Chapter 7: At the End of a Deadly Struggle

It was a battle that utterly transcended human understanding.

A battle in a demonic realm where human common sense held no sway.

“Hah—!”

Rumia raised《The Silver Key》above her head and twisted it sharply.

The space overhead opened with a clank, as if a door had been unlocked—and from its depths, infinite energy from a higher-dimensional realm surged forth, a torrent that threatened to sweep the demon away.

A localized force rivaling the power of [Megiddo’s Flame] engulfed the demon—

‘Hahahahahahahahaha—!’

Yet, the demon effortlessly cleaved through it with both hand-blades, charging fiercely toward Rumia.

“—Tch!”

Rumia spun around, swinging《The Silver Key》diagonally.

Following the silver arc of her swing, the scenery Rumia saw—the very space itself—split diagonally.

Those who know would recognize it. That silver flash was a spatial severance attack, capable of slicing through all existence along with the space it occupied.

‘—As expected, I can’t let that attack hit me!’

As infinite nothingness poured through the torn space, the demon swiftly leapt aside to escape—

“《■■■■》!”

It chanted some incantation. An ancient magic spell.

In that instant, dozens of swords formed from darkness materialized above the demon’s head—

And like a swarm of jet-black meteors, they rained down upon Rumia in a relentless storm.

“—Not yet.”

Rumia raised《The Silver Key》again and twisted it.

The “gap” that opened in the space above swallowed every last one of the black meteors—

Creating a spiraling whirlwind of dark shadows that traced an arc.

‘Impressive!’

Seizing the opportunity, the demon moved behind Rumia, swinging a hand-blade horizontally to decapitate her.

At that moment, a clank resounded.

The sound of Rumia’s key echoed—and in an instant, Rumia and the demon’s positions swapped.

It was as if the space containing the demon and the space containing Rumia had been instantaneously exchanged, creating such a spectacle.

Now, it was Rumia who stood behind the demon.

To end it, Rumia swung《The Silver Key》—

Once more, a spatial severance attack—a dazzling silver line sliced diagonally through the very fabric of space.

But the demon was no ordinary foe; it had already escaped the torn space with godlike speed.

“Tch—then I’ll banish you to another dimension!”

Rumia crouched low, thrusting the tip of《The Silver Key》into the floor and twisting it.

Clank. The entire space around them cracked, as if a glass painting of the scenery had been shattered into countless fragments—

The fragments collapsed with a clatter, falling into the infinite void below—

“Fall—!”

With the ground beneath it gone, the demon plummeted into the depths of the void, endlessly—

—Or so it seemed.

“!?”

Like Rumia, the demon stood firm in the empty void, unshaken.

And then—

As if it were a dream or an illusion, the scenery returned to the interior of《The Ship of Flames》.

“Tch… its existence is too vast to banish…”

Despite its appearance,《The Silver Key》’s spatial banishment didn’t physically send its target somewhere else. It severed the target’s body, soul, and spirit from the edges of this world, forcibly transferring them to another dimension.

Naturally, if the target resisted with sufficient will and power, the technique would fail…

(I just used the full power of《The Silver Key》…)

The demon’s overwhelming strength, far beyond her expectations, pierced Rumia’s heart with a faint pang of anxiety.

(Not yet… it’s not enough… I need to draw even more power from《The Silver Key》…!)

As Rumia gripped

‘…Hmph. Is that truly what you desire?’

The demon sneered, as if testing her.

‘Have you noticed? Look at the grotesque transformation of your body…’

“—!?”

At that moment… Rumia might no longer have been Rumia.

Her eyes were hollow. The usual gentle warmth in her gaze was gone, replaced by an infinite void-like hue.

And—unbeknownst to her, on her back, wings resembling those of a butterfly had unfurled—identical to those of Nameless’.

‘Do you understand? Every time you wield《The Silver Key》, you drift further from humanity. Your existence as ‘you’ is fading. Face your bare soul just once—’

The moment the demon spoke those words to Rumia—

“!”

Before she knew it, Rumia stood alone in a world of endless blue sky.

There was no time, no concept of up, down, left, or right.

Just an infinite blue sky, a world complete in itself—

Intuitively, Rumia understood it was her mental world… a domain formed in the liminal space between dream and reality, between consciousness and unconsciousness.

And before her, the only other entity in this world was—another version of herself.

Clad in the same sheer garments as Nameless, bearing the same grotesque wings, it was another Rumia.

Her body was riddled with small holes, like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, incomplete… yet she was almost entirely Rumia’s likeness.

‘…’

This other Rumia spread her arms limply, her wings and limbs bound tightly by countless chains.

A lone girl, suspended by chains in an empty sky world.

Her appearance resembled a saint crucified on a cross—

Suddenly, Rumia’s《The Silver Key》began to glow white.

At that moment, one of the chains binding the other Rumia snapped.

‘…Finally, we meet, my other self.’

The other Rumia abruptly opened her eyes and turned a sunlit smile toward Rumia.

‘But your role is over. Leave the rest… to me, okay?’

—This was a mental world, a realm detached from the flow of time in the outside world.

Thus, this encounter was a fleeting moment, insignificant in the grand scheme, a mere blink in the realm of Alaya.

But.

Rumia had—undeniably—met that accursed her.

“…”

‘Do you understand now?’

