Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Zero - Volume 2 - Chapter 4

Chapter IV: A Legendary Battle

Oscar stood in the central casino’s main floor, surrounded by shimmering edifices of greed. Today, he wasn’t there as a customer, but as a waiter. A corpulent man shoved his way over and grabbed a champagne glass off Oscar’s tray. Oscar bowed politely, appearing unfazed by the man’s rudeness. None of the casino’s security guards paid Oscar any mind.

“I don’t get it...” Oscar muttered as he went to adjust his glasses, only to find that they weren’t there. He hadn’t worn any particular disguise. He’d just taken his glasses off, and neither the patrons nor the security guards had recognized him.

“Ahaha, I knew it, O-kun. Your glasses really are your soul!” Miledi walked past, a tray of food held in her hand.

Normally, Oscar would have argued, but he just silently stared at Miledi instead. Like him, she’d snuck in as part of the staff, and so she was wearing a maid outfit as part of her disguise.

“Miledi, you belong in maid outfits. They look great on you.”

“Is it just me, or are you even more impressed by this than you were with the dress?”

“The dress was fine, but this is great in its own way. The first time we came here, I thought this place’s maid uniform would suit you, and I wasn’t wrong. Miledi, you look amazing. That black wig’s a good match for your face, too. You should wear this disguise all the time!”

“O-kun. You’re starting to scare me...” Miledi backed away, creeped out by Oscar’s attitude. Oscar closed in on her, taking a step forward for each one she took back.

“Hey, you two lovebirds! You realize we’re here on an infiltration mission, right? Stop doing things that’ll make you stand out!” Kyaty walked over, trying to break the two of them up. Like Miledi, she was wearing a maid outfit.

A good number of the Melusine pirates were circling around the casino, disguised either as waiters or guests. Their plan to rescue Diene was a simple one. Naiz and Meiru would teleport to the room Naiz had encountered Diene in. Once they had her, they’d teleport back out. They’d take Diene to the Melusine before anyone noticed, which was moored offshore. From there Naiz would teleport the entire ship to where the rest of Meiru’s restored fleet was waiting. Then Naiz would continue teleporting the fleet as far as he could, making it difficult even for Laus’ airship to catch up.

However, considering how cautious Baharl was, it was possible Diene wasn’t confined to the same room each night. If that ended up being the case, Meiru would use her magic to recreate the past and track where they’d taken Diene. Unfortunately, the tunnels underneath Andika were a veritable maze. It was far too optimistic to think they’d be able to reach Diene’s new location without being spotted. Which was why they’d need a diversion. If it turned out Diene wasn’t in her room, Naiz would contact the others, and they’d create a ruckus in the casino, drawing away most of Baharl’s security.

Incidentally, the reason Meiru had been able to sneak so many people in either as staff or as guests was because she’d had a lot of money. Sure, the core members of the Devault Family screened every potential dealer or security guard applicant, but guests could enter so long as they followed the dress code, and less important positions like wait staff could be bought with bribes. It was for that reason Kyaty was also working as a maid, and why she was also trying to get Oscar and Miledi to stop flirting.

“Kyaty, you look wonderful as well. Cat ears and a maid uniform are the ultimate combination!”

“Huh!? Wh-Wh-Where’d that come from!? Flatter me all you want, it won’t earn you any favors!”

“It’s not flattery. If possible, I’d like to keep staring at you forever.”

“Wha!?” Kyaty’s ears started twitching, and her tail swished back and forth. A deep blush spread up her face as Oscar’s words sunk in. Oscar was about to continue explaining the wonders of a cat-eared maid, but was stopped by Miledi.

“Oscar. If you don’t cut it out, I’m going to get mad.”

“Sorry. I’ll stop now...” Oscar knew she was really mad when she called him by his name. She gave him a threatening smile, and he obediently stopped spazzing out over maid outfits.

Unfortunately, they’d caused a bit of a scene and had caught the attention of a middle-aged man. He scrutinized Miledi for a few minutes, then grinned wickedly.

“What a surprise! You’re that young lady who challenged me a few months ago! Fwahahaha, to think I would see you again here, and in that outfit of all things! ”

Miledi didn’t seem to recognize him, so she tilted her head quizzically, curtsied, and questioned him.

“My humblest apologies, but I believe you’re mistaking me for someone else.”

She kept her tone polite, as befitting a waitress. However, the man wasn’t fooled for a moment.

“You can change the color of your hair, but you can’t fool my eyes. I could never forget those eyes or that noble countenance. Fufufu, did your debt force you go into hiding? Is that why you’re doing menial labor now? But you know missy, you can’t just ignore your debts.”

Miledi scrunched up her face and gave Oscar a puzzled look. Who the heck is this guy? He’s being really pushy...

Oscar leaned close and whispered the answer she was looking for into her ear.

“He’s the old fart who cheated you the first time we came to the casino.”

The man continued talking about something or the other. He even mentioned how he hadn’t expected Miledi to vanish like that and had hired private detectives to search for her. From the sound of it, he was obsessed with her.

“You can rest easy now, though. I’ll look after you. Fear not, I have a lot of influence around these parts. Buying up your debt will be no problem for me. Fufufufu.”

“I’m sorry, but I really do believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

The man ignored Miledi and reached for her hair. He was likely planning on taking her wig off. Naturally, Miledi danced out of reach. The man’s eyes narrowed dangerously in response.

“Do you want me to call security? You made an enemy out of the casino. Don’t think they’ll let you off lightly. I can use my influence to protect you, girl, but you don’t want to see what happens if you refuse my goodwill.”

Despite his words, it was clear from his lascivious gaze what he wanted to do to Miledi.

Oscar reached into his pocket to pull out an exploding dagger. But before he could, Kyaty grabbed his arm to stop him. Until Naiz and Meiru rescued Diene, they needed to be patient. Kyaty kept telling herself that as she stepped forward to try and buy time.

“Dear customer. You’re bothering our waitress. It would be impolite to cause a scene here, so if you insist on claiming that she’s the girl you think she is, can we continue this conversation somewhere more private?” Kyaty managed to keep her tone surprisingly polite. The man turned to her in surprise, as if just now realizing she was even here. After examining the smiling, white-haired, cat-eared maid for a few seconds, he grinned.

“Y-You’ve got quite the modest chest yourself. You look a bit older than I would like, but... you’re not bad, girl.”

“......”

Oscar suddenly realized why the old man was so obsessed with Miledi. He had a fetish for small boobs. Miledi and Kyaty both glared at the man with thinly veiled disgust. Oscar took his hand off his dagger and took a few steps back.

“C-Come, my pretties. We can talk more in that room back there. Hehe!”

The man reached out for Miledi and Kyaty, a disgusting grin plastered on his face. Just then, Oscar received a message on the communication artifact he’d handed a copy of to everyone.

It’s Naiz. Diene’s not in this room. We’ve been discovered by the enemy. Please create a diversion!

Oscar sent off a brief reply acknowledging the request, then smiled and gave Miledi a thumbs-up.

“Miledi, no need to hold back.”

That was the signal to cut loose.

“No need to be scared. I’ll take veeery good care of—”

“Die, you pervert!” Miledi fired an Onyx Blast into the man’s nether regions. There was a sickening crunch as a sphere with the force of a battering ram slammed into his testicles.

“...”

The pain was so great the man couldn’t even scream. He soundlessly flapped his lips for a few seconds, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell unconscious to the floor. The thud of his body hitting the carpet caught people’s attention, and quite a few turned to see what had happened.

Miledi harrumphed and pulled her wig off. Faster than the eye could follow, she tied her blonde hair into a ponytail and pulled out the communicator Oscar had given her.

“Begin the operation, you louts!”

“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A second later, a pile of weapons appeared in the center of the room. Oscar had summoned them from his Treasure Trove, and Miledi had sent them to their respective owners with gravity magic. They all caught them with practiced ease and ripped off their stifling uniforms. They charged the security guards, screaming wild battle cries.

In seconds, the casino was filled with the screams of their victims. Most of the rich nobles were panicking. Amidst the chaos—

“You’re that girl from back then!”

“She must be behind all this! Get her!”

A group of security guards rushed Miledi.

“O-kun, I’m counting on you!”

“Roger.”

Oscar grabbed Miledi and Kyaty by the shoulder. A second later, they were wearing their usual clothes. They’d kept them on underneath the maid uniforms, which Oscar had transferred into his Treasure Trove. And at the same time, Oscar pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket and put them on.

“Wait, you’re the Fake Gentleman with Evil Glasses! When did you get in here!?”

“Damn you! How did you disguise yourself so perfectly!?”

“A-Are you planning on stripping me again!? P-Please, leave me my underwear at least!”

The security guards shrunk back, terrified. It appeared they’d only recognized Oscar after he put his glasses on. His eyes glazed over as he watched their reactions.

“Miledi. Jokes aside, do you really think my soul lives in a pair of glasses?”

“H-Hey, O-kun, cheer up. I know your soul’s really in you. You’re a human, I promise.”

It was rare to see Miledi so at a loss for words.

“Take this seriously, you two!” Kyaty shouted, clearly exasperated.

“Don’t falter, you maggots! You’re men, aren’t you!? What’s the big deal with having your junk exposed!? If he strips you, just capture him naked! Get that four-eyed freak!”

“Y-You’re right. Don’t look down on the Devault Family, you glasses-wearing bastard!”

The security guards changed targets from Miledi to Oscar.

“Grappling with a bunch of naked men sounds like a nightmare,” Oscar said, shaking his head all the while. Then, he summoned his umbrella from his Treasure Trove, caught it in mid-air, and swung it at the security guards. Despite it weighing more than 15 kilograms, he swung it so fast it looked like a black blur. It struck the guard in front and sent him flying across the casino floor.

At the same time, he activated Wall Blast, blowing away the guards approaching him from the side. He then returned his umbrella to its original position, twirled it around, and hooked the handle around the ankle of a man who was charging him with a knife, hoisting him up by the foot and planting a roundhouse kick into his defenseless back. The magic built into his Onyx Boots gave his kick more power than normal, and this man was sent flying as well.

“Dammit, they’re too strong! The Fake Gentleman with Evil Glasses’ friends are strong too!”

“If you’ve got time to complain, you’ve got time to chant! Get back to casting!”

Half of the security guards rushing Oscar had been taken out by Miledi. They hadn’t even been able to scratch her, and they were starting to get desperate. A few of them managed to finish their incantations and launched the lightning spell Thunder Viper at her. Due to its erratic movements, it was difficult to dodge. However, Oscar just stepped in front of Miledi and Kyaty and unfurled his umbrella again.

“Ability Ten, Hallowed Ground, full power.”

Oscar’s ultimate barrier easily blocked the arcs of lightning, and once the bolts subsided, he went on the offense.

“Ability Six, Godstorm.”

A huge gale erupted from his umbrella. The guards casting spells were flung into the wall and lost consciousness.

“You guys are way too strong. And that umbrella can do anything. I feel useless,” Kyaty grumbled, glaring at Oscar and Miledi. She had her knives at the ready, but no one to use them on.

“We can’t have that, can we? Our goal is to cause as big of a scene as possible, so how about you go somewhere else?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Go on, Kyaty, show those losers the power of a cat-eared maid!”

“Don’t call me that, you idiot!”

Kyaty dashed off to find new prey with a red face. She started kneeing and slashing whoever she could find, whether they were a rich patron or one of Devault’s soldiers. Her knife cut through the tendons of dozens of feet as she raced around.

“Now then, we don’t want to cause too much damage to Andika’s leadership, or the city’ll fall apart. Make sure you hold back, O-kun!”

“That’s my line, Miledi. Try not to smear everyone on the walls, alright?”

Oscar and Miledi grinned to each other, then turned around and began fighting back-to-back. And at that exact moment, Oscar’s communicator glowed again.

It’s Naiz. We’ve got a problem. The leader of the Holy Templar Knights is here.

