The decisive blow was finally delivered to Aster.
Blown backward, sent flying, Aster fell to the ground for the first time.
The only ones still standing on the battlefield were Ermes and Katia.
The soldiers who still barely clung to consciousness stared at the scene in disbelief.
"...We won... right?"
"Yes. There were some unsightly interruptions along the way, but from start to finish, you did it with your own strength alone. You surpassed His Highness Aster in a one-on-one battle."
Even Katia herself murmured those words with a somewhat distant look, as if it still hadn't quite sunk in.
Ermes spoke to her. There was no doubt — the match was decided.
"It is your victory. That was... magnificent magic."
"...Ah."
Perhaps the heartfelt praise finally brought reality to catch up.
Katia relaxed her shoulders, her cheeks flushing prettily with contentment and joy. A gentle smile spread across her face — but then:
"N-Not... yet...!"
A voice came from across the battlefield.
There, Aster was struggling to rise again, his body trembling violently.
"I haven't lost yet...! This is — this is some kind of mistake..."
"Just how tough is he?"
Ermes murmured with a touch of exasperation.
True, Katia's Bloodline Magic was relatively specialized toward defense, but even so, it was unquestionably the strongest among the duke house, and its offensive power was far from ordinary. Despite taking that blow head-on, Aster rose through sheer willpower and obsession — or perhaps delusion — and screamed:
"—Saraa!"
"...Huh?"
Sara hadn't expected to be called by name so suddenly. She happened to be relatively close, and as she approached, Aster howled at her:
"Heal me!"
"Th-That's..."
"That was a mistake! There's always an element of chance in battle — I was just unlucky this time! Next time won't go the same way! I won't lose, I can't possibly lose! Hurry up, you idiot — what do you think your magic even exists for?!"
"B-But..."
Aster's demand, the frightening way he had fought earlier, and the change she herself had undergone from her battle with Ermes. Torn between these things, Sara looked to Ermes instinctively — and he answered:
"...I have no objection."
"—What!?"
"You were always on their side. If that is your will, then by all means, heal him. ...However—"
He cut his words short there, narrowing his eyes as the temperature of his presence dropped several degrees.
"In that case, I too will no longer hold back in how I fight. With the fury of having an obvious outcome dragged out by your selfishness — I will crush you with everything I have."
"..."
"Gu—"
Sara gasped at the sheer force of his words, and Aster's face twisted.
Aster in particular had just had the memory of his own magic reproduced and surpassed. Honestly, there was no vision of victory that could come to mind.
But he couldn't accept it. The self-centered worldview he had cultivated all this time would not permit it.
That was some kind of mistake. A counterfeit. A cowardly trick. He had no basis for it, but he repeated those pleasant-sounding words to himself, and turning forward as if to mask his own cowardice, he was about to pressure Sara once more — in that very instant—
—WRAAAOOOOOOOOOHHH!!
A howl that shook the world echoed across the battlefield.
"—!?"
Every last one of them had their attention seized by that cry. Eyes turned toward the depths of the forest from which the howl had come.
As if answering those gazes, footsteps that carried the weight of something enormous began to sound in steady intervals, growing louder with each step.
Trees were swept aside. Grass and flowers were trampled flat.
At last, the forest gave way, and an enormous shadow emerged onto the plain.
And they were made to realize—
The existence of something that would remind them how trivial — child's play — their little human squabble truly was.
The incarnation of nightmare. The destroyer of intelligent beings.
The World Eater.
What humanity's true enemy really was.
What appeared was a colossal wolf.
Its fur was pitch black, gleaming with a luster so dazzling it made you gasp and tremble as it reflected the sunlight. Though it should have been beautiful, one sensed a violent aura instead — probably because everything else about it was far too savage.
Its build was thick, heavy, its silhouette making it easy to tell that it harbored tremendous energy.
Its claws sank into the ground, and the fangs bared at its maw gleamed with an edge sharp enough to sever at the lightest touch.
Above all, its very existence—
Had three heads.
Gold, silver, and blazing copper — three beautiful gazes of different colors looked down upon them. But what was common to every eye was a single hue: pure killing intent.
What they were debating now was not whether to fight.
But which prey to kill first.
At the sudden appearance of this being, one soldier murmured involuntarily:
"A monster..."
Yes, that was right — a monster. But—
(You've got to be kidding me.)
Ermes thought to himself.
He knew more about monsters than most. Thanks to his experience delving into numerous Dungeons alongside his master, and the knowledge he had absorbed from vast quantities of texts.
