"""Waaaaaah!"""
The battlefield shook with a roar that seemed ready to tear the air apart.
Within it burned a tiny, faint spark of courage that refused to go out.
This was resistance, and this was a desperate last stand.
"Everyone, charge! Avoid a head-on clash at all costs! Keep circling around it and wear down its body as much as you can!"
Led by Daphne, who had escaped the magician's trap, Apollo Familia rose once more.
Of course, not everyone in Apollo Familia was taking part in this struggle.
For one thing, the familia captain, Hyakinthos, was still unconscious.
There was no way he could be counted on as a fighting force in this state.
More than half the members were still groaning beneath the collapsed rubble, begging for help.
Quite a few others had hidden behind cover or tried to flee over the debris pile, hoping to save only themselves.
In the end, only about thirty people had returned to the battlefield.
"Good grief! There's no bigger bunch of idiots than you lot! I don't have the right to say this after leading those fools around by the nose, but... that doesn't mean we can just sit here like idiots with our hands in our laps and wait to be saved! If this all ends with nothing but a mountain of debt, then I might as well get stabbed by some goblin bastard and die tomorrow! Isn't that right, everyone!"
""Yes, Commander!""
"If you understand, then hurry up and run! Go and land at least one more cut on that giant bastard! Even if you die, even if you end up running away later because you can't take it anymore, at the very least help the Little Rookie before you get lost! Anyone who can't or won't do it, I'll chase you down and kill you myself even if it costs me my life! I swear it in the name of that damned sun!"
""Eek! Yes, Vice-Captain!""
"And you two over there! Find the ones hiding in the back! Go slap them if you have to and make them move! Even if they can't throw themselves at that damned monster with us, at least make them rescue the comrades who are still hoping to be saved! We don't have the luxury for that right now! Understood!?"
""Yes!""
"And the mages! Drag those damned weaklings here even if you have to half-kill them! If they've been strutting around and getting special treatment because they're more useful than the rest, then it's time they earned their keep! Anyone who refuses and puts up a fight gets a knife across the face! I'll take full responsibility! Move it!"
Daphne's orders rang out with a ferocity completely unlike her usual self.
Under that terrifying barrage, Apollo Familia's last resistance force moved more briskly than usual and carried out her commands.
Yet even as she watched those excellent displays of soldierly resolve, Daphne's twisted expression would not relax.
Well, in a situation like this, that was only natural.
"I've managed to get them moving somehow, if only so they can try to survive."
Daphne, who had enough sense to qualify as a commander, did not deceive herself.
It was certainly support better than having none, but in the current situation, a fighting force like theirs would not help much.
Out of the roughly thirty people, only three or four at most, including herself, were Level 2.
The rest were all Level 1.
The others with any real skill were all either hiding somewhere or in the middle of running away.
At this rate, they could forget about having anything resembling a proper battle.
No, maybe they were just idiots who were sticking their heads under the enemy's blade of their own accord.
Maybe it would have been wiser to flee right now.
"...Even so, we have to try."
She was sharp-minded and more realistic than anyone else, and she could not understand Bell Cranel's choices, words, or the principles behind his actions at all.
His choice was nothing but foolishness, pure and simple.
And yet that foolishness had moved them.
Before they knew it, they had gathered in one place and stepped back onto this battlefield.
Then for now, that alone would be enough.
"Hestia Familia... Maybe they're even crazier than Apollo's perverted familia."
Despite the mocking words, her lips curved into a faint smile.
Those idiots who couldn't tell heaven from earth.
As a realist, she didn't particularly understand them, nor did she especially want to.
Still, they were at least far better than the group of people who weren't even visible right now.
That was all there was to it.
"Come to think of it, Cassandra was spouting even more nonsense than usual."
She should be all right, shouldn't she?
Daphne frowned as she thought of her childhood friend, who was nowhere to be seen.
