It was the most primitive form of magic in this world.
Normally, magecraft involved using mana as an energy source and going through a specific process to produce a phenomenon. The process could be a sound, a written character, a gesture, or even breath.
But in this world, there existed an exceedingly rare few who could bring about phenomena simply by *thinking*.
A primitive magic triggered by the thoughts of one who possessed the requisite talent. It was unique because it lacked any systematic framework, powerful because it demanded innate aptitude from its caster, and uncontrollable.
Sometimes it manifested with no relation to the caster's own will, causing immense harm. People called it a "curse" with dread, and those who deliberately mastered its rules were distinguished from Mages and called Curse Weavers.
That was the terrible curse born from the research of a single abhorrent Curse Weaver.
Strong enough thoughts to produce a curse often arose from negative emotions.
Fear, resentment, jealousy, anger, pain, killing intent.
The Curse Weaver gathered people of aptitude—young, old, male, female—and locked them in one place, setting them upon each other to fight to the death.
A war where all other options had been stripped away. Amid blood washing over blood, resentment called forth stronger resentment, and killing intent took shape. When the last survivor—Marlin—finally collapsed from exhaustion, the unprecedented curse-weapon was completed.
It had lost the object of its killing intent, lost its purpose—yet those feelings never faded.
*It* existed only to curse and kill all things, and had been created solely for that purpose. For *it*, killing intent was as natural as breathing.
It was the remnant of one who had failed to protect what mattered.
A pendant left behind by a loyal knight who had served a master chased out by family, friends, and nation—only to fall before his task was done.
The feelings imbued within it were regret over failing to protect its master, and fierce hatred toward those who had condemned and attempted to execute that master as though she were a demon.
The ingrained curse was stripped of everything except the single-minded obsession to protect the weak, becoming one solitary protective curse.
For *it*, whether the person being protected was good or evil no longer mattered. It made no difference whether the accusations against the master it had once tried to guard were true, or whether she had indeed used her silver tongue and cruelty to kill hundreds of innocents.
As long as it could protect the oppressed, that was enough.
The cursed willpower was pure, yet it carried several facets.
The one it wanted to kill was also the one it had failed to protect. The one it wanted to protect was also the one it could not rely on.
Two different curses born in completely different eras interfered with one another, forming an entirely new shape.
It was likely a miraculous sight rarely seen even across the entire world.
The priests who had unsealed the barrier to attempt the dispelling, the armed knights and Hunters surrounding them—all stared in speechless astonishment at the two curses.
Blackened, decaying limbs. Dressed in tattered clothing barely maintaining a humanoid form, those writhing limbs suddenly reversed course, regaining a solidly human shape. The killing intent that had withered before the overwhelming light now sharpened to a razor's edge.
The knight who had regained form before the one it guarded, and the specter whose killing intent now burned far stronger than before, both unleashed their resentment freely against the incoming attack.
§ § § A piercing metallic sound rang out as a thunderous roar echoed through the hall. The dark sword drawn by the mysterious Black Knight who had appeared from nowhere deflected the bullets, and a black curtain warded off the lightning.
Anthem's fist, swung down on instinct, collided with the Black Knight's sword, making the air buzz and vibrate.
The pillars forming the layered barrier magic circle had advanced in discoloration and developed cracks. Even the most powerful latest-generation magic circle had its limits.
The strength of a curse was measured in a unit called "curse power." The barrier magic circle had been constructed to seal away "Marine's Lament" with considerable margin over its projected curse power. But conversely, this meant it could not contain a curse that exceeded that margin.
According to the Church's prior briefing, they had built in a buffer of roughly 1.5 to 1.8 times the maximum curse power estimated from records of "Marine's Lament." The fact that this was not enough to restrain it meant the Black Knight who had suddenly emerged from the pendant possessed power at minimum equal to that of Marine's Lament.
Or rather—what exactly *was* that thing? Was that a curse too? ……Good grief, Citry!
The battle situation had shifted completely. The priests who had been casting support formulas from outside the barrier were visibly pale and clearly exhausted.
"You must raise the output so they absolutely cannot escape! At the very least, one of them must be destroyed—"
"Kill it! That is the calamity of the 'Prophecy'!"