Everyone who received the message stiffened. The pirates had expected the knights to move today. They’d even been prepared to face them if necessary. However, they hadn’t expected them to arrive so fast. The church still wanted to keep its relationship with Andika a secret, so Meiru had assumed the knights wouldn’t bring their airship directly to the city. She was sure her pirates would arrive first.

When they started the operation, the pirates waiting out at sea still hadn’t spotted any knights. If they’d arrived during the fighting, one of Meiru’s lookouts should have spotted them. The plan had been for Miledi and Oscar to hold them off while everyone else rescued Diene.

To think their commander rushed here alone... Not only that, he even managed to find Naiz in that maze of underground tunnels. Oscar couldn’t help but be surprised. Naiz upped the sensitivity of his communicator so it could pick up the conversation between Meiru and Laus.

You pirates and any who’d join forces with you are enemies of Ehit! I shall slaughter you all here!

“Nacchan!” Miledi shouted for a portal as soon as she heard those words. And a second later, one appeared before her.

“O-kun, take care of things here!”

“You got it!” Oscar and Miledi were in perfect sync. He used his Metamorph Chains to bind the guards running toward Miledi, then shot a beam of light out of his glasses to stop the ones chanting spells. And during that brief reprieve, Miledi rushed through the portal to where Naiz and Meiru waited.

Right around the time Miledi and Oscar had started fighting the black suits, Meiru and Naiz left the dim room where Naiz had first met Diene. Meiru cast her magic, and a translucent image of Diene flanked by two bodyguards fizzled into view in front of them. She was walking quietly down the hall, her black-suited bodyguards leading the way.

“......”

Meiru kept her eyes focused on her sister’s back, which was covered by the same emerald-green hair that she had. Six years had passed since she’d sworn to come back for Diene. Occasionally, she’d been able to capture some of Baharl’s captains when they’d gotten careless and then see how Diene was getting along using her ability to recreate their pasts. However, because of how secretive Baharl was when it came to Diene, that was pretty rare. It had been more than a year since Meiru had last caught a glimpse of Diene.

She’s grown so much... Meiru felt a twinge of loneliness. She wanted to hold Diene in her arms again.

“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely pull this off...” Naiz’s voice was quiet, but determined.

“Naiz-kun... Yes, of course. Fufu, after all, I have three ancient magic users on my side.”

“Exactly. We’re called the Liberators for a reason.”

Meiru hadn’t even realized it, but she’d been tense ever since they entered the tunnels. That was why let herself relax a little, and smiled at Naiz. But a second later, her face fell.

“I’m sorry. After this plan succeeds, I won’t be able to repay you. Not only will this huge debt go unpaid, but you’ll even end up making enemies out of a city you could have ignored.”

“Miledi offered to help despite knowing all that. Of course, the same goes for us.”

“Yes, I know. But that’s exactly why...” Meiru thought back to the girl who’d become like a second sister to her. If everything went well and the Melusine Pirates were able to escape the Holy Templar Knights, Miledi and the others would return to the continent. It was a distinct possibility that the knights would then target Miledi’s group instead.

When Meiru had brought up that possibility Miledi had brushed it off and said, “We already fought an apostle, so a few knights are no big deal. Besides, they already know about us.” However, no matter how many assurances Miledi gave, Meiru couldn’t help but feel guilty. In prioritizing the safety of her family, she was going to be abandoning Miledi without repaying a single thing. That knowledge pained Meiru so much she had a hard time keeping her gentle smile up.

“You’re worrying too much.”

“Naiz-kun...”

“Don’t misunderstand, we’re not helping you because we want something from you. This is just what we want to do, and that’s the way of life we’ve sworn to follow.”

No one had pressured them into helping. They’d decided to stick their nose in of their own free will. Their pride wouldn’t allow them to abandon Meiru. So long as there were people who needed salvation, so long as there were people who were suffering from oppression, Miledi would continue fighting to liberate them from their unreasonable, unacceptable fate.

“Please allow us to live the way we want to.”

“Now you’re just being unfair...” Meiru gave Naiz a troubled smile. When he put it like that, what else could she do but accept his help?

Miledi, Oscar, and Naiz... Every single one of the new friends she’d made with similar powers to her own was like this. It made her chest constrict, but for different reasons than before. But before she could express her gratitude to Naiz, she stepped on something.

“Oh my?”

“Hm?”

That something turned out to be a thin wire. A second later, the part of the wall the wire was attached to began to glow red. Meiru had tripped an alarm, it seemed.

Oh no. The moment she thought that, an alarm blared through the hallway.

“This is your fault, Naiz-kun. You shouldn’t have talked to me.”

“Are you seriously trying to pin this on me!?”

What happened to that apologetic attitude earlier?

Meiru averted her gaze, while Naiz pulled out his communicator and told Oscar and the others to start the diversion. They’d planted pirates not only in the casino, but all over the central district, and even in various other parts of the city. At Naiz’s command, they should have all started rioting, hopefully drawing away the bulk of Baharl’s men stationed here.

A group of black suits barged in from a side hallway, and Meiru repulsed them with a water whip.

“If we’re chasing her image of the past, all we can do is push forward. I need to preserve my mana to teleport us out later, so I’ll leave dealing with any enemies to you.”

“Yes, of course. Leave everything to your big sister.”

“Uh, I’m older than you...”

Meiru stuck her tongue out in a cutesy fashion and ignored his comment.

You know what, I think she actually is related to Miledi. I really want to punch that stupid face of hers right now... Naiz thought to himself.

“Don’t worry, I’m strong even on land.”

“I never said you weren’t... Well, I suppose you acting like this is still better than getting depressed.”

Meiru cracked her water whip. The black suits closing in on the duo were sent reeling. Some even got tangled up in the water and were flung into the walls or ceiling. Those that appeared from rooms closer to Meiru were sliced up by her saber or had their balls crushed by a well-placed kick. Despite how gentle she looked, Meiru was more merciless than any yakuza.

“You’re making sure not to kill them, right?”

While the plan had called for keeping as many of Baharl’s men alive as possible, these were the same people responsible for keeping Diene confined. It wouldn’t have been surprising for Meiru to let her temper get the better of her, but for now, she was keeping herself in check. Though having their balls crushed might have been a fate worse than death.

“Of course not, Naiz-kun. Even I wouldn’t be so cruel as to leave Andika without a government simply because I no longer have any desire to take it for myself. Besides...”

“Besides what?”

“Imagine what would happen if the first thing Diene sees when we’re reunited is a mountain of corpses. I want her to like me, not fear me.”

Considering how she smothered Miledi with affection as well, Naiz was starting to think Meiru might have a sister complex.

“I-I see... I think it might be too late not to come off as fearsome if you’re already crushing people’s balls...” Naiz muttered quietly as he distanced himself a little from Meiru.

It seemed the diversion was working, since the number of enemies they ran into was sparse. They continued following the image of Diene’s past for a few more minutes, when suddenly a massive tremor shook the tunnels. There was a loud, primal rumbling. Meiru and Naiz had to stop and lean against the nearby walls for balance. After a few seconds the tremor passed, and the two of them sighed in relief.

“That was a big one.”

“Indeed. I have a bad feeling about that quake. Let’s hurry.”

“Agreed. I didn’t like the sound of that one bit.”

After another two minutes, they saw Diene’s image being pushed into a room by her pair of black-suited bodyguards.

“She must be inside!” Meiru ran forward and burst into the room.

“There’s no one here...”

“They must have moved her again. Meiru, cast your spell again.”

Though she couldn’t hide her disappointment, Meiru nodded and held out her hand. The translucent image showed Diene reading for a few minutes, after which Baharl rushed into her room. He hurried over to Diene, flanked by a few of his most trusted men, and yelled at her.

“We need to move. Now!”

“Huh? Father? What’s happening?”

“There’s no time to explain! Just come with me!”

“Ah!” Diene scrunched up her face as Baharl grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. He then stalked out of the room, half-dragging Diene behind her.

“That bastard!”

“Calm down, Meiru.”

Meiru furrowed her brows in anger. However, this meant it was likely Diene was with Baharl now. They’d arrived too late.

“If only I hadn’t tripped the alarm...” Meiru bit her lip.

However, Naiz didn’t think this was Meiru’s fault. It had been scarcely ten minutes since the diversion had begun. Baharl had acted far too fast. And he’d been fleeing at full speed. Naiz doubted a mere alarm being tripped could cause him to panic this much.

“There’s no point in worrying about all the what-ifs. We’ve got more important things to be doing right now.”

“Yes. Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry...” Meiru mentally berated herself for losing her cool at this critical juncture. And as she was about to continue the spell to see where Baharl had taken Diene, a voice interrupted her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah!? When’d you get here!?”

The man standing in front of the door was none other than Laus Barn. Meiru and Naiz’s eyes widened in surprise. However, Laus simply remained expressionless and repeated himself.

“Answer the question. What are you doing here?”

“Well...” Meiru faltered, which made Laus glance over to the image of Diene that she was still powering with her mana.

“I believe I told you that I would contact you after I had secured the girl with the power of renewal magic. Our agreement was that the coup d’etat would only take place once that was completed.”

“......”

“Could it be that from the start your true goal was the girl?”

Though he’d phrased it as a question, Laus’ voice was filled with conviction. He’d likely seen Meiru chasing after Diene instead of Baharl. That had clued Laus into the unnatural importance Meiru placed on her.

“I see... That hair, your similar powers, and the fact that you’re both from the same race. I should have realized it sooner. She’s a relative of yours, isn’t she?”

“So what if she is?”

“I have but one question for you. Do you plan on honoring the terms of our pact?” Laus knew the answer to this question too. He turned his gaze toward Naiz. The ancient magic users Meiru had claimed she’d cut ties with were assisting her in this revolt. It was obvious from their presence that Meiru hadn’t intended on keeping to their agreement. There was no excuse she could make here.

“Nope!”

If it meant losing Diene, Meiru had no need for the church’s backing. Diene was the one thing she would never give up.

The fierce glint in her eyes made clear to Laus that this freedom-loving woman would resist to the very end. He closed his eyes, but only for a moment. And when he opened them again, he’d cleared his minds of whatever doubts he might have had.

“You pirates and any who’d join forces with you are enemies of Ehit! I shall slaughter you all here! The power of the church is inexorable! I will show you here and now that none can escape its absolute will!”

Meiru and Naiz could feel their thoughts growing muddled under the effect of Laus’ piercing glare. Oh no! They both thought simultaneously. But a second later—

“You know, I hate those words more than anything else!” Miledi appeared from the portal Naiz had placed behind Laus. Her trademark Miledi Kick slammed into the back of Laus’ head, and—

“Huh!?”

Miledi hurriedly used gravity magic to regain her balance, landing with cat-like grace.

“I see. This isn’t your real body, huh? No wonder we didn’t sense your approach.”

Naiz was right. Laus wasn’t really there. However, what they were facing was no simple illusion either. This fake Laus had a presence and even emitted mana. Furthermore, he could conceal any aspects of it, including the visual one, at will. And it could even cast dark spells that affected one’s mental state.

This was the spirit magic Solid Specter. Put simply, it was a spell that let it’s user have an out-of-body experience. It separated the caster’s soul from their body, and let them then freely control their separated soul.

“Hmph, I see you’re as sneaky as always, baldy! But you know what, I get the feeling you can’t use too many attacks like that. And our magic attacks can still hurt you, can’t they? Am I right? Am I?”

Grinning mischievously, Miledi stretched a hand out toward Laus.

“How perceptive. I suppose I need to use my real body to carry out your divine punishment. But first, I’ll start with those foolish pirates rampaging above ground.”

“Hey, wait!” Miledi launched an Onyx Blast, but Laus vanished before it hit.

“That bald fucker! Nacchan, make me another portal! They’re probably on their airship, so connect it to the sky!”

