The 'Angel's attack closes in.
—!
Ermes barely dodged it and fired magic bullets to avoid the follow-up attack.
But the result was the same; while no follow-up came, it showed no signs of having taken any damage.
(This is... seriously bad...!)
Originally, her Magic power and stamina were already near their limits from the series of battles with the organization.
She had the misfortune—no, it was her magic that forced this misfortune—of being made to challenge a monster she wasn't sure she could fight even in perfect condition, in this state.
Due to its effects, her body had begun to fail her more and more.
As Ermes, not even allowed a moment's rest, panted heavily... then, the 'Angel' spoke.
............Why do you resist so much?
With a tone and expression that showed she truly could not understand from the bottom of her heart.
There's nothing bad for you, is there? The evil existence you were fighting, I will destroy in your place. The kingdom will continue, and you will no longer be troubled by similar existences thereafter. So why?
............That's probably true.
Ermes replied, with feelings even clearer than before.
If we left it to you, you would surely create a 'good country.' There would be no struggle with conflicting desires, no one would suffer. You would erase all unpleasant feelings and sensations, wouldn't you?
That's right. So—
But!
Therefore, cutting off the 'Angel's' voice, Ermes appealed strongly.
Even so, I still think that's wrong! Even if they are thoughts called evil, even if they are desires that don't contribute to progress!
"To simply pretend it never happened—"
"—is absolutely wrong! That is not something that should be left to higher beings. It is something we, as humans, must face head-on and overcome, I believe!"
Yes, that was it. Only after saying it aloud did Ermes finally arrive at that answer.
Wishes of destruction. Thoughts of ruin — the kind that Laplace and Chrono harbored within them.
That was — surely, something anyone could carry inside themselves. To strip it away entirely would mean no longer being human.
And so... for Ermes and all of humanity to keep moving forward as humans, it was not something that could simply be ignored, nor something that could be dumped on someone else to resolve.
It was their own feelings — the ones they themselves needed to clash with head-on.
It was through the journey up to this point that Ermes had finally realized this.
...And yet.
"......I'm afraid I still don't understand."
The "Angel" — by virtue of being a higher being — refused to comprehend it.
"You, too, are likely poisoned by wicked thoughts. I believe you also used dark magic, even if it was merely a reproduction."
"—Very well. After I have obliterated them, I shall also thoroughly destroy that wicked magic within you. So please, rest easy."
With that, it reclaimed its gentle, loving smile and once again reached its hand toward Ermes.
"!"
He couldn't be caught. He couldn't retreat.
But as things stood, he could see no way to counter this "Angel." Everyone else was already at their limit — Rose and Lucius were nearly out of stamina, and more critically, Sara, who had been providing support the whole time, was in the gravest danger with her magic power running dry. If her recovery gave out, their formation would collapse instantly.
At this rate, they were seconds from checkmate.
Then, if that was the case—
([[—
And then, find countermeasures.
Find them.
That's my role...!)
Switch my mindset.
Right. Ermes's specialty is analysis. Even against opponents with no visible chance of winning, I gather information, stack up analyses, and find a way to counter and defeat them.
That's how I've won up until now. This time is no different — I just need to do the same. It's been a few minutes since the fight started. I should have gathered enough information by now. Use it to think of countermeasures.
(First... where should I break through?)
Where to break through. Where would be most effective — in other words, what's the most troublesome thing about the "Angel's" combat right now?
That unreasonable physical strength? I can avoid that for now. What about the unknown time limit on its manifestation? That's also a concern, but it won't lead to a fundamental solution.
If that's the case, then what I need to counter the most is —
(— the Fourth Genesis Magic. That's the biggest problem.)
No doubt about it — that's it.
Because of the Genesis Magic she wields, my usable magic is being restricted. That's the core problem. The breadth of my tactics is severely limited, so I can't even take effective countermeasures in the first place.
If that's the case, nothing will start unless I break through there. So what do I do?
(...That's it. Since it's a magic we've never known until now, reproduction is practically impossible. So there's nothing I can do about it, because it's Genesis Magic — wait.)
But then —
(Genesis,
Magic?
?)
Strangely enough, something about those words in my own thoughts snagged my attention.
That spark was all it took. In an instant, an idea took shape in his mind.
Could he pull it off? No—at the very least, it was worth trying.
With that conviction, Ermes set a certain plan into motion.
"Ngh! I'm sorry—!"
Sarah's magic power had finally run dry.
The healing magic that had been propping up the battle was gone. And the next target would be—
"You're the one."
"Gh!"
Lucius von Frodaite.
He wasn't lacking in strength. The problem was that his compatibility with the Angel was, above all else, the worst imaginable. His fighting style demanded he close the distance—which meant he bore the brunt of the Angel's attacks more than anyone.
Until now, he had offset that disadvantage by relying heavily on Sarah's support. But with Sarah out of the picture, he was left with no recourse.
All that remained was a single desperate move. In close combat, unfortunate slips were bound to happen—he would use the Fourth Genesis Magic to force one, break the Angel's stance, and land a finishing blow on the exposed opening.
With that certainty, the Angel began to channel its magic—
—
It missed.
.
"!?"
"!!"
For the first time, a flicker of unease appeared on the Angel's face.
Lucius's counterattack came immediately. The Angel took no damage but was sent flying, and as it spun through the air to land, it began to think.
(That was...? The Fourth Genesis Magic didn't miss—it simply failed to activate? It was like my magic was forcibly shifted off course... Ah, so that's it.)
And as it happened, since she possessed Liliana's body and shared her memories to some degree, she immediately arrived at that answer—and turned her gaze toward Ermes.
"It was called,"
"Cast Disruption,"
"wasn't it?"
"Ngh—"
Ermes, confronted with the question, returned the gaze of the "Angel" who had seen through her at once, her face contorted with anguish.
(Damn it, no good.)
(The effect is too shallow—)
(...!)
The "Angel's" insight had been correct.
What Ermes had just performed was
"Cast Disruption"
—an ability developed by Liliana that slipped her magic power into an opponent's spell, subtly throwing it off course.
Genesis Magic was still magic, at the end of the day. So an effect that "rendered magic unusable" should have been effective—no, precisely because Genesis Magic was incomparably more complex than ordinary magic, she had believed it would work all the more...
...Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.
It was effective, just as she had assessed—which was why that first strike had successfully disrupted the spell. But standing in her way was the overwhelming gap in magic power between the "Angel" and Ermes.
That it worked was a valuable finding, but
"Cast Disruption"
was merely a minor trick—and on its own, it could not bring down someone of this caliber.
They probably knew that too.
"That was just flailing, wasn't it? There won't be a next time. This time for sure—"
(Damn—!)
As helplessness and renewed despair crept up on Ermes—
"I see.
So that's how you do it.
"
A voice full of conviction and confidence.
A fearless voice echoed from behind Ermes.
"...Huh?"
When he turned around, there stood—
"Yo, Ermes. That was probably an even finer play than you're giving it credit for. Because—"
The gray man who, just moments ago, should have been knocked out of the fight by the "angel."
Laplace stood there with a quiet smile on his face.
"—thanks to you, I figured it out. The way to land a solid hit on that damn angel."
For some reason, he was different from before.
Harboring magic power that was terrifying—and yet reassuring—in its serenity.
Next time: the long-awaited counterattack. And the story of Laplace's grand showdown. I hope you'll read it!