This series is getting longer every next chapter.
And this chapter is in Amelia’s PoV
My unique sorcery was not something such as an exploding butterfly.
It was just a fragment that spilled out of my essence.
My true ability, my true nature, was somewhere else entirely.
Ah, I wonder why.
Why does the world appear so clearly to my eyes?
I knew. The essence of this awakened ability. This must have been where I was headed.
My days with Ray surely was meant to lead me to …….
“…… Amelia, you …… what is …… that?”
Ariane asked, looking stunned. But I will not answer that question.
I will only reveal one truth.
I will confront Ariane with a cruel reality that can no longer be reversed.
“Ariane. You can no longer reach me.”
“What, what are you saying ……?”
“I understand. I understand this ability. So let’s end this now.”
“…… I will never, ever, lose ……!”
Run.
Ariane has not understood the full extent of my ability. I could see it clearly in her astonished expression.
Ariane still attacked boldly.
With all her energy, she runs at me, stomping on the earth.
Her reddish-black limbs are still in good shape. And her lightning strike is also activated. Surely it would be easier for both parties to break the spell.
However, we will not do that. We can’t do that.
We are fighting for our pride.
We fight to prove ourselves.
But Ariane will never reach me anymore.
That is not just a fantasy or a falsehood.
─ Because it is a pure fact.
“……”
I look at her.
I just watch her movements through the gaps between the crimson butterflies that surround me.
Arianne runs through the earth at once and swings her fist at my body.
A hit.
There was no time to avoid her because of her speed. There was no time to defend me.
But Ariane’s attacks no longer hit me. It’s a fate that has taken root in this world.
“Over here.”
“Eh ……? What’s going on,……, that’s impossible. This cannot be,…… this kind of thing,…….”
A strikeout.
Ariane’s fist swung at me, but I wasn’t there.
Right now I’m behind Ariane.
The fluttering crimson butterflies still continue to fly around me.
Pieces of bright red Prima Materia flutter around.
Until now, it had been nothing more than a spark of fire. The butterfly was merely an imitation of a flame in the shape of a butterfly.
But now it is completely composed of the Prima Materia with my sorcery.
The burning red, the crimson residue of the Prima Materia that overflows.
It was the same phenomenon that Ray had shown in the previous battle. The concentration of the overflowing Prima Materia is so great that it can be completely visualized.
In his case, the Prima Materia was pale blue, but I, in contrast, had a bright red, burning color.
And I, who had been fully wounded, regain my full energy.
Now I can’t, no…… no one can stop me.
“Uh…… uhaaaaahhhh!’
Ariane charged at me again. While skillfully manipulating the lightning strikes that cling to her body, she sets up a combat battle at a very close range.
But her fists, her legs, and her thunderbolts will never …… reach me again.
Then I run many codes in my brain, layered on top of each other. Using the capacity of this sorcery realm to the maximum, I continue to activate the Causality Butterfly following Ariane’s every move.
<<Prima Materia = Encoding = Material Code>>
<<Material Code = Decoding>>
<<Materials code = Processing = Atia = Hyle = Eidos = Efficient = Telos>>
<<Embodiment = Causality>>
Butterfly Effect.
It is a unique sorcery(Origin) of the concept interference system that manipulates the law of cause and effect in this world by using a butterfly as a cause.
The condition for activation is to follow the four processes of the Four Causes Theory(Atia).
The mass cause is the material of cause and effect, and it is the creation of the butterfly that is the origin of this Butterfly Effect.
The morphic factor is, in other words, a blueprint, incorporating the mental image of the causal law to be invoked.
The action cause is the action (cause) to manipulate the causal law, which is set in the butterfly’s action (flapping, movement, explosion).
The objective cause is the causal law itself to be activated. These three processes are followed, and finally, the ‘result’ is established in this world.
I store these four processes as a single mental model in the sorcery realm and materialize the law of cause and effect in this world.
A code construction that does not allow for the slightest deviation.
Incorporating all of the butterfly’s movements and all of Ariane’s actions, I continue to activate the butterfly effect.
This meticulous code construction is the essence of the all-too-powerful unique sorcery that manipulates the law of cause and effect.
Thus, I build and invoke these four processes with great precision.
I don’t know why, but now I understood everything about this ability.
“Haa…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah…… ah!”
Even facing this ability, Ariane did not give up.
The law of cause and effect has already been established.
I have manipulated the result of Ariane’s actions causing me to attack her, and I have completely ruined it.
Manipulation of the law of causality.
That is the true value of this causality butterfly.
It intervenes in the law of causality, in other words, in the very concept of causality that exists in this world. Therefore, it intervenes in the causality that was originally supposed to manifest in this world, causes it to fail, and then connects it to another causality to overwrite it.
Ariane’s attack can no longer reach me.
That’s because no matter how she struggles, she will create the result of ‘not hitting me’ due to the butterfly’s action.
And I tell her plainly.
“Ariane, you can no longer defeat me. Because the cause and effect of this world have already been established.”
“I will not …… give up at this level. Amelia …… seriously, come at me seriously! I will crush all of them!”
It was not a bluff.
There is no way to win now. But it is not absolute.
