『———It’s been a while since you called me, my master.』
“Yes, it has been a while. I didn’t have a chance to summon you recently… but this time, you can go wild.”
As the light subsided on the stage, a massive black dragon, Bahamut—the supreme transcendental spirit—soared in the sky, looking down at Kai and the others. Each beat of Bahamut’s wings whipped up fierce winds that reached the audience, threatening to blow them away if they didn’t brace themselves.
Surrounding Bahamut was an aura of black magic, the same color as its scales, further fortifying its already formidable presence. Anything that touched this magic disintegrated into ash.
The appearance of the Dragon King sent the audience into a frenzy. The battle of the five rare transcendental spirits was something everyone eagerly anticipated.
At the center of this anticipation, Kai looked up at Bahamut and sneered.
“Hmph… It’s just one transcendental spirit… Do you really think Bahamut alone can defeat my four transcendental spirits?”
“Is that the only kind of provocation you can manage? Isn’t true strength shown through action? Enough talk—come at me.”
“You’ll regret this! Go, my spirits!”
At Kai’s command, Phoenix was engulfed in red and purple flames, while Aqua Knight readied a spear made of water as he rode atop a seahorse. Gale and Titan generated a sandstorm, targeting Hera, their contract holder.
Though the sandstorm approached her, Hera glared confidently at Kai and declared:
“One piece of advice—don’t underestimate me.”
In that moment, silver magic, the same color as Hera’s hair, and black magic, matching Bahamut’s, erupted from her body, causing her crimson eyes to gleam.
“《Swords of Black and White》”
At her words, the two forces converged, transforming into black and white swords that floated before Hera. She grabbed them with strength, infusing them with her magic before swinging the twin blades.
In an instant, the sandstorm created by the transcendental spirits was sliced into three parts by the black and white strikes. Despite destroying the sandstorm, the two slashes lost none of their power, cutting through both Gale and Titan.
“Kyaaahhh!!”
“Graaahhhh!!”
The white strike severed the wings of the bird-like Gale, while the black strike caused Titan’s arm to vanish upon contact. Shocked, Kai’s eyes widened at the fact that Hera, a mere human, not only repelled the spirits’ attack but also dealt significant damage to them.
“Impossible…!? These are transcendental spirits! Even I can barely handle just one of them…!”
“I’m not like you. I’ve trained harder.”
Hera had pushed herself to her limits, at first to gain recognition and then to survive alone. There were times when she’d return with hands covered in sword blisters, something unthinkable for a noblewoman, or when she had to endure her parents’ furious reprimands after exhausting herself with magic training.
At just thirteen, she even ventured alone into monster lairs without any guards, surviving a month of life-threatening battles. She slayed so many monsters that the total was incalculable, ultimately earning the title of “Dragon Slayer” after defeating a dragon by herself.
“If you think I’m some sheltered lady, you’ll lose easily. Bahamut!”
『Understood, my master.』
“GRROOOOAAAARRR!!!”
At Hera’s call, Bahamut warded off Phoenix and Aqua Knight with its black magic, letting out a roar so powerful it shook the skies. In the next moment, black magic meteors rained down upon the stage, targeting everyone except the audience, resembling a meteor shower.
“Ugh…《Triple Magic Barrier》!!”
Kai hastily erected a triple-layered magic barrier to block the barrage of magic meteors that landed with explosive force, shaking him to his core. When the attack subsided, his barriers were left in tatters.
“Phew… That was close—ugh!”
“You shouldn’t let your guard down so easily.”
Kai glanced up at Bahamut in relief, but in the next moment, Hera was already within his reach. He instinctively raised his sword to block, but it was effortlessly cut into three pieces. Though the blade struck his abdomen, he managed to deploy a magic barrier at the last second, avoiding a fatal blow. Nevertheless, he was sent flying by the force, slamming into the barrier with enough speed to crack it.
“—Gah!”
Kai coughed up blood from the impact that reverberated through his body. Hera prepared to deliver another strike, but the four transcendental spirits attacked to protect Kai, preventing her from landing the blow.
“Tch… Annoying pests.”
『Are you alright, my master?』
As Hera deflected and parried the spirits’ attacks with her black and white swords, Bahamut unleashed a breath attack that eradicated the spirits’ magic, protecting her.
『Are you alright, my master?』
“This is nothing. But… give me your power.”
『—Understood. I shall grant you my magic.』
Black magic surged from Bahamut and was transferred to Hera, enveloping her entirely. Her silver hair turned black, and her crimson eyes darkened.
Bathed in the overwhelming sensation of power, Hera gripped the long black sword that had formed in her hand and prepared to strike.
“This ends here—prepare yourself.”
“Ugh… Damn it… Why is my plan falling apart? How can Hera use that technique at this stage!? —It doesn’t matter anymore. If I can’t have her… she’ll die.”
In that instant, the spirits vanished, and from Kai’s body, an immense rainbow-colored magic, so powerful it overwhelmed even Hera, erupted and began to merge—
『—Hahaha, it was the right choice to possess this guy.』
—A single dark god manifested.
The dark god possessed Kai, horns sprouted from his forehead, and his body turned jet-black.
“『Wha!?』”
Hera, Bahamut, the teachers, and the entire audience were all stunned. The dark god possessing Kai laughed with pleasure.
“Haha, this body is great! It seems my avatar has disappeared, but to think a lower-tier me could ascend to a higher rank.”
『…Why are you here?』
“Huh? Oh, it’s the Dragon King! You’ve still got that terrifying aura, huh?”
『I don’t want to hear your useless prattle. Why are you here—Loki!!』
Bahamut’s roar of anger reverberated through the air, carried by its black magic.
“Hahaha, you seem like you’re having fun.”
In response to Bahamut’s question, Loki, now fully possessing Kai, laughed once more with evident enjoyment.
Thus, the battle between Hera and Kai entered a new, more dangerous phase.
