We jump between ships and board a small boat at the edge of V'alfoura.
　As we arrive at the Epic Seeker in Lauravia after a frustrating wait, we hear an explosion.

　Fire rises from the top floor of the Epic Seeker's headquarters, where Maria's room is located.

　He also finds a dark-clad Reaper flying over the roof with a flaming Maria in his arms. And Lastiara was following behind him.
　The battle had already begun.

　It's likely that Rustyala intercepted the reaper who tried to kidnap Maria.
　It's not an ideal development, but I'm relieved that it's not the worst.

　After confirming that the three of us are moving in the direction of the Epic Seeker's training grounds, Snow and I hurry to head out as well. On the way, me and Snow split up into two groups as if to enclose them. We then succeed in cornering the Reaper and Maria inside the training grounds.

When we surrounded them in the form of a triangle, Rastiara first shouted to Reaper.

''--Give me back Maria!

　Maria was squatting next to the Reaper.
　Immediately I 'gaze' at her.


[Status]
　Name: Maria HP107/159 MP832/855 Class.
　Level 10.
　Strength 7.69 Strength 7.23 Skill 5.99 Speed 4.45 Cleverness 7.96 Magic 41.13 Qualities 4.13
　State: mental pollution 1.65 Memory tampering 1.04 Memory impairment 1.02 Cognitive inhibition 1.34 Darkness 1.33
　Inherent Skill:.　
　Acquired Skills: hunting 0.68 cooking 1.08 fire magic 3.53


　It appears to be in the same state as I was in the semifinals. The magical power of the bracelet has robbed her of her sanity, and the darkness of the Reaper restricts information from her surroundings.
　Maybe Maria now sees everything that comes near her as an enemy.

　The Reaper coolly taunts Rustyala's cry.

'Return?　Hee-hee. But your sister doesn't like it.　It's terrible that you're forcing me to take off my 'bracelet', sister Rustyala.
'd*mn it-- I didn't want to spend all this time taking my 'bracelet' off!　But it's Maria!　And I can't just bump you off like Kanami!

　Rastiara was sincerely frustrated as she scratched her shortened hair.
　Apparently, there was an attack by the Reapers during the deactivation of the 'bracelet'.

''Rastiara!　Let's take it down first!

　I instructed Rustyala.
　But what came back was a frustrated voice.

'Kanami!　I've never heard of Maria getting this strong!
'I told you there was a chance I could use some of Arti's powers!
'I was a little out of commission!　It was a fire that wasn't a joke!
No, I didn't know that much either!

　I knew that at the end of the Nativity Day, Maria was getting information about her surroundings with flames like Arti, but I didn't know anything else about it.
　However, judging from Rastiara's appearance and Maria's status, it looks like she's going to use quite a bit of fire magic.

''La, Rastiara-sama, it's good to see you today ...... and, er, I'm very sorry for the other day--''

　Then suddenly, Snow starts to assert himself.

''--and Snow is the enemy!　Ally!　Which way!
I'm on your side, Lady Rastiara!　I (I) am a converted man, thanks to you!　I'd be happy to help!　--and in return, I'd like to ask you to do something later: ......
Okay, I'm listening!　So help me now!
'All right!　I'll do my best!

　Snow was motivated as he held his greatsword in his hand.
　The Reaper narrowed his eyes at the situation we were surrounded by.

''Big brother, you've been reading my moves ....... I had only Rastiara sister who can deal with Atashi to ambush her ....... If Mr. Apostle had been here, I could have still done a lot of things, like taking him hostage .......
'No, Deere's just not there due to force majeure: ......

　For a very silly reason, Dia is out cold for a very silly reason.
　However, even if he was awake, he wouldn't have let her join the battle. Deere is not a good match for a Reaper who can only attack at long range against a Reaper who can easily get behind her with instantaneous movement. Even if Sera was on her feet, I wouldn't want her to join in.

''Anyway, there are three swordsmen here who can withstand your reckless instantaneous movement attacks. Give up taking Maria with you, Reaper.
'Seems so. But did I read this far?　I can interfere with the Palinkron's 'bangles', you know?　Why is that?

