Chapter 6: One Destination

The moment she saw that man—Sistine’s thoughts were bleached pure white.

Her heart pounded as if it might burst, her body consumed by a fierce chill and a floating sensation.

—She thought she would scream.

—She thought she would cry, wail, and disgracefully lose her composure.

Jin Ganis.

To Sistine, that man was the embodiment of the dark side of magic, an object of terror.

A frail and inexperienced being like her would surely be ensnared by the malice and murderous intent he hurled at her, trembling uncontrollably and exposing her pathetic state—

—That’s what she had thought.

But.

“…?”

Sistine suddenly realized something.

She wasn’t screaming, wasn’t crying, wasn’t wailing.

—She wasn’t losing her composure.

It wasn’t as if the terror and shock of encountering Jin had driven her into a state of oblivion, either.

Before she knew it… Sistine was thinking.

“I probably can’t beat this man in a quick-draw spellcasting duel yet.”

“A direct spell clash would put me at an overwhelming disadvantage.”

“The countless stone pillars jutting around us… could I use them to my advantage?”

“What cards do I have in my hand? What cards does the enemy hold? How do I play them? How do I counter?”

“…What should my first move be…?”

Facing Jin, Sistine was astonishingly calm, even to herself.

The fear was undeniably there. If she let her guard down, her legs might buckle, and she’d likely hyperventilate in an instant.

But—cutting that fear cleanly away, there was indeed a part of her that was thinking with full clarity.

(…What’s wrong with me? Facing such a formidable enemy… could it be… have I gone mad with fear…?)

Even as such stray thoughts flickered in a corner of her mind, Sistine’s combat calculations never faltered.

And, perhaps finding Sistine’s calm demeanor suspicious…

“Oh? What’s this? You’re way calmer than I expected. Surprising~!”

Jin said with a flippant tone.

“Huh? Don’t tell me you’ve already given up? Ready to let me gobble you up? C’mon, don’t be such a buzzkill! You gotta cry and scream, put up a desperate fight, or it’s no fun to toy with you!”

Right at Jin’s nose—

“《O Lightning Emperor’s Spear》”

From Sistine’s left fingertips, Black Magic [Lightning Pierce] shot forth.

“Oh?”

Paan! Jin swiftly deflected the incoming lightning with his right hand.

Meanwhile, Sistine fixed him with an icy, unwavering gaze.

For a moment, Jin stared at her, dumbfounded… then the corner of his mouth curled into a vulgar grin.

“Heh…? What’s this? Looks like you might actually be worth devouring. Nice! The cockier you are, the more it spices things up, makes the flavor richer!”

In an instant, Jin’s frivolous demeanor shifted further.

Transforming into a cruel, inhumane rogue mage who took supreme pleasure in tormenting and violating his opponent’s dignity—

“《Zudododododon》!”

Jin mercilessly chanted his spell.

A super-high-speed quintuple cast of Black Magic [Lightning Pierce].

Each bolt was far faster than normal. An average mage wouldn’t even be able to see or react to them.

Five streaks of lightning surged toward Sistine.

But—

“《Swift》!”

Sistine activated Black Magic [Rapid Stream] in rapid succession—Gale Kick—and leaped to the right with fluid grace.

The five lightning bolts pierced through Sistine’s afterimage in vain.

Then, Sistine turned her back on Jin and dashed away, weaving through the stone pillars to gain distance—

“Ho? A game of tag, huh? I like it!”

With a crude smirk, Jin also activated Gale Kick.

He chased straight after Sistine with ferocious speed—

“—Here’s the ghost! Over here! Where the hands clap—”

—But.

A sudden chill of death raced up Jin’s spine.

“Wha—!?”

Driven by instinct, Jin dove to the side in a roll.

A split second earlier, three bolts of lightning rained down from a blind spot above, piercing the spot where Jin had just been.

“What…!?”

Jin looked up.

There, at the edge of a nearby stone pillar’s peak—a glimpse of silver hair.

“…”

It was Sistine. Standing at the top of the massive stone pillar, she pointed at Jin, glaring down at him sharply.

“…When did she…!? No way—she pretended to flee in fear, then used ’Gale Kick’to climb the pillar!? From a position that’s a blind spot to me!?”

As Jin reeled from Sistine’s unexpectedly bold counterattack…

“…”

Sistine looked down at him, the corner of her mouth curling slightly in a faint smirk.

Then, she raised her index finger, beckoning him with a quick gesture.

The meaning was crystal clear: “Come and get me.”

“…You little… damn cat…!”

Enraged, Jin activated ’Gale Kick’ again.

“I’ll discipline you—!”

He leaped high, aiming for the top of the pillar where Sistine stood.

Kicking off the pillar, he ascended at breakneck speed—

Naturally, Sistine fired intercepting lightning bolts at the approaching Jin.

“Hah! Your shots are too slow! That’s not gonna—”

Jin altered his trajectory up the pillar, dodging them—when it happened.

Gong! A dull sound exploded against Jin’s head, sparks flying before his eyes.

