——Engulfing its entire body in flames, the '
The power of the 'Yang Sword,' its veil finally cast off, was devastating. The ferocity of its flames—capable of incinerating even the soul with but a graze—exceeded even the imagination of Subaru, who had schemed to take advantage of it.
「So this is... the true power of the 'Yang Sword'...」
The crimson flames had spread not only to the 'Witch' that had been cut, but to the other two as well. Seeing the result this had wrought, all Subaru could do was hold his breath.
He had encountered scenes where the 'Yang Sword' was wielded several times before, but its owner in each case had always been Priscilla. That said, it would be too simplistic to conclude from this that Abel was a more skilled swordsman than Priscilla.
The opponents Priscilla had faced with the 'Yang Sword' were always formidable. The 'Witches' this time—
Across every battlefield, every situation, every desperate crisis up to this day, he had never once used the 'Yang Sword'—thereby eliminating that option not just from Sphinx's calculations, but from everyone's.
The sheer audacity required to carry that through was beyond imagining.
「What's with that disgruntled look on your face?」
「I'm shocked! Even after everything we've been through together, I can still find parts of your character to complain about without even trying...!」
「I was wondering what you'd say... Could it be you're talking about the fact that I held a card in reserve? If so, surely you too were scheming along similar lines?」
「On my end it wasn't a matter of character—it was the result of cleverness, courage, and cheating! When I think back, it was the same at the very first 'Ceremony of Blood Life,' when I squared off with Zikhr and the others at Gwalhar, when I got ambushed by Arakia right after, when I clashed with Yorna over the Chaos Frame, the game of tag with Olbart, the chain dragon carriages—all of it! You were holding out on us the whole damn time!」
「I was?」
「You were?! Agh, ow ow ow—」
With the crimson holy blade in hand, Abel admitted it without a shred of remorse, and Subaru was floored. Immediately after, the pain in his broken right arm—the one Sphinx had snapped as a warning—came rushing back all at once.
Cradling his broken arm with tears in his eyes, he felt
As she gently treated Subaru, Beatrice spoke: 「No matter what you say, it won't get through to that man. He probably has no functional sense of guilt whatsoever. He's the same breed as Roswaal.」
「Grrrnnngh...!」
「There. That should feel a bit better.」
Having delivered what she considered her harshest possible assessment of Abel, Beatrice finished treating Subaru.
The pain still lingered, but it felt like the broken bone had been set. Moving it recklessly was out of the question, but full recovery would take time, and priorities were priorities.
「Will Jamal Oreley make it?」
「As long as his vital functions haven't stopped, Betty can manage. That's what Betty is here for—she's Subaru's partner, after all.」
With that, Beatrice trotted off toward Jamal.
Of the three Sphinxes that had appeared after the first one was defeated, Jamal had been the one who provoked them the most and taken the worst beating. His method of provocation had been nothing more than a barrage of insults—crude to the point of being hard to listen to—but even that was an act of loyalty to the emperor.
「Uaugh...」
「Oh,
「Au!」
Spica gave a big nod, smiling so as not to worry him. Subaru wiped the dust from her cheek with his hand, then patted her head in acknowledgment of her fighting spirit.
Truly, unmistakably, this was a victory won by every single person here fulfilling their role.
He had to admit that Abel's hidden trump card had contributed enormously—but— 「Still, I'm going to hold a grudge about this for the rest of my life.」
「If you can get him to admit even that much, then the one who proposed this scheme must be satisfied as well.」
No matter how resentfully Subaru glared, Abel let it wash over him with a cool expression.
That cold-shoulder response was infuriating, but the strategy of hiding the 'Yang Sword' and the faith to see it through deserved nothing but praise.
——The fact that Abel could use the 'Yang Sword' but had chosen not to, Subaru had learned during the loops after his battle with Sphinx had already begun.
Frankly put, it was the kind of secrecy that could constitute a war crime.
Originally, the only viable trump card for stopping the 'Great Calamity'—which could destroy the entire
But if Abel's 'Yang Sword' could reach the souls at the core of the undead, that changed everything.
