Light began overflowing from the textbook. Sato Sho gripped the ancient textbook with trembling hands as he faced the Gloom Fang. The sensation of kneeling on the stone pavement just seconds ago still lingered in his legs. The coldness of Emilia's fingertips. The strength with which those slender fingers had gripped his back. (I have no choice.) The Gloom Fang turned toward Sho. Eight meters in total length. Dark gray scales. Black mist seeping slowly from the gaps between its fangs. The Seal Supervisors and the elite Scholars had all been powerless against it. Then—— Hyuuuuuun!! The sound of air being torn apart. From the western side of the academy city——the direction of the Kelvis Mountain Range——a single beam of light came flying straight. An ice arrow. A chunk of ice roughly thirty centimeters in diameter collided with the Gloom Fang's face at bullet speed. Bakiiiin!! Not a single scratch on the scales. But the impact was real. The Gloom Fang's head was knocked sideways, and its massive body, which had been about to charge, came to a complete halt for several seconds. Sho reflexively turned toward the source of the sound. Someone was walking across the rubble. Purple bob-cut hair. Silver, narrow eyes. Despite a slender frame of about 162 centimeters, there was something mysteriously composed about the way she moved across the rubble without making a sound. As if she weren't walking through a battlefield where the Scholars had been completely wiped out. She held a short magic staff in her right hand, and white mist rose gently from its tip. "[cold]This academy keeps quite the impossible pet," Her voice was matter-of-fact. Despite the lack of emotion, it came through clearly. Her silver eyes glanced at the Gloom Fang once, then turned toward Sho. "[serious]Who are you?" "[cold]My ice can only buy time. I can't penetrate the scales," She didn't seem inclined to give her name. Instead, she offered information. Holding her staff ready, she continued without taking her eyes off the Gloom Fang. "[cold]You've been standing there gripping that textbook. If you can use it, use it. If you can't, get out of the way," "...I'll use it," "[cold]Good. Then I'll buy you time," With that, the mysterious girl turned her staff again. Ice arrows were fired in rapid succession. One, two, three——sharp ice chunks were driven in from all four sides of the Gloom Fang. The scales didn't get scratched. But with each impact stacking up, the massive body's movements were sealed for seconds at a time. Sho placed his hand on a page of the textbook. A purification spell. The page glowed golden. The knowledge of the spell flowed directly into his brain——ancient magic, Arca Ignis. A five-hundred-year-old spell that activated through the resonance of will and emotion alone. (Resonance of emotion... release it the moment the desire to protect reaches its peak.) He remembered Emilia's words. At that moment, a voice came from deep within the pile of rubble. "[crying]Sato-kun!!" It was Emilia. With her feet trapped under stone, she had raised her upper body and was shouting. Blood flowed from a wound on her forehead, her silver hair was covered in dust, yet her light blue eyes looked straight at Sho. "[serious]The purification spell——emotion becomes the output! Release it the moment you feel the strongest desire to protect!!" "I understand——!" "[sad]...Sho," A hoarse voice. Jack, who had been lying on the stone pavement, was dragging himself up with just his arms. His body, poisoned by corrosive toxin, wouldn't obey. His legs weren't moving at all. Yet he gritted his teeth and, using only his arms, slowly raised himself up. "[sad]If you don't do it... who will?" His voice was hoarse. There was no smile. But those words definitely reached Sho. "[sad]...I'm only good at running away. So I won't drag your feet down," Jack pushed his arms against the ground and looked toward Sho. His face had lost its dimples. Yet his eyes alone were smiling. Sho shifted his gaze. Emilia. Reaching her arm out from under the rubble, shouting. Jack. Pushing Sho's back while dragging his body. The mysterious girl. A stranger whose name he didn't even know, yet she kept firing ice arrows to buy him time. Everything rushed into Sho's chest at once. Emilia's profile as she arranged documents late into the night in the great library. Those cold, slender fingers placed over his from behind during training. The time he and Jack formed a "directionally challenged alliance" in the forest and laughed for no reason. The warmth of that night when Emilia's letter of light came through the window. He wanted to protect it all. ...Actually, he would protect it all. His face grew slightly warm. Not from fear, Sho thought. When he thought of Emilia, his face suddenly grew warm. He wondered what he was thinking in a situation like this. But the center of his chest grew warm and soft. He thrust both hands forward. Golden light poured out from the ancient textbook. "——Arca Ignis!!" Flames came. Golden fire burst forth from Sho's hands. No incantation. No finger-drawn patterns. Only emotion as fuel, and a five-hundred-year-old spell was resurrected in the present day. Zugoooooon!!! Golden flames engulfed the Gloom Fang's entire body. The magical beast let out a low growl. Its dark gray scales began turning golden from the edges. The scales that the Seal Supervisors' attack magic couldn't scratch began melting away in the purification flames. The mysterious girl——Rina——moved immediately. "[serious]Immobilize it," She pointed her staff. Four pillars of ice erupted from the ground, pinning the Gloom Fang's four limbs to the floor. Creating time by force for Sho's flames to reach the core. The flames spread. The beast thrashed. The discoloration of the scales advanced to its torso. (Just a little more——!) Fifteen seconds. Twenty seconds. Sho's feet wavered. Something was rapidly disappearing