――Before I knew it, Garfiel Tinsel was sitting in a dark place.

“Eh?”

With round, sharp eyes, Garfiel looked around in confusion.

This was an unfamiliar place. In a dimly lit space, Garfiel sat heavily in a chair, resting his elbows on his knees and propping his chin on his hands.

What in the world happened for me to end up in a place like this?

“What the hell is this…?”

Furrowing his brow, Garfiel snorted.

Even though his keen sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as a dog person’s, it was still useful for assessing the situation. Picking up surrounding information had become an instinctive action for him—but right now, that sense just wasn’t working.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t smell anything, but everything felt elusive.

And speaking of elusive, it was not just the smells; the entirety of the surrounding situation fit that description as well.

As mentioned before, it was a dimly lit space. The ceiling was high, and there wasn’t just one chair Garfiel was sitting in; there were rows of them lined up to the left and right. In fact, there were several rows in front of and behind him, so he was seated somewhere in the middle of the space.

Just as he realized this, a memory rushed back to him.

“This looks like a theater where they’re putting on a play.”

As soon as he spoke the word “theater,” the image solidified in his mind.

Yes. Garfiel was in a theater, sitting somewhere in the middle of the audience. The dimness and high ceiling were all elements necessary for enjoying a play.

As soon as Garfiel grasped that understanding, a loud, ringing chime echoed throughout the theater. It was a signal for the show to start.

“――――”

When Garfiel widened his eyes and stiffened, something changed in front of the audience—it was as if the curtains rose, slowly revealing the stage that had been hidden away.

And upon that stage, basking in the audience’s gaze, was—

“…A cat?”

Garfiel’s frown uttered a simple description of the sight on stage.

In fact, what awaited the opening on the newly unveiled stage was a small cat. A tiny gray-haired cat stood on two legs, spreading its arms wide.

That smallness was even smaller than the kitten people Garfiel knew, like Mimi; it was truly the size of one’s palm.

One by one, the small cat appeared on the stage—one, two, three.

All the cats looked the same. Just then, in front of Garfiel, the three kittens moved—each adorned with different props.

One wore a golden wig, another a red wig, and the last wore a white tuft of fluff atop its head.

And before the bewildered Garfiel, the three cats positioned themselves on the stage and began to perform remarkable movements.

The cat with the blonde wig collided with the fluff-covered cat, while the red-haired cat simply stood by and watched.

Indeed, a literal scene of frolicking ensued.

“What the hell is this…?”

Astonished, Garfiel watched the kittens wriggling around on stage.

Though the stage set was surprisingly elaborate, mimicking a stone-built cityscape, as the cats playfully battled, the background and the walls would break apart, crumble, and get thrown about.

It was quite a flashy and intricate play; it almost seemed endearing.

“――? That cat, wait, I’ve seen it somewhere…”

Suddenly, paying attention to the performer kittens, Garfiel’s memories stirred. As he scratched at the lid of that memory, it began to open, and understanding spilled out.

Those little kittens were just like the illustrations of the Great Spirit that Emilia and Beatrice often begged Subaru to draw.

“No, but what does that even mean?!”

Realizing this made Garfiel flare up. Unable to hold back, he raised his voice, startling the kittens on stage, who stopped their performance in surprise.

The three tiny kittens peeked over at him, and Garfiel felt a wave of discomfort wash over him.

He wanted to insist that there was no reason for him to apologize, but—

“――You’re such a fool. Sit down, Garf.”

“Eh…”

Told abruptly as he turned to the side, Garfiel went wide-eyed.

Next to him, where no one had been a moment ago, was a pink-haired girl—Ram. She tugged on the waistband of Garfiel, who instinctively stood up, forcing him back down to sit, then looked at the kittens with wide eyes and said, “Continue.”

Following Ram’s order, the kittens resumed their playful antics on stage. However, Garfiel was more concerned about Ram than the performance.

“Ram, what the hell are you doing here? What is going on?!”

“Garf.”

“No, this isn’t the time for that. Whatever it is, I’m getting out of here! I need to secure your safety first!”

