Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Chapter 132

「The fang of ruin in my right hand, the river of hope in my left hand, that which surpa.s.ses the phantasmal and, approaches the land of the divine. Manifest here the magic wolf of the end who devours all――――Watch carefully, the pinnacle of my magic――Blue ice of the end, Fenrir!!」

Blue light, enveloped the area.
Even while being struck by its strong vortex, not one person averts their face.
Anyone and everyone is entranced by Till’s magic.
Libra is not an exception.
As a single magician, my teacher’s magnificent grand magic――nay, her miracle such that I hesitate to call it magic stole my heart as well.

「What’s with this? It’s not Cocytus? Summoning magic? No that’s wrong……I don’t know……Ahahaa, I don’t know such a magic! O-babsama, just how far have you gone!!」

Faintly, the figure of Till’s phantasm began to appear.
The blue giant wolf that descends from the world of legend.
It eats Till’s magic power as if its stomach were empty, to sustain the border of dream and reality.
And so the mirage like phantom, clearly stepped foot in reality.
Divinity impossible for a simple beast and, a sense of pressure sufficient to cause shudders just by looking.
A being that cannot be controlled by a person’s hands, an overwhelming sense of presence sufficient to cause people to prostrate themselves on instinct.

「――Three Chain Restraint!」

With Till’s bellow, chains of blue light that appear to have been woven from magic coil around the blue magic wolf.
The wolf enmeshed in chains before it manifested completely, looks up to the sky with seeming displeasure and raises a howl.

Kuooooooooon――――!!!

Irregardless of enemy or ally, that long howl seemed like it would make us lose the strength in our legs.
The great magician who called the magic wolf, grasped those chains as reins and poured her magic power into them.
Till’s magic power pa.s.ses through the chains and flows into the wolf――――That miracle descended here from the heavens to the earth.
The category of myth and legend.
That jaw is a symbol of violence said to swallow even the world.
That power if far outside the realm in which humans can resist.
A tyrannic incarnation, such that it’s questionable if even the G.o.ds could resist it.

「Blue frozen giant wolf……Fenrir. This is, Till’s……」

The same level as Cocytus……No, this surpa.s.ses even the phantasmal……

「Should I state my appreciation for going out of your way to wait for me Libra? No well, since even I would refrain from attacking while『that』is being tamed I suppose?」

Whether she was serious or joking, Till voiced something of a tangent while pulling on her chains of magic.

「……My pleasure, o-babsama, I am a researcher. I have a personality where I end up heedlessly having my interest taken by things I still haven’t seen you seee? Ahahaa.」

I suppose that’s as she said, but the leeway has vanished from Libra’s expression.

「Well it’s fine! Word’s are unnecessary now that you’ve come here, I will have you just show me riight!」

To start with, Libra ordered the chimeras to attack.
As one side of the area is covered in hedgehog like wolves, that number is enormous.
Being swallowed by the logic of numbers would be inevitable in the region of a slight resistance――

「――Mow them down.」

Be that as it may――the inevitability of the lower world should not function in the higher world.
The giant wolf with chains being pulled by Till, makes a single flash of its front legs with an appearance like it’s bothersome.

「Whaa――――!?」

The scene was too much so, I couldn’t close my mouth.
It didn’t seem to have much power put into it but, that shockwave easily blew away the pack of chimeras that were charging toward her and, without stopping at just that it gouged the earth and, a thunderous noise echoed as sediment was blown into the sky.

「Aha, ahahahahahaa! It’s real……! No, o-babsama’s magic shouldn’t be anything but that! Incredible, too incredible!」

To the side of the loudly laughing Libra, Carmel is furrowing her brows.
I suppose it’s natural, she’s not an enemy to be taken lightly.
Eclair’s grandfather, the old man called Regin-kyou is the same.

「This isn’t the time to be laughing, white witch. It would be good to clearly discern, who the opponent is.」

They were words fitting an

elderly person but, Libra answered only by waving her hand like it was bothersome to indicate she understood that sort of thing.

