Aided by the two princesses and Heisenberg's heiress, the group quickly defeats the nearly enemies and secures the civilians. Thankfully, the nearby shelters can still accommodate this number of people, so a plan to escort them to those locations is quickly drawn.
By the ti another two hours have passed, they have been fully evacuated. At this point, the sun is still high in the sky, unmoving. Yet, the scent of death has pooled at the bottom, like fog, marring the streets.
But since so of the nearby districts are still scrambling to stay alive, the group imdiately departs after a short respite. In the end, it takes just less than half a day for the capital city's districts to be fully evacuated.
''Damn it... it's finally over!''
''I'm spent...''
''Get yourself together. We can't let our guard down.''
The imperial family has arranged the best combatants to accompany the princesses, the cream of the crop, but even they suffer from exhaustion toward the end of the marathon. They have saved people, but it doesn't change that they are intensely tired.
As they begin to head back, a sudden realization dawns on many—the high-level princesses are monsters. Even after half a day of leading the fights, they appear fine—almost casual. Envy, certainly, though it is a blessing that they are with them.
But for the three, especially Nydia, they can't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding—a creeping sense of unease as though a thousand insects crawl on their skin.
Sothing is bound to happen. Soon.
''...Stop!''
And they don't need to wait for long. Reacting to Scarlett's shout, the group urgently halts in their path and regroups, initiating a defensive formation. Right after, a blast descends from the sky's vastness, ruthlessly incinerating everything in a large area ahead. The column of fire extends deep below and tall above, like an eruption straight from hell.
The group holds their breath. Had they gone into that spot, most of them would have been burned to a crisp.
And from beyond the hellfire, a figure reveals itself—still a white lab coat, still a full mask, still the stylish hat—Ravenous Moon's remaining Advent, Valstein, bows toward the combatants.
''Good day to you.'' He hums. ''May I ask for a polite play?''
''Valstein...'' Nydia grits her teeth. ''All of you, prepare to fight.''
''Ignored, hm. Well, then, don't bla for my rudeness. I only follow orders.''
No matter what words are exchanged between them, they belong to the two sides that will eventually clash. So, rather than wasting ti, Nydia chooses to initiate a battle directly.
So, the two mages, Nydia and Sierra, fall back with the fellow long-ranger in the group, while Scarlett, spear in hand, leads the vanguards ahead. The close-range fighters leap toward Valstein in the sky, protected by arrays of magic from behind, yet are helplessly swatted away with a single wave of his hand.
Valstein wields a sort of colorless, morphable magic that seems capable of turning into just about anything—an ability he has never displayed. Scarlett's fla, which can lt thick steel upon contact, enhanced by Nydia and Sierra's proficient magic of the sa kind, vanishes as if it hadn't been there in the first place.
Nonetheless, one thing is certain—he has beco even stronger than before.
''So this is the true extent of her blessing,'' Valstein mutters. ''Truly, I feel invincible... but is it ever enough?''
The man stands amidst the flurry of incoming attacks, his height untouched. Listening closely, one can hear the lancholy, the doubt, the faint unease in his monologue.
Valstein has been tasked to complete this fight by that higher power, the one who promised him a path to the stars. Coming here, facing these actors—all planted, all according to the script. However... he also rembers those words—
''The ending of your fight is already written. So, boy with a dream of distant stars, I'm curious to see if you will choose to conform or to rebel.''
Nothing explicit was ntioned. Still, Valstein could then sense that he was supposed to lose.
But... did she tell him those words just to make him fall into despair? Certainly not. To conform with fate or to rebel—even without her asking, Valstein only has one option.
''...I can't die before fulfilling my dreams, can I?''
The boy who gazes far into the genuine universe now refuses to close his eyes under a fabricated sky. With a gesture, his coat flutters, his energy swells, crushing the mass of his surroundings greedily.
''Crap—!''
Several of the opposing fighters are sent flying back. Even Scarlett is powerlessly pushed away, bearing multiple injuries.
''Scarlett!'' Nydia hurriedly runs over to support her fallen teammate.
''Tch... I'm fine.'' The girl with red hair growls.
Sierra interjects, ''No, you're not. None of us is.''
The three gaze ahead, their expressions grim. At this stage, even if they burned themself to try and bring Valstein down, they'd be the only ones roasted.
However... there is simply no need to fight by themselves.
As the man in coat extends his hand, a wave of pressure shoots toward the group, whose defenses are already broken. But before it hits, a shield of mana, seemingly flimsy, materializes in its path. The wave cleanly splits into two as it ets the invincible guard, pouring onto structures on the side.
''Stay back there! I'll protect you guys!'' A childish voice clears between the rumblings of the building falling down.
''Good job holding on until now. Leave the rest to us.'' A tall young man steps forward, taking the youth's side.
Two of the empire's three grandmasters, Ulaika and Graham, arrive just in ti. Behind him is Skely, who has teleported the grandmasters to this place. Right after receiving the call for reinforcent, the skeleton mage raced to gather an available team that could face an opponent like Valstein.
Grandmasters aside, he himself will participate, plus Ariel, Blob, and Goatman—all near or on par with the grandmasters themself.
''Ti to settle the score between us, Valstein.'' Graham cracks his knuckles, valiant golden mana encasing his fists. ''You ran away last ti, didn't you?''
''...''
Now hyperfocused, the man in the mask gives no response. At this stage, nothing matters to him more than survival, and talking doesn't contribute to that goal. Even if he loves to tease and play around on the battlefield, when it cos to life and death, no amount of caution is enough.
As such, his first target is the opponent team's support, Ariel, who is flying around behind Ulaika's shield to provide healing. Yet before his gaze can even linger for a second—
''Where are you looking?''
Graham strikes.
Even though the current Valstein can easily withstand a grandmaster's attack, he still can't take them unfazed. The barrage of fists coming his way only escalates in its intensity as ti goes by, and without proper counterplay, his defense will eventually falter.
Nonetheless, Valstein still appears composed. Rather, his attention isn't fully on the battle ahead yet. In his mind isn't a plan to eliminate his opponents—he is rely looking to survive.
'Then... the story changes.'
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