As Clarice opened the door to the cathedral and made her way inside, she could see the chapel down the hallway in front of her.
Clarice walked down the hallway, her two knight escorts walking with her.
She decided to split up with Ed and move separately from him. At the time, because there were so many things that needed to be taken care of, she hadn't noticed it. However, after being separated from Ed, she began to feel her previous anxiety creep up on her again.
I have to get a grip on myself.
However, Clarice quickly shook her head as she straightened her back.
Most likely, the entire story would unfold inside the school's cathedral. She was moving quicker than any of the previous times before, since she went straight to the cathedral. It was surely different from the countless repeated attempts she had made previously.
"S-Saint…?"
When she reached the hallway, the third seat of the Apostles of Telos—Taldarek—blocked her path.
Saint Clarice was someone that was greatly favored and treasured by the Telos Religious Group. Just sharing a few words with her was like being graced by God.
He didn't know the reason for it, but her body was covered in scratches and she looked exhausted… Aside from that, she definitely looked like the Saint.
"W-Weren't you waiting at Trix Hall? Wh-What are you doing here…?"
"Get out of the way, Taldarek."
Saint Clarice was someone that was always kind to others, that always seemed to be in a cheerful mood.
However, the girl in front of him had cold, distant eyes—like an adult that had gone through all sorts of hardships… Clarice ordered Taldarek to clear the path.
She didn't show the slightest hint of astonishment at the fact an Apostle of Telos was there. Her grace had changed so much that he couldn't help but wonder if she really was the same Saint he had seen back at the Holy Father Building. However, it was inevitable for her to change in such a way. She was someone that had watched hundreds of thousands of people die dozens of times.
"B-But… Saint, the Holy Father ordered me to…"
"I'm going to talk to the Holy Father directly, so get out of the way."
After saying that, Clarice strode past Taldarek.
Taldarek quickly stretched his arm out, as if to say something, but Clarice grabbed onto his wrist as she looked up at him for a moment… He then put his hands back down as Clarice walked past him.
The Saint's knights, who were walking behind her, looked at each other as they realized that some was wrong. They slowly followed behind her, heading for the chapel.
Boom!
As soon as she burst through the door, she could see the entire chapel at a glance.
The first thing she noticed was the massive podium at the front of the room. Behind it was a large stained-glass window. The sunlight passed through the brightly colored glass, shining beautifully down below. Engraved on it was a picture of a large angel, its wings spread wide as it distributed bread to people.
There was also a huge pipe organ stretched out across the outer wall behind the podium. In front of it were rows of wooden seats that were prepared for the faithful to pray.
There was no layperson inside. However, there were plenty of high-ranking clergymen there.
For example, Holy Father Eldane, Archbishop Verdio, and the Apostles of Telos.
Upon seeing them, Saint Clarice's heart began to beat faster.
The cause of the situation, the one that she had been searching so hard for. All of the parties that were involved were gathered in one place.
How many times did she wander around, looking for that place? How many times was she forced to watch Ed Rothstaylor's death, the school's collapse? How many times did she struggle to maintain her crumbling spirit?
She clenched her teeth but didn't show any of her emotions. She quietly lowered her voice as she spoke with a strength that resonated throughout the hall.
"What are you doing here…?"
Looking on top of the podium, there was a relic that resonated with the sealed Velbrok. 'Velbrok's Tooth Necklace' was shining. It was a necklace made from a fragment of Velbrok's tooth that the Primordial Swordsman Luden broke off.
It was a legendary-rank item that increased one's magic resonance and granted one an enormous resistance to all physical attacks. However, that wasn't its only purpose.
It also served to trigger the survival instincts of Velbrok, who was sealed deep in the sea beneath Acken Island. That would break the weakening barrier containing him, helping him escape.
"Saint Clarice…?"
She looked at Archbishop Verdio, who was discussing something with the apostles in front of the podium. On the other side was the Holy Father Eldane, who was sitting down.
"Archbishop Verdio."
Archbishop Verdio was like Clarice's teacher and mentor. He guided Clarice, who had just become a Saint, in various different ways so that she could become one with dignity.
He was also a person that was highly respected by everyone, as he always maintained a faithful attitude. All of the people within the Holy Father Building praised him as a devout believer.
Was that reputation from honestly proving the sincerity of his heart, or was it the result of thorough management and business techniques that would even make even a merchant cry?
At that moment, she had no idea which one it was.
At the very least, she knew it wasn't the time to sit still and watch.
"Stop everything that you're doing immediately."
There were quite a few prematurely graying hairs mixed in with his brown locks, probably from the passage of time. His back was not yet hunched over and he wasn't getting shorter, but he was still at an age where he had to worry about the decline of his physical abilities.
And yet, Verdio still kept his back upright as he spoke casually to Clarice, who he hadn't seen in almost a few months.
"I had no idea that you would come here first, Saint…"
"I won't repeat myself."
Clarice looked around. How much longer until the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon, Velbrok?
Right now, she couldn't take a guess.
"Do you know… What I am doing…?"
"You are trying to resurrect the Holy Blue Dragon."
Verdio had a grin on his face. It was certainly different from the benevolent smile she had seen back in the Holy Father Building.
How did she know? It wasn't the time for him to think about such things. Whether it was from a traitor, or perhaps someone that was planted inside—if the Saint knew the truth, his plans would instantly go awry.
"Archbishop Verdio. I thought you were a conscientious believer that only thought of the Holy Father Building."
"You're right. I only live my life thinking of the Holy Father Building."
Verdio looked up at the ceiling, letting out a sigh without bending his back. Sunlight shone through the stained-glass window behind the podium.
"Expanding our influence is just an aspect of business. Faith is about having trust. Even though our Holy God forever lives in the heavens, unless the lowly people below him see it with their own eyes, they will struggle to ever believe in him."
"So… You're going to kill the Holy Blue Dragon and spread his grace in such a way…?"
"It won't take long."
"Did you even consider the possibility of failure?"
After saying that, a possibility suddenly came to her mind.
As Clarice looked down, she saw a giant sacrificial magic circle that was drawn on the floor. It… It was made in preparation for the event they needed to use the Saint's unique divine power to put Velbrok back to sleep.
While Saint Clarice was waiting for them at Trix Hall, the Holy Father and the Archbishop were making such preparations at the school's cathedral.
Clarice's cold gaze turned to the podium.
"Your insurance… was my life."
Was it the cold truth or a misconception?
At least on the outside, she wanted him to deny it.
"It's only insurance. That's only if things don't turn out well."
Archbishop Verdio's expression was as cold as Clarice's gaze… He looked like a fanatic.
Clarice had seen heathen fanatics before when she went to a village that had been attacked by non-humans in the Northern grasslands.
It was hard to view fanatics as humans with common sense as they lost all reason and ran rampant. Those that abandoned morals and ethics, absorbed in their own religious beliefs, were far from human.
Looking at him, Clarise thought he looked like a fanatic that no longer had common sense, unable to be understood and no longer human.
However, that was just a narrow-minded point of view.
He was still sane, showed dignity, discussed his opinions, and acted formally as he showed his desires like he always did… Sometimes, such fanatics also existed.
Ultimately, the main question was how much was he willing to sacrifice for his faith?
He wanted to bring back the reverence and respect people had towards God, but he should've stopped to think about the cost.
"Holy Father, do you really think this is acceptable?"
Eventually, Clarice's eyes shifted to Eldane, who was sitting behind the podium.
A series of initiatives led by Archbishop Verdio… In the end, it wouldn't have been possible without the head of it all, Eldane.
Even if he weren't leading the project, he was still a bystander. Wasn't he someone that had both the power and authority to stop Verdio?
That was why Clarice looked towards him with earnest eyes… Archbishop Verdio was the one that had saved the Holy Father Building from financial collapse time and time again. He alone contributed more to the glory of the Holy Father Building than hundreds of thousands of followers did.
The Holy Father gently closed his eyes as he lowered his head. Clarice unconsciously swallowed her breath.
A burning emotion, strangely different from anger, started to burn in her throat.
The seed of 'distrust' had settled in one side of her heart… It whispered to her to stop this calamity.
Her body moved first.
Clarice ran up the stairs to the podium, where she reached for Velbrok's tooth necklace.
Archbishop Verdio grabbed her wrist.
He strengthened his grip as a crushing pain rose from Clarice's wrist. Still, she kept her eyes wide open as she stared back at Verdio.
"I apologize, Saint. It won't take long, so please sleep for a while."
A ruckus was heard from behind Clarice.
The apostles that were sitting down got up one by one as they spread their wings.
***
Ed grabbed Adele's wrist as he quickly dragged her away. Instead of going to the cathedral, they were taking a roundabout way to the side of the cathedral.
"Well, this isn't a very pleasant truth to hear."
