391 – S8. At the End of a Thousand-Mile Journey

*Click, click, click.*

『Cogwheel: Protagonist』 and 『Cogwheel: Antagonist』 are potent forces that manipulate fate. The former designates a target as the protagonist, while the latter bestows misfortune bordering on calamity.

The first thing we have to stop is that colossal robot that collapsed the 『Gallery Palace’s』 ceiling. The First Prince transformed an entire annex into a massive arm and attacked. 『Meteor』 is responding.

A 『Meteor』 piloted by a skilled pilot is something else. The robot smoothly weaves, evading the attacks, and lands a one-two punch.

*Shick, shick, bam!*

“Not so fast!”

“Kim Yoonseo, you have to deal with the arm too! The palace ceiling is mending itself! It needs to stay open so the Princess and her subordinates can escape in an emergency!”

“You should have made four arms, then!”

“His Highness the Crown Prince said there wasn’t funding to invest in extra parts he might not even use!”

*Kugugung-!*

While the colossal robot and the living palace engage in a power struggle, disaster strikes from within. The interior walls ripple, beginning to compress.

*Drrrrrrr-!*

“The corridor’s shrinking!”

“Then Lulu will hold it back, Daesu and I will attack!”

“If things get hairy, I’ll pull you with 『Magic Rope』, so don’t resist then!”

*Kugugugugu-!*

Corridors, exterior walls, windows, all the elements that make up the palace transform freely, surging forward. It’s as if the building itself is a living being.

*Whack, whack, whack!* Kim Lulu landed a barrage of punches, but the corridor wall only dented slightly, without breaking.

“Seriously! It’s ridiculously! Hard!”

Why can’t Kim Lulu, with her Ascendant-level output, break through a single wall? The First Prince’s artifice is hidden here. He designated the 『Gallery Palace』 as the ‘Protagonist’ with 『Protagonist』.

*Woodudeuk-!*

“Agh! A door panel’s got me, Daesu!”

“Get out of the power armor! 『Magic Rope』!”

“Es- Escape-!”

*Whirr.* The Head of the Capital Knights shed her heavy power armor, escaping in the body of a small-sized girl. She was swept up and pulled away, entangled in Loderus’s ribbon.

With that, we crushed the enemy’s trump card that we had to keep the closest eye on. The palace crunched and devoured the power armor.

Yes, the protagonist wasn’t the First Prince. It was this palace itself, imbued with beautiful memories. The fate of the world flowed to protect the building. That was why it possessed such monstrous toughness.

Add 『Antagonist’s』 misfortune on top of that, and the combination is perfect. That unstable, uncontrolled power will work in reverse, so breaching it would require risking friendly fire.

Invincible. You could dare to declare it invincible.

But why── was 『Meteor』 able to break through?

The strange phenomena didn’t end there. Clearly wielded by an evil god, 『Destiny』clanked and sputtered, emitting dissonant chords like an untuned violin at certain junctures.

“If they steal my armor, I’ll just transform! To protect me and my friend, transformation! Magical Girl, 『Pure Rodeo』, is here!”

“Lulu, your vocabulary seems to have improved a little?”

“Really?! Is my hard study showing?!”

“Perhaps it’s time to move forward with the math curriculum a bit more!”

Creak.

Kim Lulu, startled by Oh Hyein’s words, swung her arm wildly. *Whack!* CRASH. The bizarrely elongated banister, about to ensnare her, shattered instantly.

“…I hate that!! Oops.”

“Kim Lulu, how did you break that?!”

“Does *it* hate math too?”

“That can’t be it. There must be a reason. Think!”

Shudder. 『Destiny』shudders.

The spotlight, meant to illuminate only the palace designated as ‘protagonist’, kept shifting towards the figures. Consequently, the absolute durability granted to the palace waned.

Kim Lulu abruptly raised her head and shouted as if she had suddenly grasped something.

“I get it! It seems to weaken when I transform! Dae-soo, you should transform quickly too!”

“…That doesn’t make any sense, and in the first place, I’m already transform–”

Roderus was about to retort, but he recalled the mad mage’s maxim. When the battle structure is chaotic and difficult, trusting one’s instinct can be effective.

