A single step forward—and instantly, spiderweb-like cracks covered the ground, spreading savagely in all directions.
Hoshikawa Hikayu's face was burning red as she shouted at Altair, trembling uncontrollably.
"Su-su-su… Super Ultimate Legend War-Goddess! Hikayu! M-ma-makes her grand entrance!"
An awkward breeze blew by.
The intense battle atmosphere had nearly been annihilated by Hikayu's entrance.
Even Altair's expression stiffened for a moment.
"…What was that supposed to be?"
"Ugh…please don't look at me with those eyes…"
Hikayu felt utterly hopeless herself.
That outfit resembling a shameless swimsuit, and those unbearably embarrassing lines—even just being a spectator would make you squirm in embarrassment, let alone being the person forced to perform it. Hikayu's toes curled inward so hard she nearly dug a three-bedroom apartment into the ground.
Yet her Creator, Ohnishi Nishio, had said, "It's all for popularity, trust me! Your new character setting will be a huge hit!" Somehow, that perverted-looking man who called female characters "my waifu" had actually been right—this shameful new character design quickly became inexplicably popular.
Ohnishi Nishio… though a creepy guy who always called characters his wives, genuinely knew what the audience wanted. Matsubara and the other Creators had struggled several nights to raise popularity, but the moment Ohnishi heard about the "popularity" concept, he instantly came up with the perfect solution.
"So, it's you."
Altair finally seemed to recognize Hikayu, speaking indifferently, "To think you managed to gather enough popularity in such a short time. And the other one…did he also receive Master's blessing like Alicetaria-dono? It seems I underestimated you."
"But ultimately, it's just futile bravery. Struggling in ignorance of your own powerlessness, aiding evil unknowingly. At the end of the path you've chosen, there are no flowers or applause waiting—only absolute tragedy."
Altair slowly raised her head, eyes shifting away from Hikayu to survey her surroundings. There, she spotted Selesia and Kanoya Rui regrouping, forming a triangle around her with Hikayu.
Altair's expression was calm as still water, and once again she rested her saber on her submachine gun, ready to begin her next movement.
"You are mere background noise to me. Thus, I shall now play for you the melody of [Holopsicon]. Listen closely, minor characters—and kindly make your exit."
…
The tranquil hot spring inn had turned instantly into chaos. The peaceful mountainside was now divided into multiple raging battlefields.
Shimazaki Yuna was still running away with Van Gogh, though she had no idea where she was supposed to run.
"Their target is me. I can't head toward Matsubara-san and the others—I can't drag them into this danger…"
"Should we flee outright? But can Selesia and the others really buy enough time for us? Even by car, with Altair's abilities, she'll catch up instantly…"
"Everyone's fighting desperately. No one has enough leeway to protect me and Van Gogh…"
Shimazaki Yuna wracked her brain, searching in the limits of a mortal's thinking for an escape route. So much so that she failed to notice the dark gun barrel silently aiming at her from within the shadows.
Bang!
The bullet exploded forth, heading straight for the seemingly defenseless Shimazaki Yuna's head.
At the very last instant, a magic circle suddenly expanded behind Shimazaki Yuna, deflecting the lethal bullet.
"Are you unharmed, Yuna, Van Gogh?"
The Book of a Thousand Miles fluttered open without wind. Meteora's reassuring figure appeared before Shimazaki Yuna's eyes.
"Meteora!"
Shimazaki Yuna cried out with relief, then quickly asked, "Where are Matsubara-san and the others?"
"They are safe. Altair and her allies seem to deliberately avoid harming innocent people…though after seeing that just now, I'm not so sure anymore."
Turning her head towards a shadowed corner, Meteora spoke expressionlessly, "So could you answer my question—why did you attack Yuna?"
Aiming straight for the head meant certain death. Clearly, the attacker had every intention of completely eliminating his target.
He stood in the shadows, not revealing the slightest presence, like a mere rock beneath a tree.
Yet his form was enormous, towering like a wall or a massive stone.
"As expected, using a regular bullet to kill you was too naïve. But using gravity rounds risks hurting someone the Military Uniform Princess wants. She'd be furious then… How troublesome."
"Why target Shimazaki Yuna? Isn't she just an ordinary, powerless human?"
Meteora stayed tense, eyeing Blitz Talker warily while probing for information.
"You shouldn't be asking me that. I'm just a lowly bounty hunter."