　The darkness of Maria's 'bracelet' thickens as the Reaper holds out his hand.
　I had an idea how it worked.

I think I have a pretty good idea. You're the one who steals the Dark Reason, because you have a connection to the Palinclone Legacy, right?　I can control the 'bracelet' with the magic I can get from it.

　The Reaper opened his mouth and was surprised.
　But he quickly closed his mouth and glared at us.

...... If you understand, don't get any closer. Now, you can call out your sister Maria - or you can call out 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire'?
I don't mind. But don't think it's going to be that easy, do you?　Maria is 'not mistaken in her wishes'. That alone makes a lot of difference. That's why I chose this situation for me.
'Heh ....... What does it matter what you say as long as you don't make a mistake in your wishes ......?
I mean, no one can do what they want.

　The will to carry it through to the end.
　That's the most important thing.
　If you don't have that, no matter how strong you are, you will be weak.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

I'm not going to be able to do what anyone else wants. I will not make a mistake in my wish. Never.''
...... I know. It's my fault that I did that to the Leaper. It was my fault for lightly neglecting to 'connect' with the Reaper that day. I'm not saying that wish was wrong. I know with all my heart that the Leaper wants that, too. But if the Leeper sticks to that wish, knowing that Rowen will suffer, then ...... we have no choice but to fight now.
You don't like my wishes that much: ......
'That wish will cause both Rowen and the Reapers to suffer. We cannot overlook them as two friends.
Just overlook it if it's a friend, brother.
I can't overlook you because you're my friend, Reaper.

　The Reaper continues to plead, but I have no intention of retreating.
　Sensing the firmness of his intentions, the Reaper gives up on the conversation and laughs.

''Heehee. What the hell, you're going to interrupt me after all ....... Big brother .......

　The darkness thickens.
　The reaper's beloved scythe appears and the entire training field is filled with darkness.

　The training grounds become a field where the Reapers can maximize their power.

''Heehee, hahaha!　If you think you can do anything you want with the power of that silly 'hero', you're wrong!

　That dark center.
　The Reaper floats softly and laughs merrily and mercilessly.

　He had the demeanor of a witch who had lived for thousands of years, and there it was.
　The magic "Shadow Adoring Reaper" (Grim Lim Reaper), who was only born less than a year ago.
　But more than a thousand years of experience have been poured into her.

　A supernatural existence, an existence that surpasses humanity.
　--The Grim Reaper.
　That's the Reaper now.

I'm the Grim Reaper!　A spell that was once created only to kill humans, that's all.　All living things are my food!　--Denai Entia!

　Suddenly, the 'connection' between me and the Reaper becomes thicker.

　I quickly use the magic power that's slightly recovered to close that "connection".
　However, I'm not the only one the Reaper has gained a "connection" with.

　As you can see, the Reaper is increasing the magic power in his body.
　You can feel the source of it by the dimensional magic that is slightly activated. You're going to be able to find out what you're looking for, and you're going to be able to find it.
　Of course, my friends were included in that group.

''What, the magic power--?

　Rustyala felt his strength slipping away and became impatient.
　Snow would be the same. However, Snow seemed to have expected this and was less upset than Rastiara.

　By the looks of it, he would be depriving high magic power holders such as Maria and Dea of their magic power.
　Right now, all of this Lauravia's magic power means that it has become food for the Reapers.

''I've traveled to many places for this occasion!　My magic supply is unlimited!　This is the Reaper's!　The quintessential 'curse'!

　Feeling the strengthening power in his body, the Reaper lets his emotions run high.
　Then, exuberantly, he speaks eloquently.

　The Reaper seemed to be convinced of his victory already.

''The magic power over here is inexhaustible!　But what about your brother's magic?　It's not just a shortage, it's a hindrance to life activities, isn't it?　That's not all--!

　The Reaper squeezes one hand tightly.
　With that alone, the black magic power spreads to cover the sky.

　The world is transformed into complete darkness without any light at all.
　If my Dimensional Winter (Di Winter) is the magic to change the world into winter--

D-Day Night!

　This magic is the magic that turns the world into night.

I'm not just saving your "connection" with your brother for surveillance purposes. It's not just for the sake of keeping an eye on you, but also because you're the only specialist in dimensional magic who can teach me magic. But that's enough!　All of your magic, big brother, is now attaches to you!

