Chapter 9: The Great Decisive Battle

Rising. Rising. Rising—

Through the darkness, propelled upward by overwhelming power, ascending endlessly.

The weightless sensation of floating assaults the entire body. The crushing wind pressure pummels from above.

Enduring the discomfort and revulsion as the blood drains downward, rising with such momentum it feels like piercing through the distant celestial canopy—

Due to the poor visibility, the fear of crashing into the ceiling at this speed gnaws at the mind, yet steadfastly enduring, enduring, enduring the ascent.

—Finally, as that endurance reaches its limit, on the verge of crying out—that moment arrives.

Abruptly, the pitch-black vision transforms into a world of silvery white.

“—!?”

—They broke through!

Glenn reassesses their situation.

Celica sits sideways in the center of the broom, with Sistine and Rumia on either side, also seated sideways, clinging tightly to Celica with their eyes firmly shut.

As for himself, he’s dangling from the broom’s tail with one hand… holding Re=L under his arm like a small animal.

What a reckless way to fly… Celica’s audacity leaves him dumbfounded.

Above them stretches a vast sky of thick clouds and a raging blizzard.

Around them, at nearly the same eye level, triangular snow-capped peaks overlap in rows.

Below, the massive hole they just emerged from gapes wide open.

(Unbelievable… it really led here!)

Indeed, this is the summit—the peak of Mount Avesta.

Aside from the gaping hole, the summit is surprisingly flat. Glenn and the others have finally reached it.

“Whoa—!?”

“Kyaaaa—!?”

But the moment they burst through the hole, a ferocious blizzard, far fiercer than anything on the ground, slams into them sideways with explosive force.

The broom tilts sharply, shaking uncontrollably, veering out of control.

“Ugh, this is bad. As expected, it’s too much. The wind’s too strong. I’m landing.”

Celica maneuvers the broom, diving sharply toward the nearest patch of ground.

“Dwaaaah—!?”

“Kyan!?”

Glenn and the others crash onto the soft snow, the momentum flinging them outward, tumbling across the snowy surface.

“Hey! Couldn’t you land a bit more gracefully, damn it!?”

“Don’t be unreasonable. In this chaotic storm where I can’t even read the airflow, the fact that I didn’t let anyone die should earn my skills some praise.”

Celica, unapologetic, responds with a smug expression.

“As reckless as ever…”

“Haha, Re=L, you okay?”

Sistine and Rumia help pull Re=L, who’s buried headfirst in the snow, to her feet.

Facing the group, Celica speaks.

“Alright, you all ready?”

“—!?”

Even without Celica’s prompting, they sense it.

—It’s coming.

From beyond the raging blizzard in the skies above, something approaches.

A blizzard, the ferocious might of nature that tramples, toys with, and overwhelms puny humans like mere dust. Yet, even that is overpowered, split asunder, as an even greater calamity stirs with the beating of its wings.

A being so despairingly overwhelming, so colossal, that for a mere human to stand before it is sheer arrogance, descends from the vast heavens.

And the moment its massive silhouette is cast upon the blizzard’s white screen—

The Dragon’s Shout strikes Glenn and the others, shaking the heavens.

“Kuh—!?”

As their souls creak and their skin prickles under its sheer force, they grit their teeth to endure.

With a heavy tremor, the dragon lands before them.

A towering frame, scales gleaming silver, an aura of darkness surging from its body.

Its blazing blue eyes gaze directly down at Glenn and the others.

Glenn can’t help but freeze, his heart gripped by the dragon’s fierce and majestic presence…

“Yo, Silver Dragon… No, one of the Demon Generals, Silver Dragon General Le Silva.”

Celica, her coat flapping in the wind, stands boldly before the dragon with unshaken composure.

Her back, unyielding before the mountain-like dragon, exudes boundless grandeur—

And with a single declaration, she states:

“I’m here to settle this.”

…I’ll never catch up to her, not in a lifetime.

Despite the situation, Glenn can only give a wry smile, oddly convinced.

‘You’ve come, Celica…! I’ve been waiting… waiting for you!’

The dragon roars, its voice and eyes burning with hatred.

‘I was once a being of the holy side…! But because of you, I was reduced to this vile, repulsive evil existence…! Look at this wretched form! All because of you… YOU!’

