Clara stood atop the giant’s neck, holding the flag high. As she did, the deep blue ether resonated, spreading out like a wave.
Boom—
Then, with her eyes gleaming brilliantly in deep blue, she shouted,
“Comrades!! Everyone, move forward—!! We will unite as one to save our friends and advance together!!”
Thud— Thud— Thud—
Hundreds of giants marched forward. With each step, the barriers of dimensions were being torn apart by sheer physical force, and obstacles in their path were being shattered.
It was like a wave created by a single person.
[Unnamed Hawk], flying alongside Helena, muttered in awe.
“This is… Tweet… truly an overwhelming sight. It’s hard to believe that this is the power of a single person.” “Of course, it’s not just my power.”
Clara spoke while holding the flag atop the giant’s neck.
“It’s the power of comrades… and friends who have come together!” “…” Helena glanced at Clara, then jumped off the back of [Unnamed Hawk]. She landed on the shoulder of the steel giant.
Boom—!
Despite Helena’s heavy armor, the giant didn’t even flinch at the impact. Instead, it laughed heartily.
“Hahaha… Hahaha…!! Hahahahahahaha—!!! After 324 years of life!!! My youth has finally arrived—!!!”
The boisterous laughter of the old tailor Dwarf filled the air. A powerful light burst forth from the eyes of the steel giant.
Zing—!
A circle. A rectangle. Long limbs. And the blazing deep blue light in its eyes.
“Hahahahahahaha—!!!”
The laughter echoed for kilometers around.
But some Chaos Bugs, reacting to the laughter, flew in and attacked.
Shriek—!!
“What?!”
The old tailor Dwarf tried to fend off the Chaos Bugs that suddenly attacked from the air, but with his small frame, it wasn’t easy to catch the agile creatures.
“Shhh…”
Helena, wrapping her greatsword in gray ether, jumped off the old tailor’s shoulder. She slashed at the approaching Chaos Bugs.
Slash!
She leaped from one giant’s shoulder to another, repeating the same actions as she moved along the line of marching giants.
“Ahem, ahem… Anyway.”
The old tailor Dwarf, now a giant. Though his appearance was simple to the extreme, His overwhelming size exuded an intimidating presence.
The steel giant with its distinctive fiber optic mustache advanced. With each step, the black swamp erupted in splashes.
Splat!
But no swamp could block the old man’s path.
The memory of being unable to cross even a small puddle came to mind, making him laugh heartily once more.
“Everything lies beneath me—!! Hahahahaha!!! Who knew that being tall could bring such joy!! Hahahahaha—!!!”
Thud Thud Thud Thud
Rocks shattered before the earth-shaking footsteps. The translucent barriers that divided dimensions were no obstacle before the giant steel legs. The massive pillars of legs leaped over everything.
But before the old tailor Dwarf, a shadow blocked his path. It was a massive mutant Chaos Bug, crudely sewn together by the power of death.
Rumble…!
The giant insect that rose from the black swamp was nearly as large as the 20-meter-tall giant. It approached, dripping slime from its enormous body.
The mutant Chaos Bug closed in rapidly. The monstrous creature lunged at the giant heading towards <Mimir Industrial High School>, emitting a foul stench from its massive body.
Hiss—!!!
Yet the old tailor Dwarf didn’t flinch at the Chaos Bug’s assault. Instead, he clenched his fist, his eyes shining like a lighthouse.
Zing—!!
“Begone—!! You wretched creature—!!”
His thunderous shout echoed so loudly that debris nearby was blown away.
“You filthy bugs—!! You… You—!!”
Grinding…!
The old man’s giant teeth ground together, sounding like rocks rolling. His massive steel fist, as large as a wrecking ball, rose into the air, filled with fury.
“You dared!! You dared to hurt our Clara—!!”
As he recalled the pale face of the girl he cherished like a granddaughter, The tailor Dwarf’s mustache flared with rage.
