[Moments Earlier]
The skies were darkened.
The earth was melting, dissolving into murky dark liquid that seemed like an endless swamp of boiling tar.
The pungent odor in the air was so toxic that a single whiff could kill anyone, and the the intensity of negative energy was enough to melt anyone to the marrow of their bones.
In essence, this was hell.
And in this hell, there was something magnificent—no, perhaps the word would be jawbreaking—was occurring.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
A colossal beast, only about the size of the tallest mountain one could imagine, echoed its enraged voice, sending it flying through the disgustingly dark area.
Its power sent shockwaves and bursts of energy filling everything around it, and the melting world around it shivered in response to its roar.
It was a bipedal monster, with four separate fore limbs dedicated to unbridled destruction. It had what appeared to be the mane of a lion, but also several tentacle-thingies behind it, swirling and whirring like hideous snakes ready to strike their prey.
That wasn't all, though. No… not even close.
This monster had spikes that oozed with poisonous fluids all over his body. They seemed like bones that poked out of its gleaming dark flesh.
Its nine glowing crimson eyes saw all, and its jaws loosened to display its salivating mouth, filled to the brim with spiky teeth that threatened to rip everything around it to shreds. Its humongous tail lashed around, like a whip that would tear all assunder with one strike.
With a monster taller than a thousand meters roaring in fury, there was no one in their right mind who would dare to stand against it.
None would even be able to come close.
However… this was when the miracle occurred.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
This eruption was caused not by the roaring beast, nor any of its multiple destructive appendages, but by someone else.
No… not someone.
Three people in particular.
~WHOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHH!!!~
These three women had crimson, yellow, and white hair respectively. The yellow blonde had short hair, while the other two had long hair. Compared to the other two, she appeared very little—like a child.
Still, these three stood side by side.
With a wild grin plastered on the face of the crimson-haired woman, the stoic expression of the woman with white hair, and a calculating frown from the yellow blonde, the mist cleared, and their foe came into view.
It was the towering creature of unimaginable power.
"Looks like it devoured the others in this vicinity." The yellow blonde whispered, her hand pressing something like an earpiece locked in her ears.
Goggles instantly covered her pretty blue eyes, allowing her to properly perceive the monster.
"Its negative energy level is at a breakneck rate, and its still rising. If we don't deal with it now, it'll be a hassle later." She added.
"What does that mean, Ana? Can we take it or not?" The white-haired girl asked, her eyes unblinking as she stared emotionlessly at both the adversary and her comrade.
"It goes without saying, Maria. I just wanted to analyze it a little." The one called Ana, a Loli who was dressed in a white labcoat and a black and gold millitary-themed uniform, smiled at her comrade.
For Maria, she was dressed in a short-sleeved white robe, which fluttered with the toxic wind around them. Her inner wear was a black zipped up long-sleeved shirt that peeked out of the robe.
She, just like Ana, also donned trousers, as well as high-heeled boots, to complete her outfit.
"You girls… what's the point in wasting time like this?" The final woman, a crimson-haired lady, grinned widely as she took a step forward.
Her outfit was a mix of black, red, and white—a short sleeved crop top that hugged her body tightly, displaying her massive boobs and her streamlined body.
Her long hair flowed behind her, and her eyes kept glowing like undying embers of flames. And as her grin broadened, her fists clenched harder.
"We just have to kill it, right? Then let's go."
Both women looked at each other, and then the oldest among them—the crimson lady—and eventually had to agree about the futility of their conversation.
Their mission involved investigation, but fighting wasn't restricted as well.
When confronted with threats like this, there was only one reasonable option that came to mind.
"Annihilate it until there's nothing left."
The two women stepped forward, their gazes fixed on the monster while they parted their lips.
"Yes, Miss Serah."
"Understod, Master Serah."
Serah Crimson slapped her first into her palm and gave the most fearless smile imaginable as her two comrades stood side by side with her—their focus on the creature who seemed like it was contemplating what to do with them, just as they were contemplating what to do with it.
But just as they all decided to eradicate it, the monster also came to the same conclusion.
"ROOOOAAAAA—"
~WHOOOOSSSHHH!~
In an epic streak of blinding light, the three women swiftly left their position, gliding with the wind instead.
Red, blue, and yellow auras burst within the darkness, like various flashes of lightening, instantly rushing to their targets like uncontrollable meteors.
