The sword is blocked by both blades.
　But the distance is between the swords. I don't give myself time to catch my breath and try to swing my sword.

"'Darkfisher'.

　But it is interrupted by dark magic.
　Countless black tentacles reach out from the shadow of the Palinclone. Hating being touched, I avoid the magic from a great distance.

　I felt a sense of discomfort from that magic.
　It's too fast to build magic. I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

"It's not my power. It was my friends.

　Palinclone pointed to the fallen soldiers around him.
　Their unconscious bodies were increasing in speed of dissolution. They no longer had their original form and had mostly been converted into particles of magic power.
　The 'Dimension' sensed that the magic power was being poured into the palinclone.

'This 'World Devotional Formation' is also connected to me. In other words, I have unlimited MP. What's more, you can do this kind of thing too.

　Palinclone puts his hand on the high-ranking man who was lying next to him.
　Then the transformation of his body accelerates. The moment I thought it would all be converted, the earth swelled and cracked with a rumble.

　Magic power of different colors overflows from deep within the earth and mixes with the converted soldier's magic power.
　The two magical powers intertwined, condensed, and took on a certain shape.
　It was the form of a bird.

　The magical power is materialized. The bird's organs, bones, flesh, skin, and feathers became the bird's organs, bones, flesh, skin, and feathers, and a monster bird was completed.
　It is a huge body that is five meters long.
　Based on his experience in the labyrinth, he quickly 'gazes' at that first sight of the monstrous bird on the spur of the moment.

--Monster.
　　　Windleaver, rank 35--

Mo-Monster!
"The 'World Migration Battlefield' is the same type of technique as the 'Labyrinth', and it's as easy as 'Recall Convergence'. In fact, you could say that this is the original use of the 'World Apocalypse'.

　No matter how it is explained, I don't know the details of the technique.
　However, it seems certain that it also has the ability to summon the monsters of the Labyrinth. From that, it can be seen that the 'World Consecration Formation' and the 'Labyrinth' are closely related.

　The monstrous bird Windleaver flapped its wings as it let out a screeching sound. After a roaring wind blew, it flew over my head and attacked Maria.
　I hurriedly go to fulfill the role of vanguard.

''Ice Flamberge!

　I adjust the length of my sword to be able to counter that huge body. Then I slash the wings on the back of the flying Windleaver as it ignores me. I also slash the falling Windleaver's neck and turn to Palinkron.

　Palinclone was about to generate about five new monsters. The material for this is probably the bodies of the soldiers. But that's why he's turning them into monsters without any hesitation.

"'Dark Claus'.

　Palinkron used his first magic.
　The black liquid overflowing from the shadows clung to the monsters and took on an armor-like form. Perhaps it's a dark attribute enhancement magic. Perhaps it might have some effect on the monsters' minds.
　However, the 'state' of the monsters cannot be seen unlike people.

　Instead, they 'gaze' at the names and ranks of the five monsters.
　Tree Daedus, a two-headed dog with a tree body. The flying giant lizard, the Lizardfly. The eagle-headed giant, the Pid Giant. The moonless fowl, a bat with four wings in one eye. A moving armor with no contents, Unconquerable - all of these monsters are around rank 30. But due to Palinclone's enhanced magic, it's impossible to gauge their exact strength.

　With a roar, each monster comes towards me with a unique trajectory. But for some reason, they ignored me and went to Maria--

Hey, hey, hey!

　I take out the 'Straight Sword of Crescent Pectrazi' from 'Possessions' and switch to the twin swords. Then I extend my sword to the monsters that are trying to get through left and right.

　I succeed in slicing the legs of two of the five monsters, a dog and a giant, with my sword. However, the remaining three animals slip through the side. I have no choice but to extend my sword again with "Magic Freezing" and chase after the defenseless back.

　However, a slimy and unpleasant feeling comes from the tip of the sword that slashed at the monster's back. It's because of the black armor that Palinclone has given him.
　The tip of the magic blade doesn't carry enough force. It is unable to break through its thickness and fails to stop the three monsters.

''--'Flame Flamberge!

　A flaming sword extends from Maria's hand and slashes through the monsters. Its movement was poor and slow, but its attack and penetration power was high. The entire black liquid armor pierced the monsters from a distance beyond the monsters' reach.
　I can breathe a sigh of relief that I've managed to intercept the monsters, but the problem is huge. If I didn't function as the vanguard, the formation would be meaningless.

