Chapter 217: Alice Subjugation (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Alice Subjugation (13)
Before long, Headmistress Elena Woodline arrived at the Academy Plaza atop a familiar, accompanied by the few remaining professors.
Vice Commander Magrio stepped forward to meet them, quietly suggesting they observe the situation for now. Headmistress Elena nodded, her face slick with nervous sweat.
In the center of the Plaza, Luce and Dorothy both looked unwell. A murderous glint filled their eyes; they looked as if they might turn on each other at any moment.
Their only bond was Isaac. Beyond that, the two shared a mutual distaste. Although Dorothy had always tried to be kind, it would be a stretch to call their relationship even remotely good.
“Why… why are you trying to take them away without a word? Who do you think you are?”
Luce hated the Paladins enough to want them dead. She couldn't stand by and let Dorothy take those detestable people wherever she pleased.
“Luce Elta—Ugh!!”
Dorothy tried to shout Luce’s name, but a sudden, agonizing headache struck her, as if her skull were being split open. A pained groan escaped her lips.
Her Starlight mana seethed like a furnace, bubbling with intense heat. The instability was likely a backlash from her attempt to wield transcendent power moments ago. It showed no signs of calming down.
The mana leaked from her body, manifesting as a swirling swarm of stars. Dorothy gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the surge, but the chaotic energy was more than she could handle.
Wrapped in a shroud of starlight and breathing raggedly, Dorothy struggled to speak.
“I will find a way to cut open the demon’s belly… For that, I need a guide… To find the one who summoned that thing…!”
“How can you be so sure things will go your way?” Luce countered.
“There’s nothing else I can do… for Isaac…!”
Isaac wasn’t perfect. Dorothy had always been convinced she could make up for his flaws. But in the end, Isaac had been devoured by a demon stronger than even the Floating Island.
A relentless wave of helplessness and self-reproach crashed over her. Her emotional distress only fueled the Starlight mana, intensifying her pain and making it impossible to regain control.
Luce scoffed. “Does it hurt so much that you’ve become even stupider than usual?”
“What…?”
Dorothy glared at her with murderous eyes, but Luce remained unfazed. Luce blinked slowly, then bowed her head slightly, her lips pursing.
“Isaac will come back. He’s stronger than anyone.”
“…”
“Stop this nonsense and go lock yourself in your room. If you keep acting this stupidly and the Empire turns against you, what will Isaac think when he gets back?” Luce’s tone was sardonic.
If Isaac didn’t return, the Paladins would die by her hand regardless of the Imperial Investigative Authority’s stance. But Luce chose to believe he would return. The alternative was simply unbearable.
“If Isaac is saddened because of you, the only thing I’ll be thinking about is killing you, Dorothy.”
Dorothy flinched, struggling to clear her pain-clouded mind. She realized she hadn't considered Isaac’s feelings. Yet, her desperation to save him overrode everything else. Rescuing him was the only priority.
Dorothy wanted to speak words of hope like Luce. But… no matter how she looked at it, the demon above was too powerful. Her [All In the World] ability had made that terrifyingly clear.
That realization was exactly why she was so impatient. She had to do everything in her power to save him.
“Still, I… Ah…!”
The starlight flickering in Dorothy’s eyes flared vividly. Something dreamlike appeared in her vision, suddenly grabbing her hand with forceful strength.
Paaaaah!!
Her Starlight mana began to bubble like molten lava. A chilling aura spread from her.
The only thing Dorothy managed to do before succumbing to the pain was cast a starlight barrier. She sought to protect the Paladins—her potential guides to Wonderland—as well as Luce, the Imperial Knights, and the faculty members gathered in the plaza.
“Guh, ugh!!”
Dorothy screamed, clutching her head with both hands.
Luce and the Imperial Knights recoiled in shock, reflexively dropping into combat stances. Stars flooded the Plaza, and a strange mana settled over the area like heavy gravity. The structures and the stage of the plaza began to crack and crumble under the pressure.
Chararang!!
A violent swarm of stars rose around Dorothy, their vibrant colors gradually turning dull and grey. Through the cluster of stars, several eyes began to shine from Dorothy’s form. Luce couldn't comprehend what she was witnessing.
