"Master!"
"El, you're here! Good——"
Beneath the center of the Royal Capital.
Rose, having confirmed Ermes's arrival, called out to him.
"El! The domain—you—!"
"!"
For master and disciple, that was all it took.
Ermes drew a breath, Chanting in a single exhalation. And then——
"
Primal Inscription
——
Magic Inscription Liberation
!"
Magic Inscription Liberation, once more.
Just as before, the
Evil God's Blazing Veil
—which had apparently already been deployed—had established a weakening domain. To generate a domain magic of his own to counter it, he once again restarted his analysis and activation.
Having already completed a sufficient degree of analysis from his earlier battle with Laplace, he figured he could at least bring things to a standstill—and unleashed his domain magic——
"——!"
—Instantly, his domain magic was forced back by terrifying pressure.
It wasn't even comparable to the previous battle. So that was it—the Genesis Magic was providing a massive boost. Combined with the fact that it was being cast consecutively, it didn't seem to be as absurdly overpowered as when Yurugen had wielded it, but even so, it was magic that existed on an entirely different level from Bloodline Magic.
With abnormal intensity, Ermes's magic was pushed back—
(—But still...!)
Yet Ermes did not give up.
He had been asked by Rose to deal with the weakening domain. If she said it could be done, then that meant it wasn't impossible for Ermes.
Then he would believe it. Trusting in Rose, Ermes focused his magic. He managed to find a flaw in the domain and poured even more into his analysis than before.
(With this—!)
He barely managed to force his magic through. There was no hope of matching it evenly, but he succeeded in weakening the power of the domain to some degree.
"That's enough, Lucius!"
"Got it—don't worry about me!"
Seizing the moment, Rose and Lucius charged. Rose with the mobility granted by her Bloodline Magic, Lucius with Sara's support. They dodged Laplace's attacks and turned the tide to offense.
Chrono, the clash of Laplace versus Ermes, Rose, Lucius. Among those capable of direct combat, the strongest had naturally remained.
The final clash had begun.
"
Meteor Throne
— [
Celestial Genesis
]!"
Rose's chant echoed through the air.
Celestial Misidentification Technique — [Shakuten]. By using a technique that negates the sole greatest weakness of the [Meteor Throne] — the restriction that it can only be fired from the sky — a devastating beam is unleashed even within the sealed underground space.
When she had demonstrated it in the Secret Sanctuary before, it was broken because she left an opening for [Rejection], but she had overcome that level of weakness by now.
As a result, an overwhelming blow was fired toward Laplace and Chrono—
"Don't underestimate me!"
Laplace swept his hand, and the black haze that accompanied the motion swallowed the beam entirely, erasing it without a trace.
The rejection effect of the [Evil God's Bonfire Curtain].
While he couldn't negate the technique itself, he too was currently under the enhancement of Creation Magic.
Against Rose's magic, which was depleted from her battle with Ortesia, erasing the beam itself was no great feat.
But—she was not alone now, either.
"I wasn't underestimating it from the start."
"!"
Appearing from behind the beam, the kingdom's strongest swordsman, Lucius, launched his assault. Despite being weakened by the domain, his extraordinary physical abilities remained intact.
With terrifying speed, he closed the distance to Laplace and struck with a flash of his blade.
—But Laplace was no slouch either.
He shifted his body to dodge the blade by a hair's breadth, then launched a kick from that same stance to create distance.
...This, too, was what made Laplace so terrifying. Despite possessing versatile and powerful Bloodline Magic, he was also formidable in close combat.
Perhaps it was his upbringing—this was a strength that [nobles] did not possess.
(...Even so)
Even so, the battle was turning in their favor.
While pouring everything into countering the domain, Ermes thought this.
Rose continued her relentless barrage of light beams from long range, while Lucius stayed in close proximity, clinging to his target to deny any opening for a counterattack.
Overall, they held the advantage. Ermes's analysis was progressing too, albeit slowly.
(If this keeps up, we can push through——!)
That was the very moment such a thought crossed his mind.
"——'
Destiny of the White Night
'"
Unbelievable words echoed out.
"Wha—!"
"!"
A powerful force field took hold of both Rose and Lucius, threatening to slam them into the ground.
Rose nullified hers through the limited release of the
Seamless Great Eagle,
while Lucius cut through his force field and dispelled it, narrowly escaping danger. But in doing so, they gave Laplace the opening she needed to regain her footing, and the positional relationship reverted to a stalemate once more.
Immediately after, every gaze of shock turned toward Chrono.
"...!"
"Come on, don't be so reckless."
Rose spoke to him — to Chrono, who had thrown aside his previously cool composure, his face twisted in anguish as he reached out and fired a spell their way, sweat streaming down — her voice tinged with both exasperation and admiration.
Chrono answered in kind.
"Of course I'll be reckless. This is my deepest wish."
"You're releasing Creation Magic and combining it with Bloodline Magic? That's a far cry from my time — do you even realize what's being worn away is something that must never be lost?"
"Your lifespan, your bodily functions — things along those lines?
Couldn't care less.
"
Before anyone realized it, the courtesy had drained from Chrono's tone.
Yet he spoke with such natural ease that no one gave it a second thought.
"Risking your life for the sake of a wish — that's only natural. Anyone with something they want to achieve does exactly that. In this kingdom, I imagine such radiance is seldom seen."
"..."
"Which is why I've decided to do the same."
Even as he spoke, blood streamed from Chrono's body, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Yet more than making up for it was the sheer force of presence and fighting spirit he harbored.
"I want to destroy this kingdom. I want to tear it apart so thoroughly that there is no hope of it ever being restored. What comes after its destruction is none of my concern — I have no intention of building anything new in its place. Nothing more. Nothing less.