The dragon’s roar becomes a physical force, striking Glenn and the others head-on.

‘I hate you…! I despise you! I loathe you! I’ll kill you! I’ll slaughter you! You, who used me and discarded me like trash! And those puny humans who revered me but gave nothing in return! All of them, I’ll slaughter them all! Let them taste my centuries of resentment in this frozen realm!’

The dragon spews a curse so dense and vast it could crush any ordinary human’s soul on contact.

Had Glenn faced it alone, that curse alone would have broken his spirit, leaving him to collapse in a daze.

But—

“…Huh? Shut up, you overgrown lizard.”

Celica brushes it off casually, speaking with irritation.

‘Wha—’

Perhaps expecting some remorse, even the dragon is stunned speechless by an opponent unfazed by such a torrent of resentment and curses.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember a damn thing about what I did to you. And frankly, I don’t care.”

‘…’

“All I know is that leaving a pest like you running loose puts my cute idiot disciple and his adorable students in danger. So, I came all this way to exterminate you. Our past? Your grudges? Don’t care.”

‘…’

“Right now, I’m only interested in how to turn you into a steak… and how to show off to my idiot disciple. That’s it.”

‘…’

“I don’t know the details, but it seems like the old me caused you some trouble—sorry about that! But that’s then, and this is now. So… hurry up and die, dragon.”

With a brazen, villainous grin, Celica makes a throat-slitting gesture with her thumb.

‘Oh—’

For a moment, the dragon is struck silent—

‘Oooooh—! Celicaaaaaa!’

—and then unleashes hatred and fury that could burn the world to ashes.

“Yeah, that’d piss anyone off…”

Glenn mutters, trembling.

It’s just too cruel. It’s like a bullied kid pouring out their resentment, only for the bully to say, “I forgot about that. Go buy me some bread.”

“…Seriously, you? I mean, I don’t know the full story, so I can’t say much, but… really?”

“We stick to the plan, Glenn.”

Celica declares firmly to the exasperated Glenn.

“As you know, I’m not suited for prolonged battles. But, without boasting, I’m the only one in the world who can take on a dragon head-on.”

“Right, we’re aiming for a quick decisive battle—”

“My life’s in your hands, idiot disciple.”

“…Leave it to me, damn master.”

And so,

Glenn and Celica exchange a resolute nod, standing side by side—

‘Ooooooooh!’

With Dragon’s Shout, it spreads its massive wings and lunges at them.

At Snowria’s highest point, closest to the sky,

The epic battle between Glenn’s group and the dragon begins—

In the boundless zenith of the vast heavens, the Dragon’s Shout erupts.

The soul-shattering impact races for miles, shaking the peaks of Silvasno from their roots.

From the distant skies, with ferocious might, comes the dragon’s jaws, its fierce claws, and the overwhelming mass of its colossal frame.

It is, by nature, the embodiment of untamed, unstoppable natural fury, impossible to resist.

The incarnation of despairing violence that tramples all in its path.

Yet, Celica’s crimson eyes meet it unflinchingly, unwavering—

“《《《Blow away》》》—!”

She chants a spell. A triple-layered, modified single-phrase incantation.

With just one phrase, three B-rank military assault spells—Black Magic [Plasma Cannon], [Inferno Flare], and [Freezing Hell]—activate simultaneously.

A signature feat of Celica Arfonia, activating three B-rank spells, each considered the mark of a top-tier mage, with a single phrase—Triple Spell.

Converging lightning roars as if to tear the heavens, searing flames rage as if to swallow the blizzard, and absolute zero frost bares its gleaming fangs.

Three ultra-powerful elemental attacks assail the dragon from all directions, from the sky.

Against an ordinary dragon, this would obliterate every fragment of flesh without a trace—

But.

‘KAAAA—!’

With the Dragon’s Shout, it opens its jaws.

The roar spreads as a freezing wave, engulfing Celica’s spells.

The next moment, her spells shatter with a crack, dissipating into mist.

“Hoh? Then—《It shall return to the cycle of providence・—》”

Celica chants another spell, instantly amassing immense magical power.

“—Spell abbreviated! Vanish!”

