*Splash*

Whenever Rhea’s fist slammed into the lava pooled beneath their feet, it gushed into a surging wave. The intense heat and molten rock formed tidal waves that continued to rapidly grow, surging towards Adjest. The epitome of a fiery death was ready to claim her, even if it had to sweep away the sky or planet in the process.

Rhea was sure. No matter how much power Adjest had, there was no way she could defend against this attack.

No matter how much power one possessed, it was pointless if they could not make proper use of it. With a smashed right arm and the inability to properly grasp her sword, there was no way Adjest could retaliate.

Rhea, unable to hide her excitement, watched Adjest with great anticipation. ‘Now, Adjest, how are you going to struggle this time?’

However, Adjest just stared at the tidal waves silently, even as they approached at a rapid pace, without showing any sign of movement. As Rhea questioned her sanity, the white hair of Adjest regained its color and turned golden. The Imagery Magic that had protected her from the heat until now had been released.

Rhea squinted her eyes. “What… ?”

Adjest then closed her eyes gently; Rhea’s expression filled with disappointment. ‘Has she given up?’

The tidal wave progressed unhindered, and swallowed Adjest whole. In the end, it was an anticlimactic ending to an epic battle; the final blow that doomed Adjest to her fate.

‘Well, that’s fine.’

In the end, the method or specific outcome wasn’t what mattered. Rhea was here to assist Priscilla, not enjoy herself.

She turned and looked at the Hebrion Academy. Unfortunately, their plan had been delayed more than she thought. To keep to their original timetable, they would need to hasten their efforts.

“… … … ”

‘Wait. Did she really give up?’

Despite having deactivated her Imagery Magic, Adjest never dropped her sword. As the image flashed through her mind, Rhea’s senses returned to her like a jolt of lightning.

*Crack*

A cold snap exploded amongst the tidal waves, freezing the lava and sending frozen chunks flying.

Rhea was swept away by the explosion and debris, and was sent flying into a nearby building. Her arms and legs shot searing pain straight through her nervous system, the sensation akin to her limbs being severed. Her eyes were locked on one place in particular, and her face was contorted in pain.

A flame had been frozen completely solid and had crystallized into a piece of muted light, with Adjest standing on top of it, very much alive. Rhea was breathless.

‘Did she really figure out… ?’

From atop the flame, Adjest’s noble eyes looked down on Rhea, her body now adorned with strangely shaped armor. Her form had mutated to be more reminiscent of a demon: an Inheritance’s final form.

Adjest had tapped into the origin of her ability. Working with the power directly was an entirely different scale of strength compared to using a piece of it.

Rhea was completely flabbergasted. After she learned the true nature of her power, it took her over a decade to unlock its true power.

“Just one look… You looked at me once, and you already figured it out?!”

It was a lie. It could not be. Rhea desperately tried to deny the reality of the situation unfolding before her eyes.

‘Not yet… ’

Rhea ignited her magical sparks again. ‘There is still hope.’

Even if she reached that level, it would be impossible for her to fully wield that power immediately.

Despite the pain, Rhea rushed straight towards Adjest, aiming to end the battle in one swift blow. As long as she could end the fight quickly, Adjest would not be able to adapt to her new strength. When Adjest unfolded her hand in response, Rhea felt the coldness of the air moving towards her.

*Sizzle*

As the cold gale swept through, petals of flame fluttered around Rhea, offsetting the cold.

But in the heat of the moment, Rhea overlooked one fact. Adjest was not just a magician: she was a magical swordsman.

“Ah… ?”

There was no time for her to make an expression of disbelief. *Shwing*

Something pierced Rhea’s chest. She spat out blood and crashed to the ground. The petals of the flame, which had been in full bloom, returned to being magical sparks and disintegrated in moments.

Unwilling to give up easily, Rhea managed to pull herself up. Even though her heart was pierced, her dedication to Prisc…

*Bam*

Something forced her back down. [Eternity Guardian]

Rhea, who managed to raise her head, could barely make out what had struck her. Hundreds of knights, made of sheer ice, were pointing their blades towards her. Their armor, shields, and weapons all had the faint silver glow of aura.

It was a perfect display of overwhelming strength. Adjest had created her own knighthood comparable to the power of an entire country.

Rhea expressed pure admiration. Even though she was an enemy, she could not help but acknowledge her opponent’s strength. Not only did she catch up to the level she had reached after more than a decade of hard work with a mere glance, she had succeeded in making this new power her own and using it in a way that suited her best. This was beyond merely copying an ability.

“It’s a truly… tremendous talent.”

Before she knew it, Adjest stood above Rhea’s body, glaring down towards her without a word.

“With such power, it’s such a shame that you can’t understand the Holy Saint’s intentions. It must be because you’re living a life that’s hard to give up, unlike everyone else. *Cough*… !”

Rhea vomited blood and the demonic power she had cloaked herself in faded away, returning her body to its original figure The white nun suit she wore was half torn and coated in blood, its integrity severely compromised as it barely hung together.

“You will never be able to sympathize with the dirt of this world, the feelings of the countless people suffering in it.”

Rhea shouted furiously, her sentences only interrupted when she paused to expel more blood. “You could have returned the world to nothing and recreated a clean version of it… ! I will curse you. I’ll curse you for frustrating the path of salvation for everyone… !”

