Advent of the Three Calamities

"This is more troublesome than I expected..."

Coming back from Kiera’s room, I ruffled my hair in annoyance.

’She knows where the mirror might be, but she’s unwilling to go there.’

I could only think of one place where she didn’t want to return. That’d be none other than her own house. The place where her mother was killed, and she found her beloved aunt responsible for it.

Given what I knew about the circumstances and her past, I couldn’t really blame her for not wanting to go there. Still, time was ticking for me.

I needed to tackle the situation before it was too late.

I couldn’t wait for things to go to shit before acting out on the problem. That’d be irresponsible and stupid.

I had already dragged on the situation for far too long.

’On a good note, I at least know where to look. The only problem is getting there.’

It’s not like I could just show up at her house unannounced and say, ’Hello, my name’s Julien, I’m Kiera’s classmate. You might know me as the twi... the Summit winner. I’m here to look for something on her behalf. A mirror of sorts. Do you have any clue?’

If anything, it would be incredibly suspicious—especially since the place had already been thoroughly searched by the Inverted Sky beforehand.

Not only would I be incredibly suspicious, but I’d also be searching for a needle in a haystack. If they couldn’t find it, what made me think I could?

’...In some sense, it’s vital that I get Kiera to come with me.’

No, not just here, but with the others too. I had to make it seem like some sort of "friendly" homecoming to throw off any suspicion.

Kiera might also be more comfortable if more than one person came with her.

At the very least, she had to be there. If anyone had the highest chance of finding the mirror, it was undoubtedly her.

Only problem was convincing her to go back.

Remembering the expression she had when talking about her place, I knew convincing her wasn’t going to be easy.

As a matter of fact, it probably seemed like an impossible mission.

...Even so, I had to try. This was too important for me to give up on or drag on for any longer.

’And this is also a great opportunity considering that we have the week off.’

It wasn’t easy to get free time and leave the academy grounds.

I planned on getting my hands on the mirror before the academy resumed.

"Alright, I guess I should—"

I paused halfway through my sentence as I turned my head and spotted a certain figure, sitting down on my chair, her legs and arms crossed.

"....."

Pausing, I licked my lips.

They were strangely dry.

When did she...

"You’re here."

In spite of my shock, I managed to play it cool. If there was one thing I was good at, it was keeping a cool face even in the most dire of situations.

...At least, this was what I thought.

Feeling her gaze, which seemed unusually intense, I found my face slowly starting to change.

’Keep it cool, keep it cool..’

In spite of my best attempts, my face continued to change. Under those deep black eyes of hers that seemed to see through everything, my face wouldn’t stop changing and I eventually found myself turning to look away from her.

I bit my lips and secretly lamented to myself,

’Why does this always happen with her?’

She really was the only one that could get me to break. Even Sithrus wasn’t like this...

All of a sudden, Delilah’s nose scrunched up as she sniffed the air.

"You smoke?"

"....Rarely."

Just how sharp are her senses?

I had made sure to hide the smell, and yet...

"Oh, I see."

Delilah looked unconvinced, her eyes narrowing. I could only shrug my shoulders.

I wasn’t lying.

I rarely did smoke.

Still, what incredible pressure. Thankfully, I was somewhat used to her antics and just waited for her to calm down. If push comes to shove, I could just bribe her.

I had a whole guide in my mind on how to deal with her now.

No, but more than anything...

"What are you doing here?"

Delilah didn’t usually show up unannounced unless she had something to tell me or needed something from me. As expected, right after I spoke, her eyes returned to normal, and she stood up.

"I need your help with something."

"Me?"

This surprised me.

What exactly could someone of Delilah’s stature need help from me for?

Although I didn’t understand, I nonetheless nodded my head.

"Sure."

It was only then that Delilah appeared satisfied. Raising her hand, she snapped her finger, and my vision started to spin.

"Wha—"

I barely had any time to process the situation before my body was suddenly teleported to a completely different place. Bright lights filtered down from above, momentarily blinding me.

"Ukh!"

Squinting to adjust to the sudden brightness, I blinked a few times before taking in my surroundings. It was then that I finally noticed where I was—an enormous room stretching out before me.

Bright ceiling lights illuminated the space above, and in the distance, an enormous glass panel appeared. My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes widened in disbelief the moment my eyes laid on the figure lying behind the glass panel, as my chest started to tremble.