“Garf.”

“Right, so let me hear what you’re thinking. Honestly, your input would be more accurate than just my own thoughts—”

“Garf, don’t you realize?”

Driven by impatience, Garfiel’s voice began to grow more forceful as Ram spoke, and he held his breath.

In front of the wide-eyed Garfiel, Ram maintained her usual calm demeanor, her eyes trained on the stage.

Feeling a frustration at her refusal to turn toward him, Garfiel glanced back at the stage to see the kittens still playing around.

Yet he sensed that there lay some deeper meaning hidden within this amusing melee.

The kitten with the blonde wig and the red-haired kitten, along with the fluff-covered kitten, faced each other, wreaking havoc on the background, and finally, the fluff-covered kitten knocked the blonde kitten over.

That fallen blonde kitten ended up trapped beneath the backdrop that toppled down.

What was this play actually about—?

“Garf.”

Once again called by Ram’s quiet voice, Garfiel turned around and found her rose-colored eyes looking straight at him, clashing their gazes head-on.

As their faces were inches apart, it made Garfiel’s heart race; however, what surged within him was not love but rather an instinctive alarm.

Realizing this, Ram exhaled softly and declared,

“You’re on the verge of dying.”

This was a proclamation that this was the theater of Garfiel’s fleeting dream.

—

On the stage lay the small cat in a golden wig—his own reflection.

Once he understood that, it felt like an utterly ridiculous play.

The fluff-covered kitten was his enemy, and the red-haired kitten was the one being protected. As he pondered that, his memory gradually became clearer.

“Right, I’m in the middle of a request from the boss, fighting against the ‘Dragon’… so that fluff must be the Dragon?! And the red-haired one’s the old man?!”

“You’ve certainly turned adorable.”

“I don’t even want to hear comments like that, but that’s not the issue! If I don’t get back soon…!”

“Wait!”

“Guh!?”

As Garfiel grasped the situation and attempted to leap out, he was halted by Ram pulling on the necklace.

Turning in a hurry towards Ram, who forcibly stopped him, Garfiel bared his teeth to yell,

“Wait, wait, Garfiel! Ram’s right; let’s take a breather!”

It was none other than Natsuki Subaru, sitting behind Ram, who stopped him.

Seeing Subaru again after a long time, he had long limbs—long by his current standard, though not truly long in absolute terms.

“Hey, weren’t you just thinking of something really hurtful?”

“Don’t sweat the details, boss. You always complain about having short legs and a long body.”

“There’s a difference between saying it yourself and having someone else say it! Tell me, isn’t that right, Beatrice? Emilia-chan?!”

“Subaru, now’s not the time to interrupt the performance, okay?”

“Sorry, Subaru. I’ll listen to everything later, I promise…”

That Subaru, who was back to his usual self, was ignored by Beatrice, who sat in his lap, and Emilia, who was next to him. They seemed too absorbed in the actions of the kittens on stage to pay him any mind.

Hearing that dejected exchange, Garfiel recalled that the kitten he didn’t recognize was named Pack.

Moreover, he felt an unsettling familiarity with the exchange between Subaru and Emilia.

“This is precisely what gave rise to the theater we’re in right now. Remembering when we went to see a performance about the White Whale together at the theater we were invited to…”

“Garf-san, you’ve taken quite a liking to theater, haven’t you? I also enjoyed it immensely, so I understand your sentiments.”

“Otto! Petra…”

Turning to the voice coming from behind him, Garfiel caught sight of Petra waving her hand, while Otto shrugged his shoulders behind her.

Additionally, amid Otto stood a long-haired woman with golden hair—

“Ugh…”

“What a pathetic expression you’re making, Garf. Moreover, unusually enough, Ram’s point is quite logical. Sit down and calm down.”

“Calm down? You want me to just relax?!”

“This, this. Even after all this, you still can’t pay attention? I thought for sure you’d grow while I was away, but it seems you’re still quite the needy one, Garb-kun.”

“Ugh! Grandma… Grams?!”

