[The Spacetime That Might Exist] Fireworks

Frieren looked at Fern.

"However, the problem now is how to ensure the firing path. Indirect fire could damage the building's roof and might even penetrate the entire upper level. Even knowing the location, we still need a line of sight to confirm the safety of the firing path."

Fern's gaze pierced through the gaps in the wooden barrier, looking at the streets and alleys blurred by smoke and dust. His voice was devoid of emotion. "Urban warfare is a real pain."

"Take a deep breath, take a deep breath... Your only option now is to aim from the air and attack in a straight line, but--"

"They'll become easy targets for archers," Sein added.

Frieren nodded.

"Well... although I'm worried about the accuracy of my attacks, I can only try to tough it out with Defensive Magic... but an archer of that level might be able to pierce through the Defensive Magic with a single arrow. For now, I can only take a gamble..." Frieren continued.

"Frieren," Fern began.

Frieren turned to look at her.

"What's wrong? I won't let a reckless child fight."

"No." Fern shook his head. "You said that only by remaining calm can we make good use of chance. It started at this time yesterday, didn't it? Could we take advantage of that?"

Frieren paused for a moment.

She blinked her emerald eyes, as if quickly flipping through her memories. A few seconds later, the corners of her mouth curved upwards slightly.

"Yesterday... um, that one," she said softly, a hint of understanding in her voice. "I see. Interesting, maybe worth a try."

On the side of the hut, Gazella leaned against the rough brick wall. He could hear faint voices inside, but he couldn't make out the details.

He adjusted his breathing, twirled the dagger between his fingers, and then gripped it tightly.

"Aren't we going to do anything...?" he muttered to himself. "Honestly... I don't want to go back in. There are four people there, I'll be torn to shreds."

Inside the tavern.

Lore sat in the chair, her hands still gently supporting the slowly spinning silver coin. Her eyes were closed, and her brows were slightly furrowed.

"Something's not right." She suddenly spoke, her voice clearly transmitted through the Communication Magic, "The other side has made a move. They've taken to the sky, haven't deployed Defensive Magic, and are moving very fast."

Her gaze followed the rapidly rising purple magical light.

"Looks like he's trying to dodge your arrow with his speed, Wolf."

Rooftops in the distance.

Wolf knelt on one knee in the shadow of the roof ridge. Upon hearing Lore's words, he did not hesitate. His body tensed like a spring, and his longbow was instantly raised, the bowstring drawn to its full extent.

His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, pierced through the gaps between the towers, locking onto the small dot rapidly ascending in the air— Fern's figure was merely a blurry outline against the darkening evening sky.

"You really underestimate me... thinking you can get away with just speed..."

Just as his fingers were about to release the bowstring—

"Bang! Bang bang--!"

Countless points of light rose into the sky from all over the Imperial Capital, reaching the highest point before exploding with a deafening roar.

Red, gold, purple, green—brilliant light cascaded down like a waterfall, instantly engulfing most of the sky. The light intertwined, flickering and shimmering, completely swallowing and scattering Fern's ascending figure into the boundless rain of light.

"Waaah!"

Wolf froze, blinding light hitting him. His eyesight was too good, so he could only instinctively raise his arm to shield his eyes.

A moment later, all that remained in the field of vision were broken, swaying patches of color; the target that had just been locked onto had vanished without a trace.

"Tsk..." He squeezed out a syllable through gritted teeth, the bowstring slowly loosening, but the bow still held high. "They even managed to blend into the fireworks... What a brilliant plan."

He squinted, trying to re-capture the target from the blinding light, but to no avail.

I can't find her.

In the alley, Gazella also looked up, the fireworks casting flickering light and shadows on his face.

"Deliberately flying that high..." He smirked, "Heh, I can't attack her now. Her target is you, Lore."

Wolf's voice came through the Communication Magic, calm and swift. "Definitely. Evacuate immediately, Lore."

Meanwhile, Lore had already run into the alley.

"Of course... I'm already on the run."

The hem of her dark nun's habit fluttered with her movements, and her footsteps made clear but not hurried sounds on the stone pavement. She wasn't good at physical exertion, and her breathing quickly became heavy.

In the air.

Fern floated deep within the light curtain woven from fireworks. Explosions of color and sound filled the air from all directions, perfectly concealing her figure.

No arrows were shot at us.

"As expected," she whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the roar of fireworks, "Their attack relies on visual observation."

Instead of looking at the dazzling street scene below, she closed her eyes.

His entire being was immersed in magical perception. His consciousness spread downwards like a net, piercing through layers of light and sound interference, filtering out countless scattered, everyday magical fluctuations in the city—lighting lamps, boiling water, children playing, merchants carrying goods...

She was searching for that specific "signal"—that unique rhythm belonging to the Goddess Magic, the one that had previously sensed their presence and was now moving.

"Next, we need to confirm the enemy's location..." She frowned slightly.

The signal is moving. But it's moving very fast, and... it's fading.

"No, it's too late." Fern opened her eyes, her pale purple pupils calm. "Although I sensed powerful magic just now, it's vanished. The opposing monks concealed their magic and are relocating."

She took a deep breath, the cool night air filling her lungs.

"Calm."

She closed her eyes again. This time, instead of scanning a wide area, she focused her perception on a single line, clinging tightly to the lingering magical echo in her memory, like recognizing a familiar accent in a noisy market.

"There's still time before the fireworks end," she told herself, "But the town is full of people using magic... and there are so many magical objects... there's just too much noise in this city."

Countless subtle fluctuations surged forth, attempting to disrupt her tracking.

