Leave a comment

“Phew, that really drained me.”

Inglis collapsed onto the ground, completely exhausted. It was no surprise considering her initial grave injuries and the immense strain of wielding the true power of the weaponized Hyrule Menaces. She had truly indulged in the ultimate power, but it had taken its toll. However…

“I may have won the war, but not the battle… Your strength is truly remarkable.”

She offered her praise to the now non-existent Prisma. Inglis didn’t view Eris and Ripple as mere tools or weapons she wielded. She considered it a fight of three against one. In her personal code of ethics, she couldn’t consider this a fair fight. She wanted to avoid such situations in the future. Reflecting on the one-on-one duel from earlier, she admitted that she had been pushed to her limits. After all, one could only claim to have reached the pinnacle of martial arts when they emerged victorious in fair one-on-one battles time and time again.

Inglis couldn’t deny the strength of the Hyrule Menaces, but despite the exhilarating power they offer and the valuable experience gained from the battle, there was a lingering sense of dissatisfaction with her victory.

She knew she still had a long way to go. To defeat the Prisma single-handedly, without relying on the aid of the Hyrule Menaces, she needed to train even harder.

The twin swords and the double-barreled rifle reverted to their original forms, and Eris and Ripple returned to their human appearances.

“Haha, am I always that awesome? I’ve never seen my own bullet launch off like that,” Ripple exclaimed with excitement.

“Yes, it’s truly astonishing. I can’t detect any trace of the Prisma anymore,” Eris added.

“Miss Eris, Miss Ripple, thank you for your hard work. I am truly grateful,” Inglis expressed her gratitude with a deep bow, and in response, both Eris and Ripple smiled warmly.

“We feel the same way. Thank you, Inglis!”

“Thank you so much, Inglis!” Ripple was overcome with excitement and jumped on Inglis, wrapping her in a tight hug. Inglis, weakened from the battle, struggled to resist and ended up sprawled on the ground, limbs spread out. Even sitting up was a challenge in her current state.

“What… I-, Inglis, are you okay?!” Ripple exclaimed with concern.
“I’m fine, but… I must be really tired,” Inglis replied.

At that moment, Eris gently lifted Inglis’ head.

“Miss Eris…?” Inglis murmured, surprised.

“I’m sorry, this is all I can do… Take some rest,” Eris said, offering her lap as a pillow.

“Yes, thank you very much…” Inglis gratefully accepted the offer and closed her eyes.

“Inglis…?! I-, is she okay?!” Ripple anxiously leaned in, placing her ear against Inglis’ chest to listen for a heartbeat. The intense weaponization had led them to believe that Inglis wasn’t losing her life force, but they still worried they might have been mistaken.

“Y-yes…! She’s okay, she’s breathing… It seems like she just fell asleep,” Ripple reassured, relieved by the sound of Inglis’ steady breath.

Eris also checked Inglis’ breathing and let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness… But, um, seeing her sleeping so peacefully like this, it’s making me drowsy too,” Eris admitted.

“R-right… Me too…” Ripple agreed, feeling the exhaustion from their intense weaponization. This time, however, they felt even more drained than ever before. The power that Inglis had unleashed using them was overwhelmingly strong, perhaps explaining their heightened fatigue.

At that moment, both Eris and Ripple lost consciousness. And it was Rafinha who rushed to the three of them sleeping at the base of the large crater.

“Glis—! Miss Eris, Miss Ripple……!”

As Rafinha observed the three of them piled on top of each other, she checked on each individual.

“Thank goodness, they’re just asleep— But…!”

However, a problem still remained. Outside the crater, toward the city of Arlman…

「UWOOOOOOooooohhhh!!!!」
「The Prisma has been defeated! We mustn’t falter now!」
「Yes! Let’s push forward and secure our victory!」

The sounds of battle continued to reverberate. Although the Prisma had been vanquished, the countless Magic Stone Beasts it had created still roamed the area. This was not the time to lower their guard.

Yet, Inglis, Eris, and Ripple were all deeply asleep and unlikely to awaken anytime soon. And Raphael, whom Inglis had rendered unconscious, showed no signs of stirring either.

—If that was the case, it was up to Rafinha to protect them all.

“Glis…! Thank you for always protecting me. Now, it’s my turn…!”

Rafinha embraced the slumbering Inglis, released her grip, and rushed up and out of the crater. She directed her gaze toward Arlmen, prepared to charge into the battlefield when suddenly, a colossal shadow loomed over them.

“RAFINHAA-A-A-A!!!”
“MISS RAFINHAA!!!”
“RAFINHA~A~AA!!!”

Familiar voices called out to her from above.

“Leone! Liselotte!”

As Rafinha looked up, she saw her friends riding a gigantic dragon.

“M-Mister dragon…?!”

Or at least, it bore an uncanny resemblance to one. However, Vufailbane, the Dragon God, had been seized by Abel the Highlander and transformed into the Mecha Dragon God, returning to the Highland. Furthermore, this dragon appeared much smaller than the true Vufailbane. If the adult dragon was Vufailbane, then this one must be its juvenile form.

“Are you alright?! We spotted a blinding light from afar…!!”

And the dragon spoke.

“EEeeeeehhhh?!! LAHTII——?!!”

His speech resembled Lahti’s. What on earth had transpired?!

“Yeah, things happened…! We’re done over there, so we came to help!”
“B-But, why do you look like that…?! Wait, no…! Glis and Miss Eris and Miss Ripple have defeated the Prisma!”
“So, that awesome light we saw was that…!”
“It looked like a waterfall of light falling from the sky, though…”
“I guess we’re a bit late, huh…”

“No, not at all! The three of them fainted from exhaustion after that! Look towards the city! There are still so many Magic Stone Beasts! We need to defeat them! And these three are unconscious!”
“Got that, leave it to me! Get on too! I still have room!”
“Thanks! Please help them too… and Big Brother Rafa as well!”
“Sir Raphael too…?! Is he alright?! Was he attacked by the Prisma…?!”

“N-No… H-He was, umm… by Glis…”
“Eh?! W-Was there an argument between the two…?!”
“T-There was no other way! At any rate, we need to act ASAP! Now that the Prisma has been defeated, we need to take care of the rest!”
“Of course! I’m grateful that you would go so far as to protect Arlman…! I know I’m late, but I’ll give it my all too!”

Leone nodded firmly at Rafinha’s words, showing her unwavering determination.

“You seem fired up, Leone!”

“I am…! I went through a lot in this city, both good things and bad things, but… this is where I was born and raised! I want to be of help, even if it’s just a little! For my brother’s sake too!”

If Leone said so, did that mean she and Leon were able to reconcile, even if just a little? Rafinha prayed that was the case.

“Okay, let’s do this! Everyone!”

The dragon, Lahti, carried Rafinha and the three sleeping beauties, and they dove into the battlefield in the city of Arlman.