“Why do you insist on rephrasing it in such a poor way?”

Garfiel’s shocked eyes widened as he caught sight of his grandmother, Ryuzu, who was seated beside his sister.

Staring at that absurd lineup, Garfiel’s mouth opened and closed, and once again, Ram tugged at his waistband, forcing him back down.

“How is it? Have you calmed down at all?”

“I can’t calm down when I’m surrounded by a ‘Dugrahm siege’! I’m only sitting down because my knees won’t hold me up… What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, it seems you’ve become willing to listen to Ram. That’s a start.”

“Good job, sister.”

“Whoa!?”

With Ram nodding in her usual cold expression, suddenly, an audience member from the front turned around to interject. Realizing it was Ram’s blue-haired sister, Rem, Garfiel blinked in surprise.

What a confusing situation…?

“What, what is this…?”

“This is because Garfiel doesn’t have a strong image of Rem yet, so he’s only responding vaguely. It’s within the realm of my impression.”

“If that’s the level of accuracy, how on earth did you end up here in this audience seat?”

Sitting atop Subaru’s knee, the emotionless Rem replied.

It was a fairly agreeable explanation, but there was an awkwardness to placing someone unfamiliar here in the theater.

“That isn’t quite right, Garf. Certainly, you don’t know Rem very well, but that doesn’t mean you don’t care about her. That’s why she’s here.”

“Exactly. Those who matter remain deeply embedded in the heart, regardless of how well you know them. It’s not so significant how close a person is in such a context.”

“That’s a bit tough for me to hear.”

Gradually, Garfiel seemed to grasp the rules of this theater, and he found it surreal to hear Frederica and, oddly enough, Reinhardt, who sat in the back, exchanging words.

It wasn’t real, so it made sense that there was nothing about it that felt real. After all, Frederica and Reinhardt would probably never share a conversation like this.

However—

“The initial panic seems to have settled down. Should I just obediently stay put like Ram suggested? I’m starting to feel sleepy…”

“Ha! You better stop saying foolish things. If you sleep, you’ll die!”

“Just how dangerous is this place?!”

“Shhh!”

As soon as he raised his voice, Beatrice and Emilia, along with Petra, all shushed him, placing fingers on their lips. Trembling at their pointed fingers, Garfiel squirmed in silence.

He was urged not to rush back, yet warned that relaxing too much would lead to death—what on earth was he supposed to do?

“Even if I return empty-handed, it’s not really an issue. There’s no need to think too deeply about it.”

“Che, you’re quite in my head, aren’t you…”

“Oh my, how annoying indeed. However, blaming me for it isn’t fair, so even apologizing would be quite odd.”

From the back row, Roswaal quipped while crossing his long legs. Garfiel shot a glare over, and just as he was about to complain, he choked.

Next to Roswaal was Reinhardt, and beside him was an unsettling figure.

Noticing Garfiel’s gaze, the black-haired woman smiled slyly, “Oh? You’re looking quite fiery today. Even in a place like this, will you still duel with me until the very end?”

“…What’s the point? I won’t play around. It’d be unfair to Meily as well. I won’t do it.”

“Such a shame. I wouldn’t mind having a place in your heart, though.”

“Elsa, you’re really something else.”

With a blood-colored smile, Elsa continued, and Meily, who sat next to Garfiel, positioned herself next to Rem.

Suddenly, it all started to make sense to him, including the arrangement of the seats. Hence, of course, a gigantic being with eight arms and blue skin would appear beside Elsa.

“――――”

The giant grimacing like a boulder glanced at Garfiel and said nothing.

Faced with that silent pressure, Garfiel took a small breath and tightly clenched his fists. Just then, Garfiel’s tightly closed fist was enveloped by a small shadow that leaned over from the front row.

“Garf, are you okay? Are you really going to be alright? I’m super worried!”

“Mimi…”

“That’s right. Garf is a natural coward.”

With the tiny-eyed Mimi holding his right hand and Ram grasping his left, Garfiel looked up, scanned their faces, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

This was not the scene of reality, and Garfiel himself was on the verge of dying.

