Chapter 6: The True Tale of the Magician of Melgalius

“…”

By now, having experienced this daydream several times, Glenn had grown accustomed to it.

Glenn naturally stirred awake.

At this moment, Glenn and his companions were passing through the《Gate of Wisdom》, heading deeper inside.

His surroundings were pitch black, enveloped in a deep darkness as if painted over.

Yet, for some reason, they could still see each other clearly, as though walking through an infinite void.

Leading the way were Nameless and Le Silva.

Behind them, Sistine Fibel followed cautiously, her steps hesitant.

And beside Glenn—

“…”

—walked Celica Arfonia.

At a glance, Celica appeared to stride forward resolutely, but her shoulders trembled faintly.

“…Are you scared?”

“Yeah.”

To Glenn’s question, Celica answered candidly, her gaze fixed ahead.

“From my perspective… it’s been over four hundred years. Back then, I gave everything I had… challenged the Demon King… and lost. To face such an opponent again, I can’t stop shaking.”

“…”

“But… it’s fine. Because you’re here.”

“Got it.”

With that exchange, they continued.

Glenn and his group slowly advanced through the darkness.

Eventually, the dark passage came to an end.

Ahead, a dazzling arched exit came into view.

They passed through it.

The world blazed white-hot—

Their consciousness grew distant, fading further and further—

And then—

 

——

 

“Where… are we?”

Before they knew it, Glenn and his companions stood in a place where fierce winds howled relentlessly. The wind pressure was so intense that a moment’s carelessness could lift their bodies off the ground.

“…W-what is this place…? Isn’t this supposed to be underground…?”

It was likely twilight.

The sky, beginning to darken with the veil of night, burned a vivid red and felt impossibly close.

The air was thin, and clouds drifted past beneath their feet.

They stood on what seemed like a small island floating in the sky—its outer edge.

Behind them was the gate they had just passed through.

Around the island and above, countless structures of various shapes and sizes, along with massive crystalline formations, floated in the air. Each was intricately engraved with mysterious patterns, brimming with magical energy.

Toward the center of the island stood a castle-like structure, strangely designed and seamlessly integrated with enormous crystalline formations, towering majestically.

Looking up, they saw an endless expanse of land above.

Looking down, an infinite sky stretched below.

Turning back to gaze into the distance, they saw a horizon where heaven and earth were inverted.

A crimson sun, half-sunk below that horizon, set the boundary between sky and earth ablaze.

A world detached from the laws of gravity, where everything was turned upside down.

“Hold on… what the hell is this place…!?”

As Glenn began to panic,

“No way… it can’t be… this place…”

Sistine started trembling violently.

“H-hey… what’s wrong, White Cat? Do you know something about this place?”

“You don’t get it!? You don’t know where we are!?”

Sistine stared at Glenn with an expression of disbelief.

“I mean, come on… we see this place all the time, don’t we!?”

“…!?”

Sistine’s words jolted Glenn’s realization.

This island, these structures… they did seem familiar.

Indeed, the distance and angle had thrown him off, making it hard to recognize at first.

And the vast land stretching above their heads—that terrain was all too familiar.

Spanning that terrain was a sprawling ancient city, and at its center stood a massive pyramidal structure—the《Tower of Lament》.

“Wait, no way… this can’t be… here…?”

Finally grasping where they were, Glenn’s voice trembled.

Yes, in the fairy tale ‘The Magician of Melgalius’, wasn’t the final battle between the Mage of Justice and the Demon King fought in that place?

“No way… this is…!?”

 

—Melgalius’s Sky Castle.

 

The phantom castle floating above Fejite.

The greatest enigma of magical archaeology, which had gathered the dreams of countless mages, drawn them in, crushed them, and cast them down to the earth.

And now, it was here.

Right before their eyes, in a world where heaven and earth were inverted.

“Yes… this is… this is…!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Sistine’s eyes widened as if they might tear, trying to etch every detail of the scene into her memory as she murmured in a daze.

“This sight… it’s what Grandfather sought… the world he wanted to see… my… our dream… it’s real… truly real…”

The howling wind dominated the surroundings.

Left alone, Sistine might have gazed at this scene forever.

“How was I supposed to know… that a place underground would lead here…?”

“Sorry to interrupt your moment of awe,”

Nameless suddenly cut in, dousing Sistine’s reverie.

“But we don’t have time for that. We’ve got company.”

She said, looking up.

 

“Welcome to my stronghold—Melgalius’s Sky Castle.”

 

Floating in the sky was a lone young man.

Clad in a resplendent black mantle that fluttered in the wind, he had black hair and dark eyes.

At first glance, he seemed utterly ordinary, with no distinguishing features, yet he exuded the profound wisdom and dignity of one who had lived for centuries.

Above all, his seemingly gentle eyes harbored a seething madness, and with a single blink, he radiated an overwhelming presence capable of crushing everything. Absolute magical power.

Despite such an imposing aura, he lacked the oppressive pressure or intimidation that other Demon Generals naturally exuded, existing in a state of pure naturalness.

And because of that—he was more terrifying than anyone.

A being that, at an instinctual level, one knew must not be defied.

Yes, it was him. He was—

“The Demon King—Titus! The root of all evil… the mastermind…!”

“Root of all evil? That’s harsh. I’ve only ever loved this world and worked tirelessly to save it…”

“What the hell are you talking about…!?”

As Glenn bristled, Celica restrained him.

“Glenn, it’s pointless. Talking with him is a waste of time, no matter how long it drags on.”

“…Celica.”

“The only words we should exchange are the spells to destroy each other.”

“Exactly.”

The Demon King responded to Celica’s words with a pleasant smile.

“This place is the 90th floor of the《Tower of Lament》, known as the ‘City of the Earth’s People’… the final defensive line to reach that castle.”

As Glenn looked around, the structures rising inversely around them and the buildings floating in the sky could indeed be seen as part of a city, if viewed that way.

“Right now, we’re in the final stage of the ritual to commune with the《God of the Gate》… No one, absolutely no one, can be allowed to enter that castle. That’s why I’ve come to face you myself… just like I did with Sora before.”

“…!”

“Yes… just a little more, just a bit more, and I’ll grasp the《Akashic Records》…! I’ll fulfill all my aspirations…! I’ll truly save this world…!”

Suddenly, the Demon King erupted with fiery passion, shouting.

“I won’t let you interfere… I won’t let you…!”

At that moment—

Boom!

The heavens and earth trembled as the Demon King’s magical power surged. Violent magic swirled around him.

Glenn and the others instinctively took a step back under the force of that momentum.

And then—someone gently embraced the raging Demon King from behind.

A girl with otherworldly wings sprouting from her back.

That girl, strikingly resembling Nameless or Rumia, was—

“La’falia…!”

Nameless glared at the girl with burning hatred.

“Well, hello there, dear traitorous sister La’tirika…”

La’falia giggled elegantly, like the chiming of bells.

“Foolish little sister! How long will you keep serving that deranged, despicable man!? Snap out of it already!”

“Be quiet, you traitorous, cheating wretch… Why did you so cruelly and mercilessly abandon this poor man, dear sister? Don’t you have a shred of humanity? What kind of woman are you?”

La’falia looked down at Nameless with eyes so devoid of emotion they sent chills down the spine.

And, for some reason, she directed an equally hateful glare at Glenn.

“And as if cheating wasn’t enough… you’re two-timing him? Haha! What a shameless woman you are, sister.”

“Huh? Two-timing? What are you—”

The two were on the verge of clashing—when it happened.

