The massive surge of magical energy, and the frost covering the area.

Ryuuko instantly understood—this was two separate anomalies.

（…This magic isn’t from Rei-chan.）

Magic of unparalleled purity spreading across all of Chroma.

Ryuuko instantly categorized it as something “beyond her ability to handle.”

What she needed to deal with was only the cold.

She didn’t know the magic, but she knew what this frozen world was.

“…Toa-chan, love talk’s over. From here on out, probably a kill-or-be-killed.”

“Eh?”

Baltius, who had been continuing to move from gate to gate, suddenly stopped.

Then, she descended into the main street.

“Wh-why did you land here? If we get spotted—”

“We’re already spotted.”

“…Eh.”

“We’ve already been found.”

Detecting enemies through changes in temperature—that’s a method Rei often used.

And as fellow S-Ranks, she understood it.

This was no longer a flight. It had become war.

“Dragon Rank Inheritance Absorb—Red Dragon.”

Baltius transformed into the image of a dragon that the masses would envision.

The camouflage dropped, and Toa and Ryuuko revealed themselves in the plaza.

“Protect Rei-chan.”

“O-okay.”

Still holding the sleeping Rei in her arms, Toa nodded.

Seeing her, Ryuuko put on a quick smile and said—

“It’s okay. I’m actually pretty strong.”

“—That kind of strength is easy to measure.”

The temperature dropped even lower.

Breath turned white, and sensation faded from her fingertips.

In the blizzard-whitened world, “it” appeared—leading an army.

“So you’re the mastermind.”

Ryuuko glared at the woman before her.

But it didn’t seem to have much of a threatening effect.

“How crass—mastermind? Call me scholar. A name worthy of the one who’ll rule the world.”

Flipping her black-and-red-mixed hair dramatically, the scholar snapped her fingers.

The people behind her moved to surround Ryuuko and the others.

In only seconds, the encirclement was complete.

“Scholar… I feel like the Chairman once warned me about someone like you, or didn’t…”

“…The Board grew arrogant.”

The scholar frowned in disgust and raised her gloved arm.

Then, she snapped her fingers again.

In an instant, an absolute zero blizzard that froze everything it touched erupted forth.

Watching the white wind of death freeze the ground as it surged forward, Ryuuko lightly pointed.

“Baltius.”

A simple command.

The flames Baltius released completely neutralized the scholar’s attack.

No, more than that—the consuming hellfire surged toward the scholar.

“Lukewarm flames. Are you playing house?”

The scholar snapped her fingers again.

The fire froze mid-air, stopping just before her eyes and shattering to pieces.

A brief exchange of attacks.

Yet each one was lethal in its own right.

“This is your warning. Surrender peacefully, and I won’t hurt you. Baltius won’t turn into anything scary, and you won’t die either. How about it?”

Ryuuko recited the formal line just in case.

But what came in response—was a sword of ice.

Dozens of swords materialized in the air, aimed at Ryuuko.

Then they were launched all at once.

“Baltius, go.”

With a short bark, Baltius stepped forward.

With impressive dexterity, she swung her thick tail and batted down the swords.

“Can I take that as your answer? For real, you’re still good to surrender, you know? I’m actually pretty nice?”

“That question is foolish. It’s the other way around—the matter of standing.”

The scholar pointed toward Rei.

“You have only one path. Leave that clone behind. Do not oppose me.”

“So she’s the target after all. Think we’ll hand her over?”

“You will. It’s your only means of survival!”

The brainwashed people began stepping closer to Ryuuko and the others.

It was the method Ryuuko hated the most.

“This means Baltius…!”

“That big thing can’t move now, can it? Hand her over while we’re still in the negotiation phase.”

Looking down on them, the scholar sneered.

Toa, terrified, clutched Rei close.

Rei, still asleep, showed no sign of waking.

“Ryuuko-chan, what do we do…”

“Hmm, nothing we can do.”

“Eh!?”

Ryuuko said it lightly.

