Chapter 582 — Arc 8, Chapter 70 – “The Final Stratagem”

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――The blast spread out, blowing away the thick swirling clouds from within and painting the sky over the Imperial Capital a bright-red ahead of the approaching dusk.

The light from the explosion burned the eyes of those who looked up at the sky, but the damage was minimal compared to the catastrophe that could have blown away the Imperial Capital itself.

This was proof that each and every person of the Rescue the Vollachian Empire from Destruction Squad, who had gathered at the Imperial Capital, had continued to evade the traps of destruction laid out by the Great Disaster through their mutual cooperation.

This did not mean that each and every one of them had a full picture of the traps set by the Great Disaster.

Only, by maximizing the potential that each of them possessed, they were able to remove the causes of destruction within their respective reaches. The relay of fate for that purpose was now transcending the boundaries between the living and the dead, and the Imperial Capital of Lupugana’s chain of command was at the height of chaos.

Still, there was one fact that remained resolutely unmovable. Sphinx, the spearhead of the Great Disaster, was the absolute enemy of all living things in the Empire, no matter what.

Thus, the Witch’s elaborate plans of destruction were nearing their final stages――.

???: [――Uoooh!?]

Roaring, an explosion blew away the clouds in the distant sky, and blinded by the light, Subaru’s throat trembled in surprise at the abrupt shift in circumstances.

His exclamation, which could have been described neither as a scream nor a cheer, was a manifestation of his honest reaction to the event at hand.

Together with Beatrice, he had fended off the destructive flames unleashed by the Crystal Palace, and then Roswaal saved them from the onslaught of the Three-Headed Blight Dragon that had appeared. Just when it seemed that a dizzying aerial battle was about to begin, a huge explosion occurred in the sky far away.

There was enough hectic activity to confuse anyone, but the undead Dragon paid no attention to the light in the sky with each of its heads craning towards its pitiable, distracted prey.

Dragon: [――――KRUUUUUUUAGH!]

The Blight Dragon had three heads and its prey numbered exactly three people: Subaru, Beatrice, and Roswaal. The three heads of the Blight Dragon approached as if in competition with each other, with the size of a single large head appearing to be more than enough to get all of them.

Just as the sharp fangs of the undead Dragon were about to tear the lives of Subaru and his friends apart.

???: [One strike――!]

???: [I won’t let’cha take ’em.]

On either side of the Blight Dragon, two shadows rose up diagonally from below and struck a blow from each direction, slicing off two of its three heads, sending them flying.

A jet-black furred wolfman, and a thunderous blue lightning rising from the earth into the sky, the ones to do this were――,

Subaru: [Halibel-san and a huuuge Ceci!?]

Cecilus: [Hahahahaha! What an unexpected coincidence meeting you here, Boss! I did think you might be here since it’s the final stage and all that, but your performance just now was brilliant! I can’t lose either so I quickly took to the sky, but just beating a dragon won’t be enough, will it?]

Subaru’s eyes widened as the one who had jumped and slashed his sword through the air was Cecilus―― additionally, it was the first time Subaru had seen him as an adult. His infantilization, which had only been a suspicion previously, was confirmed, and now that it was resolved before anyone else had a clue,

Subaru: [Did you meet with Olbart-san and get him to undo it?]

Cecilus: [No, no, I solved it on my own! That’s my specialty, so leaving that aside for now, this is a delightful combination. That’s Halibel-san there, right?]

Nonchalantly did Cecilus answer, then nodding his chin towards Halibel standing before himself.

After helping Subaru and Beatrice arrive in time to stop the Magic Crystal Cannon, he had immediately gone up to the sky himself and joined in to stop the Blight Dragon’s attack.

He looked at Cecilus saying, “Well…” and smiled.

Halibel: [From my point of view, I’m just complementin’ the work yer doin’.]

Cecilus: [Hoho, you did a great job filling in for me! But then only a suitable actor can do that so I think Halibel-san is on the right track. ――Whoa whoa whoa.]

At a glance, the exchange was amicable, but the scene took place in the air, in the middle of a fight to the death.

The Blight Dragon, with two heads blown off but still with one remaining in the middle, flapped its wings and quickly made distance to escape the two transcendent beings who had suddenly intervened.

It was an instinctive decision, but it was the right one. In fact, even though both Cecilus and Halibel could jump to get airborne, they were not free to fly around.

However――,

Roswaal: [――That’s something I can make up fooor~.]

