The voices grew more numerous, closer, louder—as if countless young girls were chattering inside Milora’s head.
No matter how much she scratched her ears, pulled her hair, clutched her head, or covered her ears, nothing worked. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow her inner instinct in search of the sound’s source, wandering through the boundless fog.
— “Little Light and I made a pact! Our only reunion can be on stage!”
— “You’re always thinking only of yourself.”
The clamor grew ever more raucous as Milora, like a lost child, shuffled through the fog—fumbling, moving forward—feeling her body grow heavier and heavier.
— “You, you went to the festival, didn’t you? With some girl I don’t even know.”
— “I hate it when Shimazaki smiles in places I don’t know about, and I hate you holding hands with others!”
So heavy—her body was truly weighted down, not an illusion but a physical heaviness that made even walking a struggle.
— “Then what about me?”
— “What can I do to make you come back? I’d do anything within my power!”
Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, her waist bent involuntarily, and the ground in her sight drew ever closer. She could barely move; even standing was a luxury.
— “When you’re here, Chika is so happy. She even said she’d strive for you.”
— “Why are you so experienced? How many times have you kissed anyway!”
— “But I don’t want the three of us together…”
A massive, unseen force pulled her toward the ground. She struggled with every limb to hold herself up, but she was nearing her limit.
— “You happy prince, can’t I be your swallow?”
— “A diamond heart never gets hurt!”
— “Isn’t it better to let your affections spread—rather than monopolize the one you love—so that everyone you like ends up liking someone else, and your circle expands?”
“Wooo!!!” Her body became unbearably heavy, as if an invisible giant hand had pinned her to the ground. In that moment she understood—it was “gravity”! In this area shrouded in dense fog, gravity had suddenly intensified manifold! She fell prostrate like a pilgrim, her cheek pressed tightly against the frost-stained, rough stone.
“Ugh… uh-uh… where… who did this…!” Only her eyes could move freely now; she desperately rolled them within her limited field of vision to seek out the enemy—yet before she could search, it appeared right before her!
It was a small patch of purple-black mist, shimmering with lightning-like brilliance yet rippling like water—as if composed of countless specks of glowing dust. Faintly visible at its center was a strangely shaped purple-black rune, around which the luminous mist coalesced.
(That is… a Rune Spirit!?)
Before setting out, Torina had explained the dangerous monsters lurking in Niforheim, the most troublesome of which were the “Rune Spirits.” The term “spirit” here referred to monsters whose bodies were composed of various special energies; a “Rune Spirit” was one type—runic symbols with similar properties clustering together, constantly absorbing magic until they transformed into beast-like, aggressively charged creatures.
To help Milora grasp the concept, Torina had even provided an illustrated guide of common Rune Spirits.
Yet the monster before her… didn’t match any of them.
Silently, the Rune Spirit approached.
It didn’t need to do anything special.
Its mere “approach” was enough to make the oppressive force of gravity surge ever higher.
Milora could almost hear the creaking of her bones inside her body. Once crushed by gravity, her fragile organs would shatter in an instant—and by then, not even immortals could save her!
The Deville family, as the hosts of the challenge, wouldn’t let their guests perish in the maze. They had set up a rule: if one faced mortal danger, a shout of “withdraw” would teleport them out of the maze. But that would forfeit the current challenge opportunity, and Milora couldn’t bear to disappoint Torina any further.
What to do— what to do— what to do— think quickly, think! You simply can’t beat an opponent like this head-on— think!
The Rune Spirit was the product of an immense convergence of magic around runaway runes—in other words, it was essentially the same as unbridled rune magic. If only she could establish a connection with it before being crushed…
At that thought, Milora summoned the incredible willpower of a true protagonist. Forcing the panic out of her mind and ignoring the searing pain, she closed her eyes—and in an instant, entered a state of rune perception! (!!)
Her vision transformed.
The world around her was no longer ice and fog, but a torrent of purple-black magical energy flowing like contaminated water, warping everything it touched with invisible force! The magic fluctuated constantly—like radio waves with ever-changing frequencies, seemingly chaotic yet rhythmically pulsing! (Right now!)
At the moment the magical energy “relaxed,” she concentrated all her strength and managed to stand up—if only for a moment! She charged at the Rune Spirit at full speed, seizing the rune at the core of the purple-black mist and attempting to infuse it with her consciousness—BOOM!!!!!
A violent tremor hit, followed by a sudden sensation of weightlessness! Milora opened her eyes—only to see her body, along with the surrounding ice, snow, and rocks, floating into the air along complex trajectories! (First the gravity increased, and then this!?)
In the chaotic gravitational field, Milora found herself utterly powerless. Clinging weakly to a floating stone as a makeshift foothold, she leapt toward the Rune Spirit—only to have all nearby objects suddenly accelerate skyward as if “falling”! This wasn’t a mere lapse into weightlessness; gravity had completely inverted! (Oh no—)
She threw her rope to entangle a nearby tree! The ancient tree’s roots were deeply embedded in the frozen soil, and even with gravity reversed, it held fast! Swinging like on a pendulum from one tree to the next, she dodged a barrage of rubble hurled at her by the Rune Spirit!
Immediately, she drew the rune short sword Torina had given her, swinging it with all her might to deflect the larger chunks while ignoring the smaller ones. Using the rope to swing her body, she attuned herself to the direction of gravity! The gravitational field was in utter chaos—suddenly upward, then downward, then to the right—in complete disarray. Still, she sensed, waited, and searched for that fleeting opportunity—(It’s now!)
At the precise moment gravity shifted toward the Rune Spirit, she decisively let go, falling toward it and channeling all her strength into the short sword! Meanwhile, the Rune Spirit used gravity to heave a massive boulder from the ground, hurling it at Milora—RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
——————
At that moment, many challengers in the central area of the maze noticed the abnormal gravity.
Several witnessed vast amounts of rubble soaring skyward, but when they arrived, they found nothing—only the ever-pervasive fog of Niforheim continued to spread.
Was it all just an illusion?
