Arc-7 Ch-45

Every time I swung my right arm, a vision unfurled through the darkness, like crimson serpents slithering and writhing in every direction.

Magic wasn’t supposed to have any physical form, yet whenever the flames extending from my right arm twisted and lashed out, I could hear an eerie whooshing sound slicing through the air. It was deeply unsettling.

Compared to my normal right arm, this flame whip had stretched dozens of times longer, and I had no clue how it was even moving.

All I knew was that whenever I cracked it like a whip, sparks scattered across the ceiling, walls, and floor of the corridor, and the monsters let out pained, agonized groans.

Each time my flames lit up the darkness, the monsters flinched, inching backward one cautious step at a time.

The monsters’ only means of attack were close-range melee: snapping with their jaws, grappling with their many arms using sheer brute force, or raking with their sharp claws.

That meant if I struck from beyond their reach, they had almost no way to fight back.

By holding my ground in the wide corridor and swinging my right arm, there was nowhere for the monsters to escape my flames.

Still, I only had one right arm.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t produce even a single spark from my left arm or either of my legs.

I figured the reason was the amulet my mother had given me, the one fastened to my right arm.

I wanted to see what would happen if I moved it somewhere else, but if the flames stopped, we’d definitely die.

That was the one outcome I absolutely refused to accept, so I couldn’t afford to do anything reckless.

“Alright… looks like it’s working for now.”

『Given the overwhelming gap in combat strength, I’d already concluded that retreat was inevitable. However, Ariel Fou Bartfort’s awakening has turned out to be an unexpected stroke of good fortune.』

“Did Father let us come along because he saw this coming?”

“No way. I was planning to explore the ruins alone from the start.”

『Placing excessive expectations on Leon Fou Bartfort’s strategic planning ability isn’t advisable. While the public sees him as a bold and cunning tactician, in truth he’s a fundamentally orthodox fighter who’s meticulous about managing risk and acts with caution.』

“Are you praising me or insulting me? Pick one.”

Beside me, the Lost Item—no, the “Sphere”—and Father had started arguing again.

Father and Lionel guarded my left and right flanks while laying down covering fire with their guns to pin the monsters in place. Any monster whose movement was halted, I smashed with my flaming right arm with everything I had.

It was a formation that covered each other’s blind spots while carefully ensuring no one stepped into the line of fire.

Father had come up with it on the spot, but even someone as slow as me could tell it was incredibly effective against the monsters.

The fact that we’d managed to fight our way back to our original position after being pushed back by the horde was proof enough.

Even so, overcoming such an overwhelming numerical disadvantage wasn’t easy. We’d managed to retreat, but pushing any deeper into the ruins was far harder than expected, and now we were stuck.

“Damn it… pushing them back is the best we can do.”

『The number of monsters eliminated in the last few moments remains at only three. By comparison, the earlier approach relying solely on gunfire was clearly more efficient in terms of kills. At present, Ariel Fou Bartfort’s attacks can inflict enough damage to intimidate the creatures, but they fall significantly short of delivering the force needed for complete destruction.』

“Haaah!? Are you saying this is my fault!?”

“Ariel, calm down. For now, just focus on taking down the monsters.”　

My surging anger made the flames flicker violently, while Lionel’s words tried desperately to calm me down.

I somehow managed to rein in my emotions and sort through my thoughts. It was an undeniable fact that my attacks hadn’t been able to finish off the monsters up to now.

The bodies of the monsters struck by my whip-like flames were left with grotesquely charred and melted skin and flesh, yet the only ones I had actually killed were the few I’d hit right after my power awakened.

Since then, I’d landed blow after blow on the monsters that kept pressing forward again and again, but after they retreated deeper into the corridor from the pain of their wounds, they would eventually charge back once more. It was an endless cycle.

If things went on like this, the monsters would eventually grow accustomed to the pain of my attacks and rush us all at once. There was no doubt that we’d be the ones who ended up dead.

That anxiety kept swelling deeper and deeper within my chest, yet I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

『After conducting measurements, I’ve determined that the killing power of the flame strikes decreases the farther they travel from Ariel Fou Bartfort’s body.』

“So it’s a range problem?”

