I never thought even Lucia and her ears-and-tail combo would be useless... What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I was being carried along by Tino while half-resigned to my fate.
The only reason I'd managed to scrape through every trouble I'd encountered up to now was thanks to my companions. If Lucia and the others couldn't handle it, then there was truly nothing left I could do.
The curse was still hurtling toward us with single-minded determination. The fact that its hostility was currently aimed only at me could be called a silver lining in an otherwise miserable situation.
As for the Barrier Rings, I'd burned through two—one when it first glared at me and another during that strike that tore through the wall of flame. Only one remained. Just getting stared at triggers the barrier? That's insane, right? ...Come to think of it, Keqachacca had been screaming and hammering nails into straw dolls while chewing through my Barrier Rings like crazy, so I guess that's just how curses work.
The curse showed no signs of calming down. If anything, it seemed to have been empowered by acquiring that ominous-looking staff in the lecture hall.
A semi-transparent Spiritfolk riding a black bird, gliding as it gave chase. Riding behind it were Marin's Lament, wielding a black staff, and the Black Knight.
Meanwhile, on our side, we had Car-kun, Tino on her carpet rider, and me dangling around like fishing bait. We were at a completely hopeless disadvantage.
Would they forgive me if I prostrated myself...
The only remaining option was... Luke. Even I could tell that cutting a curse with a sword would be insanely difficult, but by process of elimination, he was the only card left to play.
...Ah, right, Riesz and Elisa were around too. I have no idea where they are, though!
But Sage Professor... she wasn't there. The lecture hall was full of Mages—where on earth did she disappear to? She shows up exactly when you don't want her to and vanishes the moment you actually need her. Unbelievable!
Just then, I spotted Arnold down below, amid the panicking crowd.
Arnold and his massive party were staring up in shock at me and the Spiritfolk chasing us across the carpet. Desperate, I shouted for help at the top of my lungs.
"Arnold! Can you deal with that?!"
"Huh!?"
Arnold seemed completely unable to process what was happening. We sailed right over his head. You're Level 7—have you seriously never been through a real crisis before? Honestly, this is why...
But with all this chaos going on, where the hell is Franz?! Isn't he supposed to be protecting the Imperial Capital's peace? The capital is in danger! And he takes the Resonance Stone at the worst possible timing too... Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable! Every single one of them!
Still, there was no point just dangling here, so I started shouting as loud as I could. Someone would relay the message if I called out. I didn't want to stand out, but beggars can't be choosers.
"Fraaaanz! Commander Franz of the Zeroth Order! Heeeeelp!"
"Mastaa!?"
"The capital's in crisis! It's a curse! Franz! Hurry up and get here! There's a scary-looking curse! I'm in big trouble!"
"Kill, kill, kill...!"
The Spiritfolk was screaming as it charged after us. Terrifying speed, but Car-kun was still marginally faster.
"Dodge, Car-kun!"
In the end, Tino elegantly maneuvered us to avoid the arrows of light fired from behind. With only one Barrier Ring left, I was incredibly grateful... but wait, that's what I wanted to do!
I hadn't even gotten to ride on the thing yet and already Tino's car-tech skills were making her look like the hero. That's cheating.
After several minutes of desperate flight, we finally spotted the Sword Saint's dojo, bisected by Luke. In the courtyard, a huge number of the Sword Saint's disciples were swinging their swords.
Come to think of it, the curse did say it was training to overcome curses or something... Today, I'm on a roll. The "I've completely given up" kind of roll.
Maybe the legendary Sword Saint himself could cut through a curse. After all, Thorne apparently beat a cursed magic sword too...
The disciples noticed us descending from the sky and started pointing and buzzing with commotion. If it were just me and Tino, it might have been fine, but the three pursuing us were trailing dark clouds of malice.
I shouted toward Thorne, whose eyes went wide in shock, and Luke, whose jaw dropped beside him.
"Thorrrne! Luke! Leave this to you!"
"!?"
"!! Leave it to me, Klye! WOOOOOOH!"