Before the monster could complete its roar, they had already closed their distance, ready to strike the creature.
"First of all, the polluted area is granting an advantage to the Nether Beast. If I cut of its supply of Nether, it won't be able to regenerate or restore its lost power." Ana's voice echoed through the tense moment, and she took to pressing a button on her wristwatch.
Instantly, her boots transformed into a surfboard, with which she glided through the darkness while using her goggles to navigate through the world around her.
She ascended to the sky far above her companions who were busy with the monster.
As for the other two, Serah Crimson simply concentrated energy on her fist, making it glow red-hot… more so than burning iron being smelted in the forge.
With such a dangerous blow brandhished by the wild woman, Serah neared the Nether Beast who now sent its multiple tentacles in her direction.
"Haha! Nice try!"
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!~
Serah punched the very air around her, sending a durge of red energy flying at the multiple appendages that charged at her.
The moment the shockwave reached them, they were turned into nothing but squished, deflated mounds of flesh.
The clash between Serah's air strike and the monster's tentacles left a resounding bang in the air. It also caused the creature to recoil in pain, taking a step back from Serah.
… That was its mistake.
"[True Wind Magic: Dual Sliding Gate]."
The only thing the Nether Beast heard was the tiny whisper of the white-haired human behind it.
And then the unthinkable happened.
~WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!~
Two invisible, yet overwhelmingly perceptible force of incredible sharpness were sent forth. Before the creature could react or even understand what was going on, two of its mighty appendages were sliced off.
As soon as they were cut off, they were further diced to pieces and turned to mincemeat as the aftershock of the Spell.
"ROOOOAAAARRRRR!!!" The beast cried in pain, and if it had the capacity to do so, it was possible that it would shed tears.
"Hm. Two more to go." The cold tone of the human greeted the ears of the Nether Beast, causing shivers to course through its spine.
It had always taken pride in its impenetrable body, yet she had just sliced it off like it was nothing.
"GRRRRRRRRRRR…."
Well, it didn't matter much to the monster.
It still had two more for fighting limbs. Plus, any moment now, it would recover its lost parts thanks to the rich Nether that flowed around him.
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!"
That's right! In the end, the advantage still belonged to hi—
~FSHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~
In nearly an instant, the darkened sky, boiling earth, and toxic air, suddenly shifted in trajectory.
Not only did all the aforemention cease to exist, but they were reversed to form different phenomena that would send any beast like it into shock.
The air now became refreshingly breathable, almost to an absurd degree. The skies were brighter than ever, raining down showers of brilliance. The earth hardened in beauty, forming the purest crystal-like minerals.
Everything seemed like a utopia: the expected aftereffect of all that Nether suddenly transforming into Aether.
"R-ROOOOOAAARRRRR…?!"
The advantage the creature just earlier alluded to had dissipated before it even realized it, and instead of the toxic environment it reveled in, it was a world of beautiful wonder that now filled its sight.
A world that it didn't belong to.
"It took you long enough, Ana!" Serah grinned. "I could have beaten it without that, but I just wanted you to show us the new trick you've been working on."
"It's not bad. I've never seen you use it on this scale." Maria commented as she watched Ana descend from her position in the air.
"Well, what can I say? I needed a bit more time to study the other elements present in the air. It only took a few more seconds than anticipated, so it's not enough to complain about."
Her wind surfboard whirred as she took her position with Maria and Serah, who now jointly watched the Nether Beast squirm in the new environment it found itself in.
"It won't die anytime soon. The stockpile of Nether it has should be enough to last it a couple more days. That is, if it doesnt't adapt first and learn to produce more internal Nether than the surrounding Aether."
With no renewable supply strong enough to offset the Aether poisoning it would be experiencing, a Nether Beast was bound to die in this case.
But there ahd been cases of Nether Beasts evolving past that.
Ah, not just Nether Beasts.
"I suppose what we have to do hasn't changed, then. We should put it out of its misery." Maria mumured, her stoic gaze resting on the creature before her.
"That's right, ladies." Serah Crimson's fist glowed with fiery energy once more.
"Let's end this once and for all."
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[A/N]
Welcome to the Final Arc of SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar.
It has been quite a ride, hasn't it? If you've made it this far, then bravo!
You are one of the chosen few who will witness the end of this story.
… Thank you for staying.
Let us begin our grand adventure into The End Of The World Arc!