「It’s fine even if we slam the entirety of the chimeras and your-sama force’s military power into her though? Well, I suppose that’s no good iss it? This isn’t in the category where something will come of it using numbers iss it, it’s...o...b..bsama after all! Therefore――Aminas!!」

That white dragon boy……!
Rather than a magic system teleport, a dragon’s silhouette appeared on the battlefield shortly after being called.
Flapping both white wings, the giant dragon looks down from the sky.

「……Sirius, you are.」

Ilya made a severe face for once.

「Whatever it’s supposed to be, magic is magic! With this extra strong breath……there’s nothing you can do if you’re excluded from receiving the saintess-sama’s divine protection iss there!」

The white dragon began preparing for his breath.
His body is being charged with a great magic power.
Just before that breath was blown out, the saintess’s skill――Omega・Crown’s magic system was deployed.
An unblockable, dragon’s, breath!
However as we’re surrounded by chimera like always, there’s no way to dodge.

「Talkative aren’t you, Libra. Are you afraid?」
「……Aah, scary! I’m afraid of o-babsama! I said it before didn’t I?」
「Children are beings that fear their parents, is that not logical. You certainly are a genius. Your actual ability is plenty even standing alone. But, however much you mature, however far away you go, it is the duty of parents to correct things that are wrong. Take this to heart, Libra……the current me is――angry!」

The light of the white dragon’s breath, rose to its critical point.
There hasn’t been a time I’ve seen a power of that extent, even with the time I fought along with Kran at the royal capital.
This won’t……end as a joke!

「――Surpa.s.sing their parents, is a child’s duty, o-babsama! See it be received, this breath at its highest output!」

The light of ruin was shot down.
It’s already pa.s.sed the dimension where it can be avoided or blocked or such.
If it’s stopped at this rate, there’s only turning to dust and evaporating.
Feeling only that with a faint head, watching as that time now approaches with no sense of reality,「Aah, bright isn’t it, my eyes hurt.」I thought only that sort of airheaded thing without expressing something like a fear of death.
As such Ilya and s.h.i.+on-san came to hold me, so as to cover me.

「Fun……One chain release――Læðingr out!」

Together with a dry note, one of the chains of blue magic power coiled around Fenrir, came undone.
The sense of pressure increased, enough to create an illusion like the giant wolf’s body had become one size larger.

「Swallow!」

Under Till’s bellow, the giant wolf opened that huge mouth.
What is this absurdity, that’s the sure kill breath with the saintess’s skill included where even defending is impossible.
With no technique to resist it anymore, I can only watch with an empty head――the me thinking in that manner is realistic in a sense, the situation was too severe for what’s called timidity.

――However, something like that obvious image doesn’t work against the beast of legend.

With one part of the area burnt away, the flash of light from the breath that turns everything to dust, is easily swallowed by the giant wolf.
Having its stomach split or being annihilated in accordance with that, there’s no need to worry about those sorts of examples.
I saw nothing short of the giant wolf yawning as if nothing at all had happened.

「……Wha, what was that?」

As expected even Libra, has lost her talkativeness in surprise.
It’s a situation where other people can’t even speak.

「……Gu……Hou, it seems you people have gone silent then?」
「Tsu!?」

While she should be releasing a fundamentally relaxed voice, blood is flowing down from Till’s lips.
While holding the chains that had dwindled to 2, the blue magic power from Till’s body continues to flow into Fenrir.

「Such an absurd thing, this skill is……」
「Should it not defeat magic, is it? Kufu, I suppose not knowing of the ocean is this matter. No? Is it just that you couldn’t see your own feet, Libra? Since at any rate I was always standing at your side――Do it, Fenrir.」

I heard reluctance in Till’s command, and with that behavior the giant wolf swung its

its front leg once more.
――Once again, the ma.s.sive pack of chimera is kicked away with a shockwave that was overkill to an extent.

