Ludger hadn’t just repaired the battleship with the steel cubes—he had remodeled it into something far superior.
The massive blade rising from the prow stood tall, as if solemnly declaring that the ship itself had become a sword.
“Oh, oooooh!”
“That’s amazing!”
The sight drew heated reactions from the mages, especially the men.
A battleship that could be customized like this? Even a man with a frozen heart would feel it blaze watching such a spectacle.
“Hmph. Not bad at all.”
Even Chris Bennimore adjusted his glasses in approval.
“Professor Merilda, is that supposed to be cool?”
“...I’ll never understand men’s sentiments.”
But regardless, everyone could feel how extraordinary Ludger’s magic was.
He had turned the entire battleship into a sharpened blade.
Even a fool could tell where that blade was pointing.
“Full speed ahead!”
They couldn’t waste time dealing with the creatures swarming around them.
The Dreamwalkers ceased intercept fire and poured all their energy into the engines.
The aerial battleship, slowed by the storm of creatures, regained its acceleration.
THUD!
Creatures hurled themselves against the ship, but the reinforced hull didn’t even scratch.
Cheers erupted at the sight of the strengthened vessel.
But the joy didn’t last.
Swoooosh—
A roar like a massive torrent filled their ears.
The beating of countless wings converged into one, shaking space itself.
“What are they trying to do?”
The answer came quickly.
The creatures that had been charging at random now gathered as one and slammed headlong into the battleship.
Those colliding with the blade were shredded and scattered.
It was suicidal—like moths rushing into a blade, like mayflies striking a moving car.
But sheer overwhelming numbers made even such brute tactics effective.
“Our speed’s dropping!”
The acceleration that had been building began to falter.
The enormous blade at the prow was also beginning to chip under the strain.
No matter how sharp and sturdy, it couldn’t withstand that volume of mass hurling itself against it.
“If we get stuck here, it’s over! Clear the path!”
Clara’s shout drove everyone to grit their teeth and unleash more firepower.
Spells streaked across the void, striking the mass of creatures head-on.
Unlike before, they could now focus all their firepower in one direction.
But even so, the endless swarm swallowed the magic whole.
Some mages faltered, despairing.
Spells crushed before they could even detonate—how could numbers alone overpower magic?
For now, the rapidly orbiting cubes shredded the approaching creatures, preventing casualties. But how long could that last?
“We need stronger penetration.”
Ludger began moving the steel cubes around him again, assembling something new.
SCREECH!
The creatures wouldn’t allow it.
Sensing what he was trying to do, they howled.
One shriek set off a chorus, and suddenly the swarm moved as one will.
RUMBLE—
They condensed into a storm even greater than before, a vast black vortex that made faces go pale.
“Holy shit! The biggest one’s coming!”
“There’s no stopping that! If it hits us, we’re all dead!”
“We need to prepare a huge spell—!”
Too late.
While they hesitated, the creatures had already united under one will.
By the time they decided to resist, the vortex was already rushing toward the ship.
It was unstoppable.
As despair and fear froze the crew, two figures strode forward.
STEP.
They stood on the prow—two masked men.
Gasps spread among the onlookers.
“They’re...!”
They were the mysterious figures who had appeared with Franz.
Was it courage or recklessness to step forward now? Most thought it was the latter.
“Looks like the leader’s prepping something big again.”
“Hmph.”
“Then let’s at least work together to open a path, don’t you think?”
“Don’t order me around. I was going to anyway.”
“It’s not an order. It’s a suggestion, idiot.”
“To me, there’s no difference.”
The words were curt, but more familiar than hostile.
It was enough.
“Let’s go.”
CHAK.
Alex drew his sword and took stance.
They didn’t need to say what role each would take—both understood instinctively.
Phantos gripped his massive harpoon and nodded.
The vortex drew closer, a storm of creatures tangled in hideous writhing.
“Ugh, disgusting.”
Alex joked, but his actions belied the levity.
The tip of his sword began to spin the air into a spiral.
A vortex formed visibly, twisting the scenery itself.
“This world really is nice. Things I’d have to perform with my body in reality, I can manifest here with pure insight.”
What was a fleeting flash of inspiration to others stretched long enough for Alex to grasp.
With his talent, the senses Dreamland gave him were nothing short of astonishing.
Was this what it felt like to step beyond the flesh into the realm of pure mastery?
Perhaps here lay fragments of a knight’s ultimate peak.
That his instincts suggested it only confirmed his gift.
This path was no lie.
But such thoughts of the future were premature.
“For now, let’s give it a try.”
Alex swung his sword.
FLASH!
Just one swing, yet the blade flared like a streak of light from the heavens.
