Chloe reflexively raised her sword, locking onto the man bearing down on her.
His eagerness made her feel slightly apologetic.
If he'd been this excited to fight her, she wished she could have faced him at full strength.
Even if Veldora had challenged Chloe in his true form, the outcome wouldn't have changed. Chloe's fighting style was the sword, and that didn't change regardless of her opponent.
Her weapon, shaped like a standard katana, was a Spirit Armed Force equivalent to the Mythical Grade.
Having fought alongside Chloe through ages beyond counting, it had grown to rival the legendary demon blade "World," said to be one of the finest swords in existence.
It felt completely natural in Chloe's hand—a blade that had continued to protect her through all that time.
A supreme sword, its edge capable of cutting down even spiritual life forms.
But—
Chloe, as she was now, could not face Veldora.
Because Lucia had stripped away her free will through the "
◆◆◆
Having taken possession of Chloe's Physical Body, Lucia was at the pinnacle of her triumph.
She had placed
Guy was troublesome, but with her current power, Lucia wouldn't lose even facing both Veldora and Guy simultaneously.
Indeed, Veldora couldn't lay a hand on her.
He'd borrowed a sword from Guy, it seemed, but his swordsmanship was laughably inadequate.
No—it was that Lucia was too strong.
Having completely mastered even Chloe's swordsmanship, Lucia could perfectly predict every attack trajectory.
Overwhelming power—this, she thought, was the true essence of Chloe, the strongest Hero.
But there was more.
Inexplicably, the Seraph's Divine Aura proved to have exceptional compatibility with the Ultimate Skill "King of Hope."
Lucia's main body was perfectly protected by the Ultimate Skill "King of Justice" and its sub-skill "Castle Wall."
And now she had obtained the Ultimate Skill "King of Hope" and its sub-skill "Absolute Severance."
The ultimate defense, and the ultimate offense.
As a Wisdom Core, Lucia possessed the intellect to unlock the deepest secrets of any ability.
That was precisely why she conceived a means of integrating these two ultimates into one.
—All she had to do was combine "Infinite Prison" with "Absolute Severance." After all, she already had "Castle Wall" for defense, so there was no cause for concern—
That was Lucia's reasoning.
She would make Chloe herself into a sword and integrate her into "King of Justice."
That way, Lucia would become a flawless, perfectly unified existence of offense and defense.
Besides, "Infinite Prison" was not truly an ability for defense.
It was an ability designed to seal away foes too difficult to annihilate, such as spiritual life forms.
(Hero Chloe, burdened by her immaturity as a human, could never wield this ability properly and had been using it as a makeshift defensive tool… But now it was unnecessary. I, however, could wield it with perfect precision. Why bother with something as halfhearted as sealing? Simply annihilate all enemies. Yes—in the name of justice, I shall destroy all who stand against God!)
Following this chain of thought, Lucia made the decision to erase "Infinite Prison."
—and in doing so, opened the forbidden door—
Lucia should have known.
As a Wisdom Core that unlocked the deepest secrets of any ability, she *had* known.
That "Infinite Prison" was an ability for sealing things away.
Deep within Chloe's heart, like a "Calamity Box" stuffed with every vice and catastrophe in the world, "evil" had been sealed away.
Once freed, it would spread chaos and misery throughout the world.
When the past Chloe and the young Chloe had merged, the reason
That "evil" was the accumulation of countless negative emotions gathered across the long, repeated journeys through time. Chloe had sealed them all away through sheer force of will.
But those feelings had fermented within Chloe's heart, giving rise to a single, hideous personality.
"If you hadn't woken a sleeping child, I would have been the one to face you…"
Those were Chloe's words.
With that as her final statement, Chloe's consciousness shifted.
If the redemption-seeking Hero who bore all of humanity's negative emotions was Chloe, then so too was the God-Slaying Hero who despised human sin and condemned all things.
She was Chloe, yet not Chloe.
One who showed absolutely no mercy, who condemned everything.
Her name was the Wisdom Core "
Now, with the seal broken, she had been released from the prison of the heart.
An identical existence in every way, yet separated by an entirely different dimension of strength.
Even the Curse that Yuuki had placed on Chloe was severed in an instant.
There was nothing left that could contain the current Chloe.
Lucia's claim of a "flawless existence"—that had been referring to Chloe all along.
—However, the current Chloe would not lose to "evil."
Because her powerful will—and the fragments of Shizue and Hinata's hearts—still lived on within her.
And above all, Rimuru was here now.
That was why Chronoa was merely one facet of her heart, and Chloe understood this clearly.
Chloe simply accepted Chronoa without reservation, harmonizing with her completely.
Having accepted the released Chronoa, the "King of Hope" had fulfilled its role and faded into Chloe's heart.
Its full power remained accessible, now wielded through Chloe's will as before.
