Chapter 103: Grausam's Afterimage
"Flamme… for the sake of some so-called comrade, have you finally started babbling nonsense?"
Grausam's mockery of the orange-haired woman only grew more blatant.
"My mana has already seeped through this entire estate. With but a flick of intent, I can send you straight to Paradise."
"I swear on the name of the Seven Sages of Destruction—within these walls, my mental magic will always be faster than your attack spells."
"Or what… are you curious too?"
"Curious about the blissful life you'd enjoy in Paradise?"
"—Sorry."
As Flamme raised her hand, Grausam locked onto her pupils, concentrating with absolute focus.
"I have no interest in illusions like that."
—Bang!
At the instant his body shattered, the floating head that remained went slack—its eyes losing all light.
The glowing mass of mental magic he had released didn't even make it close to Flamme.
No—
It wasn't that Flamme struck too fast.
It was that the moment he tried to activate Paradise, the power and speed of his magic dropped inexplicably.
"This… this is impossible."
"My mana—my mental magic—there's no reason it should be slower than your attack!"
Flamme didn't answer.
She calmly leveled her aim at Grausam's head.
Then—
A series of silver, bell-like laughs rang out.
"Hehehehehe~"
In Grausam's stunned gaze, Carlile appeared out of thin air.
She looked at him—
or rather, at the lone head floating in midair.
"As expected of one of the Destruction Sages."
"Even without a body, you can keep your mana circulating with just a head."
"Oh, right—before we go any further, I should introduce myself."
Carlile smiled, lifting her long leg and striking an alluring pose.
"Do you remember the woman you killed—Elizabeth?"
"I'm her disciple."
"My name is Carlile."
Even if Grausam hadn't heard her introduction, just from the way that woman swayed and posed, he could already guess who she was.
"So it's revenge again, huh…"
"By the way, your teacher's mental magic was nothing but trash before me. How exactly are you walking freely around my territory?!"
"—Hahahahahaha!"
Carlile's rippling laughter echoed endlessly through the room.
"Who said this was your territory?"
"This is obviously my territory~"
Her crimson lips parted lightly. In an instant, every decoration in the room lost its color—
leaving behind black-and-white skeletal structures that reassembled into a massive cage.
Only then did realization dawn on Grausam.
"So that's it… it's not mental magic."
"It's a physical barrier!"
"No wonder my mana output slowed…"
"But when did you—ugh!"
His eyes suddenly widened.
"Elias…"
"Damn you, Elias!!"
Grausam screamed in despair.
So this was it.
From the very moment Elias had deliberately trapped him—then released him—
his death had already been decided.
"Wait!"
Grausam shouted desperately. "Lady Flamme! Lady Carlile! I still have one last—"
—Bang!
Before he could fabricate one final lie, Flamme—expressionless—
completed her revenge.
Carlile let out a long breath.
She was just about to smile at Flamme when a phantom suddenly surfaced in the air.
"—Hahahahaha!"
"Did you really think…"
"…that this was the end?"
Carlile instantly tensed. "Damn it—it's Grausam!"
"He's not dead yet?!"
Flamme remained calm. "Grausam is dead. That's merely a remnant of his consciousness."
"He's probably trying to provoke us."
"—Hahahahaha~"
"As expected of a battlefield valkyrie. Calm no matter what."
"But Flamme—if you knew that the people of the Holy City have already begun slaughtering each other, could you still stay so calm?"
Grausam's afterimage laughed wildly.
"That's right!"
"Even though my plan failed midway thanks to Elias and the rest of you, I still managed to scatter enchanted gemstones throughout the Holy City!"
"And I embedded a contingency spell—if I died, the Paradise Induction Magic inside the gems would automatically activate!"
"Turning those foolish humans…"
"…into a pack of empty shells killing each other!!"
"What a pity, though. I won't get to see the Holy City drowned in blood."
"Why don't you go back and take a look for me?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Amid his unrestrained laughter—
Flamme quietly raised her right hand.
"I'm afraid…"
"That won't happen either."
—Crack!
As Flamme erased the afterimage—
High atop a tower in the Holy City, Serie stood facing the sun, arms spread wide.
Just moments ago, she had dispersed powder that expands spell range into every corner of the city.
"It's time~"
"Since that's the case…"
Clap!
Serie brought her hands together.
"Gem-Shattering Magic."
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of shattering echoed endlessly through streets and homes alike!
It was followed by piercing screams from citizens as their precious gems crumbled.
"AAAAAH!!"
"My gemstone—I just bought it!"
"Why did it suddenly shatter?!"
Sitting atop the tower, Serie shook her head.
"Sigh…"
"These people, honestly."
"You can earn money again."
"But if you lose your life, that's it."
"Either way, this was the simplest and most effective solution I could think of."
---
When Frieren woke by the lakeside, warm sunlight had already driven away the morning mist, falling softly across her face.
"…Mm?"
"Is that you, Elias?"
As her vision cleared, she saw the familiar black-clad figure seated by the water.
"Oh—wait!"
Frieren suddenly grabbed Elias's arm and shook it frantically.
"Elias! It's Yuna!"
"Something's wrong with Yuna!"
"Calm down, Frieren."
"It's already over."
"After Grausam was eliminated, Yuna returned to normal."
"Oh? Really?"
"Was that your doing?"
Elias gazed quietly at the lake.
"I only helped a little."
"However, Frieren…"
His tone shifted suddenly.
"Are you really all right?"
"Huh? Me?"
Frieren stood up and spun around.
"What could possibly be wrong with me?"
"I feel great~"
"I mean…"
"When you were trapped in that beautiful dream…"
"Were you truly happy?"
Frieren paused, recalling it.
"That life really was joyful…"
"But it also felt… unfamiliar."
Elias chuckled softly.
"Frieren…"
"It's because you can't really imagine me becoming human, can you?"
---