――Abandoning the city and transitioning to a retreat.

　At the words of the masked man declaring this, Yorna stiffened her cheeks and sharpened her gaze.

　Just moments ago, she had decided to respect the man’s opinion, believing it to be the best way to protect Chaos Frame under her rule.

　However, contrary to Yorna’s resolve, the man’s words were about abandoning the city――,

“There’s no way I can agree with such an opinion!”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Why even ask? This is the Magic City Chaos Frame, the last refuge for those who have been driven from the empire, with nowhere left to go… To abandon it is simply unthinkable.”

“Is it not something you can agree to? —What a trivial sentiment.”

“—Vincent Volakia…!”

Yorna bit her teeth at the cold words of the man, the ruler of the empire, still addressing him with a fierce gaze. At her call, the man touched his mask with his hand.

Then, reflecting Yorna in his visible black eyes through the mask, he replied:

“It is inappropriate for me, who is now calling myself Abel, to be addressed in that manner. If you think to beg for mercy from the emperor, then that would be far too foolish.”

“—Are the citizens of the empire supposed to be strong?”

“Indeed.”

The emperor—no, the man calling himself Abel, claimed that this was the custom of the empire.

The emperor of the Volakia Empire must embody the iron-blooded rules upheld and revered by its citizens. Regardless of whether it’s true or not, the emperor must say it without hesitation.

At Abel’s assertion, Yorna reflected on her misguided plea.

Did Abel even understand the true form of the shadow, the enormous darkness that consumed Crimson Lapis Castle?

Was that why he had come to such a cruel decision as abandoning the city?

“Is it that dangerous to the point that you believe we must flee immediately? What exactly is it?”

“—’Great Calamity.'”

“Great, calamity…?”

In response to Yorna’s question, Abel’s answer was calm.

However, the weight of his words, contrary to the calm in his voice, was enough to leave Yorna bewildered. —The great calamity, termed such.

“What does this great calamity refer to?”

“It threatens the very existence of the empire and brings forth a destruction that even sunlight cannot pierce… The ‘Star Reader’ had said as much. At first, I thought it was a great overstatement.”

“――――”

“Seeing it now, you would know there was not even a hint of exaggeration in that description.”

Abel named the dark manifestation—the ‘Great Calamity’—as utter demise.

From his mouth, the echo of the ‘Star Reader’ stirred a bitter feeling within Yorna. The existence of the ‘Star Reader’ was one of the malevolent customs of the Volakia Empire.

At the very least, it was something she could only say was so for herself.

After all, the root of her strong burning desire was not unrelated to the ‘Star Reader’.

In any case――,

“Then, do you intend to take the words of the ‘Star Reader’ at face value and escape with your back turned? If that is the case, then it is indeed a manifestation of weakness. Such a representation of the empire’s spirit… Well, one might think so.”

“If you think you can provoke me with such cheap taunts, you should correct that misunderstanding quickly. First of all, it was not I who blindly accepted the words of the ‘Star Reader’ and acted recklessly.”

“…It seems you also have your thoughts on the ‘Star Reader’.”

“Any proper person with sound judgment would not hold a favorable opinion of them. However, even if I cast them aside as unnecessary, they will come again immediately. That is the troublesome aspect of them. —Hm.”

“Ugh!”

Interrupted in the middle of their conversation, a desperate growl from Lui cut in.

She seemed to be reprimanding the dialogue between Yorna and Abel, indicating that it had nothing directly to do with taming the ‘Great Calamity’.

That was only natural. The ‘Great Calamity’――,

“Uah!”

“—Yorna Mishigure, I want to confirm one thing.”

“…What is it?”

Pointing forcefully at the writhing ‘Great Calamity’, Abel narrowed his eyes at the situation. In response to his question directed at her, Yorna, too, narrowed her elongated eyes.

The following words, the content of the inquiry, were roughly predictable.

That was――,

“If you are with this girl, there should have been one more black-haired child. Where has that child disappeared to?”

“——If it was that child…”

A brief glance, Yorna’s gaze eloquently told the answer to the question more so than her words.

Yorna’s line of sight pointed at the ‘Great Calamity’ that Lui was desperately pointing at. That darkness, which had engulfed Crimson Lapis Castle, the boy had been there at the moment it overflowed.

—No, rather, to Yorna’s eyes, it seemed as if that ‘Great Calamity’ overflowed from inside the boy.

“I see, so it was indeed that.”

Receiving Yorna’s silent response, Abel internalized the last piece.

That sounded like a final ultimatum, and Yorna looked at Abel, whispering “My lord…”. However, Abel merely shook his head slowly.

“Though my intentions are now in disarray, there is no other choice. Getting caught up in strategies without a result yields no meaning.”