Naiz nodded and promptly deployed a portal. But as Miledi was about to walk through it, Meiru called out to her.

“Miledi-chan!”

“Doooooon’t worry! I’m the strongest, cutest mage alive! You just focus on finding Diene-chan, Meru-nee!” Miledi flashed Meiru a thumbs-up, and Meiru once again had to clamp down on the feelings that began to well up within her. Once she was in control of herself, she gave Miledi a faint smile, then returned the thumbs-up.

“Beat the shit out of that baldy for me!”

“Aye aye, ma’am!” Miledi said as vanished through the portal.

“Let’s go, Naiz-kun.”

“O-Okay.”

Meiru dashed off, and after a moment, Naiz chased after her. He felt a slight twinge of sympathy for Laus. Sure, he had a receding hairline, but he was still far from bald. I’m still safe from being called a baldy, right?

Around the same time, the entire central district had fallen into chaos. Not only because pirates had suddenly engaged the black-suit army in combat. Plenty of opportunistic looters had come out of the woodwork, and plenty others had a grudge against the Devault Family or the residents of the central district and had been more than happy to join in the fighting. Because of how muddled things had gotten, they were confident they’d be able to push all the blame onto the pirates later.

The riot had reached critical mass, and waves of chaos were washing over the entire island of Andika. And those waves didn’t just originate from just the central district either. The island’s primary port in the northern Avid District had become another hotbed for conflict.

“Listen up, you scallywags! Don’t let a single one of those black-suited bastards reach the central district! It’s time to go wild!”

“Aye aye, first mate!”

Outside of the central district, Avid’s port was where the Devault Family’s influence was the greatest, and where a large portion of their men were stationed. They were needed to maintain and guard the Devault Family’s ships, as well as keep an eye on the outer districts. Chris and his men had engaged the black suits in the area to keep them from providing the central district with any reinforcements.

“You fuckers! Don’t think you’ll go home alive after picking a fight with the Devault Fa—”

“Full Power Vorpal Slash!”

“Whoa!? He just cut a ship in two!”

While the ship Chris had destroyed had been a caravel and not a galleon, the fact that he’d done it with a single slash left the black suits making expressions that looked like Van Gogh drew them. The reason Chris had picked a smaller ship as his target was because he didn’t want the fast caravels casting off to raid the Melusine, which was moored a short distance away. The caravel’s prow and stern tilted skyward, and the sailors on board screamed as they jumped into the sea. Another group of black suits tried to run for the central district, but were swallowed up by a massive wave of electricity. Screaming, the men fell to the ground, where they lay twitching.

“First mate! Can I go to the casino now!? I can’t hold myself back any longer!”

“If you try to leave your post, I’ll slice you in half. Do your damn job.”

“Whyyyyyy!? The eternal paradise I dreamed of is just a stone’s throw away! This is the only chance I’ll have to see Miledi-kun and Kyaty in maid outfits! Why must you do this to me!?”

“You realize that the moment the diversion began they probably changed back into their normal clothes, right?”

“No, it can’t be...”

Mania blasted another fifty of Baharl’s men as he lamented his misfortune. Inwardly, he prayed to his sworn comrade Oscar.

I beg of you, brother. Please take at least one picture of that wonderful utopia. A short distance away, Ned dispatched a black suit with a haymaker and turned to Chris with a worried look on his face.

“First mate, we’ve got trouble! Look west!”

“Hm? Tch... They’re already here, huh?”

An airship was approaching from the western skyline. More specifically, the Holy Templar Knights’ airship.

When Andika’s residents spotted it, they started to panic. Everyone living in this city had come here to flee from the church. All of them knew what that airship represented. Despair washed over them. Though some still couldn’t believe the church had finally come to judge them, they couldn’t deny what they were seeing. A moment later, a massive earthquake rocked the island.

“Whoa!”

Even Chris, who had a monstrous sense of balance, was forced to his knees from the severity of the tremor. Quite a few ships slammed into the pier and had their hulls smashed up. The quake was accompanied by a loud rumble that sounded like the roar of some primordial beast, striking terror into the hearts of Andika’s residents. That rumble felt like a sign that the end was finally here.

“Dammit, what the hell’s going on?” Chris cursed as he got back to his feet. As soon as the tremors stopped he turned to Ned and Mania.

“Ned, Mania, give me a hand! We gotta slow down those knights!”

“You’re asking for the impossible, man!”

“If stopping them means I’ll get to witness Miledi-kun, Kyaty, Captain, and Diene-kun in maid uniforms, then I will gladly give my life for the cause!” Mania smiled ruefully, while Chris glared up at the airship.

“Sorry, but O-kun gets scary when I wear maid clothes, so I’m never wearing them again! But in return, I’ll take care of those pesky knights for you! You guys get back to the diversion!” Miledi’s words rang out through everyone’s communicators.

Chris ignored Mania’s wails of sorrow and watched as Miledi popped out of a portal that had suddenly appeared in the air. At the same time, Laus’ knights began dropping from the airship.

“Hey, you sure you’ll be alright alone?”

“Nothing’s impossible for the great Miledi-chan!” Miledi replied confidently. The residents of Andika also saw Miledi bravely facing the church’s knights alone.

“Is that... Miledi?” Kiara whispered as she looked up at the sky from outside her inn. Marcus and Vera hugged her tight, while all of the inn’s regulars’ jaws dropped open. Before they had time to recover from their shock, Laus used the spirit magic form of telepathy to broadcast a message to all of Andika’s residents.

“We are one of the Three Pillars of Radiance, the Holy Templar Knights. The reason we are here is to pass judgment on the group of heretics known as the Melusine Pirate Crew. Any who aid them will be punished! If you value your lives, do not resist!”

On the flip side, that meant that so long as they didn’t help the Melusine Pirate Crew, none of Andika’s residents or Miledi and the others would be killed. It was Laus’ way of trying to stop them from getting in the way of his crusade. In response, Miledi stuck her middle finger into the air.

“Clean out your ears and listen up, baldy! My name is Miledi. Miledi Reisen! The leader of the organization that will destroy the church and create a world where people can live freely, the Liberators!”

Her announcement caused a stir not only among the knights, but also Andika’s residents. Each and every one of them were lawless heretics, but they were also cowards who had fled. That was why they couldn’t fathom Miledi’s words. Never before had they encountered anyone like her, who instead of running had chosen to fight against this unfair world head-on.

“Wherever you go, I will always be there to oppose you! I’ll fight against you and your shitty god to the very end!”

To the people of Andika, Miledi was a dazzlingly bright star. Even against the church’s strongest force, she had the gall to taunt them. The people down below couldn’t bear look directly at Miledi, that was how bright she was. Those who’d only seen Miledi’s silly side, such as Kiara and the regulars of her inn, were stunned speechless by this version of her.

“Come at me if you dare, puppets of god. I’ll teach you what it means to be human!”

Miledi stuck her hand out and curled her index finger backward tauntingly. Her smile was as fearless as always... No, perhaps even more so. Laus looked down at her with ice-cold eyes and swung his mace onto his shoulder.

“Very well. Prove to me that you can achieve what you claim. Prove to me that humans have the power to oppose Ehit by crushing me, Holy Templar Knight Commander Laus Barn!”

The two of them clashed, sending overwhelming waves of mana rippling across Andika.

Let us rewind time to when Naiz signaled the start of the diversion. Baharl, who was sitting in his office, heard the fighting right away.

“What’s going on!?”

One of his men checked the telestone plates connected to the casino floor and reported to Baharl that pirates were raiding the central district.

“Pirates, now? Tch, goddamn outlaws!”

He ordered all of his men to suppress the riots as he belted on his saber and rushed out the door.

“Kelvin, take five of your best guys and follow me! And where the hell is Ace!?”

“Ace went down to the tunnels a while back. No one’s seen him since. Anyway, Boss. Where’re we goin’?”

“To Diene. Someone get me Ace!” Baharl replied with a grimace. And then, he hurried onward without waiting for a reply. His unusual haste made it clear to Kelvin and the others that this was no ordinary situation.

Using multiple shortcuts, Baharl and Kelvin arrived at Diene’s room in just a few minutes. Baharl didn’t bother to knock, and kicked the door open. Without explaining a thing, he pulled Diene to her feet and dragged her out of the room.

“Kelvin, you take Diene and leave the island. Use the emergency escape ship. Until things settle down, keep running as far west as you can. Don’t get anywhere near Andika, or the continent. You five, go with Kelvin.”

“I’ll do ask you ask, but, Boss? Don’t you think you’re getting too worked up over a few pirates?”

Though he agreed to Baharl’s request, Kelvin was understandably confused. Baharl’s emergency escape ship was located in one of the tunnels, and it exited directly underwater, after which it used a combination of magic to rise to the surface. It was his most prized vessel. If Kelvin took it, Baharl would have no escape route were anything to happen.

Baharl ignored Kelvin’s question and continued barking out orders. Surprisingly, it was Diene who interrupted his frenzied shouting.

“Father, please explain! What on earth is going on!?”

“Shut up! Just do as I say!”

Normally, this would be when Diene shrunk back and quietly apologized. But not today.

“No!” Diene wrenched her arm free from Baharl’s grasp. The strong light glimmering in her eyes gave Baharl a moment’s pause. Kelvin and the others were surprised as well. This was the first time she’d been so direct. Normally, she was always timid and quiet.

“I won’t go anywhere until you give me an explanation.”

“Know your place, brat!” Baharl slapped her with all his might. Diene had always been a small and frail girl. That slap should have been enough to send her sprawling, but though she staggered back she braced herself and regained her balance. She then glared at Baharl, her gaze so powerful it felt as though it had a physical force behind it. Baharl involuntarily gulped.

“Please explain, Father. Otherwise, even if you force me onto your boat, I’ll jump off and swim back here.”

“Goddammit. Why’s it only times like these that you act like her?”

Diene gave him a confused look. Though she still had no intention of backing down. For her, waiting here was of paramount importance. After all, this was where her sister would look when she came for her. Diene couldn’t just leave the island for no good reason. Overwhelmed by her unwavering determination, Baharl clicked his tongue a few times, then grabbed Diene’s arm again.

“I’ll explain. But we’re running out of time, so you’ll have to listen while we run.”

“Ah, o-okay...” Diene trotted behind Baharl, amazed that he’d actually caved in to her demands. Kelvin and the others couldn’t believe it either. They looked even more surprised than they had when Diene had talked back. Baharl ignored all of them and started explaining.

“Listen up, right now there’s pirates rampaging all over the city. It’s those Ghost Ship bastards.”

Diene yelped in surprise, but Baharl didn’t seem to notice.

“Those church knights still haven’t killed ’em, and now those upstart pirates are attacking us? The church sent the Holy Templar Knights’ commander himself to deal with those guys. There’s no way they couldn’t handle it. But not only did they let those pirates go, they’re also allowing them to attack us. Like hell I’ll just take that lying down!”

Kelvin’s expression grew bitter.

“Does that mean the church abandoned us?”

“That’s right. I dunno how those pirates managed to convince them, but it looks like the church thinks they’ll have an easier time dealing with Andika if those pirates are ruling it.”

“But, Boss, shouldn’t we just kill those pirate fuckers? This is just an ordinary revolt, ain’t it? Can’t we just wipe ’em out like we did everyone else who opposed us?”

Baharl shook his head.

“It’s true if we want to survive, we’ve gotta fight. We’ve gotta win, so we can show those high and mighty bastards we’re more useful than those pirates. But whether we win this fight or not, one thing’s for sure...” Baharl turned to Diene, who was struggling to keep up with his long stride, but listening intently all the same.

“The church wants her. And they won’t take no for an answer.”

“They want me?”

When Laus had first visited, he’d made it obvious the church knew of Diene’s existence. He’d hinted that Baharl should offer her up to show his loyalty, but it appeared he was done with such subtle tactics. Since the church wanted Diene, they wouldn’t allow her to be killed in the confusion following the pirates’ raid on the city. Meaning they would without a doubt come to steal her away before the pirates reached the tunnels.

