Chapter 26

May grimaced in pain, hyperventilating, then put a hand on her chest and arched her back. The aether around her glowed blue, and a giant ring of light appeared above her head. Sinister aetheric wings materialized at her back. The light ring started rotating at high speeds like a machine, and the aetheric wings emitted a bigger and more twisted light than when she was flying just before. Mana gathered in her jade eyes and hair and glittered. “No… Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” Mana erupted from her body as she screamed. Machina finally understood what was off: a different mana was mixed in with May’s. Mana overflowed and the aether raged like a storm, making Machina take a step back. “This mana…!” All sounds halted. The air and aether stopped vibrating. The mana converged before May’s eyes in complete silence. It pooled and clustered into a giant sphere, compressed as far as it could go before it spread and burst like lightning. It was the same kind of simple mana release as the type Veltol had used in his duel against that aristocratic student. But its destructive power was on a different level. “—” She turned to look at Machina. Machina immediately realized defending against it would be impossible. “Sleep.” So she spoke that word, and May lost consciousness, collapsing to the floor. The compressed ball of mana scattered in the air after losing control, then vanished. Suddenly, a full-borg woman appeared and lifted the fallen girl in her arms. “Principal Tratte?!” “Machina, the Dazzling Blaze—I didn’t expect you to make it this far. I see I shouldn’t have underestimated one of the Six Dark Peers.” She recognized that characteristic tone and voice. “Wait—Ms. Mag?! But that body… What’s going on…?” “Crap, I didn’t change my voice. Oh well.” Mag scratched her head awkwardly. Machina then understood what was happening in Akihabara. “I didn’t expect this useless scrap heap…Ange, I mean, to get driven to the wall like that. Glad I got to her in time.” “Her name isn’t Ange. Give May back.” “I can’t do that, and I don’t want to fight you here. Having Ange taken from me on top of failing my quest would not only get me fired, but hanged. I think she’s an obsolete piece of junk, but the higher-ups like this prototype.” A magic circle appeared under Mag’s feet. May’s veil turned over, revealing the emblem of a golden dragon and silver sword drawn on the back of her clothes. “You’re an obsolete piece of junk yourself; you’ve never seen this before, have you?” Mag and May disappeared. They teleported without proclamation, just like when Mag ran away from Veltol. “What?! Teleportation?!” Teleportation was an extremely high-level magic. It wasn’t something a single caster could use easily. If this had somehow become possible, it would have already been applied to daily life, bringing tremendous prosperity. Considering the lack of proclamation, Machina surmised she had used some sort of magi-gadget or artifact. This went far beyond what modern technology was capable of. But that all was relatively meaningless to her. “May…” Her old friend was alive, but captive. All sorts of emotions flooded Machina, but she kept any further thoughts at bay and looked ahead. “First things first…” She tried her best not to dwell on May. She wouldn’t be able to think straight otherwise. What she had to do now was reunite with Takahashi and keep the students safe. She didn’t need to go help Veltol—he had told her he would take care of things, and she trusted him. He’d already saved her twice, and she had total confidence in him. And confidence was true loyalty. He had never betrayed anything he had ever told her, after all. Magic Town descended into fear and chaos. Some people shut themselves at home, some were taking refuge in an underground shelter built during the City Wars, and some were at Hokoten Avenue, filming both sides’ armies and streaming it live on the aethernet. The uproar occasionally got louder until the explosions and swords clashing could be heard from the School of Magic. City War II had ended several decades earlier, and many still remembered the tragedy. No one was able to grasp the current situation. Meanwhile, the district where many of the nobles of Magic Town lived was quiet. The news had circulated faster than anywhere within wealthy circles, all of whom had already evacuated to a shelter. A man and a woman walked leisurely through the deserted district. “Please, you should start deciding on a destination beforehand. Think about all the rescheduling I have to do,” the woman chided. The blond man smiled awkwardly. “I never asked you to follow me, though…” “Nonetheless, I can’t believe they’d wage civil war in this day and age. Won’t somebody please think of the economy?” “What are you talking about?” “Sending people to war is a waste of human and nonhuman resources. Just leave all that to drones. They were the stars around the end of the Second City War.” “You’re not listening to me, are you?” “…You won’t try to stop them?” “Huh? Me? Stop what?” “The war.” “Mm, that’s not really my forte. Let someone smarter take care of it. I would’ve been gung ho about stopping a war back when I was younger, I guess.” “Oh, that’s surprising. I thought you were the type to stick your nose into this sort of thing. Who was it who helped the stupid Aethernet Overlord out in his dumb little adventure and forced a certain knockout of a secretary to leave her elite job at a megacorporation again? Wasn’t that the Hero?” “Uhhh… Ha-ha-ha. Personal quarrels are one thing. I just don’t like war.” “Does anyone like war besides arms dealers and psychopaths?” “I’ve been through all sorts of conflicts, but I’d say the First City War near its end was the most draining… Roughest one was the Immortal War, though.” He spoke with disgust on his face, as though he didn’t even want to remember it. “They say even a troll reconsiders after erring once, yet here we are, fighting war over and over again. We’ve