The demon addressed the silent Rumia, its words like a death sentence.

‘That key is killing the original you. Or perhaps… it’s transforming you into your true self. Either way, if you continue using that key, your existence will cease.’

For a single moment, Rumia’s shoulders trembled faintly.

‘You realize it, don’t you? Even if you defeat me in this battle… by then, you’ll no longer exist in this world. Your ego will dissolve into the sea of Amara, and something else will take your place.’

“…!”

‘Is that truly what you want? Sacrificing yourself for the happiness of others… what meaning does that hold? Are you truly satisfied with that?’

To the demon’s probing question, Rumia replied without hesitation.

“…It’s fine.”

Her voice was clear, unwavering.

“From the beginning, I was an existence that shouldn’t have been in this world. My mother… Sensei… Sistie… Re=L… and everyone else… they were all hurt because of me…”

‘…’

“So it’s fine. If my existence can be traded to save everyone… I’ll offer myself willingly… That is… my true wish.”

But her earnest wish was met with scorn.

‘…Foolish. You’re no different from that deranged《The Justice》.’

The demon laughed it off.

‘…No. Giving everything to those you love—that’s always been your nature, hasn’t it? Changing the vessel doesn’t alter the essence so easily… Very well, no more words.’

The demon raised both hand-blades toward Rumia.

A dark aura flared violently, its presence swelling without limit.

‘Come, imperfect vessel of the “Sky Maiden.” Martyr yourself to your infallible love—and die.’

“I won’t let you… I’ll protect everyone! I’ll protect all the people I love!”

Rumia raised《The Silver Key》once more.

That’s right… A whisper seemed to echo in her ear.

And from《The Silver Key》, an even more divine, silvery light overflowed.

In that moment—she felt the chains binding the other self within her snap, one by one, alongside a growing sense of loss, as if her own existence was thinning.

Even so, Rumia—

“Yaaaah—!”

—continued to wield《The Silver Key》.

“Haa… haa… Damn it! They just keep coming!”

“Iyaaaaaaaaa—!”

Glenn’s fists and Re=L’s greatsword—

Held back the wave of golems surging like a tsunami—pushing them back—scattering them.

“《Gather, tempest, become a warhammer, and strike true》—!”

Sistine’s full-powered [Blast Blow] tore through the oncoming golem horde, blasting them far down the corridor.

But a fresh wave of golems surged toward Glenn and the others—

“Damn it! How long do we have to keep fighting!? How far do we have to go!?”

Glenn glanced into the distance—the monotonous, straight corridor stretched endlessly in both directions.

It seemed to extend to a vanishing point, as if no matter how far they went, they’d never reach anywhere.

And from the corridor’s end, enemies—enemies—enemies—kept coming without cease.

“I’m tired of this.”

“The space is probably distorted… We’re likely never going to reach anywhere…”

Re=L muttered in frustration, while Sistine groaned with regret.

“At this rate, Rumia… Rumia…!”

“Damn it!”

Glenn gritted his teeth, swinging his fists in desperation, while Re=L, unable to contain her irritation, swung her greatsword, sending golems flying.

(What do we do…? In a situation like this, what can we do…!? How can we…!?)

The golems were no match for Glenn, Sistine, and Re=L individually. But even if their opponents were weak, fighting this many in a prolonged battle would eventually wear them down.

Faced with an impending checkmate, Glenn racked his brain desperately for a solution—

—But not a single effective strategy came to mind.

Meanwhile, at the academy—

“Hmph!”

Despite his heavy appearance, Headmaster Rick moved with surprising agility, cutting down golems.

‘Ha—’

Rick’s contracted spirit, Sylphie, conjured countless water bubbles around them, floating in the air.

The barrier of bubbles formed across the rooftop absorbed the golems’ heat rays, protecting the students.

“Tch… This is tough… I’m not as young as I used to be…”

As the commander of the east wing, Headmaster Rick fought valiantly to protect the students, but his age was undeniable, and the strain of injuries and fatigue forced him to breathe heavily.

‘Oh, you… Look…!’

At that moment, Sylphie pointed to the sky with a shocked expression.

“What…!? No…!”

Rick looked up to see an unusually large swarm of golems descending toward the east wing.

“This… We can’t hold them off…! Sylphie! Protect the students, now!”

‘What!? But that means you…!?’

“Don’t worry about me!”

‘B-But…!’

As Rick steeled himself for a desperate stand, staring at the sky, Sylphie let out a anguished cry.

A deafening roar of thunder shook the world, flashing fiercely.

A ferocious storm of lightning tore through the sky, obliterating the approaching enemies.

“Headmaster. …I’ll hold this position.”

Clad in a tempest, Albert descended onto the rooftop, standing before Rick.

“…Protect the students.”

With that, Albert unleashed Black Magic [Plasma Field].

A chaotic dance of lightning bolts surged upward, instantly pushing back the enemy lines.

His presence—his absolute dominance—was nothing short of overwhelming.

“Understood! You’ve saved us, Albert-kun!”

‘Thank you for saving my master!’

With the arrival of reliable reinforcements, Rick, Sylphie, and the students reignited their fighting spirit.

—But.

Albert’s heart was heavy.

After all, abandoning his role as a magical sniper to fight on the front lines could only mean one thing… the situation had grown dire.