It took some time for Clarice to explain the facts behind the Holy Blue Dragon to him, for him to process his thoughts and understand the situation, and then stop by the place he needed to go before heading to the cathedral.
Now, there wasn't much time left before the Holy Blue Dragon's resurrection.
Ed walked quickly as he listened to Adele's explanation without missing a word of it.
"Archbishop Verdio has been like that ever since he was a regular priest. Spreading the influence of faith and building up the strength of the Holy Father Building—that was how the Archbishop proved his faith."
"Hearing that, I don't think he's suited to be a priest."
Adele struggled to follow behind him as she shook her head.
"His faith was real. However, the methods he takes are much too extreme."
"People like that are called fanatics."
"But to disregard him like that… He is just an overly rational person."
Rational. Ed clicked his tongue upon hearing that word.
The things happening inside the cathedral that Adele described were more than just what a rational person would do.
It started with the ascension of Emperor Kroel. The emperor was a great man that deserved to be called a holy king, one without any flaws… He was known as the person that built up the continent's peace and stability, centered around the Kroel Empire.
Thus, the importance of the Telos Religious group, which used to lead the continent and collect tax from their believers, was buried under the glory of the Kroel Imperial Family. Gradually, they declined to the point that they were no different from merchants selling faith.
Of course, that was only a decline in the public's faith. There was no doubt that the Telos Religious Group was still the largest religious group within the Empire.
Compared to the Telos Religious Group of Genesis, who were treated as heathens on the outskirts of the continent, they were hundreds of times larger despite the decline.
However, he saw the decline of the religious group as evidence of growing distrust, rather than a change of times.
Archbishop Verdio… He wanted to resurrect the majesty of the Telos Religious Group to the heights it reached in the old days, back when the dragons and non-humans ran rampant and massacred everyone.
And then a miracle happened.
The idea to subdue the Holy Blue Dragon that threatened Acken Island and spread the glory of their name across the Kroel Empire.
"Did you try to convince him? You're a prophet, so didn't he believe what you were saying?"
"I… I have already lost the trust of Archbishop Verdio."
He didn't ask 'why'.
Even though Adele had seen into the future many times, she rarely ever conveyed it to the Religious Group.
She even went so far as to hide her prophecies and deceive them all. The reason she didn't want to become the Saint wasn't ever revealed. She had only left the torch in the spire behind as she ran away into the night… It was safe to say that she had lost all trust of the Religious Group.
"The Holy Father is also following Archbishop Verdio's plans."
"There's this bastard and that bastard. Is there not a sane one among them?"
"It's because they are confident they have enough power to do it. The Holy Father brought along six members of the 'Apostles of Telos', a group made of the highest-level of sacred magic magicians in the Holy Father Building."
The Apostles of Telos.
The strength of each member was tremendous, and as their numbers grew to two and then three, their strength would also increase tens of hundreds of times.
That was because they were all capable of sacred magic, could turn an enormous amount of divine power into magic power, exchange that magic between each other, and received joint formation and training.
If there were more than five members of the group together, and they maintained a proper formation while constantly being provided with sufficient supplies and magic power, they could defend their gates against thousands of troops.
And now, she was saying there were six of them. Thinking about it, it was an excessively large combat team just to come and check on the Saint. You couldn't think of it as a simple escort team.
"And unlike in the history books, there have been many great developments in terms of magic. Reformations in efficiency using sacred magic have also had tremendous growth."
"So, what you're saying is… they are trying to defeat the Holy Blue Dragon after resurrecting it?"
Was calling them 'arrogant' the right word to use?
There was a strong symbolic meaning that came with destroying a monster from mythology in the modern day.
Looking through the historical records after time had passed, there were many people that had gained a surge of unfounded confidence.
Monsters from mythology.
From Minotaurs, Cerberuses, Cyclops, Harpies, and Leviathans.
All were depicted as horrific monsters that killed many people in the history books. However, in modern times, with the development of guns, bombs, cannons, ships, and nuclear weapons, it seemed as if we could defeat them at any given moment.
And history became distorted and exaggerated as time passed.
So, even though it was the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok, they would have never thought it was actually capable of tearing open the sky and splitting the earth apart.
However, the story of Velbrok wasn't exaggerated.
Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm that fact, since it was an old story that took place several hundred years ago. The Primordial Swordsman had long since died, and there was no one left that had seen the sheer strength of the Holy Blue Dragon with their own eyes.
The Apostles of Telos were a power group, capable of defeating a formidable army. People had witnessed a showcase of their great strength and majesty countless times before… So, they must have thought that they would be capable of defeating the Holy Blue Dragon.
The price of their arrogance was the lives of thousands. The land known as Acken Island would be completely erased from the map.
"Listen, Adele. How many more times do you think you can turn back time?"
"Uhm… I'm not sure… My divine power… I've almost run out of it…"
Thinking back on it, he realized that Adele had been following behind him, gasping for air—as if she were being dragged along. Ed then looked at her physical condition once more as he lifted her up, holding her by her thighs.
"W-Wahh!"
"Take a break and try to go back just one more time. Try to muster all of the remaining strength left in you to do so."
"What…?"
There was a chance that Adele was already at her limit. No one could actually predict just how many more times she could turn back time.
In the first place, she wasn't turning back time of her own will. It was the Holy Blessing engraved on her body that drew out her power, regardless of her will.
"The goal is simple. You would think we just have to go and kick the asses of those bastards that are doing terrible things in the school's cathedral. However, no matter how much I think about it, I don't think things will end with just that."
"..."
"Archbishop Verdio is more than just a fanatic. He's a person that is overly cautious and good with his head. He would never create a plan without a backup plan. If Plan A doesn't work, he will definitely have a plan B and C prepared as well."
"Ed… You know Archbishop Verdio…?"
He had never met him. However, he did know of him. Thinking about how he could avoid the subject, Ed shook his head as he ran down the alley.
"Our job is to block the escape routes of the rats that are trying to run away. He's a cautious guy, so it'll be hard to do it all in one go. So… We have to first go and check what he's planning to do."
"Then… I'm supposed to…"
"Yeah. I'll pave the way, so there's only one thing you have to do."
They reached the back door of the school cathedral. Ed set Adele down on a nearby bench as they talked, looking each other in the eyes.
"Remember."
"..."
"You need to clearly remember what he ends up doing and come find me. I'm sure I'll be confused again, not remembering anything, but that doesn't matter. I'll get a grip as soon as I can, so figure out the situation and try to piece together the entire picture… Believe in me just this once… And come find me at the terrace bench in front of Glockt Hall. I'll be sitting there next to Yennekar."
"But… I'm almost out of power… And explaining it properly to you…"
"Saint Clarice can explain things to me, so don't worry too much. You're not the only one that remembers things. However… We need more people to help."
"..."
"Don't you want to live?"
Ed took off his coat and threw it down next to Adele. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
"Who is going to save you if you just sit still? Even when I spend my time crawling through the filthy mud, doing the dirtiest things to survive, I still wonder if I'll really make it…"
Adele's eyes grew larger.
She never cried, trying to hold onto her father's collar as he abandoned her when she didn't want to be alone… Adele was like the girl from her childhood that didn't want to cry out and admit she was afraid.
"To survive, all you have to do is endure everything, no matter how disgusting and pathetic it makes you look. Did you forget that after living your life as the Saint, supported by the Holy Father Building?"
Survive.
It was the only goal in her life, but one she could never reach in the end.
It wasn't a distant story for Ed, either.
For him, every moment of his life at the academy was a struggle to survive.
"You know it all as well."
"Still… The Apostles of Telos aren't an easy opponent that we can defeat with force…"
"Force? It isn't an issue of power. Like I told you, all we need to do is block the escape routes they hid like rats."
"This… Isn't an issue of power…?"
Do you even know who the Apostles of Telos are?
She wanted to respond like that, but Ed's face didn't show the slightest bit of anxiety.
***
Clink.
Booom!
It happened in an instant.
The moment the Apostles of Telos flew forward towards the Saint, a section of the stained glass behind the podium broke. It shattered and collapsed onto the floor, the glass crashing on the marble as it made an ear-shattering sound.
The human-shaped shadow quickly broke into the chapel as it snatched the two apostles that flew through the air, hanging them on the center of the podium. It was at a speed that the eye couldn't follow.
The shock that came when it landed was so strong that everyone fell, as if it was a massive wave. All the wooden seats that had been set up for the faithful fell to the floor as people flew around like pieces of paper.
Shortly after the aftermath subsided and the dust disappeared… the true identity of the shadow revealed itself.
The fifth seat of the Apostles of Telos, Felver, was being stepped on as the seventh seat, Hubress, was being lifted by their collar.
With one hand, she held onto her witch's hat tightly, afraid that it might blow away. In her other hand, she held up an apostle that was several times her size.
Her white hair, which curled down in two sections, was swaying in the wind from the aftermath of the shockwave. There wasn't a particularly intense emotion in her cold gaze.
