Half a Transcendent
The half-baked Transcendent who had barely crossed the threshold. At the worried voice calling from beside her, Elisha opened her eyes. She slowly sat up and spoke to the owner of the voice—Hestia.
“I was just resting for a bit because I was tired. You don’t need to worry.”
“...Understood.”
Hestia nodded, though her expression remained uneasy. There were no visible wounds on Elisha, but her exhausted appearance was clearly bothering her. Elisha could faintly sense Hestia’s concern, but she had no choice but to pretend otherwise and simply say she was fine.
No need to make her anxious for no reason.
Because she didn’t want Hestia’s attention to shift elsewhere, Elisha tried to maintain her composure as if everything were going according to plan. Comforting herself that it couldn’t be helped, she turned her gaze toward the spot where the blood-red giant—who had been rampaging just moments ago—now lay collapsed.
The giant had remained motionless ever since Hestia’s final attack. It was a familiar enemy she had faced several times before. Moreover, since Elisha was far stronger than in the previous cycle, the fight should have been easier, not more difficult. Yet the fact that her stamina consumption was barely different from before left her with a strange sense of unease.
This is weird. Did I miss something?
It was fortunate that things had gone smoothly without any major incidents, but if variables like this kept appearing, all the knowledge she had accumulated through regression would become meaningless. For the sake of the future, she needed to identify every variable and possibility in advance.
Lost in deep thought as she observed the motionless giant, Elisha didn’t notice Hestia naturally settling down beside her.
“......”
“......”
“......”
An awkward silence stretched between them for a while. Elisha was simply waiting without much thought for Hestia to speak first, but Hestia herself was hesitating, unsure how to begin. Thanks to the many cycles in which they had built a close relationship, Elisha felt no awkwardness—unlike Hestia, for whom she was still little more than “a friend I made recently.” For someone as socially awkward as Hestia, Elisha remained a difficult person to approach.
Even so, Hestia did her best to stay composed and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Elisha... you seem to know a truly great deal.”
“Hmm? Well, I just happened to get the chance... It was nothing but good luck.”
At Elisha’s casual reply, Hestia narrowed her eyes.
“I’ve been curious for a while, but what exactly were you doing before you came to the Academy?”
“Before enrolling at the Academy? Hmm......”
She seemed to ponder the question for a moment before answering with an awkward laugh.
“Haha, well... It was so long ago that I don’t really remember.”
“...Hasn’t it only been half a year since you enrolled?”
“Ah, that’s... My memory isn’t very good, so......”
Elisha fumbled through her answer in obvious panic. It was a blatant lie, but Hestia chose not to press any further.
It must not have been a pleasant memory.
It was her own way of showing consideration—she didn’t want to poke at her friend’s old wounds.
...Of course, Elisha genuinely couldn’t remember.
Right, my memories... To recover them all, I really need to become a Transcendent soon......
In truth, her memories were far from complete. Even after experiencing countless events through multiple regressions, it was impossible to remember everything perfectly. In fact, the more she knew, the harder it became. That was why Elisha made it a point to prioritize remembering only the truly important things. Even that wasn’t perfect—she still made occasional mistakes and overlooked minor details.
But if she became a Transcendent, the story would change dramatically. Unlike Mortals, who relied heavily on the brain for memory, Transcendents transcended the limits of the flesh and could read history itself. Once she reached that level, she would be able to properly recall lost memories or correct the ones she had remembered incorrectly.
It was unfortunate that her realm had been reset due to the aftereffects of regression, but she was certain that once she reached Transcendence again, her memories would be restored in full.
This time, it won’t take long.
The mysterious new martial art she had acquired gave her a growth speed that was incomparable to before. Reaching the realm of Transcendence was now truly only a matter of time.
What mattered were her goals after that—the Tomb and Ruin.
My memories related to the Tomb or Ruin are too jumbled... It seems I’ll only be able to sort them out once I reach Transcendence as well......
“Elisha... Elisha...?”
“Ah.”
At the sound of Hestia’s voice, Elisha stopped her train of thought and turned to look at her.
“What is it?”
“I apologize for interrupting... but it seems the time you mentioned earlier has come.”
“...Huh?!”
Elisha looked up at the sky at Hestia’s words. Only then did she realize that the dark-red mist spreading around them had grown much thicker than before. Pascal, who had originally become a giant to wield that malevolent energy, was currently unconscious... There was only one person who could be doing this right now.
“Looks like he’s finally here.”
“My senses aren’t picking up anyone.”
“That’s because the core is still active. Until all the malevolent energy accumulated in the family vault is completely exhausted, the mist that’s already spread will keep interfering with us.”
“Then the reason you didn’t destroy the core from the beginning was......”
“Exactly. For Karl Myers to fully draw out the power stored in the vault and organize the malevolent energy, he first needs to become complete.”
