Deus Ex Machina

"...What a sight."

The hordes of demons that had filled the air were reduced to ashes, blanketing the sky. The desolate kingdom's landscape, once laid bare, was now shrouded in black, with nothing but corpses littering the ground.

"Haa... I'm worn out, mentally and physically."

I hadn't slain the demons solely with Flame Curse. I'd mixed in other transformation spells and curses along the way, which had drained my stamina considerably. Yet even as the demons dwindled to nearly nothing, Kazeia showed no sign of appearing.

"...This is weird. It doesn't even tell me how much damage I need to deal."

As the demons on the front lines faded away, the sky began to darken to black. Asella murmured lowly, her voice laced with hostility.

"...He's here."

Beyond the front lines, a faint black afterimage flickered into view. Soon, the Demon King Kazeia emerged, clad head to toe in dark blue armor, his eyes blazing white.

"Do those who chose evil of their own accord now block my path?"

His voice, rough like grinding metal, scraped at my ears. Kazeia—the primordial evil of this world that I'd challenged countless times with my comrades, yet never defeated. Now, there were no allies to aid me. If I died here, the quest would fail outright. All the advantages from the Demon King raid would vanish.

I glanced at Asella, burning with red-hot enmity beside me.

'Even fighting alongside Asella, killing him would be impossible.'

But.

'Killing him isn't the goal.'

I didn't know what that question mark meant, but if completion didn't require a kill, it was entirely achievable.

"Alright. Time for the final act."

With those words, Kazeia's sword ignited in green flames. Massive blades of azure sword energy hurtled toward Asella repeatedly. She teleported in front of me in an instant and spoke.

"From here on, this isn't your fight. Thanks for the help."

"Huh? Asella! What do you—"

"This is an order as your Grand Witch. You know what that means."

Her eyes, filled with unyielding resolve—'I won't let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you fight the Demon King'—locked onto mine. Asella smiled faintly and continued.

"No point saying this after the world's already in flames... but it's time to show the world the prestige of a Grand Witch."

The prestige of a Grand Witch. The phrase she always repeated sounded unbearably sad now.

If I let her go like this, Asella would die without question. Even knowing this was a quest, I couldn't defy her will. An indescribable, suffocating emotion tightened around my heart, overwhelming me. Swept up in it, I could only say:

"...Please don't die."

Asella smiled brightly and replied.

"I won't. A Grand Witch doesn't die until she's passed everything on to her successor."

With that, she teleported me far away and faced the Demon King alone. Her arms and legs, which had always seemed so stubby, looked even shorter today. Her small frame appeared tinier than ever. Despite being slashed by Kazeia's sword, flung back repeatedly, she never retreated.

"Asella..."

.

.

.

And Asella watched it all through the crystal orb.

"..."

Her eyes filled with sorrow, she observed her own image on the screen and Noel's dazed expression as he watched it. In the orb, she fought the Demon King desperately—wounded, thrown back, yet rising endlessly to fight again.

"Why... you who were rejected by the world... fight so fiercely for it...?"

The Kazeia in the orb spoke in bewilderment.

Witches. They were outcasts from the mages. Curses stemmed from malevolent wishes for harm, so mages viewed witches who wielded them as ominous and refused to accept them. Thus, the first Grand Witch Priscilla, rejected by the mages, created a sanctuary for witches.

For a time, they were hunted by mages, treated as targets for extermination, and even non-mages joined in. Witches became heretics abandoned by the world, a stigma that persisted.

But after a great war with demons, bolstered by Priscilla's curses, victory was won. The emperor then recognized witches as a legitimate group.

The first Grand Witch, with black hair and beautiful purple eyes. Asella had been saved by her. Having lost her entire family to demons, the child prodigy dreamed of becoming a mage for revenge. But rejected from the mage tower solely for being a commoner, she wandered the streets in despair when Priscilla extended her hand.

"Child. Won't you come with me?"

With nowhere else to go, Asella was captivated by those purple ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes and began life as Priscilla's successor.

Asella idolized her. No—revered her beyond that. In Asella's life, burdened by every misfortune imaginable, Priscilla was a single ray of light.

