Chapter I: Inglis, Age 15—The Eastern Front (1)
While Inglis and friends were on the move in Alcard to the north, events were underway in Karelia’s east, near the border with Venefic.
A Flygear squadron led by Rafael Bilford surveyed a nearly infinite swarm of birdlike magicite beasts. Beyond them lay a massive block of ice and inside it, a Prismer—the same Prismer that he and Ripple had transported to the border on their previous mission. It had previously been kept under close observation in Ahlemin, a town farther within Karelia, but an observed increase in the rate in which it brought forth magicite beasts had caused them to place it along the frontier in order to limit the damage those beasts could cause. And during the standoff with Venefic’s forces along the border, it had summoned even more magicite beasts than it had previously.
The Paladins could safely ignore the rimebound Prismer if it was maintaining its coterie. However, if Karelian forces advanced en masse, Venefic no doubt would decide to intercept them. The current situation was a difficult one.
“Knights!” Rafael called out. “With Venefic’s army advancing, we can’t afford to take heavy losses here! Be cautious, and try to keep losses to a minimum!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
“As you order!”
Morale was high as the knights answered Rafael’s call, but doubt was eating away at him. To conserve strength against the magicite beasts in preparation for a clash with Venefic—this may have been the appropriate decision, but the first priority for that strength was supposed to be the protection of everyone from magicite beasts. He could not understand why the people of the surface would fight one another while still faced with the threat of magicite beasts. He was too mature, surely, to refuse the mission on those grounds, but still, he had his doubts.
“Listen up, everyone! I know Rafael just told you this too, but don’t overwork yourselves and get hurt! Staying safe is what matters!” Ripple cheerfully pumped the knights up.
“Ah! Lady Ripple’s smiling face is with us again!”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed it!”
“We needed that!”
She was making her return to the Paladins after her stay at the knights’ academy. The Paladins relied on the hieral menace not only for her power but also as an inspiration on the battlefield.
“See, Eris?” Ripple needled her fellow hieral menace. “They were so sad without me! Haven’t you been giving them smiles as you mingled with them? That part’s important, you know!”
“Well, I have been spending time with them. I think I managed to cover for you,” Eris replied.
“Are you sure?” Ripple glanced askance at the knights.
“Well, we’ve seen a lot more of her around lately...” one knight said.
“But no smiles,” another added.
“She seems like she’s been even more on edge lately.”
“Doesn’t really seem like it,” Ripple summed up.
“Well, excuse me! I’m sorry I’m not as cheerful as you are!” Eris fired back.
“It’s okay. Some have people skills, and some don’t,” Rafael said, easing the tension. “Lady Eris has been doing her best at what she’s good at.”
“Ah. You sure are good at smoothing things over, Raf.” Ripple patted him on the back.
“Ha ha ha, thanks.”
“Anyway, enough of that,” Eris began. “I’m going to do what I do best. Orders to attack, please.” She unsheathed her twin blades and prepared herself for the clump of magicite beasts ahead.
Rafael’s expression hardened as he nodded. “All hands, prepare for combat! After a long-range volley, Lady Eris will lead a close-in assault to wipe out the enemy!”
“Yes, sir!” The knights readied their Artifacts as one. Their shapes varied, but each was equipped with a Gift capable of long-range attacks.
The Paladins were skilled in combat against magicite beasts. Each member of the order possessed multiple Artifacts, suited for both long-range and close combat, and they all used them well. In particular, many lower-class Artifacts had simple Gifts suited to long-range combat, such as launching flames or fireballs, or shooting ice arrows, so at least one such option was available to each member.
“Ready, aim...”
At Rafael’s order, the knights prepared in unison. Their Artifacts surged with flame and ice, lightning and wind. Rafael sensed them behind him as he kept his eye on the incoming enemy. The magicite beasts progressed forward in an undifferentiated clump. Before long, they came close enough for the knights to unleash their attacks.
“They’re in range! Fire!”
At Rafael’s forceful command, countless projectiles of flame and ice, lightning and wind flew by him. The volleys found their marks in less than a second. Magicite beast after magicite beast fell, struck directly.
Among the hail of fire, Ripple’s stood out, a curtain of bullets from her twin golden guns overwhelming her foes.
“Wow! You’ve still got it, Lady Ripple!” the knights cheered.
“Looks like you’re feeling fine, then.” Eris was relieved that Ripple hadn’t missed a beat.
“Of course I am! After all the help Inglis and the others gave me, I’ve gotta do my best as a hieral menace!”
Eris chuckled. “I suppose I should learn from that. Rafael! The enemy has scattered! Let’s close in and finish them off individually.”
Eris was right; the magicite beasts, having been met with long-range fire, were far fewer than before. They had spread out in all directions, under pressure.
“All right—charge! Destroy the scattered magicite beasts one by one! To limit losses, be sure to always outnumber them!” Rafael ordered.
The knights’ war cries echoed, but Eris was already out ahead, her Flygear at full speed. “We’re going on ahead!”
“Ooh, Eris, you’re really getting into it!” Ripple remarked.
“Can’t let you steal the show, can I? Handle the controls, if you don’t mind.” Leaving the piloting to Ripple, Eris leaned over the Flygear’s bow. She struck a gallant figure, her resilience to the sheer wind resistance making it clear that her physical abilities were far beyond a normal person’s. “All right—here goes! First in the fight!”
“Yeah!” Ripple responded, as she brought the Flygear on a trajectory directly between two magicite beasts.
“Take this!” Eris yelled.
Slashhh!
As she passed by, her blades tore through the magicite beasts to either side, the sharp edges cleaving the beasts in two. Their bodies crashed down onto the rocky hills below. “I’m not done yet!”
“Yeah! Get as many as you want!” Ripple swiftly looped the Flygear around in pursuit of the other magicite beasts.
Eris stayed as steady as a statue through the rapid loops and rolls, cutting down magicite beast after magicite beast. Ripple took one hand off the controls to rain down fire with one of her own guns, racking up a kill count for herself. It seemed like the duo could hunt down the entire group themselves.
The knights talked among themselves as they followed. “Wow, put the two of them together and numbers don’t even matter!”
“Let’s back them up!”
“I’m not even sure they need us...”
While it wouldn’t be good to simply become dependent on the hieral menaces, the Paladins’ way of fighting was to join in at their side, inspired to heroism by their presence. With Ripple back, not just the knights but Eris too had regained something that was missing. Each of them was dependable in their own way.
And this, in turn, was thanks to Inglis, Rafinha, and the others at the knights’ academy saving Ripple. As he watched the battle, Rafael thought of them.
Chris, Rani... It’s because of you that Ripple is back safe and sound. Thank you so much. Now it’s our turn to defend our country! So don’t worry about us! Study hard at the academy!
From what Ripple had said, the cafeteria at the academy had been destroyed, so they might be having trouble finding enough to eat, though. It would be a pity if they had to suffer through hunger, so Rafael wondered if after this mission he should stop by home in Ymir on the way back and bring them some food that would keep well. The situation had become stable enough that he had the leeway to consider such things, and the enemy’s numbers were decreasing rapidly without their having inflicted significant damages on his own forces.
“Sir Rafael! We’ve forced the magicite beasts back!” his second-in-command soon reported.
“Excellent work, everyone! Treat the wounded at once! We’ll leave behind a patrol, and return to the carrier!”
“Yes, sir!” the knights replied, and the Paladins began their return to Ambassador Theodore’s ship in high spirits.
“Hey, Rafael! I’m gonna stick around for a little bit and check things out!” Ripple offered.
“Certainly, Lady Ripple. Please don’t push yourself too hard, though.”
“It’ll be fine. I’m just gonna take a quick look.”
“I’ll come along as well, then,” Eris said. “Rafael, you and the others can head back first.”
“Very well. Then, the main force will return first!” Rafael said. The bulk of the soldiers soon left, leaving one patrol as well as Eris and Ripple.
