"..."

I felt no sensation in my ankles. Even though skeletal hands were crushing them, I couldn't perceive it until I looked down to check. It seems to have some kind of numbing effect.

Can the Red Flavor Assassin control skeletons too? No, that's not right. The ability's nature is different. This must be a third party's power.

Rustle.

Skeletal hands silently emerged one after another. They sprouted from the ground, grabbing and pulling at Benett and Sissel's ankles, slowly revealing their full forms.

My danger detection sensor tingled sharply. I immediately warned everyone:

"Watch out for the ground! Skeletons!"

"Skeletons? Where are—AHHH! What is this?!"

Even in this situation, I found it amusing how Sissel's surprised expression looked exactly like her sister's.

"...Necromancy with a chill. Damn it. This is the magic of the 'Corpse Flower'!"

Benett shouted while swinging his Vow's Guardian to cut down and destroy the bones binding him. The Corpse Flower... that's the identifier for the notorious dark mage who had taken over Benett's sister's body.

It reminds me of the "Pleasure-Drinking Virgin," the Succubus Queen. If this Corpse Flower character is on the same level as the Queen, they must be an extremely threatening opponent.

"Benett, what should we be careful of?"

"First, get off the ground. Climb up the trees!"

Whoosh, crack!

I wrapped flames around my legs, stomping to crush the skeletal hands, then grabbed the dumbfounded Selvia and jumped.

I ran straight up the tree trunk. I confirmed that Benett and Sissel had also leaped onto tree branches with a single bound.

Clatter, crunch. Crunch-crunch-crunch!

The sound of countless hands frantically scratching and digging through the earth filled the air. The dirt heaved, and skeletons began to rise from the ground one after another.

No, they were flooding out.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

Skeletons erupted from every visible patch of ground simultaneously. Continuously, endlessly. Almost to an absurd degree.

Soon, a sea of bones about one meter deep had formed.

And then it began to surge like waves. Though bones were certainly solid, the sheer volume made them appear to ripple like liquid.

I felt dizzy at the insane scale of it all.

"This is crazy..."

"Are these... are all these human bones? How...?"

Selvia, cradled in my arms, was also aghast. It was clear what would have happened if we had remained on the ground. But it was still far too early to feel relieved.

The sea of bones that had formed in an instant was steadily rising higher.

"Courting Flame Serpent!"

Whoosh!

Wondering if I could evaporate the bone sea to escape the threat, I deployed my flame serpent. The Courting Flame Serpent twisted its body, melting and burning the bones, but it weakened as the inherent cold of the bones cooled it down.

After holding out for maybe ten seconds, it was swept away by the wave of bones, leaving nothing behind. I quickly assessed the situation. Without Kim Lu-lu's level of firepower, fighting this would be disadvantageous.

Crack, crunch!

The trees began to tilt as they were gnawed away from the base. We needed to move or come up with a plan—anything to avoid drowning in bones.

"This isn't going to run out of power or get interrupted mid-cast... is it?"

"If the Corpse Flower really has appeared, they would have brought a heap of souls to replenish their mana. Us getting swept away by that wave would be much faster."

"Then we have no choice but to eliminate the caster. Let's go, Sissel, Benett! The reaction is coming from where we heard the scream! Benett, carry me, and Sissel, please take care of Selvia!"

"Yes, I'll do that."

Thump.

Maintaining balance on the falling trees while moving to the next one, all while avoiding being swept away by the sea of bones... these conditions were too harsh for a mage.

Even if I could calculate it, my physical abilities couldn't keep up. Selvia and I relied on the strength of our two frontliners as we sprinted through the collapsing forest. Benett actually provided quite a comfortable ride.

Meanwhile, I kept thinking.

Unless this was a site of some brutal human execution festival, or perhaps an ancient cannibalistic empire's mass human burial ground... such a quantity of bones should be impossible.

The circumstances seemed like creating something from nothing. This sentence itself feels strangely familiar. I had a feeling I knew the secret behind this magic.

As we headed toward where the Red Flavor Assassin's scream had come from, the reaction with the elven relic grew stronger by the moment. Simultaneously, a chilling, slimy voice echoed through the forest.

