Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria

「Eclair.」

When the man called her name, Eclair’s empty eyes looked down below her.
And so, she raised her hand.
That is clearly a combat stance.

「……Multicast――Star Flare, set.」
「tsu!?」

――Star Flare, with multicast!?

Absurd!!
Floating in the darkness above, the number of crimson flames seemed like it would reach thirty.
Each of those, are imbued with even stronger magic power than during the arena tournament.
It’s such a scene that, there’s a commotion even among Sacrament’s soldiers.

「Impossible……Do you intend to attack with that here!? The people here are, almost all Sacrament’s troops you know!!」

If she attacks seriously, even a single Star Flare would cause widespread harm.
That’s fire magic.
That’s, magic specialized in offense.
That……to attack with that number is……!
Looking around it seems there were those who started to dimly understand their fate, the bodies of Sacrament’s troops stood straight and looked at that scene while dazed and stupefied.
Troops with imagination and fast understanding, collapsed and sobbed.
Naturally……!
How many thousands of troops do you intend to erase and turn to ash, Eclair!

「……Eclair!! If you do that, this can’t be pa.s.sed off as a joke anymore!」

There was almost no reaction to my scream.
As she looked down from the sky to the surface Eclair’s appearance was like she truly didn’t have a heart.
In exchange, the insolent seeming man giving her commands looked at me and gave a small vicious smile.

「――Do it.」

When those with absolute strength trample upon the weak, perhaps they express that sort of twisted smile.
Tactically, it’s an exceedingly correct judgment.
Without getting caught between objectives, without giving an opportunity for a counterattack, finish everything with the first move.
As a human it’s……unbounded in its coldheartedness.

「Hai……grandfather-sama――――――Shot.」

――It’s over.

With a slightly confused expression, Eclair nodded obediently, and set that directive into action.
Crimson fireb.a.l.l.s came attacking from the sky as if they were, falling meteors with enough force to induce despair.
Were they to reach impact, the entire surface will be turned into a wasteland.
Nay, even the shape of the land might be changed.
Before the battle began, it was already over.
With this overwhelming divide in magic power.
There’s no way to block.
There’s nothing to do!
My left hand’s Ishtar Edge could, erase a few I suppose.
Icicle Garden could, stop one I suppose.
So?
For the remainder?
If I, were alone I could escape.
However, obviously there’s no meaning in such a thing.
……Shiit, if I also had multicast would that have done it?
If I had that, could I resist this!?

「――Ah? Bad!? I was late to wake up!!? Stop stop! Uu, it seems impossible! I can’t hold them indefinitely～～!」

Suddenly Eclair became panicked while floating in the sky above.
The nightmarish bolts of flame greatly reduced their velocity, for a time they stopped.
Right, just as the person in question said, it seems it will only last for a

while.
It’s happening slowly but, the proof is that they’re already falling toward the surface.
It only extended everyone’s time of annihilation.
Just, with this there’s enough time to grab Shion-san and Aim and escape.

――But, that is also rejected.

They may be called enemy troops but, as if I could overlook this sort of merciless slaughter!
All the more so with this seeming nightmare where they’re discarded by their own allies.
Can I permit that?
Absolutely not!
And above all――If I permit a ma.s.sive slaughter here, I’ll no longer be able to save Eclair no matter what I do!
That heart, will become unable to be saved!

I suppose it’s fine――――Men are guts!

「Aren’t you making a good face, Alice. You certainly are, my imouto.」

I gathered all my available magic power in my hands, Shion-san walked to my side carrying Leoneil’s magic sword.

「I’ve borrowed his magic sword, I’ll show a little resistance.」

Magic sword Raikiri.
Shion-san held that, she expressed a relaxed smile to such an extent, that it was like this was something about today’s dinner.

「You certainly are my oneechan.」
「Cheeky.」

Without intending to, we smiled together.

「Nn, master. That idiot, shoot dead?」

Having come to my side at some point Aim gave that suggestion and, pointed at Eclair as she tried desperately to stop her magic, with an appearance that had changed so much from before.

「Fufuu, if it’s to the extent of punishment by iron fist, I’ll approve it after we’re done here.」
「Roger, there will surely be tears of joy then.」

No～, I think she’ll probably actually cry, with Aim’s iron fist……
Be that as it may……
Really, I have good comrades.
Whatever the situation may be they can grasp it and above that, I don’t see a desire to flee in either of them.
Though I had intended to show resistance even alone, my courage came welling up.

