The knights advanced in unison.
"Beam Blade!"
Light erupted from the small dragon-shaped Sigmond's maw.
The essence of the 'Cursed Sword' was the emission of Destroy Element. The reason the 'Cursed Sword' dragon grew so massive was to create space inside its body to store and load this Destroy Element.
But now, the mirror spirit, Lotte, had become an ally. Through her mirrors, it became possible to accumulate Destroy Element externally.
The 'Cursed Sword' would likely be blocked now.
Charlotte silently watched the emitted beam as two knights brandishing lances charged forward to meet it.
The knights, crossing their lances, didn't even attempt to dodge. Just before the beam cannon swallowed them—
The light reversed, racing back towards Charlotte.
Yet, in the next instant, the beam reversed its course once more.
Unnoticed by all, countless mirrors had materialized, seemingly encircling Charlotte.
Small mirrors, about the size of hand mirrors, were neatly arranged in the air. One by one, they reflected the beam spat forth by Sigmond, piercing through the legs of the lance-wielding knights.
The knights collapsed to the ground, still alive. Had they been ordinary automata, they might have still posed a threat.
However, these Maschinensoldat were modified humans, now unconscious on the battlefield, overcome by excruciating pain.
"How ironic. The Maschinensoldat are indeed powerful, but precisely because they are human, they cannot avoid pain and injury," Charlotte mused.
The light reflected by the small mirrors not only injured the knights but also traced complex geometric patterns in the air.
Like an ancient magic circle, the flashes grew increasingly brilliant, vast amounts of magical power accumulating within.
A knight wielding a longsword closed in on Charlotte, leaping high into the air and bringing his blade down in a sweeping arc.
A direct attack on the puppeteer?
"Glory Cannon."
Facing the approaching knight, Charlotte calmly pulled the trigger on her magic.
From Sigmond's tiny jaw, the light of the Glory Cannon shot forth, striking the magic circle in the air directly.
In the blink of an eye, the diameter of the platinum beam expanded thousands of times.
A river of light, fired diagonally, illuminated the sky of the machine city.
The annihilated air generated a fierce wind, a gale howling across the entire area.
The beam grazed the knight's side. Without even making direct contact, it dissolved his entire right half.
This was Charlotte Belew's Cursed Sword combat art.
The knight fell powerlessly to the ground, his longsword already turned to dust in the beam.
"Beam Blade."
A continuous stream of light swords shot towards the knights once more. The platinum radiance split the battlefield in two, immediately halting the knights' assault.
The annihilated air whipped up dust from the ground, a cloud obscuring the knights' vision.
The next moment, intense heat and sharp blades tore through the dust cloud.
The knights tried to form a defense, but their movements suddenly grew sluggish.
A freezing mist, glittering like diamond dust, enveloped them. In an instant, the moisture in the atmosphere froze completely, frost crawling over the knights' armor.
Simultaneously, superheated flames assaulted the knights from behind. A spray of blood blossomed, dyeing half of Cherubim crimson.
Watching his knights being pushed back, Rosenberg clenched his fists.
He looked towards the mansion, a flicker of hope in his eyes. But the sight of ice blocks and rising green vines shattered that hope.
Outside the mansion's garden, a knight swung a massive hammer down towards Suiseiseki.
BOOM—
The hammer slammed into the ground, but Suiseiseki, who had been there just a moment before, vanished.
Damn it, is this the power of the 'Flower' dolls?
The brown-skinned boy scanned his surroundings carefully. From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of a green skirt.
"Got you!"
The hammer swung again, but the figure of Suiseiseki suddenly transformed into a swarm of bees.
"Where are you?!" the boy, deceived once more, let out a frustrated cry. "I can't tell! I really can't tell!"
His teammates were gone, the enemy was an illusion; he began to question if he was even in reality. Behind him, unseen, abruptly sprouted vines tightly binding his comrades.
Souseiseki was there, snipping away at them with her shears, one by one.
"This has to be a dream!" The brown-skinned boy ordered his automaton to charge the mansion—their target for the night was inside.
But a giant scissor blade immediately smacked the back of his head. The knight who had charged ahead was also entangled by vines.
"Hmph, tonight you'll have a nightmare," Suiseiseki declared, setting down her watering can and deciding to pay a visit to this fellow's dreams later.
Souseiseki smiled slightly, calling towards the mansion, "All clear, Shouko."
Shouko's figure appeared by the French windows of the sunroom. Komurasaki swung her legs happily from her perch on the vines.