『That is my conclusion. When we aligned our formation with the effective firing range of the guns, it became evident that the greater the distance, the lighter the physical damage inflicted on the enemy individuals.』

“Then calculate the distance at which we can actually kill the monsters right now.”

『That calculation has already been completed. The range at which maximum power can be maintained is within approximately 60 centimeters from Ariel Fou Bartfort’s body.』

“I don’t understand the units you’re using!”

『It corresponds to roughly one step’s distance.』

In other words, I could only finish off the monsters if I struck them from within about a single step of my own body?

How could he say something like that so casually? Now I really understood why Father was always so harsh on this Lost Item.

Even so, I could also tell that the ball’s assessment was correct.

Even guns lose power the farther their targets are, so it wouldn’t be strange for magic to behave the same way.

If I absolutely had to do it, then I had no choice but to try with everything I had. But I still had no idea what the proper way to do it even was.

“Ariel, did you hear that?”

“I heard it. That Lost Item seriously pisses me off.”

“Let’s try it for now.”

“You’re acting like this has nothing to do with you, aren’t you? I’ve been trying all kinds of things this whole time, but nothing’s working.”

“Calm down, Ariel. First, steady your breathing.”

Because I was already irritated, I ended up snapping at Lionel when he spoke to me.

I knew it was unfair, but I was desperate too, so it couldn’t be helped.

Even in my short life, I understood that it was easy for outsiders to throw out their opinions, but things rarely went smoothly once you were the one actually dealing with it.

Still, I had absolutely no clue how to control this flame—what exactly I needed to do to make it obey me. Even me the one producing it couldn’t figure it out.

Right now, it extended from my hand like a whip and moved accordingly, but I’d never once handled a real whip before.

The things I’d handled most often in the royal academy lectures and the Bartfort territory army training were guns, and when it came to close-combat weapons, I’d only used swords and spears a little.

Besides, I’d only had average talent for magic to begin with. Suddenly being able to produce flame magic like this was naturally overwhelming.

If only I’d taken my training and lectures more seriously back then.

If we managed to make it back alive, I swore I’d turn over a new leaf and live a proper academy life without neglecting my studies or training.

“Have you ever seen Angie use magic?”

“Yeah.”

“She didn’t have any special talent for magic at the start either. She only became capable of using powerful magic after she married me.”

“Really?”

“Even so, Angie spent years training before she could properly control her magic. You can tell that normal magic doesn’t take on a shape like this, right?”

“I’m the one producing it, and even I don’t really understand it…”

“I’d like to teach you slowly, but we don’t have that kind of time, and the situation is what it is. I’ll just give you the key points.”

“Eh, wait a second…”

“Gather the fire you’ve released into a shape that you can handle easily. The reason Angie shapes her magic like a rod is because that form is the easiest for her to control.”

“Hmm…”

“We should be able to hold the monsters off for a little while. During that time, focus on shaping it properly.”

　Following my not-so-reliable father’s advice, I stood rooted in place while the other two people and one object stepped slightly forward to engage the monsters.

Even if he suddenly told me to do that, it was still a problem.

In any case, right now, while Father and Lionel were holding them off, I had to figure out how to properly handle these flames, or it would be the end for all of us.

I didn’t want to die in this underground place where not even sunlight could reach, and I absolutely refused to become food for monsters without ever seeing my family again.

So, for the first time in my life, the only path left to survival was to control these flames with the genuine resolve to risk my life if necessary.

What worked in my favor was that I had seen Mother fighting the monsters a short while ago.

I hated the idea that a daughter should naturally be able to do what her mother could, but for now I focused only on recreating that scene.

If I remembered correctly, Mother had first formed a fireball in the palm of her hand.

I also recalled that when she shaped her magic into something like a rod, she had brought both of her palms together.

For the moment, I held my palms out in front of me and steadied my breathing. I tried to recreate that abnormal level of concentration from earlier by clearing every unnecessary thought from my mind and focusing all my awareness on the flames emerging from my body.

I’d thought it would be impossible to recreate the most focused state I’d ever reached in my life, but little by little, the sounds of gunfire and the monsters’ roars faded into the distance, and my consciousness filled with nothing but myself and the flames.

