Rota coughed due to the thick smoke. Her throat, already sore from shouting, now burned with a sharp pain.
“Cough, cough—!”
Her cat ears twitched. They were strangely warm, likely because of the smoke that had gotten into them.
'Where is Kara?' she wondered.
She could see the small mecha units moving, but pinpointing Kara’s exact location was impossible.
And then came the horrific screeching.
"Kieeeek—!!"
"Kyahhh—!!"
While looking around, Rota spotted another sub-adult Chaos Beast emerging from the earth, where an injured elf student was struggling to escape.
"Kieeeek—!!"
The Chaos Beast stared at the female student, drooling a thick, viscous fluid from its mouth.
'...Disgusting.'
In her raspy voice, Rota shouted, “Nyaang—!”
A swarm of orange cats materialized from the mouth of the approaching Chaos Beast. They plunged their teeth into its throat, exploding in a shower of daggers.
"Aeooong—! Aeooong—!"
The cats glowed and swelled up, bursting apart as Rota's buff skill, [Ether Link], tied them together. It was a more effective attack than just throwing daggers.
Puh-kak—!!
The cats evaporated without leaving a trace, spreading countless daggers in a brilliant display.
“…”
…It was efficient, at least, though a bit unsettling to watch.
The injured elf girl limped toward the barricade set up by the theology students.
“Th-thank you, [Golden Witch]!”
“Oh, it's not that…”
Rota blushed at the title, reflexively denying it, but the elf student didn’t linger and quickly escaped behind the plant-based barricade.
‘I can't see where anyone else has gone…’
The chaotic sounds were overwhelming, making it impossible to focus. It wasn’t that the noise had ceased, but rather that it was so intense it muddled her thoughts.
'Focus, focus…!'
Rota took deep breaths to maintain her composure amidst the chaos.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
Having been through countless battles, she knew all too well that losing her cool would only make her a burden. She didn’t want to be dead weight to her friends, who were fighting somewhere nearby.
Filling her small lungs with air, she could smell the burning and feel the chaotic atmosphere around her.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
Alright.
She regained her composure and began clearing the Chaos Beasts. Wherever she pointed her finger, she chanted shortened spells.
“Nyaang—! Nyaang, nyaang!!”
Wherever her finger pointed, the heads of Chaos Beasts exploded, creating a scene that looked like a series of fireworks going off.
Puhak—! Pong—! Kwajik—!
There was no longer any room to cast large-scale fairy tale magic.
The ground shook, and more Chaos Beasts emerged from unknown places.
Whether sub-adults or adults, the twisted creatures kept coming, endlessly regenerating with black threads even when they were killed.
Now, they seemed to have given up fighting and were pushing forward toward something.
□□□□—!! □□□□!!! …!! □□—!!
The situation was a mix of shouts and screams. Amid the chaos, something seemed to have happened.
‘What’s going on…?!’
When Rota turned around, she realized where the endlessly regenerating Chaos Beasts were heading.
‘They’re clinging to the roots of the World Tree?’
The roots of the World Tree, which blessed the farmlands of <Holy Alvenheim High School>, were as large as any massive tree. The Chaos Beasts were swarming over them like aphids.
Shaaa—!!
The Chaos Beasts had broken through the defenses and were now desperately attaching themselves to the roots, sinking their pincers into them and gulping something down.
‘Why…? It’s pointless to suck on the roots since they’re so far from the World Tree’s trunk…?’
The World Tree, apart from its trunk, was essentially just wood… It was like sucking on a regular tree.
Were they simply thirsty?
“…”
But it felt like she couldn’t just leave them to it.
As she prepared to head in that direction, a voice came from above, from where no one should have been.
[Found you—!!] [Die, you orange inferior species—!!] “…!”
Shuaaa—!!
Two brown dragonflies charged at her, their sharp, spear-like mouths thrusting down in a straight line like javelins. The two giant spears, over ten meters long, aimed straight at Rota.
