"Oraaaaaaa!!"
"..."
We clashed in a fierce battle on the rooftop.
I gripped an ice sword in each hand while my opponent countered them with his bare fists.
We fought under the faint glow of the moon.
However, I wasn't relying on my eyes to navigate the combat. I had already deployed my Anti-Material Field.
"Ora, ora! What’s the matter?! Huh?!"
"----!"
Despite the deployment of my Anti-Material Field, the Restoration Field within it was ineffective against this man.
Typically, a Restoration Field works by first using Deceleration to degrade a substance or phenomenon, then applying Lock to activate the Anti-Material Code all at once. It was a domain designed to completely restore all matter and phenomena to their original state.
However, it wasn't a universal solution for all magic—especially not against an opponent like Gluttony.
"...The quality of his Material Field is on a completely different level."
The words escaped my lips in a low whisper.
There was only one reason my Restoration Field wasn't working: his Material Field was simply too thick.
A Material Field is a domain coated in Prima Materia. It exists as a thin film covering a person’s body; high-ranking sorcerers can manipulate it at will.
Gluttony specialized in cross-range striking. To facilitate this, he coated his entire body in a dense layer of Prima Materia, using the field itself as a weapon.
While it wasn't impossible to restore it using the Anti-Material Code, I could only affect the outermost layer. Even at my full power, breaking through a Material Field of this density seemed beyond my reach.
"Is that all the Ice Sword has got?!"
It was a simple, brutal contest of hand-to-hand combat.
True to the intelligence reports, the man was a veteran of a hundred battles. His refinement was unlike anything I had seen, even within the elite units I once belonged to. His technique was on par with my Master’s.
Even more overwhelming was the sheer weight behind his attacks. His massive frame produced staggering momentum, and his Physical Reinforcement pushed his speed to a level the human eye could no longer track.
To stay in the fight, I swung my ice swords while using the Perception Field of my Anti-Material Field to supplement my senses.
"Fragile! Fragile! You’re so damn fragile!!"
I had deployed ice swords not just in my hands, but in the surrounding air, directing every single one at him. Yet, he shattered them all the instant before they could strike.
He moved as if he had no blind spots in any direction. It was obvious that, just like me, he wasn't relying solely on sight.
Shards of ice danced and scattered around us.
I used the fragments as a medium to generate even more swords. Right now, quantity wasn't the goal—it was quality.
I mentally redefined the composition of the ice swords through the code.
《Prima Materia = Encoding = Material Code》 《Material Code = Decoding》 《Material Code = Processing = Deceleration = Lock》 《Embodiment = Material》
"—Icicle Blaze."
I focused on drastically increasing the durability of the swords in my hands. Until now, they had shattered every time they met his fists or legs. But finally, they were strong enough to parry his strikes without breaking.
"Hahahaha!! You can actually readjust them mid-fight?! Impressive!!"
I stared down his movements.
He threw a punch, weaving in a feint. The moment I blocked it, a kick whipped in from the right. It was an attack I would have missed entirely if I were relying on my eyes.
Every single one of his strikes was a killing blow. I felt a surge of dread knowing a sorcerer had reached this level—the pinnacle of those who had refined magic into a pure technique for murder.
I had fought such men during the Far East Campaign, but I had only encountered a few of this caliber. Even then, Master had handled all of them. I had only been a witness.
But even so... I had been briefed on his capabilities.
And I remembered. I remembered that night.
◇
The woman was the Sorcerer of Fiction—Lieselotte Eden.
That night was the first time I had met Fiction.
Master, Abby-san, and Carol seemed to have been acquainted with her from when she had returned to her true form as Fiction, but their expressions were clouded. It was as if they had run into someone they had hoped never to see again.
There, I heard the truth.
The current situation was a scenario prepared by the Sorcerer of Fiction.
It had begun when Bruno Bradley made a request to her. In a desperate attempt to save his daughter, Rebecca-senpai, he had sought out the Sorcerer of Fiction.
In her capacity as Fiction, she had staged this entire play, accounting even for our movements.
"Ice Sword. There is a job that only you can do."
"...And what is that?"
Lieselotte Eden had transformed her appearance into that of a woman. Apparently, the man known as Bernstein-shi was merely one of the "faces" she wore. I was told the real one was operating in the Kingdom's underworld under the name "Mors."
She wore a long, pitch-black coat and matching jet-black boots. Her skin was as pure white as Maria’s, perhaps even more so, and her snow-white hair reached down to her waist.
She brushed her hair back with her right hand, stood up, and walked toward me, her boots clicking sharply on the floor. She was exactly my height.
Our gazes locked.
"I want you to break Rebecca Bradley."
"...What do you mean by that?"
I glared at her, my voice laced with anger. But I could tell immediately that there was no malice in her. Was I supposed to take her words at face value?
"You saw the dream, didn't you? She was there."
"...How did you know that?"
"Because it is my research theme. My specialty is consciousness. More specifically, Qualia. Well, never mind that. I'll let him explain the rest."
She turned her gaze toward Bruno. He stood up and approached me.