“Gah—!?”

He crashed into an invisible something in midair, sending him plummeting.

“Wh-what… was that…!? No way—!?”

Jin realized the truth of what had struck him.

Black Magic [Air Block]. A wind-based spell that compresses air into a transparent block.

Jin had collided with it.

“That damn cat…! She planned this!?”

As he fell, Jin glared at Sistine.

Sistine, watching him plummet, smiled thinly with satisfaction, then activated ’Gale Kick’ again, lightly kicking off the pillar’s peak.

Turning her back on Jin, she leaped away as if escaping—

“That little brat…!?”

For Jin, a top-tier mage who used his exceptional abilities solely for pleasure and lacked any pride, nothing was more infuriating than being mocked by someone he considered prey.

“You…! I won’t just kill you…! I’ll make you regret being born a woman with a hell you’ll never forget—!”

With cruel resolve, Jin reignited Gale Kick—chasing Sistine at breakneck speed.

“《O Lightning Emperor’s Spear》—!”

Without looking back, Sistine, soaring ahead, fired Black Magic [Lightning Pierce] from both hands in a Double Cast.

“Whoa!?”

The two lightning bolts, aimed with uncanny precision, forced Jin to roll midair to dodge—

“Take this—《Zudodododododododo》!”

Jin unleashed a chaotic barrage of lightning at Sistine, who sped ahead.

Thus began a fierce aerial dogfight between Sistine and Jin, propelled by Gale Kick—

——

“Uoooooooh—!”

“Gaaaaaah—!”

Glenn and Reik clashed head-on in close-quarters combat.

Glenn’s flurry of punches was met by Reik’s blocks, while Glenn parried, dodged, and deflected Reik’s claw strikes.

But facing a dragonized Reik, even without taking direct hits, the shockwaves alone tore at Glenn’s body, leaving bruises and cuts.

“Gu, fu—!?”

Yet, undeterred, Glenn pressed forward, always forward.

As if overwhelmed by Glenn’s sheer determination…

“Aaaaaah—!”

Reik unleashed a ferocious kick that could tear a leg apart.

Glenn swiftly leaped to dodge it.

Midair, he twisted his torso, aiming a heel drop at Reik’s head.

Reik jumped back to evade—

“Exactly one minute! Ooooooh—!”

Seizing the opening, Glenn drew his gun with lightning speed.

It wasn’t the usual magic gun《Penetrator》Glenn wielded.

It was a new magic gun,《Queen Killer》, bestowed upon him by Alicia III.

Glenn aimed《Queen Killer》and pulled the trigger.

The flintlock pistol’s muzzle roared with the explosion of its charge, spitting out a single bullet.

The recoil was immense, powerful enough to make Glenn stagger slightly backward.

The massive bullet, far more powerful than《Penetrator》, hurtled straight toward Reik—striking his forehead.

Against a normal opponent, it might have blown their head clean off—

Gan! The bullet ricocheted with a tremendous impact sound.

Naturally, it didn’t penetrate the transformed Reik, only forcing him to reel back.

“—Go!”

But Glenn waved《Queen Killer》like a conductor’s baton.

The ricocheted bullet curved its trajectory—attacking Reik again.

Gan! Gan! Gan! Gagagagaga!

Each time the bullet struck Reik’s body and bounced off, it unnaturally reversed its path, striking him again.

Head, shoulders, torso, legs, arms—it battered Reik, forcing him to stagger and reel.

It wasn’t a matter of Reik’s durability. It was simply the physics of the bullet’s immense kinetic energy against Reik’s mass.

Thus, Reik’s body danced under the bullet’s assault. It didn’t wound him—but it lifted and staggered him.

“Ooooooooh—!”

Reik swung his claws to swat the bullet away, but just before contact, it curved, continuing to pummel his body—

“Zee…! Zee…! Tch, one-minute reload time… Rumia!”

“Y-Yes!《O Merciful Angel, to that distant land, let thy radiance shine》—!”

From a distance, Rumia responded to Glenn’s call, chanting White Magic [Life Wave].

A soft, warm light poured over Glenn’s battered body, healing his wounds—

“Zee…! Zee…! Damn, that was close…!”

While the freely maneuvering bullet pinned Reik down, Glenn held《Queen Killer》, waiting for his body to recover.

“But… this thing’s insane.”

As he healed, Glenn glanced at the flintlock pistol in his hand.

The magic gun《Queen Killer》. A pistol that could be described as a miniature cannon, firing bullets of terrifying power—but that wasn’t its true strength.

Its true power lay in two features: “The shooter can control the trajectory of the fired bullet with their will” and “After firing, the gun absorbs the shooter’s mana to recreate the bullet and charge, automatically reloading in one minute.”

The mana consumption for reloading was steep, but with Rumia’s Ars Magna amplifying mana, that drawback was nullified. The mana-crafted bullet could easily pierce standard counterspells or mana barriers.

Though Glenn had figured out how to use it, its magical structure was a complete mystery. For some reason, it responded only to Glenn’s mana wavelength, making it a weapon exclusive to him.

