Arc 9, Chapter 50 – “Decisive Battle on the Ice”

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The hexacolor radiance that had pierced heaven and earth, gradually unravelled and faded away.

The sky that had faded to a dull gray slowly regained its natural color, and before long, as if having recalled why it was called blue, the azure sky began to clear.

Roswaal: [――――]

With such scenery before him, Roswaal saw tears falling from the eyes of Ezzo beside him.

Whether they were of joy or vexation, it was clear that he had been overcome with emotion. Although it had taken two people to perform, Roswaal and Ezzo had nevertheless accomplished a great feat engraved for the first time in the history of magic.

The utmost extremity of magical control allocated into groupings of four and two colors, perfect formulation of a technique that did not permit any gaps whatsoever, and the ultimate harmony that could not have been manifested were there to have been a lag of even an instant―― that, had surmounted the Divine Dragon’s dragonhalo.

Roswaal’s diligent studies and Ezzo’s research: if either were to have been missing, this hyper magic would have never been realized.

However――,

Ezzo: [One day I’ll… I’ll even manage to manifest this technique by myself…!]

Even as Ezzo bombasted while shedding ceaseless tears, Roswaal smiled at his demeanor.

Neither was it out of exasperation, nor was it in sarcasm. ――Indeed, that was the very essence of a magician.

Visualization was important in magic. If it could be visualized, then anything could be accomplished: that was magic.

Roswaal: [Isn’t that right, Teacher?]

As Roswaal muttered those words, his body began to tip over, and was about to collapse onto the ground. Ezzo immediately reached out to try to support him, but alas, given how immensely exhausted he was, he collapsed first.

Then, as the falling Roswaal seemed like he was about to crush Ezzo under him――,

Clind: [――Made it in time. Good news.]

At a precarious juncture, that calm voice and those strong arms successfully saved Roswaal from falling down, and Ezzo from being squashed.

Roswaal: [――――]

Glancing at Clind as he was supported by him, Roswaal let out a breath.

Having soared through the skies during the battle, it was the versatile steward who had gone so far as to shatter a star before returning to them. At some point he had put his monocle back on and retracted his black horns. However, it appeared as though he had not managed to entirely restore his perfect, everyday appearance, and thus was a rather unusual form with disheveled clothing.

Roswaal: [Even so, outside of your butler uniform, you are mostly unharmed, dragonkin truly are overpooowered~.]

Clind: [Master, if I may be so bold as to correct you. It is not because I am a dragonkin, but because I, as the dragonkin of the Divine Dragon, am simply special. Assertion.]

Roswaal: […So you really are quite proud after all? It was your receptacle’s fault that we’ve ended up like this, you know?]

Ezzo: [Don’t point at me when saying that! It is merely that I cannot stand up because my back… no, because my entire body has gone limp!]

Having fallen face-first, Ezzo was unable to stand up, and yet did not admit defeat. As if to express sentiments of lament, Clind shrugged his shoulders at that demeanour, but truly, it was a wonderful quality.

Roswaal: [You’ve changed. You used to be more of a transcendent, detached type.]

Clind: [In that case, I could say the exact same words to you. Return. ――Were you not the one who was supposed to be clever and underhanded, content to remain a mere mediocre magician? Confirmation.]

Clind narrowed his eye across his monocle, having perfectly guessed Roswaal’s thinking. Certainly, he had intended on that. And yet, Roswaal had not done so.

Getting back up after having failed, he had enacted a recklessness he never imagined he ever would.

But, that was――,

Roswaal: [It’s simply that I realized something… That all these days, I haaadn’t~ been walking alone after all.]

Clind & Ezzo: [――――]

At Roswaal’s answer, Clind fell silent. For some reason, Ezzo did too.

Roswaal: [Though perhaps that reason is a bit too obviooous~.]

While only natural for Clind, with whom he had been acquainted a long time, when hyper magic had been invoked a moment ago, his consciousness had been on the verge of blending together with Ezzo’s.

There, Roswaal had failed to fully conceal his own sentiments and prayers, after all.

Roswaal: [Speaking of that, I am quite accustomed to phenomena such as intermingling of the consciousness, but how did you manage to remain fine, Ezzo-kun? Normally, you would end up going insaaane~.]

Ezzo: [Don’t speak of such frightening matters so casually…! Likely, it is a boon of the Books of the Dead.]

Roswaal: [The Books of the Dead, of the Pleiades Watchtower?]

Ezzo: [Indeed. While I was on standby at the Watchtower, I read over a dozen volumes of the Books of the Dead, but in order to do so I had to learn the necessary technique of closing off my heart…]

Clind: [I see. This is a magician. Understanding.]

He somewhat felt like Clind had settled on a bit of a rude conclusion, but he would not touch upon it here. After all, Roswaal did not think Ezzo had done anything particularly strange.

Regardless, that which they ought to prioritize right now――,

Clind: [Master, we have certainly fulfilled the duty with which we have been entrusted. Completion. However…]

Roswaal: [Ah, I’m awaaare~.]

