"Huff... huff... huff..."
The pure white world gradually regained its color.
Two figures lay prostrate on the ground. My battle with Evi and Albert had come to a successful conclusion.
I couldn't hide my genuine surprise at Albert’s Origin Magic, White Reverse, but in the end, my experience had still given me the upper hand.
I understood their strategy.
In a situation where magic was neutralized, the gap between our raw combat abilities would naturally narrow. They must have orchestrated the entire match to reach this specific moment. Indeed, revealing such a trump card in the first round would have been pointless.
A hidden ace like that only carries weight when played in the final round.
Nothing but two men trading blows with their fists. That struggle was purely exhilarating. I had nothing but gratitude for the two of them.
"—Thank you. That was a wonderful fight."
With those words, I sprinted off and found the flag exactly where I expected it to be. I snatched it up. Now, all that remained was to carry it outside. There were less than fifteen minutes left on the clock.
While we had a decent margin of time, whether we could actually win would depend on the outcome of Amelia and Ariane’s battle.
I turned to head down the stairs, but... Albert was there, somehow staggering back to his feet.
I had been certain he was completely unconscious, yet he was pulling himself up, swaying unsteadily.
I truly hadn't expected him to stand again.
His body should have been screaming in agony. Furthermore, by manifesting White Reverse, he must have pushed his Magic Area to the point of collapse. I was positive his mental fortitude had snapped and his consciousness had faded.
I had verified it myself.
Both his physical and mental state were frayed beyond repair. He was at his absolute limit.
Despite that, Albert was standing on sheer willpower alone.
As I looked at his battered form, I didn't let my guard down. I lowered my center of gravity and took a stance just as I had before, but... something was clearly wrong.
"Is he... standing while unconscious?"
Indeed. Albert had lost consciousness the moment he stood up.
Even if his mind had let go, his body refused to acknowledge defeat.
Seeing him like this, I could only feel a sense of profound admiration for his indomitable will.
The way he stood there, as motionless as a stone statue, was the ultimate crystallization of his effort and obsession.
I didn't show Albert any pity. Just as in our previous duel, I simply and dispassionately did what was necessary to secure victory.
Before, I hadn't felt much of anything. But now, I wondered why.
There was a part of me that was genuinely happy to see how much Albert had grown.
This final stage was a place we had reached by pushing one another. There, we had fought with everything we had. Because of that, there were no regrets left. I believed Evi and Albert felt the same.
Truly, I am blessed with friends. I never imagined I would find companions with whom I could strive so earnestly.
I bowed once to the two of them. It was a gesture of deep respect for the battle they had given me.
Then, I turned and made my way to the floor below.
◇
"I've secured the flag! All that's left is to run for the exit!!"
Ray’s voice echoed through the halls. Hearing it, Amelia and I both tried to move immediately, but... Amelia collapsed on the spot.
I wanted to help her, but she managed to lift her head and spoke one last time in a raspy, strained voice.
"Do... don't worry about me... go... with Ray..."
Hearing those words, my resolve was set.
I wanted to rush to Amelia’s side. It was thanks to her that I was even standing here at all. However, she told me to go. If that was her wish, then carrying it out was what it meant to be a teammate.
Taking a quick look to assess the situation, we currently held the advantage.
Lucas Forst was covered in wounds. He had managed to block my attack, but it had clearly dealt significant damage.
On the other hand, I had sustained as much damage as him, if not more.
As for Ray, while he appeared injured, he seemed much more mobile than the rest of us. He was likely the only one capable of maintaining a high pace.
"Ariane!! I'll leave the rest to you!!"
Saying that, Ray rushed to my side and handed me the flag. He gave me a sharp, concise instruction.
"I'll hold him back. Ariane, you have to get the flag outside."
"I... I understand."
In truth, I wanted to shout that I would fight by his side.
However, I wasn't so foolish that I couldn't understand what Ray meant.
He was trusting me. He believed that I could carry the flag to the goal and secure our victory.
In this situation, someone had to hold back Lucas Forst. I knew that task was impossible for me. Leaving it to Ray was the only viable choice.
And the outcome of this entire war—was now entrusted to me.
"—Go!! Run!!"
Giving Ray’s back one last look, I sprinted away, leaving him behind. Less than ten minutes remained.
It was truly down to the wire whether I would make it in time.
From behind, I could feel an overwhelming pressure pursuing me. I didn't need to look to know that Lucas Forst was coming for me, desperate to stop the flag.
I could also tell that Ray was doing everything in his power to block his path.
—I want to turn back and fight with him.
I had to swallow that impulse and just keep running. Right now, running was all I was capable of. If I stayed to fight with Ray, I would undoubtedly be nothing more than a burden.
"—I won't let you get away."
"...Ghhhhhh!!!"
It seemed that even for Ray, completely pinning Lucas down was a monumental task; his voice was close enough to be audible.
Still, I put my faith in Ray and sprinted through the castle.
I ran, and ran, and raced through the corridors with everything I had left!!
"Huff... huff... huff... huff...!!"
