“Wh-what exactly is going on here…?”

Kūna Mirume was baffled.

She had been crafting an S-rank Dive Gear for Mizuhi when, out of nowhere, two people appeared and dragged her into this situation.

(One of them, I recognize. Sorciera — the one Ruka-san mentioned. But the other one…?)

Inside the student council room. This place, which was far from spacious, was not suited for battle.

Perhaps realizing that, Sorciera immediately activated a teleportation spell.

A massive magic circle enveloped the entire student council room, transferring all three individuals to another location.

“Ah, the training grounds. Can I break things here again?”

“…So you enjoy spying on people? How disgusting.”

“Huh? Why am I getting dragged into this toooo!?”

Once teleported to a spot slightly away from the training grounds, Kūna Mirume found herself confronted by two simultaneous magical barriers.

The barriers clashed and intertwined, forming an even sturdier protective wall between them.

Observing this, Mirume unconsciously shifted her mindset from victim to bystander.

(This… could this be the spark for my next inspiration!?)

Surprisingly, she had nerves of steel.

“The winner takes her. Does that sound fair?”

“Sure. If you can defeat me, that is.”

Hearing those words, the masked girl shrugged.

Even in a battlefield, her carefree attitude didn’t waver. In response, Sorciera smiled seductively, gripping her scythe.

“—!”

They charged at each other simultaneously.

However, the first to attack was Sorciera.

“Too slow. Your sluggish steps make me yawn.”

With a light tap of her foot, Sorciera swiftly closed the gap and swung her scythe downward.

A sharp, magic-infused strike.

The masked girl parried it with a magical barrier formed on her left arm, using it as a shield.

As the scythe embedded itself into the ground, the masked girl countered with a kick aimed directly at Sorciera.

“How barbaric.”

“Haha! You like it rough, don’t you?”

Sorciera deflected the kick with a barrier of her own.

Without a moment’s pause, she deployed a magic circle beneath her feet, launching a magical blast at the masked girl.

With a snap of her fingers, the magic shot was unleashed.

“Whoa! That was close.”

The masked girl dodged nimbly.

But as she turned her gaze forward, Sorciera had already disappeared from sight.

“Huh? …Oh, what’s this?”

Chains of silver emerged from all directions, binding the masked girl’s arms and legs.

She struggled against them, but the chains wouldn’t budge.

“Is that all? I was hoping for more fun. Hey, Sorciera.”

The masked girl gazed upward, where a silver star twinkled in the sky.

It was an unparalleled convergence cannon formed from a unique magic formula that even converted dust clouds into mana.

It could easily obliterate the entire area if fully unleashed. But Sorciera had narrowed its focus, aiming it solely at the masked girl.

With the cannon pointed directly at her, Sorciera smiled.

“Unfortunately for you, I already have a prior engagement. But next time, I’ll be the one to invite you. May I know your name?”

“Oh dear, rejected. Well then, my name… Let’s see… Call me Nameless.”

“Are you joking?”

“Not at all. I’m serious.”

“How dull.”

The trigger was pulled.

The high-density mana blast hit Nameless directly, stirring up a storm of dust and debris.

(This is incredible. I thought it would be an even match, but Sorciera won. So this is Sorciera…)

The battle unfolding before Mirume was priceless information for any student at Zilnius Academy.

The magic formulas in action and the ways they were utilized.

Without delay, Mirume pulled out a notepad from her expanded storage space and began recording every detail of the fight.

“Ruka-san will be thrilled with this!”

“—Oh? That’s great news. By the way, how about my magic?”

“Huh?”

From within the magic barrier, Nameless appeared behind Mirume.

Standing so close that Mirume could feel her breath if not for the mask, Nameless grinned mischievously.

“Surprised? I can use teleportation magic too.”

“What!?”

Before Mirume could scream, Nameless grabbed her head with her right hand.

“My objective this time is you, Mirume-chan. Mission accomplished, nice and quick.”

“What are you… Gah!?”

A sharp spark flared through her brain.

In that moment, memories she thought were sealed away resurfaced.

“You…! Nameless!”

“I’ve been telling you that the whole time. You really say the oddest things. This is our second meeting, right? Been doing well?”

It felt as though something was being etched directly into her brain.

Mirume recognized the sensation.

(I remember now…! I didn’t come up with my inventions on my own. This person implanted the designs in my head!)

Mirume had always considered herself somewhat of a genius.

Indeed, if given a blueprint, she could craft almost anything.

But it was only because she had the blueprints.

She hadn’t come up with those ideas herself.

She had been given the sparks of inspiration, deliberately planted in her mind.

“Well then, should I give you a little more? Don’t worry. It’s just a matter of timing. Sooner or later, you would have figured it out anyway. Now, what else do we have here…”

Information was flowing into her mind.

Just as Nameless, in a cheerful tone, was about to inject more information—

“You think you can deceive me? Heh, interesting… you.”

The magical barrier was forcefully shattered.

Tearing through the sturdy double-layered barrier, Sorciera barged in.

Her scythe swung with even greater sharpness than before, targeting Nameless.

“Oh, time’s up?”

Nameless leaped to avoid the blow.

For the first time, she unfolded a magic circle aimed directly at Sorciera.

“I can’t beat you yet, so—sorry if this annoys you, okay?”

“My mind’s changed. Let’s dance a little longer, shall we?”

“Oh, scary, scary. As expected, you’re a troublesome enemy to have.”

A blast shot out from Nameless’s magic circle.

(That… is the same as Sorciera’s?)

Miyume noticed that the magical formula was identical to Sorciera’s.