　Thus, while we were taking our time with the monsters, Palinclone continued to call out to them with his hands on the earth.

"Come on, boy. "Come on, boy, you can go on and on. "Come on, boy, you can go on and on. And the next one. And the next one, and the one after that.

　The particleization of the surrounding soldiers accelerates and about ten monsters are born. In the distance, I can also feel more monsters being born. It seems that a monster summoning is occurring across the entire battlefield.

　A wide variety of monsters are coming towards me with a roar. They are also ignoring me.
　I held up my twin swords to protect Maria.
　However, flames push me back.

"Kanami-san!　Leave these mooks alone and hit the palinclones!　I'll be fine!

　He decided that he would become jittery if he went on the defensive here. That said, I would be hesitant to leave Maria, who has low physical ability, in the middle of a melee.
　It's a difficult decision to make.
　That's when Palinkron's no-good push comes in.

''I'm telling you, if the boy is coming over here, I'm going to drop my defenses and go after Maria's little girl, okay?

　Palinclone declared with a thin smile.
　I didn't think that was a bluff. That guy has a track record of building the 'World Consecration Squad' without leaving out the pain. But it could be a bluff based on that.

''Go!　If you're any more confused, I'll burn those ears off, but what are you going to do!

　Maria screamed as she saw me being swept up in Palinkron's every word. The blazing heat sizzled and burned my skin. I couldn't believe it was a bluff, either. She has a lot of accomplishments.
　Most importantly, she's deeply irritated with me right now. I'm going to get burned in the process.

　I'm grateful for the courage of my friends and run to Palinkulon.

"Mary, hang on a minute!
'We don't just endure it!　I'll join the attack!

　A reassuring reply comes back.
　Just as she said, Maria flies her flames not only at the approaching monsters, but also at Palinclone.

　I pass through the swarm of monsters and come face to face with Palinkron. The monsters also flew past me. It seems that they, too, intend to make good on their earlier words.

　With my twin swords, I slashed at Palinclone.
　Although I'm not good at the twin swords, that doesn't change my overwhelming advantage. You don't need to use "Sensitivity", "Sword Art", or "Magical Freezing" to defeat Palinclone if you fight him head-on.

　Hence, in an instant, he would slash off one of Palinkron's arms again.
　However, Palinclone, who has lost a part of his body, continues to smile and speaks to me.

''Hey, hey, are you sure you want to leave the little girl alone?　The Confederate forces in this battle were about 20,000 and a bit more. The Northern Army is about ten thousand and a half. Sooner or later, it will turn into a monster of thirty thousand and flock to you, little girl.

　I wish I could talk back. But I don't think they'd listen to me.
　If I reply poorly, he'll really burn my ears with flames.
　I thrust my sword into one of my flying arms and use freeze magic.

''-- 'Freeze (Ice)!

　His arms, made of black liquid, freeze and shatter.
　If it was the same body as Tida's, this shouldn't be enough to regenerate it.

'Huh.'

　Palinclone let out a voice at that precise attack.
　Convinced that it was effective, he never stopped attacking it.

　In contrast, Palinclone would always continue to make an escape move.
　However, no matter how much he tried to retreat, the difference in speed was obvious. Soon, his body is slashed and frozen, and even his remaining one arm is blown away and crushed. Visibly, the black body is being scraped away.
　The liquidated body is indeed a threat. But that was when I was at a low level with no MP to spare. If I fought it while carefully freezing it, that's all I would be able to do now to complete the fight. If I continue like this, I'll shatter everything soon - that's when I thought that.

　Palinclone leapt backwards in a big leap and jumped to the corpse of the monster, which was not breathing. The corpse that was lying there was the monstrous bird Windleaver that he had just slashed to death.
　This is not a labyrinth. So even if the monster died, it wouldn't immediately turn into light and disappear.
　I wondered if they would use that huge corpse as a shield. However, that thought was quickly betrayed.

''Wha--?

　As soon as it touched Palinkron's body, the monster's corpse turned black and liquefied. The black liquid then compensated for Palinkron's missing body.

''Ah, this is Tida's ability, you know?

　As if to say that it was out of his mind to be misunderstood, Palinclone excused himself.
　And soon, Palinclone flees to the next supply point (monsters). In the meantime, monsters overflowed from the 'Otherworld Dedication Formation' and surrounded Maria.