It hurts. Everything hurts.
My body was screaming in agony.
I wanted to stop.
I wanted to give up.
Since I had already pushed myself to the brink to use my Origin Magic, I had reached my limit long ago. I was running on nothing but sheer willpower now.
My joints creaked, and my Magic Area felt as though it were being seared by a white-hot iron. My body had begun the process of apoptosis; the bleeding was relentless. Without even pausing to wipe the blood away, I simply continued my desperate sprint.
The coward within me whispered.
It said that if I gave up now, no one would complain. That everyone would praise me for how hard I had worked.
Wouldn't it be fine to stop here?
Even if I gave up, surely no one would blame me.
But I—
"Huff... huff... I... I will absolutely never loseeeee!!!"
I roared.
I raised my voice to drown out my own weakness. This was no longer a battle against an enemy; it was a battle against myself.
Ray was holding the line. All I had to do was get the flag outside within the time limit. If I did that, we would be champions.
It was such a simple objective, yet my weak heart wavered.
I am weak. I am such a fragile person.
I sought to be the Ideal Maiden, projecting strength and nobility, yet the moment I was cornered, that facade began to peel away.
—But!! Accepting that weakness and moving forward is what truly matters!
Yes. I know it now. I am merely a weak human being. But at the same time, a strong version of me exists as well. The me that strives to be strong is also real.
—Two sides of the same coin.
The Ideal Maiden is a person who accepts both sides of themselves. Ray is no exception to that. Even he showed his weakness to me.
Every human being is weak. However, we can still strive to be strong.
That is the "Maiden" I seek to become!!
"Huff... huff... huff... Just a little more! A little bit more!!"
I saw it. As I reached the first-floor landing, the outside world finally came into view.
I didn't have the luxury to worry about how much time was left.
If I could just plant the flag in the designated spot, our victory would be absolute.
—Run!
—Dash!
—Break through!!!
We won! I’ve won!! Once I reach that spot, the championship is ours!!
The moment I felt certain of victory, my strength finally gave out.
My body teetered and I collapsed.
"Ah... eh... ugh... gah... ah..."
The limit.
No matter how much my heart screamed to move forward, my body reached its merciless breaking point. Ray was still fighting somewhere behind me. He was holding the line at the very last second.
I could tell how much he was suffering. I could hear it in the desperate strain of his voice.
I left Amelia behind. Ray was putting his life on the line to protect me. I cannot afford to give up here!!
I have... I have to keep going!!
"G-ghhhhhhhhh!! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
I snatched the flag up in my mouth, biting down on the pole as hard as I could.
Then, I began to crawl.
I no longer cared about dignity or appearances.
Only victory mattered.
The finish line was right before my eyes.
I was carrying everyone’s hopes, everyone’s willpower. I am not the kind of woman who gives up just because her legs have stopped working!!
As a Maiden, I will never, ever surrender!!
"Ghhhhhhhhh!!"
Crawling, dragging myself, inch by agonizing inch—I finally, finally reached the spot.
"—With this, we are the champions!!!"
I moved the flag from my teeth to my right hand and thrust it into the ground with the last of my strength.
In that instant, a loud siren wailed through the air.
"—The winner is Team Algren."
Did I win...? Did we really win...? Did I make it...?
It wasn't a mistake. My ears clearly heard the announcement of our team’s victory.
I—we—had won. We were victorious.
Champions. We were the champions.
"Ugh... huff... gah... uuuuuugh..."
Tears, a flood of hot tears, poured down my face. No longer able to move even a finger, I lay spread-eagle on the ground, crying my heart out.
My body was broken. I couldn't move. Even so, I had reached the end.
But I knew I hadn't done it alone. Amelia and Ray had been my pillars. If they hadn't been there, I would have surrendered long ago. Their feelings were what pushed me forward.
I can say with absolute certainty: I could never have reached this place by myself.
As I lay there sobbing, a battered Ray approached me. He must have fought with everything he had to make it back. He was injured as much as I was, if not more.
Bleeding from his right arm, he clutched the wound and gently sat down beside me.
"Ariane."
"Ray... we won... I, we, did it..."
"Yeah. Thank you for giving it your all until the very end."
In that moment, even though I thought my body was paralyzed, I found the strength to throw my arms around him. It was the love in my heart that drove me to move.
Touching him made the tears overflow even more.
"Yes...! Yes...! I worked so hard...!"
"I know you did. You were amazing. Thank you, Ariane."
"U-ugh... uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
As Ray held me gently, my tears fell without end.
Ah. Once again, I realized it.
This love was my greatest source of strength.
Thank you, Ray.
Because I fell in love with you, because I admired you, I was able to achieve this.
If I had never met you, I would have stayed alone forever. I would have never caught up to Amelia, and I would have spent my life pretending to be strong.
The fact that I am standing here now... is truly thanks to you. Because I met you, because you gave me so much, I was able to fight to the very end.
Thank you, Ray. Meeting you is the greatest happiness of my life.
And... I love you... with all my heart.