[Twin Priests] The twin siblings were attacking together, drawing a massive line in the sky as they dived.
If those spears pierced her, she knew she would be obliterated, leaving nothing behind, just like the Chaos Beasts she had killed.
“Ah…”
At that moment, Rota’s body froze.
‘I’m going to die.’
She instinctively knew.
Her mind went blank.
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain.
Only one word came to her mind in that final moment.
‘Sorry.’
… … …
But she didn’t die.
“…?”
She felt a burning heat. Behind her closed eyelids, she sensed a scorching warmth.
When Rota opened her eyes, she saw a giant wing.
Hwaaaak—!!
It was a massive wing ablaze with red flames.
The wing was so large that it could have covered the entire student body of <Central Prism Academy> as a blanket. Between the two wings was a familiar face.
[Kkrr?!] [That’s…!]
The two dragonflies were shocked to see the giant flaming bird suddenly intervening.
The bird had the face of a girl. The flames it emitted were familiar, the kind that could kill a dragon.
A girl with short brown hair. In her hands, she held two flaming red swords, darker than the red of ether… crimson holy swords.
Albit turned around and shouted.
“Rota—!! Are you okay?!”
“…Albit.”
“Sorry. I was too late.”
“Uh, um… What about the wings?”
Despite being saved, Rota was more curious about the sudden appearance of giant wings. Albit grinned at her friend’s unexpected question.
“They’re the manifestation of my soul.”
[Crimson Flash]. That was the power the warrior had found within herself. But Rota tilted her head in confusion at the explanation.
“…Did you copy that from Clara-senpai?”
“…"
Albit pouted at her friend’s clueless question.
Not much for romance, are they?
“Comrade Albit—!!”
And then, Kara appeared from a distance, leading the [Revolutionary Comrades]. The flag she was carrying was already tattered and torn.
“What on earth are those wings?”
“She said they’re the manifestation of her soul.”
“Did you copy that from Clara-senpai? Seems like it’s lacking in a sense of grandeur.”
“…"
Not much for romance, these people.
And it seemed those lacking in romance were above them as well.
The two giant dragonflies were flying around in a hurry, shouting.
[Everyone!! We must kill her!!] [I know… I know!!] “…!”
Albit spoke to her two friends.
“Where’s Senpai?”
“…I don’t know.”
“What about [Emerald Bow]… Anna-senpai?”
“…I don’t know either.”
In that case…
It was up to them to handle this now. The moment they had always known would come was here.
Away from Clara-senpai’s protection, this was their first true battlefield.
‘No, it’s not the first. Senpai has led us to where we are now…’
Albit shouted confidently.
“Everyone, can you keep up with my wings?”
“…Is that another line you copied from Clara-senpai? If so, just call your title [Spiral] already.”
“You do have a bit of a showy side… Didn’t expect that to be so cute.”
“Shut up—!”
Clang—!
Albit pointed her crimson sword toward the sky. Up there was the <Ratatoskr> officer that Senpai had been fighting alone.
This time, for sure.
“We’ll defeat them—!!”
Fwoooosh—!!
Albit’s two wings burst into flames. At the same time, the two priests, exuding deadly intent, charged at her from above.
Kwoooom—!!
A crimson flash lit up the sky.
The future—he pulls out a magic-filled object from his chest. It’s something that can temporarily immobilize an opponent.
The present—he reaches into his chest, already knowing what to do from the future he saw.
Ziiiiing—!
Wrapped in a rainbow-colored spiral, he approached the Prophet.
“…!”
The rainbow-colored vision flashed. The future he had seen changed.
The future—the Prophet flees.
‘Where to?’
The Prophet flinched as the distance between them suddenly closed. Reflexively, he flared his black robe, creating a spatial jump to widen the gap.
Paaat!
The Prophet’s figure vanished from the western valley of the academy city.
“Tch—!”
I closed my eyes and focused.