''d*mn!　It's too cumbersome an ability!

　I recall that Arti had described Tida as nearly immortal.
　That's exactly right. If you're going to use monsters to repair your body, then in this situation, it's the equivalent of having unlimited HP.

''Kanami-san!　As much as possible, burn the monsters to leave no bodies!　So stay tuned!

　Maria, who saw the exchange between me and Palinkron, puts in some advice from behind.

'Well, that's--'

　Surely, that way, you'll be able to hunt down the Palinkron eventually.
　But eventually. I don't know how long it will take.

　Right now I'm fighting with swords only. That's why I'm using very few MPs against the Palincron. Honestly, even if I had to send all 30,000 monsters to repair the damage, I'm confident that I would still win at some point.

　But that's not the case with Maria.
　She doesn't have any normal means of attack, so she has to fight them all with fire. No matter how good she is at handling magic, her fuel efficiency is worse than mine.

　I can't hide my impatience and go to stop Palinclone's feet.
　However, that easy thought was read by Palinclone's long and observant eyes.
　The sword aimed at my foot is flicked by the black blade.

''Poof!　-- 'Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradiate)'!

　Sensing the danger approaching for his companions, he switched to a tactic that consumes a lot of MP.

　He pounces on it with a full-body blade.
　As a result, the twin swords succeed in slicing off Palinkron's legs. But - Palinclone, who had lost his leg, moved one of his liquefied arms sluggishly and immediately used it as a replacement for his leg.
　Despite the fact that he slashed the leg by consuming MP, the battle result he gained was just one arm again.

''Nah.''

　In addition to Palinclone's venerable defensive abilities, the trait of 'the one who steals the truth of darkness'. It's too troublesome.
　In this case, even the Resonance Magic D'a Wraith that broke through the Stealer of the Earth's absolute defense ability was not an effective attack method.

　The only means left would be a barrage of freezing magic with a massive expenditure of MP.
　But I want to make that a last resort. I want to avoid tactics that have no end in sight if they are prevented.
　My thoughts are spinning along with my impatience.

　This is where the harm of suppressing 'parallel thinking' comes into play. While I was leisurely planning my strategy, Palinclone made his next move.

...... Alright, it's time to call Miss's natural enemy as well. It's a bit of a burden, but it's worth the call.

　A black mist erupted from the earth.
　Then the mist solidified in one place and turned into a mass of black iron that should be called jet black. It took the form of nearly two meters of black armor and began to move even though it had no contents.
　The eruption of the black fog still hadn't stopped. A human head is spawned from the earth in the arms of the armor, a wheeled chariot at its feet, and two black horses pulling its wheels.

--Monster.
　　　Deep Dullahan, rank 45--

　Deep Dullahan runs towards Maria in a slow, uncanny movement.

''Flame Flamberge!''

　Quickly, Maria intercepted it with fire magic.
　However, Deep Dullahan flicked the flaming sword with his armor. Even the horses driving the chariots didn't mean the flames that melted even iron.

''--?　'Impulse'!

　Insufferably, Maria used her attributeless vibrating magic to fling the enemy far away.
　It was the same monster that appeared in the lava field of the labyrinth. It was clear that Deep Dullahan had fire resistance. Moreover, there was no doubt that it was one of the top monsters among them. Palinclone seemed to be able to choose a convenient monster to match the enemy.

''Awesome. That's the demon that killed that Missus once. Just calling this guy seems to solve the problem--

　Palinclone tries to mass-produce more Deep Dullahan while spilling out boisterous remarks.
　I swing my sword to keep them focused, but Palinclone has become accustomed to chanting magic at the expense of his own body, and he summons me with his limbs like a lizard's tail cutter.
　As a result, he allows me to summon a total of three Deep Dullahan.

''Ugh, this is just--''

　Further away, indiscriminate summoning is going on and dozens of monsters can be seen lined up in a row.
　Flame-resistant monsters are also mixed in among them. However, no matter how much Maria is, this is not an opponent that can be handled by one person. Even though I can use a little bit of non-attribute magic, it's not encouraging if you compare it to Arti's flame magic.

　I'll be fine, but Maria is the limit.
　I'm going to have to be prepared to spend a lot of MP and use freeze magic.
　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of this stuff.

　The image of turning the entire battlefield into winter and icing it up comes to mind.
　It's not easy to succeed this time because it's not an enclosed space, unlike Lauravia's time. Even though my status has been increased, my maximum HP (life) will undoubtedly be cut.
　Imagining that, I--.