Her face was full of an overwhelmingly carefree smile.

“W-we can’t do anything!?”

“Yeah. As it stands, we’re finished.”

“Now you understand your position.”

The scholar nodded with satisfaction.

To her, Ryuuko responded—

“Shut it, you old hag! If you want a fight, I’ll give you one, moron! And your speech style is so annoying! What, trying to act all special at your age!?”

Flashing a full smile, she raised her middle finger.

“R-Ryuuko-chan!?”

“You dare mock me!?”

The scholar shouted louder than ever before.

“…You must really have a death wish, brat!”

“Hahaha, if I left Rei-chan behind and ran, I’d be a bad person, right? I want to be a good person till the end.”

“But what do we do? There’s so many of them…”

The biggest enemy now wasn’t the scholar.

It was the people she controlled.

This was Baltius’s greatest weakness.

Her power wasn’t made for defense.

And that’s why—

“There’s no way I didn’t plan for something like this.”

Ryuuko looked at Baltius.

And with a bold pose, she declared—

“Dragon Rank Inheritance—Basilisk.”

Baltius’s red scales peeled away, and her body transformed.

Limbs vanished, wings folded, and what emerged—was a white serpent.

“Controlling dragons, that’s the rumor. But that’s not really what my power is.”

Baltius slowly lifted her snake head.

The mythic monster awaited her master’s signal in silence.

“Go, Baltius.”

At Ryuuko’s word, Baltius roared.

It was merely a cry.

Yet that sound invoked a primal fear in the hearts of humans, freezing them in place.

Seeing the motionless people, Ryuuko twirled around, pointing at them.

“From here to here, take care of all of them!”

At that moment, Baltius’s eyes glowed ominously.

It was the glow of a mystic eye said to have once existed in this world—

The Mystic Eye of Petrification.

“Man, this is so easy. Couldn’t use it during the gate stuff because some kids weren’t brainwashed, but when it’s clearly all enemies, I don’t have to hold back! Makes reports easier too!”

Using innocent people as shields is a valid tactic against Ryuuko and Baltius.

Which is exactly why she would never leave that weakness unattended.

“Stuffing mythic dragons—or even the myths themselves—into dragon vessels. That’s my power’s true nature. So, what now, old lady? The one you’ll be fighting is—”

Ryuuko smirked and pointed at the scholar.

Behind her—stood a monster.

“The embodiment of humanity’s most terrifying legends.”

“…Don’t underestimate me.”

Though she said that, the scholar’s expression stiffened.

Ryuuko, on the other hand, still wore a victorious smile—

（Oh crap, what now? Wait, I’m totally screwed, right? Like, for real?）

Internally, she was panicking.

Thanks to petrification, Ryuuko had successfully stopped the mob.

But the problem wasn’t solved.

（If I go wild, they’ll shatter. That side won’t care, but still. Can’t she just run away scared? I mean, it’s a Basilisk! Isn’t that terrifying!? I hate snakes! I really want to change Baltius’s form already!）

Baltius, who adored her master Ryuuko, slithered close in her giant snake form.

Every time that tongue flicked into her view, Ryuuko got goosebumps.

（Why did it have to be a snake!? Couldn’t ancient people imagine something fluffy!? Fluffy’s better, idiots!）

While holding that entirely misplaced anger inside, Ryuuko kept up her strong front.

“So, what’ll it be? You should probably surrender. I still have Bahamut, Yamata-no-Orochi, Ragnarok in store. Scary stuff. Painful stuff.”

（Can’t use any of them! They cause way too much damage! Don’t I have like a sniper dragon or an assassin-specialized dragon!? Why are dragons and myths always so over-the-top!?）

Ryuuko had seemingly overcome her weakness.

Or so it appeared.

But she hadn’t accounted for this exact situation.

Because usually, in times like this, she just petrifies everyone and runs.

“What’s wrong? Just surrender already.”

“…Ryuuko-chan, you’re sweating a lot. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Yep. Totally fine.”