That was certainly not irritation, annoyance, or anger at the girl, who was always, knowingly or not, such a handful.
It was nothing more than genuine concern for a precious friend.
- Grrrrrrrrr!
"Tch! That damned monster...!"
In any case, the present situation was a desperate and perilous battle.
Daphne stopped thinking, drew her weapon, and threw herself back into the battlefield.
As I keep saying.
Right now, this was a hopeless situation where every single pair of hands was desperately needed.
*
- Grrrrrrrrr!
"I-it's coming!"
"Everyone evacuate! Fall back!"
Bang!
"Guh!"
"Aaaagh!"
Even with the newly added numbers inspired by Bell, there was no major change on the battlefield.
Ryuu was still facing the giant with furious momentum, while beneath it the remnants of Apollo Familia wriggled about, desperately trying to inflict even one more wound on its body.
Up to this point, it was nothing more than the same old situation.
"What are you planning, boy?"
In the darkness, the magician looked down on the battlefield through the giant's eyes.
What entered his sight was Bell Cranel.
The white-haired, pure-hearted boy adventurer stood alone at the rear of the battlefield, as if preparing something or waiting for something.
He simply stood there, motionless.
"No, something is different."
First of all, the weapon in his hand had changed.
Until just a moment ago, Bell had been fighting the golem with the large weapons scattered around the area.
But the greatsword he was holding now was one the magician already knew.
It was one of the two Crozzo magic swords Ryuu had used earlier.
What on earth was that boy planning to do with it?
"And this ringing bell that's been echoing ever since."
The strange bell-like sound that had suddenly begun ringing at some point.
Listening to that clear tone, the magician felt something indescribable creeping up from deep inside his chest, a vague unease he could not put into words.
The magical crest seemed to resist the bizarre phenomenon, so this too appeared to be some kind of skill or magic effect.
"Is it just meant to make the enemy uneasy and end there? No way."
As a mental debuff, it was certainly not bad.
But for some reason, the magician had the feeling that this was not all there was to it.
Above all, as he watched the Crozzo magic sword in the boy's hand gradually be swallowed by a pure white light, his suspicion only deepened.
At the same time, his anticipation for what would come next also kept growing.
"I don't know exactly what it is."
Something big was coming.
Something stronger than anything he had experienced so far!
"It'd be stupid to just stand here and take it when I know what's coming."
After a brief moment of thought, the magician made his decision.
Fine, let's wait and see.
The reason was nothing particularly grand.
"It's only proper to wait quietly when the protagonist is transforming or combining, after all."
That too was one kind of romance.
With that, the magician took his eyes off Bell.
As a substitute, if only for a moment, he decided to play with the small fry beneath his feet.
But before that could happen.
[You're being far too restless!]
- Uoooooo!
"Ghk!"
As the giant kicked away the trash underfoot, its hand reached for Ryuu.
Ryuu tried to dodge quickly, but this time the magician was one step faster.
In the end, one of her legs was caught.
[Someone like you should be able to survive this much, right?]
"Wha— Aaaagh!"
Soon after, the giant hurled the captured woman into the ground.
Crash!
"Kuh!"
Ryuu let out a pained breath from the violent impact.
Thrown so hard that the ground was gouged deep, she could not get back up easily, her body still unable to shake off the shock.
Above her, the giant raised its foot.
It meant to trample her before she could stand again.
"How awful...!"
"Stop it!"
Cries of anguish rose from everyone nearby.
Daphne's urgent command rang out.
Though she did not know who Ryuu was, there was no doubt she was the strongest combatant here.
Her incapacitation would have a huge impact on the battle ahead.
Knowing that better than anyone, Daphne had given the order almost reflexively.
But there was no one here who could carry it out.
And just as she was about to give up on Ryuu's rescue as well.
"[...Shinbutoujou.]"
From the rear.
There was someone who blocked it alone.
"[Futsunomitama!]"
Whoosh, thud!
