A few minutes earlier.

Leon stared at the inmate in the distance. Every part of his instincts warned him against the man as he felt his back grow cold.

"….."

Nonetheless, he remained calm. If something was really up, then he couldn't make any rash movements like warning the other guards.

'I should take a look.'

Gradually, he moved towards the man.

His steps eventually halted a few meters away from the inmate, who raised his head to meet his gaze.

"Is there something that I can help you with?"

The inmate smiled at Leon. The look on his face… it was as if he was seeing something interesting.

Leon didn't reply and looked around the cell. It was spotless. Everything was in order, and there didn't seem to be anything strange about the place.

And yet…

'Something's wrong.'

His instincts warned him of something.

He paced around the room, lifting the pillows, the mattress, and the furniture as he searched.

However, regardless of what he did, he found nothing. Even after he used his mana to check the place, he found nothing.

Just what…

"You seem to be looking for something."

A voice quietly reached him from behind.

".....You can ask me, and I'll see if I can help you."

Leon turned his head to gaze at the inmate, who remained calm throughout. In that moment, a sense of foreboding washed over him, and he thrust his fist forward.

Bang!

The surroundings shook as he felt his fist collide with another.

"….!"

At that moment Leon finally understood what was wrong, and his expression cracked.

"You… Your mana isn't restrained."

His words were met with a smirk.

"It's too late."

Thump! Thump!

Muffled sounds echoed in the distance all of a sudden, and before Leon could react, the alarms blared to life.

Woooooo—!

Clank! Clank! Clank!

What followed after was a loud metallic sound and the sound of the inmate's voices.

"Hahaha! What's this? Why are my cuffs suddenly off?"

"I can feel my body again…?!"

"My restraints are gone!"

Leon's eyes widened all of a sudden and his head lowered to stare at the inmate.

"You…"

The inmate smirked.

"It's too late. You can't stop the inevitable."

***

Wooooo—!

The blaring sound of the alarm echoed throughout as I stared at the cell in front of me.

Kiera stood a few feet from me, frozen in shock.

"You, you…"

Her words seemed lodged in her throat as she grappled to understand the reality of what was unfolding.

I was also similarly surprised by her appearance here. I hadn't expected her to be here, but considering a little obstruction on the way, I understood how she had made it here.

The guards around the place had their senses restrained, making it extremely easy to move around. Even if I were to shout right now, the guards wouldn't notice.

It was a chilling thought.

Just what sort of organization was capable of such a feat?

However, I didn't dwell on this for long as my gaze fell on Kiera.

'She's the second calamity…'

It became clear to me at this moment.

'Then, that would mean Aoife was the first calamity.'

Two pieces of the long puzzle finally stuck into place.

"Ah, this… fuck…what have you…"

A certain stutter broke my thoughts. I looked down to see Kiera looking at me with open eyes.

"You..."

"She's a clone."

"….Ah, uh. Ah?"

Kiera's eyes snapped open, and a voice echoed right behind me

"Oh? So you knew…?"

I turned back and immediately raised my left hand.

Clank—!

Sparks flew as I felt the tip of a long blade touch the tip of my nose.

"Chains…?"

With a look of surprise, her red eyes widened slightly as she voiced her surprise.

".....Is that your weapon, or a spell?"

I didn't say anything and distanced myself a little.

Cra… Crack—!

A subtle cracking sound emanated from the chains wrapped around my arm. The mana within my body drained, and they slowly began to repair themselves.

Indeed, this was the method I had come up with to use my new spell [Chains of Alakantria].

My greatest weakness was my defense. I pondered long and hard on how to compensate for it, and this was the result.

Clank, clank—!

The chains moved, wrapping over my left fist as I slowly clenched it.

I turned my head to look at Kiera who was still in a daze.

"....Get your act together. She's currently weakened."

Having had her mana sealed for so long, her current strength was a far cry from what it usually was.

There was no better time than to deal with her now.

Especially for someone who had been locked here. I didn't know the extent of her strength, but she was certainly powerful. A lot more powerful than the two of us combined.

"The more time we waste, the more things are advantageous for her."

"Ah, shit, fuck…"

Only then did Kiera snap out of her daze.

She went on to ruffle her hair.

"Fuck."

Her face was filled with doubt, but considering the situation, she put those thoughts aside and raised her hand where a red magic circle appeared.

"Try to buy me time."

She fell silent thereafter, but I sensed a tremendous surge of mana emanating from her. It became clear to me that she was preparing for a large spell.

"Oh my~"

The woman massaged her bruised wrist.

"That's quite a powerful spell that you're preparing Ki. How about you go easier on me? I'm not in the best of shapes."

Even now she didn't seem to take the situation seriously.

It wasn't as though I didn't understand. To her, we probably looked like amateurs. Still, her talk was meaningless.

"Her trait is [Body], and she specializes in the sword. Be careful in short-range combat. Keep a certain distance."

Kiera's voice reached me from behind.

The mana around her surged further.

"….I can try."

There was no guarantee. I could see that with each second that passed, her strength was increasing.

I didn't have much time.

I quickly channeled my mana and pointed forward.

[Hands of Malady].

Hands sprouted from the area beneath her.

