For a moment, Nalya felt like she couldn't breathe. It felt like a dragon was flying above them, the wind under her wings that made her unsteady and nowhere to run—the transparent barrier still enveloped her.

But the undead, huddled together, and even stacked in several layers, were lifted outward by the sudden hurricane. Before they could rise to their feet, Ed let out a sharp whistle that swirled in midair like a sharp blade.

What it cuts off. Naria couldn't feel it, but she could see it...... The undead were like dolls with broken threads, one by one they stopped their movements and fell to the ground.

Naria held her breath for a long time, and finally slowly exhaled.

She picked up the torch that hadn't been extinguished and glanced at Ed's bloodless, sweaty face. The corners of his lips, still tense, told her that it wasn't over yet.

For a few moments he just stood there, his eyes slightly lowered without blinking. If it weren't for the fact that his chest was still heaving, Naria couldn't help but want to touch him if he still had a heartbeat...... He doesn't look much like an undead.

She clutched her sword tightly, and even when she witnessed Ed's sheer power, she didn't dare to let her guard down - how powerful a spellcaster could be when he had no distractions, how vulnerable he could be, she had heard Eren mention it more than once.

Even Celebryan needs protection when casting spells, and she is the only one who can protect Ed at this moment.

She didn't know how much time had passed. It looks like it's very short, and it's like it's very long. She turned her wrist in silence as the sound of heavy, shuffling footsteps came from the darkness again.

The tip of the sword sliced through the air she couldn't pierce without hindrance...... Ed's defenses are gone.

And he remained motionless, as if he had no idea...... As if his soul wasn't here.

Naria licked her dry lips and stood sideways, trying to keep Ed behind her.

The deceased's pale face had pressed into front of her. She raised her hand, and the tip of the sword pierced through the other's eye without even moving an eyebrow, even though it was a slender and thin girl—her only concern at this moment was that she wouldn't be able to hold it up long enough.

When the fourth undead fell, Ed suddenly looked up.

“...... Caught. He spoke softly, with a hatred that Narya had almost never seen on his face...... With coldness, the outstretched hand was spread and clenched hard.

A short scream came from nowhere, and most of the undead fell in response.

- At least one more.

Naria thought.

"There's one more. ”

In the flickering light of the fire, Edlan's darkened eyes stared into the darkness, a terrifying glow.

The other half of the undead fell - the people who controlled them decisively cut off contact and gave up the attack.

There was a dead silence, corpses on the ground. Naria's eyes widened as she stared straight at the boundary between light and darkness, as if that way she could see better.

Those staggering shadows no longer appeared.

After a moment, Ed's body shook. Naria was stunned for a moment before she realized that she wasn't casting a spell...... He couldn't stand on his feet.

She unsheathed her sword, grabbed his arm, and lifted the leaning weight on her shoulder, listening to his rapid breathing, which he no longer struggled to hide.

“...... It's time for you to get some exercise. She said, "Why don't you get up every morning and run a hundred laps in the yard with Akan." ”

"Don't. Ed gasped and couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm someone to protect!"

Naria just wanted to give him a roll of the eyes—but if she looked up, he could see her flushed face.

The breath gradually calmed down, but Ed was still cheeky and half-leaned against Naria. When they faced the black crack in the air again, even Narya could tell that it had "grown" bigger.

The pure black lines were laid out there, and no matter how close the torches were, they could not be illuminated. Naria had a strange feeling that they were standing in a mirror, that their world was nothing more than an illusory mirror world, and once that mirror was broken...... And with it all gone.

“...... Is it bad?" she asked softly.

"I don't know......," Ed muttered, unable to hide his frustration, "if only Iss were here." ”

“...... I always feel that even if we call him back now, he may not be able to come back. Naria said, finally rolling her eyes at Ed as she was about to speak, "Don't worry about him, he's a dragon...... You'd better look at the present. ”

"I didn't expect to hear you say that one day. Ed couldn't help but sigh, "I thought you'd always be five years old." ”

“...... It's seven years old!" said Naria, "I always have to grow up." ”

Ed laughed.

He stretched out his hand, and for a moment he inexplicably fantasized that he could pinch the cracked space, and it would be better to sew it again, and sew it firmly and seamlessly......

Unfortunately, this is not a torn tapestry, but a barrier to this world...... He also did not have the hand of the gods who created the heavens and the earth.

.

The faint light of the fire faded away in the darkness, and the quiet corner was closed by another spell, but there were always some people who could not be stopped.

Scott's footsteps were almost silent. He stood still before the cracks, staring at it for a long time.

It's still growing, spreading at a slower pace, unstoppably spreading new lines. Ignoring the destruction it represents, this flower, which is darker than night, has a thrilling beauty.

He knew there were more such rifts creeping silently in unnoticed places, some of which he had even torn with his own hands.

The world is in shambles...... But the world still exists.

The fog will dissipate before destruction, and the truth will emerge in the darkness if anyone can see it...... Perhaps, then, everything has yet time to change.

He clenched his fists and controlled the involuntary spasms of his arms.

"I didn't help him. He said indifferently, "Just as I promised you...... You made the bet yourself, what are you dissatisfied with?"

The voice that no one could hear rang in the depths of his soul. Of course it knows...... He had nothing to hide from it. But little by little it lost the confidence and arrogance that it once had won in its hands, and its roar was filled with anxiety that perhaps even it did not perceive.

The world has a will of its own—it was known, it was a part of it.

But when it turns itself into another being, it is excluded from this world. Sometimes Scott can't help but wonder why it's so desperate to get back. This world is neither the only world created by the gods, nor is it the only world that arose on its own accord outside of the creation of the gods...... What exactly is it here that it really wants?

Never ...... Just want to go home?