[- Dark Matter Magic: Spell Creation — Raphael -]
In the next fraction of a second, the pressure of the wind collapsed at five different points.
BOOM—
Five colossal tornadoes erupted simultaneously, spinning wildly like pillars of the sky's wrath. Asphalt peeled away, steel frames ripped free, Bandersnatch units twisted and shredded in the high-pressure vortex.
The airborne Wizards were forced to break formation, their Realizers screaming to withstand the impossible turbulence.
Even so, new silhouettes continued to emerge from the DEM hangar.
Reinforcements ascended.
Tactical signals multiplied.
The encirclement closed again.
Gabriel watched it all from the eye of the storm.
A faint smile still lingered, as if the sheer number of opponents… meant nothing to him.
From afar, a gleaming streak of white-gold split the night sky—cutting straight through the turbulence of Gabriel's artificially forged storm.
Amid the siege, Gabriel could still make out the approaching figure.
Ellen Mira Mathers.
A young-looking woman who belied her age, standing about 160 cm tall, with pale Nordic blonde hair, sharp purple eyes, fair skin, and a slender figure.
Her platinum Wiring Suit hugged her body perfectly, and the CR-Unit Pendragon was mounted seamlessly on her back.
In her hands she wielded a Maryoku blade—Caledfwlch.
The surrounding Wizard and Bandersnatch units immediately withdrew. Gunfire ceased. The battlefield sky left an empty space… reserved just for the two of them.
As she arrived in front of Gabriel—
No opening words.
No warning.
Ellen swung her sword.
CLAAANK—!!!
The loud clang shattered the air.
Gabriel easily stopped it, his weapon locking onto the Maryoku blade. The shockwave swept outward, blowing the pale mist away and letting Ellen's long hair sway gracefully behind her.
"Mist," Ellen said calmly, her gaze sharp and emotionless. "Ike showed interest in you. Even though you emit Spirit signals… you resemble a Magus more."
Gabriel grinned faintly.
With a sudden push, he pressed his weapon harder—forcing Ellen to be pushed back nearly three meters through the air.
"Ash appreciates your observation," he replied casually. "True. I am what you call… a Magus."
In the next instant, the two of them lunged forward simultaneously.
The sky shattered once more with a flurry of clashes.
CLANK—!! CLANK—!! CLANK—!!
The platinum Maryoku blade and the pale white Mana of Ragnarok collided repeatedly, scattering sparks of energy like cosmic fireworks.
Each impact bent the air, leaving ripples of pressure that reached the distant empty buildings.
Amid the skirmish, Ellen's voice remained steady.
"Then… why are you attacking this place?" she asked. "Are you… on Ratatoskr's side?"
With one final, heavier clash, they were pushed back, maintaining their distance.
Gabriel spun his weapon once, then hovered in the air, pale mist swirling around him.
"On Ratatoskr's side?" he repeated lightly.
A faint smile appeared again.
"Ash is not bound to any faction."
Silence hung between them. Only the whisper of the night wind and the distant echoes of crumbling ruins remained.
"Then…" Ellen's voice remained calm, sharp as her blade, "why are you attacking the DEM building?"
Gabriel did not answer immediately.
"Before Ash gives an answer," he said casually, "first tell me—why is this figure named Ike interested in me?"
Ellen's shoulders relaxed slightly.
A faint, almost polite smile.
"Mist—no. Ash. Join us. With your abilities… we could rule the world."
Gabriel chuckled softly.
Not mocking—more like someone hearing an old song played again.
Ellen's brows furrowed slightly. "What's so funny?"
"Apologies," Gabriel replied lightly. "I'm not laughing at your offer. It's just… an invitation like that reminds me of the past."
"And our offer?" Ellen asked, now more curious than intimidating.
A faint smile appeared again.
Gabriel raised Ragnarok, pointing it straight at her.
"That depends on you," he said. "Are your actions enough to catch Ash's interest?"
Ellen's eyes narrowed.
"So… you're not refusing. But you're not accepting either."
A pause.
"Or should I interpret that as—defeat you, then take you by force?"
"Good observation," Gabriel replied casually.
A moment of silence, and a faint smile appeared on Ellen's face.
"Interesting…"
The CR-Unit Pendragon on Ellen's back activated. Layered magic circles appeared in the air.
Dozens of Maryoku magic missiles ignited at once—precision formations.
"Chastiefol — Active."
The night sky instantly filled with trails of platinum light.
But Gabriel had already moved first.
Using Ki detection, his body darted through impossible angles. He tilted, spun, rose and fell like a shadow weaving through the storm of projectiles.
Some attacks were slashed aside.
Others were lightly touched— their vectors shifted, rebounding to strike the DEM Wizard units in the distance.
Chain explosions lit up the night sky like war fireworks.
Amidst the onslaught, Gabriel's smile never faded.
The battle… was only beginning to heat up.
Elsewhere, two mechanical cannons on Ellen's back spun in unison, locking onto their target.
Maryoku condensed inside the barrels—dense, vibrating, almost unstable.
"Rhongomyniad."
Two pillars of platinum light erupted outward, piercing the night sky like sacred spears cast from heaven, racing straight toward Gabriel.