　--mouth twisted into a smile.

　Then he tells Maria to contain the flames for the activation of that magic.

'Maria, I can't take it anymore!　I'll use my freeze magic to do all the rest!
"--no!　You don't have to do it, Kanami-san!

　But on the contrary, the heat of the air hit me as if it was telling me to contain my cold air.

　When I turned my attention to Maria, I saw her with a stern face, shaking her head.

　I could tell from Maria's words and expression that she was thinking the same thing. I could tell that she realized her limits and was determined to burn up her own MP.
　But squeezing out MP is about maximum HP (life). That's what I should be doing, not Maria. That's what I say back to her.

If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it!　If you're going to cut your life short, I'd rather it be me!
So, Kanami!　Don't put on such a happy face!

　The flames that had been aimed at Palinclone rushed at me.
　Lightly, but my right cheek burned.

''--?

　He tried to get angry at her for what she was doing and lost the words.

　Maria was angry. Even more so than I was.
　And she was staring straight at me with both of her flaming eyes.
　I can see the whirlpool of flames gradually swelling up around Maria. It's a karma flame that no half-hearted monster can approach. Only Deep Dullahan was able to advance through those flames.

　The firepower that I thought was at its limit is increasing without a ceiling.
　At the center of it, Maria continues to stare at me.

''It's a continuation of what I said earlier. Please listen carefully--''

　Exhaling heavily, Maria regains her composure.
　Then she speaks in a small voice, but in a way that I can hear her clearly.

"-The Palinkron will never, ever help you, Kanami-san. He's an enemy. It's an enemy. So, stop being 'desperate' and fight the Palinkron. Don't leave any stone unturned. ......!

　The words Maria uttered pierced my chest and my body stiffened.

　Jeez, 'Desperation' ......?
　The word reminded me of a certain white girl.

　I felt Maria's MP rapidly decreasing like a vat of water with a hole in the bottom. With uncommon speed, the magic power was being converted into heat.
　All the heat turned into flames and rose to the heavens.
　The girl who is the source of it says to me.

''Perhaps now I will use up all my magic power. I am sure that I will not be able to move, even though I am the center of the battlefield. So, before I do, I'll say everything I want to say!

　Maria was looking at me with the same eyes I was looking at Heili with.
　Perhaps it was me and Heili looking at each other in an overlapping manner.

'--Come on!　You don't know what's going on, you don't see the value of your life, and you think that dying is your salvation!　You don't think it's okay to lose!　Do you think you're not worth it!　It never is!　We all know what Kanami is worth!　I know it!

　It's pointed out to me, and I finally understand. And I'm shocked.

　I realized that I was doing the same thing as Heili's suicidal act that I had loathed so much.
　My mouth is twisted, just like Heili's at that time. I'm smiling in front of defeat.

　That's why Maria is pissed (・・・・・).

'Remember what Dia said at the end!　Remember the look on Mr. Rustyala's face before we parted!　Remember the way Mr. Snow fought at the fort!　Everyone, it's for Kanami-san!

　With a surge of unprecedented heat, Maria's voice reached out.
　Maria repeated again what she had shouted at the fort. Like scolding a child who wouldn't listen when she said it.

'If you are not our Kanami, it does not matter to us. Our Kanami-san is 'you' here. What happened a thousand years ago and what happened to the Jewelculus is irrelevant. We like you here. We were all desperate to help you!　Please understand that!

　The scream is converted into fire. The transformation was similar to the 'price' of 'chanting'.
　The flames rose up in a spiral and pierced the sky, swelling in volume. All of the rain that fell was transformed into steam, dispersing the clouds as the flames rose to cut off the world vertically.
　Tall as a tower and thick as a wall, Maria--

''Shining Flaming Sword!

　I called it "The Sword.

　With its magical proclamation, the flame changes shape. The flames flared up as an inverted cross. I'm sure you'll be able to find the right shape to call it a "sword". But it was too big to be called a 'sword'.
　The sword, which stretched further up than the rain clouds, grew so large that it could easily swallow a city. And the fact that it is still growing in volume is frightening. Like a wood-fired flame, the flaming sword is growing everywhere and nowhere.

