"Creak creak creak..."
The wheel above his head began to spin. Diego's severed arm returned to its original state.
"Eh, no way?!" Sui's eyes widened in disbelief. "It healed?! How much time has even passed?!"
Frieren looked at the familiar figure before her with a joyful expression and quickly called for help. "Elga, don't let Mahoraga adapt to your attack methods. Help me buy time to release my magic!"
Hearing that, Sui turned her head, furrowed her brows, and blinked in confusion. "I remember... you're the mage from the orc-face party. How do you know my surname? Do you know me?"
Now's not the time for chatting...
Frieren complained internally.
"Roar——!!!"
Whoosh!!!
Diego vanished from his original spot.
When he reappeared, he was already roaring in front of Sui, swinging the Demon-Repelling Sword down with full force!
Boom!!
Sui barely dodged. A talisman appeared between two of her fingers.
"I see. 『Buying time』, is it!!"
"Slowness Talisman!!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Sui kept dodging Diego's attacks while charging straight up to him and slapping the talisman onto his body.
Smack!
The talisman took effect. Diego's movements visibly slowed down considerably.
"Nice one!"
Frieren's magical power had finished charging. She aimed at Diego and released an extremely compressed...
"『Ruinous Lightning Magic』.."
Already slowed by the talisman, Diego was even less able to dodge the lightning magic, which specialized in speed.
The Ruinous Lightning Magic pierced through Diego's chest and crashed straight into the rocky cliff behind him.
Boom!!
The cliff was destroyed. A large amount of boulders collapsed and buried Diego alive. Thick smoke billowed everywhere.
Alicia helped Mabel to her feet, her gaze fixed tightly on the smoke as she muttered, "Did it work?"
A moment later, the smoke cleared.
The sound of a spinning wheel came from beneath the rocks.
"Creak creak creak..."
This meant...
The Ruinous Lightning Magic and the Slowness Talisman had been adapted to!
Whoosh!!!
In an instant, the rocks were smashed to pieces. Before Frieren could even react, the Demon-Repelling Sword appeared right in front of her again.
The blade was already inches from her eyes, about to pierce into them.
At that moment, Frieren felt time slow down countless times. She couldn't help but think:
Am I going to die?
How pathetic. I only just figured out what my regret was...
I still wanted to see Dio one more time——
Clang!!!
The resounding clash of blades exploded beside Frieren's ears.
The Freeze God Sword, the ancient magical tool, and the World-Saving Staff appeared at the same time. All three swords struck the Demon-Repelling Sword together.
In the split second before it could pierce Frieren's eye, they forcibly changed its direction, turning what would have been a fatal wound into a mere graze at the corner of her eye.
Mabel gasped for breath, still shaken. "Huff... huff... We made it..."
Sweat covered Alicia's face. Her words were full of lingering fear. "Frieren, pull yourself together. I'm here!"
Sui gritted her teeth and glared furiously at Diego. "He's just a brainless fake, yet he tried to kill someone right in front of me!!"
"Everyone... you really haven't changed at all.." Looking at the three familiar faces, Frieren felt an unprecedented sense of reassurance. She perked up. "Alright, then let's make a new battle plan!"
"What should we do?"
Sui asked while creating an opening to obstruct Diego's attacks.
Frieren cast different spells for cover and said seriously, "We'll try again!"
"Mabel, Elga, and I—we'll each use our maximum-output attacks to heavily wound Mahoraga and cover for Alicia while she uses 『Heart-to-Heart Magic』 to wake Dio's consciousness."
"...Understood. You'd better support me properly!" Sui slightly turned her body. The hem of her skirt and cloak were lifted by the wind pressure.
!!
Dio... he's gone?!
Sensing something was wrong, Alicia yanked Frieren away. "Watch out!!"
Boom——!!
The fist wind landed. The ground where Frieren had just been standing collapsed with a roar. Rubble and shockwaves surged outward in all directions. The ground cracked like porcelain, forming spiderweb fissures.
His first strike having missed, Diego changed targets and charged toward Sui.
"Roar————!!"
"You think I'm an easy target?" Sui faced him head-on.
Her gaze was cold and stern. The ancient magical tool in her hand accumulated lightning magic and slashed across Diego's face as she shouted angrily, "Don't——"
"Roar at me!!"
Boom!!
Diego lost his balance and was sent flying backward.
"Drown beneath these ice blades——"
Brilliant light erupted around Mabel. Her blue hair danced wildly in the turbulent airflow. Determination burned in her pupils. At that moment, the Freeze God Sword displayed its miraculous effect, flash-freezing Diego into a solid block.
Before Diego could struggle free, two terrifying attacks followed in quick succession.
"An ordinary attack magic with all magical power injected and then compressed!"
Frieren decided to let this country bumpkin of a Mahoraga taste this magic from the future—one it had never adapted to before.
"Long Heavy Piercing... Maximum Magical Power Output!"
