A blast erupted, sweeping away thick swirling clouds from the inside, painting the sky of the Imperial Capital a fiery red in advance of the approaching dusk.

The light from the explosion burned the eyes of those who looked up at the sky, but it was a mere minor consequence compared to the catastrophic disaster that could have blown the Imperial Capital itself away.

This was proof of the cooperation from the assembled “Rescue Team for the Volakia Empire from Destruction,” who continued to avoid the myriad traps laid by the “Great Calamity.”

Not everyone had a complete grasp of the entire situation orchestrated by the “Great Calamity.”

Instead, each individual maximized their potential to eliminate the sources of destruction within their reach. This life relay transcended the boundaries between the living and the dead, and the power dynamics of the Imperial Capital Rupugana reached a peak of chaos.

Still, one unwavering fact remained: the Sphinx, leading the “Great Calamity,” was the enemy of every living thing in the Empire, no matter what.

Moreover, the several traps to bring about demise laid by the “Witch” had entered their final stage.

“――Whoa!?”

A deafening explosion tore through the clouds in the distant sky, and Subaru, whose attention was grasped by the light, trembled with his throat at the sudden shift in circumstances.

The scream, resembling both a wail and a cheer, was a genuine reaction to the unfolding events.

After extinguishing the fires of destruction emitted from the Crystal Palace together with Beatrice, and then getting rescued by Roswaal from the onslaught of the three-headed evil dragon that appeared next, a dizzying aerial battle was about to commence when a massive explosion occurred in the distant sky.

The overwhelming busyness was more than enough to confuse anyone, but the dead dragon paid no heed to the light in the sky; each of its heads stretched towards the pathetic prey that had disturbed its focus.

“――――ッッ”

With three heads, the evil dragon’s prey consisted of Subaru, Beatrice, and Roswaal, exactly three targets. The large mouth of each head was more than adequate to devour its prey, each head closing in as if competing against the others.

Those wicked, undead dragon fangs were about to tear through Subaru and the others’ lives―― in the very next moment.

“Clean cut――!”

“Not on my watch!”

From below, two shadows shot straight up from diagonal angles under the evil dragon, each landing a blow, severing the heads on either side, blasting them away.

It was the ebony-haired werewolf and the thunderous blue lightning soaring from the earth――

“Halibel and tall Cecilis!?”

“Hahaha! What a coincidence to bump into you here, Boss. I thought you’d be around for the final stage, but that earlier display was impressive! I immediately hurried up into the air since I couldn’t let you steal my thunder, but dragon hunting really isn’t satisfying, is it?”

In Subaru’s widened vision, Cecilis leapt into the air and performed a swift slash with his blade―― and it was an adult version of Cecilis, the first time Subaru had ever seen him like this. Knowing that the rumors of his “infantilization” were indeed true, along with the fact that it had been lifted ahead of him made it apparent.

“Did you meet up with Roswaal to get it lifted?”

“No, no, I did it on my own! That’s my specialty, so let’s set that aside. This is quite a fun pairing we have here. That’s Halibel, right?”

Cecilis replied effortlessly while motioning toward Halibel.

Halibel, who had lent her strength to assist Subaru, Beatrice, and the magical crystal cannon, quickly caught up in the air and joined the efforts to thwart the dragon’s attack.

He flashed a bitter smile at Cecilis’s remark.

“From my perspective, I’m merely filling in for the duties you should be handling.”

“Oh ho, you speak grandly about being my substitute! Though, you must be a fitting actor to pull that off; I think Halibel is hitting the mark perfectly. —Oh wait.”

An outwardly lighthearted exchange was happening, yet the backdrop was a fierce battle in the sky.

Having lost two heads, the remaining one of the evil dragon flapped its wings, attempting to distance itself swiftly from the two newcomers interrupting its fight.

It was instinctive judgment, and it was indeed the right choice. In reality, neither Cecilis nor Halibel could freely zip around the sky, even if they managed to jump into the air.

But――

“――That’s within my purview to cover—!”

