"Oliver... san...?"
At the appearance of an unexpected person, Luna's expression changed to one of shock.
"...It has been a while, Luna."
Oliver turned toward Luna and smiled at her.
(He has returned to the old Oliver-san...)
Looking at Oliver's face, Luna thought to herself.
The expression on his face now was not the somewhat strained one from after last year's joint subjugation, but the bright and clear one from when he was purely enjoying conquering the great labyrinth with Orun and Luna.
"...That is quite the greeting, Oliver."
Belia, who should have taken a direct hit from Oliver's Heavenly Flash, stood there completely unaffected.
"This is how you people greet others, right? I learned that ten years ago, so I matched your style. You should be thanking me, not criticizing me."
Oliver shifted his gaze from Luna to Belia and spoke in a calm tone.
"Are you talking about when we attacked your village? Holding a grudge over something from ten years ago is rather petty."
The Cyclamen Cult led by Belia had attacked the village where Orun and Oliver lived about ten years ago.
Their opening strike was a large-scale magic without any warning, and that magic wiped out about seventy percent of the village, taking the lives of most of the residents.
Oliver and Orun's memories had been rewritten right after that battle.
For Oliver, who had only regained his memories less than a year ago, this event was not simply something from ten years ago.
Knowing that, Belia deliberately gave a reply that grated on Oliver's nerves in order to shake him.
"Hah, you who are still dragging around something from hundreds of years ago have no right to say that. How ridiculous."
However, Oliver laughed through his nose at Belia's reply.
Belia's eyes sharpened at Oliver's words.
"A mere replica who has lost its reason for existence..."
"Hahahaha! I thought it unlikely, but are you saying those things to unsettle me?"
In contrast to Belia, who radiated a cold atmosphere, Oliver was smiling.
But the next instant, he hid that smile and spoke with a serious expression.
"If so, that is off the mark. Something like that... I finished digesting it long ago. What decides my future is not you people or Amunzaas. —It is me!!"
"...I see. ...So? Why have you appeared before me? Surely you are not joking that you came to defeat me, right?"
"I would not do something so reckless. Even Orun on 'that day' when he could use his unique ability to the fullest could only manage to blow off your left arm. I am well aware that I am not an opponent who can defeat you."
Oliver answered lightly.
(Something is off. Why is Oliver here at this timing?)
Belia frowned inwardly as he could not read Oliver's true intention.
(If this guy has no intention of interfering with me, it would clearly be more constructive for him to fight on another battlefield and protect even one more resident. Yet———— Ah, so that is it.)
Unable to read Oliver's true intention, Belia looked at the flow of magic power drifting around him and realized what Oliver was trying to do.
"Kukuku. You have thought of something interesting, Oliver. ...No, is this Titania's idea?"
"...What are you talking about?"
Oliver tensed his face but feigned ignorance.
"I do not mind if you proceed as planned, but letting you do what you want so smoothly is not very fun either."
Belia muttered as he gripped his sword.
The next instant, he closed the distance to Oliver in a flash.
"!"
Oliver reacted somehow while holding his breath.
The two swords clashed violently.
Cracks ran across the ground as if to show the impact of the collision.
"Oliver-san!?"
"Hahaha! So you can react to this much at least."
"Guh!"
In contrast to Belia, who maintained a cool expression, Oliver's face twisted.
A geometric pattern began to emerge in Oliver's left eye, and golden magic power started leaking out.
"...Heh, that left eye. A mere replica is arrogantly trying to reach the principle of magic?"
Belia muttered upon realizing that Oliver's left eye was assimilating with spirit eyes.
"I am not the same as I was ten years ago either!"
Oliver raised his voice while using Magic Power Convergence.
Golden magic power condensed to the point of becoming visible gathered on his back.
It gradually began to form wings.
"An angel...?"
Luna could not help but mutter upon seeing Oliver's back.
When Oliver spread his wings powerfully, golden feather-like things danced around him.
Each of those feathers attacked Belia without any set trajectory.
Belia kicked off the ground and jumped backward to dodge the feather attacks.
"...I see. So you have already reached the principle of magic. I withdraw my earlier mockery of 'a mere replica.'"
Belia changed his expression to one of admiration upon learning that Oliver had become a Transcendent.
He continued speaking.
"In that case, it makes me even more curious. Why do you oppose me? I know your circumstances. You were born as a weapon... Do you not wish to destroy this birdcage-like world after touching the outside?"
"...It is true that, as you say, I have thoughts about this world and Amunzaas's ideology."
Oliver affirmed Belia's words.
"Then come to our side—"
"—But in the twenty years that is nothing more than an error in time for you, I have gained something precious during that time. ...I will no longer lose sight of my vow. In order to not have what is precious to me taken away, I will become even stronger!"
Oliver cut off Belia's words and gripped his sword once more with the vow he had made when everything was taken from him in his heart.
Using Magic Power Convergence to create a magic sword, Oliver closed the distance with Belia.
"I see. Then die."
The two swords clashed once again.
However, this was not a simple clash.
Each blade was wrapped in their own magic power.
A clash of energy that warped space itself with a thunderous roar.
It looked evenly matched.
However, only Oliver, who should have been protected by his armor, began spurting blood from all over his body as if slashed by countless blades.
In contrast, Belia was completely unharmed.
"Hmph, not even worth discussing."