Lucy Mayreel.
She quickly picked up the man she was holding with one hand before she threw him against the wall.
Slam!
Claaaaang!
He hit a tube of the massive pipe organ as he fell straight down onto the keys.
An ominous, coffin-like sound echoed from the massive pipe organ. The sound echoed against the walls, as if to signal the arrival of a disaster.
The clergymen that looked up at the podium while crawling on the floor of the hall swallowed their breath.
Only half of the broken stained glass remained.
The remaining part of the benevolent angel's wing that was engraved on the glass was behind Lucy.
There were cracks all over it.
Her gaze was still as cold as ever.
"You… Bastard… What… Do you think you're…!"
"I don't believe in things like God."
The light shining down from the stained glass subtly lit up Lucy's petite body.
They couldn't feel any emotions from her as she looked down at them, keeping her foot on one of the apostles.
"I think it's right to be punished if you commit a sin. You religious folk are wrong most of the time, but every so often you do say something decent."
"What… Did you say…? A sin… Just… What…
Verdio-who was barely able to stand up after rolling on the floor-clenched his teeth as he stared at Lucy, who was standing up straight on the podium.
Lucy continued to quietly speak without changing the tone of her voice.
"You guys were the ones that wrote the Holy Scripture and doctrine."
When you open the Holy Scripture, from the first chapter the human's seven deadly sins were written down. Lucy didn't believe in things like God, so she couldn't memorize all of it. However… she still knew a part of it.
She lowered her gaze.
Velbrok's tooth, the sacrificial magic circle, and the apostles that were full of conviction just moments ago. Lucy saw all of it, but it didn't have any particular meaning to her.
The atheist, Lucy Mayreel.
She only said a brief word with her dazed voice.
"Arrogance."
Who was the person that stood before them? If all eight apostles were to gather, that would be their best chance at taking down that once-in-a-lifetime archmage. However, only six of them had come, and two of them were defeated the moment she arrived.
Magic power began to grow, filling the entirety of the chapel.
-x-X-x-
Magic power erupted from the hands of Lenos, the eighth seat in the Apostles of Telos.
The magic power that flowed from his hands wrapped around his arm as it took the form of a massive bow.
An arrow made of pure magic power was fired, flying straight towards Lucy's neck… But it couldn't break through Lucy's defensive magic circle, which she improvised on the spot. It fell on the ground, disappearing.
Swoosh.
There were four apostles remaining.
The second seat, Reuben, the third seat, Taldarek, the sixth seat, Clive, and the eighth seat, Lenos.
As soon as Lucy had arrived, she took down two of them. From the Apostles point of view, the fight had already become a losing battle. However, they couldn't just stand around in surprise.
The Apostles spread their wings as if they agreed on something, then they then took flight to widen the distance between them.
They felt the difference in their power. Since they couldn't see a way to win right now, they had to make it difficult for Lucy to deal with them.
Their goal was to create distance between each of them so they wouldn't all be taken down by a single wide-ranged attack. At the same time, they would be giving Lucy a hard time, as she would have to be conscious of attacks from all sides.
So, while Lucy was busy taking down one of the apostles, the rest of them could plan a counterattack.
However, that only worked if they could follow Lucy's movements.
Bang!
It happened the instant he blinked.
In the brief moment his world turned dark, Lucy's Divine Judgment struck Reuben like a flash of lightning. He didn't even have a chance to realize what was happening, let alone react to it.
Then, as the robes wrapped around him burned, Reuben screamed out in pain.
Taldarek turned his head, reacting to the sound… but Lucy had already jumped in front of him.
"What…?!"
The advanced Spatial-type magic, Space Leap, was a magic that consumed a massive amount of magic power. But for Lucy, the amount of magic power necessary for something like that was trivial.
If she were to leap over a long distance, even Lucy would become exhausted. However, a short-distance leap of that level could be used repeatedly, without much effort.
That meant that there was no point in trying to keep a distance from Lucy.
"Keuheuk!"
Then, Lucy grabbed Taldarek's collar as he looked down at the other two apostles.
She still didn't show the slightest bit of emotion. Rather than fighting, it looked as if she were taking care of an annoying task.
Clive and Lenos were both veteran Scared Magic magicians that had endured all sorts of hardships.
However, it was the first time they had ever felt such an overwhelming difference in power.
Lucy Mayreel, a genius magician, descendant of the Archmage, and the overall top student at Silvenia Academy.
It wasn't that they had never heard her name, they had just never even imagined that she would be capable of such strength.
No matter how special she was, she was still a student. It should have been obvious that a student wouldn't be able to go up against the top magicians of the Holy Father Building.
However, Lucy Mayreel didn't go to the academy to learn about magic in the first place. Even though she still had room to grow, she was already a nearly perfected talent.
No matter how many magicians of the Holy Father Building there were, it was impossible for them to defeat Lucy Mayreel.
That fact was as natural and acceptable as the providence of this world.
"Keuhk Eughk…"
Barely able to stand up after getting swept away with the seats from the first attack, Verdio looked up into the air of the chapel. Looking at Lucy, who was reigning over all of them while remaining completely unmatched, his jaw dropped in awe.
While he had run away for a bit to try and recover, Lucy Mayreel had already defeated more than half of the apostles. He had heard rumors of her strength, but he had no idea that it was at such a level.
Verdio forced himself to stand up as he gathered his thoughts.
The subjugation of the Holy Blue Dragon was an ambitious plan for the sake of the religious group. Every member of the Apostles of Telos were considered to be a major source of power, at a national level. He had mobilized six of them for the mission.
He had brought all of them except for two, who would guard the Holy Capital during the absence of the Holy Father. So, it was no different than them utilizing all the manpower they had.
"..."
Verdio had no way of knowing why Lucy Mayreel was aware of what was taking place in this cathedral.
However, it was clear what he needed to do.
"Let's secure a way out! Our priority is to escort the Holy Father Eldane."
The signal came from Archbishop Verdio.
In case the plan went unexpectedly, he had prepared a plan B—to quickly rectify the situation and flee the scene.
The Apostles, who weren't able to do anything against Lucy, heard the order. Soon, the apostles that were scattered all around the chapel clenched their teeth as they stood up.
Most of them were crippled, but still alive. Lucy didn't kill others.
"We're retreating from the cathedral immediately."
Verdio quickly judged the situation.
He didn't know how, but their plan to revive the Holy Blue Dragon using Velbrok's tooth had been leaked.
Otherwise, Lucy wouldn't have appeared at such a perfect time to interrupt the ceremony.
If Lucy decided to stand in their way, they wouldn't be able to summon the Holy Blue Dragon like they had planned. In the first place, all the apostles were already gravely injured. The plan had to be considered a failure.
Since things had become like that, what he needed to think about was cleaning up the mess.
He had planned to resurrect and subjugate the Holy Blue Dragon in order to raise the power of the religious group, and the stage he had chosen to do it on was Acken Island.
Nothing good would come from the truth being exposed publicly. It was necessary to shut the mouths of everyone that knew of it.
However, Lucy Mayreel wasn't someone that could be silenced through force. And it didn't seem like she was the type that could be persuaded either.
So, the only choice was to use authority and hierarchy to silence her.
"You're running away?"
An enormous amount of magic power grew in Lucy's right hand. It was such a large amount that it seemed unfathomable for such a petite body.
The amount of magic power looked like a mountain. Even the apostles, who had experienced much hardship, had no choice but to swallow to wet their dry mouths.
Then, when that large amount of magic power turned a dark red color, they quickly realized this was 'Celestial Magic Power'. The Apostles realized what Lucy was trying to do as they quickly ran away.
Time Prison. Among the celestial magic spells, it was one that specialized in subjugating opponents.
If you were even grazed by it, your entire body would stop. You would then become unable to move until the caster released the spell.
"Brother Taldarek…!"
Taldarek charged towards Lucy without hesitation, taking the celestial magic power into his body. It was a noble feat for him to take action without the slightest bit of hesitation. He wasn't afraid to sacrifice himself.
"Brother Clive, take care of the Saint. Sister Lenos, you go that direction with the Holy Father…! The rest of you, follow me!"
Verdio's head started to spin.
He quickly went up to the podium, grabbing 'Velbrok's tooth necklace'. The object would be the most conclusive evidence that the religious group had been trying to resurrect Velbrok. That was why it was also the most important thing for them to hide.
At that point, it would have been impossible to defeat Lucy Mayreel through force.
However, no matter how important of a student she was to the school, she wouldn't survive against the authority of the Holy Father.
If someone were to ask what the Holy Father and Archbishop were doing there, they could say they were holding an informal service before entering Acken Island and beginning their planned schedule.
If he could manage to hide their plans to resurrect Velbrok like that, then Lucy would become the terrorist that broke into the cathedral, attacking the praying clergymen with her magic.
