Arc 10, Part 18: "I Had a Dream"

—The moment that presence descended upon the street, all breath ceased.

It wasn't the breath of any one person. It was the breath of the world itself that stopped. Once, the strongest man of the Vollachian Empire had spoken to Garfiel, who had sought to know the conviction supporting such transcendent strength. He had said:

"In other words, the world is a stage! The sunlight, the sound of the wind, the scent of the earth, the lushness of the greenery—all are merely stage props designed to make the actors shine. And why does the world go to such lengths to decorate its actors so vividly and brilliantly? Because the world itself is the greatest 'Super-Mega-Fan,' its heart racing in anticipation of the actors' movements, their performances, their famous lines, and their iconic scenes!"

That ideology was quite far removed from common sense, and honestly, it was difficult to fully comprehend. However, in this very moment, Garfiel felt he could understand a fraction of the logic that the "Blue Lightning" had so loudly proclaimed. The idea that the world watches people as if enjoying a play.

That was likely why he could feel so vividly that the world had just held its breath.

"————"

Behind them stood the high wall separating the noble district from the commoner district. Standing in the path stretching out before Garfiel and the others was a man with flaming red hair and sky-blue eyes. He wasn't merely standing; he was standing in their way.

"Reinhard-san, is it? ...Of all the people I could imagine, you are the worst possible pursuer."

"I think so too, Otto. It’s a shame it has come to this."

The first to regain his composure from the shock of the impact was Otto, who possessed some of the strongest nerves in the camp. Even Otto couldn't entirely suppress the tremor in his voice. The man who responded—the 'Sword Saint' Reinhard van Astrea—did not deny the description of himself as a pursuer.

With his hand resting on the hilt of the 'Dragon Sword' at his waist, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"An order for your arrest has been issued by the Royal Castle. I ask that you surrender."

"And if we refuse, will you use force?"

"That would be the case. It isn't my intention... no, my feelings are irrelevant."

"Indeed. What matters isn't where the heart lies, but the result of one's actions."

As he spoke, Otto gradually increased the tension throughout his body. On the other hand, from the moment Reinhard appeared, not a single ripple occurred in the air surrounding him. He had already decided how he would act. And once he made a decision, the 'Sword Saint' was someone who would—and could—carry out that will to the end.

"—Reinhard-san, was it? You mentioned receiving orders from the castle, but do you know what has happened to Big Sister or Emilia-sama?"

From diagonally behind Garfiel, Rem spoke up. Garfiel and Otto stood in front, while Rem stood behind them, shielding Petra and Meili—who had instinctively huddled together—with her arms as she stared resolutely at Reinhard. Garfiel also wanted to know the answer to Rem's question. He suspected that Otto, who had decided to leave the guest house immediately, had anticipated this situation.

"Unfortunately, I did not see either of them inside the castle. However, I know the circumstances under which they were summoned. They are likely being held in custody."

"I hope they aren't being treated roughly..."

"They aren't. At the very least, I can guarantee that the Kingdom's soldiers would not behave in such a manner. I believe neither Emilia-sama nor Ram-san would make a judgment that would needlessly escalate the situation."

"—I see. I thank you for your answer."

Reinhard closed one eye at Rem, who didn't forget to add a sting to her words even after receiving information that offered a modicum of relief. But the truth lay in what Otto had said. What mattered was action, not sentiment.

"Reinhard-san, this situation has clearly been engineered. The suspicions against Natsuki-san and Crusch-sama, the containment of our camp... even Felt-sama isn't in a safe zone. Even so—"

"—I am the 'Sword Saint'."

"————"

"I bear the duty of the Kingdom's sword, and I will fulfill the role assigned to me. I warn you again. Please surrender. Even if you are taken to the castle, I won't let things go poorly for you. I will do everything I can—"

"How much weight do you think your words carry, standing there right now?"

Otto’s resolute answer pierced through Reinhard’s calm call for surrender. It was the consensus of all five of them, not just Otto and Garfiel. No matter how Reinhard phrased his words, he was standing there to block their path.

"—I see. It seems I won't be able to become friends with you."

"Indeed. I had a feeling it would turn out that way."

That was the conclusion of the discussion between Otto and Reinhard to change each other's minds. Both reached the same conclusion simultaneously: further words were meaningless.

In fact, Otto’s judgment was precise. Since Reinhard had caught up to them, the Royal Castle surely knew their location. If more pursuers arrived, their escape routes would vanish, and if even someone like Marcos moved, their chances would narrow even further.