“Lady Eris! Lady Ripple! We’ll continue to guard the area!” a knight said.
“Sure, thanks!” Ripple answered with a kind smile and waved to the dispersing knights.
“So, what’s this about, Ripple?” Eris asked.
“Well...I want to take a closer look at that frozen Prismer. It seems different from when I brought it here.”
“Really? I was on other orders then...”
“When I brought it here, it started bringing forth a few magicite beasts along the way, but nowhere near this many. So...”
“It’s getting stronger, you mean?”
“It might be. I think if I get a closer look, I’ll be able to tell.”
“Got it. Let’s go.”
Eris and Ripple nodded to each other and set the Flygear’s course directly for the Prismer. It was a short flight, and while no new magicite beasts appeared, they both began to shudder.
“Ugh... Eris...” Ripple groaned.
“I could tell immediately without you even saying anything. This is...”
“Yeah... I wouldn’t be surprised if it woke up right now!”
Eris and Ripple were both seasoned hieral menaces. They’d long since stopped counting, or even thinking about, the years that had passed. They’d fought more than their share of Prismers.
And that was why they knew that mighty power was a force strong enough to destroy an entire country.
Each time they faced it, they hoped it would be the last. Yet face it they did, again and again. And now, they could sense that power directly in front of them. It could awaken at any time.
Its quiet shell of ice was no longer anything but its own whim—and who knew when its mood would change? It could be years. It could be decades.
It also could be any second now. Eris and Ripple had no way of knowing its thoughts.
“The time has come to fight a Prismer...again...” Eris murmured.
The time when a Prismer awakened was also the time when a hieral menace’s true power had to be harnessed—to become a weapon, to be wielded by a holy knight.
And that holy knight, as the last light of humanity, would burn away facing that Prismer.
Win or lose, the knight would fall.
Eris had seen it happen over and over. No matter how hard they tried to resist, that fate was unavoidable. And this time, it was Rafael’s turn. He’d face his destiny soon.
No matter how many times she experienced it, she couldn’t get used to—couldn’t let herself get used to—the pain in her heart. As Eris’s hand began to tremble, Ripple gently covered it with her own to calm her. Eris had a reputation for brusqueness and detachment, but that couldn’t be further from the truth; she was more sensitive than most.
From a hieral menace’s perspective, this fate was a necessity. To the holy knight or their family, it was no different from a visit from the reaper.
It was because this weighed on her that she kept her distance, unwilling to broach the subject. And it was because this weighed so heavily that, when the time came, she was the most psychologically impacted.
I need to support her, Ripple thought. “Well, if anyone can change things, it’s that girl Inglis! I just know this time she’ll find a way for it to turn out different! Not going to go into her personality here, but just in terms of power alone, she’s unbelievable!”
“Y-Yes...you’re right. She’s the only hope we have left...”
“Anyway, let’s head back. We need to tell them what we saw, so we can keep things at a stalemate and not provoke the Prismer any more than we have to. And in the meantime, maybe we can get Inglis here?”
“Won’t Rafael object? He doesn’t want to expose her to danger...”
“Sounds like the kind of thing he’d say, yeah. But she definitely wants to go to dangerous places, so I think it’s a chance to get to know her better and drop a few hints.”
“Well, that would be between her and us. And that’s assuming she can do something about the Prismer. For now, why don’t we bring the idea up—but with Ambassador Theodore, not with Rafael?” Eris suggested. “The part about the Prismer itself, we need to tell everyone, of course.”
“Yeah, you’re right. That just might work...so long as Venefic cooperates.”
While it was true there was no time to lose regarding the Prismer, the Paladins’ mission was to hold back Venefic’s forces that had advanced to the border. And the Paladins were the ones who had moved the Prismer there to begin with. Their intent had been to limit damage in Ahlemin, its original position, and present an obstacle to Venefic’s planned invasion, but no one knew whether that decision had helped or hindered matters. Only time would tell.
“I certainly hope they do,” Eris said. “If a Prismer’s making its move, it’s no time for people to be fighting amongst themselves.”
Hieral menaces existed to protect humans from magicite beasts. They had no desire to see the people of the surface fighting, and while it might be their duty to participate, it rang discordant with their nature. That said, they certainly couldn’t object to facing off against invaders.
“Anyway, let’s head back.”
“Yeah, off we go.” Ripple turned the rudder, and the Flygear reversed course and headed toward their carrier. After a short distance, though...
“Please... Please...” A voice sounded in Ripple’s head.
“What...? Hey, Eris? Did you say something?”
“Hm? No, I didn’t say anything.” Eris shook her head in confusion.
“Huh? I could’ve sworn I heard someone talking...”
Eris didn’t appear to have heard a thing, though.
“Please...draw back your forces, flee... If you don’t, something terrible will happen...”
“Ah...! There it is again! It’s telling me it wants us to fall back!” Ripple exclaimed.
“What?! Who? Is it the Prismer? I wonder if it wants us to use our forces rather than have just us two...”
“I don’t think so. If it was the Prismer, wouldn’t you be able to hear it?”
Eris was also a hieral menace. If this was a magicite beast that interacted with hieral menaces, there was no reason why Eris wouldn’t be able to hear the voice. Besides, in Ripple’s long experience as a hieral menace, she’d never heard the voice of a Prismer. Prismers were absolute embodiments of destruction with whom it was impossible to communicate.
“Then does that mean...are you not completely healed?! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?” Eris peppered Ripple with questions in clear concern.
“Well, it’s true nothing changed about what they did to me, so I’m not exactly healed...”
Ripple had been accidentally summoning her kin, the demihumans, who had been made into magicite beasts. She had been taken advantage of with the aim of devastating Karelia through unrelenting magicite beast attacks. Her condition utilized the unique ability of demihumans to telepathically communicate with one another, and thus, the only magicite beasts she was summoning were those who had previously been demihumans.
With her kind nearing extinction, wiping out the demihumans turned magicite beasts would prevent Ripple bringing forth any more of them. Inglis had proposed the most forceful solution possible: summon all of them until there were no more. Thus, while Ripple remained unchanged, the trap which had been implanted in her became ineffective when there was simply nothing left for it to summon.
Ambassador Theodore, aligned with the Triumvirate faction in Highland politics, had said that this was punishment enacted by their rivals, the Papal League, for Karelia’s choice to align with the Triumvirate, who were willing to lend-lease Flygears and Flygear Ports to the surface.
Ripple had been created as a hieral menace by the Papal League, while Eris had been by the Triumvirate. Thus, while Ripple had fallen under its effects, Eris had not. It was likely that there was a similar trap waiting within her as well, but the Triumvirate had no need to punish Karelia.
Traditionally, Karelia had maintained a policy of favoring neither the Triumvirate nor the Papal League. Having both Eris from the Triumvirate and Ripple from the Papal League was clear proof of that. This was thanks to King Carlias’s dealings with Highland. However, Prince Wayne disagreed and actively sought to strengthen Karelia’s military with Flygears and Flygear Ports from the Triumvirate. His goal seemed to be a move toward military parity between Highland and the surface. Ambassador Theodore, his personal friend, not only approved of but supported these moves. Their plan would produce wonderful results if allowed to come to fruition, but it was also risky.
The changes in Ripple...
The invasion from Venefic...
Both, surely, were related to the actions of the two leaders.
“I don’t feel any different, and nothing’s happening with me physically. The voice didn’t seem hostile either...” Ripple then turned her attention to the unseen interlocutor. “Hey, who are you? How can you talk to me? What’s going to happen if we don’t fall back?”
“You are the only one who can hear my voice... If this continues, an unnecessary tragedy will play out...so, please...”
“An unnecessary tragedy? I don’t understand what that means. I’m a pragmatist here. I know that Prismer’s gonna be trouble, but if we fall back too far, we won’t be able to stop Venefic. I need a more concrete reason—”
“Please... Please... Flee...” The voice faded away.
