This is not the date I wanted.

The power of the elves is the reason why they fall into loneliness, but at the same time, it is also the strongest shield and sharp blade to protect themselves from being harmed.

Sealing the power of the spirit means that the spirit has entrusted its trust, its life, and everything to Shidao.

Sweat broke out on his forehead. For the first time, Shidao felt so clearly how heavy the things he had received from everyone were.

Thinking about how he was still in a half-playful mood before infiltrating, Shidou couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself.

(Have I really saved everyone now?)

Shidou sat quietly on the floor of the gymnasium, looking up at the ceiling, and kept asking himself questions.

Meng Yue was not in a hurry and sat beside Shidao. She knew that Shidao needed time to think. Sealing the spirits could not be considered salvation. This had an unimaginable impact on Shidao who insisted on this path. It was not something that could be sorted out in a short time.

But rather than having this problem pointed out to him one day in a worse situation, Meng Yue would rather bring it up himself so that Shidao can think it through as soon as possible.

"call……"

I don't know how much time has passed. If it were in the real world, the sun would have risen long ago. Shidao inadvertently wondered if Mengyue had even thought about this, and slowly exhaled.

"Mengyue, after all, I still can't give up on saving the elves. Because just like Mengyue and Tohka, there must be elves who are troubled by this power. So, I won't change my approach."

"Ah."

"So, in order to be able to protect this kind of life. Please tell me how to gain the power to protect everyone."

The power of elves, although Shido Gokawa has used it many times, he has never faced up to the existence of this power until now.

Enjoying a daily life that is sometimes happy, sometimes helpless, sometimes troublesome, and sometimes interesting.

Then, gain the strength to protect this daily routine.

This is the answer that Gokawa Shido got after constant thinking.

A smile appeared on Mengyue's lips.

"As expected, Shidou never disappoints me. My training is very strict, so be prepared."

"Yes!"

Looking at Shidao's clear eyes, Mengyue sighed secretly. To be honest, she didn't intend to tell Shidao this. If possible, Mengyue hoped that the terrible power sealed in Shidao's body would remain dormant.

Then, Meng Yue did not say the last reason for this training plan.

From the kidnapping of Tohka, it is not difficult to see that DEM's ultimate goal is to reverse the elves. So, the question is - what exactly is DEM going to do to make Tohka and the others fall into despair?

After repeated discussions with Kotori and Reine, Mengyue came up with an answer that was so simple that it was completely unfunny.

——Killed Gokawa Shido.

As the bond between Shidao and the elves deepens, Shidao's position in the hearts of the elves becomes more and more important, so as long as Shidao is killed, all the elves will fall into bottomless despair without distinction.

The reason why DEM has not taken any major action against Shidao at the moment is probably because they are waiting for the time when this plan can achieve the maximum effect.

(I hope that this power that I have abandoned can protect Shidou.)

Holding the dark blue longbow tightly in her hand, Meng Yue prayed silently in her heart.

03 training

==============================

Today is Shidao and Mengyue's seventh day in the computer world.

Seven days may seem long to some people, but short to others. Why is there such a difference in the concept of time? It can only be said that for what they want to do, seven days is too much or too little.

Undoubtedly, I am the latter.

Shido Gokawa wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked up at the ceiling of the gymnasium, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"How is it? Shidou, can you still stand up?"

A familiar voice sounded in his ears. Shidao gritted his teeth and slowly got up from the ground.

"Hmm, you can actually get up. That's really impressive. Well, I'll knock you down again in a few minutes anyway. Pfft—"

The corners of Shidao's mouth twitched slightly. Although he knew that Meng Yue was using her acting skills to provoke his hostility, he felt inexplicably angry even though he knew it, after being easily knocked down by the other party for more than a hundred times and having close contact with the wooden boards of the gymnasium.

What a cute and hateful face. Seeing Meng Yue covering her mouth and laughing secretly, Shidao couldn't help but feel complicated. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, clenched the Aosha Gong in his hand, and got ready.

During these few days, rigorous training was carried out in controlling the power of the elves and increasing practical experience.

Shidou had to admit that Mengyue was the most suitable teacher in this regard.

Elves can use their power naturally, but most of them cannot explain the principles behind it.

