The last thing Urd saw was the blackness overwhelming her vision.
When she came to her senses, she realized she was being flung away at an incredible speed.
"No, no—!!"
The path of countless stars rushed past her like a comet. The darkness receded as the wind howled past. Everything she had sacrificed so much to achieve was slipping away.
‘Again... I was reckless again...’
Urd reached out desperately, feeling utterly miserable.
‘Again... I was so useless...’
No matter how much she reached out, she couldn’t grasp it.
‘I’m sorry... for being so powerless...’
And then, the scene before her eyes—
The group had boarded the airship as it drew closer, passing over the black waterways and the ruins of the academy city.
Occasionally, distortions and barriers formed by the intersecting dimensions appeared, but they couldn’t stop the march of hundreds of steel giants.
The black swamp rose from the ground, and many students sank into the abyss. However, even in the midst of this, there were those who managed to survive.
Freyja, Astrid, Rota, and Kara were able to gather the warriors who had been left behind as they crossed the central part of the academy city.
Fiona, the next student council president of <Scarlet Academy>, gawked at the airship with her mouth wide open. She was particularly fascinated by the heat emanating from the ether engine in the ship's power unit.
“W-Wow!!! If we set a fire here, it’d be epic—!!! It’d be an explosion so huge that the entire academy city could see it!!!” “Indeed, Captain!!” “If we brought a bike and escaped with a cool pose right before the explosion, it’d be incredibly awesome!!!” “Woohoo!!! Let’s do it right now—!!!”
The girls in red uniforms screamed in excitement. Skadi and Maya, horrified by their words, shouted back at them.
“Are you crazy?!” “Are you out of your mind?!”
As the students from <Mimir Industrial High School> and <Svart Industrial High School> busily tried to restrain the passengers, the rescued students mostly sat quietly in the general passenger seats despite the commotion caused by a few rowdy students.
“...”
Sigrun, the head of the <Gjallarhorn> investigative team, also sat in a corner of the airship with a gloomy expression. Next to her were Greta, the youngest member of the investigative team, and a few other members, sitting quietly.
“...” “...” “...”
They were all worried about what was to come.
The Golden Street, which they had considered their last stronghold, had completely fallen. The main force stationed there had been swallowed up by the suddenly emerging abyss.
Only the patrol team that had been circling the eastern wilderness narrowly escaped the collapse. They were discovered by the giants who were conducting rescue operations near <Mimir Industrial High School>.
“...”
They had merely survived. Without a city to protect, <Gjallarhorn> was meaningless.
As her thoughts reached this point, Sigrun's expression turned bitter.
‘We survived... I never thought I’d use that word in the academy city.’
She wasn't even sure if she should still call this place the academy city.
Sigrun gazed out the distant window.
The ground was shattered, and black abysses filled the cracks. The abyss, which had pooled like a puddle, had completely covered the ground.
Rumble—
Even now, the sky was crumbling, and an opaque veil was descending like a curtain. It was pushing everything away, making it impossible to reach others, even if they were in the same space.
The academy city now resembled a cake smashed by a hammer.
“...”
Sigrun clenched her fist and steeled herself.
There were still survivors in the academy city. It was their duty to rescue them.
Sigrun wiped the lingering echoes and tragic scenes from her mind and stood up resolutely.
The members of the investigative team, still dazed, looked at her.
“Captain...?” “Captain?” “We’ve rested enough. It’s time to prepare!” “P-Prepare?”
Sigrun smiled as she grabbed the bow she had tossed to the floor.
“Prepare to save people!” “…!” “…!”
At her words, the members of <Gjallarhorn> stood up, grasping their weapons and readying themselves for action.
As many hearts intersected, the airships continued their journey, with the giants marching below.
Among the hundreds of dwarf-born giants, a few stood out at the forefront, carrying a massive tower as they marched proudly.
Thud—! Thud—!
It was an unreal sight to see them carrying entire buildings. The giants who recreated this astonishing scene laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! If we can lift buildings, there’s nothing to fear!” “That’s right!” “Let’s go crush that dragon or whatever it is—!” “That’s right!”
However, the students of the Explorers' faction inside the tower, maintaining the "Sage's Chamber," were having a hard time. They were tossed around inside the chamber every time the giants laughed and shook their bodies.
“Ugh... Uuuugh... It’s too hard...” “I just want to read a book in peace...”
Eventually, the students of the Explorers' faction, who couldn't take it anymore, looked at their second-in-command.
“D-Damn it...! Librarian Mila, can’t we just ride on the airship instead?” Second-year Rabbit Librarian Mila answered firmly.
“I-I feel like I’m going to puke, so don’t talk to me and just shut up...” “Sniff...”
Thus, the tower maintained by the Explorers' faction students, who were desperately trying to suppress their nausea, was carried forward.
At the top of the tower, there were five people and one bird.
“...”
Kara held the flagpole at an angle and observed the surroundings. Her eyes glowed a vivid navy blue.
“The black energy outside is growing thicker. We’ll probably arrive soon.” “...” “Chirp Comrade?” “...Something’s not right.” “What do you mean?” “Chirp! My body doesn’t feel well... and my vision... is getting...” “Are you sick? The air outside doesn’t seem good...” “No, this is... Chirp... I’ll just rest for a while.”
The [Nameless Falcon] closed its eyes and lowered its head.
Kara gently stroked the [Nameless Falcon] and looked outside again.
“...”
Astrid, who was next to her, narrowed her eyes. The abyss seeping in from outside reflected in her crimson eyes, glowing a blood-red color.