「……Carmel, Regin-kyou, I believe there’s nothing except to charge at her weak point now that it’s come to this but how aboout it?」
「……I suuppose so, Librsama. That’s no longer a person is she? She’s a・Mon・stro・sit・ y. Aah! She’s inhuman to a degree that makes me lament as an elf like her!!」
「……Poke a bush and a snake comes out, white witch. Things won’t always go along with your obsessions.」

Carmel displays an exaggerated sigh――there’s a diamond in that hand, she took out a diamond that appeared to be filled with blood.

「Then, shall we continue having souls provided! You filthy, humans!!」

The stone s.h.i.+ned, deploying a magic system of the same type as Libra’s――it spread through the air and, the sky is covered in chimera as I watch.
Nue like chimera, flying in the sky.
With a feeling like I’m watching a play at this point, it made me want to laugh.
There’s, nothing I can do……

「This side has also, had the formalities for a united front finished for us.」

The man called Regin gave the order and, the troops he brought with him simultaneously began deploying magic.
Each of them are, demon magicians.
Magic at a level different from that of humans, there’s nothing like a technique to defend with with a quant.i.ty of that amount being released.
Besides which, they aren’t trying to face us and attack, they’re facing the refugees that are trying to escape to the rear even now.
It’s a pathetic tale, I’m now, dazed and don’t know what I should do.
If that’s said to be a sin, I can’t feel other than that someone should give judgement.

「……Second chain release――Drómi out!」

I noticed――Fenrir express, a twisted smile.
The giant wolf raised an unsettling groaning voice like I was hearing it come from the depths of the world of the dead.
And then, the second chain that had held Fenrir is torn to shreds.

「Guuuu――――Magic wolf, if you have the time to lazily grin……try showing that power!」

Fenrir howled, while taking an increasingly ma.s.sive magic power away from Till.
And so that long howl, became the sigh of the dead that instantly froze everything.
The ma.s.sive flock of chimera that were born forth in numbers sufficient to fill the sky were, frozen in ice in the s.p.a.ce of an instant and, turn to dust.
The magic being released by the ma.s.sive horde of demons is also, frozen away in the same manner and turned to dust.

「……Li, Librsama, does this mean that there’s nothing proper to use with her as the opponent? Witch of Ice and Snow……is she, of such a calibre……?」

Even Carmel who always behaved like she ridiculed others, has come to fear Till.
……Frankly, there shouldn’t be any person who isn’t daunted when looking upon this scene.
Even the demon called Regin whose thoughts I don’t understand well, is wrinkling his brow.

「I see……I was still, looking at o-babsama lightly wa.s.sn’t I? Honestly, it’s enough to make me want to agonize over the naivety of my estimate you know……haha, ahahahahaa! But you see! Is it not said that the first to show their trump card loses? Therefore I shall present mine without holding back!」

There’s still, something more to come then!?

「……Kufu, then you’d do well to show it quickly? This magic wolf is short tempered after all? Since it seems like it could swallow you whole even now if an error was made.」

I look to Till for some reason and――the blood has drained from her face.
She, coughed up blood.
More than before, a much larger quant.i.ty of blood is――!
Even so, the magic wolf is sucking more and more magic power away.
With each order this wolf, shaves away Till’s stamina, magic power――――life.
Such, is visible.
Is Till herself, not walking a tightrope?
Then if she quickly, finishes killing all the enemies――!
――――Tsu! No, it’s not such a simple matter, is it……t!
Till turned an admonis.h.i.+ng seeming gaze, toward me as I was trapped in negative emotions.
Why……do you look over here with such a calm face?

「I don’t like it……I don’t like it……someone, someone stop Till! Because it’s enough already!!」
「Alice!!」

I was about to run out so, s.h.i.+on-san stopped me.
We’re still

/> We’re still surrounded with enemies closing in from all sides.
And furthermore the place where Till is, is the furthest front line confronting powerful enemies.
And, I feel that that magic wolf is itself a danger to our side.
I understand that sort of logic, I understand it but――!!