Just like if Shidou asked Tohka how to use the Aosha-Kou, the answer he would get would probably be something like "A 'boom' here, then a 'wow' when the enemy comes, and finally a 'plop'." So of course Shidou also knows very little about the power of spirits.

However, Meng Yue is different from others. She has achieved the ability to use it like a panacea through precise spiritual power manipulation and has even developed hacking technology to restrain magicians. She has a very clear understanding of both the manipulation of spiritual power and the use of angel abilities.

Thanks to Meng Yue, Shidao has gone from being able to rely on the fire position in critical moments to being able to summon angels with his own consciousness. Under Meng Yue's continuous training, the battle has also begun to become more realistic.

However, in exchange, Shidao had been knocked to the ground by Mengyue for the umpteenth time. Shidao even felt that the ceiling of his room was not as familiar as the skylight of this gymnasium.

(It has come to this point, we have to fight back.)

Looking at Mengyue who was wearing a black windbreaker and looked relaxed, Shidao thought secretly in his heart.

"Then please give me your guidance once more."

As he said this, Shidou distanced himself from Mengyue.

[Partial expansion - Zadkiel (Ice Puppet)! Camael (Scorching Ghost Killer)! ]

The dark blue arm guard on her right arm faintly shone with metallic light, and Meng Yue felt an indescribable change in temperature. The next moment, the gymnasium was shrouded in white mist.

(The water vapor created by the angel that controls Kotori and Yoshino? Did Shidou come up with an interesting idea?)

Seeing that her vision was blocked, Meng Yue was not too surprised. She just stood there and watched what happened.

Then, the flow of the mist began to change irregularly. Meng Yue frowned and leaped forward. Then, she saw a chain passing by the place where she had just stopped.

If she hadn't left, Mengyue would have been tied up tightly.

(Take advantage of the smoke blocking the view, and then use Xixian's binder to attack.)

Meng Yue's mouth curled up slightly, showing a little happiness. Although this level was not enough to stump Meng Yue, it at least proved that Shidao used his own thinking to make himself move forward in this training.

"But it's still too sweet."

Although using fog to attack an unpredictable position is a good method, it is limited to sealed rooms. In addition, the strong wind brought by Xixian's chain will affect the flow of fog. As long as a magician with a little experience calms down, he can predict the flow of fog and avoid it.

To Mengyue herself, blinding her vision was even more of a joke.

"Ratziel (Dawn Sage) - Pincer Turret!"

The Dawn Sage's handle was closed and fixed on the wrist, and the bow arms were closed and aligned forward, turning into a pincer-shaped turret.

"Railgun!"

Iron sand gathered at the muzzle of the Dawn Sage's cannon. After counting a few seconds in her heart, Meng Yue dodged the chains that suddenly emerged from the side and fired a shot into the fog without hesitation.

"Whoaaah!"

Shidou's scream was heard in the mist.

"That's why I said you were too sweet, Shidou. When you used the Sage of the Dawn to detect my location in the mist, you should have realized that I could also use the same method to detect where you are."

"Is it necessary to use the railgun? It will kill people!"

"Hehe, trust me. Even if I fire with my eyes closed, I can guarantee that the electromagnetic cannon will just pass by you and won't hurt you at all!"

"I don't want this kind of trust!"

Looking at the wall with a big hole pierced through it right next to him, Shidou shouted with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"There is a flaw!"

At some point, Mengyue had already rushed in front of Shidao, and the Sage of Dawn's turret stabbed towards Shidao like a one-handed sword. Shidao hurriedly withdrew Hurricane Knight and summoned Tohka's Killing Prince to block Mengyue's attack.

Although it was obviously an unwise choice for Mengyue, who was holding a long-range weapon, to engage in close combat with Shidao, who was holding the Aosha-Kou, Shidao, who was still a novice, obviously could not use strong swordsmanship like Tohka or Allen to deal with Mengyue's fierce attack. Although he had an advantage in weapons, he could only defend against Mengyue's attack with a defensive position.

"I never thought that there would be a day when I could suppress my opponent with close combat. It turns out that archers who can fight in close combat are good archers!"

Meng Yue couldn't help but shout excitedly.

"Isn't this standard weird?!"

