AN: Hellooooooooo everybody!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to this week's 3-part update.
The final group has entered the board, and the paths that were running parallel have finally intersected.
And the final battle is getting close!
This will be the biggest challenge for us, as it will involve battles from various POVs.
I hope everyone is ready for this.
Then, without further ado, enjoy reading~
=====================================
Non-Administrated World #97, Star Rail Universe…
Mahora Academy was a prominent academy founded during Japan's Meiji era. The school boasted around 30,000 students, ranging from grade school to university. Its grounds were large enough to be considered their own city district.
Despite its size and impressive appearance, the academy looked surprisingly mundane from the outside, no different from any other school at first glance.
But in reality, it also served as the headquarters of the Kanto Magic Association.
Japan's magic association was divided into two major branches: Kanto and Kansai, managing the eastern and western parts of the country.
Despite that division, both associations still answered to the International Magic Association and the country's government.
At the moment, young Noah Schweinorg's group had relocated to a conference room within the academy. They were waiting for Olga, who had received contact from the backup forces sent by "Lord Peverell." According to the message, they had already arrived in Uminari and wanted to meet with them.
After Olga explained the situation, they agreed to regroup in Mahora instead. For now, she and Gray were outside, waiting for the reinforcements to arrive.
Inside the meeting room, aside from Noah, there were also Reines, Alisa, and the newly found Suzuka.
True to her personality, Reines sat casually in her chair, sipping the tea Trimmau had served her without the slightest care for the stares directed at them.
On Mahora's side, there was the old man with impressive eyebrows who had introduced himself as the Headmaster of Mahora Academy and Head of the Kanto Magic Association, Konoe Konoemon.
Standing behind him were two middle-aged men, Takahata and Akashi. There was also a stern-looking woman with glasses holding a katana, Kuzunoha Touko, and a nun observing Noah's group a little too closely, Sister Shakti.
At the corner of the room, Suzuka was receiving treatment from Minamoto Shizuna, one of Mahora's healers. Beside her sat Alisa Bannings, who absolutely refused to leave her friend's side. Noah stayed close as well, watching over both of them.
'Thank the Root we made it in time,' he thought. 'If we were even a second late, Suzuka might have been…'
He did not finish the thought nor even have the will to do so.
"Her injuries are minor," Shizuna said gently. "She was mostly physically exhausted from overworking her body. With proper rest and basic treatment, she should recover easily."
Alisa's shoulders finally loosened, though her grip on Suzuka's hand did not.
Noah let out a small smile, relieved to see that Suzuka's injuries were only minor and that the two friends were still together.
"…I'm sorry, Alisa-chan," Suzuka said. "I thought I really could handle it."
"Seriously! I don't understand why my friends think it is noble or proper to hide things!" Alisa said, clearly angry. "Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate still haven't answered my messages, and now even you avoided me just to keep this whole thing a secret!"
Suzuka lowered her head, guilt weighing heavily on her face.
"Because of that, you fought and sealed those dimensional breaches alone! Without any backup! And because of that, you exhausted yourself to the point that you couldn't move anymore and almost got badly hurt!" Alisa's shoulders shook with anger, hurt, worry, and helplessness. "If something happened to you without me, without any of us knowing… how would we even know what we could do?"
"Alisa-chan…" Suzuka bit her lip, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Alisa wiped her own tears with her hand and glared at Suzuka. "Save your explanation for later. This isn't the proper time or place for scolding and questioning."
Then she wrapped her arms around Suzuka.
"For now, just let me be glad that you're okay…"
"Ughh… Alisa-chan… I'm really sorry… and thank you!" Suzuka buried her face in Alisa's chest and cried.
Noah's smile widened when he heard Alisa's words. He could not help but feel impressed by her.
'As expected, Alisa really is a great girl,' he thought. 'I'm really lucky to have met someone so amazing.'
Then he blushed after realizing what he had just thought. He quickly looked away, though his eyes still glanced back at her.
'Truly an amazing girl…'
Ruby and Argent, who were supposed to be looking after Sapphire, were suspiciously silent. These two menace Mystic Codes would never miss a chance like this, and yet they barely reacted even after seeing Alisa's favorability continue to rise at an impossible speed.
Before long, someone knocked on the door of the room.
"Come in," the old man answered, putting down his cup.
