Hero of Light

(Ceruno)

They've combined...

Although Sirius had intended this all along, saying he envied Miluno for being able to grow through adaptation, he didn't expect her to actually do it.

Moreover, the chosen candidate was not an ordinary person, but a magical girl who already possessed Star Crystal, probably attempting to surpass the witch by amplifying the power of the Star Crystal.

But Fomalhaut simply watched everything unfold.

Given her ancient martial arts background, she probably has some reason for not wanting to take advantage of someone in distress, and is preparing to confront her opponent head-on after the fusion.

The old man responded with a cold laugh, as if he had anticipated something...

Bang--

In a burst of white light, the still-unformed SpiCa and Sirius separated again with a bouncy sound effect, leaving Sirius to roll to the side and lie there looking defeated.

"Miss Sirius!"

I went over and helped her up, while SpiCa shook her head and sighed.

"Sirius, it's not that we can merge just because you cooperate with me. In the end... the reason you couldn't find a suitable candidate when you first came to Earth was because your standards were too high, and no one could adapt to you, right?"

Miss Sirius's true form is a Crystal larger than a person, but of equally high purity. Who could withstand such a large Crystal?

She didn't retire; she just became unwanted.

Then, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work herself...

My father still wouldn't look at me. She walked towards the control panel of the Wormhole Device, Fomalhaut also dispersed his ice sword.

They clearly won, but they didn't intend to kill us...

Fomalhaut calmly:

"You lack understanding of your own power, especially you, Sirius. You are a personality born from the Star Crystal, yet you don't understand what you truly are... It's ironic that your existence limits the power of the Sirius Crystal."

I don't understand what that sentence means, but Sirius does.

She simply held my hand and said calmly:

"Ceruno, you shall use me."

"Ah?"

Does that mean you want to merge with me?

Sirius glared at Fomalhaut and said:

"She's right. My personality is superfluous to the Star Crystal. It's a substitute created because they couldn't find a suitable one... So, Ceruno, I want to give you everything I have."

"Give up your personality? Uh, what's the difference between that and being dead!"

"Don't worry, it's just a temporary sleep. I have no intention of dying."

I'm not sure.

"But even Miss SpiCa can't tolerate you... so why should I...?"

"Yes, Ceruno, you're a genius as a magical girl. Not to mention me... you could even encompass the entire world."

Buzz--

The wormhole was opened by Dad.

It was designed to provide an escape route for Miluno, and was meant to be activated at any time, but unexpectedly, it benefited her father and Fomalhaut.

Sirius asked again:

"Give it a try?"

"... I see."

We can't just give up like this.

Miluno dumped her father on us, she must be hoping we can deal with her...

"Fomalhaut... Father... Please look at me!"

Sirius once again transformed into that brilliant meteor, and immense Crystal power surged into its body, instantly filling it with light.

Just like with SpiCa, my form couldn't be fixed; my body maintained the glow of transformation for a long time without fading...

"I can't let go, I just can't let go no matter how hard I think about it!"

But Miss Sirius did not respond. She began to condense inside me, swirling around my original Vega Crystal, forming a mirror-like Crystal disc.

The light began to fade, and the surging magic within him was far greater than before...

"It worked?"

Miss Sirius is no longer with us.

She concealed her existence, solely to unleash the true power of the Sirius Crystal.

"Ceruno? Or Sirius?"

SpiCa looked at me with a hint of unfamiliarity. Having fused with the Sirius Crystal, my appearance must have changed, right?

Her Battle Dress was no longer a pink dress, but a lighter, white evening gown resembling a wedding dress, with her shoulders and arms exposed, yet she did not feel cold despite the aura of the Fomalhaut.

SpiCa seems shorter than before... wait, did I get taller?

There are no mirrors in the Wormhole Laboratory, so right now, we need to figure out how to deal with Fomalhaut before we can even observe ourselves.

The powers of the two Crystal intertwined, unleashing an exaggerated surge of magic within them...

Now, I might actually be able to fight Fomalhaut.

"Come on, Miss Fomalhaut, let me fight you!"

He summoned his wand, only to discover that the evolved Ruby Wand was astonishingly long.

The staff itself is two meters long, and when it stands upright, it's taller than mine; right now, it looks more like a long spear with a jeweled tip.

But... it's a gun?

"A-Yao."

My father frowned, but I could only manage a wry smile.

"Father, are you finally willing to face me?"

"Don't get in my way anymore, don't get involved in this war anymore, go back to your mother and wait for it all to end."

What's the point of saying such things now?

"That's impossible, I'm not listening to you anymore."

Although he had never handled this weapon before, he was quite adept at using the spear, especially the one that turned from the magic wand. It looked heavy, but it was surprisingly light and agile to wield.

"A direct declaration of war? You're certainly more honorable than Miluno, but even if you possess witch-level power, there's still a gap in experience between us... Don't think that's enough."

"But I'm actually quite good at using magic, you know?"

The ruby at the tip of the spear flashed with brilliance, and a layer of radiant bubbles appeared around me and Fomalhaut.

"Miss SpiCa, Miss Metal, I'm entrusting my father to you!"

The bubble suddenly contracted.

In the blink of an eye, we had arrived at the desolate wilderness outside the city.

This is a combination of bubble and teleportation magic.

Having regained his senses Fomalhaut showed no anger, but instead praised:

"Powerful magic, as expected of A-Ji and Yuehan's child. I don't want your life, but once I make a move, I can't guarantee anything."

"If I could, I wouldn't want to fight someone like you."

She was undoubtedly one of the few people on the "The Other Side" with whom we could sit down and have a conversation.

A witch should be a bridge connecting two worlds; I hope to sit down and have a proper talk with her...

But Fomalhaut.

"Don't speak naively, Vega. I am your enemy, and so is A-Ji. You have something you want to protect, and we also have ideals we want to achieve. Some things can only be resolved through battle."

"Just now, you couldn't fight freely because you didn't want to damage the Wormhole Device, right? But there's no such concern here."

Fomalhaut possesses the power to summon the cold winter.

Her last appearance caused snow to fall all day long in Skyreach City, even though it was the middle of summer.

"You've become more confident."

She unleashed the power she had been suppressing.

In the blink of an eye, even the surrounding grass, trees, stones, and moss were covered with a layer of frosty winter colors.

Put on a protective film to insulate yourself from the cold.

"I have no choice but to be confident."

Miluno is away, and Sirius has staked everything on me; I have to do something.

"Then, Miss Fomalhaut..."

The spear was held horizontally, its tip aimed at the witch with deer antlers.

"I'm going to go!"