Yet, held back from immediately returning by the voices of his friends, assuring him one after another, it felt reminiscent of that time when he heard about “Somatou” from Subaru.

“But you know, Garfiel, a ‘life flashback’ typically entails reflecting back on one’s memories from birth up to this very moment, not being called out to a theater.”

“…Then what the hell is this, boss?”

“Well, that answer is for you to discover yourself.”

“That’s classic Subaru! I’m truly impressed.”

“――Discover for myself.”

In that brief moment, an unnecessary interjection disrupted his thoughts, but Garfiel contemplated intently.

If this wasn’t a flashback, but rather something he had to figure out for himself, then surely, this was mere moments before the dying Garfiel would stand up.

If he didn’t get up soon, wouldn’t he fail the responsibility he had been entrusted with?

“Uuu, I wish both my sisters would do their best…!”

“Yeah, we’ll make sure to witness whatever outcome comes our way…!”

Ignoring Garfiel’s growing anxiety, Beatrice and Emilia seemed to be heading towards their climax in viewing the performance.

Fretting, the two of them exchanged glances, hands clasped tightly, dramatically stirred by the peculiar image of Pack colliding with Pack on stage.

On the stage, the blonde Pack fell, and as if heading over to help, the fluff Pack was stopped in its tracks by the red-haired Pack, leading to a dire situation—

“――The red-haired one.”

The red-haired Pack faced off against the blonde Pack, who was protecting the fluff-covered Pack.

The stage had shifted since Garfiel had last looked away. If it reflected reality, Garfiel’s expression darkened as he bared his fangs.

Indeed, he gotta return quickly—

“――You’re such a fool.”

That familiar reprimand echoed, but there was an undertone of gentleness layered within her usual tone, now mixed with a distinctly stern rebuke.

As Garfiel’s eyes widened in surprise, Ram pointed towards the stage without removing her hand from his.

Following her gesture, he saw the scene on stage moving.

The downed blonde Pack stood up, brushing off the red-haired Pack, making its way toward the fluff Pack—until with one strike from the fluff Pack, the blonde Pack turned to light.

“One out. But there are no outs with life. Just one out, that’s it.”

As the blonde Pack turned into light, the red-haired Pack, which had turned its back in an attempt to escape, shared the same fate at the hands of the fluff Pack as the curtain fell.

With only the fluff Pack left on stage, the audience gave scattered applause, and the curtain dropped as the fluff Pack bowed deeply, marking the conclusion of the play—

“Ugh! What a complete bore! I can’t accept that, Mimi!”

Mimi, who held onto Garfiel’s hand like Ram, stretched her tail and kicked up a ruckus.

However, once the results were out from the play, even that didn’t carry any weight—

In the next moment, the theater’s opening bell rang, and the down curtain rose once more.

Beyond the curtain, the blonde Pack and red-haired Pack, who should have vanished, once again faced off, obscured behind the fluff Pack as the climax was re-enacted.

“What on earth—”

Garfiel was terrified, having no idea what was happening, his throat tightening.

And as his thoughts faded to white, a voice pierced through.

“Charging blindly won’t work anymore, will it? So what now?”

With one eye closed, Ram quietly posed the question.

At her words, Garfiel’s breath caught, prompting him to regard the stage anew.

“Ram really is something else.”

Garfiel felt a genuine understanding blossom within him toward Ram, the little sister he barely knew yet felt such powerful sentiments.

—

On the stage, the blonde Pack transformed into light time and time again.

This performance seemed to allow a considerable degree of improvisation, greatly swayed by the audience’s suggestions about what should transpire.

“How about giving a serious kick and flipping the Imperial Capital upside down?”

“Perhaps one should intentionally injure themselves to the point of half a body just to catch their opponent off guard.”

“Even the ‘Dragon’ seems to have certain attachments. For example, how about using a potential ‘Dragon’ acquaintance that might be in the Imperial Capital as a shield?”

“Shut up! Those are all cowardly schemes that couldn’t be put into action, so just be quiet!”