At the top of the Hegel Magic Tower, Aria Lillias felt Dorothy’s mana. Overcome with anxiety, she hurried out of the tower and toward the Academy Plaza. Even the Düpfendorf forces guarding the island turned their heads toward the disturbance.
High above, the demon imitating the night sky writhed. The entity, which had been motionless for four days, was reacting to the strange mana Dorothy was emitting.
“Just what the hell are you…?” Luce whispered, watching Dorothy struggle to suppress the rampaging Starlight mana.
The Star Fairy, Stella.
Fairies were beings shrouded in mystery. Like demons, their origins and the source of their powers were unknown. Among them, the Star Fairy was whispered to be the most mysterious of all.
The starlight element manipulated all manner of physical forces. It was undeniably the element with the greatest potential for destruction. The existence of such power was known only through legends of a girl from the distant past and the prodigious genius, Dorothy Heartnova.
The first Starlight Wizard had vanished one day without a trace. Records claimed that on that day, tsunamis and typhoons had ravaged the world.
Luce gathered her mana, recalling a story told by the Candy House Witch. She realized then that the starlight mana wasn't entirely under Dorothy’s control. She had to stop her before she lost herself completely.
Kiiiaaaaah!!
Above Luce, lightning branched out in a hundred directions as the Thunderbird Galia manifested. Luce summoned the lightning, her expression grim.
“Don’t resent me if this hurts. I’m subduing you for your own good.”
Luce and the Imperial Knights deployed their magic circles. They were sweating coldly; the gap in power was obvious. Yet, everyone in the Plaza instinctively knew that if they didn't stop Dorothy now, a catastrophe was inevitable.
The tension was at a breaking point.
Then—
Kwagagang!!
A bolt of purple lightning streaked across the sea and slammed into the ground before Luce, taking the form of a man.
Bazzzzt!
The man, possessing dark purple hair, instantly deployed a lightning magic circle and reached toward Dorothy. His eyes, crackling with electric current, locked onto her.
The Elemental King of Lightning: The Lightning Sovereign, Jaul Dragoniac.
Luce, the Thunderbird, the Imperial Knights, and the faculty were frozen in shock.
“W-why is the Lightning Sovereign here…?!”
Fwooooosh!!
A fireball streaked through the air at tremendous speed, exploding onto the Plaza and coalescing into a human form. An elderly man with a snowy white beard and a wizard’s robe stood there, leaning on a staff. His eyes, burning with inner flames, focused on Dorothy.
The Elemental King of Fire: The Fire Sovereign, Andersen Versando.
Puuahhhh!!
A whirlpool of water rose from the sea, arced across the sky, and crashed into the Plaza. The water vanished with a click, revealing an elegant woman with navy blue hair. She deployed a water magic circle, a faint smile on her lips as she watched Dorothy with aquamarine eyes.
The Elemental King of Water: The Water Sovereign, Siren Silivian.
Whooosh!!
A light green tornado descended into the Plaza, condensing into the hands of a short girl. She wore an eyepatch over her right eye and a hat. She deployed a wind magic circle, forming a massive bow of light green mana. A large arm made of condensed wind held the bow, aiming an arrow directly at Dorothy.
The Elemental King of Wind: The Wind Sovereign, Erin Campbell.
The pinnacles of the elements—the strongest humans in the world. The sight of the four Elemental Kings gathered together left the onlookers speechless.
Luce could feel their mana. Each one possessed a depth of power that was utterly unfathomable. Even she, wielding the Thunderbird, felt like mere dust in their presence.
The Elemental Kings surrounded Dorothy, keeping their distance, their gazes wary.
“How did the Elemental Kings appear all at once…?” Magrio stammered.
“Run,” Fire Sovereign Andersen responded solemnly. “If a thing like that goes berserk, there’s no telling what will happen.”
Dorothy continued to groan in agony, unable to rein in the Starlight mana.
“We intended to stop the demon in the sky if the Empire failed… but not you, Dorothy Heartnova,” Andersen continued. “If you cannot suppress that mana right now, we don't know what disaster might strike.”
