Alice had activated Hecatoncheir’s Ultimate War-Form. Confronted by this power, which was entirely unknown to the Gods, Chronoa was the first to strike.
Chronoa instantly halted the flow of time and closed the distance with all the speed she could muster.
The Authority of Time she wielded was fundamentally different from ordinary magic. To put it bluntly, if it were merely magic that stopped time, there were several beings at the Count-class level capable of such a feat.
However, Chronoa’s power was in a league of its own. The Authority granted to her by Shallow Vernal, the God of the World, was an overwhelmingly superior force. The only one capable of interfering when Chronoa manipulated time was Ein, who had likewise been granted the power to control time by Shallow Vernal.
In the earlier stages of the battle, Alice had countered Chronoa’s time-stop by switching with a Split Body in advance and striking during the brief window when the effect was released.
That was exactly why Chronoa launched this high-speed assault—she intended to give Alice no time to swap with a double.
Chronoa approached Alice at an overwhelming velocity within the frozen world. But in that split second of duration, she saw the impossible: Alice was turning her head toward her within the time that should have been stopped.
"Impossible—Gah!?"
Struck by a wave of shock, Chronoa’s body was sent tumbling across the ground by a light counter-blow from Alice. As she fell, the time-stop was forcibly deactivated.
"God of Space-Time!?"
"...I-Impossible... Within the time I stopped..."
"Ah, I’ve become able to move now," Alice replied nonchalantly.
Life quickly finished healing Chronoa’s wounds and stepped forward to confront Alice.
"God of Space-Time, take command of the forces! I’ll handle this!"
Life swung a heavy fist, which Alice caught. However, Life’s raw physical strength, which was truly overwhelming, initially held the advantage. She slowly began to force Alice back.
With this, we can do it. My pure power is superior. If I maneuver while receiving support from the God of Space-Time and the others...
A faint glimmer of victory appeared in Life's mind. However, an instant later, she was slammed into the ground by sheer, irresistible force.
"...Eh?"
She had taken almost no actual damage, but she couldn’t immediately process what had occurred.
I was outpowered? Me? Why? Just a moment ago...
She had certainly been the one pushing back. As the Goddess of Life, it was impossible for her to misjudge an opponent's physical capabilities. With that thought, Life turned her gaze toward Alice, who was looking down at her quietly, and was struck with horror.
Life immediately leapt away and shouted to Chronoa, who wore an equally shocked expression.
"God of Space-Time! This is bad! We have to defeat her quickly!"
"W-What do you mean?"
"She’s rising! By the second... no, even faster! The Phantasm King's physical abilities and magic power are continuing to surge at an explosive rate! If this continues, she will truly become uncontrollable!"
"What!?"
Fate, who was watching the battle from a distance, also had her eyes wide open in shock, much like Chronoa and Life.
"Ehhh... W-What's going on? Shaltan is clearly getting stronger and stronger..."
"...Allow me to explain."
"Eh? Ah, um, you're Shaltan's best friend's..."
"Indeed. I have been asked by that fellow to act as the explainer. My name is Iri—"
"It's Ristan, right! Yeah, I don't know what's happening, so please explain."
"...Wait, that name is..."
"Explain quickly!"
"U-Umu..."
Iris, who had materialized to act as the explainer for Fate, looked as if she wanted to complain about the nickname Fate had forced upon her. However, pressured by Fate’s intensity, she began her explanation.
"...That is the power of her Heart Tool Hecatoncheir's Ultimate War-Form. Or rather, it should be called her 'trait'."
"Um, Shaltan's Hecatoncheir lets her use the power of those she has bonded with, right?"
"Correct. That is its function in its normal state. However, that Ultimate War-Form is the form she once used to weave together the hope of an entire world to face the Evil God. It is a power that transformed her very body into an Incarnation of Hope."
"...U-huh?"
"The original power of that form was to add all those woven bonds onto her own strength. That alone is more than powerful enough, but there is one more ability Alice gained by becoming an Incarnation of Hope."
As if she didn't yet understand Iris's point, Fate tilted her head curiously.
"You should have heard it from her just now. Alice usually does not grow in physical ability or magic power..."
"Um, I think she said she only grows under specific conditions. So, that means the Ultimate War-Form provides the condition for that growth?"
"Precisely. 'If I cannot win as I am now, I should just become an 'I' who can win'—that was a favorite saying of hers in the past. Her current self is the embodiment of that. There is no end to human thoughts... to hope. To continue growing infinitely at an explosive speed—that is the true nature of the Hecatoncheir Ultimate War-Form. Furthermore, those increased abilities do not disappear even if she deactivates Hecatoncheir."
"Ehhh!? T-That's ridiculous! Then, the reason Shaltan was so much stronger than she was twenty thousand years ago is..."
"Yes. She once had a battle with the God of the World in that state. She evolved during that time."
It was a terrifying ability. There was no limit to Alice's current power. If she could not handle Chronoa's Authority of Time, she would grow until she could. If she was being pushed back by Life's physical strength, she would evolve into a being that could overcome it. It was an ultimate power that easily stepped into the domain of the Gods and continued to evolve infinitely even there.
Chronoa and Life, who had overheard Iris's words, wore expressions of pure despair.
Well, if all my stats surpass the enemy, the growth speed slows down, and the activation conditions are quite strict—there are various restrictions, too. But there's no need to say that out loud.
