Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

Several kilometers from the entrance to the megaruins, a small canyon lay in the Great Desert. In that place that had been left untouched for decades—perhaps even centuries—a slight vibration finally reached its destination.

Crash!

Shortly thereafter, the ground broke apart as two figures exchanged blows.

"Will you die already?"

Bjorna's amused voice rang in the darkness. Even in the midst of the strewn-about sand and the stone fragments of the ruins, she was nowhere to be seen.

Jaqnelle's body was bathed in a brilliant light, pushing the shadows away. He stood atop a long stretch of light, the bottom of his feet stained in an inky darkness from which a human figure rose.

"You've gotten a lot weaker over the last three years, huh?”

"I don't think you've changed much compared to before, either…”

Jaqnelle twisted around. A blade pierced the ball of light hanging on an adjacent canyon wall.

It didn't end there.

Schwing! 

A terrifyingly close blade brushed past his cheek. Drops of blood trailed along the blade that had sprung from the shadow beneath him.

Jaqnelle managed to move his jaw to evade the attack and scattered thousands of balls of light in all directions.

Crackle!

The air grew static and then burst, turning everything in the surrounding radius into dust. Bjorna, having somehow disappeared, walked out leisurely from within a shadow of the cliff.

"Hey, over here. What are you aiming for?”

As she spoke with a playful grin, Jaqnelle bit his lips and glared at her.

It had been that attack again, the one that penetrated his own defenses.

The Shield of Heaven. He was called that because his defenses could deflect any kind of attack—whether physical, magical, or even mental.

"…There are gnats flying around."

"Oh, really? Want me to help you with that?”

However, by some unknown means, her attack was different.

"No, I don't need your help. I can take care of things myself."

If a shadow existed in this space, a blade could emerge from it, no matter how small the shadow. Her blades seemed to go beyond the typical limits of space. He didn’t know where the attack would come from, so it was all he could do to just barely react in time.

When he answered with a stony expression, she walked around him with her light, graceful steps.

"What’s with that face? Someone might think I'm bothering you, kid."

Bjorna's eyes were curved into beautiful crescents. Her attitude was one of someone who knew they were going to win. She acted as though it was only natural, since it really was. She’d clearly had the upper hand throughout their battle.

Jaqnelle had only endured up to this point because he was a master of defense, but just having the ability to prolong their battle was unlikely to lead to victory.

"…Are you denying that you are?"

"Me? Why, how could I possibly?" She exaggeratedly covered her mouth as if she must have misheard, and shook her head with an innocent face. "Perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding."

Jaqnelle's lips quivered with hatred. "…All those years you’ve got on me, and yet you’re still acting so childish."

"Hmm? We only have a year or two difference between us at most, though?”

He let out a little laugh. It's been decades since she'd been a member of the Top Eight. She reigned as the Queen of Darkness for so long, yet still behaved in that way.

“Aren’t you embarrassed, talking like that?"

"I mean, perhaps a little that my body has—"

"Grandma sure is flipping out.”

For a moment, her hair stood on end. Bjorna's smile disappeared.

Her body melted into a shadow.

Fwish.

A large sword shadowed in a dark red aura hurdled through the air. The spot where he had stood just before was absolutely obliterated, creating a small pit.

Even so, she was a step late.

Manifesting a few steps away, Bjorna appeared with a jagged wound on her shoulder, perhaps the mark of an animal bite. 

"Beast King!"

Her expression turned cold as she looked up at the top of the canyon.

Above the canyon, a massive figure stood against the night sky. Gaillon's face was fixed, dripping with a deep contempt.

He jumped off the canyon. A small gust of sand blew to the side of his sword, as his white ears revealed themselves.

“Are you out of your mind, old lady? Trying to do all that at your age? You’ve gone senile… Tsk."

It was Gaillon, the Beast King.

He grabbed the hilt of his massive sword with an nonchalant expression that seemed to hint that there was nothing special to see there.

The look in Jaqnelle’s eyes changed.

"How did you—?”

"Aw, kiddo, you're pretty good at being pushed around by a senile old woman."

Jaqnelle's face flushed red in response to his sarcasm; however, he also had a sinking feeling of defensiveness. How could he have known she would show up with a vengeance after three years had already passed?

