"Haaa..."
For the first time in a long time, I felt out of breath. I had been running nonstop. Even after entering the Arius Basilica, I just kept pushing forward, heading straight for the central chapel.
The place I finally reached, after all that running, was the very same spot where Mika had once stood alone against the mimesis clones of the Justina Council and Saint Barbara. As befitting a base set up in an abandoned chapel, the surroundings were a complete mess, but remnants of its former grandeur still remained.
I have no idea why Beatrice never bothered to clean this place up. With the way she prances around with that fan like a noble lady, I figured she'd be a neat freak.
"How did an intruder get this far...?!"
"You useless bastards! You couldn't even stop one student from reaching the Basilica—Gyaak!"
Were most of their forces concentrated on the outskirts trying to catch the Squad? Even after getting inside the chapel, the number of Arius students blocking my path was remarkably small. I dealt with them calmly, using my gun to conserve stamina.
I broke through the chapel without ever stopping. Behind me, the number of unconscious Arius students grew, like breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel in the fairy tale.
And so, I finally reached the Sanctum Sanctorum and stared at the heavy, closed doors. Beyond them was the devil who had bewitched Arius and made them her puppets. This final battle had come far sooner than planned.
Come to think of it, maybe Beatrice and I were always destined to end things like this.
In the original story, Beatrice calls Sensei her great adversary, only to be miserably defeated and set on a path of self-destruction. This isn't all that surprising when you understand that Sensei's most likely motif is Jesus Christ, while Beatrice's is the Red Dragon of the Apocalypse. The Arius Branch School was branded as heretical and cast out during the First Council, much like the Arians were excommunicated as heretics at the First Council of Nicaea. And just as the name "Trinity" was established following that First Council, it's been explicitly shown that Trinity's doctrine is based on the theory of the Holy Trinity.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God. Trinity's scriptures phrase it a bit differently, but the essence is the same. In other words, if Sensei's motif is Jesus, then by the logic that the Son is God, Sensei can be seen as synonymous with God. It might be a stretch, but that's how I see it.
If that's the case, how could Sensei possibly be Beatrice's adversary? According to the Bible, they aren't even in the same league. The Bible depicts the Red Dragon of the Apocalypse, Satan, being defeated by Michael and cast down from heaven, losing his place there. So, if one had to name Beatrice's true adversary, it would be Mika, who holds the Mystic of Michael.
Beatrice's end, being utterly crushed after challenging Sensei as her great adversary... well, I suppose you could say she thoroughly followed in Satan's footsteps. But to put it bluntly, both Satan and Beatrice were just full of themselves.
But Mika was deceived and used by Beatrice. Maybe that means a motif is just a motif, and nothing more.
So, if a motif is nothing more than a motif, then I will end Beatrice here and now. I steeled my resolve, not to simply follow the story of Michael casting Satan down, but to see this through to the absolute end.
Creeeeak—
Without hesitation, I threw open the doors to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
As I stepped inside, my eyes immediately fell on Beatrice's doll, standing before a familiar altar and looking up. Then, I saw Saori, bound to the altar with her halo extinguished, in a state that could only be described as wretched. The sight made me grind my teeth in rage. Finally, I saw the stained-glass window behind them, depicting Beatrice in her monstrous form. I glared at Beatrice, my eyes burning with killing intent. If looks could kill, Beatrice would have already been drawn and quartered.
...I'll save you, Saori. I swear it.
I shouldered my gun with that vow. The Mystic that had been so troublesome when I faced the Gehenna students now surged through my body, not with warmth, but with a scorching heat, as if to encourage me.
If that monster before me is not a devil, then what under heaven could possibly be called one?
So strike her down. Trample her. Engrave upon that filthy body the truth that there is no place in heaven for a devil like her.
In that moment, the will of the most powerful and great archangel's Mystic was in perfect sync with my own heart.
"Hmm, seeing you in person makes it clear. You are a far greater sacrifice than Saori, or even the Royal Blood. The Royal Blood has its uses, of course, but your Mystic is truly something to be coveted. Fufufufufu..."
"I told you before. You're not worthy of even speaking her name."
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!
"Hmph, how rude."
