Spirit Camouflage was when a Spirit Mage wrapped the power of a spirit around their own body to maximize its strength.
In Vierno’s case, he clad himself in the power of a wind spirit—receiving overwhelming boosts to speed, ignoring air resistance, and even shrouding his fists in airflow to amplify their destructive force.
At first glance, one might think it absurd: a Spirit Mage who normally just summoned and commanded spirits now standing on the frontlines himself? Could he really fight properly?
But a Spirit Mage who achieved Spirit Camouflage had their physical abilities raised to an absurd degree.
What’s more, by drawing out the spirit’s power to its absolute limit, they became something like a living semi-incarnation of nature itself.
‘That... from Instructor Selina?’
In Vierno’s memory, Spirit Mages who could achieve Spirit Camouflage were extremely rare.
To compare it to mage hierarchy, Spirit Camouflage was close to the 6th-Circle, the [Lexuror] class.
Something impossible without extraordinary talent and effort.
And more than that, what was required was communion with the spirit itself.
‘Spirits are the embodiment of nature. No matter how human one may be, there’s no way a human mind could form true communion with the will of nature itself.’
It wasn’t that spirits were lacking—it was that human ability fell short.
Would a pet dog ever truly understand all of its owner’s thoughts, worries, and burdens and sympathize with them?
It was the same for Spirit Mages.
Spirits, incarnations of nature, were far beyond the scope of human understanding.
This was why Seorn’s other Spirit Studies instructors could not achieve Spirit Camouflage.
‘No. For short-lived humans, it was something impossible for almost all of them.’
Even Vierno, who had reached it, was only able to because he was a very old elf.
And yet Selina, at her young age, had succeeded in Spirit Camouflage.
Vierno did not realize how special Selina’s case was.
That she was not an ordinary human at all, but an artificial spirit—and that the spirit she merged with, Esmeralda, was not an ordinary spirit either.
Humans and spirits were both incomplete.
But because of that, when two incomplete beings came together, they could transform into something complete.
Selina, fused with Esmeralda, stretched out her hand.
At her fingertips, a black sphere formed. Slowly, it shot forward, reaching the narrowing gap in the barrier.
“Everyone, step back.”
Her voice was quiet, but all present heard it clearly.
Those struggling at the entrance instinctively stepped back.
Their bodies moved before thought—their instincts compelled them to retreat.
The fist-sized darkness Selina had fired reached the gap in the barrier—and then swelled greedily in size.
It expanded to a radius of about five meters, swirling like a vortex.
Then the darkness vanished like a mirage—leaving behind a cleanly carved, massive passage.
“W-what...?”
“It could be broken that easily?”
People gaped, unable to believe what Selina had just shown.
Ludger was just as shocked.
For Selina, fused with the dark spirit, was the spitting image of Esmeralda.
When he looked at her in disbelief, Selina too glanced back—and their eyes met.
Selina gave him a goofy, innocent smile.
Only then, seeing °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that carefree, guileless grin even in such a dire moment, did Ludger realize that she was still Selina.
He gave her a small nod, then turned his gaze to the gaping hole in the barrier.
Until now, the barrier had always regenerated itself whenever it was damaged. But this time, it did nothing.
Because the darkness Selina used had devoured the space itself.
The barrier, which normally repelled external force like a spring, had no answer against the dark spirit’s power.
It wasn’t an impact from outside, nor a force seeping in to destroy from within.
It simply consumed the space itself.
‘The darkness attribute magic I use is nothing more than imitating the attribute with mana. But that— that is not an imitation. That is true [Darkness].’
If the Spirit Studies community were to witness this, they would foam at the mouth in shock.
Of course, that assumed they made it out alive to tell the tale.
That was how overwhelming and incomprehensible Selina’s display of power was.
Still, whatever the case, the barrier being opened was a ray of light amidst despair.
“It’s open! If we widen the hole and just get inside...!”
But Seridan’s cry from the bridge cut off midway.
With a crash, something slammed into the airship and shook it violently.
“What was that just now?!”
What had struck the ship was just a single creature.
But unlike the others, it was not ordinary.
It was far stronger, far faster.
If the other creatures were crows, this one was a resplendent golden eagle.
“No way...”
Feeling the familiar aura, Franz’s eyes widened.
The golden creature that had rocked the ship and pulled back let out a mad laugh.
“Khahahaha!”
It had a bird’s body but the head of an old, hooked-nosed man. The creature was none other than Nirva, resurrected after death.
“I must thank the Goddess! Though this form is not as complete as before, at least I can fight once more like this!”
Nirva’s speed as he circled in the air was nearly impossible to track with the eye.
Among the black creatures, the golden Nirva stood out blindingly—but his speed made such visibility meaningless.
His figure blurred, drawing golden lines through the sky.
And before they realized it, that trail had pierced the airship’s main engine.
KWAANG!
The rear section of the ship exploded, debris flying everywhere.
“This is bad! The main engine’s gone!”
Seridan screamed from the bridge.
The ship lost thrust and began slowly tilting to one side.
Dreamwalkers tried to sustain it by blowing dreams into it, but with the engine destroyed it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
And Nirva was hardly going to stand by and watch.
“Crash into the ground already, you worms!”
“Ugh! Ugly bastard!”
Seridan aimed the remaining main gun at Nirva, but his movements were too fast to target.
By the time the sluggish cannon swung toward him, Nirva had already vanished, leaving another golden trail in the air.
That web of golden lines in the sky turned again toward the ship—this time for its center.
Nirva meant to cleave it in half.