The moment she finished speaking, someone charged toward the core at tremendous speed. Both Elisha and Hestia could have stopped him, but as they had agreed beforehand, they simply waited in silence.
— KYAAAAAAAAAAK!!!
Soon, a scream that seemed to tear at their eardrums rang out, and the dark-red mist began to churn violently. The thick mist was the physical manifestation of malevolent energy. The fact that the surrounding mist was moving meant someone had begun to control it, just like Pascal had.
“This is......”
All the dense malevolent energy that had filled the entire Academy was being drawn to this location. And it wasn’t just that. Even some of the magical power faintly mixed with the malevolent energy was gathering here. Sensing that the magical power moving alongside it carried an especially ominous feeling—unlike anything else—Hestia spoke with slight tension.
“This doesn’t feel ordinary. Has a Transcendent arrived?”
“Something like that. Still, he’s not a proper Transcendent, so the two of us should be more than enough to handle him.”
“...Understood.”
Though it was a baseless claim, Hestia didn’t doubt her friend. Soon after, the core shook violently, and the surrounding scenery began to change little by little. The dark-red mist gradually lost its color, and the sharply honed malevolent energy started to fade. At the place where the thinned malevolent energy and magical power converged, Hestia and Elisha saw someone whose body was half-fused with the core.
“Karl Myers.”
Elisha muttered quietly. Whether he heard her voice or not, he flinched in response.
“Ugh... Hrk!”
With a pained groan, he gasped harshly for breath and glared at Hestia and Elisha.
“Where... is Pascal...?”
“Over there.”
Where Elisha pointed with her chin, Pascal—who had returned from his giant form to his original ordinary body—lay collapsed.
“......”
For a moment, Karl stared at his son with a complicated expression, then clicked his tongue.
“...Tsk, how unfortunate.”
“Did something not go your way?”
“Pascal has simply served his purpose... Pay it no mind, you insolent girl.”
Elisha briefly wore a dumbfounded expression, but she quickly returned to normal and nodded.
“Well, I suppose... You’re not wrong.”
“......?”
“I am indeed still very young and green... Right, Hestia?”
“Y-yes? Why are you asking me all of a sudden......?”
Hestia, who had been in a combat-ready stance and ready to jump into battle at any moment, looked flustered and turned toward Elisha—right at that moment...
— CRACK!
With the sound of something being violently torn out, Karl Myers—who had been facing them—moved. The core was ripped out entirely, and from that grotesque form that had swallowed half his body, he gradually transformed into the shape of dark-red armor. Elisha, who had been quietly watching, spoke in a low voice.
“Hestia. Get ready.”
“...Understood.”
As they had discussed beforehand, Hestia immediately retreated backward. Once a suitable distance had opened between them and Karl, Elisha stepped forward to shield her. Their plan was simple: Elisha would hold out as long as possible, and Hestia would look for an opening to deliver the finishing blow. It was an obvious plan that would be easy for the opponent to notice, but since Elisha had already succeeded with it in a previous cycle, she was confident it would never fail.
All I have to do is repeat what happened last time. Besides, I’m much stronger than before, aren’t I?
As long as there were no variables, it should end smoothly... She wrapped her entire body in blue magical power and took her stance.
Soon, the malevolent energy and magical power that had been gathering at Karl’s center subsided, and the vibration in the air died down. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, his entire body now covered in dark-red carapace.
“Haa... Thank you for waiting.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Karl Myers looked at Elisha—who had lightly brushed off his words—with a slightly fed-up expression. In response, she simply shrugged her shoulders.
“...Whether it’s arrogance or stupidity... I truly cannot tell.”
“Ha?!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
With a bored look, Karl slowly raised his right arm—now encased in carapace—and pointed it at Elisha.
— BOOM!
At the same time, a massive explosion erupted from the spot where she had been standing.
“Elisha?!”
“I’m fine.”
She reassured Hestia, who had called out to her in a panicked voice, then shook off the dark-red mud clinging to her arm and let out a small laugh.
“That was pretty light for a surprise attack.”
“...How ridiculous. That was an attack meant to end it in one strike......”
“There’s no way I’d go down easily to some half-baked Transcendent who barely crossed the threshold, now is there?”
“...How dare you keep running your mouth until the very end...!”
— CRACK!
Unable to endure Elisha’s endless provocations any longer, Karl—now furious—threw a dark-red blade and charged at her. Elisha narrowly dodged the attack and smiled faintly, certain now.
There are no variables this time...
The malevolent energy and magical power that had filled the Academy began to fade. It seemed Karl Myers had finally stepped into the realm of Transcendence. Even if he was only half-baked, he was still a dangerous opponent for Hestia and Elisha. Still, there was no real need to worry too much.
The question was how to get Arie over there before their battle ended......
“Hehe, how amusing.”
“......”
...It didn’t look like she was going to go quietly.