"Necromancy, and indeed all schools of magic, eventually face a limitation—'finitude.' Without corpses, without souls, how will you fight?"

Clack-clack-clack-clack!

With the sound of bones intertwining and colliding, a massive snake rose from the sea of bones. It opened its mouth wide to swallow me whole. Inside its mouth, sharply honed ribs rotated in a spiral.

"Benett, jump!"

"...Jumping from here means getting eaten, doesn't it?"

"I'll dodge with three-dimensional maneuvering, so just jump!"

Benett lifted his body without argument. I immediately activated my magic.

"Booster!"

Using fire magic as propulsion, I moved Benett. We performed an acrobatic flight, tracing a swallow-like descent curve.

Crunch!

We passed through the very narrow gap between the bone snake and the bone sea, evading the attack. The snake ended up grinding an innocent tree to pieces instead.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down Benett's neck. Must have been nerve-wracking. I was a bit scared too.

"So I thought—since human emotions are infinite, to transcend the limits of magic, one must learn to 'manipulate emotions.' Just as the gods in the heavens do."

"Brother, what kind of nonsense is that person spouting?!"

"Well, that's..."

Thump.

Having evaded the massive wave of bones, we reached our destination—a beautiful clearing filled with blooming white bone flowers. At its center sat a woman on a bone throne.

Beside her was the Red Flavor Assassin, clutching his pierced waist while glaring at us.

Ash-gray hair dyed deep green by magical influence. An ominous color that seemed poisonous just to look at. And facial features identical to Benett's.

Benett muttered through gritted teeth:

"The 'Fear-Eating Corpse Flower'..."

"It's been a while, Benett. I hear you've been enjoying a happy life while abandoning your little sister? Had I known you could be so cold-hearted, I would have put your leash on differently."

"You've come all this way with such heavy footsteps. I didn't expect to meet you here, 'Corpse Flower.' Now, I'm going to take back my sister's body!"

"Do you think that's possible? No. Let me explain why. Where was I...? Ah yes, about the ultimate form of magic."

Swish.

With a single light gesture, dead soldiers rose. Behind us came the sound of the bone sea creeping closer—a nerve-grating, spine-chilling noise.

My indirect connection with this dark mage began the moment I arrived at the Academy. In a secret facility beneath the Academy, she had installed a magic circle that amplified emotions and was waiting for the right time.

Now it's been repurposed as a session auxiliary battery and rendered practically useless, but thinking back on it...

The fact that she installed a magic circle that amplified emotions instead of wringing souls or extorting mana is significant.

And the dark mages' behind-the-scenes machinations at the Academy—through these, she sought to obtain massive amounts of fear.

"After 300 years of research through repeated death and resurrection, I finally reached the realm of the divine. 'The materialization of fear'... creating corpses without corpses, blooming souls without souls."

The Corpse Flower looked down at the Red Flavor Assassin, monologuing as if boasting of her achievement.

"That's why I didn't bother making an evil god statue—I could accomplish it directly with my own hands, without borrowing the power of evil gods."

So.

My hologram technology that converts belief into physical force and the Corpse Flower's necromancy that uses fear as power... were at the same level.

===============================================================

I've never once thought I would lose in a pure skill-based magical duel.

My high-performance brain is objectively close to monstrous, and even the renowned geniuses I've met so far fell behind me in calculation ability. Only someone like Yuna could match me.

But now, even considering that I'm weakened from being split into dozens of pieces—

"'Corpse Explosion,' 'Bone Spear.'"

"'Flame Harpoon,' agh, damn... always using such dirty, underhanded trajectories!"

I'm gradually being pushed back.

The Corpse Flower's pinpoint spells were breaking through my magic one by one, tightening the noose around my neck.

Three hundred years of dedication to necromancy, and talent enough to implement technology that uses emotions as fuel... she pierces my vulnerabilities sharply with intuition that transcends mere calculation.

Whoosh—

"'Academic Resplendent Ripple'...!"

"Brother, did you steal my Ascension too?!"

Even when I tried to fire a mini-sun that I'd arranged in my own style.

"'Bone Needle.'"

"No, damn...!"