“No. Let’s just try it. Neither the princess nor the bunny girl should look or listen to this! Sparkle sparkle! A shining, victorious move, Pure Knight!”

No harm in trying. If he does it fast enough, he can reduce the transformation time to even three seconds!

*Pih-kahng!*

*Bee-long bee-long bee-long*♪

Roderus canceled his transformation and re-initiated it. Flashy effects and light enveloped him, glittering particles scattering in every direction. Elaine was impressed by the sight.

“Oh my, is that the much-rumored magical girl transformation?”

“…Shut up!”

“However, to see someone who is originally a man transform into a girl…I don’t know what to say. It’s difficult to react to, Princess.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a knight in a bunny girl outfit!”

With that ridiculous farce, the divine power wavers. And it flows not towards the 『Palace of Paintings』, but toward the magical girls.

*Psh-ahht!* CRACK.

The outer wall of the building, previously impervious to damage, now cracked easily even against a grazing rapier. Roderus immediately noticed. The power entering from outside. It was a familiar sensation.

“…I get it! It’s not the transformation itself, it’s drawing attention. Think of it as appealing to a virtual audience! Getting their aggro, no, their affection!”

“The audience… you mean?”

“Aye. Hard to explain, but it feels like another’s… ‘belief.’ If you draw on that, the attacks connect!”

The First Prince was thrown into disarray.

His Authority held no such function. He wouldn’t purposely build in a weakness like that. A flaw had appeared in his otherwise perfect ability. And that… implied outside interference.

Someone had meddled with his Authority!

In that instant, a voice brushed against the First Prince’s ear.

“Sometimes, a moment arrives when someone becomes the story’s protagonist.”

*Whoosh.*

He turned, but no one was there. Only a faint chuckle echoed in his ear. The voice of the mad mage, the one he needed to be most wary of. Had he been freed? Had the Evil God purposely released him? Or perhaps…

“I don’t believe the deceased, or puppets, or inanimate objects can’t become protagonists. That’s far too narrow-minded. However–“

“…”

“…You lot lack acceleration, is what I’m saying.”

For someone whose sole purpose is to sow suffering in the lives of others, there is neither direction nor speed. How can the North Star shine upon one who seeks to drag others down instead of adorning their own life with brilliance?

The mad mage added a single sentence to the Evil God’s Authority. *’The one who most deserves it occupies the position of ‘protagonist’*.

That was all that was needed. There was no need to provide further aid.

If the stage was set, his players would shine brilliantly and seize victory.

—

*Whishhh*––

The direction of the wind had changed.

Not the physical wind, but the wind of victory and defeat that swept across the battlefield. Elaine could feel it on her skin.

It was as if someone was gently pushing her forward. It was only a vague sensation, but every battle where she had felt this wind, she had won, without exception. This time would be no different.

“––Let’s play some more! Hahaha! None of you are escaping this palace!”

*Kwadudududuk*––!!

The First Prince forced a joyful expression with a grotesquely distorted smile, drawing upon his power with all his might. The ‘Painting Palace’ was no longer in the shape of a building.

Every part of the palace twisted into hideous, sharp forms, moving only to harm and wound. It felt like being inside the stomach of a massive creature.

Indeed.

The ‘Painting Palace’ of old had been no different.

Every second was filled with anxiety, the fear of some unfortunate accident causing injury. One had to be wary of even the candles and knives placed on the table. She had to endure the pain-filled expressions of the servants who died off each day.

In the past, Elaine had been forced into a corner, left with only one choice. The only escape from this hell was to kill the First Prince, and so she did. Even if Irid and Sredo, her siblings, looked at her like a monster, she had to do it.

And that’s exactly what happened. For a very long time, she had been misunderstood. There were still many who thought of her as ‘an evil woman, mad with power, who poisoned the First Prince’. Even so. She had to do it.

If only I could manage it, I would don this heavy, pointed crown. Forced to simply stifle the pain and howl in solitude.

Then… what of now?

What is it like, Elaine Crown.

Crack. Crack. Pop. She works the joints of her fingers, forming a fist.

“Things are different now… aren’t they?”

A straight path unfolds before her. Elaine walked forward. Barring her way in the middle of this road is a distant past, and beyond that, the future is visible.

“『Chandelier』!”