Boom!

Suddenly, a ferocious blast of wind shot toward Glenn and his group from an unexpected direction.

“Sensei! Professor! Look out!”

Acting on reflex, Sistine used her wind-clad hands to disperse the incoming blast.

The fierce wind energy split to either side, swirling around and gouging the surroundings, causing immense destruction.

Sistine looked toward the source of the wind blast—a tower floating in midair.

“…So, you’ve finally come, Sistine.”

The final Demon General, the most loyal to the Demon King,《Verdant Wind General》Syr Viesha, appeared.

“I told you, didn’t I? The next time we meet, we’ll be enemies.”

“Kh…! Syr Viesha-san…!”

Sistine and Syr Viesha locked eyes, glaring at each other.

Glenn, glancing between the two, thought to himself.

(Damn… I remember now, there was a character like that in the fairy tale… I thought we’d avoided her since she hadn’t shown up yet, but no such luck.)

Why Sistine and Syr Viesha knew each other or what history they shared was completely beyond Glenn.

But there was no time to demand explanations.

Given the situation, it seemed Sistine would have to handle Syr Viesha.

“…We’ve already had our fill of this kind of talk before the last battle. There’s no point wasting any more words with the Demon King. It’s meaningless and a waste of time.”

The dragon girl Le Silva stepped forward past Glenn.

At this critical moment, her presence as the world’s strongest vanguard, a dragon, felt immensely reassuring.

Though, given her appearance, Glenn felt a pang of guilt, and he wasn’t entirely sure how effective a dragon’s power would be against the Demon King.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

“Yeah.”

Glenn and Celica nodded to each other, readying themselves.

“Let’s begin! The mad drama of endings and beginnings—!”

The Demon King spread his arms wide, his magical power surging further as he soared high into the sky—

The curtain rose on the true final battle of the fairy tale ‘The Magician of Melgalius’—

 

——

 

“—《Ars Magna》—!”

The battle began with Nameless unleashing her full power.

Particles of light scattered from Nameless rained down on Glenn and Sistine, amplifying their magical abilities to their absolute limits.

For this moment alone, their powers reached a level capable of barely intervening in a battle among the world’s greatest mages—

“Glenn! Sistine! I’ve unleashed my full power without holding back! I won’t die… so don’t hesitate to use me to your fullest!”

As Nameless shouted from the rear, her body began to dissolve into particles of light—

“Sorry!”

Glenn drew his magic gun《Queen Killer》and fired without hesitation.

The ultra-powerful bullet traced the trajectory Glenn envisioned, hurtling toward the Demon King in the sky.

But—

“《I, who comes from the void—》”

—the Demon King had already begun chanting.

“《The Silent Ruler・the crown that reaches the sky seizes the demonic heavens・offering blood wine at the banquet of the rabbit who offers its blood・thou, who declares to rule the six heavens and three realms—》”

The Demon King leisurely swung his arm.

“—Sky Heaven Mystery [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE]”

The moment he declared it—

With a resounding surge of magical energy, the world—changed.

Everything went dark, and a lattice of light stretched to the vanishing point, transforming the space into an infinite otherworld.

Instantly, the bullet heading toward the Demon King lost its momentum and fell limply—

“Damn it! So that’s the real deal, the cheat ability that makes distances infinite!?”

Glenn gritted his teeth.

Infinite distance. A simple yet absolute shield.

Before it, all attacks were rendered powerless—

But.

Celica raised one arm and shouted.

“《I, who departed to the end of time—》”

She chanted a spell that echoed yet differed from the Demon King’s.

“《The skyscraper of wails and clamor・the great river reaching time flows to the ninth black flame hell・the black horse that devours souls heralds its own death・I, who declares to be the revolutionary of the six heavens and three realms—》”

And then, Celica declared.

“—Time Heaven Mystery [OVER CHRONO ACCEL]!”

In that instant, the world—changed again.

Lines of magical energy burst forth, intertwining, forming an enormous clock-like pattern above and below.

The clock’s hands began spinning furiously in opposite directions—

The world barrier deployed by the Demon King.

The world barrier deployed by Celica.

The two worlds clashed, locked in a struggle, with countless bolts of magical purple lightning crackling around them.

“Don’t worry, Glenn. I’ve got this covered.”

While maintaining her world barrier with full magical output, Celica spoke.

“Making all distances infinite means extending the time it takes for an attack to reach infinitely. So, I just force that arrival time back to an instant.”

“Uh, I don’t really get what you’re saying!”

“Good grief, slow on the uptake, aren’t you? And you call yourself her disciple?”

In the magical realm where the two otherworlds clashed, the Demon King spread his arms theatrically and laughed.

“Time and space are two sides of the same coin, inseparable concepts.

Let’s see… in the world I came from, it was called Einstein’s ‘Theory of Special Relativity,’ wasn’t it?

For instance, this Dimensional Tree, or the expansion at the edge of the galaxy—light speed is constant for all observers, yet time varies for each.

In other words, Sora and I have severed this space from the world, moving it at superluminal speed in the relative four-dimensional Euclidean direction we each desire.”

“So, in this limited barrier, the Demon King freely controls all space, while I freely control all time.”

“But time is governed by space, and space is governed by time. They are inseparable, two sides of the same coin.”

“Thus—they cancel each other out. Got it? That’s why I’m the only one who can stand against the Demon King.”

“Do I look like I get it, you idiot!?”

Faced with a grand mystery of an entirely different dimension, casually displayed as if it were nothing, Glenn felt a headache coming on.

To Glenn, Nameless spoke.

“The Time-Heaven Mystery I granted to Sora, and the Space-Heaven Mystery La’falia granted to the Demon King—both are absolute killing techniques that guarantee victory the moment they’re deployed.”

“No kidding! Any attack, no matter how powerful, has some kind of time and space parameters. If the effect time is reduced to zero, the distance between us and them is made infinite, the arrival time is stretched to eternity, or the effect range is nullified… when those fundamental parameters are tampered with so one-sidedly, there’s no way to fight! This isn’t just cheating—it’s beyond that!”

“And all matter is defined by time and space. No substance can remain intact if the bonds between its molecules are stretched infinitely, nor can any withstand the decay of infinite time. So…”

“Alright, alright, I get it! So, what you’re saying is, if Celica deploys that ridiculous barrier, we might actually have a shot at fighting him! Get to the point already!”

Glenn spun around, drawing his magic gun《Penetrator》and firing.

The bullet streaked straight toward the Demon King—

But the Demon King lightly twisted his body, dodging it with ease.

“Exactly. Against my Space-Heaven Mystery, only by Sora deploying her Time-Heaven Mystery can you finally stand on equal footing with me—on the same stage. But… how long can she keep it up, I wonder?”

At the Demon King’s remark,

“Guh!?”

Celica coughed up blood and staggered.

“Celica…!?”

“Don’t worry about me!”

With sheer willpower, Celica held onto her consciousness and shouted.

“This was always the kind of fight it would be! A battle of endurance to see who can maintain their absurdly draining limited barrier longer! And in that kind of fight, I’m at an overwhelming disadvantage… Last time, I couldn’t win at all!”

“…!”

“Now… since we both understand the rules, shall we begin? The pinnacle of magical combat.”

With a relaxed expression, the Demon King casually readied himself.

While effortlessly maintaining that dizzying limited barrier, he traced his fingers through the air, writing symbols and rapidly deploying dozens of spine-chilling, transcendent mysteries—

“Glenn! You can’t let him fire off even a single one of those mysteries!”

