As Melusine launched her assault on the Pacific island base, DEM's Japanese branch had already received word.
More precisely… the one who received the report was DEM's Executive Director: Isaac Westcott.
A man in his mid-thirties with dull ash-golden hair and blade-sharp eyes, dressed in a jet-black suit that seemed to absorb all light, Westcott cast a cold gaze at the report before him.
"Shall I head over?"
The one who spoke was a girl with long pale-golden hair standing at Westcott's side—Ellen Mathers. She was the hand behind DEM's might, head of the Second Executive Division, and widely recognized as the strongest magician in the world.
"By the time you arrive, that facility will probably be reduced to rubble."
Westcott shrugged. Though he wore a smile, his voice was chillingly devoid of warmth. "After all, the spirit that appeared this time is that Meteor. Regardless of anything else, her sheer speed alone makes her a pain to deal with."
"Meteor… huh."
At his back, Ellen lowered her eyes slightly, the world's strongest magician reflecting in somber thought.
"What is it? Are you… interested in that spirit?" Westcott's lips curled subtly, eyes murky as he glanced at her.
Ellen didn't respond. It was as though she hadn't even heard him.
"Or perhaps—" Westcott continued, "—you're wondering whether you can handle Meteor?"
That jab made Ellen's brow twitch.
"…That's not funny, Isaac."
Her eyes opened, brimming with visible displeasure. "I am the strongest. There's no one in this world I can't defeat."
"…But I'll admit it—Meteor is powerful."
Then she shifted her tone. "Accelerating to Mach speeds in an instant… If she brings that kind of speed into a fight, she'll be a troublesome opponent."
Westcott listened quietly, his smile unchanged.
But analysis wasn't what he was after.
"Will you lose?"
He only wanted the outcome. So he asked, directly.
"I'll win."
That was the answer Ellen gave.
Satisfied, Westcott nodded. "Then go. The destruction of that facility is a trivial matter. The researchers and magicians there are expendable—easily replaced. But there is something of value… and Meteor appearing there likely means she came for that."
"But that raises another question—how did Meteor learn about it in the first place?"
Ellen caught his meaning, her tone flat. "I can ask her directly."
"Can you? Then I leave it to you."
Westcott's voice remained placid, as if nothing in the world could truly pique his interest. "If it's you, I'm certain you'll fulfill my expectations… After all, you are humanity's strongest magician."
---
Neriel Island
On the surface, it was nothing remarkable. But it didn't appear on any map—for hidden beneath it, DEM had constructed a research facility, deep underground. At the lowest level, they held a prisoner once captured by Ellen herself—an entity designated a special-class disaster.
That prisoner was…
"Honjou Nia."
Melusine murmured the name softly as she gazed down at the silver-haired girl inside the container.
"…Unconscious, huh? That might actually be for the best."
Nia's body bore many signs of torment. Melusine frowned slightly upon seeing them, though she didn't begin treatment right away.
"Before I heal you, let me seal away these five years of memories… You'll only have nightmares otherwise."
She worried that if she fully healed Nia's injuries, the girl might wake up—so she opted to seal her trauma first.
Melusine disliked memory-altering magic. In her view, memories were just as essential to the self as the soul. Tampering with them felt no different from violating someone's very being.
But… desperate times called for desperate measures.
Nia's last five years had brought her nothing but harm. Painful memories like these—perhaps forgetting them was for the best.
Only by sealing them could Nia find the will to live on.
While casting the memory seal, Melusine noticed something embedded in Nia's brain.
"This must be the device DEM used to suppress her memories…"
In the original story, DEM had tried every imaginable method to break Nia, but failed. She had long since given up hope in the world, closed off all emotion, and without hope, despair couldn't take root.
Eventually, she escaped, her traumatic memories sealed. It was only after spending time with Shido Itsuka—learning the warmth of daily life—that she began to open up. And just before she was sealed by Shido, Westcott undid the memory block.
Nia fell into despair.
And thus, Westcott stole the Demon King Codex from her.
From that point on, Nia became the most pitiful, most useless spirit in the entire series.
You had such broken-tier powers and still fumbled it that hard, Auntie Nia…
After sealing the memories and dismantling DEM's device, Melusine finally cast a basic healing spell.
Even so, Nia didn't wake.
Melusine gently lifted her into a princess carry and whispered:
"Time to fly."
In the next instant, she shot skyward like a comet in reverse.
At the same time Melusine was operating on Nia, Ellen—the uninvited guest—had already arrived on Neriel Island.
Seeing the destruction firsthand, Ellen's brow twitched.
"Meteor really went wild, didn't she…"
From Ellen's perspective, this base was a total loss. Better to scrap it than repair it.
But that wasn't her concern. Her job was to fight—and to win. To prove herself the strongest.