As Clind left his words half-finished, Roswaal silently breathed out and looked into the distance. The same direction as both Clind, and the grounded Ezzo―― he cast his gaze beyond that horizon.

During the battle against the Divine Dragon, the rocky wasteland that had been completely terraformed from before, further beyond even that, the final destination of the Aldebaran Troupe――,

Roswaal: [――The Grand Mogolade Geyser.]

Flashing through Roswaal’s mind as he muttered, was the final offensive of magic and Dragon that had sundered heaven and earth.

As the Divine Dragon had sent the dragonkin up to rise and intercept the star crashing down from the heavens, placed on the scales were two options: that of eliminating the two magicians who were weaving hyper magic, and that of fulfilling its own role.

It would assuredly win, such arrogance did not even slightly exist within the Divine Dragon at that moment.

Hence, the Dragon followed the conviction of the personality dwelling within its dragonhusk, and selected one of the two options―― through its unleashed breath, it fired at an enormous opening in land far removed from the battlefield.

It was unclear why the Aldebaran Troupe was headed towards that location.

But, there was no chance that the Divine Dragon’s deed was unconnected to the Troupe’s objective, and even knowing that it would be defeated if it did so, the Divine Dragon prioritized firing its breath at that opening.

The meaning brought about by that action, would surely be verified from this point forward.

All that remained――,

Roswaal: [――Is whether or not those you have cultivated will be able to surpass the opponent, Subaru-kun.]

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――Irregular.

Rem recognized that this was the role expected of her, and the duty she ought to fulfill.

By utilizing the extraordinary Authority of “Turning Back Time”, Al had surmounted every single obstacle that stood in his way―― in order to stop him, what was necessary were irregulars.

???: [Indeed, that helmet bastard’s Authority’s a fearsome thing. Frankly, even in all my years, I’ve rarely come across such an utterly irrational power. ――But, no matter how powerful the ability, the one who’s gotta wield it ain’t nothin’ more than a human.]

???: [Hit that helmet bastard with countless things that he’d never expect, and keep on gettin’ ‘im ta use his Authority. The time he can turn back only goes so far. Overwhelm ‘im, overwhelm ‘im, ‘n overwhelm ‘im till ya take ‘im down.]

???: [If ya whittle away his remaining strength, even the helmet bastard’ll make an irreparable slipup. ――That’ll be how ya snatch victory against that helmet bastard.]

Those were some words of advice from Rom-jii, who had once nearly driven Al into a corner.

In response to Rom-jii’s suggestion, those who were well-versed in tactics—Ram, Roswaal, and Clind—did not object. Therefore, Rem had full faith in that advice.

What they needed to do was bombard Al with enough unexpected situations until he broke. And if a contest of endurance was required, then Rem was  not someone to be underestimated either.

After all――,

Rem: [――After all, I’ve gotten to watch that person up close.]

If one were to ask what Rem’s best shot at seizing victory was, it would have been that.

Perhaps it was fortunate that Rem had been forgotten by everyone until very recently. During that interval bereft of Memories, the interactions she’d had with Al in the Empire could hardly be described as extensive. And if she was going to delve into her points of contact with him before that, in regards to the Royal Selection, it was even less so.

But, that was precisely the reason why Rem’s actions had the potential to betray his expectations.

However――,

Rem: [YAHHHHH!!]

Roaring, Rem swung her arm out with her full strength, and following closely behind, the unleashed iron ball ferociously streaked through the air.

The spiked iron ball spun around as it aimed directly for its target: the red-haired shinobi, Yae Tenzen―― with the stage set as the five-thousand meter tall Agzadd Canyon, the battle raged on as they plummeted through the air, transitioning to the next phase with this prodigious shinobi as the opponent.

A discus of ice had been created in the air, serving as a platform for their contest of strength.

This was the result of Rem and Emilia working together to impose an irregular situation, but the very fact that they had been forced into such a scenario was frustrating.

It wasn’t just Al’s group that encountered an irregular . They had as well.

Rem: [――]

With a roar, a sharp, heavy strike cut through the wind.

The menace of that spiked iron mass, no matter how sharp the opposing blade, was not something that could be repelled even by something like bundling fine threads together. It surged forth in one swift motion towards the irregular  Yae.

Yae: [――Hk.]

Letting out a small noise at the approaching threat, Yae abandoned any attempts at  interception and evaded with a cartwheel. Passing right by her as she rolled across the ice disk, the iron ball flew through the air in futility――,

Emilia: [Eiyah!]

A sharp, almost carefree shout, met the iron ball with a resounding bang.

It was the pleasant sound of Emilia, standing on the other side of Yae, kicking the iron ball hurtling toward her with her feet clad in boots of ice. Emilia’s long, slender leg swiveled, and the iron ball was forcibly bounced back―― chasing after Yae’s slender figure as she fled with a cartwheel.

Just like that, the iron ball mercilessly sunk its fangs into Yae’s side――,

Yae: [Not gonna happen.]

Immediately after saying that, Yae pressed her hands against the ice disc while performing her cartwheel, and peeling up its surface using her steel threads to cover herself, it became a shield that intercepted the iron ball hurtling toward her body.