Alice’s current abilities had grown to the point where even if all the Gods banded together, they likely couldn't leave a single scratch on her. There was no longer any chance of victory for the Gods. However, light still resided within their eyes.
Seeing that, Alice felt a surge of certainty that her prediction had been correct. Casually, she deactivated Hecatoncheir's Ultimate War-Form.
Light like falling stars began to dance around Alice's body. Touching one of those lights, Alice spoke.
"...Now then, with this, the 'conditions' have been met. But it looks like it'll take a little time to get used to it."
"...What are you saying?"
Neither Chronoa nor Life could understand Alice's intent. She had deactivated that ultimate power immediately after they realized a one-sided massacre was about to begin. Even if the grown abilities remained after deactivation, there seemed to be no advantage to releasing the form.
"Actually, I thought I'd play another trump card. Hecatoncheir's Ultimate War-Form is certainly powerful, but for using this, my normal form is more convenient. This? What do you think it is? Well, I intend to end this quickly, so I'll just give you the answer... It's Kaito-san's Heart Tool."
"!?!"
Chronoa and Life understood that a Heart Tool was the mysterious ability Alice was exercising. Hearing that it was Kaito's Heart Tool, they braced themselves and heightened their alertness. That judgment was likely correct—though whether they could actually do anything about it was a different matter.
"The heart is the certain path walked... laughing together... crying together... the footprints of memories stacked together. These bonds are fragments of miracles. My heart is here! Together as one! Memories!"
The moment those words were spoken, a dazzling light that seemed to fill the entire space was released. When it cleared, Alice muttered with an expression that looked as if she were on the verge of tears.
"...I need a little time. So, I want you to lend me your strength."
To that voice, which trembled with a gentleness completely out of place on a battlefield, words came back along with the sound of approaching footsteps.
"...Yes. Let's help the precious person who saved Big Sis Alicia."
"Of course, Master. My Flame of Loyalty is not so weak that it would be extinguished by something as trivial as dying once."
"Dear me, I thought I was summoned to my Lord's side, but it turns out to be unexpected overtime labor. Well, fine. I owe you a debt... a debt so large I couldn't finish paying it back while I was alive."
A tall, blonde beauty with a face strikingly similar to Alice's; a girl clad in knight's armor with her red, burning hair tied up; and a lazy-looking priest wearing ritual robes with a black inverted cross... they all stood side-by-side next to Alice.
That was not all. Behind Alice, an almost absurd number of individuals had appeared.
Those were the bonds that the girl once called a hero had woven. Irreplaceable companions who had fought together and lived together. Now, those individuals gathered once more, crossing the great wall of death to reach the side of their hero.
Explanation of Heart Tools
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Hecatoncheir A Heart Tool that allows the user to exercise the power of someone they have formed a bond with (those who mutually treasure each other). It was originally an ability to use the Heart Tool of the bonded person, but it evolved as the practitioner grew. By changing her very appearance into the person she has bonded with, she can use their original abilities to the fullest. Multiple abilities cannot be activated simultaneously. Hecatoncheir itself has no combat power. Because the practitioner can strongly sense bonds, she can understand the approximate location of those she is bonded with. If a person she has a bond with dies, she can incorporate a part of their body into Hecatoncheir as an Eternal Bond, allowing her to continue using that person's ability even after their death. If a bonded person dies, the practitioner feels a pain like a hole opening in her heart and can never forget that person. No matter how many years pass, a sadness as if that person had died just moments ago remains.
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Hecatoncheir Ultimate War-Form: Hero of Hope (Alicia) An ability born from weaving bonds with the entire world to defeat the Evil God. It takes the bonds accumulated thus far into her own body and adds them to her own power. At the same time, as an endless hope, she continues to grow forever during battle. As a side effect, the practitioner ceases to grow in physical ability or magic power at all except when this form is active. Physical abilities and magic power grown during activation return to normal after deactivation. The activation condition is that the practitioner exercises it to protect something she treasures, but hope is the core of the power; it will not activate if there is no hope in her heart. This ability was lost when Alicia became Shaltier.
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Hecatoncheir Ultimate War-Form: Hope for Just One Person (Alice) A new Ultimate War-Form reborn because Alice loves Kaito and once again harbors hope in her heart. The activation condition is that the battle must be for the sake of protecting Kaito. The ability is mostly the same as the Hero of Hope form, but the speed of growth has increased exponentially. Furthermore, a powerful trait has been added: abilities and magic power grown during activation remain permanently after deactivation.
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Memories Kaito's Heart Tool. A very rare Heart Tool that does not have a physical form, meaning other Heart Tool users cannot be increased by this Heart Tool. It has two abilities:
- Revives the dead whom the practitioner recognizes as having been "together with them," granting them combat power according to the strength of the practitioner's heart (revived spirits cannot use special abilities from their previous lives).
- Provides living allies whom the practitioner recognizes as "being together with them" an incredibly powerful boost according to the strength of the practitioner's heart + full restoration of HP and magic power with absolutely no side effects or backlash.
Serious-senpai: "Hey, you cheat bastard... What is this ability? It looks like a protagonist's power at the very end of a story... This is a level of cheating that should only be allowed because it’s the final episode..."
???: "Well, Alice-chan is, so to speak, in the position of a 'protagonist who has already defeated the final boss'..."