No matter how convincingly or honestly Lucy spoke, if there was no hard evidence it would be impossible to prove their crimes. And if they were to use the Holy Father's authority as well, they could even punish her without having to fight. There was no way they wouldn't reprimand a student that recklessly used magic in a place where the Holy Father was present.
"Brother Clive! Make sure to bring the Saint…!"
Clive was a man with a rather small stature. The weapon he used was a dagger that was crafted with various gems.
Clive went over to Clarice, who had barely regained consciousness as he grabbed her arm.
"Ugh… Ughh…!"
Clarice staggered as she stood up, but when she saw the apostle right in front of her, she let out a gasp.
Verdio held Velbrok's tooth necklace tightly in his arms as he watched.
Then, as he quickly made his way to the exit, he signaled to Clive.
"Excuse me, Saint."
Apostle Clive understood the signal as he lifted Clarice, who was unable to fight back. He then carried her over his shoulder.
"Y-You…! Let me down…! Just what do you think you're doing…?!"
The biggest variable in Verdio's plan was Saint Clarice. That was because she knew the truth and had the power to speak up against the authority of the Holy Father.
Just thinking about what would happen if the Saint were to come forward and publicly reveal what the Religious Group had done was enough to give him a headache.
That was why it was necessary to get the Saint under control first. They would deal with the school later. After all, the Holy Father Building was the one that gave the Saint permission to attend school. So, the authority to revoke that decision also rested with the Holy Father Building.
In terms of time, all of it took place in less than ten seconds.
Verdio figured out all the key points and conveyed them in an instant. He had created a plan that utilized the apostles in the most efficient way possible.
Then, when he was heading towards the back door of the school's cathedral…
Naturally, Lucy wasn't just going to sit still and watch it happen. After putting the hardened Taldarek aside, Lucy stood back up on the podium as she cast the advanced lightning magic Divine Judgment once more.
Whoooooosh!
Wind began to erupt from her petite body as it engulfed the cathedral. It was just the aftermath shock that was created from the flow of magic power, but the surrounding debris was unable to withstand it as it flew around on the floor.
Thunderbolt.
Lucy's advanced magic could be summarized in that one word. It cut through the air in an instant as it smashed into the cathedral's ceiling, striking Verdio directly.
However, just before it reached Verdio, Hubress wrapped his body in Sacred Magic and took the brunt of the attack himself.
"Keuheuk…!"
Shortly after, he lost consciousness. Dust rose and his wings were broken. His body no longer moved.
The best magicians of the Holy Father Building now felt like nothing more than expendable items.
The fact that he had thrown himself in front of Lucy's attack wasn't something that could be explained through loyalty alone. That was in the realm of faith.
Now, there were only four apostles that remained conscious.
One was guarding the Holy Father, one was holding onto the Saint, and two were guarding the area around Verdio.
But the two guards near Archbishop Verdio were already in bad condition after having been attacked by Lucy. It was a miracle that they were still even able to stand up. The apostle that was in the best shape was sent off to protect the Holy Father. The rest of them were on the verge of collapsing.
Then, right after Verdio gave his final signal with all of his remaining strength—
Verdio waved his hand at the apostles, and they began to flee in unison in all different directions.
Lenos flew through the broken stained glass as she headed south of the cathedral, holding onto the Holy Father tightly. Clive held onto the Saint as he smashed through a window, running west.
Then, the worried Archbishop Verdio and the two apostles accompanying him quickly ran through the back door of the cathedral, heading north.
The Holy Father, the Saint, and the Archbishop had all run off in different directions.
Lucy was more than enough to subdue all three of them, but time was of the essence.
The most important thing for Verdio to do at the moment was to create time to dispose of Velbrok's tooth necklace, which he held onto tightly. It was the most important piece of evidence that would reveal the darkness that was taking place in the cathedral.
It was a relic, and originally a part of the Holy Blue Dragon. It was definitely not an item that would break easily. However, it was small, which made it easy to hide.
Throwing it into the sea… burying it in the ground… it was easy to destroy the evidence. He thought it was a waste, as it was a relic of enormous value, but it was still nothing compared to the shaky prestige of the Holy Father Building.
Taking the corridor that led to the back door of the cathedral and stationing an apostle in case Lucy was chasing after them, Verdio ran out frantically. It was Reuben. He had already been directly hit by one of her magic spells once, so he was barely able to keep moving. However, he grit his teeth as he gathered the remaining bit of divine power he had to block the corridor.
He probably won't last long.
"All… For the sake of Telos…!"
Leaving Reuben—who was clenching his teeth as he shouted—behind, Verdio continued to run.
What he needed to do was find a place to throw the tooth away, a place where no matter how hard they searched for it, they could never find it. At least, not within the school's districts.
The cathedral wasn't all that big, so it didn't take long for the back door of the school's cathedral to come into sight.
Nearly all of the Apostles of Telos had been lost.
The only one left by Verdio's side was a blonde woman with burnt hair. The fifth seat, Felver.
"Archbishop Verdio… If we keep running away like this, it won't be long before you're caught…!"
"We only need a little bit more… If we can just destroy the evidence, retrieve the Saint, and publicize news of the violence we suffered here in the school, then…"
Clang!
As he spoke, Verdio kicked the back door of the school's cathedral open.
However—
Fwooooosh.
The beginner fire magic, Ignite.
Unlike a normal fire, it was a flame with a strong firepower that swept over Felver's body.
Flames of that level made it hard to just consider it a beginner's fire magic. Still, it wasn't unstoppable. But Felver had already been severely wounded from fighting with Lucy.
"Keuk…!"
The ends of the apostle's robe, which was lined with gold, was set on fire.
She tried to put out the fire by waving her sleeve in the air and covering it in divine power, but from the flames a blonde man came rushing in, holding a dagger.
Clang!
She managed to pull out a staff to block his dagger, but as the man cast a Spiritual Skill, an explosion erupted from the dagger instantly.
Spiritual Infusion. The explosive magic circle that was pre-engraved in the dagger dealt a fatal blow to Felver, who was already in a weakened state.
Booooooooom!
At the square in front of the school's cathedral at midday, all the nearby students were startled as they turned around, looking towards the untimely explosion. A girl fell to the floor, letting out screams as other students ran to call the faculty.
As the rising smoke subsided, a figure of a man slowly began to reveal itself. It went without saying—it was none other than Ed Rothstaylor.
"You…"
Archbishop Verdio took off his ragged clergy robes as he looked at his opponent. It was their first meeting.
Judging from the situation, it seemed he had been waiting for Verdio to come out from there. Anticipating their evacuation route, he had arrived first and waited for him.
If that was the case, then there was a high chance that he was directly related to Lucy, who had raided the cathedral. That also meant he probably knew what was taking place inside.
All of a sudden, Verdio's head started to spin. He used sacred magic to instantly create wind. Compared to a standard lower-rank wind magic, it was rather weak in strength. However, it was enough to create dust in the square, blocking Ed's view.
When Ed covered his eyes with his elbow for a moment, Verdio forced his tattered body to run towards the eastern end of the square.
From there, the path would directly lead to a small forest in the east. Once he could pass through that, he would be able to reach the eastern coast. The eastern edge of Silvenia Academy.
[Young Master Ed…! That guy is escaping…!]
"What're you doing?! Chase after him!"
Mugg was sent flying. Verdio drew out the remaining bit of magic power he had, shooting down Mugg. Ed could only open his mouth in awe as he saw a clergyman do what was difficult for a magician with good magic power resonance to achieve.
[Keuaaaaak!]
However, Mugg clenched his teeth as he continued to fly, chasing after him.
Dash!
Ed didn't want to lose track of him either.
Archbishop Verdio entered the Eastern Forest as he ran, barely avoiding the thickly towering trees that were all over. Although he was quite old, he was rather agile. Perhaps because it was a crisis, he had more physical energy than usual.
However, the majority of the forest on Acken Island was Ed's territory. Having lived a life of survival out in the wild for over a year, there wasn't a single corner in a forest on the island that he hadn't been to.
Running along the trail, rolling down a pathless area, pushing through the fallen leaves, and sprinting across the creek as he ran away.
Ed followed him after him, chasing Verdio from a distance. Ed had the advantage of chasing him through the forest. So, little by little, the distance between them was getting smaller.
"Heuk, Huff…!"
Soon, the coastal area came into view. Verdio pushed his way through the trees as he tried to hide himself in the thick grass.
"..."
And then, Verdio pulled a box the size of his fist from his pocket. It was a relic box that contained Velbrok's Tooth Necklace.
As he wandered through the forest, he was looking for an inconspicuous place to throw it away when he had the chance.
"Mugg! Don't take your eyes off of him for even a second! If he throws away that necklace, you have to remember exactly where he threw it!"
[You can count on me…!]