The door opened, and Olga and Gray stepped inside along with the reinforcements sent by the alliance.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone," Olga said officially as she stepped aside. "The last group joining us has arrived."
"Huh?"
"No way…"
"…Are you for real?"
Noah, Suzuka, and Alisa all reacted strongly. After all, the people who had arrived were people they were quite familiar with.
"Apologies for making everyone wait," a bright young girl said with a smile. "We are the group sent by the alliance as reinforcements for the upcoming battle."
As the girl spoke, the others stepped in as well: a brown-haired girl with an innocent smile, a blonde-haired girl with gentle features, a short red-haired girl, a tall pink-haired woman with a serious aura, a short blonde woman with a gentle smile, and finally, a tall, muscular man.
"My name is Hayate Yagami from the Time-Space Administration Bureau, an ally of Lord Peverell," Hayate-chan introduced herself, then gestured toward the rest of her companions. "And here are my teammates…"
As Hayate was about to introduce Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan, and the Wolkenritter, she suddenly stopped.
Not because she had forgotten what she wanted to say, but because two people at the corner of the room were staring at her with shocked expressions.
"Huh…" Fate-chan, who followed Hayate's line of sight, froze as well.
Nanoha-chan's mouth opened wide as she raised a trembling hand toward Alisa and Suzuka. "Alisa-chan! Suzuka-chan! What are the two of you doing here?!"
"Hoho… now things are getting interesting," Reines said as she put down her cup, smiling as she had just found the most entertaining series.
Nanoha-chan remained stunned with one hand still raised toward Alisa and Suzuka. Fate-chan stared at the two girls beside the treatment couch, her eyes widening little by little. Hayate-chan looked between them, then toward Noah Schweinorg, then toward the rest of the room.
Then she blinked and slowly faced Noah after sensing something strangely familiar from him.
Noah Schweinorg felt a chill crawl up his back.
It was the same kind of feeling he got whenever his grandfather smiled and said, "I have a small favor."
"You," Hayate-chan said, her eyes sharpening.
Noah blinked. "Me?"
"You're the boy from Uminari."
Fate-chan's eyes widened even more. "The one near the distortion…"
Nanoha-chan turned to Noah so fast that her twin tails nearly snapped through the air.
"Eh?"
Noah slowly raised both hands.
"Ahh… hi?"
Reines, who was watching like this was a mildly entertaining theater performance, smiled brightly.
"Oh my, it seems fate is doing its job wonderfully this time."
Olga pinched the bridge of her nose. "Reines, don't make this worse."
"Ara, but I'm only stating a fact," Reines replied smugly.
Alisa, however, did not react to the others.
Her eyes remained fixed on Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate.
Her expression was blank.
For an expressive and honest girl like her, that blank look was far scarier than if she had shouted at them.
"Alisa-chan…" Hayate-chan opened her mouth to say something, but stopped the moment Alisa stood up.
Suzuka, still weak from exhaustion, reached for her sleeve. "Alisa-chan…"
"It's fine," Alisa said.
But her voice made it very clear that it was not fine at all.
Nanoha swallowed hard.
Fate took half a step forward. "Alisa…"
"So the three of you didn't answer my messages for a week because all of you were involved in this kind of thing too," Alisa said, her voice unnaturally even. "Every message. Every missed call. When I tried to contact you and tell you about this, all of you were busy hiding it from me."
Nanoha flinched, Fate fidgeted, and Hayate-chan opened her mouth, then closed it again. Even Suzuka felt like she had been hit by a stray bullet.
Alisa's eyes moved between them.
"So this entire time, Hayate's 'busy with something important' reply was about all of this."
Her shoulders trembled.
"And none of you bothered to let us know?"
"Alisa-chan, we…" Nanoha-chan finally found her voice. "We didn't want you to worry about things like this."
Alisa's face twisted. "Do all of you use the same excuse?"
Nanoha froze.
Fate looked down.
Hayate-chan's expression softened with guilt.
Alisa's voice shook harder now, though she still tried to keep it steady.
"Nanoha hid it. Fate hid it. Hayate hid it. Suzuka hid it. Everyone keeps deciding for me. Everyone keeps thinking that if I don't know, then everything will be fine."
She pointed toward Suzuka, who sat on the couch with Shizuna beside her.
"Suzuka almost got badly hurt today because she tried to handle everything alone."
Suzuka lowered her head.
