—What you need is to capture something formless.
Something that is certainly there, yet the moment you try to touch it, it loses its original shape and drifts away into the distance, slipping through your outstretched fingertips.
It is like water. Like wind. Like light.
It is like heat. Like shadow. Like a dream.
The more courageously you reach out, the more you fear breaking it, the more afraid you become, the further away it slips.
"Even if you try to touch me, I cannot let you capture me."
The person before your eyes—you are undoubtedly touching them, yet you cannot feel them.
The feet planted on the ground, the skin bathed in the sunset painting the world in crimson, the eyes that try to fix their gaze on the person standing before you, the heat of the flame dwelling in those eyes—you feel all of this with certainty.
"—
You call that name and devour the role of the "
The despicable authority that stole so many lives, birthed misfortune, and shrouded disaster—you will now use it, openly and honorably, to seize happiness, to reclaim the lives of countless people.
The soul of the "Witch" that rejects this change shifts through a thousand forms before your eyes, and you chase after it desperately.
"————"
By continuously resurrecting the dead, the "Witch" Sphinx learned the nature of the soul.
Having succeeded in reproducing the "Witch of Greed," she gained the ability to change the way her own soul existed—allowing her to escape both the flames of the "Yang Sword" and the light of the "Star Eater."
It felt like an impossibly vast, aimless journey—like searching for a single needle dropped in a great desert, like seeking an elemental who had dissolved into the atmosphere and vanished without a trace, or like trying to find someone who had cast themselves into a sea that did not exist in this world.
"You can't set sail into the unknown without a map or a compass, now can ya?"
That was what a man from the same world said to Subaru's back as he prepared to take on the empire's final gambit.
His face hidden behind an iron helm he never removed—his eyes, too, must have been burning with flames just like Subaru's.
Those words made Subaru acutely aware of how feeble his position truly was.
Al was right. If he knew he was standing in a desert, gazing upon an unfamiliar world, adrift upon a great ocean, then he couldn't afford to be reckless.
"—Uau."
The small hand gripping his right made its presence known through heat and sensation.
The reason he could sense
Again and again, seeking to know a girl he couldn't comprehend—
The more he reflected, the more he recalled that when he was first thrown into the Volachia Empire, everything had been at its worst.
He had no one to rely on. Rem—the one he wanted to cling to—kept him at arm's Spica—the one he tried to push away—stayed close by his side. He had lost his way and just kept walking.
But Rem was still Rem without her memories, and Spica was still Spica with her past. No matter where he went, what he did, or whom he met, Subaru could only be Subaru.
"—Sphinx."
He called that name once more, still holding Spica's hand, reaching out toward the soul of the "Witch."
—The power of the "Star Eater" was a wish.
A wish built on the convenient, wish-upon-a-falling-star kind of hopelessness—a prayer that relied entirely on others, selfish, using a power that had only ever stolen and degraded.
But that was precisely why. Because the wish was entrusted to something that was not supposed to have one, it had to be sincere.
It wasn't as simple as just calling a name. Knowing someone's name and calling out to them was tantamount to declaring that you would take part in their life, that you would step onto their stage.
"What words might you say to a stranger to make them turn around?
How many times might you reach out to a stranger before they remember you?
If you want to be seen by the other person—if you want to touch their soul—then first, you must go from being strangers to knowing each other."
He knew the best way to make someone understand who you are.
"My name is
Yes—that was it. Not "you" or "her." Not him and her—him and her.
—This was a conversation between Natsuki Subaru and Sphinx.
"—Sphinx."
Not a desperate cry to reach a soul, but a call meant to make the other person turn around.
With a tone different from before, the "Witch"—no, the woman—who had been walking away, crossing, drifting through the vast desert, the unfamiliar world, the immense ocean, as though fleeing from him—turned around.
"————"
Though she had been close enough to breathe, this was the first time their eyes actually met.
No matter what expression the other person wore, you couldn't touch their deepest self if you ignored their heart.
Such a basic act of communication—that was what he would attempt now, in the empire's final battle.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru. My name comes from a star. —What about you?"