With Subaru and Beatrice under Roswaal’s arms, immediately after he spoke, the debris in the air gathered instantly, and an impromptu scaffold was created there.

That scaffold provided Cecilus and Halibel with another chance to leap.

Halibel: [Even if it’s only got one head, a Dragon’s a Dragon.]

Cecilus: [We don’t wanna be interrupted during the decisive moment. Let’s slay it quickly!]

How many people could so casually say such a thing to one of the most powerful creatures in the world, a Dragon, and no other than the Blight Dragon?

And yet, the two immediately proved that it was no kind of jest or boast.

――A flash of blue and black streaked across the sky, instantly catching up with the Blight Dragon that was trying to take advantage of the distance.

In a moment, the Dragon’s wings were torn to shreds as it was pierced by three separate wolfmen in mid-air, creating “death holes”. However, the warriors would not let the Dragon miserably fall to its death.

A flash of lightning, a slash from the sword that manifested dreams, split the black scales of the Blight Dragon vertically, and its life was severed in two.

It was one of the most abrupt and legendary Dragon-slaying acts in the world.

Beatrice: […Those guys are outrageous, in fact.]

Subaru had seen the same thing that Beatrice had, and agreed wholeheartedly.

Even though Subaru was aware of this as information, two of the world’s strongest individuals were unbeatable in ways that went beyond his simple imagination. In fact, with them he felt like he could not lose, just like having Reinhard on his side.

Now that Cecilus had grown up, together with Halibel, that feeling was even stronger――,

???: [――Not yet, Bro!]

A voice lunged at Subaru as his mind was relaxing, as if punching him in the side.

He looked, and standing there in the area that was originally the second bastion, a place where the ground was like boiling magma, was a man in a familiar helmet―― it was Al.

One of the people missing in the Imperial Capital, Al screamed out desperately from the ground.

And pronounced――,

Al: [The alignment of the stars hasn’t changed yet! The Witch is still up to something!!]

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At the rapid changes occurring in the situation, Vincent could feel his thoughts gaining heat and speed.

Albeit lionized as the Wise Emperor, Vincent did not think of himself as being particularly wise when compared to others. If there was one thing he was more conscious of than others, however, it would be none other than the difference in the depth and vastness of his thinking, as well as the time it took for him to produce an answer.

Thus, that difference in time taken would change depending on whether or not he could still function and make use of the trivial time in which everyone had their attention stolen by the radiance present overhead.

Vincent: [――――]

Its fuse set off by the Witch’s stratagem, the Magic Core of the Crystal Palace had been brought to the verge of collapse―― taking the true body of Moguro Hagane in hand, the undead Balleroy Temeglyph rose to the skies.

As a result, the induced explosion of the Crystal Palace had been avoided, and the Imperial Capital, nay, the entire Empire, had been rescued from ruination.

But then again, this was that Balleroy. What he had truly wished to protect was likely neither the Empire nor the Imperial Capital, but rather somebody to whom he was emotionally attached.

In any case, the fruits of the deceased Balleroy’s sacrifice were the safety of the Imperial Capital, and the sight of the evening sky from which the surging clouds had been scattered――,

Vincent: [But, is this truly the end?]

Right beside him, tears streamed down the cheeks of Medium, who was embracing the unconscious Madelyn. With that in his peripheral vision, Vincent cold-heartedly immersed himself in thought.

Using her position of Empress Consort as a shield, Medium had prevented Vincent from relinquishing his life. If he were a strong Emperor, if he were an Emperor who had such leeway, he surely would have displayed an empathetic demeanor, or words of consolation.

However, Vincent was neither of those. ――Ergo, he did nothing for Medium. For all the things he did not do for her, Vincent coldly worked his head.

Vincent: [Without cease, the Great Disaster has continued to take measures intent on bringing about total destruction. In addition, each stratagem is multi-layered and without openings.]

The Sacrament of the Immortal King resurrecting the dead was fueled by the power of the Stone, Muspel, and if the undead continued to be felled, the power of the Stone would be depleted, resulting in the collapse of the Empire’s vast lands.

The previous firing of the Magic Crystal Cannon, what it had been targeting was unclear from Vincent’s position. But, after it was fired, the Magic Core was filled with immense heat, and had been a bomb left behind as a parting gift to blow away the Imperial Capital.

By merely averting these threats, it would have been short-sighted to think that they had overcome the entire affair.

If there was still something, still a subsequent measure that the Great Disaster was preparing――,

Vincent: [――――]

Suddenly, a certain possibility flashed through Vincent’s mind.