Still, they’re being clumsier about this than I thought. I woulda figured they’d have stolen Diene the moment the pirates started their raid... That was the reason for Baharl’s impatience. Fortunately, he’d been able to secure Diene before the church found her. It was possible there was a traitor among his ranks, or someone from the church keeping an eye on him, meaning that rather than panicking and going to Diene it might have been better to let her remain hidden and pretend as though nothing was wrong. But now that he’d come this far, he had no choice but to bet on her escaping.

“Kelvin, I’m counting on you. Run and run and run until you can’t run anymore. I dunno if that’ll be enough to escape those bastards, but this is the last request I’ll make of you. Please, keep Diene safe.”

“Boss, don’t jinx yourself like that. But don’t worry, I’ll never let the church get their mitts on her.”

Diene’s head snapped up at the words “last request.” However, they’d already arrived at their destination. In the middle of the vast, dome-shaped chamber they’d walked into was a spring. Atop the spring sat a small, expertly-crafted boat. One end of the dome opened out into sea, and the water being held at bay made up one of its walls. Before Kelvin could usher Diene in, a massive earthquake rocked the island. Cracks appeared in the dome’s ceiling, and small pebbles rained down. The party dropped to their knees and covered their heads. Surprised, Diene turned to Baharl.

“F-Father?”

“Shut up.”

Baharl had protected her instead of covering himself. After a few seconds, the shaking subsided. And then, Baharl met Diene’s confused gaze and spoke to her.

“Listen up, you better prepare yourself too. Run like your life depends on it. Don’t give up, not even at the very end. Never let yourself become a pawn of the church. No matter how bad things get, even if you have to eat dirt to survive, don’t let them steal your free will. You’re Reej’s daughter. The proud daughter of Andika’s strongest woman. Don’t lose that spirit you showed when you stood up to me! Understood?”

“A-Ah, okay. B-But, Father... does that mean...”

Does that mean you loved me and mom all along? Before she could ask, Baharl pulled her to her feet and shoved her toward the boat. Diene was conflicted. If what Baharl said was true, her sister might be on her way right now. In which case, she shouldn’t escape. She should shake off Baharl and run back to the underground tunnels. However, Baharl had protected her earlier, which was making her hesitate. As she watched Kelvin and the others ready the boat, she inwardly thought Wait... Please wait just a little bit. For the first time, she resented how skilled Kelvin was at sailing.

In minutes, the ship was ready to set sail, and Baharl dragged her over to the boarding ramp. Her current indecision, and her promise with her sister whirled around in her mind, creating a vortex of emotions. Fortunately for her, an unforeseen event delayed their departure.

“Sorry I’m late!” Ace shouted, jogging up to the group.

“Ace! What took you!? I wanted you to go with Diene too!”

“Is that so?”

There was something off about Ace. His reply had been in a monotone, and he said nothing else. Furthermore, he walked right past Baharl and Diene, then blocked their way onto the ramp.

“Oi, Ace. What’re you doing? Get on already!”

Ace was supposedly one of Baharl’s most loyal subordinates, but he just stood there, looking blankly at nothing.

“Oi, Ace! What the hell’re you spacing out for!?”

Ace mumbled something in response, but it was too quiet make out. Diene couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like he’d said “As you wish.” Chills ran down her spine. She involuntarily squeezed Baharl’s hand.

The sensation brought Baharl back to his senses, and his expression grew guarded. Ace had been Baharl’s first follower, and he trusted Ace more than anyone. Logic told him he had no reason to doubt Ace, but his senses, keenly honed in the brutal shadow wars that had seen him rise to the position of Andika’s dictator, were screaming at him that something was wrong.

“Ace. I’m only gonna say it one more time. Get on the damn—”

“Boss. May I suggest we take the young lady to the ruins instead?”

“What the hell’re you saying!?”

“We should have her remove the seal. If we unleash the monster of Andika, we can eliminate both the pirates and the church with ease.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? We can’t even control that monster! We’re more likely to get ourselves killed doing that than anything! There’s a reason they call it a monster!”

“I see... But we can’t have that.”

“Ace, what the hell’s gotten into you?” Baharl stepped forward to put himself between Diene and Ace. Ace was clearly acting abnormally. Sensing something was wrong, Kelvin and the others jumped off the boat and gathered around Baharl. They gave Ace a confused look and he spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

“I simply wish to do as my god commands.”

“Kelvin—” Goosebumps rose on Baharl’s arms, and tried to order Kelvin to kill Ace. With that one sentence, Baharl had put it all together. Ace was the traitor who had told the church about Diene. Baharl didn’t know when, but at some point he’d fallen into the church’s hands. Before he could finish the rest of his sentence, he felt something hard hit his gut.

“Huh?” Diene muttered, her eyes open wide. She couldn’t understand what she was seeing. There was a blood-red hand sticking out of her father’s back.

“Gah!”

As Ace pulled his hand out, Baharl vomited blood and dropped to his knees.

“Damn you, Ace!” Kelvin yelled, and activated his special magic, White Claw. A moment later, his arms grew to the size of a man’s torso, and white fur sprouted from his skin. He covered the thirty-centimeter long claws that grew from his nails with wind and slashed at Ace.

Ace casually swung his arm and cut Kelvin’s arms off with his bare hand. Kelvin didn’t even have time to be surprised. In the time it took the five black suits behind him to draw their weapons, Ace had lopped all of their heads off. All this, still using a single hand as his weapon.

“Boss... I’m sorry.”

Ace stabbed Kelvin through the stomach, and the light dimmed from the young man’s eyes.

“Goddammit!” Baharl rasped through gritted teeth, then turned back to Diene. She’d fallen backwards and was trembling in fear. His sharp gaze brought her back to her senses, and she quickly tried to cast renewal magic on him and Kelvin. However—

“I was unable to release the seal on my own, meaning your powers are necessary. I cannot have you wasting them here.”

Ace grabbed Diene’s arm and gazed into her eyes. They glazed over, and she stopped struggling. He then slung her limp body over his shoulder and returned to the corridor.

“Wait... you bastard... Leave Diene... Leave my daughter alone!”

“Desist. You’re only wasting your breath.”

“Fuck you!”

Despite having a hole in his stomach, Baharl struggled to his feet and drew his saber. Ace watched him with cool eyes. A second later, Baharl was hit by a wave of dizziness. He felt as though he’d downed a gallon of vodka.

“O king of puppets. Fall into slumber and disappear together with your tiny kingdom.”

Baharl’s eyes glazed over as well, and he slumped to the ground. Ace turned around resumed walking.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

But then, he stopped when he heard a scream behind him. Surprised, he turned around. Baharl had once more gotten to his feet, his eyes blazing with determination.

“To think you would manage to resist my charm...”

Baharl swung his blade down, and Ace blocked it with his hand. Baharl felt a jolt, as though he’d just swung into a boulder. He screamed and pushed down harder, the pain of his gouged-out stomach all but forgotten.

“Andika will never fall. We’ll never let you bastards snuff out the last light of freedom. Now, give me back my daughter!” Baharl’s fierce glare pierced through Ace. However, Ace just casually glanced into Baharl’s eyes.

“How futile.”

He cut through both Baharl’s ramblings, and his body. A diagonal gash appeared on Baharl’s torso, and he fell to the ground, his saber cut in two.

“Dammit...”

Ace looked down at Andika’s king one last time, who was slowly drowning in his own blood. He then walked off without another word.

A few minutes later, Baharl’s dimming consciousness registered the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Ah—”

They were followed by a small gasp. Squeezing out the last of his strength, Baharl opened his eyes. What he saw stunned him.

“R-Reej?”

He heard another gasp. Standing in front of him was none other than Meiru. However, she looked just like Reej had in her youth. The resemblance was so uncanny that Baharl thought Reej had come to guide him to the afterlife. But a second later, he berated himself. There was no way the woman whose life he’d made miserable would come for him. It was then that he realized what the missing puzzle piece was. What the secret Reej had never told him was.

“So that’s how it is...”

The woman who’d been headstrong even on her deathbed had eventually come to understand Baharl. But in the end, she’d never trusted him. That was why she’d hidden her greatest treasure from him. Of course, Baharl knew he had no right to blame her for that. It was his own fault for being so weak. Smiling in self-deprecation, Baharl barked a question at her.

“What’s... your name?”

He could feel himself growing cold. He had a few minutes of life left, at best, but he still squeezed out what little strength he had left to ask that question.

Meiru stepped closer to Baharl, her face a mixture of hatred, wrath, and confusion.

“Meiru. I’m the girl whose mother you stole.”

“You look... just like her.”

An avalanche emotions welled up within Meiru. How dare he talk about my mother! She unsheathed her saber and raised it high.

“Go ahead. Kill me... I don’t mind giving my life... to you.”

“Shut your mouth! You have nothing to give me, you monster!”

Naiz put a hand on Meiru’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

“Listen well... you must be wary of Ace. I leave the ruins... and Diene... to you.”

“Not another word!” Meiru couldn’t stand Baharl’s tone. It sounded as if he were worried about her, and about Diene. But as far as Meiru was concerned, Baharl was the despicable dictator who’d stolen her mother away. How dare he try and act like a good man now that he’s on death’s door! The only thing stopping Meiru from swinging her saber down was the fact that she’d kept her past reenactment spell going.

“...What is this?”

She watched as Baharl protected Diene from falling rocks, attempted to let her flee, was betrayed by Ace, then fought with all his might to try and rescue Diene.

“You stole my mother from me!” Meiru repeated those words, as if trying to convince herself.

“You’re a greedy, merciless, brutal, disgusting man! A beast wearing the skin of a human! Don’t try to tell me you actually had a heart all along, that you actually cared about my mother, about Diene! It’s too late to act like a good guy now!” Meiru’s screams echoed throughout the chamber, her years of pent up hatred, resentment, and anger clawing their way out of her throat.

“You ain’t wrong there...” Baharl didn’t try to deny her accusations. He closed his eyes, exhaustion washing over him. He barely even knew what he was saying anymore, but he spoke the first words that came to mind.

“I just... didn’t know how else... to live.”

He’d never been loved before, so he didn’t know how to love. He’d lived in a world of violence, so he only knew how to govern with violence. At the end of his turbulent life, there was only one thing he understood.

“I was never able to get my hands on... the one treasure... I truly wanted...” Baharl hadn’t been able to learn all of Reej’s secrets. And he’d brought her daughters nothing but misfortune. In the end, he couldn’t even call himself a villain. That was an insult to real villains. He was just a pathetic fool who’d thought himself the biggest fish around because he hadn’t realized he was living in a pond.

“You can have it all... my family... my people... my daughter... I’m sorry I took Reej from you.”

His heartbeat began to slow. He didn’t even have the strength left to talk. His life was hanging by a rapidly unraveling thread.

“Father?” Meiru watched as past Diene looked at past Baharl with confusion. She gritted her teeth, her gentle smile nowhere to be seen. Then, she clenched her fists so tight that her nails dug into skin and drew blood. Her chance to end her hated nemesis had finally come, but she was conflicted.

“Once you’re dead, it’s over. There’s nothing left.”

“Naiz-kun?”

Though he’d remained quiet the entire time, Naiz finally spoke up. Meiru turned around to see him staring intently at her, a serious expression on his face.

“Is this really what you want?”

“I...”

Baharl’s heartbeat faded.

“I... Aaaaaaaaaaaah I don’t know anymore! Tetragramaton!” Meiru called forth her ancient magic with a scream. Tetragramaton, restoration magic’s greatest recovery spell, could even bring people back from the brink of death. So long as they weren’t dead, it would heal them. Meiru’s sunset-orange mana illuminated the chamber and Baharl’s wounds vanished.