Garfiel barked back fiercely as those ideas fell on deaf ears, sheer frustration abandoning him to the silence from the back row.

After all, those were merely actions Garfiel had envisioned and they sparked within him an uncomfortable sense of irritability.

“At the very least, utilizing the terrain is crucial. The disparity in size can be deadly, but conversely, smaller sizes might present openings they can exploit.”

“Right, that’s true. Garf-san is smaller than that ‘Dragon,’ and while he may lose out in terms of brute strength… that means he could win in a different way.”

“That may sound reasonable in theory, but reality is another thing altogether. For me, at least, if it were me, I’d be powerless against a ‘Dragon’ regardless of its position.”

“Any hope that Natsuki would take on a ‘Dragon’ is not one anyone else has.”

In stark contrast, the side-by-side companions managing to discuss serious matters felt utterly unreal, as Garfiel still comprehended them.

Of course, they were very similar to the real people, but—

“Emilia-chan, do you have any advice for Garfiel?”

“Hmm… well, there was that moment before he was hit, where he couldn’t handle Mezoleia’s tail. That just wasn’t right. While the position was difficult, escaping rather than trying to block or deflect is crucial.”

“I actually got a surprisingly solid answer!”

“Emilia definitely is impressive.”

As they watched the Pack frolicking on stage, Subaru and Rem reacted to Emilia’s accurate observations. Although Rem’s acknowledgment seemed ambiguous, perhaps it directly reflected Garfiel’s sentiments.

Regardless, there was a sense that something was gradually becoming clearer.

Still, building up this understanding and bringing it back to reality—how likely was it that this would truly be helpful?

“Feeling uneasy, Garb-kun?”

“…It’s less about feeling uneasy and more that I feel pitiful for even being in this situation. The duty of facing that ‘Dragon’ falls squarely on my shoulders.”

Peeking into Garfiel’s expression, Ryuzu observed with her pressing concern, prompting him to reveal his own bitter feelings.

Bursting in with full confidence, he was struck down in the fierce battle and was left with nothing but to console himself with this illusory theater populated with various individuals—some allies, and others not quite.

“What on earth is so pitiful about that?”

“—――”

His brow furrowed, Garfiel raised his head as he caught Ryuzu’s eager gaze now holding him tightly.

Looked at by Frederica, those identical emerald eyes holding firmness…

“Honestly, Garf. If you think fighting alone is admirable, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“That’s precisely it! I mean, everyone else is fighting alone, yet here I am…!”

“You’re saying it’s admirable not to fight with anyone at your side, is that so?”

“Yes! No, wait. I’m not saying that cooperating means it’s pitiful. It’s this whole setup in my head with all these folks crammed inside—”

“—You can still grab hold of hope, Garf.”

In that very moment, as Garfiel felt the weight of his inner need to shake himself free from his mindset, Frederica’s resolute voice struck through clearly.

With emerald eyes sharp as ever, Frederica sighed at the rigid Garfiel and stated plainly, “You are being foolish here, Garf. Just look around.”

“Look around…”

Garfiel, prompted by Frederica, scanned the crowd of the theater.

His companions seated next to him and his foes behind him, struggling to determine whether those before him could even be considered allies, and—

In the blink of an eye, there were no empty chairs left in the theater, each one filled with the faces of people he recognized.

“――――”

Of course, among them was Ram, Subaru, and others, alongside Roswaal and Reinhardt, Mimi and Rem, along with many others.

There were even some he found likable and others he considered distant, yet each one had some connection to Garfiel’s life, and each had secured their seat nearby.

“Wow, the theater’s filled to the brim now. They’re going to run out of room any minute!”

Garfiel’s perspective aligned with Ryuzu, who chuckled cheerily.

Indeed, the theater was jam-packed, with even some standing. They all watched the antics of the Pack on stage, observing how poorly the Garfiel Pack was performing.

The realization made Garfiel’s face heat up in embarrassment. How pitiful and shameful his failure must have been to everyone—

“――What an idiot.”

“Listen, Garf. This is all in your head, you know? But Garf is just as bright as Mimi! So isn’t that just how everyone’s feeling?”