It was going better than I’d expected—even I was surprised. The problem now was how to control the flames from here.

It seemed better not to try shaping the fire into a rod like Mother had.

Even if I awkwardly copied her, Mother’s preferred fighting style and mine were completely different.

So then, what was my preferred fighting style?

Guns were out of the question for now. I was used to handling them from training, but there was no way I could reproduce something that complex.

Close-combat weapons like swords or spears?

Even if I handled them better than most girls my age, I wasn’t skilled enough to be called a master or expert.

I’d always thought of myself as a girl who was good at physical activities and combat, but when I really stopped to think about it, there weren’t actually that many things I could do.

A deeply miserable feeling washed over me. The idiot Ariel who usually bragged so much was completely useless when it really mattered.

So many things had happened since coming to this floating island that I’d finally realized just how much I’d been protected by my status and my parents.

But I wasn’t finished yet. This wasn’t my limit.

Break down the wall standing in front of me. Crush whatever’s blocking my path.

I had no desire to become a refined and graceful young lady.

No matter where I went, I would always be myself.

If these flames were coming from my body, then they were a part of me that had been sleeping all this time.

The idea that I couldn’t control them just because I hadn’t been acknowledged that wasn’t something I was willing to accept. That wouldn’t be like me at all.

An idiot doesn’t think about consequences—that’s exactly why she’s an idiot. If you’re a part of me, flames, then I’ll force you to obey through sheer power.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

The flames that had been stretching out like a whip began to twist and writhe like living snakes, coiling tightly around my right arm.

Until now, I hadn’t felt any heat at all, but suddenly the heat of the flames and the crushing pressure wrapped around my arm burned through my clothes. My flesh and bones groaned, and a scream tore out of my throat.

But I wasn’t going to give in.

If I died, the flames would die with me.

There was no way I’d let some rampaging power that couldn’t even imagine or prepare for its own death look down on me.

I had no idea how long that searing heat and pain continued—the kind of heat that made me feel like my right arm might burn down to charcoal.

Because my concentration was so intense, my sense of time stretched unnaturally, and every single second felt dozens of times longer.

The heat pouring from my body was so overwhelming it felt like even the sweat streaming off me would evaporate instantly.

My nose and mouth filled with the metallic scent of blood, and something began to leak out.

Realizing that the thick, sticky substance was blood, I instinctively lowered my face and spat out what had pooled in my mouth.

This much was nothing. For someone with as much blood as me, it actually helped clear my head.

When I suddenly shifted my gaze to my right arm, the flame snake that had been constricting it was gone.

In its place was a radiant, enormous right arm.

No—calling it a right arm felt wrong. Its shape was far too unnatural.

The flames that had been wrapped around my entire right arm just moments ago had completely disappeared.

The farther it extended from the elbow, the more massive and luminous the arm became. It no longer flickered like fire, but instead gleamed with a sheen closer to heated metal.

Especially the right fist—it was easily a hundred times larger than normal. If I lowered my arm, it would definitely scrape against the floor.

The arm was large enough to crush an adult with ease, and its warped, monstrous appearance looked as if an armored gauntlet from the Bartfort feudal army had been forcibly fused onto my body.

Despite its immense size, it felt completely weightless, which somehow made it even more terrifying. It was like something out of a fever dream.

A slight dizziness washed over me, but I endured it and wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

My clothes were stained a dark red from nosebleed and vomit, but women were far more accustomed to blood and pain than men.

Carrying a sense of frustration at this unexpected result, I broke into a run toward the front.

If I’d become a monster, then I’d fight like one.

“Both of you, get out of the way!!”

When I shouted at Father and Lionel, who’d been firing their guns at the monsters, both of them immediately ceased shooting.

I couldn’t tell whether they were stunned by the sight of my right arm having grotesquely swollen to an enormous size, or by the sheer recklessness of me charging headlong toward the monsters.

Right now, the only thing occupying my mind was overturning the situation we were trapped in.

The instant I clenched my fist with all the strength I could muster, intending to drive it straight into the nearest monster, the pitch-black passage was suddenly drowned in blinding light.

DOOOOOONNNN!!

A thunderous explosion roared out, resembling the firing of a live shell from a battleship’s main cannon.

