Ch.183Total War. (7)

I had never fought Aria before.

At least, not in this way.

Tsk tsk tsk tsk!

A bizarre feeling, as if up and down, left and right were all reversed.

Just as Olivia frowned upon realizing that the ice elementals floating around were still intact—

Kwaaaa!

A massive pillar of fire erupted as the solid bedrock flipped over. The moment the fire pillar touched Olivia, the surrounding landscape began to completely invert.

The sky, which had been filled with fog, was simultaneously covered with all kinds of colors as it transformed into an entirely different world.

Books fluttering everywhere, and desks rising endlessly.

The books, as if drawn by something, instantly flew past Olivia and wedged themselves into bookshelves.

Dudududududu!

A festival of books pouring down like rain. But what was even more shocking was that none of these books were ordinary.

Ancient texts from the mythical era, grimoires. And sealed books.

‘…This place.’

Corridors stretching endlessly, and similarly endless archives.

A hyper-dimensional library that could be said to contain every book and record from the continent.

The truth Aria had reached, and her mental world.

Fantasy Realm.

Infinite Library.

The ultimate form of fire magic. Fantasy Realm was originally closer to a containment spell that imprisoned opponents rather than an offensive spell. Most likely, the moment this world was destroyed, Aria’s grand magic would welcome her.

“…Trying to buy some time?”

Flap flap flap!

The moment she said that, books floating in the sky fell. But they weren’t simply falling. Books that reached pages engraved with complex patterns stopped, standing firmly in midair.

Shortly after, “summons” that had been sealed in the books poured out all at once.

“…Ha.”

Before the summons could even land, dozens of grimoires attached themselves to the summons’ bodies, infusing them with enhancement magic.

Kuung!

By the time the summons landed, they had grown dozens of times larger than before.

[Grrrr…!]

In an instant, over a thousand summons poured out.

None of them looked grotesque or ominous. Even the largest ones merely took the form of wolves, lions, or dragons—there were no demons, let alone ogres or trolls.

They were imposing rather than threatening.

This was probably Aria’s last pride. She wasn’t the type of person who would leave such monsters in her mental landscape.

“…There are a lot.”

As Olivia lightly flicked her finger, a long staff shot out from her fingertips.

Jjeojeojeojeojeok…!

A staff created by subjugating the very concept of winter.

[Ancient Staff]

The moment she grasped the Ancient Staff, winter resonated with her magical power, spreading a chilling cold in all directions.

Kwajijijik!

A cold that took life just by touch. The summons that entered Olivia’s domain froze stiff on the spot.

But of course, it wouldn’t end there.

As if they had been waiting, tens of thousands of grimoires rose and spewed heat. The flames pouring from all directions instantly raised the internal temperature to the brink of combustion.

Jjeojeojeojeojeok…!

The ice holding the summons melted rapidly and evaporated into steam.

“It seems she doesn’t intend to come out until the end.”

Seueuup.

Olivia looked around as she deeply inhaled the steam.

“Alright. Let’s see who wins.”

As she crossed both hands, the Ancient Staff split into two. A grip that fit perfectly in her hands.

Wands that lowered power in exchange for exponentially increasing casting speed.

From a distance, they looked like twin pistols. As she raised the thick wands and infused them with magical power, the tips began to emit blue magical light.

Gooooo…!

If steam had covered the atmosphere until now, what enveloped the air now were the screams flowing from the summons’ breaths.

The moment they faced the magical light emitting from the wands, their insides froze completely. Simultaneously, their brains ceased functioning, and soon their bodies shattered into ice fragments.

Jjeojeojeojeojeok!

The summons collapsed like a wave centered on Olivia.

Realizing that not a single living creature remained around her, Olivia smiled.

“Those must have been precious books. I’m sorry.”

Because now none would remain.

*****

Kwadeudeudeudeuk!

Books that wriggled like living creatures even as they shattered.

But they weren’t enough to pique Olivia’s interest.

The surroundings were already full of books that had met the same fate.

[Kwaaaa…!]

Occasionally, a living summon would emerge, but it would freeze the moment it escaped from the book.

Kwajijijik!

As she destroyed the last sealed book, Olivia’s body shot straight up into the sky.

Along with the sensation she felt at first, as if all her senses were being reversed.

