CH 659

In the midst of the battlefield.

Olivia Lanze, too, was fighting while wearing the armor of a Holy Knight.

The thousands of meteorites pouring down from the torn sky shook the ground with their impacts.

And Olivia could clearly see the huge waves of flame and flashes of light that engulfed the monsters.

"Reinhardt..."

The Immortal had disappeared, and the Demon King's troops had invaded.

Everyone would know that the Demon King's troops were not aimed at humanity, but at the monsters.

Would this misunderstanding end?

However, this story was only about covering one misunderstanding with another.

Covering the misconception that the Demon King wanted to exterminate humanity with the misconception that the Emperor had abandoned humanity.

Reinhardt may not have intended it, but the situation was flowing in that direction.

However, covering one misunderstanding with another was only possible if the Allied Forces survived.

Destroying all the warp gates and ensuring everyone's survival.

The annihilated Allied Forces couldn't return to humanity with any truth or misunderstanding.

First, they had to survive.

That's why Reinhardt had removed his mask and revealed himself as the Demon King.

He showed the magic that killed the monsters.

To support the collapsing Allied Forces caught in their own trap.

The mask had to be removed.

Any strong power would do.

Although the Immortal was gone, everyone needed to know that there was a powerful ally who would not bow to the monsters.

So.

Flick!

Olivia also threw off her helmet.

As she untied the band that held her hair, Olivia's brilliant platinum blonde hair fluttered in the wind of the battlefield.

In such a miserable battlefield, there was a presence that couldn't help but draw attention, and it was Olivia Lanze.

Even before the Gate Incident, Olivia Lanze had gained enormous fame under the name of the Saint of Eredian.

She had participated in the Great Demon War, and although she had taken a supporting role, she had gained an uncharacteristic nickname of "Deathbringer" for killing countless demons.

However, even that fame was meager compared to the infamy she gained after the Gate Incident.

A traitor of humanity.

She became more famous as a villainess rather than a saintess, and wanted posters for the traitors who betrayed humanity were posted in every city where humanity still existed.

Those who had even a bit of hatred towards the Demon King, of course, would have no choice but to know the faces of the three traitors of humanity as well as the Demon King's face.

Olivia Lanze.

Harriet de Saint Owan.

Liana de Grantz.

One of the three, Olivia Lanze, revealed herself.

Olivia Lanze...

The Demon King's Saintess!

Those among the soldiers in the battlefield who recognized her face could only be horrified, while those who didn't know her could only look at her following the horror of others.

Even the Holy Knights were appalled at the fact that she was wearing the armor of a Holy Knight and fighting alongside them in the battlefield.

But it was the middle of the battlefield.

There was no time to discuss their horror and fear now.

They had to fight.

It was the same for Olivia.

She killed monsters.

The Empire had raised warriors to create an army to kill monsters.

In the end, what they needed was power.

The power to kill monsters.

It didn't matter what the source of that power was.

The power to kill the enemy.

The power to end all of this.

People wanted that.

Rumble!

The power that extended from Olivia's hands was clearly, not benign.

It was not the white and golden power used by the saint of purity, but rather, dark and sinister energies that emanated from Olivia's body.

For a moment, people were aghast at the sight of the seemingly malevolent dark power.

Grrr

The ground, imbued with this dark power, began to tremble, and something started to emerge from beneath the earth.

One by one, ominous beings appeared, oozing an inky black aura of corruption that was not found in simple low-ranking undead.

Countless Death Knights erupted from the ground.

But that was not all.

Screeeech!

As the skeletons rose from the ground, they waved their hands in the air, and one by one, they mounted translucent phantom steeds that were nothing but bones.

The Death Knights began to grasp the reins of the phantom horses.

Olivia Lanze, too, leapt lightly onto a phantom steed.

The saint, now turned wicked, looked down upon the terrified humans.

"Let's go."

Snap!

With a harsh crack of the reins, the phantom horses didn't run but slid at an incredible speed towards the wave of monsters.

Led by Olivia Lanze, countless Death Knights followed behind, mounted on their phantom steeds.

Screeeech!