「Let me go oneechan! If I don’t go, I will――! Till!!」

――――Be quiet and watch, you idiot disciple.

Looking at her back, I felt like she was saying that.
Till’s beautiful hair, in the bath at night or, fixing it in the morning after it became disheveled in sleep, one part of the blond hair of which I loved the times when I was allowed to touch it, is changing to a blue color.
It’s being frozen, in blue.

「……Fun, clever. Though you may be called the legendary magic wolf, don’t think you can easily encroach upon me.」
「You seem to be having some trouble don’t you, o-babsama! But I suppose it’s meaningless for us to both be gathering time isn’t it, if we do such a thing there’s simply and only being killed and eaten. Thus, this is the place to have you go all out for me issn’t it!!」

Libra, deployed a magic system on herself……summon?
Summoning something, with herself as the target……is she letting herself be possessed?

「――Ah, gaha……Hahaa! I suppose our ideas are similar things, o-babsamaa! I was always doing research, for your sake……haha――it would be good for you to observe!!」

Along with a ma.s.sive expenditure of magic power, the pure white Libra’s magic power enveloped herself.
Enough magic power to dazzle my eyes.
As expected……to say that there aren’t many times where you yourself go forth, Libra’s true power is second to Till’s!
A magic power that easily surpa.s.ses, the current me.
And so what appears from within the light is――――Me!?
It’s not white but, short silver hair.

「Till――」

No……that’s wrong!
I saw the Till who saw that, let out a large sigh.

「Don’t do stupid things, Libra.」
「……Ara, aren’t you being cold Till? Even though I don’t know just how many years this reunion might’ve taken?」
「Unfortunately, if it’s just the spirit we came to meet recently you know.」
「……Aha……ahahahaa! Aah, is that so? Even though I thought I’d finally have you rejoice for me!」
「You do things of bad taste.」

Est-san――Black Flame, Estorisan is it!!
How did it come to this, Libra transformed into Est-san!?
That Libra is, quickly becoming faint headed.

「Otto……No, it seems it really was too soon wa.s.sn’t it, it doesn’t seem like I can endure the burden. Shall we go finish this quickly?」
「Being considerate to your elders at the very end are you, that way helps this side as well. Since you’ll be bitten to shreds without pointlessly involving more people won’t you?」
「Ahaha, scary scary.」

Libra deploys magic.
Unlike up until now, magic power of black, flame.
Just, how much is she reproducing!?

「You should eat this, the force of the magic of the genius who was once called the strongest okay!」

Libra releases, the magic power she wove together.

「Eat this! Phantasmal magic――Black Kirin!!」

Black――flame imitating a sacred beast.
Dragon of black flame……nay, spiritual flame imitating the legendary sacred beast kirin.
Rampaging primal flame that burns away every being that enters its path.

「……Fu, perhaps I should say, as expected. Est. You always are the wall standing in my way.」

Even the current Till’s magic wolf is insufficient, an intensity and authenticity of such an extent, could be felt from that black flame.

「――But don’t underestimate me, the time is up! Let’s end this! Est……Libra!! Third chain release――Gleipnir out!!」

Each of the chains connecting to the blue magic wolf, were released.
Fenrir raises a delighted roar.
And so as if to glare at the spirit beast of black flame advancing before its eyes, it lowers itself into its stance.
The posture when a four legged beast stores its power just before jumping out.
Against my expectations, the blue Fenrir jumped at the black flame.
Impact.
An explosive wind pressure, from the steam of the collision.
The scream of whom I know not who it might be enveloped the battlefield.
As always I was dazed and couldn’t do anything but watch the situation, Ilya’s field protected me as I stood unmovingly.
It’s difficult even to grasp the situation at this point.
There’s only the /> There’s only the echo of the spirit beast’s howl and the magic wolf’s roar.
The impact that felt like a few seconds and an eternity, suddenly reached its end.
Till’s magic wolf――has swallowed the black flame.