　''Dimensional Winter (Di Winter) is a difficult magic to construct.
　An ordinary wizard wouldn't even be able to understand it.
　However, the Reaper had understood and mastered it all in the past few days.

　It was like the growth rate of a baby.
　Everything he saw was fresh, which was why he absorbed it so quickly.

　The Reaper's infantile sense and the experience of old age.
　The combination of the two had made the Reaper a skilled wizard in a short period of time.

'In this darkness, all perceptions are at my mercy!　No one can beat me!　Today, I'm going to beat you!　Except for Rowen, all the contestants in the 'Dancing Tournament' are attaches!

　Except for Rowen, I'll take them down myself.
　That's what the Reaper had been prepared to do from the beginning.

　Having grown up as the most powerful wizard, he was proud to do it. That's why he had so much leeway.

　With that final cry, the Reaper disappears, disappearing into the darkness.
　After a moment of silence, I sense the killing spirit from my back and swing the 'Crescent Pectrazi's Straight Sword'.

　A high-pitched sound rings out.
　Only the scythe had grown out of the darkness. However, the darkness was too dense for me to recognize the Reaper's figure.

''Tch. You're still wearing a thin layer of dimensional magic, brother. --Then you'll have to wait until that magic wears off, big brother!

　He couldn't see her, but he could hear the Reaper's voice from the darkness.

'Rastiara, Snow!　It's coming!
Will Linker, sacred magic, light!
Vibrational magic!

　They didn't seem to need to be told.
　Each of them had finished chanting their own trusted magic.

　The Reaper just chuckled at that.

''Hee hee, you two are both amazing magic!　It's foul that your sword is so strong and your magic is so strong!　But it's pointless!　I, being magic itself, can handle this magic better than my brother!　-- "The True Night of the Abyssal Dimension (Di Reverend Night)!

　Since the Reaper used a variant of Di Winter, Di Night, it's only natural that he could use this magic.
　The Reaper deploys a magic that would be an imitation of my "Midwinter of the Overcrowded Dimension (Di Overwinter)", a magic that is many times more extensive than mine.

''Big brother can use this magic with a time limit, but I can use it for much longer!

　Unlike me, who could only maintain it for a few seconds, the Reaper had plenty of time to deploy.

　Then, with enough time, he interfered with the magic of the two of them.
　The dark magic collapses their magic construction and drives them to failure.

　Fresh Blood Magic 《Will Linker》, Sacred Magic 《Light》, and Vibration Magic 《Vibrations》.
　All of the magic dissipated.

''Geez, my fresh blood magic and sacred magic!
'I'm sorry, but you'll be fighting without those foul moves!　Like Rowen, only with a sword!　In this darkness!

　Rustyala screams as he fails to work his blood and light magic.

　The Reaper replied to that scream. However, it wasn't Rastiara who attacked.
　A sound similar to when my sword and the Reaper's scythe collided with each other just now sounds.

''Muuuh!　Stiff, big sister Snow!　Even my scythe can be played on those dragon scales!　But this one has the power to set the world on fire, too!　Maria, sister!

　It was Snow who was targeted.
　Then, in the darkness, a single light source blazed forth.

It was the "Fiery Flame". --Agni Blaze!

　A pillar of fire rises and a white line runs through the darkness.
　It's a familiar magic.
　Maria must have released the same fire magic as Arti.

　A sharp flame that seems to cut through space, similar to Dia's 《Flame Arrow》.
　That white line stretched everywhere.

''d*mn, that was fast!

　Snow grunted.
　From that, I knew that it hadn't hit Snow directly. Maybe the flames in the darkness were easy to see.

''Rastiara!　Can't you use any of your magic to break through?
I've tried everything, but it doesn't seem to be happening any time soon!

　No pleasant answer comes back from Rastiala.
　Instead, the voice of a well-behaved Reaper comes back.

