Part 1

The last day of where everything above the earth was wrapped in flames.

Sumika was alone, standing on a pier that stuck out to the sea.

And then she looked straight ahead.

Calmly flying through the burned sky acting as if it owned the place, the seven headed giant dragon that came from the other side of the horizon―the figure of .

{What are you doing in this kind of place?}

At that time, a voice suddenly came from behind.

When Sumika turned back towards the voice, a young boy around the same age as her was standing there.

{Who are you?}

{Just a pa.s.ser by.}

A young boy that answered curtly.

The first impression that Sumika got from that boy was―a corpse.

Exhausted pale blue face.

His clothes were torn into rags, wounds were everywhere on his body.

It was mysterious how he was still alive from all of those.

But, the boy didn’t pay attention at all towards his own state and continued his words.

{There was also a notification to head to the shelter right? That [j.a.pan Mainland is abandoned]. The allied forces and the knight order too had already escaped. If you don’t hurry with them you’re gonna be left behind.}

Hearing those words, Sumika shook her head left and right.

{If you are going to escape then please escape alone. I’m not running away.}

{Not running you say, then what are you gonna do?}

That was obvious.

{I’ll fight.}

{Haa!? You, just alone!?}

Sumika returned an astonished voice to the surprised boy.

{Do you see anyone else here?}

{Don’t say something so idiotic. Your opponent is a demon that didn’t get even a single wound even though the army of the whole world went at it all at once you know.}

Even the child Sumika knew about that much.

Yesterday, in other words the ninth night of .

The Human race came out facing a great battle.

The allied forces that concentrated the whole battle strength of each country and the mixed army of the .

With all that an all-out attack was launched on Typhon.

But it ended in failure.

In the end they couldn’t deal a single wound to Typhon and were annihilated within one hour.

This information was immediately notified to the shelters throughout the world and brought about a deep despair.

She knew.

After all, whether it was adults or children, soldier or magician, everyone was choked with tears from this merciless fate.

But, that was why Sumika thought.

{And then so what?}

{What?}

{I understand just how much a threat that thing is. I understand so I will fight.}

{No matter where we run, we cannot escape from that. Because that demon king, just in ten days it thoroughly burned the world all over. It’s impossible to run or anything from that . You will understand just from thinking about it a little. We cannot survive even if we run. If we don’t fight, if we don’t defeat it, we will be killed eventually.}

That’s right. That was something obvious.

The earth was round. There was nowhere to run.

Then, what was it going to accomplish turning your back to the destruction.

It was no different than an indirect suicide.

―What are you going to do not fighting. What are you going to do giving up on living.

{We are alive. If so, just what are you doing to not fight in order to live-!}

They couldn’t survive if they didn’t fight.

They could protect nothing if they didn’t face the threat.

(Then―I’ll fight!)

There was magic power in her to some extent.

That was why she would resist.

She wouldn’t turn her back to the approaching destruction.

Because that was the pride of the living, the way how one ought to live.

―That was, truly an immature way of thinking.

Not even having power, not even having technique. What she had was just a single feeling.

What could she do just with her feeling.

There was nothing she could do. She could only die meaninglessly.

However―

{……haha, hahahaha-}

Listening to those laughable words of a foolish child, that boy raised his voice and laughed.

He laughed truly, happily. There were even tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

{What is it?}

Just what in the world was he being that happy for.

When Sumika asked that in wonder, the boy wiped his tears with the back of his hand before answering.

{…No, it’s nothing. It’s just, I’m happy. ……that among the people those guys protected, and then among the people that I decided I’m going to protect, there is a fine woman like you.}

It was an answer that Sumika couldn’t comprehend. And then the next moment,

*BU* Black darkness was blowing out from the boy’s body.

It flickered like a flame, painting out the world. Sumika, who was hailed since she was little as a prodigy in sorcery, immediately understood just what it was.

This was―pure magic power.

It was excessively strong, excessively thick, therefore it lost its brightness. It was the light of the boy’s magic power that painted out the world.

A power to this degree, even a S-rank magician didn’t have it.

{You …who in the world}

‘What are you?’ She asked the boy in front of her eyes with a shocked expression.

But the boy didn’t answer that.

{You are correct. This world, is gonna survive whatever the circ.u.mstances may be.}

He made a little smile and flew.

Not even using Air Raid, his flesh and blood body gently floated in the air just like that.

{That’s why look at that in order to live. I’m going to protect you all.}

Saying that, he made his challenge.

Just by his lonesome. Against the Demon King that burned the world to ash―

―Hoshikawa Sumika stopped the shower that washed her body, she opened her eyelids slowly and returned from her deep reminiscence.

(…Even now the memory of that day is still really clear.)

It was burned at the back of her eyelids.

After that, the boy―Kamishiro Homura realized exactly the words that he had left behind to Sumika.

He showed how he protected the world, just by himself.

Sumika was the closest person who saw everything of that battle.

From beginning to end, she didn’t miss a single thing.

And then …she felt a yearning.

Towards that figure who personified her ideal, that way of living.

However, for that reason―

{Helping a useless leader that has no ability at all save yelling around, is also the duty of a comrade.}

Those words pierced her heart deeply.

Deeply, sharply.

Because she idolized that person, because she had done her best desperately, wanting to be like that person, for her everything to be denied by that person, Homura, right from the front was really frustrating that she couldn’t help it.

And then, because of that, Sumika’s heart was roused up.

…She had to make him look at her.

Yesterday the atmosphere suddenly turned dangerous, so she was unable to ask whether Homura remembered her.

That was why, she didn’t know whether Homura remembered her or not.

But, such a thing didn’t matter anymore. It was trivial.

Whether he remembered her or not, his recognition of her, had to be corrected before her feeling could settle down.

“…I’ll absolutely, win.”