**Chapter: 132. Infinite Descent**
The blade made of shadows sliced through the head of the fantastical monster, and as its body, resembling a small mountain, crashed to the ground, a bolt of azure lightning shot through its head, leaping between several bird-like fantastical monsters, the electric current filled with magical power tearing apart their bodies one by one.
In less than half a minute, a path leading to the underground area was cleared.
Manaa and Tenkuu became the main forces in this sudden offensive and defensive battle. Both the esper forces originally stationed at Infinite Academy and the ACE-class espers sent by the Special Circumstances SEMA often focused on one-on-one combat, making them at a disadvantage against the waves of fantastical monsters.
In contrast, Tenkuu’s “Shadow of the End” and Manaa’s “Fictional Sovereignty” were both versatile abilities that performed exceptionally well against multiple fantastical monsters.
“Where could Tsukimi-kun and Nagi-chan have gone…?” Manaa murmured anxiously, and as her words fell, azure lightning mixed with a powerful tornado ripped apart the fantastical monsters before her.
Yet even so, all she could see was a dense swarm of fantastical monsters, their crimson eyes resembling lanterns igniting in the dark. Just a glance would send a shiver down the spine of even the most battle-hardened esper.
Currently, the people of Infinite Academy were guiding others on the island toward the underground area where the academy had set up a temporary refuge for the ongoing academy league. It could be said that this underground area was the safest place at that moment.
“But those two, I don’t think we need to worry about,” Tenkuu said as if she had heard Manaa’s mutterings. While controlling the shadow to turn into a meat grinder, crushing the fantastical monsters before them, she lightly landed behind Manaa and whispered some reassurance.
After the effect of time stop was lifted, Manaa immediately noticed something was wrong and went to look for Nagi, but all she found in the underground area was Uemon, who was supposed to be by Nagi’s side.
According to Uemon, Nagi seemed to have sensed that Kanade was planning to do something dangerous, so she had left the league site alone to find Kanade.
“After all, if it’s Senpai Tsukimi, she will definitely protect Nagi-chan well.” Tenkuu solemnly assured, but she couldn’t help inwardly grumbling: Well, it’s hard to say who is protecting whom~
At this point, Tenkuu subtly looked up, her gaze landing on the clouds above Infinite Academy.
The ability of Shadow of the End had heightened Tenkuu’s senses, allowing her to feel a powerful surge of magical energy emanating from the clouds. Compared to this magical energy, the fantastical monsters before her were merely a drop in the ocean.
Clearly, that was the true battlefield.
“…Onii-chan, do your best.” Tenkuu silently cheered for Nagi in her heart, for she understood from that magical energy alone that it was not a battlefield where she could step in.
After Tenkuu and Manaa executed a flawless combination attack, slicing a highly magical response fantastical monster in two, they stood back to back. Nearby, an ACE-class esper furrowed his brow, as if witnessing something incredible.
“Indeed, if it’s Tsukimi-kun… she will surely protect Nagi-chan well…”
Without turning her head, Manaa softly sighed towards the Tenkuu behind her.
Just as her voice fell, the entire space suddenly began to shake—
The gray scenery shattered like glass, fragments falling at a visibly fast speed.
“What’s this…” Tenkuu looked around; color was rapidly returning to Infinite Academy, and the area of time stop was collapsing at high speed.
————————————-
Returning to a little earlier.
“Wh-What are you talking about!? What kind of power is that! How do you even have—” Infinite’s words were cut short as a pitch-black blade sliced through its halo-like body, silencing it.
With the death of Infinite’s body, it represented that Infinite was entirely consumed in this timeline, as if one branch of a continuously splitting tree diagram had been severed, unable to extend into the future or return to the past.
In this “possibility,” Infinite’s existence was concluded with this simple blow.
“Clearly just a lowly being misusing the gift of beginnings and ends!? Why! Where did you get this power from—”
For the first time, Infinite showed a panicked expression. It had long since given up on fighting this “archenemy” before it. At that moment, it resembled a frog escaping from a snake.
Logically speaking, it possessed a speed approaching the speed of light and could transcend time and space, making it impossible to be caught.
But the reality was—
That human, shrouded in black smoke, didn’t need to pursue it. They simply raised their claw blade and lightly swept it across the empty space before them.
Once again, an Infinite in some “possibility” was struck, its entire existence turning to ashes.
The opponent’s attack seemed to transcend time and space, leaving Infinite with nowhere to flee.
“You seem to exist simultaneously in the ‘past,’ ‘present,’ and ‘future’…” the opponent coldly remarked, swinging the black flame claw blade once more. “That means, as long as I attack the places where you once existed, I can hit you directly because you existed here in the past.”
Infinite was struck again, another “possibility” severed.
“Damn it, damn it!” Infinite cursed in exasperation.
As the opponent had said, no matter whether it fled to the past or the future, the cross-temporal attack would reach it.
But even if it prepared to fight desperately—
—Flee, the farther the better.
—This was an opponent it could not defeat.
Infinite’s mind was in a frenzy, giving frantic warnings.
Unable to escape, unable to fight back, for the first time, Infinite felt despair.
The person before it, enveloped in dark flames… no, this was definitely not a human, just a special entity disguised as a human. It was a threat, whether to fantastical monsters, humans, or even to this world, this special entity was a potential threat.
Moreover, this special entity possessed the “gift of beginnings and ends.” If allowed to grow—
“Amorphous mist! A new threat! This entity named Tsukimi Kanade! Is a new threat!” Once Infinite realized there was no way out, it roared toward the white mist not far away.
Such an existence absolutely could not be allowed to remain. Just like that protagonist who should have existed, even if this entity had a one-in-a-million chance of destroying this world, it absolutely could not be allowed to survive.
“What do you intend to do?” the opponent seemed to sense something was off.
“…It’s useless. Soon you will be regarded as a new threat by us. Even if you can eliminate me, endless fantastical monsters will cross time and space to find you—” “We, endless—” “We are born from fantasy and end all fantasies—”…
Infinite’s body began to gradually emit a dazzling light.
That was a sign of self-detonation. It had been locked in and could no longer escape, but the authority it held could not fall into the opponent’s hands. Therefore, all it could do was attempt to take this island and all the humans on it with its life.
—Speaking of which, what was the name of this island again?
—Ah, Infinite Academy… right? I see.
The pitch-black blade slashed downward across all timelines, cleaving every Infinite in two, all its possibilities collapsing in this moment—at Infinite Academy.
Infinite’s domain shattered as a result.