The inscription on the grip—“May you be the Upright Fool”—hinted at some intent from Alicia III to Glenn.

It was likely an artifact, a treasure far beyond Glenn’s worth.

Yet, for a third-rate mage like Glenn, constantly plagued by insufficient firepower, it was a weapon he’d have given anything to possess.

“Man, I’m still relying on others to carry me…”

Glenn thought with a wry smile.

Yes, the enemy was none other than Reik Fohenheim,《The Dragon Emperor》.

No matter how powerful《Queen Killer》was, it alone couldn’t match him.

With Rumia’s Ars Magna enhancing him with buffs like [Physical Boost] and [Weapon Enchant], countering Reik’s long-range Dragonic Magic with Rumia’s Key’s spatial manipulation, and using《Queen Killer》—granted by Alicia III—to buy time while Rumia healed him with Healer Spells… only then could this stalemate hold.

“Heh! No point trying to look cool now! This has always been my style!”

Checking his recovering body, Glenn grinned defiantly.

The bullet fired from《Queen Killer》was nearing the end of its range.

Sensing the imminent resumption of their hellish close-quarters combat, Glenn braced himself.

“I’m a pathetic weakling! So I’ll struggle as pathetically and disgracefully as I can!”

To Glenn’s back, as he declared this…

(That’s not true, Sensei…)

Rumia whispered in her heart, as if in prayer.

(Sensei… you’re truly strong.)

Having watched Glenn’s battles closely, Rumia knew.

Glenn was—getting stronger.

Through countless battles with formidable foes and overcoming hardships, Glenn’s skills had undeniably grown.

Though his mana hadn’t increased, his physical techniques and combat instincts had been honed to their limits.

The flames of life-or-death struggles had forged Glenn like steel.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

The fact that he could now hold his own, however narrowly, against Reik in his unleashed true power was surely due to Glenn’s own growth.

If Rumia pointed this out, he’d probably say, “I’m just regaining my old Imperial Army instincts,” but… three years ago, when Rumia was kidnapped by a rogue mage and saved by Glenn… having seen his fighting then, Rumia could say with certainty:

(Sensei now… is stronger than he was in the army! In both heart and body! You can hold your head high!)

Rumia shouted in her heart.

(And for what you lack, I… we… will make up for it! So—)

At that moment—

“Gaaaaaah—!”

The bullet pinning Reik down lost its power, crashing to the ground.

Roaring, Reik activated Dragonic Magic.

“Whoa!? Coming in hot, huh!? Damn—!”

The natural fury embodied by Dragonic Magic—a storm so fierce it seemed to warp space, a torrential thunderstorm rushing to engulf Glenn—

But.

“It’s okay, Sensei! Please,《My Key》—!”

Rumia summoned a small, silver-glowing key into her palm.

The key, floating above her hand, spun half a turn.

Instantly, a massive rift tore through the space between Glenn and Reik—the natural fury swallowed effortlessly into the crack—

“Sensei!”

“Thanks, Rumia! Daaaaaaah—!”

Glenn charged forward.

At a shadow-like speed, he readied his fist, closing in on Reik.

At a distance, Reik’s terrifyingly powerful Dragonic Magic would come flying.

Even Rumia couldn’t block it indefinitely.

And all of Glenn’s Offensive Spells were nullified by Reik.

Yes, the only path forward was head-on close-quarters combat—

“Reik—!”

“Glenn… Radars…!”

Glenn’s fiercely thrown right fist—

And Reik’s thunderously raised right foot—

Clashed overhead, the shockwave radiating outward, seeking escape.

And so, both of them clashed once more with all their strength—

———.

Glenn & Rumia vs. Reik.

Sistine vs. Jin.

Each fated battle blazed fiercely in its respective arena.

Glenn, Rumia, and Sistine.

Facing formidable foes, they unleashed their secret arts, refusing to yield even a single step.

Yet, no matter how daunting the enemy, there wasn’t a shred of despair or urgency in Glenn and the others.

To them, these foes were merely obstacles to overcome… nothing more than stepping stones.

The enemies’ motives were, on one hand, base desires, and on the other, mere delusions.

What Glenn’s group aimed for, what drove them to fight, was fundamentally different from their adversaries.

They couldn’t afford to stumble here—their do-or-die resolve manifested vividly in their combat.

Their movements were sharper, more refined than ever.

Glenn and the others fought on, unyielding, battling, battling, battling…

And then—…

———.

——.

At first, Jin thought he had simply underestimated his opponent.

Then, he chalked it up to mere chance or a fluke.

But as the battle dragged on, Jin couldn’t help but feel, bit by bit, the undeniable weight of a certain truth—

“Y-you damn cat…!”

The roar of wind echoed through the space.

Sistine and Jin soared through the air with《Gale Kick》.

Sistine used the countless stone pillars scattered throughout the space as footholds, propelling herself relentlessly forward.

Jin, too, pursued her, soaring in her wake.