Le Silva charged fiercely toward the Demon King.

“Got it, damn it… I’ll do this!”

Half-desperate, Glenn charged toward the Demon King as well.

“Tch—”

Celica began chanting spells in rapid succession.

The clash of immense magical forces erupted like a supernova, exploding on the spot—

 

“W-What… is that battle…?”

Sistine, watching Glenn and the others fight from a distance, stood in stunned awe.

Countless flashes of light flickered within two infinite spaces.

It was as if stars were colliding and shattering.

The place where Sistine stood was outside the two world barriers where Glenn and the others fought.

At the moment she was about to be drawn into the otherworldly realms of time and space, she had been pulled out… by Syr Viesha’s wind.

“No time to be distracted, Sistine.”

Syr Viesha spoke to Sistine in a firm tone.

“Syr Viesha-san, why…!?”

Snapping back to reality, Sistine turned and shouted.

“You already know, don’t you!? What’s right and what’s wrong! Is what you’re doing now truly just!?”

“It’s wrong. What I’ve done has been nothing but a blasphemy against humanity.”

“Then—”

“That’s exactly why I have a responsibility. Come, Sistine. Prove yourself by defeating this foolish Demon General Star who sides with the Demon King!”

With those words, Syr Viesha drew a green key… and inserted it into her chest, turning it.

In that instant, a tremendous wind, glowing green and fierce, surged from Syr Viesha, swirling into a vortex.

And then—Syr Viesha’s form began to transform.

While retaining the seductive silhouette of a woman, her body was enveloped in a pure white robe, with infinite darkness peering from beneath the hood. Overwhelming and violent magical power radiated from her entire being.

Demon General Star—《Verdant Wind General》Syr Viesha.

Her true form finally manifested.

“Let me make this clear. Facing me may, in some ways, be even harsher than facing the Demon King.”

“…!?”

“I am《Verdant Wind General》Syr Viesha… a Priestess of Ithaqua. In other words, a maiden serving one of the outer gods of the cosmos, the Queen Who Rules The Wind, The Wind Goddess Ithaqua.”

The moment Syr Viesha made that declaration,

A low, ominous rumble resounded.

Cracks began to form in the void of this world.

Fissures filled with infinite nothingness appeared.

From the depths of those cracks, something extended an eerily massive, white hand, prying the fissures open, forcing its way into this world.

The cracks in space widened further with a sharp, splintering sound.

And then—from the gaps in those widened fissures, a massive eye peered into this world.

Its indescribable, blasphemous grandeur and overwhelming presence made it impossible not to realize that humanity was mere dust in comparison—an entity of an entirely different order of existence, divine in its nature—

“A-Ahh, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?”

A sound, like the cry of sanity being crushed by madness and the incomprehensible, was wrenched from the depths of Sistine’s throat.

“Ithaqua—a name that should not be known, an existence that must not be understood.”

Syr Viesha spoke calmly to Sistine.

“One of the ancient rulers who traverses all stars and dimensions with a single gust of wind. A madness and tyranny that transcends time. The one who tears through eternity with the wind. Promising the end and demise of three thousand worlds—Sistine, can your sanity withstand this battle…?”

As Syr Viesha waved her hand invitingly,

A ferocious “black wind” surged from the spatial cracks being widened by that entity, rushing toward Sistine.

No, it was no longer just wind. It was a “distortion of space” with explosive directionality.

In the face of this overwhelming wind, capable of obliterating a human in an instant,

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

Sistine, who had been screaming from the shock of her shattered sanity, suddenly gritted her teeth… and glared at Syr Viesha…

“—《Obey me, people of the wind・I am the princess who rules the wind》!”

Roaring, she activated Modified Black Magic [Storm Grasper], infused with the《Ars Magna》received from Nameless, unleashing it with full power and all her spirit.

She barely managed to deflect the black wind assaulting her.

The raging storm split to either side, twisting space as it swirled.

The white cloak Sistine wore fluttered wildly.

The realization that a mere fraction of a second’s delay would have reduced her to a mist of blood sent a chill down Sistine’s spine.

“As I expected, you’re a strong girl.”

Seeing Sistine, Syr Viesha seemed to smile faintly.

“You didn’t let her break your sense of self. And… as I thought, you carry a fine wind, Sistine.”

“W-What…?”

“But your wind should be far greater than this. Show me the heights of your wind. If you can’t, you’ll simply die here.”

Syr Viesha unleashed even more wind from the void’s fissures.

Stronger and stronger, her wind surged without limit.

“Ugh, AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Sistine roared, continuing to counter with all her magical power.

 

“《O Crimson Lion・Roar in fury as you rage》!”

As Glenn charged toward the Demon King, he chanted Black Magic [Blaze Burst], hurling a fireball at him.

Infused with Nameless’s《Ars Magna》, the spell carried the power of a B-class military assault spell.

Using it as a feint, Glenn desperately wanted to close the distance to the Demon King—

A deafening roar shook the space.

The tremendous explosive force engulfed the Demon King and La’falia beside him, yet it couldn’t even leave a single burn.

“Damn it! How about this!?”

Undeterred, Glenn drew his magic gun《Queen Killer》and fired immediately.

The bullet tore through space, curving in an arc toward the Demon King’s temple—

 

But a small spatial crack opened beside the Demon King’s head, swallowing the bullet whole.

The Demon King glanced at Glenn with a hint of irritation.

“What a noisy fly.”

He snapped his fingers.

Instantly, hundreds of flaming spears materialized above the Demon King’s head.

Glowing crimson with superheated energy, they held an overwhelming heat far beyond the flame magic of Glenn’s era.

With Glenn’s meager magical power, he couldn’t hope to counter even a single one—

“Farewell.”

“Guh!?”

As the Demon King swung his hand down, the hundreds of flaming spears surged toward Glenn.

Like a meteor shower, the crimson streaks closed in, forcing Glenn to halt… unable to dodge or defend.

“Ugh, UOOOOH!?”

He was as good as dead!

In that moment, as Glenn braced for death,

“KAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

At the last second,

Le Silva’s [Vanishing Force] swept through, neutralizing all the incoming flaming spears.

“What!?”

“Glenn! You’re too far forward! Fall back!”

Le Silva darted past Glenn, charging toward the Demon King.

Her claws extended with a sharp shing.

Gleaming menacingly, she closed in on the Demon King at blinding speed—

“HAAAAAAAAAA!”

Swinging her slender arms, she unleashed her claws upon the Demon King.

Upper, middle, lower—her draconic strength tore through space, striking at the Demon King repeatedly.

“Well, well, as expected of a dragon… your power is quite troublesome…”

The Demon King dodged Le Silva’s attacks with leisurely ease.

“…Sora!”

As Le Silva continued her relentless assault, she shouted.

“Right, I’m on it!”

Having finished her chant, Celica thrust her left hand forward.

Three magic circles instantly formed at her palm, overlapping and rapidly charging with immense magical power—then fired.

A shockwave of extreme aurora blasted toward the Demon King.

Glenn understood.

The spell Celica had just used was a restructured version of Modified Black Magic [Extinction Ray], rewritten with Ancient Magic—High Runes. Or perhaps this was the original.

If it had a name, it would be Ancient Magic [Extinction Nova].

The blinding aurora ravaged everything, whitening the entire field of vision, the entire world—

Truly, the strongest god-slaying spell humanity could wield—

“…That’s one I’d rather not take.”

The Demon King deployed a magical barrier before him, effortlessly deflecting it.

But naturally, Celica wasn’t one to stop there.