△▼△▼△▼△ Three "Yang Swords" forged from beyond reason clashed with the magic crystal giants barring the empire's tomorrow.
Both sides harbored powers that transcended the natural order, colliding as the setting sun dyed the empire, and the terrestrial sun—refusing to yield to the twilight—pushed back, flooding the imperial capital with brilliance.
"————"
The magic crystals pulsed ominously, and the light of annihilation they unleashed darkened the streets of the capital, but the sword wolves that had scattered in three directions without exchanging a word dodged nimbly.
Grass, flowers—all life froze in place under the dark light of the magic crystal giant, but the "King of Thorns" sprinted across rooftops and aimed for the legs of the giant—a mindless, humanoid form.
Her dazzling sword strike swept toward the giant's unprotected legs—only to be repelled by a hard impact.
"Oh my, so you did possess at least enough shame to guard your bare skin."
The "Sun Princess" laughed as her ancestor's sword was deflected. Her crimson eyes had already witnessed the mana-woven white garment unfurl around the magic crystal giant's massive frame, shielding it.
Unlike the "Steel Man" Mogro Hagane, who fought without armor—perhaps even witches were still women.
"Prepare yourselves!"
Contrasting with the laughing "Sun Princess," the "Wise Emperor"—expression hard—shouted.
Moments later, the colossal sword light that swept outward, the aftershock of it trying to mow down the enemies darting at its feet, reshaped over a kilometer of the capital's streetscape.
What achieved this was the magic crystal pillar seized in the giant's arm. Built around the Crystal Palace and matching the giant in height, it became a great sword with a fifty-meter blade—a weapon no less fearsome than the "Yang Sword" in sheer scale.
However— "Very well. I do enjoy a spectacle."
The "Sun Princess" perched atop the magic crystal great sword, her own "Yang Sword" driven into its blade.
From the tip of the sword, over a hundred meters above the ground, she glared at the giant's head—which had once been the turret of a magic crystal cannon and was now the throne of the "Witch."
The throne resembled a closed bud of magic crystals, preventing direct eye contact with the "Witch." If that was the case, she would simply force the "Witch" to look— "Then allow me to show you my own dazzling entertainment!"
In that instant, in response to the flash of the "Yang Sword," the magic crystal great sword in the giant's hand burst into flames.
The swelling violet fire consumed the fifty-meter crystal pillar in light, blinding the world's eyes.
Naturally, burning the great sword meant losing her footing. The "Sun Princess" plummeted toward the earth—but a celestial maiden swooped down, her white arms extended toward the sky, wings of flame unfurled, and snatched her from the air.
"I am honored," the "Sun Princess" declared.
Her praise put a smile on the celestial maiden's cheeks and strength in her heart. As the two soared through the sky trailing a ribbon of light, the magic crystal giant drew its second great sword and swung— "I dedicate this single flash to my star and my people—"
"Do not underestimate the apex of the sword wolves!"
Two arcs of sword light—one from each side below—surged upward, targeting the giant's narrow torso.
The combined technique of the "King of Thorns" and the "Wise Emperor" shattered head-on through the garment protecting the giant, and the white, flickering sword strikes hammered mercilessly into its colossal body.
The sublime sound of holy blades striking magic crystal rang through the capital's sky like the giant's own scream.
"————"
The great sword splintered with a grinding shriek, and cracks spread across the magic crystal giant's entire body. This was both evidence that something beyond the natural order was being cornered and the catalyst that forced the giant to change its fighting style.
The countless fissures across its body glowed from within, and the next instant—a rain of light—no, an inescapable mist of light—erupted in every direction without a single blind spot.
Had it been raindrops, the "Sword Saint," the "Blue Lightning," and the "Praisers" could have dodged them.
But if they became mist—no matter how transcendent those individuals were—dodging every particle was nigh impossible.
Therefore— "「「'Yang Sword' Volachia!」」"
At one point in the sky and two on the ground—three points total—the crimson holy blades blazed even brighter and produced a wall of flame. It annihilated the mist of light—the light that gouged and erased whatever it touched—with searing, all-consuming fire.