The stone pillars streamed past like a raging torrent—an awe-inspiring sight in which Jin thought, stunned:

(Impossible… I can’t catch up…!? No… I’m being left behind…!? My《Gale Kick》is losing to that brat…!?)

It was unthinkable, impossible. Jin’s《Gale Kick》was among the top tier even within The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.

(Damn it! My《Gale Kick》clearly has the edge in top speed! So why… why is this happening…!?)

Sistine moved with uncanny grace, weaving smoothly and swiftly between the stone pillars.

Typically, the trajectory of《Gale Kick》was a series of straight lines connected at different vectors, but Sistine’s movements were almost fluid, tracing curves.

In other words, she didn’t lose any speed during directional changes—

Meanwhile, as she shook off Jin, Sistine thought calmly:

(…Even if you have superior top speed, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll win in swiftness… In this world, there’s a kind of “quickness” that surpasses any speed…)

Flashing through Sistine’s mind was the image of Adil Alhazad, the representative from the desert nation of Harasa, whom she had fought at the Magic Festival.

With his elegant, efficient martial arts, Adil had outmaneuvered Sistine’s superior top speed with sheer quickness.

Sistine had incorporated her own interpretation of Adil’s movements into her《Gale Kick》.

(Thank you, Adil… Because of you, I can fight.)

With a quiet nod of gratitude to her worthy rival in the back of her mind—

Sistine pushed the output of her《Gale Kick》even higher, shifting gears to accelerate further.

On the other hand—

(Don’t screw with me…! What’s with that damn cat’s movements…!?)

Jin seethed inwardly, spitting venom.

(There’s no way anyone but that Sera Silvers could pull off such ridiculous three-dimensional maneuvers! So why… why can this damn cat…!?)

At that moment, Jin’s mind was haunted by the humiliating memory of a woman who had once effortlessly overwhelmed him during a mission for the organization.

Perhaps Jin’s obsession with tormenting Sistine stemmed from how she vaguely resembled that hated foe he had barely escaped alive.

“Don’t mess with meeeeee—!”

Jin pointed at Sistine soaring ahead and unleashed a barrage of [Lightning Pierce].

Their flight paths had aligned perfectly, with no obstacles between them—a prime opportunity for a takedown. Jin aimed mercilessly.

Countless lethal bolts of lightning streaked toward Sistine.

But—

In that instant, as if she had anticipated it, Sistine’s body veered to the right—

And with a flicker, her form vanished from Jin’s sight like a magic trick.

“Wha—She’s gone!?”

Jin’s eyes widened in shock—the next moment.

Boom! A compressed, focused blast of wind—a battering ram of Black Magic [Blast Blow]—slammed into Jin from directly below, hurling him skyward.

“Guaaaahhhhh—!?”

Jin was swept upward toward the ceiling by the force of the spell.

The floor rapidly receded beneath him.

At the edge of his vision, Jin caught a fleeting glimpse of Sistine, who had been ahead of him moments ago, now inexplicably soaring below him in a backflip.

(D-Damn it…!?)

Likely, Sistine had feinted right, drawing Jin’s gaze, only to twist her body in the next instant, decelerating sharply and dropping altitude.

As a result, Jin, maintaining his speed, had overshot her position. In the midst of high-speed flight, such a sudden maneuver would make it seem to Jin as though Sistine had vanished.

Then, Sistine had reignited her《Gale Kick》, positioned herself directly beneath Jin, and, while flying upside down, unleashed Black Magic [Blast Blow].

This terrifying three-dimensional maneuverability and aerial combat sense—

“Guh! You bastard… you damn bastard—!?”

He didn’t want to admit it. But he had no choice.

Right now, Sistine was, without a doubt, overwhelmingly superior to him…

“Don’t mess with meeee—! You’re just prey, you hear me!?”

His meager pride refused to accept it.

Staking his pride, Jin reignited his《Gale Kick》, barely escaping Sistine’s [Blast Blow] just before crashing into the ceiling.

He looked down, searching for Sistine again—

WHOOOSH!

Poor Jin’s vision was filled with a raging storm of wind blades—Black Magic [Shred Tempest]—surging upward from below.

The wide-area attack, designed to shred and slice anything caught in its path, left no room to escape left or right.

The only way to evade was to soar upward, out of the spell’s range, but Jin, already near the ceiling, had no such option.

“…Damn it…!”

His only defense was to muster all his magical barriers, but in the heat of the moment, they were far from perfect—

“Guaaaahhhhh—!?”

Jin could do nothing as the countless raging wind blades tore his body to shreds—

———.

“Daaaaahhhhh—!”

Glenn’s right fist countered, crashing down like a hammer.

Reik, whose left claw strike was perfectly dodged, took the full force of Glenn’s fist to his face—

—and was sent flying backward as Glenn swung through.

“GAAAHHHH—!”

Even as he was blown back, Reik invoked Dragonic Magic, summoning a cataclysmic blizzard of absolute zero.

But—

“—《My Key》!”

The silver key floating above Rumia’s palm spun half a turn.

