Astrid transformed into a yellow mist.
In an instant, a sandy fog appeared around her.
"[Eternal Stage]—!"
The yellow mist shot up into the sky.
Then it scattered in all directions, emitting a sparkling light.
Swoosh—!
Beyond the hazy gray sky.
A scene unfolded as if a yellow whirlwind was blowing. Within the softly glowing vortex, countless particles collided, creating percussion-like sounds.
Mist that shone brilliantly and sang like an aurora spread across the night sky. Its dazzling radiance confused the eye, making it impossible to tell where Astrid was.
The Chaos Insects that emerged from the ground staggered and lost their way, intoxicated by the scent of aether swirling from all directions.
They bumped their heads against each other, writhing as they spewed black energy from their mouths. It looked like a wave made of black insects undulating.
Toward the surging black wave,
magic was fired from Rota's wand.
She stood proudly, her dark red cape fluttering.
"[Morning Memory]—!"
Dozens of cats riding bicycles rushed forward, colliding with the Chaos Insects' carapaces and exploding. Simultaneously, numerous weapons burst forth from within the orange explosions.
BOOM—!!
Orange light flashed,
and dozens of Chaos Insects exploded.
It wasn't enough to stop all the mutated Chaos Insects filling the plain, but it was sufficient to cause the confused swarm to tangle with each other in a chain reaction.
The giant wolf looked around growling.
"Such trivial tricks...!"
With eyes like the sun filled with hatred,
it shook its head from side to side, baring its fangs.
Astrid appeared hazily beyond the mist that filled the sky.
From within the endlessly swirling yellow mist, a soft voice echoed. The confidence in that voice shook the enemies.
[Oh~ hohoho!! You wicked and ominous beast—! Are you intoxicated by the power of the nobility of the night? I understand! All who have seen my dance have become drunk with fantasy! Dance to the magical power of the stage—!!]
And from within the mist, Astrid's figure flashed by. The elegant figure swinging down her greatsword appeared in various places.
Slash—!
BOOM—!
From the left edge to the right edge.
And again, Astrid striking an elegant pose in the center.
"Mist is fantasy! Ho~ hohoho—!! Dance with me on this stage of illusions!!"
She floated gracefully through the mist, cutting down all manner of enemies.
Unless the yellow mist was blown away,
all enemies wandering here would be blocked by her greatsword.
The wolf inhaled deeply.
Its thick mane swelled and ominous patterns formed on its skin. Then it released a howl from its large mouth that could tear one's ears.
—!!!
The impact was so powerful that even the air visibly trembled. The yellow mist wavered and scattered where the shock wave passed.
BOOM—!!
It was a strike that made several kilometers around tremble. Just from the aftershock, the surrounding ground was overturned and numerous rocks cracked.
The girl inside the wolf howled with a voice full of anger.
"Inferior species...! Mere inferior species chosen by the World Tree—!! I will kill you all—!!"
The world we wanted.
We struggled not to live as insects guarding the remnants of a civilization hated and erased by the World Tree.
"For the dragon that will save us—!!"
[Twin Priest] Moinn.
Though she was the weakest among the priests except for the [Priest of Fantasy], now she raged with a stronger sense of mission than anyone.
"I will kill all of you living on this land now!!"
She spewed flames of anger that crossed her chest.
Dad.
Brother.
You who took everything from me.
"Die!! Die!! Aaaaargh—!!"
The shock wave that started from the wolf's mouth was powerful enough to blow away all the surrounding mist in an instant.
The black energy leaking from its mane surged, suppressing the confusion of the Chaos Insects rising from the ground. Before long, the yellow mist had cleared, returning the scene to the dim plain.
The wolf looked ahead with burning eyes.
What it saw before it were two inferior beings who had blocked its path with trivial tricks. The two who had somehow regrouped again were retreating from the battlefield with determined expressions.
Now it had to move forward again.
That was its last...
"...?"
The girl inside the wolf, Moinn, suddenly felt something was off.
"Two? There should be three..."
At that moment.
A massive energy was felt from above.
An enormous amount of aether was approaching from beyond the sky.
The pink-haired girl's voice echoed weakly.
"Gosh, this is really toughâ But teleportation is so cheating—â At least I can spread the word at times like this—âª"
"...!"
Aether gathering toward this place, piercing through the clouds.
Countless weapons poured down like a shower. Weapons in purple, red, and many other colors looked like upside-down grass blooming in the sky.
Swoosh—!!
The gradually approaching shower.
Weapons poured down.
The pink-haired girl floating in the sky spoke with a smile. It was a smile filled with satisfaction despite her exhaustion.
"This is a gift for you♡"
"...!"
"There's penetration damage too, so please accept it—â"
Like the goddess of fate emptying her needle case.
Hundreds of thousands of weapons descended all at once.
Soon they bombarded the filthy creatures crawling on the ground.
Ratatatatatatata—!!
The wolf and Chaos Insects were turning into something resembling porcupines. The explosive sounds and screams were deafening.