''Heehee. I suppose only a high-ranking dimensional wizard would be able to prevent my magic!　But you don't have magic powers, do you, big brother!　I told you, you should have done it tomorrow!
Tomorrow, you would have taken Snow and Maria.　Anyway!
Yeah, that's right!　Well, I wonder if I sent out a letter saying, "If you want it back, come to the abandoned castle where Dravdragon was during the final of the 'Dancing Tournament' if you want it back!
Of course!

　Me and the Reaper have been able to make a pointless I-can-do-it-yourself connection thanks to the 'connection' we've made to this day.
　Now that we're fighting with our emotions, we can see each other's schemes to the point of annoyance.

　As the Reaper speaks, he now slashes at me.
　I caught the scythe with my sword just in time to catch it.
　Then I yell at each other as I cut and tie with the Reaper.

''Take your time to sleep, brother!　You haven't slept for days now.　I'm going to let you sleep until I finish my 'dance competition'!
'I'm sorry, but no thanks!　If you're in charge, I'm going to sleep forever!
But you'll run out of magic at any moment.　How are you going to prevent my attacks without dimensional magic?　How can you do that when your brother doesn't have the flair of big sister Rustyala or the hardness of big sister Snow!
That's--!
See, the magic is finally running dry!

　The more they cut each other, the more magic power they lose.
　After the Las Tiara war, the magic power that had recovered slightly was also lost, and was truly depleted.

''--!

　The dimensional magic that had been developing slightly was finally lifted.
　But it's okay.

　It's been proven that it's possible to fight the Reapers even if they don't have any magic power.
　I've seen this more closely than anyone else.
　I've also received careful and attentive instruction.
　There's enough information to go around.

　-- said Rowen.

　My "mind and body are disconnected.
　That my mind-body mismatch was preventing me from learning the inner arts.
　Now that I have my memory back, I know exactly what that means.

　The skill 'sensitivity'.
　Its true mechanism.

''It is!　Rowen taught me that!

　Meaning as the word suggests.
　Loewen was right, I had everything I needed. I had the ability to observe and imitate that much. The only thing that was missing was the unity of mind and body.

　By not creating even the slightest barrier between me and the outside world, the skill would be activated.

　The catalyst for my mastery was created by Palinclone's 'bracelet'.
　During that runaway period, I was indeed using the skill "Sensitivity". It's just like the bracelet replicated the technique of Franlleurre, which I didn't know much about. I'm going to have to say that I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　I remember that feeling.
　Once the body uses it, the rest is easy.
　All you have to do is recreate it.

　The point is to perceive the world with the senses of the mind, not the five senses of the body.
　This is an unconscious technique that transcends consciousness.

　I don't know if that phenomenon is unique to other worlds or if it works in my world as well. No, it is probably something unique to other worlds where there is the existence of magic power.

　This is a law that does not exist in my world.
　In other words, it's the ability to sense the 'reason' of this other world. That's what I think.

　In the deep darkness, I close my eyes.
　I break all the magic.
　I rely on my mind.
　The skill "Kansei" is enough.

　I activate the skill "Kansei" and sense the world not with magic, but with my skin.

　The special existence in this other world - 'magic power'.
　By grasping the flow of that power, you can understand the movements of the creatures acting on it.

　Hence, the slash of the vicious scythe that attacks from behind.
　I succeed in dodging it with just a piece of skin.

　Furthermore, the continuous attacks that follow.
　I continue to dodge and dodge and dodge all of them as well.

''What, huh?''

　The Reaper would have sensed the disappearance of my dimensional magic.
　But instead of being frightened and confused by the darkness, he is astonished to see me moving even better.

　Astonished, lost, and thinking, the Reaper arrives at an answer.

'This is like--!

　I'm quick to notice that it's because I'm a leaper who knows Rowen better than anyone else.
　I respond to that with a thin smile.

'It's just like dealing with Rowen!　Brother, you're not supposed to--!

　I brag to the Reaper that I've reached the same point as Rowen.
　When the Reaper sees this, he gets angry.

'd*mn!　Then, Maria!　Block your brother's movements with that purgatory fire!

　He instructed Maria, who was standing by.

　The Reaper's attack would no longer be a threat. But there is still a threat to Maria.

　Next, I had to deal with Maria, but ...... I was confident I could convince her.