The space twisted, compressing the blizzard’s area into a single point—then it vanished entirely.

“Shi—!”

Without missing a beat, Glenn drew《Queen Killer》, its recast time complete, and pulled the trigger.

The recoil jolted Glenn backward. The roaring muzzle unleashed a bullet of immense power, striking Reik from all directions, restricting his movements, forcing him to stagger, sink, and retreat.

“Reik, can you hear me!? Stop this already!”

Glenn shouted a warning at Reik.

“The fight’s over! You’ve lost!”

Glenn was right.

Reik’s body was visibly cracking, slowly beginning to crumble.

It wasn’t Glenn’s attacks causing this.

Likely, Reik’s full release of the [Dragon Chain Seal] carried this inherent flaw.

In exchange for transcendent power beyond human limits, the body serving as its vessel deteriorated toward collapse.

The Dragonized Curse—the very idea of harnessing the immense power of a dragon in a human body was a taboo bordering on suicidal. Such a risk was only natural.

That was precisely why Reik had avoided recklessly unleashing the [Dragon Chain Seal].

In other words, Reik’s only path to victory was a lightning-fast battle using the overwhelming power of the fully released [Dragon Chain Seal].

But—this battle was a stalemate.

Glenn’s combat skills, honed through countless life-or-death struggles, and his new firearm.

Rumia’s《Ars Magna》,《Rumia’s Key》.

Various factors aligned, allowing the human Glenn to match the inhuman Reik.

In fact, the mere fact that Reik could hold his own against Glenn and Rumia now was worthy of praise.

But—failing to overpower them meant the battle was decided.

All that remained for Reik was a slow collapse. A slow death.

The outcome was already set.

Yet—

“MORE… SHOW ME MORE… THE WORLD BEYOND THIS, GLENN… RADARRRRSSSS—!”

Reik refused to stop. He wouldn’t end the fight.

As if determined to burn himself out entirely in this battle, to vanish in a blaze—

“…You idiot.”

Seeing Reik’s resolve, Glenn clicked his tongue and holstered《Queen Killer》on his back.

He drew another gun from his waist.

His true beloved weapon—《Penetrator》.

The magic gun was already loaded with a special cartridge.

“…《Zero Focus》.”

A menacing surge of magical energy coursed through the gun as Glenn chanted.

With Reik’s movements dulled considerably by his ongoing collapse, it might just be possible to close in for a point-blank shot.

“…Sensei…”

Rumia gazed at him anxiously from a distance.

“Don’t worry.”

Glenn flashed her a grin.

In that instant, Reik finally knocked away the weakened bullets of《Queen Killer》.

“GUUUUHHHHH—!”

He charged at Glenn with ferocious speed.

“I’ll end this.”

Glenn locked eyes with Reik, approaching at a terrifying, superhuman speed.

With a sharp gaze, he raised his gun and—

———.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He hadn’t been revived for this.

The plan was to utterly crush that insolent little girl, break her spirit, make her crawl pathetically, scream, and beg for mercy.

He was supposed to pin her down, ravage every inch of her beautiful body, humiliate her thoroughly, and strip away her dignity as a woman. He would defile her until her mind shattered, then kill her brutally and discard her like trash.

But reality—

“Geh… cough… guh…!”

Jin, battered and broken, lay humiliated on the ground, licking the dirt.

“Haa… haa…!”

Sistine stood before him, unscathed, her left hand poised warily.

The scene was a stark depiction of victor and vanquished.

(Impossible… impossible, impossible, impossible…!? That damn cat got this strong…!? What the hell happened while I was dead…!?)

As Jin groaned, lost in thought—

“…Hey, you. What’s your game?”

Sistine asked quietly.

“Why aren’t you getting serious? Even in that sorry state… what are you plotting? What kind of trap are you setting?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Jin was dumbfounded.

Slowly, he chewed over Sistine’s words and their true meaning.

In short… she hadn’t realized. This insolent kid before him hadn’t grasped just how much of a monster she’d become.

And her wariness of his traps or trump cards meant she was still holding back, reserving her strength.

In that moment, Jin understood the hopeless gap in skill between himself and Sistine.

To make matters worse, Jin was so injured he couldn’t even move a finger.

(Tch, damn it… damn it all…!)

But Jin was no ordinary villain—he was a top-tier rogue mage.

Even in this dire situation, his mind raced, devising a way to turn the tables.

His plan—

“Eek…!?”

Jin let out a pathetic whimper.

“I-I’m not plotting anything…! No traps…! You—you’ve just gotten too strong…! I’m sorry…!”

“!”

Sistine’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at Jin’s words.

Still, she remained vigilant, scanning her surroundings while keeping her gaze fixed on him.

“So, then…”

Sistine began gathering mana at her fingertips, aimed at Jin.

But—at that moment.

“W-Wait! Don’t kill me!”

Jin pleaded pitifully.

“!”

Sistine froze at his words.

“I-I’ve learned my lesson! I won’t do anything bad again! I’ll cut ties with the organization completely! S-So please, don’t kill me! Spare me, I beg you…! Just my life…!”