The piercing cries of the phantom horses drowned out the monstrous wails.

Crunch crunch!

The phantom horses' procession trampled the monsters ruthlessly as they advanced.

It was as if a ship was breaking through a tidal wave.

Everyone stood dumbfounded as they watched the phantom horses trample the horde of monsters.

And then, as if it was a signal,

Several of the Holy Knights who had been fighting on the battlefield suddenly mounted the phantom horses and joined the procession.

"What... what on earth..."

Olivia Lanze, who had disappeared as a saint, now wielded the powers of darkness and corruption, just like her altered reputation.

What's more, a few of the Holy Knights of the Order used the very power of corruption they were supposed to oppose.

The Demon King's forces were within the Order.

Their use of the cursed power was clear.

However,

Roaaarrr!

Screeech!

It was also clear that they were attacking the monsters, not humans.

------

Everyone was in their place, doing their part.

They were all doing their best to fill the void left by the Immortal.

Everyone's power was different, so they couldn't all fight together in the same place.

Reinhardt had his place.

Liana had her place.

Olivia had her place.

And the Vampire Lords and their followers had their place as well.

Of course, Harriet had her place too.

The Vampire Lords were summoning meteors to repel the monsters.

Both Reinhardt and Olivia were at the forefront, revealing themselves to keep the morale of the allied forces from crumbling.

Harriet was by Liana's side, who was concentrating her mind to summon even greater power after the Immortal's disappearance.

Harriet seemed to know why the Immortal had been withdrawn.

She must have known that it would come to this.

It was not unthinkable, but she had never expected such a move.

Did she hate us that much?

Why did she hate us so much?

Even knowing that the Demon King would take such actions to save everyone, the fact that they were being used meant they understood what the Demon King was thinking.

Why on earth did she have to go through all this, Harriet didn't know.

She couldn't understand it either.

But now was not the time for anger, confusion, or tears of injustice.

She knew that rather than complaining about the unfairness and irrationality of this situation, she had to support the crumbling alliance.

That's why, knowing she was trapped, she tried her best.

"..."

Harriet de Saint-Owan.

The magical genius, known as the greatest talent in history, had already accomplished numerous miracles.

However, those miracles had little to do with war.

Now, Harriet de Saint-Owan's genius was needed.

This time, more than ever.

She had to demonstrate her genius in destruction.

Quietly, Harriet took out a pair of earrings she had been keeping in her pocket.

Small, matching earrings.

"'Tranquility magic is permanently engraved into this artifact,' they said. 'I don't need it, and Ellen doesn't either. So, it's for you. If you can maintain your composure while using magic, casting will be easier, right?'"

Earrings imbued with mental stabilization magic.

A treasure brought back from the Darklands by Reinhardt and Ellen.

As an apology, Reinhardt had given them to Harriet, who was feeling down, watching the pair create a secret she couldn't be a part of.

No, from the beginning, he had intended to give them to Harriet, regardless of the apology.

Although it was undoubtedly a valuable item, it might not hold great significance to Harriet anymore.

In reality, it didn't.

Even without wearing these earrings, Harriet had reached the point where she could maintain her composure during battle.

That's why she carried them around but didn't bother wearing them.

She believed that obtaining composure through magic manifested by an artifact was far from a way to become stronger on her own.

However, now was the time when she needed to borrow any power she could get.

She couldn't know how much help this small pair of earrings would be, but they held great significance.

They were Harriet's treasure.

A possession brought back by her loved one and her precious friend.

Silently, Harriet put on the pair of earrings.

The subtle green glow of the earrings provided minimal tranquility effects.

But it was not the magic imbued in the earrings, but the meaning behind them that calmed Harriet's heart.

She would succeed.

No matter what it was.

Reinhardt, fighting in the front.

And Ellen, fighting even beyond him.

And everyone on this battlefield.

For her loved one and her precious friends.

And for everyone.

So their end wouldn't be brought by such monsters.

To reach a proper conclusion for the two of them.

She had to succeed, no matter what.

Although objects couldn't hold feelings, believing they did.

