Outside the school.
In the night sky.
The enormous vortex above Silent Forest was still slowly "expanding" and "contracting," like some gigantic beast taking deep breaths. Yet as time passed, every time it expanded, streams of black, willow-fluff-like matter surged from the vortex and drifted downward.
When this black fluff fell upon the treetops, it stained the verdant trees black in moments. When it landed on Magical Creatures, their eyes turned scarlet in the blink of an eye. When it fell into the soil, it was like clumps of corrosive acid, giving off waves of foul stench. Upon catching that scent, the blood-eyed Magical Creatures ground their teeth and howled, their muscles writhing. Some even began devouring one another, and in a very short time, dozens of monsters radiating astonishing auras had emerged.
Professor Emma floated in midair, staring unblinkingly at the vortex, turning a blind eye to the drifting black fluff and the chaos within Silent Forest below.
"—Because on this chessboard, every piece has its own position and responsibility."
Inside Sanyou Bookstore, Mr. Wu had unusually left his recliner. Standing before the display window with his hands behind his back, he watched the pitch-black street outside and the chilling roars coming from Silent Forest in the distance. With great interest, he commented, "If the 'queen' wastes her attention on pawns, she will only give the opposing 'king' an opening... Besides, neither of them can yet be considered true legends. Since it is their first clash, it is only natural that they would be cautious and choose a relatively conservative style of combat."
Yellow Flower Cat was not interested in the racket outside the bookstore.
It crouched on the edge of the windowsill, rather gloomily watching Mr. Wu's already somewhat translucent figure. After a long while, it finally could