From her raised left hand, a shockwave of auroral light fires as a thick laser.

Black Magic [Extinction Ray].

Celica’s ultimate technique, decomposing and erasing all matter down to its fundamental elements.

Yet, even that—

The dragon’s freezing wave, unleashed with another Dragon’s Shout, nullifies it.

As the remnants of magical energy scatter and fade, Celica whistles lightly.

In an ultra-low-temperature world, all molecular motion ceases. Energy drops to zero.

The Dragon’s Shout [Vanishing Force] exploits this phenomenon to unconditionally neutralize all energy-based offensive Black Magic spells.

One of the key reasons Ancient Dragons are considered the world’s strongest beings.

Having nullified Celica’s spells, the dragon growls a spell-like incantation.

’《■■■■■■》—!”

The language of Ancient Dragons, speaking directly to and dominating nature itself—Draguitsch, the Dragonic Magic.

Responding to the dragon’s words, the surrounding nature turns ferociously against Celica.

The blizzard swirls unnaturally, transforming into billions of vacuum blades aiming to tear Celica apart. Thick clouds unleash a barrage of lightning, and falling snow crystallizes into countless sharp blades.

It’s as if the world’s end or hell itself has arrived.

A force so overwhelming it could instantly shatter a frail human assaults Celica mercilessly.

But—

“《《Auroral barrier》》!”

She chants Black Magic [Impact Block] with a Double Spell.

A hemispherical dome of light envelops Celica and the others completely.

Unlike [Force Shield], which defends only one direction, [Impact Block] is a superior spell that protects all directions simultaneously.

Celica casts it in double layers, fully deflecting the power of Draguitsch.

Yet, even this [Impact Block], which withstood the mighty Dragonic Magic—

‘OOOOOOOOOOH—!’

The dragon’s claws and jaws crash into the barrier’s surface as it charges.

The impact resounds like a mountain collapsing.

With a sound like glass shattering spectacularly, the barrier cracks and scatters.

Without a moment’s pause, the dragon’s teeth and claws close in on Celica.

“《Come, fiery one》!”

But Celica shouts a spell, beckoning with her hand.

Instantly, a giant wreathed in blazing flames appears behind her, catching the dragon’s charge with both arms.

Summoning [Summon Oz Replica]. A pseudo-summoning spell that temporarily materializes the concept of one of the thirty-six demon generals,《Crimson Flame Emperor》Oz, using mana.

A dragon cloaked in extreme cold clashes with a giant wreathed in scorching heat.

For a fleeting moment, their forces seem evenly matched—

But the next instant, the flame giant freezes solid, its massive form shattering into pieces.

“Haha, well, a fake demon’s about that much, huh?”

But Celica is already prepared.

In her left hand is a golden sword of light formed from high-output energy.

The spell, if named, would be Black Magic [Extinction Blade].

Her signature [Extinction Ray], not unleashed as a beam but converged into the shape of a sword.

“Shi—!”

Wielding the sword of light, enhanced by [Load Experience] with heroic swordsmanship, she slashes.

A golden comet cleaves through the silver blizzard.

The sword’s arc, extending like a whip, slices across the dragon’s torso.

‘GYAAAAAAAAAA—!?’

With a scream of excruciating pain, the dragon flaps its wings, soaring upward—out of Celica’s sword range.

The shockwave blows away all the accumulated snow, exposing bare rock.

(Tch—too shallow! If I’d perfectly mastered Elliot’s swordsmanship, that would’ve ended it!)

Celica grits her teeth. The strike only managed to cut through the dragon’s scales.

—Cutting scales rivaling mithril is already a feat on par with Original Magic, but still.

‘You…! YOUUUU! Celicaaaaaa!’

The dragon rains massive ice blades down on Celica like a storm.

Celica calmly deflects them with a redeployed [Impact Block].

As an afterthought, she activates Summoning [Meteor Swarm] with a snap of her fingers, aiming for the dragon’s skull and dropping meteors from the distant sky.

With a sonic boom, the meteors strike the dragon’s head—exploding massively.

‘GWAAAAAAAA—!?’

Blown away helplessly by the impact, the dragon tumbles.

Flaming meteor fragments scatter at high speed, carving countless scars into the surrounding mountains.