"Even if it's the second, it's okay. No, even if it's the third. Even if it's the last......"

Knowing the meaning behind the earrings, not the magic, Harriet gained the help of her heart, not magic.

"Even then, it's fine......"

Now, there was no confusion or sorrow in Harriet's calm eyes.

There was no room for emotions such as resentment, sorrow, or pettiness.

A time when even surviving was an overwhelming challenge.

In that final battle.

Wishing for happiness for everyone was a luxury.

Just survive.

Let's finally reach the end of everything.

So, it's alright if my place is a little far away.

As long as I can survive.

If only she could reach the end.

Then, whatever it took would be fine.

-Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

In a place on the battlefield filled with the agonized screams of flying monsters.

Harriet de Saint-Owan began to take a deep breath.

"Whoooo...."

Blue magical lines appeared all over Harriet's body.

On her earrings as well.

And from the power cartridge hanging around her neck, light surged.

The method of instantly activating magic by infusing mana into her body, like a magical scroll.

Harriet conceived this idea in her first year at the Temple Royal Class and realized it.

She also developed a power cartridge that allowed her to use external mana as if it were her own internal mana.

Time passed.

Harriet didn't live her life in battle and strife, but used her magic primarily to support Reinhardt.

Although she had shown her power in battles up to now, she had never been the main character.

However, just because she wasn't the main character in a fight didn't mean she didn't think about it.

It wasn't for nothing that she scribbled something every night beside the sleeping Reinhardt.

Magic that was beneficial to people.

Magic that took care of the wounded.

Magic that created new warp gates.

Among them, how could there not have been magic for destruction?

After all, she spent her days where strength and fighting were the most important.

How could she not have conceived such magic?

Now, she had to show it.

Something she had never tried before.

Something she hadn't even thought was possible.

Something that had never succeeded even once.

Magic that existed only in her imagination.

Now, she had to bring it into reality.

What she could achieve if her talent was used not for creation, but for destruction.

It was time to show it.

The blue magical lines drawn on Harriet's body soon began to fall off her skin.

The magical lines that had been engraved on her body were now leaving her flesh.

The blue magical lines that materialized in the air, floating like threads.

"Harriet...?"

Liana blankly stared at Harriet, who was doing something.

"..."

With wide eyes, Harriet bit her lip, seemingly concentrating on something.

She was so focused that she didn't even notice her bitten lip tearing and blood flowing.

Magic that used her body as a magical scroll.

This was only possible for Harriet de Saint-Owan.

But now, those magical lines had left her body.

A power cartridge that allowed her to use external mana like her own internal mana.

All the principles of the power cartridge were in Harriet's head.

However, even with the multiple improved power cartridges hanging around Harriet's neck, there was still not enough mana to realize the magic she wanted to implement.

No matter whose mana it was, they wouldn't be able to implement the magic that Harriet imagined.

What is magic?

Harriet had pondered this for a long time.

Even now, magic is the domain of geniuses.

However, in the distant past.

There was a time when even the most brilliant geniuses could not touch magic.

There was no method of using internal mana.

No way to accumulate mana within the body.

When magic had to be used by controlling external mana.

There were so few mages like that in the world that they could be counted on one hand.

Even those few mages could only perform tiny miracles with their genius.

In the distant past, magic was such a thing.

'How is it?'

'You... can actually do this...'

'It's not much, but that's all I can do.'

The Lord of Tuesday.

Eleris knew some methods of harnessing the mana of nature.

When asked if one could use the mana of nature as their own, Eleris demonstrated a small but magnificent miracle.

It was an easy task for modern-day mages, but the magic was performed using ancient methods.

She could summon flames, lightning, and even a fireball, although it took a long time to do so.

"Could I do it, too?"

Even for a being who had lived hundreds of times longer than herself, it was barely possible.

To the ancient entity, the young mage's question could only be seen as a childish boast.

A mere twenty-something, like her, could have been scolded for daring to dream of such heights.

However, Eleris understood the longing in Harriet's question.

"Of course, Harriet. You'll be much better at it than I am."

Thus, the Lord of Tuesday didn't mock Harriet, instead teaching her everything she knew.

