Blue Archive: Free Princess Mika!

Haa…

I truly hadn’t felt this out of breath in a long time. I had been running non-stop. Even after entering the Arius Basilica, I pushed forward toward the center of the chapel without a plan.

At the end of my frantic sprint was the very spot where Mika had stood alone, blocking the Justina Temple Association and Saint Barbara, replicated in Mimesis. The surroundings were a complete mess, a ruin befitting the abandoned chapel, but some remnants of its majesty remained.

I couldn’t understand why Beatrice hadn’t organized this place beforehand. Watching her act like a refined lady with a fan, I assumed she had a meticulously tidy personality.

“Intruders got this far…?!”

“What a useless bunch! You couldn’t even stop a single student from getting to the Basilica—Ugh!”

Was the majority of the troops clustered outside dealing with the Squad? Even after making it inside the chapel, there were only a handful of Arius Students trying to stop me. To conserve their stamina, I calmly responded with my firearm.

I didn’t stop for a moment and burst through the chapel. Behind me lay the unconscious bodies of Arius Students, scattered like the breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel left behind in the fairy tale.

Finally, I arrived in front of the sanctum and gazed at the firmly closed door. Beyond this lay the devil who had entranced Arius and used it as a puppet. This confrontation was happening far earlier than anticipated.

Thinking back, Beatrice and I might have been destined to end like this.

In the original story, Beatrice referred to the Teacher as her rival, yet she meets a tragic defeat and walks the path of self-destruction.

Given that the Teacher’s strongest and most likely motif is Jesus Christ, and Beatrice’s motif is the Red Dragon from the Apocalypse, it’s not all that surprising.

The Arius Branch, designated heretical during the First Council, and the Arius sect excommunicated at the First Nicene Council. The name “Trinity,” formed into a single academy post-First Council, makes it clear that Trinity’s teachings fundamentally regard the Trinity.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God. While the scriptures of Trinity are phrased a bit differently, the essential content remains unchanged.

So if the Teacher’s motif is Jesus, that would lead us to the conclusion that the Son is indeed God, which could equate the Teacher to God. That might be a bit of a leap, but that’s how I see it.

Then, how could the Teacher ever become Beatrice’s nemesis? According to the Bible, they shouldn’t even be on the same level.

In the Bible, the Serpent described as the Red Dragon of the Apocalypse, that is, Satan, loses to Michael and falls from heaven to earth. So if I were to pick a rival for Beatrice, it would indeed be Michael, who possesses Michael’s mystery.

Beatrice, having defined the Teacher as her enemy and then incredibly losing, might, in a way, be perceived as thoroughly following the footsteps of Satan. Yet, to speak frankly, both Satan and Beatrice lack self-awareness.

However, Mika was deceived and exploited by Beatrice. That could perhaps signify that motifs are merely motifs.

So if motifs are nothing more than motifs, then I firmly promised that I would definitively end Beatrice right here. I was resolute in my determination to not follow in the footsteps of Michael, who cast Satan down to earth.

Kiiiii—

Without hesitation, I threw open the sanctum doors.

As I stepped inside, I caught sight of Beatrice’s puppet standing before the familiar altar, looking up. Not far from her, Saori was bound to the altar, her form a truly abominable sight—something I could only describe as tragic. Just seeing her made my teeth grind.

Having confirmed that stained glass depicting Beatrice in her monstrous form loomed above, I glared at Beatrice with a deathly stare. If looks could kill, she would have already met a fate worse than death.

…I’ll definitely save you, Saori.

With that promise, I braced my weapon. Shinpi, who usually caused nothing but trouble when faced with the students of Gehenna, seemed now to radiate warmth, spreading throughout me like an overwhelming heat.

If that monster in front of me isn’t a devil, then what on Earth could dare to be called a devil under the sky?

So bring her down. And trample her. Let that filthy body know there’s no place up in heaven for devils like her.

It was a moment where the desires of the mightiest and greatest archangel’s mystery perfectly aligned with my own heart.

“Hmm, seeing you in person, I see clearly. You’re a sacrifice that far surpasses even Saori or the Royal Blood. While Royal Blood have their uses, I must say, your mystery is simply tantalizing. Fufufufu…”

“As I said before, you shouldn’t be speaking so freely.”

Tatata—!!

“Hmph, so rude.”

As Beatrice wielded her fan, a red aura emerged, consuming the bullets that had left my gun. As I realized the situation had drastically twisted, my expression naturally contorted.

“Aha… It seems that the ritual has already begun.”

“Hmm? How you know that is a mystery, but yes, that’s correct. I’m currently exploiting Saori’s mystery to borrow the power that descends from outside Kivotos, as I transform into an existence of even greater heights.”

…Now I can only hope that this deranged woman doesn’t bring forth colors. If she can avoid the madness of directly marking the coordinates, it should be fine.

But I didn’t meet the Teacher yet, so she probably wouldn’t do something that reckless, but that uncertainty is a problem.

The truth is, the real concerning part is that I have no idea what follows in the storyline after that. The moment the final chapter’s developments advance, I must navigate through a realm of the unknown without the Teacher’s help.

Not just whether I can do that, but the very possibility of accomplishing it becomes an issue. And if I think of all this as potentially stemming from my interference in the affairs of Arius…

I have no idea. The one small comfort is that Seiya has yet to prophesy the end. So for now, let’s stop this ritual first.

“By the way, those eyes of yours… I see. I’ll retract calling you a child. That was simply a matter of your demeanor… You possess ample qualifications to be my interlocutor. So how about this? Shall we briefly exchange wisdom with one another?”

Ignoring Beatrice’s words, I lunged forward. Beatrice flinched, thinking I was attacking her, and raised her customary red aura to create a shield, but that wasn’t my target.