　The 'I' that day renewed my resolve.
　The 'Maria' who swore an oath in front of her best friend that day.
　If the two of you are together, you should be able to overcome the Palinkron's "bracelet".

"Maria!　Can you hear me?!

　We'll start over that day.
　But this time, we won't have to sacrifice anything.
　I don't have to.

　Maria's body, which is probably wandering in the depths of darkness, reacts with a twitch.
　I can't see anything, but my voice seems to reach her.

　I scream again.

"Maria!
'Ni, 'brother' ......?
'No!　I'm not your "big brother"!　You're gonna have to remember my name!　And call me by that name!　You know my name, Maria, don't you!
...... 'Brother''s, name?

　It is the memory of that day that appeals to me.
　You don't have to remember it completely, but you only have to bring back the feelings of that day.

"If you're not a 'big brother', then what ......?　The name ......, 'Christ'?　No, I know: ....... The real name of "my brother". A name that I can't seem to reach ....... But to admit it means to admit it: ......!

　Maria trembles.
　The same as I did.
　To escape from the world of falsehoods is to deny the happiness that is right in front of you.

　Denying it is not a half-hearted task.
　But I am convinced that Maria can do it.
　I'm sure she has such a firm desire.

"Ouch ......, my head hurts ......!　Lies, that's not true: ......!

　Maria is beginning to doubt her memory, but she's still a step away from reaching it.
　Hence, I continue to scream.

'Maria!　I told Maria everything about me!　Maria said she believed in me like that!　That's why I believe in Maria too!　If you give up now, even your word to Artie will be a lie.　You're standing here and that's it!　Maria!
'A, Arti ......, my, 'best friend' ......?

　He appeals to his former nemesis.

'Alty!　Like I said, I'll be watching you all the time!　I guess I'm "the same" as Maria at the end!　Then what do you think of the situation!　You, who know Maria's feelings better than anyone else, are going to leave her alone, deceived by a false memory!　Do you really think Maria would want this!
'Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh--!

　Maria wails.
　It creates more fires and enlarges the pillar of fire.
　In the midst of the flames, I see that she is crying faintly.

　In the darkness, there is only one glowing flame.
　Moreover, in the midst of it, Maria stared at the Reaper, holding back her aching head.
　Even though she had no memory of it, she could see the will that was close to the Maria she once was reviving.

'I am no longer mistaken: ......!　No one can confuse me anymore: ......!　Reaper, you're fooling me: ......!

　Hearing this, the Reaper stops fighting me and tries to get closer to Maria.
　However, I can't get close enough to her because of the blazing flames.

''Hot!　Why!　The one who "steals the truth of fire" rejects the "truth of darkness"!　I didn't ask you that!

　With frustration, the Reaper tries to send the dark magic to Maria. But all of that was burned away by the flames.

　Unavoidably, the Reaper begins to persuade her with words.

''Maria sister, don't be fooled!　You're right about that brother there being Maria's sister's 'brother'!　You have a proper memory of your 'brother'!　

　Maria is made aware of her memories.
　Her emotions return, but her memories remain tampered with.

'Memory ......?　I have ...... and memories of my childhood ....... I have memories of my 'brother' playing with me, with my father and mother, with my family ......!　There are so many!
That's it!　You call that a fake!　There's a memory there, and you say you doubt it?
'It's a happy memory. I can see that it is indeed there. But this memory is ......--

　But it had the opposite effect.

'-- It's funny (・・・・・・・・) that my family has (・・・・・・) memories of (・・・・・・) (...)'

　Maria smiled so horribly in the flames of purgatory.
　Cutting it down is more painful than death.
　But still, a look of determination to cut it down.

　It was a smile that made even an old reaper take a step back.

'...... eh?　Is it funny that it's there?

　The Reaper doesn't understand what Maria means.

'It was a mistake not to erase my experience of fire magic in case of an emergency. My flame magic is a magic that is activated by burning the past. Because of it, I lost my family's memories. As an experience of flame magic, I remember it well. That's why I know it's weird to have memories of my family: ......
'Duh, so I didn't hear about that: ......!
Sure, my memories are gone. But that's no reason to implant false memories: ......!　I know that a lie won't save anyone!　That's the only thing I can't mistake!

