break from work," she says. "I hope you don't mind if I try to enjoy this a little longer..."

Then, the girl holds her palms toward Meiling. She starts firing bolts of green energy at her, which the gate guard easily deflects using some martial arts technique. The barrage continues to intensify, but slowly. The stranger seems to be completely at ease as she increases the power of her attack. She adjusts the bolts according to the capacity of the gate guard. Is she playing some kind of game with Meiling?

Grimnír takes a glance at the gate guard. She seems to be holding her own, but only barely. Forced on the defensive, Meiling is unable to counterattack. At this rate, it is only a matter of time until she is overwhelmed. He bites his lip as he watches the battle. Just as he told Alice a while ago, he doesn't know how to fight. He never trained in offensive magic. However, he can't just hide here and watch.

Silently, he circles around the battlefield until he finds himself behind the cloaked stranger. He might not be able to attack her with magic of his own, but he can always try a surprise attack. His staff is sturdy and hard, and the girl doesn't seem to know he is there. Patiently, he waits for an opportunity to rush her.

A minute passes until his chance arrives. The girl lowers her guard as she yawns at Meiling mockingly. In the next moment, Grimnír rushes from behind the trees to strike her with his staff. However, things don't go as planned. Before he can get a few feet from the girl, she points a finger behind her and fires a bolt of green energy straight at his chest. The impact of the attack is enough to send him crashing down against the ground.

"Hmm, another obstacle," says the cloaked figure as she turns around to look at him. "How annoying."

Grimnír grimaces in pain as he tries to force himself up. Then, in the next moment, a red and green blur appears right behind the cloaked stranger.

"That was a mistake," says Meiling. "Turning your back on your opponent."

Her fist glowing with radiance, she strikes straight at the girl's head, reducing it to ashes in an instant. The girl's decapitated corpse falls to the ground with a sick thud. Then the body starts quivering on the ground. Without warning, it transforms into a host of bugs. Spiders, centipedes, worms, slugs, insects, and all sorts of creatures start crawling out in all directions, leaving only a burnt set of clothes.

"Opponent?" says a voice from above. "You actually thought you could defeat me? That's cute~"

High above them, with her arms folded, hovers the girl. She looks completely unharmed.

"H-How did you -"

"You showed a lot of guts back there," says the stranger. "I think I'll give you a reward. Be grateful that you have the chance to see this technique first hand."

As Grimnír blinks, the hooded girl vanishes. Then, she suddenly reappears behind Meiling. She already has a spellcard in her hands.

"Magic Sign, 「Green Stardust」"

A blinding green light erupts from her hands. Grimnír shields his eyes from the explosion, and by the time he recovers, he only sees the broken, bleeding body of Meiling lying some distance to his left. She isn't moving. Wait, where did that other girl -

"And now, as for you..."

He jumps as the cloaked figure reappears right in front of him, only a few yards away. From this distance, he can't escape even if he wanted to.

"Wait a minute... those clothes," the girl says. "The second Alice is you? I-I don't understand...."

"Second Alice?" he repeats. "What are you talking about?"

"But I have my orders," she says. "Please don't hate me. Good bye, Grey Wizard."

She points her finger straight between his eyes. A long green dart starts forming at her fingertip. It glows with an eerie energy. If this hits him, he is dead for sure.

[ ] Call out for Yukari.
[ ] Shield yourself with a magic barrier.
[ ] Declare your spell card, "Logos Sign 「Calculated Risk」"
[ ] Inject yourself with the Dr. Yagokoro's drug.
[ ] Use _____ magic.
[ ] Custom