As the distance narrowed bit by bit, Ed's hand finally reached Verdio's collar.
With the inertia of running after him still remaining, he pulled his collar down as Verdio fell straight into the dirt floor. Of course, Ed also got tangled up as he fell down as well.
"Ke…Keuk…!"
Thud! Roll!!!!!
Crummah!
The two of them rolled down the hill, kicking up dust. The two of them continued to roll on the dirt floor, which was covered in fallen leaves, for over ten seconds… It was only after they slowed down and reached a flat piece of land that they were able to stand up.
"Huff… Huff…"
"You… You guys… You were the ones that ruined everything…?"
In the middle of the forest, Ed and Verdio were covered in dust as they faced each other.
"Quit talking so much and put that necklace down."
"Since you're aiming for this necklace, that means you know the truth. Were you also the one that sent that magician…?"
"Why… Are you curious…?"
As Ed spoke, he lowered his guard as if he were going to explain the situation… Then, he suddenly jumped towards Verdio.
He tried to grab the necklace he was holding in his right hand, but Verdio barely managed to avoid Ed's hand by folding his elbow.
Ed then grabbed onto Verdio by his neck as he lifted him up. However, Verdio kicked him in the stomach with his foot.
Ed let out a gasp of air and he was briefly pushed away, though he didn't let go of the hand that was holding Verdio's collar. Lifting him back up and smashing him onto the dirt floor, a massive shock ran down Verdio's back.
"Keuheuk!"
Verdio coughed. He had great stamina for a clergyman, but it was still nothing compared to Ed.
Ed then put his knee on Verdio's chin, crushing him as he also used his foot to stomp on Verdio's right hand, which was holding the box.
"Keuaaaaaak!"
But no matter what, Verdio didn't loosen his grip. When Ed went to take out his dagger, Verdio attacked Ed's side with his elbow as he flipped over.
As Ed had lost his balance, Verdio tried to run away once more. However, Ed quickly grabbed ahold of him when he ran after him, tackling him to the ground.
After rolling around on the dirt floor, he tried to get on top of Verdio again. Then, in the moment Ed turned his face away, Verdio's first went straight towards Ed's face. Ed quickly ducked to avoid it as he struck Verdio right back in the face.
"Keuheuk…!"
Even completely covered in dirt, bleeding all over, and was struggling to stay conscious… Verdio never loosened his grip on the box.
Ed didn't plan on losing to him, either. As the two of them continued to roll in the dirt, there was no time for either of them to cast any magic. The only thing they could do was trade fists. Grabbing each other by the neck, lifting each other up, running away, grabbing each other's legs, stepping on each other, strangling one another, grabbing handfuls of dirt and throwing it into each other's eyes, grabbing rocks to slice each other on the shoulder…
After fighting for a long period on the dirt, until they were both full of injuries… Verdio finally lost all his strength.
"Ke…Heuk…"
"Seriously… You're a persistent bastard… You… Need to chill out…"
"Telos… Our God… Telos…"
"Just give up already. Seriously… Why are you doing so much…?"
Ed used the dagger he took out to lightly stab one of Verdio's vital points.
"Keuaaaaaaaaaaack!"
Verdio screamed out in pain, eventually releasing the grip in his right hand. The relic box, which he had been clenching the entire time, rolled onto the ground.
Ed picked up the box, looking at what was inside. The relic, which still had magic power inside of it, was Velbrok's Tooth Necklace. It's just as Adele had said.
"…It still… Has magic power flowing in it…?"
That wasn't a good sign.
Most likely, they were using the relic to serve as a stimulus to accelerate the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok. And it looked like… It was still doing its part…
Boom
An ominous earthquake sounded out. The trees in the forest began to tremble little by little as Ed's body began to vibrate to the rhythm of the ground.
Even Verdio, who was completely bloodied and leaning against a tree stump, couldn't withstand the vibrations as he fell onto the floor.
"H-Heuuk… Cough…"
The sound was him losing his breath while coughing up phlegm. Ed also had scratches all over his body, but Verdio was completely ruined.
Ed was too far ahead in terms of physical specs for him to take on. He had only been able to fight him thus far by using his mental strength.
However, Ed was completely exhausted as he leaned against a nearby tree sitting down. He exhaled heavily … looking up at the sky.
"This time as well… We were a little too late… Huff… Huff…"
"So what if you're late?"
Fwoooooosh.
Then, a heavy wind made of magic power blew past. As if swimming through that wind, it was none other than Lucy that arrived, landing on a tree stump.
***
As she had also just come from a battle, her clothes were a mess.
Only her witch hat was fine. Her coat and skirt were covered in dirt, and it seemed like she had completely removed her knee socks, which she was usually forced to wear with her loafers, because they were uncomfortable.
It seemed that aside from Verdio, who Ed had chased after, she had already taken care of the other apostles that had fled in the other directions.
"..."
The wind burned, since Ed's body was full of scratches.
Ed forced a smile as he spoke.
"I've managed to finish things somewhat cleanly over here, too."
Ed's condition was not the greatest, despite saying he managed to finish things somewhat cleanly.
Lucy was getting unusually upset. That was because the was a man that always got himself involved in incidents, always ending up covered in blood and injuries, was forcing himself to run around with his teeth clenched.
Even though it was all to survive, it rather seemed as if he were killing himself.
"...."
Even though it wasn't her body, she felt upset. However, that didn't mean Lucy was the type to complain to him in a worried tone with tears streaming from her eyes.
But… Lucy did wobble over, sitting next to the exhausted Ed. Leaning together on a tree stump, she gently buried her head into Ed's shoulder.
"…Thank you for helping."
"..."
"There must have been a lot of things you didn't believe when I told you. Time turning back, the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon…"
"I believe everything you say."
After hearing the news in Saint Clarice's carriage, the first person he sought out was Lucy.
He already knew in detail where the enemy was and what they were planning to do. So, all he had to do was get to the right place at the right time and destroy them with force.
However, the cautious Verdio was a stubborn man, always looking for a new plan, regardless of the situation.
So, to see that man's final move, Ed had waited for him at the back of the cathedral.
"To be honest, I did have my doubts. But after entering the cathedral, I was convinced. It's just as you had said, the clergymen were gathered together, conspiring…"
"Yeah… That makes sense…"
"And… I already felt this weird feeling of Deja vu. A strange familiar feeling for some reason… As if I was seeing a similar scene all over again."
Hearing those words, he couldn't help but tilt his head. If Lucy felt that way because of time rewinding itself, then everyone else should've felt a similar strange sense of Deja vu. There was a high chance that Lucy was just mistaken.
Lucy wrapped her arms around Ed as she put her head on his shoulder. She looked upset, but there wasn't anything Ed could do for her.
However, there were still things that needed to be taken care of.
Rumble.
Roooooooooooooooor!
The vibrations continued to shake the Earth.
Little by little, the intensity of it was increasing.
And then, the Holy Blue Dragon let out an ear-scraping roar.
From the Eastern Forest, it was hard to fully see because the trees were rather dense. They could only guess its appearance from the silhouette that loomed through the leaves.
A calamity was coming.
Ed let out a gasp. It was much greater and more powerful than he had thought. Ed was already familiar with the Holy Blue Dragon, since he had knowledge of the future. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but gasp as he looked at the gigantic disaster.
"…Velbrok's Tooth Necklace still has magic power in it. It's acting like a magnet, in which its very existence draws out Velbrok."
"..."
"It wasn't the end just having defeated Archbishop Verdio. We needed to take this relic and get it off the island. As far away as possible from the Holy Blue Dragon's seal as possible. Now it's too late."
Ed struggled to stand upright as he looked straight at Lucy, continuing to speak.
"But everything has now been revealed. Who it was that made this hell, how they did it, where they did it, how we can stop them, and how we can deal with them when they try to escape. Even how we can revert everything back to a time before this all took place. Everything has now been revealed. The problem is… there's no one here that can 'remember' all of this."
Adele was the one that turned back time. The Holy Blue Dragon was coming back, so she was going to have to turn back time once more to stop a bigger calamity from taking place.
And Clarice was the only one that wasn't affected by Adele's power.
Those were the only two people that remember everything, even when time turned back. So, one of those two needed to remember everything that Ed had discovered, to explain it to them later.
"That's why… whichever one of the two… what I… end up saying… You need to go find and tell them… right away… Before… Adele turns back time…"
"..."
Lucy looked up at Ed quietly. He was completely covered in blood like usual.
It looked like he was doing all he could to solve the problem, even to the point that he would end up hurting himself just to find a new solution. That appearance of his made her feel sick.
"…No."
Her answer was surprising.
"What?"
"I don't need to do that."
Lucy was still being held in Ed's arms when she used magic to tear off one of Ed's sleeves.
Then, concentrating on the piece of his white shirt, she imbued it with magic power. Shortly after, the piece blackened as burnt markings began to appear.
