Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 13 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 1===

"Mitsuki, it's in sight."

With Miyako-san holding my hand, we flew at high altitude for approximately three hours.

I—Mononobe Mituski—arrived within visual confirmation of the unknown territory at North Africa.

The sun had set and countless stars were twinkling in the sky. However, a piece of the night sky had been gouged out by the top of the towering dome of "darkness" ahead.

"Already... I see, huh?"

Without assisting in flying, simply deploying an air barrier to stave off the wind, I murmured in disbelief.

The journey probably would have taken thrice as long if relying on the transmutation of air. Speaking of which, because the journey was too fast, I still had yet to prepare myself mentally.

"How about taking a break nearby?"

As though reading my mind, Miyako-san pointed at the ground. The iridescent halo over her head glowed faintly.

Even with only moonlight and starlight for illumination, it was still possible to discern the terrain to some extent.

Trees were growing sparsely on the undulating land. There was a lake further up ahead with a small vilage next to it.

Miyako-san lowered her flying speed and altitude, stopping over the village. Even though she was not pulling me, I remained floating gently in the sky.

It was like entering a zone of zero gravity. My hair and skirt were also floating on their own.

"...Good advice. Perhaps there is a 'true dragon' in that unknown territory too. Some preparation is in order."

Looking at the deserted village, I nodded. Since the unknown territory was visible from here, the villagers had presumably evacuated.

"Got it. Oh, but if you're worried about fighting, that's unnecessary."

While landing, Miyako-san smiled cheerfully. Her confidence intrigued me, so I asked:

"Why is that?"

As soon as my feet made contact with the ground, the floating feeling vanished. At the same time, the iridescent halo over Miyako-san's head disappeared too.

"This is a privilege for letting me be your ally, you know? I must have told you when we were 'negotiating,' right? There exist unknown territories you cannot reach without me."

Miyako-san spoke in a joking tone of voice and shrugged.

"Indeed you did—Although I did express my doubt."

While examining her carefully, I nodded.

This was the most important reason why I had allowed her to accompany me despite being a fake.

"Sheesh, you're so mean. I won't lie to you, Mitsuki. You'll know if you get close, but gravity around that unknown territory has multiplied several fold. The closer you get, the stronger. Near the boundary, it's a space of supergravity that'll instantly crush a human into paste."

She motioned towards the black dome in the distance and spoke seriously.

"In that case... Assuming what you say is true, then it is not the effect of end matter, since the same phenomenon did not occur at other unknown territories. Come to think of it... Could it be a 'true dragon'?"

"Yes, the power of the fourth dragon—'Heavy Tremor' Nova... Or rather, its original state."

"'Heavy Tremor' Nova..."

I repeated the name of the obstacle standing in my way. It was a being on the same level as Bahamut and Nyarlathotep, both of which had taken the whole team's combined effort to take down with difficulty. To take on such an opponent with only two people—

"Don't look so worried, Mitsuki. Didn't I say there's no need to worry about it turning into a fight? Relax, Nova won't be stopping you, Mitsuki, because I am the one who is allowing that 'frame' to return to this world."

"Huh...?"

Instantly, I looked back at her, my eyes saying "I cannot comprehend what you are talking about at all."

Seeing me puzzled, she smiled wryly and placed her hand on her chest.

"You've noticed, right? I am able to use incredible powers."

"......Yes. Without creating air through transmutation, you were flying at high speed through the sky."

I nodded stiffly and looked at her questioningly.

"Well—Rather than choosing not to create air, I ''cannot create it''."

Seeing her smiling wryly, I was confused.

"You cannot?"

"That's right. Dark matter and end matter have very poor compatibility. A being that 'approached the end' at one point cannot use dark matter very well, seeing as dark matter is the solidification of possibility. Although I can generate it, performing transmutation is impossible. Watch—"

Giving this answer, she raised her hand and generated a baseball-sized sphere of dark matter. The dark matter's surface turned silver and started to materialize, then it started to crack—

Boom!

"Kyah!?"

Startled by the explosion during the process of transmutation, I fell backwards.

"See, this happens no matter what I try to make. It collapses in the middle of the process. I guess it's hindered by the contamination from my end matter."

The sight of her, waving away the fragments in her hand with a smile, filled me with a sense of deja vu.

—It was almost like the case with Iris-san...

Recalling the classmate who was worrying about me and offering encouragement to the very end, I felt my chest tighten. Of course, Iris-san had no relation to end matter at all, so she was simply bad at using dark matter, I suppose.

"Cough... Indeed, this definitely cannot be used to fly in the air..."

Choking from the smoke of the explosion, I commented softly.

"That's right, which is why I have to use this power to fly in the sky."

Miyako-san nodded firmly and gestured by moving her gaze upwards.

Next, an iridescent halo appeared over her head. Her slender body proceeded to slowly float into the air.

"This is the power of a "true dragon"—Nova."

"Why... are you capable of this—"

Although I had already guessed from our conversation, I still had trouble hiding my surprise. Looking at me with interest, she resumed her explanation with a carefree tone.

"Nova itself was originally something like a phenomenon. Anything can serve as its core as long as it is matter. Hence, this vessel was chosen with the added responsibility of negotiating with you, Mitsuki."

"Something like that, no way..."

I noticed my voice was trembling.

With her shoulder-length hair fluttering in the wind, the thing that had taken on Shinomiya Miyako's form told me the answer.

"Let's sum up, Mitsuki. I, Shinomiya Miyako, am currently the Fourth Dragon—'Heavy Tremor' Nova."