I had absolutely no idea why it had turned out like that.

What I did understand, however, was the undeniable fact that the monster struck by my gigantic right fist had its entire upper body—from the chest upward—completely erased without leaving even a trace behind.

Chunks of blood and flesh splattered across the walls and ceiling of the passage, illuminated starkly by the radiance pouring from my right arm, looked exactly like the aftermath of a cannon blast and it was horrifying sight to behold.

I stood there, stunned and completely exposed, riddled with openings. If the monsters had lunged at me in that instant, I would’ve taken their attacks head-on without any chance to defend myself.

The only reason they didn’t rush me was because of the light emanating from my right fist.

“HIGYAAAAAH!?”

“OHHHHH! SYUUUUH!!”

The monsters covered their eyes and faces with their hands as though terrified, resembling pitiful little creatures that had accidentally glimpsed something they were never meant to witness.

『It’s the light emission and the explosive sound.』

“Haa?”

Everyone present—including the monsters—had frozen in place, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Amid that paralysis, only the Sphere calmly delivered its analysis.

The moment a dumbfounded sound escaped my lips, I suddenly realized I’d been leaving myself completely exposed right in front of the monsters and hastily retreated back to Father’s side.

『From the dissection conducted earlier, it’s been determined that these creatures possess an extremely large pupil-to-eye ratio compared to you humans.』

“What the hell does that even mean!?”

『Creatures with large pupils tend to have expanded pupils—that is, the black portion of the eye—in order to enhance visibility in dark environments.』

“So what!?”

『In exchange for being able to function in darkness by relying on even the faintest traces of light, it’s presumed they cannot withstand the intense glare of sunlight from the surface world where you reside.』

“So they’re recoiling from Ariel’s magic. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

『Affirmative. Furthermore, their unusually elongated earlobes grant them exceptional sound-gathering capability, but this also renders them highly vulnerable to auditory overload from sudden, loud noises.』

“So their oversized ears let them pick up even the tiniest sounds, but they’re weak against loud ones.”

“Yeah, like cave bats or burrowing moles.”

『Taking all these factors into account, Ariel Fou Bartfort’s attacks can be considered extremely effective—though it’s most likely nothing more than coincidence.』

“You always have to tack on one unnecessary comment at the end, don’t you!!”

While glaring at the Sphere, who kept throwing out those irritating remarks, I swung my right arm over and over again.

GAAAAAANNNN!!

DOOOOOOOOOO!!

HAAAAAAAANNN!!

Each time my massive right fist connected, a deafening boom reverberated through the passage, sending the monsters’ bodies hurtling away.

The parts that were struck—heads, torsos, lower bodies, chests, abdomens—were gouged out so violently it was as if those sections had never existed at all, their cross-sections charred pitch black.

On top of that, every impact unleashed both a blinding flash of light and an explosive shockwave, causing the monsters to flinch and freeze where they stood. In that brief opening, I’d immediately lock onto the next target and launch the following strike.

After repeating this sequence several times, the tide had completely reversed. The monsters that had been overwhelming us with their sheer numbers were now the ones being forced back. The sensation was unbelievably exhilarating.

However, that momentum didn’t last.

I’d barely managed to take down fewer than ten of them when, just as I tried to swing at the next monster, my stance suddenly gave way beneath me.

It wasn’t because my footing had slipped on the blood-slick ground, nor because I’d run out of breath from the relentless exertion. It was unmistakably something else.

With every monster I brought down, I could feel an overwhelming surge of strength, body heat, and even moisture being relentlessly drained from within me.

　It felt as though my very life itself was being siphoned away. The crushing fatigue caused my movements to slow to a crawl, and the distance between me and the next monster seemed to stretch endlessly farther and farther.

“What’s wrong, Ariel!?”

Lionel was the first to realize something was off with me.

Whether it was because we’d been born as twins, or because we’d shared such a long bond ever since we were in Mother’s womb, he was far more attuned to my condition than anyone else.

Father was deftly firing his gun without leaving the monsters any openings, and the Sphere was casting light from its red, eye-like section to illuminate the passage, so neither of them could spare even a moment to check on me.

I tried desperately to force my body to move, but it refused to obey the way I wanted it to.