When she precisely pierced the impact-explosion trigger of my constructed spell, causing it to disintegrate in mid-air, even I couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

It was like the artistry of shooting a needle at an opponent's bullet during a gunfight, causing it to explode inside the gun.

I don't know where she's inserted her straw, but the endlessly multiplying skull cups are still advancing. To sweep away that volume would require one big shot with casting time, but...

"If I use Flame Seraph stage 3...!"

"No, Selvia. Don't use Flame Seraph!"

"'Battlefield Rafflesia.'"

Puhwak! Poison gas dispersed on the wind. I hastily erected a flame wall to burn away the toxins.

Yes, she doesn't give us time to cast a big attack. That's why I told Selvia to hold back the Flame Seraph.

Given Flame Seraph's characteristics—increased destructive power but defense dropping to negative—one effective hit could lead directly to death. Against an opponent capable of such precise attacks, it would be like asking to be killed.

"'Vital Grasp - I Shall Leash and Hang'!"

Sissel was blocking the sea of skeletons approaching from behind. She was using gravity to press them down and prevent their advance, but that alone was taking all her strength. She had no capacity to help us.

And Benett...

"I'll put a hole in your side!"

"Get out of my way. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you."

"Don't make me laugh, you're going to die here by my—guh?!"

Clang, clang!

He was battling the Red Flavor Assassin, who wielded a bone club wrapped in dark red mana. His fighting spirit was fiercer than I'd ever seen before.

As if willing to give his life if it meant advancing toward his sister, Benett fought without looking back. So fiercely that even the Red Flavor Assassin was being pushed back by his momentum.

"I told you to move."

"...You dare ignore me?!"

However, it didn't seem like the fight would be decided quickly.

If we need to resolve this battle, it would be best to center our strategy around Benett. Whether it was the power of his burning heart or not, he was fighting better than ever before.

Benett's strange awakening was a positive development, but this was still an incredibly difficult fight. Shouldn't necromancers be helpless without corpses? If they can create them from emotions, is it even necromancy anymore?

Though I'm hardly one to talk, using illusion magic to do all sorts of things.

"I've heard a lot about you, Mad Magician. I hear you also damaged the precious magic circle I had set up at the Academy?"

"Oh, when I saw the magic circle, it had so many inefficient aspects that I fixed it up a bit!"

"Thank you. May I take it back now? 'Funeral of Insects.'"

"Who said you could... Selvia, to the right!"

That relaxed voice of the Corpse Flower. It's irritating. It's the voice of someone who knows they have the upper hand.

Even thinking positively, we're in crisis. I can't think of a way to break through with fire magic. If only I had illusion magic!

But that doesn't mean we're completely without hope.

We still had our trump card!

While dodging an incoming bone spear with an arm-storage move, I used the time I gained to call out to Benett. While shooting a fireball at the Red Flavor Assassin, I shouted:

"Benett, use that!"

"...Understood."

Benett took out the Purple Tower Master's wish ticket from his pocket. About half a year had passed, but the ticket was still in pristine condition without a single crease.

And without hesitation, he tore it in half.

A burst of light erupted from the ticket, and an intangible signal was emitted toward the sky. Soon Yuna would come. At that moment, the battle situation would change dramatically.

From now on, it's a battle against time again. We just need to hold out until Yuna arrives. If we focus only on defense, it's not impossible.

Soon.

Crack—crack.

A rift appeared in empty space. And through that gap, Yuna's greatly enlarged eye peered out calmly. Illusions swirled as the cries of various animals mixed together.

It was quite a cosmic horror-like spectacle.

"W-what is that?!"

"Don't worry! That's Yuna, the Purple Tower Master!"

I reassured the terrified Selvia.

Yuna's Sublimation, "Illusory Realm: Gate Opening."

It seemed she was using her power to blur the boundary between illusion and reality to teleport to these coordinates. Because she was coming through the land of illusions, the visuals were affected by psychological state, making them look ominous.

We've won this battle. There's no way we couldn't hold out until then, and conversely, if they tried to flee, we had the capacity to catch them.

How about that? I checked the Corpse Flower's expression. But.

"Hehe... kukukuku."

She's laughing?

