Irene, now a towering White Giant, slowly raised her arm.
The simple motion alone made the air groan and creak.
"――■■■"
An wordless roar escaped her as she brought her arm crashing down.
A strike from a ten-meter-tall behemoth... It had been a long time since a purely physical attack, devoid of mana, had filled me with such primal dread. I triggered Dark Arma and threw myself backward.
A thunderous roar echoed through the chamber as a massive crater formed in the floor.
I managed to avoid it by a hair’s breadth, but I had no time to catch my breath. Seven points of light flickered into existence above the White Giant's head.
What were those?
『Avoid it!!』
Hearing Zest's warning, I instinctively threw myself to the side.
A split second later, a white flash streaked through the air. The spot where I had stood only moments before had simply... vanished. The floor, the debris, even the air itself—all of it was gone. It was as if an eraser had scrubbed a section of a painting clean, reducing every trace of matter to absolute nothingness.
Was that... magic?
The form resembled the Fifth Rank Magic, Shot. But what was the attribute? Irene's affinity should have been lightning.
『...Shall we call it the Void Attribute? It is a power I have never encountered before.』
Even Zest was unfamiliar with it. It was a clearly anomalous form of magic; if it touched me, I would be scraped out of existence along with my defenses.
"Hahaha! Magnificent! So this is the power of an Angel...!"
Logen looked up at Irene with an ecstatic expression. His undignified, shrill laughter helped me regain my composure. It was certainly an unknown power, but its form was no different from the magic we knew well.
Unblockable magic? If that was the extent of it, it wasn't a threat.
I ramped up the output of Dark Arma and darted past Irene’s side. I kicked off the wall, glaring at the giant's back. I had her opening!
Before Irene could even begin to turn, I prepared to land a blow.
『What?!』
Zest shouted in shock. My mind went blank, unable to process what had just happened.
In the blink of an eye, Irene’s face loomed directly before mine.
How? We were far apart just a second ago.
Before I could react, a massive arm swiped at me.
"Ga, ha...!"
I used Zest as a shield, but the blade couldn't kill the impact entirely. I was sent skipping across the room like a stone, slamming into the far wall.
What was that? Teleportation?
"Oh... ohhh! It truly is the Authority of the First Mythos! Ah, Your Highness! What a magnificent Apostle you’ve become!"
The First Mythos... what was that again? If I recalled correctly, it was Boundary.
Damn it. My head was spinning.
"Your Highness! Please, grant that power to me as well...!"
As if responding to Logen's plea, the wings on Irene's back began to glow. I recognized that specific flow of mana. Don't tell me...
This was the absolute worst. She could still use that in this state?
『What are you talking about?!』
I told you before, Zest. Irene is royalty. That’s why she can use that magic—the special magic exclusive to the bloodline.
『Royal Rank Magic?!』
A golden radiance flooded the room. I hadn't seen this sight since the last time I’d stopped Irene's rampage.
Royal Rank Magic: Elysion.
It was the ultimate support spell, designed to strengthen the caster and their allies. Mana, physical strength, endurance, and even life force—it massively boosted every single attribute.
"Ooooooooooh! Power... power is surging through me!"
Logen's mana swelled to grotesque levels. His muscles bulged and veins corded beneath his skin; he was a different beast entirely.
"Die, Claude!"
Logen unleashed an enhanced Thunder Gate. Its power, range, and scale had all increased exponentially. It would be nearly impossible to offset this with my own Gate, but...
"You—!"
"W-What!?"
Whipping my aching body into motion, I wove through the gaps in the lightning and closed the distance. Since I’d started fighting the Apostles, I’d seen Gate more times than I cared to count. Offsetting it was just more reliable; I could dodge it if I really put my mind to it!
"Don't get cocky!"
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
A Jet-black Slash sent Logen flying. He was likely neutralized, but I wasn't going to let it end there. As he slammed into the wall, I lunged forward and grabbed his ankle.
Irene unleashed more of her Void Attribute magic, forcing me to sprint at full speed while maintaining Dark Arma to evade the beams.
"Ga, bo, aaaaa...!"
Logen's face scraped harshly against the floor. I dragged him through the basement like a wet rag, bouncing him off walls and pillars while dodging Irene's barrage. I’d been playing along and improvising until now, but I was nearing my limit. It was time to get some answers about the Mythos—as many as my head could handle without bursting.
"Logen. Tell me about the relationship between the Order and the Mythos."
"O-Our plan is—gueh!? T-To control poison with poison... gohah!"
Logen managed to answer between screams. It was hard to hear him, so I hoisted him up and carried him. Thus positioned, he began to speak more fluently.
"To kill a god with a god! An Artificial Mythos is created by blending existing myths together! Therefore, the Authorities of an Artificial Mythos are identical to those of the originals!"
So they were just utilizing the inherent properties of the materials.
"Is Irene's teleportation part of that power?"
"Indeed! An Apostle is a compatible host for an Artificial Mythos! The higher their rank, the more myths they can master!"
I see. I was starting to get the gist of it.
