My skill, “Reading,” was about to be sublimated and become something else.
No, it’s more accurate to say it’s returning to its original form. Tiara-sama’s “Prophecy” arrives like a letter through the “Magic Stone Line” at my feet.
“Star Magic—
was merely forced into the framework of ‘attributes’ conceived by my Master, but originally it had completely different meanings and roles.
The Apostles initially meant that [Star Principle] referred to ‘circulation ability’ to save the ‘World.’
Therefore, it is by no means magic power that is heavy and pulls things.
—It just ends up being heavy and pulling things.
Like Hidaki Sister when she first came to this Another World, magic power, if it becomes too dense, it naturally becomes heavy and has the property of drawing in surrounding things.
Please be careful with that and control the magic [Levan]. Basically, it’s not much different from Fanian’s Lord Flame God’s Curse Technique [Althofel]. However, the scale is completely different.
If you fail, you will be swallowed by the weight, ‘Reversed,’ pulled in, and everything will end. The important thing is control of the property.
It’s very difficult, but you won’t be the one practicing that sensation, so don’t worry—”
Gradually, I felt myself overlapping with Tiara-sama from a thousand years ago.
That’s why she seems so profound.
The many pages that the aged Tiara-sama wrote on the ground with her own blood a thousand years ago—
“From now on, you who are a thousand years in the future will inherit me, who has mastered the control of star properties, through the ‘power of blood.’
However, that ‘star power’ is the power to pick up ‘Everything’ that I have discarded, not the power to sustain yourself. The skill you are reading now also has a different true purpose—”
It was a strange sensation.
Separate from the scene I was seeing, another scene was unfolding in my mind.
It was almost the same mechanism as the precognition Kanami had told me about, and it was likely too much information for a human to process.
However, I turned the pages without hesitation.
Among the pages Tiara-sama had prepared a thousand years ago, there was one that was exactly the same as the current situation. Even though the future branches out infinitely, Tiara-sama had perfectly read the current situation beforehand and stored it in the [Magic Stone Line].
I read it.
“—And so, the final battle finally begins on the first floor of Fuziaze Castle.
The first to move was Aikawa Hidaki, the ‘Thief of the Principles of Water.’
Her small lips trembled slightly, and she raised her slender arm slightly, pointing.
‘First, you—’
Standing in front of her was Maria, the ‘Witch of Flames.’
Aikawa Hidaki understood through her skill that if anyone was least aware of the situation at this moment, it was her. And that if there was any way to take her down, this initial timing was the only opportunity.
‘—[Ice Arrow]!’
‘—[Flame Arrow]!’
In response, Maria also unleashed magic instantly.
Two basic spells approached each other like mirrors.
[Ice Arrow], an Ice Magic by a ‘Foreigner’ who calls herself the ‘Thief of the Principles of Water.’
[Flame Arrow], a Fire Magic by a girl who inherited the ‘Thief of the Principles of Fire.’
Originally, they should have been equal as they were based on the same principles.
However, because a pretender was mixed in, the principles of the world were distorted and skewed.
Aikawa Hidaki’s [Ice Arrow] swallowed Maria’s [Flame Arrow]—”
The reality I was seeing unfolded exactly as written on that page from a thousand years ago.
As a result, the appearance of the first floor of Fuziaze Castle was transformed by the two surging magic powers.
Pure white frost clung to the blood-stained floor and walls.
The rubble was completely frozen, and countless ice particles floated in the air.
The aftermath of a single clash between basic ice and fire magic completely transformed the area into an ice-attribute domain.
“Hah, hah, hah…!!”
Above it all, Maria-chan knelt, breathing raggedly.
Her chest moved up and down, but the tips of her black hair did not sway.
Her body was freezing from all extremities, her body heat being stolen, and her eyelids were about to close.
Maria-chan, who had once turned the center of the ‘Mainland’ into a scorched plain, was simply outmatched in sheer firepower.
In other words, Hitaki-chan in front of her was even more powerful. She possessed enough magic power to freeze not only the ‘Mainland’ but also lands far beyond the sea.
