Chapter 55: Prologue (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: Prologue (5)
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
Help me!!!
“Nyahahaha! Junior, you’re too funny!”
Dorothy burst into laughter, completely unconcerned that I was hanging on for dear life.
Shrouded in starlight mana, we streaked through the air toward Bartos Hall at a terrifying speed, gravity no longer applying to us. I fought with everything I had to keep from blacking out, screaming at the top of my lungs as the wind whipped past.
It took only three minutes to cross the vast distance from that remote cliff to Bartos Hall.
Bang—!
Without a moment's hesitation, Dorothy shattered the entrance with a kick reinforced by starlight mana.
Finally, my feet touched solid ground. After the nightmare of weightless flight, the sensation of floor beneath me was pure bliss.
“Blech…”
I collapsed and immediately began to retch.
Watching Dorothy clutch her stomach while howling with laughter was beyond irritating, but I didn't have the energy to complain.
Our explosive entry had alerted the guards. The Trump Soldiers immediately leveled their spears, dropping into battle stances.
“Who do you think you’re pointing those toothpicks at?”
Dorothy’s expression turned smug. She gave a casual flick of her hand, which was still wreathed in starlight.
「Mini Supernova (Starlight Element, ★4)」
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
An incredible spectacle unfolded. The Level 130 Trump Soldiers were vaporized instantly. The explosions of starlight were vibrant and kaleidoscopic—it felt less like a battle and more like a front-row seat to a grand fireworks display.
“Nice one, Senior!”
“Nihihi!”
When I gave her a thumbs-up, Dorothy returned the gesture with a wide, mischievous grin.
“Time to get to work, President!”
“Yes! I’m counting on you!”
“Okay, leave it to your big sis!”
Dorothy thumped her chest confidently. It was almost adorable, and despite the dire situation, a small chuckle escaped me.
I turned and sprinted up the grand, red-carpeted central staircase. As I ran, I checked the time in my head. I had five minutes before the Evil God’s resurrection. It would take at least four to reach the roof. I was cutting it dangerously close.
「Black Rabbit (Neutral Element, ★7)」
「Dwarf Star (Starlight Element, ★5)」
Kuwaaa—!!
Chararara—!!
“Ugh!”
Just as I reached the top of the stairs, a black rabbit wreathed in a dark, oppressive aura lunged at me. A brilliant burst of mana intercepted it, repelling the creature. The resulting shockwave sent me tumbling sideways, and I went rolling back down several steps.
“So, you’re the one causing all this trouble?”
Alice Carroll, the elegant Student Council President, stepped forward. With her flowing golden hair and dignified bearing, she looked down at me with an expression of pure boredom. An ashen magic circle manifested around her.
“Dorothy Heartnova. I didn't expect you to be part of this.”
Alice’s rose-pink eyes shifted toward Dorothy. Dorothy, her smile never wavering, expanded her own starlight magic circle as she moved to intercept the President.
“Nihihi. Just as I thought, Alice. You really are trash.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“No, I’m actually relieved. I’ve always hated you, and now I don’t have to feel bad about beating the hell out of you, right?”
The two most powerful students in Märchen Academy exchanged smiles that didn't reach their eyes, their killing intent thick enough to choke. The sheer volume of mana they released seemed to compress the very air. My legs began to tremble as my survival instincts screamed at me to run, but my passive skill, [Ice Sovereign], kicked in, forcing a cold calm over my mind.
Fling!
I scrambled to my feet and threw the Sheath of Disaster straight at Alice. I felt the faint, thread-like connection between my soul and the artifact. I tugged that mental thread and triggered the stored spell.
The engravings on the sheath glowed a pale, frigid blue.
「Frost Explosion (Ice Element, ★5)」
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A torrent of freezing mana erupted from the sheath, sending jagged shards of ice surging forward.
Suddenly, a gray monster Alice had summoned unhinged its massive, toothy maw. It swallowed the entire explosion of ice and mana as if it were nothing more than a light snack.