"…I let my guard down for a moment. If it were to happen again, things wouldn’t turn out the same—”

"That's just called skill."

Though Gaillon cut off his words, Jaqnelle had nothing to say in response, anyway. He knew that what he had said was true. 

Nevertheless, with a hardened gaze, he was determined not to let this happen again.

"How did you get here, Beast King? I made sure that I couldn't be traced…”

Her expression instantly changed, seeming to realize something, as she threw another blade, which turned into a shadow, into a nearby rock. The rock broke neatly in two, and a specter of a little wolf emerged from it.

"…Tracking magic?"

To her redundant question, Gaillon replied with a cool smile. "Archmagic. It’s called ‘Wolf Hunt’. What do you think? Isn't it nice? I named it myself."

As Gaillon spoke with a smug face, she murmured, glaring at the ground, "…I knew I should’ve dealt with the professors first."

The problem was that she had settled with just trapping them away, too concerned with what measures the Academy would take in retaliation if she were to do any more. 

It was because of people like Jaqnelle.

There was no aspect that she enjoyed—from the beginning to the end—because she knew that they never considered them a part of their group.

"Well, now that I'm done giving my greetings, let’s finish this up. We’ve been at this long enough already.” 

Gaillon’s sharp teeth showed their ferocious appearance.

“……”

Her face turned icy. An assassin like her had to be able to keep her emotions in check at all times. Gaillon's provocation was insignificant to her, now focused and settled. 

Even so, she now had to gauge the situation.

'It would be a waste to just step down now…’

Dealing a serious injury, or perhaps even a fatal wound, would be preferable. Even if she couldn’t manage to kill him, she wanted to give Jaqnelle a taste of the humiliation he had forced upon her. But how could she bypass Gaillon to deal him that injury?

'One-armed for life? Anything more would be impossible.’

She had already used up her energy fighting Jaqnelle, and doubted she could deal with Gaillon at this point, one of the three most powerful members of the Top Eight

"…Sigh, you got lucky, kiddo."

It had been three years of constant humiliation.

She’d taken advantage of the period in which her whereabouts were undocumented, when she’d been injured. It was when her skills and her strength that she’d worked so hard to cultivate had been diminished. Even her subordinates had taken advantage of her hiatus, stealing her property. Now, all sorts of newbies and disillusioned idiots had been fighting a war amongst themselves over who could claim the title as the ‘Ruler of the Shadows’.

Everything that she had worked her entire life to build and accomplish had been lost by that one defeat. That's why she had been aiming for a surprise attack, as both a signal to announce her return and to avenge her pride…

"I guess today just isn’t the day. There is nothing I can do. See you later, kiddo.”

"Lady, where do you think you’re going after picking a fight first?" Gaillon exploded violently in anger.

Having not fought a battle in the past few years, he was itching to fight. A battle of life and death. He wanted to feel that rush—that joy.

She smiled at his longing desperation. "Oh, I’m sorry, is it okay if I go? The little ones are probably in danger."

Her finger pointed toward Vedrfolnir as it fell from the sky. She just so happened to catch the scene of a vicious monster attacking the masses from the sky.

"They’re fine. It's a child's quarrel. That's a piece of cake…”

"Gaillon."

Jaqnelle grabbed Gaillon by the shoulder.

"We have to go. That monster is still too much for those students. Many students must have already died."

"The one who will die, will die. And the one who will live, will live."

"Gaillon."

As he stared him down, Gaillon sighed and settled himself. "Tsk, I thought I was finally in for a good fight after all this time…”

He knew.

He knew that monster may not have been a big deal for himself, but was still far too beyond the capabilities of the first-year students.

He just wanted so badly to participate in a fight that he could actually call a battle.

"Go. But there will be no ‘next time’."

"Well, what a shame. Oh, by the way, I've prepared a present for you, kiddos—"

Shlop.

Her body melted into the shadow of the cliff, and she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"—I do hope you like it."

Her voice trailed off, her presence completely disappeared. Though he couldn’t relax quite yet, he felt safe to say that the immediate threat had left.

In the direction she pointed, Jaqnelle saw each and every member of his former family, waiting for the outcome of the battle with anxious expressions.