In other words, Apostles at the Feather Rank could use the power of Magic. Once they reached the rank of Angel, they gained access to the powers of other myths as well. And so, Irene had obtained the power of Boundary.
Wait—wasn't that "Void" magic also an influence of Boundary? Zest... I’m very sorry for the fact that you named it the Void Attribute, but...
『It doesn't matter what it's called!』
Whoa, crap. Here came another "Void Attribute" (hah) blast.
『I'll kill you!』
Beams of light that scraped away everything they touched rained down around me. Though I understood Irene's power a bit better thanks to Logen, the situation remained grim. Honestly, if I didn't keep up this internal snark, I felt like my heart would be crushed by the sheer pressure she radiated.
As expected, deviating from the path I’d seen in the Master Eye forced me into an uphill battle of ridiculous proportions.
While I looked for a breakthrough, Logen twisted his body and pulled away from me.
"Your Highness! Give me more power! Give me the strength to kill this man!"
Responding to his plea, Irene's wings glowed again.
"A-Ah, ahhh...! It's surging! It's sur-ging...!"
Bathed in the light, Logen's body swelled up like a balloon. I braced myself, expecting him to transform into a giant like Irene, but...
With a sickening, dry pop, Logen’s body detonated.
His flesh simply couldn't withstand the amount of power being poured into it. It was karmic retribution, plain and simple. I didn't feel a shred of sympathy.
"――――■■■■■!!"
Irene screamed. The resulting shockwave alone slammed me against the wall.
『Are you alright?!』
"I'm managing..."
But there was no time for relief. Irene's mana... unless I was imagining it, her power was ramping up with every passing second. A terrible thought crossed my mind. Was she growing? Because she was a "newborn" Apostle, was she actually evolving right now?
Irene's body began to glow. Space itself tore open as a Gate manifested, unleashing a relentless barrage of light.
Mana exceeding that of ten Apostles, a force that erased matter on contact, and the self-buffing of Elysion. This was no longer just the power of a Second Rank Magic.
"Ooooooooooh!"
I swung my sword frantically. I repeated the cycle of Full Drain absorption and release until my mind felt like it was fraying. Irene's magic was so potent that absorbing a single shot pushed me past my mana capacity. The overflow became raw damage that ravaged my body.
Little by little, I was being whittled away. A nicked ear, a severed finger, a gouged side. Part of my shoulder vanished into the void.
"――――――――"
Pierced countless times by the flashes I couldn't escape, I vomited a spray of blood. It was a miracle I still had a recognizable shape. It seemed the Dark Arma I had activated instinctively was the only thing keeping me together. While her power couldn't be physically blocked, it seemed I could at least partially offset it with mana.
However, even that was being overwhelmed by her staggering volume of power.
I was out of moves. This was checkmate.
『...We're retreating, Claude,』 Zest said, his voice unusually gentle. 『Pull back for now and regroup.』
Regroup? Don't talk nonsense, Zest... You just want me to rest. Don't think you can fool me that easily.
If I run away, who's going to stop Irene? Who's going to protect her pride?
I don't want her to kill innocent people. I can't let this Princess's hands be stained bright red with blood. For that, I'm willing to put my life on the line.
My life...
Wait. There was still one move. One I hadn't tried.
Zest... your Full Drain absorbs all kinds of energy and turns it into power, right? In that case... I'll feed you my life.
『W-What are you—!?』
When I absorbed the light from the lamps earlier, I realized something. Full Drain’s output likely scaled with the quality of the energy absorbed. I’d used Zest long enough to just... feel it.
Life force is the highest quality of energy there is. If I let you eat that, you’ll transform into something else entirely.
『Stop! If you do that, you will surely draw closer to death!』
You said you’d fall to hell with me, didn't you? Then let's take the plunge right here. Besides, I won't know if I'll die until I try. If I can save Irene with just this one life of mine, then I have to do it!
"Take it!"
I held Zest out in front of me and triggered Full Drain, funneling my own life force into the blade.
An unbearable agony washed over me. It felt like white-hot needles were being driven into every organ, every vessel, and every muscle fiber. My instincts screamed, rejecting this march toward death.
Even so, I wouldn't stop. Because the Irene standing before me looked so heartbreakingly sad.
Hey, Irene. How are you feeling right now? Betrayed by me, betrayed by Logen... betrayed by everyone you ever trusted, only to be turned into a monster.
Your heart must be in tatters. Compared to the pain you’ve endured, this is nothing. I can handle this.
"――――■■■■■"
Irene unleashed another blast. It was a Gate filled with the same world-erasing power as before.
But I simply readied my sword, my mind calm.
One flash.
A released torrent of darkness swallowed the myriad lights whole. With a single strike—a single swing—I shattered the Gate Irene had deployed.
『T-To think it would be this much...』
I leveled the tip of my sword at Irene. Even if I was playing the villain, my words were what had made her cry. I had to take responsibility for that. I have a duty to bring happiness to the people I’ve hurt.
Maybe it's naive to think that makes us even... but it’s all I can do.
"Don't you worry, Tomboy Princess," I said, a wicked smile spreading across my face. "I'm not dying today. So come at me with everything you've got."