「Voracious Deity (Neutral Element, ★7)」
A thick, tentacle-like horror with rows of eyes lining its ashen body slithered out of a magic circle on the floor, taking its place beside Alice.
I’d expected as much. My magic wouldn't even scratch someone like her.
But I was already moving. I sprinted past Alice while she was distracted. The Voracious Deity immediately gave chase, slithering after me like a giant serpent.
You can’t catch me.
「Stellar Radiation (Starlight Element, ★5)」
Chaaaaaaa—!!
Rays of prismatic starlight sliced through the air, piercing the Voracious Deity’s body before it could reach me. Alice rolled to the side to dodge the follow-up, but she wasn't fast enough to stop a stray beam from grazing her cheek, drawing blood.
Dorothy’s starlight magic was a complex force of pure destruction. Alice clearly realized that trying to block it was futile; evasion was her only hope.
“Y-You little…”
Alice’s face contorted into a murderous sneer as she touched the wound on her cheek. A vein pulsed on her forehead, her composure finally snapping.
Good. Dorothy has her pinned.
The Phantom Cat Cheshire appeared at Alice’s side, its expression grim. With Dorothy Heartnova standing in their way, they didn't have a second to spare for me. Even with an eight-star familiar, Alice would have her hands full.
Chaeeeee—!!
Kwagagagaga—!!!
Kuuuuuuuuuuu—!!
The clash between the two titans began in earnest. Realizing the hallway was too cramped for her power, Dorothy lured Alice outside by smashing through the exterior wall.
The entire building groaned. Dust rained from the ceiling as the ground shook beneath my feet. My body felt heavy—the cold backlash from the Frostscythe was taking its toll—but I didn't slow down. I gritted my teeth and pushed forward.
Through the holes in the crumbling walls, I caught glimpses of their battle in the sky. It was magnificent. Countless star clusters and magic circles painted the heavens. Rays of light rained down, followed by the thunderous roar of starlight explosions.
No one in Märchen Academy could rival Dorothy—a heaven-blessed genius destined to become an Archwizard.
Kwaaaaaa—!!
Chararara—!!
Kwagagaga—!!
White rabbits, black rabbits, and Trump Soldiers mounted on pegasi flooded the sky in legion-like numbers. Every single one of them was exponentially stronger than me. Yet, with a single wave of her hand, Dorothy’s starlight mana wiped them out.
The sky was a battlefield of brilliant starlight and ashen gray.
Finally, I reached the top.
“Haa… haa…”
Gasping for air, I took in the rooftop. The architecture of Bartos Hall was breathtaking, even now. Ornate structures caught the light of the mana stone I carried, casting long shadows across the floor.
And there, covering the entire rooftop, was a massive magic circle.
It was a bizarre, twisting pattern of curved lines, glowing with a sinister, vivid vermilion light. It was the herald of the Evil God Nephid’s return.
At the center of the circle stood a rectangular yellow obelisk emitting a faint, sickly glow. The [Obelisk of Eternity]. A veil of accelerated time already enveloped the area.
I felt a strange buoyancy, as if I were floating. I looked down at my right hand and saw the air around it beginning to distort and crackle—a side effect of entering the Obelisk’s domain.
My time will accelerate for a moment, then stop forever once the Evil God awakens.
“Whew.”
I wiped the sweat from my brow. This was it. The moment of truth.
I ran toward the [Obelisk of Eternity]. Just as I remembered, a golden pocket watch was suspended in the air before it, pulsing with magical power.
The ‘Phantasmal Clock.’ The ultimate catalyst for time magic.
If I could just reach it—!
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!
“Argh!!”
The magic circle flared with blinding intensity as the [Obelisk of Eternity] fully activated. A colossal pillar of mana erupted into the sky, painting the world in an eerie red glow. The force of the activation sent me flying, slamming me hard against the perimeter railing.
A sharp, throbbing pain bloomed at the back of my head. My vision blurred, and for a second, I thought I would black out.
