But before the ice could reach me, the wind blew.
　From the stairs where Hitaki-chan had just appeared, a knight, Rainer Helvilleshain, had emerged.

　And then he pierced the gap between Hitaki-chan, who was facing me, and slashed at me from behind with his signature wind magic 《Ix-Wind》 with his twin swords.
　It was a splendid surprise attack, but it was easily blocked by the rapid bending of the ice blade that was extending towards me.

　The ice blade cut a clean circle and became a giant ring of blades (chakram).
　The two types of swords fought each other and icicles scattered in the air.
　There, Hitaki-chan saw the person who attacked her for the first time and spilled his name.

''--Rainer Helvirshine?''

　He was not upset at all about the surprise attack.
　However, he seemed to be surprised by the surprise attacker.

　Regardless of that Hitaki's surprise, Ryner continued to swing his sword at it.
　What greeted it was not a huge ring-shaped blade (chakram) - but a blade of ice that twisted and turned further.

　The ice in The One Who Stole the Reason of Water was shapeshifting and fluid.
　In the end, it became an intricate shape, like the roots of a tree, preventing it from being pursued from all angles. The transformations were fast, hard, and sharp, and unlikely to break through easily.

　Gradually, Ryner loses the advantage he gained from the surprise attack and becomes less and less offensive.
　Finally, when the ever-transforming ice blade turned into an attack, he took a big leap and took a distance.

''Kook--, I failed to finish him off ......!

　Swearing, I take a breath and cautiously watch for Hitaki's exit.
　However, the shapeshifting ice doesn't follow Ryner.

''This is ....... Now, the power is ......?

　As if there was something more important than that, before I could deal with the surprise attacker, Hitaki gave me a stern look. No, to be precise, she was staring at the 'slit' behind me.

　I felt a mixture of fear in the 'gaze' behind me, so I shifted my body slightly and took a position to protect the 'slit'. Looking at me, Hitaki further wrinkled her brow as she spoke.

'...... Did you like Tiara's work so much?'

　Surprisingly, he complained to the 'break'.
　Hitaki let out a loud sigh and relaxed her narrowed twin eyes.

'...... haha. That's fine. If it's just until the morning light arrives, I'll play along with that favoritism for a bit. Either way, it won't change.

　All the while, the magical power she wore rippled wildly and continued to chill this indoor space for all intents and purposes. The swirling distortions also became thicker and thicker, and her vision became uncertain, as if she were underwater.
　In the midst of the seasick scene, Ryner gripped his twin swords tightly and muttered.

''Oh, this chill ....... I'm glad I trusted Tiara-san. There's no doubt about it now.''

　As his body trembles, he slams a declaration of hostility on Hitaki-chan as he rouses himself.

'The enemy wasn't your ancestor ......!　Not even the Ragnet one!　--It's him!　You Aikawae flycatcher!　This is the Lord's 'worst' enemy!　It was the source of everything!

　Together, the wind that dispelled both cold air and distortion blew.

　Even if the surprise attack failed, Ryner's killing intent did not diminish at all.
　Any moment now, that ferocious wind swells up in an attempt to re-attack. The only thing that kept me from following its murderous intent was the companion next to me.
　As if to stop a breathing liner, Snow speaks out.

''Well, wait ......, Ryner!　It's Kanami's sister!　What are you doing?!
'Are you nuts?　If I hadn't come, Rastiara would be dead!
'Well, that's some kind of mistake ....... Because everything Kanami has worked so hard for until today was to heal your sister!　And yet, this ......!
''You still can't see that magical power!　I just let it happen!　I just wanted to use my illness as an excuse to make a connection with my brother!　That's such a nasty enemy, that one!

　To Ryner, who was asserting himself, Snow couldn't talk back.

　Ryner, who has interacted with Tiara-sama, who lived a thousand years ago, was prepared to fight with Hitaki-chan in this battle for the Hoosiers. I have a similar resolve through the same process.

　However, Snow is different.
　The information she possesses from a thousand years ago is too little.

　Hence, after some hesitation, Snow leaned toward me.
　Even though she couldn't make a decision, she had a profile that convinced me that she would only protect me. The remaining Sera seemed to have made the same decision as Snow and stood next to me.
　Then, I watch the conversation between Hitaki and Ryner, who is coated in a killing spirit.

''...... haha. Ryner-kun, would you like to stop?　You and I are on the same page, aren't we?

　First, Hitaki held up his hands and refused to fight.