“Glenn…”

For a brief moment, Albert’s sharp gaze turned toward the distant sky—toward《The Ship of Flames》—

Then, he refocused on the enemies before him, beginning to chant a spell.

From then on—nothing changed.

The battle remained at a stalemate, with time dragging on slowly, ever so slowly.

The sun sank lower and lower…

Many were wounded… exhausted… yet they fought on, clinging to hope.

But—in the end, the situation never turned in their favor.

Defeat.

Those two words began to weigh heavily, oppressively, on everyone’s minds.

And then—

It was the twilight hour, when the sun melted into the horizon.

‘Fuhahahahaha—!’

The demon swung both hand-blades in an X-shape.

A massive blade of dark aura surged toward Rumia.

“Kuh—!?”

Instinctively, Rumia twisted《The Silver Key》.

The void that opened swallowed the dark blade—but couldn’t contain it entirely.

“Ugh—!?”

Blood sprayed as the unabsorbed portion of the dark blade slashed Rumia’s body.

‘What’s wrong!? Is that all you’ve got, false Sky Maiden!?’

“Tch—Not yet—!”

Clank, clank, clank. Rumia twisted the key again and again—

The space containing the demon was carved into a spherical shape, compressing toward a single point, aiming to crush the demon into oblivion—but it failed.

“Wha—!?”

The demon braced with its aura-charged limbs, holding back the compressing space—

‘…Is this truly the extent of your power?’

With a leisurely swing of its hand-blade, it shattered Rumia’s spatial compression attack.

“Ah…”

The dimensional shockwave from the collapsing space sent Rumia’s body flying.

“Gah!? N-Now…!”

Slammed against the wall, Rumia, in pain, swung《The Silver Key》three times.

A spatial severance attack, capable of cutting through anything along with the space it occupied.

Three silver slashes tore through space at the speed of light, aiming to tear the demon apart—

‘Too weak.’

—But they failed. The demon’s darkness-clad hand-blades deflected every one.

“Haa…! Haa…! Ghh… No way…”

Having wielded inhuman power relentlessly, Rumia gasped in pain and frustration.

‘Have you noticed, Rumia Tingel? Your《Silver Key》… the more you use it, the more time passes, the weaker its power becomes, doesn’t it?’

“…Why… How could this…?”

She had noticed. The brilliance dwelling within the《Silver Key》—the longer the battle dragged on, the more it faded. The absolute, omnipotent power that had once overflowed was nowhere to be found.

Now, the strength residing in Rumia’s《Silver Key》… for some reason, it felt frail, almost pitifully so.

“Please, lend me more power,《Silver Key》! At this rate, I won’t be able to protect everyone! I want to protect them all! You can take anything from me… so please…!”

But—no matter how desperately Rumia pleaded, the《Silver Key》gave no response.

‘Hmph. As expected, an imperfect being like you is nothing but a fraud…’

Observing Rumia’s state, the demon spoke in a voice laced with pity.

‘If you were the true bearer of the key, someone like me wouldn’t even dare to stand before the《Silver Key》. As I thought, you’re an incomplete “Sky Maiden”… utterly useless to me.’

“Ugh… no… that’s…”

With a pained expression and trembling hands, Rumia raised the《Silver Key》above her head…

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!”

…and swung it down.

Let this finish it. Please, destroy that demon…

Squeezing out her final strength, her last wish, Rumia unleashed the power of the《Silver Key》.

But…

“—!?”

At last, no power emerged from the《Silver Key》.

Rumia’s《Silver Key》had completely lost its radiance.

“W-why…?”

‘Hah—!’

Toward the stunned Rumia, the demon unleashed a barrage of dark swords.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa—!?”

The swarm of shadowy meteors pierced Rumia’s arms, legs, and grotesque wings, blowing her back—slamming her against the wall, crucifying her in place.

‘It’s over.’

“Agh… no, why…? Why did it come to this…!?”

She had poured everything into this, even tapping into forbidden powers no human should touch.

For the sake of her beloved friends, for everyone, she had fought with all her might…

“Why… am I…”

Unable to protect anyone?

Was it presumptuous for someone like her, who shouldn’t have been born, to even wish for such a thing?

As Rumia drowned in grief over her own powerlessness—

‘Hmm… it seems the ground battle has finally been decided… well, as expected.’

The demon glanced up at the images projected above, as if suddenly recalling them.

“—!?”

There—

“Uwaaaaa—!? It’s over, we’re done for—!?”

“R-run, run awayyyyyyyyy—!?”

The students on the rooftop had broken ranks, scrambling to retreat in a frenzy.

“…N-no…!?”

“Tch… to think something like that would show up now…!?”

Rize and Jaill, looking skyward, were frozen in shock, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

The students’ morale had been consistently high. True, fatigue and injuries were mounting, and the specter of defeat was beginning to loom… but even so, not a single person had succumbed to despair.

They had all believed that if they could just hold out, they could win, that they could protect what mattered.

But then, a nightmare that shattered that belief head-on appeared out of nowhere.

Suddenly, it descended from the sky, blanketing the heavens, landing on the earth with a tremor that shook the world—that thing.

A colossal giant golem, towering over the academy’s buildings.

Resembling a humanoid figure crudely assembled from brick-like blocks, it swung its massive arms, indiscriminately demolishing the academy’s structures in every direction.