A massive ashen spiral of energy shot forth, colliding with the vortex.
It was tens of thousands of creatures bound together.
Even Alex couldn’t hope to stop it alone.
“I wasn’t planning to stop it anyway.”
All he needed was to slow it down.
If he could slip his reverse spiral into the clockwise vortex’s seams, even slightly—
“It’s weakening!”
The unified mass faltered, its storm slowing.
A subtle but masterful technique: exploiting the gaps and using the enemy’s own force to unravel it.
Even to the untrained, the swordplay was familiar.
“Commander Lutus Wardot’s swordsmanship?”
“Similar, but different. Still, only Lutus could do that...”
“Who the hell is that man? Did Lutus take on a disciple?”
The questions didn’t last.
Weakened or not, the vortex wasn’t gone.
The creatures began to move again, ready to swallow the battleship.
Then Phantos leapt.
His role had always been for this moment.
His muscles swelled like they would burst as he poured power into the harpoon.
The colossal weapon shot forth like lightning, aimed at the heart of the storm.
RUMBLE—
Like a salmon leaping against a torrent, the harpoon tore through the black gale, ripping it apart.
BOOM!
A hole opened in the center of the storm.
Gasps erupted.
“They opened a path!”
“Just the two of them? Who are those men?!”
“Doesn’t matter—there’s a way through! Now’s the only chance!”
In the nick of time, Alex and Phantos had bought them precious seconds.
“Well done.”
Ludger unleashed his prepared magic.
CLINK, CLINK.
The cubes swarmed to the prow, attaching to the blade.
A simple sword wasn’t enough.
They needed something that could pierce and shatter.
The shape formed—a massive drill with twin spirals.
WHRRRRR.
The drill mounted on the prow spun at full force.
“Damn! That’s badass!”
“Knew it! I had a feeling about him from the start!”
“Hmph. Not bad.”
Brino stood on the bridge, tears streaming down his face at the sight.
RUMBLE!
The battleship plowed through the hole in the storm.
Creatures threw themselves at it desperately, but the whirling drill hurled them aside.
SCREEEECH!
Unable to stop them head-on, the swarm tried surrounding from every side.
They were deep inside enemy ranks now.
Ludger smirked.
“Headmaster. I believe we’ve given you enough time.”
“Yes. Everything is ready.”
Elisa’s pink mana shimmered as she closed her eyes.
Though her firepower was always impressive, she had never prepared this long before.
The strength of a mage’s spell was proportional to preparation time.
Which meant this spell would surpass anything she had shown before.
“Everyone, hold on to something. The ship will shake.”
She opened her eyes.
Golden pupils flared with condensed power.
[The Morning Star that Illuminates Paradise]
As the radiant brilliance blazed forth, Ludger suddenly recalled a line he had once read:
“Let there be light.”
Even the creatures that knew no fear recoiled in terror, fleeing from the radiance.
But it was meaningless.
Once within range, there was no escape.
Creatures touched by the spreading pink light screamed and exploded.
Each blast triggered another, chaining into a storm of detonations.
Light bloomed everywhere, as though a star had descended to tear apart the black tempest.
On the deck, jaws dropped in awe.
This was ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) far beyond 6th-circle magic.
Perhaps Elisa Willow had just touched the threshold of the 7th.
“Damn it! That’s an explosion even greater than mine! It’s unfair! Magic is unfair!”
Seridan stomped her feet, dazzled and furious.
But at the same time, she couldn’t help but acknowledge Elisa Willow’s brilliance.
“That woman... she really is amazing.”
She froze as Elisa’s golden eyes turned toward her.
It wasn’t coincidence—she was being watched directly, from the bridge.
Elisa smiled warmly.
Seridan went pale and ducked behind Brino’s back.
Thanks to Elisa’s dazzling finale, the path was clear.
The aerial battleship smashed through the wall of creatures, rushing straight for Noxanna’s summoned relic, [Nursery Rhyme].
“I see it! We’ve finally arrived!”
If they destroyed [Nursery Rhyme], it would be over.
The battleship, drill spinning, charged the black bell.
Just before it struck, a surge of power burst from the bell, forming an octagonal shield.
CRASH!
The impact hurled everyone forward.
Ludger clicked his tongue.
“As expected. A tool wielded by a god would have defenses.”
But to think the battleship’s full-force ram hadn’t budged it at all.
GRIND—
The drill spun furiously against the barrier, but it didn’t move.
Instead, sparks flew as the drill’s tip ground down.
Though forged of enchanted steel, it was being worn away.
Then came grim news.
BOOM!
One of the wing engines overheated and exploded.