Hitaki-chan took a step forward and spun a new basic magic.
“First person. —[Freeze].”
It wasn’t fast.
But I had a feeling her hand would envelop Maria-chan the next moment.
Maria-chan seemed to feel that chill as well, and she immediately unleashed magic to resist— no, she generated flames to push out her companions within her body.
“…Reaper! Please escape!!”
Not only could she not win, but Hitaki-chan possessed an intimidating presence that made one think [No one can defeat Aikawa Hidaki].
Maria-chan prioritized her companion’s safety and pushed Reaper out from her shadow.
“O-Older sister!? Kk—!”
Reaper somehow tried to help his host, Maria-chan. However, the moment their eyes met, he bit his lip and fled into the shadows of the surrounding rubble. It seemed to be a rational decision to disperse risk, born from the mutual understanding of two skilled tacticians.
However, not everyone could make such calm judgments, and Dia, who was nearby, shouted in anger.
“Mariaaaa—!!”
With her得意’s (specialty’s) incantationless [Shion], she pushed back Hitaki-chan’s [Freeze] and rushed over. Then, with her left arm, she powerfully caught Maria-chan’s body, who was about to fall backward. She called out her name very roughly, shaking her body.
“Maria, Maria, Maria—! What did you do to Maria!?”
However, Maria-chan was no longer moving.
Even from a distance, her body heat had been lost, her breathing had become shallow, and she was as quiet as an animal hibernating.
Dia glared at the enemy who had launched the attack, and Hitaki-chan placed a hand on her chest and replied.
“I swear. I will never harm you.”
“You won’t harm me!? Maria is freezing and trembling right now, isn’t she!!”
In the face of her irreplaceable best friend’s crisis, Dia lost her composure. And, just like when she lost Kanami, her hands moved before she could think.
An arm made of shining magic power extended from the tip of the elbow of her lost right arm.
The elastic light arm was fast and sharp, and was about to capture Hitaki-chan when Fafnir, the Thief of the Law of Blood, intervened.
He, too, manipulated an arm made of solidified special blood and, like a knight protecting his lord, met Dia’s light arm head-on.
“Don’t get in the way! You already lost to me once!”
“I don’t deny it… So, if you beat me again, next time leave nothing behind.”
“You don’t have to tell me, that’s already the plan!!”
Dia poured more power into her light arm.
Fafnir responded by pouring in equal power.
It was a clash of immense magic power.
Meanwhile, the two Dragon People were also clashing. I had already prepared the pages for that as well, so it was easy to grasp the flow of the battle.
“——Snow, who had been observing the entire first floor, was about to move before anyone else to protect her companions Maria and Dia in distress.
But, just as she was about to, Seldra, the Thief of Nothingness, who had been observing the whole situation from a step back, stood in her way just before Snow’s first step.
Snow, who had been careless on the upper floor, had no more hesitation.
Efficiently and expressionlessly, she moved at maximum speed for her team’s victory.
She compressed the ‘Dragon’s Wind’ into a sphere and ruthlessly tried to tear apart the enemy’s body.
“——《Dragoon Adder》!!”
“How nostalgic. ——《Dragoon Adder》”
But standing before her was Seldra Queen Philion, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Alliance, a millennium older and clearly a superior version of herself.
He skillfully created a sphere of the same intensity with practiced ease and neutralized it.
Furthermore, he appraised Snow like a parent.
“Descendant, you have a strong power. A clear ‘Strongest’.”
“Move!!”
“But compared to us, who only have strength, the previous Glen would have been far more meaningful to the ‘World’. …More than enough for your brother.”
“I realize that already! ——《Impulse Break》!!”
“I see, if you understand, then that’s fine. ——《Impulse Break》”
In contrast to Seldra, who spoke leisurely, Snow replied with few words, her greatsword crackling with magic power as she charged straight ahead.
To that, Seldra quietly chanted the same magic again.
Both his arms were also imbued with colorless magic.
However, this time, unlike before, the intensity was not the same to merely offset it.