　A flame so big that it tried to cover the sky and the earth.
　Its heat rises infinitely, and the color of the sword's core (...) changes from red to white. Its color was similar to the color of the flame that Arti had used. You can see that Maria, who is backward, is catching up to Arti.
　This is Maria's true power. I finally understood why she was dedicated to assisting in the search for the labyrinth.

　That white flaming sword emits a radiance that is as bright as the light of the 'World Consecration Squad'.

''-- 'Slay the horizon!　--'Flame Flamberge'!

　Maria swings off the giant flame sword that seems to cut through the world.
　The flames that had been spreading across the sky are slowly approaching the earth.

''----Da, 'Dark Claus'!

　Palinclone, who had said in the distance that he would abandon his defenses, was about to retract his previous statement and protect himself with magic. He wrapped his body in a black liquid and curled up like a sphere.

''--'Freeze!''

　I protect myself with cold air, too. My cheeks, which were burned earlier, are still hot.

　Then the flames that covered the sky swallow the earth.

　The flames turn into a tidal wave and run across the battlefield. Immediately, the entire field of vision is dyed in flames and the battlefield falls into purgatory.
　I'm so hot I can't even breathe. But I soon realize that it's warmer than I imagined.
　If I look closely, I see that Maria's flames are avoiding only me. Like the eye of the storm, the flames are incredibly thin only around me.

　But there is no mercy for the enemy.
　First, the monsters summoned around me are burned to death. In an instant, they are carbonized and their coals also burn and disappear. Literally, not a single charcoal is left to be erased.

　In that Red Lotus Hell, only the flame-resistant Deep Dullahan was still alive. As if swimming through the lava, he slowly tried to approach Maria, the source of the magic.

　With all her strength, Maria swung her hands down and shouted as she looked up.
　If it's still not enough, she accelerates the burn.

'Cleave, pay it off!　'Flame', 'flamberge'... ----!!!!

　The flaming sword moves sideways with a roaring sound as Maria waves her hands to the side.
　The flaming sword burns through everything on the battlefield. Deep Dullahan and the others were able to withstand the red flames, but as soon as they made contact with the white flames that were the core of the sword, they melted their bodies into a sludge.

　It didn't matter if the flame was invalid or not.
　The Flame Flamberge will burn up the entire "rule" of resistance.

　The sword is swung around Maria and all the monsters are devoured by the flames of tyranny.
　It only lasted a few seconds.
　In a matter of seconds, all the vegetation and rocks on the battlefield disappeared, some of the mountains that had risen in the distance changed shape, and most of the ground turned into lava, transforming the battlefield into a red wilderness.

　We can tell thanks to The Dimension.
　More than 10,000 monsters, spread out over a few kilometers, have been wiped out.
　A chill runs down my spine despite the magic of my friends. Even in this high temperature, a chill runs down my spine.

　But even so, Maria is still not satisfied.
　With the momentum of having annihilated the monsters, she raises the flaming sword once more to the heavens.
　The destination of her gaze is--.

Palinclone Legacy--!

　It was Palinclone, who was using the black liquid to withstand the rotating slash of the flaming sword.
　Hit by Maria's killing intent, Palinclone poured even more magic power into the black defensive wall, thickening it.
　Then he calls out his old name.

''Tidaa!　You're up against them!　Give me a hand--!

　--dump.

　It felt like the world had come to life.

　The black liquid darkness deepens.
　In the midst of the flames that burn even the light, the darkness that should be called jet black overflows. It sucks up all the light like a bottomless swamp - it becomes the great shield of the dark night.

　Then Maria swings her sword down once more.

''Altyyy!　Give me the power!　The flames that burned that man--!

　--Thump, again.

　A second heartbeat can be heard.

　The heat of the flaming sword increases, and it changes color even more.
　The white of the core turns to platinum, and the platinum turns to a lonely light that is almost transparent. It changes to a light that can be called pure white. It dispels all the darkness like the sun - it becomes a great sword of sunlight.

　The sword and shield collide, and a large amount of magical particles are scattered.
　As if the world hates the contradiction, a curtain of magical particles tries to cover up the collision. Even the 'Dimension' was dazzled by the light.　

　The antagonism was instantaneous.
　Truly, for a moment, all of the outside world's information was blocked out.
　The shock, which could not be described as black or white, engulfed me and made me unable to perceive everything.

　Heat, sound, and everything else is reduced to nothingness for a moment.
　An illusion that surpasses the silence, as if the world has stopped.

　And the next thing you know, it's settled.