“What? This... You...” Baharl’s eyes snapped back open, and he looked dumbfoundedly down at his healed and invigorated body. His surprise grew larger as he looked up and realized Meiru was the one who’d miraculously healed him. Of course, it wasn’t the extent of Meiru’s restoration powers that surprised him, but the fact that she of all people had chosen to heal him.

“I will never forgive you.”

“.......”

“But... Diene might. She might wish for a future with you in it. I’m simply protecting that future. You say you don’t know how else to live? Don’t act like such a spoiled brat. Figure one out, and face Diene again!”

The sunset glow around Baharl faded, and a moment of silence followed. He looked up, and his gaze met Meiru’s. The two glared at each other for a few seconds. Baharl was the first to look away. He grinned to himself and muttered something.

“You really are just like her.”

“Say that again, and I will kill you.” Meiru was glad to know she was like her mother, but she didn’t want to hear that from Baharl.

Baharl’s grin grew bitter and he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Kelvin. After confirming there was no pulse, he turned questioningly to Meiru. She shook her head, and he nodded in understanding. He knelt next to Kelvin and closed his eyes.

“Good work, ya damn brat. Wait for me in hell. I’ll be there soon.”

Meiru watched Baharl, not knowing what to make of him. Once he was done praying for Kelvin, Baharl stood back up, intending to guide Meiru to the ruins. But before he could—

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A massive howl split the air. There was nothing but resentment and hatred contained in that roar, and it felt as though it tore through the island itself. Those with weak wills fell unconscious upon hearing it.

“Gah, you alright, Meiru?”

“Y-Yes. But what was that...”

Naiz shook his head in response. He didn’t understand what had happened any more than she did.

“Was that... the monster of Andika?” Baharl whispered, his eyes wide. Before Meiru could ask what he meant, a huge impact hit the bottom of the island. It was so powerful it felt like the whole island rose up a few feet. More quakes rocked the island, with loud roars interspersed between each tremor. The island creaked, as if it, too, was terrified.

“Baharl, what’s going on!?” Meiru shouted, her voice nervous.

“Come with me! I’ll explain on the way! Diene should be there too!” Baharl dashed off. Meiru and Naiz exchanged glances, then nodded to each other and chased after him. Along the way, Baharl told them about the ruins they’d discovered by accident, the mythical beast supposedly slumbering beneath the island, and how the ruins’ fresco served as its seal. The group arrived at the ruins right around the time he finished his explanation. Baharl kicked open the door to the chamber and they rushed inside. Diene lay at the foot of the ruins’ altar, the fresco completed above her. Atop the altar stood Ace, his back to the group.

“Diene!” Meiru ran forward and lifted Diene up to check if she was hurt. A cursory glance showed that she’d just lost consciousness after overtaxing her mana. However, Diene’s mana pool wasn’t large enough to allow her to restore the fresco all in one go. Meiru guessed that Ace had done something to her to push Diene past her limits, which explained why Diene was even whiter than a sheet.

Meiru hurriedly cast restoration magic on her. Fortunately, it seemed whatever had happened to Diene was something that restoration magic could reverse.

“Mmm...”

“Diene!”

Eyelashes trembling, Diene opened her eyes. When she saw Meiru her eyes widened in surprise. She stroked Meiru’s cheek, as if trying to make sure she was really there. Meiru softly grasped Diene’s hand and hugged her sister close. It was then that Diene finally accepted that she wasn’t seeing things.

“Nee-sama! Nee-sama!”

Joy welled up within Diene and she hugged Meiru back. Meiru squeezed Diene tight, trying to convey years’ worth of emotion in a single gesture.

“I see. So you were saved by the restoration magic user.”

Like before, Ace’s voice was utterly devoid of emotion. Meiru glared up at him, Diene still in her arms. And at the same time, Baharl shouted at him.

“I don’t have time to deal with your traitorous ass. You guys, hurry up and destroy this room! We might be able to reseal the beast!”

Naiz acted immediately. He raised his hand to blast the fresco with a series of spatial bombs. But before he could get his attack off, Ace jumped at him.

“Wha— Gaaah!”

Ace jabbed Naiz in the gut, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall with such force that the air was driven from his lungs. If he hadn’t erected a spatial barrier at the last second, Ace’s attack would have pierced right through him.

“Naiz-kun!”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that!” Meiru shot out her shrapnel whip, but Ace jumped behind her faster than her eyes could follow and launched a kick at her back. She managed to cover Diene in time, but the two of them were sent flying from the force of the blow. Baharl caught the two of them before they crashed into the wall, minimizing the damage. Unfortunately, that meant he ended up absorbing the impact instead, and a few of his ribs cracked.

“You who wish to resist. You who live in a false paradise. You who wander the seas. And you who wish to annihilate them all. When all of you come together, the age-old disaster shall awaken...” Ace pulled a hooded black robe out of seemingly nowhere and wrapped it around himself as he walked over to the altar.

Both Meiru and Naiz had been momentarily stunned by his unexpected display of power. Once he reached the altar, Ace looked over his shoulder at them.

“The time is nigh. The monster of Andika, the ancient beast that was once sealed away by the power of the island, the ruler of the sea, shall be revived. Come, Divine Beast Leviathan!”

Another roar rang out, this one far louder than all the others. It shook the island to its core. Even those who were still underground could tell that the ancient monster had revived.

“Andika is the seal restraining the divine beast, and it is the power of the divine beast that keeps Andika afloat. With the seal removed, the island will sink to the depths of the sea.”

The deep rumbling of the island proved that Ace’s claims were no bluff. Andika had begun the slow descent to its doom.

“Now, pitiful humans. Continue to fight against each other upon this crumbling world of yours. Show me the desperate struggle of man...” Ace condensed a massive amount of mana into his right hand as he said that.

“I won’t let you!”

“You won’t escape us!”

Naiz unleashed a spatial blast while Meiru launched a spear of water at Ace. However, Ace erected a barrier that blocked both spells. It was a glowing, silver barrier that looked nothing like any of the spells Meiru recognized.

“Wait... The color of your mana. You’re—”

“Everything is for the sake of my lord...” Ace ignored Naiz’s surprised shout and loosed a burst of light from his right hand. The light drilled into the wall, leaving a human-shaped hole in the fresco. The hole blew all the way to the sea, and water started rushing in, despite the fact that Andika’s unique properties should have prevented that. The speed of the water caused a flash flood through the tunnels, sweeping everything away. However, Ace seemed unaffected by the water pressure, and he started walking against the current.

“For now, we have to retreat to the surface!”

Baharl and Meiru were too shocked by the powers Ace had displayed to react, so Naiz ran over to them and teleported the whole group aboveground.

Up in the air, Miledi was still dueling Laus and his knights. The course of the battle had taken them eastward, and they were now above Andika’s shoreline. Before, Laus had been able to fight on equal ground with Miledi, but this time he was being pushed back, even with his knights’ help. In fact, a few of them had already been killed. The reason for this discrepancy was simple. They were fighting on land now. Here, Miledi’s gravity magic exhibited its full potential. And that wasn’t all...

“What frightening talent...” Laus muttered, unable to hide his amazement. Neither his favorite spell, Soul Shock, nor his Phantom had any effect on Miledi anymore. Furthermore, Miledi was able to counteract each and every one of his mind-altering dark spells. Her ability to analyze spells and choose the perfect response every time, along with the speed at which she was able to construct different types of magic, was on a completely different level than his own.

“You god-forsaken monster!” Araym yelled, his breathing ragged. The rest of the knights were thinking the same thing. There’d been 80 of them against a single opponent. And yet, Miledi had managed to kill 10 of them thus far. Laus couldn’t even afford to send a detached unit to stop the pirates.

“Haaah... Haaah... Now that’s just rude! How can you call such a pretty girl a monster? Well, how does it feel, knights? You said all those high-and-mighty things about how you’d pass judgment on us, but you’re getting beat by one little girl! Aren’t you supposed to be the church’s strongest force? Hey, tell me, how does it feel? Hey, hey, say something!”

“You biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!”

“Fool! Stay back!”

One of the younger knights was unable to keep his temper in check and he rushed forward, ignoring Laus’ warning. The moment he closed in on Miledi, a reverse gravity field enveloped him and flung him up into the air. At the same time, a razor-sharp blade of wind fell on him like a guillotine. Disoriented by the sudden shift in his gravity, the knight wasn’t able to react in time and the blade of wind mercilessly lopped his head off.

Miledi’s skill with magic was unparalleled. The knights grimaced and faltered at the sight.

“Calm yourselves. Her mana will run out eventually. Until then, focus on deflecting and evading her attacks. Utilize our numbers to exhaust her.”

Inwardly, Miledi clicked her tongue. Laus had reasserted control over his troops faster than she’d hoped. As she surveyed the knights, she felt a drop of water on her cheek.

“Rain?”

She’d been so focused on her battle that she hadn’t even noticed that the initially clear sky had become full of dark clouds. They spread across the horizon at an unnatural rate. It was a guerilla storm. Miledi frowned. She had a bad feeling about this. A second later, there was a thunderous boom.

“Whoa, wh-what was that!?”

Right after that, a deafening howl split the air. The soul-shaking roar reminded Miledi of Laus’ Soul Shock. As the howl faded away, the clouds burst open, dumping a torrent onto the earth below. Lightning forked across the sky, a powerful gale begin to blow, and waves dozens of feet high rose up. That wasn’t all. As Miledi looked down at the island, she noticed something strange.

“Huh? Is the water level rising?”

But her guess was off. Laus’ eyes went wide, and he corrected her.

“No, the island... is sinking!”

“Wh-What, why!?”

Confused, Miledi attempted to contact her comrades. But before she could, the source of the island’s problems revealed itself.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

With a piercing cry, something rose from within the sea. The first thing Miledi saw were the razor-sharp fins jutting out of its back. Each one was the size of a small hill, and they rose in and out of the sea as the creature swam. It was then that Miledi realized she was looking at a living creature. But that’s impossible! Whatever that was, it was far too big to be alive.

Wh-What is that...”

“What is the meaning of this? What just happened?”

Miledi and Laus forgot their battle and gazed dumbly at the ocean. They couldn’t even tell where the creature began and where it ended. At the very least, it was longer than Andika’s western shoreline. Meaning it had to be 1000 meters long, minimum. Its body broached the surface of the water for a few seconds, revealing that it was thicker in diameter than a galleon.

As everyone watched in amazement, the Divine Beast reared its head. It looked as though a mountain was rising out of the ocean. Water cascaded from its body, creating a dozen waterfalls originating at the crown of its head. Once the water fell away, Miledi realized its head alone was three hundred meters long.

The massive creature was covered in black, metallic scales and looked vaguely serpentine. Each of its scales was the size of a tower shield, and its mouth was filled with two layers of razor-sharp fangs. Its entire body was wreathed in a faint, dark red aura, and its eyes glimmered with a hellish crimson light. One of its massive eyes swiveled over to Andika, observing the island as a whole.

Everyone watching could tell instinctively that the serpent’s gaze was filled with overwhelming malice. It despised Andika for keeping it sealed this long.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The serpent roared its defiance. This time, the roar was accompanied with a dark red shockwave. As the wave passed over Andika, Miledi shivered. But to her surprise, the wave had no adverse effects on the people it touched. They just continued watching the serpent, dumbfounded.

However, a second later, Miledi realized what the aura had done. The island sank another few feet further into the water. The sea had bared its fangs, and it wanted to swallow Andika whole.

“No... No... This can’t be happening... Nooooooooo!”

If the island vanished, thousands would die. Miledi screamed in despair and shot off toward the island, her mind refusing to accept the reality before her. Laus shouted something as well, but Miledi was no longer paying attention to him. The only thing on her mind was figuring out a way to save those people. She fell toward the center of the island, burning mana faster than she ever had before. Sky blue mana surrounded her, making her look like a comet streaking through the sky.

“Asura!”