She immediately began chanting the next spell, forming seals with her hands.

In response, the Demon King also began chanting, drawing magic circles in front of him.

As Celica’s spell triggered, countless meteors rained down above the Demon King—

In response to the Demon King’s spell, a superheated crimson prominence slithered like a snake, burning the meteors to ash one by one.

Undeterred, Celica invoked supergravity, attempting to crush the Demon King—

The Demon King manipulated space, slipping away with a warp.

Celica then manipulated time, accelerating to chase the escaping Demon King.

Not to be outdone, the Demon King wielded absolute zero, attempting to freeze the entire world—

“HAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Le Silva charged in fiercely, slashing at the Demon King.

Her slender arms cleaved through the Demon King’s absolute zero frozen hell, aiming relentlessly for his neck.

Forced to respond, the Demon King drew his staff, meeting Le Silva’s claw strikes.

Staff and claws clashed, sending supernova-like shocks and sparks bursting continuously.

The resulting shockwaves pierced through the edges of the dimension, rattling space itself.

Celica rapidly chanted her next spell—

While the Demon King, fending off Le Silva’s ferocious attacks, chanted as well.

Celica unleashed a fireball of infinite heat.

The Demon King released a freezing aura of absolute zero.

The clashing extremes of positive and negative energy distorted time and space into imaginary realms—

Watching this battle of a different dimension, Glenn could only grit his teeth.

“Damn it… their fight is on another level…! As expected, I’m the weakest here! I can’t do anything…!”

In the end, only Celica and Le Silva could truly fight the Demon King.

Through his past battles, Glenn had honed his combat skills. But they were nowhere near enough. Even with Nameless’s《Ars Magna》supporting him, it wasn’t enough.

Fundamentally, the cards Glenn had at his disposal were too weak.

No matter how clever or deceptive his tactics, it was like facing an opponent who always held a royal flush—utterly powerless.

Glenn couldn’t step into Celica and the others’ battle.

Glancing to the side, he saw Sistine fighting Syr Viesha in the otherworldly space where time and space clashed.

Their battle, too, was on a level where the gap in magical rank and power was too vast for Glenn’s petty tricks to keep up.

He’d vaguely known it, but in this battle, there was nothing Glenn could do—

“That’s not true, Glenn.”

Nameless, standing by his side, spoke.

Constantly releasing her full power, Nameless was steadily fading toward extinction.

 

“You’re not incapable of doing anything. You’re just not being allowed to.”

“…!”

“It’s true… your rank as a mage is so low it’s a wonder you’re even standing here. That’s a fact. But even so, the one the Demon King is most wary of is probably you. You have that mysterious spell that destroyed Accelo Iero…”

At Nameless’s words, Glenn instinctively tightened his grip on the magic gun《Penetrator》.

“Whether that mysterious spell would work on the Demon King is unknown. But… surely, even the Demon King wouldn’t risk testing it in this situation, right?”

“Yeah. That explains why he’s absolutely refusing to let me get close… Damn, with him on guard like that, there’s no way I can land a hit with this…!”

Glenn’s trump cards were, at their core, all “one-shot kills.”

In Magic City, Glenn had already used both [Fool’s World] and [Fool’s Penetrator]. There was no way the Demon King, the city’s overseer, wouldn’t know about them.

The moment his trump cards were exposed, Glenn lost much of his advantage.

“Even so, as long as even a hundredth of the Demon King’s attention is on you, that’s the greatest support you can give to Sora and Le Silva.

Your presence here is what’s barely keeping this overwhelming power gap in a state of balance… That’s the kind of battle this is.”

“…Damn it, even so, it’s frustrating…!”

Unable to do anything directly, Glenn hated his own weakness.

But even so, to fulfill his role,

While darting to the Demon King’s blind spot from a distance—

“《O Fierce Thunder Emperor・With a spear of aurora・Pierce through》!”

He kept firing spells at the Demon King, knowing full well they wouldn’t hit.

 

“HAAAAAAAAA!”

“Fuu!”

Sistine’s wind clashed and collided with Syr Viesha’s wind.

Sistine had deployed Modified Black Magic [Storm Grasper].

Syr Viesha, dominating and controlling a fragment of the outer god《Wind Goddess Ithaqua》through a limited summoning.

By a twist of fate, both of their magics shared the same nature: “to dominate the winds and bend them to their will.”

In that case, the outcome was simple.

The one who could dominate the stronger wind would win—

But—

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”

Unable to withstand the overwhelming storm, Sistine was swept away, blown far into the infinite sky.

Fierce winds battered Sistine from every direction—front, back, left, right, above, and below—assailing her from all angles, tossing her about mercilessly and sending her vision, her entire world, into a dizzying spin.

Sistine desperately mustered her mana, enveloping herself in a protective wind barrier, barely managing to keep her body from being torn apart.

(What… what is this person’s wind…!? Is this really wind…!?)

In the wildly spinning world, as her consciousness began to fade, Sistine fought to hold on, her thoughts racing.

(This…! It’s like some kind of law that forcibly sweeps hostile entities far away…!)

She couldn’t win. There was no way she could win.

Though her spirit remained unbroken, the vast chasm between their ranks as mages left her unable to find any path to victory.

As her thoughts churned chaotically, Sistine desperately tried to think of a solution…

“Sistine, your imagination for wind is far too feeble.”

Suddenly, those words reached Sistine’s ears.

Her vision spun so violently she couldn’t make sense of it, but at the edges of her whirling sight, she occasionally caught glimpses of Syr Viesha’s figure.

It seemed Syr Viesha, cloaked in her own wind, was pursuing Sistine as she was flung toward infinity.

“You only see wind as a mere ‘physical phenomenon caused by air pressure differences.’ With such a feeble understanding of wind, you’ll never overcome me.”

“Wha…!?”

“Think freely. The essence of wind is the movement of matter between two distant points. In other words, controlling wind is nothing less than accelerating and dominating the flow of all things. That is the true essence of magic, isn’t it?

The flow of air is merely one minor aspect of wind. Let your imagination soar. The notion that wind magic is weak… cast aside such mundane preconceptions. You must realize—‘wind’ is the strongest magical attribute in the world!”

“T-that’s absurd…!? There’s no way I could…!”

Sistine desperately protested that such a thing was impossible.

“You can, if it’s you.”

For some reason, Syr Viesha spoke as if to encourage Sistine.

“…!?”

“Magic is about delving deep into your heart, questioning your very soul. Refine your imagination. That will become your strength. And whatever you lack… that cloak I entrusted to you will provide.”

“…Wha…!?”

Sistine’s eyes widened.

Suddenly, the white cloak she wore began to glow.

Ancient runes of light appeared across its surface, shimmering brightly.

And then—

“Ah, ah, aaaaah…!?”

A flood of information surged into Sistine’s mind like a tidal wave.

It was—an overwhelming knowledge of wind magic.

The profound wisdom of wind magic, refined over generations by a certain clan.

An immense wealth of experience, touching the deepest truths of this art, poured into Sistine’s mind, threatening to sweep away her very sense of self.

“That is the《Cloak of Wind》… the culmination of the secrets and mysteries my Fibel family has honed since ancient times. Through its contract, it will grant you the knowledge you seek.”

“…!?”

“But knowledge is merely a tool. What you create with that tool is up to you. Now, refine your imagination. Cast aside preconceptions and create your own wind!”

 

(Imagination… refine it…!?)

Amid her scrambled thoughts, Sistine desperately imagined and created.