But Gigan's Output increased.
The world before Gabriel's eyes fractured into slow-motion frames, as if reality itself was being played back at a broken speed. Dust, light, shards of concrete—everything hung suspended.
The pale-white Mana flowing over Ragnarok thickened further.
He swung his weapon.
[- Dark Matter Magic: Raguel Schneidwelle des Leerenlichts -]
Dozens of slashes were unleashed in a single breath.
The pillars of Rhongomyniad fire were obliterated, and the wave of slashes forced anyone in the area to erect Territories for defense… or evade with every ounce of their skill.
Some Wizards were too slow.
Bandersnatch units were torn apart like metal toys.
The wave of destruction spread—unchecked.
Yet Ellen's attention was not on them at all.
Her gaze was sharp, focused.
She made a sudden turn, accelerating at high speed toward the DEM building swept by Gabriel's slash trajectory.
Not panic.
Not hesitation.
Her priority was clear.
Someone inside that building… far more important than her forces.
***
In the Fraxinus control room, the glow of the tactical screens reflected the flashes of battle across the faces of the crew.
Real-time footage displayed Ash fighting alone against Ellen, the DEM Wizards, and the Bandersnatch units.
They had been watching since the first shots were fired.
Kotori sat in the commander's chair as usual—legs crossed, a neat black ribbon in her hair, a lollipop dangling lazily from the corner of her mouth.
"Kotori…" Shido's voice was quiet, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Why do you think Ash is attacking the DEM headquarters?"
Kotori closed her eyes for a moment.
"…That's my question too."
One eye opened again, sharp and piercing.
"The emotional parameters we've detected from his bio-signals have been stable all along. No surges of anger, no destructive impulses."
She turned slightly. "Reine. Any analysis?"
Reine, standing at the rear console, double-checked the data on Reiryoku waves, Maryoku, and spatial fluctuations.
"…There's no pattern of emotional aggression," she said softly. "His attacks are precise. Calculated. Like… a test."
Kotori shifted her gaze across the entire crew.
"Thoughts?"
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Vengeance…" muttered Kyouji Kawagoe, scratching his cheek, "doesn't seem like the type to throw a tantrum or anything."
Masaomi Mikimoto pushed his glasses up. "Ash's movements align with a strategy of provocation. He's forcing DEM to deploy their top-tier assets… probably to observe their maximum response."
Hinako Shiizaki crossed her arms, frowning. "If his goal was just testing strength, that's insane. But… he does seem to be holding back at certain moments. Like he's measuring, not trying to annihilate everything."
Munechika Nakatsugawa spun in his chair. "Or he's sending a message. 'I can reach the heart of your organization anytime.' Organization-level intimidation."
Kozue Minowa typed rapidly at the console. "Additionally: since the battle started, DEM's surveillance signals toward Shido's area have dropped by 38%. Their focus is entirely on Ash. Could be… a diversion."
Silence fell again.
Kotori lightly bit her lollipop.
"…A city-scale diversion just to grab the attention of a global organization."
She exhaled softly.
"He really is not a normal being."
Shido swallowed. "So… he's helping us?"
Kotori stared at the screen, watching Ash hold off Ellen's attacks while wearing a faint smile.
"…That's what makes him dangerous," she said quietly. "We don't even know if we're part of his plan… or just a side effect."
Kannazuki, who had been standing next to Shido just behind the commander's chair, crossed his arms.
His eyes were closed, his face as calm as someone who had just found enlightenment.
"Maybe… he's just bored."
The room fell silent.
A few crew members glanced at each other. That statement sounded almost absurd—what kind of being gets bored and then attacks a world-class military organization alone, facing their elite forces and top executives?
But the one they were talking about was Ash.
A being whose signal resembled a Spirit, yet whose structure did not.
Sparse data.
Unreadable patterns.
Unstable motives.
In that context… Kannazuki's theory couldn't be dismissed outright.
Kotori slightly swiveled in her chair, raising an eyebrow at the man.
"…For once," she said flatly, "your hypothesis deserves to be recorded as a possibility."
A few crew members blinked in surprise.
That was praise.
Rare praise.
Kannazuki slowly opened his eyes, his face instantly transforming as if he had just received a divine revelation.
"Commander…" his voice trembled dramatically. "I will engrave this moment on the gravestone of my heart."
"That's a terrifyingly weird metaphor…" Shido added.
Kannazuki straightened up with an oddly intense enthusiasm.
"If boredom is the trigger, then he fights not out of negative emotions… but out of a lack of stimulation. That means his threshold for destruction isn't anger—it's interest."
The room fell silent again.
Kotori narrowed her eyes at the screen, watching Ash smile amidst the storm of attacks.
"…If that's true," she murmured, "what we should fear isn't when he hates something."
A pause.
"But when he finds it… interesting."
___
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, at least my head is feeling better now, and btw, sorry for only just introducing the names of the Fraxinus crew. Hehe~ 😅
Support me, add this to your favorites, give all your Power Stones (yes, even you Ghosts/Unknowns) hehe~ and leave the best reviews too! 😎