"Fire Bolt! Thunder Bolt! Ice Bolt! Wind Bolt! Earth Bolt!"
"SYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Rest unleashed a barrage of magic, hammering the monstrosity before him.
Though the spells carved chunks out of the creature’s massive frame, the wounds closed as quickly as they appeared. Its flesh knitted back together until it was whole again.
"Dammit... what is wrong with this thing?"
Its restoration complete, the beast lashed out with its whip-like tail.
Rest used Star Eater to erase the limb, but even that began to reform the moment it vanished.
"Is this healing magic? No, something’s off."
It looked like magical regeneration, but the sensation was wrong. He couldn't detect even a trace of healing mana.
The creature's body continued to assemble itself. Looking closer, Rest noticed that despite the deep gashes he had carved, not a single drop of blood had spilled.
There had to be a trick. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered the relief carved into that stone tablet.
"I see. So that's how it works...!"
He had felt a sense of incongruity from the start, but he finally understood its true nature. Rest knew a place exactly like this. The layout and atmosphere were completely different, but he had been suddenly transported to a similar space once before.
"This is... a dream world!"
Rest had once been pulled into a spiritual world created by Shoko Sanada. The emotional polarity was reversed here, but the fundamental nature of the space was likely the same.
"Come to think of it, the artist who made that stone tablet was plagued by nightmares..."
And those who came into possession of the tablet were said to suffer from them as well. The man’s very nightmares had been sealed within the stone.
"But even if it's a nightmare monster, its power can't be infinite. There has to be a mechanism behind how it sustains itself..."
"I don't want this... this is wrong..."
"…!"
At that moment, the realization hit him. Assuming this was a dream world, the very source of its power was right beside him.
"Primula!"
"I'm scared... I'm so scared..."
"Primula, look at me! Pull yourself together!"
Rest called out to her, desperation in his voice.
The source of the monster's power—it was Primula's terror. By keeping her in a state of absolute fear, the creature was devouring her emotional energy.
"Primula, please, you have to calm down!"
"It's scary... no..."
Primula had lost her mental equilibrium. She trembled violently, lost in the throes of panic. Simply calling her name wasn't going to reach her.
"If it's come to this...!"
Rest steeled his resolve. Primula was being consumed by the nightmare. To shatter this malevolent illusion, he needed an impression powerful enough to override the horror entirely.
"Primula..."
"Eh...?"
Rest pulled her close and kissed her.
He pressed his lips firmly against hers, embracing her tightly as he deepened the kiss.
"Mmph...!"
Primula’s eyes widened in momentary shock, but her cheeks quickly flooded with heat. A look of pure, rapturous ecstasy replaced her terror. Even though she had been paralyzed by the monster just seconds ago, the creature’s very existence seemed to vanish from her mind.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!"
The monster let out a wordless, agonizing shriek. The restoration of its mangled flesh ceased as it began to writhe in pain. The dark sky overhead split open, and light began to pour through the cracks, brightly illuminating the stagnant swamp.
"Amaterasu!"
Seizing the opening, Rest unleashed his finishing blow. While still holding Primula in the kiss, he summoned a Dark Star, gathered the sudden influx of sunlight into it, and fired.
"........................!"
The lance of pure solar energy cleaved the monster from head to tail, erasing it from existence.
"Oh...?"
His vision suddenly brightened.
When he came to his senses, he was standing in the museum once again. Primula was snuggled up beside him. Naturally, they weren't actually kissing.
"We're back...?"
"Rest-sama? Is something the matter?"
Primula looked up at him, blinking in confusion.
"Primula...?"
"Yes? What is it?"
She looked at him with a puzzled expression. Was it possible that Rest was the only one who had experienced the nightmare?
And yet, her cheeks were still burning a deep crimson, and her eyes shimmered with a lingering moisture—exactly as they would after a passionate kiss.
"Here it is, here it is! It's right here!"
"Don't just say 'it's right here'... Honestly."
While Rest stood there lost in thought, two men who appeared to be museum staff approached. The younger man reached out to pick up the stone tablet. The older staff member directed a professional, apologetic smile toward the couple.
"My apologies... This exhibit was not actually intended for public display. We'll be collecting it now."
"It wasn't meant to be public?"
"Yes, it seems a staff error led to it being put out by mistake..."
"We're very sorry, we'll be taking this away now—"
As the young staff member attempted to carry the stone tablet toward the back, the slab suddenly fractured down the middle. The two halves clattered to the museum floor.
"Ah! What are you doing?! You broke it!"
"N-No, I didn't! It just split on its own..."
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Our deepest apologies. Please excuse us!"
The two staff members hurriedly called for a supervisor, frantically explaining the sudden destruction of the artifact.
"...Shall we go?"
"Yes. Let's find somewhere to eat before we head home."
Primula hooked her arm through Rest's, a bashful, contented smile lighting up her face. There wasn't even a trace of the nightmare left in her expression.
Had it really just been a waking dream?
Rest shook his head, trying to clear the lingering confusion as they walked out of the museum.