Countless weapons pounded their heads and stuck into their skin. The sheer volume was overwhelming enough to dig into skin as thick and tough as rock.
Moinn screamed from within.
"Aaaaargh—!!!"
Ratatatatatatata—!!
But it was impossible to penetrate the wolf's solid defense. The weapons merely stuck in, unable to overcome the impenetrable resistance.
At that moment, the purple weapons embedded in the skin began to vibrate. And numerous weapons stuck nearby resonated with that vibration and trembled.
Wooong—!!
Then purple threads spread out.
They connected the countless weapons to draw a massive picture.
The massive picture eventually became a fairy tale.
It was a story depicting a paradise where numerous animals frolicked.
The girl who activated it from a distant tower shouted toward the void.
-Ring out, [Vanadis]...!
All space began to glow purple. And the history engraved on each weapon repeated itself.
The magic activated once more.
As if by magic, the bombardment unfolded again.
-If, if one hit doesn't work... h-hit it twice...!
The bombardment of weapons repeated throughout all space.
Ratatatatatatata—!!
The wolf opened its mouth and howled amidst the repeated bombardment. It didn't care that countless weapons were lodged in its mouth.
—!!!
*
Nope, it's not over yet—â
No matter how desperately you howl, you can't end this—âª
Looking at the creature that sounded more like a whale than a wolf, probably due to its size, I moved via [Bifrost] to prepare for the next attack.
Swoosh—!
It was a place far enough away that the wolf's howl could barely be heard.
In the still dim sky above the plain, I clenched my fist and extended it toward where the wolf's howl was coming from.
Somehow, I felt deeply moved.
"To think I'd use this as a flare..."
I had fought alone.
I had created this secret art just to win alone.
[Pink Lemon Sherbet].
Toward the wolf howling in the distance,
I unleashed my secret art filled with my desperate struggles.
"Everyone—â Over here—!!"
A massive column of pink aether cut through the darkness and shone brightly. A spiral of intertwined hearts shot forward.
BOOM—!!
The massive pink light became a landmark.
It guided the many people running below.
-Hiyaaaa—!!
Vroom!
Vroom!
The flames that had been moving around in the mist, burning enemies, corrected their trajectory. They followed the pink flash of light.
Among them, the flame at the very front was shining white.
Eir shouted, holding a brilliantly shining white flame sword.
-Today!! Let's go burn the World Tree—!! Our sisters are wishing for it—!!
-Captain!! Clara told us to protect it!!
-Who cares—!!
"..."
Maybe.
You might be right.
Soon, hundreds of flames that had pierced through the dim mist blazed and exploded. And they began to burn the Chaos Insects blocking the way.
After watching the <Scarlet Academy> students begin to fight the Chaos Insects, I moved to the next location.
The scenery changed instantly. It was the main gate of <Aesir Girls' High School> that crossed the western part of Golden Street.
Many students were waiting in front of the massive gate.
At the very front was Brynhildr.
We had promised that when a big fight broke out, each would guard the path leading to the World Tree. And we would communicate using [Bifrost].
Skadi in the east.
Brynhildr in the west.
Anna in the south.
Eir in the north.
And Freyja would bombard once positions were confirmed.
"This is possible thanks to Pink-Haired Bitch Vision that allows real-time monitoring..."
Brynhildr looked at me with shining eyes and said:
"Is the enemy approaching from this direction?"
"Yes⪠I'm also watching the south and east, but nothing has happened yet—â"
"The Prophet?"
"...Not yet."
The Prophet, whom I thought would appear in earnest, hadn't shown up from any direction.
"He hasn't appeared yet."
During this process, I also checked on Kara's condition.
"It seems Kara and Chick safely met up with Helina..."
They were advancing while cutting down numerous Chaos Insects. I was relieved that the situation was safer than expected.
Brynhildr nodded and said nothing more.
"I'll handle this."
"Okay—â"
I gave her a grateful look.
The wolf was starting to recover from the bombardment.
"Reach, [Bifrost]!"
Swoosh—!!
My vision changes instantly with a rainbow spiral. Sensing my appearance immediately, the wolf in front opened its mouth wide.
—!!
With a roaring sound that shook the air,
fangs that could easily tear a human body approached.
"..."
Seeing those fangs,
memories of past fights with the priests flashed through my mind.
The first attack was simply a disaster, so I threw myself away.
The second attack, I struggled desperately, accepting numerous injuries.
The third attack, I missed the Prophet due to insufficient preparation.
Fourth.
This might not be the end. Perhaps the [Priest of Fantasy] will pop up somewhere in succession. Maybe this is also a trick by the Prophet.
"Even so..."
I decided not to be caught off guard for the fourth time.
I clenched my fist.
In the distance, purple weapons were flying.
In the distance, flames were rushing forward, burning Chaos Insects.
In the distance, many students were holding their positions.
For the first time, I was properly prepared and ready to respond.
Now, when I'm gradually forgetting all my game knowledge.
Finally, I could prepare and be ready to the maximum extent.
"Now it's time to counterattack."
I swung my fist toward the wolf's mouth.