With both the 'Yang Sword' and 'Star Eater' in play, they could be deployed as their trump card for dismantling the corpse soldiers—and by extension, for defeating the 'Great Calamity.' 「So you already knew that, and that's why you joined our group in the first place?」
「Hmm?」
「Listen, Spica—this devious emperor could use the 'Yang Sword,' and he knew it was the key item for taking down the zombies. And you knew the same thing, right? Actually, the reverse was true for us—we were the ones who had to actively chip away at the zombies using the 'Star Eater.' So what happens?」
「Ah—au?」
「Right. The enemy's main force comes to stop us, right? And we'd try to get Spica's 'Star Eater' to hit that main force. Because we wouldn't know of any other way to win. If Spica's range reached them, great. If it didn't, then...」
「Au aa!」
At the end of Subaru's explanation, Spica's eyes went wide and she pointed at Abel's 'Yang Sword.' Subaru patted her head, saying, 「Exactly!」
Walking alongside Spica, Subaru aimed a look at Abel that could only be described as the way one regards a piece of human garbage.
「Listen, Spica. That's the eye of a person with a twisted personality. You have to be pretty much pitch-black inside to be emperor of Vollachia. ...Honestly, wouldn't the empire be better off destroyed?」
「Switching sides the moment the enemy commander has been incinerated? Even if you were going to betray me, your timing is remarkably poor.」
「Just—please—don't let us save the empire and then immediately get executed for treason or something...」
Necessity had compelled them, but the empire was still terrible for Spica's moral education. Abel was the poster child for that, and under normal circumstances, he'd be the first person Subaru wouldn't want anywhere near her.
Spica should be surrounded by kind, wholesome people—
「That means I'd need to distance her from Otto and Roswaal too. My sister is... I like her, but past a certain point it gets rough. Garfiel seems like a good influence, though...」
「Subaru! The treatment over here is just about done!」
「Oh. Got it!」
Following Beatrice's call, the group gathered around Jamal.
However, there was no greeting from Jamal as they arrived—he lay sprawled on the ground, limbs slack.
「For now, the danger to his life has passed. But further treatment will require more time, and it also depends on how much energy Betty has left.」
「Beako's energy... you mean like, her remaining mana?」
「Something like that. ...There's been a small irregularity that's let us be more generous than usual, but I'd rather not rely on that too freely.」
「Irregularity...」
Listening to Beatrice's answer, Subaru stared down at his own hand.
The irregularity she spoke of was Subaru's internal mana reserves. Since Beatrice was Subaru's contracted spirit, and the mana Subaru carried directly translated to her remaining MP, the amount that could currently be lent to her was, without question, abnormal.
As for the reason, Subaru had been mulling over various possibilities.
The likeliest were either that his bonds with everyone in the 'Pleiades Battle Corps' were exerting a positive influence on him, or that his shrunken body was causing a change in his Gate.
However, if it were the latter, Beatrice should have been able to identify the cause, so he felt the former was more probable.
「I'd personally be happier and more fired up if it's because my bonds with everyone are giving me strength.」
「Subaru...」
「Don't worry, Beako. That said, it's not like we're in a situation where I can cast magic nonstop, so I agree we should conserve as much as possible. But still... this is tricky.」
Respecting Beatrice's judgment, Subaru gazed at Jamal's unconscious form.
Obviously, they couldn't just abandon the man who had contributed to their victory. But if Jamal didn't regain consciousness, someone would inevitably have to carry him.
「Just so we're clear, I'm not carrying him.」
「You—ever since you got that sword, you've been acting awfully high and mighty. You were going toe to toe with me in a catfight, and now you're zipping around and bouncing off walls... Shouldn't you be able to carry Jamal without breaking a sweat?」
「Even if I could, I won't. With Jamal Oreley down, I'm the most agile person here. In a position that demands vigilance, I cannot afford to be burdened.」
「Don't call him a burden! Fine, fine—I'll...」
「U-augh.」
Angry at the emperor's self-serving logic, Subaru moved to lift Jamal. But Spica slipped past him and, without hesitation, picked Jamal up in her arms.
