About 10 minutes ago.
On the outskirts, away from the scene of the battle.
I'm running, holding my breath as I try to keep up with the frantic pace. Unsurprisingly, the situation is as bad as it gets.
Paimon's early resurrection has thrown all of our plans out the window.
What if they don't find a way to resolve it?
I'd end up with a dead ending where everyone dies.
In that case, I'd be left with nothing but the product of my efforts up to this point. That means I won't be able to find anything anymore.
My lost memories, or anything else for that matter.
'Goddamn it.'
(jegilal)
I grind my teeth and clench my fists.
What the hell were the variables at play?
Everything was so unclear.
My attention was drawn to another voice beside me.
"Damn…! I didn't think Paimon would actually wake up...!"
A ragged, irregular breathing sounded from the side.
The blue-haired girl, Marin, had already caught up with me and was running through the half-destroyed streets.
We've already left behind the elite units that had fallen in Sector 2.
I hadn't forgotten to reunite with Sean. We're stuck here, mixing swords with supply demons.
I had no intention of playing puppets at this point.
"Shit."
(jenjang)
As I spat out an expletive and ran, Marin beside him merely lowered her head with a dazed expression. She didn't say anything.
It's times like these that I miss her [young brat] trait.
'If it were the usual Marin, I would have scolded her for her foul mouth, but… the situation must be really serious.'
I don't stop walking even though I'm thinking about it.
I know better than anyone else that if I stop now, I'll be closer to the end.
* * *
'What the hell am I going to do?'
Meanwhile, Marin is understandably panicking at the suddenness of the situation. Gritting her teeth, she silently contemplates the scene unfolding before her.
It was like a small bird that had been scared out of its wits.
A demonic and sinister flame burned, engulfing the academy. And then the already shattered museum and its surroundings.
This was definitely the worst thing I could have imagined.
'No matter how many times I think about it, this is not right...!'
No matter how good she was at her job, this was not a situation she could change.
Marin cooled her head, trying to organize her thoughts.
Panicking in this situation would only lead to more negative consequences.
Right now, she needed to keep her head cool and make the most rational decision.
'Paimon is at least on par with the leader, Luna-sama. A demon that can't even be defeated without the full force of several mythical figures. Realistically, there's very little we can do... about it. For now, Nox von Reinhafer. I need to keep him alive.
Marin understood.
The catastrophe described in the tragedies of the past.
The power of the Paimon, and the suffering it would bring to humanity.
And not only that.
She also realized one more thing.
She realized that she was pitifully powerless against the Archduke, and that the first rule of Lunatic was to save those closest to her, those currently on a mission with her.
So what should you do?
The answer is already there.
Get the hell out of here and save Nox.
Even if it meant sacrificing Luna in the process, it was the best decision she could make.
Even if it meant causing her pain, it was the only thing she could do.
Marin didn't have enough power to save everyone she wanted to.
To be powerless on this barren continent meant only one thing. You can't protect what you want to protect, and it's taken from you.
They say it's the natural order of things, but… Marin was hardly convinced, as she had been disgusted by it from the start and had chosen to follow Luna.
'I know, this is nonsense to other people.'
She knows it is. The contradictions.
I know it's a contradiction, that it's a subject that's immersed in a group of criminals, and that it might seem ridiculous and silly to talk about it.
But the little girl's feelings were not so lighthearted.
Finally, after much deliberation, her tightly pressed lips parted.
"Nox von Reinhafer. I will save you, my junior, in my name, because that is what I must do."
Marin pondered that, almost as a declaration.
It didn't matter that Nox, the junior, had more power than she did.
She thought.
'He probably hasn't gotten the hang of it yet; this is his first time on a mission of this magnitude, and his first time with an accident.'
Plus, he's only just started at the Academy, so there's still a lot he doesn't know, and he's likely to make mistakes.
So right now, he can't do it without you leading the way....
"Don't think nonsense."
It was then that Nox's voice interrupted.
Marin's eyes narrowed for a moment and she turned to face Nox. Her jeweled blue eyes locked onto his.
Her hair bounced gently with each beat, rippling and delicate. They fluttered like midnight curtains.
Beautiful―
The transparent blue of her eyes, contrasting with the night, flashed a few times, as if she were dying. However, Nox didn't have enough time to stare at it.
{Nox POV}
So I summarize my thoughts as briefly as I can and relay them to her.
"I don't run away. I take over. If I'm assigned a mission, it doesn't really matter if I'm new or not. A man of House Reinhafer doesn't shirk his responsibilities."
"But this isn't something our crew can fix...."
"Are you okay with Chief Luna dying?"
With the words, her heart dropped with a thud, as if someone had touched her. At least to Marin, Luna was like her real sister(euni).
It was only natural.