Resentment, hatred, and fury scatter in its wake.

Undeterred, Celica chants another spell, relentlessly pressing the attack without giving the dragon a moment to counter.

Lightning from Celica and the dragon clash repeatedly in the void.

Anyone witnessing this spectacular duel would realize:

The world’s strongest mage against the apex predator of the food chain, the ultimate dragon.

Their battle is not just evenly matched—Celica is dominating.

Over long ages, Ancient Dragons have come to dominate the surrounding nature itself.

Normally, even the Alzano Empire’s military and Imperial Court Mage Corps, mounting a desperate all-out campaign, would suffer catastrophic losses—half or more—and still likely fail to defeat such a foe. Defeat would be almost certain.

Yet, Celica overpowers such an opponent head-on with absolute magical power, wisdom, and overwhelming force.

Known as《The Witch of Ash》,《The World》,《The Demon King of Calamity》,《Dragon Slayer》—

This is her.

This is Celica Arfonia.

The hero who, two hundred years ago, felled an outer god, renowned worldwide as a mage of the Seventh Rank, Septende—

(…That said, she’s pushing herself way too hard.)

Glenn, watching Celica’s otherworldly combat from the sidelines, muses.

Celica’s soul was severely damaged in her battle with Demon Blade General Al-Khan, drastically limiting her mana capacity.

How can she unleash such grand magic so freely in that state?

Frankly, it’s impossible.

Such full-power grand magic should deplete her entirely after just two or three casts.

So, why is that possible?

It’s solely thanks to Sistine and Rumia, standing a short distance behind Celica.

The two of them stand hand in hand, as if leaning on each other, eyes closed quietly, directing their hands toward Celica’s back as they focus their thoughts.

Right now, they are acting as Celica’s temporary servants through a pseudo-Servant contract.

Through that spiritual connection, Rumia channels the power of《Ars Magna》to Celica, while Sistine supplies all the mana she’s refined directly to her.

Sistine’s abundant mana source and Rumia’s assistance with《Ars Magna》.

Only with these two factors can Celica perform at her current level (though, apparently, it still falls short of her prime).

However, with this method, the farther Celica moves from Rumia and Sistine, the more the effects of their assistance diminish.

And yet, their opponent is a dragon—a mighty ancient dragon, no less, wielding immense power.

Celica’s entire focus must remain fixed on the regal creature soaring high above, dominating the skies.

Thus—

The ice wraiths swarming from the mountain’s base, drawn by the dragon’s call, are impossible for her to deal with. Facing an ancient dragon is no task to be taken lightly. Two hundred years ago, in her prime, perhaps she could have managed, but not now.

Yet, handling the wraiths that emerge around Celica—

“That’s our job! Let’s go, Re=L!”

“Mm—!”

Glenn and Re=L dart across the snowy plains with Celica at the center, moving swiftly.

They fearlessly plunge into the horde of ice wraiths, advancing in a dense formation like a tidal wave.

“Hah—!”

Glenn steps sharply, unleashing a flurry of punches with both fists.

Crushing, shattering, pulverizing.

The wraiths’ skulls explode, ribs snap, and shards of icy bone scatter across the snow.

“Iyaaaaaah—!”

Re=L kicks up snow fiercely, charging forward and swinging her greatsword like a spinning top with full force.

Whirling, overwhelming in a single stroke.

The ice wraiths caught in the tempestuous sword wave shatter into fragments, dancing through the air.

Glenn and Re=L push back the tidal wave of wraiths.

Their fists and sword relentlessly cut down the ice wraiths, ensuring not a single one touches Celica.

Thanks to the two of them, Celica can focus entirely on the battle in the skies.

At a glance, Celica seems to hold an overwhelming advantage.

But if even one of them falters, the situation could flip in an instant—a precarious balance, like standing on thin ice.

“…Seriously, I’m counting on you, Master!”

Glenn dashes nimbly across the ground, launching a flying kick.

Sharp and precise, like a raptor hunting its prey, the kick pierces the chest of an ice wraith before him.

The wraith is blown back, knocking down several others in its path—

“《O crimson lion・in your wrath・roar with fury》—!”

Glenn slams Black Magic [Blaze Burst] into their midst.