A petite girl lifting a grown man's weight so effortlessly—it wasn't putting her in any visible strain, but the sight was still jarring.
「Well, the image would be roughly the same no matter who else did it. What do you think?」
「A fine duty. I shall carry on.」
「See, Beako? He really doesn't have a shred of guilt!」
「I told you. ...Spica, don't push yourself too hard, alright?」
Beatrice sighed at Abel's complete lack of self-awareness, and Spica answered with a bright 「U!」 smile. The fact that Jamal didn't seem to feel heavy to her was a relief, at least.
In any case, a sense of triumph was gradually building over having defeated the formidable Sphinx—but they couldn't afford to celebrate freely.
Because— 「——It seems the reason I kept my hands free has come into play after all.」
As Abel said this with a tilt of his chin, shadows began appearing one after another in the street leading to where Subaru's group stood. They had heard the sounds of the battle with the Sphinxes, no doubt—the figures were the unmistakable forms of the undead.
The implications, and the infuriating accuracy of Abel's words, made Subaru grit his teeth.
The fact that the undead were converging on this location meant— 「...Even with Sphinx defeated, the 'Secret Art of the Undead King' hasn't stopped, has it?」
「Damn it—so the surest strategy of killing the caster to dispel the magic doesn't work here. Beako, does that mean...」
「This is a being created in the image of the 'Witch of Greed,' after all. She likely designed the spellwork to keep the 'Secret Art of the Undead King' functioning even in her absence. Until we destroy the system itself, the 'Stone Mass'—and this country—remain bound by its limits.」
「And the place where that system would most likely be...」
Taking in Beatrice's words, Subaru's gaze turned toward the northernmost point of the imperial capital—the Crystal Palace.
It was where Sphinx and her forces had made their base, and the most fitting location for something symbolic to be placed. Of course, Sphinx—devoid of any sense of romance or drama—might have placed the mechanism elsewhere.
「——No, it has to be the Crystal Palace. Regardless of what the 'Witches' intend, if they need a connection to the 'Stone Mass,' they require contact with the Crystal Palace's core... with Mogro Hagane.」
「Isn't Mogro one of the 'Nine Divine Generals'?」
「Indeed. He's currently sleeping in the Crystal Palace. Or rather, the Crystal Palace is sleeping with him inside it.」
「You had better explain that to me later!」
Subaru pointed this out to Abel, who seemed to have even more secrets beyond the 'Yang Sword,' and welcomed the fact that the decision to head to the Crystal Palace was now firm.
「————」
If he were being honest, even knowing that something central to the 'Great Calamity' was in the Crystal Palace, he wanted to confirm the safety of the comrades he had sent to other battlefields first. Especially Emilia and Tanza.
Their deployment was the one area Subaru hadn't been able to verify.
That anxiety and frustration was— 「Well now, you all look like absolute wrecks, don't you? Even the emperor with sweat on his brow and mud on his face—I have to say, I'm surprised at how hard you've been working.」
A black shape drifted down with an ease that bordered on nonchalance, cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
The figure landed between Subaru's group and the approaching undead, then strolled over without a care in the world, crouching down in front of Subaru and Beatrice.
Grinning around a golden pipe held between his teeth, he held out his cupped hands.
「For all you hard workers... here, a souvenir.」
As he opened his cupped hands, several strange crystals about the size of coins sat in his palm.
Subaru didn't know what they were, but Beatrice did.
「Those are core bugs...!」
「That's right. Theirs, to be specific.」
Nodding casually, the figure pressed his palms together and rubbed them vigorously.
The next instant, the undead down the street let out groaning sounds before crumbling into dust all at once. The cores sustaining them had been crushed, leaving their bodies unable to maintain cohesion.
The one who had accomplished this in a single, offhand moment was a tall figure clad in black—a wolfman— 「
「Oh, oh, a warm welcome! I do love me a spirited kid with a loud voice.」
The one who nodded in response to Subaru's surprised cry was Halibel, who had been operating independently.
Subaru had entrusted him with what was arguably the most critical objective in this imperial capital battle—eliminating the enemy that needed to be removed so everyone could perform at their best.