People give love so easily, and it's no wonder that Marin has grown to admire Luna, who has become the head of the Lunatics as a single person.
But Nox is the villain.
And I'm the one who knows it best.
Therefore, I must capitalize on even the slightest hint of admiration.
I must use it as his weapon, and use it to agitate a unit called the Marine.
I have to.
Because only then can I reach the ending of this damn game.
"Luna, I'm told, was the one who saved you from your torment in the lab back in the day. How can you watch someone like that die, and still be able to look ahead with no emotion?"
No emotional agitation, just words spat out with a gritty edge.
Marin's face turns pale.
A manual.
Rules?
All well and good.
But people usually find themselves in a situation at some point where they shouldn't be bound by them.
After all, you have a lot to lose or gain depending on your judgment. Even if it's foolish, there comes a time when it takes over your brain and you make irrational decisions.
For Marin, this was one of those times. She clenched her fists. No matter how much Nox had agitated her, the situation was not about to change. Her mind was still full of dark clouds.
* * *
"So… what the hell are you suggesting we do? We can't stop him, he's a demon called Paimon that even three swordsmen and a sage can't handle!
But... you think you can stop him? Even if your father, Theo, comes, it's not very likely! That's a demon. That's the power of a being called the Grand Duke!"
Seeing Marin shake at my words, I continued in the most casual tone I could muster.
"Shoot the bow."
"...what?"
Marin is more agitated than ever, having been overcome with emotion at the story.
She repeats what she's heard, trying to decipher the meaning.
But she wastes no time, and I speak again.
"Paimon is preparing for the feast. The flames… they will shoot out in two directions, both heading for the dormitories. I will stop one. But you must stop the other."
Two flames.
It's something I've never seen before, not even in Inner Lunatic.
My country is the result of a storm created by one man, and I have the responsibility to fix it.
It may not be the most rational thing to do.
It's easier to give up.
It's easier to walk away and let it all go.
But that's not what I want to do, at least not right now.
That's why I'm talking.
Give Marin a [Watershot], shoot that bow that mesmerized Luna.
"... Did you hear that from Luna?"
"I don't think that's important right now."
Marin chewed her lip.
"You don't think my [watershot] is on the same level as everyone else's, do you? Besides, I go berserk after I shoot that bow. Haven't you already experienced that once? You could… die… and that's on me, the shooter!"
"You give yourself too much credit. I won't be killed by you. Marin Marksman."
I said, and drew my sword.
A sleek, black blade revealed itself. The sword kept in the family vault, the sword from which the legend of the first House began.
Stormbringer.
A sword that feeds on its wielder's magic and grows in power, a sword that has stolen my lifeforce, and now it is my only hope.
"Prepare."
Marin's eyes flicker.
She must know. That if she fires this bow now, many will live, but I will die.
The hidden power she possesses as a Mermaid is awe-inspiring.
And Marin can't handle it.
The fact that she goes on a rampage after shooting an arrow is proof of that.
No matter how strong I am, there is no way I can stop a bow that even Luna can't stop. Once she's out of control, she'll be untouchable.
But I have to be the villain here, too.
Therefore.
I can't help but spit out the words that will provoke her the most at this moment.
"Have you ...just fallen in love with me?"
Marin clenches her fists tightly.
At that moment, I feel the moisture in the air rush to her with a whoosh. (chwaaaaa!)
It took the form of magic, then water, and slowly seeped into every part of her body.
Then she drew the bow from her shoulder.
She had finally made her decision.
"Don't regret it. Newbie."
"You think I'll have any regrets?"
"You never back down from a fight. I can see why Luna-nim calls you a fierce newcomer."
"Although I don't really like it that much."
Bzzzrt!
(Hwareuk!)
Sparks fly.
Then, just as I predicted, it bursts into fierce flames, revealing fangs so angry they could devour a continent. No one in the dorm would survive a direct hit from that thing.
There would be a bad ending.
But at this moment, I have to put those thoughts out of my mind.
Even if Marin shoots the bow correctly, this plan will fail if I don't do the same.
I glance at the protesting Marin and say.
"I assume you know what you're supposed to do?"
"The two-pronged flame… we're supposed to hit it just right to change its trajectory, right?"
"Yes."
So this is one of Lunatic's young elite units after all.
You got it.
Now, then.
[Stormbringer drains your magic to the limit!]
[The user's mana is temporarily drastically reduced, reducing their mana sensitivity!]
All you can do is walk and shoot at your enemies. Just like Marin pushes out massive amounts of mana with a bow and arrow.
I know. I know the consequences of this small action.
How much of a gamble this is.
Shaaaah.
I focus, refine the power, and channel it into my sword.
I bend my knees slightly and lower the hilt of my sword.
I need to make sure it's just a little bit more solid and complete.
Jiiiiing....
I hear the sound of magic power idling.
