After the researchers finished expressing their gratitude to Alicia and learned from Instructor Claire that she was visiting to tour the Ancient Ruins, they all eagerly offered to act as her guides.
In the end, however, Claire turned them all down.
Claire said, "If you all guide her, how will I ever repay my debt to her?"
Still, she didn't send them away. Instead, she took Alicia and the others to the pit where the Spirit Tablets of the Three Sacred Beasts had been unearthed.
Though the three tablets had long been taken away by the Dean, there was still plenty to see—such as the strange, triangular sealing formation and the faintly glowing blue gemstone embedded at its center.
Seeing that peculiar formation and the gem at its core, Yuui, who had been standing without a word beside Alicia, could no longer hold himself back.
He floated toward the formation, reached out to touch the blue gemstone, and whispered softly, "Neos... is that you?"
The moment Yuui spoke the name "Neos," the formation beneath their feet flared brightly, and the gemstone at its center shone with prismatic light.
Everyone was stunned. Alicia didn't know what Yuui had done, but she was certain that he was the cause.
As for Claire and the researchers, their shock in no time turned to excitement.
After all, they had just found a brand new research topic!
The seven-colored light enveloped them all. Moments later, the group of seven vanished without a trace—as if they had never been there.
Soon after, two magic circles appeared where they had stood. From them stepped the Dean of Saint Fusion Academy, Aleister, and the Kingdom's Great Sage, Sandrillon.
Aleister looked at the pale blue gemstone in the center of the seal and let out a bitter chuckle.
"Heh... I've called out to you countless times with no response. I thought you were asleep. Yet, the moment your true master arrives and calls your name once, you awaken? Loyal to a fault, aren't you, Neos?"
Sandrillon, watching Aleister's slightly flustered expression, covered her mouth with a laugh.
"Well, that's what you get for trying to manipulate his master. Doing it right in front of a Spirit's face… of course, it ignored you."
Aleister rubbed his forehead in frustration. "He can't use Neos's power yet. Neos's very existence is a message to him—that 'Albaz is here.'
"And you and I both know who sealed the Three Sacred Beasts all those years ago. That man knows it too. Once Neos reappears, everyone aware of that history will realize it means the true Albaz has awakened. And when that happens, he will surely move to devour Albaz before he can regain his strength.
"That false Albaz—he and Albaz are two sides of the same coin. If the current Albaz encounters him as he is now, he'll be swallowed whole. And when that happens, this world will be finished.
"That's why I can't let Albaz wield Neos's power yet. What he needs now is strength—accumulation. The Three Sacred Beasts are his best option for that. I arranged everything perfectly... yet Neos just had to play dumb!
"And to think, we take our eyes off them for a single second… and that girl Claire brings the child and him right here. I swear, I..."
Aleister trailed off, visibly exasperated. Sandrillon, however, remained calm.
"I told you before—not to overplay your hand. Maybe this is fate's arrangement. For all we know, while we've been trying to manipulate them, a stronger force has been manipulating us. Otherwise... would things really line up this perfectly?"
Her last words were directed upward, toward the crystal-studded ceiling—albeit her gaze seemed to pierce far beyond it, as though looking to something higher.
Aleister fell silent, then nodded slowly. "You go on ahead. I'll stay and keep watch. Someone has to ensure their safety."
Sandrillon gave him a meaningful look. "Don't do anything unnecessary. If he's come here of his own accord, perhaps it's fate. Forcefully interfering now might only delay his growth."
With that, Sandrillon activated her magic circle and departed, leaving Aleister alone. The old man conjured a chair with a wave of his hand and sat calmly, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Alicia and the others, swallowed by the rainbow light, felt as though they were traveling through time itself.
Visions unfolded before them—of the ancient kingdom that once stood here, of its downfall at the hands of the Three Sacred Beasts, and of the battle that spanned a thousand days and nights.
Images flashed before their eyes: how the Beasts were finally defeated and sealed away. The flood of memories poured directly into their minds.
The five researchers collapsed instantly, blood streaming from their noses and mouths as their minds were overwhelmed by the torrent of history.
Instructor Claire, though a powerful Magus, wasn't spared either. Even with her formidable willpower, blood began trickling from her lips and nostrils. She couldn't hold on much longer.
Through the haze, she glanced toward the girl beside her… and saw a white-haired boy standing protectively at her side.
Yuui had conjured a pale violet barrier that surrounded Alicia, shielding her from the onslaught. Unlike the others, he wasn't affected by the distortion of this temporal space.
Seeing him, Claire instinctively ruled out the possibility that Yuui or Alicia had caused this phenomenon. Perhaps it was her intuition… or simply her faith that someone as kind-hearted as Alicia couldn't be responsible for something like this.
Relieved to see the girl unharmed, Claire finally began to lose consciousness as blood welled from her seven orifices.
Within the barrier, Alicia saw Claire and the others collapsing and shouted for Yuui to help them.
Yuui raised an eyebrow, but after a brief pause, expanded his barrier to envelop the researchers as well.
The temporal stream held no effect on him. Even if those memories flowed into his mind or soul, they couldn't harm him.
He was weakened, yes, but not diminished.
Like a dried-up pond: the basin remained, only the water was gone.
Time passed… or perhaps it didn't. Eventually, as the scenes of destruction ended, Alicia watched the silver-haired hero emerge, standing tall with divine radiance. With the help of his companions, he faced the Three Sacred Beasts, sealing them away once and for all.
And at the very end of the vision, they saw him… the hero who sealed the demons.
Elemental HERO Neos.
...
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