Asura was a spell that created a wide-area gravity field. Until now, she’d only been able to create unidirectional gravity fields, but this time she created a reverse field that spread out horizontally in every direction. Her sky-blue mana enveloped the entire island.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Screaming, Miledi spread her arms wide, struggling with all her might to hold the spell together. A dark sphere appeared around Miledi, and a pillar of mana rose above her, connecting the heavens and the earth. It shot up so far that it parted the clouds. Eyes bloodshot, veins bulging, Miledi gritted her teeth so hard they cracked.

She poured everything, body and soul, into this one spell. Impossible as it sounded, she was trying to raise the island all on her own. A lone girl was fighting the ocean itself.

Impossible. This cannot be. No human should be capable of such a feat... Laus thought as he caught up to her.

“Impossible... The sinking has slowed down?”

Andika should have sunk completely in just a few minutes. But as Laus watched, it began to slow its descent.

“Laus-sama! The sea is...” Araym muttered in awe. Laus’ jaw dropped open as well. A wall of seawater swirled around the island. An invisible force was preventing more water from flooding the various holes in it. Miledi’s ironclad will to keep every single one of Andika’s citizens safe was making the impossible possible.

“How can this be...” Laus was at a loss for words. He unconsciously brought a hand up to his chest. Though he didn’t know what compelled him to do so, he felt as though a small fire had been lit in his previously frozen heart.

“Laus-sama, this is our chance! Right now we can pass Ehit’s judgment on that heretical monster!”

“What did you say?” Laus reflexively thundered.

However, a second later he remembered that doing so was the correct course of action for a templar knight. Turning back, he could see the fanatical light in his subordinates eyes.

“Yes. Yes, you’re absolutely right...” Laus once again buried his thoughts and emotions, then brandished his mace at Miledi.

Her pupils were dilated. It was clear she was so focused on the task at hand that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Killing her now would be a simple task. Even if that meant hastening Andika’s demise, it was clear her miraculous feat wouldn’t last much longer. In truth, Miledi’s mana was already running out, and Andika was starting to sink once more. Telling himself that it made no difference either way, Laus stepped forward. He swung his mace downward, intent on destroying both Miledi and Andika’s future.

“I won’t let you lay one finger on her!”

A black blur jumped in front of Miledi right in the nick of time. It was Oscar, and he unfurled his black umbrella and stopped Laus’ mace. At the same time, he took out his enchanted daggers and threw them at Laus from point-blank range. The knight commander was forced to leap out of the way.

“Are you people insane!? What do you think you’re doing in the middle of a crisis like this!?” Oscar screamed. He covered Miledi as he glared furiously at the knights. Laus and the knights responded in the way Oscar had, in some respects, been expecting.

“We are simply completing our holy mission. What is so strange about that?”

“From the start, Andika was a containment settlement for heretics. Its destruction is no great loss.”

It was clear from their tone that human life was worth nothing to them. Before Oscar could reply, another howl ripped through the air. He glanced over at the divine beast, and saw it’s maw was open wide. The island wasn’t sinking as fast as it wanted, and that had irked it.

“Oh shit,” Oscar muttered.

“Men, evacu—”

There was a dark red flash, and jets of water shot toward the combatants faster than the eye could follow. Despite the size of the serpent’s mouth, the jets it shot out were both small and precise. They cut through the air, aiming for the spot Miledi was in. Oscar instantly deployed his umbrella’s Hallowed Ground. There was the sound of shattering glass, and Oscar felt a huge impact jar his arms.

“Gaaah! It destroyed my focused Hallowed Ground with a single blow!?”

Had Oscar’s umbrella not been made of the hardest alloy in existence, the serpent’s water jet would have cleaved right through him. His expression stiffened as he looked up and saw the triple trident towers, the symbol of Andika, crumble to the ground.

“Impossible... It shredded through our armor like it was paper...”

The knights hadn’t come out unscathed either. A full third of their number had been sliced in half.

“O... eva... every...”

“Miledi!”

Miledi’s voice was faint, but Oscar could tell she was trying to say “evacuate everyone.” She wouldn’t be able to hold the island much longer. But in this situation, evacuating anyone would be difficult. The divine beast launched its second wave of attacks. Oscar once again deployed his Hallowed Ground, pouring even more mana into it.

“Have the airship fall back! All men, deploy as many barriers as possible!”

At Laus’ command, the knights deployed as many barriers as they could, moving with admirable haste. The serpent unleashed its water breath attack again. But this time, it fired multiple waves in rapid succession. Jets of water pounded on Oscar’s barrier, an endless stream of attacks that seemed as if they’d continue forever.

“Gaaah! I can’t keep this up much longer!” Oscar gritted his teeth, desperately protecting Miledi with everything he had. Her eyes were slowly beginning to glaze over, meaning that she was about lose consciousness from mana deprivation.

“Miledi-chan!”

The one who saved them from their predicament was none other than Miledi’s self-styled big sister. Meiru fashioned herself a current out of the falling rain and rode it over to Miledi’s side.

“Meru...”

“Don’t speak! Just focus on keeping your spell going for as long as you can! Transient Infinity!” Meiru’s sunset-orange mana surrounded the black sphere Miledi was in, making it look like she was in the center of a solar eclipse. Transient Infinity was a spell that preserved something in its current or original state.

“This should keep your spell going for a while longer...” Meiru said as she pulled Miledi out of her sphere and hugged her close. Barely conscious, Miledi let herself be pulled out without any resistance. Meiru quickly cast restoration magic on her to restore her mana.

“Mmm... Meru-nee! We have to evacuate everyone!”

“We already have a plan for that!”

Just then, as if to support her words, Baharl’s voice echoed across the island.

“This is a message from Baharl Devault to all residents of Andika! The island’s sinking into the sea. There’s not much time left! If you don’t wanna die, run either to the nearest port, or the palace courtyard! If you see an oval membrane anywhere, jump into it! Get moving, you louts!”

Baharl was using a magic device to amplify his voice. As he finished his speech, massive portals opened up in places across the city, starting with the northern port.

Naiz was running around Andika, creating gates that connected to the main port. His plan was to teleport everyone onto ships, then teleport the ships to safety. The members of the Devault Family stationed at various outposts in the outer districts had already begun guiding the residents.

Dark clouds covered the sky, fierce winds and torrential rains buffeted the island, thunder rumbled in the background, and the divine beast’s roars shook the air itself. In the midst of it all was an island sitting in a giant hole in the sea, slowly sinking to the bottom. The wall of water towering over the island grew larger with each passing second, heralding the coming end of the world.

However, despite the overwhelming despair they faced, the people fought on. Through it all, they’d found the strength to continue. Despite being a city of criminals and outlaws, Andika’s residents held their hands out to each other, the strong helping the weak. Those who were physically fit carried the children, elderly, and the impaired. Many even checked inside houses to make sure no one was left behind. The reason for their newfound hope was the girl who’d shot through the sky a few moments earlier. The azure comet who’d lamented their plight. The dazzling hero who’d connected the sky and earth.

All of Andika’s residents knew instinctively that that girl had protected them. That she wanted them to live. Even now, her black sphere floated in the air, defying fate. That, the portals appearing all across the city, and Baharl’s desperate efforts were all part of an attempt to save Andika’s people. The city’s residents had been abandoned by the world and exiled to this godforsaken rock in the middle of nowhere, but even then there were still people out there who cared about them. Knowing that, they couldn’t bring themselves to sit idly by. They couldn’t just give up when others were fighting for them. Rather than wallow in despair, they chose to fight. Just like the girl who’d shone brighter than the sun in this dark storm. Galvanized, the people of Andika rose up.

“Ah...” Miledi choked up with emotion as she watched Andika’s people take their fate into their own hands, but she knew this wasn’t the time to be getting all sappy.

“Gaaah!” Oscar screamed in pain as he was blown backward.

“O-kun!” Miledi and Meiru caught him together, cushioning the impact. It appeared he’d just barely been able to defend against the divine beast’s wave of breath attacks. His Black Umbrella was full of holes, and his chest had been battered. Were it not for his Ebony Coat, the Leviathan’s attacks would have killed him.

Meiru quickly cast restoration magic on him, reversing his injuries.

“Thanks, Meiru. How’s Diene-chan?”

“She’s safe. Thank you for protecting us, Oscar-kun. But we still have to—” Meiru glanced over at the serpent, which was continuing its irritated howling. Miledi and Oscar glanced over to it as well, and Miledi finished Meiru’s sentence.

“Beat the shit out of that oversized snake.”

“Monster hunting isn’t my strong suit. I’ll take care of our uninvited guests.”

Oscar jerked his head toward Laus and the other knights as he repaired his umbrella using transmutation. Despite the situation, or perhaps because of it, the knights were still eager to fight. To them, this was the best opportunity they would have to pass down divine punishment. Though at this point, their numbers had been whittled down to barely thirty. They truly were insane zealots. If it meant fulfilling Ehit’s will, they didn’t mind becoming martyrs. In fact, they considered it an honor.

“You two go, Miledi, Meiru!”

“Gotcha! Take care of things here for us, O-kun!”

“We’re counting on you, Oscar-kun.”

Miledi and Meiru shot off toward the divine beast. The knights attempted to chase after them, but Oscar blocked their path.

“Sorry guys, road’s closed.”

“Are you a Liberator as well?” Laus asked.

“That’s right. I’m Oscar. Oscar Orcus, the Liberator. I’m just your average Synergist. Actually no, that’s not quite right...” Oscar shook his head. Then, he adjusted his glasses and flashed Laus a fearless smile.

“I’m a Synergist who’s stronger than the strongest Holy Templar Knight.”

“Let us see you prove that claim.”

“Gladly. I’ll prove it to you by beating you all senseless. Come at me, if you dare!” Oscar said as he gestured provocatively at the knights, just as Miledi had done a while back.

Laus started things off with a Soul Shock. Invisible shockwaves of magic assailed Oscar.

“Sorry, but I’ve already seen through that one!” Oscar frowned as the magic hit him, but that was all. He maintained his focus and calmly deployed a Hallowed Barrier to guard against Araym’s Divine Blaze which followed right after. After the fight on Meiru’s island, he’d heard about Laus’ magic’s properties from Miledi, and enhanced his coat to defend against it. As Araym’s flames cleared, Oscar saw Laus bearing down on him. Laus swung his mace with what he believed was enough force to smash through Oscar’s barrier, but his attack never connected.

“What!?”

A figure clad head to toe in black armor appeared out of nowhere and blocked Laus’ attack with its huge tower shield. Laus looked up in surprise. The figure swung its huge greatsword down, forcing Laus to retreat. Boutice, who’d circled around Oscar to attack him from behind, was sent flying by a second black-clad figure which was identical to the first. Thanks to his Rampart, he’d avoided taking damage, but he was still shaken.

“Are those golems!?”

“Astute observation...” Oscar wiggled the fingers on his left hand as he said that. He was wearing his Sable Glove, the artifact he’d originally used to control a series of super-strong metal wires. Right now, those wires were attached to the two figures that had appeared. They were another one of his artifacts, the Shadow Knights. They were golems he controlled by transferring mana through his threads. The golems were made of pure azantium, and had been enchanted with nearly as many spells as his umbrella.

The two Shadow Knights arrayed themselves protectively around Oscar, floating in the sky using the same ability that his Onyx Boots did. However, a deluge of arrows weaved between the two guardians and headed straight for Oscar.

“I suppose I have to fight numbers with numbers. Sorry, but your arrows won’t be following me!” Oscar summoned a countless number of his enchanted daggers and sent them flying toward the arrows.

“I can see right through you.”

“I believe that’s my line.”

Apri dodged the barrage and closed in on Oscar. She used her Revelation to read his moves and swung her thin sword with pinpoint accuracy. However, the sleeve of Oscar’s coat moved on its own to block Apri’s strike. It didn’t stop there, either.