　It was defenseless.
　With Ryner's character, he would be able to slash at his surrendered opponent.

''............!

　However, Ryner is unable to step in.
　Probably, but it's likely that the skill he possesses, 'Evil Sense', warns him that he has zero chance of winning. He continues to glare at Hitaki with his twin swords tightly clenched.

''You are your brother's knight. Your brother's safety should be your top priority. Then wouldn't it be best for you to cooperate with me?　Tiara must have told you that, right?　As for "The Curse,

　She was trying to persuade the motionless Ryner - it looked like she was trying to persuade him - and her gaze was on me.

　The appearance of Ryner must be a trivial matter to her. Towards me and the 'slice', she continues the 'answering each other' that I mentioned earlier.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. ...... The 'Stealers of Reason' of the past, each of them carried a special 'curse'. Naturally, my brother, who is the 'stealer of dimensional reason,' is no exception.

　Hitaki-chan, while trying to kill me earlier, with an expression that hasn't changed at all, politely tells me what I've been wanting to know.

''The 'curse' that's left on my brother right now is that [the one I love the most will die]. However, it was very difficult to pay this debt ...... First of all, it was really unclear what constitutes [the one you love the most dies]. First of all, it wasn't enough that only your brother loved you unilaterally. Of course, it was not good if only your brother was loved. The first one failed because it was discovered that the minimum requirement was that they loved each other. And the second one, the subject escaped and--

　You speak as if you've already experimented with Kanami many times.
　After all, Hitaki is definitely the one who has been adjusting Kanami all along.
　As the last remaining 'suspicion' disappears, the person who is adjusting it tells me that I am the one Kanami loves [the one she loves the most].

''--Rastiara, you're the third one, I see.

　I think I should really be angry at her.
　But to think that because of Hitaki, I was able to meet Kanami, have an 'adventure', 'confess' to each other, and be with her. ...... I couldn't hate her.

'The script your mother prepared for you was truly perfect. It's not just a matter of time before you get your hands on it. It won't shift, it won't be different, it won't fade away. From now on, you will gain 'immortality' and continue to live. From now on, you will continue to die as the price. The best possible stage is being prepared here today--
'Ha. So, Rustyala Hoosiers, you want me to die here?　For Christ's sake?

　Despite my favoritism, Hitaki-chan continues to let out a cold voice, and Ryner replies with an angry tangle of anger in place of my silence.

''Yes. One of us has to die. Someone who had feelings for your brother, confessed to each other and bonded with him, one ......
'Don't be silly: ......!　Do you really think that kind of talk will convince us ......!
So, Mr. Reiner. You want both your brother and Rastiara to die?
...... Oh, yeah. It's still better that way. It's much better to end up like that. I'd rather fight and fight and fight to the end, and if that doesn't work, then both of us die together - I'm satisfied with that.

　Ryner refused to be rolled over in the palm of his hand, even if he was dead.

　It's still the same ball-busting principle as it was when they met.
　But it didn't add up a bit. I stared at him and looked at him, clearly ignoring all the 'threads' and moving while swinging around.

　Hitaki-chan, who is facing me, seemed to have the same impression and muttered with interest.

''It's odd. ...... Is that the last page you're comfortable with?　Why does Tiara make you a collaborator: ......

　But he quickly sighed and shook his head.

'...... haha. No, it doesn't matter anyway. At any rate, the last page of the story still hasn't changed a single letter. I can see that if Reiner Helvirshine is an irregularity, we can just pretend it wasn't put together.

　I muttered that the answer was there without thinking about it, and finally Hitaki looked at me.
　She looked at me again abominably - but lovingly - and then, in a grave voice, called out to the collaborator next to me.

'Serdra.'
'...... Do I do that too?'　Do I have to?
Now that it's come to this, the more people we have, the better. Besides, I don't want to leave you with the possibility of losing your hand, just in case. For the sake of the future 'world'.
'Certainly ......, the friends of Vortex Wave are an asset to the 'world'. That's where they agree with me. ...... All right, I'll take it on as a job.
I'll concentrate on Rastiara and Mr. Rainer. So you'll take the others--

　Obviously, it was the math for the battle to come.
　It was Sera who noticed and moved it before anyone else. She ran up next to me and barked a small "get on". But Ryner denies that response.

''If you're a senior, blood and ice will take your feet!　You'd better let him go up there!

　Shouting, he turned his attention to his flight capable companion.
　Snow understood what this meant, and nodded, taking me in his arms.

