"STOP HIM!" I heard Aloe shout from behind me.
Her voice resonated with desperation—deep-seated desperation that told me not to mess things up. I only had one chance—one shot to end all of this.
The enemy was just a distance from me, and now I had the power to stop him! With the combined energy of my allies… and thanks to the help of everyone thus far…
'I will give my all!'
Since I was ahead of her, and was now in possession of such an absurd amount of Aether, the ball was in my court. This was the decisive moment for me… one I could not mess up.
A simple, yet destructive Spell! That was what I needed to achieve my goals. A Spell with no limiting capacity for destruction—a Spell that could be cast instantly.
Only one came to mind.
"ULTIMATE… GRAND BLITZ!"
I concentrated the power in front of me, giving it an attribute of golden light while aiming it in the direction of the stationary enemy. The Cult Leader had an expression of shock on his face, but I ignored that and did what I had to do.
In a flash, the Spell was ready.
"FLY!"
>VWUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!<
I launched the golden ball of light straight at the Cult Leader, who was too occupied with his Spell to retaliate. The spinning ball closed in on him, ready to destroy the Cult Leader, and hopefully his Spell in the process.
>WHOOOOOSSSHHHHHH<
Before the Spell could fully manifest its destructive nature, a sharp silhouette suddenly appeared, using what seemed like a blade to deflect the incoming strike.
The Ultimate Grand Blitz suddenly moved above all of us—flying far, far away from our heghts. And then—
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<
It exploded in the distance.
I had no idea how high up it was deflected, but the shockwaves reached me and Aloe, sending us crashing right back into the crater we came out of.
'N-no…' I watched as the sky—or whatever was beyond the sky—get dyed in glorious golden destruction.
The devastation covered the heavens above, and my heart screamed in regret that it couldn't have affected the Cult Leader.
'And it's all because of him!' I glared at the man who interfered with my plans.
He was none other than the Martial Blade God!
"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" He calmly spoke, sheathing his blade as he spoke.
"Hehe. Well done, First Seat. They surprised me for a second there… though you know I could have taken care of things by myself, don't you?" The Cult Leader grinned devilishly.
"If you say so. I just didn't want to take any chances."
"Tch…"
The Cult Leader finally ceased discussing with the Martial Blade God, returning his focus to his Spell—one that was already in its finishing stages.
"N-no… NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Aloe's scream reverberated throughout the vast expanse, causing me to feel both the fear and unrest that seemed bountiful within her.
I didn't exactly know what she dreaded so much, or what would come of the Cult Leader's Spell. However… I knew I had every right to feel afraid.
"Here it comes!" The Cult Leader smiled, and we all witnessed the twenty-one Arcanas glow to a blinding degree.
Suddenly, a card manifested because of their combined glow. It seemed like all the Arcanas resonating birthed this new card, as it shone with multiple colors, looking far more beautiful and radiant than the others.
Plus… it was HUGE!
The Arcana was slightly bigger than the size of a person, and the illustration on it appeared to be that of an entity.
This entity was pierced with long metal pegs on both hands, and they were shrouded with a ragged-looking attire. Their pose was all-embracing, and I could not tell whether the person was meant to be a man or a woman.
Wrapped in ragged attire, with the pegs in both hands, this entity in the Arcana was grinning, and a bright light shone from behind it. Watching it from my low estate, I could almost feel like the illustration within the Arcana was alive.
"Thus, it begins… [The World]"
All the hair in my body stood, and I could feel a strange sense of submissiveness to the Arcana above me. My weary knees felt like giving out, and I nearly felt like my will was lost.
One by one, my allies collapsed to the ground. They knelt in obeisance to this higher, but I kept fighting.
"Damnit… so this is [The World]." Karlia mumbled as she walked to my side.
It seemed she was also able to fight the pressure.
"Yeah… this must be their goal. I can't even begin to fathom the depths of the power locked within that thing. So this is what ultimate power looks like…" I murmured.
Honestly, I had never felt this hopeless before.
"You're wrong. This isn't their final goal." A voice came from my other side.
It belonged to Aloe, who—just like Karlia—was also fine. I would have been surprised, especially because she didn't even have an Arcana, unlike the others who had given in to the power, however…
'After witnessing all she can do, and experiencing the kind of power she possesses… it's possible.' I sighed.
"They seek to use this power to bring forth something." She added, right as I was about to ask what the goal of the Cult was.
At this point, though, I could guess what they wanted to summon.
"The Nether?"
"Correct. And its too late now…" Aloe sighed as she looked above.
No, I had to stop calling her that. After conversing with her for some time, and experiencing how she had been all this time, the pieces slowly started coming together.
"You're not Aloe, are you?" I glanced at her.
"I'm not." Her response was surprisingly honest.
It was just as I thought. This was an imposter—one who had been in our midst all along.
*
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[A/N]
Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you'll love it.
https://www.webnovel.com/book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205
Cheers!