“Ah… haha… ugh.”
Despite the pain, a ragged laugh escaped my lips.
In my hand, I gripped the Phantasmal Clock.
“It’s over…!”
I made it. I wasn't too late.
A red aurora bled across the sky where Dorothy and Alice were fighting. Dorothy froze, looking up in shock.
Above them, a gargantuan eye—large enough to blot out the sun—opened in the heavens. Angra Mainyu, the servant of the Evil God.
Then, the Apocalypse Dragon, Azhi Dahāka, clawed its way out of the red pillar, letting out a grotesque, world-shaking roar. Black mealworms began devouring the rooftop’s structures, their massive bodies replacing the very stone they consumed.
I hauled myself up using the railing.
“…!”
A heavy, suffocating mana settled over the area, a pressure so intense it felt like my bones would snap. Abyssal darkness had swallowed the rooftop. In the shadows beneath my feet, hundreds of slumbering eyes snapped open—eerie red irises set in black pits.
At the center of the rooftop, a silhouette began to form within the red pillar.
The darkness covering the floor was nothing more than the hem of her dress. Her very attire was the void itself.
[A powerful demon has been detected!!]
[There is a significant level difference with the enemy!!]
[※ Escape immediately!]
[※ Escape immediately!]
[※ Escape imme...]
[Nephid, Evil God of Destruction]
Lv: ■■■ Race: Demon Elements: Darkness, Fire, Void Danger: M■x■m■m Psychology: [■■■■■■■■■■■■]
“Nephid…”
Seeing the Evil God up close, my survival instincts went into overdrive. If not for [Ice Sovereign], I would have collapsed where I stood.
I can’t even fathom the strength needed to kill her. I don’t even know if it’s possible.
But I will kill her. I’ll take down this final boss no matter what. I’ll never give up, even if it kills me.
I made my choice, right then and there.
I took a deep breath and screamed a name at the top of my lungs.
“Dorothy!!!”
The Star Witch turned. Her gaze locked onto mine. She had lost her witch hat somewhere in the fray, and her purple hair whipped wildly in the wind. Her expression was deadly serious.
Against the backdrop of the apocalypse, I shouted to the girl wreathed in starlight.
“You asked me why I trained so hard?! The world is going to be destroyed by the Evil God! I did it to stop this!”
I possessed the weakest character in my favorite game’s Hell Mode.
“I will prevent the end of the world!”
I want to survive, but the way the 'protagonist' is being played is a disaster.
“I’m going to save this world! You, me, and everyone else—I’ll save them all!”
There is no other way.
“That’s why I’m here!”
So, I...
“Evil God!!!”
I have to stop this Bad Ending myself.
“I’m taking you down!!”
Dorothy’s stiff expression broke. She flashed a bright, innocent smile and held up a peace sign toward me. A silent signal of understanding.
I could almost hear her signature ‘Nihihi’ laugh over the roar of the wind.
Black flames began to rain from the sky as Nephid slowly ascended from the red pillar. The hem of her dress rose like a tide, reaching out to swallow me whole. Five pairs of black wings unfurled, triggering a localized hurricane.
From within the pillar, the shadow of the Evil God looked down at me.
I stared back into her imposing gaze and pressed the reverse button on the Phantasmal Clock.
—Click.
For a heartbeat, time stood still.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock—!
The rhythmic grinding of celestial gears echoed through the air as a brilliant golden light bathed the world.
Like a film being rewound, the Evil God and her servants were sucked back into the magic circle. The darkness of Nephid’s dress receded from my feet.
A sudden sense of weightlessness washed over me. Everything within the range of the [Obelisk of Eternity]—down to the last speck of dust—was being pulled back through time.
Normally, the side effects would have been catastrophic. But because I had prevented the resurrection, the trial was considered cleared. Now, I just had to return to the cave.
My senses twisted and blurred. Thought became impossible. Slowly, my consciousness drifted away into the white void.
● ● ●
And when I opened my eyes...
I was still in the middle of the trial.