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“Plug it in! We need to awaken the sleeping magic within the magic crystal to properly power this thing. Does anyone know how to do that?”

Nella waved her hands and barked instructions. The wizards and soldiers moved around the basement in unison, each doing as Nella instructed. Crates stacked against a corner of the wall were knocked over, spilling all manner of precious materials, but no one seemed to mind. Even Nella frowned at it for a moment, then barked instructions again.

“What’s going on, Associate Professor Nella!”

And then, in a panic, a figure rushed down from the basement. It was a Fourth Circle professor with white hair. Nella looked up at him and gave him a pitying glare.

“We need more horsepower to power the spell. Something that can provide a steady stream of mana. What else do we have but this magic crystal?”

“You don’t even know what that is!”

“Then what is it?”

Nella’s question was too direct, and the person fell silent.

“It is a treasure that has been passed down through the generations of the Tower…. Do you need any further explanation? Either you let me take the magic crystal or try to stop me from using it with your life. If you’re unwilling to do that, just get out of the way and don’t piss me off. Go back upstairs and help me prepare for the chanting, and squeeze out every ounce of mana you have.

Nella waved the stack of papers in her hand. It wasn’t the lack of logic or evidence but the sheer intimidation of the Sixth Circle wizard.

“…Damn it. Okay, okay. This is what we do to stay alive; we have no choice. Okay, okay, okay, I’m not scared.”

As if trying to rationalize his actions, the professor continued to say this and stalked toward the crystal. Staring at it, he scratched his head, then spoke again.

“If you do it that way, it won’t be as efficient as you think.”

Nella smiled inwardly at her successful persuasion. The professor began to rattle off a list of possible uses for the magic crystal. The problem of mana and stability could be solved now. Nella exited the basement and entered the first floor. Preparations for slowly being completed. The entire floor had been transformed into an empty auditorium, sparks of magic flying here and there in the wake of the accumulating spells.

“Where is the magic circle?”

“It’s compressed. All we need to do is infuse it with the magic that will be the key, and the mana will unfold and work the magic on its own. The compression process is so good that… we didn’t have to do much coordination. In fact, Ms. Daphne of the Sixth Circle was handling it all by herself.”

The bushy-haired assistant answered quickly, the other wizards bustling around him. Nella turned her head toward the center of the circle. Daphne was there, eyes closed, attuned to the Great Magic, her pink hair swaying to and fro with the flow of mana.

“…Let’s just let her concentrate.”

They had argued dozens, maybe hundreds of times since she entered the Tower. They couldn’t understand each other but knew what was on their minds. While Nella wanted revenge, proof of her worth, Daphne wanted help. That was the only thing on her mind as she weaved her magic.

“How the hell are you nearing your Seventh Circle?”

Wizards are either selfish or insane. If you’re neither, you’ll never reach the top. Striving is persistence, and persistence leads to madness. How far you will go for the sake of magic determines your level and the limits of your growth.

“Silly.”

Nella shook her head. A Hero’s Heart. I guess that’s what you call tenacity. The day when Nella left the party after insulting the Hero. The conviction she felt in Daphne then couldn’t be a lie. Nella watched for a moment as she moved. Space warped with compressed magic. Her reflection was like a broken mirror.

“…That’s it.”

Nella read Daphne’s lips, her violet eyes opening, the power stabilizing completely. After floating in midair, Daphne landed.

“I’ll send people to their positions and move to the top. We need to make a few adjustments.”

“…You really are a ridiculous monster. Aren’t you tired?”

Daphne gave a short shake of her head and pressed the button for the elevator. For a place where the world was supposedly about to end, the elevator in the Tower was frustratingly slow to open. Nella stepped onto the elevator, suppressing her desire to rip the grate off. The wizards on the first floor looked at them with eager eyes. A mixture of hope, expectation, fear, and worry.

“Stop looking at us and get to your assigned positions! Don’t you realize that we’re all doing the easy part? So don’t you dare make a mistake!”

Nella’s words awakened the floor as wizards hurriedly moved. Nella clicked her tongue as she watched them move like a swarm of ants in an anthill.

“I don’t know if they’ll do a good job. Damn it, I’m getting nervous.”

“Let’s hope they do. What else can we do?”

The elevator rattled uneasily all the way up. Nella wanted to bite her nails nervously, all sorts of ominous visions running through her head. She rummaged through the filing cabinet, peeked at the paper calculating the Meteor’s position, and calculated again.