Even though I knew that if I didn’t push through here, we would undoubtedly die, an uncontrollable chill continued to run through me.

Every time I struck with my flame-wreathed arm, I could reliably take down a single monster. But how many still remained?

Ten? Or twenty?

Before I could finish them all off, my own life would likely give out first—I could tell that much just from the exhaustion weighing down my body. After all, it was my own body.

“Lionel, this isn’t going to work.”

“What do you mean, why!?”

“If we keep taking them down one at a time, I’ll be the one who collapses first. The firepower’s too intense, and the drain is overwhelming.”

“No way!!”

“That’s why I need your help. There’s a way we might be able to wipe them all out at once.”

Even though I called it a plan, I barely had any solid reasoning to support it. It was nothing more than a vague feeling that I might be able to pull something off.

Even so, if these flames truly held the power to protect my family, then it was worth risking everything to try.

Lionel paused for a brief moment before giving a firm nod. In moments like this, being twins made it much easier to understand each other without needing many words.

All that remained was to do everything within my power.

“Father! Fall back for now!”

“What’s going on!? Are you in trouble too!?”

“Ariel has an idea!”

“…Alright, I’m heading over there—wait for me!”

With that, Father began moving toward us. His clothes were splattered heavily with the monsters’ blood in several places, giving him a gruesome, almost terrifying appearance.

And yet, at the same time, there was something about him that felt incredibly dependable. This might’ve been the first time I’d ever truly felt respect for my father.

There wasn’t any time to waste on explanations, so I pointed toward a bend further down the passage. He immediately grasped my intent and started retreating while covering our rear.

My body was already completely drained, but I somehow forced myself into a run.

After I slipped around the corner to take cover, Lionel and Father followed right behind me.

I couldn’t see the monsters from where I was, but Father continued firing his gun without pause.

“What’s going on, Ariel!?”

“If we keep fighting them one by one, we’ll be wiped out first. Even I can’t handle that many with just my right arm.”

“So you’ve got a plan?”

“For now, buy me some time. It’s going to be a gamble, but we don’t have any choice except to try.”

“Understood. Lionel, back me up.”

“Yeah!”

The two of them leaned out from the corner and resumed firing. The monsters were probably mistaking our retreat for an attempt to flee and were chasing after us.

That actually worked in our favor. Since this attack was a gamble, it would’ve been more troublesome if even a single one of them had been left behind.

I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing, raised my right arm, and gently curled my fingers inward.

In my mind, I replayed that moment—drawing upon the memory of Mother when she had unleashed her fire magic.

If I were to say this aloud, I’d probably be laughed at as a foolish daughter clinging to her parent’s legacy.

But for someone like me, who had barely been able to use magic at all, Mother was the only example I could follow.

I slowly curled my fingers tighter, channeling strength into my palm as though I were gathering power there. If these flames were truly a part of me, then they would surely respond.

After a short while, I felt a faint warmth building in my palm.

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and there it was, a small sphere of flame floating quietly in the air before me.

It was roughly the same size as the fireballs Mother used to create. For a first attempt, it was surprisingly well-formed.

　But the real problem began from here. Even if I threw it at the monsters as it was, it only carried enough firepower to take down a single one.

I steadied my breathing and poured power into my palm, focusing with the intent of gathering every last trace of flame within me.

The sphere of fire gradually expanded. It had already grown from the size of a clenched fist into something that exceeded my own height.

The more the sphere swelled, the more severe the exhaustion in my body became. It felt as though it was draining not just my stamina and mana, but even my intellect and life force themselves.

It was terrifying, and yet, because my head—usually so hot with rushing blood—had become calm, I was able to manipulate the flames with unexpected composure. In a way, that might’ve been convenient.

At this rate, I could probably annihilate several monsters in the corridor at once, but the sphere was unwieldy to carry and had no sense of direction.

I remembered being taught that, just like bullets, compressing gunpowder within a cartridge increases its power in a single direction.

I would do the same with this fireball—using my own hands.

Compressing it evenly from all sides seemed impossible, so what I envisioned in my mind was a sun with flames spiraling around it.

