The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros. The magical staff I had created in my previous life had somehow taken control of Maribel and is now attacking us.
“What is that red ring…? I can feel an incredible surge of magic!”
“Hn…quite dangerous.”
“And what about Maribel-dono? She’s completely different from how she was just a moment ago…”
I answered to the three girls, who were clearly confused.
“It’s because of that ring-shaped staff.”
“…A staff?”
“Wait, that is a staff?”
“Do you know something abou—”
Before Karen could finish her words, everything around us shifted, and the world transformed into a blinding, white void.
“No way… we’ve been transported into a subspace!?”
Fana and the others were nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the Rainbow Dragon Staff Ouroboros and Maribel, floating atop it.
“Tsk… Lindwurm…”
To make matters worse, my beloved staff, Lindwurm, wasn’t here either. It had been torn away during the forced teleportation.
『Kuahahahaha! Too bad for you, Aristoteleus! This is a special subspace created by this woman! It’s impossible to escape from here or call for help! And of course… no teleportation magic will work either!』
Ouroboros’ triumphant laughter echoed through the void.
“…No choice then. I have to use the other one. Bahamut! …Bahamut?”
I tried to summon my other cherished staff, Bahamut, but for some reason, I couldn’t access it from within this subspace.
『Kuahahahaha! You can’t connect to another subspace in here!』
“Seriously?”
With neither Lindwurm nor Bahamut available, I’d have to face Ouroboros and Maribel with nothing but my own body. Even with the accelerated growth I’d achieved in such a short time, this was a nightmare scenario.
…And on top of that, the security woven into this subspace was no joke. If I had enough time, I could analyze it and escape—but there was no way Maribel and Ouroboros would give me that kind of opening.
“Wait… am I completely screwed here…?”
And then it happened.
The dragon motif on the Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, began devouring its own tail, swallowing it bit by bit, until finally it consumed its own head entirely.
In its place, a new staff appeared—an elegant ringed staff with scales that shimmered in bright orange, as if it had materialized from nowhere.
『Kyahahahaha! You’ve really turned into a baby! And your precious staffs and companions are gone! You’re completely finished! Kyahahahaha!』
The telepathic voice echoed in my mind, far more mocking and chaotic than before—as if speaking through a completely different persona.
“The color… it’s changed from red to orange…!”
At that moment, a small mound appeared behind me. Almost instantly, it surged forward like a landslide, aiming to crush me under a torrent of earth.
“Damn… so now the earth magic is being enhanced too…!”
I shouted as I darted aside, narrowly evading the incoming onslaught.
The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros. Its defining feature—no, its terrifying advantage—was that it possessed seven distinct personalities. Or perhaps I should say, seven draconic natures. In human terms, it was like a multiple-personality disorder—but with Ouroboros, every time its draconic personality changed, the magic it specialized in shifted as well.
Up until now, Maribel had been relentlessly casting fire magic because the red-scaled Ouroboros had been in control. Now that its scales had turned orange, it would likely wield massively enhanced earth magic, using it aggressively.
『Kyahahahaha! You’re not getting away!』
Vast amounts of earth surged outward like a fisherman’s net, cutting off my retreat as it barreled toward me. Instinctively, I condensed my magical energy and unleashed it at part of the mass, hoping to carve out an opening.
“…It’s… deflected!?”
The earth, charged with immense magical power, was as hard as adamantite. No ordinary impact could break through it.
Earth then surged from all directions, leaving me no path of escape.
『Kyahahahaha! It’s over! Get crushed into a pulp!』
“Teleport!”
I instantly used teleportation magic to escape beyond the oncoming wall of earth.
『Huh…?』
“…As expected. Teleportation is only forbidden when moving between the subspace and the outside. Using it within this subspace itself is fine.”
『…Tch! I could have killed you with that! Well, it doens’t matter. There’ll be plenty more chances!』
I managed to evade the attack, but truthfully, it was brutal. Teleportation consumes a massive amount of both magic and physical energy, and it isn’t something you can rely on repeatedly. Yet here I am, forced into a situation where I had to rely on it immediately.
“If I’m forced to keep using magic defensively, I’ll just wear myself down… I have to strike first and take it down before this baby body of mine runs out of energy.”
BZZZZZZZZT!!
A deafening thunderclap and blinding flash of lightning struck with unimaginable force. The protective barrier I had conjured was obliterated in an instant.
“…Now it’s lightning magic…”
Ouroboros’ scales shifted again—this time, to yellow.
『Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die』
A horrific stream of malice and rage poured directly into my mind through telepathy.
“This one… its draconic personality communicates far less than the previous forms…”
Massive bolts of lightning began appearing around Maribel, one after another. They completely ignored any limits of magical energy, and I couldn’t help but grimace as I realized just how extreme this new form was.
“Oh come on… there isn’t even a chance to strike back here…?”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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