Another night came, and the news of the family being attacked by monsters had already spread throughout the village. ≤ ≤ ≤ Xiao ≤ said, so as long as it gets dark in the past few days, no one will walk on the street, and every family will close their doors and windows and hide in their warm homes. Even if it doesn't really get them out of danger, it can at least give them some psychological comfort, which is even more important to human beings than physical security.

In the middle of the deserted streets at night, a figure was speeding through.

The figure does not take the main road, but repeatedly jumps from house to house, jumping over a street after a few ups and downs.

At this time, it was already late at night, and this figure would be acting outside at this time, so naturally it was impossible to have no purpose.

She- Miyuki was patrolling the village.

After the monster attack, Reimu stepped up the patrol, and Shiki and Marisa joined in to help. Based on the monster's appearance, after much investigation, they determined that it was a monster called Dire. Dire is a predominantly nocturnal creature, with dark skin that can be difficult to spot in the night, and a penchant for catching prey in the air and tickling each other.

Based on these characteristics, Shiki and Reimu take turns patrolling at night in an attempt to find each other. It's not an easy thing to do. Because Dire is able to move completely silently, it is difficult to spot at night. They didn't get anything for a few days, so they could only hope to catch it while the other side was attacking. The only thing to be thankful for is that Dire usually don't kill their prey directly, giving them some time.

Miyuki had heard all of this from Shiki, but she wasn't one of the rangers, which meant that she was patrolling the village now and she was actually secretly hiding Shiki's actions. Because she knew that it was very dangerous to deal with Dire with her current strength, she would definitely not agree if she talked to Shiki.

What she's doing now is very reckless and dangerous, and Miyuki knows that very well.

But she had a feeling that drove her to do it.

It was a battle, not just against the monster Dire, but also against herself.

Only by overcoming it with your own strength can you move forward.

What's more, she is not without a chance of winning. Her hand touched the pages of the book in her pocket, and she was sure that she would be able to defeat them if she could use the Balsai Glaive.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but she always had a strange feeling about the Dire, and she didn't think it was okay not to fight it.

The night was long, and Miyuki patrolled the village for a short time. Perhaps because of the exercise, she felt a heat in her body in the cold night, which was still warm and cold.

Now she is in very good condition, her body is fully moving, she is not feeling tired, and she is at the peak of her life.

It was at this time that something unusual happened.

Miyuki's restrained spirit was touched, and her body flashed to the side, and a black shadow passed by her.

“！”

Continuing to retreat, Miyuki distanced herself from the figure.

In the darkness of the night, it almost merges with the dark shadow - Dire.

appeared.

I was thinking of finding it when it was attacking others, but I didn't expect the other party to find me first, as if they had come to her on purpose.

Miyuki's body trembled slightly, but a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

That's just right.

Dozens of meters apart, they stood at opposite ends of the street.

Miyuki didn't act rashly, and Dire didn't attack right away.

The surroundings are so quiet that you can even hear the night breeze blowing.

Miyuki's heart was beating faster, but sweat was pouring out of her body on the cold night, her hands pressed tightly into her pockets, and the pages there seemed to be waiting for her to be used.

The silence was long and short.

The Dire acted, and with a silent roar, it rushed towards Miyuki.

At this point, Miyuki finally realizes that the Dire didn't make a sound, and that the roar was an illusion of great oppression.

This time, though, Miyuki won't be intimidated again, the distance of tens of meters is only a few seconds at the speed of a Dire, but it's enough.

Miyuki used the magic power in her body, and with a hard step on her feet, she dodged the menacing blow of the Dire.

The claws tore through the air and let out a burst like a screaming beast, and the wind whipped up the air and blew through Miyuki's side.

"Ugh!"

Miyuki pressed her face, and a small wound appeared on her cheek, from which blood was flowing.

It was injured by a stone blown up by a strong wind, which shows how powerful the Dire's blow was.

The blow was unsuccessful, and the Dire immediately attacked again. It didn't turn around and wave its claws at Miyuki, attacking Miyuki with its long thick tail. The tail was like a whip, and it had barbs on it, and if it was drawn, it would break open.

“！”

At the last moment, Miyuki jumped up and dodged the sweep of the tail.

And yet—

"Oops!"

The Dire flicked its tail, then turned around and flicked its claws at Miyuki in mid-air.

"Ahhh!!h

Miyuki was knocked out of the way, directly crashing through the wooden wall of a nearby house.

"Uh......"

A feeling of turning over the river and the sea came, fortunately, she carried out the most basic defense at the moment of being attacked, otherwise she would definitely not be able to climb up like the last time.

But even so, now she is facing a situation that is not much different from the last time.

The Dire was approaching, its massive pitch-black figure threatening to obscure the sky, and it only needed to come and strike another blow to end the fight.

(Is it the same...... ）

As long as you give up the battle and defend with all your might, she won't be in danger when the four seasons arrive, and Miyuki knows that there must be no problem.

But—

(Do you want to give up like this?) ）

Miyuki braced up her body and endured the pain coming from her body.

Now that they were so close that Miyuki could even see Dire's face, which had no face at all but pitch black, and the only feature on Dire's head was a pair of sharp corners that bent inward.

"Whew-whew-"

Miyuki breathed deeply, and the sound of her heart beating violently echoed in her ears, becoming the loudest sound in the quiet of the night.

Her hand was pressed to the page, and she could summon the Balsay Glaive at any moment of command.

The Dire had already raised its hand, intending to completely incapacitate its prey in front of it.

Miyuki watched the Dire's movements.

(Don't be afraid, no problem!) ）

In the midst of that great fear, Miyuki's heart cried out.

- "Don't worry, I'm right there for you. ”

Suddenly, Miyuki felt as if she had heard a voice, a flat but gentle voice.

The light bloomed in Miyuki's hand, and a strange-shaped scimitar appeared in her hand in a flaming flame.