“We need to have everything ready by 8 pm. Twenty minutes is the estimated impact time from then….”

The elevator slowed as she flipped through the papers. Nella scrambled to close the stack and cast a spell on the elevator doors, shattering them. At Daphne’s incredulous gaze, Nella scowled, irritated.

“Why? Were you going to keep waiting for that thing to open?”

Nella kicked off the grate and stepped outside. A chilly breeze blew in. Nella walked briskly to the center of the Tower’s rooftop, where the magic manifested. The hairs on her head stood on end. Nella felt the beginnings of the magic rising from beneath her feet, stimulating her body. Then she lifted her head and looked up at the sky.

“…Just a little longer.”

The tip of the Meteor lay on the western horizon. Its tail resembled a line of demarcation between north and south or an unusually sharp cloud. It was flying much slower than it should. The main body seemed to be hovering low in the sky, ready to swoop down like a bird of prey on the hunt.

“Daphne, I think we need to start realizing it. The collision is….”

Nella turned her gaze back to Daphne and paused. She was staggering, leaning on the wall, sweating profusely.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Nella asked angrily, moving closer, but Daphne held up a hand to stop her.

“I’m fine… I guess the battle took more out of me than I thought, but my mana is fine. I’ve got plenty to spare, so we’ll just have to play it out as it unfolds.”

Nella stood there and looked at her with a frown. She couldn’t tell if she was catching her breath or letting it out in frustration. But it was definitely not something she wanted to see.

“I know you’re not okay, but you’ve got about ten minutes to get some rest and recover.”

“I can’t do that. There’s no time to spare.”

Daphne said forcefully, releasing her grip on the wall. She wobbled once more, then caught her balance and stood upright.

“What if the magic doesn’t work because you collapse? Get some rest, and stop being so stubborn. If you want to help Elroy, don’t destroy yourself.”

“You know full well ten minutes of rest isn’t going to restore my mana or stamina dramatically.”

Nella’s scowl slowly hardened into an expressionless frown. Daphne was still breathing heavily. The Meteor was coming. Time passed differently for all three beings. Nella paused the ticking clock in her head.

“If you stop the Meteor and die, no one will blame you. Your friends will grieve, of course, but no one will blame you. No one will question you.”

Her voice was as stern as her expression. At Nella’s abruptness, Daphne looked up questioningly. Nella was giving her a frustrated glance.

“I wouldn’t mind, but are you sure you want to do it that way?”

“I think Elroy would understand, and even if he didn’t, he’d come and cry at my grave.”

Daphne smiled as she said that. There was not the slightest hint of regret in the smile of the person who talked about their death. Nella’s clock started ticking again. If she couldn’t get Daphne to rest, there was no point in delaying the spell.

Daphne walked to the center of the circle. Nella fumbled through her filing cabinet, searching for formulas. The wind had eerily died down. The sounds of battle were distant. If you didn’t look down, all you could see was the sky and a monster-covered mountain.

“Let’s get started.”

Daphne reached out her hand. Mana flowed from her fingertips. Her clenched fist would unfurl, unleashing a spell. Nella reached out and channeled her own magic. Daphne was responsible for the activation and deployment, and Nella linked the other wizard’s mana.

“”Activate.””

They spoke simultaneously, and a gust of wind swirled from the Tower’s first floor. There was an ear-splitting crackle of magic and a magic circle that could have covered half the kingdom rose. Nella swallowed dryly, shuddering under its weight.

“It’s working! Take aim!”

“I know…!”

Nella pointed a finger at the Meteor’s head, and as if recognizing its enemy, the spell accelerated suddenly. Nella stretched her hand to the sky’s edge at the end of its trajectory.

“Locked on. We need to deploy the binding now!”

The ground shook. Trees were uprooted, and rocks rolled about. Faced with the Meteor’s true identity, Nella was baffled. No magic, no nothing, just a massive mass that needed no further explanation. Something that could overwhelm people by simply looking at it. It was arrogance to even speak of destroying it in the first place.

“Deploying!”

The magic circle tilted and pointed at the Meteor. Nella chewed on her lip, steadying herself. Daphne clenched her fist just in time, and the ring gobbled up space, tearing a hole into the void… An area of nothingness, blacker than the night sky, stretched beyond the circle.

“Channel as much mana as you can!”