“Heeeeey? Heeey! What’s wrong? I can’t hear you! Are you okay?!”
Eris eyed Ripple with worry. “I didn’t hear any of that.”
“Umm...I don’t really understand what happened. Let’s just head back. There’s the Prismer to deal with—we need to get Inglis here.”
“Got it. But tell me if anything happens, okay?”
“I caused a lot of trouble for the Paladins, and for everyone at the knights’ academy, but there is one bright side,” Ripple said hesitantly.
“Hmm?”
Ripple chuckled. “You’re even kinder than usual.” She shot an impish grin at Eris.
“Ah?! Sheesh, this isn’t the time. I’m just worried that if you’re not feeling well, we’ll be shorthanded—”
“Sure, sure, thanks. Now let’s go!”
“Yes...”
The Flygear bearing the two returned to the mother ship at top speed.
◆◇◆
Several days later aboard Ambassador Theodore’s ship, which served as the Paladins’ command post in their efforts against Venefic, a meeting was held in a space near the bridge. It doubled as an operations room and a conference room.
“Venefic has responded: ‘We cannot accept your proposal. You are the ones who brought the Prismer here to begin with. This is your responsibility,’” the knight who had acted as a messenger reported.
“I see. Thank you.” Prince Wayne’s face was expressionless. “I suppose that’s the response I expected,” he noted calmly.
“From their standpoint, it must seem as though we’re using the Prismer as a shield,” Ambassador Theodore said, disappointed.
Prince Wayne, who had received a report from Ripple and Eris that the Prismer could wake at any moment, had proposed a truce to Venefic, even asking for Venefic’s support if the creature awakened. Karelia would have to manage on its own.
“I can’t deny that was our intent,” Theodore continued. “Limiting Venefic’s options was part of the plan. However, I didn’t expect it to backfire so completely.”
“But even if they say it’s our responsibility...magicite beasts and Prismers don’t particularly care about geopolitics. If that Prismer awakens, it could head for Karelia or for Venefic. We have no way of knowing,” Eris noted.
At its current stage, the Prismer could no longer be moved. Provoking it in any way was best avoided. If it awakened and moved toward Venefic, how would the leaders of that country react?
Would they, only then, call upon Karelia for help? In such a case, aid would be less than forthcoming. Thus, Eris believed that the safest course would have been to take a wait-and-see posture, not immediately rejecting the idea of cooperation, but Eris wasn’t a part of Venefic.
“It’s dangerous. They’re underestimating the Prismer. If anything happens, it’ll be too late,” she said.
“They might have a reason not to back down. They’re backed by the Papal League, and that may come with hard conditions,” Ambassador Theodore suggested, his eyes downcast. “Venefic has long hungered for Karelian land. And now, with some sort of pressure from Highland, it’s come to this...”
Venefic’s lands were primarily barren wilderness, and its peoples’ lives suffered for it. Taking some of Karelia’s fertile fields had been their wish for generations, long before King Carlias or Prince Wayne were in the picture.
“Hey, what if...?” Ripple began.
“What’s wrong? Lady Ripple?” Rafael asked.
“Ah, no, sorry. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Ripple giggled, trying to pass it off. She had been about to ask what the plan was if the Prismer did awaken and headed for Venefic. Borders meant nothing to magicite beasts, nor to people suffering. Ideally, even if it moved toward Venefic, they’d make the both humane and gallant choice to provide the utmost aid, but ideals didn’t always come to fruition.
Fighting a Prismer with all their might meant using a hieral menace as a weapon—meant taking Rafael’s life. Knowing this, she didn’t even want to discuss fighting the Prismer, much less in front of him.
If it came to that, the choice would be Prince Wayne and Rafael’s. She wouldn’t be able to criticize them if they ignored the Prismer should it go toward Venefic, the reasoning being that it was no longer their problem. However, she’d certainly prefer a mission of mutual aid, so long as there was a nonnegotiable condition that neither she nor Eris be used as a weapon.
But more important than any of that to Ripple and Eris was the status of Inglis.
Inglis would fight the Prismer no matter where it was going, and she’d love every second of it.
If she took it down, the problem would be solved. All’s well that ends well, right? The raison d’être of hieral menaces would be gone, but that would be fine. No need for hieral menaces meant no threat from Prismers. If it prevented any more sorrow, Ripple didn’t care if she wasn’t needed anymore. They could even discard her, and she wouldn’t mind it. If anything, that was her hope.
She’d already talked with Ambassador Theodore about calling for Inglis. He had probably gone on to talk with Prince Wayne. For now, what was needed was to delay things as long as possible. Rather than defeat a powerful foe with an inevitable sacrifice and the grief that brought, it would be better to smash it with a smile and a giggle. Everyone would be happier that way.
At least, she herself would be happier that way, Ripple felt firmly.
“Anyway, as for our own move—” Prince Wayne continued, just to be interrupted.
“Pardon me! I bear an urgent report from our patrols!” A knight from the patrol rushed into the operations room, half-panicked.
“Thank you. Has there been a change in the Prismer’s status?” Rafael inquired.
“Yes!” his subordinate answered. “The frozen Prismer has brought forth a large number of birdlike magicite beasts! More than we’ve ever seen! It looked like at least a thousand!”
Prince Wayne grunted in surprise.
“So many... It must be close to awakening...” Theodore grimaced.
“Ah...! Notify all our forces at once! Prepare to intercept them!” Rafael ordered.
“No, they’re—” The knight seemed to have something more to say.
“Huh? What is it?”
“I don’t know if we need to—the magicite beast force is moving as one, eastward! They’re advancing toward Venefic!”
“Ah...! Have they chosen a new course, knowing we’ll intercept them if they come this way?”
“We don’t know what they’re thinking,” Ripple said. “It may just be a coincidence.”
“Yes, that’s right. But in any case...” Eris began. It’s not yet a full-scale emergency for Karelia, she thought, but it’s still become complicated.
Venefic had just refused a proposal of cooperation against the Prismer and the magicite beasts. Since that was the case, simply ignoring the beasts was a practical option. Karelia had brought the Prismer here, but it was Venefic that had mobilized their army with the aim of invading Karelia. If the mutual destruction of the magicite beasts and the invaders let them maintain full preparedness for the Prismer’s awakening, well...
It would of course mean some guilt, some complicated feelings, but it was a practical option.
Before Eris or Ripple could fully consider the situation and come to a conclusion as to what should be done, Rafael spoke. “Orders remain the same. Prepare to intercept!” His voice was firm and clear.
“Rafael...” Eris murmured. He must have still felt guilty for having brought the Prismer here. Taking responsibility was like him.
Ripple waited through the silence and then said, “Well, we did move it here, so I don’t mind.”
“Ah, no, it isn’t that. Just... No matter when, no matter who, if people are threatened by magicite beasts, I want to protect them. That’s why I became a knight. I can’t just sit back and watch,” Rafael explained.
His pure, uncalculating reasoning left Eris and Ripple speechless. Rafael was no stranger to them, but considering the situation, even this was beyond their expectations.
A knight’s duty was to protect people from magicite beasts—Rafael truly embodied that ideal. They’d served together in the Paladins for many years and seen many things, but he hadn’t changed at all. Sometimes, it felt like that purity and clarity cleansed their hearts. That was Rafael’s charm. Eris and Ripple both knew his little sister, Rafinha, and she was the same way. They both had similar moral codes.
“Prince Wayne, Ambassador Theodore, give me clearance to sortie!” Rafael said.
“Me too. I promise I won’t do anything reckless,” Ripple added.
“I’ll go along with them as well,” Eris volunteered.
Prince Wayne watched the trio before responding. “Ah, right... There’s no stopping you at a time like this. I believe your openness will help create trust, even with our foes. Thank you.”
