Chroliosa smiled, continuing her incantation in Ama-tongue; a language that only the spirits could speak.
"Even if I die, my will [will] live on!"
Information particles merged together, constructing a blank magic circle that was painted over by Grimhild's willpower.
She lowered her brows into a frown, gathering immense mana into her magical formula.
Her spell was potent, but not enough to stop Catastrophe Magic, no matter how much mana she gathered.
"Rejoice, Witch of Destruction! I will put an end to your miserable life, once and for all!"
"You're the first to push me to this level, Chroliosa. This whole time you've been absorbing my mana, haven't you?"
The Spirit of Time laughed.
"Oh?"
"Those energy blades of yours sap the mana from whoever it touches. You killed my clones and sapped not only their mana but mine as well, despite them being avatars. Am I right?"
"That is correct. I've absorbed your energy, and now my spell is grander than ever. You set up your own downfall, Witch!"
Grimhild grinned, feeling her hair sway in the winds of magic power.
"That may be true, but don't think our battle is over with if I'm still talking!"
+
"Merlin..." Muttered Lancelot with worry as he watched the fight.
"Oh calm down, Sir Lancelot, I'm the one who so graciously allowed you to watch this fight." She crossed her leg over the other, grinning. "I also put a barrier around your castle to nullify the effects of time stop, you should be thanking me for giving you this opportunity to prepare."
The King was visibly upset but also worried that Grimhild would die. He would be taken away from his destined fight if such a fate happened.
"Your Spirit is quite sneaky. Grimhild fell right into her trap."
"Ufufufu~! I wouldn't say that."
Lancelot glanced at Merlin, lifting his brow.
+
"Now, to finish you off!" Chroliosa finished her incantation and stretched her palm toward the Witch of Justice.
"Crono Aculus Grodum!"
"Gielkaizen!"
Chroliosa launched her magic in sync with Grimhild.
But Catastrophe Magic was faster and far more powerful.
Grimhild's massive beam of energy dislocated spacetime and tore through the fabric of reality. It had the power to destroy entire mountains, but it was rendered null in the face of such magic.
Chroliosa had launched an omnidirectional wave of mana, incorporated with Roman Numerals that turned everything it touched into cogwheels.
Grimhild's Magic. The Sand. Dead Trees. Insects. Bugs. And even Grimhild Yorgana herself.
Everything became a cogwheel of time.
"Crono Aculus Grodum transforms everything it touches into its own separate timeline. It has the power to destroy the entire world! You stood no chance from the beginning, Witch of Destruction!"
Chroliosa descended toward the ground of countless, spinning cogwheels, and approached Grimhild.
Her eyes brimmed with fulfillment, elated to accomplish her master's desire.
"Lady Merlin, your wish has been fulfilled."
Grimhild Yorgana no longer existed. She was transformed into a timeline, represented as a cogwheel.
Her existence was that of Chroliosa's plaything.
"I have turned countless people into other timelines and built entire worlds inside of them. You will be no different! Your spacetime continuum will be a world of endless hell so you may suffer for your past crimes."
Those who are turned into separate timelines retain their sentience, emotions, and pain.
Grimhild could feel everything.
She was nothing more than compressed Fourth-Dimensional Space in the form of a cogwheel—
A fate worse than death.
+
"Merlin, you fool. I should have your head for this!"
The Great Mage crossed her arms with a look of uncertainty.
"Hmm, so she managed to capture Grimhild in her magic? No worries, her Yorgana System should prevent this."
Lancelot stood up, unsheathing his blade.
"Grimhild is dead, you fool! And now I'm unable to have the battle that I craved for! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you stand, you deceitful mage!"
"For one, I'm not standing." Said Merlin sarcastically. "And two, you're impatient. For all we know, this could be a trick. Don't jump to conclusions."
"A trick? We saw it before our very eyes."
Merlin chuckled.
"Yorgana System isn't so easily defeated."
Lancelot lowered his blade, confused by her comment.
"What is this 'Yorgana System' you speak of?"
"It is an all-powerful force that constantly elevates Grimhild to new heights." Merlin glanced at the King. "It was crafted from her memories and experiences, allowing for analysis and evolution. Grimhild only needs to experience an action done by her opponent once to have a complete understanding of their character." She giggled. "It's how she defeated me in the past."
"...You? Defeated by another magic user?"
