Kyou and his friends settle with Lily in the Great Hall on the second floor.
　The end of the battle between Jack and his friends and Felid in the first floor hall.

　At the same time as the two battles in the castle, the third battle was also coming to an end at the entrance to the detached palace, far from the second-floor hall.

　There is a passage facing the entrance of the detached palace.
　It's not a wide place, not suitable for people to fight in a line.
　But on the contrary, it was the most suitable space for a one-man battle.
　Even in such a place, the temperature in the atmosphere had already crossed the minus mark and was still undergoing a sudden change to near absolute zero.
　A permanent ice wall envelops the passageway of the palace.
　The floors and ceilings are covered with icicles that have been formed by many ice crystals.

　You'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

...... But ...... you are a very quiet girl. ......

　Do you say that?
　And inwardly tsk-tsked at the thought of Ys.

　However, the current situation was not in a position of advantage that could be taken lightly.
　Ys is not weak at all.
　At one time, she was comparable to Helu, the daughter of the demon king, in terms of simple combat ability, the twin peaks of the Four Heavenly Kings.
　But if her attributes are the opposite of Hel's, then her character and tactics are also completely opposite.

　The one thing Ys is best at is defensive warfare.
　She is a pure sorceress by nature.
　The role of the sorceress is to support the warriors fighting on the front lines and to attack them from behind with magic.
　She does not excel in tactics such as voluntarily charging into enemy lines.

　On the other hand, the other hero is clearly a type that specializes in close combat.
　When confronted with him, Ys was clearly outmatched.
　Still, she didn't give up and used all kinds of tricks and tricks to bring the fight to more than even terms.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you're going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. ...We've learned from previous battles that your tactics are specialized for defense: ......, but there's no such thing as a winnable battle to endure: ......

　Yes, that was exactly the weakness of the Ys tactic.
　No matter how well you withstood your opponent's attack, it was only a stall for time.
　If that's the goal of the battle, there is no game that can be won by concentrating on defense, even if that's the goal.

...... How about ...... at least I'm fighting this way to win ......... ...!

　Refine behind countless swords produced by a different ice sorcery than before, saying.
　There were about dozens of them.
　Not only do they look good, but their performance and strength exceed that of ordinary weapons.
　Seeing this, Sachaque can't help but let out a breath of admiration.

It's just like the creation weapon of Amarnes. ...... I see that you had some help from that war hero. ...... looks familiar to the concoction's finesse ......

...... Yes, ...... taught me a little bit before I came here ...... I'm not very good at fighting, so this kind of magic to hurt your opponent is not very good. I've never used ...... but ......!

　As soon as Ys waved his wand in the air, the ice swords formed behind him flew at Sachaque one after another.
　But all of these swords are flicked, slashed, or shattered by Sachaque's sword in his hand.
　Even the slightest slash is far from fatal.

...... Nice try, Snow Witch. ...... You are an undeniable genius who could refine a weapon like this with just a little instruction. So ...... if you had spent your talents on crushing your opponents, you could have been the strongest and most courageous man in the world. ...... It's really... ... I'm sorry. ......!

　At the same time as Sachaque's affirmation, it shatters all remaining weapons with a near-fast slash.
　This is the end of the plan.
　Convinced that this is the case, Zachary tried to close the distance at once, but...

......?　What ......?

　I can't move my body.
　No, the lower half of his body doesn't work at all.
　Startled, Sachaque immediately looks down and sees his frozen feet.
　It was as if sealed by a crystal or something, one after another, powdery snowflakes danced, and his own body was wrapped in ice crystals.

"...... is this ...... the powdered snow of the weapon you just crushed?

"...... That's right: ......

　It's the first time that Sachaque instantly realized its true identity and showed a look of impatience on this occasion.
　The weapon that you just shot down earlier drifted around Sachaque as snow powder, which combined with the surrounding air of absolute zero to recreate a new ice crystal around Sachaque.

...... from the beginning with the purpose of having me crush the weapon ...... this icy space also prepared to create this ...... all for this moment from the beginning or ......!

...... Yes, I'm ...... like you said, I'm not fit to attack. ...... So let me take a defensive tactic from start to finish. Received: ......

　Earlier Sachaque said.
　There is no way to win a battle if you are only on the defensive.
　That's true.
　You can't win the war without defeating your opponent.
　But there is certainly a way to beat your opponent by being on the defensive.

But there is certainly a way to win the war by being on defense. ...... What is the ultimate in shutting down an enemy's attack? ...... There is one answer: ...... containment of your opponent's very existence! Defeating and killing ...... doesn't necessarily lead to victory. ...... This is how I win. ......!