And her confidence wasn't unfounded. Artificial magicians couldn't hold a candle to original ones like her. Of the four Original Magicians still alive, two weren't combat-types, and the other was plagued with severe health issues. That left Ellen uncontested at the top.
She didn't need to search for her opponent.
The overwhelming spiritual pressure was impossible to miss.
Such unreasonable spirit energy… So this is the spirit that triggered the S-Class spacequake—Meteor…
Ellen furrowed her brow, gravity settling into her gaze.
Aside from the Original Spirits, I've never sensed this much power before…
She had sensed Melusine.
But Melusine had sensed her long before that.
Her detection radius spanned dozens of kilometers—far beyond what Ellen's systems could scan.
"Hm? Still more enemies?"
Melusine tilted her head, puzzled. "A straggler? …No, this one's on a completely different level. And it feels like she came from far away?"
She glanced down at the unconscious Nia in her arms, hesitating for a beat.
"Looks like our return will have to wait…"
Finding a secure room, Melusine gently laid Nia on a bed and placed a concealment barrier over the area to keep others from finding her. Then she turned to leave.
"Hm?"
Her hand was suddenly held.
The grip wasn't strong—she could break it easily—but still, she paused and looked back.
Nia's brows were furrowed in sleep. She looked troubled.
Having a nightmare…?
Melusine stood silent for a moment, then knelt down on one knee like a loyal knight, gently covering Nia's hand with her own.
"I'll be back soon. There's nothing to fear anymore."
She placed a soft kiss on Nia's hand, her voice as tender as the wind over a quiet lake.
"The nightmare's over. From now on… sleep in peace."
She brushed Nia's forehead, her palm radiating a calming warmth.
By the time Melusine withdrew her hand, Nia's face had relaxed. The shadows had vanished from her brow, and her lips curled in a quiet smile—as though lost in a good dream.
Seeing it, Melusine's own expression softened.
Minutes later, outside the room—Melusine met Ellen.
Ellen saw her too, and frowned slightly when she realized Melusine was alone.
"Meteor… You came alone? Where's 'Material A'?"
Melusine didn't respond. She simply extended her gauntlet blade—and let the tide of spirit pressure crash down like a wave.
"…So you won't answer? That's a shame."
Ellen summoned her CR Unit's lightsword. "Looks like I'll have to beat the answer out of you."
Melusine blinked, seemingly surprised, then tilted her head, mildly confused.
"You believe… you can win against me?"
"What are you implying?" Ellen narrowed her eyes. "I'm the strongest. No matter who I fight—I win. There's no opponent I can't defeat."
Melusine was quiet for a moment.
"…Before we begin, there's something you should know."
She pointed to herself with her thumb.
"There is only one being on this planet who can truly claim the title of 'strongest'—and that is me. I was born as this world's most powerful creature."
Then she pointed to Ellen.
"And you… are just the challenger. A foolish one, who dares to challenge a dragon without understanding the gap between us."
Ellen's body trembled with rage as the realization hit her.
"You arrogant…! I'll knock you to your knees and shut that mouth of yours!"
And with that, she charged.
"I'm home…"
---
Shidou Itsuka—currently in disguise as his female alter ego, "Shiori"—opened the front door and stepped inside, thoroughly exhausted.
Today had gone surprisingly well—he'd spent the day with Miku Izayoi, helped by Kotori and the others. Too well, in fact. The emotional effort had drained him completely.
He just wanted to collapse on his bed.
Too familiar with his own home, he didn't even look down—and promptly tripped, landing with a thud.
"Ow! Why's there something on the floor? Did Tohka drop a pillow again? Or was it Kotori…"
Groaning and holding his ribs, Shidou slowly pushed himself up—and then froze.
"…Huh?"
Beside him, lying unconscious, was a blonde girl—bruised and bloodied.
"Hey! Are you okay?! Wake up!"
He tried to rouse her, but she didn't stir.
"Keep your voice down, Shidou. If you wake her up, I'll be very put out."
Shidou turned in surprise—Melusine stood nearby, those golden eyes cool and unblinking.
"Lancelot… Why are you here—?"
Then he glanced at the girl again, realization dawning.
"No, wait—Lancelot, help me! She's badly hurt, we need to treat her immediately!"
"I refuse."
Shidou's eyes widened in shock.
"Why?!"
"Why?" Melusine tilted her head. "Because… I'm the one who did that to her."
"!!!"
"Why are you so surprised? Shidou, look at her face carefully. You should recognize her, shouldn't you?"
His brain, dulled by the day's fatigue, lagged behind. But at her prompting, he finally looked closer at the girl lying unconscious before him.
"…Wait. Isn't this the girl we met on Arubi Island—?"
---
T/N: fake ass strongest smh