The Sky Fortress Azetta rapidly decelerated. The lunar snowdrops in the air wrapped around the ships, the doodles of buildings on the ship walls replaced with a frozen ship. Penrovizeth was unable to function properly, and just like the pictures, Azetta froze over. It had been re-created without the ability to fly.
“So this is the sky of creation,” Misa mumbled as she stared grimly at the airspace.
The Moon of Creation overlapped with the Sun of Destruction to control the entire area. Its authority forced its own creation over others, blocking Penrovizeth completely.
The only way to prevent crashing in the sky of destruction was to use creation, but in the sky of creation, all creation was blocked. It was an absolute defense.
“C-Captain Rouche, at this rate—!”
“Lord Devidra, we can’t hold on any longer! The second ship will fall!”
Soldiers of the second and third ship respectively gave their reports. Eldmed promptly spoke over them.
“Shoot the fourth ship forward and retreat.”
“But if we shoot now...”
Wrapped in the black rays of the sun, the Keepers of Destruction were waiting right in the path of where the fourth ship was headed.
“Bwa ha ha. We’ve already dealt all the cards in our hand. Now we bet on the legend of the Hero and the Demon King. Or will you fold, and pay the price you must to wait for the next chance to play?”
Rouche and Devidra gritted their teeth and answered.
“Cast the group magic. Use every last ounce of your magic power,” Rouche said.
“The target of the spell will be the fourth ship. Time it carefully,” said Devidra.
The shadow angels readied their bows to strike. Arrows of sunlight rained down upon the fleet, but they had no means of evading anymore.
“Firrrrrreeeeee!”
A spherical magic circle for Fless surrounded the ship Lay was on, forcing the frozen Sky Fortress to shoot forward like a bullet. The second and third ship fell out of the airspace, but in return, the fourth ship pushed through the sky of destruction and creation against the rain of arrows. Arrows upon arrows of black rays hitting the ship caused it to crumble, pieces of it falling through the sky in loud groans and rumbles.
Now in close proximity to the solar eclipse, Penrovizeth was completely disabled, and the order of destruction broke the ship midair. Even as the roof began to collapse under his feet, Lay remained where he stood and focused on charging his two swords. From within the broken fortress a figure emerged, flying over to his position.
“Get on,” Misa said.
Having escaped the crumbling Sky Fortress, she took off the coat she was wearing and spread it flat to float in the air. Lay got on top of the improvised platform, with Misa weaving the both of them through the rain of arrows while protecting Lay with Beno Ievun.
The Keepers of Destruction used the black rays of Sarjieldenav to light themselves on fire, diving at Misa. Unlike the arrows they had fired earlier, these Keepers had transformed themselves into suicide bombers that would keep on chasing them indefinitely. On top of that, lunar snowdrops continued to fall within the sky of creation and destruction, limiting Misa’s and Lay’s movements in the cold air.
Unlike on the ground, there was no outspeeding the Keepers in this airspace controlled by creation and destruction. Without Azetta, Misa only had a limited amount of time she could keep fighting and flying for.
“Come to me, Gigadeth.”
Misa drew a magic circle, and a tiny, hammer-wielding fairy appeared behind her. The fairy that strongly resembled the Spirit of Thunder and Wind, Gigadeth, was next struck by a bolt of jet-black lightning. It absorbed the lightning’s power to grow to a gigantic size, taking on the visage of an evil king.
“Giga Jirasd.”
Misa extended her hand in a graceful flourish, and at the same time, Gigadeth swung its hammer of black lightning down like an emperor smiting his enemies. Black wind blew coldly past the Keepers of Destruction, black lightning striking them at once. The spirit origin magic Giga Jirasd was a combination of the spirit magic Gigadeil and origin magic Jirasd, reducing all the shadow angels it hit into dust. But the Keepers that had managed to avoid the blast continued their charge, wrapped in deadly black rays.
“Garyon.”
A nine-headed water dragon appeared behind Misa, roaring as it was dyed pitch-black. Quickly leaping into her arms, Misa then extended her fingers to stab the nearest Keeper to approach her.
“Vega Vebzud.”
The nine-headed water dragon burst out of the Keeper’s body, extinguishing the black rays and destroying their sources. Without missing a beat, Misa fired another Giga Jirasd, sending another bolt of black lightning through the sky of destruction and creation.
She then used Fless to fly up with all her might, propelling the coat carrying Lay closer to the Sun of Destruction.
Their surroundings grew one shade darker. They had reached the total solar eclipse of Sarjieldenav. The covered sun was coated in an unbelievable amount of magic—enough to destroy the earth ten times over, and still have power to spare.
“Misa!” Lay yelled.
Misa extended her magic-filled hands. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for!”
She drew a Fless circle for Lay and cast it along with Giga Jirasd—but at that same moment, the Beno Ievun covering her vanished.
“Ah...?” she exclaimed.
A small thorn had stabbed into her chest.
“What...is this...?”
Her magic power suddenly scattered, as though the weakest point of her source had been pierced straight through.
“Lay...”
Misa’s body swayed, then dropped. Immediately the black rays of Sarjieldenav burned Lay’s unprotected body. The cloak he was riding was also set alight, wrapping around him as he fell too.