"...Huh?"
The sight before him.
The flame sword he had swung with all his might had not only failed to wound Kerberos — it hadn't even singed a single hair on its body.
(Impossible. This has to be a mistake.)
The first thing Aster did was his usual denial.
He swung his sword once more. But the result was the same — all he felt was a complete absence of any feedback.
"..."
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Even Aster could tell by now. This monster possessed a defense so impenetrable that even with everything he had, he couldn't so much as tickle it.
(Th-That can't be right! My most powerful magic — I even activated Magic Inscription Liberation! That's it, I must have accidentally hit an especially tough spot. If I attack a different area, then—)
Even so, Aster's mind wove escape fantasies, refusing to acknowledge reality.
But this enemy was nothing like Ermes or Katia. It wasn't kind enough to wait for those kinds of mental lapses.
A chill crept up his spine. Looking up, all six eyes were fixed on him — every last one gazing down with murderous intent.
Driven by the cold dread, Aster tried to leap away. But faster than he could —
"—!"
A foreleg swept toward him.
To put it in terms one might understand — it was like taking a shooting star directly to the body.
"Guh—! Ga—! Gaaah—?!"
It wasn't even a contest.
The blow landed, and he was sent flying with absurd force, bouncing off several trees near the forest edge before finally coming to a stop.
"O... a..."
It hurt.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt — it HURT.
His vision flickered. The nausea wouldn't stop. His entire body felt like it was about to come apart at the seams.
Pain beyond anything he had ever experienced in his life. Unable to scream, unable to writhe, Aster lay scorched by the sensation of hell descending upon him, unable to move.
And before him, the massive shadow of Kerberos appeared, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Since awakening to magic, Aster had slain countless monsters.
Every single one of them had fallen without much effort when he wielded the power of his blessed Bloodline Magic. Following his own strength and the praise of those around him, he continued defeating monsters that were well within his reach.
For that reason, monsters were not adversaries for him to "fight" — they were prey for "hunting." He was far and away stronger than they were.
He who knew nothing but defeating the weak had no ability to accurately gauge the difference in power between himself and his enemy.
He had never even imagined he could end up on the hunted side.
Kerberos turned all six of its eyes upon the fallen Aster.
There was no mercy there, no compassion — only the pure intent to kill.
"...h—"
Meeting those eyes, Aster finally understood.
He couldn't win. He didn't feel like he could win at all.
And this creature was different from everyone he'd faced before — unlike the humans who had considered his status and power, who had given him "room for excuses" even when he fell short.
No matter what happened, no matter what factors were at play — this thing wouldn't concern itself with reasons, wouldn't listen to excuses.
What awaited him after defeat was death. Nothing more.
Kerberos raised its foreleg.
"Uwoooooaaah?!"
Perhaps it was what one might call survival instinct.
With a body that couldn't move a muscle, he forcibly twisted himself aside, dodging the stomping blow — the kind that could be mistaken for a falling boulder — by a hair's breadth.
A minor earthquake shook the ground, and his body was sent flying once again.
Rolling, he forced himself upright and fled with no regard for dignity. Staggering, in the most wretched state imaginable — he was forcing a body that couldn't move from the pain to move anyway, so naturally the pain only intensified.
For someone with no tolerance for suffering, it was hell itself. But right now, all he wanted was to put even one step of distance between himself and that monster.
But of course, no such naive escape could be permitted by the beast behind him.
Gradually, the sound of its footsteps, the aura of death, closed in.
The terror of being chased by death itself finally broke something inside him.
Aster screamed.
"— S-someone help me!"
Even now, his plea was not a request but a command — revealing the true nature of the man.
"Hurry! Is no one here?! It would be an honor to save me — the greatest! What are those soldiers for if not for times like this?!"
Having forgotten that he himself had used those very soldiers as fodder with his own magic, Aster continued to wail.
"Can't you tell? I'm the one who will be king! I'm someone who cannot be lost in a place like this! Save me! Give your lives for me!"
"You'll gain the greatest honor — the opportunity I am bestowing upon you!! Now hurry — !"
Words that would make anyone question whether he even wanted to be saved.
But his cries went unanswered, and finally the shadow of Kerberos fell over Aster's head.
"...I really, really don't want to do this, but—"
A hair's breadth away.
A figure darted in from the side and snatched Aster away.
The foreleg swung through empty air once more. The tremor it generated was easily leaped over as the figure created distance in one swift motion.
"I was told by Lady Katia that I mustn't let you die. ...You should thank me, you know?"
Looking down at Aster with cold eyes, Ermes spoke.
"...Eh, Ermes..."
Gripped by the scruff of his neck, Aster looked up — and his eyes first held... displeasure.
Ah yes, his face was a clear canvas of "you're the one person I didn't want to be saved by." ...Should I just toss him back in front of Kerberos right now?
Suppressing that impulse with some effort, Ermes fixed his gaze on the phantom species monster bearing down on them.
Now what to do — the thought had barely formed when the man in his grip started shouting again.
"G-good work, Ermes. Now — let's escape!"
"...Excuse me?"
What was this man talking about?
Reading the expression on Ermes's face, which said the same thing, Aster continued with a disgruntled look.
"Obviously!
