– I’m so hungry, I’m so hungry!!!

The sword could no longer penetrate.

This was due to the witch, bleeding profusely, gripping the sword tightly with her pierced hand.

Moreover, the part of the sword that pierced her was slowly regenerating, stopping the blade from going further.

This was a clear sign of regeneration.

“Scarlet, what the…!!!”

Although the sword was encircled by flames, Yoon Si-woo turned to me as if asking how this could be happening, having seen the hand regenerating.

But I was in no state to answer that question.

“Gah…!!!!”

I was utilizing my powers with all my might, unable to even respond.

The magic was clearly burning right now.

The sensation in my body was dying out in real-time, serving as proof of this.

However, the fact that there were signs of regeneration meant only one thing.

The amount of magic produced by that witch’s tiny body was greater than the magic being consumed by my abilities.

I had carelessly forgotten one thing.

That the witch was the power source for the barrier covering the entire city.

That she was an immortal being, a fact so powerful that even past heroes couldn’t find a way to kill her and had no choice but to seal her away.

“Grrr…!!”

It burns, it burns like crazy.

A fierce combustion that threatened to drive me insane flickered before my eyes.

I couldn’t believe it.

Because of Sylvia’s sanctuary, the generation of magic should have been restricted.

To be withstanding both my flames and Yoon Si-woo’s powers in that situation.

Was that tiny body truly the last line of defense?

An abomination that defies all common sense; I glared at the gluttonous witch before me in horror.

– I’m so hungry, I’m so hungry!!!

The gluttonous witch, clutching the sword, was howling, blood pouring from her eyes and hands.

Despite acting as if she would never die this way, what I felt from her wasn’t a clinging to life.

What resonated was simply an incompleteness, a sense of loss for something she could never fill.

It vibrated painfully against my skin.

In the appearance of that gluttonous witch, I saw the form of Evangeline, who once consumed me in the past.

Filled with betrayal, sadness, and rage, she would burn everything, shouting only those words.

Fundamentally, the powers of witches often stem from emotions.

So what, I wondered, had that girl gone through in the past?

What could she have lost that turned her into such a pitiful monster?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but pity and sympathy quickly vaporized in an instant.

“Gah, haaaa…!!!”

Huaaaaaaaaaa…!!

The sword was lodged directly in front of my heart.

Victory was just a step away.

Although the witch’s regeneration ability was tremendous, it was by no means inviolable.

It was clear that the gluttonous witch was also squeezing every bit of her strength to the limit, just like us.

If we could push just a little more, we could stab the sword into the witch’s heart.

Creeeek.

However, the opposing forces created a perfect equilibrium, resulting in a suffocating standoff.

In that moment, I instinctively realized.

‘I won’t hold out for long…!!’

The flame burning inside me would not last long.

Furthermore, if I collapsed before holding out, that moment would mean a lost victory.

Thus, at this moment, I wished, even though I knew it was improbable.

Please.

Someone, help me.

*

And amidst those who remained to send Scarlet and Yoon Si-woo to the witch, within the weakest group among the heroes gathered on the battlefield—the students of the Academy.

A girl suddenly raised her head.

The flames rising from across the battlefield, where Yoon Si-woo and Scarlet clashed with the gluttonous witch, caught her eye.

The flames were so large and intense they could be seen from a considerable distance.

The girl murmured blankly upon seeing those flames.

“…Scarlet.”

She needs help.

For an unknown reason, upon seeing the flames, the girl felt—no, she was convinced of it.

Among the many gathered in the battlefield, the girl was the only one who sensed it, perhaps because she had always followed in the footsteps of Scarlet Evande.

Since that first moment, the girl had admired Scarlet Evande.

She admired her for her effort in everything.

She admired her constant drive to move forward.

She admired how she would willingly sacrifice herself for others.

Thus, the girl had worked hard to one day be able to be like Scarlet, to wish to help her.

But despite her efforts, Scarlet Evande was becoming increasingly distant from her.

Because in a battlefield teeming with supernatural beings like witches, an ordinary person like the girl could be of no assistance.

That was why.

Even when she realized that Scarlet needed help, the girl hesitated.

‘…Even if I go, can I really be of help?’

The one Scarlet was facing now was the gluttonous witch.

A monster among monsters.

It was only natural for the girl to think that if she went, it would only be a hindrance.