I slowly began to rotate the sphere of fire, gradually increasing its speed, and then started drawing in the stretched-out flames, winding them back toward the center.

When I was a child, I had once helped Mother wind a ball of yarn. Now, I was doing the same thing but with flames of my own making.

I kept the core spinning at the center while continuously wrapping more flames around it. The compressed fire burned hotter and shone brighter with each layer.

Not enough. More.

Make it smaller. Hotter. Brighter.

Before I even realized it, the flames that had been wrapped around my right arm were also drawn in, and what hovered above my palm was a miniature sun small enough to fit within my grasp.

Though it had shrunk to the size of a glass marble a child might play with, it trembled incessantly, as if it could explode at any moment.

I could tell that if my control slipped even slightly, the power contained within it was enough to incinerate all of us on the spot.

I had to somehow direct this sphere—into which I’d poured every ounce of strength left in my body—straight toward the monsters.

I tried to step forward toward Father and Lionel, who were desperately holding the monsters back, but my legs felt unbearably heavy. The distance of just a few steps felt impossibly far.

It was almost laughable how walking such a short distance felt more exhausting than sprinting at full speed.

I moved behind the two of them and stepped into the passage. The sight of the monsters continuing their relentless assault even in the darkness was so grotesque it made me want to vomit.

I raised my palm forward, guiding the flame sphere ahead of me. In an instant, the entire passage was flooded with blinding light.

It was so intense that even the flaming arm from earlier seemed insignificant in comparison. The overwhelming brightness caused not only the monsters, but also Father and Lionel, to freeze where they stood.

Even in that moment, I alone could still move.

The flame sphere was something I had created. It was, in every sense, an extension of myself.

【Forward.】

With nothing more than that thought, the flame sphere left my palm and shot toward the monsters.

I couldn’t tell how fast it was traveling, as the intense light had completely overtaken my vision, but I could still feel a thread-like connection linking it back to me.

Just before it reached the nearest monster—after passing by Father and Lionel—I whispered once more within my heart.

【Burst.】

The instant my will reached it, the flame sphere began to expand.

All of the immense power that had been forcibly compressed was released in a single moment. The sphere rapidly expanded, scattering flames in every direction.

The thread-like strands of fire merged with the air, writhing and twisting like serpents as they devoured the monsters, the walls of the ruins, and everything in their path, continuing to expand without limit.

Once again, my perception of time stretched.

I could feel the flames steadily closing in on me.

Now that I thought about it, I had only focused on striking the monsters with the flame sphere. I hadn’t considered at all what would happen afterward.

Even if I tried to move now, I had already exhausted every last ounce of strength in my body. Standing was all I could manage.

So this is how it ends… I’m going to die?

Such thoughts drifted faintly through my mind. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel any fear of death.

Instead, the only thing left within me was a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing I had done everything I possibly could. Being consumed by the flames I myself had created didn’t seem like such a terrible way to go.

As my fading consciousness finally slipped away, I sank into the darkness.

┳⁠━━━━⁠━⁠⁠━⁠━⁠━━━⁠┳  

Authors Note  

┻━⁠━━━━⁠━━⁠━━━⁠┻  

This marked Ariel’s flame magic explosion arc. The image I had in mind while writing it was something akin to the original Genki Dama or an enormous, super-sized Rasengan.

Even so, it still didn’t quite measure up to the Fire Lance that her mother, Angie, unleashed in the original story.

Please note that the monsters’ ecology was inferred based on their depiction in the manga adaptation, and it may differ somewhat from how they are portrayed in the original light novel.

In the next chapter, they’ll finally reach the very core of the ruins.

This year will wrap up with the release of the next chapter. After the new year, I’m planning to finally post the long-awaited ecchi chapter.

Postscript: At the commissioner’s request, the illustrations were drawn by Hanatori-sama, Omiya Mitsu-sama, and MIYAMA-sama.

Additionally, 9430-sama was kind enough to post the illustration that had been requested.

Thank you all very much.

Hanatori-sama　Pixiv

大宮みつ様　Pixiv（adult content warning）

MIYAMA様　Pixiv（adult content warning）

9430様　Pixiv

I’d truly appreciate any thoughts or impressions you might have, as they’ll serve as valuable encouragement for my future work.