The priest shouted. He was trying to maintain his composure, but his expression was grim.
Even more alarming, the eyes of Franz—who had just given that dangerous order—were bloodshot. He had glared over this way for an instant just now… Why?
The Black Knight's defense was ironclad. Holy light, bullets—everything was absorbed by its body, and nothing reached Marine's Lament hidden behind it.
And Marine's Lament had also undergone a dramatic transformation from before.
Where it had been roughly thirty percent humanoid before, it was now at least seventy percent solid.
The pitch-black flames it had been belching had at some point been replaced by a dress as black as darkness. Its face, which had been on the verge of collapse with indistinguishable features, now had clearly defined eyes, nose, and mouth.
This was no guttering candle's final glow. It had clearly been empowered. That said—wasn't it strange that a curse designed to kill everything wasn't attacking the Black Knight?
At that moment, the pitch-black flames released from Marine's Lament wrapped around the Black Knight.
Its already ominous appearance underwent yet another transformation. The knight's armor blazed with a purple glow, and in its left hand materialized a colossal, solid black shield that could seemingly block attacks from all directions.
They were powering up through synergy.
The sword in its other hand had also transformed dramatically. As though absorbing nourishment, it had grown a full size larger in both width and length and was wreathed in black flame.
Kryus stamped his feet and shrieked at me.
"Weaaaaak huuuumaaaaan! This isn't fun at all anymore, ya know!"
"C-Calm down! Ah… th-that's right! The fun part starts from here!"
"Please get a grip, brother!"
"Get a grip, Thousand Transformations! What is that thing?!"
Lucia, Kryus, and Franz—why weren't they attacking me instead of trying to purify the curse?
I mean, seriously—blaming me for every incident was getting unfair. Well, I supposed I did bear *some* responsibility for this one… Damn it, should I have worn "Comfortable Vacation"?
I stood up and, since sitting there seemed dangerous—risking getting knocked off—I let my legs dangle and shouted words of encouragement.
"Go, Anthem! You can do it!"
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"
"!?"
A roar that rivaled—and perhaps exceeded—thunder boomed across the sacred ceremonial hall of the Church.
Before the beautiful yet sinister sword and shield, Anthem unleashed a barrage of punches. His earlier attack had clearly been a feeler.
There was no technique to it. But pound after pound—no exaggeration—the ground itself shook. The iron fists rained down in succession were enough to shake the very earth.
Anthem was enormous. His durability went without saying, but his strength was immense as well. Mana Material enhanced a Hunter's abilities by granting their deepest-held desires, which was why even someone slight like Riizu could possess monstrous strength. But as the former Martial Emperor had also been of extraordinary build, there was no lack of correlation between physical sturdiness and raw power.
Mana Material had greatly enlarged Anthem's body while simultaneously granting him the kind of herculean strength sung of in myths. The reason the Mourning Specter—despite constantly picking fights with him—never challenged him to arm wrestling was because in a pure contest of strength, there was no way to win against Anthem, no matter how hard one tried.
A blow from that inhumanly massive frame and superhuman strength carried crushing destructive power even without any sacred enchantment. A mere human who hadn't absorbed Mana Material would be flattened into a pancake, even in full plate armor.
This time, the Black Knight who had blocked the attack before was forced to take evasive action against that fist. It abandoned the shield created by Marine's Lament's support and retreated a large step. The abandoned shield took the full force of the punch, crumpling into a V-shape and flying off into the distance.
Flames from Marine's Lament licked at Anthem from below, but he paid them no mind whatsoever.
The barrier magic circle's ring, which should have been set wide enough, was far too small in front of Anthem Smart. Today, Anthem hadn't brought a sword or shield, but most weapons had shorter reach than his arms.
The Black Knight swung its sword as it retreated. Against the high-speed diagonal slash, Anthem swept his own arm in a massive arc.
Even the enlarged sword was modest in size compared to his stature. Taking a full-power hook from the side, the blade was knocked cleanly from the Black Knight's grip and embedded itself in the ground. For a moment, the Black Knight stood motionless, looking almost dazed.