"And if Noah didn't arrive in time, if Ruby and Argent didn't get Sapphire's signal, if we were even one second late…"
Alisa's voice broke for a second, refusing to continue.
Nanoha's face paled.
Fate pressed a hand to her chest.
Hayate-chan looked toward Suzuka with wide, surprised eyes.
"…Just what is happening with everyone?"
The Wolkenritter stood silently behind them. Even Vita, who usually looked ready to bite through awkwardness, could not speak.
Noah watched the exchange with a helpless expression. He understood Alisa's anger. It was not the anger of someone who simply hated secrets. It was the anger of someone who had almost lost a friend and had no idea until it was nearly too late.
Even those on Mahora's side did not interrupt them. As mages who also hid things from the mundanes, they understood the reason for secrecy. But at the same time, they also understood Alisa's pain at being left in the dark.
Finally, Nanoha-chan slowly stepped forward.
"Alisa-chan… I'm… we are sorry."
"We never thought things would get complicated like this," Fate-chan continued. "We never expected that you and Suzuka would get involved in the current crisis."
"We thought this would be the same as before, you know," Hayate-chan said with a guilty smile. "The three of us solve the magical problems before they escalate, then after that, we return and tell you stories about it… but not like this."
Alisa clenched her hands and bit her lip. Frustration, anger, and helplessness swirled inside her chest.
But then, a familiar warmth held her hand.
A warmth she was slowly getting used to.
A warmth she was learning to love.
She looked up and saw Noah taking her hand, holding it like the most natural thing in the world while giving her a small smile. Seeing him like that, Alisa felt her body relax. Those annoying thoughts slowly faded away.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her mind and heart felt clearer. She glanced at him, a wordless thank you.
He replied with a wordless anytime.
She lightly blushed, then looked at her friends again, missing how they were all staring at her and Noah's joined hands.
"…Let's leave it for now," she said, calmer than before. "We can talk about this more later. But for now, we need to discuss with Headmaster Konoe how to protect our world."
Headmaster Konoe looked at her with no small amount of respect for setting aside her personal feelings for the bigger picture.
'Hohohoho, it looks like Zelretch-dono hit the jackpot with his heir's partner.'
Noah did not understand why, but seeing Alisa like this made him feel so proud. His lips twitched upward, and he even straightened his back a little.
And of course, the menace group did not let the peace last.
"Well, this is charming. Childhood bonds, hidden magic, emotional confrontation, and one mysterious boy in the middle of it all. Truly, this meeting has everything." Reines set down her cup while letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Reines, don't ruin the mood," Olga immediately shut her down.
Reines let out a sharp snort. "You say that, Marie, but everyone could see you glaring at Alisa and Noah's joined hands."
"I-I-I d-don't know what you're talking about?!" Olga flinched and looked away.
"It's okay, Miss Marie. I understand your feelings…" Gray said with a small pout and an understanding nod.
"Gray!!!"
At the side, the young Aces were also whispering to one another.
"…Is this him?" Hayate-chan whispered to Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan.
Nanoha-chan's cheeks reddened. "W-what do you mean?"
"You know." Hayate-chan's voice dropped to a whisper. "Our own Noah-san."
Fate-chan's face warmed instantly.
"That's…"
Nanoha-chan looked at young Noah again.
He was the same boy they had wished to find. The same boy fate had cruelly teased them with by making them pass each other before they could truly meet, and now, he was here, standing beside Alisa and Suzuka.
Nanoha's chest gave a small, confused flutter.
"I don't know," she whispered.
Hayate-chan smiled softly.
"But maybe?"
Fate looked away, embarrassed.
"Maybe…"
"Hohoho. How lively." Konoemon watched the whole exchange with his eyes half-closed and a faint smile. "This is how youth should be."
Even the teachers around them visibly relaxed as well.
"Ahh… apologies for our messy group, Headmaster." Noah slightly bowed to him.
"We also apologize!" Hayate added. "We never expected this simple meeting with allies to become a reunion."
Konoemon waved his hand as if dismissing their apologies. "Young ones should not worry about such things. Don't mind it too much."
"Thank you so much."
Noah and Hayate said it at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise.
A moment later, they shared a shy smile.
"?!"
"Ara…"
"No way…"
"Noah? Hayate?"
"Muu…"
"Hayate-chan?"