Of course, it was too thin a shield to completely stop a single blow. It would crack in half a second, snap after another quarter, and the spikes would pierce the other side after another eighth, so when exactly one second had passed, it would have fully broken through.

But, that single second was more than enough for the agile shinobi to make her next move.

Emilia: [No way!?]

And, it was Emilia who let out a cry of surprise. However, Rem was of the same frame of mind.

In their line of sight, after having evaded the pursuit with an impromptu ice shield, Yae set her bare foot on the fully extended chain of the Morningstar with a light leap, dashing across it in one fluid motion.

Emilia was stunned by the acrobatics and balance, while Rem was equally amazed by the footwork over the chains that conveyed no sense of weight whatsoever and yet the surprises kept coming. ――Together with a swing of Yae’s arm, blades of ice and stone rained down one after another from above, targeting the two of them.

Emilia: [These are――]

Twenty seconds prior, Emilia and Al had forged these armaments of ice and stone in the air during their battle, leaving them suspended there. Yae had shot her steel threads up towards the heavens to bring them down, repurposing them as a perilous rain.

Emilia: [It’s because I didn’t clean up properly!]

Rem: [Failing to clean up properly goes for Al-san as well!]

Yae: [Let’s just say that we both share the hardship of having masters who are bad at cleaning up after themselves, alright?]

Reflection, follow-up, and provocation all piled up, leaving Rem and Emilia scrambling to deal with the falling daggers. Emilia fended them off with her twin ice blades, but Rem was in trouble.

Her right hand was occupied by the Morningstar, which was currently being used as Yae’s foothold, so she could not carelessly withdraw it. She had no choice but to defend with her unarmed left hand alone.

Rem: [Won’t――]

Make it in time; it happened the moment she had resolved herself to tank the bombardment. ――Someone gave a push to Rem’s shoulders, and that same someone was impaled through the chest by a falling stone sword.

???: [――――]

Rem’s eyes widened at that sacrifice, furthermore her surprise deepened when she saw who had done it. The gallant figure, pierced through the chest, yet still bravely giving Rem a thumbs-up――,

Rem: [――Subaru-kun!]

Before Rem’s eyes as she unwittingly let out a cry, it was Natsuki Subaru―― or rather, an ice puppet bearing his likeness, that had been pierced through the chest. The exquisitely crafted ice Natsuki Subaru shielded Rem, flashing a brave smile as if he were the real thing, before collapsing.

Yae: [Uwehh~? That just now, don’t tell me that was Emilia-sama?]

Emilia: [Yes, that’s right. ――And not only that, Subaru isn’t alone either!]

Immediately after she responded to the frowning Yae, six figures leapt out from behind Emilia. Each was an ice statue identical in appearance to the Natsuki Subaru who had just collapsed.

All of them so filled with individuality that it seemed as if they each possessed their own will, pulled a weapon from the ice disk where they had been lodged and leapt simultaneously towards Yae, who was running along the chain. If even one of those icy fingertips could reach her, it could serve as a stepping stone to corner the nimble Yae――,

Yae: [Unfortunately, fighting a large number of people is what I’m best at.]

In an instant, twenty steel threads leapt forth, binding the ice Natsuki Subarus. The threads tightened around their necks, torsos, arms, and legs, mercilessly tearing the six bodies apart.

Emilia: [Subaru――!!]

Rem: [Subaru-kun!!]

The cries of Rem and Emilia overlapped as the ice Natsuki Subarus were reduced to pitiful wreckage.

Beyond the scattered fragments of the shattered ice statues, Yae continued running along the chain, heading straight for Rem below. In a split second decision, Rem released the Morningstar’s handle, robbing Yae of support from her foothold. As the shinobi would surely flail about in the air, Rem twisted her body and attempted to deliver a powerful back kick――,

Yae: [As expected, I’d rather not get hit directly by an Oni’s kick.]

As Yae spoke, she released the tension in her knees to compensate for the bend in the chain; a movement that Rem glimpsed in the corner of her eye.

Yae dropped her hips downlow, maintaining perfect balance midair as the lethal thread released from her fingertips looped around Rem’s neck. Her head would be sent flying off,  or she would be strangled to death―― just before that could happen, under Yae’s feet, the chain snapped taut, defying her expectations.

Yae: [Wha…]

Yae’s eyes opened wide, and she instinctively flicked the chain with her toes and leaped away; nothing less could be expected from her. Her gaze caught sight of what had pulled the Morningstar’s chain in Rem’s stead.

Having been the first one to fall after being pierced through the chest with a sword, it was an ice Natsuki Subaru. ――The ice Natsuki Subaru, who had never given up on the fight even after collapsing, had saved Rem.

Truly, this person was always doing reckless things for the sake of someone else――.

Yae: [It’s not even the real thing, you know!]

Rem: [Even if it’s not!]

As Yae curled her lips, Rem’s full-force back kick drove straight into the center of her chest.

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――Irregular.

Yae recognized that obstructing this was the role expected of her, and the duty she ought to fulfill.