Beatrice swung her fan, and a red aura materialized, swallowing the bullets that left my muzzle. The sight made me scowl, realizing things had just gotten a lot more complicated.
"Ahaha... looks like the ritual has already started."
"Hmm? I don't know how you know that, but... yes, you are correct. I am in the process of exploiting Saori's Mystic to borrow power from beyond Kivotos and ascend to a higher existence."
...If this is the case, all I can do is pray that crazy bitch doesn't summon the Color. As long as Beatrice doesn't do something insane like pinpointing its coordinates, we should be fine. Since she hasn't met Sensei yet, I doubt she'd do something like that, but the problem is I can't be sure.
The real problem is that I have no idea what happens in the story after this point. The moment the Final Chapter's plot gets fast-forwarded, I'll have to navigate completely unknown territory, and without Sensei's help. It's not a question of whether I can do it, but whether it's even possible. And to think all of this could happen just because I interfered with Arius's affairs...
I don't know. The one silver lining right now is that Seia hasn't prophesied the end of the world yet. So for now, let's just focus on stopping this ritual.
"By the way, those eyes of yours... I see. I take back what I said about you being a child. It was merely a matter of your attitude... You are more than qualified to be my conversational partner. So, what do you say? Shall we share our wisdom for a moment?"
Ignoring Beatrice's words, I launched myself forward. Beatrice flinched, thinking I was aiming for her, and raised that red aura to form a shield, but she wasn't my target.
I shot past her, closed the distance to the altar where Saori was bound, and pulled my arm back for a powerful blow. The fist I swung forward... failed to destroy the altar.
"Oh dear, were you trying to interrupt my ritual? How futile. Did you really think the ritual for my ascension to the sublime would be so fragile? Kukukuku."
To be more precise, my fist was stopped by some kind of transparent barrier, preventing it from even touching the altar. I'd put my full power into it, something I never had a chance to test because I'm always so careful about holding back, but it still did nothing.
"That altar is protected by what a member of my organization, Gematria, calls 'Plot Armor,' a concept woven from a Text provided by Decalcomanie. It was something I received as payment for a deal long ago, and I had my doubts about its continued validity, but you've just proven its effectiveness for me. Fufufu... thanks to you, I might be able to request a new Text from him. I express my gratitude."
"I'll say it again... you talk way too much."
"Kuaaaargh...?!"
Too busy monologuing to notice her shield had dissipated, Beatrice was treated to a massage of Kivotos-made mm rounds. I coolly emptied the entire magazine into her, then leisurely swapped it out while enjoying the sight of her groaning in pain.
Plot Armor? What the hell is she talking about, she's just a MacGuffin certified by Golconde. When is she going to snap out of the delusion that she's the main character? If Decalcomanie knew what she was planning, he never would have given her a Text in the first place.
"How dare... How DARE you wound me...!!! I will not forgive you. Our conversation is over. A brat like you needs discipline, not a gentle thing like conversation!"
Beatrice's body began to writhe and change. Her once-passable figure stretched out, becoming like a withered old tree, and skeletal, branch-like wings unfurled from her back. A plain halo, which hadn't existed before, materialized above her, and the winged eyes that had wrapped around her head spread open, forming the shape of a grotesque flower.
[Kufufu... In this place, I have been reborn as an even greater existence. And now, once I devour you, no sublimity in this Kivotos will be able to touch me!]
Her grotesque appearance brought to mind Hiyori's impression: 'She's just a monster...' Perhaps even this hideous, unimpressive form was just another part of the setup that reinforced her identity as a MacGuffin.
Beatrice seemed consumed by her desire to subdue me and use me as a sacrifice. Black Suit had called Hoshino the greatest Mystic in Kivotos, but in terms of sheer status, wasn't Mika on a similar level?
The most powerful and great archangel under the one God in a monotheistic religion. And the symbol of the Pharaoh and guardian deity of Egypt, who, as the Pharaoh's authority grew in a polytheistic mythology, merged with the supreme god to achieve the status of a chief deity.
Interpretations may vary, but from Gematria's perspective, Mika's Mystic must be a coveted sacrifice or research subject, no less valuable than Hoshino's. She just wasn't as accessible as Hoshino, who was single-handedly propping up a failing school.