Rather than deep and thoughtful foresight, it was the product of something that was already closer to a pretext or paranoia. However, now that he had thought of it, there was no choice but to verify the possibility. Vincent was aware that the things he thought of, were things that anybody else could also think of, given enough time.

If so, then this was the same.

Vincent: [Olbart Dunkelkenn! Have you searched every last corner of the Palace!?]

Olbart: [Oioi, Yer Excellency, I’ve lost both my arms y’know? Even if ya were ta make my pitiful nursed life from here on out a lil’ more fleetin’…]

Vincent: [――Within the Palace, did you gazer upon Priscilla Barielle? I shan’t ask of her survival.]

Olbart: [――――]

Vincent: [Answer! We mustn’t let time go to waste!]

Olbart: [――. You’re talkin’ ‘bout the young’un lass with red eyes in the flashy dress, right? Ain’t seen her. Tho’, I did go ‘round killin’ the troublesome caster along with the bunch who’d had their souls tampered with.]

At Vincent’s threatening demeanor, Olbart raised one of his white eyebrows and answered so.

Originally, the duty that had been entrusted to Olbart was to infiltrate the Crystal Palace and conduct a thorough search―― the general objective of that, was to destroy the technique of the Sacrament of the Immortal King.

As a result of his interference, it was difficult to say whether the opponent’s objective was fulfilled in a satisfactory manner, but――,

Olbart: [Since I came up not just empty-handed, but with no hands at all, I didn’t produce any results. Are ya dismissin’ me from my post as General?]

Vincent: [The matter of the status of your employment is postponed. But, if you were unable to find her――]

Medium: [Abel-chin?]

The monstrous old man’s face had lost its complexion, yet he still jested as if all was normal. At that exchange between Olbart and Vincent, Medium uttered a voice of inquisitiveness as she lowered her gaze from the sky.

Still influenced by the reverberations of Balleroy’s conclusion, Medium with her blue eyes posed that question, to which Vincent loathsomely tread upon the floor where debris was scattered about.

And then――,

Vincent: [――Priscilla is not being held captive within the Crystal Palace. I cannot guess the entirety of the reason behind that, but… at the very least, it is because one part of the enemy’s objective is to have her witness the Empire’s destruction.]

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――Aldebaran had called out to Natsuki Subaru that the alignment of the stars had not changed; and, Vincent Vollachia had seen through the objective of the Witch at the center of the Great Disaster, though her intentions were not clear.

After witnessing those events that had led to this point, the imprisoned Priscilla Barielle also accurately inferred her own situation.

Priscilla: [At first, this was inexplicable. If mineself were your objective, Arakiya’s death would not have been a matter of concern, but the demise of the Empire would have been an inconvenience.]

The floating, reflective water mirrors not only showed the battle for the Imperial Capital, but also the battle for the Fortified City, along with the people falling victim to the undead in various parts of the Empire.

It indeed was a sign that the threat of the Great Disaster was spreading throughout the Empire.

She showed these events to Priscilla in order to color her heart with despair. ――The aim was easy to understand, but whether it could be done was not.

However――,

Priscilla: [The ruination of the Empire resulting from the death of the Stone would not serve your goals. And that is because ultimately, it is not your desire to take mine life here. Consequently――]

Sphinx: [Consequently?]

Priscilla: [――Mineself is not being held within the dungeons of the Crystal Palace.]

The reason why Sphinx continued to layer on measures to bring about the Empire’s downfall, was because she was convinced that all of that destruction would not reach Priscilla.

Destroying the Empire while keeping Priscilla alive. ――The method to fulfill these conditions was straightforward.

Priscilla: [――――]

Despite that being certain, and even after examining her surroundings, she found no discrepancy between the dungeon of her memories and what stood before her eyes.

During her time as Prisca, she had only visited the Palace’s dungeons on one occasion out of curiosity, but this dungeon, which exactly replicated that of Priscilla’s memories, was probably a wholly different space.

The very space of the dungeon itself has been relocated to a place unrelated to the destruction of the Vollachian Empire―― a kind of different dimension, with Priscilla placed as an observer of the battle-torn Imperial Capital.

The evidence of this was that, at some point, the tremors of the fierce battles unfolding in the Imperial Capital had ceased reaching the dungeon.

Priscilla: [But for what reason would you place mineself, of all people, in the position of an Observer? The other members of the Vollachian Imperial Family aside, you have certainly considered the means wherewith to disrespect mineself in particular.]

