Mana concentrated at the tip of the staff, and with the spun incantation, the world began to rewrite itself――.

The wind that blew through turned into blades, rushing towards the entity standing at the swirling center, exploding and scattering destruction in all directions.

“――――ッ!”

At the center of the vortex――standing in the line of the oncoming blades was Garfiel, roaring as he looked up.

The crushing blades struck Garfiel’s body, the sharp edges slicing diagonally into his rock-like abs. Blood spilled, but he wasn’t cleaved in two thanks to his quick leap backward.

In the choice between countering and dodging, he opted for immediate retreat. Despite a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, he covered his head with his arms to avoid a fatal wound, escaping the wind blades that pursued him like a gust.

However, these blades were unleashed as a surprise attack meant to determine the course of battle.

The wind didn’t allow Garfiel to escape easily, relentless in its pursuit as it chased after him. Kicking off the ground, Garfiel clicked his tongue in defiance against the invisible slashes.

“Shara, kuse――!”

Immediately after stepping back, Garfiel turned to face the wind blades head-on.

As his heels sank into the earth, the ground tilted and shot upward diagonally from the soles of his feet. The wind blades crashed from below, chopping into the surface of the earth as they vanished.

The lifted ground fell according to gravity, creating a resounding boom and a cloud of dust.

In the face of such an overwhelming sight, ordinary folk would likely be left speechless and petrified.

However, the person who launched the surprise attack was no ordinary human, nor was this Garfiel’s first encounter with such a situation.

“Sh!”

“Chiiッ!”

Breaking through the dust, a girl with a short skirt burst forth.

With neatly trimmed pink hair, her light crimson eyes gleamed with a strong will. From the tip of the staff she wielded, mana was released, distorting the surrounding atmosphere, from which invisible wind blades extended.

It was a precise operation, reminiscent of a master wind user, extending the range of her attacks far beyond initial appearances.

Despite their apparent frailty, the wind blades displayed cutting edges that surpassed any ordinary blade. Garfiel braced himself, but even he found himself at a disadvantage in this contest between claws and blades.

Still posed to strike, Garfiel intended to leap backward and escape. However, he was intercepted by Ram’s left hand, which held the opposite of a staff.

“Fūrā!”

“Guo!?”

A brief chant. A low-class wind strike. Garfiel was hit from behind, halting him before he could take another step to escape. There was no damage, but his escape was effectively hindered.

Raising his gaze, he found Ram already winding up for her slash.

“――――”

Before he could ponder the best course of action, Garfiel’s body moved instinctively.

He couldn’t counter the wind blades with his claws or fangs. Dodging was also tough in his current predicament. There was only one path forward.

“Rururururuaaa!”

With a roar, Garfiel’s hands swung to strike the invisible tips of the approaching blades from either side. While it resembled a defensive stance against real blades, that action could do nothing against the formless wind blades.

Yet, it was a fact that the blades, despite being wind, existed in that space. The sharpness of the blades was disrupted by Garfiel’s palm strike, merely slicing diagonally across the skin that should’ve been shredded.

When Ram judged that her attack had been thwarted, it was already too late.

“Zza, kennyaa!”

A front kick shot out, targeting Ram’s body just as her feet hit the ground.

The shoe, piercing the air with enough force to crush rock, still couldn’t reach the low stance Ram assumed. She fell to the ground as if lying down, repositioning to launch another wind blade at Garfiel’s feet.

“――――ッdz!”

On one foot, Garfiel was on the brink of losing his ankles as he leaped to avoid Ram’s blade.

“Your feet have left the ground, haven’t they?”

Just after a whisper grazed his eardrum, Garfiel’s body was knocked from above by a descending heel.

This unexpected blow came from Ram, who leaped from a stance that had wound up her wind blades, launching into a vertical spin to kick.

Garfield, in mid-air, couldn’t dampen the shock in time, and with a crunching noise, the bones in his arm that he raised for defense were wrenched and he was sent flying, smashing into a tree trunk behind him.

Exhaling sharply, Garfiel glared at Ram with golden eyes filled with fury.

However,

“Wulfūra”

There, a tempest of wind powerful enough to crush the entire forest converged――together with the invisible barrage, laying waste to the surroundings.

“Go, a――ッ”

The raging gales battered Garfiel, tearing him apart, tossing him around, blending him in with the furious woods.

Tossed about to the point where he couldn’t discern up from down, and with no ground beneath him, Garfiel had no choice but to be defeated before Ram’s magic.

When the wind stilled and the fury passed, Garfiel appeared, barely standing.

Bloodied and gazing up at the sky, Garfiel knelt on the ground, his consciousness half-faded.

He dove straight into a perfectly laid trap and endured two supreme spells.

Just the fact that he still held onto life was astonishing, although it was somewhat mercifulness given the expectations of his resilience.

Checking Garfiel’s damage, Ram let out a small sigh. Then she turned her gaze toward Otto, who had merely watched the ambush unfold from behind her.

“I knew it, but what a pitiful sight to behold.”

“Isn’t it a bit too harsh to evaluate someone who fought with every ounce of strength, both body and spirit…?”