Its overwhelming violence embodied a force that convinced everyone present that they could never win.

“Tch…! Take a nap, you oversized freak!”

Bernard swiftly scaled the giant’s body, slamming a full-powered Black Arts strike into its head.

“Nuuun! Stop right there, you!”

Baron Zest unleashed a powerful telekinetic wave from his staff, attempting to halt the giant’s movements.

But the giant—didn’t even flinch.

“Eiii, what do we even do against this absurd thing!?”

The battle lines could no longer hold. They collapsed entirely.

Students fled the rooftop in a desperate scramble. The barrier maintenance teams inside the academy began withdrawing one after another.

“H-hiii…!?”

Wendy, stationed on the south wing’s rooftop, abandoned her post to flee—

But at that moment, she tripped and fell.

“Ah…!?”

Just then, the giant raised its massive arm to smash the building—

And beneath that fist, poised to crush her, was Wendy, paralyzed with fear.

Unable to stand, Wendy could only stare up in a daze—

“Wendy!”

Teresa, who had doubled back, threw herself over Wendy to shield her.

“Teresa!? Why…!? Hurry, get away—!”

“…We’re in this together until the end, Wendy…”

And then, the giant swung its fist down without mercy.

The overwhelming mass and weight bore down.

That colossal fist was about to mercilessly crush the two girls and the building alike—in that instant.

A ferocious explosion of flames erupted.

A vivid splash of blood bloomed.

“Huh?”

When Wendy and Teresa fearfully raised their faces—

“Guh…”

There stood the back of a girl with red hair… Eve.

The fist the giant had swung was slightly deflected by the force of the explosive flames Eve had unleashed at point-blank range, carving a massive crater beside them.

But it seemed the fist had grazed Eve’s body, if only slightly.

Half of Eve’s body was a mangled, blood-soaked wreck.

“E-Eve-san…? You protected us…?”

“…You two, go.”

Eve spoke, watching as the giant slowly withdrew its fist.

“Huh?”

“Hurry… go! I can’t keep saving you like this! Move!”

Blood trickled from the corner of Eve’s mouth as she roared with desperate intensity.

Snapping back to reality, Teresa helped Wendy to her feet, and they hurriedly fled the rooftop.

“…What am I doing… I’m such an idiot…”

Eve muttered, gazing blankly at the giant as it raised its fist once more.

“…Barrier maintenance rate: 51%… 43%… ugh… 39%… It’s over.”

Christoph, controlling the barrier, realized they had lost.

The critical threshold of 40%, the minimum needed to fend off [Megiddo’s Flame], had been breached.

The sudden appearance of the giant had completely shattered both their battle lines and morale.

(…I see… “We can hold out somehow”… They lured us into false hope with a soft initial assault… then, when we neared our limit, they hit us with their true attack to break us… The enemy’s tactics are ruthless.)

They had been outmaneuvered.

Once it reached this point, all that remained was an inevitable collapse.

“It’s over… From now on…”

All they could do was evacuate as many people as possible to the underground sectors, hoping to marginally increase their survival odds against the imminent [Megiddo’s Flame]—though even calling it a “sliver of hope” was generous, given the minuscule probability.

Christoph began dispelling [Luciel’s Sanctuary], which no longer had any purpose—

“Ah… no… no, it can’t be…”

Crucified in place, Rumia could only weep as she gazed at the projected scenes of the academy’s collapse.

‘Fuhahahahaha—!? How does it feel, huh!? The powerlessness of humans! Before such immense power, mere dust like humans can only be toyed with! That’s why—I chose to abandon my humanity in despair back then!’

The demon, also looking up at the scene, spread its arms and laughed maniacally.

‘Now… it’s time for the curtain to fall.’

Ignoring the immobilized Rumia, the demon approached the throne and began manipulating the monolith.

As mana flowed into the monolith, the entire《Ship of Flames》began to tremble.

“N-no…!?”

‘That’s right. That accursed [Luciel’s Sanctuary] has already lost its power. There’s nothing left to stop [Megiddo’s Flame]. Thus, with [Megiddo’s Flame], I shall reduce Fejite to ashes!’

“Stop iiiiiiiit—!?”

Ignoring Rumia’s anguished cries, the demon continued operating the monolith with cold precision.

The sensation of something deadly coalescing within the《Ship of Flames》prickled against her skin.

“Please! Stop!”

‘Hmph… false angel. You may wallow in your powerlessness there. And pray—pray that in your next life, you’re not born as a flawed being like this, but as something perfect.’

“Nooooooooooooooooo—!”

Rumia’s pleas were in vain—

The demon inscribed runes on the monolith—and mercilessly completed the final operation.

The《Ship of Flames》—glowed. Red, vividly red, it glowed.

A lethal light, heralding destruction, illuminated the academy and Fejite with blinding brilliance.

Soon, a crimson sphere, like a sun, formed and grew at the ship’s base—

And was launched toward Fejite at the speed of light.

All of Fejite was engulfed in an infinite white void—

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

Rumia’s heartrending scream, on the verge of self-destruction, echoed through the air.

‘Behold! That fleeting, powerless dust! That is humanity—!’

The demon’s frenzied laughter harmonized with Rumia’s screams.