That appearance looked less like a holy knight and more like a Monster. If anything, *he* was the one who seemed cursed.
The faces of the priests—who were supposed to be devoted admirers of Anthem and well acquainted with him—had gone somewhat rigid.
"Go! Anthem, go super hard!"
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"
Such was the ferocity of his rampage that the Hunters and knights surrounding the barrier magic circle couldn't intervene—they'd get caught in the crossfire.
But Lucia, the only member who regularly fought in the same Party as Anthem, cast her spell without hesitation.
"Hailstorm!"
A tornado filled with ice particles spawned from her palm, swelling in an instant to swallow both Anthem and the magic circle.
It was Lucia's signature spell. An advanced magic with impeccable power and range—and incidentally, the most visually spectacular of all. She remembered how she had praised its incredible coolness the first time she'd shown it.
People treated her as a gimmick Mage because she flew around on a broom, but Lucia was a perfectly legitimate Mage.
Mixed with the roaring wind was a grinding sound—something being carved away. Having swallowed even her ally in a wide-area annihilation spell, Lucia drew startled stares from those unfamiliar with her methods and cleared her throat softly, offering a justification.
"Anthem will be fine with this much."
"U… ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!"
Within the howling blizzard of ice shredding everything to pieces, a massive shadow moved amid roars.
This—this was just habit.
Anthem had every right to complain sometimes.
"………Is he really even alive? He's moving around inside an advanced spell, ya know." Kryus said, his face taut. It was harsh, but then again—even I sometimes couldn't believe he'd once been small and scrawny…
Lapis narrowed her eyes, her expression troubled.
"But this way, we can't reach them from outside…"
"Look, Weak Human! Even Ark is stumped!"
It wasn't just Ark—even Franz and the others were at a loss. Thanks to Lucia's Hailstorm, their long-range attacks couldn't get through, and it was hard to isolate a target.
Well, with Anthem there in the first place, you'd struggle to attack without being accustomed to him.
For some reason, Gaark—who was at the front of the Hunter group—barked at me.
"Krai, think for a minute!"
"Well, you see… I feel bad for our Lucia… She always fights like this, so…"
"………………"
Without a word, Lucia simply flushed red and looked down. The scale and duration of a spell were generally determined by the caster's strength, but Lucia's Hailstorm showed absolutely no sign of weakening.
Like a bullet already fired, most spells couldn't be cancelled once released. The Mourning Specter's hunts were always first-come-first-served after all… She was apparently well-liked by the students at the academy, but beneath Lucia's calm exterior, she was a complete berserker. She was only marginally better than Riizu or Luke—in comparison to ordinary Hunters, her killing intent was remarkably high.
And Anthem was the same. You couldn't become a high-level Hunter without an intense fighting spirit.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"
Even as the Black Knight and Marine's Lament cowered before the fury of the Hailstorm, Anthem pressed his assault without pause.
Inside the tornado, a black shadow and a white shadow clashed. Even without a clear view, it was obvious Anthem had the upper hand.
Marine's Lament was probably screaming too, but its cries were completely drowned out by Anthem's roar.
He had started roaring during charges not long after he began operating as the Mourning Specter. It seemed to be his way of psyching up his timid self, but at this volume he looked like nothing but a battle maniac.
Eventually, unable to withstand the continuous blows, a direct hit landed—the crumpled Black Knight was launched out of the Hailstorm, sent flying. Half of its upper-body armor was dented and flattened. Any human would have been long dead from that kind of damage.
The Black Knight slammed violently into one of the pillars that had already turned more than half black—and in a disastrous turn, the pillar that formed part of the barrier snapped and collapsed.
"!?"
"Ah…"
Lucia let out a hollow voice. Everyone probably felt the same way.
The layered barrier magic circle vanished. The layered barrier wasn't merely a cage to prevent curses from escaping. It also had the effect of weakening their power.
With one corner of the barrier broken, the ambient temperature inside the chamber plummeted in an instant. A bone-deep, indescribable chill ran through the air. If Krai could feel it this much, the other priests and Hunters must have sensed an even greater surge of power.
The Barrier Ring suddenly activated. A piercing, ear-splitting wail shook the world, and the color drained from the faces of the knights and Hunters in one stroke.