Reinhardt always felt sorry for not being able to provide a better environment for Harriet.

But that was a misunderstanding born from ignorance.

Harriet had an environment that was unmatched on the entire continent.

She was in the company of the Five Vampire Lords, who had existed for an unfathomable amount of time.

To simply call them archmages would be an understatement.

Beyond their magical prowess and skill, they possessed countless spells and arcane knowledge gathered over a long time.

Harriet was in the company of great mages who could not only possess this knowledge but also put it to practical use.

Whenever she had a question, she could ask them, and they would impart vast amounts of knowledge she had never known before.

Having lived for so long, their magical achievements had essentially stagnated.

They had all reached their individual limits.

Yet, they did not hesitate to pass on their knowledge to Harriet, who was willing to try anything.

All of the Vampire Lords were curious about how far someone with an unparalleled talent could go.

So, ever since Harriet arrived in Edina, she had been like a disciple to the Five Vampire Lords.

Most mages couldn't even have a single archmage as their mentor.

But Harriet had five Vampire Lords, who had existed for an incredibly long time, as her mentors.

Sometimes, she learned from Eleris.

Sometimes, from Lucinil.

Sometimes, from Luvien.

Sometimes, from Gallarush.

And sometimes, from Antirianus.

She received countless knowledge and inspiration from them.

So, Harriet wasn't in a poor environment, but in the best one possible.

The greatest genius in history had been studying magic in an unprecedented environment.

Harriet de Saint-Owan had been spending moments bound to push her talents to their limits.

Now, it was time to show the world the fruits of her labor.

Her vast knowledge and wisdom.

The knowledge that had accumulated since ancient times, transformed into wisdom, would now be manifested by a young mage barely in her twenties.

Harriet developed a system that allowed her to use magic almost instantly by turning her own body into a real-time magical scroll.

Harriet created a power cartridge that allowed her to use external mana as if it were her own internal mana.

And Harriet sought the ancient magic – the method of using the mana of nature.

In fact, Harriet had once created a magic circle on the spot and, with her own mana depleted, called down lightning through the mana of nature.

Already, Harriet had discovered a principle similar to drawing magic circles on her own body and implementing magic at high speeds. However, once the magical power contained within the vessel known as the body was depleted, and once the power contained within another vessel called the power cartridge was depleted, magic could no longer be implemented.

Thus, a vessel approaching infinity was necessary.

She would use the vessel called nature.

If she could implement magic using a vessel that was nearly infinite, she could use magic beyond her limits, approaching infinity.

But using a vessel that transcended the physical realm was by no means an easy task.

"What would be the difference between that and the Akasha?"

"Pardon?"

Upon hearing Harriet's idea, Antirianus spoke with a meaningful smile.

"Isn't it essentially the same thing, a magic that can contain all other magics and a magic that can implement all other magics?"

Hearing his words, Harriet realized how grand her dream was.

However, the old monster hadn't said that to discourage her from dreaming.

"Wasn't Akasha just a magical tool? Why wouldn't it be possible for magic to implement the vision of a scribe?"

He said there was more than enough possibility for Harriet.

"Akasha was a magical tool that recorded and reproduced the principles."

"I've heard so."

"Then, who can say that you cannot create magic that is the origin of all principles?"

In the end, Harriet's dream was more magnificent than she had imagined.

While the principles might be different, ultimately, she would create magic similar to Akasha.

But it didn't need to be exactly the same as Akasha.

There was no need to reproduce everything.

Only the implementation of magic was enough.

Hence, the magic she dreamed of was one.

"Everything."

More precisely, "the origin of magic that can become anything."

Just like Akasha.

As the Akasha that was used for destruction created and unleashed anything upon the world.

If she could create magic that could implement any other magic, she could create all the magic in the world.

In other words, the seed of all magic.

The fundamental magic that changes depending on how the seed is germinated.

Akasha was a tool that recorded all principles.

Harriet didn't intend to create Akasha, nor did she think it was possible for her.

There was no need to record and know all the principles.

No need to create anything.