Swoosh—! I somewhat anticipated her to dodge and had strategically placed several threads around to impede her movement. However, it proved futile as she deftly maneuvered around the threads.

'Fuck!'

She appeared in front of me, her fist already near my face.

I once again raised my left hand to block the incoming attack, but…

Booom!

"Ukeh….!"

She altered the course of the fist mid-motion and directly hit me in the stomach.

I almost had the urge to puke as I took several steps back and glanced at Kiera who looked at me with a look that seemed to say 'The fuck are you doing?'

This…

Swoosh—!

Ducking down to evade an incoming sword, I thrust my hand forward. A magic circle formed, and five purple threads burst out, hurtling directly toward her.

The distance between us was very close, and I was confident that I'd at least graze her, but…

Swoosh—! Swoosh—! As if she had eyes at the back of her head, she moved around and dodged everything.

"...This is bullshit."

Her instincts and reaction time were no joke. And to add insult to injury, she was getting stronger and faster with each second.

"You i-idiot... She can sense the mana trace from whatever that shit is."

Hearing Kiera's scolding, I felt my brows twitch. I wanted to tell her to switch roles with me, but considering that I didn't have a final move like she did, I could only grunt at her.

Swoosh—!

The distance between us shrank.

I stared ahead and forced myself to remain calm.

This was clearly not working. I needed a new way.

Swoosh—!

Her blade thrust my way. The speed at which it was moving was extremely fast.

'Since she can sense my mana trace...'

I gritted my teeth and recalled everything. The chains, and the threads.

It all occurred in less than a second, and at that moment, I sidestepped and brought both my hands diagonally.

Sweat dripped down the side of my face as the blade neared.

It was only a few inches away.

....I could see it near my eyes.

Almost...

"Now!"

A translucent purple chain materialized on both my hands and I pushed to my left.

Clank—!

Sparks flew and something grazed my check.

I was pushed back several meters.

"Ukh…"

Feeling a sweet sensation at the back of my throat, I let out a groan.

It was obvious that she had come out on top in the exchange and that I had clearly lost.

However…

"...I did it."

I looked at the chains in my hand. Squeezing my hand, they shattered and I stared ahead where the woman was. She seemed surprised by the fact that I had managed to block her attack.

"Yo—"

I didn't let her talk. The more she talked and wasted time, the stronger she became.

I was quick to move and swung my hand in her direction.

Clank. Clank.

Simultaneously, chains materialized in the midst of the motion, prompting her to dodge backward.

"....Uh."

The chains shattered before they could hit the ground.

In the meantime, I twisted my torso and swung horizontally using my left hand.

Swoosh—!

Once again, the chains materialized mid-motion, further complicating her ability to gauge the distance and sense the mana trace.

Once again, she was able to dodge the attack.

I wasn't disheartened.

In fact… I felt nothing but excitement.

"This…"

It was working.

I had found something new.

As the mana rapidly drained and my breath grew heavy, I found myself becoming more accustomed to this new fighting style. Despite the strain, I grew more adept at manipulating the chains, shattering and reappearing around my hands.

Call.

Recall.

Call.

Recall.

There was a lag between each set of actions, but it was becoming smoother by the second.

Finally, the distance was starting to create between us. Unlike before, it was starting to become harder for her to dodge. Even as her strength increased, so did my proficiency.

Swoosh—!

I swung my hand again. She reacted before the chains appeared, ducking down, but…

"Heh."

I smiled and swung my other hand. It was a fake.

Clank—!

"Ukh!"

Finally, I made contact with her, and sparks flew through the air as the chains connected with her sword.

I wanted to celebrate but found myself unable to.

"Haaaa… Haaa…"

I was heavily out of breath, and my mind was starting to become blurry. It was clear to me that I was running out of juice.

I looked behind to stare at Kiera.

"How long…?"

She didn't respond, instead staring at her hands where an impressive magic circle appeared. Even from where I stood, I could feel the formidable power emanating from it.

That, however, proved to be a mistake as something flashed next to me.

It was headed straight for Kiera.

"Shit…!"

Reacting purely on instinct, I extended my right hand, conjuring five threads that swiftly enveloped the entire surrounding area.

"Ukeh…!"

A low grunt sounded as the threads snapped and I was pushed back. However, I just barely managed to halt whatever was attempting to pass me.

"Move…!"

I didn't even have time to catch my breath before I heard Keira's shout. Instinctively, I leaped to the side.

I was glad I did.

Woooom—!

A powerful flame surged forward, engulfing the entire corridor. A bright light covered everything as I felt the intense heat pressing against my back.

"…"

The pain was tolerable.

It burned my entire back and legs, but it was manageable. I had been through worse.

The flames continued to surge forward, persisting for several more seconds before finally dissipating.

"Ah…."

I raised my head after a few seconds.

"That."

It was powerful.

Really powerful.

Would I have survived if I hadn't dodged in time? I was doubting my chances.

"….."

The corridor was empty and a strange silence gripped our surroundings.

"Did we do it…?"

I heard Kiera's voice from behind. It sounded tired and haggard.

I pursed my lips.

"…..I don't know."

I released a long breath and sat up, resting my arm over my knee. Calmly, I surveyed the corridor before muttering once more.

"I don't know."