There was no time to waste. The flag in my hand burst into light so bright it rivaled the sun, forming a barrier just at the border of this world. Despite bracing myself for the impact, I was still almost forced to kneel when the rays fell, but this was only the beginning.
While not instantly shattered, the barrier was covered with cracks in manner of seconds, almost crumbling before others could even wake up from their shock. I forgo any precautions I would normally have and use my whole power to mend it, allowing my Originium Glintstone to grow unimpeded. This finally slowed down the destruction, but at the speed the crystals started to grow, even if the rays stopped, the world would soon turn into a wasteland like Terra, plagued by oripathy and myriad of catastrophes made even worse due to the addition of Glintstone.
But desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if I doomed this world, I still bought it a few more minutes. Only then did others finally started to act. Jeanne grabbed the standard and used what remained of her power to help me stop the rays. Behind us, Atalanta attempted to use her Noble Phantasm to relieve some pressure, but the effect was negligible, so she stopped. Knowing that this cannot continue, I called out to the only person who could help us right now.
-"Old Man! I don't believe you're not watching this mess, come out!"
-"Ehem."-Zelretch appeared next to us, his face appearing normal, but a few kernels of popcorn on his robe betrayed him.-"What can I do for you?"
-"Be direct, can you resolve this?"
-"..."
-"I'll take that as no. Then we can only run."-I looked to the other side.-"Morgan, can you open a passage to here?"
Morgan's reflection appeared near where I was looking, but she sadly didn't bring any good news.
-"If it was before, it might be possible, but now..."
-"Damn it!"-I couldn't help but curse.-"Is there anything you can do?!"
-"I can make a passage, but it'll take some time."-Zelretch finally brought some hope.
-"How long?"
-"Twenty minutes or so?"
-"Too long. I might be able to hold on for five."
-"If the ladies on your side can help, I might be able to do everything in ten, maybe quicker."
-"Tell us what to do."-Morgan agreed before I could speak.-"What's the destination?"
-"An interesting worldline, but more importantly, a close one."
-"Don't waste time."-I interrupted them from sidetracking.-"Atalanta, Astolfo, bring everyone here."
-"Everyone? As if all humans?"-Astolfo asked, unsure.
-"No, I don't care about them. Everyone from our side. Have Luvia and Reines help you with it. You have five minutes, not a second more."
Two of them nodded and rushed out of here.
-"Jeanne..."-Before I could speak more, I noticed that Jeanne's state had deteriorated significantly.
-"Eno... Take ca...."
-"I will, but before that, can you still manipulate your Spirit Origin?"
She nodded.
-"Then I have an idea, possess me."-I looked at her, who was now fully in my arms.-"My body is a much better vessel, so it should be able to sustain you for a while longer. As the owner of Luminosité Eternelle, it would be stronger in your hands."
-"This..."-She looked troubled.
-"Can you do it?"
-"You'll have to let my flames enter your body..."
-"Do it."-I didn't have the luxury to worry about such a minor issue.
-"But..."
-"I can handle backlash."-I squeezed her hand with my crystalline left hand.-"I won't die."
Jeanne looked at me for a moment before sighing slightly and nodding. Not speaking anything else, she raised her head and met lips. Feeling slight déjà vu, I enjoyed this unexpected kiss before a scorching heat started flowing into my body. The bright flames quickly covered my body, forcing me to let Jeanne, or rather, now freed Laeticia, go.
The girl stumbled backward, her face red, but knowing it wasn't a time to make a fuss, she quickly recovered and retreated to where the injured Red Saber lay. Meanwhile, the flames integrated into my body, but expected possession didn't happen.
-"Jeanne?"-I asked under my breath.
-"Don't worry."-She responded, her voice appearing in my mind.-"Let's do this together."
Responding to her, her standard became even brighter, its light covering even me. I could feel my body changing slightly; luckily, my gender remained the same, but I didn't have time to watch the other changes for the time being.
Thanks to Jeanne's Spirit Origin, the barrier was noticeably strengthened, but it bought us at most two more minutes, still short of the needed ten minutes of time. I continued maximizing my power, first by releasing the Remembrances of my Mentor and Queen, taking back the Royal Scepter to help me with the control of the now frankly absurd amount of magical power flowing through me.
Next, I used the power I had held back before, due to it being ineffective against my previous opponents, the golden flames. I let them burn freely and mix into Jeanne's flame, strengthening her and alleviating already existing wounds due to the backlash of the La Pucelle. Sadly, even with this, I was still far from the ten-minute mark.
-"Old Man, can't you be faster?!"
-"If I only needed to move you, I could, but rest won't survive in the Chaos outside the worlds. Nothing I can do."
-"Ugh. Remind me to find a powerful Noble Phantasm for defense next time."
