"["
Flame Cannon "]! ["
Thunder Cannon "]! ["
Ice Cannon "]! ["
Wind Cannon "]! ["
Earth Cannon "]!"
"SYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Rest fired magic, attacking the monstrosity before him.
The magic carved away at the monstrosity's massive body, but it immediately healed and returned to its original state.
"Tch... what's going on!"
The fully restored monstrosity attacked with its long tail.
He used [Star Devourer] to annihilate the tail, but that too began to regenerate immediately.
"This is healing magic... no, that's not it."
He thought it was magical healing, but it was different. He didn't sense healing magic at all.
The monstrosity's restoration gradually progressed. On closer inspection, not even a single drop of blood came from the parts that had been carved off.
There must be some trick to this… Just as he thought that, Rest remembered the stone slab on which this monstrosity had been carved.
"I see… So that's how it is…!"
He had felt something strange from the very beginning… but finally, he realized its true nature.
Rest knew a place similar to this.
The form and atmosphere were completely different, but hadn't he once been suddenly transported somewhere just like this?
"This is… a dream world!"
Previously, Rest had been trapped in a mental world created by Sanada Shouko.
Though the vectors of plus and minus were opposite, wasn't this also a similar kind of space?
"Come to think of it… the artist who made that stone slab was plagued by nightmares, wasn't he…"
And it was said that the person who obtained that stone slab also suffered from nightmares in the same way.
Perhaps this stone slab contained his nightmares themselves.
"But… even if it's a nightmare monstrosity, it can't have infinite power. There has to be some mechanism behind it taking damage and restoring itself…?"
"I hate this… This is wrong…"
"…………!"
Then it dawned on Rest.
If this world was a nightmare world, wasn't there a being right beside him that could be its source?
"Primula!"
"I'm scared… I'm so scared…"
"Primula, stay with me!"
Rest called out to Primula.
The source of that monstrosity's power... wasn't it Primula's emotion of "Fear"?
Wasn't it devouring that energy by feeding on Primula's terror of it?
"Primula, please, calm down!"
"I'm scared... no, please..."
Primula was trembling violently, clearly having lost her mental footing.
Just calling out to her with words wasn't going to be enough.
"If that's how it's going to be...!"
Rest made up his mind.
Primula was trapped in a world of nightmares.
What he needed to drive away those evil images was a powerful image strong enough to shake a nightmare.
"Primula..."
"Wha...!?"
Rest kissed Primula.
He pressed his lips firmly against hers, holding her close as he kissed her.
"Mmph...!"
For a moment, Primula looked shocked... but then her cheeks flushed, and her face took on a look of rapture.
Even though she had been terrified of the monstrosity just moments ago, it was as if its very existence had been completely erased from her mind.
"——————!!!!!!!"
Immediately after, the monstrosity let out a silent scream.
The restoration of its destroyed body came to a halt, and it writhed in agony.
The dark sky that had spread overhead split open, light poured in, and the marsh was illuminated.
"Heavenly Radiance!"
Rest seized the moment and unleashed the finishing blow.
While still kissing Primula, he summoned the Dark Star, gathered sunlight into it, and fired it off.
"AAAAAAAAGH...!!"
The laser of sunlight bisected the monstrosity vertically, ending its life completely.
* * * "Uh...?"
His vision went white.
When he came to, he was standing in the museum again.
Primula was at his side. Of course, they weren't kissing.
"Did I come back...?"
"Rest, is something wrong?"
Primula looked up at Rest, whose eyes were blinking.
"Primula...?"
"Yes, that's right?"
Primula made a puzzled face.
Perhaps Rest was the only one who had a nightmare.
But... Primula's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were moist, just like right after a kiss.
"Found it, found it, it's here!"
"That's not the point... jeez."
As Rest was wondering what was going on, two men who seemed to be museum staff approached.
The younger man lifted up the stone tablet that was on display. The other older staff member flashed a professional smile at the two of them.
"Excuse me... this exhibit was not intended to be shown to the public. We'll be taking it back."
"It wasn't supposed to be displayed...?"
"Yes, it seems it was accidentally put out due to a staff error..."
"We apologize, so we'll be removing it now."
The young staff member hugged the stone tablet and tried to carry it to the back.
But... suddenly the stone tablet split in two and fell to the floor.
"Hey, what are you doing! It's broken!"
"No, that's not it! This thing just cracked on its own..."
"Oh, for crying out loud! We apologize, please excuse us!"
The two staff members hurriedly called for the manager and began explaining about the broken tablet.
"Shall we head back?"
"Yes, let's eat first before we go."
Primula linked arms with Rest, smiling happily with a shy grin.
Her expression held no trace of the previous nightmare.
(Was it really just my imagination after all...?)
Was I simply daydreaming?
Rest tilted his head as he left the museum.