At first, it looked like the black traces she left were nothing more than burnt marks… But gathering them all together turned them into a series of letters.
She was writing a letter by burning his clothes, using heat that was made from magic power.
It sounded easy when you said it like that, but the delicate act of controlling one's mana to such an extent was beyond the realm of a human. The thickness of each stroke needed to be extremely thin to form the shape of a letter. It was truly amazing that she was able to control heat so delicately like that.
Not just her insane amount of mana, but also the ability to resonate and control it. He was reminded once again of the fact that she was a girl that had managed to master things to the extreme.
The piece of his shirt that was covered in words flew through the air through the use of magic power. It headed towards the school. Most likely, it was probably headed towards the sacrificial magic circle where Adele should have been praying.
"Alright… thanks."
The Holy Blue Dragon roared. It sounded as if Earth was being torn apart.
On a relatively remote corner in the eastern forest of the island, Lucy… quietly cushioned herself in Ed's arms.
"You know, I made a promise with that old man. I said that I would save this school from a major crisis at least once."
"Yeah, I know. You told me last time."
"Yeah. So, since time keeps on repeating itself over and over again, I must have been running out every single time to face that dragon without fail. At least, for some reason, I have the feeling that that's what happened."
Ed couldn't be sure of it, but Lucy's words were true.
Among the many times it happened, Lucy Mayreel never failed to jump forward, trying to stop the Holy Blue Dragon. She wasn't confident that she could win, and she even put her life on the line… But there was no way to escape from it.
"I… came to this school to keep my word to that old man… So, maybe I was just waiting for this moment. I really feel like 'this is the moment I've been waiting for.'"
"Yeah?"
"After all, this is the last thing I need to do. How long have I waited to finish this promise I made? But now, that tedious wait will finally come to an end."
Suddenly, Ed felt the magic power surrounding Lucy's body weakening.
Ed noticed it right away. Lucy was disabling the various blessings and defensive magics that were cast on her body.
"So, if I'm just going to end up dying after struggling anyway… and it's completely worthless to try and stop it… I don't think there's any reason for me to try so hard this time. Since time will turn back anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to die in your arms."
The meaning of those words… Ed didn't know, either.
Using his body, which struggled to move… he patted Lucy's back, hugging her.
Lucy put her chin on Ed's shoulder… she looked up at the sky of a world that was on the verge of destruction.
Then she spoke in a dazed tone, just as she always had.
"This will all be a memory that we'll forget. One that will never come back…"
"Probably…? That would be the case…"
"Then, I'll use this chance… to say something I wouldn't normally say."
It was embarrassing, but… It also wasn't overly romantic either. She was only stating a fact as it was.
And perhaps, it was something that Lucy would never be able to confess to Ed her entire life.
"I feel empty without you."
"..."
"So don't disappear from me…"
After she said that, Ed kept his mouth shut for a moment…
"…That's not that hard of a request for me to do."
As he answered her, he stroked her head.
Then he quietly looked up at the sky.
The Holy Blue Dragons' scales were like black dots that poured down like arrows.
Ed quietly closed his eyes as he felt Lucy's warmth.
Then, the scales came pouring down. Among the downpour, Lucy and Ed held each other close and didn't fight back.
Scales pierced their bodies as blood spurted out, but neither of them screamed in pain.
They only felt each other's warmth as they bled out for a while… They held each other close.
And like that, Ed and Lucy died.
Even after the rain of scales passed, the two continued to hug each other tightly… As if they could still feel the warmth between each other.
It all seemed in vain, but… It was a beautiful death.
***
"Ed… What's the matter…? Are you sick…?"
Yennekar's voice.
"Huh? What?"
"You've been in a daze since earlier. It makes sense that you would be nervous, since the S-Saint is staring at you so bluntly…"
"Ah, is that so…?"
I shook my head as I tried to get a grip on myself. I hadn't been particularly busy recently. Since the Joint Combat Practice was about to take place, there wasn't any need to go and put a strain on my body.
So, why was I having trouble getting a grip on myself? I was just planning to read my book while resting.
That thought kept coming to mind as I put down the Introduction to Celestial Magic book that I was reading.
Only then did I remember the situation.
I had come here, sitting on a bench in front of Glockt Hall, to wait for the Joint Combat Practice. I came to check the lineup and make sure that all of the duels were happening as I remembered them.
But suddenly, Saint Clarice, who wasn't supposed to participate in Joint Combat Practice, appeared… and stared at me bluntly…
Then, all of a sudden, she came right up to me.
With an expression on her face, as if she were determined to succeed on a mission, she walked towards me without hesitation. Seeing her act like that, I instantly realized something was wrong as I closed my book and put it down.
"...."
However, a pounding headache rang through my head, as if it were ripping apart my head.
Along with the sight of Saint Clarice approaching me… there was a strange crackling that sounded like static pushing down on me.
It was like watching a TV with unstable electromagnetic waves… Several images seemed to overlap with each other.
The silhouette of the Saint walking towards me split into dozens. However, I felt as if each one of them were approaching me in a slightly different way.
Dealing with the headache… to gather my thoughts.
I looked down at the cover of the book I had put down, deciding to not read it… I lowered my head.
It was the last book written by the Archmage Glockt, 'Introduction to Celestial Magic'.
[ Magic Skills Details
Grade: Proficient Magician
Specialized Field: Elements
Common Magic:
Fast Casting Lvl 12
Mana Sense Lvl 13
Fire Element Magic:
Ignite Lvl 17
Point Explosion Lvl 2
Wind Element Magic:
Wind Blade Lvl 16
Celestial Magic:
Expression of Celestial-Type Magic Power Lvl 3 (Up!)
Property Transformation Lvl 2 (Up!)
Death Immunity Lvl 0
Time Prison Lvl 0
Short-Distance Spatial Movement Lvl 0
Forced Collection Lvl 1 (Up!)
Expression of Visual Hallucinations Lvl 0
Dazzle Lvl 0 ]
-x-X-x-
Remote Hallway of Glockt Hall.
Since it was aside from everything else, only a few people used it. But there, a girl leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.
Blood flowed from her body, forming a puddle on the floor.
"C-Cough… Keuk…"
Even after coughing, the feeling of something blocking her throat didn't go away.
Adele brushed her blood-stained hair back as she looked down at her right wrist.
It was originally engraved with the Holy Blessing, but at some point, the engraving had disappeared.
It had done its best to protect Adele by reverting time over and over again. However, no matter how strong the Holy Blessing was, it couldn't withstand the repetitive use of such large-scale sacred magic.
Now, Adele had a body that 'could die'.
A goal that she had finally achieved only after regressing dozens of times. She felt strangely refreshed at that fact, but she wouldn't be happy with just that.
Adele leaned against the wall as she smiled slowly.
Blood continued to flow from her. It felt as if her mind was getting more and more fuzzy.
***
"Ed…? What's wrong, Ed…?!"
Headaches and chills took over my body. I felt nausea rising in me, but I clenched my teeth and held it together.
The memories that were passing through my mind… They were the records of the past that had been overturned by Adele's Celestial Magic.
Celestial Magic reversed time fairly for everyone, but that didn't mean it was impossible to stop one from keeping their memories. Had all of the memories of the repetitive times I had spent with Saint Clarice returned?
The reason Clarice was able to resist Adele's Celestial Magic was because it was a spell based on sacred magic.
Because it was Celestial Magic that was cast with Adele's divine power, the Holy Blessing—resistant to all sacred magics—was able to stop it from fully affecting her.
Plus, there were also cases where Celestial Magic wouldn't fully work on those with a certain level of resistance. Even if they didn't have the Holy Blessing.
That was something I had read in Glockt's final book,
Knowledge was power.
If you had the ability to use Celestial Magic, then you also probably had the ability to resist it.
Of course, if there was a massive difference in strength or scale, it wouldn't be possible to fully defend yourself from it. However, you could still weaken it, create an opening, or struggle until you were able to withstand it.
In the first place, there were so few people that were actually able to properly use Celestial Magic in that day and age, so it was a meaningless fact.
"Keuk…"
The memories that ran through my head were mostly painful.
Dying by being crushed by a building, burned to death, pierced by a spear, the scales that fell down, and slowly dying from excessive bleeding…
The memories of the deaths that I had experienced dozens of times felt like a vivid reality. I clenched my teeth and fists, which were on the table.
Yennekar patted my back in surprise, but I could only endure the pain by clenching my teeth tightly.
Then, Saint Clarice approached me.
Her pure white hair, contrasting with her bright red eyes, gave me chills. A red bow-shaped hairpin hung crookedly on the side of her head. As memories of that girl, who I had shared a cruel fate with over and over again, ran through my head. Seeing her only added to the pain.
"E-Ed…"
Snatch.
I grabbed Clarice's wrist. It happened in an instant.
