The ground beneath the Royal Capital's central district trembled.
"..."
"Gu— ugh!"
The invisible magic unleashed by Chrono von Feibrad.
Force fields generated by "White Night's Celestial Mandate" assailed Lucius from every direction at once.
Their speed and hardness were, in a word, staggering.
Even Lucius — who was virtually impervious to direct-attack magic thanks to his supernatural ability to "cut magic" — could barely keep them at bay.
As expected of the pinnacle of the "Organization" — the shadowy power that had covertly operated within this kingdom for decades. Such strength was utterly beyond any ordinary mage.
To possess this level of power even after suffering the backlash of Genesis Magic — the assessment that he could rival Rose was entirely credible.
But — Lucius was no ordinary man either.
Moreover, he was not alone.
"L— Lady Sarah!"
"Yes!"
Timing his call, Sarah deployed a barrier using the "Spirit Veil."
Finding a brief window amid the relentless onslaught, she then channeled the "Star Corolla" to restore Lucius's fatigue.
This was Sarah's true forte — her full potential unleashed only when paired with others.
The sheer devastating effectiveness with which she bolstered an ally's defenses and sustained combat capability was being displayed to the fullest now that she was teamed with Lucius, one of the foremost single-combat powerhouses.
As for Chrono — that didn't mean he could simply target Sarah.
She was constantly protected by a powerful barrier of her own, and while he wasted time trying to break through it, Lucius would inevitably cut him down from behind. That much was self-evident.
Thus, even Chrono had no means of breaking through this formation. With nothing but his own Bloodline Magic, he had no choice but to overpower Lucius and the others head-on.
That said, Lucius and the others were just as hard-pressed simply surviving Chrono's onslaught. The current situation was a stalemate—but.
Unlike the fight against Ermes, this time the stalemate worked in Lucius's favor.
Because, unlike Chrono's side, they had many mages capable of holding their own in single combat. So as long as they simply focused on not getting killed and bought time—
"You lot held out well."
The supreme powerhouse, the Sky Witch, had arrived.
Rose, having recovered from the wounds sustained in her battle with Ortesia, had finally been revived and come underground.
She had no intention of going after Chrono's group as aggressively as they were, but letting her roam free was hardly something to overlook either.
And when it came to a fight, she would show no mercy.
Thus—the moment she was revived, victory was all but certain.
Lucius and the others were confident they had put their opponent in check, and true to that conviction, Rose drew in a breath—
"Not gonna let that happen, Sky Witch."
From the side.
Laplace came flying in at tremendous speed and, carrying all that momentum, lunged at Rose with a punch.
"—!?"
Rose had anticipated an ambush.
But that Laplace—the Laplace whose strength she had already gauged during their clash in the Sanctum Secretum—was capable of reaching this level of speed.
The reason was simple: after his showdown with Ermes, Laplace had evolved at an extraordinary rate, and his speed now exceeded anything he had shown before. That gap caught her completely off guard—
A single blow connected.
She managed to get her guard up, but in midair she had no leverage to hold her ground, and was sent flying.
Seizing that instant without hesitation, Laplace immediately pivoted and landed beside Chrono.
"Boss! Can't be helped — if even the Sky Witch has shown up, we've hit our limit."
"Yeah, I didn't want to, but we've got no choice—!"
A single curt exchange, and agreement was reached in an instant.
And then — the two of them moved in perfect unison.
"'—
Malevolent God's Bonfire Veil
'"
"'
□□□□□
'"
They declared their inscriptions simultaneously.
No one present failed to grasp the meaning of those words — and it was precisely that understanding that drove them to utter shock.
"Wh—"
They could actually use them?
It was already unbelievable that they had managed to supercharge necromancy — but to have recovered from the backlash of that feat as well?
Should they have been taken down first? No — they couldn't afford to divert any more combat strength against Chrono, and even if they had intended to, there was a high probability they wouldn't have succeeded.
The conclusion was clear: even knowing this, nothing could be done. That entire chain of reasoning cycled through Lucius's mind in a fraction of a second... and even understanding the conclusion, he no longer had any means to halt the spell.