"However, I've already memorized your magic," Feilisi's voice echoed in her mind, calm and devoid of any anger. "You can't escape."

In the alley.

Lore was still running. Her speed had obviously slowed down, her chest was heaving violently, and sweat was seeping from her forehead and sliding down her cheeks.

She turned into a narrower alley, leaned against the cold brick wall, and gasped for breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her legs were weak.

"Ha... ha... why did you expose my location..." she gasped, her mind racing. "Was it... reverse detection...?"

With that in mind, she decisively reached into the inside pocket of her nun's habit, pulled out the silver coin, and without hesitation, swung her arm and smashed the coin to the ground.

"Snap."

The silver coin bounced on the stone slab and rolled into the shadows in the corner.

Silver Coin -1.

Without even glancing back, Lore turned and continued running forward, her steps even more unsteady than before.

"The other side also has... quite excellent monks..."

Wolf's voice rang in her ear, still steady, but noticeably faster. "Keep running, Lore. We win as soon as the fireworks stop."

"Ha... ha... I'm not... like you guys, a physical idiot..." she said haltingly.

Wolf said calmly, "Then let Schritt carry you."

This suggestion almost made Lore laugh in anger, but she didn't even have the strength to laugh.

"I'd like to..." she gasped for breath, trying to make her voice carry through the Communication Magic, "But she drank too much... she's throwing up over there now... that drunkard, unbelievable... we're fighting, for goodness' sake..."

Her legs buckled and she almost fell, but she quickly grabbed the wall for support.

"Gazella..." she whispered, almost in a breath, "Hurry back and carry me... Ah... I'm exhausted..."

In the distance, Gazella, who was dealing with Frieren and Sein in another alley, heard this. He gave a wry smile and dodged an attack from a large wooden table manipulated by Frieren.

"Haha," he replied as he moved closer to cover, "I'd love to carry you and run away without looking back, but—"

Wolf's voice broke in, calmly stating the reality. "That's impossible. If it weren't for me and Gazella holding her back, Frieren would be free to move, and things would be even worse. She could just pounce on you and send you to meet your Goddess in one fell swoop."

As if to confirm his words, another arrow shot from a tricky angle, grazing the hem of Frieren's billowing robe and embedding itself deeply in the wall behind her.

Frieren leaped gracefully to the side, landing behind another broken wall, her emerald eyes scanning the general direction from which the arrows had come.

"This is terrible..." she whispered, "The enemy's magical reaction has disappeared. But they shouldn't be able to find Fern's magic either, unless it's extremely strong..."

On the other side, Lore's voice, through some strange connection, rang out again in Wolf and Gazella's consciousness. This time, it carried a hint of relief and a chilling sense of impending counterattack.

"Ah, I found it." Lore's voice was slightly breathless, but very clear. "The location of that mage in the air."

Wolf immediately asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Of course, it's about interfering with her magical control," Lore replied. "All we need to do is disrupt her Flight Magic; if a mage falls from the sky, they're doomed."

Deep in the alley, Lore slid to the ground, her back against the cold wall. She was too exhausted to run anymore, but she steadily raised her hands and clasped them together in front of her chest.

A gentle, milky-white light emanated from her fingertips. The light shifted, forming a complex, ever-shrinking luminous imprint.

"Binding Holy Spell...!" she chanted softly, locking onto the subtle magical fluctuation in the sky that she had "recaptured" again.

Just as she was about to complete the spell and unleash the binding force upon Fern in the air—

Fern opened her eyes.

"I've found you," she said softly.

In an instant, a condensed, dazzlingly white beam of light tore through the evening sky, ignoring the brilliance of the fireworks, and pierced straight down.

"Hey... such a cool attack? Isn't that a bit too flashy?" Sein couldn't help but say.

Frieren, standing next to him, used a wooden plank to deflect two darts thrown by Gazella, replying without turning her head, "The opposing monks are probably trying to interfere with Fern's magic, causing her to fall, but in terms of speed, Fern won't lose. It's alright, it'll only be a moment. Besides, there are fireworks all around; even if someone notices, it will only be a highly skilled individual."

Sein watched the fleeting yet still powerful streak of light, and his lips twitched.

"... If it's an expert, wouldn't it be even worse?"

Taking advantage of the moment when Gazella's attention was drawn to the aftershocks of the white light, Frieren fired a spell that struck the wall beside him, forcing him to move again.

"That's right," Frieren's voice was calm, "So let's run away quickly."

On the terrace of a high-rise building.

Noi leaned against the railing, his hands in the pockets of his uniform jacket. He tilted his head slightly back, watching the fireworks that had not yet faded in the sky, and the direction in which the white light disappeared. His expression under the brim of his hat was indistinct.

"..."

On another, relatively bustling street.

Ubel and Lanto were slowly strolling through the crowds on their date... Shopping. The surrounding area was filled with festive cheer, laughter, and bright lights.

Everyone wore cheap but flashy glowing headbands; Ubel's were cat ears, and Lanto's were Demons horns. The little lights on their headbands blinked as they walked.

Ubel suddenly stopped, looked up at the distant sky—where the last few fireworks were falling, and an inconspicuous white streak was fading away rapidly.

Her purple eyes reflected the scattered lights in the distance, and a slowly intrigued smile curved her lips.

"Oh dear," she said in a light, almost gloating voice, "Fern caused quite a scene."

The two didn't say anything more and continued walking forward with the crowd. The glowing headbands on their heads flickered in the night and quickly blended into the festive atmosphere.