Keeeeeee—!!

At the First Prince’s command, the candlelight blazed eerily, and the chandelier flew, rotating at high speed. 『Meteor』, watching from above, reached out and snatched it.

The chandelier, writhing like a snake, was crushed beneath the heavy right arm, slamming into the floor and gnawing at the ground as it writhed.

Kuuung-! Kwajijijijik-!

-Destruction rate 30%, 40%… your right arm is being ground away, Goldie!

-It’s alright. Suppress it, even if it breaks!

The First Prince continued his incantation.

“『Knife』!”

Keudeudeudeuk.

The fireplace was reassembled into a massive hand. In its grasp, twisted from iron bars and pokers, was a grotesque, enormous knife.

Standing in its way was Cicel Yurensto.

“Princess, I will stop this. If there is one thing a knight and a singer have in common — it is dedicating their passion to you!”

As graceful as a diva on stage, as steadfast as a knight on the battlefield. Cicel’s greatsword swung upward from below. And, as if heaven and earth had been turned upside down.

KWAANG──!!

The giant knife tore through the hand holding it, flung away and soared into the sky.

“………….”

The First Prince felt the 『Destiny』 tilting. He was certain he had stood high above, yet now he found himself in a situation where he had to look up, far, far above.

Deudeuk, deudeudeuk.

The shattered remains of the 『Painting Palace』 gathered around him. Forming a structure like carapace or shield, increasing in volume to buy time.

『Pure Light』, Oh Hyein shouted, pointing her wand.

“Daesu, Lulu, how about we go for a three-person ultimate move!”

“…We’ve never even made one of those before!”

“Then we just make one now! We can do it!”

『Pure Rodeo』. Kim Lulu, without a second thought, surges her magic to its peak. 『Pure Knight』. Oh Daesu processes that magic in real-time, stabilizing and compressing it into the form of a jewel. And then, Oh Hyein receives the jewel, and takes aim.

A deep breath. Together, they cry out. One, two, three.

“『Super Strong Beam』──!”

“『Pure Knight Buster』──!!”

“『Energee』… Pfft, hahahaha! Are we not, like, *totally* different?”

*Fwooosh*──!

Though the incantations were each unique, the flow of magic linked seamlessly, as if one being. A dazzling beam of multi-hued light instantly obliterates the shield covering the First Prince.

In that fleeting gap, a gust of wind.

*Whoosh*.

Elaine, cloaked in a silent wind across her entire being, closes the distance to the First Prince in a single stride. His body, covered head-to-toe in black scales, makes one last, desperate stand.

*Shashashashat*—!

The First Prince’s scales elongate into needle-sharp points, stabbing in every direction like a porcupine. Elaine, only breaking the needles aimed at vital, threatening spots, allows the rest to strike.

*Thunk, thwack*.

Forearm, thigh, shoulder. Countless needles pierce her flesh, but Elaine moves without pause. Her left hand clamps down on the First Prince’s collar, her right hand drawing back tight with her shoulder.

She remembers.

She remembers that day when all the Imperial children lived together in harmony. She remembers her older brother, who served as a pillar of strength before the Black Dragon devoured the First Prince’s name.

Not a face contorted by rage like this.

“—Even if I fall here, nothing will change—”

“I know this isn’t your true self, Brother. How hard it must have been. You loved us so much….”

“………..”

A *clunk*. The First Prince’s body stiffened.

He himself didn’t know why. Perhaps, something left behind by the evil god. A tiny fragment remaining in his heart.

“I don’t resent you. So, go on ahead and wait for us. When we meet again later, then. I’ll tell you how well Irid and Seuredo have grown, how happily they lived. I’ll tell you everything.”

A moment of silence. Then.

“…Yeah. I’ll be watching from above.”

Whether that answer was the deception of the Black Dragon, or the First Prince’s true feeling, she couldn’t know. But Elaine chose to believe it was sincere. That was enough.

The First Princess smiled sadly, and released the storm gathered in her grip.

────!!

……..

Where the wind had passed, only the ruined and collapsed 『Hall of Paintings』 remained. The First Prince’s body crumbled to dust, drifting skyward.

“Go in peace… Elder brother.”

Elaine gazed up at the heavens, offering a brief farewell. Then, she scanned her surroundings.

