Valhalla Awakens
Thanks to her memories of the future, Beatrice had saved countless lives.
"I'll hold you accountable later for ignoring the evacuation alert."
A group of users hiding inside the city out of fear.
"That monster's core is near its thigh!"
To the soldiers struggling against a high-rank beast.
Beatrice moved busily—but the situation barely improved.
We're overwhelmingly short on manpower.
The monsters were strong. Especially the five familiars following Jahar.
Each one was at least Sword Demon level.
Ignis
Whoosh!
By a hair's breadth, scorching flames engulfed the basilisk's tail. Beatrice rolled away on the ground and hurriedly looked up.
Edward approached, flames flickering around him.
"You held out well, Beatrice."
His eyes burned as fiercely as the blazing fire.
"I'll repay this debt someday—"
The holy Edward. He'd turned back upon receiving the support request and arrived, albeit late.
Beatrice's face lit up brightly. Perfect timing, perfect reinforcement.
"Leave this to me. As Sisilia's adjutant, you must have duties to fulfill."
At Edward's words, Beatrice snapped to attention and saluted.
"Understood!"
Beatrice dashed toward the square. She cleaved through demons like lightning at high speed.
Her destination was only one place: the square.
This time, I'll definitely stop it—
She'd seen multiple despairing futures. The most horrific was the world she'd witnessed when Chiron died.
A ruined world of annihilation. A world destroyed not by anyone else, but by Sisilia herself.
That future must never come to pass.
We've come this far. We can do it. Without a doubt, this current future is the most hopeful!
Thanks to the judgment that Sisilia would bind Maui, the tangled threads unraveled.
There was only now. If she couldn't stop it now, there'd be no next time.
Beatrice hated the thought of regressing even one more time more than death.
This time, no one would die—
"Lord Chiron!"
Arriving at the square, Beatrice stared blankly at the scene.
The knight among knights, Sword Sovereign Chiron. The epitome of chivalry, a righteous knight of such dignity that embodying knighthood would yield Chiron himself—he was the idol of many knights.
But the Chiron people knew wasn't here.
What stood here was a Sword Demon mad with vengeance.
"Raaagh!"
Chiron let out a monstrous scream, swinging his fists wildly.
Jahar was already reduced to an unrecognizable pulp.
"Aaaargh!"
Gathered in the square weren't just Beatrice. Lude was there, and Erterion too.
With Edward's arrival securing the city's defense, they'd shifted priorities to Jahar.
Yet none could lift a finger.
"Raaaaagh!"
It was a scream so raw and anguished it felt like his soul itself was wailing, suppressing everyone.
No one dared interfere.
"Enough, please stop!"
The only one who moved was Erterion. He blocked Chiron's fist.
Panting heavily, Chiron looked down hurriedly.
Whoosh—
Jahar was gone. Only gray ash remained.
"Jahar is already dead."
"......Why."
Chiron gritted his teeth.
"Not yet. I haven't avenged even half of Seria's grudge."
"That's more than enough, my lord."
Erterion said quietly.
"Your efforts have surely reached Lady Seria."
The black flower blooming behind Chiron's back grew larger. Having killed Jahar and achieved his purpose, Chiron's will was fading.
Erterion bit his lip. This was an unstoppable fate.
"If only—if only I'd given my all...!"
And everyone present sensed it.
A massive hole gaped in Chiron's abdomen.
Survival was impossible. No potion or healing magic could save him.
But one person was different.
"No."
If Chiron died, Sisilia would rampage. She'd already seen that world of ruin once.
More than that, Beatrice couldn't accept it.
She'd regressed dozens of times, striving to avoid this exact future.
This was a future Beatrice couldn't comprehend.
I'll regress.
Without hesitation, as she drew her sword to her own throat—
"Nya!"
Suddenly, a white cat jumped onto the blade and hissed.
"A c-cat?"
"Nya."
The cat stared straight into Beatrice's eyes. The moment its eerie golden gaze captured her—
Fwoosh!
"Flames...?"
"Her Majesty has intervened—wait. That cat couldn't be...!"
A voice flashed through Beatrice's mind.
How to use Extreme Art? You'll just know when the time comes. Like, 'oh shit, is it now?' That kind of feeling. Prep your delusions starting now for that moment. You can't change an Extreme Art once set.
Beatrice realized the moment Jerryway described was now.
"Beatrice! What are you doing?!"
"Just a moment, that—"
"Enlightenment?"
"With the Light Blessing—"
"Shut up! You're breaking Betty's focus!"
Beatrice hurriedly closed her eyes and desperately recalled.
Through dozens of regressions, the scene she'd always imagined in her heart.
A world where no one died. A world where no one grieved or suffered.
Beatrice poured that wish entirely into her sword.
Now, she felt she could do it.
Beatrice raised her sword high.
Domain of absolute immortality unfolds
Without hesitation, she slammed her sword into the ground and held her breath.
Valhalla
Radiant light enveloped all of Terezia.
The absolute domain where no one dies had unfolded.
**
Clang—clang.
Sisilia parried Maui with minimal movement while standing in place. Each successful parry made Maui flinch for about 0.1 seconds.