“…”

“T-This is my last revival! If you kill me now, I’m really done for! So please… don’t kill me…!”

“…”

“E-Even you don’t really want to kill someone, right!? No matter who it is! Killing someone, that’s… it’s too heavy, isn’t it!? You don’t want to cast a shadow over your bright future for scum like me, do you!? Right!?”

At Jin’s words—

“…”

Sistine fell completely silent.

She stood motionless, her finger still pointed at Jin.

Seeing her like this, Jin smirked inwardly.

(Heh, heh, heh… that’s right, isn’t it? You’re hesitating, aren’t you? Of course you are. You’re just a soft little girl… you got a bit stronger and let it go to your head, but when it comes to killing, you’ll definitely waver…!)

That was exactly Jin’s aim.

By repeatedly emphasizing “kill” and “death” in his false pleas, he forced Sistine to confront the concept head-on.

(Hihihi! Doubt yourself, waver… while you’re stuck like that, my wounds are slowly healing… my strength is coming back… because I’m no ordinary human…!)

Indeed, Jin was a product of [Project: Revive Life], a revived being with exceptional regenerative abilities.

No matter how injured, as long as he didn’t die, it was no big deal.

In that moment, Jin was certain.

Sistine won’t kill me.

No—She can’t kill me.

At worst, she’d restrain him or knock him unconscious, rendering him harmless.

But as long as he lived, there would be countless opportunities to make this insolent girl pay, to defile her.

If Sistine had grown too strong for him to face head-on, he’d resort to ambushes, sneak attacks, or hostages—there were endless methods.

(It’ll be a sight to see… when I take her precious friends or family hostage and slaughter them one by one as an example, what kind of face will she make…!)

And after that—

(Heh… either way, just a bit more… just a bit more and I’ll be able to move… I’ll make you pay, you little brat! I’ll break that smug nose of yours… I’ll make you regret this… I’ll make you regret it for sure…!)

But—

It was at that moment, when Jin was utterly convinced of his victory.

“I’m sorry. But you’re the one person I won’t let get away.”

Sistine declared with resolute determination.

“…Huh?”

Jin looked up at Sistine, dumbfounded.

There was no trace of hesitation in Sistine’s eyes as she gazed down at him, cool and composed.

Of course, her eyes didn’t hold the kind of conviction that justified killing as “right.”

They were the eyes of someone who had steeled herself to protect what mattered most.

“…Wha? H-Hey! I told you, didn’t I? This is my last revival…”

“That seems to be true… Honestly, that’s a relief.”

“Huh?”

“You’re scum. Truly irredeemable, utterly wicked. If I let you go here out of some clichéd sense of ethics or morality… it won’t just be me. Someday, my friends, my family… everyone around me will suffer. And that’s something I absolutely won’t allow.”

“…W-Wait… You…!?”

“I won’t sugarcoat it. ‘I’m going to kill you.’ …Hate me if you want.”

Jin realized.

This wasn’t a bluff or bravado. Sistine… was serious.

“W-Wait! Hold on! Are you serious!? You’re really gonna kill me!?”

Driven by the cold chill crawling up his spine, Jin barked in panic.

“C-Calm down! What you’re about to do is murder! A kid like you with a bright future—do you really think you can kill someone!? That’s heavy! It’ll completely change your values! A half-baked kid like you, if you go through with killing someone, it’ll cast a dark shadow on your heart…! You’ll never be able to live the same way again!”

“…You might be right.”

But Sistine spoke without flinching.

“But that’s what it means to be a ‘Magician’.”

“—!?”

Before Jin, who gasped in shock, Sistine began to channel mana into her fingertips.

Crackle, crackle. Fierce lightning sparked at her fingertips.

“‘If thou desirest, cast the desires of others into the furnace’… To exhaust every means for the sake of what you cannot compromise on… even if it means trampling over others. That is the darkness we ‘Magicians’ must never turn away from, the essence of our being.”

“Wha…!?”

“I’ve already trampled over one person. To compromise here would be a betrayal of them… So, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll protect everyone! I won’t let someone as vile as you lay a single finger on the people I care about! This ends here!”

At that moment, Jin noticed.

The faint magical circle glowing in Sistine’s left eye…

“Y-You… That’s mind-reading magic… [Mind Reading]!? W-When did you…!?”

And at the same time, Jin realized his fate was completely sealed.

It was a complete miscalculation. The girl before him was no spoiled child.

Half-baked? Far from it.

She was—a true, genuine ‘Magician’.

“W-Wait! Please, wait—!”

Jin screamed, flailing his limbs in a desperate attempt to escape… but his injuries were too severe, and he could only wriggle like a caterpillar.

“N-No way! T-This can’t be! Me… This can’t be happening to me…!?”

“I’m sorry… Goodbye.”

A bolt of lightning flashed from Sistine’s finger, released with a delayed activation [Delay Boot].

The bolt pierced Jin’s heart with terrifying precision, striking true.

