There was no light, and there was no explosion. Yet something even stranger happened. With Koyanskaya at the center, the thousand-year-old marble floor beneath her feet began to disappear. It didn't shatter apart, but instead quietly decomposed into the most primitive particles of light and was sucked into the "Root Scourge." Immediately after, the walls and pillars followed… The field of "nothingness" centered on Koyanskaya was rapidly expanding. She hadn't intended to destroy the Clock Tower, but Sajyou Manaka was so displeased with Koyanskaya's abrupt meddling in her story that she tried to "delete" her from it.
"Heh…"
Confronted with this unbelievable "delete" command, Koyanskaya snapped out of her initial shock. Instead of fear, a beast-like smile of pure delight bloomed on her face.
"Princess of the Root—what incredible power!"
Her enchanting voice was especially distorted and mysterious in the space around her.
"So you want to erase my very existence… Truly, there's no more elegant form of violence."
As the magical barrier squeezed in, endlessly trying to fuse her into "nothingness," Koyanskaya didn't retreat. She looked up, her golden eyes brimming with arrogance.
"But… you're underestimating me far too much!"
Buzz!
The next moment, hundreds of dimensional doors opened behind Koyanskaya. From these gateways, every modern weapon humanity had ever invented for "killing" and "battle" throughout history emerged. Like a swarm of bees, they rushed into the expanding realm of "nothingness."
Boom!
In the corridor, an utterly ridiculous and magnificent scene unfolded. Countless missiles and shells exploded fiercely in the void Manaka had created, unleashing all their kinetic and thermal energy at the very moment before they could be "erased."
It seemed Koyanskaya had realized that Sajyou Manaka could wield the ability to rewrite the rules of this world. But so what… in this world?
Her red lips curled into a faint smile as she slowly raised her right hand. It was as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps "declaring" something to Sajyou Manaka.
"You can directly rewrite some of the world's rules, but if you're cut off from this world… what will you do then?"
At that moment, the magic in the air seemed to tremble slightly. Sajyou Izaya's expression shifted as if he'd realized something:
"Don't—!"
No one understood better than him what Koyanskaya was trying to do—the essential barrier of the Beast of Cherishment. But first, he didn't want the two of them making a mess at the Clock Tower; second, while the Third Beast was still dormant inside the Inner Sea… If Tiamat awoke now, things would spiral out of control.
Sajyou Izaya sensed that even if the Outer God fought back, he wouldn't be able to control the unfolding situation. But before he could speak, Koyanskaya elegantly snapped her fingers.
Click.
The sound was crisp, as if a "switch" had been flipped, temporarily closing the door to the real world. In an instant, the scene around them rippled like the surface of a lake, turning hazy and blurred. The smooth marble beneath their feet quietly changed to scorched, cracked earth. The dome above had long since vanished, replaced by a gloomy, leaden sky.
In the distance, the phantoms of resentful races could be seen, as if sensing the return of their land's true master. They howled with excitement.
The Tunguska Sanctuary.
"Welcome to my domain, Princess of the Root." Radiating an overwhelmingly charming pressure, Koyanskaya looked down at the blonde girl with a slow, disdainful gaze. "Now, are you still so proud of your ability to 'rewrite the world'?"
Silence. You could hear a pin drop.
Sajyou Manaka lowered her head, staring at her own hands in shock. She felt as if she and the "Root" were isolated behind a wall filled with "Beasts," unable to wield the power to freely alter the world's rules as she had before. Because this was no longer the present world—it was the Reality Marble inhabited by the Beast of Cherishment.
Koyanskaya's calm, victorious smile cut sharply through the always-composed Sajyou Manaka's heart. For the first time, the angelic smile on the blonde girl's face was tinged with a chilling, murderous intent.
"You… how disgusting, Beast!"
Her sweet voice was like a magical judgment. As always, she tried to command the "world"—
—[Erase].
But—
Nothing happened.
The divine power she was supposed to wield was like a stone dropped into the deep sea—no ripples at all. This "world" did not obey her commands!
Because of the damn limitations of the Reality Marble, her power to rewrite the rules was completely nullified!
"Hehe… You seem to have finally understood."
Koyanskaya hovered in the air, looking down at her like a queen.
"In this 'cradle,' your administrator privileges are invalid. Because here…"
"—I am the 'world'!"
Sajyou Manaka suddenly looked up, expressionless:
"That's just… fake!"
Even without the highest "authority," she was still the Princess of the Root—a "genius" who had accumulated thousands of years of magical knowledge! She abandoned "rule rewriting" and instead condensed her immense magic into the purest "destruction"!
"—Rule Breaker!"
Without even chanting a song, she materialized the Noble Phantasm of the sorceress Medea from thin air and hurled it at Koyanskaya!
"Oh, such amazing talent."
Koyanskaya smiled playfully, making no move to dodge. The scorched earth beneath her suddenly rose up, forming a massive wall of grudges that easily blocked the dagger.
"Fire!"
Manaka raised her hand again, and her words became reality. Fire magic from the Age of Gods swept across the land, creating a sea of flames aimed at Koyanskaya!
"It's a pity… that you're on my land."
Koyanskaya laughed. "'Hatred' burns far hotter than your flames."
She simply waved her hand. Countless titanic phantoms of resentment, formed from pitch-black grudge, swallowed the sea of fire with their immense bodies. No matter how subtle Manaka's attacks, Koyanskaya neutralized them with even greater cruelty.
At last, Koyanskaya seemed thoroughly exhausted with the fight.
"…The game's over, Princess of the Root."
She lifted her hand, and all the grudges accumulated in the Inner Sea transformed into a storm of curses, pouring down on Manaka. The shock was so intense that even the blonde girl's vision blurred. Dizziness overtook her mind.
What… was this…?
For the first time, the blonde girl's usual gentle smile disappeared.
"Could it be… I actually lost?"
Yes… In this magical duel, she truly lost. Not just in magic, but also in love—Koyanskaya had defeated her.
This thought echoed through her consciousness, which was still linked to the Root. It had to be perfect.
Just then, a man suddenly appeared in front of her.
At the movement of his thoughts, the raging grudges quietly subsided. Sajyou Manaka looked up unconsciously, but the man only looked at Koyanskaya, visibly at a loss.
"That's enough… Koyanskaya."
Sajyou Izaya felt that, no matter what happened, this war needed to end. If this continued, he feared Tiamat would awaken inside the barrier.
"Sorry, it's just—no one's let me have this much fun in a long time, so I got a bit carried away."
With a smile of victory, Koyanskaya gently took the man's hand. Then she looked at the nearby blonde girl.
"Miss Sajyou, you're welcome to challenge me anytime."
She guided the man's slender, pale fingers to caress her cheek, breathing softly as if slightly intoxicated.
"But for now… I'm the winner."
She kissed the man's face gently. As their eyes met, her golden eyes shimmered with emotion, her quiet breath enveloping him completely.
Click… Faintly, it sounded as if something broke.
For the first time in history, this scene filled Sajyou Manaka's heart with confusion and humiliation. The Beast… a true Beast, and the self born on that day, meant to restrain her… the magical endowment, the power that ultimately belonged to "Beast VI," still hadn't been fully unleashed… So her defeat was only natural.
As she stared blankly, countless emotions surged within her. Then, suddenly, she smiled.
Koyanskaya glanced at her nonchalantly and asked,
"Princess of the Root, what's so funny?"
"Koyanskaya, you may have won this time—"
The girl's voice was sweet and gentle, like a lover's whisper.
"...But I won't let you win forever."
…