“Does that mean…?”

“It means the policy does not change. We will abandon the Magic City and conduct a retreat. —Nevertheless, damage will still occur. It is impossible to erase all of it.”

“—That answer…”

Just as Yorna was about to press him on what she could not accept—

“Ah—u!”

“Ugh…!”

With a groan, Abel clutched his abdomen, kneeling on the spot.

That action came not from Yorna, who was about to press him, but from Lui, who leapt into him faster with her short arms and struck him with her palm heel.

She glared at Abel, who had made a cruel decision, growling and exhaling harshly,

“Uah… uah!”

Calling out, the moment Lui turned to flee, her form vanished from sight in an instant.

Easily performing instantaneous teleportation as seen during the confrontation with Roswaal. Though she could not move long distances, she repeated it and returned to the field under the control of the ‘Great Calamity’.

In the distance, Kafuma was using the bugs within him to hold back the ‘Great Calamity’.

Yorna could not believe that she would possess a decisive blow against that ‘Great Calamity’.

If there were such a thing, she would have tried to save that boy on her own instead of relying on Abel. Therefore, she had no trump card.

If there were a trump card――,

“—With the flames of the ‘Sun Sword,’ could you not resist?”

“—――”

“My lord!”

Kneeling on the rooftop, with one hand pressed to his abdomen.

While he thought of it as a fitting result for Lui’s strike, Yorna considered that the key to unraveling the situation lay solely with Abel.

The emperor of the Volakia Empire, possessing a true magical sword counted among the holy swords.

Should it be the flames of the ‘Sun Sword’, even against the existence known as the ‘Great Calamity’――,

“—I have no intention of drawing it.”

However, Abel’s answer to Yorna’s plea was not the one she desired.

And it could not be considered a sane judgment for Yorna either. He understood that the ‘Great Calamity’ was a dangerous item, yet he refused to draw the ‘Sun Sword’ even while knowing the decision to abandon the Magic City was a great anomaly.

“Still, you will not draw the ‘Sun Sword’… How can I accept that?”

“—――”

“Answer me this, Vincent Volakia! If you are truly the emperor of this empire, you must fulfill your role! If you are the emperor…!”

Her vision turned red, Yorna grasped Abel by the collar and forced his gaze to meet hers.

Even while this happened, the Chaos Frame under Yorna’s rule was cornered. Kafuma and Lui were barely able to withstand the ‘Great Calamity’. The impact that shattered Crimson Lapis Castle—how much did it help in diminishing the power of the ‘Great Calamity’?

She knew nothing. All she understood was that this could not go on.

If this continued, Yorna’s oath, her wish would remain unfulfilled.

For that, the cooperation of the man before her was absolutely necessary.

“If you are the emperor of the Volakia Empire…!”

“…I will not use the ‘Sun Sword.'”

“—My lord—!”

Facing the adamant refusal of Abel, Yorna bared her sharp canines in a show of force.

To show her teeth like this was a rare occurrence. However, if she felt like it, those teeth could easily tear apart the thin neck of the man before her.

But such intimidation was something Abel, the emperor of the Volakia Empire, faced daily.

A being that is persistently subjected to the unrelenting intent to kill and hostility from those around it. That was the existence of the emperor.

“Your lordship, the emperor of the Volakia Empire…!”

“—When will you understand, Yorna Mishigure?”

“—――”

“The current emperor, Vincent Volakia, is not the same as the emperor you envision. There is no reason for me to act according to your wishes or ideals.”

Faced with this clear-cut stance of separation, Yorna let out a small sigh.

Then, she released her grip on his collar and took a slow step back. Stepping back, she looked at Abel, who was clutching his neck, and grit her teeth.

She understood without needing to be told.

Regardless of whether he had a mask or not, the man before her and the man she envisioned were entirely different. Even if his body bore the blood of someone she loved.

“…I cannot accept your words.”

“If you do not abandon the Magic City, you will lose everything else.”

“This Magic City is everything to me!”

Yorna answered this by spreading her arms wide, pulling out her smoking pipe, and lighting the tip. In an instant, she inhaled deeply from the pipe and exhaled into the sky.

The purple smoke spread, forming a gigantic, enormous cloud, rising above the ‘Great Calamity’ which was writhing on the battlefield—likely frightening the people of the Magic City below.

That cloud composed of purple smoke gradually split apart, each bit descending upon the residents—their own children, each receiving purple smoke in their hands.

“—Let it be that I am loved.”

Yorna’s whispered words were but a faint sound that could only be heard by Abel nearby.

However, the intention of Yorna was understood by all who received the falling purple smoke. Thus, even if her voice did not reach them, they uniformly tossed the purple smoke into their open mouths.