I moved past Beatrice, reaching close to the altar where Saori hung, drawing my arm back dramatically.

Moments later, my swinging fist aimed at the altar… but it didn’t break.

“Oh dear, were you planning to disrupt my ritual? That won’t work. There’s no way my sacred rite to achieve sublimity is so weakly constructed, is it? Kukukuku.”

Precisely as if stopped by some invisible barrier, I couldn’t touch the altar at all. Even though I had applied power that I usually watch closely while controlling, even a thorough recognition didn’t help.

“The force protecting that altar is the text woven together by Decalcomania, a member of the organization I’m part of, Gematria… Borrowing his expressions, it could be called ‘Plot Armor.’ Although I’m uncertain whether the deal was made so long ago is still effective, you’ve just verified its efficacy. Fufufufu… I must thank you, for now, I might be able to request new texts from him.”

“I’m saying this again, but… you really talk too much and it’s annoying.”

Kurgh…?

As Beatrice was distracted by her own speech, she didn’t even notice the shield had dissipated. I delivered a 9mm massage to her with the Kivotos ammo. Emptying an entire magazine, I watched her writhe in pain, leisurely reloading.

Plot Armor? What a nonsense term for a MacGuffin. When will she finally wake up from her delusion that she’s the protagonist? If Decalcomania had understood what she was trying to do, they wouldn’t have handed over any texts from the start.

“You’re really… doing a good job of hurting me…!!! I won’t forgive this. Let’s consider our conversation null. What you need is discipline, not any gentle dialogue from a brat like you!”

Beatrice’s body began to twitch and transform. The form that had been somewhat tolerable stretched thin, turning into that of a gaunt, wizened tree, and behind her unfurled skinny branches resembling wings. A halo, which hadn’t even existed before, loomed into a dull form, and a set of eye-patterned wings that had wrapped around her head spread out, forming a grotesque flower.

[Kuhuh… In this very place, I have been reborn as an even greater being. And now that I will devour you, not even the slightest bit of this Kivotos’ sublime can approach me!]

I couldn’t help but think of Hiyori’s remark, “It’s just a monster…” Such a grotesque exterior might actually only strengthen the identity of MacGuffin.

Beatrice, it seemed, was full of greed to subdue me and use me as a sacrifice. The Black Suit may have referred to Hoshino as Kivotos’ greatest mystery, but if we just talk about rank, Mika is probably in a similar position.

The mightiest and greatest archangel under the monotheistic view is powerful and sublime. In polytheisms, the authority of Pharaoh merges with that of the supreme god as it reinforces over time, granting a god-like status, representative of Pharaoh and Egyptian guardian deity.

While interpretations may vary, from Gematria’s perspective, Mika’s mystery might not reach the level of Hoshino but would still be an equally desirable target or subject of research. Just that Hoshino, currently singularly supporting a failing school, was less accessible.

[You are nothing but a stepping stone for me to transform into an even greater being, a god of this world. Nothing more, nothing less. So, be obedient and contribute your body as I achieve sublimity!]

“Um, no thanks☆”

While I would love to scratch that itch of wanting to irritate Beatrice, I’m trying my best to hold back. If she snaps and calls forth colors, it’ll be chaos I can’t manage. I plan to deal with this swiftly, as neatly as possible.

Avoiding the long, sharp fingernails swung by Beatrice, I pulled the trigger. Bullets lodged into the grotesque flower-shaped head, but the damage seemed less than expected. Separately, though she definitely felt pain, Beatrice let out monstrous sounds, writhing in agony.

Well, I hadn’t intended to solely fight with just my gun.

Ping—

Pulling the pin from a grenade, I counted two seconds before throwing it just as Beatrice launched a spherical red aura.

Kabooom—!!

[You dare!!!]

Just as the grenade reached Beatrice’s head, it exploded with a meaningful blow. Well, ‘meaningful’ is subjective.

Honestly, it’s hard to believe students could endure such firepower and walk away unharmed. It’s ironic that I, having the thought, can also withstand such explosions without a care.

I watched as red energy gathered around Beatrice’s head, surging ominously. Knowing this was some sort of radial attack, I prepared, armed to counter.

As a bloody ray shot outward, it was inevitably followed by a meteor shower of lights crashing in. The explosion that followed enveloped the area in smoke, obscuring our view.

As she swiped her grotesque hands to clear the smoke, I continued to empty my magazine.

…Seeing it again, the mystery-laden bullets seem slightly more effective than grenades; I might not need to go through that hassle if I keep firing. Anyway, considering I’m facing such a large, slow target, it wouldn’t miss.

Kiieeeee—!

Beatrice screeched and started firing off her crimson spheres in a frenzy. Perhaps agitated by having not even grazed my robes until now, she seemed intent on making it so I had nowhere to evade.

“It’s still not your own mystery.”

Hmmm, in this scenario, perhaps fear could be termed as mystery? But that’s not really important.

Against the rain of red, meteor-like fires fell. The exhaustion from my once energetic body drained me, but I completely mitigated Beatrice’s rampage thanks to it.

[The more I see it, the more I desire your mystery. I can barely wait for that moment when I turn you into my offering!]

So what do you want me to do about it?

Reloading once more, I continued firing. But even after emptying three magazines and hurling a grenade directly at her, Beatrice remained as resilient as ever. It seems my firepower alone isn’t enough. I’m genuinely worried if I can save Saori before the ritual concludes.

That, in turn, made me feel more rushed. Beatrice, aware that I was pressed for time, appeared relaxed even while taking hits. I need to save Saori, but at this rate, I’ll run out of proper methods…

“Madam! Intruder… what, what is that monster…?!”

Hmm, perhaps a solution has just revealed itself.

If firepower is lacking, then increasing manpower is the answer, right? Right?