Rumble—
The fist sliced through the air, Barreling towards the Chaos Bug’s jaw with terrifying force.
Whoosh—
The wind howled ominously, so heavy that just hearing it sent chills down the spine.
It was like a divine blow. Small creatures… wouldn’t leave a trace, obliterated by its destructive power.
Finally, the fist connected with the Chaos Bug’s head.
BOOM—!!!
The giant insect’s head exploded. It died instantly, unable to even scream. Its brains and fluids erupted into the air, falling like rain.
“Hmph!”
The giant Dwarf tossed the regenerating oversized Chaos Bug aside. His pine-like mustache quivered with his snort.
The tailor Dwarf roared with laughter.
“What a pathetic bug!! Of course, the kind that bullies little girls would be like this!!” “Haha… Elder, you are quite vigorous.”
The bakery youth, also transformed into a giant, laughed as he caught up to the excited tailor Dwarf. He, too, was stomping through and slaughtering numerous Chaos Bugs.
Hundreds of giant Dwarves—the residents of <Central Prism Academy>’s shopping district—were crushing the Chaos Bugs and shaking the earth as they advanced.
Thud Thud Thud
Everything for hundreds of kilometers in their path was shattered, filled with the torn-apart remains of Chaos Bugs, so destroyed they couldn’t even regenerate.
The smallest inhabitants had now become a massive wave moving forward.
“They said that bug boss hurt Clara, can you believe it?!” “What?! These vile creatures!!” “Let’s crush them all!!” “They dared harm our school’s students!” “Crush them! Sweep them all away!”
Thud Thud Thud
Shraaaah—!!
Chaos Bugs were pulverized under the enormous feet of the mountain-like giants. Their spilled blood flowed like rivers.
Clara looked at the scene and let out a chuckle.
“…Haha.”
In truth, even these seemingly bold giants had hesitated at first.
-Even if we grow bigger… is there really anything we can do?
The residents of the shopping district were initially afraid to venture out, even as giants. But they didn’t hesitate to help the students of <Central Prism Academy> who had once helped them.
“Oh my, look at those filthy bugs! They’re attacking the young ladies!” A giant, 20 meters tall, wearing an apron, stomped forward. She kicked a mature Chaos Bug away with one powerful strike.
BOOM—!!
The steel leg’s strike sent the massive Chaos Bug flying, unable to even scream.
The steel giant in the apron picked up the two girls the Chaos Bug had been attacking and placed them gently on her palm. She spoke in a kind tone.
“My goodness, are you girls okay?” “Ah… Uh…” “Yes…” “You must be students from around here, right?” “Uh…” “Hm? Oh my, you must be shy since you’re young ladies~” “…” “…” In truth, the two girls were more frightened of the sudden appearance of these mysterious giants than of the Chaos Bug that had attacked them.
Above the smiling face of the giant, a fierce deep blue light shone from her eyes.
Zing—!!
“Eek…?!” “Uh…?!”
The two girls on her palm turned their heads away from the blazing light like sunlight.
In this way, the hundreds of giants marched forward without hesitation, reaching <Mimir Industrial High School>.
Clara, with her eyes glowing deep blue, spoke.
“Our friends are trapped in that Golden Street. Send all the airships to help them.” “…” “…” Skadi and Maya had much to say, but hesitated to speak.
< Mimir Industrial High School> was in a precarious situation, with the collapse starting from the outside. And it was struggling just to maintain its position within the slowly closing perimeter of mutant Chaos Bugs.
The ones who had broken through all of that were the giants. They had swiftly repaired the collapsing walls of <Mimir Industrial High School> and scooped up the black swamp with their hands. But after finishing their tasks, they rapidly shrank back down to ordinary Dwarves.
Skadi spoke in a regretful tone.
“Well, I’d like to send out support immediately, but there’s not enough space to operate the airships. The ground has collapsed, and all the airfields are ruined.”
Clara responded calmly.
