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Under the starry sky, the black giant strode slowly through the capital.
Its colossal frame shook the earth with every step. With each movement, sludge-like miasma dripped from its body, creating pools of mire at its feet that swallowed the crushed remains of buildings. The Origin. The King of Monsters, the symbol of the Great Collapse. To face it was suicide. To challenge it was despair. But—
“Hmph. Quite a large target.”
Blocking the giant’s path, a line of young women in black suits stood firm. They weren’t armed with their usual concealable pistols, but with infantry rifles designed for group combat. At their head, Rosetta looked up at the monster and scoffed, showing no fear.
“Almost too easy for target practice. Seems the reports of it being incomplete were true.”
The mire pooling around the Origin’s feet reached its ankles, hindering its movement. Slow, weak… hitting it would be easy.
“All units, take aim! Prepare for volley fire—FIRE!!”
At her command, dazzling muzzle flashes tore through the night. Countless bullets rained down on the giant’s knees. Monsters couldn’t normally be harmed by anything other than magic; their regeneration would instantly heal any wound unless magic was used to suppress it. But the giant roared in agony as the bullets tore through its flesh. Instead of blood, miasma sprayed from the wounds, and chunks of sludge-like flesh splattered onto the ground.
“It’s called ‘Enchantment Magic,’ you know?”
Rosetta taunted the beast, though it likely couldn’t understand.
“A monster’s regeneration is suppressed by magic power. Enchantment Magic imbues weapons with that power, temporarily making them effective against monsters. Cooperating with <Noah> like this is irritating, but a complete victory is what the Boss wants. Just this once, I’ll play along!”
“Uh, President? You can fall back, y’know?”
One of the black-suited girls raised her hand behind the still-talking Rosetta.
“Just giving orders from the rear is fine. I mean, your legs aren’t shaking like a fawn this time, but… your face is pretty stiff.”
“Of course it is! This is terrifying!”
Rosetta admitted her fear without hesitation. She still wasn’t used to firefights, and this was a monster. To a non-mage, it was a walking disaster. The fear swirling inside her threatened to freeze her feet. But being scared and being stopped were two different things.
“I already failed the Boss once. There won’t be a second time.”
The regret of being unable to defeat the previous monster, of letting her Master get hurt… that shame still burned within her. That heat, fueling her devotion, pushed her forward. Besides, missing a shot twice in a row would be disgraceful. Because the Master she looked up to, the one whose gun techniques she emulated…
“They say the ‘Magic Marksman’ resides in the capital! There’s no way a subordinate of our Boss—the 7th Seat Imperial Knight, 【Magic Bowstring】—would falter at something like this!”
She poured her pride into reloading her rifle.
“I… I’m going to get praised by the Boss for this—FIRE!!”
A second concentrated volley shattered the Origin’s knees. The magically imbued bullets, like silver slugs, tore through the monster’s flesh, forcing the giant crashing to its knees. The Origin roared, its advance halted. And seizing the opportunity—the Silver Wolf bared her fangs.
“So they brought it to its knees. The Guild isn’t completely useless, it seems.”
The giant, its support gone, bowed its head, momentarily stunned. From the rooftops, the maid-knights observed coolly. Their leader, Prima, drew the rapier from her hip, its tip aimed at the Origin.
“With its head lowered that far, our blades can reach. As planned, we will finish it. Everyone, follow me—”
Just as Prima began to issue the command, the sludge—the materialized miasma—that had pooled from the Origin’s wounds began to bubble violently. And from within it—with a deafening buzz—monsters clawed their way out. Not just one, but countless fly-like beasts erupted from the mire like hatching insects and swarmed into the sky, diving straight for Prima and her knights.
“—Leader, are you alright?”
But before the swarm could reach her, dozens of sword flashes reduced them to dust. The perfectly coordinated counterattack came from the maid-knights under Prima’s command. Prima herself hadn’t even needed to draw her sword; she trusted her subordinates implicitly.
“Thank you. …The ability to birth lesser monsters. I see… the Origin’s power is returning.”
She glanced back at the Origin. More insectoid monsters were continuously spawning from the miasma, threatening to fill the sky. There was no time to waste dealing with them one by one. The target was the Origin’s head. She could reach it by running across the rooftops, but the swarm would interfere. Prima readied her rapier, blade held low, and snarled at the oncoming horde.
“—Get out of my way!!”
She coiled her legs and sprang like a released spring, launching herself directly into the swarm. Ducking under the claws of the nearest beast, her blade flashed as she passed. The pale blue light emanating from it—the effect of Enchantment Magic—easily sliced through the monster’s carapace. But she didn’t stop. She plunged deeper into the overwhelming swarm, the deafening buzz threatening to rupture her eardrums. She ran, leaped, slashed, swept, parried, kicked, jumped, stomped, danced, and thrust. Faster than the eye could follow, she engaged and dispatched monster after monster. Too brutal to be a dance, too elegant to be mere savagery. Anyone who knew would have seen the ghost of the former 12th Seat Imperial Knight, 【Scorpion Hunt】, in her movements.