Luke took my cry for help and charged forward on pure spinal reflex. He probably hadn't even fully processed what the enemy was. That was just who Luke Saikol, the "Thousand Swords," my childhood friend, really was.
Tino lowered the carpet. Luke sprinted alongside it with his absurdly high physical abilities at full speed, then kicked hard off the ground and leaped.
"Mastaa... Big Brother Luke... it's a wooden sword..."
"WOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"
"!?"
The Spiritfolk, whose only thought had been killing me, froze for an instant in surprise at Luke's wild, headlong charge. Marin's Lament shuddered as well.
Luke deflected the incoming light arrows with the wooden sword, then—despite the blade having been scorched to half its original length—brought it down and cleaved the cursed Spiritfolk clean in half with a vertical split.
"!?"
"!?"
"Huh!?"
Tino's eyes went wide, and I was speechless. But the most shocked one had to be the Spiritfolk that got cut.
The bisected Spiritfolk fused back together in an instant, and Luke screamed.
"Aaaahhh, it reattached! Aaaahhh! I'm still not good enough!"
No... so it really has no physical form after all. Who slices at a curse with a wooden sword?! For once, I'm the one who's surprised!
Luke casually tossed aside the half-remaining wooden sword. The Spiritfolk, rubbing the center of its bisected body, said in a daze: "What... what is this creature!?"
"WOOOOOH! I'm a knight! S-sword, new, sword! Cut! Cut!"
From an outside perspective, Luke actually looked more cursed than the curse itself...
Luke's gaze darted around until it landed on the magic sword next to the Sword Saint. The Spiritfolk noticed and frantically reached for it.
The magic sword rattled and flew into its hand as if drawn by a magnet. Thorne looked like he'd just had something stolen—his attention had probably been caught by Luke's reckless charge.
The Spiritfolk handed the sword to the Black Knight behind it, then, as if remembering something, glared at me.
"H-Human... how dare you... bring such a bizarre creature before me—"
"Sorry about that."
"W-Wait... could it be that Big Sister Citry based Kirukilu's cry on something like that?"
Luke's goals in battle were sometimes so incomprehensible that anyone watching would find it genuinely terrifying.
The shock must have been severe—the black aura surrounding the Spiritfolk had weakened considerably. Being the source of a curse's fixation... could it be that curses were actually weak against incomprehensible people?
"Die... I shall... bring calamity upon humanity for all eternity..."
The Spiritfolk looked far more human than when we'd first seen it. If anything, my fear of it was fading...
When I first encountered it, there had been an unpredictability that made it terrifying, but if all it did was rampage, it was no different from any other Monster. Its power was still insane, though.
Luke snatched a sword from a nearby disciple and charged the Spiritfolk. The Spiritfolk immediately pressed its palm against the ground.
The earth beneath Luke's feet dissolved into a swamp-like mire, and Luke's lower half sank into it as it hardened once more.
"Insolent... creature... to surprise me like this—You lowly beast!"
It must have been truly frightened. The Spiritfolk raised its arm high and brought it down. Pitch-black spears rained from the sky like a grid, embedding themselves all around Luke.
And the spacing was absurdly narrow. There was no way he could dodge with gaps that tight...
"Heh... heh... such creatures deserve... a prison! You shall remain... there... for all eternity!"
"Ku... damn it all!"
"!?"
Luke grabbed the lattice of mysterious spears without hesitation, hands burning, lower body still buried, and tried to climb up through the gaps.
The Spiritfolk, face contorted with panic, hastily raised more spears to form a ceiling.
"You— I'll make sure you can never hold a sword again!"
The cursed Spiritfolk was heating up big time. This time, Tino—who hadn't gotten off Car-kun—extended her hand to me.
"M-Mastaa, now's our chance! Let's escape!"
Luke had put up a better fight than expected, but it seemed even he couldn't defeat it.
Well, obviously you can't beat a curse with a sword. Not like that even needs saying.
I took Tino's hand, and Car-kun shot upward. Dangling once more, I left the chaotic dojo behind.
§ Car-kun flew through the skies of the Imperial Capital at a reduced speed.