A dark light, swallowing the brilliance of the stars, surged toward Sorciera.

“Pathetic mimicry.”

Sorciera blocked it with one hand and aimed the scythe’s barrel at Nameless once again.

“Oh? Then shall we finish this with a shootout?”

Nameless reached into the magic circle she had spread.

She seemed to be pulling something out—but then stopped abruptly, as if realizing something.

“…Never mind. It seems I’ve been caught.”

As soon as she said that, Nameless soared higher.

Immediately after, flames passed through the spot where she had been.

“Well, making this much noise was bound to summon someone.”

“…Mizuhi.”

In the darkness, flames ignited.

The shapeless fire, as if possessing a will of its own, coiled and twisted around its master like a serpent.

“Sorciera again? Honestly, why don’t you just join this academy?”

Mizuhi stepped in casually.

She carried herself with the dignity of someone truly worthy of the title “strongest.”

She glanced at Sorciera, then looked up at Nameless and tilted her head.

“…Who is that?”

“I was hoping you’d tell me. Not one of your friends?”

“Like I’d know. One sketchy acquaintance is more than enough.”

Mizuhi stood protectively in front of Miyume.

The Dive Gear, having lost its computational ability, was melting from the heat.

Mizuhi glanced at Miyume.

“Are you okay?”

“…Y-yes. Th-this is—”

“No problem.”

Miyume began to explain the situation, but Mizuhi cut her off.

“I know exactly who to deal with.”

With those words, Mizuhi aimed her gun at Nameless.

Sorciera sighed, seemingly exasperated, while Nameless grinned playfully.

“Sorciera acts with reason and goodwill. Therefore, it’s only logical that someone fighting Sorciera is my enemy.”

“…You’re quite the honest one. Too serious, even.”

“Hah, you’re the same way, Sorciera.”

Mizuhi laughed, showing no signs of concern toward Sorciera.

“As expected, you two make a good team. A perfect picture.”

Nameless spoke in a satisfied tone, making a frame with her hands as if capturing a photo.

There was no sense of tension, even in the middle of battle.

“Be careful. That girl’s got some skills.”

“Interesting. Let’s see how long she lasts against Sorciera and me.”

For the first time since facing the fake Sakuraba Rakka, an alliance was formed again—albeit temporarily.

Their target was Nameless.

Just as the two were about to make their move—

“Oh, nope. I’m not fighting anymore. I’m out of time.”

Black chains shot out from behind the two of them.

“What is this…?”

“Tch, how annoying!”

They shot down the chains with blasts and incinerated them with flames.

It all happened in less than a second.

Yet that fleeting moment felt endlessly long.

“Well then. It was fun, Sorciera.”

Nameless had already activated a teleportation spell.

Both Sorciera and Mizuhi realized at the same time that they wouldn’t make it in time.

“Wait! What’s your goal!?”

Mizuhi shouted at the vanishing Nameless.

Nameless turned to look back once, saying—

“To change this ridiculous fate, maybe? I hate fate.”

Her voice was light, cheerful—yet terrifyingly cold.

Before any more questions could be asked, Nameless disappeared.

Silence fell upon the area.

Mizuhi looked at Sorciera and lowered her gun.

Seeing that, Sorciera responded by tossing her scythe into a magic circle, making it vanish.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save Miyume.”

“I didn’t help you. I have my own business with this girl.”

Sorciera pointed at Miyume.

“Use that brain of yours wisely. What you create has the potential to become irregular. If you act recklessly, it’ll be a nuisance.”

Her tone was harsh, almost dismissive.

Yet neither Mizuhi nor Miyume seemed offended.

(Yeah… she’s probably just worried, giving her own version of advice.)

Mizuhi was beginning to understand the true meaning behind Sorciera’s words.

And as for Miyume—

“Actually… all the inventions I’ve made so far… weren’t my ideas. They were all things that Nameless planted in my brain.”

“What?! Are you serious!?”

It was a revelation that shattered everything they knew about the girl called Miyume.

“The S-Rank Dive Gear, ‘Nakayoshi! Dungeon-kun No. 6,’ the Trans Anchor, the ultra-high-performance magical dummy head mic… All of it! It was all Nameless’s knowledge!”

“Wait, hold on. That last part sounds weird.”

“Exactly! It’s weird! I wasn’t the one creating anything!”

Mizuhi mumbled under her breath, “No, that’s not what I meant…”

Sorciera, who had been watching silently, eventually broke into a mysterious smile.

“So, it was true after all.”

“You know something, Sorciera?”

“Yes, though not everything.”

“Tell me. I’m already S-Rank. If I have information, I might be able to counter it.”

Sorciera hesitated for a moment but eventually spoke.

“The Zilnius Academy… has been committing forbidden acts for a long time. They’ve been artificially creating geniuses by implanting knowledge into others.”

“That’s… absurd!”

“It’s the truth. The project had been frozen for a while, but it seems it’s resumed again. Humanity never learns from its mistakes.”

Sorciera sighed.

Her downcast face was unreadable.

“Stay out of this matter.”

As if reading Mizuhi’s mind, Sorciera warned her.

“Why?!”

“You’re a pillar of the Fectom Academy, aren’t you? Focus on the academy’s reconstruction. As for that matter… It’s my prey.”

With those words, Sorciera activated another teleportation spell and stepped into it.

“Wait! I need more details—”

“I have nothing more to say.”

It was a clear dismissal.

Even someone like Mizuhi, who had reached S-Rank and could interfere with concepts, was not allowed to involve herself in that darkness.

“Sorciera… just how much do you know?”

There was no one left to answer that question.