[You are nothing more than a stepping stone for my ascension to a greater existence, to the god of this world. You are nothing more and nothing less. So quietly offer your body and serve my path to the sublime!]
"Yeah, no. ☆"
As much as I wanted to get under Beatrice's skin, I decided to hold back. If I pushed the wrong buttons and that crazy bitch flipped out and summoned the Color, I wouldn't be able to handle the fallout. I would just focus on taking her down as quickly and cleanly as possible.
I easily dodged Beatrice's long, sharp fingers and pulled the trigger. Bullets slammed into her grotesque, flower-shaped head, but they seemed to do less damage than I'd expected. Still, she clearly felt the pain, as she let out a bizarre shriek and recoiled.
Well, it's not like I was planning on fighting her with just my gun anyway.
Ting—
I pulled the pin on a grenade, counted to two, and threw it just as I dove to avoid a red orb of energy Beatrice had launched at me.
KABOOOOOM—!!
[How dare you!!!]
The grenade, which exploded right as it reached Beatrice's head, seemed to have done some significant damage. Only 'some,' though.
Honestly, it's hard to believe that students can take that much firepower and still be fine. The irony is that I, the one thinking this, can also withstand such explosions without a problem.
I saw a red energy gathering around the head of a furious Beatrice. Knowing it was some kind of radial attack, I prepared my own counter, creating a cluster of stars.
Just as the blood-red beam shot out, a meteor-like starlight flew forward and collided with it. The subsequent explosion filled the air with smoke, obscuring our vision of each other.
As Beatrice swiped away the smoke with her creepy hands, I emptied another magazine into her without pause.
...Looking again, the bullets infused with my Mystic seem to be slightly more effective than the grenade. In that case, there's no need to go through the trouble of throwing grenades. Against a slow, large target like her, my shots won't miss anyway.
Kieeeeeeeeeek—
Beatrice let out a screech and began to indiscriminately fire crimson orbs. Annoyed that she hadn't even managed to touch the hem of my clothes, she seemed intent on leaving me no room to dodge.
"As if. It's not even your own Mystic."
Well, in this case, is it Horror instead of Mystic? Not that it really matters.
A meteor shower rained down to counter the crimson rain. It drained a significant amount of energy from my usually overflowing body, but thanks to that, I was able to completely nullify Beatrice's rampage.
[Fufufu, the more I see it, the more I covet that Mystic. I can hardly wait for the moment I make you my sacrifice!]
And what am I supposed to do about it?
I reloaded and continued to fire. But even after taking three full magazines and a grenade head-on, Beatrice seemed to be perfectly fine. It felt like my firepower alone wasn't enough. At this rate, I didn't know if I could save Saori before the ritual was complete.
My heart began to race with impatience. Beatrice, knowing I was on a timer, looked completely at ease even as she was being pummeled. I have to save Saori, but at this rate, I have no way to...
"Madame! An intruder... Wh-what is that monster...?!"
Hmm, maybe a way just presented itself.
If you're short on firepower, the answer is to increase your numbers, right? Right?
A Word from the Author
Mika Punch is one thing, but the Princess's shooting skills are nothing to sneeze at... that merciless fire that grinds down Total Assault bosses...!
As I've mentioned briefly before, the protagonist was transmigrated at the time of Mika's Korean server release, so she only knows the story up to the Schale Reclamation arc.
By the way, I buffed Beatrice a little. This is because the sacrifice is Saori, not Atsuko.
Thematically, the most likely motif for Saori seems to be Lucifer, so I went with that. Since she's a more valuable sacrifice than Atsuko, I thought a slight buff was justifiable.
The real important thing is that Beatrice doesn't even have mimesis, she's a total scrub, so there was no way to draw a picture of her being a match for Mika...
So, I decided to go with a "time out due to lack of DPS" route.
It is a solo run without support, after all.
◇─◇───◆─◈─◆───◇─◇
Sorry for the delay, because of a storm yesterday, almost all broadband services in my city went down for some reason, and last night even my mobile network was down, so I was unable to upload these chapters. I hope you understand
And finally, please give me dem stones