Sui's focus was extreme. Her gaze was sharp as a blade.
At the same instant Frieren attacked, the ancient magical tool in her hand transformed into a massive magical power greatsword. She raised it high and, together with Frieren's attack, brought it crashing down. "Super Long Star Break!"
Boom!!
Mahoraga was split clean in two from the middle!
The World-Saving Staff had already reverted from sword form back to staff form. Alicia seized the opportunity to invade Diego's mental world. "Heart-to-Heart Magic!"
"Crack crack crack crack crack crack..."
The wheel above his head began spinning at high speed, like a helicopter propeller. Diego stood up once again. Both hands pressed against his cheeks as the two halves of his body miraculously merged back into one.
He had adapted.
!!!
"No way..."
Admittedly, an ordinary Mahoraga from the tuning ritual would have died after taking these ultimate moves. But the one inside Diego was a brand-new version enhanced by Heavenly Restriction's physical body and fed techniques by Serie. Its health had increased exponentially—like a total HP tank.
Mabel reacted and shouted a warning while running toward Alicia. "No, Alicia!! Frieren!! Get away!!"
The principle of Heart-to-Heart Magic was to synchronize the caster's calm mind with the target's, thereby calming the other party down.
Therefore, while casting, Alicia was almost completely unable to defend against external threats.
That was also why it couldn't be used when enemies were interfering.
Frieren knew this very well.
Right now, the three of them had just used up a massive amount of magical power. Mabel and Elga were farther away from Alicia. Only Frieren, who was right beside her, could protect her.
Whoosh!
In the reflection of Frieren's pupils, Diego had already arrived in front of the two of them. His fist was coming down toward her.
"Wait, don't!"
Mabel lunged forward, but it was already too late to block the attack.
Thud...
In the split second before the fist landed, Frieren pushed Alicia out of the attack's range.
Boom——!!
The attack struck Frieren squarely in the face!
Mabel watched helplessly as Frieren was sent flying, half her face covered in blood and her life or death unknown. Her lips trembled as she screamed:
"Frieren————!!!"
Strangely, after launching this attack, Diego stood in place with his guard completely open, not moving at all.
Soon, Diego's body underwent another change.
It grew larger, then smaller, and finally returned to its original size. Even so, there was still not a trace of clarity in his eyes.
"Cough... cough cough cough..."
"At the last moment, I used Pressure Magic to offset part of... the impact force..."
Five minutes later, Frieren struggled to climb up from the ground. The left half of her face was covered in a large amount of blood, and her left eye was completely unable to open. Her entire body felt extremely weak.
She raised her gaze, her eyes dim, and slowly walked toward Diego.
Sui grabbed her hand and quickly stopped her. "Frieren, don't go near him! His condition still hasn't stabilized!"
"...Through Grausam's magic, I saw Dio's memories." Frieren limped toward Diego, her clothes in tatters. She spoke to herself, her voice weak. "He didn't hesitate to make an enemy of the entire continent, kidnapping me—who was still an enemy at the time—to serve as the party's mage, all just to kill the Demon King and reach the Land of Soul's Rest..."
Frieren walked up to Diego and reached out to stroke his hair.
"Now I understand. The regret Alicia mentioned..."
"Roar!!"
Diego's claw suddenly swung out, heading straight for Frieren.
Frieren didn't dodge. Instead, she took another step forward and hugged Diego in front of her, saying softly, "You've been tired all this time, haven't you?"
The claw's attack stopped in midair.
The next second, the claw changed targets and direction, piercing straight through his own head!
...
Illusion...
The illusion constructed by Paradise Transfer Magic was beginning to collapse.
"Dio, it's time for you to leave."
Diego lowered his eyes, somewhat reluctant. "Yeah.."
"You have to tell that girl how you feel about her..."
"Don't be too fierce either. I'll tie a little ribbon on the hat I gave you..."
"Don't be a miser and refuse to spend money. Be kinder to yourself..."
Mother's figure had already become blurry.
But right before leaving, she suddenly became naggy, giving Diego one reminder after another about his future life.
Diego turned his head away, his voice low. "When I reach the Land of Soul's Rest, I'll say all these things again."
"I know." Mother smiled, as if she understood what was on Diego's mind, and opened her arms to him. "Kill me. That way you can return to reality."
Diego gently shook his head and said, "How could I possibly strike my own mother down?"
Squelch!!!
Diego extended his hand, dinosaur-transformed it, and pierced his own head with one strike—killing his illusion self.
...
Reality...
Not long after Diego collapsed.
Alicia woke up, healed all four of their injuries, and informed them of her success in waking Diego's consciousness.
"I see. So that's why Dio returned to normal." Mabel lay on Alicia's back, grinning as she patted her shoulder. "Amazing, amazing! Genius Hero-sama!"
Alicia affectionately patted Mabel's head, then gave Sui a slight bow. "Also, thank you for your assistance, Miss Elga."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, the three of us might have died at Dio's hands."