“But as Lady Ripple said, please don’t do anything reckless. Never forget the weight that you bear,” Ambassador Theodore added.
“Yes, sir! Then, I’m off! Lady Eris, Lady Ripple, let’s go!” Rafael said.
“Right!” Eris responded.
“Yeah! Got it!” Ripple agreed.
The trio rushed to the Flygear hangar.
◆◇◆
Led by Rafael, the Paladins made haste as they headed for the eastern border. Before long, their target was in sight. The sky was dark with the shadows of countless birdlike magicite beasts.
Eris gasped from inside the Flygear. “There are so many of them!”
“Yeah... This is getting real serious!” Ripple said.
The Prismer’s activity continued to grow. That its awakening would soon occur was the inescapable conclusion. But even as they hoped Inglis would arrive on the front quickly, they had to deal with the massive flock which lay before them. Eris and Ripple were in full agreement.
“Hey, Rafael! How are we supposed to deal with this?” Ripple asked.
“There are too many to take a direct approach—even if we intercept their path, there are just too many!” Eris noted.
“We’re going with the option that risks the fewest losses!” Rafael replied.
“Oh?” Ripple said, eager to hear the plan.
Eris was similarly pleased. “Well, that’s certainly good to hear!”
“Yes! Eris, Ripple, and I will charge in! Everyone else will provide suppressive fire from a distance and finish off the scattered enemies at range!”
“Whaaat?!” Ripple practically yelled. “Just the three of us charging in?”
“That isn’t how you normally fight,” Eris noted.
“Correct,” Rafael replied. “However, this puts the fewest people in harm’s way!”
Rafael did not prefer tactics in which he stood forth and resolved the situation through his personal prowess. He did not want his subordinates in the Paladins to become dependent on him. In the event of a Prismer’s awakening or appearance, Rafael would have to give his life in the fight against it. If that came to pass, he did not want the knights who had come to depend on him to be left rudderless in his absence. Therefore, he was always taking care to improve the skills of the other knights so that they could become a group that could defend people on their own.
This had become even more important ever since Leon, who’d shared his position, had left the Paladins. With that, he could no longer think that even if he was gone, another holy knight would be there. Rafael regretted—but did not resent—Leon’s departure. He understood how Leon had come to that decision. Besides, the politically complicated incident which prompted his departure had occurred in Rafael’s hometown. In a way, Leon’s choice had protected Rafael’s family.
But laying all that aside, Rafael believed using himself, Eris, and Ripple as a primary offensive force was the most appropriate tactic for the current situation.
“Lieutenant-Colonel, we’ll proceed as I described!” Rafael instructed. “We three will charge in, and you’re to attack the scattered enemies from a distance! I leave the command of this side to you!”
“Yes, Sir Rafael!” his second-in-command replied. He immediately brought the knights into formation. “Knights, position yourselves for long-range fire! Do not take isolated positions. Maintain a close formation to cover your fellows! Hold formation as we follow Sir Rafael!”
“Yes, sir!” the knights answered.
“Let’s go, Lady Eris, Lady Ripple!” Rafael leaped from his second-in-command’s Flygear to the one that Eris and Ripple were using, landing on its bow.
“Yes! Understood!” Changing places with him, Eris unsheathed her twin blades, preparing for the attack.
Ripple tightly gripped the controls. “All right! Full speed ahead! Don’t fall off, now!”
“Okay, I’m ready! I’ll be fine even if I do fall off, though!” Rafael said.
Ripple chuckled. “Yeah, you probably would be. All right, here goes!” She brought the Flygear to full speed. The single aircraft rushed ahead.
It was a high-performance Flygear with enhanced thrusters. In no time at all, it had broken out from the formation and closed in on the flock of flying magicite beasts.
As it did, Rafael unsheathed his own Artifact longsword. Its softly glowing blade was translucent like a crimson gem, and the hilt was sculpted in mimicry of the legendary dragons. This was not due to Rafael’s tastes, but simply how it had been when he received it.
Its name was Dragon Fang; allegedly, it had been carved from an actual fang taken from a gigantic dragon. Apparently, while dragons were legendary to the people of the surface, Highland considered their existence rather more concrete. While, categorically, it was merely an upper-class Artifact, its might was unmatched by any of its peers. Its strength was outclassed only by a transformed hieral menace.
When Ambassador Theodore had laid eyes on it, he had warned that, while it was extremely powerful, the burden it placed on its wielder’s body was immense. He cautioned Rafael to use it sparingly. In Rafael’s experience, that certainly held true. When the Paladins had first acquired the sword, he and Leon discussed who should wield it. Leon had passed on the opportunity, calling it an exhausting ordeal. Since then, Rafael had been its wielder.
“Haaaah!” Rafael held Dragon Fang before him and focused; he felt a pulsating power flow from its blade. If the Artifact was carved from a dragon’s fang, it must have retained some of the spirit, the might, of that dragon. Rafael did feel a sort of will from it.
At the beginning, even wielding it for a short time had left him exhausted, but as he used the sword more and more, its burden had lightened. Not just as if he was getting used to it, but as if the sword’s own will accepted him and lent him its power. At the same time, he did grow accustomed to the sword, drawing closer to it—the mighty dragon whose fang it was. What lay at the end of that journey?
“We’ve caught up with them! Chaaaaarge!” Ripple took one hand off the controls to fire her gun. From its barrel shot out not a bullet of light like usual, but a twisting, swirling dark gleam. “Take a bit of this to start with!”
Her dark spiral quickly struck the magicite beast in the lead, encompassing its body in darkness.
Zrrrrp!
The darkness spread to its neighbors. Her shot had created a powerful gravitational “eye,” of sorts. Unable to resist, the magicite beasts affected were pulled into one solid clump.
“Eris! Now!”
“Yes! Slash them, cut them, and mince them!” Eris’s blades swung forth from the Flygear’s bow faster than the eye could see, slicing out in all directions, flying through the intervening space, and raining down on the mass of magicite beasts brought together by Ripple. Their sharp edges, as Eris commanded, sliced the sphere of beasts to pieces. In only a few seconds, it was reduced to a hail of shredded pieces. “Next! Keep them coming!” she called out.
“Okay!” Ripple answered. “Coming right up!”
Even Rafael considered the two in battle a sight to behold. In the blink of an eye, Eris and Ripple had killed dozens of magicite beasts.
But that was nothing compared to the number of foes which remained. He wished they could maintain this momentum, but the strain on both of them would soon be too much. If they got tired, they’d begin to lose steam. Before that happened, he needed to join in, breaking up the enemy and forcing them to scatter. From there, the Paladins could handle the beasts individually. Even if some reached Venefic’s forces, it would be easier for them to deal with the reduced numbers.
“I’m joining in! Grahhhhh!”
“Groooooowr!”
As Rafael gave a shout, the roar of some gigantic creature joined in unison. It had to belong to a dragon—specifically, it was the roar of Dragon Fang.
Suddenly, his body was wrapped in armor of the same crimson color as Dragon Fang’s blade. Hard red wings extended from its back. This hadn’t always happened when he’d wielded the Artifact; the transformation had developed as he grew accustomed to Dragon Fang and deepened his bonds with it. It was proof that the sword’s draconic might was being granted to him.
“Go for it, Rafael!” Eris called out.
“If you get tired, fall back! We’ll cover you!” Ripple said.
“Yes! Yaaaaaah!” Rafael leaped from the deck of the Flygear. His wings were no mere decorations; they allowed him to fly as skillfully as a dragon.
Holding the sword before him, he cut upward through the flock of magicite beasts.
Slash! Bssh-bssh-bssh-bssssshhhh!
The blade cut through the magicite beasts in his path as if they were nothing, its blistering heat vaporizing them. Breaking through to the top of the flock and looking back down, he could see Eris and Ripple watching him through the clear passage he’d carved out.