"No other soldiers are coming. I've ordered a perimeter, but I am the only one here."

"...May I ask why?"

"I don't want to cause unnecessary casualties. I don't intend to underestimate the training of the soldiers, but I don't intend to underestimate you either. That is also why I accepted this task."

"To prevent us from hurting the soldiers, then?"

"And to prevent a situation where you are hurt. If it is me, I can ensure that."

Reinhard answered Rem, who had taken over the exchange after Otto closed the door to dialogue. The moment those words were spoken, a shivering sensation rippled through the world, racing across the Royal Capital. Reinhard’s intent and conviction were transmitted with painful clarity.

However, but, absolutely, that... was out of the question.

"—I’ve been quiet-like, listenin' to Otto-bro and Rem talk, but there’s some things ya said I just can’t nod my head to, oi."

"You can't nod to them?"

Cracking his knuckles, Garfiel equipped the silver gauntlets on both arms. As the 'Sword Saint' narrowed his eyes at Garfiel’s stance, Garfiel gnashed his fangs with a "Hah." He understood Reinhard’s intention in coming alone to suppress them. Garfiel agreed with the idea of not wanting to cause unnecessary injuries. Even so, he didn't like it. Because—

"For someone sayin' he ain't underestimatin' us, ain't ya missin' one possibility? —The one where! Right here! You! Get thrashed! By me!"

In an instant, the roaring Garfiel kicked off the street and lunged at Reinhard. Watching Garfiel leap forward, what crossed Reinhard’s eyes was not surprise or caution.

"————"

What crossed them was the color of bitter grief as he accepted Garfiel’s decision. It was a gaze of pity, like a parent watching a child who had broken a vase and, instead of apologizing, tried to bury the shards under the soil.

As Reinhard held that sorrowful look in his eyes, Garfiel slammed his fist toward him. It was the same form as the single exchange in Pristella, where Garfiel had instinctively lunged at Reinhard upon their first encounter, overwhelmed by his presence. Reinhard raised his right arm against Garfiel’s downward strike. His open palm was meant to catch the heavy fist and effortlessly parry it—

"—!?"

—But it didn't happen.

"Ooooooohhh—!!"

The howling Garfiel moved his entire body, forcibly refusing to let his power be diverted. The impact exploded against Reinhard’s receiving arm, the sleeve of the 'Sword Saint’s' white clothing bursting apart. The energy that couldn't be parried caused the ground beneath his feet to crack like a spiderweb. And as Reinhard’s eyes widened at a blow that exceeded his imagination, Garfiel bared his fangs in a grin.

"Don't go thinkin' everyone else is just crawlin' along forever!!"

Garfiel snapped his folded knees into a dropkick, slamming it into the center of Reinhard’s crossed arms. The resulting shockwave raged violently through a corner of the Royal Capital.

—In that moment of opening hostilities, it felt as though the world clapped its hands in delight.

Petra continued to watch the battle that had begun, her small hands clenched tight.

Garfiel’s roaring, relentless assault was the very definition of bestial ferocity. Arms, legs, claws, and fangs—he used every part of his body as a weapon, a savage intensity that sought to tear at his opponent's throat. Reinhard, facing that overwhelming flurry of attacks that was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, parried most of them with his raised arms and evasive maneuvers. —However, it was only "most" of them. The aftershocks that couldn't be fully diverted reached the surroundings.

"Garf-san is amazing... he’s actually... fighting him...!"

Praise for the struggling Garfiel spilled from Petra’s lips. Petra was also a citizen of the Kingdom, and she had heard of the extraordinary nature of the 'Sword Saint' Reinhard since she was a mere village girl. In this Kingdom, it was said that even if one didn't know the King's name, they knew the name of the 'Sword Saint' Reinhard. Long ago, when the 'Sword Saint' was even younger than Petra was now, he had single-handedly crushed the ambitions of the other three great powers when they simultaneously attempted to infiltrate the Kingdom. That achievement had filled the hearts of the people with hope and hammered the terrifying power of the current 'Sword Saint' into the minds of the populace.

Even in Petra’s home, Arlam Village, such a 'Sword Saint' was an object of admiration for the boys. Petra, as a dreaming young girl, hadn't been without her own romantic Cinderella fantasies. —Though, for Petra, her prince had turned out to be a boy who was nothing like the 'Sword Saint' of rumors, but simply the most wonderful person to her.

