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「…So, did it work?!」

Squinting in the bright light, Rafinha raised her voice to ask a question, but it remained unanswered.

Inglis sensed that the Prisma’s presence remained unchanged. It was still writhing about—no, it was too bright to discern, but maybe it had solidified into a shape.

「Glis! How is it?!」
「…I don’t think this is going well!」

Rather than dissipating, it appeared that the Prisma was growing stronger. Inglis wondered if it was due to the absorption of numerous humanoid Magic Stone Beasts or from Yua’s attack. Yua’s current power seemed to possess qualities of a Magic Stone Beast, incorporating some of Prisma’s power. This power specifically belonged to the beastfolk juvenile Prisma that Inglis had fought previously. As evidence, when Yua wielded this power, she developed a pair of ears and a tail similar to Ripple’s. This was not a concern, however. Even if it was the power of a Magic Stone Beast, Yua was still being herself when utilizing it, and if it made her stronger, that was all the better. There were never enough formidable opponents to face, after all.

However, incorporating the power of a Prisma into her own abilities posed a question: could her attacks also be absorbed? Despite both being Prismas, they were distinct entities and did not share identical natures. Additionally, the power itself did not solely originate from the Prisma, but was also a component of Yua’s own abilities.

Yua might have encountered this Prisma before Inglis and Rafinha’s arrival, causing it to adapt to her attacks. However, there was no clear explanation for the unfolding phenomenon; only the outcome was observable.

The Prisma had ceased absorbing the humanoid Magic Stone Beasts. The remaining blocks of ice having yet to be absorbed were plucked from the air and fell to the surrounding area. The ice block that Yua had claimed to contain Maurice had also ceased moving, indicating that Inglis and Rafinha had successfully safeguarded it. However…

「It-, it stopped! Is it all right now?!」
「Yeah, for him! But…」

After the light had dissipated, the Prisma emerged with a definite form that was distinct from the one that Inglis had previously destroyed. Although it retained the head of a colossal bird, which exuded both strength and grandeur, the rest of its body —including its arms, legs, and torso— now resembled that of a human. Additionally, the Prisma’s body was now only a fraction of its prior size, although it was still nearly three times larger than Inglis. Despite its reduced stature, the condensed power emanating from the Prisma was now far greater, and Inglis could feel the intense pressure it exerted.

「Wh-What is that?! It’s different from before!!」
「Has it evolved after absorbing humanoid Magic Stone Beasts? Fufufu… This world is full of wonders, isn’t it?」

The already complete Prisma was further evolved and strengthened, Inglis couldn’t say she had expected this. All she could say was that she was impressed. How very wonderful. Even in all her years as King Inglis, she had never witnessed a monster of such magnitude!

「B-, but…! It’ll be okay, right? You can defeat it, right Glis?」
「I don’t know! I can’t say for sure that we will be okay.」

Inglis spoke honestly.

「EH?! I- I never thought you’d say that!」

Rafinha fell into panic at once.

「But… I’m hyped!」

Inglis clenched her fist, smiling.

「Ugh, this is no time to be hyped!」

Despite what she said, though, Rafinha appeared somewhat relieved, as evidenced by the faint smile that crept across her face.

「You become good at things you enjoy! See? So, just enjoy everything! Senior Yua, I’ll entrust Rani to your care! It’s too risky to stay here.」
「Nope, no can do.」

But Yua simply rejected Inglis’s request without any hesitation. As Inglis glanced towards her, she noticed that Yua was ensnared by a rainbow-colored tentacle and lay motionless on the ground.

「Senior…?!」
「Wh-, what are you doing?」
「Dunno, it just appeared out of me! Hmph, hmph!! Nope, can’t move.」

Yua appeared to be struggling to break free from the tentacle’s grasp, but she was having a hard time doing so.

「Okay then, Rani. Get Senior Yua on board, and…」

As Inglis was about to load the tumbled Yua onto the Star Princess unit, a loud scream echoed from a nearby flygear, 「UWAAAHHHHH?!」

The knight piloting the flygear began to writhe in pain and, in a matter of moments, transformed into a Magic Stone Beast right before their eyes.

「——!」

There was no direct attack, yet the mere proximity of the Prisma caused the transformation of a human into a Magic Stone Beast. This was a clear indication of the immense strength that the Prisma had attained. However, the more pressing matter was…

「Rani! It’s dangerous here! Hurry up!」

Rafinha was in peril. Inglis had the assurance of her Ether to protect herself. And Yua, although a mystery to Inglis, seemed to possess extraordinary abilities. However, the same could not be said for Rafinha.

Inglis was unable to determine the grade of the Rune possessed by the knight. However, she observed that Rafinha was in close proximity to the Prisma and yet appeared to be unharmed. This led Inglis to speculate that the knight may have had a Middle or Low-Grade Rune. Although, this was under the assumption that a stronger Rune would enable its owner to resist the transformation better.

Despite Rafinha being safe for the time being, there was no way to predict how long that would last. The danger was too great and Inglis was filled with fear to the point of her spine being chilled. It was imperative that Rafinha evacuate as soon as possible.

「Y-, yeah…!」

Rafinha answered and attempted to restart the Star Princess unit, but to her dismay, her beloved flygear, which would normally roar with energy, remained silent and refused to move.

「Sh-, she’s not moving! Is she malfunctioning?!」

Perhaps Inglis had exerted too much force when she pulled it down, but regardless, this was the worst possible moment for the flygear to malfunction.

「Then!!」

Just as Inglis spoke, she sensed a looming presence behind her. The Prisma had closed in on her in a split second, its fist poised to strike down.

「Kgh! How impatient!」

Inglis caught the large fist with her dragonscale sword, and the impact of the collision reverberated loudly, causing the blade of her sword to creak. The ground beneath her also cracked, indicating that she had put a lot of force into blocking the attack.

「Rani, run! Bring Senior with you!」
「Y-, yeah!」

Rafinha was in the middle of picking up Yua when they heard a voice from above.

「Too dang slow. You’re not going to make it in time!」

The voice said, with long red hair swaying in the wind.

「…Miss Cystia?!」

Cystia’s appearance all but assured that Black Mask must be nearby!

「I’ll take care of them!」

Cystia said as she effortlessly lifted Yua and Rafinha.

「Hyau?!」 (Rafinha)
「Nice power, big sis!」 (Yua)
「Name’s Cystia. Please don’t forget that.」

It appeared that Cystia would help them with the evacuation.

「Thank you very much. That’s a big help!」 (Inglis)
「Hah. I’m not helping you. Go and kill each other, that’s more convenient for us.」

Cystia retorted before leaping high and leaving the scene.

With Cystia’s departure, Inglis no longer had a reason to keep Prisma’s fist on her blade.