The battle began with overwhelming firepower, forcing the witch to consume her stored magical energy. Afterward, Sylvia deployed the Sanctuary to suppress the witch’s recovery abilities. Finally, using magic once again, they aimed to finish the witch off.

This was the strategy humanity devised to defeat the gluttonous witch.

At a glance, it might seem like a straightforward plan without much thought, but that was certainly not the case. This was a crucial fight with humanity’s fate at stake, where there wouldn’t be a second chance, so how could they decide on a simple tactic?

Therefore, humanity chose to take the best possible course of action they could prepare. The result was the combat prediction simulation created based on the data gathered from their previous encounter with the gluttonous witch.

Using this method, all sorts of suggested tactics had been simulated hundreds and thousands of times, leading humanity to select the one with the highest success probability.

This was the current operation.

For the record, there were no dissenting opinions.

“Even if it’s just a simulation, this is the only method that has never recorded a loss.”

Thus, if everything proceeded as planned, victory was assured. Martina was confident of this. And right now, the battle situation was unfolding as the plan intended.

Beneath the witch’s feet, a magic circle glowed, preparing to rain down meteors once more, while above her head, the Sanctuary scattered brilliant starlight to suppress the witch’s abilities.

The commander, Martina, pointed forward as a signal and shouted to her troops.

“The operation is going well! If we keep this up, we can win!”

““Wowww!!!””

The cheer of victory seemed to leap from the commander’s mouth. Even the heroes felt that the situation was turning favorable, prompting them to cry out exuberantly in response.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!!

At that moment, the witch roared in response to the heroes’ shouts. However, the heroes were undeterred by her terrifying roar. In fact, some of them scoffed at the witch, the being they had once feared, sensing her now as a cornered beast growling in despair.

■■■■■■■!!!!!!

Perhaps sensing danger standing on the magic circle radiating light, the witch let out a sound and began to move. But the heroes were not the kind to stand by idly.

“Don’t push! Just keep her from moving! If we can hold her down on the magic circle, we have won!”

Upon Martina’s order, the heroes surged forward. While all the magicians were unable to act due to gathering power for another Meteor spell, a significant amount of remaining troops, excluding the magicians, was still available.

Those with ranged attacks unleashed their strikes in sequence.

Kwahkawa—!!

The Holy Sword of Radiance.

The witch’s flames.

Alongside many attacks unleashed by countless heroes, a barrage of sound erupted as they targeted the witch. Just that alone provided considerable firepower.

However,

■■■──!!

The witch did not stop.

Enduring such attacks with her body, the gluttonous witch steadily advanced toward the city, fully aware that as long as she escaped the magic circle, there were no attacks capable of toppling her.

From the witch’s perspective, this assessment was indeed accurate.

“…who does she think she is—”

As the witch moved without care, her steps suddenly jolted to a halt. An ice chunk had emerged as if to bind her legs to the ground.

“─Do you intend to move from there?”

Binding the witch’s limbs with ice and freezing her movements was Lucas Eloise, Marina’s father and the vice captain of Astra’s 3rd Division.

Having previously suffered near-fatal wounds while blocking the self-proclaimed Arrogant Witch Frieda’s entry into the city, he had only recently recovered and returned, filled with rage at the gluttonous witch.

The first news he received upon regaining consciousness after being in critical condition was that his beloved wife, Natalia Eloise, had perished during her fight against the gluttonous witch.

To express that cold fury, the witch’s limbs cracking ominously under ice were a testament to his wrath.

“…Don’t move, just die in that plain where Natalia sleeps.”

At that moment, as Lucas muttered chilling words, warmth grasped his hand, which had grown cold from the chilling aura emanating from his body.

It was his beloved daughter, Marina, holding his hand—the daughter for whom his late wife had sacrificed everything to protect.

Feeling a surge of emotion, Lucas took a deep breath and realized that the reason he fought was not merely for rage or revenge but for something deeper. A small smile appeared on his face.

“…Right. Marina.”

In the past, people had often assessed Lucas like this.

At least in the realm of ‘protecting something,’ he was regarded as having the most exceptional abilities among the existing heroes.

Now, fighting to protect something precious, he found within himself a strength greater than any before.

“…Will you help your father?”

“…Of course.”

Lucas poured his power back into the battle. Alongside him, his daughter Marina, inheriting the talents of both him and Natalia, joined her strength.