Guru, gururururururuu――

I clearly feel like it’s raising a malignant, delighted voice.
Before that magic wolf, Libra is standing still having at some point reverted to her original form from Est-san’s appearance.
Truly, her expression is frozen like she realized it for the first time, while her body shakes.
……The girl who kept piling on her sins with nothing that could be done, looked somehow pitiable.

「It’s fine to eat, Fenrir.」

My teacher’s voice came, without any sort of hesitation.
With, a cruel smile.
The magic wolf set forth to eat Libra, with a sense like it didn’t even need to be told to――

「――Guua!!」

The one to jump in is, the boy called Sirius.
While fully deploying his field――however it’s broken such ease that it loses any meaning as a s.h.i.+eld――one arm was bitten to shreds by Fenrir.
He covers Libra, even so.

「Wha, t……this is, fear? The strongest, is this……? Scared, I am, such a thing as being afraid of death……by o-babsama……no, but what is, this……」

Libra’s body was shaking in fear, enough to appear as just a village girl.
Sirius ground his teeth and raised his voice while watching that.

「――Retreat! Carmel, the teleportation system!!」
「……」
「Carmel!!」
「Ah, eh, eeh! We can’t, be doing something like opposing this!」

Deploying a large teleportation system, the enemy’s appearance vanishes in the s.p.a.ce of an instant.
The demon troops also took advantage of the chaos and ceased to be here at some point.
What’s left behind is only the giant pack of chimeras that were used up and abandoned.

「……That I would let that past me……my resolve was also lacking……」

Fenrir turned about with visible delight, as Till muttered as if to remonstrate herself.

――O, oi?

I felt a chill.
Is that, a being that can be controlled by a person?
In order to control that――――the chains that I believe to have done as such have all been released.

「……Fun, do you want to eat me and leave the transient world? Miserable magic wolf. That divinity is crying?」
「Gururuooooo」

The answer was, included in its entirety in that roar.
Fenrir is gleefully jumping toward her.

「――Don’t take me lightly! The name of the strongest isn’t so cheap, as to be done in by her own magic!!! ――Phantasmal magic, Cocytus!!」

It made me want to shout.
Such a, grand magic!!!

「OOooooN!!!」

The river of the underworld, stopped the magic wolf’s charge.
Along with that, even the giant pack of chimeras that had waited for our side to grow weak up until now is frozen and engulfed.
Freezing everything, in the s.h.i.+ning blue river, even the world begins to halt.
Even so Fenrir alone is, struggling to overcome even Cocytus.

「……You don’t know when to give up! Three Chain Restraint!!」

With those chains, I wonder just how much magic power is expended?
The chains to restrain Fenrir……They shouldn’t, be made easily!
Those 3 layered chains, are summoned by Till again and, tie the magic wolf up together with Cocytus.
Even as Fenrir resists with hanging drool――as expected the match is settled.

「It’d be good to return to the underworld, magic wolf……Maa, you’ve done well haven’t you? I shall give you my thanks.」

She pulls the chains tight and, the magic wolf’s body grows blurry while raising a long howl like it’s crying out.
Eventually, that form completely vanished and ceased to be.
Cocytus’s ice also turns to crystal and rises into the sky, that became a rainbow colored bridge and stretched from the great highway toward the sky.

「……It’s, over?」

There’s nothing but, silence around me.
Countless thousands, countless tens of thousands of chimeras without leaving a single one, repulsing the enemy force, even Libra ran away in fear.
That is by just, one person……

「――Tsu!?」

Suddenly, my heart is forced to move by a shock like that of an eagle’s grip, my gaze that had looked up into the sky turned toward Till.

――In that place, with her back turned away from us, there was the world’s strongest magician looking up into the sky in the same manner as I had.