Jaqnelle's face became heavy.

"Kid, do you need another hand?"

"That's all right. It’s my job to handle it myself…”

There was a sort of murderous venom to his tone that he hadn’t shown, even when fighting Bjorna.

"I’ll be fine alone."

"Then, go help the children.”

Jaqnelle nodded and left the canyon.

Gaillon cast a glance in the direction he was heading and shook his head. That was what happened when one didn’t tie up all loose ends.

"…But who am I to say that?"

Watching a star fall from the sky for a moment, he kicked the ground.

The end of a long and drawn-out adventure was approaching.

* * *

* * *

Around him were dead bodies in disastrous disrepair. If Allen hadn’t spent so much time with them, they would’ve been entirely beyond recognition. 

The passageways were littered full with fallen debris, perhaps broken when Vedrfolnir had arisen.

Time began to flow backward.

Fragments of the ruins that had been destroyed and scattered about returned to their original place, and monsters and guardians of the ruins walked back inside. Bodily wounds recovered, and broken equipment returned to its original state.

Allen gaped, struck dumb, as they turned into warm-blooded humans.

And so, the reversed hands of the space’s clock turned back in the correct direction as time began to flow once more.

It began with their transportation there.

—Wh-what was that…

—Everyone, be careful…

—William!

Unable to fully grasp the situation right away due to their sudden movement, they responded one beat late to a nearby guardian’s attack.

—William, are you okay?

The guardian was disposed of, but William had already been seriously injured.

They hurriedly healed his wound with a potion. However, William—complexion pale with the fatigue accumulated from traversing the ruins for what seemed like decades—already appeared sick and tired.

—I'm o-okay. We need to figure out what's going on…

But things didn't end there.

Rumble, rumble.

The ruins continued to shake, and monsters and guardians continued to pour out from the other side of the passage.

Evan and Ariel blocked the passage as much as possible, trying their best to endure.

—Evan! Hang in there!

—Cough, I got it! I can hold out as long as I feel like it, so relax!

Evan used his family’s techniques. It was a neat skill, executed cleanly.

But it wasn't enough.

—If I don't overdo it now, when will I ever?

Ariel also used as many skills as she could muster, but it was not enough to quell the endless flood of enemies.

—Baroque!

In the end, they were able to take a breather only after mobilizing one of Evan’s family’s relics.

However, the situation was grim, with no sign of improvement. Seeing this, Allen, with a bitter heart, understood what had occurred. 

'…Bad luck.’

It was just as he’d suspected.

The seventh floor.

Arriving at that specific place at that specific time was just a coincidence, and the fact that the space-shifting magic occurred at that specific time, too, was also just an unexpected coincidence. The same went for the way that the monsters and guardians flocked to that same location.

It was all just an accident caused by a compounding of bad luck.

—William, are you trying to flirt with me? I mean, I was kind of thinking the same thing, too, you know?

—Now, stop joking around. Isn't this an emergency…?

Allen silently watched their end, as they accepted their fates.

—Let’s hang out again after all this.

—I…

—Just the two of us.

A faint smile crossed Allen’s lips as they acted like their usual selves despite the difficult situation.

Just as they were preparing for their end, Evan spoke.

—Someone is coming this way.

The moment Allen turned his head in curiosity, he heard a voice.

A voice he would never forget.

—Oh, there's someone here?

A man with characteristic blue hair walked out from a turn-off in the passageway.

—I-it's a person!

—That hair color… Is it a Reinhart?

—If it's a Reinhart other than Allen… it must be Julius.

Julius paused upon hearing his name. Curiously, even though he was among the monsters, none of the ones surrounding him seemed to take notice.

It must have been the Concealer's Cloak, the Hidden Peace he had obtained from the Academy.

—…Do you know me?

—Yes, we do. Aren't you Allen's brother?

—Can you help us? I'll make sure to reward you.

Julius rolled his eyes at their request. He glanced at them, then peered into the air in front of him.

—…What a waste of time.

—What?

—What are you talking about…?

Julius stared at them, openly annoyed. He was pretty sure they were Allen’s teammates, but that wasn’t something to worry about since Allen wasn’t here with them. 

—None of you are side characters I should be looking after.