Normally, it should have frozen for 1-2 seconds.
"What ridiculous difficulty."
Maui, struck head-on by Heaven-Breaking Powerless Sword, was on the brink of death.
Even in its vastly weakened state, Maui moved like a monster.
Tough was tough; even a graze would summon the Demon God.
"Though I'd grab the Demon God's hair and slap her silly."
Sisilia smiled faintly, but her expression soon turned icy.
"Monsters like this would scare off all the newbies."
Craaack—!
Maui trembled at Sisilia's feet. Black smoke, unrecognizable in form, was skewered by her sword like a kebab.
The condition to kill Maui was just fulfilled: mana at 4%.
Sisilia groped the air while pinning Maui.
"...Where is it."
Half-opening her eyes sleepily, Sisilia pulled something from her inventory.
Holy relic, 'Holy Grail that Grants Wishes'.
"Found it."
Sisilia hadn't only been scammed until now. As a veteran, she had a nose for expensive items.
...Though she couldn't spot fakes, getting duped every time.
Fortunately, this was one of the only two genuine articles she owned.
A holy item that granted one wish when filled.
But Sisilia didn't know the filling condition.
However, it didn't have to be filled with something specific to use a wish.
Because this was a holy relic.
In Another World terms, a Mythic item—the product of the goddess's meticulous craft.
Sisilia turned the grail upside down and applied force with innocent eyes.
Crunch—
Compressed wind leaked from her hand.
"Before I break it."
Sisilia looked up at the sky chillingly.
"Balance patch this properly."
Kaboom!
Holy light from the heavens struck Maui directly.
Sisilia crouched and peered closely at the ground.
"Maui."
No trace of Maui remained. Utterly annihilated.
"Phew."
Finishing the grueling battle(?), Sisilia stood and dusted her butt.
Now, only cheering for Chiron's fight and raising Betty remained.
...Will it be okay?
Thinking of Chiron hardened her expression.
Jahar dies by my hand.
She couldn't intervene there. It had to mean something—Chiron killing Jahar with his full power.
Chiron will win.
Sisilia bit her lip slightly and walked on.
If worst came to worst, she'd help secretly.
But—
"......"
Sisilia's eyes went dead for a moment.
Wriggle, wriggle.
In her vision, a tadpole-like thing slipped out through the city walls.
The presence felt like Jahar.
Bam!
Sisilia instantly teleported there, grabbed the tadpole desperately, and lifted it.
"Ah."
Sisilia sighed in relief.
This was as good as dead already. It had barely escaped with its soul on sheer will to survive—but collapsing in real time, it'd die on its own if left.
"Good. You won."
Sisilia smiled brightly.
"Throat—dry."
"Huh?"
Jahar spoke in a half-conscious tone.
"The thirst won't stop."
Sisilia tilted her head.
"Because of Descartes?"
"......!"
Jahar looked up.
"How—"
"Jahar."
Sisilia said with emotionless eyes.
"Descartes was scheduled for execution by humans that day. Branded a traitor. Because he kept his promise to you until the end."
"I-impossible. Descartes never once saw me as a true friend—"
"A lie. A lie so he wouldn't burden you. And consideration not to let his one true friend suffer the same fate."
"!"
Jahar's eyes widened, looking down.
"Then this thirst."
Jahar twisted in agony.
He wanted to cry, but demons couldn't.
"This thirst... was the emotion of regret."
Sisilia blinked.
"Sorry. I don't know what that's like."
Turning away, she muttered softly.
"Freya."
"Yes."
The white short-haired demon appeared beside Sisilia.
"Slow its time perception."
"Target: Jahar?"
"Yeah."
Freya extended her hand toward Jahar.
"Poor Jahar. You die in 3 real seconds, but to you, those 3 seconds will be ten million years."
After using her Authority, Freya asked Sisilia.
"Sisilia. What you told Jahar—was it true?"
Freya had told her the story about Descartes.
But even Freya didn't know Descartes's thoughts.
Freya was curious. How did Sisilia know a human's mind from a thousand years ago?
"A lie."
"......"
Freya broke into cold sweat.
Imagining Jahar suffering for ten million years due to that lie.
A human more demonic than demons—
But that's why she liked her even more.
—Vmmm.
All of Terezia bathed in golden light.
A rare domain-type Extreme Art, surpassing humans—even demons.
Freya smiled.
The result of regression—the chosen human's outcome was quite entertaining.
Sisilia had no choice but to acknowledge Beatrice's credit this time.
Beatrice was precious to Sisilia.
That precious human had awakened a domain-type Extreme Art.
She deserved the highest praise.
Sisilia had promised a reward.
Freya anticipated it.
She'd already decided her wish: sleeping together in bed.
I studied humans from books in Beatrice's room. Now it bears fruit.
For some reason, humans often said 'let's sleep together in bed' to loved ones.
Freya blushed slightly, gazing at Sisilia.
The territory dyed golden—this must be the romantic humans spoke of.
But.
"It's... cooler than mine."
Sisilia was sobbing on the ground.
"?"
Freya's brain froze at Sisilia's incomprehensible behavior.