The "Witch's" destruction was thwarted, but the cracks across the giant's body widened further. Like a snake shedding its old skin, the violet radiance peeled away, and the giant's brilliance deepened another degree.
To prevent the giant from launching its next attack, a wave of power different from the "Yang Sword" expanded outward—and slowly, as if being drawn by invisible colossal hands, buildings that formed the capital's skyline began floating from the ground. Ten, twenty, closing in on a hundred of them surrounded the giant.
The one responsible was the celestial maiden, who now turned her free hand toward the giant while still suspending the "Sun Princess"— "I am the princess's dog."
"A commendable attitude."
In the next moment, the storm of buildings spiraled inward and descended upon the magic crystal giant like a swarm of piranhas.
In response, the giant grasped two magic crystal pillars with its outstretched arms and held them as a dual-wielding great swords. Its torso whipped into a high-speed rotation—a dance of shattering, destruction, and annihilation.
This overwhelming sword dance not only slashed the approaching buildings aside but absorbed the mist of light into a tornado, threatening to carry its devastation triumphantly through the capital of
"How many times must I witness the end of this world?"
Before the inconceivable storm of light, the "Wise Emperor" sighed—but never once weakened his dark-eyed gaze as he advanced, aligning his blade against the wind that would ravage the capital, the empire, and the world.
At the same time, the sword flashes of the "Sun Princess" and the "King of Thorns" matched the "Wise Emperor's" aim, stopping the sword storm in its tracks.
"————"
Blood trickled from her clenched lips as the "Wise Emperor" held her ground, bearing the brilliance on her back. The same aura appeared on the other two fighting against the storm, and the resonance of light and power began swallowing the sword storm in flame.
The violet-wound tornado was consumed by the "Yang Sword's" fire, its color gradually shifting. The mist of the swirling sword wind became sparks, and eventually those sparks were forged into pillars of flame that reached toward the heavens.
Splendid. To achieve this with an incomplete "Yang Sword" that could not display its true power— "————"
Gripping the "Yang Sword" tightly, the "Wise Emperor" narrowed her eyes at the rising pillar of fire—the flames blazing even brighter, their intensity increasing.
Even knowing that stopping mid-battle to devote thought and consciousness to something else was foolish.
And then— "—You will not love."
The magic crystal giant burst through the scorched remnants of the sword storm, emerging without a moment's respite. Its raised great sword was kicked back by a pair of geta that launched upward.
One beat later, buffeted by the piercing gust of wind and letting her kimono hem flutter, suspended in midair—beauty and martial grace seamlessly intertwined, eyes burning with flame—was "Prismatic."
"————"
The giant aimed at the midair "Prismatic," who still couldn't move freely, and swept the rebounded great sword at her. But—no, that too—could not reach her.
"No one touches my star so easily."
The "King of Thorns" cut in, sweeping "Prismatic" into a side carry, and facing the great sword head-on with her own "Yang Sword" held vertically—she burned clean through its blade.
The epilogue to "Iris and the King of Thorns," reborn in the modern age—the severed tip of the great sword bounced off the ground and soared from north to south, scarring the capital as it flew.
The moment attention turned south—the white light surged north through the city.
"————!!"
In the southern sky, a dragon roared, its white wings billowing, wrapped in clouds.
It was the "Cloud Dragon" who had disregarded the values of life and death and fought solely for her beloved—now converted to a new cause, breathing out her defiance against annihilation.
The direct hit sent the magic crystal giant stumbling backward. Driving its sharp toes into the street to hold its ground, it resonated with the remaining magic crystal pillar, which shattered with a piercing sound—countless tiny swords formed from the fragments, establishing a sword array to protect the giant just as the white garment had.
Still—the "Witch's" fighting spirit, the "Great Calamity's" resolve, would not break. Then neither would theirs.
"————"
At the very heart of the Volachia Empire's total war, the "Wise Emperor" subtly shifted her awareness outward.
Even if it was a trivial contribution, even if they were the kind of fragile people who might blow away in a gust of wind—a man who couldn't resist inserting himself into a scene where someone was betting their life simply had to show up.
"No doubt you, too, have thrown yourself into this reckless battle."