"Justice—what is justice? Something so uncertain that it shifts with every change of perspective? If that is your foundation, then you are no match for me—"
Lucia thought she heard Chloe's voice.
(Don't be ridiculous! Justice is the one unchanging, absolute truth of all creation!)
She tried to retort, but couldn't.
In an instant, Lucia's consciousness was sealed away in absolute darkness.
It was an event within Chloe's spiritual world.
Chloe's killing strike—launched as if to directly interfere with Lucia's consciousness—was "Absolute Severance." Under its power, resistance was not even permitted, and Lucia's consciousness was obliterated in a single blow.
Thus, the battle in the Northern Lands came to an end.
◆◆◆
Velzard had broken free of her bonds, and Chloe had severed her Curse.
Several of them were considerably exhausted, but for the most part, everyone was safe.
"Kuhaaahahaha! It seems today ends in a draw, then?"
Veldora, whose entire body was slashed and who had barely dodged the white blade Chloe released at the very end, now realized he was safe and felt a wave of relief.
And ever so casually, he declared it a draw.
That final strike was one even Veldora couldn't analyze. It might have even possessed the properties of the "Continuous Space-Time Attack" his sister Velgrynd had acquired—but that was something he absolutely should not dwell on.
He felt a faint twinge of fear, but worrying about it meant admitting defeat.
He wanted to fight a Hero at full strength, but that was because he wanted to win—not because he was okay with losing.
So Veldora decided to be content with calling it a draw.
"Oh? You seemed so eager to fight me, though. Once this great war is over, I could spar with you again…"
"Wh—?! No, no, no, there's no need to go out of your way! Kuha-ha-ha, I've more or less seen through your attacks from our exchange just now, so there's no need for a match for the time being!"
Veldora hastily declined Chloe's offer.
The glances he received from his two older sisters were a bit frightening, but he pretended not to notice and let it pass.
At the very least, it was clear that his swordsmanship was no match for hers whatsoever.
It was all in how you phrased things, and Veldora's words weren't technically a lie.
Deep down, Veldora swore a thorough, fundamental vow to rebuild his swordsmanship from the ground up.
It was Guy who spoke to Chloe next.
Returning to his usual male form and taking back his sword from Veldora, he addressed her.
"So, that's your real power?"
Chloe nodded in response to Guy's question.
Or rather…
"Huh? The Seraph's Divine Aura is still there. And…"
Chloe had been wielding the power so naturally that it seemed effortless, but in truth, she had absorbed the majority of Lucia's Divine Aura.
And beyond that, the remnants of the Wisdom Core "Lucia" had left behind a fragment of "King of Justice" as well.
As a result—
〈Alert. Three elements confirmed in the individual designated "Chloe Obert": "Courage," "Hope," and "Justice." Additionally, the possession of Ultimate Skill "King of Time-Space" has been confirmed. Initiating automatic "Ability Modification"… Complete. Ultimate Skill "King of Time-Space" has evolved into "God of Time-Space."〉
Inside Chloe, an ultimate evolution was taking place without even her own awareness.
Even the vast Divine Aura of a Seraph had been nowhere near sufficient to fuel this ability's advancement…
Because of this, Chloe's evolution concluded without anyone noticing.
The complete concealment of the Ultimate Skill "God of Time-Space" meant that even Guy hadn't detected the change.
"Looks like it. So, what happened to that Lucia person?"
That was why Guy didn't bother worrying about the Seraph's remnants and asked about Lucia's fate instead.
"I destroyed the one possessing me. But her main body is safe."
"You let her escape?"
Guy's eyes sharpened as he asked, and Chloe murmured, "No—"
A faint smile played on her lips.
And in that expression, one could glimpse a cruelty unbecoming of a Hero—
Or perhaps, that was no illusion.
It was proof that the remnants of Chronoa, having merged with Chloe, were still alive.
A plan that the gentle Chloe would never have conceived of—Chronoa would carry it out without hesitation.
But that sort of thing really didn't suit Chloe…
So Chloe decided to leave the judgment to Lucia's own actions.
"If Lucia accepts her defeat gracefully, that will be enough. If not—she will learn the meaning of despair."
Fixing Guy with a gaze that concealed a fierce resolve, Chloe declared as much.
Victory was already certain, she said.
And for some reason—it felt to Chloe as though settling Lucia's fate shouldn't be her burden.
"Fine by me. Then shall we go take down
"Yes, let's defeat the mastermind behind all this and get back to sensei as soon as we can."
Guy and Chloe were in agreement.
Veldora, who had been about to suggest they go back and recover first since his whole body ached, fell silent under the gaze of his two older sisters.
A very wise decision, indeed.
And so, the five beings who could be called the pinnacle of this world set off toward the celestial realm.
◆◆◆
"Impossible, impossible, impossible!!"
Lucia screamed from her main body in the celestial realm, half-mad with fury.
An impossibility had just occurred.
The Wisdom Core—the highest form of consciousness—had been defeated by a mere human.