Within Yae, the assessment of Al as a dreadful, capricious monster would not be overturned. ――But, there were irregulars piling up that would serve to exhaust and burden him.

???: [That’s the thing, yeah? Even I’ve ended up on the verge of death many times quarrellin’ wit’ those above myself, ya see? I’m sick ‘n tired of the fact that this world’s fulla nothin’ but monsters. ――But, I’m the one who’s still kickin’ when all’s said ‘n done, so it means there ain’t nobody who can’t be killed.]

???: [When both sides’re performin’ their best, there ends up bein’ a gap that’cha can’t do nothin’ about. ‘N so, in order ta bridge that gap bit by bit, we’ve got our underhanded techniques untiringly refined ta perfection.]

???: [If ya can rob yer opponent of their ability ta perform flawlessly, the opportunity ta chop off the heads of those above ya will come around. ――That’s the blood-reekin’ secret ta our success in life.]

That was the advice of the Vicious Old Man, the village chief who had instilled Yae with the way of life and techniques of the shinobi.

In regards to those ideas of the village chief, Yae had no objections. But, she had surprisingly few opportunities to test them. After all, most of Yae’s opponents were weaker than her. She would not lose to them, let alone ever engage them in a head-on fight.

The first defeat she had ever suffered was against Al, and it fundamentally distorted Yae’s way of being. Even now, merely being near him would cause her entire body to be filled with dread, and she wished for him to disappear even a second quicker. For that purpose, there was no other option but to have Al accomplish that which he desired, that which he wished for.

That was why――,

Yae: [――I don’t wanna let anyone who can corner that person get near him.]

Distorted, twisted, full of contradictions. Yae was well aware that those things applied to her.

But there was no helping it. Yae liked spicy things and did not really care for sweet things. But, those were dispositions she was born with, and a predetermination that she could not alter herself.

Because she had been born into such a self, she would continue to live whilst staying true to that self.

Yae had her own ideal way to end her relationship with Al.

In order to accomplish that, Yae’s contradictory way of doing things was to eliminate the irregulars.

However――,

Yae: [――Hk.]

Receiving a direct kick from the horned girl named Rem, Yae stifled the cries from deep within her creaking body, maneuvering her body to disperse the impact through her arms and legs. The shinobi techniques that transmitted one’s will down even to their muscles and internal organs allowed for a means of survival.

But, even when that was applied, it did not equate to a complete negation of damage. The tips of her hands and feet went numb.

It was not as though she had underestimated the power of the Oni. However, for Yae, who could discern the capabilities of an opponent by observing their posture and the way they utilized their arms and legs, the Oni clan’s trait of dramatically increasing their physical abilities by absorbing the surrounding Mana with their horn far surpassed her expectations.

In addition――,

Yae: [Emilia-sama’s adlibs really are quite troublesome, aren’t they~?]

Bearing those bitter sentiments, Yae muttered with an expression still harboring some leeway.

In truth, they had been quite effective, but she could not afford to relay that. Shinobi would never relinquish information to their opponents. If they did, it would have been fabricated information for the purpose of manipulation.

With that level of kickback, not only Rem, but even Emilia would have been able to see that Yae had been dealt a considerable amount of damage. If Yae were to still act calm in spite of that, it would be in human nature to hesitate in pursuit.

Rem: [Emilia-sama!]

Emilia: [Yes! We continue!]

However, that was only if the opponent was proficiently adept in the ways of combat.

After delivering a blow, the duo paid no mind to Yae’s composed expression, and instead pursued hot on her tail after she was blasted away.

She would not call it thoughtless. It was desperate, and it was fervent. At present, that was the most troublesome thing.

Yae: [In that case, I’ll answer with my own nasty hand and footwork…!]

Counter; Yae greatly spread out her toes on both her right and left sides, and together with her hands, she controlled twenty steel threads.

The numerous swords that had pierced the glacial discus that was serving as the platform: snaring those constructs of ice and stone with her threads and flinging them up, she directly intercepted Emilia and Rem, poised for pursuit as they were.

Guided by the deftness of her digits, the daggers sliced through the wind as they whirled around, combining with the invisible, soundless steel threads to form a twofold assault of heavy and light, rampaging atop the ice as a rending gale that would confound any attempts to respond.

If one were to trace the path of the daggers with their eyes, the steel threads would entangle their limbs and rob them of their combat potential. Al had ordered her to abide by the “no-killing” rule, but even if she had to sever a finger or two, or even all four limbs, those requirements could be met as long as they retained their lives. With those thoughts in mind, Yae surged with a severing intent.

However――,

Rem: [HAAAHHHH!!]

Emilia: [Yah! Tei! Tah!]

The defense of the howling Rem and fierce Emilia repelled Yae’s assault entirely.

A display of teamwork with Rem handling the daggers, and Emilia countering the steel threads. Rem coiled the chain of her favored iron ball around her arm and wielded it as an impromptu gauntlet while Emilia transformed her twin swords into a gigantic halberd; the pair perfectly defended against Yae’s attack with a certain coordination despite not having exchanged any words.