A simple body slam, but the power he’d shown destroying the engine was more than enough.
“I’ll split you apart...!”
Triumphant, Nirva suddenly froze mid-flight.
His gaze was locked onto a man standing on the deck, his face heavy with gloom.
“That man...”
Nirva could feel it.
The power of his nemesis—second only to Ludger in bringing him humiliation within the Infinite Prison—emanating from that human.
Sedina Roschen had once said it.
That the Beast of Jévaudan was merely a human wielding that power.
‘So it’s him...’
Though resurrected by Noxanna, Nirva had not lost his memories.
That nightmarish form the Beast of Jévaudan had shown still haunted his instincts, forcing a split-second gap in his movements.
And in that gap, a cluster of black tendrils lashed toward him.
Nirva snapped out of it, flapping his wings hard, twisting his body, and making an impossible right-angle turn to escape.
On the deck, Selina extended her hand after him, fingers twitching in frustration.
Even with his avian body, Nirva shuddered at her presence.
From Selina, fused with the dark spirit, radiated a terrifying power of another kind.
Before, she had merely slain one of his subordinates—just a minor threat.
But between his death and rebirth, Selina had become a top-priority danger.
And the cause of this sudden change... was, as always, the one called [Holy Grail]—Ludger.
Possessing the power to overturn fate itself, his existence became the pivot point that warped those around him.
“We can’t hold on much longer! At this rate we’ll crash!”
Brino’s cry made everyone realize how dire the situation was. They turned toward the breach in the barrier.
“Run!”
“It has to be now!”
As people scrambled, Nirva’s face twisted grotesquely.
With the bird’s body and the old man’s face, he shrieked and ordered his creatures.
“What are you doing?! Stop those vermin! Go! Lay down your worthless lives to protect the Goddess’s relic!”
RUMBLE.
As the creatures swarmed, the sound was like thunder within storm clouds.
Thanks to the time Nirva had bought by destroying the engine, the monsters clung to the airship, tearing at its armor.
The ship, barely holding together, finally gave way and tilted into a full crash.
The deck splintered with a dreadful crack, tearing apart.
Those standing upon it were dragged into the chaos.
“No!”
Selina spread her black tendrils like a web, barely patching the ship together.
But her darkness was for absorbing and annihilating, not for mending.
“I can’t hold it for long!”
“Selina! I’ll help!”
Merilda joined in, tossing alchemical reagents that burst and glued into the cracks.
“I’ll assist as well!”
Brino conjured armored plates, layering them over the deck.
“Tch. This is endless.”
Chris Bennimore clicked his tongue, manifesting his magic and binding the ship with masses of vines.
One by one, Seorn’s instructors poured strength into keeping the ship intact.
And above them, the creatures bared their teeth and swarmed down.
BOOM!
Pink flashes streaked through, spherical explosions bursting like stars in the air.
Elisa, pouring out mana, spoke.
“We can’t all go. Someone must stay to protect those here.”
Her eyes fixed on Ludger.
Understanding her meaning, Ludger nodded.
He would trust her with this.
Turning, he charged toward the breach in the barrier.
“Owenz!”
At his call, the members of Owenz all responded.
Alex and Phantos flanked him. Violetta, Arfa, and Hans joined.
Seridan leapt down from the bridge, and even Bellaruna—who had been gazing wistfully at Chris Bennimore through her mask—followed.
Ludger and Owenz plunged into the barrier, Franz on their heels.
“No!”
The Dreamwalkers moved to follow—but were blocked as Nirva’s golden form slammed down onto the deck.
“None shall pass!”
The murderous light pouring from Nirva’s eyes made their faces harden.
“Fine. We had plenty of debts to settle with you anyway.”
“Better this way. It would’ve felt wrong to just ignore you.”
For the Dreamwalkers, Nirva was the one they most despised.
He had killed comrades dear as family—and because of him, both their Master and Zantman had sacrificed their lives.
And Nirva grew irritated seeing them unafraid.
“Creatures that couldn’t even stand before my complete self, daring to run their mouths?”
“That was before. Now we’re not so sure we’d lose.”
“What, did turning into a bird make your brain bird-sized too? Forget it. Guys, let’s roast this chicken.”
“Boil it!”
“I like mine fried!”
Their mocking laughter turned Nirva’s face crimson.
“Good! Even like this, I’ll show you I can tear you all to shreds!”
* * *
Beyond the barrier, Ludger was startled to find they could step on solid ground.
From outside it hadn’t been visible, but inside stretched a different world.
A dry, featureless realm of white octagonal tiles.
At its center lay a black paper.
[Nursery Rhyme]
Destroy that, and it would all be over.
“Now’s my chance to—”
Franz gripped his dagger and stepped forward—but Ludger stopped him with a hand.
“Not yet. Save your strength. You’ll need it later.”
“...Right. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.”
The relic [Nursery Rhyme] sensed the intruders within its domain.
Though a tool, it had its own will and instinct.
That was what made it a godly artifact.
Power surged from [Nursery Rhyme], a massive psychic wave crashing over Ludger’s group.
Sparks of black crackled around it, forming a new barrier.
They had to shatter it with overwhelming force before it completed.
“Seridan.”
At that moment, Ludger spoke an unexpected name.
Everyone blinked in surprise, and Seridan stepped forward with a confident smile.
“Ready?”
“Ever since I started piloting that airship, I’ve been itching to use this.”
“...I see. Understood.”
Ludger glanced back at Owenz and Franz.
“Fall back. Unless you want to be caught in it.”