Regardless, for Petra, who had become connected to the legendary 'Sword Saint' Reinhard through the opposition of the Royal Selection, his abnormality was beyond imagination. The rumors she had heard were nothing more than the clumsy delusions of a child compared to the real thing. —She had experienced that firsthand on the way back from the Pleiades Watchtower.

That was why she felt a sense of misplaced emotion and even pride at the greatness of Garfiel, who was taking on such an extraordinary existence in a head-on fight.

"Damn it, no one will listen to me...!"

Otto ground his teeth, his consciousness spread thin across the surroundings. While keeping an eye on the battle between Garfiel and Reinhard, Otto was desperately using his 'Divine Protection of Soul Language' to find a way to break the situation. However, his mutterings indicated the absence of any reliable creatures—the fact that his usual groundwork of making "uncooperative cooperators" in any land had failed. To begin with, the reason Reinhard had caught up to them here was because, as Otto put it, he had been "tricked by the bugs." But it was hard to imagine that bugs would maliciously trick Otto and lead him into a trap. In other words, there was someone else. —Someone on the opposing side who had a method of commanding the bugs with a force equal to or greater than Otto’s. Just like—

"—Like Meili-chan’s Divine Protection."

With Meili huddled so close that their shoulders touched, Petra guessed the method used by the person who had outmaneuvered Otto.

Otto’s 'Divine Protection of Soul Language' was versatile, but that was due more to Otto’s own competence than the power of the protection itself. The protection merely allowed him to speak with all living things; whether he could secure their cooperation depended on his own negotiation and coordination skills. Until now, Petra and the others had relied entirely on Otto’s individual ability in that regard. If the opponent had a means of commanding creatures without question—just as Meili could control mabeasts—that advantage would be easily lost.

"Petra-chan, if it comes down to it..."

"—Absolutely not."

Petra firmly cut off the words Meili whispered beside her. What she was about to propose was a way to change the situation now that they couldn't rely on Otto’s protection—namely, relying on Meili’s own power. However, while that was certainly a move that could shift the situation, it was a double-edged sword that was far too sharp.

"If Meili-chan calls mabeasts, there’s no turning back. People will think that Subaru, who is already being called a Witch Cultist, had a 'Mabeast User' like Meili-chan as an ally. They’ll think Emilia-ane-sama is related to the 'Witch'... the 'Witch of Envy' too."

"But, even the 'Sword Saint' big brother is here, you know? The people at the castle already..."

"No, that’s not it. The people we can't let think that way aren't the people at the castle, but the people of the capital... the people of the Kingdom."

"————"

"Just like how we believe in Subaru, the people who were saved by Subaru and Emilia-ane-sama should think that this is all wrong. We have to make sure that possibility stays alive."

It was true that they were in a critical situation right now, but if they prioritized surviving this moment and stopped caring about their methods, they would only be handing cards to their opponent. That was why, when they escaped the guest house, they hadn't used brute force through Garfiel or Rem. The more Petra and the others—no, the more the Emilia Camp—demonstrated their danger, the worse the positions of the pursued Subaru and the imprisoned Emilia would become. That had to be avoided.

"...It’s frustrating."

Chewing on the meaning of Petra’s words, Meili bit her lip in frustration. Atop Meili’s head, the Small Crimson Scorpion clicked its pincers as if sympathizing with her feelings. To have power but be forbidden from using it. That was a sense of helplessness different from Petra’s, and the taste of that frustration was likely different as well.

"I have to keep watching."

She didn't have the anguish of a Divine Protection wielder like Meili or Otto. Because of that, Petra could delete the extra choices that wanted to surface and focus on a single answer. She didn't know what she could do yet. But when that "something" happened, she would concentrate her consciousness entirely so that she wouldn't be the kind of person who let it pass by.

Because that was the expression of Petra Leyte’s resolve to fight the 'Sword Saint'.

His vision was narrow, sounds were distant, scents were sharp, pain was acute, and the taste of blood was faint—the single life known as Garfiel was consumed in a white-hot frenzy.

The clash had begun with a near-perfect start, exceeding his opponent's expectations. Garfiel’s powerful arms, fierce legs, and beastly claws raged in all directions, successfully pinning Reinhard—who was purely on the defensive—to the spot.

It was a result incomparable to the time in Pristella, where he had been treated like a literal infant and defeated without being able to land a single blow during their sparring.

"Back then, I couldn't even move ya off the gravel in the garden, but..."

"—"

"This time, it ain't gonna go like that!!"