from inside his body. His internal mana——the power to move magic——was running out. The sensation left his feet. His knees lost their strength. The golden flames flickered. The Gloom Fang made one last effort to raise its head. At that moment. Someone's hands touched Sho's back. Cold. Slender. Trembling. But definitely pressing against Sho's back, trying to pour something into him. "——!" It was Emilia. With her feet still trapped under stone, she had dragged her upper body to reach Sho. Hands covered in blood and dust. Yet she pressed both hands against Sho's back, pouring her mana into him. Something happened. Emilia's Paradigm-style mana——precise, intricate, carefully calculated modern magic circuits——and Sho's ancient-style circuits mixed together. The moment the two circuits resonated, something burst inside Sho's body. Emilia gasped. The hands pressed against his back trembled. It was unexpected. Her body moved before her researcher's logic could catch up, and a fusion occurred that she herself hadn't anticipated——Emilia's eyes widened with surprise. But it didn't stop. It seemed she had no intention of stopping. The golden flames swelled to more than double their size. Dooooooon!!!! This time, the flames completely engulfed the Gloom Fang's entire body. The magical beast's roar vanished. The dark gray of its scales turned completely golden, and the massive body began slowly crumbling. Only a low, low growl remained. And so the Gloom Fang was——while being purified——pulled back down to the seventh seal chamber thirty meters below. The floor cracked, and the massive body sank beneath the stone pavement. The floor returned to normal. Silence came. Only golden afterglow drifted in the air. Rina lowered her staff. She brushed her disheveled purple hair with her hand, watching the place where the Gloom Fang had disappeared. Then she caught sight of Sho and Emilia——Emilia still with her hands pressed against his back——in the corner of her vision. That flame... Rina's silver eyes narrowed slightly. In a voice no one could hear, words formed only in her heart. (It's close to the power I've been pursuing.) Her expressionless face didn't change. But in the depths of that profile——something moved. Something that even Rina herself probably didn't fully understand yet. Students began cautiously peeking out from various parts of the collapsed building. The golden light faded in the silence. Someone said quietly, "...Is it over?" "[sarcastic]Well, it's passable," Rina turned toward Sho and said flatly. "[sarcastic]Though your technique was terrible," "[serious]...Is there any way you could compliment someone a little better?" His voice was drained of strength. Sho spoke with a half-laugh. Even in a situation like this, he somehow found himself laughing. Jack's voice came from the rubble. "[gentle]...I'm alive, at least," He said it while lying spread-eagle, looking up at the ceiling. His body wouldn't move. But his voice came out. A faint dimple had returned to his cheek. That's when Sho realized. Emilia still had her hands pressed against his back. They had both forgotten about it for a while. Well, Sho had been focused on the magic so he hadn't noticed. Emilia was probably in shock. "Ah," Emilia noticed. She let out a small sound and hurriedly pulled her hands away. She put distance between them. She placed both hands on the stone pavement and tried to raise her body——but her feet still weren't free, so she swayed a little. Sho turned around. There was something glistening in Emilia's eyes. "[surprised]Emilia, are you crying?" He said it without thinking. He asked with genuine surprise. Emilia immediately turned her face away. "[serious]I'm not crying. I just got dust in my eyes," Her voice trembled slightly. Her cheeks were red. Far too red for just dust in her eyes. Jack watched the two from the rubble. His body wouldn't move. But his eyes could. His cheeks formed a smirk. His mouth started to say something——but his strength gave out and no sound came. He thought it was a shame. He had the perfect comeback right now. But it would take a while before his body had strength again. Well, it was fine. Rina looked away from the two. Sho opened his mouth to make a joke to Emilia. At that moment—— His knees buckled. "[scared]...Wait, hold on," He was about to collapse. Mana depletion syndrome——the symptom when overused mana disappeared from the body. Intense exhaustion. His vision began turning white and blurry. The sensation left his fingertips. His legs wouldn't obey. Sho's body began falling forward. ——At that moment, arms came around from behind. Emilia was supporting Sho from behind. With both arms supporting his body, Emilia herself swayed, but she pulled Sho close. Even though her feet weren't free. Even though she was injured herself. Sho's vision turned white. His consciousness grew distant. In that haze, he heard a voice at his ear. "[crying]...Idiot," It was a faint voice. Trembling. "[crying]I told you not to push yourself... and yet..." In his fading consciousness, Sho heard that voice. Warmth transmitted from his back. The same warmth as the hands that had been pressed against his back earlier. Emilia pulled Sho close in her arms. Sho's head rested against her shoulder. (Ah... she's crying.) Sho thought. He could clearly hear the tremor in Emilia's voice now. "It's not dust..." Sho tried to say it in a voice drained of strength. But no sound came out. His consciousness faded. The last thing he felt was Emilia's warmth and the strength of the arms holding him. Even while crying, the strength of those arms holding him so firmly——it reached Sho before his consciousness completely faded. Rina turned her back to the two. She brushed her disheveled hair with her hand. With an expressionless face, she looked at the place where the Gloom Fang had disappeared. The golden afterglow was already gone. Only the mark of