　Maria may have lost her memory, but the only thing that was ingrained in her body was the path she had to believe in, her 'true wish'.
　No matter how much you play with your emotions and memories, you can't extinguish the fire that burns in the depths of your heart.
　With her own body, Maria had proven that.

　The Reaper realized that he couldn't continue like this and tried to send more magic power into the air.

''Then!　The bracelet will make you bend your will more...
Be my guest. I'm used to that feeling.

　But Maria cuts off that memory falsification and emotional change with just one word: she's used to it. Then she chants.

' -- 'Dreaming staggeringly and sensuously' --!

　Building even more mighty fire magic.

　The price is high.
　I know, because I've had the experience of imitating it myself.
　That's what burns the past and activates it.

"Burn all these false memories, and then I won't be misled by you!　There is only one thing left for me to do, and that is to swear that I believe in 'Mr. Kanami', not 'Christ' or 'Master'!　As long as I have that, I can live with it!

　Maria is angry that her intentions have been twisted.
　She completes the chant with her emotions.
　It's a chant that burns the past, but only now, the chant is not harmful.

'-- 'Swallow me (...)!　--Midgals Blaze!

　A flaming snake with vicious heat crawls out of Maria's left shoulder mouth.

''There's no such thing as a 'big brother' and such a convenient person!　I'm not there!

　Maria waved her left hand at the Reaper.
　Her left arm burst into flames. The clothes from the shoulder to the end of the arm burned, and the bandages that covered her eyes unraveled.

　Burning her skin and scorching her arm, the flames finally melted the 'bracelet'.
　And as it was, the flaming snake continued to push forward through the darkness without losing momentum.

　It attacked the Reaper while scattering flames all over the training grounds.

　The Reaper fled into the darkness and tried to dodge it.
　But the glow of the flames cut through the darkness.

　Seeing its burning power and will, I declare victory over the Reaper.

'See, Reaper. Maria didn't make a mistake, did she?

　The Reaper crawled out of the darkness.
　He barely dodged the flames, but his right arm was on fire from the aftermath alone.

''Ugh!''

　Maria's fire magic was immense.
　She is burning the body of the Reaper, which is magic, with its entire existence. Now that the Reaper has been seen by me, it should have lost its substance, but the flames are not extinguished.

　I approach Maria, relying on the light of the flames.

"Maria!
Kanami (・・・・・)!

　Maria was also running over to us.
　Finally, me and Maria would truly meet up.
　We had been separated for about two weeks since the day of the Nativity, but it felt like we had been apart for years.

'It was all ....... It was all a dream. ......
Yeah, it's a dream. ......
'My brother is ...... no, my family is all dead ....... I can't even remember them anymore. But that doesn't mean I want to make a mistake with my precious family. I don't want to have false memories, ever!　I promised my best friend (Arti) that I would move forward this time, so I swear on these two eyes--!

　Maria spoke the words of her promise to Alti and let the flames erupt from her body like Alti once did.
　The flames become countless butterflies that light up every part of the training grounds.　

　The darkness constructed by the Reapers is gradually illuminated by the lights.
　Rastiara and Snow's positions became faintly visible as well.

''-- 《Firefly Shimmer (Haze). ...... I can see better with this.

　Maria's eyes remain closed.
　However, there is no pretense of lack of vision.
　After all, she seems to be gathering information about her surroundings with her fire.

''But now you're more of a reaper than happy to see me again. Don't worry. -- no matter where she hides, our (...) flames will burn it all away.

　Maria concentrates and builds more fire magic.

　Darkness gathers on her unprotected back, and the scythe reaches out.
　I flick it with my sword.

''Oh God!　Brother, get out of my way!
'Maria trusts me and weaves magic!　I won't let you touch me with one finger!

　He cuts loose, swearing with the Reaper in the dark.
　However, if this continues, I don't know when Maria will be in danger. I instruct Rustyala as a safety measure.

'Rastiara, come here!　Fight for Maria like you did the first time!
First?
That thing in the maze!
'Oh!　That one!　Can I hold the princess this time!
Ask Maria about that!

　Relying on the light of the flames, Rustyala ran up to Maria.