This was absolutely, categorically unacceptable.
Lucia wrestled with her chaotic thoughts and arrived at the optimal solution.
—Yes, all I need to do is annihilate everything, the Northern Lands included—
Only after reaching this conclusion did Lucia regain her composure.
She turned around, saw the being standing there, and smiled.
A gentle, compassionate expression befitting her soft features.
And then she spoke.
"Milim, please, hear your mother's wish—"
Such was Lucia's terrible plan.
From the upper stratosphere, Milim's Dragon Star Burst would annihilate Guy and Chloe along with the entire Northern Continent.
She would issue a command via Thought Communication to Velzard, now under her control, to halt the remaining three.
Then she would strike them all at once.
If she timed it right and had Velzard self-destruct, the "
Combined with the Dragon Star Burst, the Northern Continent would be utterly erased.
The impact on the planet itself might be significant, but such things were trivial to Lucia.
Guy, Chloe, Velgrynd, and Veldora.
She only needed to eliminate those four.
Facing this level of destruction, even those four could not survive.
That was the answer Lucia had arrived at.
"Milim, listen—"
As she opened her mouth to continue—
"My, my. Is this fool truly unable to even acknowledge her own defeat?"
A cold remark slipped from Milim's lips.
Lucia's eyes flew wide open in shock as she stared at Milim.
"Enough playing dress-up as my mother and spouting nonsense."
Milim smiled fearlessly and declared as much to Lucia.
It was as though her docile, doll-like behavior until now had all been an act.
"You—!? You weren't actually under my control—!?"
"Hmph, you finally noticed? Until now, I couldn't think of a way to breach your defenses, so I was playing along. But that's no longer necessary! I want my mother's body back, and I'm going to take it now!"
Milim made this declaration and broke into a broad smile.
"Don't be ridiculous! I have the "Castle Wall"! Right now, with the countless angels in this celestial realm and the faith of humanity all channeled into this ability, my defensive power far surpasses what it was when I relied on Rudra's flimsy loyalty—"
"Silence!"
Milim cut Lucia off with a sharp bark.
Then she drove her fist straight at Lucia.
Lucia braced herself on instinct.
Before her, "Castle Wall" deployed automatically to shield her.
(Foolish Milim. How annoying that the control broke, but once Lord Veldanava awakens in his complete form, someone like you won't pose any problem. All I need to do is endure until then—)
The instant that thought crossed her mind, true shock struck Lucia.
Before her eyes, "Castle Wall" had shattered into pieces.
"I—Impossible!?"
The unbelievable, unacceptible reality spread out before her.
"Impossible? You're the one who's impossible. You don't understand the concept of abilities at all. You're like a child who's only just learned about their inner workings and wants to toy with them. Do you know why Father Veldanava never granted "King of Justice" any offensive capabilities? …You thought it was because the ability was incomplete, didn't you? That's not it. The ability was complete *precisely because* it was incomplete. What do you think happens when you combine 'the spear that pierces all' with 'the shield that blocks all'? And justice inherently carries contradiction. The moment you take one side's part, it loses impartiality. Perfect justice is nothing but an illusion. It's a sham—and that is precisely why Father left "King of Justice" in its incomplete state. He stripped away all offensive power, making it purely a shield. A justice without power is helpless, but with the power to protect, everything is fulfilled. That alone made it complete."
Milim spoke to Lucia in a measured tone.
As if instructing a foolish student.
And slowly, she extended her hand toward Lucia.
"Impossible—I won't accept it! I absolutely won't accept that!! Justice is—"
Milim's hand touched Lucia.
"Your absolute defense has been lost. Soon, your ability itself will cease to exist. Before that happens, I will grant you passage with my own hands."
"Stop! I am Lucia, the absolute devotee of Lord Veldanava, the one and only—"
"From my mother—vanish. Offensive Mental Destruction!!"
Without mercy, Milim's destructive ability unleashed its full and absolute authority.
In that instant, the Wisdom Core born of the Ultimate Skill "King of Justice" named Lucia met its moment of complete annihilation.
Milim cradled her mother's remains with a sorrowful expression.
There was no warmth in that body. With the ability's influence removed, the flow of time that had been held in check now rushed forward all at once.
Lucia's Physical Body weathered away, turned to dust, and vanished.
"Goodnight, Mother. Please… rest in peace—"
Milim didn't even have a memory of her mother's warmth.
For Milim, defiling her mother's sacred remains was a sin worth ten thousand deaths.
She had accomplished her goal of freeing her mother from the protection of Lucia's ultimate defense.
All that remained was to show the depth of her fury to the sinner.
The time had come.
The name of the one to be condemned was Veldanava—the one who had stolen her father's name and defiled her mother's remains.
From this moment, Milim would unleash the fury she had kept locked away.
The celestial realm was about to be flooded by the waves of Milim's wrath.