Adjest, who had been staring at her silently, opened her mouth.

“Returning the world to nothing and recreating it? Priscilla must have been working on a really crazy plan.”

“What… ? The path you have hindered will result in the salvation of everyone!”

“From your perspective, sure. But does everyone else really think so?” Rhea’s body trembled.

“How ridiculous. In the end, all you’re doing is collecting everyone’s lives, trimming them, carving them, and redistributing them. In what capacity are you capable of judging all of their lives? Even a god can’t do that!”

“Shut up! There’s no value in the lives of those who have been so far absorbed in their own happiness that they’ve turned a blind eye to those who are suffering!”

“Yes, obviously that’s wrong. But that’s all we need to cut out. That part alone. And I can’t allow you to sacrifice the whole population to accomplish that.”

The expressionless eyes of Adjest began to look bitter.

“For thousands of years, the world has been tested every moment at the crossroads of extinction and survival. And with a near-miracle chance, we managed to reach this moment in time. It is a world created by millions and millions of people who barely managed to achieve it. And now you guys screwed it up.”

Adjest grabbed Rhea’s jaw roughly and lifted her face up. It was difficult to recall the past in Dresden, which was completely swept away after a fierce battle.

“You’re going to accomplish peace by throwing away all their efforts? What about their sacrifices? In the end, it would all mean nothing! Who do you think would appreciate a world like that?”

Adjest declared in a forceful tone.

“Don’t be a fool. I will defend the people who live in this country now, which has been established by their will. Although the fake you would make might be better, this is where I was born, and I’ll make it a country worth living in!”

* * *

The battle between Adjest and Rhea had a tremendous impact on the weather and environment in Dresden. Romantica, who was controlling Dresden’s airflow in real time, recognized this fact more than anyone else.

“Is she trying to make my job harder?”

Though she complained, Romantica continued to uphold her duty. [Punishment of Tempest]

*Rumble*

A huge, spear-shaped storm hit the Artemis flagship, Brigant. The hull was pierced and its magical defenses collapsed, unable to withstand the powerful spell.

Brigant was caught up in an abnormal air current, had its sails busted, and its magic engine could only barely withstand the increased workload, at the cost of inefficient mana consumption. With its fuselage given a new massive hole, the ship could no longer maintain its altitude and fell to the ground sharply.

“Well, the skies are clear now.”

That ship contained the main fighting force of the Artemis Church, more than half of the troops that had actually made it within the city Now, even if Romantica took no further action, the Empire could cope well enough. Even if they had not lost more of their fighting force, the Artemis Church had already lost several key battles, which meant all of their formations were at risk of collapse. Their forces were inefficiently deployed.

After confirming the circumstances, Romantica continued to invoke magic without taking any break.

[Sonic Vibration]

A vibration rushed through the air at the speed of sound, traveling with enough force to tear through even Blank?um.

“… … !”

Pierrot Mask, who was about to slash Pram with one of his daggers, quickly stepped back and scattered wires from his arms.

The wires, coated with aura, shook finely before resonating in face of the rapidly approaching attack, altering its trajectory slightly.

*Boom*

The wave was sent towards a nearby clock tower, which easily collapsed once Romatica’s spell crashed into it. Pram used the opportunity to steady himself and take several deep breaths.

“Thank you, Romantica. You saved my life.”

Pram’s entire body was filled with stab wounds. In his current state, it was extremely difficult to find a patch of skin that was not injured.

He thought he had become stronger, but Pram had been going all out since the beginning. In the end, he could only barely defend himself from fatal wounds, which resulted in him slowly incurring a lot of damage. When they confronted each other in Pittsburgh, Pram managed to maintain a favorable situation, but now he was really just hanging on without dying.

If Romantica’s support had been just a little later, the fight might have already been decided. “Hmm, yes. This should be far more entertaining!”

His voice was disturbingly pleased. There was not a single scar on the smiling Pierrot Mask. Forget a flesh wound, not even his clothes were torn.

Pram swallowed his saliva, finally having a chance to surveil his foe properly. This was not a matter of a difference in total aura, or the level of difference in technique. There was an unmeasurable difference overall.

Pram had succeeded in attacking Pierrot Mask several times, but apparently only a light scrape remained on his hand, as if he had penetrated the air. In fact, Pierrot Mask had no injuries at all.

Pram felt as if he were dealing with a ghost without substance. “The war is over.”

Romantica opened her mouth in a calm fashion.

“This fight is meaningless now, so why don’t you just give up?”

Romantica was able to detect the entire situation of Dresden while blocking the battleships of the Artemis Church alone.

The eastern front, directly headed by Guiltian, that had seemed dangerous at first, now had a stable lead. On the western front, the battle was over with Adjest’s victory.

Most importantly, Priscilla, who led the Artemis Church, was at the Hebrion Academy. The surrounding area had turned into a battleground, where she was ultimately defeated by Desir. As far as Romantica knew, Pierrot Mask was the last one left, and the war was over.

The last finger of the Outsiders, Pierrot Mask, and some of the Church’s remaining forces continued to struggle, but the situation would not last much longer.

“You’d better keep your guard up right until the last minute, brave lady.”

At that moment, Pierrot Mask’s body became cloudy and melted into the shadows.