“Everything is judged by results. Whether it succeeded or failed. The process leading up to it is secondary… that’s why I’ll say it again. A pitiful sight to behold.”

“Wow, you really are ruthless. …This definitely sounds like something Natsuki would say.”

Not sparing Otto any praise for his efforts, Ram snorted softly at the sight of his wry smile.

As a result of his struggles, the damage Otto dealt to Garfiel was substantial. Aside from the minor provoke effects of his traps, the final strike contained enough power to potentially take Garfiel down.

Yet, if there was a miscalculation on Otto’s part,

“It seems Garf’s ‘Earth Spirit Protection’ didn’t break through.”

“Earth Spirit… what?”

Otto echoed back, and Ram let out a small sigh. She shook her head in disbelief at his confusion, looking down with a deep-rooted contempt for his bewilderment.

“Just how much disappointment can one express? It’s really beginning to hurt!”

“Garf’s ‘Earth Spirit Protection’ is literally a boon from the earth. As long as his feet are on the ground, he’s cloaked in the sturdy protection of the soil. […] And if that weren’t enough, earth attribute magic is the worst match for him. A trump card of the Al system, and to think of a donut…”

Placing her hand to her forehead, Ram closed her eyes, looking down.

“Your luck is so miserably lacking, I can’t even pity you.”

“Ugh, my bad luck is now unleashing itself in such terrible ways, how terrifying! More than that, if you knew all this, I feel like you could’ve shared it earlier so I could contribute in a different way!”

“Is it Ram-sama, perhaps?”

“Why does everyone keep trying to kick me down to the bottom tier!?”

Ignoring Otto’s cries, Ram stepped toward dealing with Garfiel, her staff tip flickering.

He shouldn’t even be conscious anymore, yet Garfiel’s endless stamina was astounding. In the opening of the ‘Sanctuary,’ without a doubt, he was the biggest obstacle. It was necessary to restrain him immediately and keep a close watch until the problem was resolved――.

“…………”

As Ram approached, her footsteps halted, and a faint wrinkle creased her brow.

Sensing the air drying her lips, she peeked out her red tongue and then uttered,

“Garf”

“Damn it, you really are a merciless woman when you’re serious.”

Reacting to Ram calling out, Garfiel raised his head weakly.

Within his wide-open sharp eyes burned ire and hostility, his exposed canines clicking softly together, declaring that his fighting spirit wasn’t diminishing.

The surprise attack should have perfectly succeeded. He felt he couldn’t have executed it better any more than this.

Yet, the monster known as Garfiel Tinsel proved not to be easily defeated.

Though Garfiel bled profusely, his casual gesture of rising showed no noticeable fatigue or damage. The wind blades and strikes he had received only grazed the surface.

He had been grazed, bombarded with numerous hits that barely missed vital points, but none had inflicted damage enough to significantly hinder his mobility.

“When you were pinned by the tree and you cast your spell, I thought for sure I had you cornered. I had to use every bit of my brainpower in that moment, but no answer came to mind… so I decided to stop thinking.”

He ceased overthinking and allowed his body to instinctively evade.

As a result, his instincts to survive had greedily chosen the path of least harm, brilliantly maneuvering through the unavoidable chaos with minimal injury.

The results of his very instincts as a creature built for battle.

Without a change in expression, even Ram felt compelled to hold her breath at his instinctive prowess.

While she took pride in her own qualities of always choosing the best option, even when at a numerical disadvantage purely based on capability, this was an experience unparalleled, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Though she felt it was unnecessary to be in this very instance, the fact that the opponent was Garfiel sowed a difficult-to-express emotion within Ram.

“Hey, Ram. Why are you trying to side with them? What leads you to take that path?”

“――――”

“Do you understand? To side with them means to agree with the scheme to release this ‘Sanctuary.’ That runs counter to Roswaal’s wishes, doesn’t it? He… at least right now, wouldn’t want the ‘Sanctuary’ to be released.”

“Garf, to speak about Roswaal-sama as though you understand him? Given how long you’ve known him, you should understand that there’s no way I’d entertain such nonsense.”

“I get your stubbornness. First of all, that’s why I’ve fallen for you. But that’s precisely why I can’t comprehend it. If you won’t give up on Roswaal supremacy, then why side with them? I can’t understand your reasons for being swayed.”

At Garfiel’s words, Ram shut her eyes for just a moment.

Her lips trembled, as if suppressing some emotion—such a sight was rare. Garfiel’s eyes widened at the unexpected display, but the emotion vanished almost instantly.

“Ram…”

“Of course, my desire… is to take meaningful actions that I believe would lead to my wishes being fulfilled.”

“Your desire… is?”

“Of course, it’s the realization of Roswaal-sama’s ambitions. —There’s nothing else.”

With Ram’s declaration, Garfiel let out a deep exhale.

She no longer intended to argue about the contradictions of actions and will with Garfiel. No one could understand Ram’s feelings. The exception being the man who had recognized her heart and had made a proposal, doing this so easily――.

“What a truly frustrating man, Balus. …I don’t know why, but I feel this way about you.”