The overwhelming difference in magic power was evident.
However, Snow, who had started her charge at full speed, could not stop midway, and the two “Impulse Breaks” collided with great force, leading to an outcome commensurate with their magic power.
“Gah, uu—!!”
It was a sword against an arm, but it was one-sided.
—A colorless shockwave characterized by vibration assaulted Snow, and her body was blown backward with a groan. She crashed into the sturdy wall of Fuziaze Castle and lost consciousness—
Just as I predicted that much, I used a bit of the magic power I had accumulated within me during the clash of the two “Impulses.”
“—Star Magic 《Gravity》”
My body felt light.
Freed from the force pulling me to the ground, I felt like I could fly anywhere. Relying on this lightness, I kicked off the floor and went ahead of Snow to the wall she was about to crash into.
“Gah, uu—!!”
And, as I had predicted, by catching the blown-back Snow, the page changed slightly.
“—No, she doesn’t lose consciousness.
At the last moment, Rustiara Fuziaze intervenes—”
That sentence was permitted.
Rather, that branching—a new page—was prepared for me by Tiara.
As long as the last page is not changed, any number of intermediate events can be altered, which was proven here.
I even thought that perhaps I was being encouraged to change the events in the middle. While confirming this, Snow quickly regained her footing and moved away from me.
“Rustiara, thank you…”
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
It was no wonder.
Most of the cause of unconsciousness is internal damage from the colorless shockwave. Even though I caught her, Snow’s damage had not changed much.
However, Snow showed no sign of giving up and stood before me, intending to challenge the clearly superior being, Seldra.
“But, Rustiara, you stay back. I will protect you. This time… I absolutely will.”
Then, she gradually began to ‘Dragonize’ her body.
The red mist that erupted was clearly thicker than when I had seen her during the past Dance Battle Tournament.
By changing one sentence of the page, Snow’s new resolve was born.
I read that,
“—Snow Walker had many traumas.
First, her own ‘Dragonization’. And losing loved ones. Among them, the deepest trauma was probably the ‘Thieves of Principles’. In the past, Snow’s companions were brutally murdered by Teeda, the Thief of the Logic of Darkness.
That trauma had bound her life for a long time.
Therefore, she had a sense of inferiority towards Rowen, the One Who Steals Earthly Principles, feared Palinkron, who inherited the Thief of the Logic of Darkness, and could not fully exert her power as ‘Strongest’.
However, after repeated defeats and the passage of a year, facing Seldra, a ‘Thief of Nothingness’ of the same kind, she was finally trying to overcome all her traumas.
The reason was to protect her precious companions.
For Rustiara, she was willing to ‘Dragonize’ and never return.
Even if she knew she would lose, she swore not to give up again and fought—”
“…Snow.”
I gazed at her back and learned from her.
Meanwhile, the battle on the first floor of Fuziaze Castle continued to intensify.
“Do you think I’ll let you get close!!”
Rainer shouted nearby.
The opponent with whom his twin swords clashed was Hitaki-chan.
In this short time, she had approached me silently and from the shortest distance. Rainer, noticing this, stood in her way, and, just as before, fought against the shape-shifting ice blades.
“That skill is obviously designed to counter me.”
Hitaki-chan didn’t move, her expressionless face meeting my gaze. She seemed to understand the power and meaning of Rainer’s skill, “Evil Sense,” from my words.
However, even knowing that she wouldn’t be easily defeated, she continued to fight with only ice blades, without changing her strategy.
The battle on the first floor of Fuziaze had, for a moment, become a stalemate.
Dia engaged in magical combat with Fafnir.
Snow was testing her strength against Seldra.
Rainer clashed swords with Hitaki-chan.
Each challenge was underway, and progress had stalled.
From my vantage point, watching these events unfold, I realized the meaning behind the current situation.
“This is…”
Though I felt guilty towards my companions, truthfully, this wasn’t much of a fight. We were being treated with an extraordinary amount of restraint.