-"Slow down, Angel Boy, don't raise any weird flags."-Zelretch advised me with a laugh.
-"If not for me raising a flag now, none of us would be here, so allow me to disagree."-I also smiled and slightly waved the standard in my hand.
-"How bad is it?"-His voice finally turned serious.
-"I'm certain I can buy you eight minutes, but..."
-"Eight, huh? It's still impressive, even if I were to have a long time to prepare, I might not be able to do as well as you."
-"No need to flatter me, Old Man. We both know that you would never face this thing face-on. Well, whatever, do what you can, I won't let this thing fall as long as I can still stand."
I finished this conversation as I felt my body reaching its limits. With all this magic power flowing through me, I finally couldn't keep it contained in the existing Originium Glintstone on me, and as such, I started to feel how it slowly started to grow inside me. This familiar stinging pain reminded me of the most desperate times, forcing me to conclude that nothing had changed since then; I'm still only capable of running away.
Before I could stop myself, I couldn't help but fall deeper into those dark thoughts, bringing out the one emotion I kept buried down deep in me, the fear. No matter how good the advice it gives you, even if it comes from people so close and important to you, like Princess and Queen are to me, those are still only words. To heed it its entirely different matter.
And so I once again faced my fear, and even knowing what I heard in the illusion before, I still couldn't take that step. The rays above hanging like the sword of Damocles, the vows and promises the wall behind my back, and yet, I couldn't face it. I was frozen in place, ashamed of myself.
-"Eno."-Jeanne's voice somewhat shook me from my stupor.
-"I..."
-"You don't have to explain yourself."-I couldn't help but imagine her gentle smile as I heard her voice.-"You are not alone. I will make sure that whatever you are worried about won't happen. Leave your back to me."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't let go of my fear, no matter how much Jeanne assured me, but with her present, I decided to take a risk. The Night was too much, but there was still one power that could help me. Despite this being contrary to many of my ideas, I slowly opened my mouth and spoke words in a language foreign to this world, but even without understanding their meaning, others could feel what they were: a prayer.
~"Anar'elore'dor..."
Carrying some unknown power, the words of my prayer echoed around loud and clear in spite of my speaking them almost silently. And the reaction to them was instantaneous. On the opposite side of the rays, a night sky suddenly appeared. Those familiar with astrology would find it alien, as none of the familiar constellations could be found there, but even those ignorant of these matters would be able to feel the strangeness of it.
But the most noticeable element present there was the moon. It wasn't a gentle, bright, full moon, even the dim but calm new moon. It was a moon that eclipsed the sun, creating the world where only its light could light the ground. And said moonlight could be seen, bright around the dark moon, its rays nothing compared to pure destruction on the other side, but seemed to carry power no less than them.
The moonlight slowly gathered into a few strands, extending toward me gently, as if afraid I would reject them. But the die was already cast, no matter who that hidden patron was, I knew that only their power could help be now. And so, with my eyes still closed, I continued my prayer.
~"...Kal'ethil finel..."
Morgan, who noticed my actions, worriedly took a look at the copy of my Saint Graph and instantly noticed changes there.
______________________________
...
Magical Energy: A →★
...
Divinity: ? → A
The favored child of the Moon. Limited due to the resistance of the world can't reach the peak of power once possessed. They say all should be equal under the Moon's grace, but the chosen few receive not only the blessing of grace but also the true love of the deity.
...
Azure Dream: Anti-World: EX
A forgotten memory, but the scars still remain. A gift born from the regret of a Goddess who lost her most precious child. Like a planet weaving dreams for her beloved creations, this small piece of the world exists solely so that he can return to Moon's embrace. An Inner World capable of not only acting as a Reality Marble, but even fusing into the world. It lacks any offensive or defensive capabilities, only possessing one power: healing the soul.
Night Warrior: Anti-Unit: C (New)
But a shadow of past glory. A method of utilizing Divinity, granting powerful enchantment to all parameters in exchange for becoming the Goddess's sharpest blade. Many turned to the darkest of Moon's powers for revenge, but only those who chose it to guard others won't get lost in its abyss.
______________________________
Confirming that there was no danger at the moment, she looked at me. There was clear worry in her eyes, but I was unable to see it, my mind immersed in the prayer. She watched the changes occurring in me, knowing that there was nothing she could do.
With the power of Night Warrior, I was able to further strengthen the barrier, but the longer I used all my power without restraint, the more it left traces on me. What I was most aware of was the growth of the Originium Glintstone, but others only saw the changes happening on the outside.
Most noticeable were the markings of the Night Warrior that appeared on my body. Looking like dots and lines of pure moonlight outlining black regions of the night sky, they covered my arms and head, appearing also on my torso, hidden underneath the armor. My ears turned pointed, slowly growing longer, but were still in a human-like range of size. The previously pale skin now started to appear almost purple, further highlighting the moonlight markings.