The united abilities of the father-daughter duo caused icy flowers to blossom on the witch’s body.

These flowers were a tribute to their wife and mother.

The ice-induced binding of movement was a means effective even against the gluttonous witch, who could recover from all injuries.

■■■■■■■■──!!

The witch, whose movements were restrained, thrashed about and emitted a colossal roar.

Blood began to trickle from the corners of Lucas and Marina’s mouths due to the fierce struggle, yet both of their eyes remained composed.

They believed they could endure together. They believed they could hold until the magic was prepared again, upholding their will to restrain the witch.

Martina, nodding in gratitude for their struggle, turned to Dwight.

“…Dwight, how long is left?”

“Until the magic circle is reactivated, about 15 minutes.”

“Okay, got it.”

Fifteen minutes; in the grand scheme of this battle, that was a time frame in which the stakes could hardly be imagined.

Everyone thought about the witch, bound by ice, thrashing about, and they pondered how they could end this miserable fight.

Then, at that moment.

■■, ■■■────!!

From the mouth of the witch, bound by ice and shouting,

Puuuhhhhhh──!!!

Something black, gooey began to spew forth.

“…What is that?”

People could not hide their confusion at the witch’s sudden bizarre behavior.

“I don’t know what it is, but attack for now!”

“Attack! Stop the witch’s strange behavior!”

Some began to attack to halt the witch’s odd behavior.

Yet even with those attacks, the witch’s bizarre behavior did not cease.

The witch was vomiting.

The black liquid.

The liquid that looked like the black rain falling moments ago.

Seemingly, she was regurgitating everything she had consumed thus far—continuously, unendingly, she spewed forth.

And perhaps it was just a feeling, but

“Did she… shrink?”

The more the witch spewed the liquid, the smaller she seemed to the observers.

“…Huh?”

Someone witnessed an abnormal occurrence.

From the pond, blackened by the liquid flowing from the witch, something emerged.

The first to emerge was one,

“…Huh?”

But in the next moment, it became ten.

After that, it grew to a hundred.

And then after that,

“What, hey….”

So many that counting became impossible.

Each one appeared distinctly different, yet all were of a uniform dark hue.

From the pond, they sprang up, bringing themselves to life.

Among those emerging were creatures fully developed with muscles, built for fighting.

There were those with ears and fur yet walked on two legs.

There was a stout dwarf-like creature.

There was even one so small its dimensions matched that of a finger.

Conversely, some were enormous, akin to the size of homes.

“Is that, no way…?”

And there was one with a massive body and wings.

As someone gazed upon it, they muttered in confusion.

“…A dragon?”

Krrrrrrrrr───!!!!

Waaaaaaaahhhhh──!!!

The gigantic dragon that burst forth from the black liquid leapt into the sky, flapping its wings as it bellowed.

Under those wings, things once known as orcs, beastmen, halflings, fairies, and giants—

Alongside many others bearing various names cried out loudly.

Excluding the mixed humans, they all were races that had been exterminated by the gluttonous witch long ago.

“…What, what is that!!!”

“…Am I seeing things? Is this a mirage?”

The heroes couldn’t maintain their calm witnessing such entities move again.

They wished it were all a dream, that they were witnessing mere illusions.

For hearing that the gluttonous witch had such capabilities was unheard of.

Nonetheless, what they saw was not fantasy, though it felt unreal.

“…How dare you.”

An understanding dawned upon Martina, and veins throbbed on her forehead.

“That damn witch dares…!”

She was well aware of someone who possessed similar powers.

Not an illusion, but something close to the reality.

In other words, a fantasy linked ever so closely to reality.

“Using the power of my mentor…!!!”

It was indeed the gluttonous witch utilizing the abilities of the Earth’s witch, Eve—who had sealed the gluttonous witch away, causing those past heroes to fade into memory.

It was clear to Martina, although she couldn’t know how, that the gluttonous witch had generated an army using Eve’s powers.

And more than anything, she felt an intense rage discovering that the gluttonous witch was using Eve’s authority.

“Damn it…!!!”

But more than that anger, a sense of crisis loomed larger.

Had everything she had consumed thus far been manifested as illusions?

The military summoned by the witch was overwhelmingly vast, overflowing beyond reason.

That once vast plain was filling rapidly with an army of darkness.

In response to this surge, Sylvia, who was deploying the Sanctuary, shouted out.