Nella commanded, squeezing her heart to infuse it with magic. Soon, even magic would be crushed into nothingness by the sheer volume of matter. Hundreds of wizards risked their lives to channel it.

The coordinates were correct. The spell has unfolded as designed. All that remains is for the Meteor to be sucked into the void and-!

Suddenly dozens of trees were thrown, and the walls were broken. Many of the wizards we injured by the sudden event.

This was the damage left by the Meteor’s arrival.

It had entered the void they had created.

“That’s…it!”

Nella exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief, but Daphne shook her head. Below them, a massive roar of unknowing wizards could be heard.

“No… it’s still resisting fiercely, and if the power supply is interrupted for even a moment, it will tear the sky apart again.”

“Then what happens now? Can you maintain the mana supply?”

Daphne did not answer the question for a moment, then nodded slowly. It wasn’t a question she’d been asked to answer in the first place. She seemed barely conscious now.

“I can do it.”

“…Can you?”

Nella’s voice was growling and demanding, but Daphne remained calm. It’s obvious how a wizard gains power beyond what they can. They sacrifice their future to acquire power in the present.

“I should be able to hold it for quite a while, maybe even trap it in space until it loses its power….”

“It’s all for naught if you’re dead, you dumbass!”

Nella shouted uncontrollably. Daphne’s eyes widened at the suddenness of Nella’s words. She glared at Daphne, then slowly opened her mouth.

“I can’t allow it. I can’t kill myself and save the world; I can’t watch you kill yourself and save the world. Fuck. If I had to choose, I’d choose the former.”

Nella took a step forward and held out her hand to Daphne.

“Hand it over. Give it to me.”

“…I don’t think I can do that.”

Daphne shook her head. A blue aura surrounded her, hovering like it had already done all the work. Nella squeezed Daphne’s hand.

“Hand it over.”

“Why are you being so stubborn? It’s not like you at all. Aren’t you selfish?”

“I am. I’m making this choice because I’m selfish, and I’m not going to stand by and watch you accomplish a magical feat I’ll never reach. But I think I’d die a happy person if I did. And I’ll have gotten my revenge on that Hero bastard.”

Daphne resisted as Nella tried to take it from her, and they locked hands in an invisible battle at the center of the circle.

“You won’t be happy if you die here.”

“There is no such thing as a happy death.”

Electricity crackled in their grasp. Power was coming and going, colliding, mixing, and exploding.

“This will break the balance, Nella.”

“Then we’ll just have to make it work.”

Nella forced her magic to flow. Slowly, the cracks in the magic were filled and repaired by Nella’s mana. The circle stabilized, but the two wizards didn’t stop twitching. Then Daphne raised her unused left hand. Nella’s eyes widened.

“Hey, what do you think you’re going to do-!”

Nella fell to the ground, shivering, and mana bound her in place. Daphne began to soar up.

“Hey… you son of a…!”

“Thank you, Nella. I’d be happy if you attended my funeral.”

“Funeral my foot… I said I would…!”

“Then just don’t go.”

Daphne laughed and flew off into the gaping void. She must have already reached her Seventh Circle while casting the spell. The magic that bound Nella was more than she could dispel. She scratched nails on the floor and screamed into the sky, but Daphne didn’t hear her.

“Say thank you to Elroy… and all my other friends for me.”

“Say…it yourself, you fucking bitch….”

The last thing she saw was Daphne’s crooked smile. Nella clenched her fists, the light gone from her eyes. The nails that scratched the floor were broken and bleeding. She was free from the spell, but she still couldn’t move.

“Please….”

She was gone. Someone she could barely recognize as a coworker was gone so easily. A single tear slid down Nella’s cheek. Her voice cracked and leaked from her throat as she continued to scream. Her hands shook as she stared at the opening of the void, which was slowly beginning to close.

“Hero…please…”

For the first time, Nella cried out.

Help.

And stood before the spell was the Hero.

She thought she was seeing things. But right now, it didn’t matter. False or real, she needed something to lean on.

“Elroy…the closing…the Meteor…Daphne…!”

The Hero nodded. Then he turned and flew away. Nella watched his wings unfurl behind his back and stared in disbelief. The two swords in his hands were wrapped in a silver-white aura.

“Don’t worry.”

Two words.

For some reason, Nella’s body relaxed because of a phrase. With a single flap of his wings, the Hero sliced through the sky and flew away.

He disappeared into the void.