[Hm? What is this...?]
Along with a powerful chant from somewhere, a gigantic magic circle spread beneath the giant's feet.
From its center, a massive blade of light fell straight through the giant's body.
Though its size was not enough to cover the giant's entire body, it was still vast enough to envelop about half of it.
And then, immediately after.
Bang!
[Ooooooh?!]
The giant's massive body dropped to one knee against the magician's will.
The magician let out a shocked cry.
[A gravity barrier? In an area this large!? And cast by a warrior, not a mage?!]
His surprise was genuine.
He truly had not expected this counterattack at all, and he was honestly impressed by the reality of it.
That was how unexpected Yamato Mikoto's magic was.
"Kuh...! Hah...!"
[Hahahahaha! Excellent! Excellent, adventurers!]
With half its body trapped in the gravity barrier, the golem could not move.
Taking advantage of that opening, several members of Apollo Familia supported the fallen Ryuu and got her out of there.
The magician saw it, but took no action.
He merely turned his attention to a new source of amusement.
[Yes, young lady from the East. That magic is quite something. Very useful indeed. It's worthy of special praise.]
"Kuh...! Nghhh..."
[But how unfortunate. If you were a proper mage, you might have held out a little longer.]
The magician said this while examining the gravity barrier binding the golem's foot.
Let's see, roughly this size and this level of barrier.
And with the golem's volume and mass...
[Another minute? No, maybe thirty seconds? Isn't that about your limit now?]
"Not... a chance...! Ghh, ughhh..."
[Ding, time's up.]
Crack!
"Kyaaah!"
The magician's calculation was correct.
The golem had merely waited in place.
Even so, Mikoto's magic dispelled itself and the golem was freed once more.
It was simply that her own limit had been reached.
[Now then, what should I give the young lady in return...? Hm?]
But that brief wait.
Dang...
Just that tiny opening.
Daaang...
It was enough for the boy to finish his preparations.
Daaang...!
Patsutsutsutsu
"...Phew."
Before anyone knew it, it had lost its original color.
A dazzling, radiant pure white light.
The Crozzo magic sword was completely engulfed in that white brilliance.
[Oh?]
The moment he saw it, the magician understood at a glance.
That was "power."
A mass of something that could not be described any other way, something that was power itself.
[No, it's not just that.]
Judging by the purity dwelling within it, among all the powers he had encountered in this world so far, it was the type closest to "mystery" after Arcanum.
A power different from the magic of this world, and different from his own magecraft.
A power granted solely to the boy, and for the boy alone.
The power of the seed of a hero, Bell Cranel.
[Ah, yes. That one's definitely impossible.]
And so the magician instinctively understood.
No matter what method he used, even if he called upon the cheat-like power he possessed, there was no way to "reproduce" that.
And yet it was maddeningly desirable, while at the same time making it impossible not to acknowledge reality.
[Pure. Clean. And yet strong.]
Just like their... Noble Phantasms.
[So that is your "romance."]
In that case, it deserved respect.
And so the magician decided to give up on that "power" early.
By his own judgment, it did not suit him.
That pure white power was for "heroes," for those who sought to become such beings.
That was why, though he felt regret, he could easily let go of the lingering desire.
Because.
He could never become a "hero" like them.
He could not do what that boy did.
So he would give that up obediently.
However, in exchange.
As someone who pursued "romance."
[Very well, boy.]
The level of that romance, the size of that sincerity.
[Come.]
He could not pass up the chance to experience and judge it firsthand.
[This magician will confirm your "romance" for himself!]
- Uoooooo!
"Haaaaaaah!"
Under the giant's roar, Bell Cranel swung his sword.
He swung the Crozzo magic sword, now wrapped in pure white light.
Then, with a blinding flash.
KWAaaaang!
"Wha—?!"
"What in the—ghk...!"
A tremendous explosion and blast wave erupted at the same time.