Yae: [How…?]

Their abilities were certainly enough to handle the visible daggers, but there needed to be an explanation to how they had managed to defend against the invisible steel threads.

Questioning that reason, Yae caught sight of a faintly white cloud of air as she muttered, and noticed. ――A coldness biting at her skin, to an extent greater than that of being atop a great mass of ice whilst plummeting from an immensely high altitude.

Yae: [――Hk, ice fog.]

Miniscule ice particles fluttered down through her vision, twinkling to highlight the contours of the steel threads.

At the technique Emilia had employed to detect the invisible steel threads, and the sense needed to come up with it, Yae was struck with wonder. Then, even moreso by the possibility of things taking an even worse turn.

Emilia: [――Icicle Line.]

That instant, in accordance with the formulated incantation, the atmosphere began to let out a shrill screech.

The particles of ice that had made up the ice fog linked together with the particles adjacent to them, and the chill that had painted the world white bared its fangs with even greater ferocity. The first to fall prey to it, would be the steel threads that were lacking in mass.

The advantage granted by the steel threads’ greatest characteristics, weightlessness and thinness, would be crushed in a freezing world. Even if steel threads could slice through the winds, they could not slice through a blizzard. ――Hence, her decision followed immediately afterward.

Yae brought the rings on her fingers to her lips, and at that instant, flames dashed across the steel threads, birthing an infernal explosion atop the ice.

A heat wave that jostled back even the icy gale, in exchange for relinquishing the steel threads’ strength of being “unseen”, clad them in the power to not succumb to the cold even amidst the icy fog.

Yae: [Please accompany me in this flaming dance!]

Letting her steel threads dressed in flame wreak havoc, the Crimson Sakura began to perform a dance whilst unleashing her scintillating thread attack. In contrast to that brilliant, fiery dance illuminating the canyon, the two who were bringing about the frigid ice and snow―― no, counting the seven ice-sculpted bodies, nine silhouettes leaped forth.

Rem: [Invitation accepted!]

Emilia: [Sorry if I step on your feet!]

On the ice and armed with twin blades of frost, Emilia slid into Yae’s range as the latter manifested a maelstrom of infernal flame. She skated across the ice discus with boots of ice affixed with blades, and tracing a circular orbit, she moved in rhythm with the waltz of flames, commencing a gently curved, yet sharp and relentless onslaught.

Comparing favourably to the extreme tempo of Emilia’s offense, Rem’s decision to plunge forth whilst engaged in a scrum formation with the ice sculptures was more directly stunning to witness――,

Rem: [AaahhHHHAAAAAAAA――!!]

Roaring out like a beast, Rem launched her bare white fists forward in a pummel.

Worthy of being described as a bombardment, what rained down seemed as though a storm of numerous fists; twisting, crouching, bending back, side stepping, and leaping over repeatedly, Yae evaded it as if merely flitting through the movements of her dance.

Yae: [If you’re only using your bare fists, you’ll spend eternity trying to catch up to me.]

Even with the physical abilities of an Oni, if there were four limbs extending out of a torso, the flow of strength through the muscles was plain to see, and Yae’s eyes would not fail to glimpse it. Rem’s Oni strength was astounding, but it did not outpace Yae’s reaction speed like the Sword Demon had.

With that logic, the irregulars that were actually betraying Yae’s imagination were rather the seven ice sculptures of humanoid shape, reining things in with inscrutable movements during the intervals between Emilia and Rem’s attacks.

At this rate, just as she had declared, Yae would end up spending an eternity engaging these two in combat――,

Yae: [――No.]

When Yae was on the verge of opting for the easy option, she put the brakes on herself.

This battlefield had been selected by her opponents. If she were to allow her opponents to have things their way, she would be playing right into their hands. In order to obstruct these irregulars, she would have no choice but to become the irregular to her opponents.

For the time being――,

Yae: [This platform――]

A discus of ice that had been constructed in collaboration by Emilia and Rem, employed to split up Yae and Al. With its transparency harmed in proportion to the wind hitting it, Al’s figure on the other side of the cloudy white ice disk grew foggy.

Deeming this platform unideal, Yae dealt with Rem’s volley of punches, slipping under Emilia’s attack from behind, and used one of the ice sculptures trying to tackle her as a stool to leap into the air. Then, sending all the steel threads on her hands and feet in every direction of the discus, she exerted all of her might, and began to spin her body around.

As a result――,

Yae: [I’m changing the situation. Is this also within your calculations?]

Guided by Yae’s might, the arena known as the ice discus was altered―― as that disk began to spin like a top, a tremendous centrifugal force was applied to everyone on the ice.

With that, the battle transitioned to its next stage

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――“Irregewluhr”.

That had the meaning of something unexpected, and understanding that piling them up was their current greatest weapon, Emilia hyped herself up.

Whenever she got abruptly startled, Emilia would be unable to immediately think of the next action to take. The same thing could be said about Al. Al would have probably thought about a lot of things in order to plan what he was doing now, but he could not read all the way into the minds of Emilia and the others. That was the purpose of the “irregewluhrs”.