Syr Viesha said wind wasn’t just a physical phenomenon of moving air.

If so… what mattered was surely something more conceptual.

A question—a riddle—directed at the fundamental essence of magic, bending the laws of the world to impose one’s will.

In other words, why create this wind? What does this wind bring forth? What does it achieve?

(…)

A wind stronger than anything.

A wind that could blow away all injustice.

A wind that could reach endlessly far, to the farthest horizons.

If such a wind existed… could it catch up to the back of that person who always ran ahead for our sake? Could it protect them?

(…!)

Once her imagination solidified, everything moved quickly.

Using the knowledge granted by the cloak, she dismantled existing magical formulas and rebuilt them anew.

To her own astonishment, thousands upon thousands of magical functions aligned effortlessly in her mind, billions of magic circles were drawn and intertwined—all the magical formulas she had ever learned were reorganized.

This was no improvised construct.

It was the pinnacle she could reach only because of her relentless effort and study over the years—a culmination of Sistine’s life as a mage.

The reconstruction took just a minute, but in truth, it was the supreme magical formula born from over a decade of her life as a mage, plus that single minute.

“《Follow me, people of the hurricane—》”

Sistine’s eyes snapped open as she chanted the incantation.

In an instant, an immense surge of mana welled up from her cloak and her entire body—

Burning through her, rising, rising, rising—

“《I am the queen who binds and rules the wind—》!”

Sistine’s wind—changed.

No longer just manipulating the flow of air as a physical phenomenon.

A radiant green wind of light, born infinitely from the blazing mana enveloping Sistine, spread outward—pushing back Syr Viesha’s black wind.

The clash of wind against wind sent shockwaves through space, shaking the world.

The wind stretched endlessly toward the infinite reaches of an infinite world—

“I did it…!”

Spinning gracefully, Sistine regained her footing.

She fixed her gaze directly on Syr Viesha, who stood calmly before her.

And then—

“This spell… if I were to name it, Modified Black Magic III… no…”

Sistine shouted the most fitting incantation that came to her mind.

“Wind Heaven Mystery [CLOAK OF WIND]!”

In the space where Sistine’s wind clashed fiercely with Syr Viesha’s, locked in a stalemate. Sistine named the pinnacle of mystery she had reached.

“I see… to reach the realm of the heavens at the eleventh hour.”

Syr Viesha, her expression unreadable due to her demonic transformation…

“This has become quite troublesome… a real challenge.”

Yet, despite her words, there was a hint of delight in her tone.

“Honestly, you were so weak before, it wasn’t even worth talking about… but now, I might actually enjoy this fight a little…! Hahaha!”

 

Syr Viesha raised both hands overhead.

Commanding the rift in space above her, which followed her every move, and the immense presence peering through it.

A new black wind exploded forth, denying Sistine’s very existence—

but…

“Hey, Syr Viesha-san…”

Sistine’s voice carried a trace of sorrow.

“What is it?”

“Do we… really have to fight like this…?”

“…”

Sistine’s face, wreathed in her radiant wind that scattered the black wind, was tinged with sadness.

“I just… can’t believe you’re someone I have to defeat.”

Her words were carried away by the howling gusts and slicing wind.

Those words of Sistine’s—

“How tiresome.” Syr Viesha dismissed, with a scoff.

“I am a Demon General Star, sworn to eternal loyalty to Titus-sama, unyielding through a hundred lifetimes, a fiend of unparalleled evil. All fools who dare bare their fangs at the king must be slaughtered.”

“…!”

Sistine gritted her teeth.

To her, Syr Viesha unleashed a relentless torrent of black wind.

A devastating force pressed in from all sides, threatening to crush Sistine.

“Haa—!”

With no choice, Sistine thrust her left hand forward, unleashing her full mana.

The white cloak billowed fiercely, its surface alive with countless ancient runes flowing like a raging torrent.

A new surge of radiant wind was born, crashing against the black wind.

The impact roared with a sound like space itself being torn apart, a deafening explosion.

Shockwaves of wind raged in all directions—

 

——

 

The battle raged on.

Celica and the others fought the Demon King without pause.

Sistine and Syr Viesha continued their clash.

In the space where two limited barriers contended, and in their surroundings, even the flow of time was inconsistent.

The sun set, night fell, midnight came, and the day changed—

Outside Melgalius’s Sky Castle, time flowed like a raging torrent.

And within that distorted flow of time,

Celica and the others waged an unending battle that seemed to defy all reason—

 

——

 

“Haaaa—!”

Le Silva charged at the Demon King.

“Hmph—!”

The Demon King conjured an explosion akin to a supernova before her, blasting Le Silva away.

The world trembled.

“Die—!”

And then, Celica charged at the Demon King.

What kind of magic was this?

In Celica’s hands was a colossal sword, formed of blinding, overwhelming light.

With the momentum of her charge, Celica swung the sword downward from high above.

At the moment of the slash, the sword of light extended to infinite length, cleaving through space itself in a single flash, surging toward the horizon.

But in that instant—the Demon King deployed hundreds of defensive barriers before him.

Each one capable of completely blocking hundreds of [Megiddo’s Flame]—

The sword of light clashed with the barriers.

Celica’s sword sliced through several, shattering them like glass.

But the Demon King was too far, the barriers too thick—

“Ooooooh—!”

Yet Celica swung her sword of light relentlessly, destroying the barriers one by one.

Watching his defenses shatter, the Demon King wore a smug smile, mocking Celica.

 

“Pretty desperate, huh, Sora?”

“Aaaaaaah—!”

Unfazed, Celica swung her sword, continuing to shatter the barriers.

Each time a barrier broke, a blinding explosion of mana erupted, fragments of the barriers scattering like shards of glass across a galaxy spanning billions of light-years.

“Sorry to interrupt your little moment, but… you’re weak, you know?”

Undeterred, Celica kept swinging, pressing forward. Forward.

“You’re already out of breath. The battle’s barely started, and it hasn’t even been that long.”

Unfazed, Celica swung her sword, breaking barriers.

Slowly but surely, she advanced.

“You’re way weaker than three days ago when we fought. I don’t know how you managed to return after being banished to another dimension, but it must’ve taken a toll, huh?”

Unfazed, Celica swung her sword, advancing as she struck.

“You really think you can beat me?”

Unfazed, Celica swept her sword sideways, pressing forward.

“I mean, look at you—you’re at your limit. You’re a wreck, spitting up blood like that.”

Unfazed, Celica drove her sword down, pushing forward.

“You hate me that much for destroying your country? For taking your sister? Huh?”

Celica swung her sword with all her might, advancing. Advancing. Advancing—

Barriers shattered. Shattered. Shattered—

“Haha, that tenacity is impressive. Even if you’re weakened, losing a mage like you is honestly a shame…”

The barriers fell one by one

Ten—nine—eight—seven…

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!”

As if in a final sprint, Celica poured her full mana into the sword of light, extending it further, slashing at the Demon King again and again—

“Here’s a proposal for you.”

Six—five—

“Why don’t you join me?”

Four—three—

“I’ve been waiting for a mage like you. If you join me, I’ll give you half the world.”

Two—one—

“What do you say? Will you join me?”

To the Demon King’s question—

“Die!”

Celica answered with a full-powered strike of her sword of light. She swung to cleave through the final barrier and the Demon King himself—

“Fool. Learn your place.”

With a twist, the Demon King warped space, distancing himself from Celica.

Her all-out attack sliced through empty air, breaking the rhythm of the battle.