got no right to make fun of trolls.” He then turned to look at the School of Magic, faraway in the distance. “What’s the matter?” “Oh, nothing, it’s just… I feel like I’d get swept up into something really annoying if I went that way… We should leave already.” They kept on walking, not once looking back. “Is that all the Demon Lord who spread fear throughout Alnaeth is capable of?!” The battle between goddess and Demon Lord kept going with the former dominating. No surprise there. Veltol had no way to break through her divinity—no way to win. She could use her divinity to control fate and nullify any attack, while her own Divine Sword could pierce his immortality. Even if he managed to overcome her inviolable divinity, there was no point if he couldn’t save Hizuki. Having lost an arm, Veltol didn’t defend against the blows; he averted them. “You do nothing but run away. How pathetic, Veltol. How low the Demon Lord who once opposed the gods has fallen.” Meldia’s state of mind was stable again, with control of Hizuki’s body firmly in the goddess’s hands. “How can you say that when you’re the one who’s hidden yourself inside a young girl? Don’t you know that even a troll reconsiders after erring once? You are putting the bright mind of that body’s owner to waste. I suppose it matters not how high-grade the memory and CPU might be when you install an obsolete, buggy OS on it.” Veltol’s tongue was sharper than ever, despite his disadvantage. He was hyped up from the fresh experience of battling a goddess. “Enough of your mockery, manservant!” the goddess howled as she unleashed her following attack. A question then popped into Veltol’s head regarding Meldia’s defense and evasion. I call it evasion for convenience’s sake…but in truth, she is making my attacks miss. She’s not attempting to avoid a hit, but rather forcing me to miss the mark. Veltol dodged the sideways sweep aiming for his neck by bending his knees, then used that force like a spring to thrust his Dark Sword into Meldia’s heart. But the blade did not pierce her flesh. It stuck her like a knife against an iron sheet. He left an opening, and she immediately assumed a stance to counter, but this was all according to his plan. “Verbull!” A bullet of black, compressed aether shot from the tip of the Dark Sword. Even though it was making close contact to Meldia, the bullet didn’t strike her; it went flying off to nowhere, as if he had missed on purpose. The heavy thrust of the sword hit the target, but it didn’t pierce her. The weak shot completely missed the mark to begin with. This difference between his attacks being blocked and evaded was what made him suspicious. The goddess didn’t take advantage of the new opening, and so Veltol proclaimed the following maginom, looking for an answer. “Van Solegia!” A fist-sized ball of crimson fire appeared in the palm of his hand. He gripped it tight, wound up his arm, and took his distance while throwing it overhand. The ball flew at high speed, hit the goddess, burst, and engulfed her in a vortex of crimson flames. She then emerged from the fire, unharmed. “I finally got it—the true nature of your divinity’s manipulation of fate.” He had validated his suspicions and was now certain. “Attacks that follow the rules of physics, such as sword cuts or flames with a low percentage of aether, get nullified. Meanwhile, magical attacks with high aether rates get diverted.” He paused. “And the clear difference falls on one being automatic, the other manual. You automatically nullify physical hits, but you need to manually evade any aether attacks. That is why you countered right away after my sword thrust but didn’t after I shot Verbull.” “…” “Putting it in video game terms…your divinity grants you a passive skill to nullify physical damage and an active skill to evade magical damage. That is the inner workings of it, correct? I think I’ve got it figured out.” “Shut your mouth, you know-it-all.” She shrugged. “So what? Even if my powers worked the way you said, do you think you can win? Your attacks won’t reach me. Ever.” “So what, you say? I just proved that I could harm you if you do not manage to evade in time. You would have no need to dodge in the first place if all my attacks were truly useless. Your advantage is over.” “No need to put on a strong facade, Demon Lord. You lost before the dice were thrown.” The goddess was right. Figuring out the logic behind it did not mean he could now overcome it. He couldn’t use his second form like he did when he fought Marcus at the Immortal Furnace, either. He lacked faith still, and there was not enough concentration of aether in the air. He had to win without using his ace in the hole, and his opponent was a goddess with the power to avoid any touch. Perhaps that could be my trump card in this situation…but the problem is timing. Using it at the wrong time would mean defeat. He had to patiently wait for the perfect moment. “Do not think you will be forgiven for the sin of defying the gods. I will make sure you never show that arrogant face of yours again by extinguishing your soul. And with my enemy finally gone, I will once again encounter the Hero.” “The Hero…? Why did you come to this world in the first place?” “…I want to know how he feels…about what I’ve done… I need to ask him what he thinks…and apologize…” Veltol was puzzled. What is she talking about? He wasn’t confused about what she meant. Rather, it was because he knew too well—because he knew the Hero Gram. And so, without realizing, he asked the question that granted him victory. “Do you really not know how Gram feels?” This kind of question wasn’t appropriate for the battlefield. It was nonsense. Drivel. It served no bargaining purpose. It was trivial love talk, the kind of chat only teenagers took part in. These two, meanwhile, were goddess and Demon Lord, far beyond the mentality of humankind. That frivolous question spontaneously left Veltol’s mouth. And yet. “Huh…?” This was the goddess