That passage remained for but a moment. Countless magicite beasts filled the gap, blocking them from his sight.
“I’m not done yet!” Rafael reversed his trajectory, this time cutting through the enemy formation on a diagonal dive. Again, the beasts were burned away without offering any resistance. “Need to be thorough!” Reversing course once more, he cut horizontally through the flock of beasts.
This was a tactic that could not be used in a general, chaotic melee, where friend and foe alike were scattered throughout the battlefield; he wouldn’t want to injure his allies. It was only usable when he charged in as part of a small group taking on a much larger one. It was not Rafael’s preferred way of fighting, but having committed to it, he was giving it his all.
“Grahhhhh!” Rafael—seen only as a crimson spark—swept through the enemy over and over. Too many of the beasts remained, but they were making progress. “All right! They’re beginning to scatter!”
The flock’s movement had changed. Rather than continuing east toward Venefic as one mass, they were thrown into disarray under the pressure. It was similar to how forces of humans would disperse in a panic when their morale broke and they fled. Rafael didn’t know if magicite beasts were capable of complex thought, but it could be a matter of them following their instincts and fleeing.
“Now that they’ve scattered, we can take them out one by one!”
This was probably a good time for him to return. He’d already used a lot of energy, and his fatigue was beginning to wear on him. He couldn’t just collapse on the battlefield. He needed to rendezvous with Eris and Ripple, return to the knights, and take command.
Once he got back to the Flygear, he sheathed Dragon Fang. As he did, his red armor and wings disappeared. “Eris, Ripple, the enemy’s lines have broken! This should be enough. Let’s join up with the rest of our forces!”
“Of course, Rafael!” Eris agreed.
“Hey, you two! Look at that!” Ripple pointed eastward, toward a squadron of Flygears surrounding a Flygear Port.
Rafael gasped. “That’s—”
“It’s not the Paladins?! It must be Venefic’s army—”
The uniforms worn by its crew bore not Karelia’s insignia—not that of the Paladins—but Venefic’s. They must have come to respond to the approaching magicite beasts.
“Good to see them here!” Ripple said. “There’s still lots of magicite beasts!”
Despite the trio’s work, their enemies were still numerous. If all of the magicite beasts scattered, they might actually cause widespread damage. There were no human settlements nearby, but if the beasts kept flying, they’d eventually reach one. The Paladins had to shoot down as many as possible—and some assistance from Venefic would help.
“Yes, it’s excellent timing!” Rafael agreed. “Lady Eris! Lady Ripple! Let’s go speak with their commander! We can mop up the remaining magicite beasts together!”
“That’s a good idea!” Eris agreed. “Let’s go!”
“Okay!” Ripple said. “I’m bringing us over there!”
Ripple turned the Flygear eastward, toward Venefic’s forces, but as she did, those forces unleashed a hail of long-range fire from their Artifacts, shooting bolts of flame and ice.
Their target was not the magicite beasts, but instead the Paladins arrayed at a distance from Rafael to handle the beasts. The Paladins, focused on the beasts, were caught by surprise. Several Flygears were hit, and their wreckage fell toward the ground.
“Wh—?!” Rafael, Eris, and Ripple could not believe their eyes for a moment.
Venefic’s forces must have seen the Paladins stopping the approaching magicite beasts, so why would they not join forces with Karelia? They were not only ignoring the beasts, but they were attacking Karelia.
Yet the unthinkable was unfolding before them.
The Paladins, in formation to repel the beasts, had been thrown into disarray, and the beasts used that chance to close in. With their formation disrupted, they were on the back foot, and Flygears were falling to the beasts. And with further disregard for the situation, the Venefic forces, having taken the initiative, moved in for close combat with the Paladins.
“They’re ignoring the magicite beasts to force a close-in fight with our forces?!” Eris gasped.
“Sheesh, what are they thinking?! There are magicite beasts here! This isn’t the time for that!” Ripple was just as angry as she was shocked.
But even more furious was Rafael, who shook with rage. “I won’t forgive them stabbing people in the back while they protect them from the magicite beasts!” He unsheathed Dragon Fang again—and unleashed its power.
“Groooooowr!”
A roar rang out, and the crimson armor reappeared on Rafael. “Stooop!” he bellowed, charging ahead.
“Ah! Rafael!” Ripple called out.
“Wait! You can’t just go in alone!” Eris yelled.
As their voices chased him, Rafael sliced through the sky toward the Venefic forces. He reached them in the blink of an eye, just as Venefic’s forces were just about to close with the Paladins.
A call arose from the Venefic side. “All right, go! Take everything down, whether magicite beast or foe! They’re both our country’s enemy!”
Venefic’s soldiers let loose a war cry in response.
However, as they did, the magicite beasts before them suddenly exploded.
Booooooooom!
The roar of the explosion drowned out the soldiers’ shouts.
“Huh?! What was that?!”
“What’s going on?! Who’s attacking us?!”
“Th-That explosion was huge!”
Rafael’s voice sounded clearly from amidst the flames. “I’ll warn you once. If you continue to attack our forces, you’re next!” The force of his angry pronouncement sent shudders through Venefic’s troops.
“Wh—?!”
“Is that?!”
“That’s the holy knight from Karelia!”
“What knight would attack those they find fighting magicite beasts?!” Rafael shouted. “Join us in finishing them off! The beasts are our enemy!”
However, he was met with a counterargument from a person aboard the Flygear Port floating in the center of Venefic’s formation. “A noble sentiment—but I must disagree! Knights have more enemies than mere magicite beasts! Is not repelling invaders also our duty? Surely you must agree, Sir Rafael Bilford, Karelia’s champion?”
Rafael recognized him, but he was shocked to see him here. “You’re the Red Lion, Rochefort!”
Just as Rafael was Karelia’s strongest knight, General Rochefort was Venefic’s. He was a striking young man with flame-red hair, which left a strong impression. He was slightly older than Rafael, but they were close enough in age that during his academy years they had met in a tournament, their match ending in a tie.
They also both possessed a special-class Rune. Although they had not met since the tournament, Rafael had felt a certain sense of camaraderie with the man that transcended borders. Karelia and Venefic had long been hostile, but perhaps, he had hoped, the two could come to an understanding. Those faint hopes were shattered now.
“Invaders?” Rafael replied. “Is that us, or you?” Venefic was the first to have pushed into the border regions. That was indisputable.
“You tell me!” Rochefort shot back. “You have already entered Venefic territory. A foreign army entering without permission makes them invaders, no different from magicite beasts themselves! What wrong is there in repelling them?”
“That’s absurd! Magicite beasts don’t care about borders or loyalties! Humanity must join in cooperation against them! That’s all we did! If we ignore the magicite beasts, they will eventually wipe us from the surface!”
“And why, in the first place, are there magicite beasts in this area? It’s because you brought the corpse of that Prismer here! Your plan is to cause confusion by using the magicite beasts, then creep in little by little under the guise of cooperation! Isn’t that right?!”
“I have absolutely no such intention! General Rochefort, a man such as you must understand what we were doing! Are those the tactics a force seeking to invade with the magicite beasts as cover would use? If you truly think so, you’ve lost your read on situations since I last met you in battle! Have capital politics swallowed you? Have you lost your shine as a warrior?!”
Rochefort’s only response to Rafael was a loud laugh.
“What’s so funny?!”
“You’re still so naive! I’m glad to see you haven’t changed! Yes, that’s right. I saw you fighting your hardest to stop the magicite beasts, putting your life on the line even though they were bound for your enemy, serving as an example for your ideal of humanity joining together to fight the magicite beasts.”
“If you understand that, then why—?!”
“But! In the end, you’re just invaders of our lands who took magicite beasts as your vanguard! Do you understand? In this cesspool of a world, your ideals aren’t worth anything! Everything is decided by those with power subduing those without! Things like justice and truth are only stories we tell ourselves after!”