She would create an Akasha capable of implementing only magic.

An absolute principle that could become all principles.

With just that one thing, all magic could be created.

Gathering everything in the world and making it one.

That was Akasha.

So then,

The one that could become everything.

Wasn't that Akasha as well?

Even if the methods were different but the results were the same.

It might be smaller in scale.

But it could also be called Akasha.

Akasha became the world.

But Harriet couldn't dream of that much.

To create countless "ones," a vast amount of magical power was needed.

Therefore,

Nature's mana.

She must draw upon the world's magical power.

That was not possible.

No one even tried.

But there was someone who had definitely said that such an absurd thing could be possible.

Why not give it a try?

You can do it, can't you?

"Didn't you say it's impossible without even trying?"

"Do you think people are foolish enough not to use that method? The modern magical theory created by people smarter and more talented than you after making great efforts..."

"Could all those people be idiots?"

"…What?"

At that time, she had thought that the words were spoken just to torment her.

But they were not.

The speaker had been sincere.

"What if all those people are dumber than you, and that's why they created the current magic theory?"

"W-what… What the hell are you talking about?"

"All the mages who have ever existed could be more foolish than you."

Despite her being far from even the rank of a great mage at that time, he spoke with unwavering confidence.

"Are you… serious?"

"Of course, I am."

He had spoken so boldly about something no one would believe.

"How much of a genius do you think I am? On what basis do you think so highly of me?"

"You'll become the greatest mage on the continent, no, in the history of all races. You know my ability?"

"Uh, yeah…"

The ability to believe in oneself and make that belief a reality.

It was a bizarre power, but ultimately, it was the driving force that had brought him this far.

"I believe in you like that."

With that power, he had clearly stated his belief without a hint of doubt.

Reinhardt had no doubt in his mind.

Harriet didn't believe that all mages in the world, or throughout history, were more foolish than herself.

But there was someone who believed so.

Someone who believed in her and told her she could do it.

So, in response to that faith.

That absurd faith.

She had to answer.

Even though she didn't think that way.

‘If you think so.’

‘I will believe once that I am such a being.’

‘I will hope that I am such a being.’

‘Yes.’

‘The greatest in history.’

‘Unprecedented.’

‘I will show the world what the strongest mage can do.’

‘With infinite mana.’

‘I will become the mage of infinity.’

-Krururung!

Harriet's hair fluttered, and the power cartridges around his neck jostled.

She used her own magical power and the power of the cartridges as ingredients.

In other words, it was like a spark.

A spark to ignite a massive flame had to be created by Harriet's hand.

Blue lines of magical power emerged from Harriet's body and shot into the air, taking shape.

The blue lines of magical power pouring from Harriet's body soon became visible to the other mages far away from her.

-Krurururung!

No one but Harriet herself knew what was happening.

Blue strands sprouting from Harriet's body began to take shape in the sky.

Though no one had ever seen or attempted anything like it, the mages couldn't help but recognize what it was.

Lines drawn in the air.

Shapes.

Symbols.

Characters.

Their interconnections.

“A magic circle…?”

“Is that… a magic circle?”

Most magic circles take on a two-dimensional form. However, Harriet was drawing a magic circle in the air with lines of magical power, a form that had never existed before.

A three-dimensional drawing.

And beyond that.

In order to detect and absorb the real-time fluctuations of mana, the shape of the magic circle that absorbed the mana of nature also had to change in real time.

A four-dimensional magic circle that didn't have a fixed form but changed its shape in real time depending on the situation was drawn in the air.

No, it was woven.

-Krururung!

The lines of magical power pouring from Harriet's body shot into the sky, taking the shape of a massive sphere.

It appeared as if a giant star made of magic was being formed.

Liana, too, watched the bizarre transformation occurring alongside the storm of magical power with wide-open eyes.

When the storm-like anomaly came to an end,

All the nearby mages could see something manifested in the sky.

A blue, glowing spherical magic circle. No, a magical star.

The origin of principles capable of implementing all the laws of magic.

Therefore, it could be said to represent the very laws of the world itself.

The myriad phenomena of the universe.