Twitch! In that instant, Jin’s body jolted violently.

And with that, the vile ‘Magician’ Jin Ganis fell to hell, utterly and completely defeated—

—.

At the same moment.

A single gunshot echoed through the surroundings.

“…”

[—]

Glenn and Reik stood locked together at point-blank range.

In the final moment, Reik’s claw strike, thrust straight forward, grazed and tore into Glenn’s left shoulder.

Splatter! Blood sprayed dramatically.

But at the same time—Glenn, twisting his body wide, had aimed his gun barrel at Reik’s left chest.

Original Magic [Fool’s Penetrator].

A lethal bullet that pierced through all physical and magical defenses, annihilating the very essence of its target.

Fired with a thunderous roar, it tore through Reik’s heart, his soul—ripping it to shreds.

The battle was decisively over.

“…Satisfied now?”

Glenn asked quietly, still holding his gun.

“G-GAAA… AAAHH…”

Reik staggered back, one step… then another.

His body crumbled like broken pottery, collapsing as he retreated.

Eventually, his arm fell with a thud, shattering into pieces as it hit the floor.

“Did you see anything? Obsessed with one thing, gaining power beyond human limits… and rushing headlong to your end in its name… Was there anything at the end of that path?”

“G-GA… AAA…”

“There’s nothing. Nothing waits at the end of that road. You knew that from the start, didn’t you?”

Reik didn’t answer.

He likely no longer had the rationality to respond. His knees buckled with a clatter, and he let out an inhuman groan as his body continued to break apart.

“…”

Glenn gazed at the dying Reik.

He wasn’t someone to pity. Just an enemy to defeat.

As always, Glenn had faced and overcome an obstacle… That was all there was to it.

But for some reason, at that moment, Glenn felt a strange sense of sympathy for Reik.

“…Pathetic guy. Rest now.”

As Glenn spoke, Reik’s collapse accelerated, as if some restraint had been released…

Whoosh! What was once Reik disintegrated into particles of light… and vanished completely, leaving no trace.

“…”

Glenn stared solemnly at the light particles dispersing into the air.

“Sensei…!”

Rumia rushed to Glenn’s side, immediately beginning to heal his injuries with a Healer Spell.

But Glenn, lost in thought, continued to stare at the void where Reik had disappeared.

Rumia, healing him with concern, spoke up.

“U-Um… Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“…Yeah, I’m fine.”

Glenn snapped back to reality, holstering his gun as he muttered.

“Probably… That guy just wanted meaning.”

“Meaning…?”

Rumia tilted her head, and Glenn nodded.

“The Fohenheim family… Obsessed with surpassing human limits, they delved into the taboo of human dragonization. But that power… it’s a power doomed to ruin.”

“…”

“There’s no meaning to it. There never was. But even so, he wanted some kind of meaning… He couldn’t abandon the legacy passed down through generations, nor could he search for a new way of life or values.”

“…”

“The only path was to give ‘meaning’ to his power… but he couldn’t even do that. He stayed blindly loyal to his family’s ideals until the end. What a clumsy guy. I don’t pity him, though.”

No matter how you dressed it up, no matter the background or reasons.

A villain is a villain. A vile ‘Magician’ is a vile ‘Magician’.

But Reik’s way of life—

“Maybe… I could’ve ended up like him.”

“What!?”

Rumia looked up in shock at Glenn’s words.

“‘The Mage of Justice’… Chasing a meaningless, nonexistent fantasy, driven by childish admiration… Honestly, I can’t laugh at him.”

“…”

“If, say… back then, if I’d been tempted by some powerful, taboo force dangled in front of me… I might’ve jumped at it.”

And just like Reik Fohenheim, he might’ve ended up somewhere, sometime, with no meaning…

As Glenn imagined that “what if,” Rumia spoke up.

“That would never happen!”

Her voice was firm, cutting through Glenn’s words.

“Rumia?”

“You’d never do that, Sensei! Even if you got tired or lost your way for a moment… you’d always choose the right path! The Sensei I respect… is a truly strong person!”

“Haha… Ain’t that giving me too much credit?”

Glenn gave a wry smile to Rumia, who stared at him earnestly.

But Rumia continued, undeterred.

“And… to say your ‘Mage of Justice’ is some meaningless, nonexistent fantasy… that’s not true.”

“!”

“Sure, the ‘Mage of Justice’ you admired and aspired to might be a fantasy… but the many people you’ve saved in the process of chasing it aren’t. Look closely, Sensei. I’m right here, standing in front of you… Am I a fantasy?”

Glenn was stunned.

Rumia smiled at him, radiant like an angel.

“See, Sensei? That’s right, isn’t it? The path you admired and pursued… it wasn’t meaningless. It was a path of incredible value.”

“…”

For a while, Glenn stared at the smiling Rumia, dumbfounded.

Eventually, he gave a faint smile and said,

“Yeah. Maybe so… Sorry, I was getting a bit mopey.”

“Sensei…”

“Alright, let’s pull ourselves together and move on.”