But those changes were only half, the other being my wings and halo. Despite my arm remaining deep blue, with faint moonlight markings appearing on and in it, my wings and halo were influenced by divinity in a much greater degree, turning into pure moonlight. The halo changed the most, turning into a crown woven from countless rays of moonlight. My wings now truly looked like those depicted in this world's beliefs, each spanning more than a meter.
-"Eno!"-Jeanne called out to me, worried that I was losing myself in the prayer.
-"I'm ok."-I spoke after finishing it.-"There are some minor issues, but nothing serious."
-"Are you sure?"
-"Yes."-I opened my eyes, now absent of any iris or pupil, only pure white moonlight present in my eye sockets.-"I feel my emotions are somewhat numbed, but it's nothing serious; I can counteract it with my Empathy."
-"Thank Lord for that."
-"Well, some 'Lord' almost took those emotions away, so I wouldn't be so quick to thank him, but you do you."-I smiled slightly while learning to control this new power.-"Old Man, how much more?"
-"Five minutes."-He responded.
-"Good. Where are Atalanta and Astolfo?"
-"Still not here."-Morgan responded to me.-"Astolfo is bringing everyone back; he should be done in a minute or so, but Atalanta..."
-"What's wrong with her?"
-"She rushed for Lord El-Melloi II."
-"Arion, can you rush and bring her back?"-I asked my steed, who appeared next to me, hearing my call.
Arion, being not the talkative type, rushed out, using the contract between me and Atalanta as a guide.
Now there was truly nothing else I could do other than to stand my ground. Time slowly ticked, its passage reminded to me by the pain of the crystals growing in my body. Second after second, soon a minute, then the next one. Approaching the fourth-minute mark, I felt that my limit was approaching.
The bright flames burning all around were noticeably dimming, and even the golden hue started to appear dull. But I persisted, watching the barrier above me slowly crack. Everyone already present couldn't help but watch the sky in worry and dread, each crack making their hearts sink lower, but I watched it with calmness and self-assurance far beyond what I should have in this situation. This was because I made my decision. I shall uphold my promise and keep them safe until they can leave.
With that thought in mind, I waited for the time to pass, and soon I heard the words I wanted to hear the most.
-"It's done. We can move."
-"Then get going."-I told everyone.-"Don't waste any more time."
-"Atalanta is still not here."-Morgan reminded me.
-"I know. I will wait for her."
And so, I continued my watch while everyone behind me safely evacuated. Soon, only people present were Zelretch and Morgan's reflection. Morgan looked at the projection of Atalanta, who was riding Arion, already on her way back, but still far away.
-"They won't make it."-She looked at the crumbling barrier.
-"They will."
-"Eno..."
-"I've made up my mind. Nothing will stop me from upholding my promise."
With those words, I put back my Royal Scepter and grasped Jeanne's Sword of St. Catherine. Deep inside me, the lone spark of black-and-red flame was roused up to the surface, appearing on the sword's edge. Gathering its power for a moment, I swung the sword at the rays the moment the barrier shattered.
I felt the backlash of the shattered barrier, coughing up some blood, but my steps didn't falter. I quickly attempted to reform the barrier, making it smaller, only covering to the point where Atalanta was. Meanwhile, the flames met the rays of light, creating a powerful clash of power, slowing their descent for long enough for the new barrier to reform.
But to use that one attack, I overdrawn the remaining power of the flames, making them go out fully. With them, Jeanne lost her remaining power, her Spirit Origin finally shattering and dissipating. Feeling her leave me, I quickly attempted to stop it, but like sand, she was slipping through my fingers. In desperation, I touched upon the Rune in me, finally stopping part of it from disappearing, but even further worsening my current state.
At the same time, the rays once again impacted the barrier, this time forcing me to my knees with the impact. Even then, I continued, feeling Atalanta approaching. Each second felt like an eternity, my eyes able only to watch as the barrier cracked and shrank. In my desperation, I even caused the crystal everywhere to destabilize, forcing a calamity like nothing ever before to wreak havoc all around.
This was a true apocalypse. Nothing was save expect for one path left behind by me. The sounds of Arion's hooves appearing in midst of howling winds, the end at my fingertips. The sound grew closer and closer, but it was soon overshadowed by a crash. The barrier broke again, and now, without any more method to slow them, creating a new one will be impossible.
Seeing Arion literal steps from the passage, I moved without thinking, meeting the rays myself. Using all that remained, I bought the last second for the price of the standard shattering, and my body suffered that last backlash along with a direct hit from the rays falling into darkness of unconsciousness. With a last glance, I watched how Atalanta escaped; a promise upheld.