I staggered as I sweated profusely. The eyes around us all turned to me, but I continued to look at Clarice, speaking surely.
"This time, it's probably our last chance."
Hearing those words, Clarice's eyes slowly widened. Her expression clearly showed her disbelief.
"E-Ed… Y-You… Remember…?"
"Time."
I somehow managed to gather my breath as I clearly responded.
"This is a race against time. Quickly. As fast as we can… We need to steal the tooth necklace."
Of course, I was introduced to Celestial Magic through Glockt's book.
However, I wasn't able to raise my resonance with Celestial Magic power yet. So, I wasn't sure why I was able to resist Adele's Celestial Magic. However, I had to do whatever I could.
"Ed…!"
As I stumbled, Yennekar held me up, supporting me.
Clarice also looked restless. The students around kept on staring with their eyes wide, looking at an image of me in between Clarice and Yennekar.
Clarice also seemed to be completely puzzled that my memory was still intact, but right now she couldn't afford to ask me questions. She had thoroughly learned that fact after suffering countless times.
Since she was short on time, she needed to prioritize her goal.
The urgent task that she needed to take care of at that moment was stopping the Holy Father and the Archbishop.
"Ed… Then, let's go by carriage…!"
"Saint, you should get on the carriage and head to the cathedral right away. I will go first, by myself."
"What?"
"There's no time. You need to leave quickly. Please take care of things, Saint."
It seemed like she wanted to ask why I was going to go on my own, but she didn't have the time or leisure to ask. So, I only told Clarice briefly and confidently what she needed to do.
She nodded her head as she quickly ran towards the carriage.
In an instant, she gave orders to the horseman and the escort knights as the carriage ran towards the school's cathedral.
"Ed… What was that just now…?"
Of course, the eyes of the students nearby poured down like arrows. All of a sudden, the Saint had appeared, spoken to me, and quickly moved according to my instructions. It must have been a strange situation for anyone to witness.
The same went for Yennekar, who looked at me with a puzzled face. After I got ahold of my body, I put my hand on Yennekar's shoulder.
"Ah… All of a sudden why…!"
"I have to go to the cathedral right away."
Throughout the countless repetitions, it always started the same way.
Saint Clarice told me how time was rewinding, as well as my military service number. She would then drag me to the carriage, saying we couldn't waste any time.
Then, I would travel with her in the carriage, organize my thoughts, and struggle to fully grasp the situation.
However, the carriage was also much too slow. That was why the help of Yennekar's spirits, who could ignore terrain and quickly fly over it, was desperately needed.
"All of a sudden…? But Ed… You have the Joint Combat Practice…!"
"I can't explain the details right now, but this is extremely important."
"If you're saying it… I guess it can't be helped, but… Still, this is…"
If I were going to explain anything, it would have to be while we moved.
The surest solution to the issue would be to go to the North Forest and call on Lucy. That was what I had done in the previous reset.
Lucy Mayreel was a massive weapon that no one within the school could deal with. She was like a bulldozer that could push through any obstacle that blocked her path. Her existence itself was like a cheat.
With Lucy alone, both the Apostles of Telos and Archbishop Verdio could be defeated in an instant.
However, the goal wasn't to defeat them. It wasn't a battle between people, but rather a fight against time.
We needed to steal Velbrok's Tooth Necklace as soon as possible and place it as far away from Acken Island as possible.
How far away it needed to be placed to not react with the seal… I didn't even know the answer to that. Maybe just a few kilometers would be enough, or it might even need to travel across full territories.
I couldn't guarantee how much time it would take to succeed. If I could go back in time and try various means, I would be able to find an exact answer. But now that Adele's life was at stake, I didn't have that option.
I really have to figure it out, as we were on our last chance.
That was why I didn't have time to run all the way to the North Forest to ask Lucy for help. It would be better for me to run straight to the cathedral and steal Velbrok's Tooth even a second earlier.
After that, I'd need to run as far away from Acken Island as possible with the tooth. I'd have to worry about the Apostles of Telos afterwards. For now, I needed to stop the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon above all else.
And… At the start of every reset, Yennekar was always the person closest to me.
Saint Clarice, who was the one that returned in time, wasn't acquainted with her in the slightest.
That was why she couldn't do anything other than focus on convincing me and taking me with her.
And I couldn't do much as I was dragged around in a confused state. But now… things had completely changed.
"I know you are busy, but… Ed, your condition doesn't seem great. Aren't you overdoing it…?"
After saying that, Yennekar gathered the power of the spirits. It was a fairly large amount of magic power, enough to summon a mid-ranking spirit, though it didn't look like she had much trouble in doing so.
In terms of Elementalism, she was a girl that had a phenomenal level of resonance.
Not long after, a large hawk made of water spread its huge wings. A moist wind then blew, covering the benches.
Yennekar quickly climbed on it. It wasn't massive in size, but it was large enough for two people to ride it.
Yennekar got on top of the hawk as she helped me up. As soon as its wings started to flap and we rose into the sky little by little, I found it difficult to balance myself. I wrapped my arms around Yennekar's waist.
"Heek!"
Yennekar squirmed as she let out a noise. I wondered if it was because I suddenly touched her, but right now I wasn't in the mental state to worry about such things.
As we flew through the sky, I saw the Saint's carriage moving quickly below us.
Yennekar and I rode on the back of a hawk, ignoring the building and roads that stood in the way, as we flew straight to the school's cathedral off in the distance.
"Listen, Yenekkar."
"Hm?! Yeah! I'm listening, Ed!"
Yennekar looked flustered, maybe because my arms were wrapped around her waist. I wasn't all that comfortable about it either.
"Right now, I'm going to go and chase after the Holy Father and the Archbishop."
Hearing those words, Yennekar's ears—which had been slightly red—reverted back to their original pale color.
"What?"
"If you don't get out of here quickly, you'll also get caught up in things. So, when we arrive and I jump off, you need to quickly take flight again before anyone sees you."
Only then did Yennekar realize the situation was much more serious than she had thought. She turned around as I continued to hold onto her waist. It now looked as if we were hugging each other.
Yennekar trembled a bit from the sudden eye contact, but there was something more important to take care of.
"That means… You want me to leave you behind and go back to Glockt Hall?"
"Even though a year has already passed, you still have a record of being severely disciplined by the disciplinary committee. If you end up getting in even more trouble…"
"Ed."
Unlike her usual self, she stopped talking. Looking at her, I could tell what she meant.
"Judge the situation for yourself then, Yennekar. But if something goes wrong, you'll get expelled."
"I don't know what you're planning to do with the Holy Father and the Archbishop, but you also have a record of severe disciplinary action, Ed. So, you're the exact same. If something goes wrong, you'll also get expelled."
"I'm already prepared to face that."
"And I'm the exact same."
Yennekar looked straight into my eyes as she spoke.
"Even if you end up on the run, I won't let you do it by yourself."
Her usual self, always nervous and afraid of the opinions of others, was nowhere to be seen. There was a strong determination in her eyes.
"If you are going to get expelled, let's do it together. It'll feel less unfair if the two of us suffer together."
"Aren't you speaking of these things too carelessly…? If things go wrong, I might really end up a fugitive, constantly pursued by the Religious Group."
"Then, if that happens, we can figure out what to do about it. If you end up a fugitive… I'll run away with you. My hometown, Pulan, is rather remote. If we go there, we can hide together."
She continued to look me straight in the eye. Perhaps she was being sincere.
If I were to fall into the abyss, she was prepared to fall, too.
Hearing her talk so confidently, it was clear there wasn't any sense of doubt.
"Or, maybe it would be better for us to walk through the desert or a lawless district. We can wear robes that cover us and do mercenary work, making sure to keep our mouths shut."
"Hey…"
"I'm already thinking things through, so don't even think about going off by yourself, Ed."
Yennekar seemed to be reading my thoughts.
"You're suffering through something by yourself again?"
"What?"
"I can tell just by looking at your face now."
What was imprinted in my memory were the deaths I had experienced dozens of times. All of them were painful, and just remembering them all made me feel like I was suffocating.
"I hate seeing you suffer."
"..."
Ignoring the terrain, we flew through the sky. It didn't take all that long until we started to approach the school's cathedral.
"Are you prepared?"
"If you say it twice, you'll be nagging."
"…Then… Let's enter by breaking through the stained glass."
My sudden request to break through the huge stained glass on the school's cathedral…
For Yennekar, who didn't know the full story, it might have sounded crazy.
However…
"Alright."
Kaaaw! Craaaaaaaaaaaah!
The hawk's body crashed through the stained glass of the school's cathedral.
***
After that, it all happened in an instant.
The key to a surprise attack was the beginning.
The moment the huge window shattered, pieces of glass crashed onto the floor.
I jumped off the hawk, rolling on the floor as I looked up towards the podium.
