-918- [ Altera ]

"Whoo—whoo—"

In the extremely quiet cave, the rhythmic breath of the giant sleeping peacefully undulated. Although for the giant herself, it might be just subtle and extremely faint movements, to Rozen's ears, it sounded so clear.

Believing that with the giant's size, even a breath could rival a typhoon of several levels, the current calm breathing sounded clear, which was perfectly normal.

However, Rozen still had no idea about the origin of the giant before him.

But, regarding his own condition, Rozen confirmed one thing.

"Only my consciousness flew here, and my body is still on the battlefield?"

That was the only thing he could be sure of.

Because, right now, Rozen was like a spiritual entity, standing in this cave filled with treasures of gold and silver. The Kinu that he wore constantly was nowhere to be seen, indicating that it hadn't come along.

Although that was the case, Rozen could miraculously feel the weight of his body. He could touch anything here, and the sensation was clear. It didn't feel like he had only sent his consciousness here.

"It seems that in this world, even if only consciousness is present, it can maintain normal life activities, somewhat similar to SAO."

Rozen used the ability of "Mind's Eye" to see through the operating principles of this world.

Unfortunately, that didn't help much with the current situation.

"What should I do?"

Rozen was in distress.

His consciousness had flown here, but his body was still on the battlefield. This really worried Rozen.

You see, he was currently in the midst of battling Solomon.

Moreover, on that side, someone was waiting for Rozen to save them, and there wasn't extra time to spend in such an inexplicable place.

Although the timeline of this world where Rozen was now and the world of the singularity over there likely differed significantly, and the flow of time might be entirely different, wasting time here might mean that only a few seconds had passed on this side. But it was also possible that those few seconds here corresponded to a complete resolution of the battle on the other side.

If it came to that, it would be really troublesome.

"I must go back."

Rozen confirmed this point.

However...

"After going back, how can I defeat Solomon?"

This question, with Rozen's sharp intellect, he had thought of a long time ago.

The solution was right in front of him, wasn't it?

Rozen raised his head and gazed at the giant sleeping on the temple-like stone bed before him.

From the giant's body, Rozen could sense a terrifying, awe-inspiring, ancient aura.

This aura was completely beyond Solomon, and it might even surpass him.

If it was this giant before him...

"Even if it's a Grand Servant, I should be able to defeat them."

So, was this why he came here?

Is she the Servant he intended to summon?

But why did the result end up with only his consciousness flying here?

Various thoughts flew through Rozen's mind.

This Rozen completely failed to notice one thing.

That was, at some point, the steady breathing that undulated in the cave had disappeared.

And the giant lying on the temple-like stone bed had opened her eyes without him realizing.

She opened a pair of eyes resembling rubies, not very bright but incredibly beautiful and crystal clear.

These eyes, in an instant, saw Rozen standing in front of her, pondering in distress.

Then, the owner of those eyes was slightly surprised, puzzled, troubled, and somewhat curiously perceptive.

Rozen completely missed all of this.

For some reason, the giant-like girl maintained a posture as if observing and worrying, without making a single move.

However, her pair of ruby-like eyes were tightly fixed on Rozen, as if looking at a very precious treasure, without moving for even a moment.

Like this...

"Well then."

Rozen finally made up his mind.

"Anyway, let's wake her up and try to talk to her."

This was the only advantageous action Rozen could take at the moment.

Even though Rozen was anxious about the situation on the other side, returning there wouldn't provide much help to the overall battle. In that case, it was better to try to seize any opportunity that could lead to victory.

Besides, if he failed, Rozen could always go back.

Evidence of this was the existence of the "Miracle" on Rozen's finger, which remained here even though his body hadn't come along. It seemed that this ring was inherently linked to Rozen's soul or consciousness. Unless Rozen conceptually and meaningfully died, even if his body was destroyed, the ring would stay with his soul or consciousness.

Conversely, if his soul or consciousness were annihilated, even if his body remained intact, the ring would shatter and disappear from this world.

Therefore, even if only his consciousness had come here, Rozen could use the "Miracle" at any time to open a gateway and return to the singularity in North America.

Hence, attempting to communicate with the giant, the only one with a potential chance of defeating Solomon, might be a good choice.

This Rozen still didn't know.

It was precisely because of the words spoken unconsciously at this moment that his future life underwent a change.

—"Talk."

Such a word touched the innermost heart of the giant, a god feared by countless entities, for the first time.

And this touch turned into eternity.

Perhaps, no matter how much time passed, the girl would never forget the sentence uttered by Rozen, who suddenly appeared before her.

So...

"Um..."

A somewhat weak but completely rational, intelligent, and even composed voice sounded, reaching Rozen's ears.

"...!?"

Rozen raised his head abruptly and finally saw the giant girl lying on the temple-like stone bed, looking at him with her ruby-like eyes wide open.

"You... You're awake?"

Rozen couldn't help but be astonished.

However, Rozen didn't choose to step back or evade. He looked at the girl's reaction, seemingly making her both delighted and reassured.

Then...

"Sorry, did I disturb you?"

The girl spoke to Rozen with a cautious tone, which wasn't an exaggeration. It seemed like she was doing her best to restrain herself so as not to scare him away.

Seeing the girl's behavior, Rozen felt relieved.

Because...

(Whether she's a god or a demon, a ghost or a monster, this person holds no hostility or malice towards me.)

Confirming this point, Rozen stared directly at the girl before him.

Steadfast, without the slightest retreat.

"Who are you?"

Rozen made this straightforward inquiry.

In response...

"Me?"

The girl lowered her eyes slightly, as if recalling or reminiscing. Then, with an expression that seemed to be either melancholic or nostalgic, and carrying a faint smile, she spoke.

"I am Altera."

The girl introduced herself this way.