‘Not twice.’

Having realized this was a preparation stage to drag her into another Fantasy Realm, she couldn’t allow herself to be caught again.

She combined the separated wands back into staff form.

The lightning magic she had preheated began to writhe wildly, spitting out countless bolts of lightning.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwa!

The sound of thunder and explosions as if everything around was being destroyed.

As magical power far beyond manageable limits surged, Aria’s mental landscape could no longer withstand it and collapsed.

Pajik!

The next moment, along with a sound like glass breaking, someone’s rough breathing could be heard.

“Haa… haa…!”

Olivia instinctively knew it was coming from Aria’s mouth.

With her mental world forcibly destroyed, she must be feeling pain like having an iron skewer pierce her skull and stir her brain.

Blood trickled from Aria’s mouth. She seemed to be trying to disperse the pain by crushing her lips. Her mental strength alone was at a truly transcendent level.

“Whew…”

Aria raised her head to face Olivia. She wiped away the blood and raised the corner of her mouth.

“…I’ve shown an unsightly appearance.”

“Do you think you can win?”

“Huhu. Such words shouldn’t be carelessly spoken.”

“Until you’ve completely won?”

Aria slowly nodded. The next moment, the sun rose behind her.

Hwaaak!

No, a massive flame was flickering, so large it could be mistaken for the rising sun. Under the huge flame, Aria raised both arms to face Olivia.

‘…Was that what she was preparing?’

Olivia instinctively knew this was magic that couldn’t be blocked or avoided. Running away would be meaningless too.

“…I don’t care what conversation you had with her.”

Aria spoke in a calm voice.

From the moment she referred to “you all,” she had essentially denied herself as the Emperor.

“Because naturally, the answers reached by her who knew the cause and predicted the result… and by me who didn’t know the cause but predicted the result would be different.”

“Even if your answer is wrong?”

Aria shook her head.

“How could it be wrong when the questions were different to begin with?”

“…”

“You should have at least explained.”

Aria muttered in a small voice.

“…Why, after becoming someone precious to us, you had to commit such a terrible act—you should have at least explained that.”

Flames blazed in Aria’s eyes.

“Do you know what makes me angriest?”

“…”

“If you had decided to kill everyone, you shouldn’t have shown any human compassion.”

Her breathing became rough.

“Why did you let them go?”

For a moment, Olivia couldn’t understand Aria’s words.

“…Who?”

“The refugees.”

Aria’s smile gradually distorted.

“The screams of parents who lost their children, the grief of those who lost their parents before their eyes… over thousands of children died of cold without even having a single meal. The ground is frozen so they can’t even dig up soil to eat. Do you know… how many people died without leaving last words, buried in the snow and wind?”

She didn’t know.

“…The procession that was long at first gradually shortens as time passes. Someone who was walking with you just yesterday suddenly collapses on the road. Someone who was struggling to survive somehow…”

[Your… Highness…]

Each time, Aria would force a smile while trying to hide her pain.

It’s all right. I’m fine. This winter will end soon…

To relieve them of even their final guilt.

Only then would a satisfied smile appear on their lips.

The warmth disappears. The mouth freezes. Closed eyes never open again.

And so, one by one.

Three hundred, four hundred.

Five thousand, six thousand…

“…Still.”

Aria opened her mouth.

Her eyes were now bloodshot.

“There are still many more.”

Ten thousand, a hundred thousand.

The numbers rise endlessly.

Aria remembered the names of all the people who had held her hand as they passed away.

At some point, Aria stopped counting.

“I am… before being your friend. The Imperial Princess…”

The weight that the word “Imperial Princess” carried. That pressure.

The last words left by the citizens who had passed away first became a lifelong curse that gouged Aria’s heart.

Please survive.

Please save the world.

We believe in you…

Believe in you…

Aria’s fist trembled.

Those curses prevented her from forgiving Olivia.

If she were to forgive Olivia…

It would be the same as betraying their trust.

It would reduce their deaths to meaningless ends.

“…”

Olivia kept her mouth shut.

Aria’s anger was justified. Olivia knew well that there was no room for rebuttal, and that apologizing now would only be a shameful excuse.

No further conversation was necessary. They both knew that fact.

Aria fired the sun without hesitation.