With a measure of expectation and trust woven into those words, the "Wise Emperor" glared at the magic crystal giant—growing ever more ominous—and stepped forward.
"Forward, my chosen generals. —We are the tiny specks of dust that catch the 'Great Calamity's' eye."
△▼△▼△▼△ —Natsuki Subaru and Spica face the "Witch" Sphinx together.
The two fought desperately to capture the tenacious, stubborn soul of the "Witch"—and Al's mission was to keep the enemy from interfering.
"Come at me! Nobody beats me and the Princess!"
Al shouted to steel himself, continuing to swing his improvised blue dragon blade.
Behind him, Sphinx sat with her back against the barricade, and Subaru sat cross-legged right in front of her, facing her head-on.
What Subaru was attempting, with Spica's cooperation, was something even Al could never have conceived.
Relying on the "Gluttony" authority—an insane notion. When he first heard it, Al had questioned his sanity. But having seen Subaru could pull it off, and with Priscilla ordering him to make it happen— If this led to the future, Al would support them with everything he had. He would see it through.
"Ul Gowa."
Above Al's head, Roswaal—who flew freely through the sky—rained down fire.
Though not the highest-tier magic, launching that many spells in succession was far from normal. However, even this extraordinary magical output was insufficient to overwhelm the opponent this time.
"Ul Huma."
To counter the downpour of fire, a barrage of water was launched from the ground toward the sky.
Both in volume and effective range, this was a clash between the world's top-class practitioners—a level of magical warfare unseen in the modern age. Mages and "Witches" made the world their ally, turned the world traitorous, and treated the world as a convenient tool to exploit.
Though Priscilla had loudly announced her presence, not all the "Witches" gathered under her like moths to a flame. Some had seen that what they feared was not merely the "Yang Sword" and had joined the fray.
However— "That's fine too, you know!"
With the appearance of a little girl but the movements of an athlete,
In an instant, her raised hands produced a thin violet haze across the surrounding area, slowing both the oncoming "Witches" and the mindless, impulse-driven dead charging on their orders.
Al seized on Beatrice's excellent support with vigor.
"Your luck just ran out!"
The precise magical control weakened the enemy while granting Al a window of invincibility alone. He beheaded the wretched dead one after another, then tipped his helm in a wink toward Beatrice.
Instantly, Beatrice's expression turned alarmingly dark at a wink she shouldn't have been able to see.
"You're in trouble now!"
Hearing that, Al turned around with a "Huh?"—and came a massive fragment, some ten meters across, glowing violet, hurtling toward him as it bounced off the ground.
He didn't know it was the severed tip of the great sword swung by the magic crystal giant that Priscilla's group was fighting. All he knew was that if that fragment hit him, he and the people behind him would be ground into mincemeat— "Take them and—"
He had to get Subaru and the others out of the fragment's trajectory.
He had no idea how many attempts this would take, but there was no time to calculate. Everything—every desperate choice—was more real than any theory at a desk.
"Matrix update, thought experiment—"
"—Don't you fucking give up!!"
In that instant, a powerful arm smashed into the fragment as it passed Al, intercepting it.
A thunderous impact and a violent gust tore past behind him, and the incoming fragment was stopped dead. The one who accomplished this was Garfiel, his sharp canines bared.
"Sorry I'm late, Beatrice! The boss is—"
"Perfect timing! Protecting Subaru and Spica—that's the winning condition, right?!"
"Got it! Loud and clear! 'To learn the whisper of love, look to the King of Thorns'—ain't that right?!"
Garfiel kicked the stopped fragment away, then pressed his fists together before his chest. His eyes, not as a metaphor, burned with genuine flame, and as his fighting spirit surged, raw dominance flooded through his entire body.
"——That concludes your participation."
But a quiet voice announced the "Witch's" entry into battle. Al and the others jerked their heads upward, and the sight that filled the sky was a vortex of countless lights spiraling inward. The light vortex seemed to possess some gravitational pull—surrounding buildings and rubble floated up, were swallowed into the vortex, ground down, and reduced to motes of light.
Destructive force emanated from the light dust itself, and with a single word from the "Witch," it descended to flatten the ground— "—Lady
"You got it. I'm rootin' for ya, little lady!"