“If we enlarge the Dwarf comrades, they can repair everything.” “…Is that even possible?” “Yes. With my [Wave of Revolution], it can be done.” “…You’re saying you can cast that Unique Ether skill on all the Dwarves? On hundreds, even thousands of them?”
Clara nodded in response to Skadi’s question.
“Yes.” “This is insane. If we had this, no one would ever look down on <Mimir Industrial High School>… All the efforts I’ve made to raise the school’s status seem ridiculous now…”
Skadi collapsed in disbelief. But Clara’s gaze as she looked at Skadi was somewhat complex.
It reminded her of the bleakness she felt when she left the school.
‘…Even Skadi, the student council president, was once such an ordinary girl. How did she end up creating such a bleak school?’
No… In fact, she thought she might understand the reason.
“…” Now that she had met Skadi in person, she realized that the dictator she had always imagined wasn’t this girl. She was just… a girl who wanted to hide her helplessness behind a facade of coldness.
‘Did you struggle to protect a school that didn’t even have a single Unique Ether user?’
Clara still couldn’t agree with her methods. But now, she could see that her thoroughness and bleakness felt like a desperate cry.
“…” Anyway. That’s all in the past now.
What mattered now was…
“Then, let’s get started right away.”
Maya, who had been listening quietly, casually spoke with her hands in her pockets.
“…Maya, you always make everything sound so simple.” “Skadi, you’re the one who always makes simple things complicated.” “Even so…!”
Just as Skadi was about to argue, a breath came from behind her, where a black helmet loomed. Warm air brushed against the back of Skadi’s neck.
“…Shhh.” “Haaah?! What is this?!” “…Were you bewitched?” “What are you talking about?!”
As Maya watched this scene, she muttered in a low voice,
“…If Clara is in trouble, we need to help her.” “Maya-senpai…” “Hm?”
Clara hesitated for a moment before asking,
“Maya-senpai, why are you so particular about helping Clara-senpai?” “…” It was something she had always been curious about. Maya, who always appeared indifferent, would suddenly show up to help and then disappear just as quickly.
“…” Maya scratched her head, recalling her first year, and said,
“…Well, when you’re crossing the wilderness and someone gives you their last can of food, it’s not something you forget easily. We decided to be friends for life.” “…Just that?” “Yeah.” “…” Maya chuckled slightly as she added,
“Just that. But it was enough that I couldn’t see anyone else.” “…I see.”
Clara smiled brightly as she replied.
Indeed. It was rare to find a senpai like her. Just as rare as the friends she had here.
“Then let’s go together to rescue them.”
A short while later.
Thousands of giants and dozens of airships began to break through the dimensional barriers and advance towards the Golden Street.
“We’re going to save our friends.”
At the forefront of the march, a flag glowing with deep blue ether proudly led the way.
In the quiet living room. Selma senpai had fled to a café, claiming she couldn’t concentrate, and Nina senpai had gone to the library to prepare for her next certification exam.
‘It feels like the two of them switched places.’
Meanwhile, I was left at home with Frida-senpai.
Scratch, scratch—
The sound of a pencil brushing against the sketchbook filled the room.
“…You know.” “…Yes?”
Frida-senpai, while drawing my face, suddenly asked,
“Are you happy right now?” “…” Happy. Happy, huh…
I found myself thinking deeply about it.
“…” I think… I am happy. This once desolate room is now filled with people I love.
‘Desolate…? Why was this one-room apartment desolate? I’ve always lived here with the others.’
Everyday life continued without interruption. Stable days followed one after another.
‘Was there ever a time when it wasn’t like this?’
Just like this. I wished these peaceful, unchanging days would continue…
Yes, like a straight line extending infinitely.
Straight…
“…” But then why couldn’t I immediately nod my head in agreement?
‘Something… something doesn’t feel right.’
Well… If being happy is being happy, what more could there be?
“…Yes.” “I see. That’s good to hear~” “…” Frida-senpai’s face was hidden behind her sketchbook.