episode_0248

“…!”

Rahe’s weapon, her beloved sword, had broken.

But even in this desperate situation where her weapon had broken during battle, Rahe’s reaction was quick.

Swish!

Thud.

She threw the sword with the broken blade at 13’s face, and immediately created two new ice swords in the air, gripping them in both hands.

Towards 13, whose vision was momentarily obscured by the thrown hilt, she immediately launched a counterattack with the ice swords.

Clang! Clang clang!!

But this too was blocked.

Rahe’s rapidly launched attacks were blocked by 13’s swift attacks.

*“【Bloom】!”*

She threw away the shattered ice swords and created a large number of new ice swords.

The two were surrounded by weapons summoned by 13 and ice swords created by Rahe, floating in the air.

Rahe grabbed two of them again and attacked 13 with them.

If the sword breaks, just grab a new one!

“Ah,”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I can’t lose.

I can’t lose.

I can’t lose…!!!

A hero can’t lose to a villain…!!

Clang clang clang ka-ga-ga-ga-gang!!!

Shatter!! Swish! Crash!! Crackle!!!

Parry, thrust, retreat, opening, counterattack.

A white flash imbued with coldness, swirling like a storm.

An ordinary person couldn’t withstand the storm filled with terrifying killing intent. Their limbs and internal organs would be torn apart, reduced to simple chunks of meat.

But the storm of light and cold still failed to inflict even a scratch on 13, and was blocked.

A hundred strikes are shattered by a single strike.

It felt like facing a giant mountain with a mere human body.

This is absurd.

Too absurd…!

Clangaaaaang!!!

The ice sword broke again.

With this last one, all the ice swords created in large quantities around her had disappeared.

13 lunged to capture Rahe, who had lost her weapon and was defenseless.

“Hah…!!”

And then.

Rahe’s figure disappeared from 13’s sight for a moment.

As if escaping from the lunging 13, Rahe leaped high into the air.

Tap tap tap tap…!!

She stepped on chunks of ice created in the air, rising higher and higher.

Rahe’s figure, soaring upwards, quickly became smaller, appearing as a distant dot.

“You think I’d let you get away, Captain-nim!!!”

13 grabbed a weapon stuck nearby and threw it with all his might at Rahe, but it was blocked by the ice chunks that appeared in the middle, or Rahe easily avoided it.

Having thrown away all the weapons within reach, just when he thought it was pointless.

Rahe created a new ice chunk in the air and stepped onto it, floating in the air.

And at the same time.

Whooooooooosh…!!

A whirlwind like a typhoon, a white aura, could be seen gathering fiercely around Rahe.

* * *

She realized over time that her physical condition wasn’t normal.

Rahe, who had been subjected to powerful brainwashing by the 『Brainwashing Device』 created by Doraji, was in a state where her body and mind were a mess.

Her head was hazy, her body was hot, and her reason and instinct were mixed up in a jumble… A strange voice constantly echoed in her head, making her want to run wild and kill her opponent until she died.

It was unbearable, like insects crawling in her head.

Her body was weak. The fight with the 4th Squad Captains had definitely exhausted Rahe.

But but but but.

Even so, she couldn’t lose.

No matter the situation, no matter the condition, and even if the opponent was a cheat-level person far superior to herself.

She would never allow herself to be defeated.

‘Because I’m a hero….’

‘Because I’m the Captain of the 7th Squad…!!’

*“【Eternal flower, glacier of the shadow land!】”*

*“【Bloom here! Bloom!】”*

A clear incantation flowed from her lips.

Her throbbing head had already exceeded its limit, and she even had the illusion that bleeding was occurring here and there.

But even so, with the single thought that she couldn’t lose to a villain, Rahe desperately opened her mouth.

*“【Death, tremble in fear! All shall cover their mouths and revere its beauty!!】”*

*“【To decorate the beautiful tranquility, a blizzard of snow and ice where a hundred white roses bloom, here】!”*

*

On the one hand that Rahe raised high above her head, a sphere of terrifying coldness floated, as if it had summoned a fierce cataclysm unlike any in the world.

A merciless storm of cold and ice.

The size of the storm was so large that it was enough to be called a disaster.

A terrifying disaster that would freeze a fragile human body upon contact and shatter it into pieces.

It absorbed even Rahe’s remaining mana, increasing its size and intensity.

Creak creak creak creak…!

Creaking and creaking.

Due to the excessively powerful mana, the isolated space created by Mabel itself began to shake unstably.

If the world created by Mabel were to collapse as it was, the disaster in her hand would be unleashed outside like a runaway horse.

There would definitely be civilian casualties.

But Rahe couldn’t even think that far right now….

*“【Mareus, Tempestas】!!!!”*

Rahe finished the incantation and lowered her hand.

Whoom.

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!!!

At the same time.

The sphere of merciless storm that floated above it, the disaster of ice and snow made of spheres, fell to the ground.