Two voices were heard unexpectedly, and the next instant, a kimono-clad projectile—no, a girl of the deer-folk—flew forward.
She spun in midair and drove her heel into the "Witch's" back, driving it deep just before the mist of light dust could descend. The force and power of that kick shattered the "Witch" clean in two.
"Mm-hmm, impressive. If the empire's got kids like you, its future's looking bright."
Without losing momentum, the girl nearly flew straight into the light vortex—but at the last moment, a jet-black werewolf caught her.
The werewolf neutralized the light vortex the "Witch" had prepared with a swift thrust, and with the same hand caught the girl gently, landing on the ground.
The one who threw the girl and the one who caught her were the same werewolf—it was deliberately confusing.
"A new freak has joined the fray! Is that a Cecilus-type!?"
"Can't deny it, but I hate that classification!"
"It has been too long. Forgive my presumption, but calling me a Cecilus-type and a Halibel-type would be a disservice—our humanity is quite different. —We are here to protect Lady Subaru, are we not?"
"Oh, oh yeah! That's what I like to hear! And strong allies are more than welcome. Let's protect our brothers together!"
"That's right. Seems like we're nearing the climax, so they've sent us a little gift too."
The kimono-clad girl they had encountered in the magic capital—
And then— "I don't know who you are, but the perfect souvenir just arrived."
Saying this, Beatrice placed her small palm flat against the massive fragment. —What Garfiel had caught wasn't mere debris—it was a block of magic crystal.
Beatrice decomposed it into mana in a single breath, and around a hundred swords made of indigo crystal materialized at once. Moving them in sync with her raised hand, a sword dance began.
"Might as well make use of all this generous mana. If any of you so much as scratch Subaru, there will be no mercy—just punishment, you know."
"And if it comes to that, I will handle the punishment of Lady Beatrice."
Seeing the sparks fly between Beatrice's and Tanza's gazes, Al shrugged.
—it looked like he should add Subaru's safety to his list of conditions for updating the matrix.
△▼△▼△▼△ Protected by Al and the others, Subaru was locked in total concentration.
He wasn't unconscious, nor was he in a dream. And yet, the battle raging around him lay outside his awareness, and his own consciousness was no longer in the capital.
Right now, the existence known as Natsuki Subaru was not in the war-torn capital but in a white world where only himself, Spica—holding his hand—and Sphinx, looking straight at him, existed.
—It was a space that could be mistaken for that "Corridor of Memories."
"For me, it's mainly a place of bad memories, I guess."
He'd arrived here unintentionally and been forcibly fed "memories."
It had caused Emilia and Beatrice immense suffering, and he had tormented
More than anything, this was the place where "Natsuki Subaru" had to disappear.
"But that's why—everything about me is here."
"Hm?"
"You don't need to know what this place is. It'd just be collateral damage for you. That's fine."
Smiling at Spica's puzzled expression, Subaru exhaled deeply.
In this white, tranquil space, Subaru faced Sphinx and Spica here not because their names all started with "S."
It was because they were all people deeply connected to a "self" that was not his own—people he wanted to talk with openly, without pretense.
"Sphinx is the name of a monster from the Creator's knowledge."
"Hm? Oh—the etymology?"
"Yes. If the Creator's wish had been fulfilled from the start, I would have called myself
Facing him, Sphinx explained the origin with surprising calm.
Sphinx—the one Subaru knew—was a monster with a lion's body and a human head. It guarded pyramids and was known for posing riddles.
"Four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, three legs at night… Do you know what that is?"
"—? A monster? Or a shape-shifting monster?"
"That's what you'd think. The answer is a human, by the way."
When she told the classic riddle, both Sphinx and Spica looked unimpressed—as if to say they weren't satisfied, but any complaints could be directed to the other Sphinx who posed it.
In any case— "Thanks for telling me. In return, there's something I want to show you."
"Something you want to show me?"
"Yeah. —Whether you'll be happy about it is debatable."
With that preamble, Subaru smiled slightly and glanced at Spica. She raised their still-clasped hands and said "Un!"—as if to ease his anxiety.