So Ariane is hanging on to her last possibility.
She believes in that possibility. She believes in it. It was clear from her eyes, which were filled with a burning will.
So I …… will respond to that.
I’ve decided to divert this Butterfly effect, which had been used for defense, to offense.
<<Prima Materia = encoding = Material Code>>
<<Material code = decoding>>
<<Materials code = Processing = Atia = Hyle = Eidos = Efficient = Telos>>
<<Embodiment = causality>>
I manifested a butterfly at my fingertip, and it exploded in front of my eyes.
At first glance, it would seem as if it was simply self-destructing.
However, the explosion does not hit me but hits Ariane.
“Gu……uuuuu……aaaaaahhhhhh!”
Explosion. Explosion. Explosion.[TN: Megumi?]
The explosion is happening around me. The red lotus butterflies flying around me explode one after another. It’s at a distance that cannot reach Ariane
But I am specifying to her the ‘result of the explosion hitting her’.
The code constructed by the Four Cause Theory establishes the law of cause and effect in this world.
So no matter where it explodes, the causality butterfly will surely derive its result from Ariane as its starting point.
An attack against me will cause the causality to fail, and my attack will certainly cause that causality to occur.
There is nothing left for Ariane to do.
“……”
Then I calmly specify the coordinates to Ariane, who is escaping.
I continue to manipulate the causality butterflies with my palms.
I let those butterflies, which float in large numbers, blow up one after another. Then, with Ariane as the starting point, the explosion occurs as if a red lotus flower is blooming.
She copes with the blasts with her overwhelming speed, and by covering her entire body with the Prima Materia, but the option of avoiding …… does not exist.
In front of this causal butterfly, everything is a must.
That is because as long as Ariane is in the effective range of my Butterfly Effect, she will never be able to escape.
The effective range of this Butterfly effect is well beyond this field.
In other words, in this space, my attack is absolutely inevitable. And conversely, Ariane’s attack will never hit again. Unless I release this butterfly effect.
I don’t know if it is an actual battle, but under the conditions of this competition, the law of cause and effect will definitely be triggered.
Ariane dashed out of the black smoke created by the massive bombardment.
Clothed in lightning bolts on her body, she comes running across the ground in a single bound.
She must already be near her limit. Her reddish-black limbs are almost undone now, too.
This is the final offense and defense.
I just calmly stare at Ariane who is running toward me,…….
“Ugh, gosh …….”
Coughing up blood.
The burden of this ability is quite a lot, in addition to coughing up blood, a large amount of blood drips from the nose, and also from the eyes of both eyes. Probably, there must be a considerable burden on the brain …… in the sorcery domain.
The situation is as close as possible to a magic domain outburst.
But right now, that doesn’t matter.
I just have to face Ariane’s seriousness, and I also have to face it head-on.
Even if a large amount of blood overflows, even if this brain is burned out, I will activate the Butterfly effect.
Looking back, it took …… really, really long to get to this point. I thought all this time that I was nothing but a worthless, helpless fool,…… so I thought.
That I would never reach Ariane.
It was a dream come true to beat her.
I thought that I would never be able to reach that proud being,…….
But I, Amelia Rose, am here.
I can be here.
I am sure that this ability was triggered …… because I was able to change because I was able to recognize myself.
Without everyone and Ray, I would never have been able to reach this place.
And I absolutely …… could not have inspired myself to get to this point without the powerful enemy that is Arianne.
I cannot live alone.
I can’t do anything by myself.
But with everyone, I’m sure I can continue to …… walk this path.
I will go forward with everyone and with Ray.
“Thank you,…… Ariane. So let’s end this now.”
I then invoked the final butterfly effect of the match.
This ability, which I have invoked many times, is completely under my control. So I manipulate the causality once again.
“Ameliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Sprint. Sprint. Sprint.
And Ariane’s fist is reflected in front of my eyes.
“──The Butterfly Effect…”
At that instant, an explosion occurs, starting from the rose that Ariane has been defending to the end. Until now, it was impossible to aim that far with pinpoint accuracy.
But now …… the ability has become completely familiar to me.
So without mercy, I set that location as the origin and triggered the butterfly effect.
And so, with the inevitable attack, Ariane flew through the air and fell directly to the ground.
Silence.
“The winner, Amelia Rose.”
With that, the winner’s name was announced. It was mine.
A few seconds later, the venue erupts. It was a great rush. Then, cheers and applause poured down on us.
“T-The match is overrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! The winner, the winner of the rookie tournament is …… Amelia Rose! But what’s that ability ahhhh! Her new ability, her unique sorcery is incomprehensible! Caroline-sensei, please explain!”
“…… That’s amazing. It’s a conceptual interference type of unique sorcery. …… There are almost no users of it in the world. The concept of interference-type sorcery is very few in existence. And it probably originated from the Butterfly Effect of Chaos Theory,…… which directly links causality,…… or is it possible to mutilate causality? Perhaps chaos theory has something to do with it…really, sorcery that is so practical and can interfere with the very concept of the world itself may be the one thing that …… sorcerers have reached. …… ……”
“Well, uh, that ……, you mean ……?”