But at that moment, an advice from someone who had taught her greatly came to her mind.

“There are two things you need to remember. Firstly, keep your eyes straight on your target. Secondly, when you feel you’re at your limit, take one more step forward. Remember that.”

‘I… my target.’

Without a doubt, it was clear.

The girl looked far away, towards where the flames were rising.

She had always followed Scarlet’s back.

But what the girl truly wanted was not to simply follow but to stand by her side.

‘… When you feel you’re at your limit, take one more step.’

To achieve that, the girl had worked hard until now.

She had overcome countless times she thought were her limits.

To surpass limits was to overcome fear.

Throwing off her glasses that had protected her eyes, just like the day she had overcome her limits.

Yet here she was, not being able to move forward out of fear.

“…That’s not the kind of thing I admired!!”

Suddenly realizing, the girl was Mei, who once was called the class president by Scarlet.

She was already charging full speed towards the visible flames.

“Wait, what are you doing…!!”

“Mei, it’s dangerous!!”

In the battlefield filled with enemies, acting alone was far too dangerous for a mere student; everyone watching Mei’s reckless actions gasped.

But Mei decided to trust her instincts.

There was not enough time to persuade everyone.

“No time to explain!! Scarlet is in danger!”

So, with that one shout, Mei dashed through the gaps in the battlefield.

Running was her specialty, allowing her to quickly reach the area where she could see the flames.

But there, Mei’s steps came to a halt.

“Ugh, the path…!!”

The last place where Scarlet and the others had parted ways from the heroes.

Beyond that point, there was no longer a path left.

The route that Yoon Si-woo and Scarlet had passed was completely covered by the enemies that rushed in to fill the void.

If there was only one possible route, it would be to jump over the top of them.

Could she do it?

Before she could dwell on that thought, Mei decided to kick the ground and leap.

She thought to use the heads of the enemies if need be.

Thump—!

But the moment she jumped, Mei realized how naive her thinking was about stepping on the enemies’ heads.

Thousands of eyes were glaring at her as she leaped.

And thousands of hands stretched into the air were waiting for her.

If she tried to step on heads, she would undoubtedly be caught by those rough hands and dragged into their midst.

But even knowing that, her body was already descending as it reached the limit of air time due to her jump.

…Was this going to be the end?

Just as Mei thought that, she heard a shout from somewhere.

“Mei—!!!”

She looked towards the source of the voice and opened her eyes wide.

There were three children.

When faced with life-and-death situations, those who have fought together sometimes understand each other’s thoughts without needing to say much.

The children seemed exhausted, following Mei without hesitation upon hearing that Scarlet was in danger, but they moved in unison as if they knew what Mei intended to do.

“This one, step on it—!!!”

Daniel, the boy whom Scarlet once called the spear man, threw his spear.

Huff—!!

Andre, the boy whom Scarlet once called the shield man, hurled his shield.

“Go, Mei!!!”

Jessie, the girl Scarlet once referred to simply as a female student, used her telekinesis to stabilize those objects and created another foothold with her powers.

“─Thank you!!”

And Mei, the girl who once was called by Scarlet as the class president.

In the original story, she was an extra who didn’t even get a name and died.

Just like the children who didn’t even get a name and also died in the original story, she stepped on the foothold they had created.

With every single step, she felt the wind.

With every two steps, a gust of wind.

With every three steps, a whirlwind was born.

She leaped over the heads of the enemies.

Finally arriving at the place where the flames were erupting.

“Scarlet!!! I’ve come to help!!”

Gah, haaaaaaaaaa!!!

“Huuuuuuuuh!!!”

– I’m so hungry!!!

What she witnessed there was a clash of immense powers that sent chills down her spine.

In the face of beings akin to a hurricane that destroyed everything, Mei’s presence felt like a gentle breeze.

“Grrgh…!!!!”

Yet Mei overcame her fear and jumped into that hurricane, adding power to the sword Yoon Si-woo held.

As one who ordinarily would have had no impact on the grand scheme, her addition stirred things up.

But sometimes, just like a drop of water causing a flood to overflow.

The equilibrium that was precariously maintained crumbled because of her.

“Haahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

At one point, the tiny breeze stirred up by the butterfly would become a colossal storm greater than anything in this world.

-…Ah

At last,

– I’m not hungry…

She altered the fate of an entire world.