That was Spica's way of cheering, having already made peace with her "self" before Subaru had.
—Inside the "Corridor of Memories," when he closed his eyes, he could strongly sense his own scent.
He'd heard that scent and memory share a powerful connection. Many memories are tied to scent—perhaps that was why the "Corridor of Memories" bore that impression.
In any case, following his own scent, walking through the "Corridor of Memories" that was not reality, Subaru slowly pulled something uncertain toward something certain.
During his many "Return by Death," Orvalt—who had lost both arms—had casually apologized, saying the de-ification was difficult to undo. —So instead of an apology, Subaru had asked for guidance.
The vessel and the soul wanted to return. All he had to do was use scent as his guide.
If he did that— "—My name is Natsuki Subaru. The world's one and only broke-ass man."
That voice—saying something trite and silly—was just slightly deeper and thicker. His eye level had shifted, and the feeling of Spica's hand in his suddenly seemed tiny.
But it was the opposite. Spica hadn't shrunk.—Subaru had changed.
"————"
A sensory transformation. The soul had always been trying to return to its original form.
The emotion of that being fulfilled—the growing pains of a heart and soul that had literally matured from child to adult—seeped through his veins and nerves into every cell.
And so, reclaiming himself in every true sense, Subaru once more—no, for the first time—met Sphinx face to face.
"——Nice to meet you. I'm Natsuki Subaru."
Sphinx, who had witnessed the change and understood his intent, offered a first-meeting greeting. Subaru thought—huh, so you can talk after all.
With his head and body returned to their proper form, with heart and soul restored, Natsuki Subaru thought this.
"But we have to settle this."
"Yes, we do. —This is the end."
"…Why, though?"
"Why do I what?"
"Why did you try to do everything alone?"
That was Subaru's honest question.
The "Witch" Sphinx had plunged the Volachia Empire into the "Great Calamity," toyed with countless lives, and committed countless unforgivable acts. But did she have to?
If Sphinx's goal had been solely the recreation of the Creator—the "Witch of Greed."
"You must have had other ways. You chose the wrong path. If only you hadn't chosen wrong, we could have—"
"Fought without fighting, you mean? That's impossible. This is the end."
"Why?!"
"Because there is something inside me—beyond recreating the Creator—that was genuinely there."
Looking down at herself, Sphinx smiled faintly and revealed the crucial difference.
That smile—Subaru could see it for what it was: Sphinx blessing Sphinx herself—and with that, he couldn't press any further.
At the same time, Natsuki Subaru did find something, clear and certain.
"Uau."
"Yeah, I know. —Thank you, Spica."
Spica called to him as Subaru bit his lip. She wanted to react to him returning to his original size, but she held back—considerate.
He wanted to answer that kindness. —Even if it meant falling into hell for it.
"—Sphinx."
"What is it? No matter what you do, I will—"
"Happy birthday."
With those words, he reached out to Sphinx, whose eyes opened in surprise at a blessing she'd never heard before.
And then— △▼△▼△▼△ Bathed in a pleasant, twilight-scented wind, Priscilla celebrated their very existence.
Using the Crystal Palace's mechanism—the "Metea"—to its advantage, the rampaging magic crystal giant Sphinx had raised and the feast that Vincent's gathered generals had prepared—her heart soared.
She wanted to keep watching a dream that wouldn't fade, a performance that wouldn't end, a story without an "ending."
But such a childish "desire" was unfit for this battle's curtain call— "I shall bring down the curtain befitting myself."
With those words, Priscilla released
Plummeting straight down, Priscilla sheathed the "Yang Sword" in its aerial scabbard, spread both arms wide, let the sunset wash over her entire body, and closed her eyes.
Even sightless, the full devotion of those with whom she shared the soul's flame reached her like a benediction from the world.
Arakiya, wrapped in her ribbon of light, batted away the "Witch's" magic, while the white-cloud-armored dragon suppressed the damage from spreading beyond the city. Yorna, reunited with her beloved, stood by his side—daughtertoo close for comfort—and was busy shattering the earth with her unrestrained displays of affection.
And the dishonorable brother, the Emperor of Volachia—Vincent Volachia— "Slow."