Then, the rainbow-colored lights followed my intent, chasing after the Prophet. My vision tracked him as if I were using an online map.
The scenery of the academy city flashed by.
The valley. The sky. The Golden Street. The plains. The east.
Countless landscapes flew past. It felt like I was a bird, flying at the speed of light.
Shuaaa—!!
I saw the Prophet where he had stopped.
‘There!’
He was heading to the eastern plains. He had fled to the farthest place from the west, but that was the place I knew best. A place where I had pedaled the Red Horse countless times, full of memories with Hilde.
“Reach, [Bifrost]—!”
The rainbow-colored spiral enveloped me as I chased after him, crossing tens of kilometers in an instant. With a head-pounding impact, I saw the serene sky of the eastern plains.
In the middle of the blue sky, a black dot.
Found him.
I’ll kill you.
“[Bifrost]!”
I appeared in front of him.
The Prophet, having anticipated this, was already forming hand signs with black ether. Black threads intertwined in the air, summoning black chains.
Chwarrrrk!
“[Gleipnir]—!”
This was also part of the future vision. Now, returning to the present.
The Prophet was still in the same position.
“[Gleipnir]—!”
“It’s useless!!”
I formed a small spiral in my fist and thrust it forward. At the endlessly spinning end of the ether, rainbow-colored fragments formed.
Kwaduduk—!!
The ominous chains shattered. Beyond them, the Prophet’s form vanished. He must have realized that I was reacting to the future I had seen.
‘You were trying to draw my attention with an impressive attack, weren’t you?’
The rainbow-colored vision had passed. It was now impossible to see the future again, but…
“If you disappear, you’ll be behind me—!!”
Because you’re the type of guy who targets weaknesses.
Without hesitation, I swung my fist behind me.
Thwoooong—!!
My fist connected with the Prophet’s face through the crack in the air. Sure enough, he had tried to sneak up from behind.
It's the kind of move that would catch a careless opponent off guard.
‘I get it. I used to daydream about that sort of thing, too.’
…But high school girls don’t fight dirty like that.
I poured ether into my fist and detonated it against the Prophet’s face.
Kwooooong—!!
The Prophet plummeted from the sky to the ground. The trajectory of his diagonal descent through the blue sky was clear.
The Prophet fell rapidly, but I appeared in front of him again.
“[Bifrost]!!” “…!”
The Prophet looked horrified as he saw me freely teleporting.
He had been hit in the sky and was falling toward the ground, yet here I was, appearing right before him again.
‘Did you mock Hilde like this before you killed her?’
I’ll kill you.
I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.
And I’ll definitely kill you.
I swung my fist so fast it left no afterimages. With the sound of a machine gun firing, I drove the Prophet into the ground.
Tutututu—!!
“Gahhh—?!”
Even if he regenerated with black ether, he wouldn’t survive. I would thoroughly crush him, erasing him from existence.
I kept punching, trying to kill him.
Tutututu—!!
Despite exchanging countless blows, only now did the Prophet’s robe start to tear.
At that moment, I heard two voices.
One was Urd’s voice.
—Clara—! Look inside!!
The other was Pingchang-senpai… the sword spirit Verdandi’s voice.
—Junior—! Stop him!! Look inside the robe!!
I pulled back the Prophet’s robe.
Inside was a vast darkness, distorted space extending infinitely. The power of the ancient Beast God… a spell to warp space was embedded within.
The black robe was like a universe in itself.
And beyond that, a silver star was visible, floating in the darkness, wrapped in chains.
“Hilde…!”
The Prophet had already recovered and grabbed my hand.
“Grr, that place…! You don’t belong there!!”
“Shut up!! Reach, [Bifrost]—!!”
The rainbow spiral enveloped me, pulling me into the infinite subspace within the robe.
‘Reach…!’
In an instant, I arrived right in front of the silver star. I freed the chains wrapped around the pale silver body of the girl.
“…Hilde!” “…Ra, Ra.”
I reached her.