And the fact that he was here now meant— 「I finished the job properly, so rest easy. Won't be losing any face with the chief.」
「——! Thank you! Can I keep piling on requests!?」
「Well now, don't be shy. Go ahead, go ahead—tell me what you need.」
「I need you to head toward the castle! But on the way, I want you to take over supporting some of the others. We'll work Abel to the bone over here!」
「How insolent...」
Abel said something displeased at Subaru's proposal, but Subaru deliberately ignored him.
The point was, if Halibel had completed his mission, that was a godsend. Emilia and the others—the ones he worried about most—would be in far better hands with Halibel. It was like putting a tiger to work on their behalf.
「Olbart should be at the castle too. So if you could get to Emilia and Tanza...」
「Wait,
「If it'll make you satisfied, I'll say it is! It affects my performance!」
Subaru shot back at Abel's interruption, and the two locked eyes.
Beatrice, ever at his side, squeezed his hand firmly as if to say she was on his side. Just as the tense staredown was escalating, Halibel cut in.
「Now, now, no need for all that hostility. Oh, and about the castle—I don't think you'll actually need me there?」
「Huh?」
Subaru's eyes went wide at Halibel's remark as the wolfman scratched under his chin.
Meeting Subaru's questioning gaze, 'The Praiser' narrowed his thread-thin eyes toward the horizon and said with a face split evenly between exasperation and admiration: 「Something tells me this is a case where the power of love is doing the work.」
△▼△▼△▼△ ——An impossible scene was unfolding before her eyes.
She watched it, tears threatening to blur her vision, unable to define whether she was
「——Tanza.」
Her trembling lips formed the name. The deer-girl it referred to had a flame burning in one eye, and with a flick of the hem of the kimono they had chosen together, she was matching blows fiercely against a charging undead swordsman.
This was a fight far more agile, more powerful, more brimming with confidence than any Tanza she had known.
Tanza had been a girl without confidence.
Even at that young age, she had been remarkably clever and capable—and yet her own estimation of herself had been so pathetically low. Back when Yorna had truly been the same age as Tananza, she could never have fought like this.
A girl who had taken on the tasks entrusted to her—work that wouldn't burden her parents or the people of their village—and prided herself on fulfilling her duty without ever noticing the kindness of those around her. A foolish child.
Compared to that girl, Tananza had been extraordinary. And the Tananza she had thought lost to death—the Tananza she had now reunited with at a time when her own footing had become so uncertain— Prisca. The empire. The demon city. Tananza. Eugard. The inside of her head was in the worst state of confusion she had experienced across more than ten lives.
Only a handful of moments even came close: when she first learned she had been reborn by a curse, when she learned Prisca was alive, when she had reunited with Eugard, and when the living Tananza had refused to listen to a single word she said.
「The shocks have been piling up too thick and fast in this life...」
To lament the overwhelming succession of blows was a luxury she couldn't afford—there was far too much happening right now.
To protect herself, whose will to fight had been drained by the accumulated mental strain, Tananza stood tall—using the 'Soul Marriage Art' and something beyond it, brazenly and openly.
How much had happened since they had been separated in the demon city?
After accompanying her sister Zoe to the Chaos Frame, she had thought she was watching Tananza's growth from the closest vantage point. But had the Tananza of today ever truly been by her side?
Someone else had been there. Someone who had stayed close to Tananza, who had pushed her forward, who had made her strong.
She could feel it—in Tananza's fierce gaze, in her footing, in the fist that smashed into the swordsman's face.
「Tanza!」
「Yes, Lady Emilia—let's press the attack!」
A voice like silver bells rang out as the silver-haired girl—Emilia—coordinated with Tananza.
Her long hair dancing, she wielded weapons of ice to fend off the undead swordsman, covering both their offense and defense in perfect synchronization with Tananza.
The time Tananza and Emilia had had to build a relationship couldn't have been very long.
Yet the unexpected combined strength of the two shattered the blue-haired 'Corpse Sword Champions' one after another, scattering their fragments across the street.