“Ah… ah… ah…”

‘Now, then…’

With the blinding white projection behind it, the demon approached Rumia.

Rumia, still staring at the scene in a daze, her tears streaming endlessly, was already broken.

‘Hmph… even if you’re an incomplete, false maiden… seeing her in such a state is almost unbearable… At the very least, I’ll grant you a quick end… That’s my mercy.’

Standing before Rumia, the demon raised its hand like a blade.

Rumia showed no reaction to the demon, her gaze fixed on the projection above.

‘Die.’

The demon swung its hand upward, poised to bring it down on Rumia’s head—

—That was the moment.

“…!?”

Suddenly, a spark of light flickered back into Rumia’s eyes as she looked upward.

‘…What? What are you… looking at?’

Unable to comprehend Rumia’s reaction at such a moment, the demon instinctively turned to glance at the projection she was staring at.

There, in the restored image—an unbelievable sight was displayed.

Fejite, which should have been reduced to ashes—

Fejite, which should have vanished from the map—still stood. Unscathed.

It continued to assert its existence, undaunted—

‘Impossible—!?’

Confronted with such an unbelievable scene, the demon couldn’t help but scream.

‘No way!? Why!? That wretched [Luciel’s Sanctuary] should have fallen below the 40% maintenance threshold! There shouldn’t be any way to stop [Megiddo’s Flame]! So why… why haven’t you been destroyed!? Why do you still exist—!?’

To the demon’s question…

‘…You underestimate humans far too much.’

Someone answered, their tone laced with irritation.

‘You—!?’

At some point—Nameless had appeared, standing beside Rumia.

‘You were once human yourself, yet you gained power beyond humanity and forgot the strength of humans. That arrogance and foolishness—will be your downfall.’

“N-Nameless-san…!?”

‘Listen closely, Rumia. If it’s you, right now, you should be able to hear it… their voices.’

“Huh…?”

“Y-you guys—!?”

At that moment, Rodd and Kai’s eyes widened in shock.

Faced with the threat of the giant, the barrier maintenance team had no choice but to retreat to the lower levels.

But—defying that tide of retreat, a large group of students suddenly surged up through the academy, frantically channeling mana into the nearby magic arrays to sustain the barrier.

“Kreiss… Ena…!?”

“Why are you dropouts from the underground battle showing up now…!?”

Seeing Kreiss and the other deserters climb floor after floor, desperately working to maintain the barrier, the retreating students halted in their tracks.

“I got fed up with being too scared to do anything… and a lot of other stuff…!”

“We can’t… just abandon her…!”

Kreiss and Ena shouted, their faces twisted with complex emotions.

“…What!?”

“That girl, Rumia… she’s fighting with her life on the line, even for pathetic people like us…!”

“We couldn’t do anything for her, yet she’s risking everything to save even people like us…!”

“And with such a sad look on her face…!”

That’s right. For everyone… even at the cost of my life… The undeniable truth behind Rumia’s noble words had finally stirred the hearts of these timid students.

“She’s not some saint who can willingly sacrifice everything with a smile! She’s normal! She’s not a madwoman or a saint—she’s just a normal girl! A normal girl who happens to have some inhuman power!”

“To let a normal girl like her bear everything, and then go on living like nothing happened… that’s too pathetic, I’d rather die than do that!”

“It might be too late… we might die… but we’re going to fight too!”

The deserters, who had been paralyzed by fear and unable to act until now, finally found the resolve to fight.

Witnessing their resolve and determination, Rodd, Kai, and the other barrier maintenance students—

“Alright… let’s do this…!”

Quietly reignited their morale and nodded.

“That’s right… if we’re going to die, whether it’s getting crushed by that giant or burned by [Megiddo’s Flame], it’s all the same…!”

“We’ll fight to the end… we’ve got this…!”

Every single one of them nodded, standing their ground—and with grim determination, they returned to maintaining the barrier.

“Barrier maintenance rate: 40%… 41%… We’ve barely held on at the last second…!”

“Got it! Man, I really thought we were done for!”

At Christoph’s report, Bernard clenched his fist with a jubilant expression.

“Then we’ll stop that giant no matter what! This is our final battle! All forces, fight with everything you’ve got!”

““““Yes, sir!””””

And then—as if moved by some unseen force, the students, each facing their final battle, began calling out to the sky—

“Rumiaaaaaaaaa—! Keep fighting—!”

“Don’t lose—!”

“We’re fighting too, so you keep going—!”

“It doesn’t matter who you are! Ability user!? Who cares!?”

“Let’s all go back to the academy together!”

It wasn’t planned or coordinated. None of them knew Rumia’s current situation.

But in that moment, every single one of them felt, in their hearts, in their souls, that they had to do this.

Their calls, which should have been impossible to hear or reach, transcended space and reached Rumia’s heart, far beyond the distant sky.

In magical theory, this phenomenon could be explained by the idea that all humans are connected as one with the world through their deep subconscious… but such explanations would be needlessly pedantic.

The power of humans will create miracles—that was enough.

“Ah… everyone…”

Rumia’s soul trembled at the voices resonating within her, tears streaming down her face.

“Is it okay…? For me… to really… be here…?”

‘It’s about time you were honest with yourself, Rumia…’

Nameless’s words, unusually filled with compassion, reached her.