The opponent I couldn't defeat — there's no way you lot could beat him! So the correct answer is to flee, regroup at the Royal Capital, call for reinforcements, and then throw everything we have at that disaster! Can't you even understand that much?"
"..."
It seemed this man still believed he was above Ermes and the others.
"The retreat proposal itself isn't entirely without merit."
Pointing that out would be pointless — Ermes had figured that much out, so he raised a different issue.
"It's impossible. That monster is beyond standard parameters. We wouldn't even be allowed to flee — it would slaughter everyone. And furthermore, the distance from here to the Royal Capital is considerable. Even assuming we could call reinforcements in time — no, even if reinforcements were ready, with that level of strength, the resulting casualties would be devastating. What are your thoughts on that?"
At Ermes's calm inquiry,
Aster hesitated for a fraction of a second —
then answered without even hesitating.
"What are you talking about? My life comes first! As long as I'm alive, the country can keep running — I don't care about whatever sacrifices that requires! You can't be a king if you worry about every little thing!!"
His voice was as loud as it could possibly be.
Ermes, of course, and every other person present surely heard those words.
Being self-centered is only natural for a human being. Ermes didn't fault him for that.
That is — if he weren't someone aspiring to stand above others and protect them as a king.
"...Oh my."
Ermes murmured. Even lower than before, in a tone colder than ice.
"So in short, you have no intention of fighting that monster here?"
"Ah, obviously! Now that you understand, just hurry up and carry me—"
"Then we're done here."
Without another word, he casually —
flung Aster backward by the arm that had been gripping his collar.
"W—what?!"
"Lady Katia only told me to 'save him.' What happens after that is none of my concern."
Aster's magic was powerful. If he had the will to fight, Ermes would have wanted it. But if he didn't, he was nothing but dead weight. Ermes had no patience for treating him gently — he could tumble around somewhere far from the battlefield.
Coldly watching Aster crash into the ground, Ermes turned to face Kerberos.
(...Now then.)
As he had just said, retreating against this opponent would be impossible. The probability of everyone here escaping safely was, frankly, zero.
So in order to avoid casualties — there was only one option. Right here, right now, they had to defeat this thing.
"ROOOAAARRRR!!"
Having clearly identified Ermes as a threat, Kerberos let out a tremendous roar and unleashed a torrent of killing intent.
In response, Ermes manifested his magic circle and raised his magic power.
He would hold nothing back. That would be impossible against this opponent.
So without hesitation — he would use his other "Forbidden Move."
"[All of heaven and earth is made clear to see; the eyes are a spring, the skull is a sacrifice; know that my rank is the summit!]"
This was the other signature spell of his master. But it had become so famous that its use in public was forbidden.
However, this was no longer a situation where such things mattered. With that judgment made, he unleashed the magic with everything he had.
"Formula Replay — [Meteor Throne]!"
Immediately after,
a rain of light descended from above Kerberos.
"ROOOAAARRRR!!"
Caught off guard by the attack from an unexpected direction, Kerberos screamed.
"Meteor Throne" — a magic that rained beams of light down from the heavens like shooting stars.
It was one of the signature offensive spells of the "Sky Witch" Rose, his master — the first magic he had ever seen her use when they first met.
The second Bloodline Magic he had successfully reproduced.
Now it was unleashed, and confirming that every last shot had struck Kerberos as a perfect ambush —
And then.
"...It is, technically, my highest-output magic at the moment, but..."
The dust cleared — and there stood Kerberos.
"...Not even knocked down. ...This is trouble."
Seeing that the beast bore only trivial wounds despite shedding a small amount of blood,
Ermes broke into a slight cold sweat as he murmured.
...But the fact that damage had been dealt at all was a stroke of fortune. The reason Aster's greatsword hadn't left a scratch was probably that Aster himself was already exhausted to his limits, and despite forcing Magic Inscription Liberation, he hadn't been able to wield it properly.
If that was the case, then there was a chance.
If the attacks could get through, then repeated use would eventually bring it down. He couldn't imagine how many it would take, but this thin thread was all he had to gamble on.
And as Ermes thought this, he noticed the shadows of the two girls standing at his flanks.
One of them — Katia — spoke with a determined expression.
"...El, can we win?"
"Let me think. ...If we fire a few hundred more of those, maybe."
"That's absurd. —But we have no choice, do we?"
There was no hesitation. Despite a faint trace of fear, her gaze was unwavering.
Finding that radiance impressive, Ermes turned to the girl standing on his other side.
"We'll need someone to hold it back. Between Lady Katia, who excels in defense and sustained combat... Lady Sara, I'd like to ask for your cooperation as well. Would that be acceptable?"
"...Naturally."
It was less a question and more a confirmation, and Sara nodded without hesitation.
"In moments like this, that's why we're here — to protect everyone. That's what Lady Katia taught me. And also... I want to be of help to you two. I want to become like you both."
"!"
A faint but unmistakable resolve — the first time she had shown such clear determination.
Ermes felt a glimmer from her, and Katia broke into a smile after a moment of surprise.
— All three turned to face forward.
"Then, let's go."
"Yes."
"...Okay!"
With that simultaneous cry, they charged forward to bring down the mighty monster.
Arc One final boss battle — begin.