'...... yeah!'

　He spreads the wings on his back and takes a great leap towards the stairwell in the middle of the floor (the floor).

'Snow Walker!　You're weak against the thief!　Keep going, fly with Rastiara and stay away!

　It was quick, instantaneous, and brilliant.
　The whole time I've been staring at each other, my friends have been calmly planning the right moment to let me go.

　I couldn't react to their moves, and they did what they said they would and took me upstairs.

　However, they are not so sweet that they can outwit you with that.
　I'm going to ask Seldora next door for help, as if Hitaki-chan is not fazed at all and is rather on schedule.

''--and since it's going to be, that means you're the right person for the job. Since it's just right, please mix in Fafner as well. So there's zero to lose.
All right. --...ancient magic, the Freirosphere.

　After a short communication, Serdra leaps after Snow.
　He then transforms his body in the air while letting a red mist erupt from near his collarbone.

　He introduced himself as a dragon man (Dragon Newt).
　I knew that I could 'dragonize'.
　However, the scene he saw now was completely unexpected.

　Serdra spread one wing from his left back.
　It seems that even dexterously, partial changes are possible. No other changes at all.
　However, that one wing was a size beyond the norm.

　The color was blue, just like Snow's.
　However, unlike Snow's wings, which were so huge that they filled the ceiling, unlike Snow's wings, which were so large that they spread their arms out.

　One wing alone could not even fit on this large floor, or floor.
　Even now, his wings were about to burst the castle from the inside - and just before he was about to do so, his wings flapped slightly once, as if he was cowering, and generated a breeze.
　And in the next moment, his wings disappear like a mist.

''Heh, what--?''

　Snow was surprised, confused and confused.
　What surprised him was the overwhelming mass of Seldra's wings.
　What puzzled him was the fact that all that mass disappeared in an instant.

'Sorry, but it's not your age. ...... No, you're not trained enough. Regret your immaturity.
How can you--?

　What's confusing is that Snow's body lost its buoyancy and began to crash.

　Basically, the race of dragons do not fly on their wings alone.
　They constantly use a magic called 'Dragon Wind' as if they were breathing, and they fly through the air. That Snow's 'Dragon Wind' clashed with Seldora's 'Dragon Wind' and was canceled out.

　Unable to cope with that first experience, Snow fell down the central stairwell.
　I was in her arms, and I thought about giving her some advice on how to defuse the situation. But before I can, Seldora, who falls with me, speaks to me.

'Move to the first floor, the replica of the tiara. That's where 'all (...)' is gathered (・・・・・・・).

　Serdra turned her attention downstairs.
　Realizing the significance of this, I grabbed onto Snow and wove a wind spell for the landing.

　I fell from the fifteenth floor, and the view changed with each floor.
　At the moment of that fourteenth change, Seldora and I activate it at the same time.

''-- 《Wind》!
Impulse!

　I bent the end of my fall with the wind before I fell past the ground floor and into the basement.
　In addition, I eased the impact of the fall, and Snow and I landed on the blood shallow end of the first floor as we rolled.

　Serdra kicked the empty air with her unattributed vibrating magic. I don't know the principle, but it kills the momentum of the fall and puts both of our limbs on the ground.

　The stage shifts.
　The first floor of Hoosier's Castle was supposed to be the bottom of the cauldron of hell that awaited Fafner, The One Who Steals the Reason of Blood - but what jumped into view was not red all over, but white.

　The white 'thread' of the example was rippling in large amounts, as if painting the shallow waters of blood. Furthermore, a huge vortex that seemed to be swallowed by the central atrium occurred throughout the entire floor of the first floor.

'Ugh. ......'

　The strange, unrealistic scene made me feel dizzy on my feet.
　This ground floor is too dense with things that should not be seen.
　I divert my consciousness as much as possible from the 'threads' swirling around my feet and check the world as it should be.

　The battle on the first floor had already ended.
　The debris that made me understand the course of the fierce battle was scattered about as much as it was in Snow's case. In the midst of the wreckage, Fafner collapsed on his back in the blood shallows, with both Dia and Maria standing close by. The Reaper remains in possession of Maria-chan.

　From the looks of it, it seems that Dia continues to apply magical pressure from above with her sacred magic 《Zion》, taking away Fafner's freedom.