''-- 《Fray Blaze》!　Please, Mr. Rustyala. We'll have lots more to talk about later. I have a lot to apologize for.

　Maria shot a sphere of fire into the sky and extended her hands to Rustyala.

'Oh, oh!　Maria is delirious with me!

　Rastiara happily takes Maria in her arms and starts to run.

　The mass of darkness follows it, but it can't keep up.
　Rastiara is fast. He wasn't fast enough in the weakened darkness due to Maria's birth light.

　And then, Snow, who jumped in late to that weakened mass of darkness, struck a blow with all his might.

''--[Impulse Break]!

　A metallic clang in the darkness.
　It was the sound of Snow's greatsword and the Reaper's scythe colliding.

　The darkness is blown away by the vibration and impact as Snow's attack, with his full weight on it, is received from directly above. Then the figure of the Reaper, who had been hiding in the darkness, is exposed.
　With the visibility, the Reaper loses its substance and Snow's great sword falls to the ground.

''--Ku!　All the magic I've collected!

　The Reaper distances himself from Snow and quickly re-gathers the darkness.
　He then tried to extinguish the flames that were harming his field by wrapping them in darkness. However, on the contrary, the darkness was only disappearing.

'You cannot interfere with the magic of "The One Who Steals Fire's Reason" ......!　Because the levels of magic are too different!

　The Reaper despairs.
　His pride that he is the strongest wizard in the world is diminished, and the darkness weakens in proportion.

　Protected by Rustyala, Maria generates flames endlessly.
　As if to protect it, I, the vanguard, and Snow sandwich the Reaper between us.

　This one's formation was rock solid.

''Come on, Reaper. It may have been intended to be two against two, but now it's four against one. The advantage of visibility is now gone. Give up now. ......!

　I thrust my sword at her and urge the Reaper to surrender.
　But when she hears this, she becomes agitated.

'Give up?　That being said, did you give up on your brother?　My thoughts are with my brother.　There's no way I'm giving up until the end!
Then it's over. -- as long as Rowen's skills are in play, the Reapers can't beat me.
'Not yet!　As long as we can beat my brother, we can still manage!　You're the weakest brother, but you're the center of the party, so you have a chance to win!
'Come on if you think so!　Reaper!
Big brother!

　The Reaper gathers all the darkness left in the training grounds.
　Wearing the last of the darkness, the Reaper will run.

　I will meet them with a single sword.
　That's all I need.
　Even Rowen was always with one sword.

　Darkness surrounds me in the vanguard.
　My vision closes and I lose sight of the Reaper.
　And, of course, the Reaper slashes at me from behind.

　I dodge it by bending down, just like Rowen, and counterattack with his sword skills.

　The Reaper was used to it.
　I use the hilt of my scythe to block the sword and then disappear back into the darkness.

　The unique reaper's sickle surprise attack.
　The skill of the godlike Rowen to respond to it.
　In the darkness, the sword and the sickle crisscross again and again.

　When metal meets metal, and dozens of white sparks are scattered, the decision is made.

　It was a very simple answer.

　-- that is, the answer is that the Reapers will never be able to defeat Rowen.

　Just that much is the reality.

　In order for the Reaper to compete with Rowen's techniques, he couldn't easily attack him. This was because Rowen's technique could only provide a decisive strike to the Reaper during a counterattack. And yet, the Reaper was so enraged that she attacked me repeatedly.
　There wasn't a single element that she could win.

　My sword severed the Reaper's right leg.
　The only thing I can feel is the touch of it on my hand.
　The Reaper, who has lost his leg, staggers back with a look of anguish on his face.
　Then I pierce the fallen Reaper's left leg with my sword and sew it to the ground.

''-- Magic 《ice》''

　As a stopgap, I have the sword transmit freezing magic from the sword.
　This level of basic magic can be used with the magic power that has been naturally recovered during this battle.

　I'm going to be able to use it to solidify the disembodied Reaper in the same way as in the Tida battle.
　And then I see the Reaper with my eyes.

　I see the wounded Reaper lying on the ground.
　He's in no condition to move.

"God d*mn it. ....... It's not fair, brother .......

　Reaper stared at me with tears in her eyes.
　That was also the moment she admitted defeat.