Uttering that single word, he raised his dark eyes without fear toward the magic crystal giant before him. The giant hoisted two great swords of magic crystal above its head, poised to cleave both the capital and the empire's pinnacle in one stroke.
From behind Vincent, lightning erupted and pierced through— "—Let the celestial watchers bear witness! The world will choose—I will choose this path!"
Two flashes—one of white sword light, one of black slashing force—severed even the starlight and the logic of curses as they streaked across the sky.
They severed both arms of the magic crystal giant from the shoulders—the herald of the capital's annihilation. The crystal shattered in an explosion of sound and smoke, the glow reducing to dust as the "Dream Sword" and "Evil Sword" flashed, cutting existence itself.
Even so, the armless giant wielded the countless swords it had conjured around itself, attempting to sever the empire's will to resist.
Among its targets, of course, was the falling Priscilla.
The annihilating light pierced through her eyelids, so forceful it could repaint the sky's color. Sensing it bearing down on her, Priscilla opened her eyes and extended both arms outward.
In the next instant, the "Wise Emperor's" "Yang Sword" landed in her right hand while the "King of Thorns'" "Yang Sword" landed in her left—both thrown to her simultaneously. Her twin swords burned through the magic crystal swords the "Witch" had unleashed in a single sweep. The chained ignition of the blades swirled around the giant, and a curtain of crimson flame blanketed the sky.
"————"
For one heartbeat, Priscilla vanished from sight—then, bursting through the wall of flame, the "Sun Princess" flew straight toward the giant's head, toward the closed bud of magic crystals.
What made this possible was a third "Yang Sword"—Priscilla riding the "Yang Sword" she had shot from its aerial scabbard, her brother's and ancestor's blades in both hands.
—The "Yang Sword" carrying Priscilla drove its tip into the crystal bud, breaking through the closed petals and plunging inside.
"—Priscilla Barielle."
In that moment, she deflected the barrage of light orbs surging to meet her, cutting them away with the "King of Thorns'" "Yang Sword."
Flames filled her entire field of vision. Priscilla touched down and pressed forward.
"—Priscilla Barielle."
At the same time, Sphinx burst forth through the flames that filled her vision, wielding a sword of light.
Their gazes crossed, and Priscilla burned through the other's blade with the "Wise Emperor's" "Yang Sword."
"—Priscilla Barielle!"
Her eyes blazing with passion, Priscilla smiled at Sphinx, who called her name again and again. Catching that smile in her vision, Sphinx flew back, both hands poised.
All ten fingers, all ten blades of light were born—they raged inside the crystal bud, ricocheting irregularly off the magic crystal's interior, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of "death."
At that chaotic, emotional shimmer, Priscilla extended both hands skyward.
Gripping the hilt of the holy blade that jutted from her extended hands— "—Priscilla Barielle!"
"That is my name."
Her cry rang high and clear, carrying the heat of genuine hostility. Straight into that, Priscilla brought down the brilliantly radiant "Yang Sword."
—A flash of crimson flame, reminiscent of dawn or daybreak, a light that evoked a new beginning, casting its warmth upon all life. Illuminated from within, the crystal bud bloomed.
That was the sprouting of a soul— "Take pride, Sphinx."
"————"
"You played the role of my rival—not as someone else, but as yourself. —Well done."
Rising from the follow-through of her swing, Priscilla addressed Sphinx, who stood before her. Sphinx narrowed her dark eyes— "…Even though I was not enough?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am?"
At the question, Priscilla snorted and answered.
At her response, Sphinx's brow relaxed, her expression softened of its sharpness, and she let out a quiet breath— "Priscilla Barielle. —I, the 'Great Calamity' Sphinx, name you my nemesis."
She smiled—the smile of someone who had found a purpose beyond the one she was originally created for.
—That was the resolution between the "Sun Princess" Priscilla Barielle and the "Great Calamity" Sphinx.
△▼△▼△▼△ Once, there had been a time when she had nearly perished.
There had been a purpose she couldn't fulfill then, too. She had accepted—calmly—that she would end without reaching it, and the inside of her chest had been quiet, like a night greeting a sunset, worthless.