With that, Glenn pulled a gem-shaped communication magic device from his pocket.

But the device had been split in two from the aftermath of the battle with Reik.

“Tch… Damn it. This means I can’t contact White Cat.”

Glenn’s face soured.

It couldn’t be just them who were attacked like this.

There’d been something similar before.

Back then, the opponent Sistine had fought was—

“…Are you worried about Sistie?”

Rumia asked, watching Glenn’s grim expression.

But Glenn stayed silent for a moment before saying lightly,

“Nah. Honestly, not worried at all.”

He grinned.

It wasn’t bravado or optimism. It was pure trust.

“She’s strong now. Body and soul, the real deal. Even if she went up against Eve or Albert, she wouldn’t go down easily. Setting my personal feelings aside, I’m not worried at all. She’s… my proud disciple.”

That’s right—they were ‘Magicians’. Those who, to some degree, strayed from the path of humanity and reason.

No matter how much Glenn played the adult, acting like a protective senior shielding his students from the darkness of magic… as long as his students walked the path of ‘Magicians’ by their own convictions, life and death, light and darkness, would always be close companions. That’s the kind of people ‘Magicians’ were.

So, as their teacher, all Glenn could do was teach them the “true strength” to walk their chosen paths firmly, without straying.

Just as Celica had reluctantly supported Glenn’s decision to join the dangerous Imperial Court Mage Corps.

Glenn, too, would support Sistine’s path and her decisions.

As Glenn vaguely pondered this, Rumia spoke.

“Hehe… I see. That’s nice, Sistie…”

Rumia smiled enviously.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hehe… What do you think it means?”

Rumia tugged at Glenn’s hand as he blinked in confusion.

“Come on, Sensei. Let’s move forward. This isn’t over yet.”

“Y-Yeah…?”

With that exchange,

Glenn and Rumia began walking again, heading toward the deepest part of the temple.

—.

Sistine, having struck the final blow against Jin Ganis with clear intent to kill, turned her back on his body.

As she began to walk, she reflected.

(…Thank you, Sakuya-san. Because of our battle at the Magic Festival… I was able to find my resolve as a ‘Magician’. Thank you, Sensei. Because you stood by me during that fight with Sakuya-san… I am who I am now…)

But even as she thought this, Sistine’s expression was bitter.

“…!”

For a moment, Sistine stopped, pressing a hand to her mouth.

Honestly—she felt sick.

There was a sense of irreversible loss, as if she’d done something irreparable.

It was necessary, she had no choice, it was the right thing to do… She could come up with reasons and excuses, but it was far heavier than she’d imagined or prepared for.

This was likely a memory she’d never forget.

Killing someone would cast a dark shadow over her life—Jin had said as much, and he wasn’t entirely wrong.

But it was also a memory she must never forget.

As a ‘Magician’, a being of extraordinary power, she had to hold onto this feeling. It was a reminder, a restraint to keep herself in check.

The moment she forgot it, she’d stray from her path—becoming a “vile ‘Magician’.”

“…Has Sensei… been carrying this kind of burden all along…?”

Thinking vaguely, Sistine gave a wry smile at her own naivety.

“What a foolish question. The burdens Sensei’s carried are far beyond this.”

Slap! She struck both cheeks with her hands.

The jolt shook her mind, helping her refocus.

“Alright! Let’s go. Sensei… Rumia… they’re waiting at the deepest part.”

With a firm nod,

Sistine began walking again, without hesitation.

Her dignified stride no longer carried even a trace of the fragility or uncertainty of a child—

—.

Clap, clap, clap, clap…

Somewhere, Felord’s applause echoed.

“Magnificent. Truly splendid, Sistine. To think you’d grown so much as a ‘Magician’…”

Felord spoke, visibly moved, with genuine joy.

“As expected, you’re the real deal. You have the qualifications to pursue the truth with me… to grasp the [Akashic Records]. Oh, I’m truly delighted…”

Felord’s soliloquy continued.

“And Rumia… my beloved angel… your power is magnificent too. After such a long, eternal time, you’ve finally achieved your revival… How I’ve longed for this moment… I’ve waited so eagerly to reunite with the true you…”

Joy lit up Felord’s face.

But it suddenly darkened.

Sistine and Rumia.

An irritating pest was clinging to his most beloved ones.

“…Glenn Radars《The Fool》… Just who is he?”

A slight miscalculation had crept into Felord’s plans.

By his reckoning, even with Rumia’s unparalleled assistance, Glenn was supposed to die pathetically here.

He was like an annoying noise disrupting a perfectly written script.

And that wasn’t the only irritating factor.

Sistine and Rumia. Their strongest, most profound emotions were unmistakably directed at Glenn. To Felord, that was—

“…A bit jealousy-inducing.”

But brushing off the irritation with a smile, Felord chuckled.

“Well, no matter. They’ll be mine soon enough. For now, let them enjoy their fleeting honeymoon.”

And with that, Felord began to walk.

“Shall we, then? It’s about time for the final scene of this act… I’ll be the director… So, enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

With that, Felord—…