Thud—!!
With the sound of a drum, a shockwave erupted between the wolf and me. The wind generated by my punch pushed the space apart.
Kaang—!!
I felt a heavy impact through my fingertips. The wolf's fangs, as solid as iron bars, were forced back.
But the creature's eyes were still ablaze.
『I will shatter everything into pieces…!』
In the red flames flickering between its pupils, I could sense the deep-seated grudge of a younger sister who had lost her brother.
Just standing there, the wolf was like a curtain of flames towering over the dark mountains, its massive mane billowing as it opened its jaws wide. Despite the bombardment it had endured, its ferocity was undiminished.
Grrrrrr—!
『I’ll return everything that was done to me—!!』
You attacked first. Why are you taking out your grudge on us for something that happened over a thousand years ago?
I thought this, but knew it was pointless to say. We were already fighting to kill each other.
The only logic Pink-Chan understood was simple:
'Fight... and win!'
The wolf lunged at me again with its massive jaws wide open. Inside, a powerful air current began to form.
Shuuuu—!!
"…!"
The air around me shook, getting sucked into the wolf’s gaping maw. My body was pulled dangerously close, like dust being drawn into a vacuum cleaner. The attack the wolf was preparing was the same one that had blown away Astrid’s mist earlier.
'If I get hit at this range, I’ll die…'
My mind raced as I quickly calculated my escape. Every instinct screamed at me to flee.
Run. Get away. Put distance between us.
It felt like needles pricking my skin.
My instincts kept warning me. I didn’t even need to use my future vision.
If that attack connects, it’ll be impossible to approach for a while.
My vision wavered, the sound of footsteps below echoed like explosions.
Boom—! Boom—!
The wolf was still charging madly despite the situation. The walls of the Golden Street were already in sight.
'There’s still a lot of distance left; I’ll have to catch up…'
I clicked my tongue in frustration and prepared to use [Bifrost] to get away.
'Damn it, I can’t think of any strategies…! I need to gain distance and then strike again…!'
But somewhere deep inside, something told me that now wasn’t the time for that. I pulled a faint fragment of a memory from the depths of my mind.
"…!"
Tap tap tap
The sound of a weary man typing echoed in my ears, filled with anger even in the repetitive clicking.
A vision of a pattern analysis on a bluish monitor, accompanied by a furious rant.
[The wolf added in the latest update is proof that Yggdrasil Gate has gone full-world-tier crazy, what the hell?]
[Extreme pain-in-the-ass boss. Seriously, is this for real? There’s no free damage phase, and you can only deal damage by quick-switching to get hit back? Just because the concept is ‘revenge,’ they expect us to take turns getting hit to deal damage? Everyone from PD Song down to the modeling team needs to line up and get beat with quick-switches. How did they think this was possible on a mobile device? My fully-maxed-out Hilde-chan can’t do quick-switch tactics, damn it.]
The stream of curses that followed was dizzying.
Jinsoo-kun☆ Aren’t you cursing a bit too much…?
"…"
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. It felt like I was unexpectedly encountering an old, reckless friend from home.
'So, I still have some memories left.'
But thanks to this memory from my subconscious, I understood the source of the unease I’d been feeling.
Now wasn’t the time to create distance.
It was time to charge straight at the beast.
With that decision made, the faint, flickering memory drifted into oblivion. Like water disappearing down a drain, the memory faded away.
"…"
Being aware of forgetting something was a strange feeling. It wasn’t pleasant to feel like a part of your personality and memory was being forcibly erased by some unseen rule.
'What matters isn’t the memory, but the heart…'
I calmed my thoughts.
I became ‘Clara’ once more.
My vision returned. I steadied my breathing and looked ahead.
Gooooo—!!
The massive wolf was charging forward like a river of murderous intent.
The surrounding air currents were still being drawn into the wolf’s mouth. The eerie energy emanated between its fangs, which protruded like massive iron bars.
'So, you plan to unleash an attack toward the wall…'
But realizing that I had to face it head-on, I now noticed a previously hidden weak spot.
A slight tear in the wolf’s skin that even Freyja’s bombardment hadn’t fully penetrated was now visible. It was almost impossible to notice if you weren’t looking carefully.