Magical girls, tossed and tumbled by the storm, lay sprawled out on the ground. Cecile, her bunny girl outfit suffering grievous damage, hid behind the crumbled rocks, only her head peeking out.

Clap, clap. Elaine gathered their attention and spoke.

“Alright, everyone, if you have the strength, let’s move. It’ll be terribly difficult, but if we don’t want to suffer even more later… we must take that step now.”

-Yes, Your Highness. 『Meteor』 is functioning without issue. According to the signal received from His Highness the Crown Prince, combat continues on the outskirts of Crown Hall.

“Um, Oh Hyein speaking! Things will be properly taken care of over there, so we need to head our separate way. The Goddess, no, the Archmage is fighting the Black Dragon’s true form!”

The battle wasn’t over yet, so they had to advance as long as they had the strength left.

Elaine gathered her allies and moved, following the lead of the NPC Oh Hyein. Then, suddenly, she turned back.

In that final moment, when the First Prince’s porcupine-like spikes pierced her entire body. She’d dodged as much as she could, but suffered quite critical injuries. Liver, or perhaps lungs.

But she was perfectly fine, as if someone had healed her.

“…Heh heh.”

Had the fairy of hope passed by or something?

—

In the shadows of an alley nobody knew. The mad wizard spoke to the pint-sized apocalypse explorer.

“Couldn’t you have made a grand entrance? Like Oh Hyein, appearing with a flourish! And saving Elaine in the process.”

“…No. This much is enough. Unlike the others, Elaine is a strong person who doesn’t need a crutch.”

“You got rejected and were too scared to show your face.”

“… … … …”

Pero clutched at his chest and crouched down, assaulted by the merciless truth.

It was true. He’d made a heart-felt confession at the end of the session, but was rejected. However, he wouldn’t stay rejected forever… probably!

Pero clenched his fist in secret.

—

“I will sow suffering upon the world, for I am the loyal minion of the Evil God, but why am I in this stateee–!!”

“Kugh…!”

Thwack-! Thump-!

A gigantic shadow tentacle, swung from a blind spot, slammed Bennet, sending him flying. He crashed through the window of the building opposite, smashing into the closet beyond.

Dead even… no, slightly disadvantaged.

The Chimera, made by stitching together the heads of four black mages, was unleashing magic almost like a bombardment. And Bennet’s party only numbered three. They were already outnumbered in terms of pure headcount.

Shhh-!

“Niore!”

– I evaded it!

Crunch.

The blade of bone sheared off strands of Niore’s hair, blasting away the edge of the rooftop. Had its trajectory been even a fraction lower, it would have been a mortal wound.

Right, more than anything, we’re short on a tank to block attacks.

Shuuururuk. Tara deflected a volley of ice arrows with her thorn-wrapped magic sword, shouting,

“Bennet, I can handle things myself, so you take care of Niore!”

“Tara, don’t act tough!”

“It’s not an act. If I use the divine magic that I absorbed from these guys… Ugh, hk!”

Gush. Tara staggered, coughing up black blood. The black mage’s corrupted power, tainted black, was twisted to the point where a normal human couldn’t wield it.

“If you want this power so badly, then take, take, take more! More! Waaah-!”

From the black mage Chimera’s gaping maw, screaming specters crawled forth. They hurtled towards Tara, momentarily defenseless.

“Tara-!”

Bennet was too far to intervene. She was going to be hit.

Tara squeezed her eyes shut, curling into a ball, biting her lip tight to endure the pain that was about to come…

Then. A flash of dark light brushed past her. A projectile, launched from thin air, snatched Tara away, setting her down on the ground of a distant alley.

Pshshshsh, Kuung──!!

It was a power armor forged of steel. A full-body artifact employed by the Capital Knights. But even more ornate and elaborate than those.

Were there Capital Knights left in Crownshold? Or had reinforcements arrived?

The mysterious knight who’d burst onto the battlefield addressed them casually, in a voice they knew well.

“Looks like you youngsters had a bit of an accident.”

“……Huh?”

“If you don’t mind, perhaps I could lend a hand? As it happens, I received a wonderful gift from a friend.”

“A-Abraham?!”

Tara nearly fainted.