‘You said it yourself. That you’d give everything, even lose yourself, to protect everyone… That it was your wish… But is that… truly your wish?’

“T-that’s…”

Ah, there’s no hiding it anymore.

Because… just now, I couldn’t help but feel it so intensely.

“No way! I don’t want that! I don’t want to lose myself! I don’t want to be separated from everyone! I want to go back… I want to go back! To Sensei, to Sistie, to Re=L… and to everyone! I want to stay together forever at that academy I love so much!”

That was… the distortion Rumia had been carrying within her.

She was—a child who should never have been born.

She had to give up so many forms of happiness. She should have given them up.

That’s why she prioritized others, always placing herself lower—that was her distortion.

She had to become a saint. She should have become one. That’s what she believed.

But—was she truly a selfless saint, devoted to serving others?

No. She tried, but… in the end, she couldn’t do it.

She bore so much, had to give up so many ordinary joys… She knew that, but in the end, she could never fully let go.

Because, even until now, hadn’t it been seeping out, bit by bit, onto the surface?

In the end, she dragged her feet, continuing as a student, delaying her decision, unable to leave the academy.

Even though she resolved to let Glenn go to Sistie, she couldn’t help but cling to him whenever she saw an opening.

No matter what, she could never fully abandon her own happiness—an ugly version of herself.

Where in this was there anything resembling a saint?

So, at the very least, she swore to herself that when the time came, she’d sacrifice herself to save everyone, becoming the saint she was meant to be—but in the end, she couldn’t even do that.

It’s time to admit it. She wasn’t a saint, a good girl, a strong girl, or anything else.

Just an ordinary girl.

A weak, ugly, ordinary girl who kept running away, turning her eyes from her own ugliness.

Face it. Fight it. Confront your weakness. Your ugliness.

And—search for it.

Even for someone like her, who shouldn’t have been born, there must be a path to happiness in this world.

Think, stand your ground without running, fight—and claim it.

‘

‘Tch, what a handful… That’s right, that’s fine. You’re different from her. You’re human… unlike her. You’re just a tiny human… and that’s okay…’

As if sensing something, Nameless spoke gently to Rumia.

‘Now, say it, Rumia… Your true wish.’

“…Huh?”

‘You told me not to forget, back then, didn’t you? That “key” isn’t magic—it’s an older power… From a time when magic was simply about fulfilling pure human wishes… The “primordial power.” It’s not something controlled by reason or logic like magic… It’s “magic” driven by wishes and instinct.’

“Magic…”

‘Until now, your false wishes were clouding the key’s brilliance. But now, you… Come on, wish with all your heart. Your true wish. That will become your strength.’

Prompted by Nameless,

Rumia took a deep breath… clutched《The Silver Key》to her chest… closed her eyes quietly, and said,

“‘I want to live with everyone… in this gentle world I love so much’—”

In that instant,

Flash!《The Silver Key》erupted with a divine, silvery light, shining more brilliantly than ever before.

‘Mmm—’

The dazzling brilliance dyed everything white, pure white—

In a pure white world, empty of everything.

—Ah, what a shame.

—In the end, you… couldn’t become me, could you?

—…Goodbye, my other self… Until we meet again, someday.

It felt as though someone’s whisper reached Rumia’s ears—

KIIIIIIIN!

A clear, resonant sound echoed through the world—

Suddenly,《The Silver Key》in Rumia’s hands shattered into pieces—

And along with the grotesque wings on her back, it turned into particles of light and vanished.

—Silence.

Wordless. Stillness. And then—

‘Kukukuku…’

The low, mocking laugh of the demon began to echo quietly.

‘…It’s gone?《The Silver Key》.’

The demon declared triumphantly to Rumia and Nameless.

‘I don’t know what you prayed for with that《Silver Key》… but it was a mistake. Without《The Silver Key》, how do you plan to fight me?’

Then,

‘Fool. It’s fine now.’

Nameless replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.

‘…Because it’s no longer needed.’

‘What did you say?’

…That’s when it happened.

The space above Rumia’s head suddenly began to distort with a sound.

Violent purple lightning and cracks tore through the void—a massive “gate” opened.

A path of light connected the beyond to the here and now.

The radiant light overflowing into the space dispelled the darkness—dissipated the dark swords binding Rumia—

And then—

“Oooooooohhhhhhh—!”

From the depths of the “gate,” through the path of light, the one who burst forth was—

“Rumiaaaaaaaa—!”

Glenn. The sight of the person she had secretly longed for, yearned for, made Rumia’s eyes well up with warmth.

And then—

“Sorry for being late!”

“Yeah! Leave the rest to us!”

—Of course, Sistine and Re=L followed.

Crossing vast distances, passing through the shining path, the three who had finally arrived now stood before the demon, shielding Rumia.

“Heh! Oi, Lazare! Let’s put an end to this nonsense!”

‘Im… impossible…’

At Glenn’s fearless taunt, the demon staggered back, unable to believe it.

‘Why…? You were banished to the dimensional rift… How could you return!? With such an imperfect vessel, an incomplete《Silver Key》, there’s no way you could’ve brought them back…!? Damn you, Rumia Tingel! What did you do!?’

‘I keep telling you, don’t I? …You underestimate humans too much.’

Nameless said with a hint of exasperation.

“Rumia, you rest! Sistine! Re=L! Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

“Mm!”