'No wonder it didn’t seem to be affected by all those hits…'
I sighed and muttered,
"What a pain-in-the-ass boss—☆"
I used [Bifrost] to close the distance in an instant. The rainbow-colored spiral flashed by, and suddenly I was right in front of those blazing, sun-like eyes.
The sheer force of the energy flowing around me tore my sleeve.
A gust of wind, sharp enough to rip me apart if I moved even slightly, blew around me.
Shwaaa—!
It was scorching.
The blood running down my arm evaporated in the air. But I wrapped myself in ether and charged into the wolf’s mouth.
Closer.
Tap tap—!
『You inferior being…!』
Uh-huh~ Words from an inferior being who’s lost three times don’t hurt me—☆
I’m a strong Pink-Chan—♪
In Moin’s perspective, I must have looked like a fool willingly throwing myself into the jaws of death.
I could feel the wolf’s massive eyes widening in shock.
Inside the wolf’s gaping maw, I spoke.
“Heehee☆ Even if a beautiful girl loses an arm, she won’t blink an eye—♪”
I reached out my hand.
Shwaaa—!!
Beneath the torn sleeve, A surge of heat seared my skin.
Despite my brave words, it hurt. My nails cracked, and my head spun.
Thud—!
Like a tattoo being carved, a sharp pain traced a line across my skin.
Ssssss—
A powerful energy slashed across my cheek, heating it up.
But I didn’t stop.
'The key is to fight back—☆'
I roughly grabbed one of the purple spears lodged in the wolf’s swollen gums. It was an ether weapon left behind by Freyja’s bombardment.
I wrapped it in pink ether and pulled with all my strength.
Thud!
A cold sensation ran through my tingling fingers. At the same time, my vision flashed red. Pink-Chan Vision warned me that I could die if I continued.
Blink Blink Blink
Even so, I could still smile.
"Heeheehee—☆"
The purple spear spun in my hand.
I leaped out of the wolf’s mouth. The outside air met my wounds, bringing a sharp sense of reality back.
Grrrr—!
The wolf’s hateful eyes shook violently with rage. Pink-Chan Vision blinked again, urging me to retreat.
Blink Blink Blink
My vision slowed. I could faintly sense Hilde and her group waiting at the western gate behind me. The wolf’s stride hesitated as it prepared to attack.
One massive step brought disaster.
Boom—!!
I heard the sound of countless buildings and streets in front of the Golden Street being destroyed. The wolf’s decelerating paws kicked up clouds of dust as they dragged along the ground.
Crunch—!
Now the attack would begin.
The wolf, having charged madly, let out a massive roar, intending to crush all who stood in its way.
'If I leave it alone, it’ll reach the World Tree in no time.'
Pink-Chan Vision, which had protected me since my first year, blinked.
The transcendental ability, now upgraded with a rainbow hue, that could even show glimpses of the future, was warning me.
Blink Blink Blink
Run away, it urged.
"…"
But Pink-Chan Vision, Do you know this?
"A comedy character never dies—!!"
『……!!!』
The wolf’s jaws opened wide, and the swirling energy shot out like a storm. I aimed my spear and braced myself.
I was preparing the largest strike I could muster. Pink ether spread from my fingertips, merging with the weapon. The laws of the world that had been erasing me now activated to protect me.
I stood on the shining pink pillar and unleashed my attack.
“[Pink Lemon Sorbet]—!!”
The two attacks clashed at point-blank range. The two forces, pulling in opposite directions like a tug-of-war, eventually expanded with a deafening roar.
Boom—!!!
My vision shook endlessly. Behind me, I could see buildings shattering under the residual force of the clash.
Boom—!!!
Despite this, I didn’t let go of the spear, continuing to channel the pink pillar of energy. Even though it wavered as if it might dissipate at any moment, I held on.
Shwwt—!!
A wound opened up inside the wolf's mouth as it attacked. The injury was a weak spot, revealed only during the strike.
"There it is—☆"
I aimed my spear at that spot and threw it.
The spear, enveloped in a pink spiral, drove deep into the wound.
For the first time, Moin let out a scream of genuine pain, a clear sign that it was a critical hit.
『Aaaaargh—!!』
"…!"