Dorothy’s name was famous worldwide. She was the one blessed by Lord Manhalla and chosen by the Star Fairy. The Elemental Kings knew exactly who she was.
Ever since the Ice Sovereign had revealed himself, the Elemental Kings had been watching Märchen Academy. They had all converged here the moment they sensed the chilling mana emanating from Dorothy. If she lost control, they couldn't predict what kind of monster might emerge.
“It feels wrong to do this to a student… Hey, kid, can you try to calm down? We don’t want to do this either,” the Water Sovereign, Siren, said with a kind but firm smile.
In contrast, Lightning Sovereign Jaul remained silent, his brow furrowed.
That aura…?
Jaul remembered the unknown, many-eyed being hidden within Isaac. The intimidating pressure that entity had emitted… he felt it now from the rampaging Dorothy. It felt as if she were in the process of becoming such an entity herself.
“…?”
Luce moved closer to Dorothy. Thanks to the starlight barrier, she could approach safely; the erratic gravity would have crushed anyone else.
Luce turned her back to Dorothy and extended her arms, shielding her. The onlookers gasped, and even Dorothy looked up in shock.
“Honestly, I don’t even understand what’s happening, and I really dislike you. But still…”
The Thunderbird soared into the sky, trailing flashes of lightning, following its master’s will. Luce stared down the Elemental Kings with unwavering determination.
“If something happens to you, Isaac will be sad.”
It was a practical reason, but Luce truly didn't want Dorothy to suffer. After Isaac, Dorothy was the person she found easiest to talk to. She might dislike parts of her, but she didn't hate her.
Luce had chosen her side without hesitation.
Dorothy, gasping for air with bloodshot eyes, stared at Luce’s back. She wanted to scream at her to run, but she couldn't find her voice.
“…I’m sorry about this,” Wind Sovereign Erin said calmly, her eyes closing. She didn't care about their friendship; she couldn't allow Dorothy to rampage.
The Elemental Kings were unified. Their magic circles erupted with blinding light.
At that moment—
The storm settled.
Whooooo!!!
A sharp, blood-red wind suddenly swept around Dorothy and Luce, acting as a protective shroud. The wind was so sharp it could slice through flesh, but it was controlled—a warning. The Elemental Kings halted their spells to observe.
A girl with light green hair landed near Luce and Dorothy. Her eyes were bloodshot, her expression hardened with exhaustion after four days without sleep.
It was Kaya Astrea.
Kaya cast [Blood Tree] around herself and Dorothy to shield them from the overflowing starlight. She began attempting to heal Dorothy while resisting the rebellious mana.
Taking a deep breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Can’t you all sense it?!!”
Kaya had been near The Abyss, refusing to rest while Isaac was gone. And just now, she had felt it—the faint, burgeoning pulse of ice mana coming from the demon in the sky.
Kaya pointed her right arm toward the sky.
“In the sky!! The ice mana!!”
The people in the Plaza were confused, and even the Elemental Kings were slow to react, their focus having been entirely on Dorothy.
Then, the anomaly occurred.
Kuuuuung!!!
The sky trembled. No—The Abyss itself began to shudder.
A terrifying amount of ice mana descended upon the island. The Elemental Kings, the knights, the faculty, Luce, and Dorothy all felt a primal chill run down their spines. They looked up in unison.
It was the moment that confirmed a man’s survival.
“Everyone, prepare to welcome him!” Kaya cried out.
Even her [Blood Tree] was beginning to splinter under Dorothy’s mana. Kaya endured the pain of her flesh tearing as she stayed by Dorothy’s side, desperately healing her with plant magic.
With a face full of absolute conviction, she shouted:
“Sir Isaac is returning…!”
Isaac is alive. He has defeated the demon, and he is coming back.
That belief shone clearly on Kaya’s face.
*
Four days ago.
Immediately after Isaac had been devoured by The Abyss while holding Alice Carroll.
“…Baby?”
Alice slowly opened her eyes, feeling a strange sense of weightlessness. She was being held in a man’s arms, carried like a princess. Silver-blue hair filled her vision.
“Are you awake?”
Isaac looked down at her and flashed a gentle smile.