Suddenly, the voices of encouragement cascaded from both sides, prompting Garfiel to blink in astonishment.

Then, as he gleaned their support, this time he saw everyone who was previously focused on the stage turning their gazes right toward him. He searched each of their faces, recalling who they were.

Each of them freely voiced their opinions against the Garfiel Pack who found himself in trouble—

“None of them are saying anything convenient or in my favor.”

Ram’s words were straightforward, Mimi’s words may have been vague, yet they said the same thing.

If this was merely Garfiel’s own theater in his head, where he sought comfort from the idea of these friends who stepped in to console his faltering self while facing death, it reeked of pity.

But Garfiel was no genius.

He couldn’t construct complex dialogues and strategies to placate his heart through complicated conversations like some sort of puppet show.

“You shouldn’t think you can just walk away with what you’ve discussed here and use it outside. This is just a distraction—a mere distraction. But then again, it’s also not bad to let one’s mind take a break.”

“How can you say that after Subaru specifically asked you to stop the ‘Dragon’?!”

“I’m just the one inside Garfiel’s head…!”

“Seriously? Does that mean Garfiel thinks I’ll come up with something extremely dangerous? Is that so?”

He asked with a puzzled expression, and Garfiel groaned a hesitant “ah.”

Looking up, he thought carefully for a time, eventually lowering his gaze to state,

“I guess I thought I could take all sorts of unreasonable requests from the boss, and maybe keep one of those so-called voices in my head…”

“Even if that happens, it’s clear that everyone outside will reprimand you appropriately. Honestly, where did you learn such dubious cleverness…?”

“…Did you just say that was from Otto?”

As Frederica chuckled, Otto looked aghast at the unfairness of the accusation. Observing this, Petra couldn’t help but snicker, and soon laughter spread amongst the group.

Before he knew it, Garfiel was laughing despite the situation.

“…Somehow, it feels like I might have become a bit too rigid.”

“Ha?! Garb’s come so far.”

“Given the boss’s orders and the gravity of the Empire at stake, it is a duel against ‘Dragons,’ right? I can’t lose against them—after all, it’s always been that way… but what is it?”

Slowly unwrapping the hands that had been holding him back, Garfiel defiantly raised both arms and slammed them together before his chest, making a sound that echoed through the theater.

In that stance, teeth gritted, his fighting spirit surged.

“This isn’t a battle just for me. This is a fight that I have been entrusted with; it’s not mine alone!”

“—Impressive.”

As Garfiel’s fervent resolve burned brightly, a low, heavy reverberation of praise cascaded onto him.

It certainly came from the tabled behemoth sitting behind him, Garfiel knew. But for now, there was one thing he sought to confirm.

“You said it, boss! You told me to take down that ‘Dragon’ flying around like a hotshot!”

“—Yeah! I did! Get to it!”

“No pressure here!”

Roaring back, Garfiel sprang up with fury.

This time, Ram didn’t pull him back, where she had previously. When Garfiel briefly glanced over, she was still gazing at the stage while reclining with her elbow tucked in.

“What?”

“Hah! This gal said, no matter what’s in my head, you’re quite a hardball.”

“I don’t need to go out of my way to inform you. That’s simply the role Garf has to fulfill.”

With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Ram did not even glance at Garfiel, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

At that moment, however, the little Mimi bounced up, taking a stance on her own chair and declared,

“Then I’ll say it! Garf, if you win here, you’re going to look so cool!”

Saying that, Mimi smacked Garfiel’s back with full force.

Just a beat later, Subaru, Beatrice, Emilia, Petra, Frederica, Ryuzu—everyone started tapping on Garfiel’s back in line with Mimi.

Pushed out by their affirmations, Garfiel was sent toward the exit of the theater.

“Otto! Give me some advice!”

“Sure, but only because I would never allow anyone else to do something perilous as risking their lives.”

“I never wanted to hear that from you, Otto!”

Joking, the elder brother figure patted Garfiel’s back as he made his way to the theater’s exit.