The two spells began to merge.
In that instant — space itself transformed.
He understood at once — this was
the Evil God's Pyre Veil
's
Magic Inscription Liberation
— a weakening domain of equivalent power. Moreover, its effective range was off the charts compared to what had been displayed in the Hidden Sanctuary before.
An unexpected revival of Bloodline Magic, empowered through specialization in Genesis Magic.
A rejection domain enhanced by Genesis Magic. If not just the range but even the effects had been strengthened to the same level as that
Netherworld of Salvation
...
Then there was no chance of winning —
"Calm down!"
Even Lucius, as unflappable as he was, nearly fell into confusion at the unexpected situation, but Rose's sharp shout rang out, stopping him in his tracks.
And then, Rose continued.
"They said it themselves, didn't they? It was a last resort they didn't want to use! Consecutively activating Genesis Magic is insane — nobody can just do that calmly. They're pushing themselves way too hard!"
"!"
"That means they're backed into a corner — you can bet that's their absolute last resort! One more step, you guys! El and the others will be here soon, so keep hammering away until then!"
This was the final battle.
When it came from Rose, her words were beyond question. Understanding this, the two resumed their attacks — enduring the incoming tide of weakening magic power while matching Rose's rain of light.
And just as Rose had read —
Ermes, in pursuit of Laplace, had also arrived underground at nearly the same time.
Rose's voice reached him as well, and he grasped the general situation. He was about to step forward to provide support, but then—
"What!?"
He discovered something remarkable.
He couldn't very well ignore it, so he made a slight change of course. Those two—the source of his surprise—
"Why are you here?"
"Master!"
"Er, you're safe!"
He stood beside Niina, who was carrying Liliana as she moved.
He ran alongside them toward the underground while asking for an explanation.
"...I see."
"I-I'm sorry, Master! I know there's nothing I can do, but...!"
"No, it's fine."
Ermes had reached the same conclusion.
"With anyone else, perhaps, but those two... I can't imagine them being the type to actively target people who haven't joined the fight. As long as you don't force your way in, you should be fine."
It might seem naïve to say that in the middle of a serious battle, but somehow—perhaps because he had learned a fair amount about them in their battles thus far—he was strangely certain about at least this much.
"Even if you were targeted, as long as Lady Lilii focuses solely on escaping, she'll be fine. From there, Niina can protect her. I'm sorry to impose on you, Niina—"
"Yeah, it's fine. I'll protect her properly."
Receiving that reliable reply, Ermes was put at ease.
"Then I'll head off to join the fight. ...Please watch over me—the battle that will decide this country's fate."
"Y-yes!"
Having received Liliana's reply, the worry was gone at last.
At last, Ermes set off for the final battle.
"—Ah..."
Nina tried to stop Ermes.
The reason was the sense of unease Nina was feeling — the same indescribable sensation she had experienced when they decided to send Liliana.
As if something had been shifted without her knowing... more directly,
something
had been
forgotten
it seemed
.
She tried to convey that feeling... but it was far too vague to put into words, and now there was far too little time to convey even that vagueness.
So, just as before. She decided it was her imagination, and even if it wasn't, she would deal with it herself. With that decision made, Nina sent Ermes off with a smile.
And then, a few minutes later.
Katia, who had woken up ahead of the others, left Yurugen in the care of the soldiers who had rushed there. She rejoined Albert, who had somewhat recovered, and together they gathered underground to witness the outcome of the battle.
And so. The Third Princess's faction and the organization.
Every powerful mage currently able to fight assembled together beneath the center of the Royal Capital.
At last, the battle that would determine the kingdom's future entered its final stage.
—Still carrying all manner of premonitions.
The last episode of Chapter Three — the climax draws ever closer.
But of course, things will never go quite that smoothly. I hope you'll continue to look forward to the story that lies ahead!
Next time, the battlefield undergoes a dramatic shift. I'd be delighted if you'd give it a read!