The Warm Back I Remember
—Oppa, I'm tired.
Merida would run wild through the fields all day, bubbling with energy, but the moment it was time to head home, she'd plop down on the ground and whine just like that. And without a word, her brother would turn around and offer her his back.
What a pleasant journey home it was, winding down the mountain path. Leaning against his warm back, savoring the drowsiness that crept up on her so gently, even a single drifting cloud or a lone butterfly flitting past felt like something worth marveling at.
Those were the good days.
But when their parents passed away, her brother changed a little. It seemed like he'd started to feel the weight of responsibility.
—Merida. It's time you started living a life of your own.
She wanted to stay by his side forever, yet he kept insisting that she leave him.
—Am I in your way? Are you trying to push me away? Are you going to leave me someday, like Mom and Dad did?
On the day Phantasos entered Kizen, Merida said some terrible things to him. But Phantasos didn't get angry. He simply slung his bag over his shoulder, patted her head, and said:
—I believe the day will come when you understand what I mean. And when it does, you'll be able to find someone even better than me.
The drowsiness washed away in a single wave. Her eyelids lifted. Her brother's back—warm and cozy. And then, a voice buzzing at her ears.
—Rida...!
—Merida!
Her eyes snapped open. A cold wind met her skin, and the first thing she saw was a back.
It wasn't Oppa?
A warm back she could sleep so comfortably on. She'd assumed it was her brother Phantasos, of course—but come to think of it, that was impossible. Her brother had already left this school behind.
"Hah! Hah! She's awake!"
The boy carrying her on his back was gasping for breath. All around them, furious clashing of metal and explosions rang out, and screams rose up alongside the sound of something tearing apart.
Sweat pouring down his face, Simon soon glanced back over his shoulder.
"Could you get down and give us a hand?"
For an instant, Phantasos's face flickered faintly over Simon's, then faded away.
"!"
Merida felt some strange emotion welling up inside her as she scrambled down off his back. Then she pulled the blanket wrapped around her body even tighter and asked, "How long was I out?"
"Almost half a day."
Simon said this as he swung his arm. Overlord roared to its feet and cut down the soldiers of the Volcanic Fortress.
"And as you can see, we're inside the Volcanic Fortress."
Hector and Jules had taken on Aseraz and Merdiana, who were blocking the raid team's advance. In the meantime, the rest of the members had broken through the second and third floors and reached the fourth. Now they were racing for the fifth. Everyone was exhausted to the bone, and dropouts were piling up left and right.
"Do something about this! I'm seriously out of Jet-Black!"
Elisa shrieked, her twin tails whipping as she thrashed. All around her, transparent field guns were firing off Spirit shells one after another.
Merida turned her head. "Simon."
"Yeah."
This was a battlefield, but the two of them still had unfinished business between them. Simon didn't push. He simply met her gaze, calm and steady.
"Beat Balak."
Simon's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"The only thing I'll acknowledge is you taking back the student council presidency that Balak stole from you. If you lose to Balak and inherit the presidency as some humiliating hand-me-down, then—"
Her jade-green eyes glinted with something fierce.
"I'll drag you down from that seat myself."
Simon smiled faintly. "Alright. Let's do that."
Merida thrust her small hand out toward him like she was offering a handshake, and Simon took it.
"!"
Perhaps it wasn't the touch she'd expected—she yanked her hand back with a start, eyes popping wide. Then she flipped the blanket over her head like a cape and hurried off, feeling oddly like the tips of her hair were burning.
"Kyaaaaah! Is NOW really the time for that?! I said do something!"
Elisa wailed, and the raid team members were dropping one by one. At that, Merida flung the blanket off her body with a snap and raised both arms.
⟨ Phantasos Original — Sleep ⟩
Nothing more than that one simple gesture.
The students barely saw what happened next. A whirlwind howled through the air, countless bundles of Jet-Black flew like beams of light, a blinding flash seared their eyes—and in its wake—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—
The soldiers of the Volcanic Fortress, who had been swarming like gnats, dropped to the ground like actual insects. Every last one of them lay fast asleep.
"Let's move."
Merida looked back and said it in a calm, even voice. The surviving raid team members could only stand there, mouths agape.
"...She's seriously strong."
"It almost makes our little crisis look like a joke."
Elisa was grumbling at her side—'If you had that much strength left, you could've helped sooner.'—while Simon laughed and walked ahead.
"We're almost to the fifth floor."
Simon and the raid team members charged forward in a rush. But Merida stayed rooted to the spot, blinking slowly.
Simon, who'd been running, circled back. "What's wrong, Merida?"
Without a word, she spread both arms wide. Simon gave an awkward smile. "Again?"
"Defenseless while casting a curse. I want to focus on nothing but the curse."
"The top student already wore himself out carrying you here!" One of the male students from the raid team marched over as he said it, then turned around, dropped to one knee, and reached both arms behind his back. "Ride on my back, Class Rep!"
Wham!
Merida glared at him with frost-cold eyes and kicked him square in the rear. The raid team student toppled over in a heap.
Merida looked only at Simon and spread her arms again with a sweeping motion.
"Fine, fine."
Left with no choice, Simon hoisted her onto his back and ran, the raid team students dashing alongside as if guarding the two of them.
"Khh."
The boy she'd kicked wore a strangely wounded expression.
"Here they come!"
With a droning roar, winged guards of the Volcanic Fortress dove down at a vicious speed. Merida, riding on Simon's back, planted both hands on his shoulders and stretched her body out straight.