The wolf thrashed in agony, trying to smash its face into the ground. The menacing energy dissipated in all directions.
『Get away from me!!』
In an instant, I was flung into the air, ejected from the wolf's mouth. After all the struggle to stay inside, the sudden expulsion felt almost anticlimactic.
"Whoa, whoa?!"
Damn it. Can’t you handle a little pain without screaming? So what if your mouth is cut? No need to cry like that.
'You're totally disqualified as a high school girl—☆'
I clenched my fist in midair, preparing to attack again. Pink ether wrapped around my fist, glowing brightly.
Shwooo—
The ether drained from my body, leaving me feeling heavy.
It wasn’t the first time I had used [Pink Lemon Sorbet] in rapid succession, but using it so recklessly was exhausting. It was far less tiring to channel the attack through a weapon.
"[Pink Lemon Sorbet]—☆"
A dazzling pink spiral formed. The attack started from my fist, with countless hearts charging forward.
And it wasn’t the only attack aimed at the wolf.
Purple weapons fell from the sky. Hundreds of flames trailed behind me from a distance. And the forces surrounding the wolf from behind, calmly closing in.
Amidst it all, the wolf roared.
『Aaaaargh—!!』
Though the wolf had charged forward with its massive frame, It was now surrounded and dying with the World Tree just within reach.
Boom—!!
The wolf slowly crumbled under the barrage of attacks.
But as the wolf staggered, something began to emerge from its throat.
Gulllp—
A massive, wriggling white form. Yet, it was small enough to have hidden inside the mouth of the wolf, which was several tens of meters tall.
'…A moth?'
Brrrr…
A giant moth emerged from the wolf’s mouth, shaking its fluffy body. Unlike the other priestesses, who were covered in horns, this creature looked like a simple moth, aside from the horns instead of antennae.
It was the [Priestess of Dreams]… Svafnir in her true form.
As weak as her appearance suggested, She was indeed the weakest of the priestesses.
"…?!"
Wait. Why are you here…?!
The white moth, Svafnir, spat something into the air. It was a mass wrapped in silver threads.
Shwpaaat—!
Covered in saliva, the object shot away and disappeared into the sky.
[Target, reached.]
Svafnir’s wings glowed with a bright light.
[Illusion, deployed.]
A wave of light spread out, colliding with the many forces closing in on the wolf.
Jing— Jing— Jing—
Those struck by the light flailed in confusion. The encirclement around the wolf was instantly disrupted.
"Wha—?! What’s happening?!" "I can’t see!" "Aaaaah, I’m falling!" "Get a grip! There’s no way we’re actually falling!!"
But those gathered here were among the strongest in the academy city, and they quickly recovered from the illusion.
'What… is this…?'
The situation was almost reset. Even the weakest priestess's trap could only blind us for a few seconds…
At that moment, Hilde called out to me urgently from afar.
"Lara—!!! Up there!!" "…?!"
Following Hilde’s gaze, I saw the mass of threads Svafnir had spit out unraveling in the sky.
And…
From it, the prophet was emerging, flying toward the World Tree. He had unfurled black dragon wings from his back and was soaring at full speed.
"I must—!!"
I had to stop him.
"[Bifrost]—!!"
Shwshh—!
I teleported directly behind him and grabbed onto the wings protruding from his robe.
Riiip—!
The wings tore, halting his ascent.
The prophet began leaking black energy. But even as he started descending, the trajectory still led directly to the World Tree.
As we plummeted through the sky, we wrestled with each other. The prophet, consumed by madness, continued to regenerate and heal despite my attacks.
"I will save this world—!!" "Stop it!!" "I will save it aaaaall—!!!"
Desperately, I grabbed the prophet by the collar and tried to escape using [Bifrost].
"…!"
But it didn’t activate.
Ah, damn it…
Teleportation didn’t work near the World Tree.
So we continued to tumble and crash down onto the ground where the World Tree stood.
Thud—!!
Crack—
The dragon, which had been lurking in the darkness, rose.
It lifted its body, filled with black bubbles. As it did, the aura of the abyss seeped into the ether that filled this world.
『Returning… to the form I should have.』
Kugugugugung—!!!
The entire world shook and split apart.
The nine worlds, forcibly held together by the World Tree, began to separate.