“Just kidding! Haha, I always wanted to try that exchange… where I’m from, it’s kind of a classic trope.”

“Haa…! Haa…! Haa…!”

Celica, too exhausted to respond, dropped to one knee.

“Celica! Are you okay…!?”

“…What reckless fighting!”

Glenn and Le Silva rushed to her side, but Celica had no strength left to reply.

She could only pant heavily, trembling uncontrollably.

“How pathetic. I’ve always thought this, but I just don’t get you. Why go this far to defy me? Isn’t this a bit much for mere revenge?”

“Shut up.”

Celica’s voice, low and resonant as if rising from the depths, cut off the Demon King’s words.

“Revenge doesn’t matter anymore. I’m going to crush you.”

“You’re a stubborn one. But what can a weakened thing like you do? Look at this…”

Crack!

A rift tore through space, and a particularly fierce bolt of lightning surged across the world.

“Sora. You’re done.”

The moment the Demon King declared it,

His Sky Heaven Mystery [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE] began to erode Celica’s Time Heaven Mystery [OVER CHRONO ACCEL].

The lattice-patterned world slowly overtook the clock-patterned world—

The erosion showed no sign of stopping.

“Celica…!?”

“This is bad…! If our limited barrier is completely overtaken, we’ll have no way to fight back!”

Glenn and Nameless looked to Celica desperately.

But Celica could only tremble in pain, gasping raggedly.

At times, she coughed up blood and collapsed to her knees.

There was no sign she could rise again… not even a trace.

“Hahaha! It’s over! Yup, you’re definitely way weaker than before! Haha! Hahahaha!”

In the infinite distance, the Demon King clapped his hands, laughing like a child.

“Damn it…! Is this it!? Is it over…!?”

As Glenn gritted his teeth, helplessly watching the encroaching tide of destruction,

suddenly…

Celica, who had been writhing in agony until now, stood up abruptly.

Ignoring the anxious gazes of Glenn and the others,

“It’s alright,”

Celica said, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth with her right thumb.

In the collapsing world, she began walking slowly toward the Demon King.

“Demon King,”

“What is it?”

“You… you called me weak just now, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Do I really look weak to you? Do I seem weak right now?”

“Yes, you do. Compared to your prime, you’re nothing.”

“Is that so? Well then—”

Celica deliberately traced blood-red symbols on the back of her left hand with her right thumb, as if to show the Demon King.

“You’re blind.”

In that instant,

Flash! The blood symbols on Celica’s left hand burst into flames.

An intricate, otherworldly magic circle unfurled instantly beneath her feet, stretching to the ends of the world, with tremendous magical power surging and coursing through it—

All at once, the Demon King’s [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE] stopped its invasion of Celica’s world. Her [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] began to push back against the world once more—

“…It’s overtime, Demon King.”

“What…!? That spell… is it the Secret Art of the Heavenly Soul [Soul Song Sacrifice]!?”

“Yes, the original White Magic Ritual [Sacrifice]—the most primal soul-transmutation ritual magic! My final trump card, grinding down my very soul to convert it into infinite magical power…!”

To Celica, who declared this boldly,

“You idiot—!? Celica, what are you doing!? Are you trying to die!?” Glenn shouted.

“Stop it! Undo that spell right now! Stop it—!”

Glenn tried to lunge at Celica, but Le Silva, with a pained expression, restrained him from behind, holding him in a tight grip.

“Damn it! Let go…! Let me go—!”

Glenn thrashed, but Le Silva’s inhuman strength was too much for him to overcome.

 

“…Foolish… Sora…”

The Demon King, too, could only stand dumbfounded by Celica’s reckless act.

“Do you even understand what you’re doing right now?”

“…”

“You’ll die. There’s no doubt you’ll die.”

“…”

“Fine, let’s say—impossible as it is—your plan miraculously works, and you manage to defeat me before you die.

Even so, you, as a mage, will be finished. With that much damage to your soul, you’ll never be able to wield magic again.

All the centuries of your tireless pursuit as a mage will be reduced to nothing. Don’t you find that a waste? Don’t you regret it?”

“…”

“Why? What drives you to go this far? Do you hate me that much? Are you so desperate to destroy me that you’d reduce your entire existence as a mage to nothing? Even though it’s almost certainly futile!? I can’t understand you at all!”

To the shaken Demon King,

“…You’re fundamentally mistaken,”

Celica merely let out a small, amused laugh.

“Glenn,”

Then, still facing away, Celica called out to Glenn.

“…Thank you.”

“What… why are you thanking me…?”

“Because you were here for me… because you watched over me… I was able to play this trump card without hesitation.

If you hadn’t been here… I probably would’ve clung to regrets, hesitating to use this card forever… and I’d have been killed without doing anything.”

“Don’t mess with me—!” Glenn roared.

“I didn’t chase you all the way to this damned era just to let you use some ridiculous spell like that!”

“Haha, yeah, you’re right. My bad… but this is the only way left.”

Celica shrugged playfully.

“It’s been long… truly a long journey… traveling through such vast stretches of time. At the end of that long road, I finally found my truth… my reason to fight.

Having something to protect… something worth protecting… it’s a truly wonderful thing. When I think about it, strength and courage well up from the depths of my body… I feel like I can stand up and face anything, no matter how many times I’m knocked down. Yes… I’m no longer afraid of anything.”

“Celica…! Celica…! Stop, I’m begging you…!”

Ignoring Glenn’s pleas—Celica, driven by her burning soul, charged toward the Demon King.

“Get ready, Demon King! I’ll defeat you! And—I’ll protect the world!”

 

And thus—began the final battle between two mages, a clash that would shake the heavens and earth.

 

—

 

It was a space so extraordinary, it evoked the birth of the universe itself.

Celica and the Demon King were wielding magic at full power against each other.

In the infinite expanse, cataclysmic forces collided hundreds, thousands of times, flashing and bursting in a dazzling display.

Time and space clashed fiercely.

A divine battle of magic, outpacing even light itself, unfolded.

“At the eleventh hour… Sora has raised her rank as a mage by yet another level,”

Nameless muttered.

“…And so has the Demon King.”

“Yes… even I can no longer intervene in that battle… All we can do now… is entrust everything to Sora…!”

Le Silva, still holding Glenn back, groaned in frustration.

“But that kind of fighting can’t last long…!”

Nameless gritted her teeth as she spoke.

“Ten minutes at most! Ten minutes until Sora’s soul is completely burned out and extinguished! If she can’t defeat the Demon King before then, Sora will—”

“Damn it! Celica! Celica—!” As Glenn shouted, tears welling in his eyes.

“That’s enough!” Le Silva roared in his ear.

“What do you think Sora is sacrificing her very existence to fight for!? For you… for the future of all of you!”

“—!?”

“Stop acting like a spoiled child and screaming! You’re Sora’s disciple, aren’t you!? Then you, of all people, should bear witness to her resolve with dignity!”

“…”

Faced with Le Silva’s irrefutable logic, Glenn fell silent.

“…What did you just say?”

Suddenly, he muttered, as if in a daze.

“Huh? I said, you, of all people, should witness Sora’s resolve—”

Ignoring Le Silva,

“That’s right… that’s it…! I’m Celica’s disciple…!”

Glenn nodded to himself, lost in thought.

“She never taught me to just cry and scream helplessly in a crisis like this! Not once…!”

Shaking off Le Silva, who exchanged a bewildered glance with Nameless, Glenn dropped to one knee, focusing on the ground beneath him.