The thick smoke swallowed the battlefield.
The giant's massive body vanished into it as well.
A moment later.
"Ah..."
A gust of wind blew through, and the smoke covering the battlefield began to clear.
Soon, the giant body hidden within it came into view.
"Th-there...!"
"No way, did he really...?"
The seed of a young hero.
The giant, half-destroyed by Bell Cranel's strike, entered everyone's sight.
At the center of its enormous upper body.
In the place that would correspond to a human heart, a huge magic stone that was likely its core power source was laid bare.
Anyone could see that it was in a critically damaged state.
As everyone on the battlefield looked on, their eyes reddening with shock, surprise, and relief that they were still alive,
[Amazing.]
The magician's admiration spilled out.
The giant's body swayed.
[Truly splendid.]
His praise continued.
One of the giant's remaining arms broke apart and fell to the ground.
[And yet.]
It was truly a shame.
The magician let out a heartfelt sigh of regret.
When everyone watching looked puzzled,
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!
As if time itself were being rewound.
As if insisting it had never been broken in the first place.
The half-destroyed body of the giant was restored to its original state in the blink of an eye.
And then, immediately after.
"Huh?"
Bang!
"Ugh, k—!"
The giant's foot kicked Bell, who had been staring blankly.
Then the giant's hand casually swatted him through the air.
As if crushing a bug.
Bang!
"Bell-kun!"
"Cranel-san!"
His two female companions called out the boy's name in a panic.
But there was no answer.
There had been no chance to dodge.
The magician had not allowed the slightest room for that.
There was no time or means to block it either.
The magic sword in the boy's hand had shattered into pieces and vanished with that final blow.
For a boy with bare hands, the defense just now had been absolutely impossible.
And so, even without seeing it directly, everyone knew.
The injury the boy had just taken was, by any measure, a grievous one.
From this point on.
At least for today.
The boy was practically in no condition to fight anymore.
Bell Cranel's struggle ended here.
"What... is that...?"
"Ah...! Ah...!"
"No way... this can't be..."
Daphne bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood.
The fighting spirit that had barely been kindled, the spark of hope.
It had been snuffed out and broken without mercy in a single blow.
There was nothing left that had changed.
That ridiculous hope for survival had already fled, leaving not even a trace behind.
The reality before her was nothing but infuriating and unbearable.
[Just one step.]
To them, the magician said calmly.
It had only been one step.
Just that one step's worth of power had been lacking.
[It really was surprising. Though it was a knockoff, I didn't expect a "shield" made with the concept of "refusal" to break in a single strike. And even after that, it still had enough force left to inflict that kind of injury on Keter Malkuth. As expected of the famous Crozzo magic sword. It truly was amazing.]
The magician's praise and admiration were sincere.
He really was offering honest praise for Bell's performance and what he had achieved.
But in the end.
That was all there was to it.
Nothing changed after all.
Everything.
Just as it had been decided from the very beginning.
The end of the story was approaching.
[Well, in any case, the evaluation is over.]
And the verdict was a narrow failure.
[There's nothing else worth seeing now.]
"Ah...! Aah...!"
[Sorry to disappoint those who had expectations, but it seems this story's ending is the bad ending route after all. What a pity.]
"Aaaaaagh!"
"R-run!"
[Now then. It seems the audience is getting bored too. Shall we really bring this to an end?]
- Grrrrrrrrr!
The recovered giant roared.
Ants fled beneath its feet.
And as expected.
There was no sign of change anywhere.
And so the story moved toward its final curtain...
"At last."
"Hm?"
"I found you."
In the darkness.
In that place where only faint artificial light existed.
Another figure besides the magician stepped into view.
When the magician turned around, the person there was...
"Lili?"
"Checkmate, An."
Liliruca Arde.
The magician's precious first disciple finally stood face to face with her master.
With this, the story on the stage raises its curtain anew.
The third act begins.
========================
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