“Hmph, this fog is most unpleasant. The power to forcibly manipulate the laws of the world... There is not a single part of it that brings joy to people, unlike my radiance. Don’t you agree, Black Knight?”
Helina replied indifferently with a low, humming voice.
“...It’s your side, with its flashy hiding techniques, that’s more deviant.” “What—?!” “...You’ve been entranced by your own flashiness.” “How dare this rude knight...?!”
Leaving the bickering pair behind, Freyja stood up with a determined expression.
“I-It looks like we’re almost done with the preparations.”
In the center of the Sage's Chamber, Rota was connecting the magic tome to the mechanism and muttering. Orange light spread like a spider's web from the center of the chamber, filling the ether circuit.
Flash—
Rota’s eyes glowed a bright orange. The voice that always rang clearly in her ears resonated along with the light.
[Not fate, but a story. A story not just a story, but the form of a soul.]
She looked like a doll made of light. Her two cat ears and clear eyes. Even each strand of her hair was glowing.
Vroom—!!
[As the golden morning rises, cats pour out of the orange clouds, and a girl on a pink bicycle, with a red falcon, dances to the blue flag.]
The madman's muttering. The more the words, which sounded like sleep-talking, continued, The more the magic tome began to shine, scattering new colors.
Rota clapped her hands and shouted.
[Meow—!!]
Vroom—!!
Rota's ether skill. Clara's ability to use the ether of others. The spellcasting method altered by the [Golden Witch].
Everything changed one unchangeable rule completely.
The tip of the tower shone like a lighthouse, And all the beastfolk girls trembled. They felt their thoughts connecting with each other.
H-Huh?! Wh-What is this?! Aah?! Don’t read my thoughts—!! Do you... always think like that...? Freyja shuddered at the sight. Without pulling out her wand, she subtly raised her hand and activated her ether skill.
“...”
Flash!
A barrier formed above her palm. It was the [Rabbit Hole Barrier], a skill of Rabbit Librarian Mila.
Seeing this, Freyja took a deep breath.
“...!”
Ether skills were singular. But in this moment, in this light, they had become multiple.
While in this light, they could use others’ magic and borrow others' ether calculations. Their magic multiplied and grew stronger.
A huge change had come to the magic they had believed to be the ultimate truth and had given up developing.
‘Though this was the goal of the research... to think it actually succeeded...’
Realizing the significance of this, Freyja’s ugly purple cat ears stood on end. She trembled and shook off the [Rabbit Hole Barrier] from her hand.
“Ugh... This is so broken... W-What kind of overpowered nonsense is this...”
In truth, it was difficult to even call it a talent. The miracle result was a combination of impossibilities that had come together... It was truly a fate-like magic.
As Freyja trembled in awe, some individuals burst into the Sage's Chamber.
Bang!
“Guys!!”
The person who entered was Alvitr.
She had seen the familiar structure being moved by the mysterious giants of <Mimir Industrial High School> and had led the group here.
Kara welcomed the familiar face that had just arrived.
“Comrade Alvitr?! You’re safe!!” “Kara...?! You’re...?! And Rota too...?!”
Alvitr was stunned as she saw the navy blue [Unique Ether] spreading from the flag. When she saw Rota, glowing orange and barely conscious, she was even more shocked. But it wasn’t as shocking as Eir, Bell, and Sieglinde, who had followed her in.
They never imagined they would see something more astonishing than the sight of the giants crushing obstacles and advancing.
“Is there such a school...?” “Honestly, it’s terrifying...” “Three of them... all in the first year...?”
The only ones not surprised by the scene were Brunhilde and Erda. They were more concerned about the safety of the students they had led.
Erda looked at Brunhilde and said,
“President, I’ll take care of boarding the students.” “...Thank you.”
Brunhilde turned her attention to the people gathered in the Sage's Chamber. Her gaze was filled with anxiety as she looked around at each one.
Freyja, Eir, Astrid, Helina... The leaders of the <United Student Council> and Clara’s three juniors.
“...”
But the pink hair was nowhere to be seen.
“Has anyone... seen Lala?” “No...” “We were too busy surviving the collapse...” “She suddenly disappeared somewhere...”
The [Nameless Falcon] suddenly trembled violently.
“Ugh...?!”
It wasn’t unusual for the timid falcon to shiver, but this time, it was shaking more violently than ever before.
Everyone in the room sensed something was wrong and turned their attention to the [Nameless Falcon].
“Chirp...?” “Hah...! Hah...! Ugh...?!”
Wretch—
And as the enormous chick doubled over and retched, out came... Clara. She fell into the middle of the Sage's Chamber with a blank expression.
Thud—
Bell, who had been nervous all along, screamed in shock.
“Kyaaah—?!”
But the others looked at the suddenly appearing Clara with puzzled expressions.
“Clara?” “...[Spiral]?” “...Scoundrel?”
But Alvitr and Brunhilde exchanged a glance and spoke simultaneously.
“...It’s not the senior.” “...That’s not Lala.”
The girl who resembled Clara... Urd staggered to her feet.
“...”
She looked around at the faces gathered in the Sage's Chamber.
“...Help me.”
At her faint voice, the three students from <Central Prism Academy> and the [Nameless Falcon] cautiously approached.
“Lady Urd?” “Goddess?” “What do you mean?” “Goddess, what happened to the World Tree...?”
Urd lowered her head and addressed them all.
“Help Clara, who is trapped inside the World Tree!! The Prophet has taken control of the World Tree—!!” “…!”