「Impossible impossible, it’s already impossible! Run～～～～!!?」

With an un-Eclair like tone, a give up voice descended from the sky above.
While the flame bolts of ruin slowly increased its speed, they resumed their descent.
――I can do this!
Shion-san readied her sword, Aim readied her bow.
And so――

「――Oh frozen river flowing toward the abyss within the ninth level, you shall become the eternal prison that allows no rebellion.」

I’ll put up as much resistance as possible――The moment I thought that, my small statured shishou jumped out in front of me.

「Till!?」
「Till!!!」

Almost simultaneously with my scream, it might have been my imagination but I heard the same sort of voice from the sky above.

「――You shall seal everything, and become the breath of chaos.」

Chanting a long chant, the bolts of flame closed in directly in front of my eyes――Till’s hands shined with that blue magic power and came together in front of her chest.

「――Transcend, the

the dream that manifests before me.」

After she separated her gathered hands slightly, she completed a sphere of magic power that shined even more brightly.
Holding that as if she were enveloping it in both her hands, she poured even more magic power into it.

「――Manifest! Phantasmal magic! Cocytus!!」

Like a flowing blue river, the night sky was filled with radiance.
It was a dream.
Thinking about magic itself from my former world if it’s the product of dreams then, this is a higher level than even that.
For this reason phantasm.
Magic that surpa.s.ses magic.
Thus, this brilliance is beautiful.
That power, there’s no logic comparing it with plain magic.
Receiving the Star Flare storm approaching the surface like a meteor bombardment, it covered everything, and turned it to ice.
As far as I could see the crimson flame was swallowed, and extinguished.
Without any enemy to infringe upon it, an unbeatable shield.
The height of ice magic.

「……That is, my, objective.」

What took me aback was that.
As if every person in this place was watching a theatre of dreams, they just gazed at that scenery.

「You did it! As expected of my――」

――With just one person, the crimson and silver odd eyed primary person excluded.

「……It has been a long time hasn’t it. But, having you always think that you’re the strongest is troubling. I am this generation’s heir to the t.i.tle of the strongest, I won’t let you take my back like in the past.」
「Ehー, we get to meet and you say that do you.」

Eclair――『Eclair』-san inflated her cheeks at Till’s statement.

「Even though you’re crybaby Till～」
「Things of the past, don’t go on forever.」

While they continued arguing like that, the air flowing between those two was kind.
For a little while, the two looked at eachother nostalgically, they smiled bitterly at the same time.

「Is this enough already?」
「Un, I exhausted my magic power really well. With this, even that child can keep control without her conscious becoming turbid.」
「Is that so, then, from here is――」
「――It seems this means, the showdown between both of our prided disciples then!」

Saying that, 『Eclair』-san closed her eyes.
And then Till turned toward me.

「About double cast, did you think it was the degenerate form of multicast? Novice.」
「Just now was……double cast’s, true method of use……?」

No, real or whatever, that’s a feat that not everyone who has double cast can perform I suppose.
This ideal form is, Because it’s Till’s.
But……This is the ideal I’m aiming for!

「Kufu, I’ll leave the rest to you. A loss in the same ring, won’t be forgiven?」

Told the same line that I felt like I’d heard somewhere before, I smiled and nodded strongly.

「Of course! This time I, will win!」
「――I can’t overlook those words you know! Alice!!」

From the sky, a reminiscent nostalgic tone descended.
Looking up, there’s a girl driven to

driven to win with a hand on her hip looking down toward the surface.
Crimson eye and, sky color eye, odd eye.

「……What are you saying. My loss to Eclair, hasn’t happened even once.」
「In arm wrestling, you lost due to cheating right!」
「The distant howls of a losing dog, I think they’re unsightly.」
「You irritate me you know! This is great, I’ll settle this here!」

While we argued Eclair seemed somehow distressed, showing her slight fangs she howled adorably.
This is fine.
Your distress, I’ll settle it for you!

「It’s a match, Eclair!」
「Just what I wanted, Alice!」

At some point, the man beside her was gone.
Maa, it’s fine.
That can come later.
I jumped into the sky by kicking the earth with my full power, and gave Eclair a lightning punch as a get well present.
Whatever the case, I’ll start by giving her a strong hit!
Didn’t work but, I didn’t let it distract me.