The “Thieves of Principles” weren’t using their full power-based, large-scale techniques. They were consistently on the defensive, trying to subtly outmaneuver us with similar types of power.
This was likely to ensure our capture, not defeat, after they won. Hitaki-chan’s words, “In no event will I harm you,” were neither a lie nor a joke. The confidence and consideration of these powerful individuals permeated the battlefield.
Therefore, this balanced battle would continue for a little longer. Even without the “Reading” skill, I could easily predict the next course of events.
Gradually, Fafnir would surround the battlefield with blood, Hitaki-chan would freeze everyone with her cold air, and Seldra would attempt to incapacitate those weakened opponents with her vibration magic, one by one. We, being inferior in pure strength, would be utterly unable to resist their straightforward, powerful techniques and would lose.
If there was any chance of us winning against the “Thieves of Principles,” it would have been for Maria-chan alone. But even that slim possibility had been crushed at the very beginning, and now—
I averted my gaze from the predetermined battlefield and looked at the knight standing beside me. Sera-chan, understanding her own limitations and strengths, was diligently protecting me, her teeth clenched.
I met Sera-chan’s eyes and tried to search for a page using the “Reading” skill where she abandoned me and fled—but such a future was not easily found.
While I was happy, it was also a somewhat troubling situation. Reluctantly, I placed my hopes on another girl. To make her listen, I voiced my own wishes.
“Sera-chan… I’m going to stay here now and buy us some time. So, can you take care of everyone in the meantime…?”
“……!”
As I somberly declared my intention to become a decoy, Sera-chan vigorously shook her head. Furthermore, a reply flew from the front, speaking in place of the speechless Sera-chan.
“Don’t be ridiculous!! What idiotic thing are you saying?!”
Rainer, interrupting his swordplay with Hitaki-chan, created a significant distance between them. It seemed he had retreated to warn me, exposing himself to danger.
Though his body was facing forward, he was shouting with his face turned slightly to the side. It was a critical opening, but Hitaki-chan remained expressionless and did not pursue.
“Rainer, you should understand by now. Even if we lose here, we’ll only be captured.”
Hitaki-chan probably knew from the start that this was a three-way battle. She seemed content to watch from the sidelines while I and Rainer were occupied.
“Yeah, I know!! We’ll be fine, but it’s different for you! If you die here, how can we face our master?!”
Rainer was completely unmoved by my persuasion. Unlike the easily deceived Sera-chan, he instead scolded me.
“Don’t you dare butt into things you shouldn’t, child! Listen, Rustiara! Even if everything is predetermined destiny, you must resist until the very end! Just because the “World” is decided like a book from the beginning, there’s no obligation to silently obey it! No one has that obligation!!”
Rainer treated me like a four-year-old child—well, I was indeed four years old—and refused to accept my proposal. Though his tone was rough, his kindness peeked through.
I was truly touched by his concern. However, perhaps because we hadn’t known each other for long, he had misunderstood slightly. It was true that I would act according to the predetermined path, like a book. But that wasn’t—
“That’s wrong, Rainer. I’m not following because I have to. I’m reading this book because I like it.”
After experiencing a near-death experience, witnessing Tiara-sama’s darker side and her wicked deeds, the fact that I still gravitated towards the “Threads” was, I believe, primarily due to this “liking it.”
“Even if everything is destined, I want to live my life to the fullest. Otherwise, I’ll have “Lingering Desire”…”
“L-Lingering Desire…?” You…
Despite being in the midst of battle, Rainer finally tore his eyes away from the enemy in front of him. Seeing me, his eyes widened, and he looked genuinely astonished. I could read his inner thoughts.
“—Rustiara’s demeanor was clearly different from just a few seconds ago. The biggest change was the magic power she exuded. An immense amount of magic power, seemingly obtained illegally from somewhere. Including its color and quality, everything was completely new. And her profound expression, unbefitting a four-year-old, overlapped with the “Thieves of Principles” of the past. This meant she had no intention of stopping either—”
These were welcome thoughts. To be considered equal to the “Thieves of Principles” who lived their lives to the fullest a thousand years ago felt like my entire journey up to this day had been validated.