From the upper dantian of the head to the middle dantian, the entire area is open.
If it's dangerous, now is not the time for concern.
The black sword, having sucked in all the energy it could, reveals a wild, swashbuckling power, fangs bared alongside Marin's ready bow.
That moment.
Marin began to count down.
We watch the sparks fly in a straight line, oblivious to the fact that one wrong shot could kill us all.
Marin and I are like targets on a shooting range, waiting for the right moment, looking for an opening.
"One, two... three!"
On the count of three, I swing my sword with all my might.
Marin is no different.
As soon as I let go, the [Water Shot] is fired, and the bow, which contains an enormous amount of magic power, rushes towards the sparks fired by the enemy.
Boom!
(kwaang-!)
The sword shot fired in conjunction with the water shot hits Pavur's dorm, and the arrow hits the spark that was flying towards Sidious's dorm.
The two flames are slightly off course and land in different places.
The shocking destructive force of the blast would have surprised and injured many, but at least it would not have caused the level of casualties first envisioned.
By now, the other professors have somehow gotten back into action and are leading their students.
Ha, I'm out of breath and starting to feel lightheaded.
But it's time to get my shit together.
I quickly roll on the ground.
Boom!
(kwaang!)
An arrow is aimed at me.
Marin. As expected, began to run wild.
"You must be a poor marksman, shooting such a lifeless bow at a junior."
"...."
Marin seemed to have already lost her sanity.
But for times like these, I had a plan.
"Lana von Sader. Why don't you come out of hiding, or are you voyeurs on a subject that is a taboo for the noble Third House of Darkness?"
I called one person's name.
Myself and Leon von Marvas, one of the scions of the Three Great Dark Houses.
One of the most gamer-pleasing of the bunch, thanks to her beauty and her succubus-heritage.
Lana von Sader.
"Eh… well… I can't believe you've noticed me following you...."
"I have a favor to ask."
I said bluntly, quickly kicking the ground and rolling away. Marin's bow is still aimed at me.
I'm closing the distance, making it impossible for her to launch an arrow....
This, too, will have its limits.
More importantly, I can't afford to spend time trying to stop it.
A variable has arisen.
Paimon has risen early, and I must stop it.
Luna and Noah.
They're both characters I can't afford to lose, but now. I could lose them. That must not happen.
"Use your magic [Daze] to stop her."
Daze.
It was an arcane skill that could only be used by the Sader family, a skill that could daze a player once to stop them or bring them under its control.
Of course, it didn't work on beings higher than herself, but....
As far as I can tell, Lana is currently on the same level as Paracelsus and Leon.
That being said, I can only conclude that she is now at a level where she can stop Marin.
"That… that's… okay, I don't want to die either, but… that… if I can replenish my dark power later, I'll help you."
There's no way around it.
Knowing how succubi replenish their powers, I'm tempted to outright refuse, but now is not the time.
"I accept, then go ahead. I'll keep that scumbag at bay."
"oh! excuse me… … Nox-nim? that… Are you… sure… you can… stop that demon? He's… an… archduke, it's going to be dangerous."
"Is it a matter of you not wanting to die, if not, I'll go."
Something in her eyes made me want to say more, but I ignored it.
I continued to run at a brisk pace, eventually arriving at the scene of the incident.
There, hovering in midair, were Archduke Paimon, Noah, and Luna.
Noah was a little dazed.
I realized what was on her mind.
Her past, as written in his settings. The deaths of her family and friends.
And the inevitable resurrection of Paimon.
She was one of the most troubled characters in the game, despite her seemingly unthinking nature.
I thought to myself, wouldn't it be nice if I could give her a little kick in the pants, just for this one moment?
Even that, of course.
"Dean. Are you going to give up here again? If you lose this student, like you lost your family, you'll really have nothing left."
I'd have to be an asshole.
I turn to face her, more determined than ever, and speak in a strong tone.
"I, Nox von Reinhafer, swear by the time-honored traditions of the Black Sword."
I feel Luna and Noah's eyes turn to me.
I scowl as I scan their four pupils.
Then I declare.
"I, for one, will kill Paimon on this spot, and you, Dean, may join me."
I, a mere student, will kill Paimon here and now.
[…Is that you?]
At that moment, a fiercely fleshy voice turned toward me.
[The one that changed the trajectory of my attack].
"You run your mouth on the subject of filthy demons."
It was not at all difficult to predict the owner.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Paimon laughed.
[You smell… familiar… dark magic and that sword of yours. Yes… I see].
Paimon grinned maniacally.
[You must be Theo's son].
With those words, Paimon summoned his most powerful magic yet.
There was no one here who did not know that it was dripping with power.
Just focus on the current fight.
It was an act close to instinct. It was all for one reason.
Because it was the most likely to survive.