The wounds Belia had inflicted on Oliver were fatal. —If left as they were.
But now he had Luna, the recovery mage who had supported the hero party together with Orun.
The instant wounds were carved into Oliver's body, they disappeared thanks to Fast Healing.
Oliver created a magic sword with Magic Power Convergence.
Belia had lost his left arm, and his right arm was being used to block Oliver's sword strikes.
"Uoooooh!"
Oliver raised his voice and swung the magic sword.
However, before the magic sword could reach Belia, it was stopped in place by some invisible force and did not touch him.
Even so, a fearless smile floated on Oliver's face.
"I made you use your right arm and your unique ability...!"
"!"
Belia's eyes widened at Oliver's words.
"Blast Shot!"
Oliver activated magic once again.
A magic bullet was fired between the two who were in close proximity, and upon contact with Belia, a massive explosion occurred.
It was an attack by Oliver that could be described as self-damage being acceptable, but Oliver was protected by his golden armor and took no damage.
Belia, blown backward by the force of the explosion, stabbed his sword into the ground to kill his momentum.
He then stood up as if nothing had happened.
"I was a little surprised by that series of attacks just now."
"That level of direct hit and you are still unharmed. What a truly troublesome unique ability."
Belia's unique ability was Eternal Invariance.
Literally, it meant nothing changed at all.
That was the true reason he still maintained a youthful appearance despite having lived for hundreds of years.
However, not taking any damage at all was only the beginning for this unique ability.
Unique abilities had the property of becoming more familiar with the mind and body as time passed after manifestation.
Belia, who had lived far longer than a human lifetime, could be said without exaggeration to be the person who used his unique ability the most skillfully in this world.
"I never expected you to reach this level. Is this what they call the potential of humans? I have seen something good. As thanks, if you do not resist, I will kill you without pain."
"——Eh..."
As soon as Belia said that, he moved in front of Luna using shortened ground movement.
He then swung his sword down.
Luna's combat ability was by no means low.
Despite not letting her guard down at all, she only realized a sword was approaching her when he had already closed in.
Naturally, there was no way Luna could dodge Belia's sword in that situation, and
"Luna!"
Oliver pushed Luna out of the way and stepped between her and Belia.
Belia's sword deeply slashed Oliver.
"Oliver-sa—— Agh!?"
Seeing Oliver take a deep wound to protect her, Luna immediately began constructing recovery and attack spells.
However, Belia's action was faster than the magic could activate.
Belia delivered a kick.
Luna, sent flying by the kick, coughed up blood as she slammed hard into a wall.
"I said I would not cause pain if you did not resist. Do you want to suffer so much before you die?"
Seeing Luna with her consciousness growing hazy in the distance, Belia showed a dark smile.
"You bastard!!"
Ignoring the pain, Oliver roared and swung his sword.
However, before the sword could reach Belia, it was stopped in place by his unique ability.
Belia's sword then pierced through Oliver's shoulder along with his armor.
Oliver's arm lost strength, and the sword fell from his hand.
"This is a parting gift for a Transcendent. I will let you die together with your comrade."
A large explosion occurred in front of Oliver.
Oliver, who took the direct hit, was blown all the way to Luna's side.
"Cough... cough!"
"O-Oliver... san..."
Luna let out a weak voice.
"I am sorry for dragging you into this, Luna."
"You do not need to apologize... I fought of my own will... I was in a battle... I was prepared that this kind of end might come... It is regrettable that I cannot give you a lecture, Oliver-san..."
"No, I will properly listen to your lecture. —Just a little more. Just a little more...!"
Oliver also knew that the outcome was already decided the moment Luna had taken so much damage that she had no strength left to construct spells.
However, his eyes had not yet lost their light.
"Have you finished your farewells in this life? Then die. —Keraunos."
Belia activated magic without any mercy.
Lightning that would evaporate anything it touched poured down on the two.
The place where the two had been was enveloped in smoke along with a thunderous roar.
"...Time's up, huh. I thought I had not miscalculated the reverse timing."
Belia, looking at the rising smoke, had a regretful expression.
As the smoke gradually cleared, three shadows could be seen there.
"Oliver, you did well."
A woman's voice, different from both Oliver and Luna, came from within the smoke.
"This voice is..."
Luna let out a surprised voice.
That was because the woman's voice that had always echoed in her mind now stimulated her hearing.
When the smoke completely cleared, a woman stood there whose clothes, long hair, exposed skin, and even the color of her eyes were all unified in a white so pure it felt unreal.
"Hah... hah... It really was just barely. This is as far as I can go. The rest is up to you, right?"
Oliver let out a voice of relief while breathing heavily.
The woman in white nodded at his words.
Seeing that, Oliver lost consciousness.
With a satisfied expression.
Oliver's unique ability was Magic Power Convergence.
It was the ability to converge the surrounding magic power to a single point.
Attacks that released the converged magic power all at once or forming swords and armor with magic power were merely secondary results.
The true essence of Magic Power Convergence was to materialize the converged magic power.
In other words, it meant he could manifest fairies, which were magic power, as physical entities in this world.
While fighting Belia, Oliver had simultaneously used Magic Power Convergence to manifest a fairy.
As a result—
"Titania...?"
Luna asked.
The woman in white smiled at Luna and opened her mouth.
"This is the first time we speak face to face like this, Ruu-ko..."
Titania had manifested in this world.