⟨ Phantasos Original — Sleep ⟩
A moment that showcased the true worth of a curse artillery platform.
Countless curse tendrils shot out from her body, tracing black arcs through the air, and every guard that came rushing in was struck down mid-flight. Even the guards who fled at top speed found the curses chasing them relentlessly until they connected. Simon watched her in open admiration.
Back in the day, firing Sleep at this scale used to require going into Selfless Absorption state.
Now the scale of her Selfless Absorption had grown far vaster, and mass-cursing had become practically one of her basics.
"There's a door!"
Elisa pointed ahead. It was the entrance leading to the fifth floor, the last of the Volcanic Fortress.
Kiiiieeeeee—
Just then, the fortress door ground open on its own. Simon, who had been squinting straight ahead, quickly shouted, "Everyone, dodge!"
The instant the door opened, magma came flooding out of the fortress interior like a tidal wave. Moving on pure instinct, Simon stepped on Jet-Black and leapt upward, then braced both legs against the ceiling and locked himself in place with Bone Armour.
Aaaaaaaargh—!
Burny Emitter has been eliminated.
Cindy Vivace has been eliminated.
The raid team members who had made it this far with them were eliminated as well. Simon turned around, cold sweat dripping.
"Khh!"
Elisa was clinging to the ceiling, trembling all over.
"Elisa! Are you okay?"
"Burny..." She swallowed hard, her face frozen stiff. "Burny threw me out of the way and got caught in the lava himself."
"..."
Just then, she felt Merida, still on his back, tugging at his collar with sharp little yanks.
"Simon. In front."
"?!"
Simon's head whipped around. Through the gap of the open door, the lava was settling, and beyond it he could see a red circle forming.
Kiiiiiiiiiing—!
The warning sign of the Volcanic Fortress's attack.
Danger! Is it me? Or—!
Simon's head swiveled. Merida, who had never seen the fortress's attack before, was craning her neck straight out.
Don't tell me Merida again—!
BOOOOOM!
Simon's pupils blew wide. Above his head, he felt the thunderclap and saw red effects bursting upward.
He couldn't block it.
Damn it!
Simon squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them—and the one collapsing forward wasn't Merida.
It was Elisa, arms spread wide, her twin tails fluttering as she fell. An arrow was buried in her chest.
"You guys, seriously."
She pointed at the two of them with her fingertip as she sank slowly into the lava.
"I'm betting my political life on you! Don't you DARE lose!"
Her body slid into the lava, and a small ripple spread out from where she vanished.
Elisa Celine has been eliminated.
He'd never imagined Elisa was capable of sacrificing herself for someone else. But Simon pulled himself together. Everything was for the sake of victory.
"Let's go, Merida."
Steadying his heart, Simon moved. "Yeah."
Merida's expression had grown all the more serious as well. The two of them crawled along the ceiling and slipped through the open doorway.
There was nothing beyond the door—just a single staircase leading up to the fifth floor. Merida slid down off Simon's back, declaring that from here on she'd walk on her own two feet, and the two of them climbed the stairs at a brisk pace.
There wasn't much time left.
Simon, first up the stairs, opened the door and arrived at the fifth floor.
Ah.
A place where the sky could be seen beyond the open ceiling. Moonlight poured in, and within it sat a woman in crimson armor, chin resting on her hand upon the throne.
At that unfamiliar pressure, Simon felt his breath catch in his throat.
A cold voice rang out from within the helmet as the Volcanic Fortress Lord rose from her seat. The oppressive pressure spread across the entire vast chamber.
"Challengers."
The Grand Duke of the North was the enemy.
He had never once imagined a situation like this. She had always been an ally—or so he'd believed—and now that she had turned against them, the situation felt all the more terrifying for it.
"Yes. We've come to challenge you."
Simon forced a smile and greeted her. The pupils within the helmet flickered.
"Are you prepared?"
There wasn't a shred of leniency to be seen. She truly intended to fight at full strength.
"Let's go, Merida."
"Yeah."
Simon drew one of the syringes of Elysia, the Blood Vampire girl he kept rolling in his palm, and plunged it into his thigh. Blue blood flooded in, and his eyes flashed bright.
Just one thing left to do!
He'd made it this far with help from Elysia and countless others. Best of all, his opponent wouldn't be able to use the power of the Legion—and her own Jet-Black appeared to be sealed. The Jet-Black flowing from the Volcanic Fortress Lord now was different from true Jet-Black. The odds were in their favor.
"You believe the odds favor you?"
As if she'd read his very thoughts, the Volcanic Fortress Lord raised her arm.
"Then despair. Again and again."
GUUUUUGUGUGUGUGU!
The walls of the fifth floor flared to life with light. Magic circles. From within them, lava monsters came pouring out in droves.
"Not with something like that."
Merida pulled a new blanket out of subspace, floated it into the air, and lay down on top of it. Her eyes closed, and the world convulsed.
⟨ Merida Original — Selfless Absorption ⟩
WHOOOOOOOSH!
The magic circle that had been spewing out lava monsters vanished in an instant, and the surroundings plunged into darkness. Suddenly, the arm of a giant stuffed animal dropped from the ceiling and crushed a lava monster flat beneath its palm.
GUUUUUUUNG!
The lava monsters were squashed flat in one blow.
"This place is my dream now."
The surroundings transformed into a toy world, and the doors flung open, one after another. Toy soldiers and dolls came pouring out in a flood.