However, I didn’t believe this validation was solely due to me. It was because of the body and skills prepared by Tiara-sama—and most importantly, the new calendar of this continent—that I could stand shoulder to shoulder with the “Thieves of Principles” who had accumulated the experience of a thousand years.
Come to think of it, this new calendar was the “I” itself. Although “I” was only a few years old, my story had been connected from a thousand years ago. I had possessed the same accumulation as those “Thieves of Principles” from the very beginning.
Finally, I understood. Now, I also understood the true power of the “Reading” skill.
It wasn’t just about reading books. The important part wasn’t its ability to acquire information in the real world. Nor was it its unfair power to predict the future.
The reason “We” had once loved books was because, within that tower/Cathedral, “it felt like experiencing someone else’s life.” The sensation of gaining an entire life, complete with its darkness and light, was the only solace within that birdcage.
The more I read, the more my short life becomes richer.
This is the true value of the skill “Reading.”
“W-Wait…! Then, that’s just like Nosfy—”
Rainer moves to stop me, seeing my strange state.
In response, I tell him there’s no need to worry.
“It’s okay. Unlike a ‘Thief of Principles,’ I have no ‘Lingering Desire.’ I only had ‘Dreams.’ …But that was precisely the destination for the ‘Thieves of Principles.’ To continue seeing ‘Dreams’ after it was all over…”
Then, I unleashed the magic I had been stirring within my body.
Its attribute was the stars.
With the greatly mixed magic power, I made the dazzling magic assault Rainer and Sera-chan, who were nearby.
“Wha—!?”
“—!?”
And then, I “Reversed” it.
The two who had started to move forward fell face-first and became completely immobile. They had lost their strong will and fainted.
“…Haa.”
Thanks to continuously reading from the “Magic Stone Line,” the control of the nature was perfect.
I had succeeded, and took a breath.
Perhaps I thought Rainer might resist with sheer force of will, but it ended up being a needless worry.
However, in response to that abnormal situation, the last companion who had been hiding finally revealed herself.
“Rainer-niichan, Sera-neechan!?”
Reaper crawled out from behind a piece of rubble and rushed towards the two.
Placing her hand on her forehead, she checked their condition and then looked at me with trembling eyes.
“That just now… It’s the same as what Ragune used on Maria-neechan…”
“Yeah, just like a close friend’s imitation. It’s the same as Ragune-chan. I wish I could show Ragune-chan something, but… is it too late?”
With the girl I had expected appearing as planned, I felt even more at ease.
There would likely be almost no more obstacles until everyone retreated.
With ample time, I looked at the light shining through the central atrium.
Even though morning had not yet arrived, it was this bright, undoubtedly due to the power of the “Thief of the Principles of Light.” And as the light intensified, it meant Ragune-chan’s defeat, whom I was presumably confronting, was drawing near.
I could feel the story of this Fuziaze Castle rapidly progressing, like pages of a book fluttering in the wind.
Reaper was wary of my composed attitude.
“Ra, Rustiara-neechan…?”
“Reaper, please. Take everyone and escape.”
Then, I told her what I couldn’t ask Sera-chan.
“Escape…? But then, what about you, neechan! If niichan comes back, it will all be meaningless!”
“I know. But this is the only way for ‘everyone together’ to reach a happy ending. I want to save Hitaki-chan as well… If I don’t save Hitaki-chan, Kanami will never be able to return anywhere for the rest of his life…”
I approached Reaper in the middle of the battlefield and extended my hand.
Realizing my intention, she reached out her hand in return.
Temporarily, Reaper and I created a “Connection.”
Just as Kanami had done during his fight with Rowen, sharing his life with Reaper.
All the information I had seen was transmitted to her, along with my own life. Naturally, this included the final page that I believed in.
Upon seeing this, Reaper looked disbelieving and asked me.
“…Is it, really? Is this your true wish, neechan? Not some ‘Threads’ from someone a thousand years ago?”