I tightened my mind again after briefly letting it relax. It doesn't seem like she's bluffing. Does she have some kind of trump card? Something strong enough to face Yuna?

She spoke nonchalantly while unleashing all kinds of attacks.

"Benett. Aren't you curious about what the 'Nightmare Summoning' spell was—the one delayed by your betrayal? This is a theoretical secret technique that the old Purple Tower was researching. Its effect is—literally summoning the most terrible something that the target has experienced."

"..."

"I've prepared this spell for a very long time. After using it now, it will probably take about a hundred years until I can cast it again. Therefore... I had to choose the target very carefully."

If it's a spell that literally summons nightmares, if used on Benett... does that mean the evil god from the session would come into reality? Such a being that manipulates the universe?

Surely not.

It can't be such a simple spell. If it were, one could just make a child imagine a planet-sized giant octopus and cast "Nightmare Summoning" on them.

It probably needs data. The more detailed knowledge one has about the target, the more concrete and realistic the nightmare would be.

In that case.

"Mad Magician, I heard you had a conflict with the Boy Knight... the Sword Saint of the Empire. They say the Purple Tower was half split?"

That's right. It was when Irid finished the first session.

I witnessed the clash between the Purple Tower Master and the Boy Knight.

"You must have watched it very impressively. You probably trembled with fear. Your genius brain would have analyzed and absorbed exactly how powerful the Empire's Sword Saint is."

Correct. With the increased data on Ascension and Sublimation now, that's even more true. I could concretely imagine the Boy Knight's strength.

A monster's brain. Except for the Boy Knight himself, I probably remember the details more than anyone else in this world.

"I accepted Faceless's request for help partly because I wanted the elven relic... but also because I wanted to meet you, Mad Magician. To extract the Boy Knight from inside your head."

Her eyes, containing green-tinged pupils, curved gently.

"Damn, the shadow at my feet, the darkness peering through the closet gap..."

I immediately prepared Mystic Heart-Piercing Arrow. It was meant for my own head. If I completely wiped out my consciousness and data, she wouldn't be able to extract anything with "Nightmare Summoning."

If the Boy Knight were to become our enemy, it would be a difficult battle even if Yuna arrived. I must prevent it.

But...

"It's already too late."

Yes. When a mage starts running their mouth, it's usually after all preparations are complete.

Looking back, Benett's momentary daze might have been a sign that the Corpse Flower's magic circle was laid throughout this forest.

An ominous black light shone from the Corpse Flower's hand.

"'Nightmare Summoning.'"

The spell was cast, targeting me.

===============================================================

The world was instantly plunged into darkness.

And then, magic and emotions swirled together.

This was the amount collected over 300 years by a dark mage who had repeated death and resurrection throughout her lifetime. The reagents and resources that went into it were immeasurable. Purple light gathered in a spiral toward the center of the darkness.

Yes. This was the moment she had been waiting for. The Corpse Flower prepared to welcome the soon-to-be-born replica of the Empire's Sword Saint. It might be somewhat rebellious, perhaps difficult to control, but...

She had prepared meticulously for that aspect as well. She was finally about to obtain the sharpest sword in the world. Once she had this power, she could achieve everything she desired.

The form gradually took shape.

The deepest fear in the Mad Magician's heart, etched so desperately that it could never be forgotten, finally began to reveal itself.

An angular body. A stature less than one meter tall.

...At least, it wasn't the Boy Knight. The Corpse Flower bit her lip. She had naturally assumed it would be the Sword Saint, but this was unexpected. Still, it was fine.

This was the being that the madman—a powerful magician in his own right who had shattered all manner of dark mage plans—truly feared. Even if it wasn't as powerful as the Empire's Sword Saint, it should be plenty strong.

Perhaps it might even be stronger than the Sword Saint. After all, "The Lamb" had suggested that the Mad Magician might be connected to the evil gods.

And finally, the Mad Magician's fear materialized.

As the darkness and mist cleared, revealing a sleek metallic body to the world, the Mad Magician collapsed to his knees, trembling with fear and screaming:

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

An emotionless, methodical entity that relentlessly wielded a feather duster.

It was a cleaning golem.

"?"