Hearing the lament of "Marine's Lament" brought catastrophe upon the listener. The Barrier Ring must have activated to block that particular curse alone. Some had collapsed to their knees as though their strength had been sapped, but the Barrier Ring's reputation for blocking all attacks was well earned.
The Hailstorm's effect dissipated. The tornado vanished, and Marine's Lament's form was revealed.
Dark eyes beneath matted hair. Its shape hadn't changed, but the density of the aura enveloping it was entirely different. Its near-human appearance only amplified the sense of wrongness.
"Impossible… To have retained this much power…"
The priest swallowed hard. The unbound Marine's Lament swayed, then began to move.
Anthem instantly shattered the ground beneath his feet, closed the distance, and drove his fist down.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
Marine's Lament let out a scream as it barely slipped past him, then dove toward the crumpled, silent Black Knight and embraced it.
Anthems's strength was overwhelming. But for one who was nearly flawless, he had a single weakness: his accuracy wasn't great. And the more punches he threw, the more that accuracy dropped.
Anthem charged at the innocent-looking girl (in appearance only) who was holding the Black Knight. The holy knight came swinging and pounding, and the terrifying curse—finally freed from its restraints—fled while screaming.
Since it had no effect on the other members, it really was just a scream. Marine's Lament cast a sharp look around at everyone surrounding it, then spotted Krai sitting on the decoration above the entrance.
Their eyes met. Krai reflexively shook his head back and forth, but Marine's Lament slid through the air toward him without hesitation.
Still clutching the Black Knight, Marine's Lament glided through the air. The doorway was wide open, yet it flew straight toward him, perched on the ornament above. Why was it coming for *him*?
It was always like this. Nobody ever listened to what he had to say.
With an expression of grim determination, the curse unleashed its lament. The sound alone—its soul-freezing resonance—caused the priests rushing in from all sides to collapse unconscious. All he could do now was laugh.
Good grief—he always thought this… If you all just equipped a Barrier Ring, this wouldn't happen!
Crossing his arms, he looked down at the approaching Marine's Lament. Time seemed to stretch, each second feeling like ten, twenty.
He wasn't going to run or hide. He knew this for certain—you people would chase him down no matter how far he ran or how well he hid!
Marine's Lament surged forward. Behind it, Anthem pursued like a beast, and from all sides, Ark's, Lucia's, and Lapis's offensive magic came flying.
Was this—the hell of this world?
But there was nothing he could do!
Marine's Lament reached out its hand as though seeking salvation. Seeing the outstretched hand, he instinctively reached out his own.
It was a thoroughly bad habit. But Marine's Lament's eyes went wide, and for one brief moment, it truly halted.
And then—suspended in midair, Marine's Lament was skewered from behind by chains.
Marine's Lament stared down at the chains of light protruding from its chest in disbelief.
And then, from every direction, more chains flew in, piercing through both Marine's Lament and the Black Knight it held. The precautionary measure—the chain-type "Pillar of Light" the priest had shown them.
When he'd first peered into the box, he'd thought the chains were impressively long, but it turned out they were a Treasure Weapon consisting of multiple linked chains.
Looking over, the priest was in the act of hurling the final chain.
The chain woven from light pierced through the back of Marine's Lament's head. Its mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. The air had returned to normal at some point.
The priest panted heavily and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"There we are… I've had to use it after all. And to impale it in midair, though it couldn't be helped… This makes it difficult to set up the magic circle now. What to do… I'll have to seal off this area for a while."
"Mmm…"
Now that Marine's Lament had stopped, Anthem let out a dejected groan—whether from relief or the loss of something to punch was unclear.
To completely seal away a force that even the most cutting-edge layered barrier magic circle had failed to contain—such was the power of a Treasure Weapon.
"Krai, I had my suspicions about why you were sitting there—but well done! You stopped it brilliantly!"
Gaark, eyes bulging out of his head, bellowed praise at me.
Marine's Lament, pinned in midair by the chains, still glared at me with resentful eyes.
Even if you look at me like that… it's not entirely my fault, is it? I only reached out because *you* did—don't act so surprised!