Roswaal, cradling Subaru and Beatrice under his arms, proclaimed just after the flurry of dust in the air suddenly gathered, creating a makeshift foothold.

This foothold set up an opportunity for Cecilis and Halibel to leap.

“Even with just one head, a dragon is still a dragon.”

“Even if you’re interrupted in the middle of your big moment. Let’s wrap this up quickly!”

How many could so insouciantly declare that they would take on the strongest creature on the ground, the “dragon”?

Furthermore, both immediately showcased this wasn’t just bravado or a joke by their actual capabilities.

—Blue and black flashes raced through the air, catching up to the dragon that was attempting to increase the distance.

In an instant, the werewolf split into three bodies in mid-air and pierced the “death hole” of the dragon, yanking off its wings. Yet, warriors don’t let dragons die a humbling death.

With a flash of lightning, a blade of dreams cleaved through the evil dragon’s black scales, severing its life.

It was the most anticlimactic spectacle of a legendary dragon hunt in this world.

“……Those are incredible people.”

Beatrice murmured, having witnessed the same event, a sentiment Subaru wholeheartedly agreed with.

The information he had gathered about the strongest on the ground coalesced into an invincible feeling beyond his simple imagination. Indeed, with ally Reinhardt around, losing felt impossible.

Now that Cecilis had grown, paired with Halibel, that sentiment only deepened――

“――Not yet, brothers!!”

Amid Subaru’s moment of relaxation, a voice struck him like a slap to the face.

There stood Al, a familiar man donned in a helmet that no longer bore its original shape, frozen in a place where the ground bubbled like molten magma.

Al, one of the lost in the Imperial Capital, shouted fervently from the ground.

The message was――

“The stars still haven’t changed! The ‘Witch’ is up to something still!!”

△▼△▼△▼△

Vincent was sensing a heating and accelerating of thought amidst the rapidly changing circumstances.

No matter how praised as the “Wise Emperor,” Vincent never thought of himself as particularly wise compared to others. What he consciously felt superior in was the depth and breadth of his pondering and the time he took to derive answers.

This difference in time was affected by whether or not one could start thinking amid distractions, how one utilized even slight moments efficiently.

“――――”

With the “Witch’s” schemes igniting, and on the verge of collapse, the magic core of the Crystal Palace―― the main body of Moguro Hagane, was lifted into the air by Balroi Temegurif, who was supposed to be dead.

As a result, it managed to avoid an explosion in the Crystal Palace, saving the Imperial Capital and, in turn, the Empire from destruction.

However, knowing Balroi, what he truly wanted to protect was likely not the Empire nor the Capital, but someone much closer to him that he cherished.

In any case, that the sacrificial efforts of the deceased Balroi brought about the safety of the Imperial Capital and the view of the evening sky now cleared of swirling clouds――

“But is this where it ends?”

Beside him, tears streamed down the cheeks of Medium, who held the unconscious Madelin. While keeping that on the edge of his vision, Vincent propelled his thoughts with a chilling calmness.

Stopping Medium, who had intended to cast herself into danger with her position as a potential Empress, a more composed Emperor would have offered her words of consolation or shown a supportive demeanor.

However, Vincent was none of that. —Hence, he couldn’t do anything for Medium. The more he couldn’t assist her, the colder Vincent’s thoughts became.

“The ‘Great Calamity’ has not paused for a moment, continuously executing its deadly plans. Furthermore, every scheme has been designed without gaps.”

The “Secret Art of the Undead King” that resurrected the dead had its power derived from the “Stone Block” Muspel, and as the undead continued to be killed, the energy of the “Stone Block” would eventually run out, leading to the collapse of the Empire’s lands.

The earlier bombardment of the magical crystal cannon and the targets remained unknown from Vincent’s position. However, after firing, they left behind a triggered magic core, turning it into a deadly explosive to obliterate the Imperial Capital.

Simply believing that by just repelling threats they’d get by was naive.

If there was still something the “Great Calamity” prepared for the next hand――

“――――”

A certain possibility flickered in Vincent’s mind.