Hearing that, Sui blushed and waved her hands, letting out a "Hmph" as she turned her head away. "Well, that orc-face owes me a debt. If he died, I'd have nowhere to collect it."
"...A debt?" Mabel blinked. "What did Dio do?"
"He stole my fir—— cough cough cough!!" Sui answered instinctively, then realized something was wrong and started coughing violently. She changed her words. "It's nothing. Don't ask!"
Stare...
Mabel narrowed her eyes, her face full of suspicion. Clearly, she didn't believe Sui's excuse.
Faced with Mabel's rude expression, Sui was covered in black lines. She used both hands to pinch the soft flesh of Mabel's cheeks and pulled outward with force.
"I'm sowwy, I won't do it again!!"
"Ugh..."
At that moment, Diego in Frieren's arms slowly opened his eyes. His dazed gaze regained clarity.
He looked up at Frieren and apologized in a low voice. "Sorry. I woke up too late.."
Thud!
"You said it wrong, you idiot!" Frieren was somewhat dissatisfied and flicked Diego's forehead. After flicking, she revealed a gentle smile. "At a time like this, you're supposed to say [I'm back], right?"
Diego looked at the reactions of the others.
Alicia was as understanding as ever and didn't blame him for leaving her behind so casually.
Mabel was still in the middle of raising her hands in surrender. Noticing Diego's gaze, she turned her head with a silly expression.
And there was one stalker with her arms crossed, looking away with a sulky posture.
"...I'm back."
"That's more like it."
"Uh... Then, can someone explain to me why this stalker is here?" Diego shifted his gaze to Sui. "You———— mmmph mmmph mmmph...!!!"
"Don't say it like that. Be polite. This is Miss Elga. If she hadn't helped, Dio, you would have been in serious danger." Alicia was startled by his words and quickly covered Diego's mouth with her hand.
Mabel raised her hand. "Ah! I know! The elf girl said you stole something from her and came to collect the debt!"
Stole...
Come to think of it, I think I kissed her...
Don't tell me it was her first kiss and she's here to make me take responsibility?!
[You have to tell that girl how you feel about her.]
At that moment, Diego recalled his mother's words again. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You... why did you save me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just lending you a favor." Sui still refused to look at Diego. She stood on tiptoe and lowered herself again, her body swaying. "This favor—you'll have to spend your whole life repaying it to me properly."
Mabel and Alicia repeated in unison, "Your whole life?"
"Eh?" Sui's originally cold expression broke in an instant. Her pupils widened slightly, her face flushing red with shock and panic as she waved her hands frantically to explain. "What are you all thinking? It's not some weird meaning like being together forever or anything!!"
"Oh~~" Mabel had an expression that clearly said "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Alright." Diego suddenly spoke up.
Sui blinked. "Hm?"
"I mean, I'll compensate you for a lifetime."
Seeing the situation, Diego smiled in relief. He reached into his storage bag, took out three Cosmic Stone rings, and held them in his palm as he walked toward Sui.
Sui rarely showed a shy expression. "Wait, don't come near me yet!!"
"I, Dio, never owe anyone favors. How about using these as compensation?"
"What?"
Diego walked up to Sui, crouched down, and revealed the Cosmic Stone rings that sparkled under the starlight.
"Ah?!" ×3
Sui was stunned. By the time she came back to her senses, Diego had already dropped to one knee and slipped a ring onto her ring finger.
"What what what!?" Sui couldn't even speak properly. "Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second!"
"It's said there are only seven of these in the entire world..."
Mabel stared in shock and muttered, "Dio, do you realize what an incredibly huge thing you're doing right now?"
"What huge thing?" Diego frowned and then took Mabel's hand, slipping a ring onto it as well. "What... you don't want it?"
"...Well, maybe this will be worth a lot of money. I'll keep it." Mabel closed one eye and let out a light sigh, looking completely unbothered.
Whoosh!
Alicia cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and whispered urgently, "Mabel, Mabel!"
The ice on the Freeze God Sword's blade had completely melted and was dripping water nonstop—this was a sign that the Ice Clan was moved.
"Right, right…" Diego walked over to Alicia as well and slipped the ring onto her finger, holding her hand. "Alicia, thank you for protecting me. Thanks to you, I had a wonderful dream."
"Mmm——..." Alicia's cheeks instantly turned bright red. She couldn't even speak.
"As for Frieren... you already know, right?" Diego picked Frieren up in a princess carry and spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. "I'll put the ring on you at the right time."
"Yeah."
Frieren recalled that scene and smiled softly.
"Before that, I'll first send you back to the era where you belong." With that, Diego made several leaps while carrying Frieren and arrived at the Goddess's Monument.
Frieren turned her head to look at Alicia and asked, "Don't you need Alicia to analyze the Goddess magic?"
Diego answered softly, "No need. I can understand it."
With that, Diego took Frieren's hand and pressed it against the stele.
"Fialator..."