“—Let it be that I am not loved.”

The continuation of Yorna’s words, her mutterings brought nothing to anyone.

If anything, those words were surely a form of absolution that Yorna bestowed upon herself. A necessary ritual, a chant to push herself onward.

Those touched by Yorna’s purple smoke, those who consumed it slowly raised their faces. —In their eyes, one flame flickered in each of their sockets.

Those loved by Yorna, and who loved her in return, began to look up at the ‘Great Calamity’ and ignite their souls.

Indeed, those bound by soul――the power of the ‘Soul Marriage Technique’ covered the Magic City.

“This city, Chaos Frame, shall not be lost to this. —With me and my lord together, we shall send that rude guest home.”

Yorna shook her smoking pipe as she stood poised.

The surrounding area resonated with the sounds of the city. Roaring violently—terrifyingly—the sounds of countless footsteps, numerous breaths, and an overwhelming fighting spirit.

Obeying the beloved call of the master of the Magic City, those who were loved advanced.

Watching this, Yorna lightly bent her knees and leaped high.

Destination of that leap awaited a great shadow that held dark calamity.

As one who would drive away all that threatens this Magic City, she proclaimed——

“—‘Vivid Colors,’ Yorna Mishigure, I shall be your opponent!”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

The resonating rumble of the ground and the intense roars felt like the world itself was shouting.

Under the influence of all this, Abel lowered his hand pressed to his neck and gazed over the battlefield.

“————”

Yorna’s reckless shout seemed to rend the debris of Crimson Lapis Castle and the destroyed streets as she hurled them at the ‘Great Calamity’ with furious assaults.

A bizarre attack, as if she was literally hitting with ‘buildings,’ was in play, but the existence of the ‘Great Calamity’ remained ambiguous, and it continued to expand in total darkness——its effectiveness against such a foe remained unclear.

Did any impact occur, or was it entirely meaningless?

“—It cannot be entirely meaningless.”

It wasn’t due to Yorna’s reckless attack, but it was evident that the ‘Great Calamity’ was not a completely irrational opponent, as reading the waning force of its actions confirmed.

The ‘Great Calamity’ that consumed Crimson Lapis Castle upon its emergence, and Yorna’s affection for the castle she had long called home, was transformed into destructive power. This was certainly draining the might of the ‘Great Calamity’.

If not for that, the ‘Great Calamity’ would have expanded from its initial momentum, swallowing the Magic City in one fell swoop and stretching the abyss throughout the entire empire.

——Regardless, if left unchecked, the impending collapse of the empire would be unavoidable.

“That, too, is what is infuriating about it.”

Grinding his teeth, Abel recalled the slender face of the man who had foreseen this ‘Great Calamity’.

Even having foreseen the impending threat, he refused to demand more. More like a convenient observer’s pawn.

In any event, the frustration directed at that being would serve no purpose here. It might have some value to contemplate beings in the same situation, but still—

“——Natsuki Subaru, you…”

Fixing his gaze on the writhing ‘Great Calamity,’ Abel reluctantly spoke the name he had avoided mentioning.

And then—

“Abel-chan! I’m back!”

“————”

Amidst the cacophony of rumbling and roaring, that high-pitched voice reached Abel’s ear loud and clear.

Turning around, the voice descended from above his back. With a light sound, the girl who waved her hand landed, accompanied by a brown-skinned woman holding her.

“You made it back, Medium, Talitta.”

“Just about! But the situation you were talking about is different! Where’s Yorna-chan?”

“—Over there.”

Freed from Talitta’s arms, Medium descended onto the rooftop in response to Abel’s chin motion. Ahead of them, Yorna was darting around in the skies, employing the buildings for mass attacks against the ‘Great Calamity’.

Furthermore, it was only Yorna and Kafuma, who also possessed long-range attack methods, who were directly battling the ‘Great Calamity’.

However, since Kafuma’s thorn was comprised of the ‘bugs’ he kept within himself, it was not a matter of being consumed endlessly by the ‘Great Calamity.’

The gathered residents of Chaos Frame were each dismantling the surrounding buildings, several of them launching the debris like projectiles against the ‘Great Calamity’.

This was a terrifying form of collective strategy that weaponized the very city, having troubled the imperial soldiers on their march to suppress Yorna when she rebelled against the imperial capital.

However, although that tactic was effective against a collective, it was uncertain how much it would work against the unfathomable might of the ‘Great Calamity.’

In the first place, just observing from a distance made it clear――,

“The ‘Great Calamity’ is getting bigger…?!”

“Isn’t that bad if we leave it be!? Abel-chan, what do we do?!”