Flames erupt violently, scattering the clustered wraiths even further.

“…Who do you think you’re talking to, you idiot disciple?”

With a snap of her fingers, Celica activates Black Magic [Prominence Pillar].

Massive pillars of crimson flame, piercing the heavens, rise from the earth in multiple streams.

The searing inferno instantly slices through the frigid blizzard, painting the world in vermilion for a fleeting moment.

The ancient dragon cannot approach the countless pillars of prominence thrusting upward in succession.

“Guh—!? You wretch…!?”

Hastily taking evasive maneuvers, the dragon circles the narrowing skies, driven into a corner.

And in the midst of their respective battles—

“Heh…”

“…Hmph.”

Glenn and Celica lock eyes for a moment, sharing a grin.

Then, they dive back into their fights.

The enemy remains formidable.

Ordinarily, facing such a foe would be presumptuous—an opponent that inspires despair.

If Glenn were honest, he’d want to turn tail and flee this mountain right now.

But—

(I don’t feel like we’re gonna lose!)

While smashing an ice wraith’s skull with a right hook, Glenn reflects.

(After all, we’ve got the world’s strongest mage on our side!)

Feeling the powerful, reliable presence at his back and trusting in it.

Glenn continues to swing his fists and unleash magic relentlessly.

“Rooooooar—!”

The dragon soaring through the sky bellows. Roars. Roars.

With the dragon’s shout, countless bolts of lightning dance from the heavens, striking at Celica.

It’s akin to a meteor shower of thunder.

As if the god of thunder, in a fit of rage, hurls lightning spears at the earth, relentlessly stabbing and overturning the land.

Even a single strike hitting the ground would send an unimaginable current rippling across the snow, electrocuting Glenn and the others, wiping them out entirely. They’d be reduced to ash, not a single bone fragment left.

But—

“《Pathetic》—!”

Celica deploys Black Magic [Plasma Field].

Mana lines surge freely across the ground from Celica’s center, instantly forming a massive magic circle that covers the entire mountain plateau.

From the ley points of the magic circle, countless lightning bolts rise skyward—intercepting the lightning raining from above.

Lightning clashes with lightning, canceling each other out.

Countless flashes and flickers fill the vast sky above.

Clash, clash, clash.

Thunderclaps overlap dozens of times, shaking the air.

Clash, clash, clash, clash.

The intertwining lightning, seeking escape, races endlessly through the confined sky, scattering.

“Hmph, your lightning’s sloppy. Some dragon you are.”

“Celicaaaaaa—!?”

The two continue to wield and unleash their lightning.

Lightning rains from the heavens, countered by bolts of thunderfire soaring from the earth—clashing, canceling, erupting in massive explosions—

The world flickers violently between white and black, blinding to the point where eyes can’t stay open.

“What’s wrong!? Is that all you’ve got, you lizard!?”

“Fool! As if our exchange is evenly matched—!”

The dragon speaks to someone—or something.

Suddenly, countless ice wraiths rise around Celica.

“—!?”

The wraiths mercilessly charge at Celica as she wields her lightning.

“Now, falter! That moment will be your end—!”

Indeed, this exchange is perfectly balanced.

The instant Celica diverts her focus to the wraiths, she’ll lose the lightning duel.

But—

“Hmph.”

Celica completely ignores the surrounding wraiths, continuing to unleash lightning.

“Sorry, but…”

The very moment the wraiths’ arms are about to seize her—

“Shi—!”

A whirlwind bursts in, blowing away every wraith encircling Celica.

—It’s Glenn.

“…I trust my adorable disciple.”

“What—!?”

In that instant, it’s the dragon who falters, its rhythm and focus disrupted.

“There!”

Celica seizes the moment, relentlessly and flamboyantly hammering the dragon with countless bolts of lightning.

“Gyaaaaaah—!?”

Pierced repeatedly by the chaotic dance of lightning rising from the earth, the dragon is blasted backward.

“You wretch, Celica…! Curse youuuuu—!”

Regaining its balance midair, the dragon glares at Celica far below with frozen, piercing eyes.

“Haha! Come on, bring it! You hate me, don’t you!?”

Celica points to the sky, beckoning provocatively.

The lone woman and the solitary dragon continue their battle.