Fortunately, it seemed we'd bought a little time. There was no sign of the Spiritfolk giving chase. Who would've thought that Luke would be more of an obstacle than Lucia or Anthem.
I'd been battered so badly that my sense of crisis had dulled somewhat, but there was no room for complacency. Looking down from the sky, I could see that the entire capital was engulfed in chaos.
The dark clouds that had clung to the curse now spread across the capital's entire sky. Maybe Franz's prophecy hadn't been metaphorical after all.
Tino, who had been catching her breath with heavy pants, cautiously spoke up.
"Mastaa, what should we... um, what do we do next?"
What should we do... I have no idea. It's game over. The only remaining strategies I could think of were... gambling everything on the Spiritfolk sorcerer that Lapis and the others would bring, and spending the rest of the time running around the capital.
But there wouldn't be time for that. Even escaping by Car-kun had its problems. Flying carpets required different amounts of charge depending on their specs, and Car-kun's requirements were quite high—Tino wouldn't be able to charge it. And me? Forget about it.
I spun my brain as hard as I could, took a deep breath, and then put on a faint smile to calm Tino down.
"Tino... what do you think we should do?"
"Huh...!? Um—"
The key was to buy time. Create time and wait for someone—anyone—to come help. That was the best option.
This city was full of skilled Hunters and Mages. Among them, there had to be sorcerers. While we were sitting here, I prayed that Ark and the others were working on a plan. If it meant buying time, I'd gladly prostrate myself or do whatever else it took.
Just then, Tino, who had been moaning in distress, suddenly opened her eyes wide as if struck by an idea.
Her hair was plastered to her forehead, with a dirt-blackened ribbon. After everything she'd been through, the fact that she still had any energy left at all was genuinely remarkable. She'd really grown.
Then, looking up at me with a timid expression, Tino said hesitantly: "Um... if this goes against what Mastaa had in mind, I know it's presumptuous, but... what about... sealing it inside Mimikun?"
"...!"
The shock hit me so hard my face stopped working.
Th—that's it! Mimikun was a prodigy that had produced dozens of missing persons cases. There was practically no way to get out from inside. Sure, it would probably be sealed shut forever afterward, but that was a small price to pay. We'd lock it up and hand it over to the church again!
Tino's a genius. No wait—I want to call Tino "Mastaa"!
There were probably plenty of issues, but it was far better than acting without a plan. Hope was finally in sight. From today, I'm Tino Mastaa (makes no sense).
"Tino, you're so smart... Ah, but it's locked, isn't it—"
"Is that the right answer!? I can open something like that! Let's go—to the Clan House!"
Tino's eyes sparkled with excitement. Good grief—to start and end at the Clan House... If only we'd used Mimikun back when the curse was first released there in the first place.
Tino wheeled Car-kun around. The carpet was probably nearing its limits too—its movements lacked the sharpness it had before.
And just as Tino directed Car-kun toward the Clan House—a freezing wind suddenly blew from behind.
A voice like thunder rained down upon us.
"Kill... I shall kill you, Klye Andrich. I have engraved that name in my mind... How dare a human... defy me..."
"Gyah!?"
Tino screamed. From the direction of the dojo, dense darkness was writhing. An aura of evil incomparable to the dark clouds covering the sky. It was absolutely livid.
At the center of the darkness was the Spiritfolk. It was no longer riding the black bird. In its place, it had fully subjugated the darkness itself.
The scene perfectly matched the description of a tidal wave. Riding a surge of darkness, the cursed Spiritfolk glided toward us with unstoppable force. It had never been half-hearted before, but this time it was serious.
Far faster than Car-kun's speed. Tino frantically slapped the carpet.
"Car-kun, go faster!"
Car-kun tried its hardest to push forward at Tino's command. Adorably so, but its speed didn't increase.
The darkness-subjugated demon king pursued from behind. Tino desperately pounded the carpet, again and again.
"Why not!? Car-kun, faster!"
"...Could it be out of magic power?"
"...!?"
Even if we made it to the Clan House... Tino, would you be able to unlock the door in time?
And so began the final dead heat of the great commotion surrounding the prophecy—the race that would decide the fate of the Imperial Capital.