“Hmm, hmm.”

At the pinnacle of the cathedral's spire, a figure with purple hair, galaxy-colored eyes, and an ambiguous gender nodded in satisfaction.

“Exhausted to the brink of death, but... I managed to force it just in time during the night. The total eclipse is right at dawn, after all.”

In his field of view, as far as the eye could see, there were the forms of the demonic birds.

The Apocryphal Beast, “Insto”—a creature that could easily be the floor boss of a dungeon with the highest level of difficulty, flocking in the hundreds.

“And with tonight’s new moon and the Starfall Night... this is truly the perfect opportunity.”

Yet in his eyes, there wasn’t a trace of fear. Before a flock of beasts that could threaten to destroy an entire nation, there was no hint of dread.

“If the ‘Orchestra’ were still alive, I’d be curious to see just how much of a threat they could pose... but, well, let’s leave it at that. I’ve learned the hard way to avoid getting carried away.”

He spread both hands toward the twilight sky.

“Let me show you—the true power of the ‘Archmage of the Stars’, who has surpassed every trial.”

And then, he began his incantation.

“‘All is a Flowing Meteor.’”

A thousand meteors rained down. The Archmage, having endured three ‘Trials,’ wagered all the star’s magical power.

“I’m back~!”

At the sight of the figure boldly entering through the main gate, Arinate couldn’t believe her eyes.

“...Saintess?”

“Sorry, I’m late~.”

But it didn’t take long for her to realize it was indeed the Saintess. Her gentle voice, so familiar since becoming her aide, and her platinum hair, still radiantly clean despite wandering through the labyrinth, made her unmistakable.

More than that, the very air in the cathedral transformed the moment she entered.

“Saintess, what in the world...?”

“Save the souvenirs and sermons for later. Right now, there’s no time for that.”

“I’ll use the back room,” she said, brushing past Arinate.

As Arinate stood there in a daze, the scent of her hair snapped her back to reality, and she quickly chased after her.

“Regarding the current state of the city...”

She explained—many injured, significant damage, three of the four roads leading to the cathedral secured, and the last expected to be cleared soon. However, the mass outbreak of the demonic birds had created a crisis, forcing a decision on whether to evacuate those who could still move.

But—

“I’ll leave all that to you, Arinate.”

“Wha—?”

“I’m no good at that kind of thing. Even if you gave me command authority on the ground, it wouldn’t make any difference. I trust you.”

Still, she added, “But you might want to update that information.”

As she pointed outside, Arinate looked out the cathedral’s great window.

“—Impossible.”

Others in the cathedral, one by one, began to cry out.

The demonic birds were falling. Impaled by the falling stars, they were being annihilated, one after another.

There was only one person she could think of.

“‘The Archmage of the Stars?’ To think they could achieve this much...”

“It was tough, you know~. Didn’t encounter any more floor bosses, but I wiped out every beast I could find, went through every corridor without rest, and barely made it in time. Three days of madness, like half a year’s worth of effort crammed into one. If that didn’t make us stronger, it’d be a real problem~.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” she said, stepping into the room.

It was a large dome—the Prayer Hall, now being used as a refuge for the city’s citizens.

She sat down in the center and said to Arinate,

“From now on, there will be no more injured.”

She let out a relaxed sigh. “Ah, there’s nothing like home~.”

And then, in a calm, casual voice, she said,

“‘I am truly glad that you are alive.’”

The accumulated prayers of the cathedral transformed into the light of sacred magic, enveloping the city.

“—No way.”

“The wounds are...”

Looking down at his own body, Klaha was stunned. Just moments ago, her life had been hanging by a thread, but now her body was quickly returning to its original state. The armor that had been fused to her burned skin had been repaired without a trace. It was flawless, precise, and unbelievably advanced healing magic.

And it extended to everyone present.

“Unbelievable... This isn’t the age of legends anymore.”

As Holland and the others murmured in astonishment, watching countless demonic birds being shot down, the young swordsman who had just slain ‘Insto’ in a single strike raised his voice.

“Is Klaha here?!”

“—Y-Yes!!”

Startled at being called, Klaha hastily stood. Although her body was healing, she wasn’t fully recovered. As she tried to run, she stumbled, only to be caught.

“S-Sorry...”

She looked up, startled.

At a distance so close their eyelashes could almost touch, she found himself face-to-face with Ziel. Taken aback and flustered, she gasped softly.

“Um, what—?”

“...Yeah, this seems about right. Probably.”

“Huh?”

As if it were nothing, Ziel moved back.

“What’s the situation? These must be the members of ‘The Next Apex,’ right? I already got a heads-up from Eunis—the ‘Archmage of the Stars.’ At least you’re an ally.”