　Looking more closely at the surroundings, the magic by the soldiers outside has created multiple holes in the walls of the castle.
　On the other side of the wall, the soldiers were getting more and more colorful. After all, the blood erosion that was now threatening the Great Sacred City had completely stopped and was returning to Fafner's body like a receding tide. Some of us were ahead of the curve in the situation where Fuzzyaz's victory was at hand, and some of us were screaming for victory.

　But when they saw us falling, a slight shudder began to run through the soldiers.
　Naturally, there was also an upset in Deere and the others who were fighting on the first floor. Seeing the intruders who fell from above, Maria swelled the flames of alarm.

'Rustyala-san and Snow-san ......?　And the dragon man (Dragon Newt) from earlier: ......!

　Deer, who had been holding down Fafner, also begins to prepare for a new magic.

'That guy or ......!　Are you still trying to interrupt me ......?

　Even with the reinforcements, me and Snow, their gazes were still focused on Seldra. It's a reaction that I can see that I met him once.

　The person in question, Seldora, let go of the hand he had prodded to the ground and slowly stood up.
　And the first thing he looked at was not us or Fafner, but the darkness in the corner of the first floor.

'-- Fafner, it looks like you're losing again.

　From behind it, Hitaki appeared with a cold voice.
　Perhaps she had moved with one of the dimensional magic Kanami used. The distorted magic that could be found to do so leaked out of her.

　Snow, who had landed next to me, immediately blocked me to protect me from Hitaki.
　Maria and Dea, who didn't understand the situation, wondered and were surprised at her appearance.

'Your sister is ...... up and about?'
I thought the noir guy was guarding it in the suburbs?

　But the one thing that surprised me more than anyone else on this ground floor was--

''Hi, Yangtaki ......?　Why are you in a coma now ...... or how long have you been up there?　----!　Lagné!　What did you do with Ragne!

　It was Fafner, who was being held down by Dia.
　Even though he couldn't move, he turned his eyes to the side and shouted frantically at Hitaki.

'I'm not going to mess with that girl. She was a really nasty girl, but she seems to have ...... decided to destroy herself on her own.
'Suicide ......?　d*mn it, I'm coming to get you--

　Fafner seemed to fully admit defeat, but he regained his will to fight at the danger of Ragne and tried to escape Dia's restraints.

'...... haha. You're not in a situation where you can go. As usual, you are deliberately refusing to look at reality.
'Shut up, Yotaki ......!　I'll save Ragne!　If I don't save Ragne, who will save him--!
Absolutely you can't save it. 1,000 years ago, you should have realized that you cannot save the world. You can't save the world, or even the one person you love.
'Dude, shut up. ......!　Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up ......!　Still, I'm ...... and I--!

　Fafner's voice grew in denial, but in contrast, his body was losing strength. Dia was a little flustered by his rage, but when she saw him, she breathed a 'breeze'.

　The gap between Fafner and Dia, Hitaki-chan poked at the gap between them.

''-- Magic 《Default》''

　With the magic of shifting position (...), he pulled the bound Fafner's body closer to him.
　The speed of the magic construction, the good timing, and the density of the magic used were all perfect.

　Following that, Hitaki prodded her knees and reached for Fafner's forehead, which she had taken away.
　Immediately, an uncommonly cold air began to fill the first floor.

'You need to rest now ....... ''The winter world will take everything from the lost.'' --magic 《Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension)》

　It was a familiar 'chanting' and magic name.

　At this time, Dia was about to use a new magic to get back the Fafner that was taken from her. However, the magic she had once seen in the final match of the "Dancing Tournament" stopped her from moving.

　Just as Kanami had once blocked the movement of 'The One Who Steals the Reason of the Earth', Dia must have decided that 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Water' was trying to block everything in 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Blood'.

　However, only I and the parties involved knew that was wrong.
　It's true that the magic name is 《Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension)》, the same as Kanami. However, Hitaki's "Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension)" is tangled with something that Kanami didn't have.

　-- 'threads'.

　Not only the cold air, but the white 'threads' that had been stretching the floor were gathering in the Fafner, ignoring the walls and invading the flesh inside. Then, as he lay on his back, he looked at the empty space and began to shake his head.

'----!　Well, it's an illusion: ......!　This is not the real voice of everyone: ......!
Yes, it's an auditory hallucination. But the voice of your audible soul is also an auditory hallucination. ...... The key here is that my visions are much more consistent.
'Ahhhh ......, oh no ......, no!　No. ......!　I haven't been forgiven yet: ......!

　Yotaki-chan continues to speak to the moaning Fafner.