The door was pushed open, revealing the adorable faces of his younger siblings and his mother, embracing both on their shoulders and smiling gently at Garfiel, prompting him to give a thumbs up.

Amidst the audience filling the theater, it was a joyful ‘Somatou’.

And so, to conclude with flair, Garfiel pointed dramatically at the Pack on stage and proclaimed,

“—I’m no cat! I’m a GORGEOUS TIGER!!”

—

“――――”

The “Dragon,” likened to calamities and disasters, was exemplified by its chaotic rampage, the “Cloud Dragon,” Mezoleia.

The devastating onslaught of destruction transformed the scenery into a nightmare, crushing Heinkel’s spirit, who trembled at the thought of the chaotic reality before him.

Just moments earlier, it had been a different image within the Imperial Capital.

Yet, one brief moment nearly altered Heinkel’s destiny.

However, after suffering a crushing defeat against the ‘Dragon’ in a match, he was sent flying backward by its earth-shattering roar, buried under debris.

Despite the futility of it all, the image of the blonde youth scattered in vain.

Heinkel could only watch silently as—

“—I’m a GORGEOUS TIGER!!”

In the next heartbeat, a mound of rubble exploded from within, the boisterous declaration echoed loud.

Surprised by the sheer suddenness of it all, Heinkel was left astounded as he stood aghast at the figure emerging from the wreckage—Garfiel, who now stood there.

“Ugh! Damn… How long have I been out…?”

Wobbling, Garfiel shook his head, discarding the torn remains of his top.

Heinkel blinked, staring blankly.

“…You’ve been underneath the rubble for about five seconds.”

“—Five seconds? I could have been killed ten times over, that was close!”

Breathing deeply, Garfiel cracked his neck.

The entire situation felt surreal post attack, like something he’d never seen before as he stood agape. However, someone else seemed even more astonished.

“N-No way…”

After directly taking down Garfiel, having gained the upper hand despite the size difference, he’d finally succeeded in knocking him down.

He was absolutely certain Garfiel had died. The belief was shatteringly dismantled in under five seconds, and Heinkel shared a sentiment of pity—that in reality had no value when dealing with an extraordinary entity like a ‘Cloud Dragon.’

“Why… why aren’t you dead…?!”

“Eh? What’re you saying? I was dead, you know? If it weren’t for your five seconds, I wouldn’t have been here now!”

“I… I didn’t do anything…”

After Garfiel showed his teeth in response to the ‘Dragon’s shocked outburst, Heinkel merely shook his head.

It was true that moments after Garfiel had been cast aside, Heinkel had firmly locked eyes with Mezoleia while gripping his sword. It meant that if Garfiel did fall, he would be the next target.

“――! DIEEEE!!!”

Heinkel’s self-awareness fell to the wayside as Mezoleia’s resolve hit its breaking point.

The ‘Cloud Dragon’ lunged toward Garfiel, lifting its thick, long tail high, slamming it down like lightning from above.

Heinkel could barely avoid being swept away by the gust raised by the wings of the approaching dragon, this impossibly monstrous attack aimed straight at Garfiel—

“—Huh?”

In an instant, the ‘Cloud Dragon’ swerved mid-air, crashing into the Imperial City’s defensive walls.

“—WHAT?!”

Reversed and colliding back-first into the walls, Mezoleia gasped in confusion, leaving Heinkel agape.

How had that occurred? What had happened?

—Garfiel had deflected the strike from Mezoleia’s tail and thrown it.

“Ugh, I can’t believe it, I actually did it.”

Staring at his hands, Garfiel murmured displeasedly, as if recalling an unwanted memory, moving his hands that had just tossed the ‘Dragon’.

With his emerald green gaze locked onto the inverted eyes of the ‘Cloud Dragon’, he declared—

“Well then. Round Two! —I feel kinda bad that all my support is just piling up here!”

He ignited the fiery intent bestowed upon him by incomprehensible reasoning as their clash resumed after a brief pause—like a legendary myth, they drew closer to the apex of their conflict.

“`

 

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