"It’s a Destroyer Ranked creature that I recently managed to capture."

Delilah’s voice drifted next to me. The calmness in her tone made it seem as though she were talking about something trivial.

But no... This was far from trivial.

I could tell from the pressure alone that the creature was even stronger than Owl-Mighty who had just reached the Destroyer Rank.

I knew its power all too well and it was also for that reason that I had no choice but to leave Owl-Mighty back at the Kasha. Until I found a way to stop others from figuring out it was a monster, I had no choice but to part ways.

It was simply too powerful now. Anyone would be able to tell it was no regular owl. A Destroyer Rank, regardless of how much they tried to hide it, was hard to miss.

They just felt like beings that stood at the top of the food chain.

For her to have subdued such a powerful creature...

’She really is fucking strong.’

But that suddenly made me recall her previous words and my eyes jumped up.

"Wait, you said you wanted my help. It can’t be that..."

"Yes."

Delilah didn’t even glance at me, her gaze locked on the creature behind the glass. With its eyes closed and the soft rise and fall of its chest, it looked as though it were sleeping.

The creature’s entire body was covered in black, almost as if it were darkness itself.

Its size was colossal, and it seemed to be a hybrid of a dragon and a lizard...?

’A wyern?’

"The creature should be a Nocthros, and I can sense a bone within its body."

"Oh..."

I nodded absentmindedly before finally snapping out of it.

"Oh?"

All of a sudden, I understood what she needed my help for, and my expression couldn’t help but change.

"....Oh!?"

Damn it, as expected, only she could make me change my expression so often...

"I’ve been curious ever since I saw it with the little girl that Aoife has. I originally planned on killing the Nocthros, but I recalled what she showed me and was interested in trying it myself."

Delilah’s calm and composed voice made it sound like she was about to attempt something trivial, but if anything, this was the soul of a Destroyer Rank... Even if she was powerful, she had to have the mind to subdue the monster.

The fact that she wanted to create her own will out of a Destroyer Ranked monster... She was crazy.

’No, if it’s her...’

"Before that."

I suddenly recalled something and looked at Delilah in shock. Enjoy new stories from

"Wait, if you’re planning on taking the monster’s bone, are you saying you can still absorb bones?"

She didn’t have all her slots filled?

"Oh, yes."

This woman.

"...I still have a slot left. Father had one to give to me, but I was too busy, and I didn’t really have time. It’s good that it worked out like this."

My lip twitched listening to her voice.

"Will you help me or not?"

Delilah alternated her gaze between me and the monster, looking somewhat impatient.

I opened my mouth, but feeling her gaze, and seeing those eyes of hers, I found myself lowering my head and nodding.

"Yes."

Normally, I wouldn’t be confident or comfortable with handling something of this caliber. However, if there was one thing I was confident in, it’d be my mental strength. Not only that, I also felt reassured about my safety.

With Delilah present, why would I even need to worry about my safety?

"Good."

A satisfied expression crossed Delilah’s face, and I watched as the corner of her lips curled up slightly before fading away. She then turned and headed toward the monster in the distance.

As if sensing her presence, the monster slowly opened its eyes, revealing its enormous inverted pupils.

The moment its eyes locked onto Delilah, I noticed a distinct shift in its demeanor. It sat up and slowly moved back, wary.

It was almost as if it was scared.

’What sort of...?’

The glass panel faded as Delilah neared it, and the monster suddenly opened its mouth, as if to scream. However, before it could make a sound, Delilah clenched her fist, and all the noise stopped instantly.

The monster did scream, but no sound came out of its movements.

Its eyes trembled, and a powerful pressure filled the air. But to Delilah, it seemed like nothing more than a joke. Unfazed, she continued her walk, slowly approaching the monster, which had backed itself into the corner of the wall.

I almost thought I saw it whimper as Delilah, who seemed no bigger than an ant compared to the creature, drew closer.

Eventually, she stopped right before it and extended her hand.

"Are you ready?"

Her gentle voice drifted smoothly into my ears and I found myself nodding my head.

"...Yes."

"Good."

A powerful glow enveloped the entire room and my entire vision shifted.

By the time I regained consciousness, I found myself standing on top of a large black glacier.

Pulling myself together, I looked up to see two creatures hovering in the air, each locking eyes with the other as a terrifying pressure washed over the surroundings.

I knew then that it had started.

The battle for supremacy.