He thrust both arms forward simultaneously from a deep pull-back, a strike with his full weight bearing down on Reinhard’s chest. Reinhard brought up the 'Dragon Sword' at his waist, catching the blow with its sturdy sheath. However, he couldn't disperse all of the impact; his feet left the ground, and he took a large step back. He had moved Reinhard from his spot through a series of heavy blows. For Garfiel, who had been made to realize the gap in their strength that day, this was the greatest medal of honor. Perhaps Reinhard felt it too; the 'Sword Saint' raised his head, his cheeks tightening slightly.

"Your skill—"

"Ya gonna say I’ve improved!?"

"That is exactly what I was going to say."

Garfiel lunged in, determined to seize praise not through words, but through victory itself. The fact that his opponent had been pushed back by a single blow meant that Garfiel’s attack power was reaching Reinhard as something more than a mere breeze. —Of course, Garfiel didn't mistake this good fight for proof that he had surpassed Reinhard in actual ability.

"—It pisses me off, though."

Reinhard stood before them as a pursuer, but it was clear he took no pleasure in opposing Garfiel and the others—or by extension, Subaru and Emilia. Reinhard was merely following the orders of the Royal Castle as the 'Sword Saint'. Furthermore, he had gone so far as to not bring any other soldiers to avoid casualties—he was facing Garfiel now while sealing away his own catastrophic combat power.

In a manner of speaking, Garfiel was in his strongest state, full of spirit and physical strength, while Reinhard was in his weakest state, with low motivation and binding himself to consider collateral damage. That was why this miraculous stalemate was occurring.

"—It really, really pisses me off."

He wanted to win. Garfiel wanted to win. Without allowing the opponent any room for excuses, he wanted to win against this strong opponent he couldn't even touch before, drawing an absurd growth curve.

He wanted Subaru to say, 'As expected of Garfiel. I knew you'd win!' He wanted Otto to be impressed and say, 'You really saved us this time, Garfiel.' He wanted Frederica to acknowledge him, saying, 'I'm surprised, Garf. You've become a full-grown man, haven't you?' He wanted Mimi to make a fuss, 'Yahaa! Garf, so cool! So strong!!' and he wanted Ram to praise him, 'Hmph, not bad, Garf.' He wanted everyone to smile.

—He crushed that greedy desire for victory within himself and poured his soul into this moment, into this completely unfair rematch with the 'Sword Saint'.

"—Gaoooooo!!"

Up, down, right, left, front, back, surface, interior, heaven, earth—the dynamic Garfiel leaped about, raining down a fierce assault from sixteen, thirty-two directions upon the enduring Reinhard, leaving not even a gap for a mouse to squeeze through. The thundering sounds of impact were faster, heavier, and louder than a drumroll, relentlessly battering, cleaving, and crushing the peace of the Royal Capital.

But that was natural. It was inevitable. It was destiny. The peace of the Royal Capital here was a lie. It was a sham. A facade. Beneath this, Subaru was being threatened; behind this, Emilia was being threatened; in the shadows, they themselves were being threatened.

Against Reinhard, who stood as the tangible, irrational threat—

"Get crushed!!—"

The moment Reinhard caught the full-force right hook with his raised sheath, Garfiel rotated his slightly raised left knee—and slammed his foot hard against the ground. In an instant, the energy he had accumulated through the 'Divine Protection of Earth Spirits'—a power of the earth he hadn't manifested once during this fierce assault—swelled up all at once.

—Until now, while Garfiel had been raining down full-power attacks, he had never once diverted the 'Divine Protection of Earth Spirits' into an attack to shake Reinhard’s footing. He had used the protection's effect solely to strengthen his own body, saving his trump card. All for this one move to lift Reinhard off his feet.

Even for someone like Reinhard, if his body was launched into the air, he would have no choice but to rely on free fall to come back down. If he was in the air where he couldn't gain leverage, it should be possible for Garfiel to deal damage with a follow-up attack, or at least focus on escaping. Therefore—

"Right—here—" "—You really have improved."

Reinhard stomped down from directly above on that swelling energy from directly below.

"————"

In an instant, the power that was about to erupt lost its outlet and spread in all directions from the sole of Reinhard’s boot. The street cracked and peeled away, the power escaping as it fractured a corner of the Royal Capital. The buildings surrounding the battlefield were showered with that explosive energy and collapsed one after another. At that sight, Garfiel’s emerald eyes widened—

"The residents of this area have already been evacuated. —There is no need to worry."

