"Because we were powerless."
"Powerless...?"
"Yeah. In the final battle, our elders couldn't do anything."
"...That's..."
It was something that couldn't be helped in reality.
The opponents were Kevin, who could wield the power of the False Final Boss—the End—in our world, and the true final boss, Collapse's Will.
For example, even those considered humanity's strongest—Class Rep, Bianca, So Sang, and even Rita—couldn't join that ultimate showdown.
We could only open the path for them to reach that point.
"But we couldn't have helped it back then, right?"
Because of the Stigmata plan, all the other fighters were forced to retire against their will.
Kevin had been aiming for that from the start.
"Still, that doesn't change the fact that such a role shouldn't have fallen on kids like you."
It was a role meant for adults like us.
As my aunt ground her teeth and said that, I couldn't help but swallow a groan.
Now that I think about it, I remember the expression she wore whenever we went into battle.
She never showed it when everyone was around, but I happened to catch it once.
It was a look of helplessness, tangled with so many other emotions.
My parents' generation darkened at my aunt's words.
It wasn't hard to sense that only my aunt hadn't once felt that way.
Is that why Siegfried and Cecilia, and the other parents who fought, trained again and again?
So they would never have to leave things to us, never taste that powerlessness again.
"Then watch closely, Captain. [Raging Heart]!"
[I'm ready.]
"Jewel Seed Full Drive!"
At her command, the Jewel Seeds began to glow radiantly, resonating with each other.
They pumped out energy in circles so bright you could see loops linking the gems on either side—and it felt as if each stream of energy was spinning left and right.
And the glow kept expanding.
Wait, didn't Raging Heart activate some kind of system earlier?
The [Twin Jewel Seed Drive system]?
"No way! The [Twin Drive System]?!"
"You caught that, Captain. Yep, this system is built on the [Twin Drive System] you designed."
What an idiot!
The Twin Drive System was something I'd put together, part impulse, part foresight.
The fact that it could amplify output exponentially was something I couldn't just let go of.
But that very feature was problematic... in tests it produced far more power than expected.
You might think more power is good, but unlike suit reactors in Gundam, this was built right into a Valkyrie battlesuit.
The [Honkai Drive] feeds Honkai Energy through the suit, safely channeling it into the pilot, but Twin Drive pumped output so intense that no human could withstand it.
And though it was just a simulation, it even caused Honkai energy erosion—so for the sake of safety, I had to seal it away.
Yet here it was, being used on something that could rip open a dimensional rift.
"Auntie, are you planning to blow up the world?!"
"Don't worry. Even in the worst simulation, the worst that happened was my body got flung off."
"Which part am I not supposed to worry about?!"
Getting thrown into the sky isn't exactly minor!
Already, the ground trembled and clouds gathered as the cataclysm began—everything convulsed under her power.
It was like watching the first surge of energy when a Saiyan ascends.
"This is my full deployment!"
A pair of immense, pink wings burst from my aunt's back, enveloping her in a soft glow.
The dazzling wings unfurled, feathers like flowing petals of condensed energy.
Each feather pulsed with raw power, and I reflexively shot them away.
When her form was revealed, everyone, myself included, stared wide-eyed.
Siegfried and Cecilia, who had known her for years, gaped as if their eyes might pop out.
"Whew. Incredible power. Luckily, there don't seem to be any side effects like your body tearing apart."
"Ugh... What on earth is this?"
"Why the reaction, Captain? You didn't expect the controlled output to be this much?"
"Well, that's part of it..."
As my words trailed off, my aunt tilted her head, her usual innocent expression still intact.
Though... the contrast with her current form only made her look even more adorable in a strange way.
No, wait—does she not realize the state she's in?
"Auntie. You don't know, do you?"
"Don't know what?"
Her puzzled reply made it clear she really had no idea about her current condition.
"Your body's condition."
"Huh?"
Hearing me say that, she glanced down at herself—and instantly realized something was off.
Her eyes snapped open, and she began poking at her chest with both hands.
The gesture was so blatant I turned my head in embarrassment.
Especially since her revamped [Barrier Jacket] had become considerably more revealing.
"Huh? Huh? Wh-what?"
For a while she studied and prodded herself, then looked at me with disbelief.
"Why... did I grow?"
"You'll have to ask me that yourself."
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