Looking at them with his ‘Iridescent Eye’, he made a decision.

—You guys can work it out… No, actually, wait a minute…

Julius, who was about to pass by ignoring them, looked in the direction where Dongdong was about to head and nodded.

—You can draw attention from monsters and guardians while I take the Hidden Peace…

Julius remembered. The humiliation he’d suffered as a noble in the supplementary class.

'What? Does he have no dignity? Is he not a noble? He really is just like the rumors said.’

Word of his barbarism and cruelty had spread after the results of the duel and his decisive victory. It was a duel, after all, so what did it even matter?

No matter how he attempted to maintain a good reputation, nothing changed.

‘He made a formal apology, so I thought they made up. But I guess he’s the same.’

It was difficult to shake a social stigma associated with your name. If it weren't for Dongdong, it would have been difficult to get rid of his image as a troublemaker.

He took out a small box from his subspace he’d acquired at the auction house. It was an object to be used in battle—a tool to draw attention by making loud noises.

—Please draw their attention. You're all going to die anyway, so you can at least do that for me, right?

—What?

—What would happen if your brother knew you were doing this—?!

Kaboom!

The loud sound of firecrackers rippled through the passage, attracting monsters.

—Ah, shit, that really is loud. But it doesn't matter. Who’s gonna know?

Monsters began to flock to them. The time limit of Evan’s giant clam seemed to have just run its course, and their marine shield began to fade.

—Well then, do your best. Bye, bye!

Julius walked toward the other passage of the fork in the road with a ridiculing tone.

The duration of their protection had ended.

—Evan, what should I do…?!

—William, you need to live. I'll hold them off for a while—

—No, I’ll take care of that. You two, run away—

Evan resisted until the very end, just as he had promised. But his resistance didn't last quite as long as he’d thought. One moment, he was attempting to hold their pursuers back. In the next, his arm was torn off.

Monsters flocked through the gap where he had stood.

Crack.

There were no parting words to be had, as was typically seen in action media and s. Rather, his whole body was torn to shreds and contorted until his figure had become unrecognizable.

Next was Ariel.

—William, I don't think we’re going to be able to get together later.

—Ariel, wait, n-no, no—!

She pulled out a sheaf of arrows from her subspace, and charged into the crowd with all the vigor and energy left in her body. A blast shot out from her body, sending tens of thousands arrows flying forward.

William ran away, his face contorted in misery.

Yet there was no miracle at the end of the path. No one showed up to help. Reality was cold.

Thud.

Soon after, a blunt instrument from behind smashed into his spine.

—I-I need to make it.

Stab.

Shortly after, dozens of blades found their way into his body, as he still, desperately, crawled away.

—Carl, Jennie, Evan, Ariel, Al…

The light in his eyes faded. 

William met his end.

He never managed to call out Allen's name.

With that, Allen's consciousness returned to his body.

The bead turned gray and lost its light.

He heard something.

—Evan is the kinda guy who is arrogant on the outside but soft on the inside. He tries to appear perfect so as to not shatter that image.

"Allen, we found you. There’s…”

—Ariel has a lot of pride, but she loves to joke around, too. You know? She deliberately says misleading things to see how Evan and I will react.

He heard something.

—Allen, I thought you were… impartial. You’re the second in our class, yet you didn’t discriminate against anybody. And you helped me out a lot at the beginning. I learned that you are all… really nice people. So nice that I wouldn’t even hesitate to hang out with you all.

"Are you all right? You don’t look so good…”

—Well, it's kind of weird to just tell you my… evaluations of other people, so to speak… I'm actually looking for my sister. Have I told you I'm an orphan?

He heard something.

—I'm looking for my sister. She was sold as a slave a long time ago, and I wanted to come to the Academy by any means because of that. Of course, I was a little lost at first, but…

"Hey, kid, that technique you used…”

—I think that I can find her now. Her name repeats on loop in my mind, but all I can remember of her is that she and I have the same curly black hair.

He heard something.

—You'll find them one day, I’m sure of it.

Dark night. Bonfire. Teammates. Secrets. Dreams. And death.

The sound stopped.

"—Ah."

He didn’t hear anything.

He’d never hear it again.

—————

—————