It was an assertion closer to paranoia or delusion than a deep strategy. However, now that he had conceived it, he had to verify its potential. He understood that anything he could think of could be dawned upon by anyone given adequate time.

Therefore, this would be the same.

“Roswaal Dunkelken! Have you searched the castle thoroughly?”

“Hey, hey, Your Excellency! I’m missing both hands here, right? Could you consider my sad state of needing aid a little more…?”

“――Did you see Priscilla Barielle in the castle? Life or death is irrelevant.”

“――――”

“Answer me! I can’t waste any time!”

“――That girl with red eyes and a flashy dress, right? Haven’t seen her. I killed off the troublesome sorcerers and those puppets tinkering with souls, though.”

Al answered with a raised eyebrow at Vincent’s urgency.

Originally, Al had been tasked with thoroughly searching the castle while infiltrating the Crystal Palace―― the overall purpose was to destroy the magic of the “Secret Art of the Undead King.”

Though it couldn’t be said they’d accomplished the task completely due to interruptions, ie; failing to retrieve Priscilla.

“Not to mention you’re empty-handed. It’s not like I’ve lost my limbs and got nothing. So, am I out of a job or something?”

“Your fate is to be decided later. However, if you haven’t spotted her—”

“Abel, huh?”

The elderly figure remained pale yet attempted to maintain a casual tone. Amidst the exchange between Al and Vincent, Medium, who had looked down from the sky, posed a curious question.

With the echoes of Balroi’s conclusion still lingering, her azure eyes probed Vincent, who stepped onto a pile of rubble with a bitter expression.

And――

“――Priscilla isn’t imprisoned in the Crystal Palace. I can’t deduce the reason, but… the enemy, at least a part of them, intends for her to witness the fall of the Empire.”

△▼△▼△▼△

—Aldebaran called out “the stars still haven’t turned” to Natsuki Subaru, and Vincent Volakia, without fully understanding the true intent, deduced the plans of the “Witch,” the center of the “Great Calamity.”

Having witnessed the series of events leading up to this moment, the captive Priscilla Barielle also reached an accurate understanding of her situation.

“It was peculiar from the start. If your goal revolves around me, then aside from Arakia’s death, the destruction of the Empire should’ve been a hindrance.”

Reflecting on numerous water mirrors, scenes from not only the battle in the Capital but the siege in the “Castle City” and the waves of undead causing damage across the Empire appeared.

Truly, it was evidence that the threat of the “Great Calamity” was spreading throughout the Empire.

Showing these to Priscilla was intended to plunge her into despair. —Whether they could actually achieve that was uncertain, but it was definitely a straightforward aim.

However――

“The death of the ‘Stone Block’ leading to the Empire’s demise serves no purpose for you. Ultimately, taking my life here isn’t your desire. Therefore—”

“Therefore?”

“――What binds me isn’t the underground prison of the Crystal Palace.”

The Sphinx persisted in fabricating schemes indifferent to the Empire’s destruction, as she was guaranteed that this destruction wouldn’t reach Priscilla.

Destroying the Empire while keeping Priscilla alive. —The criteria to achieve this were remarkably clear.

“――――”

Even after gaining that assurance, surveying the surroundings brought no discrepancy in her memories of the underground prison.

During the Praldis era, she had only visited the castle’s dungeon once out of mere curiosity, but the dungeon recalled by Priscilla was likely a relocated and altered space, consistent right down to the finest detail.

They had shifted the whole spatial framework of the dungeon to an utterly unrelated place regarding the Volakia Empire’s fall — a sort of alternate dimension and placed Priscilla as a spectator to the battle-worn Imperial Capital.

As proof, the fierce tremors from the ongoing clash in the Capital had ceased to reach the confines of her prison.

“However, of all places, you chose to position me as a mere spectator. I can’t speak for other Volakia royals, but you’ve shown an impeccable sense of contempt towards me.”

“Any careless interference is prohibited. It’s a necessary countermeasure for you.”

