"Captain! Suzu! Sorry to have kept you waiting!"
Rose ran closer.
"Are you feeling okay, Rose?"
"Yes, I do!"
"Okay, it looks like the enemy has noticed our location. Let's head over and shoot!"
"Yes, Sir!"
As Darga warned, Rose saw several Morg soldiers climbing the hill toward them. They were dozens in total.
Rose got ready and noticed that the Morg soldiers looked ordinary except for the markings on their backs. Their eyes were reddish-brown, but not as bright red as the Demon God's.
The soldiers carried various weapons. However, most who attacked Rose and Darga used bows or swords. Rose and Darga had to protect Suzu while helping Yanagi and the others reach the palace. It was a difficult task.
"Rose, leave me the left!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Meanwhile, Suzu instructs Miraiya to destroy the stone-generating magic circle carved into the ground from the sky. While Miraiya is busy destroying those magic circles, Rinka is dropping airships one after another. Jatayu's quick movements and Rinka's efficient actions led to tremendous results, and four planes had already fallen to the ground. The remaining one is desperately resisting. Although it tried desperately to intercept, it was no match for Rinka's speed and crashed to the ground.
On the other hand, Miraiya, who fired area magic many times from Jatayu's back, switched places with Rinka, who returned. Miraiya, sitting in front of Rinka, fired magic over a wide area, destroying the enemy's magic circles one after another.
(Suzu, now!)
When Miraiya gave instructions, Suzu nodded.
"All armies, start assaulting!"
“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”
At Suzu's command, all of the allies moved together. The moment they shouted, they rushed the enemy forces. Rose could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, screams, and cries.
The enemy forces surrounding Rose also appear and attacking her. Darga took on more than a dozen enemy troops without any problems. Since Suzu can't protect herself while using her ability, it falls to Rose to protect Suzu.
"Barrier!"
Rose cast the magic and summoned her whip, covered in thorns. This was only her second time fighting a person, and she had never killed anyone before. She didn't want to hurt anyone if she could help it. But if she didn't fight back, she would be killed. Fear tightened in her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. The idea of ending a life made her feel like she was standing at the edge of something dark, a place she never wanted to go. For a moment, guilt pressed down on her as she thought about what might happen.
Yet, there was a deep resolve within her, she needed to protect her fellows, even if it meant casting aside her own peace of mind. She had to turn her heart into evil and face the harsh reality of the battlefield, where kindness had no place.
Thinking that the Morg soldiers were monkeys, Rose made up her mind.
Rose attacked them with a combination of area magic and whip, then annihilated the attacking enemies. The enemy soldiers who came after were skewered from below the ground with a long-range rose branches. The branches preventing them from getting close to Suzu. Looking at Suzu, Rose sees that even in this situation, Suzu is concentrating on communicating to gather information and send instructions. Rose thinks Suzu's an amazing person after all.
"Rose, it's time to support Kagemaru and the others. They're almost in sight of the palace."
"Yes, Sir!"
Darga said that as he came next to Rose and took a stance. Rose nodded, but she didn't know how.
Rose wondered if thinking strongly about Yanagi would be a good idea, like when she experienced her first awakening.
Yanagi...Kagemaru...I feel strongly...strongly...I think from the bottom of my heart, Rose thought.
(Rose?)
Rose heard Yanagi's voice in her head. Strangely enough, she can see what Yanagi sees in her head; perhaps it's the scenery he is looking at now.
"Yes!"
Rose said happily.
"We are linked!"
(Oh, Rose. This is Kagemaru. I was able to link you.)
Linked! The second link was successful, too! Moreover, they are both connected. Yay! Rose gained confidence.
However, this is still the best it can do, but compared to Suzu that communicates with dozens, maybe hundreds, of people, it's nowhere near as good. That's what Rose thought as she looked at Suzu for a moment.
"How are you there?"
(No problem. But there is a strange barrier around the palace. If we don't remove it, we can't go inside.)
"Let me see, Brother."
(How to do it?)
Rose concentrated and focused on Yanagi’s eyes. What Yanagi sees, enters Rose's head. As she looked, it felt like something she had seen before. It was in the book she had read before, she remembered. Maybe a magician is hiding nearby. That technique was applied from the outside.
"Brother, there's definitely someone hiding nearby. That's a spell cast from outside. It could be a trap, so be careful."
(Ah. Thank you, Rose.)
When Kagemaru heard Rose’s opinion, Kagemaru activated his detector magic to expose those who are hiding. As if Kagemaru had discovered something, he quickly moved to where the enemy hide and killed an enemy magician. The barrier was lifted, and the gate to the palace was visible.
"Barrier!"
Rose activated the spell while thinking of them, and it was successful.
(That's amazing. She also put up a barrier.)
(Yeah. I don't feel like losing this battle, Kagemaru.)
