"A stain?"
Illya didn't understand. She pulled a small mirror from her bag and, sure enough, there was a small pink stain on her cheek. With skin as white as hers, it was easy to notice—but that wasn't the important part.
The pink stain was still spreading…
"Eh?! What's happening?!"
Illya tried to wipe it off, but it was impossible. The stain was growing beneath her skin, and panic crept in—especially when she tried to use her magic to erase it and got the opposite result, the mark spreading even faster.
"Hey, Luvia, you've got it too!"
"What?! No—you too!"
Like the same plague, Rin and Luviagelita jumped apart and pulled out their own mirrors to confirm it…
It was the same as Illya. They made the same mistake, trying to erase it with magic…
"What's happening?! What's happening?!" x2
For girls their age, having a beautiful, flawless face mattered a lot. Now all of that was being ruined by a stain that kept spreading until parts of their faces were covered in crystals. At the same time, a kind of seal began to spread across their bodies.
"…!"
Scathach and Tiamat said nothing, but they frowned. There was no doubt their Masters had been attacked. They could feel powerful magic emanating from the girls' marks, yet it was so small and constantly shifting that they couldn't decipher it—until a pressure swept across the World. Then they understood who it was.
"Why is it getting worse?! Why won't it disappear?! Lancer, do something!"
"Were we attacked?! How?! Caster, what's going on?!"
With no other option, Rin called up her personal encyclopedia, while Luviagelita gave an order.
"Understood…"
Unfortunately for Rin, Nia didn't have time to respond. A red spear was fired like a projectile, passing right by Rin and striking the Loli behind her…
"Huh?"
BOOMMM
The impact of the God Slayer caught Yoshino completely off guard, leaving her unable to deploy ice to defend herself.
Rooaaarrr
The giant rabbit roared in pain and plunged from the sky…
"Lancer?!"
None of the three Masters could understand Scathach's behavior.
But that didn't matter. They were falling, and Scathach and Tiamat moved fast.
Tiamat grabbed Illya and Rin and stared at them.
Her Red Star Eyes blazed with an intense crimson light, and a powerful attack that used the World itself was unleashed on both Masters…
As a Goddess of creation, Tiamat's eyes hold the will of the planet Earth—or perhaps the light dwelling within intelligent life, the power that represents the planet itself.
A planetary version of what humans call Mystic Eyes.
What Tiamat had just used were the Red Star Eyes, the most hostile Mystic Eyes of the Planet. Anything within her sight could be destroyed, using the World itself as the source. Magic eyes focused purely on offense, from which nothing could escape—even something microscopic, like the Apocalypse Virus…
That curse-like attack was so overwhelming that it instantly destroyed the crystals on both girls, along with the seal spreading across their bodies.
"Pierce—Gáe Bolg!"
Scathach was even more extreme. Without hesitation, she activated her Noble Phantasm. While still in the air, she summoned another spear, spun around, and hurled it with all her strength at the panicking Luviagelita as she fell…
Gáe Bolg is a conceptual spear. Once activated, it strikes with death itself, and any enemy caught along its line of attack is slain.
Of course, Scathach wasn't trying to kill her Master. She was directing death at the crystal on Luviagelita's face, and because it was a concept, even if it was microscopic, it had to be killed…
CREEAAAKKK
The crystals shattered, along with the black seal. Scathach caught Luviagelita in her arms, bracing for the impact.
"Kyaaaa?!"
It wasn't only the trio of Masters who suffered. Miyu, the magical girl, was also affected—the pain caused by the Apocalypse Virus crystals was no joke.
"Miyu-sama!"
Sapphire, the magic wand, cried out in panic. Miyu's arms and face filled with pink crystals. She tried to use magic to stop the strange attack, but it was useless.
That was to be expected. As a magical girl, Miyu constantly used magic, which only accelerated the devouring power of the Apocalypse Virus.
"Do not fear, Contractor. The Old Man of the Mountain has come in response to this danger."
Like a ghost from the abyss, King Hassan suddenly appeared before Miyu and swung his great sword.
"At the Border"—a skill for those who walk within the Valley, who are one with death and familiar with its many forms. In short, King Hassan can see a person's Destiny.
Because of this, he is immune to instant-death imposition, fear, and enchantments.
It is said his sword is so lethal that it walks within the boundaries of the Valley, adding an instant-death effect to every strike. Though the probability is low, each blow represents mortal danger no matter how formidable the enemy, because Destiny is intangible and exists within a Realm of absolute darkness. It is impossible for mortals to touch—only Gods and those who transcend concepts can reach this Realm.
King Hassan cannot destroy Destiny, since he has one himself. Doing so would pit him against the World and erase his existence. Instead, he manipulates Destiny to guide the target toward "Death."
That ability is useless against the Monster, but it is still effective for Miyu and her body. So even though the Apocalypse Virus attack was microscopic, it had no choice but to "die" under the imposition of instant death.
Creakkk
Miyu's crystals shattered, and she lost consciousness from the shock, causing her magical girl transformation to end as she fell from the sky.
"It's all right, Contractor. Pain is good—it means life."
Fortunately, King Hassan caught her in his arms, and as he did, he faded into the air.
As if he had never existed…
Presence Concealment—thanks to that, King Hassan could once more walk within the Valley, carrying his Master with him.
Meanwhile, in the church of Trifas, the base of the Red Camp…
"The time has come. The war begins. Is this what you wanted, Caster?"
Smiling calmly, Marisbury asked without turning around, where the King of Magic stood with his eyes closed.
"Yes. The Monster must be weakened as much as possible…"
As a human, Solomon could not escape the shackles of being descended from Adam. As a son, he could not defeat his father. This curse imposed upon humanity was deeply problematic, so even with the omnipotence of the Rings and all his sorcery, they were useless against him.
He was still at a disadvantage against the Monster. Solomon could see it—so long as the Monster did not leave that Throne of annihilation, defeating him was impossible.
There was no way to break through the Quantum Defense. He lacked the power to open Pandora.
Nor did he dare to face the horror brought by the Destiny of one who opens the quantum box. He needed Adam to willingly relinquish all that power in order to kill him. There was no other way. The power of that Throne of annihilation could not be pierced by Noble Phantasms.
Because of that, he waited patiently. He did not attack the Monster and avoided being detected as much as possible. He didn't even dare to use his clairvoyance. That was why, when the Monster came to the World, the signal of his body trembling was enough for Solomon to know the moment had arrived.
He had to overcome his fear of his father and strike while Adam abandoned his authority.
"Will it work? Your Rings won't be stolen?"
Marisbury was worried. Adam had stolen the authority of God before, and Solomon's Rings were a form of authority granted by God. It wouldn't be impossible for those powers to fail against the Monster…
"You don't need to worry about that. He can no longer steal authority…"
Because the moment Adam dares to do so again, that Throne of annihilation will bind him once more.
The seals imposed by the Gods of Genesis are no joke. They are far superior to the Lock of Heaven.
"I see. Still, just in case, let's wait for Chaldea. There's no need to take risks yet…"
"Yes…"
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