Toa whispered the question quietly, and Ryuuko blinked repeatedly while answering—never once meeting Toa’s eyes.

（It’d be great if she actually surrendered now…）

Ryuuko looked at the scholar.

She was glaring back, face full of fury.

Clearly, she was still ready to fight.

（Why’s she this mad? Is this that menopause thing!?）

While Ryuuko tilted her head internally, the scholar exhaled.

And calmly declared—

“Very well. I’ll show you my true strength. Let’s prove that I’ve reached the top of humanity!”

Despite her anger, the scholar’s mind remained clear.

（Killing her here means nothing. If this drags out, he’ll come…!）

Her goal was to retrieve the clone.

There was no need to face an S-Rank head-on.

“I’ll show you my ultimate technique. The power of absolute stasis is no longer Hyououdou Rei’s alone!”

The scholar shouted and prepared herself once more.

（Crap, she’s doing it!）

Sensing the same murderous aura as when facing Rei, Ryuuko shouted without hesitation.

“Dragon Rank Inheritance! Shokuryuu!”

“Pointless!”

The scholar snapped her fingers—silence fell.

The sound of the blizzard, the alarms in the distance—everything stopped.

A world frozen in time, for the dominion of one alone.

Yet those eyes were watching Ryuuko.

“…You can move too?”

“That’s what Shokuryuu is for. …Ah, sorry Baltius. Don’t look at me too much right now. You’re scary.”

Baltius now had the body of a serpent with a woman’s head.

She was clutching a candlestick in her mouth, slithering around Ryuuko protectively.

“Being able to move in frozen time—that’s basically the standard for S-Ranks. We’ve all got counters.”

“So you really are a monster, S-Rank.”

（Oh? Is she scared?）

“But I’ve reached it too! I’ve obtained the power of S-Rank! The very power that even that professor struggled to handle—Hyououdou Rei’s!”

The scholar glared with bloodshot eyes.

There was no fear in them.

“Now give it back already!”

Ryuuko stood in front of Toa and Rei—protecting them in frozen time.

In this frozen world, a battle between S-Ranks was about to begin.

“Aaah, whatever happens, don’t blame me! I’ve still got Fafnir, Kuzuryuu, all sorts!”

“Relics of the past. Those monsters are outdated.”

“Haha, who knows?”

Ryuuko smirked nihilistically.

Her stomach, however, was aching.

“Fine then! I’ll show you the difference in class!”

（Screw it—at this point, I don’t care if it’s pissed-off Rokuhara-san or Yukihira-san—SOMEONE HELP!）

A pathetic plea.

But it came from her very human kindness.

She would never let civilians get caught up in this.

And perhaps, because it was that sort of wish—

The stars responded.

『—Shut up already.』

A third voice, unfamiliar to both of them, rang out.

And at the same time—a massive surge of magical power was felt.

““!?””

Ryuuko and the scholar forgot each other’s presence for an instant, both turning toward the source.

『With those shrill voices, I can’t hear the song of the stars.』

Silver-blue hair, a black-accented dress.

A beautiful face, white skin, and blue eyes.

That could only be—

“…Sorciera.”

Whose voice was it?

The girl called by name didn’t even glance at them—she simply lifted a teacup.

In front of her was a white table.

And colorful sweets. A scene far removed from the battlefield.

As if she were mid-tea party, she sat alone, sipping tea with elegance.

Her mere presence made the battle feel like just another theatrical act.

“So you’ve come, Sorciera. I didn’t want to see you—but I suppose it’s unavoidable.”

“Ugh, what a pain. But, whatever.”

The scholar glared at Sorciera, ready to act at any moment.

Ryuuko, on the other hand, simply let out a breath and stroked Baltius.

That ease reflected the experience of someone who had survived countless deadly battles as an S-Rank.

But of course—

（GYAAAAAAAAH! Another problem just showed up!）

Inside, she was screaming her lungs out.