“Ugh... Can’t we talk this over?!”
“Absolutely not! Speak with your might, not your words, Rafael Bilford! Your head would make for a fine trophy!”
“Grr... If you won’t change your mind...” Then I have no choice but to take Rochefort down here! Rafael thought.
With their general lost, his troops would lose their will to fight the Paladins, even joining the battle against the magicite beasts—or at least ceasing their attack. Rochefort was prioritizing attacking the Paladins over attacking the beasts, but the rest of Venefic’s troops and their leaders might not feel the same. Many of them must have thought that, with the threat of magicite beasts, it was no time to be fighting Karelia. Rafael decided all he could do was remove Rochefort from the picture, and rely on his soldiers...
“Ah, so you will take me on! Wonderful! But I’m a busy man, Rafael Bilford! Let’s finish this quickly!”
“Don’t underestimate me. I may be outnumbered, but—”
“Ha ha ha ha! That’s not it! I say so because I recognize your prowess! Your Artifact is mighty as well. As expected of a major power like Karelia, a good knight with a good Artifact!”
“So, then, what’s your plan?”
“I’ll show you! Come, Arles!” Rochefort called on the lady knight by his side.
“Yes,” she replied. No, she was something more than a lady knight. She was a demihuman like Ripple was, with the ears and tail of an animal. She looked like she was in her late teens—also like Ripple. But where Ripple had a visibly energetic, bubbly personality, she was calm and ladylike, with a melancholic fragility. They may have shared a lineage, but the impressions they gave were complete opposites.
Rafael gasped. “A hieral menace?!”
According to Ripple, the demihumans had been nearly wiped out. Unlike the humans of the surface, they were susceptible to the effects of the Prism Flow, and thus had almost all been converted to magicite beasts. If she had survived, it would have been as a hieral menace, just like Ripple. Hieral menaces were not vulnerable to the Prism Flow.
“Why waste time fighting bare-handed?! I’ll overwhelm you with a weapon!”
Rochefort, his eyes fixed on Rafael, extended a hand to Arles.
“Yes... As you wish...” Arles wrapped her hands around his and held it close to her chest, treasuring the gesture.
Her body began to glow brightly. It was a divine, awe-inspiring sight, one Rafael had never seen before—but one he’d heard about.
“N-No way...” This is the light released when a hieral menace’s true power is unleashed! Meaning—!
“Haaaaa ha ha ha ha! That’s it! Good girl! Give me power!”
“I can’t believe it! You’d use a hieral menace as a weapon against other humans?!”
“That’s riiiiight! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon! I’m taking you down, holy knight!”
“Damn you!” Rafael’s anger reached a peak. This was unthinkable. Absurd. Unreasonable. The cost of taking a hieral menace as a weapon, harnessing that overwhelming power, was the life of the holy knight who wielded her burning away.
Every holy knight knew that. Before they were appointed to the role, it was confirmed with them many times over. The holy knight was humanity’s last hope, last line of defense, against the ineffable disaster of a Prismer.
When he was a child and the castle in his hometown Ymir had been attacked by magicite beasts, his mother Irina had told him that he must survive even if he had to abandon everyone else. At the time, the words had turned his stomach, and he still didn’t think he had done anything wrong by trying to protect his family then, but he had come to understand what she had meant.
That was the weight that a holy knight carried. They were an indispensable hope for the people of the surface. His mother may not have understood the truth of holy knights and hieral menaces, but in a situation like this, the burden weighed even more heavily. It was simply outrageous to use a hieral menace in a battle between humans. If Rochefort burned away here, what would become of his true duty? Who would protect the people from Prismers? He was taking humanity’s hope and throwing it underfoot to be trampled. Rafael didn’t know if Venefic had “holy knight” as a title or rank, but surely Rochefort knew the cost. And yet, even still—!
“Lady Arles, was it?! Please, stop this! This brings no hope, no salvation! Don’t you think a hieral menace’s true power should only be used to protect people from Prismers?!” Rochefort was unlikely to be convinced, so Rafael attempted to persuade her.
However, silent in the light, Arles’s form changed from that of a demihuman woman to that of a huge shield with a golden glow.
“A shield?! That’s even more proof that your duty is to protect!” Rafael continued. A battle between humans was ill-fitting service for such a weapon.
“And protect I will!” Rochefort called out. “There’s something I have to protect! And I’ll do it by wiping you accursed invaders out!”
“You’re so selfish!”
“Ha ha ha ha ha! This is wonderful, wonderful power, Arles! Together as one, we bring forth such strength! Now, let it intoxicate us!”
Skreeeee!
An unmistakable high-pitched squeal filled Rafael’s ears at the same time as a jewellike object inlaid on the shield began shining brightly. The glow focused into a bolt of light and shot toward Rafael.
“Huh?!” It was fast, but the wings granted to him by Dragon Fang made him just barely able to climb and evade it. The errant light crashed into the rocky hills below.
Boom!
Both the roar and the column of smoke hammered home the might behind that strike.
Rafael gasped. A single, slender beam of light that powerful—
“I’m not through with you yet!” Rochefort announced. “You’re not getting away!”
Skreech-skreech-skreech!
Beam after beam chased Rafael. “Gah!” Rather than evading again, he swept at them with Dragon Fang, trying to clear them away, but their tremendous power shoved back his blade, flinging him backward.
“Aaagh!” he grunted.
He was somehow able to avoid crashing to the ground, but as he spun in the air, his vision blurred. When he could focus again, Rochefort’s Flygear Port was far, far ahead of him. That was how far away he had been blown.
“So fearsome—so powerful!” He was facing something special. This was the ultimate Artifact, the only weapon powerful enough to take on a Prismer. It was said that Dragon Fang, though only an upper-class Artifact, was the closest thing to the might of a hieral menace. Even so, Rafael couldn’t help but feel that there was an impassable wall separating the two.
“Being knocked back this far may actually help me out here...” Rafael had to admit that a straight-up fight between the two of them wouldn’t end well for him. Plus, Rochefort could endure using a hieral menace’s true power for only so long. Naturally, Rafael had only one course to take.
“He’s throwing his life away here!” he cursed to himself.
Rochefort’s decision to wield a hieral menace against other humans was unforgivable. If he burned himself away doing so, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the duty of those with special-class Runes—to defend people from a Prismer. That would be a betrayal of those who put their hopes in him. It was a complete waste.
However, if Rochefort killed him, then he would fail in his duty too. Both of them dying here would be the worst scenario. Rafael wasn’t sure how long Rochefort could continue to wield the hieral menace, but he was sure it wasn’t forever. Thus, drawing out the encounter rather than meeting him head-on meant Rochefort would destroy himself.
“Where are you going, holy knight?!” Rochefort’s voice rang out from above Rafael’s head.
“Ah!” Rafael inhaled sharply. He hadn’t realized Rochefort was rushing from the skies toward him, a round shield huge enough to nearly completely cover him held before him. Now it was too late.
“Take this!”
Slam!
“Gahhhh!” The shock of the blow smashed Rafael down into the rocky hills below. His back slammed into the ground, and the impact shot up dust as it left a crater. The force was so tremendous that it dazed him for a moment. Without the armor granted by Dragon Fang, it would have been even worse; it might even have killed him in a single blow.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!” Rochefort laughed. “This is great, Arles! Beating Karelia’s strongest knight is like taking candy from a baby! Ah, I see it! I see it! A shining future!”
“You’re not going to have a future!” Rafael argued. “You won’t survive this!”
“Maybe, maybe not! But you’re not going to live to find out!”
Craaackle!
Light condensed on the surface of the shield, making a violent roar. In the aftermath of this convergence alone, some of the craggy hilltops nearby began to crumble. It was obvious at a glance how fearsome the power was.