???: [Lia, whenever you’re in a pinch, you immediately try to use whatever strength you can to force your way through to some sort of solution, right? Though when that doesn’t work, you end up worrying over what you should have done to begin with… but, it wouldn’t be like you to come to a halt there, Lia, nor do I think it would suit you.]

???: [My adorable daughter has the power to smash through any problem with a bam. So, don’t just give up after the first go, how about you pile up a bunch of tries and do your best with that?]

???: [Don’t worry Lia, when the time comes, your body will naturally teach you whatever you might need in that moment. After all, you’re the daughter I’m so proud of, so you’ll inherit the most powerful genetics.]

Indeed, words that Puck had once spoken to Emilia were now affectionately resuscitated in her head.

These days, it was always Subaru’s words that she found to be reliable, but now that she knew Subaru was in danger, the first one to encourage Emilia was the teachings of Puck, as always.

Her joint offensive with Rem against Al was now in the midst of hard fought struggle due to the intervention of Yae―― they had already passed two more engravings in the cliff, meaning they only had around thirty seconds left before they reached the bottom.

She felt extremely fretful. However, she could not afford to let it overwhelm her. This was not something she was particularly skilled at, but she needed to foist these feelings onto Al and Yae.

In order to stop Al―― no, in order to properly talk things out with Al, this time for sure.

After all――,

Emilia: [――Priscilla would have never desired this sort of thing.]

The fact that voicing such a thing would be cruel to Al, Emilia knew.

Even now, thinking of Priscilla, it made Emilia’s heart ache to voice her name, and she would feel a sensation of moisture in the corners of her eyes. She wanted to allow Al to vent those feelings.

In the past, Emilia had once been rescued by Al. Even without that, Emilia wished to become a source of strength for Al. Not just because they shared the same pain, it was not that, but as a more instinctual feeling, Emilia wished to save him.

That was why――,

Emilia: [――Hk, Subaru!]

The heat-filled wind ferociously stirred the maelstrom, and the disk of ice revolved with Yae at its center.

Atop the disk of ice that had begun to revolve as vigorously as a spinning plate, the ice soldiers modeled after Subaru were unable to hold their ground after bearing the additional centrifugal force for a bit, and were subsequently blown away.

They would be unable to do a thing about being thrown off the face of the disk, and at worst would meet a fate of crashing and shattering against the cliff face of the canyon. But before that could happen, Emilia would not forget how one of them caught her hand just as she was about to stumble from the spinning, preventing her fall and saving her.

Emilia: [Rem is――]

Sliding across the revolving ice disk with skates of ice, Emilia tried to locate Rem in her vision, as she ought to have been cornered into a similar situation as her. No, what if she had been thrown off like the ice soldiers―― then, before the worried Emilia erupted a thundering boom, and an even more enormous inferno.

The collision had occurred at the center of the disk, where Rem and Yae violently crashed into each other, and flared into a fiery blaze.

Once again wielding the iron ball that she had cast into the sky earlier, Rem swung it down, and Yae skillfully warded off that downward strike by utilizing the tensile strength of threads bundled together. As a result, Rem’s large, sweeping movement was halted, and there did Yae thrust her toes squarely at her.

Rem: [Kah.]

Letting out a cry of pain, Rem was repelled back and tumbled down onto the ice disk, slipping towards the outer circumference.

With the rotation of the disk and Yae’s leg strength, there were no means to stop Rem’s sliding body. Unwilling to allow that to happen, Emilia tried to devise a way to reach her, but――,

Yae: [――Looking away is forbidden.]

As soon as she kicked off the ice, Yae’s counterattack closed in as if thrusting towards her.

An attack with the stone dao that had been snatched up by a flaming steel thread, and the second-stage follow up of the thread slicing not far behind it; at the two-stage assault that spanned a large range and necessitated evasion, Emilia began to ruminate―― she tried to, but recalling the words of the reliable Subaru and Puck, she abandoned that endeavor.

Relying on her senses more than her thinking, Emilia soared towards Rem, who had been flicked away. ――Quite literally, she had caught wind in her wings and flown towards Rem.

Yae: [Wha…]

Staring in amazement, Yae was taken aback by that shocking display.

It was the first time she had left herself completely open, but unfortunately, Emilia did not have the leeway to focus her attention there right now. Only, flying directly towards Rem, she scooped her up right as she was about to fall off the edge of the disk, and soared up.

――Emilia did, with wings forged of ice upon her back.

Rem: [T-thank you, Emilia-sama… these wings are?]

Emilia: [Subaru drew a picture of them before. Beings that grow wings on their back, they’re called angels. Subaru would talk about them every once in a while, but I tried my best and I did it!]

Answering Rem’s question after carrying her up, Emilia softened her cheeks.

But then again, these were fake wings that only resembled them in shape. They could not be flapped like a real bird’s wings, and at best could glide on the wind.

Moreover, it was something that could only be realized in this particular situation, an instance of success for an extremely rare magic. Subaru would probably be delighted if she were to show it to him, but for that they would also need to fall together from five thousand meters up in the sky.