It only took him a few seconds to process this.

“I see. That’s what’s going on.”

“The city’s under attack by beasts. Everyone has evacuated to the cathedral. The Apocryphal Beast—the giant bird—appeared and nearly destroyed everything, but...”

“So you’ve figured out it’s an Apocryphal Beast. What about their leader? Have you engaged yet?”

“W-Wait—”

The word "leader."

Spinning her utterly exhausted brain, Klaha finally grasped its meaning.

“No. I thought for sure that external magical beast was the leader—”

As she spoke, however, Klaha understood.

This situation could not possibly be free of intent.

The concentrated placement of beasts blocking the evacuation routes to the Great Cathedral. The sight of such powerful magical beasts all surging in the same direction. There had to be a commanding leader behind this.

However, that leader was likely not one of the beasts currently being struck down from the swarm.

“I see.”

Ziel nodded.

“Their target is the Great Cathedral. If we lie in wait, they’ll reveal themselves. ...It’ll be one-on-one. I’ll take them down. Can you guide me?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Great Hero!”

A voice called out to his back.

It was Holland who spoke, but it was a voice that represented everyone present.

“Do you need backup?”

“……”

With a puzzled look, Ziel turned his eyes toward the voice.

Then, he looked at Klaha.

So, she spoke up.

“No one will run away anymore.”

“...I see.”

She couldn’t tell if he had accepted her words or not. Having once abandoned him, could she now claim to be an ally and expect to be trusted? She didn’t even know her own sincerity in this matter.

Yet, he nodded in response.

“I don’t need backup. Instead, focus on rescuing the civilians. Even though their injuries have healed, those unaccustomed to healing magic may still be unable to move.”

“...Understood.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Even if it was fleeting, his words carried trust. The members of The Next Apex began moving once again.

To do what they could.

“Let’s go.”

With those words, Ziel dashed forward.

At an incredible speed, Klaha somehow managed to keep pace, running with all her might, recalling Holland’s words about her ability as an adventurer.

“Which way?”

“That—over there, the large building!”

“I can’t see. Sorry, give me directions instead.”

“...?”

For a moment, she tilted her head. Then, she realized something.

Ziel wasn’t wearing his glasses.

“Ah—”

Klaha had kept them with her, always close at hand. His spare pair of glasses.

She decided to hand them to him immediately. But then she remembered—they had both been directly hit by the breath of Inst. The glasses might not be in usable condition.

Still, she held onto a sliver of hope, just in case.

She pulled them from the blackened pouch where they had been stored.

And despite the condition of the case—what material had been used?—it emerged completely unscathed.

“Mr. Ziel!”

“What—”

“Here,” she said, placing them in his hand.

For a moment, Ziel seemed puzzled.

Then, realizing what they were, he stopped.

With a cautious gesture, he put them on.

“……”

“How... how are they? I’ve kept them with me, so if they’re bent or—”

Klaha couldn’t finish her sentence because she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.

“――――???”

It wasn’t confusion or agitation that filled her but a blank space in her thoughts.

Before it could be filled, Ziel shouted.

“――――YES!!! YESSS!!!”

It was a joy far surpassing when he had brought down the giant bird.

“Yes—yes, yes, yes! You’re the best!”

He released her from the hug and enthusiastically patted her shoulders, overly hard.

“Finally—finally, I can give my all for the first time in half a year! All that effort paid off…!”

He seemed almost ready to burst into triumphant laughter.

Ziel adjusted his glasses.

“Are they bent or anything—”

“No problem at all! I can see the Great Cathedral clearly… it’s over there, right?!”

“Y-Yes.”

As she nodded, Ziel looked intently at Klaha.

“Wh-What is it…?”

“Nothing.”

He took off his jacket and draped it over her.

“Your armor is in tatters. You’ll catch cold without a coat.”

He simply said it was a token of gratitude.

This time, he took off running at a pace that would leave her behind.

“Wai—”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to wait. In this situation, asking him to match her pace would have been too selfish, too short-sighted.

So she ran with all her might, almost sprinting, forcing her long legs to keep up with him over the lengthy distance.

“Mr. Ziel, aren’t you cold?!”

Though he had given her his jacket, the intense pace made it almost pointless within minutes. Her entire body burned from the exertion.

“I was born in the north. I’m used to the cold.”

Even the words he had spoken moments ago were already fading in the distance as she barely managed to catch up.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I lent it out for so long I’m more comfortable without it.”

The two raced through the night.

“It’s to the right!” Klaha shouted, straining her lungs to the limit to guide him.