As they surveyed the ‘Great Calamity’ that continued to expand, Medium and Talitta questioned Abel’s decision.

Originally, the aim was to obtain Yorna’s assistance and transition to a retreat from the Magic City, but that goal was thwarted by Yorna’s attachment to the city.

In that case, the situation would shift depending on Vincent’s actions. —Or rather,

“—Or perhaps before that, can you change the situation, Talitta?”

“E…”

Called out directly by Abel, Talitta’s elongated eyes widened in shock.

That reaction was not merely one of surprise at being asked something entirely out of the blue, but rather that she hadn’t anticipated being addressed like this.

In other words, she had an inkling about what Abel was implying.

“Th—that way of saying it was odd, huh? What do you mean?”

“What I mean is nothing unusual. Talitta, you called it what?”

“I… what do you even mean?”

“—You called it a ‘Great Calamity.’ Where did you learn that name?”

At Abel’s rapid-fire questions, Talitta gasped.

The exchanges between the two bewildered Medium, who was clueless, and she asked, “Taisai…?” repeating a word she had never heard of.

But Medium’s response was a natural one.

No one ignorant could name such an unfathomable existence as ‘Great Calamity’. Only those who recognized that existence could correctly refer to it as such.

Coitally――,

“Did you learn a way to avoid destruction from the stars?”

“—! W-wait, I…!”

“————”

“Me, I…”

Stepping forward, Talitta placed her hand on her chest and faltered at her next words.

Her face turned pale, her eyes flitted around helplessly, and Medium rushed to her side, supporting her, “Talitta-chan!”

However, Talitta had no leisure to respond to Medium’s kindness.

Perhaps she had thought she could hide it all along. Perhaps she believed she could remain silent forever.

“You fool.”

There essentially is no such thing as secrets or unrevealed truths.

At least, if one makes zero effort to conceal such secrets or truths, a day will inevitably come when it all will be uncovered. What one can do is push it aside.

One could perhaps state that if it’s postponed until after death, the secret would still be kept in their conscious world until the end.

“Talitta, if you know about that ‘Great Calamity,’ do you regret it?”

“Regret? Regret means… Abel-chan! What are you talking about?! Talitta-chan is…!”

“It’s obvious. —In the forest, you failed to capture me with that arrow.”

“——Aah.”

Stunned, for the second time, color drained from Talitta’s face, and the light in her eyes wavered weakly.

Meeting her gaze directly, Abel took a breath and continued.

“Or, would you respond to your destiny now, hunter of the jungles? No, rather, should I call you”

“――――”

“The new ‘Star Reader’ who has inherited the destiny to prevent the ‘Great Calamity.'”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

The violent rumble of the ground, the roaring howls felt as if they were declaring the end of the world.

“Ugh, uuh…!”

Clutching his head, he tried to cover his ears, but he couldn’t manage it.

Such a hindrance came from having only one arm. He couldn’t fully block out the sounds of the end of the world with both hands over his ears.

He pressed his right ear against his shoulder and thrust his fingers into his left ear, trying to fend it off with this inadequate earplug. It was futile.

The ground trembled. The atmosphere trembled. The world was dying.

All this was a representation of the fear that eroded Al, draining strength from his entire being.

“W-why… why are you here…?”

Voice taut with anger, he cursed the desperate event that had just transpired, cursing it all.

Of course, such curses held no meaning. After all, this wasn’t even a curse; it was mere posturing, a consolation for his defeat stating how he should’ve acted differently after the fact.

He had prepared himself for this.

—No, he had not. There was no resolve. Even when possibilities raced through his mind, he simply averted his gaze, pretending it wouldn’t happen optimistically.

Being with him, Natsuki Subaru, certainly brought enough danger for this to happen. Not simply enough, but more than enough.

On the contrary, if he had taken action with anyone other than Natsuki Subaru, this situation would never have arisen.

Even so, it couldn’t be helped. He could not leave him be. He mustn’t let him break there.

For that very reason, he thought it was necessary, so that he—

“—Oh, I wondered who was crying so much, and it turns out to be you.”

“—!?”

“Haha! What a jump you just made! You looked just like a caterpillar, a masterpiece, a masterpiece!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the room, and he hurriedly turned to look back.

Perhaps his action was so clumsy that the onlooker appeared to laugh heartily, clapping and stomping their feet in response.

Unfortunately, it appeared that even he would never be able to clap his hands again.

For you see――,

“Damn it, my right hand, which had been with me for over ninety years, is gone now. What a troublesome thing. How am I supposed to make the food pills now? Haha!”

Chuckling joyfully was the quirky old man—Roswaal Dunkelken—who waved his right hand, which was no longer there.