For that reason as well――,

Rem: [Emilia-sama! Let’s retaliate!]

Emilia: [Yeah!]

Emilia spread her glacial wings as Rem gave a valiant utterance within her arms, and nodded in agreement.

Retaliate, the first thing that flashed through her mind upon hearing that word. Intuitively believing it to be the same thing that Rem was thinking of, Emilia lowered their altitude directly above the ice.

Detaching her wings there, Emilia and Rem entered freefall, and began to spin themselves―― striking their heels down in unison, the horizontally rotating disk of ice was forced into a vertical gyration with all of their might.

Emilia: [――――]

As payback for the ice disk having been made to spin horizontally, they made the ice disk spin vertically.

It was very simple, but it was an incredible payback that neither of them would have been able to accomplish on their own, and so having remained on top of the disk, Yae ought to have been stupefied. As the platform turned over from up to down, and then back to how it was before, and then immediately upside down again, to normal, to upside down and to normal over and over and over, she was jostled about.

To make matters worse――,

Emilia: [There’s also still the horizontal spin!]

As a result, the ice disk spinning on both axes became a random battlefield that did not trace any expected trajectory. It was just like the wobbly and shaky “atrakshon” of the training ground that Subaru and Garfiel had made behind the Roswaal Mansion.

And precisely due to thinking of that, Emilia speedily dashed across the ice disk “atrakshon”.

Emilia: [Yah! Tah! Toh… soyah!]

While altering the direction of the vehement force within a single second, Emilia relied only on the sensations from the bottom of her feet to receive that momentum, and use it to propel herself forwards.

She was somewhat relieved that she had been able to run on it. On the other hand, she was worried about whether Rem was alright or not, but.

Rem: [There is no need to worry!]

As Rem responded so, she thrust her iron ball into the ice disk, and with that as the fulcrum she pulled herself forward with her chain in one go, aiming for the center. Though falling a bit short of Emilia’s momentum, it offered a far more reliable sense of stability.

Contrary to that, Emilia had to ensure that her own footing did not slip.

Emilia: [That girl…]

Either atop the ice disk that had been disrupted both vertically and horizontally, or possibly below, desperately clinging on in order to not be shaken off, Emilia searched for the figure of Yae in order to pursue her, and then blinked her amethyst eyes.

There she was. Unmoved, Yae was right in the middle, the spot on the disk with the weakest centrifugal force. Even so, that would not change the fact that she had been jostled about, and as she seemed like she was about to stretch out her legs, Emilia realized.

Emilia: [――――]

Having folded her knees and leaned into the ice disk, Yae had not been affected by the gyration of the platform.

The reason was clear―― she had excavated the center of the ice disk with her steel threads, creating a unique safety zone immune to the effects of the rotation as she lay ready in wait for Emilia and Rem.

――That instant, steel threads alight with flame bundled together, and a blazing flash of weighty silver engulfed her vision.

△▼△▼△▼△

――A blazing, silver flash of crimson.

If one were to have had a bird’s eyes view of that, and if they possessed knowledge of that technique, they would have likely realized that what Yae Tenzen had unleashed was a steel thread iaido, the art of swiftly drawing a katana and unleashing a lethal strike before immediately returning it to its sheath.

Nobody would have imagined that something so thin, lacking any consistent form, could take the shape of iaido.

Not to mention, even amidst the long and storied history of the shinobi, the Steel Thread Technique was a legendary art that none save the most gifted of geniuses could even grasp the fundamentals of, let alone master.

The fact that Crimson Sakura, the most gifted shinobi throughout all of history, had polished that deadly technique to even greater heights, was something that not a single person, not even Aldebaran, had been aware of.

Therefore――,

Rem: [――――]

――Therefore, the fact that Rem had managed to defend against the silver flash of flames, could not be described as anything short of a miracle.

Rem: [――Priscilla-san.]

Spun by her lips was the name of the woman bearing one of the reasons that had guided Rem to this point, and had gotten her standing back on her feet.

And now, she was the benefactor who had left behind signs so that Rem could continue clinging on to life.

――She had felt it. Something she had not been allowed to detect a single time up to this point, Yae’s definite murderous intent.

The emotions of humans dwelled within Mana.

Those who excelled at perceiving such Mana could easily guess the emotions of others. The reason why Spirits could vaguely sense the thoughts of other people, was thought to be corollary to this sensation.

Thus, absorbing the surrounding Mana with her horn via her Oni transformation, Rem felt sensations that she normally could not grasp with an acuity several times greater than usual.

Rem: [Until now――]

She had not felt it. ――No, it was a sensation she would not have noticed even if she had felt it.

There were various factors that played into her gaining the ability to sense this. The fact that she had restored herself, as well as the sense of duty she carried to take back Subaru. But, the number one reason lay elsewhere.

The number one factor was the influence of the days she had spent together with Priscilla in the Fortified City of Guaral.