But every meeting brings a parting. Priscilla passed everything to Asella and was slain by the Demon King. From that day, Asella dreamed only of vengeance. To make the world remember a Grand Witch's prestige, she inherited the title and researched curses and magic relentlessly to kill Kazeia.

Her body stopped growing from bearing so many curses at a young age, but she endured through the long years.

Then, a witch named Noel came to her. Silver hair swaying, purple eyes like Priscilla's, an aura both mysterious and familiar. With innate magical genius matching her own, and a gentle gaze, Asella sometimes overlapped her with Priscilla.

She wondered: sent to Bellanova's worldline that no one could save, how would Noel act?

The result was this. Seeing Noel's conflicted expression watching her on the screen, Asella thought again how much it resembled her memory of Priscilla.

"If it were you..."

At that moment, her image on the screen was slammed into the ground by a sword strike—a serious wound this time.

"...Maybe that's enough."

As she moved to deactivate the magic circle, Noel vanished from the screen and reappeared before Kazeia.

.

.

.

"Asella..."

In my arms ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lay a small child with black hair, covered in wounds, her breathing ragged from mana exhaustion.

"Heal."

Green mist enveloped her body.

"...I told you... not to come..."

Asella spoke haltingly, each word a struggle. Noel's purple eyes blazed fiercely as he looked up at Kazeia.

"I'm sorry, Asella."

"Just this once—the first and last time—let me disobey your order."

With that, Noel gently laid Asella down and stepped before Kazeia. The Demon King seemed oddly shaken.

"You... how..."

"Enough."

She could no longer suppress the strange, familiar emotion rising within her. She decided to unleash it on the enemy before her.

.

.

.

"Why... why won't the magic circle deactivate...!"

Asella, watching the entire scene, groaned in unexpected frustration. From the moment Noel began fighting Kazeia, she'd lost control of the magic circle.

"It's a teleportation spell, so even if it sends her back to reality, the damage shouldn't be too bad..."

On the screen, Noel fought Kazeia as desperately as Asella had moments before.

"Please... I don't want to see any more..."

By now, Asella was overlaying Priscilla and Noel. Every wound Noel took conjured images of Priscilla dying to the Demon King, driving her mad.

On the screen, Noel closed his eyes and murmured.

.

.

.

"No damage... at all."

No matter how many curses or spells I hurled, for some reason, none landed. He'd grown stronger devouring countless human souls, no doubt. Realizing I'd just burn through my mana like this, I resolved to take a gamble with high risk.

A witch's 5th job skills numbered only three, one being Deus Ex Machina. It involved bargaining with Curse Goddess Nemira for immense power—at the cost of a heavy price.

"Curse Goddess Nemira. Your humble servant requests a pact with you."

Time froze in the world. A woman with smoky silver hair and darkly glowing purple eyes descended from the sky.

"My child. State your desire."

"The power to deal massive damage to that one... a mighty attack."

"And the price?"

"My entire life as sacrifice."

Nemira smiled slyly, and the scales balanced.

"The pact is sealed, my child. One question before I go."

"Yes. What is it?"

"This is clearly not your world. Yet you go this far—why?"

I flinched but, realizing she was a goddess, murmured softly.

"...Does saving the world need a reason?"

Nemira chuckled intriguingly, approached from behind, and lightly gripped my shoulder.

"Well said. The pact stands. Before you part... tell my dearest child I'm sorry."

I nodded, and time resumed. The sky parted as a massive spear descended. Wiping blood from my mouth, I grasped it gently. Immense power surged through my hand.

"This time... it'll be different."

"That power..."

"Odin's Spear: Gungnir."

"I once asked why you fight so hard."

I gathered all remaining mana into my hand, enhancing it.

"I believe every story deserves a happy ending."

With that, the unerring thrown spear, Gungnir, flew toward Kazeia.

Whiiiiiir—

"...I see. I understand your will."

Kazeia deployed a barrier of darkness. But.

Crack—

It shattered easily, and

Squelch—!

the spear pierced straight through his torso.

"Cough... So... defeated again..."

Kazeia dissolved into black dust with those words. The blood-red sky cleared, and the sun of peace rose.