Final Battle – 3
“……What are这些?”
Nix frowned deeply at the knights who unexpectedly kicked down the audience room door and barged in, preparing her dark magic. The knights stepped inside, undeterred by Nix’s expression.
“How dare you…”
The moment Nix snapped her fingers, the whoosh of black flames surged from the floor, catching the knights off guard and forcing them to stagger back.
Since they had no spark in their expressions, she thought they might just recklessly charge in, but it seemed they were feeling pain. However, being scorched by black flames without suffering any wounds only indicated mild discomfort.
“Who are you to come barging in here? You should leave while I’m still being nice!”
The knights remained silent. In a warning gesture, Nix flicked her fingers and laid out a magic circle near the entrance, but they stubbornly pressed forward.
Nix responded by detonating the magic circle she had set up.
BOOM!
‘These guys don’t understand human language.’
She could roughly comprehend the situation.
Four knights donned silver armor resembling that of the Silver Dawn Knights, alongside two clad in white armor identical to that of the Holy Kingdom’s holy knights.
Their armor looked much thicker and heavier, and aside from the fact that the user was male, it could be easily mistaken for her own.
The problem was, who exactly were they?
‘I’ve never heard of male members in the Silver Dawn Knights. Minerva… is out of the question.’
Nix briefly thought about seeking Minerva’s help but decided against it. She judged that no assistance would be available at the moment.
Reflecting on the great magic circle that quickly enveloped the imperial palace moments ago and the loud explosion that followed, she guessed that someone had laid a magic circle around the palace and Minerva must have thwarted it.
Given her character, if Minerva had suppressed or eliminated whoever cast the magic circle, she would certainly have stopped by the audience room to issue a warning. The absence of such a warning indicated that the standoff was ongoing.
There was no reason to go over without purpose and disrupt her focus. It was better to stay put.
“I asked you a question. You better answer quickly. This is not a place for scum like you to come and go freely. Or do you want me to start chopping off your limbs?”
Nix glanced back. The remaining six were enduring the memories of death to acquire the technique of True Death. They had reached the final stage, and she couldn’t let this be interrupted.
If she experienced any shock, the strain would likely affect their souls. No matter what happened, she had to ensure they couldn’t break inside.
‘How much longer? Maybe about 30 minutes?’
The fortunate thing was, the six had been ensnared in their memories for quite some time. If things were going well, it was about time for them to wake up.
“Can’t you hear me? Did your head break or something?”
Despite Nix’s sharp warning, the knights continued to push through the black flames with determination.
She drew a magic circle on her palm. The warnings were over. Regardless of who they were, they had brought this upon themselves. Whether they lived or died was none of Nix’s concern.
As the pitch-black magic circle began to glow slightly, the knight in silver armor leading the charge swung his sword.
“——!!!!!!”
Nix quickly reversed the spell formation of her magic circle. Instead of an offensive spell, a protective spell unfurled. The black barrier intercepted the knight’s attack, sending it veering off course and crashing into the wall of the audience room.
The imperial palace, known for its solid construction, didn’t collapse, but left a sizable crack allowing light to trickle in. Fragments of the wall scattered down like rain.
“You… you weren’t aiming for me from the start, were you?”
The previous attack had been directed precisely at Iris. If she hadn’t managed to block it in time, it would definitely have struck and decapitated her.
Nix then noticed that none of the knights were looking at her. Out of six gazes, not a single one was directed her way.
Rage ignited in her pitch-black eyes. The magic circle drawn from her fingers darted like a snake and slashed across the chest of the knight who had launched the initial attack. He was sent flying backwards, suspended in the air.
Armor clanked together, producing a CRASH! as Nix poured forth a waterfall of black flames and locked eyes with the other two who stood calmly.
“Wait. Who are you? Why are you holding that—”
Nix’s words stumbled as the weapon clutched by the knight felt vaguely familiar, causing her to whirl around anxiously.
“……It’s right there?”
However, Claudia’s greatsword remained leaning against the sofa just as it had been.