“Farewell!” Rochefort yelled. The crackling shield swooped down toward Rafael from above.
“Gah!” I still can’t move from the previous blow, but I have to stand up! If I take this dead-on, it’ll kill me!
“Rafael!” He heard his name being yelled moments before a collision.
Slammmm!
The noise was loud enough to hurt his ears. Where Rochefort’s blow struck, a huge pillar of light arose, blowing away the surrounding earth and leaving a huge hole.
“This power is tremendous! Why aren’t you using this to fight Prismers?!” Rafael shouted as he took in the scale of the destruction behind him.
Eris was beside him upon the Flygear. She had swooped in at top speed to rescue him at the last second before Rochefort’s blow. “Yes! But we can’t just go an eye for an eye!”
He nodded. “Yes, Lady Eris! Our duty is to protect people from Prismers!”
“That you recognize that importance is why we trust you! Let’s gain some distance!”
“Yes! Thanks for saving me! Where’s Ripple?!” he asked, confused why Eris was alone on the Flygear.
“She’s gone to help the main force withdraw! The odds are against us with an unreasonable foe like this!”
“I see, that’s good! Let’s open up some distance and draw him back so he doesn’t go after our main force!”
“Yes, that’s right!”
As they spoke, a booming voice interrupted. “Did you really think I’d let you do as you please?! I’ll smash you and your forces!” Rochefort was quickly closing in on the Flygear. The light streaming backward from the rim of the shield he held before him provided a powerful enough thrust to propel him forward. He was effectively flying through the sky.
“He’s fast...!” Rafael gasped.
“He’s already catching up?!” Eris said.
“Ha ha ha ha! So strong! So fast... So incredible! This is the best!” Rochefort’s laughter was getting closer.
“What are you so happy about?!” Rafael yelled.
“This isn’t some game! Why is their hieral menace giving him that power?!” Eris asked.
Hieral menaces could only transform when their hearts aligned with their wielder’s. If her current wielder had flown into an indiscriminate rage, did that mean she felt the same? Why? Eris couldn’t understand.
“Haaah!” The gleaming shield struck forth again.
“Rafael! Take the controls! Yaaah!” Eris handed the helm to Rafael and turned around. A slash from her twin blades leaped through the air, flashing a cross over Rochefort’s shield, but the shining light covering him repelled the blades.
“Why isn’t it working?!”
“I don’t mind being scolded by a beautiful woman like you—but put some more force into it!”
“Then how about this?!”
Sching!
Eris slid one blade down another, activated her power to make her strikes leap across space, and a hail of sparks exploded in front of Rochefort’s eyes.
“Gah! Blinding me?! That’s a cheap trick for a hieral menace!”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone misusing a special-class Rune!”
As Eris fired back at Rochefort, Rafael maneuvered the Flygear to a sudden stop. Still dazed for a moment, Rochefort flew straight past them—
“All right!” Rafael took the chance to bring the Flygear to nearly ground level, hiding in the shadow of a peak and escaping Rochefort’s vision.
“Good job! Now let’s use the cover of the hilltops to get out of here!”
“Yes, Lady Eris! I hope there’s more we can use for cover!”
If they had been fighting in a forest, they could have easily slipped into hiding among the trees, but there was unfortunately little cover here—a few hilltops to shelter behind, but the surface itself was unobstructed with an open view.
“We’re gonna have to make it work! At least buy some time!”
“I will...!”
While hiding from Rochefort, the Flygear moved west at a low altitude. In the distance, they saw the site where the Prismer rested.
“Ah...! That’s—”
“So many! Not again!”
Another gigantic flock of birdlike magicite beasts was forming around the Prismer. There were so many that they nearly blackened the sky. There were even more than when Rafael had fought them earlier—and they were about to start moving as one.
“Oh no! They’re going to head west!”
West, toward Karelia.
“Ugh, not now of all times! Not when the people of the surface are fighting amongst themselves!”
“Lady Eris! If it’s come to this, let’s get him to work with us!”
“But how? He doesn’t seem willing to listen to reason!”
“Like this!” Rafael pitched the Flygear upward, and it flew out from the concealing crags into the sky.
“Wait! He’s going to see us!” Before Eris could say more, a voice bellowed.
“There you are! I thought a holy knight wasn’t supposed to turn his back on the enemy!” Rochefort immediately spotted the Flygear and came for it.
“Yeah, and we want him to see us!” Rafael said. “That’s how I’m going to get him to help! I’m bringing us straight into the magicite beasts!”
By fleeing to the midst of the cloud of beasts, not only would they have cover, but the excess power the shield scattered would spread through the swarm, destroying them.
“I see...! That’s a risky bet, but...” Eris began.
“It’s the only way we have to deal with both problems at once!”
“I agree! Let’s do it!”
Sching!
Again, Eris tried to blind Rochefort with her blades.
“That trick again?! It won’t work twice in a row!”
“He’s catching up!” Eris gasped.
“Lady Eris! Take the controls!”
Rafael and Eris switched positions. He leaped from the Flygear and moved to its rear with a roar as he pushed it forward, adding the full might of Dragon Fang’s wings to the Flygear’s thrust.
Even though the Flygear suddenly accelerated, it still couldn’t completely pull away from Rochefort, but he wasn’t closing in on them so quickly now. Their Flygear was nearing the rimebound Prismer and its swarm of magicite beasts, but they couldn’t outrun the bloodthirsty person on their flank.
“Ugh! We’re not gonna make it!” Rafael strained as he urged himself to go faster.
“Just a little bit more! Somehow—!” Eris encouraged.
Rochefort was almost upon them. “Ha ha ha ha! This game of tag is over now!”
Just then, a bullet of dark light shot past them, grazing Rochefort in the leg.
“Agh!” He suddenly tilted in the air, slowing down and letting them open up a small gap.
“Eris! Rafael! I’m here to help!”
“Ripple!”
“Lady Ripple!”
Ripple had opened fire as she closed in. It hadn’t been a solid hit, but the gravitational force of the “eye” did throw him off-balance and slow him down.
“Sorry, but could you lend me your strength?” Ripple spoke to the Flygear which had carried her here. With its prow aimed straight at Rochefort and its engines at full speed, she leaped from the aircraft, leaving it to perform one last kamikaze strike.
Blammmmmm!
It crashed into Rochefort’s golden shield and broke apart with a mighty roar. “Aaaagh!” Rochefort was slowed further, to a stop. Ripple, having abandoned her aircraft, nimbly leaped toward her allies’ Flygear.
“Thanks! Good timing!” Eris said.
“I saw what was going on! You two are in such a pickle!”
“Yes,” Rafael responded, “but thanks to you, we’ll make it.” As he spoke, the Flygear entered the swarm of magicite beasts.
“You’re not getting away! I won’t let you!” Rochefort roared as he dove into the swarm in pursuit. The stray energy unleashed by his shield swept through beast after beast around him, obliterating them. The swath of destruction it left behind was far wider and more powerful than even Rafael’s recent assault.
“It’s working!” Rafael said. “He really is fearsome, though...”
“But we don’t know how long he can keep it up!” Ripple said.
“You were right, Rafael!” Eris agreed with him. “If we let him and the magicite beasts wear each other down...”
It was easier to hide among the magicite beasts than it had been shortly before. At some point, Rochefort would have burned through his energy—and by then, hopefully the beasts would be wiped out as well.
“You’re trying to hide trees in a forest—!” Rochefort yelled, stopping in place and raising his shield.
“He stopped?” Rafael asked.
“What—” Ripple gasped, stopping short as Eris finished her sentence, “—is he doing?!”
The shield gleamed even brighter, its light forming a sphere around Rochefort. “I’ll blow the whole forest away!” he finished.
Skreeeeeeeeeech!
The light exploded out from him as the sound echoed. The magicite beasts touched by it crumbled and evaporated.
“How can he still fire something like that?!” Rafael shouted.
