A shooting star?
No, not a star—it was a sword.
Arcueid looked up, her delicate face illuminated by the black blade wreathed in crimson flames.
She gently brushed aside the strands of hair falling before her eyes, her scarlet pupils reflecting the weapon descending from the heavens.
Facing this trident sword that seemed intent on piercing the very earth, the amusement in those red eyes only deepened.
The sword fell from the sky—a colossal blade whose length easily exceeded a hundred meters, dropping from thousands of meters high, pulled downward by gravity.
The massive sword violently tore through the air, its accelerating form sheathed in scorching flame, like a meteor crashing down from the firmament.
The atmosphere roared and shuddered, the sky now bright as if a new sun had appeared.
"Kiffa-Ater," Root murmured the name of the beast, a trace of pride flashing in her eyes, a low growl rumbling in her throat.
As if heeding its master's call, the descent of the The Black Sword of Abraded Night accelerated further.
This was no ordinary greatsword—it was a beast with a will of its own.
Its ability as a beast was gravity control. Subjected to gravitational force several times stronger than normal, the accelerating sword became a supersonic projectile crashing down.
Gravity?
Feeling the oppressive force bearing down, Arcueid calmly watched the giant sword looming overhead, a slight smile curling her lips.
How convenient—she happened to have her own means of manipulating gravity.
"Trimmau."
With those words, gravity reversed.
Her master's soft call made the silver-haired maid look up. The magical circuits within her flooded with Arcueid's mana, beginning to boil.
An invisible repulsive force manifested around the massive blade.
Silver strands danced in the hurricane-force wind brought by the greatsword. Within Trimmau's violet eyes, a gleam of magical power shone.
The radiant sword's descent visibly began to slow, grinding toward a halt.
"Gravity magic...?"
Root looked properly for the first time at the one beside Arcueid, her recently perked ears slowly drooping.
At the same moment, golden lightning exploded across the night sky.
A lion of thunder and light emerged, scattering golden bolts. The golden beast roared toward the black sword in the sky, calling forth a world-cleaving lightning strike from the ground.
"Regulus-Aurum...?"
Root muttered the beast's name, a look of astonishment crossing her face—shock quickly replaced by sheer fury.
The beast she had failed to summon now stood against her.
"Don't tell me it's making up for that earlier strike against me?" Arcueid also watched the golden lion with some surprise.
Regulus-Aurum glanced at Arcueid, then aloofly turned away, continuing to summon its thunder.
Behind it, the figures of the two-headed dragon and the mist beast gradually materialized.
"But I appreciate the sentiment."
A massive sword materialized beside Arcueid. Smiling toward the golden lion, she said, "It's time to get a little serious on this side, too."
Gripping it with both hands, her petite frame lifted the greatsword many times her own size.
Aim, spin, build momentum... and then, she hurled it with all her might.
"Ig-Alima, the Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand—!"
Arcueid loudly called the Noble Phantasm's name—a fake one, of course.
This sword merely took the form of that mountain-cleaving blade—nothing but a cheap replica born from her Marble Phantasm.
But it was enough. Its purpose wasn't to shatter the black sword in the sky.
The greatsword shot upward, trailing a sonic boom.
The sword soaring skyward collided with the black sword crashing down.
The eye-like patterns on the greatsword's surface suddenly opened—a pair of rainbow-hued mystic eyes glaring at the black sword.
The moment their gaze fell upon it, the black sword vanished like bursting bubbles.
Beasts are creatures formed of condensed magical energy.
Their existence is that of a magical aggregate. By nature, they can only be countered by even greater magical power, making them nearly impossible to oppose.
But before mystic eyes that nullify magic, beasts are nothing more than fragile toys that break at a touch.
"...Nngh!"
The frustration of having her killing blow so easily dissolved, combined with the rage of seeing her own beasts turn against her, made Root's cat ears and tail bristle instantly.
She glared wide-eyed, her aurora wings angrily beating against the ground, wreaking havoc upon the Keystone Gate.
Torrential magical energy overflowed from within her. The beasts regrouped around Root.
The divine sheep surrounded by countless gems gathered its jewels. A female knight in rainbow armor raised a gleaming golden longsword. The manticore wreathed in purple flames roared furiously.