With Glenn leading, Sistine and Re=L readied themselves bravely—

“Wait! I’ll fight with you!”

Rumia stepped forward, standing side by side with Glenn and the others.

“Take my power—!”

From her hands, a golden light poured forth, gently filling the space.

It showered over Glenn, Sistine, and Re=L, infusing them with its glow.

“This is…!?”

“《Ars Magna》! Right now, I can grant it to Sensei and the others across space, without even touching them!”

“Heh… I don’t quite get it, but I feel power surging through me…! Like I’m a hundred times stronger!”

Feeling the immense magic and strength coursing through him, Glenn grinned.

‘W-what…!? Why…!? Why can you reach that realm while still human…!? That power, it’s almost… almost like hers…!?’

‘Like I said, I’ve told you a million times.’

Ignoring Nameless’s mocking murmur,

“Oooooooohhhhh—!”

Glenn raised a fist imbued with tremendous magical power—

“Iyaaaaaaaaaahhhhh—!”

Re=L forged a greatsword—and charged at the demon.

‘Fools! Have you forgotten my divine steel body!? I’ll crush you instead—’

Glenn’s fist, leading the charge, clashed head-on with the demon’s fist.

BOOM! A shockwave and sound tore through the space.

The sheer force of their clash momentarily warped the space itself.

But the demon’s body was divine steel.

Normally, Glenn’s fist would’ve shattered, his arm blown apart—

‘What…!?’

“…Heh.”

Incredibly—they were evenly matched. Glenn’s fist didn’t break.

It couldn’t overpower, but neither was it overpowered.

And in that opening—

“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh—!”

Re=L dove into the demon’s guard at blinding speed, swinging her greatsword with all her might.

Another shockwave and sound shattered the space.

‘Nuuoooooo—!?’

The demon’s body was sent flying like a kicked ball under the sword’s pressure.

Re=L’s blade, striking the demon’s divine steel, didn’t break at all.

‘Guh—Impossible!? What is that sword!? What’s happening—’

“《Gather tempest, become a warhammer, strike true》—《Zwei》! 《Drei》!”

Sistine unleashed a ferocious wind warhammer, striking the demon three times in succession.

Its power, far beyond her usual, pulverized the surrounding monoliths, pummeling the demon relentlessly, making it dance like a comical puppet, silencing its words.

“Shut up already!”

“Iyaaaaaaaaaahhhhh—!”

Glenn and Re=L rushed in to press the attack on the demon.

Glenn’s fists, Re=L’s greatsword, Sistine’s spells—striking from all directions, battering, overwhelming, and dominating the flustered demon—

““““Oooooooohhhhh—!””””

Meanwhile, on the ground, the final counterattack against the giant had begun.

“《Activate spell・Blaze Burst》—!”

“《Activate spell・Lightning Pierce》—!”

“《Activate spell・Ice Blizzard》—!”

The academy’s remaining instructors and students encircled the giant, unleashing their last reserves of magical power, bombarding it with a concentrated barrage of offensive spells.

“《High-speed barrier deployment, Quartz Circle》—!”

Christoph, drawing on the mana of the students maintaining barriers at the school, deployed a new barrier beneath the giant. Countless massive crystal pillars erupted from the ground, impaling the giant and restricting its movements—

“《Vile witch, with your cursed arms, embrace that being》—!”

Baron Zest aligned his telekinetic binding field with the crystal barrier, further restraining the giant’s actions.

Yet, even with its movements so restricted, the giant still managed to forcibly raise its mighty arm, aiming to destroy the school building…

“I won’t let you! 《Roar, flame lion》—《Gather》!”

Halley’s convergence activation, pointing to the sky—

“Hoooaaaaaaaaaahhhh—!”

Bernard’s Black Arts, soaring through the air with wire action—

“…Easy.”

Albert’s magical sniping, wielding《Blue Lightning》with one hand and flipping through the air—

Their attacks rained down, piercing the giant, striking its swinging arm, sapping its strength, and diverting its blow.

Now, with the combined assault of everyone present, the giant’s movements were completely suppressed.

‘Youuuuu—!’

The demon, persistently harried by Glenn and the others, unleashed black slashes from its hand blades, trying to fend them off.

‘You humans! Why can the likes of you cling on this far!? I’ve transcended humanity! I’m a supreme being, beyond your reach! So why—!?’

“Heh… Like I’d know.”

‘I have no time to waste on insignificant specks like you! I have a mission—to offer the《Akashic Records》to the Grandmaster! The《Akashic Records》are omniscient, omnipotent—God Himself! The true “Lord” this world desires! Don’t interfere with this sacred mission—!’

“I don’t have a clue what your《Akashic Records》are, and I don’t care…”

Facing the frenzied demon, Glenn stood tall and declared,

“I’ll say it one more time… This nonsense ends now.”

Then, Glenn raised the pistol gripped in both hands above his head, chanting a spell while cocking the hammer with his thumb.

“《Zero’s Focus》…”

The gun pulsed with an ominous, unknowable magical energy.

‘…What’s that? Your trump card?’

“Yeah. A magic bullet to take you down.”

Then,

‘Kukukuku… Take me down, you say?’

The demon, snapping back to itself at Glenn’s audacious words, began to laugh lowly.