As Nix turned back, she was bewildered to see that the greatsword held by the knight looked identical to Claudia’s. The sheer size made it impossible to mistake.
Nix froze in confusion before her mind finally registered what was happening, prompting a chuckle. Come to think of it, the slash used by the knight wielding the longsword earlier was indeed Wind Swordsmanship.
“I thought it felt somewhat similar, but I never expected my guess to be true.”
When Nix was worried about how Delta could hold up here after having all physical abilities taken away, the goddess had relayed some information regarding the Brightest Darkness 4.
It couldn’t depict the exact visage of this world when made, so adjustments were made to its appearance and gender to align more naturally with Delta’s world.
If those were altered forms, then the current situation would make perfect sense. The similarity in armor design and the shape of their weapons and swordsmanship all clicked into place.
The only thing missing was who had summoned them here.
Naturally, the goddess couldn’t possibly have brought such things over. It would be insane for her to introduce creatures like those into this world, especially since they were trying to kill the originals present here.
‘……Could it be him?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one person who had both the reason and ability to pull off such an act.
Even as her thoughts were tangled, her body moved instinctively. A black whip lashed down on their limbs, while the black flames rising from the ground restricted their movements.
Casting big spells was off the table. If she did, the palace would burn down alongside those creatures.
Especially since Aurora would be nearby, she absolutely couldn’t let that happen.
CRACK! CRACK!
With a ferocious sound, the wall near the door began to crumble, and Nix activated a protective spell to solidly block the wall where the door was located.
The knights, obstructed by the defense barrier, appeared agitated as they tried to break through, rampaging with winds, fire, ice, lightning, and divine power drumming against the magic circle.
Longsword and wind, dagger and ice, Japanese sword and flame, greatsword and lightning. It was a combination that left no room for misunderstanding.
‘So those two as well…’
Nix glanced over to the two trying to pierce through the protective magic with a flail and rapier.
The flail crackled as it struck, and the rapier easily penetrated the shield, leading Nix to hastily reinforce her magic.
CRACKLE!
“Ugh, seriously! Can’t you all just hold it together?!”
Frustrated, Nix enveloped the front of the audience room with black flames, yet the figures remained untouched.
The attack was already the maximum output the palace’s walls could withstand. If she could use magic properly, she would have burned them into mere dust.
‘Teleportation won’t work either.’
She wished to use teleportation to send them far away, but for some reason, it didn’t function.
‘True Death… no. Let’s not take any unnecessary risks.’
Frankly, using True Death felt inappropriate as the others were in the process of accepting memories of death. If there was any chance, even the slightest, that it might interfere with that process, she knew it could lead to irreparable consequences.
As they maintained their standoff, an all-too-familiar voice echoed from behind.
“We’ll take care of this. Stand back.”
Iris had awakened, drawing her longsword. Not just her—Lize, Erica, and Claudia were also beside her, each arming themselves.
Even Stella and Selene, who had also awakened around the same time, quickly found their weapons, meaning everyone who had faced death had endured.
Nix couldn’t hide her astonishment. The fact that nobody had failed was shocking enough, but being so composed after experiencing so many deaths was even more astonishing.
As Nix stood dumbfounded in place, a relaxed Stella shouldered her flail.
“What are those unpleasant things, Inquisitor?”
“I have no idea. But I feel like they absolutely cannot be left alive.”
“Agreed. Let’s just kill them all!”
Stella smiled cruelly, and Selene pointed her rapier with an icy expression. Their target was, of course, the two in the knight’s armor wielding identical weapons.
“Who are you to wear the Silver Dawn Knights’ armor? I don’t remember recruiting any male members.”
Claudia asked with a contorted expression, her usual cheeriness nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t just Claudia. All six knights displayed evident discomfort on their faces, like they had witnessed something intolerable.
Even Stella bore a cruel smile but couldn’t hide her unease, leaving only Nix to maintain a calm exterior.
“They are beings modeled after you by the dragon your Delta is facing. That’s why their appearance and weapons are identical.”
Nix quickly explained the situation.