　As soon as his entire body is enveloped in ice and then all of it is encased in ice crystals, Sachaque lets out a roar and is enclosed in a perfect crystal.

　You will be able to see that, Ys relax the energy of his body that he had been supporting with his staff and sit down on the spot without a second thought.
　The magic of sealing your opponent is quite draining for Ys, and you can see that she is visibly exhausted.
　Still, she stumbles to her feet and heads for the door to free her friend who is trapped in the detached palace ahead.
　But at that moment.

Click!

　It was the sound of something cracking.
　Ys immediately turns his gaze to Sachaque enclosed in the crystal in front of him.
　When he looked, there was a slight crack in the surface.

　That's ridiculous.
　I couldn't help but think so.
　Because this freeze seal is the strongest magic Ys has to offer.
　Without her will, the seal would not be lifted and will exist forever and unchanging without melting, even for a thousand years.
　And yet, against her will, the crystal's seal is about to be lifted.

　The next moment, as if the seal was being broken from within, Sachaque returned from within the crystal.

"...... haha ...... haha ...... Amazing, snow witch, Ys ......

　It was our line.
　Never before has a third party broken this seal on her.
　It cannot be against the will of the magician who released it.


　However, of course, the damage has been done to Sachaque as well.
　The left half of his body is completely paralyzed by frostbite damage, probably because he was forced to break the crystal seal.
　Still, Ys had an obvious answer as to which side was better off if they fought properly.

...... What is ...... your ability to ......?

　That's why Ys came here to take one last gamble.
　Whether your opponent will take it or not.
　The answer to that question will determine the outcome of this place, and--

...... Yes. However, my ability only works on things that I come in direct contact with and ...... frankly, it's far from the high road. ...... Although I mildly regretted having such an ability, I still felt a sense of regret at having it in my possession. There's no change in ...... so I'll use it when I need to ...... so I decided to ......

　Only the ability of Zachary, the older brother of the imperial hero, is shrouded in mystery among all the seven great heroes.
　This is because there is no one other than his brother who knows of this ability.
　But if escaping from the crystal is that ability, then what is it?
　That's what Ys thought, but the answer didn't matter to her now anyway.
　Because the game was already decided.

...... But it was brilliant, Ys, that you fought for your beliefs to the very end. ...... This is the result of my abilities becoming your abilities. It's just a story that works. ...... In conclusion, you've proven yourself to be a shining jewel, ...... but it's not a win-win, it's just that... ...

　Saying so, slowly approaching Ys, Sacherk's fist tries to enter her body to settle the fight with her, but--

"...... Yeah, I'm not the one who won here ...... .......

　I saw a confident smile at the victory of Ys.
　And then she realizes that her gaze is not on her, but on the other side of her - the door to the detached palace.

　Instantly Sachaque turns around.
　There was the special enchanted door that trapped Phytis.
　The door was completely frozen in the icy space just now, and the fact that the icy sword Ys had just fired at the place where the keyhole was was pierced by countless swords.

　Could it be that some of the weapons released earlier were aimed at this from the beginning?
　The goal is not only to enclose yourself in a crystal.
　Your real purpose is to rescue your friends beyond.
　And that little question was just to buy one last minute.

　It was here that Sachaak finally understood.
　The girl in front of him was not the one who had challenged him to a fight to win from the start.

　The way Ys fought was thorough from the beginning to the end.
　Defensive Warfare.
　And the purpose of the defensive warfare was - to buy time.

　The doors of the palace are opened from within.
　Out of it jumps a hero.
　She quickly grabs the ice sword from the door and closes the distance between her and Zachary in a matter of seconds.
　If Zachary was in good physical condition here, he would have been able to react.
　But the ice crystal left the left half of his body paralyzed by the previous ice crystal, so it's impossible for him to react to that movement.
　And then--

"Yes, it's 'we' that will win, Ys!

　A flash of Fitis the gourmet hero strikes down Sachaque's body, this time rendering him incapable of fighting, and he slowly falls to the ground.

...... Fitis ......

　Seeing Phytis jumping out of the door safely, Ys sits down, this time as if in relief.
　Phytis reaches out to her.
　The two of you didn't plan for this to happen in the first place.
　There's no way they could have had a meeting.
　Still, Ys believed that Phytis would act accordingly.
　Phytis also believed that whoever had come to rescue her would do so, and so she did.
　At the root of this battle was faith in your comrades.
　It was just that.

...... "Phew, you're still shining a lot brighter than I thought you would: ...... Phytis. ......

　Seeing Phytis, Zachary muttered to himself as he fell.
　Phytis has to ask him a question.

Sachaque. I have to ask you one question.

　That's the heart of the matter.
　And the culprit behind it all.

Who is he who is here right now--who is he?