‘Hmph… Likely some magic infused into a bullet to shoot at me—but do you think such petty human tricks will work? Against a Demon General Star? Against a body of divine steel?’

“…Hmph. Won’t know till I try, right?”

But the demon seemed to take Glenn’s words as mere bravado.

‘Well… I’ll commend your human struggle. Though I was caught off guard, for a Demon General Star like me to be pushed this far is impressive.’

“…”

‘But… this is the end. Indeed, the ground forces and you lot did well for humans. But in the end, you have no means to harm my divine steel body.’

“…”

‘Thinking back, using toys like golems or giants was a mistake… I should’ve handled everything myself from the start. First, I’ll slaughter you all here. Then, I’ll descend to the ground and wipe out those wretched academy brats. And then… I’ll burn Fejite to ashes with [Megiddo’s Flame]!’

With that, the demon assumed a stance… and its dark power grew stronger, ever stronger.

Here and now, its pressure, its presence, swelled to an endlessly despairing degree.

But…

“Listen. You’re acting all high and mighty, pissed off that your plans keep getting derailed… but don’t screw with me. The one who’s angry here is me.”

‘…!?’

The strange pressure Glenn exuded made the demon falter for a moment.

“I’m done talking with you. This is all I’ve got to say.”

And then, Glenn aimed the gun’s muzzle at the demon—and declared,

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my students!”

At that,

The demon was momentarily speechless…

‘Hmph…’

Soon, the demon laughed, looking down at Glenn.

‘Fine, give it a try… When your clever little trick fails, that’ll be the moment of your end!’

The demon braced itself—its dark aura surging, rising higher—

Glenn locked the demon in his sights, waiting.

The taut atmosphere crackled like high-voltage electricity against Glenn’s skin—

For a moment, Glenn and the demon locked eyes—

And then—

The mounting tension reached its breaking point—at that instant,

‘Die, human—!’

The demon kicked off the ground, vanishing like mist as it charged at Glenn.F

Its divine speed—without Rumia’s《Ars Magna》assist, Glenn wouldn’t have even registered what happened before being reduced to dust.

But Rumia’s power elevates Glenn into the realm of that godlike speed in battle.

In that fleeting instant, the laws governing the world’s time collapse—

Heightened focus and tension, pushed to their limits, slow the flow of time.

The demon’s godlike movements—become visible.

“Fool—you let your guard down, monster!”

At the demon charging straight at him without any tricks.

With his aim locked perfectly in place.

Glenn—pulls the trigger.

The hammer—falls slowly. It strikes the primer in the cylinder igniting it, the spark traveling through the cylinder—ignites the magical gunpowder ‘Eve Kaiser’s Elixir’ packed within.

An explosion—the overwhelming force generated in an instant propels the bullet… spewing it from the muzzle.

That bullet… slowly… straight… surges toward the demon…

And strikes… its chest…

Clang!

It succumbs to the divine iron of the demon’s body, ricocheting off.

The magic bullet—failed to pierce the demon.

“—!?”

‘Fool—you got cocky, human!’

As Glenn’s eyes widen, frozen in shock, the demon draws back its hand blade, closing the distance even further.

“My divine iron is immortal! Invincible! The strongest!”

But in that very moment.

“Iyaaaaaaaahhh—!”

Brandishing her greatsword, Re=L leaps toward the demon—

“《O Lightning Emperor’s Flashing Spear》—!”

Sistine points at the demon, unleashing [Lightning Pierce].

‘Useless! Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!’

But the demon deflects Re=L’s greatsword with its right hand blade—and repels the lightning flash with its left.

And then, as if Re=L and Sistine were beneath its notice, the demon closes the distance with Glenn—thrusting its hand blade to pierce him—

But at that moment, the demon realizes.

Glenn was grinning—smirking.

“Got you… 《Zero’s Focus》!”

‘!?’

While Re=L and Sistine bought a mere instant of time, Glenn had already cocked the hammer of his pistol again—

And thrust the muzzle forward, exposing his body.

The demon’s thrusting hand blade and Glenn’s extended muzzle pass each other—

Truly—it was a minuscule, infinitesimally small difference.

A difference born from the reach of a single pistol.

By that margin, the demon’s hand blade failed to pierce Glenn’s chest, while Glenn’s pistol muzzle reached the demon’s chest just a fraction of an instant faster.

‘Wha—!?’

“It’s over—Original Magic [Penet—”

—At that moment.

(Ah…)

Sistine, watching it unfold, realized. She couldn’t help but realize.

Flashing through her mind was a scene from the fairy tale ‘The Magician of Melgalius’—

—Ah, no one could stop the divine iron demon any longer.

—When all had fallen to despair, the one who stood against it was the apprentice of the righteous magician.

—He struck the demon’s chest with a small stick.

—And, miraculously… the demon suddenly collapsed and died.

A small stick—striking the demon’s chest. A small stick. …A small stick?

Before her eyes, the scene of Glenn striking the demon’s chest with a pistol—a small stick.

Yes, that image was—almost exactly—

“—ratorrrrrrr]!”

With a piercing cry, the trigger is finally pulled.

The muzzle roars once more. The deadly thorn is spat out, wreathed in fire—

And something impossible happened.

The bullet Glenn fired—

Pierced the demon’s body, crafted of absolute, immortal divine iron—