A flash. Light and impact raced from one end of his vision to the other, piercing Garfiel’s body diagonally and slamming his upper half headfirst into the ground.

A groan of "Ka" escaped him. As if tracing the cracks from when Reinhard had stomped the rising earth, an even larger and thicker fracture appeared on the street, creating a semi-circular crater. In the Empire, Garfiel had resisted even the 'Cloud Dragon’s' strike head-on. Of course, he hadn't come out unscathed, but he had endured. —That toughness was failing him now.

"—Ah."

He could feel the bones of his entire body creaking, his muscles screaming, and his internal organs choosing silence. His body was panicking from the sheer power; his sight tried to convey taste, his hearing tried to convey pain, his smell tried to convey color, his taste tried to convey sound, and his touch tried to convey scent—nothing connected to understanding.

Was it painful? Was it bitter? Did it smell like rust? Was it loud? He didn't know what had happened. He had been hit by a single, fatal blow that made everything incomprehensible. Hit. Hit. Hit-hit-hit-hit-hit-hit-hit-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi—

"—"

His consciousness swirled, was torn apart, and began to scatter. However, even in the midst of that, he felt someone nearby catch their breath. The one who caught his breath and widened his eyes was the red man. The blue-eyed man. The opponent who had to be stopped. —Garfiel grabbed the right arm that had delivered the hand-sword strike with both of his own, refusing to let go.

This much, he had decided, he would do. He did it. He had to.

"Aooohhhhh...!"

"Garfiel, you—"

The air was squeezed out of his heart—Heart? Stomach? Which one was the container for air? It didn't matter. Anyway, even if the air bag was empty, he would howl. Howling gave him strength. If he had strength, he wouldn't let this arm escape. If he didn't let it escape, then—

"Uaaaaaa—!!"

—Without missing the chance, his trusted green 'something' would move properly.

"————"

With his arm still held tight, the red man noticed the voice and looked forward. Seeing the green 'something' charging in recklessly, the red man’s eyes filled with caution. He couldn't read what it would do. He didn't know what it would try. He couldn't guess what it intended. In the meantime, the distance between green and red closed, closed, closed, and—without anything happening, the distance between green and red became zero.

"Is it possible... there’s nothing?"

"That would be the best way to catch you off guard, wouldn't it...?"

With one arm pinned, the other arm swung, grazing the green one's chin. The green one, who had charged straight in with nothing, was hit by that blow. Without any means to resist, his ability to act was stolen, and he had no choice but to collapse. As he fell, he whispered.

"—Now."

It seemed as if his lips had made a sound that wasn't quite a sound. While receiving all the phenomena outside of his understanding as information flowing from right to left, Garfiel—yes, Garfiel. The brain that recognized itself as Garfiel received it and processed the information. Red was there, green had fallen, and Garfiel was there. And then—

"Now!" "Small Crimson Scorpion-chaaan!"

Two streaks of white light raced through the air, passing through the line of fire opened by the fallen green one, heading straight for the red one. There was no sound to speak of; those two streaks of light were faster than arrows as they approached the red one—the red one who had his right arm pinned and had just swung his left.

"I'm surprised."

But the red one used the elbow of the left arm that had struck down the green one to half-rotate the sword in the white sheath at his waist, perfectly parrying the light from the side. The light shattered with a sound like splashing water, and the attack that was supposed to reach Reinhard—the combined move of Petra and Meili—was blocked.

Garfiel’s self-sacrifice, Otto’s devotion, Petra and Meili’s surprise attack—none of them had reached Reinhard—

"————"

—When a fiercely rotating spiked iron ball slammed into the very center of Reinhard.

Holding her breath, Rem forbade herself any waste in order to pour her entire being into a single instant.

She cut off all various thoughts—the agitation or emotional fluctuations that might sap her strength, the over-eagerness that might blur her aim—and invested literally everything into a single throw.

Garfiel challenged him, Otto schemed, and Petra and Meili took the opening. To break through the overwhelming wall that was Reinhard, which even those efforts couldn't breach, she even had to use the humiliation of being treated as a non-combatant as a weapon.

Swallowing all those psychological elements, Rem poured her full strength into that throw.

"Haaaaaa—!"

Playing the melody of the chain stretching straight out, the spiked iron ball—the morning star—raced through the air, punching through the atmosphere as it closed in on Reinhard’s torso. It was obvious, but if a weapon of this weight and hardness hit directly, a human body would not be left intact. The reason Rem cast aside all hesitation was her trust in her opponent's abnormality. Even if she hit him in the head with this from behind in a perfect state, she had the awe and trust in an opponent on a different stage that Reinhard would not lose his life.