Yanagi said happily.
(Yeah, she's a reliable little sister. Please join the Black Ops...)
Before Kagemaru finished speaking, he felt something coming.
"Both of you, let's talk about that later. The enemy is coming."
Rose warned, and Kagemaru nodded in response.
(Right. Let's go, Yanagi!)
(Yeah!)
The two of them cut through one enemy after another and approached the entrance to the palace. Rose could see the bodies of enemy soldiers who had been slashed to death. However, their movements were really vivid. As expected of two high-ranking warriors.
"Heal!"
Rose healed Yanagi and Kagemaru and also put up barriers. After received Rose”s magic, Yanagi and Kagemaru entered through the entrance of the palace. It's quiet and there are no enemies. There were no one in the palace. There are no enemy soldiers either. Something is wrong. Even though there were so many soldiers outside, no enemy soldiers were inside the palace.
Rose was wary, thinking it might be a trap.
"Be careful, Brother. It could be a trap."
(Yeah. That's creepy. Is there really a general here?)
Yanagi said this as he moved forward.
(Applies detection magic!)
Kagemaru activated his magic but found that there were no ambush soldiers.
(As expected, there are no enemies in this room.)
(Let's move on to the next room!)
At that moment, enemy soldiers appeared near Rose, causing the link she made with Yanagi and Kagemaru broke instantly. Rose thought of moving to defense, but Darga was faster.
"Continue support! I'll protect this place! Concentrate on them!"
"Yes, Sir"
When Rose glanced at Suzu, she saw that Suzu’s face had not changed. Suzu even didn't move. Rose thinks it's an incredible amount of concentration.
Rose regained her composure and sent a link to Yanagi and Kagemaru.
(What happened, Rose?)
Yanagi asked worriedly.
"Sorry, I was attacked, but the Captain protected me. There's no problem now. Let's continue."
(Okay. I'm heading to the king's hall now.)
Yanagi said with a relieved look.
(Yanagi, wait. There is someone there.)
Kagemaru quickly stopped moving. He readied himself and began to move towards what appeared to be a figure. He found that in the middle of the hall were three servants, but their hands and feet were bound, and their mouth was stuffed with cloth. They were still alive and trying their hardest to tell them about something.
However, as Yanagi and Kagemaru approached carefully, they noticed something.
In the next moment, everything around them exploded, and all three of those servants who were tied up probably lost their life. What a cruel thing! Rose felt angry.
Meanwhile, Yanagi and Kagemaru escape from the explosion. However, unfortunately, they landed on a floor full of traps. Also, magic circles were set up tightly around it.
(This isn't good.)
(Oh, if we make a mistake, we will explode, too.)
The two seemed to be in trouble.
(There are many ways to disable it)
(Wouldn't the magic activate if I put something on top of it? How about ice?)
(That's a possibility. But I can't use water attribute magic.)
(I can't either.)
Yanagi and Kagemaru looked around and considered various things.
"I can."
Rose thought that if support magic could be delivered, then attack magic might also could be offered. Concentrate and notice the room, Rose thought. The room that Yanagi saw was an actual room. She recognized the space in the room and thought to herself, imagining some ice magic on that floor.
But she needs water.
“Brother, is there any water there?”
(I don't have it at hand, but there is a fountain nearby)
Yanagi answered, moving slowly.
"Look at that fountain properly. It will activate from there, so be careful. When it activates, jump high. It may take a while to harden, so please wait a bit in the air."
Rose is giving instructions and thinking about various things.
(Roger that.)
"I've never done it before, so if I fail, I'm sorry."
Rose thought that if she apologized first, the feeling of apologizing would be completely different if she made a mistake.
(Oh, no problem.)
"Let's go."
Rose cast a spell. She became acutely aware of the room where Yanagi was in her head.
Fountains, water flowing... Rose tries to feel the vibrations. She can feel the great magical power coming from every corner of her body, flowing through her thoughts. This magic has its roots in her connection to the natural world, where she draws energy from the surrounding elements to fuel her spells. Uncontrollable magical power, along with her spell, transcended her dimensions and rode her thoughts into the palace. Her magic allows her to manipulate elements like water, but it comes with risks, such as exhausting her physical energy if overused or losing control if her focus falters.
Normally, it would turn to ice immediately when cast directly. However, Rose thinks it would be reckless to send her magic from far away. Even if you think it's irresponsible to cast magic somewhere else over a long distance, it's necessary right now. The image that Yanagi saw entered her head, and she imagined the floor of the room was covered in ice. Rose thinks that she must at least create a path that can be seen from here to the throne room, and continues to use her magic with all her strength.
(That's amazing, Rose!)
(Oh, that's really amazing!)
(Now I have a foothold! Thank you, Rose!)