Sphinx: [Careless meddling is forbidden. This may be an effective measure for you. Countermeasures: Required.]

Priscilla: [Although neither “careless” nor “countermeasures” are words that mineself enjoys, it shall be overlooked in consideration of your defiant attitude.]

Priscilla pondered this in response to Sphinx’s answer.

The Witch’s intention was to nip in the bud the possibility of someone coming to Priscilla’s aid, rather than preventing Priscilla from taking any action.

That in itself was correct. ――But the fact was that she was being imprisoned in a space with no known entrance. This almost eliminated any chance of Priscilla being rescued from the outside.

However――,

Priscilla: [This inconvenience applies to you as well, does it not?]

Sphinx: [――. What does that mean?]

Priscilla: [It is quite simple. ――Why do you not duplicate yourself without limit, and with an infinite amount of you, drop numerous stars, burn the land of the Empire, and destroy it all?]

Sphinx: [――――]

Priscilla: [If you made certain that you did not involve mineself in the downfall, that would be the swiftest way to accomplish your goal. The reason for you not doing so is obvious… you cannot do so, even if you wanted to.]

Priscilla eloquently explained her theory to the silent Sphinx.

Once, as she was being burned by the flame of the Yang Sword, Sphinx had changed the form of her soul, transforming its vessel into one befitting the Witch of Greed in order to fulfill the purpose of her creation. At that point, one of Sphinx’s two purposes in causing the Great Disaster had been fulfilled.

All that remained was to destroy the Vollachian Empire in order to drive Priscilla into despair. In order to do so, creating a limitless number of Sphinxes and then having them drop a meteor shower to the ground would prove sufficient.

But, Sphinx did not do that.

Priscilla: [Although vexing, upon seeing you imitate Lamia by increasing your numbers, mineself had an intuition. No matter how much the number of vessels increases, the underlying soul is shared. ――That is to say, the source of the Mana possessed by the owner of the soul of Sphinx shall be centralized.]

That was the existential flaw of Sphinx, having been resurrected as the Witch of Greed.

By abusing the ritual of the Sacrament of the Immortal King, it allowed the undead to revive and create multiple instances of themselves, but so long as the original soul remained the same, they could not have more Mana than they already possessed.

Sphinx had already fought in many fierce battles with those who wished to take back the Imperial Capital, and had already used the great spell to bring down a star multiple times. No matter how skilled of a magician the Witch of Greed might have been, there were limits to what she could do.

Priscilla: [Therefore, you must limit the number of your duplicates. In addition, you have one of them assigned to mineself in order to communicate with me, yes? It must be because this space cannot be maintained without your direct presence.]

Ever since appearing before Priscilla, claiming to be the enemy’s leader, Sphinx had never once left Priscilla alone in the dungeon. This could have been interpreted as an attempt to avoid missing Priscilla’s facial expressions or the pain in her heart as the situation changed from moment to moment, but there also could have been a more serious reason for this.

Quite simply, the answer was that she was doing it because she had to.

Sphinx: [――――]

In response to Priscilla’s point, Sphinx remained silent.

Some did believe that if one were not to answer, they would thus give no information to another party, for better or worse; but, in Priscilla’s opinion, this was second-rate trickery. Sphinx, too, was very likely aware of that.

Sometimes, silence could confirm one’s suspicions more eloquently than words ever could.

――If Priscilla’s speculation was correct, Sphinx was in a state of exhaustion, coming near to having used up the whole of the strength of her soul.

Otherwise, restrictions being present or not, through her copies scattered throughout the Imperial Capital and the Empire she would relentlessly attack.

Strategically, there was no reason not to do that.

In other words, this meant that the plans of Sphinx, the leader of the Great Disaster, had finally been brought to a halt――.

Priscilla: [――Is that not so?]

Repudiating her own reasoning, Priscilla closed one eye.

The emotions expressed in that question might have been hard to believe if other listeners were present. Priscilla’s question did not come from a sense of superiority, or a suspicion based on skepticism, not even from a desire to see through the other party’s agenda.

What was there was a certain amount of anticipation.

Even this impasse, a true dead end, was something she expected her opponent to overcome.

Then, in response to Priscilla’s question, Sphinx’s eyes widened slightly. Watching, the Witch then twisted her lips into the shape of a smile.

――At that moment, the final showdown between Priscilla and Sphinx commenced.