“Yes. This, at least, is not a wish granted by someone. It is the ‘true, true wish’ that I chose. …It’s the same as yours, Reaper.”
“The same as mine… You also, with ‘Magic’… have become a true ‘Curse’…”
Reaper, appearing confused, began to sort through the information shared with me.
However, she was, after all, the daughter of Kanami in his prime a thousand years ago. With her outstanding processing ability, she gradually began to show a light of understanding in her eyes. Then, she looked around.
“Reaper, take everyone and escape. …Run, run, run, and when you’re ready, come back and get me.”
By repeating the same request, I conveyed to her that time and leeway were running out.
A little further away, Dia, fighting Fafnir, looked like she was about to lose. While a two-on-one fight with Maria-chan would have been advantageous, a one-on-one fight while protecting an ally was disadvantageous.
Snow, fighting Seldra, was in a similar situation. Relying greatly on her strength as a Dragon Person, she was in a prolonged disadvantage against someone with superior power.
They would soon lose.
Through my skill “Reading,” Reaper could also see the future of total annihilation.
Therefore, after much hesitation, she made her decision.
“…I believe too. But I only believe in you, neechan, not someone from a thousand years ago. I only believe in you, Rustiara-neechan, one of my ‘best friends’…!!”
With those words, Reaper slipped into the shadow of the unconscious Sera-chan.
Furthermore, just as Maria-chan had been enveloped in black cloth, she wrapped herself in darkness, taking on the form of a giant black-furred wolf. A wolf with black fur stood up, its blood-red twin eyes wide open.
—A “Death God” possessed her, taking over Sera-chan’s unconscious body.
Though her personality often led her to a supporting role, if she put her mind to it, she could seize control of the possessed body at any time. Maria-chan likely knew this and thus allowed her to inhabit her body. That was why, just now, she prioritized Reaper’s unique abilities over her own, which were merely focused on firepower, and ensured her escape.
As I had known even in the labyrinth, if it came down to a retreating battle, there was no one more useful than Reaper, who commanded Dark Magic.
“Thank you, Reaper.”
Expressing my gratitude for her turning to my side, Reaper, in Sera-chan’s body, immediately picked up the unconscious Rainer.
Then, she threw him into the shadow of her massive body and sank him.
It was likely a variation of an “Inventory” spell. Only Reaper, who had learned Kanami’s dimensional attributes, could transport someone in this manner.
Furthermore, with the speed of a thousand-year-old “Demon Transformation” wolf, Reaper sprinted.
Her first destination was Fafnir, who was gripping Dia with a giant blood arm and tightening his hold.
Dia, who was being strangled, had lost consciousness and was just about to be thrown into the pool of blood at Fafnir’s feet. However, a mist of darkness rushed through and passed by.
The Reaper had skillfully snatched Dia away. Fafnir, letting out a surprised cry, tried to cast a magic spell towards the mist of darkness.
“H-Hey! Magic [Blood—]”
“Fafnir, don’t chase them! They use various teleportation magic! Our first objective is to duplicate Tiara over there!”
However, Seldra, who was fighting in the distance, stopped him with a loud voice. Fafnir froze at his companion’s voice, and during that time, the Reaper also secured Maria. Seldra confirmed the situation and prepared to end the battle with Snow.
“…Wise. Now we can finish this too. —Magic [Dragoon・Adder]!!”
“—Down, [Dragoon・Adder]!!”
With a roar that clearly indicated he had been holding back, Seldra unleashed his true ‘Dragon’s Wind’. Snow responded with the same magic, but it was erased the moment they clashed. Seldra’s [Dragoon・Adder] then struck Snow’s ‘Dragonized’ body directly. The vibration, characteristic of its neutral attribute, destroyed her from the inside, and Snow lost consciousness with a massive amount of blood.
However, she was not dead. It was a precise control that managed to knock out the resilient Snow. Furthermore, the direction her body was blown towards was exactly where the Reaper was rushing. The Reaper, slightly bewildered by the coincidence of Snow being delivered to him, collected her and immediately headed towards the damaged wall of Fuziaze Castle. None of the three Thieves of Principles pursued him.