The Apostles sat in the chapel as Archbishop Verdio stood by the podium. And on the other side of the podium was the Holy Father Eldane, sitting and looking over their plans.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden situation. That moment, while they were flustered, was the only chance I had.
I jumped up towards the podium as I kicked Verdio in the stomach, pushing him away.
Unable to even think of defending himself from the sudden attack, Verdio groaned as he rolled off of the podium.
As soon as they saw it, the Apostles of Telos drew their weapons and stood up. I checked Velbrok's Tooth Necklace, which was tucked away on the podium.
I quickly snatched the necklace, taking it with me… Then, I hung it around the neck of the hawk Yennekar had summoned. Velbrok's Tooth Necklace was a legendary relic, so the string's length would change according to the size of one's neck.
It was a bit of a tight fit, but it still fit around the hawk's neck.
"You… What is the meaning of this…?"
I quickly got up on the hawk's back. Originally, I had planned on using magically engineered items. However, since Yennekar was willing to help, things had become a completely different story.
Riding the hawk, we could fly out of Acken Island. Right now, preventing the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok was top priority.
I'd have to think about the aftermath of things later. It wasn't the time to get distracted and take a gamble on finding the most efficient route. After all, Adele might not be able to survive going back in time again.
I threw my dagger to the floor. As it stuck in the ground, the Spiritual Skill activated. An explosion appeared from the spot, the podium hidden by the smoke.
The Apostles of Telos quickly cast magic to remove the smoke, but Yennekar's hawk was already flying high in the sky.
Cutting through the sky, I hugged Yennekar tightly as we flew on the Hawk's back.
The Apostles of Telos spread their wings as they took flight. With those gigantic wings of theirs, they could also fly through the sky. I thought they wouldn't be able to close the distance quickly, but the Apostles were closing the gap much faster than I had expected.
"Yennekar!"
Since the sound of the winds and the flapping was so loud, we had to talk as if we were yelling.
"If we continue like this, we'll get caught….! For now, lower the altitude!"
What did our altitude have to do with being pursued? Yennekar wanted to ask, but it was quicker to just look down.
An excellent flying ability that could even carry people. Such a spirit was extremely useful, but it would also consume a lot more magic power than normal spirits when it came to manifesting and maintaining it. A normal elementalist would have been completely exhausted just by maintaining flight for even a few minutes.
Of course, Yennekar was someone with an unbelievable magic power efficiency when it came to Elementalism. She was able to fly for several kilometers without any problems. We continued to fly for a while as our foreheads crashed against the wind.
"Just ten minutes ago, I was sitting blankly in front of Glockt Hall—!"
It must have been like a bolt out of the blue. And yet, Yennekar continued to focus as she clenched her teeth.
Six apostles flapped their wings as they cut through the sky. They started to shoot all sorts of elemental magic our way as we tried to dodge them.
She was barely avoiding the attacks, but there was a limit to how long she could keep it up.
Eventually, the beginner wind magic Wind Blade hit the hawk's back. The hawk we were riding on instantly reverted back to an element as it disappeared.
There was the refreshing feeling of floating in the sky for a bit, but shortly after gravity started to play its role again.
Flap. Flap. Flap.
The sound of our flapping collars.
While falling through the air, I quickly grabbed onto Velbrok's Tooth Necklace.
Just as we were about to fall on the ground, Yennekar, who was holding my collar, pulled me into her arms.
As we fell together, she whispered in my ear.
"Ed, you'll take care of the aftermath, right…?"
"What…?"
"I trust you Ed, so I'll do it."
What she took out of my pocket was… Glast's Golden Phoenix Ring.
As Yennekar reached towards the sky with the ring clenched in her hand… the sky disappeared.
Although wings were all considered the same, there were in fact many different types.
From small insects, sparrows, bats… Eagles, pterosaurs, skeleton birds… Wings of all different shapes covered the entire world.
However, the one that boasted the most overwhelming majesty among them all was…
A whale.
It was a clear day, yet the sun didn't fall on the school.
A huge shadow cast, darkness across the school.
Elemental spirits were diverse in terms of entities and types. However, there were also entities that could only exist for one specific element.
Elementalist called them 'Ultimate spirits.'
Some even called them the original spirits… Among the spirits that corresponded with each element, those were the first that gained life.
The ultimate water spirit, Friede.
A gigantic whale, floating in the sky above the school, roared. It sounded like a magnificent horn.
Among the various spirits flying in the sky, it was the most majestic. It looked like a mothership, with many escort ships around it.
Even the Apostles of Telos that were chasing after us… could only look at it as if they were awestruck.
Snatch.
A wind spirit in the form of a pterosaur flew by as it snatched Yennekar and me up. As soon as I got on its soft back, the feeling of falling that weighed heavily on my body disappeared in an instant.
"Hey…! How much magic power did you draw out…?!"
"I don't know… I'm going to be bedridden for a while…"
Staggering and struggling to stay up, Yennekar slowly stood up on the pterosaur's back, holding her wand.
She didn't even hear any other explanation behind it. It was too unreasonable of her to do that much just because she believed in me.
A deep sense of the debt that remained… it weighed on my chest.
The six apostles stopped chasing after a moment. It seemed to be too unexpected of a situation for them.
The school had to be in chaos already.
The ultimate water spirit Friede was considered a calamity that had killed two great heroes in mythology.
It was such a feat that killing the forcibly manifested Friede was considered one of the greatest achievements Archmage Glockt ever achieved. Its very existence was a means of horror in human history.
And right now, it was under Yennekar's control. However, there was no saying how it felt towards the other people in the school.
The Apostles completely changed their expressions as they took formation, trying to jointly cast sacred magic. In that instant, they realized it as well.
It wasn't going to end in a simple chase. We were someone they had to take seriously.
***
"Saint. There is something that only you can do."
"You are someone who remembers everything that happens. You are one of the only people that understands the entire situation. So, while I try to stop the Holy Blue Dragon's resurrection by whatever means necessary, Saint… Please try and pursue the Holy Father Eldane."
As she got off the carriage, she saw the school's cathedral, which was completely wrecked.
Clarice brought her knights with her as she walked into the open door of the cathedral.
There… standing around were the people that sent off the Apostles, waiting to hear of the news from them.
A student had attacked them, suddenly running away with Velbrok's Tooth Necklace as if he knew the plans of the Religious Group. The actions he took were natural and impressive.
Afterwards, all sorts of elemental spirits began to cover the sky… Things were definitely strange.
Archbishop Verdio stood at the podium, giving instructions to the Knight Templars. Holy Father Eldane sat behind him, looking up at the sky. The sky far above the school was reflected in his eyes.
Most of the Religious Group's actions were led by Archbishop Verdio.
Holy Father Eldane… He was a bystander that entrusted the judgment to him.
However, a bystander was no different than someone that took part. There was no such thing as moral superiority.
However, Clarice knew.
Holy Father Eldane wasn't a helpless person. He had just become tired from the passage of time and the change in trends.
He was a man that struggled with keeping his faith and facing reality. Though, that weight gradually ended up leaning towards reality.
"S-Saint…?"
"Wh-What are you doing here…? No, things are a bit complicated now, so…"
The stained glass was broken, and chairs were scattered across the floor. The place could no longer be considered a chapel.
Clarice waved her hands towards the knights that tried to block her way, walking up to the podium.
"Saint Clarice."
It was a crazy situation, yet he continued to thoroughly show his respect and honor in front of the Saint.
Verdio bowed his head as he greeted her, trying to tell her to wait off to the side because there was something he needed to take care of.
"We…"
"Sit down, Archbishop Verdio."
Finally, she had reached it.
A small table above the podium. It was used for placing candlesticks and holy water vessels for worship, but… Clarice pushed it all to the side as she sat down.
Only then did Archbishop Verdio feel that something was off.
Clarice… She didn't care that others were watching her.
All she thought about was the effort she put in to make it that far.
A man had died dozens of times. Despite time repeating over and over, he devoted himself to helping her until the very end. And he was the one that made it possible to reach the end of all of it.
The weight of the debt she felt towards him couldn't be explained in words. She didn't need to feel so indebted, but it was still obvious that she had received far too much from him.
A place no different than the top of Telos Religious Group.
The Holy Father, the Archbishop, and the Saint.
Sitting in front of them, Saint Clarice spoke softly towards Eldane.
"Holy Father Eldane."
Eldane, who sat on a wooden chair behind the podium, continued to contemplate the situation without responding.
Still, Clarice looked up at the collapsed ceiling as she spoke.
"You know it as well. You will end up in constant agony. So… you can't just stay as a bystander forever."
"..."
"Archbishop Verdio is a cancer that is devouring the Religious Group."
Murmurs began to spread through the cathedral. Verdio's eyebrows narrowed sharply.
Before even asking what in the world she was talking about, Clarice answered him first.
"You must expel him."