As the spell left my lips, the magic circles shattered and I swung down with all my might, unleashing the power of my blade upon the armor. Bathed in purifying light, Nike was immolated instantaneously, and the Argent Armor split into pieces at the joints, at last freeing her from her plight.
“It’s over...”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What should I do, specifically?” Noa asked Orthoaguina. All the while Sita was doing her best to stop the device from running amok.
“Hmm, er, well...” Orthoaguina muttered awkwardly. They didn’t have time to spare, but it looked like he was trying to choose his phrasing carefully. Noa’s sneaking suspicion was confirmed. Had there been a fairly safe method, Orthoaguina would’ve already given his orders, but his hesitation made it obvious this would be a dangerous mission.
“Lord Orthoaguina, we don’t have time,” Noa pressed. “Don’t worry about me. Just say it directly.”
“A-All right,” he replied. “That power reactor there stores the mana and is reversing its flow. If you can alter the flow for even a moment, Sita can use that opening to sneak in.”
Sita and Noa nodded at each other. “And how can I change the mana flow?” Noa asked.
“Sita has allowed me to catch a glimpse of a part of the device,” Orthoaguina replied. “There’s a circulator deep within the power reactor we can use to suppress the backflow of mana. The process itself is very simple, rest assured—you simply have to get in and pull a lever.”
“Wait, are you telling her to dive into the vortex of mana?” Sita asked concernedly.
“Precisely,” Orthoaguina replied dispassionately, having resigned himself to this solution. “Only Noa can open the defensive walls without issues and slip through the barrier.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Noa agreed. “I think I can do this easily.”
“No! You can’t!” Sita cried. “There’s no guarantee that your body can endure the pressure! I can’t let you do it!”
“What other option do we have, Sita?” Orthoaguina asked. “Surely, you understand that our enemy has talent beyond compare. You know that you can’t possibly stop this alone—you don’t stand a chance. There’s no more room to argue that willpower alone will pull you through. We don’t have time.”
“But...! But...!” Sita sounded like a child throwing a tantrum in the face of Orthoaguina’s logic. But try as she might, she couldn’t think of another solution.
Noa flashed a bright smile. “I’ll be off now.” She turned to the power reactor, knowing what she had to do. There was no time to dawdle or hesitate, nor did she have any reason to. In fact, she was beyond delighted to learn that she could be of some use to her friends. She forced her aching body to keep it together as she staggered toward the door.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Noa,” Sita apologized. “Because I’m so inexperienced and weak, I... If only I could act cool like Lady Mary and handle everything myself...” Her voice quavered as she held back tears, painfully aware of her own shortcomings.
Noa whirled around and shook her head. “No, don’t be sorry,” she replied. “You’re doing the best you can for everyone without worrying about whether you’ll be hurt. You look very cool in my eyes.”
Noa grinned and placed her hand against the plate on the door. For a moment, the mana flowed through her veins, and the door unlocked with little issue—Noa was regarded as part of Nike’s bloodline, just as Orthoaguina had confirmed to her. There was only one thing that she had to do now.
A hot puff of steam assaulted Noa’s senses—she didn’t even want to imagine the horrific state of the device. And yet, without an ounce of hesitation, she infiltrated the reactor room. The space was hotter than she’d expected, sapping away her stamina and energy, and the heat worsened the injuries all over her body. The pain was so intense it made her want to scream, and the vortex of mana was clouding her mental state, making her vision grow dim and hazy. All the same, she bit her lip and desperately endured the abuse, keeping her destination in sight as she strode forward. It was thanks to her sturdy body that she managed to withstand it all, and it was thanks to her steadfast resolve that she refused to back down.
Noa believed she would reach the lever and pull it, but she knew instinctively that her life would end at that very moment. She could easily imagine some sort of drawback arising from pulling the lever in such a precarious situation. Noa glanced over her body, wondering if she could endure it, but she knew that the horrific conditions she was weathering were only hastening the destruction of her body, and she no longer was regenerating enough.
A small step caused Noa to stumble, and she fell to the ground, unable to brace herself. She only barely held back from crying, vexed by her fragility.
“Heh heh...” Noa chuckled bitterly. “If only...I could also act cool...like Big Sister Mary.”
Even having faltered, she refused to keep still and crawled forward. She didn’t care whether she looked cool or embarrassing—she was driven to reach her destination, and she continued to slide across the floor by sheer willpower. It was so sweltering that it felt like her body was on fire. She was in sheer agony, and her blurring vision was making her nauseous, but she knew what she had to do. No matter what happened to her, she wanted to fulfill her role and be useful to everyone...and that’s when she realized.
“Is this...how you felt, Agard?” she wondered aloud. “I know that you...wanted to protect everyone, even if...that meant sustaining a few injuries yourself.”
As Noa’s vision began to fail, she no longer knew where she was heading to, but she crawled ever forward, toward the faint light that appeared before her eyes. It felt like someone was guiding her.
“No wonder Agard didn’t stop me from going out of control...” Noa murmured. “Even if it meant that he’d die...he didn’t want to hurt me.”
Finally, the lever appeared before her eyes, and she used every ounce of strength she had to get on her feet. “I’m sorry, Agard. You tried to protect me, but I’m just a poor copy... Because a failure like me was born, the two of you lost the happiness you shared... But you made me happy. Really, you did. Even if these memories aren’t really my own, you’ve truly made me happy, from the bottom of my heart.”
Noa clenched the lever. If she pulled this, everything would come to an end—her own life included. As she considered her final moments, her mind flooded with not only the memories of the Argent Armor, but also with her memories of the precious friends she made while journeying as Noa.
“You’re not some copy. How you were born doesn’t matter—who you are now is Noa, my adorable little sister.”
Mary’s kind reassurance echoed through Noa’s mind...and her tears began to flow like a burst dam. “Ngh... Ugh... I want to live...” Noa sobbed. “I want to live with everyone! There’s so many things I want to do and try... But... But... I won’t be able to...”
As her final wishes spilled out of her mouth, her spirit was crushed. She sobbed like a little child, but she’d already steeled her resolve—she didn’t dare release her grasp from the lever.
“Then keep on living, Noa!” A familiar voice filled the room—the voice Noa had been wishing to hear most. “You’re not a copy or anything of the sort!”
“You dolt!” Orthoaguina scolded in the distance. “Don’t just brute-force your way through the unopenable door!”
The owner of the voice stood in front of the door and reached out toward Noa. “Don’t worry, leave the rest to me,” the reliable, invincible lady said. “Pull that lever! And after that, let’s go back to our friends, Noa!”
“Okay. I will, Big Sister Mary!” Noa shouted. Even she was surprised by how calm and composed she’d become. Completely at ease now, Noa pulled the lever with all her might.