"Hayate-chan…"
That simple interaction somehow earned various reactions from Olga, Reines, Gray, Alisa, Suzuka, Nanoha-chan, and Fate-chan.
Hayate-chan blushed and let out a small cough while Noah looked genuinely confused. The Wolkenritter watched the confused young counterpart of Noah and whispered among themselves.
"…It's him, isn't it?" Vita said.
"Hmm, mhmm, yes, it is him." Shamal's smile became bright.
"I think so too," Zafira added.
"Looks like our Hayate's love life has a chance to bloom like the other Hayate's," Signum said.
"Ehem! As I was saying, we are the reinforcements Lord Peverell sent for the Uminari defense." Hayate said, steering the conversation back before she got grilled by her friends. "I'm Governor-General Yagami Hayate from the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and these are my teammates."
"Officer Takamachi Nanoha," Nanoha introduced herself.
"Fate T. Harlaown, Senior Investigator."
"Signum, Frontline Captain."
"Vita, Tactics Officer."
"Shamal, Chief Medical Investigator."
"Zafira, Security Officer."
"Although I read the report from the IMA regarding your organization, meeting you personally has certainly changed my initial perspective," Konoemon said. "Then this also proves that the rumors about Lord Peverell coming from the sea of stars were not unfounded."
Then he turned toward Noah. "And you are Noah Schweinorg, correct? Heir of the Wizard Marshal."
"Yes, sir," Noah answered.
Konoemon's smile widened. "I see, I see. Zelretch-dono's grandson. That explains quite a bit."
Noah's expression became tired. "If this is about my grandfather doing something questionable, I would like to state in advance that I probably didn't know."
"A wise defensive position." Reines smiled sweetly.
Olga nodded. "Very familiar too."
"He sounds experienced…" Gray murmured.
"Worry not. I am not blaming you for your grandfather's hobbies." Konoemon chuckled. "Not yet."
"That 'not yet' is doing a lot of work, sir."
"Hohoho." A strange glint suddenly appeared in his eyes.
Takahata and Akashi, standing behind Konoemon, exchanged a look.
Touko's brows twitched.
Shizuna let out a tired sigh, already expecting what Konoemon was about to say.
Sister Shakti gave Noah a sympathetic glance.
"By the way, Noah-kun, there is something I want to ask you," Konoemon began.
"Yes, sir?" Noah blinked in confusion.
"Would you be interested in meeting my granddaughter?" he asked with a bright smile. "She is a few years younger than you, but I believe that in a few years, she could become a wonderful candidate for your other half."
"…What?" Noah's eyes widened in disbelief.
Silence covered the entire room.
At first, everyone was confused.
Then they understood what he meant.
"WHAT?!"
Olga, Alisa, Gray, Reines, Suzuka, Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan, and Hayate-chan reacted strongly.
"Ohhhh!!!!" Ruby let out an unholy light.
"Oh no…" Sapphire sounded exhausted.
"…This is bad. Ruby is about to do something stupid," Argent displayed with a panic emoji on his screen.
"On behalf of the Grandmaster and Young Master, I accept!" Ruby flew straight to Konoemon and declared.
"Rub—!"
Noah was about to stop her, but someone beat him to it.
Alisa grabbed Ruby with her hand.
"Fufufufu… Ruby, can you please not cause trouble~?"
"Ah… W-wait-wait, Alisa-chan, c-calm down!" Ruby said in panic. "P-please don't grab me that tight! You'll break me! I will break!!!"
"Hehehehe~ You really love to joke around, don't you, Ruby? How about we discuss some rules on the things you can and absolutely must not do?"
"A-Alisa-chan! Mercy! Mercy!"
"Fufufufufu!"
Alisa did not release her as she dragged Ruby to the corner.
"…I-I stand by what I thought earlier. Zelretch-dono really hit the jackpot in finding that girl," Konoemon said as cold sweat slid down his temple.
—-----
The monitoring room in Chaldea Security Organization's headquarters remained on high alert. Reports kept flowing in from Atlas and the field commanders deployed near the projected breaches.
And with the data shared by the Astral Express, their models became even more precise in their monitoring capabilities.
The operators moved quickly, but not blindly anymore.
Before Sirin's return, CHALDEAS had only shown the pressure points as scattered entries across the planet. Now, with the coordinates she brought back and the data Void Archives shared, those points began to form a clearer pattern.