「That speed, since I already 『Know』 it, it’s pointless Alice.」
「――tsu!」

My preemptive strike, Eclair dodged by turning her body as if she saw it coming.
My fastest movement since I changed my job, is something Eclair still hasn’t seen.
Even so almost as if she 『Understood』, she easily dodged the attack.
Speaking of our relative speed, with that girl’s agility my attack shouldn’t be something she could simply dodge after I took the initiative.

「……Demon eye is it.」

Confronting her, as always the heat seemed like it would burn me.
Fearsome magic power.
Erasing a Star Flare seems, totally unthinkable.
Since I can’t stop in the air, I landed on the surface for the moment.

「Come to think of it, why are you floating Eclair! Cheater! Come down here!」

With generally the same method as Leymia’s, Eclair is also floating in place within the night sky.

「Why does Eclair have to match herself to you for you? Fun, it’s fine for you to grovel unsightfully on the dirt, Alice.」

What is this!
Mankind’s dream, to fly through the sky with their own bodies!
To make something like that a reality!

「I’m, so jealous……!」
「Fufun, it’s because it’s fire magic that, it’s supreme.」
「……Even though you’re a novice who can’t control her demon eye.」
「I, I don’t want to hear that from you!」

Eclair’s face was pure red.
She’s weak to provocation issn’t she.

「……Nn, Shion. Is this a death match? Or is it just, a simple fight?」
「Fufu, they’re just playing.」

Aim and Shion-san, were arguing with that sort of manner behind me.

「Acting all slow, doesn’t fit your nature. Let’s finish this, Alice.」
「Agreed.」

From Eclair, once again twenty crimson fireb.a.l.l.s floated up.

「Multicast, Flame, set.」

I see, is that what could be called the current Eclair’s true power.
She attacked wildly with mid level magic.
It couldn’t be said to be the same as before but, the scene did rather taste ofrather taste of despair.

「I’ll give you a warning. Don’t think, something like Eclair is just throwing her magic about. Because Eclair, 『Sees』 your precise movements.」

Narrowing her crimson eye, Eclair announced as such.
Not aiming for some scheme like Leymia, she knows where and how I’ll act and move, something like that is it?

「So if it hits, something like your magic defense will be ended in one shot then! You should surrender while you’re still uninjured!」

Though as long as you survive I can give you a heal at least, Eclair added while acting indifferent.

「Are you worried about what happens after you win? That’s what’s called over optimistic planning for the use of an uncaptured tanuki. For I am Tillbell Einshaula’s disciple. The successor of the strongest. Your concern isn’t needed! I’ll show this for you!」

――I can surely do this.
From my right hand, Lightning Field.
From my left hand, Lightning Field.
With the image of those fused, I put my hands together in front of my breast.

「Kuu!! Don’t go wild, obediently――Please transform!!」

With my rebellious magic running wild, I forced it into submission.
Forced, sublimation.

「Hou? How immature……But it’s interesting.」

Taking such words from my shishou from behind, I looked over the night sky.
My eyes met Eclair’s as she opened her eyes widely.

「……I’m going!」
「……Come then!」

There still isn’t any name.
This is, my original dream.
Covering everything, my phantasm.
Controlling everything, an unbeatable s.p.a.ce.

「――Manifest! Lightning G.o.d Barrier!!」

I deployed the phantasmal barrier.

「――Flame, Shot!」

Eclair, released her multicast as her crimson eye shined.
Evade to the left, jump!

――Nay.

That has, already been read through.
That could be wrong, it might be better to call it 『a.n.a.lyzed』.
This side’s every act and every move has been input.
Because of that, the output is flawless.
Before even seeing the problem, she already knew the answer.
As she has already seen everything, that is her 『Unfair』 answer.
And so she’s able to manifest it all anew.

Thus the blazing crimson demon eye, that is――――none other than『Past Sight』.

Given that, I’ll overturn even that 『a.n.a.lysis』!!
Overcome the past, overcome the present, and grasp even the future!
Consider, intuit, test, discard, retry.
Repeat repeat repeat!!
Repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat!!!

――And so, I found the only path of light.

It actually wasn’t because I was driven to desperation that I coursed lightning through my body to speed up.
Just, I merely arrived there as if guided by that path of light.

「――Alice, you……」

Losing myself, when I came to I had bypa.s.sed every flame, and arrived before Eclair’s eyes.
As Eclair stood dumbfounded, I made a pistol shape with my hand and stabbed her breast.

「――Ban! See? This is my win.」

Eclair smiled widely, at my playful victory declaration.