“Think! If you’re a mage, think in times like this! Find something to break through this checkmate! I can’t contribute to the fight directly! So what can I do to help Celica’s battle!? What can I do right now…!?”

Celica, having played her final trump card, was now—despite the strict time limit—standing on equal ground with the Demon King. They were in a stalemate.

So—how could he break this stalemate?

(For instance, the fundamental premise of this battle, the absolute rule of this combat space—the Demon King’s [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE] and Celica’s [OVER CHRONO ACCEL]… what if I could disrupt their balance…?)

Yes, though it had been overlooked because Celica and the Demon King’s magical duel was on such an elevated plane… originally, if either of these two spells fully dominated the field, that alone would decide the outcome.

(For example, if I could intervene in Celica’s [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] and boost it somehow… what if I could bring this stalemate entirely under Celica’s control…?)

Without a doubt—Celica would defeat the Demon King.

No matter how much the Demon King surpassed Celica in magical skill or total mana, it wouldn’t matter.

The Secret Art of the Heavenly Soul [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] was a spell of that nature.

(But—can I even do something like that!?)

Glenn reached out to touch the spell formula of [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] in the space around him.

The sheer vastness, complexity, and otherworldly intricacy of the spell formula was overwhelming, an infinite array of magical code that threatened to burn out Glenn’s brain with its sheer information overload.

To make matters worse, the language used was High Runes—an extraordinarily difficult magical language, far beyond the Low Runes Glenn and his peers typically used.

(With Nameless’s [Ars Magna] assisting, we’ve already proven we can handle High Runes… the question is… can I decipher this spell formula!?)

At a single glance, despairing words swirled through Glenn’s mind.

Impossible. Hopeless. Futile. Useless. Beyond my grasp—

But swallowing that weakness, Glenn faced the spell formula head-on.

(I’ll do it… no matter what! If anyone in this world can do it… it’s me!)

Since childhood, he had always admired Celica.

He had chased her back relentlessly, always, always.

He had watched her magic ceaselessly.

Even though, deep down, he knew he could never reach her.

With nothing but pure admiration, Glenn had gazed at Celica, the mage, for so long—

(All her teachings are etched into my being! I’ve read all her papers! Whether I can turn that into my own magic is another matter… but the one who knows Celica’s magic best in this world is me! The mage closest to Celica… is me! That’s the one thing I won’t yield!)

And so—

(I’ll do it! I’ll decipher Celica’s [OVER CHRONO ACCEL]… I’ll do it, no matter what…!)

Staking all his knowledge and pride as a mage,

Glenn’s final battle began here.

 

—

 

“Haaaaaa—!”

“—!”

Sistine and Syr Viesha.

The conclusion to their fierce battle came far too abruptly.

—No.

It was Syr Viesha who brought it to an end.

 

For some reason, Syr Viesha had always fought Sistine on equal terms.

Had she gone all out from the start, Sistine likely would have been erased from this world without leaving so much as a single hair behind.

But Syr Viesha didn’t do that.

As if testing Sistine, she revealed her power little by little.

Sistine desperately kept up with her.

Wielding the power of the [CLOAK OF WIND] she had inherited, she grew accustomed to its use, and her wind magic was honed through the battle.

Forged in the fire of her fight with Syr Viesha, it was refined.

By now, Sistine’s Secret Art of the Heavenly Wind [CLOAK OF WIND] was no longer a makeshift technique thrown together in desperation.

It was a polished, perfected mystery, sharpened to a trembling edge. The moment Sistine reached that perfection—Syr Viesha abruptly ended the battle. By deliberately not defending against Sistine’s dimensional wind blade attack, accepting it instead—

 

“…Cough… Well done… Sistine…”

Unable to maintain her existence, Syr Viesha shattered into particles of light and began to fade.

To be honest, Sistine had faintly sensed this outcome.

She had thought it might come to this.

But even so.

“…Why…?”

Sistine couldn’t help but ask as Syr Viesha faded away.

“…I told you, didn’t I? This is my atonement.”

The fading Syr Viesha seemed to smile gently… or so it felt.

“By the old covenant… I cannot directly oppose Lord Titus… I made a magical contract for the safety of my clan…”

“…!”

“I… cannot fight alongside you… So, I chose to entrust it to you… This is all I can do for my atonement.”

Syr Viesha’s voice was endlessly calm as she spoke.

“Heh… why, I wonder? The moment I saw you, I felt a fate beyond reason… that you… would surely carry on my power and will…”

“Syr Viesha-san…”

“I, steeped in sin deeper than the ocean’s depths, can do no more… But you, who have reached a certain perfection as a Priestess of Ithaqua… perhaps…”

“…!”

“If… with the power I’ve given you, you can protect the future… then perhaps there was some meaning to this sinful, wretched life I’ve led…”

Syr Viesha faded… faded away.

Shattering into particles of light… vanishing without a trace, irreparably—

“Goodbye, Sistine… I’m glad… I met you… at the end…”

And then…

Syr Viesha was completely gone.

Left behind was a single “Green Key” floating in the void.

But even that weathered away, carried off by the wind—

Syr Viesha《Verdant Wind General》.

According to the fairy tale ‘The Magician of Melgalius’, she was the most loyal of the Demon King’s generals, said to have committed any atrocity for his sake, a merciless and ruthless demon.

What she thought, what she felt as she passed—none would ever know.

Except for one girl, with hair the same color as hers.

“Goodbye, Syr Viesha-san. Thank you… my distant, distant ancestor.”

With a small bow toward the passing breeze,

Sistine looked up.

The sky was filled with the otherworldly space of time and sky that Celica and the Demon King had unfolded—a realm no ordinary person could ever step into.

But—with Sistine as she was now, she could enter that domain.

“I am the free wind. A gust that blows through all time and space. Nothing can stand in my way.”

Whoosh!

Sistine cloaked herself in a fierce wind of light, swirling around her.

And then, she launched herself straight toward the space above.

 

—

 

A complexity beyond the word “difficult.”

Limited time.

An infinite array of formulas, so daunting they could crush one’s spirit just by looking.

But with a life spent chasing the back of the mage he admired, and that faint shred of pride,

Glenn, though unable to fully comprehend Celica’s greatest spell formula, managed to decipher its core framework to some extent.

“…I’ve read it…! I understand, I understand…!”

It was a miracle.

This deciphering was something no other mage could have accomplished.

It was a feat only Glenn, who had chased Celica’s back relentlessly, could achieve.

His deep understanding of Celica as a mage, his extreme focus, his mind sharpened to its absolute peak—these made possible this last-second triumph.

“…I can do this… I can do it…!”

If he could decipher it, he could intervene in Celica’s spell formula.

With Nameless’s [Ars Magna], it was possible.

Right now, Celica and the Demon King’s spell formulas were in perfect stalemate.

But if Glenn could join in and strengthen Celica’s formula, even if it was a push as small as tossing a pebble into the ocean, that delicate balance would break—and the tide would shift decisively toward Celica.

“No, wait a sec… That’s insane… What the hell…!?”

At the very last moment, Glenn realized it and stood frozen in shock.

The cruel truth he had gleaned from the spell’s formula.

“The use of this power is permitted only to the contractor of《Angel of Time》La’tirika.”

This spell, at its core, relied on Nameless’s authority.

“…So it’s like Celica’s original magic, huh!? Damn it, now that I think about it, that’s obvious, isn’t it!?”

In other words, Glenn couldn’t interfere with this spell. He couldn’t even touch it.

“Nameless! Isn’t there some way I can make a contract with you!?”