The black iron ball, filled with that intent, was sucked toward the center of Reinhard’s chest—

"—!?"

The moment she thought it would hit, Rem felt an impact on her right shoulder strong enough to nearly dislocate it.

"What—"

—happened? In Rem’s wide-eyed vision, Reinhard, who should have been hit directly by the iron ball, was standing there with his long leg kicked high. —No, that was wrong. It was a kick. Following the tip of that leg pointing toward the sky, the morning star Rem had thrown had been kicked away, sent flying into the air at an invisible speed. The shock of the chain reaching its limit had traveled to Rem’s body, nearly destroying her shoulder.

"—Ah."

Before the pain could tear her body apart, her heart felt like it would tear from understanding the reality. She had failed. Even though Garfiel had exhausted his strength, Otto had feigned helplessness, and Petra and Meili had acted as distractions to clear the path for Rem, the main attacker. The single chance that the five of them had created together was—

"It didn't reach—"

"—No, I shall make it reach."

—In an instant, the voice of a man Rem didn't know drowned out her lament.

"————"

Everyone present caught their breath and turned toward the voice that had arrived like a surprise attack. —The owner of that voice was a white-haired man in a butler’s suit, gripping twin swords that shimmered with silver light. Overflowing with an immense sword aura from his entire body, the man spoke.

"To provide the move that shall save my master, I, the 'Sword Devil' Wilhelm Trias—shall assist."

The split-second clash that began immediately after the introduction was everything.

"—Grandfather."

The moment a murmur mixed with surprise and sorrow escaped him, the 'Sword Devil'—Wilhelm—leaned forward and dashed like a bullet within Reinhard’s wavering eyes. Kicking off the shattered and upturned street, Wilhelm vanished the distance between himself and Reinhard in an instant, leveling his twin swords at his waist in a silver flash. He took advantage of the tiny gap before it was unleashed, before it reached.

"Where ya lookin', oi."

With bloodshot eyes and his right arm still desperately pinned, Garfiel caused the ground he was pressed against to swell. The rising street attacked Reinhard. The technique was crude and the aim was blurred, but it was a reckless attack unleashed with sheer numbers and range, as if praying for anything to hit. Reinhard swung his retracted left arm, sweeping it in a semi-circle. A shockwave was born, and fragments scattered. Into that, Wilhelm’s slashing strike—

"Aaaaaaa—!!"

Faster than that, Rem, letting out a high-pitched cry, swung her right arm down with all her might. —With a pale glowing horn growing from her forehead, the Oni girl, now capable of movements exceeding physical limits, had pulled back the iron ball that had been kicked up once and slammed it down again from directly above.

For Reinhard, whose attention had been stolen by the rising earth and the 'Sword Devil' approaching nearby, an attack from the sky that he thought he had already dealt with should have been the ultimate surprise attack. However—

"You can do this much?"

Reinhard muttered as he caught the falling iron ball with the sheath of the 'Dragon Sword'. The sword that had slipped from his waist when he blocked Petra and the others' attack—he had kicked it up so that his left hand, which had just blocked Garfiel’s earth manipulation, could catch it and meet the iron ball.

An abnormal combat ability that blocked every attack so far with nothing but superhuman reflexes. But even so, finally—

"Riaaaaaaaa—!!"

Along with a shout that seemed to split the earth, the 'Sword Devil’s' twin swords raced forth as silver light. It was a sword strike incomparable to the various surprise attacks so far, a state that could only be reached by one who had devoted themselves entirely to the sword. It closed in on the 'Sword Saint'. His left arm, holding the 'Dragon Sword', was occupied with the iron ball, and his right arm was pinned by Garfiel. —This time, it seemed there was no way to block that flash of the blade.

—Unless his right arm was leveled along with Garfiel’s body.

"—Ah."

With Garfiel still clinging to his arm, Reinhard intended to mow down Wilhelm. Even so, Garfiel had no way to stop it, and even if he released the arm now, the free hand-sword would only meet Wilhelm head-on. It was still more inconvenient for Reinhard to have Garfiel acting as a blunt weapon. However, if Garfiel collided with Wilhelm as a weapon, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity provided by the reliable reinforcement would be lost—

"————"

In an instant, Garfiel and Wilhelm’s gazes crossed, and instinct understood. And Garfiel accepted Wilhelm’s decision. The 'Sword Devil’s' resolute determination—the answer was—

"—No way."