Meldia—the most romantically obsessed entity in history. She opened her eyes wide and blinked again and again, looking entirely like a teenager in love. “Wh-what… What would the likes of you know about Gram…?!” “Quite a lot. This is the Hero Gram we are talking about.” “What…do you mean…?” Veltol was drastically destabilizing Meldia’s mind without realizing. “What an ignorant fool. I take it you found out what happened to the Hero after you gave him eternal youth, then regretted it and have been dragging your feet over what to do ever since. Seriously, gods are more mortal-like than mortals themselves. What you feel for the Hero is not affection, but romantic love. You can trust my judgment—I’ve been playing tons of dating sims lately.” “Love…?” “Don’t tell me you weren’t even aware? Ludicrous.” Veltol sighed before continuing in an annoyed tone, “You’re utterly obsessed with the man, yet you know absolutely nothing about him.” “Do you… Do you know? Do you know what he…thinks of me?” “I met him again not long ago; we even had udon together. Of course I know. And I’d still know even if he and I hadn’t met. It’s obvious how he feels about what you did.” “” Meldia’s mood changed. Her eyes were shifting anxiously. She was clearly frazzled. I did not expect her to be mortal-y to such a degree. Heh, I suppose Gram has helped me out once again… Funny how fate works. Meldia’s mental instability laid the groundwork for Hizuki’s mind to come to the surface. Veltol had unconsciously done the same thing Faceless—Mag—did. Still, he remained at a disadvantage. Only Meldia’s attacks were landing, and he was missing an arm. Veltol twisted his body so that he covered his cut-off arm, and he held the single-edge sword with its hilt to his shoulder. Meldia hung her head and bit her lip. “…I don’t even need to ask… He hates me…” “Huh. That’s the extent of your knowledge about Gram? …Ah well. That’s hardly a surprise.” “What do you…?” “You’ve never battled him to death, Meldia. It is laughable that you would ever believe you understand how he feels. You talk about this man without knowing the first thing about him. It’s downright absurd.” “Then tell me! How does he feel?! What does he think of me?!” “Oh, I will tell you. After you give Hizuki her body back, that is. Were you thinking about meeting him like that in the first place? Don’t you realize that a goddess appearing in another girl’s body is what he would hate the most?!” The goddess stopped. “…ry.” Her voice was low, like a fairy’s whisper. “I’m sorry.” A tear escaped her right eye. Her sobbing gradually got louder. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Gram! Gram! Oh, my beloved Hero!” The Demon Lord quietly listened to the goddess’s cries. “That’s enough, Meldia. I will take that sentiment in his stead. Just know…this battle isn’t solely between the two of us.” The Demon Lord was not the only one battling the goddess. The girl inside her, too, was fighting. Her left eye—the one without the Orb—started flickering between gold and scarlet. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Father! Mother! Silence! Don’t get in the way of my love! I don’t care! Leave me alone!” She held her head and bent over, screaming desperately. “Let me out! Let me out! Just get me out of here!” She struggled with all her might and cried out her true feelings. “I want to get out of this place!” Then her left eye turned back to scarlet. “Help me…Veltol!” He heard her voice. “…I can hear you loud and clear, Hizuki.” She pleaded for help from the Demon Lord. She put her faith in him. Meldia’s feet touched the ground, and she ran, against her plea for help, holding the golden sword high. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The time to use his trump card. The goddess approached. Recklessly. Fervently. Blood flowing from her right eye. The Demon Lord proudly raised his sword. A black storm raged. For some strange reason, Meldia thought she saw a glimpse of her beloved Hero within the Demon Lord. She faltered for a single moment. “Exult in the silver skies.” The ceremonial sword to condemn and execute an immortal. Dark Sword Vernal’s second form. The least he could do was give the regretful goddess a parting gift. Its name… “Vernal Diel!” The black Dark Sword transformed, now shining in blinding silver. The silver glow swung downward. The blade of light passed through the goddess’s body. She felt no pain. The silver shine extended before her. “Ah…” The goddess Meldia was captivated, unable to see anything but the light. The goddess Meldia was captivated, unable to see anything but the light. Beyond the golden hair covering her beautiful profile, her eyes glimmered with strong determination. Her eyes, her heart, was glued to his alluring, silver-shining soul. What gods could see was different from what residents of the mundane world could. The Demon Lord’s soul shone dusky, somber, but the Hero’s soul was pure and beautiful. She hadn’t noticed before, but she fell in love the moment she set eyes upon him. She wanted him to keep that shine forever and ever, and so she stopped him from aging. She determined the physical process of growing old with every passing moment as misfortune, then overwrote it with something more fortuitous: a lack of aging. She thought she was only doing what was right. That his shine would remain forever if he never aged. That eternal youth would be the best for that mortal. That the Hero would no doubt be happier that way. She truly believed it all. She never realized that this act in itself would dim his shine. That was the one and only mistake this goddess, so enamored with love to the point of not knowing romance, made. Souls shone bright and beautiful because there was a limit to their life. What gods could see was different from what residents of the mundane world could. The Hero’s soul was losing its shine by the day. Before long, she could no longer see him. She began to wonder: Did her own actions bring him misfortune?