''--Fafner, there was nothing foul in your life, neither the [stolen reason] nor the 'blood power'. There was no 'curse' on you, there was no need for you to feel guilty or pretend to be crazy. So, let's take a break now. That's what you're allowed to do.

　Without thinking, he invites her to surrender to the 'thread'.
　Fafner fights it to the end and continues to shake his head, but gradually becomes more and more docile.

'Ah, ah, ....... Ha, ha, ha, ha ......

　Then he laughed, crying as he continued to look at the empty space.

　Hitaki removes his hand from Fafner and takes a step back. In tandem, Fafner wobbles to his feet, leaving his head down, dropping a large amount of tears on the ground.

'Yeah, I knew it. ...... If you can save the world, it's Yotaki. It's at least ...... that it all depends on Yotaki. --Chapter 5, verse 11: 'If you don't respect every soul, you can't rest your own soul either.' So it was written in the scripture from the beginning: ......

　He mumbled and made a gesture of rolling up the book with both hands, this time with nothing in his hand.

　I thought that the sanity that was even just uncertain was now completely lost. Above all, it could be seen from the movement of blood around him that the oath he had sworn just before had been lost.

　The blood that had been protecting the castle was rapidly receding and settling into Fafner's body.
　Under the influence of the large hole drilled into the first floor, the sound of collapse began to sound in the castle.

　It was nothing more than the fact that the knight Fafner had stopped protecting the Lord Ragne at the top.
　Depriving Fafner of the Lord he was supposed to protect, Hitaki-chan muttered the same magic once more.

''You don't have to fight anymore, and you don't even have to kill him. You don't have to do that, I can save everything. ...... --Magic 《Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension)》

　The cold air that had been concentrated in Fafner spread out in all directions.
　Not just the ground floor, but the entire Fouzeyards Castle.
　Not only the Fouzeyards Castle, but also the entire Great Holy City outside.
　The magic 《Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension)》 envelops the entire continent.

　Some of the soldiers outside were freezing and even kneeling down.
　I could also hear the buzz of joyfulness gradually reversing.

　Seeing the situation, Maria and Dia seemed to be convinced that Kanami's sister, The One Who Steals the Reason of Water, was not on their side.
　Next to the two of them, who were in an advancing position with a grim look on their faces, Snow rushed over to them.

''Maria, Dia!　Together we'll protect Rastiara!　They're after me!

　Following that, Ryner's voice can be heard from the nearby stairs.

'--Rastiara, you stay back!　They want you!

　I was running down from the fifteenth floor on Sera's back.
　Then, she stood in front of me and pushed me to the very back of the party.

　--The power structure on the first floor of Fuzzy Yards Castle is now neatly divided into two.

　The first three are 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Water', 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Nothingness' and 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Blood'.
　The six people facing it are Dia, Maria, Reaper, Snow, Sera, and Ryner.

　My friends will now fight to protect me from dying with all their might.
　I can read the flow of what's to come with the skill "Reading". But at the same time, I can also read the inevitable defeat of my friends.

　The main reason for my defeat is that I, now being protected, am not willing to continue to be silently protected.

　-- in other words, technically speaking, there are three divisions now.

　In preparation for that three-way battle, I leaned my attention to my feet.
　The blood shallows beneath the white whirlpool of Hoozeyards Castle - the 'magic stone line' (line) carved into the floor further down emits a faint light. My blood is the key (access key) to activate it, pumping up the magic formula and magic power from the earth.
　To put it simply, one country and I are now connected to each other.

　As Serdra said, 'everything' is gathered here.
　It's not just 'the one that steals the reason' that's gathered together.
　It's not just Hitaki's 'threads' that are converging.

　Everything that Tiara-sama has been preparing for the past thousand years is also gathering here now, and I can feel it from the soles of my feet.
　Tiara-sama's 'prophecy' can be heard through the skill 'reading'.

"We (...) 'Demon Stone Man (Jewelculus)' were born, this great holy city of Fuzzyards was founded, the thousand-year history of the continent (Revan) is 'all', for this time--

　I'm so glad that my friends are trying to protect me.
　I am sincerely glad.
　However, from now on, 'we' will force my friends who are protecting me to escape.

"If only one of them can escape, if Master wanders into the 'Winter's Other World', I'll be sure to come back--

　Because one day I will need the help of my friends.
　I have faith in that 'prophecy' and I have faithfully

"Star magic...

　The endpoint of the "Stealers of Reason" will be read out.