The answer was delivered in a visible form, and Reinhard’s eyes were dyed with shock.

"It is your... your bad habit. You underestimate the extent of others' resolve."

Wilhelm’s blue eyes, calm as a lake, stared at that shock and spoke. The unleashed sword light was delivered in a semi-circle—slashing through the flank of the raised Garfiel, the blade passing through to Reinhard, whose leg was deeply cut.

"Finally... it reached, damn it...!"

Truly, "cutting through flesh to bone"—the experience of standing back-to-back in Pristella served their wordless cooperation here. In Reinhard’s sense, if Garfiel was in the path of the sword, Wilhelm should have stopped his attack. However, the 'Sword Devil' did not do so; he grasped the objective that Garfiel and the others had to achieve. Therefore, trusting in Garfiel’s regenerative power, he cut Reinhard along with Garfiel.

"—"

With a deep wound in his leg, Reinhard caught his breath, and Garfiel slipped from his arm. Pressing his hand to the wound in his side, Garfiel activated healing magic even as his consciousness threatened to fade. While feeling a slight difficulty in the activation, he poured his full strength into the emergency treatment.

"That was magnificent."

Before the slipping Garfiel could hit the ground, Wilhelm’s arm reached out and caught his body. Wilhelm had already sheathed his twin swords and was holding the fallen Otto in his other arm. Holding both of them, Wilhelm looked at Reinhard.

"Even for you, that wound will not heal in an instant."

"Grandfather, please wait! They... Crusch-sama is—"

"I cannot entrust my sword to the current Kingdom."

"—!"

Responding to the voice trying to stop him, Wilhelm leaped backward with a great bound. Reinhard, left behind, widened his eyes, but as Wilhelm pointed out, the wound in his leg was deep, and even he couldn't move immediately.

"Rem-dono, who has awakened! Take the girls!"

"Yes! Unknown grandfather!"

In the meantime, at Wilhelm’s call, Rem quickly turned and ran to Petra and Meili, scooping up their bodies as they cried out in surprise. Beside them, Otto, carried by Wilhelm, stirred slightly.

"Go west... along the wall...!"

"Otto-san! You're ali—"

"I'm alive...! There are no voices or presence of bugs to the west. —There’s no way to be tricked."

"—Understood."

Assuming that his 'Divine Protection of Soul Language' had been used against him, Otto made a move to avoid further deception by escaping toward where no voices of creatures could be heard. Following those instructions, Wilhelm nodded to Rem and they both sprinted away at once, attempting to flee while leaving Reinhard behind on the battlefield.

"————"

While being shaken violently in the 'Sword Devil’s' arms, Garfiel managed to move his neck and look back at the corner of the capital that had been devastated in such a short time, and at Reinhard left behind there. He had his thoughts. It wasn't that he hated Reinhard. However, he felt a sense of relief and achievement at having somehow managed to overcome the obstacle who had become incompatible with their choices in this place—

"—Even so, I am the Sword of the Kingdom."

In that moment, Garfiel felt the world catch its breath. It didn't stop its breath; it caught it. —Along with a quiet vibration of the atmosphere, the 'Dragon Sword' Reid, exposing its legendary blade, emitted a cold, bluish-white glow.

—The 'Dragon Sword' Reid.

It was one of the ten magic and holy swords in the world, a legendary blade permitted to be wielded only by the 'Sword Saint' of the Dragon Kingdom Lugnica, passed down through generations. While its immense hidden power was rumored, it was said to be a sword with a peculiar nature, where the sword itself chose when it should be drawn, making actual opportunities to see it in action extremely rare.

Especially since it had come into the hands of the current 'Sword Saint', Reinhard van Astrea, the occasions for the 'Dragon Sword' to be used had decreased drastically. The number of confirmed instances where it was drawn could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That was, without a doubt, because the transcendent strength of its owner, Reinhard, reduced his opponents to those who didn't even require the 'Dragon Sword' to be drawn.

