The Rompeller siblings were also Avatars who could borrow the power of their racial deity.
Although they had not inherited these powers long ago and were unfamiliar with them, and even though the supply of magical power from the spirit realm to reality was weakening—
"Waaaaaah!"
They were able to exert enough power to save their lives in the falling situation.
The two siblings created a water cushion under the Blue Pearl, and although the ship crashed horribly to the ground, the impact was dispersed.
"Everyone, retreat!"Thê sourc𝗲 of this conte/nt n/o/v/(𝒆l)bi((n))
Lucas shouted, gathering the sailors who were staggering from the impact of the crash.
"Retreat! Hurry—!"
But despair quickly clouded the faces of those who had hastily escaped from the ship.
"Ah… Aah…"
"Hii, hiiiiii!"
It was approaching.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
The Blue Pearl had crashed near the center of the battlefield. Although not too far from the castle walls, it felt like a thousand miles to the sailors struggling from the impact of the crash.
And the master of nightmares was closing the distance with graceful steps.
The Rompeller siblings gritted their teeth and drew their daggers and pistols.
"Damn, is this as far as we go…?"
"I wanted to cause a bit more trouble…"
"…"
Lucas stepped forward, pushing back the injured soldiers, his face hardened as he placed his hand on his waist.
It was then.
"…?"
The gaze of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', who had been staring at the Blue Pearl's crew, suddenly shifted.
Towards Crossroad's castle wall, no—
Towards an artifact installed on top of it.
The artifact, made of a large metal plate, was accurately reflecting the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' on its smooth surface.
Lilly, the red-haired senior magician who had her hand on the artifact, shouted vigorously.
"[Start Over]—!"
The artifact, [Start Over].
Its effect was to forcibly teleport the target whose full body was captured inside the metal plate to the southern end of Crossroad's field.
Click—!
As the artifact's activation sound rang out, the next moment.
Crack!
A clear fracture opened on the metal plate.
It was the price of daring to handle an existence of a different caliber, one that couldn't be contained.
The alchemists gritted their teeth and rushed in, holding the trembling metal plate with their hands to stabilize it, pouring all their magical power into the artifact.
Due to the effects of the spirit realm closure, self-sustaining magical power supply was difficult, so they had connected the artifact to pre-stored magical power charging paths to barely maintain output, but it was unstable.
Crack, crackcrackcrack!
Like a glass mirror breaking, countless cracks spread across the metal plate. Even as their hands were torn by the broken metal fragments, everyone endured.
And then—
"Fly away… awaaaay!"
With Lilly's cry,
Clang—!
The entire metal plate bent and broke, and [Start Over] was ultimately destroyed horribly.
But it completed its final mission to the very end.
Flash!
It succeeded in teleporting the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' to the southern end of the field.
As the grim reaper who had approached right in front of them suddenly distanced herself, the Blue Pearl's crew let out a collective scream-like cheer.
But it was too early to rejoice.
Thud thud thud thud thud—!
The monsters in the area had been keeping their distance as it was the hunting ground chosen by the master of nightmares, but now that she had been flung to the entrance of the battlefield.
The monsters no longer held back. They rushed in from all directions to tear apart and kill the humans who had fallen in the middle of the battlefield.
And, if the master of nightmares was absent.
The human side had no reason to hold back either.
"Everyone, duck your heads—!"
With the cry of a stern old man, terrifying pillars of fire rose around the Blue Pearl. Hundreds of monsters rushing towards the crew turned to ashes instantly.
When Lucas looked up, he saw Ivory Tower Master Dearmudin and telekinetic Bodybag flying through the sky to their rescue.
Until now, Dearmudin had been supporting the Sky Knight Division using the flight ability of his equipped item [Old Phoenix]. Bodybag was also able to fly using telekinesis and was supporting him.
That's why they were able to come to the rescue at such an opportune moment.
"Let's evacuate!"
The two magicians grabbed all of the Blue Pearl's crew at once, lifting them into the air, and transported them towards the castle walls.
The monsters didn't give up and kept swarming in, but Bodybag bound them with a force field and Dearmudin burned them all.
"Thank you for the rescue, Lord Dearmudin."
Lucas expressed his gratitude. But Dearmudin shook his head.
"This is no time for optimism, Sir Lucas. We have no more delay tactics to use against the Lake Princess, do we?"
"…"
It was exactly as he said.
Now that the Blue Pearl had crashed and all the delay tactics possessed by the guerrilla unit had been exhausted, there was no way left to hold back the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
[Start Over] was a secret measure saved to use when the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' came right up to the castle walls, but it too had been consumed.
"That artifact, it could have at least blown her away to the entrance of the Black Lake, instead of just to the southern end of Crossroad's field. How stingy."
Dearmudin grumbled, but Lucas was grateful to [Start Over].
In the previous battle, and in this battle, how much time had that artifact bought them and what role had it played? [Start Over] was the only delay tactic that had pushed back such a powerful enemy commander this much.
But it had been used up and broken.
Now there were no more delay tactics, no more stopgap measures left to use against the enemy commander.
"We can somehow hold back the other monsters, but that Lake Princess… even the sturdiest castle walls can't withstand her."
"…"
"If there are no more means of delay, then Crossroad can no longer…"
"No."
Lucas, taking a deep breath, opened his azure eyes wide.
"There is."
"What…?"
As they reached the front of the castle wall, Lucas voluntarily broke free from Dearmudin's flight magic and fell to the ground.
Thud!
Standing in front of the castle gate, Lucas glared towards the south with his azure eyes.
"The rest of you, regroup on the castle walls and reinforce the defense of the main castle."
"What about you, Sir Lucas?"
"I have."
Lucas slowly drew the two swords at his waist and gripped them in both hands.