"Ray White-kun. It has been a while."
"Yes."
His face was haggard. Perhaps it was the stress, but he looked completely different from the man I had met in the summer. His beard was unkempt, his cheeks were sunken, and the dark circles under his eyes were heavy. He looked utterly exhausted.
"...House Bradley has a certain tradition," he began.
"What tradition?"
"Once every few hundred years, a special child is born. At first glance, that child appears to possess a Magic Eye."
"Appears to...?"
His words clearly carried a deeper meaning.
"In reality, that is not the case. The Magic Eye is merely secondary. At its core is a Magic Area that connects to Akasha. Those who possess it are called the Saint (Kreuz). The name Bradley was earned through the massive amounts of blood shed while fighting over the Saint (Kreuz). You understand what that implies, don't you?"
"I see... So that's it."
I looked down.
I turned my gaze toward Master and the others. During the final battle of the Far East Campaign, I had learned the truth of my own roots. To think those roots were now entwined with Rebecca-senpai's fate... It felt like a cruel irony of destiny.
"Akasha contains the records of the entire world. It is said that even records of the future are kept there. But for the Saints (Kreuz) born to House Bradley, only a tragic end awaits. There are no exceptions."
"..."
I knew. I knew only too well.
Hearing his explanation, I finally understood the entirety of the scenario. I understood why the Sorcerer of Fiction was asking this of me. And I understood exactly what the request entailed.
"The Saint (Kreuz) eventually triggers a Magic Area Overheat... which leads to death. I estimate that Rebecca will not live to see twenty. I believe Maria being born as an albino was a residual effect of that power, though she shows no signs of it currently. This knowledge is kept strictly among the heads of House Bradley."
"...You want me to artificially trigger a Magic Area Overheat and then seal it? To seal the Magic Area that connects to Akasha..."
I straightened my back and stared intently into Bruno's eyes. Though his exhaustion was plain to see, his gaze still held a firm strength. He truly cared for Rebecca-senpai.
"...Yes. Rebecca has suffered because of this power. And she is suffering even now."
"I understand. The condition for a Magic Area Overheat to trigger is the excessive use of magic. Or else—"
As I went to finish the thought, Fiction cut in.
"—A complete loss of emotional control. As Evan, I have pushed Lady Rebecca to her limits. And for the final stroke, I want to entrust it to you, Ice Sword."
I turned a glare of pure anger toward her. Even if I understood the logic, my heart rejected treating Rebecca-senpai like that.
"...Does your heart not ache? To put Rebecca-senpai through such a thing?"
"Ice Sword, please do not misunderstand. I was commissioned, and I am simply doing my best to fulfill that commission. If you ask if my heart aches, it does not. My empathy is remarkably low. I do not care what happens to others. I don't deny having high psychopathic traits. However, I am not deriving enjoyment from this. That is why I am leaving the end to you. Consider it a concession on my part."
"..."
"You should be the one to deliver the final blow."
The Sorcerer of Fiction spoke with chilling detachment before returning to her seat as if the matter were settled.
Beside me, Bruno bowed his head. It was more than a bow—he fell into a full prostration, pressing his forehead to the ground in a desperate plea.
"...I never expected a Saint (Kreuz) to appear in my generation. House Bradley has always accepted it as fate. But! I cannot! I cannot lose my beloved Rebecca! I know how selfish this request is. But Ray White-kun, if you can save my daughter, I will give you everything I have. Rebecca still has a bright future ahead of her."
We all watched him.
Master stepped up beside me, her expression radiating fury.
"Hey. Do you have any idea what will happen to Ray when he stops a Magic Area Overheat?"
Bruno raised his head. He averted his eyes for a second before looking Master straight in the eye. I didn't think he was acting. He was just a father doing everything he could for his child.
"...Of course I do."
"I see. So you're willing to force that burden onto Ray."
"...Yes."
His resolve was absolute. That was the look on Bruno's face.
I see. He must have looked into my background as well.
"Master. Thank you for worrying about me."
"Ray. But..."
"I’m not the person I was back then. And if I turn my back on Rebecca-senpai here, I’ll never be able to move forward. I’ll do it. I want to save her."
"...Ray. You’re... no, I won't say anything more."
Next, Abby-san approached and pulled me into a gentle embrace.
"Ray."
"Yes."
"You really can walk your own path now, can't you?"
"Yes."
"Then go and do your best."
When she let go, Carol was standing there, looking like she was on the verge of tears. In the next moment, they began to fall. I held her gently.
"Ray-chan..."
"It’s okay, Carol. I’ll make it back."
"But...! If it ends up like it did back then...!"
Carol was remembering the final battle of the Far East Campaign.
But I was fine. I wasn't as immature as I had been then. I had grown alongside my friends.
I was certain I could do this.
"Well then. Let's discuss the details. I'll give you information on your opponent and explain everyone's roles."
And so, we began to refine the plan with the Sorcerer of Fiction. That was what happened that night.
Once again, I swore to myself.
I would end this here and now.
For Rebecca-senpai's sake—