“That’s an unwelcome phrase, but for your rebellious stance, I’ll let it slide this time.”

In response to Sphinx’s reply, Priscilla entered deep thought.

As the “Witch’s” motives seemed to aim more at stifling the probability of someone coming to aid Priscilla rather than any action she might take.

That instinct was accurate. —Confining her to an alternate space devoid of any known exit. It could be said there was almost no chance left for others to rescue Priscilla from the outside.

Nevertheless――

“The same can be said for you, can’t it?”

“――What do you mean?”

“It’s a simple matter. —Why don’t you replicate yourself limitlessly, descend upon countless stars, and burn the lands of the Empire to ashes?”

“――――”

“If you’re sure that I won’t fall victim to your heavenly descent, then it’s the most straightforward means to accomplish your goal. The only reason you hold back must be unmistakably clear… you cannot do it even if you wish to.”

Priscilla elucidated her theory to the silenced Sphinx.

Once burned by the “Sun Blade,” Sphinx altered the nature of her soul, reconstructing her vessel to fulfill her purpose as the “Witch of Greed.” At that moment, one of her two objectives in inciting the “Great Calamity” had been fulfilled.

Now, all that lay ahead was to annihilate the Volakia Empire to plunge Priscilla into despair. To achieve that, it would be a cinch to summon unlimited Sphinx copies and reign down meteor showers upon the earth.

Yet, Sphinx did not do that.

“It’s frustrating, but witnessing you increase your numbers by mimicking a lamia made me realize something. Regardless of how many vessels you increase, they all share the same foundational soul. —In other words, the source of mana held by the holder of the Sphinx’s soul is centralized.”

That was the existential flaw encountered by Sphinx, who had resurrected as the “Witch of Greed.”

Through the misuse of the “Secret Art of the Undead King,” she could be reborn countless times and create multiple versions of herself, but as long as those copies emanated from the same core soul, they could not possess mana exceeding that singular source.

Sphinx had already confronted the champions aiming to reclaim the Capital in numerous fierce battles while also wielding the grand magic that brought down stars multiple times. Regardless of how capable the “Witch of Greed” was as a sorceress, it was completely normal to have limits to that power.

“And so, you must impose limits on the number of your replicas. Furthermore, pinning one of them to me isn’t merely to engage in discourse with me, is it? If you weren’t here directly, you wouldn’t be able to sustain this space.”

Since identifying herself as the arch-enemy of the “Witch” and materializing before Priscilla, Sphinx had never once left her alone in the dungeon. This could be construed as a means to ensure she didn’t miss any expressions or emotional shifts from Priscilla amidst the dynamically evolving situation, but there could also be an even more dire reason considered.

Simply put, that action was necessary for her to operate.

“――――”

To that assertion from Priscilla, Sphinx continued to maintain her silence.

There’s reasoning for not responding; it allows one to keep information from filtering to the other party, whether it be good or bad, but in Priscilla’s words, she’d characterize it as second-rate belly tricks. Sphinx had to understand that too.

At times, silence could speak volumes, casting suspicion even more eloquently than words ever could.

—If Priscilla’s assumptions were correct, Sphinx had undoubtedly exhausted much of the power her soul could command.

If this were not the case, even with restrictions imposed, she should still have sufficient mana to continuously engage with the duplicates of herself scattered throughout the Imperial Capital and across the lands, launching uninterrupted attacks.

Strategically, there’d be no reason to refrain from doing so.

In effect, the schemes spearheaded by Sphinx leading the “Great Calamity” had reached their limit――.

“—Surely not, right?”

Upon formulating her theory, Priscilla denied it with a closed eye.

The emotion behind that question might have amazed any onlookers present. Because in that inquiry was not just the conceit of wanting to dissect another’s thoughts nor a suspicion drawn from healthy skepticism.

What was interwoven was a certain expectation.

Entrapped in the deadlock, she assumed her opponent would find a way to break out.

And upon receiving Priscilla’s question, a glimmer of shock flickered across Sphinx’s eyes. She widened them, and then the “Witch” twisted her lips into the shape of a grin.