Then, a sudden, chilling dread flooded their hearts.
Souseiseki pulled Suiseiseki and Komurasaki, rushing them back inside the mansion.
One second later, a massive block of ice crashed down onto the spot where the knights and the boy had been.
The precisely shaped ice left the mansion and its walls completely unscathed.
"It seems they won't even be having nightmares tonight."
An attack this precise required no distinction between friend or foe.
Shouko, holding an unlit pipe, shook her head and looked towards the academy.
A cold wind swept across the Night Party battlefield. Yaya and Cherubim swiftly dispatched the immobilized knights.
As the dust settled, Rosenberg stared at the scene, his heart turning to ash.
"Hand over the glove." Loki walked up to Rosenberg. Cherubim floated lightly into his hand.
The massive sword seemed to weigh nothing in Loki's grip.
Fuming, Rosenberg tore off his glove and threw it to the ground.
The embroidered glove was lifted telekinetically by Loki and tucked into his coat. Then, as if having lost all interest, he turned and walked towards the petite knight behind him.
He dangled Rosenberg's glove in front of Sophia. Then, the temperature gradually rose.
The glove, symbolizing the right to participate in the Night Party, curled and blackened into a pile of ashes under the intense heat.
"You don't have to fight anymore."
Loki gazed at the knight, speaking softly.
The knight froze for a moment, then fingers touched the helmet, slowly lifting it off.
Beneath the face-concealing helmet was revealed the beautiful face of a young girl.
Frey, staring at the girl, widened her eyes. The slow-witted older sister only now realized that a girl had been hidden beneath that armor.
Sophia offered a dreamlike smile, whispering faintly.
"Just as I thought... Loki is so kind."
"...I am a humble and tolerant person. But, I am not kind."
Loki grabbed the girl's hand and started walking away.
Frey watched them, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
"...Stop staring, stupid sis." Faced with that smile, Loki spoke somewhat awkwardly.
Tonight's Night Party had come to a close.
--+--
The night was pitch black, when a streak of light suddenly tore across the sky.
It seemed to flip a switch. More and more lights began streaking across the heavens.
A meteor shower was descending tonight.
The spectators in the stands gasped in surprise, but under the guidance of the Student Council members, they began to evacuate in an orderly fashion.
Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Alice walked over to Irori, asking softly, "Has it begun?"
"Yes."
Irori removed the hand that had been pressed against her chest. A faint light began to emanate from her extremities.
As if triggered by a keyword, Edward emerged from somewhere.
He approached with a kindly, almost grandfatherly smile, stopping before Alice.
"What's going on?" Charlotte's eyes widened.
"The Divine Machine."
Alice waved her hand, and Trimmau materialized in the air.
The massive, skeletal form composed of azure clouds made those who hadn't seen it before shrink back slightly. A blue robin flew over.
"The Divine Machine?!" Charlotte blinked. "So soon?"
Alice had only been involved with puppets for about a year, and she was already approaching the level of the Divine Machine?
Alice didn't reply, intently observing the changes inside Irori's body.
The team formed by Magnus, Charlotte, and the others... the throne of the Night Party was within her grasp.
The foreigner, the rain of meteors, the heavenly throne—the prophecies were all aligning.
Alice gently touched the light within Irori. Irori's limbs had already transformed into light, her physical body gradually dissolving.
"Irori's physical body can't withstand the descent of the Divine Machine. It's beginning to break down." Shouko, who had arrived at some point, stared intently at Irori's body.
This is going smoothly. A little too smoothly.
Alice rubbed her smooth chin.
The birth of a Divine Machine couldn't possibly be this simple.
Releasing Trimmau was partly to fulfill the condition of 'completing the fairy tale'.
But... it was completely unnecessary.
The mist of magical power within the fairy tale boundary was being drawn in as if sucked, gathering around Irori.
There was no wind, no heat, yet an oppressive feeling, so intense it felt like it would steal one's very life force, appeared in the surroundings.
Alice and the others slowly backed away, making space for this nascent life.
A few seconds later, an object resembling a cocoon appeared on the lawn.
The surrounding plants swayed as if in a non-existent breeze. They trembled slightly, absorbing something from the air.
Then, they exhaled something else.
Sensing that invisible substance, Alice's eyes widened.
She knew what this was...
Alice's hand gradually tightened, channeling magical energy into her puppets.
This was the Ether of Type-Moon.
At the same time, a soft laugh came from within the cocoon.
Identical to the one heard in the dormitory that day.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.