Monsters came in varieties, broadly classified by their strength. First were the Beast Species, relatively close to the animals of this world. Then came the Chimera Beast Species, evolved forms that combined multiple creatures. And at the apex of all living things in this world were the Dragon Species.
From there, they evolved even further.
True monsters that had evolved into creatures that did not belong to this world — the Phantom Species.
Those that had reached this level possessed strength on an entirely different dimension from everything before.
Ermes recalled the monster's name.
(The "Beast Tamer of the Prison Realm." An undisputed Phantom Species, a disaster-class monster. This is the kind of threat that requires a magic army or for my master to intervene personally—)
Why now, of all times?
He had only gotten that far before he realized.
No — it was precisely because of the timing.
Monsters were, quite literally, magical creatures. They were drawn to magic power, and had likely come in response to the clash of the highest-tier Bloodline Magic that had been taking place just moments ago.
On top of that, this was the remotest of remote areas — a place where noble-led subjugations couldn't keep up, deep in monster territory.
Already, monster subjugations had been falling behind due to the kingdom's recent turmoil. It would not be strange at all if hidden Dungeons had emerged in places like this beyond anyone's notice, and if left unchecked, extraordinary monsters had been born without anyone knowing.
Of course, the Phantom Species lived up to their name — they were monsters that one rarely, and in some cases never in a lifetime, encountered. The fact that one had appeared right before their eyes at this very moment was nothing short of catastrophic misfortune.
But he would dare to say it.
This outcome was the result of everything that had led to this moment, and the situation on the ground.
It was the inevitable nightmare born from all of it falling into place.
The monster made its move.
"!"
Ermes and Sara, both relatively sharp in perception, understood simultaneously.
There was no longer time for fighting among themselves.
Ermes reactivated his magic, and Sara immediately used the Star Corolla to heal Aster's wounds.
Their rivalry up to this moment should be forgotten. For now, they had to cooperate against that monster.
Everyone had to fight together. Otherwise — quite literally — they would all be slaughtered.
Acting on that shared understanding, their judgment was, in that moment, perfectly correct.
...But.
There was one person present who couldn't even grasp that much.
"—So that's how it is!!"
Rising to his feet in an instant, his crimson eyes burning with understanding and conviction, was Aster.
With his wounds and fatigue healed, he rose and activated his own Bloodline Magic with what remained of his power.
"This is it! I was conserving my power because I anticipated this would happen!!"
He shouted this — and then, incredibly—
He charged alone, straight at the monster.
Aster was desperate.
The Ermes he had discarded had used the same magic as him and surpassed him.
The Katia he had discarded had defeated him in a battle of magic.
Those he had once written off as failures, those he had deemed worthless — they had all surpassed him.
In other words, it had been proven that his judgment was wrong. The people around him — even the soldiers who had followed him, even Sara — were now looking at him with doubt.
He could not accept this. He could not possibly be wrong.
But the results spoke louder than anything. And just as he was desperately searching for some crack to overturn them — a powerful monster had appeared out of nowhere.
This is it, he thought.
A noble's duty was to slay monsters. In other words, if he defeated this monster alone, everyone would be made to realize once more — who the true hero was, who they should follow, and who had been in the wrong.
Yes, he was the hero. He was the strongest. The previous result was some kind of mistake — no, he must have subconsciously sensed that this would happen, and that was why he couldn't go all out. He would have won if he had fought normally — it was precisely that which caused him to lose.
He had twisted together the most desperate rationalization of his life, yet believed it without a shred of doubt.
He broke into a sprint toward the grotesquely oversized monster standing before him, and began his chant simultaneously.
"[The hour of finality has arrived; the ancestor is with the holy spirit and noble thought; what aligns with creation is an unending age]!"
What he wished for was another Magic Inscription Liberation.
Pouring into it his body, healed by Sara's magic, and every last scrap of remaining magic power, he completed the chant. And he succeeded in achieving liberation once more.
"'Fire Heaven Judgment' — Magic Inscription Liberation!"
Even for Aster, his remaining magic power was thin — it would probably last less than a minute.
But it didn't matter. With his power, that would be more than enough.
He would show them. He would teach those fools who failed to understand his power with a result so clear no one could miss it — who the truly strong one was.
Drunk on the power of his Magic Inscription Liberation, believing without question in a brilliant future before him.
Aster, having once again taken the form of a winged halo, brought the full force of his blazing greatsword down upon the three-headed wolf — Kerberos.
—And it was effortlessly, utterly repelled without a scratch.