“…… ha! It’s a great ability anyway! Congratulations to the winner, Amelia! And congratulations to Ariane! You both did great! Congratulations!”
“T-That’s right! So, a big round of applause for everyone! A round of applause for the winner, Amelia-Rose! And a round of applause for Ariane Olgren, who fought to the bitter end!”
The cheers were loud and the applause was overflowing.
All of this is being poured out on me.
No, not only me. It is probably also a tribute to Ariane, who fought through to the end.
I then approach Ariane, lying on this field in a big heap.
We were both already wrecked. Plop plop plop, blood dripped on the ground. Still, I walk slowly to her.
Right now, I just wanted to talk to Ariane.
“…… Ariane.”
“A-Amelia. Hmmm …… you look terrible. And your body is covered in burns,……?”
“…… it’s the same for you, isn’t it?”
“Hmmm……… I suppose so……….”
I wipe off the overflowing blood and sit down gently by her side.
As Ariane held her hand tightly, she spun her words in a gentle tone…
“Hey, Amelia…….”
“Uhm……”
“You’ve become very, very strong ……, haven’t you?”
“Umm. I’ve gotten stronger …….”
“Yeah. Really, really, really great. ……”
“Umm……, Umm……!”
Tears began to well up when Ariane told me that.
She told me that because I was …… more than happy to be able to talk to Ariane like this and to be recognized by her.
All along I wanted to stand in the same place as Ariane. I was looking for that kind of …… relationship where I would not only overtake her but continue to move forward with her.
“Why are you …… crying? You have won the championship, you have …… triumphed over me here. You should be more proud of …… yourself, don’t you?”
“I-I do. I’m …… here thanks to everyone. To my friends at the academy,……, to Ray, who helped me a lot. But also thanks to Ariane. Because you were there, because you were always there ahead of me, I, I was able to …… get this far. So, you know, thank you. That’s what I want to say now. ……”
The tears that were welling up wouldn’t stop.
The tears also start to flow out of Ariane’s eyes as I tell her this.
The tears run down her cheeks and spill out onto the ground.
Finally, at last, I was able to open up my heart to Ariane.
“Idiot. You are an idiot,…… Amelia. Did you come all the way …… to my side to say that? And it’s not very dignified to shed tears amid this mass of people,…… ugh,…… gush,…….”
“…… yes,…… but Ariane, you are crying,…… too,…… ugh,…… Ugh.”
“This is …… the sweat of my …… heart! U…… ugh……”
We both couldn’t stop crying.
It didn’t stop.
Drip, drip, we just both sob through our tears.
Then Ariane somehow manages to raise her upper body and hugs me tightly.
“Amelia, I am so sorry. I abandoned you when you were so young,…….”
“Oh no,…… I just did that on my own,……”
“I understood. I knew that you were struggling …… with being an aristocrat, with being who you are,…… but I was struggling with what to do and whether or not I could really speak to you,……. So I wanted to be a proud aristocrat so that I could …… be a role model for Amelia.”
“For m-me …….”
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know that Arianne was thinking about that.
As expected.
We human beings can’t understand unless it is put into words. If not, we cannot touch each other’s hearts in this way.
It is only when we put it into words that our hearts and minds come into contact with each other.
“Yeah. For your sake, I was fighting with everything I had. This tournament was …… only for Amelia, more than anyone else. Of course, I wanted to win, you know? But just as much, I’m very, very happy …… for Amelia’s growth, and I’m sincerely happy …… for you.”
Ariane shed more tears. Seeing this, I feel a tightening in my heart, and more tears come to my eyes.
“Ariane,……”
“But that’s why I went into battle with Amelia with all my heart and with all my soul. And I was defeated. So I have no regrets ……. Congratulations, Amelia. You are the rookie champion of the Magic Chevalier! Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, …… Amelia!
“T-thank you, …… ugh …… ahhhhh!”
As everything broke down, I just hugged Ariane and shed more tears.
All the struggles I have been going through, all the worries, all the confusion, all this conflict in my heart is melting away.
All of it melts away and it all flows away.
Just as I had a heart-to-heart with Ray, I had a heart-to-heart with Ariane.
I see.
I’ve always had a goal, I’ve always wanted to be like Ariane,…… I thought. But that was what she had been doing for me all along.
When I found out, I no longer cared about …… externalities, I just cried.
We both hugged each other in this huge crowd and kept …… crying.
But those were not tears of sorrow.
They were tears of gratitude for everything and for the beauty of this world and the beauty of the human heart.
At that moment, a bird in the sky soared into the sky.
I am no longer a bird in a cage.
Like that bird, I too can flap my wings in the sky.
I am not alone.
Because I have irreplaceable friends.
I am sure that there will be more pain, suffering, and sadness in the future.
I am not optimistic that this will release me from everything, or that everything in my life will be easy.
But I am…
I can move forward with everyone.
With everyone, I can face it.
I can search for the meaning of life with everyone else.
I am no longer a caged bird.
Because I now have wings that allow me to fly freely in the sky.
I will surely love the life I live from now on. And I will continue to live the life I love.
Together with everyone else, for years to come.
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