—That moment marked the commencement of the final high-stakes showdown between Priscilla and Sphinx.

△▼△▼△▼△

Each reincarnated from the same soul, the Sphinxes were wholly independent, with no shared consciousness.

Thus, among the seven distinct “Witches of Greed,” only the one directly facing Priscilla was aware that she had uncovered their intent.

However, that knowledge didn’t sway the schemes of the seven Sphinxes.

From the beginning, Priscilla had prepared the schemes based on the assumption that she would decipher and call them out.

Only the Sphinx present before Priscilla had confirmed Priscilla’s deductions were mostly correct, and Sphinx could only admire her astounding insight.

As she stated, the multiple Sphinxes indeed shared mana through their root souls, and as their numbers increased, so too did the amount of mana any one Sphinx could wield decline.

The reality was that due to the ceaseless battles of recent days, there was scarcely enough mana left to muster a powerful magic like that wielded by Al Shalyos to bring down stars.

Naturally, it wasn’t only through extravagant magic that a sorcerer demonstrated their abilities.

Sphinx, who bore the knowledge of the “Witch of Greed,” possessed numerous options to utilize lesser spells that didn’t equate to the mana required for satisfactory results.

However, there was also the undeniable fact that an extraordinary being capable of weaving complex techniques was looming.

Particularly, one could not overlook the presence of the werewolf capable of bringing forth death and the swordsman able to slice through stars.

For this reason, the five Sphinxes, aside from the one participating in the grand battle of “Castle City” Garkura and the one watching over Priscilla, reached for their last strategy.

They had failed in attempting to directly assassinate Arakia, who had integrated with the “Stone Block.”

They had failed again in the attack launched using the magical crystal cannon, meant to obliterate Arakia.

And immediately after firing the magical crystal cannon, they failed when they aimed to incite a runaway explosion to erase the Imperial Capital.

Laying groundwork from all those failed schemes, the scattered Sphinxes throughout Imperial Capital Rupugana activated the magical circles―― directly intervening with the magic crystal of the Crystal Palace.

“――Activating the multi-layered magic circles. We will execute the final strategy. Important and required.”

This plan fundamentally differed from the previous strategy of obliterating the Imperial Capital through an explosion triggered by a runaway magic core with the Crystal Palace’s magic crystal as a catalyst. Despite being in a state of turmoil, the control over the Crystal Palace, the “Meteor,” was held by Moguro Hagane.

But now that the core was lost, the Crystal Palace was left defenseless.

With the absence of Moguro Hagane, control over the magic crystals comprising the Crystal Palace was vacant.

What remained was a long-accumulated, colossal mass of colorless mana that had gathered considerable power for an extended period and was on the verge of expiring— a tempting tribute for the “Witch.”

The star-shaped castle symbolizing the Imperial Capital Rupugana held five peaks and inverted pentagonal positions that did not overlap with them, as the five Sphinxes deployed the massive magic circle.

This was meant to infiltrate the magic crystals of the Crystal Palace without any control from Moguro Hagane, siphoning away their vast mana.

And neither Natsuki Subaru, who had shattered numerous plots of the “Witch,” nor Vincent Volakia would falter against the machinations of the “Witch,” whose schemes did not directly correlate with the demise of the Volakia Empire.

The same went for “Blue Thunder” Cecilus Segmunt, “Admirer” Halibel, “Spirit Eater” Arakia, “Malicious Old Man” Roswaal L. Meiastars, Beatrice, Garfiel Tinsel, Medium O’Connell, Tanzer, and Heinkel.

Just one person――

“――This magic circle… it’s incomplete?”

Among the five Sphinxes supposed to activate the circle―― one located farthest to the north didn’t engage, resulting in an incomplete magical activation, igniting a sense of unease among the “Witches.”

Ironically, this was due to the collision between the “Witch of Greed” and the “Witch of Envy”— neither realized that they bore the seeds of conflict as successors of the “Witch.”