“What was your favorite line? Oh yes, even if you can see my moves, it’s pointless...” Oscar manipulated his glove, sending a net of wires at Apri. She dodged out of the way, but in doing so ended up walking right into the lightning strike Oscar shot out of his umbrella.

“Fools, don’t let your guards down!”

“My humblest apologies, Commander!”

Laus dashed over just in time to block the lightning strike with his mace. The knights then moved at once. Some tried to surround Oscar, others attempted to use their special magic on him, while yet others ignored him and tried to chase after Miledi.

Oscar’s shadow knights blocked most of the attacks while he launched his own counteroffensive with his umbrella, and used his wires to keep the knights at bay. On top of that, he sent a barrage of enchanted daggers after the knights who tried to approach Miledi, forcing them back.

“You know, your arrows are really starting to get annoying.”

“Wha— Impossible.” Brigade commander Lelaie stiffened in fear, her bowstring still drawn. The reason for her unusual hesitation was the array of blades Oscar had summoned above him. Instead of enchanted daggers, there were enchanted swords.

Those were another one of his new artifacts, Mage Blades. Naturally, the swords were far more powerful than the throwing knives he’d been using earlier. He pointed all of the swords at Lelaie and let them loose.

“Get out of there, Lelaie!”

Unfortunately, Laus’ warning was too late. Oscar’s daggers already possessed terrifying destructive power, but these swords were easily ten times their size.

“Not today!” Boutice jumped in front of Lelaie and activated his Rampart. Oscar’s newest weapons slammed into the Holy Templar Knights’ greatest defender. There was a resounding explosion that sent the nearby raindrops flying and illuminated the clouds high above.

“Gah...”

The winds blew away the smoke of the explosion, revealing a barely-conscious Boutice. His shield and armor had been obliterated, and he was covered in blood. Oscar wasn’t sure whether to be impressed that he’d managed to shatter the church’s strongest shield, or depressed that the weapons he’d developed to take down apostles hadn’t even been able to kill a human.

“I suppose that means there’s still room for improvement...” Oscar pointed the ferrule of his umbrella at Boutice and fired his sniper arrow. It shot out with a hiss and pierced Boutice’s heart. Then, to make extra sure he was dead, it sent a blast of electricity through his body. His punctured heart went into cardiac arrest, and Boutice plummeted to the ground.

“Men, assume Oscar Orcus is as formidable a foe as Miledi Reisen!” Laus shouted.

Oscar didn’t possess the godlike talent for magic that Miledi had, nor was his ancient magic capable of unleashing incredibly powerful attacks. However, he more than made up for those shortcomings with his inventiveness and craftsmanship. Oscar Orcus was a monster too, just a different kind than Miledi Reisen.

“Things are about to get a lot more tough...” Despite how confident Oscar was acting, he was sweating inside. It had been a stroke of luck that he’d been able to take down a brigade commander while Laus and the others had still underestimated him. However, he had used up all of his Mage Blades, exhausting one of his trump cards. Furthermore, he hadn’t had time to replenish his supply of enchanted daggers, so he couldn’t use too many more. And his Shadow Knights were still prototypes, as well.

These knights were a group even Miledi had had trouble with. If he let his guard down for even a moment, Oscar knew he’d be killed. He steeled himself and swept his gaze over the remaining knights. Just as the battle was about to resume—

“Vorpal Slash!”

“You’re mine!”

A powerful shockwave cut through the deluge while one of the knights who’d circled behind Oscar fell to the ground, a knife sticking out of the back of his head.

“Chris! Kyaty!”

“Don’t forget about us!”

Ned flew up behind Oscar, along with the Melusine Pirate Crew’s best fighters. Oscar had given them all pairs of Onyx Boots, which had proven to be a smart choice. Among them was one person he hadn’t expected to see though.

“You’re...”

“Hello, Oscar-sama. My name is Diene. Leave healing to me!”

One of the pirates was carrying Diene, but it was clear from the look in her eyes that she was the one who’d asked to come. Though Diene’s uses of her special magic were limited, she was also skilled in normal healing spells. While her assistance was certainly appreciated, Oscar didn’t want to let the girl Meiru had worked so hard to protect fight on the front lines.

“I won’t just sit back and watch while the people who saved Nee-sama’s life fight for me!” Diene created her own foothold in the air and dropped onto it as she said that. When he saw the deep resolve in her eyes, Oscar was struck by how similar Diene was to Meiru.

“Rest easy, comrade. I will protect Diene-kun with my life. I still need to see her in a maid outfit, after all!” Mania smiled fearlessly. The other pirates also gathered protectively around Diene.

“We can argue about this later! Right now we’ve gotta get rid of these knights so we can go help Meiru!”

“Kyaty’s right, Oscar. Don’t worry, if Meiru gets angry about this, I’ll take responsibility as the crew’s first mate.”

“I can’t believe you guys... Fine. Diene-chan, I’ll be counting on you to heal everyone.”

“Okay!”

Thanks to the trustworthy allies who’d come to his aid, Oscar was no longer worried. On the other hand, the knights seemed even more enraged. They glared at the pirates, eyes full of unbridled hatred.

“So what if there’s more of you? We’ll just purge you all at once!”

Their brief intermission ended, and round two began. Oscar and the knights’ battle raged on through the thunder, the wind, and the rain. Unfortunately, the pirates weren’t strong enough to take on even normal knights one on one, and naturally they couldn’t hold a candle to the knights’ officers. However, no matter how many times they were beaten down to the brink of death, Diene healed them back up. She didn’t have the overwhelming power of restoration magic that Meiru did, but she was still a first-rate healer.

Diene was also fully aware that the knights needed to capture her alive, and so didn’t hesitate to use herself as a hostage. Whenever one of the knights tried to launch a finishing move, she’d put herself in harm’s way, forcing them to stop. Standing up to her father had seemingly given her the guts to do anything.

Meanwhile, Oscar handled Laus on his own. As he fought, he glanced back at Diene and smiled to himself.

“I can definitely see how they’re related now...”

That fearless smile suited Diene far better than a timid frown. To Oscar’s surprise, his mutterings elicited a question from Laus.

“There is one thing I would like to ask you.”

Both Oscar and Laus were panting heavily, their equipment damaged and torn. The island had already sunk a hundred meters into the ocean, the wall of water surrounding it threatening to crash over everything at any minute. Amidst the roaring storm, Oscar could still hear the shouts of people as they struggled to escape. It was probably because all the background noise made it impossible for anyone else to overhear that Laus was willing to give voice to the thoughts he’d buried deep in his heart.

“‘A world where people can finally be free.’ Was that a phrase that Miledi Reisen invented on her own?”

Oscar’s breath caught in his throat. That was the last thing he’d expected Laus to ask about. But despise his confusion, Oscar felt that this wasn’t a question he should deflect. It was one he needed to answer honestly. Though Laus was his sworn enemy, something inside Oscar told him this was important to answer honestly.

“No. Miledi inherited those words from the woman who saved her from darkness, a woman who was like an older sister to her.”

“Someone who was like an older sister to her? Her name! What was her name!?”

“Belta. Belta Lievre.”

“Ah...!” Laus’ eyes widened in surprise. The strength drained from his body and let his mace hang limply by his side. Though Oscar had sensed there was something deeper behind Laus’ question, he hadn’t expected a reaction like this.

“You said inherited, correct? Does that mean...”

“Yeah. She’s dead.”

“I see... I understand now... That girl... inherited...” Laus had lost all will to fight. Before Oscar could ask what Laus meant, a maelstrom of mana rippled through the air. That sky-blue glow unmistakably belonged to Miledi.

“O-kun! Nacchan! A little help would be appreciated!” Miledi’s strained voice rang out from their communicators. Oscar grinned fearlessly as he listened to what she needed. There was no denying a request from their valiant leader. Besides, if Miledi needed help, Oscar would come without fail.

“Naiz, warp me!”

“You got it!” Naiz responded instantly, his thoughts in perfect sync with Oscar’s.

“Laus Barn, if you care at all for the future of humanity, then let us go just this once!”

A portal appeared beside Oscar. He headed toward it without a backward glance. Even if there was no reply, Oscar was confident Laus Barn would not give chase.

Let us return to a few moments ago. Miledi and Meiru floated high above the sinking island of Andika, struggling to keep the divine beast at bay.

“You little— Azure Javelin!” Azure Javelin was another one of Miledi’s composite spells. She’d used gravity magic to compress three Azure Blazes into a single sharpened lance. Her blazing lance slammed into the lower part of the serpent’s head, but despite being one of Miledi’s most powerful spells, it did little more than scratch its scales. The divine beast howled in response and sent a barrage of thunder at Miledi.

“Miledi-chan!” Meiru deployed a barrier of clear water above Miledi. The lightning was conducted through the barrier and redirected into the sea.

“Meru-nee! What should I do!? My attacks aren’t working!”

“If only we had Naiz-kun’s Void Shatter...” Meiru knew she was asking for the impossible. Naiz was still needed down below to help all the residents evacuate. And Miledi and Meiru couldn’t go down to help the evacuation because if they left the serpent alone it’d use its full strength to crush the island. While Meiru was lamenting what they didn’t have, the divine beast opened its jaw. The inside of its mouth began to glow a bright crimson.

“Oh shit!”

“Oh my...”

Miledi put down her strongest barrier. A second later, her entire world turned red as the serpent breathed a blistering wave of fire. The rain around them evaporated from the heat. The serpent had used this breath on them before. Last time, Miledi had realized a Spatial Severance alone wasn’t enough to absorb all of the flames. That was why she used a barrier this time, which Meiru restored every time it got close to breaking.

“Ugh, my mana’s...”

“Don’t worry, I can take care of that too.”

An orange glow enveloped Miledi, rejuvenating her mana and stamina.

“Thanks, Meru-nee! Man, this is a lot easier with a healer around.”

“Fufu, glad to be of service. But unfortunately, I’m nearing my limits as well.”

As the serpent’s breath attack ended, Meiru downed her final mana potion. A moment later, the clouds above began to swirl. The wind around Miledi and Meiru picked up until it transformed into a whirlwind so powerful it started sucking up seawater.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

Unwilling to be outdone in the realm of water manipulation, Meiru attempted to dispel the hurricane that had formed around them. Miledi let Meiru take care of the tornado and prepared to use her final trump card.

“I’m about to dispel it, Miledi-chan. Are you ready?”

“Of course. I’ll end it with this! Event Horizon!”

Meiru stilled the water’s current, destroying the tornado. Miledi then stepped forward, her body covered in a blue aura.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A black sphere covered the divine beast’s head. Miledi’s spell had created a pseudo-black hole that had enough pressure at its center to crush anything. For the first time since awakening, the serpent felt pain. It let out an agonized screech as its eyeballs popped and the scales on its head began to crack.

“It’s working!” Miledi gritted her teeth as her mana drained away at a tremendous rate. However, she was confident if she could keep it up, she’d be able to end the fight.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawr!”

But a second later, a dark red wave of mana blasted out from the serpent. The sphere surrounding it was blown away by the force of the mana, and a huge crater formed in the sea around it. Not only that, it blasted a hole through the clouds and sent Miledi and Meiru flying. Both of them coughed up blood as they were flung backwards, their internal organs damaged. Though Meiru healed the physical damage right away with her restoration magic, both of them were still mentally reeling.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. It destroyed my Event Horizon with brute force!”

A single ray of light shone down from the hole in the clouds. Lit by the sun, the serpent began covering itself with seawater. A second later, its crushed eyes and scales began to repair themselves.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It lifted its head toward the skies and roared again. Looking at it in the light, it really did seem like a mythical creature from the age of the gods.

“Meru-nee. Do you think your ability to revive past wounds will work on that thing?”

“If you’re referring to damage from centuries past and not the damage you just dealt to it, I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

The further back in time Meiru went with that spell, the more mana it cost. And the Leviathan had been sealed for centuries. While Meiru’s mana pool was vast, it wasn’t infinite.