Amidst the time that was by no means long, Priscilla would often present Rem with words that seemed like riddles, granting her an impetus to deeply come face to face with her own self. At the time, due to frustrations with her inadequate healing magic and uselessness, she had merely attempted to superficially follow Priscilla’s words, but.

Rem: [Now, I feel like I finally understand it just a bit.]

Even now, she would not say that she knew all the answers to the words from back then. She would think of it as an assignment that would last for her whole lifetime. And, she would never be able to check her answers anymore, either.

That was sorrowful. Lonely. Pained her heart.

Rem: [――Right now, I wish I could speak with you. Priscilla-san.]

Muttering, she closed her eyes. Then, when she reopened them, Rem’s gifts as an Oni awakened in those eyes.

What she keenly perceived mixed in with the Mana was a faint enmity, murderous intent, will to attack―― to the place where that seemed to be tinged with color, Rem sent forth her iron ball with pinpoint precision.

The silver flash of flames that had drawn near in an attempt to bisect both herself and Emilia; slamming her Morningstar into a position that could clear it away in a single swing, the certain death unleashed was transformed into non-lethality.

The shrill clangour of steel on steel rang out, and as a vehement recoil was delivered to her grip, Rem’s counterattack met Yae’s brandish head-on.

Yae: [――――]

Slightly aghast at that reality, Yae nevertheless stooped down and prepared for her next move.

Countless rampaging silver flashes; perceiving the murderous intent surging through the air before they could be unleashed, Rem preempted them, firing her iron ball, chains, and magic forth as if to trace the lines.

In a series of moments that almost seemed to overlap into a single instant, Yae’s onslaught was thwarted by Rem.

Ahh, a breath spilled from her heart.

Ahh, this is it, this is the true scenery that the Oni Clan had gandered. ――A mere sliver of the domain Ram had reached by birth, now, at this moment over a decade later, the tips of Rem’s fingers had finally caught on.

Emilia: [――Rem!!]

Springing up her iron ball, Rem continued to fend off the tempest of blazing threads of steel, and Emilia called out to her.

The sense of urgency loaded in that voice was not out of gratitude for having been protected, but rather a cry to inform her of a change in the situation, and one for the worse at that.

She caught Emilia in the corner of her eye, stretching out her long legs as she clung to the surface of the ice discus, darting her eyes around the revolving view.

Emilia: [Al’s gone! I can’t find him anywhere!]

Rem: [――Hk.]

At her wit’s end, Emilia’s voice caused Rem to finally realize that Al had disappeared from her own sights as well.

Below the discus of ice, Al was supposed to be in a position where he could do nothing but spectate the battle above, but he was nowhere to be found in the sky made perceivable from the disk’s rotation having eliminated all obstructions to vision.

As soon as Rem thought about where he could be, realization struck her like lightning. ――She strained her eyes to the distant sky.

As they plummeted down the Agzadd Canyon, beyond that long, massive fissure in the ground, far in the distance from Rem and the others, a silhouette could be seen receding into the distance.

Similar to what Emilia had done earlier, with wings on his back―― catching the wind with wings forged of stone, Al was gliding away at ferocious speeds.

That instant, what flashed through Rem’s mind was her joint attack with Emilia onto the ice disk. That had made the platform spin vertically, and had advanced the battle against Yae into the next dimension, but―― that had been used against them.

Rem: [When Emilia-sama and I linked up in order to kick the platform――]

At that time, Al had clung to the bottom side of the ice disk, and using the momentum of the rotation from Rem and Emilia’s kick, he gained a propulsion to launch him straight up into the distant sky.

Rem: [――――]

If Al were to escape like this, the entire operation would come crumbling down.

By piling on the irregulars, they had been whittling away at Al’s reserves, but if things proceeded this way, they would be unable to arrive at the trump card they needed to play. That must not happen; making a split-second decision―― Rem and Emilia exchanged gazes.

Emilia: [――Rem.]

And, the will of Emilia which she ought not have been able to hear, was delivered to Rem through Mana.

The things that the Oni horn perceived were not limited to just omens of hostility. By also taking in unshakeable trust and expectation, Rem was bestowed with unlimited power. It was to the extent that, rather than simply taking in Mana, she might end up believing that bearing those emotions was actually the source of the power.

Indeed, she had certainly been granted strength, and so――,

Emilia: [――I’m headed off!]

Rem: [Take care!!]

Raising herself up, and then swinging down on the ice disk with all her might, the vertical rotation of the discus began to rapidly accelerate, and receiving that momentum, Emilia was launched straight up into the sky.

Clad in the glimmer of ice, Emilia once again caught the wind with wings of ice stretching out from her back, soaring above the Agzadd Canyon towards the distant sky in pursuit of Al, she soared, and soared away.

Then, entrusting Emilia with the pursuit of Al――,

Rem: [――I won’t let you go after them.]

Yae: [That’s my line~.]

――Passing by yet another marking in the cliff face of the Agzadd Canyon, there remained twenty seconds until they reached the floor.

The two maids left standing on the plummeting ice platform―― Rem and Yae faced off; the final clash between Oni and shinobi, between the Hero’s Confidant and the Crimson Sakura, commenced.