However— 「Ah, ah, ah, how tragic—the limits of the living, indeed. You wield your strength with such vigor, but just how long do you estimate it will last?」
「Enough! Stop gloating when you're the one cheating!」
The 'Corpse Sword Champion'—its golden eyes glowing with the light unique to the undead—smiled provocatively, and Emilia took the bait.
She slammed both hands against the ground, and in the next instant, ice erupted through the streets like branches and vines, weaving around Emilia and Tananza to ensnare the hands, legs, and torsos of the swordsmen.
——It looked almost like a lattice of thorns.
「—!」
「Lady Yorna!」
A jolt of pain shot through her chest, and she collapsed into a crouch, pressing a hand to her heart.
Tanza caught this lapse in the corner of her vision and screamed her name—a cry of alarm. Even for an instant, it meant Tananza's focus had been torn from the battlefield.
「Be greedy for victory—indeed!」
「—!」
A devastating front kick slammed into Tananza's small body, sending her hurtling backward.
Tanza's body bounced through the air—and the trajectory was heading straight for where she was crouching. Instinctively, she raised her head, reaching for Tananza's name on her lips—but what good would calling out do? It would only pull Tananza's attention away for nothing.
「——Tanza!」
「Yes, Lady Yorna.」
And yet, she couldn't hold it back. Tananza responded to the shout, twisting in midair to right herself. She stopped barely short of colliding with her, that small yet enormous back now filling her vision.
From behind, the 'Corpse Sword Champion's' merciless blade descended to cleave them both in two— 「——Lady Emilia!」
「On it!」
Emilia responded without a heartbeat's hesitation, and Tananza raised her foot.
The raised foot—the newly fitted ice geta catching the 'Corpse Sword Champion's' blade dead on.
It was a thick-soled geta, identical to the kind worn by 'Kaleidoscope' Yorna Mishigure.
「Yaa—aaaaaah—!!」
Tanza braced the blade against the sole of her raised geta, then launched from that foot into the air, executing a vertical spin—her other ice geta smashing down on the head of the now-stationary 'Corpse Sword Champion,' driving it into the ground.
The impact cratered the street in a circle nearly five meters wide, the devastating blow reducing the undead to dust as Tananza let her kimono hem flutter.
「————」
She watched, speechless, caught by the sheer elegance of Tananza's form. Noticing her gaze, Tananza turned back with a slight softening at the corners of her eyes and smiled.
Those lips were about to form the name—「Yorna.」
「——Don't!」
In that split second, Emilia—who had been at a distance—thrust out both hands, and came the shriek of freezing air as two 'Corpse Sword Champions' behind her were pierced through by ice, frozen into statues.
But she couldn't offer her thanks.
More important was stopping the next 'Corpse Sword Champion' that had appeared behind Tananza's back—no, there wasn't time. After that, she had to protect Tananza.
「I have...!」
She had overlooked so much, dropped so many things, let so many people down. She existed atop countless lives.
And yet even she—who had never been able to repay any of that—could at least— 「————」
She made her decision in the instant she reached out: she would wrap her arms around Tananza, tilt her body, and shield the girl from the blade with her own.
She moved well. For this one moment, she was glad she wasn't the trembling, paralyzed version of herself.
All that remained was for her body—now taller and longer-limbed than it had once been—to protect this small, precious child. The child of this empire that someone had once treasured above all else— 「——To think there is still one who can surprise me this much. It could only be you.」
That gentle voice—sugary as a whisper against her ear, impossibly calm for a battlefield where sword winds howled—melted away the heart that had, just moments ago, been prepared for death, as though it had all been a lie.
「————」
The 'Corpse Sword Champion's' blade had been stopped by the crimson holy blade that had intervened at the last instant.
And seeing the existence who had done so, she could do nothing but catch her breath.
It was an unexpected reunion—one she had never wanted.
She didn't know whether to be happy or to grieve; since that one moment, it felt as though her heart had cracked.
In the end, she had never found an answer, and yet had arrived at this moment all the same.
But right now, in this instant, she could say one thing with absolute clarity.
「Even that tense expression is lovely, my star.」
「Your Excellency...」
The man who spoke those words—