Prima had never been formally taught swordsmanship by Arl. But the image of his movements from the day he’d effortlessly defeated her, the assassin, was burned into her mind. That image had been her silent teacher for five long years. This sword dance wasn’t for the pathetic monsters before her. Prima’s service was always dedicated to one person alone.
“—Move aside, you beasts.”
She sliced off a monster’s head, horns and all, and murmured, her voice cold. What drove her wasn’t just duty—it was something far stronger. A personal grudge.
“Origin. You are the source of my Master’s curse, the one who burdened him with such suffering. Oh, I haven’t forgiven the foolish Empire that tried to execute him either, but you come first.”
She broke through the storm of monsters. Leaping from the final rooftop, she soared through the air towards the Origin’s now-exposed head.
“You mimic a human form. Your weak points should be similar, shouldn’t they?”
She reversed her grip on her broken sword’s hilt, holding it like a dagger. Arching her back like a drawn bow, she aimed for the neck—a universal weak spot.
“Die and apologize, you black giant!”
She plunged the jagged remnant of her blade downwards, into the swirling miasma obscuring its true form. KLANG! A hard impact jarred her hand. Prima’s eyes widened. The black mist erupted defensively, swallowing her broken blade, instantly corroding it until it crumbled away. The Origin’s eye focused on Prima, who had failed to deliver the killing blow. The massive, humanoid monster seemed to regard her with something akin to mockery.
“—Just kidding! I’m good at this too, you know!?”
Prima stuck her tongue out defiantly. In the same motion, she hurled a hidden dagger—an assassin’s tool—straight into the monster’s watching eye. Squish. The blade sank deep into the weak point, magical sparks flying as the enchanted tip pierced through to its brain.
————ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO————
The Origin shrieked in pain. Prima, falling through the air, let out a sigh of relief. Her part was done. She had no choice but to entrust the rest to them. As much as it galled her, she would yield the final blow.
“—Now finish it off, <Noah>!”
The Origin was incomplete, its awakening disrupted by Arl’s interference. If they could inflict enough damage and force it back into the land that formed the base of its seal, they should be able to reseal it—that was <Noah>’s assessment. Based on this plan, the Three Organizations were coordinating their attack.
“…Commencing… final phase… of the operation.”
Before Kirsi stood the black giant, writhing in agony. Its legs had been crippled by <Blacksmith>’s firepower, and <Fenrir>’s strike had brought the King of Monsters low. Now, it was <Noah>’s turn.
“…It shouldn’t be… this weak…”
As a mage, Kirsi understood the true threat the Origin represented. Even in its barely awakened state, it had already destroyed a section of the capital. But only a section. Compared to the utter devastation of the Great Collapse, it was clear how much weaker it currently was. The Origin was the progenitor, the King. Normally, even standing against it should be impossible. And yet, the former Imperial Knights had managed to seal it away.
“My Master… really is… amazing.”
Her chest filled with pride, Kirsi began the chant. Wanting to be worthy of such a Master, she and her fellow mages sang the Chorus Magic together.
“—Open, White Score.”
At the Origin’s feet, within the pool of miasma, a complex magic sigil began to glow. The White Score. An esoteric system of magic created and compiled long ago by a single, heretical mage. It demanded such an extraordinarily high level of skill that only its creator could wield it effectively, making it essentially his personal magic style. The only exception… was the creator’s sole apprentice, personally taught and entrusted with the secret arts. That Master’s name was 【Whale Caller】. The 2nd Seat of the Imperial Knights, renowned as the strongest mage on the continent.
“First Movement, First Verse—♪”
Kirsi sang her Master’s magic. The giant seemed to sense the sealing spell, roaring and shaking the earth in resistance, but—
“—Turn now. Final Verse, Slumber’s Sound, Rhythm of Repose—♪”
The layered chants wove together, coalescing magic power into several enormous stakes of pure light. Stakes designed to pin the beast to the earth, to seal it away. They rained down, piercing the giant’s neck, shoulders, arms, and legs. As the monster thrashed, still trying to spew miasma, Kirsi whispered softly.
“Good night. …Bye-bye.”
The magic was complete.
————ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO……————
Its final, agonized roar faded, unheard by anyone who cared. Impaled by the stakes of light, the King of Monsters sank slowly back into the mire from which it came—down into the depths, never to rise again.
After a moment of stunned silence… cheers erupted from the members of the Three Organizations scattered throughout the ruined city.
“…Phew.”
Her magic utterly depleted, Kirsi swayed, collapsing onto the ground, unable to stay upright. She let out an exhausted sigh and looked up at the night sky.
“Master… will he… praise me?”
Picturing his happy expression, a small smile touched her lips as she thought of him. He was surely fighting somewhere else right now. She offered a silent prayer for her Master.
“…Good luck, Master.”
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