Although it was a slightly chopped-up version of the truth, nothing was fundamentally incorrect. It was true they’d been created by imitating these six, and the dragon had undoubtedly made them. If they had a grievance, they could come complain.
Upon hearing that they had been mimicked, the knights’ faces twisted even more.
“……Ah, is that so? What should we do, Erica?”
Lize and Erica aimed their weapons simultaneously. Ice surged up around the dagger, and flames wrapped around the Japanese sword.
“Do we need to think about that? Obviously, we should just kill them. You know what I’m thinking already, right?”
“This is how you are, dear sister. Are you recognizing what we’re the same here?”
Erica seemed to have something to say, but she sighed softly and fell silent. Lize chuckled at her sister’s expression.
“If you don’t mind, could you leave the extermination of those things to us?”
Just as Nix was about to obliterate them with True Death, Iris’s polite request made her hesitate. The other five were equally taken aback.
“……You’re going to kill them yourself?”
“Of course. They are imitations of us, so it would be fitting for us to end them ourselves.”
In that brief moment, a lot had accumulated, but since they were modeled after her, it would be better for them to tie up that loose end personally. Nix quietly stepped back.
Iris gave a short bow of thanks to Nix.
“Thank you for your consideration. From now on, we will take care of it.”
With that, a gust wrapped around Iris’s longsword. A gale also surged around the silver knight’s longsword.
With both sides obviously gearing up to battle, Nix urgently interjected.
“But this is the imperial palace, right? You’re not really going to fight here, are you?”
“Don’t worry. We’ve acquired something new, so we should use it, right?”
The tips of their weapons pointed at each other.
“It’ll be over soon.”
In the central hall, Aurora, who had been examining several documents, suddenly set them down at the sound of approaching footsteps. The footsteps drew closer and closer.
Turning to look in the direction of the sound, she saw a woman walking towards her. Immediately feeling a surge of unpleasantness upon seeing the woman, Aurora frowned in distaste.
“How did you get in here? I don’t recall giving permission for entry.”
“…….”
No response came.
Aurora sighed and prepared to call the Silver Dawn Knights. If it had been her aunt, the holy sword would have sliced the intruder down directly, but Aurora lacked those capabilities.
“I’d prefer you didn’t summon anyone. There are things we need to discuss, just the two of us. Privately.”
Suddenly, a voice that did not belong to her own echoed. The hand poised to activate the magic circle beside her throne halted momentarily.
“Why should I listen to you?”
“Of course, there’s a reason. I cannot harm you. I’ve never even held a sword in my life, let alone fought. Look, I didn’t even bring a weapon.”
While the woman fluttered her dress and opened her arms wide, Aurora wasn’t foolish enough to take such statements at face value, remaining tense as she continued with her questioning.
“There are only two people in this world with whom I can speak privately. You are not among them, so I will show you the greatest mercy I can. Turn around and leave this place, right now.”
“How heartless. You’ll truly regret it if you hear me out.”
“Something tells me you won’t be turning around.”
“Then I’ll have to force you—”
“Don’t you want to help your man?”
Aurora froze at those words just as she was about to activate the magic circle. The woman walked over to the throne with a smile on her face.
“Everyone else has gone to help your man, but you’re right here staring at just some paper. Doesn’t that feel unfair? Doesn’t it bother you? You could help. You could be by his side. Why are you leaving yourself out?”
“……That’s not……”
Approaching the throne, the woman reached out a hand toward the magic circle and lightly placed it on Aurora’s thigh.
“No, it’s going to happen. Why? Because you’re a loser. Insignificant, weak, and utterly useless. That’s nothing more than what you are right now.”
“…….”
Aurora’s golden eyes began to dull slightly.
“But it’s different now. If you just do what I say, if you follow my instructions, you can cast off that stigma. You can become the greatest support for your man. Just imagine the sight of him trusting you with his back. Saying he believes in you completely. How does that feel? Isn’t it exhilarating just to think about?”
“Th-That’s not……”
As the woman appeared right before the throne, she elegantly extended a hand near the magic circle to rest on her knee. With a smirk, a wicked smile spread across her face.
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