“It’s so fast!” Ripple panicked.
“Oh no!” Eris cried. “We can’t get away from it!”
The light spread swiftly, closing in on them.
“Ahhhhhh!”
As they were swallowed by the light, a fierce shock sent them flying. Rafael’s vision went dark for a moment—then his back smashed into something.
Krshhhh!
At the same time, he heard a smash. Glimmering things filled his vision as he felt a chill. “Is this...? Is this the Prismer’s ice?!” Rafael had fallen into the ice encasing the rimebound Prismer.
“Ugh...” Eris muttered.
“Owwie!” Ripple yelped.
They too had been caught by the Prismer’s ice. It was fair to say that it had broken their fall relatively softly.
Ironically, the Prismer, their greatest foe, had saved them. “I can’t believe it—you’re supposed to be our enemy!” Rafael gazed at the Prismer, still trapped in its ice. He had landed near its head, and its gigantic, prismatic eyes—now, they seemed to glitter as they gazed back.
“Wh—?!” Rafael gasped. He was sure of it. They’d just made eye contact! “Lady Eris! Lady Ripple! Did you see that? The Prismer just looked at me!”
“Y-Yes! I saw it!” Eris said. “It’s almost fully awakened!”
“Oh no!” Ripple gasped. “It’s waking up!”
But Rochefort wasn’t stopping. “Now, let me finish you off!”
“Stop! Don’t disturb the Prismer any further! You’ll trigger its awakening! If it thinks you’re attacking it, it’ll counter!” Rafael protested.
“Smashing you both at once solves that problem!” As Rochefort wound up a finishing blow—
Crassshhhhhh!
With a monumental noise, the ice encasing the Prismer shattered. The shock, which felt as though it had exploded from within, sent Rafael and the others flying forward wildly from the ice. They eventually hit the ground, bouncing a few times before coming to a halt an astonishing distance away.
“Gaaah...! I-It’s—! This is—!” Rafael stammered.
“Ah! The Prismer—!” Eris gasped.
“It’s awake!” Ripple yelled in horror.
They were on the ground before a tremendous bird, its body shining all the colors of the rainbow. It was beautiful, it was sublime, but it was a holy knight or a hieral menace’s greatest enemy. Now was the time to take the true power of a hieral menace to hand and fight!
That would cost Rafael’s life. But he had made up his mind to do so. Ever since the day he had become a holy knight, he had lived knowing that this day too would come. It wasn’t that he wanted to lose his life. He wanted to see Rafinha and Inglis grow up with his own eyes. He wanted to do his best for Ymir, while being a loyal son to his parents.
But even though he had those hopes, far more important were the hopes of all humanity embodied in holy knights and hieral menaces. It was through that fervent belief that he made his decision.
“Lady Eris! Lady Ripple! If it’s come to this, let us fight with you as weapons! With the Prismer revived, we must not hesitate!”
“W-Wait, Rafael!” Eris stuttered. “Don’t rush into this! We have time to be careful and assess the situation!”
“That’s right!” Ripple agreed. “There’s no guarantee the Prismer’s gonna go straight toward a town! Let’s wait until the last minute!”
“But if we don’t take the Prismer down here, there’s a chance it’ll do a lot of damage!”
“I don’t want you to cast aside your life on a maybe!” Eris barked back. “Please understand—it’s too soon!”
“That’s right!” Ripple said. “And besides—!”
Watching them, Rochefort laughed. “Ha ha ha ha ha! Spineless, aren’t you! Watch this, you weaklings! We’ll crush that Prismer! You’ll owe me your lives, and you’ll worship me until you draw your last breath on your deathbed!” He aimed the focus of his attack at the birdlike Prismer, and rushed in with his glittering shield held high.
“Run away! Leave this to us and get out of here!” Ripple heard echo in her head.
“Huh?! Did you just hear something! It was the voice from before... It wants us to leave this to them and run away!”
“No, I didn’t hear anything!” Rafael insisted.
“I didn’t hear it either!” Eris said.
If it’s telling us to leave it to them, it has to be, Ripple thought.
It can’t be Rochefort. It must be the hieral menace transformed into the shield in his hands. I’d love to ask her why she’s telling us this, but now isn’t really the time to chat.
“Take this!” Rochefort had closed in on the Prismer.
Recognizing his attack, it turned its gaze on him. And the shine in its rainbow eyes intensified—trying to block his path, the Prismer sent forth rainbow-colored crystals thrusting from the ground.
“That won’t stop me!”
Krsh! Krssshhh! Krrrshsh!
Rochefort broke through them as he advanced on the Prismer. He bashed his raised shield into it with a loud smack! As it struggled against the Prismer’s power, the shield glowed brightly and began to carve into the gigantic beast’s body.
“It’s working?!” Rafael exclaimed.
“But...! If that’s all he’s got—!” Eris began.
“—this might be bad!” Ripple finished.
“What do you mean?!” Rafael asked.
Squawwwwwk!
Before Eris or Ripple could answer Rafael’s question, the Prismer cried and spread its wings.
“Gaaah!” The force of the Prismer’s reaction sent Rochefort flying backward, but he quickly righted himself midair and risked another attack. His swift movement accurately struck again at the Prismer’s wound.
Fshhhhhh!
However, his follow-up attack didn’t deepen the wound. In fact, it wasn’t just ineffective; it actively helped the Prismer, which absorbed the power. It healed before their eyes.
“Wh-Whaaaaaaaat?!” Rochefort’s eyes went wide. “What is this beast?!” Sensing the situation he was in, he stepped back for a moment. He honestly wasn’t fighting with abandon—he was fighting on wild instinct. Yet this display was clearly an uncanny phenomenon.
“I knew it!” Eris said. “It’s like before—no, even more so!”
“Yeah,” Ripple agreed. “I don’t remember it starting to absorb things that quickly last time!”
“Did it get even stronger while it was sleeping?!”
“What do you two mean?!” Rafael interjected in haste.
“That Prismer is an extremely quick learner!” Eris explained. “It remembers our attacks, and it becomes more and more resistant to them!”
“Eventually, it learns how to absorb attacks!” Ripple added. “That’s why we weren’t able to finish it off the last time it appeared!”
“At this point, the shield won’t do anything to it anymore! Without a different attack—!”
“He’s got the light that blew away the swarm of magicite beasts and probably other attacks, but...but those won’t work more than once or twice! It looks like it’s learning even faster than last time!”
“Then we need to join forces with him and attack!” Rafael suggested. “It’s our only option!”
Eris and Ripple shook their heads. “No! We need to stop him and work out a plan together!” Eris insisted.
“Yeah!” Ripple agreed. “If he keeps going, everything that shield can do will stop working!”
“But if we wait that long, he’ll burn away all his power!” Rafael protested. “Look how much he’s using! Right now is our only chance to fight alongside him!”
As they debated, innumerable magicite beasts began to appear around them. Not just birds, but animals, insects, and beasts of every sort appeared one after another around the Prismer.
Rafael inhaled sharply. “What’s going on?!”
“The Prismer is embodying the Prism Flow itself!” Eris explained.
“So every animal around it is getting turned into a magicite beast!” Ripple added.
“Then before long this place will...” Rafael began.
The Prismer suddenly began to shine brightly, with a glow very much like that of Rochefort’s shield.
“You bastard! Are you using the same light as—?!” As Rochefort spoke in utter abhorrence, the light born from the Prismer became countless bullets which rained out over the area.
Rat-tat-tat!
The magicite beasts were decimated, the landscape became a cratered wasteland, and the rain of fire approached Rafael, Eris, and Ripple. The fearsome might of each shot, their speed, their precision—this was an attack they could not avoid!
“Rafael!” Eris and Ripple covered Rafael with themselves, tensing as one of the Prismer’s shots struck.
That was the last thing Rafael saw before losing consciousness.
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