In fact, in many situations where Reinhard was called upon to act as the 'Sword Saint', the immense power of the 'Dragon Sword' Reid was not needed. Therefore, the 'Dragon Sword' Reid had been evaluated by Natsuki Subaru as, "Wouldn't it be stronger to just swing it around as an absolutely unbreakable blunt weapon?" which had left a wry smile on Reinhard’s face. However—

"————"

Once the blade of the 'Dragon Sword' was revealed, the world recognized it as a major event. The conditions for the 'Dragon Sword' Reid to be drawn remained a mystery even to those who knew Lugnica’s history and the 'Sword Saint' family that had owned it for generations. Whether it was the strength of the enemy, the weight of what was carried, or the ferocity of the crisis faced—none of these were the definitive answer. The only thing that could be said for certain was that when the 'Dragon Sword' Reid was drawn, its purpose was never unfulfilled.

"————"

As if showered by a cold wave, his mind and body, struck by the sword aura, trembled. It was no good. No good. No good. No good. No good. No good. No good. No good. No good. That was something that must absolutely not be allowed to be swung.

"—"

A clack sounded, and the teeth of Garfiel, held by the old swordsman who had intervened, chattered. He, too, had looked back at Reinhard when he shouldn't have, witnessed the drawn 'Dragon Sword', and felt his skin crawl.

Rem and the old swordsman, who had no room to look back, likely sensed the density of the sword aura being unleashed with their very souls, perhaps even through their backs. Even so, they desperately refused to cower and did what they had to do.

She thought that was truly amazing. She was impressed. She couldn't do that. Without an example, how could they do it? So, she would follow their example and do what she had to do. —She would surely be scolded, though.

She would do what she had to do. Because she wanted to stand alongside them, who always lived their lives to the fullest—

"—Come out, Sand Earthworm-chaaan!!"

In the next moment, without exaggeration, the sensation of the earth violently shaking rocked the Royal Capital.

"Meili-chan!?"

Petra, who was held in Rem’s arms and was searching for something to resist the 'Dragon Sword', widened her eyes and looked in shock at Meili, who had broken the warning. At Petra’s gaze, Meili stuck out her tongue with a "Sorry."

"I know that if I do this, it’ll cause trouble for Subaru-onii-san and Emilia-onee-san... but we can't let it end here, can we?"

"—You idiot! Idiot, idiot! After you were finally forgiven...!"

"Ah, so that was Petra-chan’s..."

Meili understood Petra’s words as she repeatedly called her an idiot with teary eyes. The fear that Meili, a 'Mabeast User', would make the danger of the Emilia Camp even more widely known by calling mabeasts was only part of the reason. What Petra truly wanted to stop was the situation where the Kingdom would again view Meili as a threat—Meili, who had been forgiven for her past as a dangerous assassin while acting as a guide to the Pleiades Watchtower.

"It’s fine. ...I got to have a dream for a little while, after all."

She thought that maybe her sins could be forgiven and she could walk a normal path. In fact, she had considered walking such a future together with the people who were kind to her. That was enough; her heart had been warmed, just like when she was with that troublesome sister of hers.

—Because she had seen such a dream.

"'Sword Saint' big brother, can you follow us? I sent four Sand Earthworm-chans to all the north, south, east, and west gates of the capital, so everyone must be in a huge panic by now, right?"

They were the Sand Earthworms that lived in the Augria Sand Dunes, incomparably larger than any others. Meili gave instructions through her 'Divine Protection of Magic Manipulation' to the trump cards she had ordered to follow her secretly and had hidden beneath the capital, intentionally inciting terror.

If Reinhard didn't go, there might be casualties. —Meili’s heart wouldn't ache even if that happened. As long as the people here—Subaru, Beatrice, and Emilia—weren't hurt, it was fine. She didn't care who died, as long as it wasn't the people who cherished her and whom she wanted to cherish.

"—Meili."

Far away, she saw the lips of Reinhard, who held the 'Dragon Sword', move. Meili was also someone who had traveled to the Pleiades Watchtower with Reinhard and Felt. They had spent time together, and she remembered him being kind to her. Even so, it didn't compare to Subaru and the others.

"I'm a bad girl, after all."

With a mocking smile, Meili waved her hand slightly at Reinhard. Meili herself didn't notice the hot droplets that spilled from the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. The only ones who noticed were the 'Sword Saint', whose eyes could clearly capture her even from a distance that was rapidly growing, and Petra, who wept for her friend’s decision while being held by the sprinting Rem.

"Meili-chan, you idiot... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...!"

The weeping friend’s great decision and the girl’s tearful apology fell hollowly into the air. After that great, great choice—

"————"

—For the first time since the 'Dragon Sword' Reid had come into the hands of the 'Sword Saint' Reinhard van Astrea, the sword was returned to its sheath without fulfilling the purpose for which it had been drawn.