A Chaldea operator adjusted the display.
"Updating dimensional probe with Astral Express data."
Another staff member leaned over a terminal, eyes moving rapidly across the numbers.
"Void Archives' residue comparison has reduced false readings by forty-three percent. We can now separate Dormammu's direct pressure from the smaller aftershocks left by the Quantum Shadows."
"Overlaying Sirin Schariac-Kaslana's spatial trace."
The red points around CHALDEAS blinked again.
This time, several of them dimmed, while five others lit up brighter.
Gateport site.
Mahora City.
Egypt.
North America.
The Mediterranean crossing.
A chorus of amazement spread across the room. Everything had become much clearer now. Many false pressure points had vanished, and the areas where the largest attacks were most likely to occur became far more precise.
"Model updated. The smaller readings are not independent attacks. They are pressure tests," one of the technicians said.
"Meaning the enemy is not simply trying to tear the wall open everywhere." Kirschtaria narrowed his eyes as he read the updated reports.
"No, sir," one of Chaldea's senior staff answered. "The enemy is searching for the weakest parts of the dimensional walls."
A new line appeared on CHALDEAS. It did not connect the points directly. Instead, it showed a faint directional pull from each red mark toward an invisible location beyond the world.
"Triangulation has improved," another operator reported. "Dormammu's primary pressure source is now fixed within the range provided by Lady Sirin."
Everyone in the room clenched their hands. They could finally see the path for the grand reversal.
With the coordinates of Dormammu's hiding place in hand, they could finally hold onto hope that this would not end in the worst possible way.
"Run SHEBA through the five high-risk points," Marisbury ordered. "Priority on rupture timing, civilian density, and field commander response delay."
"Understood. SHEBA observation lens aligning."
The screens change again. Each location opened into a separate tactical window. Some showed magical readings. Others showed troop routes, leyline pressure, distortion residue, and evacuation estimates.
"Gateport site defensive response delay: four minutes if the Meldiana rapid-response team moves first."
"Mahora City response delay: unknown. Local defenders are already active, but force composition is incomplete."
"The Egypt site has high leyline density. Breach expansion risk elevated."
"The North American site has wider terrain and lower civilian risk, but enemy density is higher."
"Mediterranean crossing has naval and coastal exposure. UN forces will need additional magical support."
"Lady Sirin truly gave us the greatest advantage. We can now make more precise strategic deployments across the globe." Kirschtaria could not help but let out a faint grin.
"Yes. We are no longer only watching for breaches. We can now predict where the first stable opening is most likely to occur." One of the Chaldea staff nodded.
On CHALDEAS, the red points pulsed in sequence.
Gateport site.
Mahora City.
Gateport site.
"Current SHEBA prediction: if Dormammu reacts to Lord Peverell's entry into the Imaginary Numbers, Gateport site and Mahora City have the highest chance of simultaneous openings." A staff member swallowed hard.
"Send the updated model to all field commanders," Marisbury ordered.
"Already transmitting."
Marisbury's eyes remained fixed on CHALDEAS.
"And now, we enter the calm before the storm."
Kirschtaria, standing beside him, nodded. "And the hardest and worst part of this operation."
He wore the same grim expression as everyone else as he stared at CHALDEAS.
"Soon, Lord Peverell and his consorts shall enter the Imaginary Numbers to confront Dormammu."
Marisbury narrowed his eyes. "The moment their fight begins, we can expect the enemy forces to begin moving as well."
"Then it will become a test of endurance between our forces and theirs," Kirschtaria replied. "Will our defensive measures hold until Lord Peverell finishes the fight, or…"
"Everyone who joined this battle knows its importance and its risks," Marisbury said. "That is why everyone will give their all."
Kirschtaria looked toward the five red points glowing on CHALDEAS. Each one represented a battlefield about to happen. Each one represented people who had no idea how close their ordinary morning was to being shattered.
"…Then all we can do is trust them," Kirschtaria said.
Marisbury's expression remained unreadable, but his voice carried conviction.
"Yes. Trust Lord Peverell to reach Dormammu. Trust our field commanders to hold the line. Trust humanity to endure until the impossible becomes possible."
However, no one knew yet that after this fight… grief would engulf the world.
So deep that it would make the Sun finally snap.
The moment when the Sun, whose light enriches life… would become the destructive might that erased its enemies.
====== Chapter 219 END ======