Shaking the heavens, trembling the earth, wielding every ounce of mana and skill, they fight fiercely and passionately.

No one else can intervene in their clash.

The woman and the dragon fight on, driven purely by the fiery passion of their souls.

——.

——.

—How long had they been fighting?

—How many spells had they unleashed?

At some point, Celica suddenly noticed.

“…Where am I?”

Before she realized it, the scenery before her had changed.

This was no longer the summit of Avesta, a frozen hell of raging blizzards.

A familiar sight from somewhere, sometime—

A sky dyed the color of blood. Dry, parched air.

A barren wasteland stretching endlessly to the horizon.

A world where all change had died, where time stood still.

She had glimpsed this place before, during her battle with the Demon Blade General Al-Khan.

This was—Celica’s inner world.

“…Nostalgic. To think I’d visit this world again.”

As always, it was an empty world.

She couldn’t help but feel exasperated that this hollow void was the inside of her heart.

Before, a mysterious entity called Nameless had been here in this world.

But this time, something different appeared.

“…Them?”

What logic could explain it?

The illusory version of herself and the phantom girl she’d seen at the ruins.

Along with the girl who called herself Nameless, making three.

The three phantoms walked together through an unfamiliar, illusory world, faintly visible.

“…?”

It seemed the three were on a journey.

In the fragmented, fleeting glimpses of the illusory scenes, they were always together.

The phantom girl followed the cold, detached phantom Celica unwaveringly.

When, where, and why were these three traveling together?

Celica didn’t know. She couldn’t possibly know.

The only thing she could discern—was that the phantom girl surely loved the phantom Celica deeply.

Despite the phantom Celica’s dismissive, distant gaze, the phantom girl looked at her with warm, affectionate eyes.

“…I see. So I betrayed a girl like that.”

Celica recalled the vision from the ruins, where the phantom Celica had stabbed the phantom girl with a key.

“Then it’s only natural she’d feel such rage and hatred toward me…”

Celica let out a wry, self-mocking chuckle.

…It was no use.

Beyond that, she still couldn’t recall a single crucial detail.

Who she was, what she had done.

Why she had stabbed that girl with the “key.”

Why she had turned that girl—into the world-defying evil, the Silver Dragon General Lu=Silva.

Celica couldn’t remember anything. There wasn’t even a hint of recollection.

She couldn’t remember, but—

“Sorry, but I can’t afford to lose to you.”

With firm resolve, Celica declared.

The next moment, all the unclear illusions vanished—

—And in their place appeared an illusion of Glenn.

In the illusory blizzard, the phantom Glenn fought against phantom wraiths.

To protect and believe in someone like her.

Exhaling white breath, he raced across the snowy plains, desperately swinging his fists, unleashing magic.

He fought the ice wraiths surging toward Celica.

Naturally, shielding someone in such a battle, he couldn’t emerge unscathed.

Protecting Celica from the onslaught of wraiths, Glenn became battered and bloodied.

There was no sound. No breath could be heard.

Yet, his resolve to protect Celica came through painfully clear, even through this illusion.

Glenn kept fighting.

Forever, endlessly, fighting to protect Celica—

“…”

Celica gazed silently at the phantom of Glenn.

Eventually, all the illusions faded, and the world became empty once more.

“…I’ll probably end up in hell someday. Someone will judge me.”

She muttered to herself, as if alone.

“But even so—I will protect Glenn.”

She spoke, as if shaking off all ties and fates.

“I’ll be the ‘Mage of Justice’ for that boy. Even if it’s a sinful, deceitful hypocrisy. That’s… the pride of《The Witch of Ash》.”

The moment she shaped that resolve in her heart.

Suddenly, like a burst of light, Celica remembered.

What flashed in her mind—was a magical formula.

A language system and magical grammar utterly unfamiliar to common knowledge. Even with Celica’s magical expertise, she couldn’t comprehend what power this formula held.

But while her knowledge couldn’t grasp it—

“—My soul understands.”

Yes, this was likely her signature technique from long ago.

This spell—was the one that had once felled the Silver Dragon.

With this newfound power reawakened within her, in her grasp—

Now, Celica opened her eyes.

“—!?”

The moment she opened her eyes, the world was back to normal.

