"Ugh…?!"
"Ah…!!!"
"Wh-What in the world is happening?!"
"What's going on?!"
Within the boundless, ocean-like expanse of the blue flower field, the few remaining residents who hadn't been knocked unconscious by the terrifying soundwave were deathly pale. They clutched their ears and heads, screaming in utter despair.
—Fear.
—Panic.
Only these suffocating emotions existed in the flower field.
Even the people who lived in this extraordinary city, accustomed to the daily madness of supernatural phenomena and Esper powers, people long since jaded by the bizarre, were completely overwhelmed by raw, primal terror in that single moment.
—Helplessness.
—Confusion.
In this new, strange world where only the endless flower field and the distant outline of mountain ranges remained, even cries for help vanished into the void, unanswered.
It wasn't just the world itself that had been brutally overwritten; even the fundamental worldviews of those trapped within it were being shaken apart. A darkness of negative emotion began to spread, choking the air.
In a twisted way, those who had been cleanly knocked unconscious were the lucky ones.
They didn't have to face any of this. Nor would they have to witness what was about to happen next.
"BOOM————!"
Suddenly, an explosive sound tore through the air, deafening and immediate.
It came from the only structure standing in the middle of the flower field, the ancient castle.
Without warning, the very top of the castle detonated, sending rubble and stone fragments whirling outward like a miniature, violent storm.
Moments later—
From the gaping ruin of the castle, enormous chains, each as thick as a structural pillar, shot violently up toward the sky. They were like metallic, heavenly columns, soaring into the air at unbelievable speed.
They reached upward, straight for the crimson moon hanging ominously in the night sky.
And then, everyone saw the horrifying truth.
"Pā pā pā pā————!"
With sharp, echoing cracks loud enough to pierce the silence of the night, the massive chains impaled the crimson moon, linking it directly to the ancient castle below.
"BOOM…"
In the next instant, the chains snapped taut, as if some invisible, cosmic giant had grabbed hold of the other end and yanked downwards, splitting the air with a deafening, groaning roar.
The crimson moon was being ripped from the heavens.
"BOOM—ROAR…"
The sound of air being violently displaced, compressed, and shattered filled the world.
"Hū hū hū…"
The sheer pressure and friction from the atmosphere ignited violent winds, turning the sky into a howling, apocalyptic tempest.
People could only stare, frozen stiff with terror—
Staring at a scene that was pure nightmare fuel, a vision that deserved the phrase "destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth."
Before their very eyes, the crimson moon fell, crashing down upon the sea of flowers.
"————"
Light once again filled heaven and earth, only to be replaced by a sudden, unnatural stillness.
In a sealed, sterile chamber filled with tangled cables and the sterile glow of monitoring instruments, a pair of eyes slowly opened inside a towering cylindrical test tube .
"Shā… shā shā…"
Before those eyes, a nearby monitor flickered, the screen was black, filled with static, as if the signal had been completely and catastrophically lost.
The one to whom those eyes belonged stared silently for a long moment, and then murmured softly:
"…An unforeseen development, huh."
Evidently, even the master of that quiet voice had not anticipated that the target of their observation possessed a power of this magnitude.
As for what Academy City had become outside, the master of that voice had run through countless scenarios in their mind.
Some were good. Some were, well, bad.
The good ones weren't a concern.
But if it was the bad scenario, the master of that voice would lose everything; their life's work would crumble into meaninglessness.
It was clearly a catastrophe, yet the master of that voice simply closed their eyes.
Their expression remained perfectly composed.
"…It seems I'll need to reconsider my entire strategy."
"Ugh…"
"Mmm…"
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the residents of Academy City began to stir, slowly emerging from their stupor and confusion.
"Th-this…"
"What the hell happened…?"
And then, all those who regained consciousness were left utterly bewildered.
Because what they saw before them was not the endless sea of flowers, nor the apocalyptic vision of a falling moon, but the same familiar Academy City as always.
As if the madness had never occurred, Academy City existed peacefully beneath the very same night sky.
"Could it be… that was all just a mass illusion…?"
Whispers of speculation began to spread, quickly turning into a cacophony of confused chatter echoing throughout every corner of the city.
That night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
…
Misawa Cram School, East Wing, top floor lecture hall.
"Thud…"
With a soft, final sound, Aureolus collapsed to the floor. His eyes were vacant, his face devoid of any emotion, as if his very soul had been sucked dry.
"Ha… haha…"
The terrifying scenes from moments ago played endlessly in his mind. The man who claimed to have used a wish-granting magic, the alchemist who declared himself a god of his own created world, could now only manage hollow, broken laughter, drool slipping uncontrollably from his lips.
At last, Aureolus understood.
He finally understood what true wish-fulfillment meant. He understood what it meant to create a world.
And he understood, what it truly meant to be a god.
Ars Magna?
Magic that could turn imagination into reality?
Such a thing, how could that ever be called true world creation? How could it ever elevate its caster to godhood?
Compared to that overwhelming power he had just witnessed, his own technique wasn't even a pale imitation; it was utterly worthless scrap.
He was nothing before the power that could truly realize one's desires, that could create an entire world with a whim. The power known as "Fantasy Manifestation."
Aureolus understood clearly now.
If the master of that power hadn't somehow regained a shred of rationality in the final, impossible instant, then not just Misawa Cram School, not just Academy City, but the entire nation where the city stood would have been wiped from existence by that terrifying blow.
The only reason everything remained safe and sound was because that person had suddenly chosen to restrain themselves, not because they had reached their limit.
"Hahaha… HahahaHAHAHA!"
The alchemist, his confidence and sanity utterly shattered, burst into wild, hysterical laughter.
It was the laughter of absolute collapse.
At that very moment—
Fang Li, the man who still kept his head bowed, his expression hidden, dragged his heavy steps forward.
The air around him was still alive with trembling, violent waves of power, yet he slowly exhaled, clearly forcing himself to calm the storm inside.
He walked past Aureolus without even a glance, treating the man as if he no longer existed. He moved forward, toward Himegami Aisa, the shrine maiden standing there in stunned silence.
In his eyes, the blood-red, beastlike pupils shimmered and were slowly replaced by a pair of cold, focused ice-blue Mystic Eyes.
The Waning Moonlight Dagger glinted in his grasp.
Himegami Aisa had no time to react.
"Pū-chī!"
The sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed softly.
The Waning Moonlight Dagger had been driven straight into the girl's chest.
(End Of This Chapter)
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