The deep scarlet unicorn staggered to its feet—one of the tuning-fork-like great horns on its head, lost in Arcueid's earlier attack, now missing.
A bluish-white water spirit writhed and swayed. The translucent, fluid naiad transformed into a torrent, enveloping the Bicorn within itself.
As if time were reversing, the unicorn's lost horn slowly regenerated.
"Still not willing to surrender, Root?"
Though her words offered mercy, Arcueid's eyes shone with excitement.
"I am the world's strongest vampire—undying and imperishable. I have no kin, seek no dominion, command only the twelve beasts incarnate of calamity. I drink the blood of humans, and commit myself to slaughter and destruction."
Root threw her arms wide, golden hair and cat ears flying in the wind, massive wings beating against the night sky. "I yield to no one, and bow to no rule."
"Seems there's no need to hold back, then! In that case... pardon my rudeness."
Arcueid bent her knees slightly, lifting her head, her exquisitely beautiful face framed by the clear moonlight.
"One, two, three, four!" Laughing, she leaped toward the full moon.
The pure white figure sprang upward into the void.
Her form was like a flower drifting on the wind—a body that should have fallen instead slowly rising.
She shed the shackles of gravity, broke free from the bonds of attraction.
Her supple waist silhouetted against the moon, as if dancing with the orb.
"Ready—"
Her crimson pupils shifted focus, her attention turning from the sky to the ground, where the Keystone Gate lay surrounded by the Fourth Primogenitor's beasts.
"Jump into the stratosphere!"
"Blessings of the atmosphere, circumference of the Earth!"
"I'll bundle them up and drop them on your face!"
"Haaaaah!"
The blossom blooming in the night sky transformed into a falling star.
That figure plunged rapidly toward the earth, as if the moon itself were falling.
Boom—!
The entire artificial island sank downward violently, a fierce shockwave sweeping over everything on the island.
Soil and debris erupted upward. A violent storm interwoven with azure magical energy whipped up the surrounding dust, sweeping the area clean.
Like an eraser wiping away marks, the beasts' forms vanished in the hurricane, leaving only a small golden figure half a meter tall swaying in the wind.
The resin-and-metal-covered ground instantly cratered, exposing the seawater beneath.
The island's main framework shattered, the entire landmass splitting into seventeen pieces.
Building windows shattered completely, towers collapsing one after another—everything happened in an instant.
Arcueid, like a human-shaped missile, had punched straight through the surface of the old Southeast District. The entire area began collapsing into the sea.
One continuous roar echoed under the night sky.
Moonlight gently fell, illuminating Arcueid within the enormous crater.
Slender, pale fingers brushed through her smooth hair, wiping away droplets of water that had clung to it at some point.
Her rosy eyes quietly watched the full moon in the night sky, as flowers bloomed around her.
Seawater gushed forth, submerging the blue-white flowers that had appeared unnoticed at the princess's feet.
As if witnessing a grand spectacle of nature, Natsuki Minamiya, holding a parasol, stood stunned in place.
Beside her, Nagisa Akatsuki and the Kaleid Bloods were knocked off balance by the recent upheaval.
The old Southeast District, like a startled herd of beasts, sank into the ocean with startling speed.
"Natsuki-nee... Arcueid and Root, they..."
Nagisa sat dazedly on the ground, her gaze fixed on the sinking old Southeast District.
Natsuki Minamiya snapped back to awareness, let out a soft sigh, and vanished from the spot.
The next instant, she reappeared with Arcueid before Nagisa.
Arcueid placed the unconscious Root onto Avrora's head and stretched extravagantly. "Pretty spectacular, right?"
"...Too spectacular."
"Of course. I am a genuine princess, after all."
Natsuki Minamiya, an active Attack Mage, gave her a resigned glance, her eyes settling on Root.
"The Fourth Primogenitor's awakening won't stay hidden from the others now."
"Then we'll announce the Fourth Primogenitor's awakening ourselves," Arcueid said, patting Root on Avrora's head.
Avrora stared dazedly at the princess before her, her blue eyes reflecting Arcueid's form.
"So... so beautiful."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.