“No way that’s happening! My contract is one-to-one! Multiple contracts are against the rules! Even if you made a contract with me now, it’d nullify the one with Celica!”

“Damn it…! Just when I thought there was hope…!?”

Glenn looked up.

 

“Guhhh—!?”

“Hahaha! Looks like your life’s kindling is about to burn out, huh?”

 

—Celica and the Demon King were still locked in a fierce magical battle.

The hundreds of fiery spears unleashed by the Demon King streaked toward her like a meteor shower, trailing red tails, while Celica countered them one by one with the same spell.

But—it was painfully clear that Celica was at a disadvantage.

Her face was twisted in agony, on the verge of being overwhelmed.

And—there was no time left.

“Is this it…!? Is this as far as we go…!?”

Even Glenn, faced with this crushing despair and reality, could only clutch his head in desperation.

 

‘…Don’t give up, Glenn.’

 

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

“Nameless?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

He thought it was Nameless’s voice and turned to her, but she looked puzzled.

Yet the voice, which he thought might be a hallucination, continued in his head.

‘That’s not the me over there. It’s the me from here… the me from your future.’

(…Nameless…!?)

Before he could ask why, the Nameless from the future continued.

‘There’s no time to explain, so I’ll keep it short. In conclusion, you do have the authority to use Celica’s spell.’

(Huh!? What are you talking about!? I’m not La’tirika’s contractor…)

‘The contract has already been made, my master.’

(—!?)

‘Yes, it’s a strange paradox, but… you and I have already forged a contract.’

(W-What does that even…!?)

‘At this point, causality has reached a single answer. Thus—you and I are connected once more. …Don’t think too hard. Just follow the path your soul leads you to…’

(…Nameless…!)

The voice of the future Nameless faded again.

He didn’t understand a single bit of the logic. There was no time to think or hesitate.

Then, all that was left was to charge forward—

“《To the farthest reaches of time I go—》”

Glenn began chanting the spell, his magical energy surging.

“What…!?”

“Glenn!?”

Instantly, Nameless and Le Silva flinched in shock.

“What are you doing!? That spell can only be used by Sora! You can’t—”

But Glenn ignored them, rapidly firing off the incantation.

“《The skyscraper of lamentation and clamor》!《The great river reaching time flows to the ninth black flame hell》—!《The black horse that devours its soul heralds its own death》!《I, the revolutionary of the six heavens and three realms, declare my name—》!”

Suddenly, a pulse—

An ominous magical energy stirred from Glenn, and a new array of clock-like magical patterns unfolded across the world, aligning perfectly with Celica’s array.

“What!? No way! How can you use that!?”

“Nameless! It’s not enough! Power…! Give me more power—!”

Reflexively, Nameless unleashed the final《Ars Magna》.

With a surge of magical energy and a sense of omnipotence coursing through him—

Now, Glenn declared the activation with full resolve—

“Heaven Mystery [OVER CHRONO ACCEL]—!”

The world…

underwent a further transformation.

 

———

 

“What—!?”

In that moment, the Demon King, who had never once lost his composure, visibly recoiled in shock.

“No way…! That spell was supposed to be exclusive to Sora…! Why can that man—!?”

Seizing that fleeting moment of hesitation—

“Haaaaaaa—!”

Celica mustered her last strength and unleashed a grand spell.

She cast [Extinction Nova].

The most powerful, maximum-output auroral shockwave that Celica could muster surged straight toward the Demon King.

“Kuh—!?”

The Demon King manipulated space to intercept the incoming auroral wave.

“Aaaaaaaaa—!”

Celica continued to pour everything into [Extinction Nova] at maximum output.

“Guhhh—!?”

The Demon King kept enduring [Extinction Nova].

The world flickered violently.

The battle reached a stalemate once more—but the tide was starting to turn in Celica’s favor.

Because Celica’s [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] was beginning to dominate the field—

“Kuh…!? A double activation of Heaven Mystery…!? No, this can’t be…! All the time parameters of my magic are being reduced to zero…!?”

“…It’s okay, Titus.”

The one who gently encouraged the Demon King was La’falia, standing behind him.

“You’re strong. You won’t lose to something like that…”

“—!?”

Like Nameless, La’falia, too, was fading but bolstered Titus with her presence.

With that simple magical boost, the tide shifted dramatically back toward the Demon King.

The situation completely reversed.

Beyond the dominion of time, space—began to twist.

Celica’s [Extinction Nova] was pushed back, its trajectory warped by the distorted space, turning back toward Celica—

“Not on my watch—!”

Le Silva swiftly clung to Glenn, instantly forming a servitude contract.

“Glenn! My new master! Take my magic! All of it!”

“Oooohhh—!”

Bolstered by Le Silva’s magical boost, Glenn poured even more power into [OVER CHRONO ACCEL]—

“W-What…!?”

The tide shifting toward the Demon King slowed slightly… but it didn’t stop.

It couldn’t be stopped.

The Demon King’s [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE] began to overpower and erode the field’s [OVER CHRONO ACCEL].

“No…!? Even after all this… it’s not enough…!?”

Nameless was almost entirely gone.

Le Silva’s magic was nearly depleted.

And Celica was running out of time.

There were truly no moves left—

“Damn it…! Damn it all—!”

“Hahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahaha!”

In the space dominated by despair, only the Demon King’s triumphant laughter echoed—

“At the end, you gave me quite a scare with that unexpected move… but it’s my victory! Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

All was lost.

Everyone thought so in that moment.

 

“—Not yet!”

 

CRASHHHHHHH!

Suddenly, a crack tore through the otherworldly space—

A tremendous gust of radiant wind swept in, and with it, a girl descended.

“Sistine!?”

“That’s impossible! How did you get into this space!? Your feeble magic shouldn’t be able to interfere with this place!”

The Demon King could only falter at yet another unforeseen event.

Undeterred, Sistine, cloaked in wind, spun at light speed and landed behind Glenn, firmly grasping his shoulder with her left hand.

“Finish it, Sensei!”

What had happened in the brief moment he hadn’t seen her?

Sistine’s magical prowess, now terrifyingly advanced, poured relentlessly into Glenn.

Though shocked, Glenn deftly channeled it—into [OVER CHRONO ACCEL].

“Aaaaaaaaa—!”

Glenn poured everything he had into it—

In that instant.

The faltering [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] slowly began to push back [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE]… pushing… eroding—

And then, past a certain point—it explosively seized control of the field.

The Demon King’s [INFINITE ZERO DRIVE] was swept away to the infinite beyond, and [OVER CHRONO ACCEL] dominated the world in an instant.

“What…”

 

“…No way…”

The Demon King and La’falia froze.

Time, quite literally, had run out.

In this moment, in this space, Celica was the ruler of time.

No one—not even a god—could stand against her now.

“HAAAAAAAA—!”

Celica—pushed the spell through.

The aurora of Celica’s [Extinction Nova]—engulfed the Demon King and La’falia head-on.

“…Ah…”

The two, enveloped in light, began to… slowly… slowly…

Fade into the blinding aurora that painted the entire world white—

“…N-no… impossible…”

The Demon King, with an expression of utter disbelief.

Yet, he had no choice but to accept his defeat.

“…A lie… it can’t be…! Me… me of all people!?”

“Shut up and just disappear already…! You pathetic loser!”

For good measure, Celica cranked up the spell’s output even further. Light surged through the world like a torrent—

 

The Demon King and La’falia—…began to vanish.

 

Vanishing…

 

…And so.

The long, long era of darkness.

Finally came to an end—

 

———

——