Ram harbored an inexplicable annoyance towards Subaru.

It wasn’t merely a visceral aversion nor was it from the resentment built over time; it felt deeply rooted in something more fundamental.

As if Subaru were some hated foe that had robbed her of something precious――such a bizarre emotion lingered between her and Subaru.

Yet, despite that, Ram decided to follow Subaru’s lead because his proposal struck a chord deep within her heart.

“Should be healed enough to stand now, right?”

“Y-you’re quite demanding… I thought maybe you could spare me a healing spell or two without repercussions…”

“Don’t worry. Ram can’t use any healing magic at all. I never needed to learn it.”

“I’ve never met a maid completely devoid of healing skills before!”

Screaming, Otto strained his trembling legs to stand.

His body still swayed, with his nosebleed finally stopped. Even standing, he was hardly in a condition to be counted as a fighting force.

However, the attitude he carried, still full of fighting spirit, irritated Garfiel, who snorted in frustration.

“You… I thought I made it clear enough in our previous exchanges that you’re done for. Even using my trump card, can’t you see I’m still standing strong? Holding onto hope this long is just foolish; you’ll drag down a good man.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve yet to lose enough of my will to fight to accept defeat gracefully. Even if I end up broke, as long as I remain on my feet, I can still run. At least that’s what my friend would claim if he were here.”

“…That guy again.”

Garfiel clicked his tongue at the mention of “friend” by Otto.

“What’s so trustworthy about a guy who only talks a big game? He’s got no real power. No brains. Just flapping his gums. You think a guy like that would be worth lending assistance to?”

“Well, worth is subjective. There may not be value for him now, but the future could prove otherwise.”

“…Huh?”

“However, that’s only if we don’t flatline right here. So, I wonder what kind of flower Natsuki, this mere sprout, can bloom into, and how much it will ultimately be worth… It’s my job to prune and weed that out.”

Scratching his head at the troublesome nature of it all, Otto chuckled weakly, causing Ram to let out a bored sigh.

“Honestly, I still don’t see what’s so impressive about Balus. I agree with Garf—he’s weak, useless, and can’t even serve a proper cup of tea.”

“That might be a bit harsh… but maybe not.”

“Still, Balus is unnervingly a man with impeccable timing whenever it counts.”

Ignoring Otto’s attempt to provide backup, Ram stated it firmly.

To which both men tilted their heads in confusion, “Timing?” they queried, and Ram inclined her chin.

“It’s timing. He’s just a man of good timing, that’s Balus.”

Though generally useless and having no concept of when to show up, Natsuki Subaru managed to appear precisely when he was needed.

When Emilia got separated from Ram in the Royal Capital, Subaru protected Emilia in Ram’s stead.

He carried the injured Subaru to the mansion, dealing with the chaos stirred by the beasts in those subsequent days. While he may not have made the biggest contribution, the truth remained that his presence was valuable.

When Emilia returned from the Royal Capital and it became apparent that disturbing vibes were spreading around the entire village, Subaru returned with reinforcements and helped them escape from danger.

Natsuki Subaru… was a man of incredibly good timing.

There was nothing appealing about him, and she felt no charm in him as a potential suitor. Ram found herself often baffled by what made him any good, which would annoy her, with the details of what specifically troubled her slipping her mind.

In any case, Natsuki Subaru was plainly that kind of guy.

That was why, in this instance, Ram had to――,

“I can at least trust Balus’ timing. —If Balus thought he saw the right moment to act, then that may be the only chance we have.”

“Is it that Ram has some trust in Natsuki after everything?”

“Ram sama.”

“Is that really the part you’re pulling on!?”

Irritated at her creeping companion’s beaming smile, Ram shot him a sharp glance that silenced him.

Thus, the two found themselves in agreement on the validity of Subaru’s intentions. While they kept their alliance and silently utilized this time to stall Subaru, their agreement was mutual.

They knew they had sufficiently bought enough time, yet――.

“Why is it that I still feel the urge to keep going? I find myself puzzled by that.”

“Having set such a clean trap and executed a perfect ambush, to not have brought him down is humiliating. He’s quite the arrogant one for a Garf. —Time to teach him a lesson.”

“Yikes, this sister is terrifying. Is that sleeping child truly kind? I’m starting to suspect Natsuki might be lying about it.”

Otto muttered his unnecessary observation.

As Ram checked the grip of her staff, she concentrated her mana again.

Garfiel maintained silence, his body tensed, as he listened to the words of the two.

“――――”

Ready to spring back into action, the tension in Otto and Ram’s bodies rose sharply.

However, Garfiel’s resolve became clear when he muttered,

“――No more, that’s enough.”

His worn voice floated across the air.

Both Otto and Ram furrowed their brows simultaneously.

“Thinking is such a hassle――”

With an exhausted voice, Garfiel muttered.

And then,

“――――――――ッ!!”

A beastly roar echoed through the entirety of the ‘Sanctuary’s forest’, shaking the very ground.

Every creature within the woods trembled and bowed down before the overwhelming pressure.

――The super beast had emerged.