After Shidao couldn't help but complain, he swung his hands vigorously and wielded Aoshagong and Mengyue's Sage of the Dawn to wrestle.

"Shidou, let's stop here. You've done a great job."

Meng Yue said approvingly.

Although the weapons are at a disadvantage, the elves are born with physical fitness and practical experience. Shidao and Mengyue have fought against each other in the past few days. If this continues, Shidao will definitely be defeated by himself.

"Well... don't rush to praise me, it's not over yet."

Under tremendous pressure, Shidou slowly exhaled, forced himself to smile and said.

Meng Yue frowned slightly. Not because she suspected that Shidao was being mysterious, but because she felt the temperature around her was starting to drop.

Shidou already knew that the mist could not block Mengyue's sight. The binder who used the evening string did not want to use it to bind Mengyue, but to conceal the true purpose of the mist.

With the help of the Sage of the Dawn of Dream Moon, Shidao used the Ice Puppet and the Burning Demon Slayer to finely adjust the temperature to create a fog that blocked the view. At the same time, the reverse can also be done.

A piece of ice as big as a suitcase quickly condensed in the air above Mengyue and fell towards Mengyue on the ground.

After realizing that something was about to fall above her head, Meng Yue opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Although strictly speaking, this thing is not a threat to Mengyue. As long as he controls the iron sand, he can crush the ice into powder. However, relatively speaking, Mengyue, who is distracted, may be suppressed by Shidao's killing and fall into a disadvantage.

Realizing that she was about to be tricked by her usual routine, Meng Yue couldn't help but secretly click her tongue.

However, it would be very troublesome to control the temperature so delicately by controlling two different angels, even with the assistance of the Sage of the Dawn. Obviously, Shidao had done a lot of training secretly without Meng Yue knowing.

--no way.

Giving up the idea of ​​wrestling, Mengyue took back the Angel of Dawn, and during the awkward moment when Shidou lost his balance due to losing his target, she stretched out her hand to Shidou's chest and pushed him away, then took a step back to avoid being hit by the ice.

(Well, it’s quite remarkable that he could achieve this in just a few days.)

Just as Meng Yue was about to stand firm and was about to say something like "You're great at forcing me to use my real power." to show off, she suddenly felt her feet slip.

Damn! Who the hell threw banana peels around again?

Although she wanted to curse out loud, Meng Yue soon realized that what she stepped on was probably when Shidao just controlled the mist to condense into ice. Some of the water accumulated on the ground was also frozen into a smooth ice surface.

(Well, forget it.)

After all, I am not the kind of person who is stubborn. Although I don't know whether Shidao planned it well, even if it is not the case. Luck is also a part of strength, Mengyue can only admit defeat.

(Come to think of it, when I almost died from stepping on a banana peel in Japan in my previous life, I felt similarly.)

Meng Yue thought casually.

It was as if time had slowed down, and she felt her body being manipulated by gravity, falling uncontrollably to the ground. This familiar feeling brought a complex smile to Meng Yue's face.

"..."

Feeling a warmth that was completely different from the pain of falling that she had imagined, Meng Yue turned her head slightly and looked at the young man who was protecting her tightly in his arms, with a helpless look in her eyes.

"Can you tell me why, when the enemy showed such a fatal flaw to you, you didn't choose to finish off the enemy, but instead acted as a cushion so quickly and actively?"

"Um..." Shidou scratched his cheek awkwardly and explained hurriedly, "Well... I'm not kidding, the floor here is a bit hard, and it hurts if you fall on it. Really!"

"Are you indirectly expressing your dissatisfaction with me?"

Meng Yue stared at Shidao and said. Shidao quickly waved his hand to deny it.

"No, no, no! Definitely not... Well, it hurts a little.—"

Mengyue angrily elbowed Shidao in the stomach.

"Really... I thought you were becoming more successful. But it turns out you still can't change your nice-natured personality at all."

"I'm sorry. But when I saw Meng Yue about to fall and get hurt, my body reacted on its own."

"You... are such an annoyingly cute idiot."

"Is this a compliment or an insult to me?"

"Guess for yourself."

(If... I traveled through time...)

Letting out a long sigh, Meng Yue silently snuggled in Shidao's arms, looking at the ceiling of the gymnasium, a smile that showed some helplessness yet some relief on her face.