"A means to stop that monster."
In the distance— the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', who had been flung to the southern end of the field barely within sight from Crossroad, was quickly approaching again.
At her original sluggish pace, it would have taken a considerable amount of time, but her movements, with burnt dress hems fluttering, had become blindingly fast.
Were the Outer Gods manipulating and toying with her feeling impatient?
"…"
Lucas calmly composed his rising breath.
Suddenly, magic power in the atmosphere had become scarce.
As the magic power he had naturally utilized all his life became insufficient, Lucas suddenly felt small. It was as if the muscles were disappearing from his entire body, a sensation of shrinking.
But Lucas decided not to be afraid.
Because he knew that those monsters, and that Lake Princess too, were experiencing the same… perhaps even greater loss.
Also, because this loss was proof that his lord's strategy was being properly executed.
Instead, he chose to believe.
In his body honed over a lifetime, his senses, his swordsmanship, his efforts.
In his comrades fighting everywhere.
And— in himself.
Whoosh—!
A golden aura began to flow from Lucas's entire body.
[Divine Descent].
His ultimate technique, likely its final use in this world where magic was declining.
Simultaneously, a pale flash began to shimmer on Excalibur, the holy sword in Lucas's left hand.
It was the light of divinity.
Though Lucas himself didn't know.
In several previous iterations, Lucas had a history of fighting against the Demon King in place of Ash.
When Ash had broken down after too many regressions and often lost his sense of self and died right after arriving at Crossroad.
Lucas led Crossroad in those iterations as the acting lord, as the adversary of nightmares, as the protagonist.
Just as Ash had acted in place of the broken Aider, Lucas had acted in place of the broken Ash.
Later, as Ash continued his destruction play by overlaying different personalities on himself, Lucas no longer had the opportunity to take on such a role.
But undoubtedly, Lucas was the proxy of the player's proxy.
In other words—
He had the 'qualification'.
The qualification to touch divinity. The qualification to face the Demon King and his army of nightmares. The qualification to fight representing this world.
It was engraved in the knight's soul.
"…"
At the same time.
The blade of light of [Bestowed Sword] held in Lucas's right hand began to glow blue.
The violent instinct sealed within Lucas himself.
The power of the beast.
The shameful past he wanted to turn away from but couldn't erase. The driving force of that regret.
He decided to willingly accept even that.
"Haaaa…"
White breath leaked from Lucas's lips.
Simultaneously, the pale light cluster of [Excalibur] and the deep blue light cluster of [Bestowed Sword] began to melt into the golden aura emanating from Lucas's body.
'Sanctification' and 'Bestialization' were opposite concepts. Complete opposites.
Not something that could be contained together in one body.
But Lucas was handling them simultaneously. Neutralizing the two properties against each other, not being buried in sanctity, not being devoured by bestiality, he was walking the middle path between them.
"I am human."
Lucas, murmuring, slowly brought the two swords together before his chest.
Click, click, click!
The two swords transformed, merging into one.
[Bestowed Sword], which was only a handle in substance, clung to the lower part of [Excalibur]'s handle, spewing magical lightning.
At the same time, the separated guard parts also rose up along [Excalibur]'s handle with magical lightning, attaching to [Excalibur]'s guard.
And then,
Thud—!
Along the snow-white blade of the holy sword with pale light condensed on it, a current of blue light surged.
Enveloping [Excalibur]'s blade, the blade of light of [Bestowed Sword] burst forth, swirling enormously.
That white and blue aura, combining sanctity and bestiality, eventually settled into a serene golden color.
EX-grade weapon, [Ad Astra].
This weapon, normally so unstable it could only be used for a limited time, was now gripped steadily and calmly in Lucas's hand.
Because its master had firmly established his own mind.
The weapon too found serenity between the two swirling forces.
"I am the master of my fate, choosing my path by my own will."
The pale light of divinity and the deep blue light of the beast completely merged into a golden aura.
With unwavering eyes fixed straight ahead, Lucas asked.
"What about you, Nameless?"
The master of nightmares was now at hand.
With her whole body bound by the gazes of the Outer Gods, creaking like a marionette— the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' shot straight ahead.
Lucas took a deep breath.
"Your fate…"
A sword of darkness coalesced in the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' hand. An enormous dark greatsword, incomparable to anything before, swirled violently.
Against it, Lucas swung [Ad Astra] straight and true.
Murmuring softly with heartfelt sincerity.
"…don't let them decide it."
The sword of darkness and the sword of light collided.
No sound was made, but instead, a tremendous shockwave spread in all directions.
Darkness and light swirled, devastating the battlefield. All the monsters standing in the area collapsed, spewing blood, and the entire wall of Crossroad shook greatly.
Rumble…
And when the aftermath of the collision subsided.
"…"
Lucas had been pushed back more than ten steps from the point of collision.
He had barely managed to stop by planting his greatsword into the ground and sliding backwards, his back almost touching the city gate before coming to a difficult halt.
And the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
"…"
She had taken one step back from the point of collision.
While Lucas was forced back ten steps, she had retreated only one step.
The difference in power was clear. The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' was overwhelmingly stronger.
However—
The Outer Gods controlling the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', looking down on this scene, were bewildered.
No one.
In all the infinitely repeated iterations until now, no one.
No ancient being, no mythical monster, no legendary hero, no weapon embodying all of humanity's wisdom, nor strategy devised by the wisest minds.
Nothing had ever confronted her head-on and made her take even one step back.
Perhaps this disturbance among the Outer Gods was transmitted to her.
"…"
For the first time.
The fingertips of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' holding the sword of darkness trembled.
"…Until my lord returns."
After spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva,
His azure eyes flashing between disheveled strands of hair, Lucas gripped his sword anew.
"You shall not pass, Nameless."