I watched as the Reaper, gathering all his companions, departed. Looking closely beyond the wall, the soldiers who had been lined up without me knowing were all gone. Only a few fallen soldiers were visible amidst snow I had only ever seen in books.
It seemed the temperature had dropped too much to continue watching the outcome of the battle due to the ‘Winter Otherworld’. I suspect Hitaki was simultaneously conquering the entire continent while fighting us. I truly wanted to show them my heroic deeds, but it couldn’t be helped. Resigning myself to the fact that the soldiers outside had their own roles, I looked up at the sole audience, the ‘rift’.
No, that’s not right… I’m sure Kanami will see it with ‘Past Sight’… I no longer doubted Kanami’s revival. The pulsating blood felt from beneath my feet. The sparkling light from the heavens. The gaze from behind me, from the ‘rift’. Everything suggested Nosfy’s victory. And I can believe it. As long as my best ‘protagonist’, Kanami, is here, no matter what hardships await, we will surely win in the very end. Such a final page awaits—
“—Rustiara, that page will not come. It will absolutely not come. Even if you yearn for a page that doesn’t exist, what doesn’t exist, doesn’t exist.”
Hitaki interrupted me. As I had expected, as long as these white ‘Threads’ were swaying, my thoughts could be read. So, I decided to speak my true feelings without any pretense.
“The reason you think it’s a page that doesn’t exist is because you’re not truly reading the book, Hitaki.”
Hitaki continued to listen to me with a blank expression. It seemed she intended to hear all the ‘Answers’ as long as I didn’t run away.
“Kanami will reach it. Certainly, Kanami has always been in the palm of Mother Tiara and Hitaki’s hands. Everything was orchestrated, manipulated by threads, leading him to a predetermined final page. He had many pathetic moments, but—”
Perhaps it was all a predetermined script. Rowen and Nosfy might have realized it. Kanami might have understood it deep down.
“Kanami fought with all his might. The Thieves of Principles also lived their lives to the fullest until the very end.”
However, even so, none of them were just going through the motions. That difference is significant. And this difference alone is the only thing Tiara possesses that surpasses Hitaki. Due to her innate skill, Hitaki couldn’t realize it even if she wanted to.
Grabbing a few of the swaying white ‘Threads’ and pulling the red ‘Threads’ beneath my feet as I walked, I declared, “Therefore, it’s not these ‘made-up’ ‘Threads’. It’s ‘real’ ‘Threads’ connecting everyone, being passed down. Even after it’s over, they continue. Thanks to Kanami, the continuation of everyone’s final pages are still being spun…!”
Hitaki, who had been expressionless until now, seemed to move her eyebrows slightly. This was an impromptu line that wasn’t in Tiara’s pages, but I would be happy if it reached her heart precisely because of that.
“—Star Magic [Revann].”
After my declaration, I chanted with composure. First, the magic power accumulated on the continent flowed into me. However, this magic power was irregular, diverse, and chaotic. An ordinary human would likely vomit it out immediately due to the mixture of attributes they are not proficient with. But for me, born as a ‘Magic Stone Human,’ inheriting the ‘power of blood,’ and understanding the essence of the star attribute, it became ideal magic power. Revannism is the sole religion on the continent, and it is monotheistic. The power accumulated by ‘paying’ their faith as a ‘Price’ is the history of a thousand years itself, the crystallization of all humanity’s prayers. Simply put, it is the magic power of one world. All of it became mine— but it’s still not enough. Unfortunately, if this were enough to win, Tiara wouldn’t have struggled a thousand years ago. Even this is still far from matching Hitaki. That’s why the living Tiara continuously muttered curses of “not enough, not enough, not enough” throughout her life.
—But, I still have another option. One of them is now pouring down from the ‘Summit’. It was the most dazzling light of the day. Both Hitaki and I were captivated by it and looked up. —Now, Kanami has been revived. At the moment all preparations were complete, I narrowed my eyes, feeling the light.