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The Sphinxes, resurrected from the same soul, were all independent, and did not share in the same consciousness.

Hence, among the Sphinxes, serving as the Witch of Greed, who had manifested as seven total bodies, the only one who knew that Priscilla had seen through their intentions, was the one directly facing her.

However, that would not have had any influence upon the intentions of the seven Sphinxes.

That was because it was a stratagem that had been formulated under the assumption that Priscilla would have seen through their intentions from the start, correctly guessing them.

The one that had verified Priscilla’s answer was just the one facing her, but Sphinx could not help but admire her abnormal insight, having guessed almost everything correctly.

As she had stated, several Sphinxes were sharing Mana through the source of one soul, so the more of herself she multiplied, the amount of Mana that each individual Sphinx could use would decrease.

Due to this battle, which had raged on for several days with no respite, the reality was that the sum of Mana she had remaining was not reliable enough to utilize large spells such as Al Shario, which had already been employed to bring down a star.

Of course, simply making use of large spells was not how a magician displayed their talents.

For Sphinx, who had inherited knowledge as the Witch of Greed, there were a myriad of small techniques she could employ that did not balance the degree of Mana used with the scale of results.

However, it was also true that for any such small techniques, there were extraordinary, transcendent beings who could hold them back.

In particular, she could not disregard the presences of the wolfman who was bringing about the curse of death, and the swordsman who had slayed the star.

Therefore, the seven Sphinxes―― or rather, with the exclusion of the one participating in the great battle for the Fortified City of Garkla, and the one monitoring Priscilla, the five Sphinxes reached for the final stratagem.

Her attempt to directly assassinate Arakiya, who had assimilated with the Stone, had failed.

The utmost powerful attack to exterminate Arakiya, fired via the Magic Crystal Cannon, had also failed.

The strategy of lighting the fuse of the Magic Core right after the Magic Crystal Cannon had fired, having it run rampant and exceed its critical point to annihilate the Imperial Capital, had also failed.

With all of those failed stratagems as the groundwork, the Sphinxes stationed in five locations around the Imperial Capital of Lupugana would activate the magic circle they had laid out―― they would interfere with their true target, the magic crystals of the Crystal Palace.

Sphinx: [――Multiplex magic circle activation, executing final stratagem. Importance: Required.]

This plan was fundamentally different from the stratagem that had attempted to blow away the Imperial Capital by using the magic crystals of the Crystal Palace as a catalyst via the Magic Core running rampant. Regardless of being in a rampant state, the administrative right of the Meteor known as the Crystal Palace belonged to the Magic Core, Moguro Hagane.

But, the Magic Core was no more. Having escaped the threat of explosion, the Crystal Palace was currently in a defenseless state.

With Moguro Hagane’s presence now gone, the administrative right of the magic crystals forming the Crystal Palace was vacant.

Present there were lumps of colorless Mana, which had stockpiled immense power over many long years, and for the Witch, who was on the verge of depleting the little Mana she had left, it was an offering for which she would water at the mouth.

Having laid out a five-pointed star inverse to the five bastions of the star-shaped ramparts that symbolized the Imperial Capital of Lupugana, the five Sphinxes had deployed an enormous magic circle.

Interfering with the magic crystals of the Crystal Palace, the latter of which had lost its administrator in Moguro Hagane, it was something designed to completely usurp the vast Mana dwelling therein.

Thus, the Witch’s plan, something not directly linked to the destruction of the Vollachian Empire, would not be thwarted by Natsuki Subaru or Vincent Vollachia, who had both come to disrupt many of her artifices until now.

The same went for the Blue Lightning, Cecilus Segmunt, as well as the Admirer, Halibel, as well as the Spirit Eater, Arakiya and the Vicious Old Man, Olbart Dunkelkennn, as well as the Flamboyant, Yorna Mishigure, and the Emperor of the Briar, Eugard Vollachia, as well as Roswaal L. Mathers, and Beatrice, and Garfiel Tinzel, and Medium O’Connell, and Tanza, and Heinkel.

Only, one person――,

Sphinx: [――. The magic circle, is incomplete?]

The five Sphinxes, who ought to have activated the magic circle―― the one of them present at the northmost point had failed to participate in the activation of the magic circle, causing the other Witches to harbor a sense of unease at the incomplete activation of the technique.

As irony would have it, the fact that this had been caused by the Witch of Greed and the Witch of Envy―― that it was caused by the clash of two individuals who succeeded these Witches of times past, went unnoticed by anybody at the current point in time.