“Unlike the demonic beasts, my power isn’t functioning properly…!!”

Despite being produced by magic, it seemed to be an illusion very close to reality.

The army of mirages possessed a significant degree of resistance to Sylvia’s purifying abilities.

Furthermore, glancing at the oppressive force emitted by the dragon hovering above, each individual appeared to retain powers similar to when they were alive.

That army began to charge toward the city.

“Damn, they’re coming!! For now, block those creatures!!!”

“If you don’t want to die, snap out of it!!!”

A situation arose where humanity’s forces, previously ahead in numbers, were now facing an overwhelming tide against them.

All heroes had no choice but to engage to block the surging army.

“Protect the magicians!”

“The magic circle is our hope! We must defend it!”

To safeguard the magicians firing with all their energy to reactivate the magic circle, clashes erupted as the armies collided.

“Grrraaaah!!!”

“Damn it, Philip has fallen!!”

Hearing the cries beginning to echo from every direction, Martina clenched her lips in frustration.

She had thought victory was within reach but now faced unexpected complications.

“Dwight! How many minutes left?”

“Ten minutes to go…!”

“Damn…!!”

Ten minutes—a short span, but within a large-scale battle, even those ten minutes could yield overwhelming casualties.

Moreover, many of the magicians, who would typically be responsible for area attacks or fights against armies, were occupied in reactivating the magic circle.

Martina couldn’t even imagine how immense their losses could be in this situation where she couldn’t intervene.

“Hold on!!!”

“Never let them through!!!”

Martina focused her eyes on the heroes fighting desperately, believing that she would bring down the witch herself.

Yet, for the heroes dying before her eyes, she could not voice what was lurking in her heart.

In this situation, they might withstand for ten minutes, but even if they utilized their magic after ten minutes, there was a real possibility they wouldn’t defeat the witch.

With the unexpected developments, the guaranteed success strategy no longer seemed like a guarantee.

The witch, hiding such abilities, could very well be equipped with another method to withstand magic, which was no longer surprising.

It had become a situation where humanity’s future relied on odds not accounting for a 100% success rate.

The magicians hesitated, accepting that they might unknowingly plunge everyone into hell.

Yet with no alternative measures available, while they prepared their magic,

“…Wait a moment.”

One person stepped forward amidst the anxious magicians.

“I know this is sudden, but I have a suggestion.”

This person appeared to have noticed the issue that only the magicians can see.

“The predictions have gone awry. The witch may very well be able to withstand magic. And if magicians remain unable to act, countless people will die.”

Or perhaps it wasn’t about realization; perhaps it was simply an inability to endure watching others perish.

“So, let’s change the plan. We’ll go with Plan B.”

Regardless of the reason, that person made the statement.

“Leave it to me. I will defeat the witch.”

They asked for humanity’s future to be entrusted to them.

“Not just me, but us.”

“Oh, my bad. We will defeat the witch.”

At that moment, another person joined in, making it two, but

Regardless, this was a nonsensical proposal.

Entrusting humanity’s fate to these individuals was absurd, yet still—

“…Are you confident?”

Martina didn’t refuse but instead asked them that.

“I’m not sure, but I will do it.”

“I will make it happen.”

Hearing their responses, she turned her head slightly.

Martina’s gaze turned to the flames burning atop the magic circle.

The last sacred relic, humanity’s final hope.

For a brief moment, she stared at it before looking back at the eyes of those who made the proposal.

There too glowed a flame.

Among them, one person.

When Martina first laid eyes on her, she seemed to possess those same eyes then.

Eyes that looked only ahead.

Endlessly earnest, steadfast, and burning with passion.

The other person too reflected eyes of the same fire.

Seeing such, Martina understood.

At least they would fight in the same spirit regardless of the circumstances, unlike herself, who had lost faith.

“…Alright. I understand.”

Thus, Martina declared,

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Believing in that fire, not merely magic.

“Thank you.”

In Martina’s hand, the sacred relic was passed over.

Humanity’s last hope blazed brighter, ignited by those sharing the same flame.

And so, prepared, the two murmured.

“Let’s go, Yoon Si-woo.”

“Alright, Scarlet.”

I’ve been busy moving, so it’s been delayed.

Anyway, a life-or-death crisis has arisen due to the plan going awry.
It’s time for the protagonists to step up.