Ruins Below: Ceruno

(Ceruno)

Boom--

Someone was causing havoc downstairs, and the entire castle was in imminent danger. The wooden beams on the roof were creaking and groaning. At this moment, it seemed like the best thing to do was to consider escaping, but Alpha's crimson wand began to gather magic power once again.

"My magic is called 'World-Cleansing Echo'."

She even started explaining her own magic.

"Though it's called World Purification, it's merely destruction. This power that I despise... Guardian, can your bubble stop it?"

Doesn't she like destructive power?

That name sounds pretty dangerous...

Locked in by such magic, even with the bubble expanded to its maximum extent, a sense of unease still lingered in my heart.

Boom, boom, boom--

Another series of loud bangs followed, but this time, cracks appeared in the walls and on the floor beneath the tatami mats.

I took two steps back and hid in a relatively intact spot on the ground.

"Ah, Miss Alpha, your domain is about to be dismantled!"

"To perish together with the Star Guardian, I suppose my fate was worthwhile."

"It is precisely because of this kind of thinking that the two worlds have developed to this point of no return!"

It won't work.

This guy is so stubborn...

"Don't be afraid, Ceruno! Even in a confined space, my magic power can be maximized!"

The tense atmosphere made Phoenix also begin to gather her Fire Phosphor, and the long tail feathers floating behind her burst with red light. Although she didn't say it outright, it was clear that she would "fight back if Alpha makes a move."

With their magic combined, it's uncertain whether I'll survive, but this already dilapidated castle is definitely doomed...

Boom--

But it seems like it's not their turn to shine.

The castle has collapsed!

The ground slipped beneath my feet, and the heart-pounding sensation of falling followed immediately. Phoenix grabbed me and lifted me into the air. We managed to dodge the falling stone and wood ceiling fragments by manipulating our flight path, managing to avoid them without serious injury.

On the Other Side, Alpha, relying on its physical strength and reaction speed, repeatedly leaped between the falling building debris, its movements swift and graceful... Ah, it fell down.

Unable to reach the crucial ruins, the flightless Alpha plummeted with the debris and was buried by the upper layers of rubble.

Is that all?

Phoenix muttered to himself, and I retorted:

"Impossible, she's a witch! Within her Witch Domain, she can quickly heal all kinds of non-fatal injuries, even severed limbs can regenerate sooner or later... Hmm?"

A white shadow flashed past beneath the dark ruins of the castle.

Then...

Wow! Miluno?!

Witchification, Miluno with slightly darker skin, suddenly appeared before me, holding... she was still holding Alpha?

Because of my anti-gravity bubbles, they didn't fall down.

"What happened?"

Miluno forced a smile, revealing an unnatural expression.

"I saw Heat Haze fall from the sky, so I rushed over to check what was going on, and that's how I got pulled into this area."

"It's Phoenix now."

Phoenix corrected him like this, and even asked, "Why did you pull this witch out of the water?"

"As I jumped up, I saw a figure falling. In the heat of the moment, I didn't think much and just instinctively saved her... Was she a witch after all?"

Alpha had a stern face.

She looked at the horns on Miluno's head, her eyes filled with confusion, but she didn't know what to say. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"... You're a witch too, aren't you?"

Miluno lowered her lips and said coldly, "Well, I am indeed a witch now, but we are enemies... Lift this barrier. If you are willing to surrender, I can spare your life and send you to the witch's prison."

"Absolutely impossible! We would never betray the 'Great Will'!"

An expected answer.

"Oh right, it's 'Great Will' again. She really is a scapegoat."

Miluno, however, seemed very impatient and scolded loudly, "I ask you, did the 'Great Will' ever tell you that she wanted to invade this world? You listen to her delusions and presume to know her thoughts, without ever considering her true intentions! Or rather... is what you perceive truly the compassionate and benevolent 'Great Will'?"

Miluno's verbal attack went straight to the heart of the matter, and Alpha gritted his teeth, revealing a bitter and resentful expression.

"What do you, an outsider, know? That is our Creator..."

"I know! I'm a witch now! Do you think I want to dream about that world on the verge of destruction again and again?"

Miluno, however, continued to point to the single horn on her forehead.

"Listen up, witch! I don't know how you survived those thousand years after the Extinction of the Natives, but the 'Great Will' was already dormant before you Monster appeared, wasn't it? So who gave you the orders to invade Earth? Just speculation? Huh!"

"He wanted to live, that's a clear and unambiguous thought, so our mission is to keep Him alive..."

"Call..."

Miluno seemed to have given up trying to persuade her and asked, "Sir, what's your name?"

"Alpha."

"Then Alpha, I'll kill you... right here, okay?"

The collapse was over, and the ruins of the castle returned to peace, but after the dust settled, faint flames flickered within the ruins...

It's on fire.

Various wooden structures, along with a huge number of candles and lanterns on the walls, ignited the entire ruins.

Alpha burst out of my bubble.

He did a somersault to dissipate the force and fell from mid-air onto the ruins of the castle.

"There are still people buried underneath. Since you refuse to dispel the barrier..."

Miluno followed them out.

"... Let me take care of you."

Alpha was aware of its disadvantages.

She silently reached for her lower back, but soon her expression changed.

"Oh, is this what you're looking for?"

Miluno brandished the short cane in her hand.

That looks familiar; the tip of the staff is inlaid with an irregularly shaped deep red gemstone... Wait, what?!

"... mean!"

Miss Alpha couldn't help but curse.

"Despicable? You can't say that. If I hadn't saved you, you'd be buried under the rubble, wouldn't you? Since I saved your life, it's not unreasonable for me to ask for some reward from you, is it?"

Miluno spoke, she tossed Alpha's wand at me again.

Magical girls who use wands as weapons have one thing in common: they cannot use magic without their wands. This means that Alpha cannot use that destructive magic called "Purifying Echo" right now.

Phoenix added in a low voice, "Miluno seems very serious, but sometimes she really goes too far."

"Here, this one's for you."

As a result, Miluno threw another short sword at Alpha.

It was one of her own pair of short swords.

"You're better at close combat than magic, aren't you? It's a bit short, but it's the same weapon as the one I have here, so that's fair enough, isn't it?"

She picked up another short sword and pointed it at her opponent.

"Come on! Witch Alpha, I'll make you submit to my will before you embark on your journey!"

I wasn't originally planning on a long battle sequence for this volume, but somehow I ended up writing so much...

Sorry! I'll add a longer daily update later!!