The compressed and compressed cold of the sub-zero polar regions rampaged like a ferocious beast, swallowing 13, the ground, the many weapons lined up there, and everything visible.

On the land that Rahe looked down upon, the barbs of ice spread out.

The vision was dyed pure white——

* * *

*

*“【We are all travelers. We are all heroes. The day of our journey and adventure has dawned.】”*

And.

Before the blizzard fell.

When Rahe was pouring out everything she had and preparing her last magic, 13 also began chanting, as if to oppose her.

Although the incantation started later than Rahe’s, there was no impatience in his expression.

*“【To the adventurers who embark on a journey, here is a hymn that opens the way for heroes.】”*

What flowed from 13’s mouth was a song about a journey full of adventure and romance.

It was also a song praising the heroes of the past, and also a hymn blessing the path of brave warriors who still desire adventure even now, after all these years.

*“【Let’s go on a journey. Let’s go on a journey together. Everyone together, get on our ship.】”*

*“【Raise the anchor! Unfurl the sails! Grab the helm! Turn the bow! Ah, sailing! Let’s embark on a journey of adventure together!!】”*

What he desires now is the trump card he used when he subdued the hero Check, who was skilled in martial arts, sometime ago.

However, at that time, he barely managed to bring out just the front part by pouring out everything he had, but what he is going to summon now is not just that much.

Everything.

Let’s bring the whole of that nostalgic ship out here…!!

*“【All I need is a ship to go on a journey! Give me that ship right now…!】”*

The incantation was nearing its end, with only one last word left.

And at that time, Rahe had already finished the incantation one step ahead, and the sphere of storm of ice and cold that had left her hand was falling mercilessly, aiming at him.

However, 13 looked at it without wavering, as it fell to bury him from right above.

He reached out his hand towards the storm.

*“【Gracieles, Argo】!!!”*

At the same time as 13 spoke the last incantation.

The sphere of storm that Rahe dropped, the plummet of cold, reached the ground.

The sphere of storm rampaged and spread in all directions, and the sound disappeared.

13’s body was surely swallowed by the explosion of ice and snow that dyed the whole land white.

Puh——————uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!!!

But the next moment.

Breaking through the onrushing storm.

Breaking through the raging cold of ice and snow.

——A huge golden ship soared upwards with its bow facing up.

“……?!”

Rahe, who had fired her most powerful magic and was suffering from severe dehydration and exhaustion, opened her eyes wide in surprise.

From below, the cold wave was being scattered with terrifying force by the huge ship that suddenly soared up.

The ship pierced through the thick wall of cold that should never be able to be penetrated by a human body, as if it were nothing, and soared upwards.

It was a ship blessed by the gods that had opened the way for heroes through all sorts of hardships and misfortunes.

The ship’s unique and eye-catching figurehead came close to Rahe’s nose.

“This is the end, Rahe…!!”

And clinging to that figurehead was the villain 13.

He had soared up from the ground to this point in an instant with the ship, and frost had settled on various parts of his body from passing through the harsh cold, and some parts were even frozen solid.

But on the contrary, he was smiling so boldly, as if that too was part of the adventure.

Heroic epic.

The appearance of the heroes who had passed through all sorts of divine trickery and the threats of inhuman monsters, that awe-inspiring boldness, can be seen in 13’s appearance.

It’s a story I’ve mentioned several times already.

To think that the appearance of a hero can be seen in a villain, this is truly unfair.

* * *

“Really… you are…!”

“Your expression has improved? You’ve finally come to your senses? …Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”

Crack crack crack crack.

Clang clang clang clang, and.

The surrounding scenery is breaking and collapsing.

Some are distorted or mixed, becoming a mess.

Rahe’s great magic and 13’s great magic.

With the collision of the two great magics, Mabel’s world began to collapse in earnest.

Perhaps it will barely last a few seconds until it completely collapses.

In that unstable world with only a few seconds left, 13 grabbed Rahe’s wrists tightly and began to fall together.

Rahe no longer had the strength to shake off his arms, nor the mana to create the same ice platform as before.

Therefore, she could only sigh and fall.

To such Rahe, 13 asked with a sly smile.

“Rahe, I won.”

“……Ah… it seems… I lost. It’s truly regrettable.”

It was something she couldn’t possibly accept.

It was something she shouldn’t possibly accept.

But it was clearly a complete defeat.

Rahe was clearly an amazing hero enough to be called a hero of this era.

But she could never have won against 13, who had not just one but many such heroes on his back.

The hero was defeated by the villain.

The hero was defeated by evil.

‘……This shouldn’t be happening.’

‘But if I lose so thoroughly like this… I feel refreshed.’

It can’t be helped.

It’s something that can’t be helped.

Rahe finally muttered to herself inwardly and closed her eyes.

In a collapsing world, in a situation where the ground had already disappeared and she could only continue to fall endlessly.

Rahe eventually lost consciousness, still caught by 13.

13 hugged such Rahe tightly….