How about now?
"Back then, too, I would fade without ever reaching my wish—"
Yet this heart was not waiting for a setting sun—it burned like a child eagerly awaiting dawn. She felt a firm "heat" kindled in her chest, making her pulseless body pulse.
And this was the true nature of that horrifying "heat" that had burned so brilliantly in the eyes of a cold, parched monster, in that place connected across decades.
"Thank you. For telling me what I am. —This is the end. Gratitude."
What had been formless, uncertain, and hazy had been established as "herself"—and though it was worlds apart from what she had assumed from the beginning, she did not mind.
She could say it again. This existence, born as a monster, was not a substitute for the "Witch of Greed."
And so, fading away without having fulfilled her own private wish, she spoke— "—Ah, how frustrating."
△▼△▼△▼△ "—Sphinx."
Subaru called that name, and Spica—who had touched the soul—consumed its very existence.
The instant the "Star Eater" activated, Subaru was filled with a quiet sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and at the same time, a pang of loneliness. Perhaps it was close to the wistfulness at the end of a meal filled with laughter.
Completely fulfilled, yet just a sliver short of fullness—that kind of moment.
Having celebrated the birth of a life, he had helped consume that very same life with the same mouth.
But it wasn't born of hatred. He hadn't wanted to cause her pain or disappointment. There had simply been no other way to settle this.
The resolution between Subaru's group and Sphinx—it could only have gone this way.
"Un!"
Softly, Sphinx dissolved into dust and faded. Spica, who had accomplished this alongside him, called to him as he watched her end pass.
He owed Spica words of thanks and recognition.
"Besides, with their leader gone, Abel and the others should be—"
As he spoke and moved to stand— "—Subaru."
That voice, heard without warning, bypassed his eardrums and skull, resonating directly in his brain.
It was always like that. That beautiful, silver-bell voice always stripped Natsuki Subaru bare. It turned the exposed Subaru around, bringing the impulse to burst into tears.
"————"
Unable to even speak, Subaru rose and turned. The sunset bathed his eyes—that sunset that carried the afterglow of victory, but which now felt intrusive. Because in that light, there was a face he wanted to see.
Long silver hair that reflected droplets from the moon in the night sky, indigo eyes—the most beautiful gems in all creation—and from the crown of that head to the tips of those toes, not a single part of her was anything less than beloved.
"Uau."
On the verge of tears from the surging emotion, Subaru felt Spica—having released his hand—pat his back.
Drawing courage and cause from that touch, Subaru broke into a run.
He passed Al, who gave him a thumbs-up. He was waved off by Halibel, who blew a plume of purple smoke. He patted Garfiel's shoulder as the tiger wept in his place, unable to hold back tears. He poked Beatrice's cheek—she was fighting the urge to throw herself at him—and then bowed deeply at Tanza's characteristically earnest gesture. And Roswaal, having descended from the sky, draped a coat over his shoulders.
"Subaru-kun, aren't you awfully naked?"
Because his size had returned, Subaru's clothes—the ones from when he'd been a child—were mismatched. If this were his original world, he'd be in the predicament of having no clothes to wear to buy clothes.
But this wasn't his original world. This was the other world where Subaru lived now.
"Suba—"
The girl running toward him from the other direction was about to speak, but without stopping, Subaru embraced her head-on, silencing her.
He wrapped his arms—properly, at his original size—tightly around her slender body— "—E.M.T."
"…Idiot."
Emilia, held in Subaru's full embrace, looked a little surprised, then smiled in resignation.
Their reunion in the Volachia Empire had certainly made her heart soar too. To touch her again after being separated—Subaru had felt the sincerity of his feelings for her from the bottom of his heart.
But still—this was different. —With heart, body, and soul united, he was Natsuki Subaru.
"Welcome home, Subaru."
"Yeah. —I'm home, Emilia-tan."
She said this, sensing the same fulfillment in his soul that she felt in her own.
And so, as the two shared in the joy of their reunion, the Crystal Palace blazed brilliantly in the distance.
—That was the ceremony marking the end of the Volachia Empire's long, long "Great Calamity."