Blinding silver rushed across her entire field of vision.

Frigid air that cut at her skin, a raging blizzard, a harsh atmosphere, the summit closest to the heavens.

The majestic, white beauty of the Silvasno Mountain Range stretched around her—

Soaring through the sky was the mighty Silver Dragon.

Its great wings spread powerfully, charging toward Celica with terrifying speed—

In that fleeting instant, Celica shouted.

“Now, Glenn—do it!”

“—!?”

Glenn, who had been knocking down the ice wraiths, turned back in shock.

“Is it okay!? There are still so many ice wraiths—!”

“It doesn’t matter! Trust me!”

The moment Celica declared with unwavering resolve,

“Oooooooohhhhhh!”

Glenn let out a mighty roar and charged across the snow toward the approaching dragon.

He dodged, leaped, and vaulted over the onslaught of ice wraiths, running with relentless determination.

‘Fool! Puny human, have you lost your mind—!?’

Instantly, the dragon began weaving Dragonic Magic to obliterate Glenn—

“Too slow!”

Glenn pulled out The Fool’s Arcane Tarot from his pocket.

His Original Magic [Fool’s World] activated in a fleeting moment, faster than the dragon’s spell.

It was a hastily modified [Fool’s World], altered with blood-written runes on the card’s surface.

Its effect was limited to the airspace directly ahead and above Glenn.

A silent domain that completely nullified all magical activation unfolded, suppressing the dragon’s magic within its range.

‘W-What—!?’

For this brief instant, the dragon could not use Dragonic Magic.

Naturally, it could no longer sustain [Freezing Breath]—a type of Dragonic Magic—that had been countering Celica’s spells.

However, with Glenn moving away, Celica’s defenses were left wide open.

The sheer number of ice wraiths overwhelmed Re=L, who could barely protect Sistine and Rumia, let alone cover Celica.

Seizing the opportunity, the ice wraiths surged toward Celica like a raging torrent—

“P-Professor Arfonia—!?”

Sistine and the others let out anguished screams… but at that very moment,

Celica began chanting a spell.

“《■■■■■■》…”

Sistine couldn’t believe her ears.

No matter how she strained to listen, it was not a spell in the runic language of Modern Magic.

It was an incomprehensible incantation in a language she had never heard—Ancient Magic.

Yet, as if to prove it was neither a bluff nor nonsense,

Before Sistine’s eyes, an unprecedented magic activated.

Crimson lines surged, instantly forming a star-shaped magical array at Celica’s feet.

Celica’s raised left arm burst into flames. A blaze of overwhelming heat—far surpassing [Inferno Flare]—melted the surrounding snow in an instant, exposing bare rock.

The rising red flames glowed with a scarlet brilliance, dyeing the world in crimson. The sheer heatwave vaporized the swarming wraiths one after another, leaving them powerless to resist.

Then, the radiant flames in Celica’s left hand gradually formed a single spear.

For some reason, the spear evoked visions of a blazing, otherworldly beast in those who beheld it.

And then—

“Pierce—[Cthugha’s Fang]!”

Celica hurled the flaming spear toward the dragon closing in from the sky.

A sharp keen rang out as the air screamed in protest.

The spear, far surpassing the speed of sound, tore through the atmosphere, scattering shockwaves as it flew straight and true.

The crimson streak of fire split the raging blizzard in two.

And with merciless precision, it pierced the dragon’s heart.

The spear cleaved through the clouds, vanishing into the distant sky—

‘GYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!’

In that instant, the dragon’s death throes echoed throughout Snowria.

The next moment, the deadly blizzard that had threatened to freeze all of Snowria, wreaking havoc with its unrelenting fury, stopped—as if it were all a jest.

‘Gah—…’

The dragon’s lifeless body began to plummet.

As it fell, its massive form dissolved into particles of Mana, dissipating into mist.

The mightiest, most fearsome dragon that had sought to plunge Snowria into ruin…

…was erased from existence.

“Incredible… Did we win…?”

“What was that spell…?”

As Glenn and the others trembled in awe,

Celica gazed solemnly at the dragon’s vanishing form, falling from the sky.

“…I’m sorry.”

Celica murmured softly, to no one in particular.