Rose heard Kagemaru's voice sounding happy. However, at the same time, Rose became exhausted and could no longer see her surroundings. She could faintly hear Darga's voice and Suzu's voice. Not long after that moment, she noticed she was in a white and empty space.
It's completely white, Rose thought.
"Where is here?"
It feels like that time. But this time, Rose knows what she is doing. But apart from herself, there is nothing and no one around. If she listened closely, she could hear Suzu. She could also hear Darga's voice. However, she couldn't hear Yanagi's voice.
She could hear the sounds of battle all around her. She could hear the clash of weapons, the sounds of explosions, the cries of those who had lost their lives, and the voices of those who had taken their lives. This is a battlefield. And Rose knows what she is doing here.
"I have to go back."
"To where?"
Rose heard a strange voice. But she couldn't see anyone.
"To everyone."
"Why?"
"Because there are people who need me."
"Why do you think so?"
"Brother Yanagi said he needed me. He said he believed in me. That's why I have to go back to him."
"What can you do?"
"I want to protect the people I care about. No matter what, I'm told I can do it. It doesn't make sense, but I want to put everything I have into my thoughts and protect them."
"Is he the child of the Demon God?"
"Yes, he is."
"In that case, go, Daughter of the Dragon God. I'll see you again when the time comes."
With those words, Rose returned to her original world. It looks like she fell near Suzu. Darga rushed over to see Rose.
"Is she okay? She suddenly fell, and I saw lights all over her body, so I wondered what had happened."
Suzu feels worried.
(That's an awakening.)
Rose heard Miraiya's voice from inside the mirror.
"What?! She's having an awakening in a place like this?!"
Suzu communicated with Miraiya.
(Yes, it seems like that. If there are no problems, please continue to monitor the situation on the battlefield.)
"Understood!"
Suzu looked at Rose and confirmed. Then she took her breath and returned to concentration.
"It's okay... Captain..."
Rose opened her eyes and thought her voice sounded strange.
Her body is strange, too.
It's very light...and dazzling.
Darga watches her silently. However, Rose cannot afford to worry about such things. She linked to Yanagi and Kagemaru again. She closed her eyes and decided to think hard. For some reason, it went much smoother this time. She can create a link right away just by thinking about it, and it's fast. When she opened her eyes, those two were right near her.
What Rose saw was Yanagi and Kagemaru fighting something big on the throne. Even if the two worked together to attack, their attack had no effect.
The enemy is a human-like creature with what looks like a lizard's tail attached to its back. The feet were also shaped like animals, and Rose thought they looked like the feet of a dinosaur she had seen in her previous life. It also has large claws on its hands, making it a very creepy creature. Moreover, it can shoot magic from its mouth, making it a strong enemy.
The two struggling men tried various techniques, but to no avail. It may have a high defense against physical attacks or a strong barrier.
One swing of its tail hit Kagemaru and slammed him against the wall. Kagemaru collapses in an instant. When he tried to sit up quickly, a large amount of blood came out of his mouth. It was internal bleeding, Rose realized instantly.
"Heal."
Rose cast a recovery spell on Kagemaru. Stop the bleeding and let the healing energy flow. Meanwhile, Yanagi is desperately fighting alone.
Huh?
She noticed. Now, the image shows Yanagi, but it's different than she saw before. She can see Kagemaru and clearly see Yanagi as well. Moreover, she can see the entire room, 360 degrees. What a strange feeling, thought Rose. It's like she's in this palace with these two.
She managed to stop the bleeding for now. She cast a recovery spell and attached a barrier. Kagemaru's pained face returned to normal again. His eyes open, and he looks at Rose, his mouth opening in shock.
"Rose...? Why are you here? What happened to your body?"
What is he saying? She's bound to help, she thought, tilting her head.
"Assist you."
The voice is still strange. Rose thought she might have used too much force and caught a cold.
Now that Kagemaru is feeling better, she must support Yanagi, who is having a tough time. Rose looked at Yanagi and extended her hand.
"Barrier! ”
When she cast that spell, Yanagi looked surprised. However, at that moment, the enemy attacked.
Rose said it's no good to look elsewhere while fighting and cast 'Barrier' again to support Yanagi.
But the enemy will come again. Involuntarily, Rose also took a stance and protected Yanagi. However, the enemy's attacks don't hurt her at all. Why is everyone struggling with such a weak enemy? Rose tilted her head again, moving towards her front.
"Rose? Rose, why are you here?"
"Yanagi, leave that behind! The enemy will unleash another spell!"
Kagemaru has arrived. Meanwhile, Rose put up a huge barrier. She recovered Yanagi's body, cast her energy, and healed him.
Bang!
The enemy's magic was repelled by Rose's barrier magic, destroying the roof and walls of the palace. However, perhaps because it interfered with her recovery, Rose got angry and cast a large fireball spell.
