Chapter 195: The Goddess of Healing (1)

Seiya held Egzation with his left hand, as if to keep Leon in check.

I felt a nauseating tension. My hand was shaking while holding the gun. But…

『Don’t rush. Don’t worry about what’ll happen if you don’t hit it. 』*

I suddenly remembered Princess Tiana’s words. At first, I couldn’t hit the target at all. But my gun skills improved with time after I received Tiana’s advice.

I smiled with the confidence I had gained while seeing Tiana’s carefree smile in my mind. Before I knew it, my hands had stopped shaking.

…I’ll do it! I was a goddess after all!

On the other side…I noticed Seiya’s stance. Leon didn’t move, even though he was surrounded by an aura of exploding lightning. Activating Killer Volt probably required intense concentration. In addition, there was a possibility of a third-party attacking, so I couldn’t just focus on Seiya. Leon seemed unsure of whether to deal with Seiya or me first. He seemed a little shaken by the fact that there was one more threat…I was sure this was all part of Seiya’s plan.

…Leon was now a stationary target! This was a golden opportunity!

Colt told me when he handed me the gun that it was loaded with three more powerful magic bullets like the one used to defeat Bunos. In other words, I had three chances.

…There was a dry sound, “bang”. Gun smoke rose from the muzzle of the gun. I was surprised at how I pulled the trigger so naturally and calmly, while aiming at Leon.

…I shot!! Just like I practiced!! Where was Leon!?

Seiya and Leon were both silent. An explosion from behind me broke the silence.

「What!? 」

I shouted and turned around. A series of bursting sounds and flashes that resembled fireworks were heard. Far behind me, the wall of the Round Table glowed with rainbow colors as explosions continued. It was the effect of the Rainbow Festival Bullet that was used in the battle with Bunos.

…Ah, could it be…?

「Lista, you, what the hell are you doinggggggg! 」

Celseus shouted loudly, making me flinch.

「That’s not even close!! Your bullet flew backwards!! 」

「Huh? What? No way…! 」

I was shocked. Celseus continued shouting from a diagonal position behind me.

「We don’t need that kind of joke right now!! 」

「I…I know that!! 」

…No, no, no, no!! I remembered Princess Tiana’s words and fired calmly, right!? How did I miss the target!?

I was surprised by my actions. I was concentrating extremely hard. And yet! And yet, I missed by such a big margin!

I was shaken. I asked myself why and how several times over. And then I felt both frustrated and humiliated with myself. Then, suddenly…I heard the sound of something being torn apart.

I turned my eyes and saw Seiya kneeling on one knee. Nearby, Leon was grinning.

「Seiya?! Did Killer Volt hit you?! 」

Perhaps, Leon had come running towards me to kill me, but Seiya stopped him.

What was I doing!!

As I rushed over to him, Seiya took Egzation to the side as if to say, “Don’t come.” Then, he used his sword as a walking stick and stood up.

「There’s nothing to be worried about. It was just a normal attack. 」

I suddenly noticed that, contrary to his reassuring words, there was a burnt-looking scar on his left thigh.

「Bu…But Seiya…! 」

「Don’t pay attention to me. Focus on your gun. 」

As he said this, Seiya faced Leon again to shield me and re-aimed the Egzation towards the enemy. Celseus shouted from behind me.

「Lista! Shoot quickly! You were able to do it in your practice! 」

「Ye…Yes! 」

I nodded and once again aimed my gun at the enemy.

…Only two bullets left…No…no! I mustn’t think like that! This was exactly the time I shouldn’t panic! I must remember the practice I had with Princess Tiana!

I mustn’t think about anything else. Just concentrate on hitting the target I had in front of me…I took a deep breath while remembering what Princess Tiana had told me. I thought I was calm earlier, but maybe I was nervous somewhere in my heart.

…That’s right. I was only thinking about hitting Leon…

Once again, I pulled the trigger and fired the gun. The second gunshot rang out. And then…

「Hyahhh?! 」

For some reason, I heard Celseus’ panicked voice from behind my back. I turned around to see that Celseus’ cheek was slightly cut and bleeding. And far behind him, the Rainbow Festival Bullet was exploding on the wall.

「Heyyyyyyy!! I’m not doing the “Daunting Pose” right now!! Even if we gods don’t die, if such a bullet hit me directly, it could be disastrous, you know!? 」

Celseus was furious with me.

「Stop messing around!! Now’s not the time to mess around!! 」

「No…You’re mistaken! I’m not messing around! I was trying my best to aim at…」

「Haha…Gyahahahahaha!! 」

In the middle of my sentence, Leon burst out laughing as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

「I thought the first shot was just an act, but now I can see there’s no need for me to worry about it, you useless piece of shit. 」

After looking down on me, he calmly lowered his Electro Blade and spoke to Seiya.

「Wouldn’t it have been better to have her at least sneak up on me from the shadows? 」

Seiya told me there was nothing to worry about, but he was dragging his left leg. He spoke in agony.

「There’s no way Lista could assassinate or sneak up on you. Since Volt Prediction, you have gained a lot of combat experience and wild instincts. She’d end up getting killed if she did such a thing…」

「Hehehe. I’m grateful that you value me so highly. But…」

Leon, who was chatting, suddenly disappeared! There was a dull sound, and when I noticed what was happening, Seiya was grabbing his stomach!

「Right now, you should be more concerned about yourself than this woman. 」

Seiya was blocking the Electro Blade with Egzation on his left arm. However, Leon’s free fist hit Seiya in the stomach. Leon kicked Seiya, who had lost his balance.

「Seiya?! 」

「Don’t worry. I won’t kill him right away. I’ll tear him to shreds and then I’ll finish him off with Killer Volt. 」

Leon said with a grin. Then, he swung his Electro Blade. The Electro Blade was focused on Seiya’s stomach, and Leon landed another powerful blow.

「Ugh…」

Seiya’s body bent into a U-shape. Seiya was completely on the defensive, but perhaps it was the ripple effect of Volt Prediction’s attack, or perhaps it was his wild instincts. Leon continued to strike, circumventing Seiya’s defense.

「I feel good. Your dark crimson effect doesn’t frighten me at all. I have a premonition. If I kill you, I will definitely be able to rule Exfolia…I’ll be able to have this world freely. 」

「Li…Lista! It’ll be bad if this keeps up! 」

Celseus shouted in a panic. But he didn’t tell me to “fire”. Of course. There was only one more bullet left. If I missed, it would be the end for all of us. But the first two shots didn’t even graze Leon, and even if they missed the target, they landed in a totally different spot.

「Haa, haa, haa…! 」

My breathing was so rough that my lungs hurt. My heart was about to explode. I was so frustrated because I worked so hard and didn’t get any results. And, more than anything…

…He was going to die! Seiya was really going to die! I had to shoot!

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* That talk can be found in chapter 187 (1) when Lista was training with Tiana.

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