...Perhaps that's a wish no ordinary person would allow. Perhaps it can't be accepted. But even so! It is the one wish I hold most dearly — the sole desire of my heart!"
His voice had grown rawer, yet he had not lost a shred of his dignity — if anything, he radiated an even greater nobility.
"If that is the case, then risking everything is only natural! My life above all.
Come, defenders of this realm — I am still standing! If you wish to forge a new nation, then surpass my wish first!!"
With those words as his last, he once again—
White Night's Mandate—
—and unleashed it.
The sight of him generating a force field and commanding magic was brimming with a majesty befitting it all.
"Hah."
As if answering his call, Laplace's voice rang out.
"Now that's what I'm talking about, Boss! You're on fire!"
"My blood's pumping too, you beautiful mages!!"
Without missing a beat, Laplace activated his own rejection magic in perfect sync with Chrono's spell. The resulting offensive force was more than double what it had been before, bearing down on Rose and the others.
"!"
"So this is how it──!"
Rose and Luccius managed to fend it off, but with Chrono joining the fray, the battle had returned to a complete stalemate.
...Ermes watched it all unfold.
He saw Chrono and Laplace wielding magic with more than their whole beings. Chrono went without saying, but Laplace too. Both should have been bearing a burden proportionate to the blessing of Genesis Magic they carried.
Yet they acted as though none of that mattered. Having thrown off their previously carefree demeanor, they unleashed magic with ferocious intensity, sharper and more powerful than ever before.
"..."
Their wish was the destruction of this country. Their feelings were nothing but resentment toward it.
That much was undeniable. It could not be called good. It contributed nothing to the country's survival or growth — in that sense, it was nothing short of pure malice.
...And yet.
As Chrono had said. Even if it wasn't good, even if no one would acknowledge it.
Even so, the sight of them staking everything on their resolve and pressing forward was──
(──It was beautiful.)
That was what he thought.
At the same time, he wondered: *Then what about myself?*
Could he produce something worthy of them? Could he put forth something that matched their feelings, their wishes?
When he thought that—
Ermes had already made his decision.
And so—timing it to the moment Rose and Lucius were forced onto the defensive, Ermes too—
"──[
Scorch
]"
Hold
—he released the magic and hurled it at Chrono and the others.
"El!?"
"What—"
The sudden attack left Chrono and the others with minor injuries, and Rose turned toward Ermes with a look of shock.
And why wouldn't she?
Ermes couldn't activate more than one class of Bloodline Magic simultaneously.
The solution he'd devised for that—
Delayed Chant.
But... that had only been conceived for use alongside ordinary Bloodline Magic.
The level of strain from performing it simultaneously with Magic Inscription Liberation was completely beyond what he'd anticipated. In fact, Ermes's entire body was groaning, and blood was faintly trickling from his arms.
Even so—on top of everything, he declared:
"......That should do it.
"I too—"
—
"just as Lord Chrono—"
"am the same."
"
"!"
"This, too, is an opponent we can only beat by pushing beyond our limits. ...From here on, I'll fire magic at the perfect moment the instant I finish each Chant. So, masters—!"
Perhaps that sentiment had been conveyed.
This time, Rose smiled—fearlessly, beautifully.
"As expected of my beloved disciple. ...Lucius, you heard that. I'm picking up the pace. Stay on them, even if your arms tear off."
"Of course. If we can't steel ourselves here, what right do we have to call ourselves warriors?"
Lucius concurred as well, and even he—formidable as he was—whipped his fatigued body forward.
The decisive battle heated up even further.
From there, the fighting continued with both sides pushing beyond their limits.
Against Chrono, who simultaneously unleashed Creation Magic and activated Bloodline Magic, Ermes—while conducting domain nullification in parallel—
Delayed Chant.
—was interposing Bloodline Magic through that very technique.
Rose continued raging at full force despite lingering injuries from the Ortesia battle; Lucius kept forcibly restoring the fatigue from his prolonged movement with Sara's magic; and Laplace endured the burden of Creation Magic's super-enhancement while continuing to fire off spell after spell.
By now, none of them held anything in reserve. All of them were focused on staking everything they had on this single instant—and the resulting miraculous equilibrium balanced as if it could last forever.
Undoubtedly among the finest mages in the kingdom, they were giving everything they had, staking their very existence to fight to the end.
It did not matter what kind of devotion was offered. It made no difference whether the wish was righteous or wicked.
The beings watching—Katia, Niina, Albert—were met with a brilliance so fierce it demanded they think it beautiful, no questions asked.
At last, the moment of resolution seemed close at hand.
As if sensing it, the other side moved first.
"Tch—this is getting unsustainable—Laplace!"
"Yo, what is it, Boss?"
"Sorry, but if we keep fighting like this, we're at a disadvantage. I don't want to leave it to chance—so—[Increase the output of Creation Magic]! It's a gamble whether you can endure it, but will you follow me?"
"Ha! You don't even need to ask!"
The one startled by this was Ermes.
There was still more to come? This was bad—they were already barely holding the line as it was. If even more was piled on top, whether they could withstand it at all was anyone's guess.
Yes, he wore an expression of shock and panic—
—
the scale of
,
was so small it could be called cute
.
"!! —Hey, stop! Stop!!"
Rose.
She screamed with a ferocity none of them had ever seen from her before, completely in earnest.
"Don't do that! Any more than this and it'll be catastrophic!! Damn it—don't tell me you don't know! Hey, stop it, just stop! This isn't a matter of friend or foe—she'll—!!"
And.
Rose, with a desperation and murderous intensity unlike anything she had shown before—
"Not a step further!!
They'll catch on—
They'll find us—
—!!"
"──────Found you."
Next time, Upheaval. Please be sure to read it!