"Fire Ball!"
When Rose released her magic, the enemy broke through the wall and was sent out of the palace. Rose flew after it.
Rose felt her body was so light.
She feels like she is flying.
No, she might be flying. Wow, how real it felt, Rose thought.
Huh? Yanagi and Kagemaru are also behind her. So whose video is this? Rose tilted her head.
She doesn't know if she saw it herself or if it was someone else's footage.
She doesn't know, but she has to defeat that big enemy anyway, Rose thought.
She looks up at the sky and can see Jatayu, which Rinka and Miraiya are riding. When she looks down, she can see enemies and allies. Both friends and foes looked up, their faces filled with fear and surprise.
Are they still scared of this monster? Rose thought.
Its tail moved from side to side, sweeping away many soldiers and trampling them with its feet. It was dangerous, Rose thought, and she had to stop him.
Even the enemy forces are being sacrificed. The enemy probably never thought they would be sacrificed by that 'something' they had summoned. Anyway, she has to stop it. Rose lands and puts her hands on the ground.
"Bind Rose."
It's still a strange voice. She'll see the doctor later, Rose thought. Multiple large branches emerged from the ground and quickly grabbed the prey, binding them by digging into them. Painful thorns pierce the creature's body, stopping its resistance.
"Bloody Rose."
Rose unleashed her most powerful Rose Branch technique, pacifying her opponent. Large, sharp thorns pierced its body, and blood rained like scattered red rose petals. However, it was still alive and was releasing a magic beam from its mouth. What a strong enemy. Seeing this, both enemy and allied soldiers ran away.
"Brother...the final blow..."
Yanagi understood Rose's words and stood close to Rose, releasing powers with all his might.
It was the moment when Yanagi became a Demon God.
A tremendous force enveloped the area, and the Morg soldiers fled from the battle field, realizing that they had no chance of winning. Some of the soldiers were faced with such a terrifying scene that they gave up and ran away. Some people shouted that it was the Dragon God's haunting, and the battlefield became chaotic. Aotake Village’s warriors followed Suzu's orders and distanced themselves from Rose and Yanagi. Rose could hear Suzu's commands faintly in her head.
"Everyone evacuate! Hurry!"
Suzu strongly ordered. Rinka and Miraiya also left the scene. With this, she can deal the final blow to her heart's content. Rose thought she should pray that none of her friends would get caught up in this.
Kagemaru followed Suzu's instructions and quickly evacuated. He kept looking at Rose and Yanagi with the same expressionless face. This must be an unusual sight, Rose thought.
Yanagi tried to release a power so great that Rose couldn't express it in words, but something was missing. Rose thought Yanagi needed more power than this and flew towards him. Rose thought it was probably because he used too much power in the last battle. Rose touched Yanagi's shoulders with both hands and entrusted all her strength to him.
I want to help, I want to fight together, my body and soul are with Yanagi! Rose thought.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The power of the Demon God was released with tremendous energy. The ground was shaking, and the pressure was probably felt by everyone there. Some people even fainted due to the powerful force. Yanagi became a Demon God, and his green eyes turned to bright red eyes. He looked at Rose and smiled. Then he ran towards the monster stuck in the rose branch and climbed up at high speed. Then he jumped high near the top and drew his sword. Channeling all his energy into his sword, he readied himself to deliver the final blow to his enemy.
"Huh!"
"Let's go!"
As if resonating with the two voices released simultaneously, many voices from their allies could also be heard.
Yanagi's sword pierced the giant monster's head, then cut it in two with tremendous force!
"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"
The joy of victory could be heard on the field. The defeated Morg soldiers threw down their weapons, placed their hands on their heads, and surrendered. Some allied soldiers began to dance as if to express their joy. Before she knew it, the head of what appeared to be the enemy general was in Kagemaru's hands.
The Black Ops is scary after all, thought Rose. She had no idea when he took that head off. It may be that when the general tried to run away under the cover of the crowd, Kagemaru noticed and cut him down.
Exhausted, Rose sat down on the ground. Then, Yanagi rushed to Rose, picked her up, and hugged her gently.
It's Yanagi with a normal face. He had those gentle green eyes. He smiled kindly. Rose looked at her favorite Yanagi with a smile.
"You did it...Brother."
Her voice still sounds weird. Her body still seems to be glowing.
"Thanks to you, Rose."
Yanagi answered kindly and looked at Rose's face.
"Did I... pass... as a pair?"
Rose's voice returned to normal.
"You have already passed the exam."
"So, it was good··."
Yanagi kissed Rose on the cheek. Rose smiled, but in that moment, she lost all her strength. Her body felt heavy, things looked blurry, and her eyelids became heavy. Rose closed her eyes on Yanagi's chest. She could hear his heartbeat, and she felt very comfortable.
And then, she fell asleep.