“Figures. They must have weakened it a lot when they sealed it, but I guess reviving those wounds’ll be impossible. So, how do we beat it?”

Miledi watched as the hole in the clouds closed up and the serpent unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts at them. It also conjured a series of tornadoes, which it used to box the pair in.

“Whoa! Heavensfall!”

“Torrential Bulwark!”

Miledi’s wall of gravity pushed the tornadoes aside while Meiru’s water barrier deflected the electricity. The serpent followed up with another blast of fire, which Miledi and Meiru weathered by using a regenerating barrier. Though they were surviving, they had no openings to counterattack.

“Don’t most of the fairy tales say that to slay a beast you must enter its stomach and kill it from within?”

“Are you saying I should let it eat me? Meru-nee, you fiend!”

Despite the severity of their situation, Miledi and Meiru were still joking around. The reason they could remain optimistic was that they had absolute confidence in each other.

As long as I have Meru-nee by my side, I’m unstoppable! So long as Miledi-chan is with me, I have nothing to fear! The two of them shared a bond stronger than words could express. They really felt like actual siblings.

Meiru regained her composure and smiled gently.

“But you know, Miledi-chan. We need a way to break through those metal scales, or our chances of victory are nonexistent.”

“I know. Ugh, do I really have to jump into that thing’s mouth... Hm? Wait, Meru-nee, what did you just say?”

“That our chances of victory are nonexistent. Much like your breasts, Miledi-chan.”

“Hey! They’ll get larger with time! And I thought we were talking about strategy, not my boobs!”

“Oh, my apologies. Going back to strategy, I was talking about how the odds are stacked against us.”

“No, I mean what you said before that!”

“That we need a way to break through those metal scales?”

“Yeah, that! Man, how did I not realize something so simple!?”

Poor Miledi-chan, the constant barrage of fire, water, and lightning must have made you go crazy... Meiru gave Miledi a pitying look.

“What’re you looking at me like that for, Meru-nee!? Didn’t you forget!? We’ve got a metal master on our side!”

“Oh my...” Meiru blinked a few times as realization washed over her. Since neither of them had faced a monster coated in metal before, it had taken them a moment to notice the obvious.

“Nyufufu. Just you watch, you oversized snake! It’s finally time for our counterattack!”

“I love that vulgar expression of yours, Miledi-chan. It’s simply wonderful!”

“Glad to hear—Wait.” Miledi paused as he realized Meiru hadn’t been complimenting her, but then decided to let it slide and explained the plan.

“Alright, let’s do this, Meru-nee!” Miledi shot a fearless grin at Meiru.

“Ready when you are, Miledi-chan!” Meiru returned Miledi’s smile.

A moment later, the serpent’s breath petered out. Miledi took the opportunity to fall higher into the air, while Meiru descended to the sea. As she rose, Miledi created the largest Spatial Severance she could. The serpent attempted to shoot her down with a storm of lightning, but all of the bolts were sucked into the dark gravity sphere. Seeing as lightning wasn’t enough, the Leviathan also fired off jets of water at Miledi. She let them graze her, since she didn’t have the time to dodge or defend. Everything was riding on her Spatial Severance. With time, the serpent’s jets grew more accurate, and a few pierced her shoulders, sides, and thighs. Her blood spilled to the ground together with the rain.

“You won’t beat meeeeeeeeeeee!” Miledi gritted her teeth against the searing pain and continued her breakneck ascent. Finally, she shot into the clouds.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The inside of the storm clouds was a hell worse than what waited below. Lightning arced everywhere, and Miledi was barely able to keep herself safe with her Spatial Severance. This high up the rain was cold as ice, and the winds were strong enough to scrape her skin. Miledi lost even more blood as numerous cuts appeared on her skin. She was nearing critical condition. However, she kept her hand held high and continued moving. She had to save Andika, so she wouldn’t falter. No matter how much it hurt, she refused to let go of her lightning-saturated Spatial Severance.

“Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!”

It was taking all of her willpower to keep the gravity sphere from bursting apart. However, her herculean effort proved worthwhile. Her lips cracked into a smile, and she connected her communicator to Oscar and Naiz.

“O-kun! Nacchan! A little help would be appreciated!”

She did her best to keep her desperation out of her voice, and briefly explained what she needed. Though there was no reply, she was confident that no matter the situation he was in, Oscar would come without fail. She released her gravity magic, and began plummeting toward the ground.

“Meru-nee!”

Right on time, Meiru jumped up from behind the serpent. She rode her current up to the serpent’s head and laid a hand on it.

“Revival Reversal!”

She poured mana down her arm, and the serpents eyes were crushed once more. Screeching, it thrashed about as it lost its sight.

“O-kun, Nacchan!”

As Meiru passed over the serpent’s head, a portal appeared above it. Oscar’s prized Metamorph Chains snaked through it and wrapped themselves around the cracked scales of the serpent’s head. The moment they made contact, bright golden-yellow sparks ran down their length. So long as it was classified as an ore, Oscar could transmute it. It didn’t matter if it had mana-sealing properties or not. The world’s most powerful Synergist ripped off the Leviathan’s armor with ease.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The serpent wrapped itself with mana and attempted to repair the damage, but it was too late. Its fate was sealed. Miledi shot toward the opening, her black sphere of doom still in her hands.

“Graviton Burst!”

A pillar of mana rose up from Miledi. She summoned a multitude of lightning spheres and condensed them into a single superdense orb. Then, she brought her Spatial Severance next to it. Together, she had all the lightning she’d created along with the lightning she’d absorbed.

“This really will end it! I won’t let you kill anyone— Spatial Severance, release!”

Without the gravity to hold it, the countless arcs of lightning shot down toward the serpent. At the same time, her own lightning orb fell as well, adding its own force to the barrage. There was so much electricity that the entire ocean lit up. Dazzling light blotted out everything, even sound. Everyone, from those who’d evacuated Andika to those who were still on the sinking island, was able to see the blinding blast of light. And none of them turned their eyes away. Awed, they watch it expand like a supernova. Though none of them had any way of actually knowing, they were all certain that light was protecting them. That it had been unleashed by the person who’d wanted to protect them most of all.

Eventually, the light began to fade, and sound and color returned to the world. The remaining electricity fizzled out, leaving nothing behind. The rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the seas calmed. The Leviathan sat in the center of the sea, white smoking rising from the length of its body. After a few seconds, its corpse began to sink, sending huge waves in all directions. Because of how clear the sea was, the people still on Andika were able to watch as it sunk past them, all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

They were dumbfounded that a creation of god’s could be killed. And they weren’t the only ones, either. The twenty-odd remaining knights were speechless as well. But they weren’t watching the divine beast’s descent. No, they were staring at Miledi, the girl who’d taken it down. A single ray of sunlight fell down, illuminating her this time. The sight of her captivated the knights, even though she was their enemy. She remained floating for a few seconds longer, but then began to fall as her mana ran out.

“Miledi!” Oscar wanted to run over to her, but he couldn’t afford to ignore Laus and the others for any longer. And so, he gritted his teeth and turned back to the knights.

Chris and the others returned to their senses as well, and readied their weapons. However, the knights, or rather their commander Laus, was still captivated by the sight of Miledi. He looked like a man who’d been imprisoned in darkness for decades and had finally seen the light of the sun.

“We’re retreating.”

After a few seconds, Laus uttered something unbelievable. Naturally, Araym and the others tried to argue.

“L-Laus-sama!? But what about our mission!?”

“As we are now, we cannot complete it. Their power is too great for us.”

“Do you fear martyrdom!?”

“You misunderstand, Araym. We cannot allow them to roam free. We must report to the pope, gather a stronger force, and annihilate them for good. For that reason, we must retreat. Or are you saying you would rather martyr yourself than enact Ehit’s will?”

“Th-That’s not what...” Araym understood Laus’ concern. But right now Miledi and the others were exhausted. In fact, he was confident the remaining knights could defeat them. The reason Araym hesitated to obey Laus’ orders was because he felt as though Laus was looking for an excuse to let them live. The other knights looked like they agreed with Araym as well.

“That’s an order, men. I’ll take responsibility for any punishment the pope deems necessary. Now retreat!”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Araym shot Oscar one last, hateful look, then turned and headed to the airship.

“Do you wish to give chase?” Laus asked Oscar. Oscar observed Laus for a few seconds, then shook his head.

“Please wait! Could it be that you actually...” Oscar began to speak to Laus as he turned to leave. However...

“I am the Holy Templar Knights’ commander, that’s all... I’m a mere slave to Ehit...” Laus denied Oscar’s unfinished question without turning around, and leaped toward his airship. Oscar watched him for a few seconds, then shook his head. He asked Chris and the others to help with Andika’s evacuation, then headed to Miledi. As he neared the patch of sky where Miledi had fallen, he saw Meiru carrying her in her arms.

“Miledi!”

“Yooo, O-kun! What’d you think!? That was awesome, right!?”

Her reply was as lighthearted as usual, and Oscar’s jaw dropped open in surprise.

“Oh my. Oscar-kun, were you really that worried about Miledi-chan? Don’t worry, I made sure to properly heal her.”

“She sure did!”

“‘She sure did’ my ass! Don’t scare me like that!”

Sighing, Oscar adjusted his glasses.

“Ehehe, thanks for worrying about me, O-kun. And thanks for the assist. I knew I could count on you and your glasses!”

“Stop bringing my glasses up all the time, goddammit!”

As they continued their friendly bickering, Miledi rose to her feet and asked him a question.

“What happened to the knights?”

“They retreated.”

“Now that’s a surprise.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Oscar voiced his thoughts.

“He... seemed really interested in you. Also... he seemed to know Belta. When I told him you two were related, he was pretty shaken up.”

“Ah! O-kun, does that mean...” Miledi gulped and looked over to the airship retreating in the distance. It was already a speck in the sky. As it vanished, she turned back to Oscar and shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to worry about vague possibilities.

True, hundreds of ships had already evacuated, but there were still citizens stuck on Andika. Miledi looked down at the huge hole in the sea with a grave expression.

“Meru-nee. How much longer can your spell hold?”

“Ten more minutes, at most.”

Miledi’s magic was all that was slowing Andika’s descent and keeping the wall of water around it from rushing in. But in ten minutes, that would be gone. Just then, Naiz teleported over to the group. Opening up so many portals had left him exhausted, and his face was pale.

“We’ve managed to evacuate about sixty percent of the residents. Now that the storm’s passed, I think the rest will go faster, but the problem is we don’t have enough ships...”

They were packing as many people on each ship as possible, but it still wouldn’t be enough. Naiz looked worried, but Miledi just grinned confidently.

“Don’t worry. With four ancient magic users here, there’s nothing we can’t do! So, O-kun! What’s the plan?”

She dumped the problem on Oscar’s lap. However, her confident smile showed that she didn’t doubt for a moment that he had a solution.

Oscar felt both annoyed and a little happy that Miledi expected so much from him. As he stroked his chin and thought how best to tackle the problem at hand, Naiz chimed in with his opinion.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure Oscar can think of something.”

“Meiru, head to the graveyard of ships. Use your restoration magic to fix the sunken wrecks. Naiz, you find Diene. She should be able to restore your mana. While you’re there, ask the Melusine Pirate Crew for help. They should be able to load at least a few people on the Melusine. Miledi, you float as many people as you can using gravity magic. It doesn’t matter if they’re on a ship or not, as long as we get the residents above the water. I’ll start making as many rafts as possible, so start depositing them there.”

“Nice going, O-kun! Your glasses are as sharp as always!”

“A splendid plan, Oscar-kun. Your glasses are quite formidable.”

“Thanks, Oscar. I knew we could count on your glasses.”

“I’m going to kill all of you!”

Miledi and the others smiled at Oscar, who was glaring at them, then began their hardest battle yet. Namely, saving the residents of Andika.