Blitz casually replied while reloading his handgun, "Saving the world is a hero's duty. My job is merely killing for pay. That's all."
"Employer…you mean Altair?"
Meteora furrowed her brows. "Why is she so determined to kill Yuna? Isn't Yuna her Creator?"
"Creator?"
Blitz Talker paused, eagle-like eyes staring sharply at Meteora.
"You all think…that young lady over there is the Military Uniform Princess's Creator?"
"…What do you mean?"
As they spoke, Shimazaki Yuna's eyes flickered, subtly raising her hand again to cover Van Gogh's eyes. Van Gogh was brimming with questions, but being sensitive to the atmosphere, she obediently stayed silent.
"It's nothing. I seem to have spoken too much. Ignore me. Too much idle chatter will annoy my employer. If you still have doubts, ask my employer yourself."
Ask her myself?
Meteora's expression abruptly changed. Sensing something amiss, she quickly looked upward.
There, Altair had already appeared.
She wasn't radiating oppressive power, yet her mere presence brought suffocating pressure, making hearts pound uncontrollably.
Her eyes—red surrounding vivid blue—reflected clearly the figures of Shimazaki Yuna and Van Gogh. She smiled broadly.
"You've done well, Blitz. Thanks to you, they didn't manage to escape."
"I know my limits clearly. My actions don't deserve your gratitude."
How had Altair arrived here so quickly?
Where were Selesia and the others?
Were the others alright?
As Meteora anxiously pondered these questions, Shimazaki Yuna suddenly spoke:
"Meteora… Look carefully at Altair! The one in her arms is…"
Snapped out of her thoughts by Yuna's cry, Meteora looked up, seeing Altair indeed holding someone.
"Hikayu-san?!"
Hoshikawa Hikayu, one of the trio who had stayed behind to stall Altair, now lay unconscious in Altair's embrace. Yet now Hikayu wore not that embarrassing qipao, but the dark-green school uniform she'd worn at their first meeting.
"What a beautiful expression. Concern, worry for your friend—such a touching scene, a harmony woven from friendship. Countless stories have revolved around such feelings. Some die for it, some exploit it. Some betray, some forget…yet others remain true till the very end."
Slowly descending to meet Meteora's gaze directly, Altair gently cradled the unconscious Hikayu, smiling at Van Gogh and the others.
Within mere moments, Hikayu, Selesia, and Kanoya Rui had all been defeated. Hikayu—arguably their strongest after Charon's divine transformation—had even been captured, lying unconscious in Altair's arms.
Altair began explaining calmly, as if savoring their shock, or simply indulging her theatricality.
"My power, [Holopsicon], is the force of all creation, all existence, all alteration—the power to reset worlds. This is my thirteenth movement, [Outline Origin]: reverting additional settings back to their starting point."
To translate Altair's elaborate explanation into simple terms—it reset Hikayu to her original form.
"…"
Meteora's expression darkened. She couldn't refute Altair's words.
They had theorized before that Altair, as a fan-created character, could freely wield abilities from secondary, tertiary, even quaternary creations. Yet they had vastly underestimated just how omnipotent she truly was.
They never expected Altair would attack so decisively.
Meteora knew she needed to find a way to save Yuna and Van Gogh, now.
"The hide-and-seek game ends here. I won't let you run again—which is why I brought this girl along."
Under her military hat, Altair's face curved into a cruel smirk.
Meteora immediately sensed something was wrong, yet couldn't react in time.
"[Holopsicon's Seventh Movement: Cause and Effect Substitution]."
A strange ripple passed—and suddenly, Altair no longer held Hikayu. Instead, Van Gogh, clad in a morning-glory-patterned yukata, was now trembling helplessly in Altair's arms.
Meteora's eyes widened, turning swiftly behind her. Yuna still stood there, but now holding Hikayu instead.
"Eh?"
Van Gogh, held gently by Altair, let out a confused sound. Instinctively, she turned her head.
"No! Van Gogh, don't look at her!"
Shimazaki Yuna's panicked shout pierced sharply. The shadow beneath her feet boiled furiously, something terrible about to break free.
"Be good, Van Gogh. Close your eyes… Treat this like a nightmare. When you wake up, you'll be back in your room, tired from painting all night…"
Her voice warped reality itself, sinister and compelling.
Altair laughed mockingly:
"Finally dropping your nauseating disguise?"
She reached to turn Van Gogh's head—
But a shadow surged out, swallowing Altair's arm completely, leaving nothing behind.
---
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