"Indeed. She is able to figure out her enemy's thought process and predict their moves in advance with analysis. Nothing hides from the Yorgana System; she can see through her adversaries by grasping their fighting styles, personalities, and tendencies, giving her the edge in battle. Even acting out of character counts as part of a person's fighting style." She lifted her finger. "That is why I work behind the scenes, so the Yorgana System cannot get a reading on me."
"..." Lancelot sheathed his blade, hearing Merlin out.
"Its analysis allows for Grimhild to produce an infinite number of outcomes, possibilities, and impossibilities in finite time, thus, she chooses the most reliable course of action in a battle."
"I see." He crossed his arms and sat back down. "So this Yorgana System, it's her trump card, is that what I'm heading?"
"Indeed. Grimhild's magic will constantly grow to new heights; making a fireball that was weaker a second ago become stronger in the next, that is why its evolution is known to be the most fearsome trait of this system."
Merlin frowned underneath her hood.
"Once Grimhild analyzes her adversary's spells, she can create new spells from the information she gathered via analysis. A spell that can nullify her magic can be countered by a newly created spell made by Grimhild after she studies it."
"If you put it that way, she does sound unbeatable..." Muttered Lancelot.
"My my, are you nervous?"
"Shut up and continue." Said the stern King.
"Ufufu, very well." She glanced at the crystal ball. "The Yorgana System holds all of Grimhild's memories, and experiences, allowing her to transport them into a new body whenever her current one dies. So yes, in a way, she is practically unbeatable."
Lancelot looked down in thought.
"This system is known to create a new body for Grimhild whenever her current one ceases to function. It immediately detects and corrects whatever flaws were in her design so she can overcome any obstacle." Merlin's grin widened. "Do you see why I choose to stay away from her?"
"She's a monster..." Proclaimed Lancelot, though smiling. "She can provide me with a good challenge! I desire to duel this Witch, at all costs! No matter what it takes, I will fight her!" He slammed his fist on the table, eager for battle. "She is the missing piece of the puzzle to cure me of my ennui. Grimhild Yorgana, yes, hurry up, and defeat Chroliosa!"
+
[System Authorized.]
[Current death of Grimhild Yorgana: 203. Reason of Death: Limited Mana, Spirit of Time.]
A mysterious voice spoke into the world, albeit silent to the inhabitants of Yggdrasil.
[Improving New Body: Bestowing Limitless Mana. Fixing Flaw: Conferring Immunity to Spirit of Time]
A new body started to manifest in a nonexistent void outside of reality.
[Transferring Memories and Experiences into a new body.]
Grimhild's new body fully manifested inside the dark void of the Yorgana System, gaining sentience after obtaining its previous body's memories.
[Transfer Complete. Omnipresent Program Launch in 3... 2... 1!]
Thus, Grimhild's body was transported from the void outside of time and space, and back to Midgard.
She materialized once again, standing a dozen meters behind Chroliosa.
"You may be able to turn people into their own timelines, but it matters naught to me."
Chroliosa heard a familiar voice, shocked to her core.
With widened eyes, she turned around, facing the Witch of Justice.
"No... how did you-"
"This battle was an illusion of triumph. There was no victory for you, and there never has been."
"Damnit... this can't be happening!" With her magic circle still in the sky, Chroliosa extended her palm, casting the same spell. "Crono Aculus Grodum!" A wave of mana shot from her palm, engulfing Grimhild in its radiance.
But there was no effect.
"W-What?"
Grimhild was walking through the spell as if it wasn't even there.
"Crono Aculus Grodum can only transform those with a past and future into a timeline."
Chroliosa stepped back, tripping over one of the cogwheels.
"W-What are you saying?"
Grimhild stopped a few feet in front of the spirit, glaring at her with venomous eyes.
"Do I really have to explain something so obvious to you?"
"That's not possible! You were affected a moment ago, how can you suddenly lose... your past and future?!" Chroliosa's mind was filled with countless theories, but none of them made any sense.
"It's my turn." Grimhild lifted her staff, pointing the end at the spirit. "Crono Aculus Grodum."
"Rulmedia!"
Chroliosa suddenly vanished from thin air and manifested in the sky.
"Oh?" Said the witch with a bewitching smile. "What's wrong? I thought you were the same as me; unbound by the confines of time."
"You copied my Catastrophe Spell!?"
The Witch of Justice slowly levitated into the sky, glaring at the spirit.
"Borrowing is more accurate."