Chapter 229 - Racshell and the World of the Sacred Oil Jar
Samaim lowered her stance, ready to dash forward at any moment. Her lips were pressed into a firm line as she stared down Fam—no, all of us. Her gaze was that of a master combatant.
In response, Fam also took a stance with her sword, the tip aimed at Samaim's throat. The palpable tension between them slowly began to dominate the space.
The other members of Messiah also drew their weapons. Besides Samaim, Yuuki and the gaunt man had their swords out. Behind them, the demon woman gripped a spear. Clovis distanced himself from them, moving to the rear and readying his staff. His guards flanked him, swords drawn in a protective stance.
In turn, the members of Levante drew their own weapons and surrounded me protectively. I was the only one in the entire place left unarmed.
"Yuuki, Samaim. Are you two really planning to fight us?"
No answer.
"Fam, stop it. Samaim is your childhood friend, isn't she?"
As I spoke, I scanned for an escape route. But this corridor was a dead end. The path to the entrance was blocked by Messiah, and behind us was nothing but a dark, empty void.
"I've been thinking for a long time about what's important, about what I must choose. No matter what, I will protect you, Master."
"What kind of enlightenment are you pretending to have? Don't be so cheeky, you're just a kid! If you had time to think about that, you should have been thinking of a way to win her over to our side. At least create some time for us to talk!"
"Hmph! Are you saying I haven't been thinking at all?!"
She whirled around to face me.
"Fam, look forward! Now!"
Not missing the opening, Samaim lunged. In the same motion, she swung her arm, her blade dancing through the air.
"Aah!"
Fam scrambled to block with her sword, but she was too late. Just as the sharp tip was about to reach Fam's throat, Petra's warhammer deflected the blow. A harsh clang of metal rang out.
Samaim, unfazed, quickly readjusted her stance and swung her sword at Petra's legs. Petra blocked the strike with the handle of her weapon.
"Kuh..."
The difference in weapon weight was clear. Samaim's speed left Petra's movements a tempo behind. A large tear appeared in her clothes, and blood trickled from the white skin revealed beneath.
Petra swung her warhammer upwards. Samaim pulled back, creating distance between them.
From the rear, Marmie raised her wand.
"...Thunder Magic, Lightning Strike."
A bolt of lightning shot from her staff, but just as it was about to hit Samaim, it vanished.
"What?!"
Marmie cried out in surprise. The space where her lightning had disappeared seemed to distort. The distortion faded like ripples on water settling. It was the same thing that had blocked Racshell's arrow back in Migul.
"It's them!"
There was one person who had turned their back on the fight, crouched down. They didn't appear to be using a special skill. It was likely a passive ability, like Mizuki's. Their magical barrier had sealed off our long-range attacks.
Samaim had retreated for a moment, but in her place, Yuuki and the other man were closing the distance. Fam raised her sword to keep them at bay, but its tip wavered unsteadily, as if she were hesitating. My thoughtless retort must have shattered her concentration. And Mizuki, too, had lost her usual dignified composure and was completely cowering.
"Maira, Petra..."
"We know."
Even without my prompting, the two of them were moving to support the others, but the enemy had the demon woman and Samaim providing backup, not to mention long-range support from Clovis. There was no way to break through. There was no time to hesitate. I raised my hand.
"Special Skill, Goddess Summon!"
In that instant, the surroundings were flooded with rainbow-colored light. Within that brilliance, Racshell appeared, seated on a long spear. The iridescent robes she wore shimmered, and particles of light drifted through the darkness like stardust. The space behind us, once dyed in solid black, now looked like the deep blue-black of a true cosmos. Yet, despite her divine appearance, her eyes were downcast, her expression tinged with melancholy.
"You know, I feel like I'm being treated rather carelessly lately~..."
Racshell pouted.
"That's not true. I'm counting on you!"
"That very vagueness is what I mean by careless!"
She drifted down from the air to my side. Then, her gaze fell upon Messiah. They showed no signs of lowering their weapons. As I'd feared, her charm ability had no effect on them. Yuuki raised his hand, preparing to unleash a counter special skill.
"Special Skill, The Great Cosmic Dragon Primogenitor!"
In response to Yuuki's cry, a tremendous energy flooded the space, and a colossal dragon materialized behind him. It was the same giant, golden-scaled dragon from the Crystal Palace. The dragon glared at us and let out a roar.
However, Racshell's expression remained perfectly serene as she watched, without a single shadow of doubt.
"So, Mash, do you intend to use my spear to strike them down?"
Was her composure born from the confidence that a single strike from her spear would overpower the dragon's crimson flames, or was it the belief that no matter what happened, she alone would be safe?
"No."
"Then what do you intend to dooo?"
"We're running!"
"To where, exactly?"
"Anywhere is fine! Just get everyone out of here!"
"It's just as that elf over there said~. If you escape into the 'World of the Sacred Oil Jar,' you won't be able to breathe. You'll die."
"If you can survive in there, you can figure something out for us!"
"That's impossible~."
Flames flickered at the dragon's mouth. There was no time to waste. I decided to ignore Racshell's protests.
"Everyone, grab onto Racshell's spear!"
I threw my arms around her as she sat on the spear. Following my lead, the members of Levante all rushed to Racshell's side. At the same time, the dragon unleashed a torrent of crimson flames. Racshell and the rest of us, clinging to her, danced through the air, weaving through the inferno.
With our backs to the dungeon, we plunged into the darkness. The dragon followed up with a second and third blast of fiery breath. Racshell dodged those as well, pushing deeper into the void. The dragon's flames tore through the darkness, undiminished even in this space, threatening to swallow us whole. The mere heat was enough to feel like my skin was scorching.
"I thought this place had no oxygen!"
I yelled at Racshell as she narrowly avoided the flames.
"Special skills are a conceptual power~. If an ability is to breathe fire, it will always breathe fire, regardless of the circumstances. Only another special skill can prevent it~."
"Isn't that a little broken?"
The dragon's pursuit wasn't over. To evade the flames, Racshell made a sharp turn. I tensed my body to withstand the G-force. Come to think of it, a thin, transparent membrane surrounded the spear. Racshell must have been securing our air supply.
"Hmph, such is the power of a god~."
Racshell puffed out her chest proudly. It bounced. I gently placed a hand on it.
"O-ow, wh-what are you doing?!"
"When you bounce your chest like that, it throws off the spear's center of gravity. It's dangerous!"
"That would never happen!"
Ignoring her words, I continued to touch her chest as I glanced behind us. The dragon's main body hadn't followed us into the World of the Sacred Oil Jar. The pursuit with its fiery breath had also ceased. The surroundings were now complete darkness, and the spear carrying us moved through it. I had no idea how fast we were going or where we were headed. Just then, I felt a dizzy spell, a sensation of my head swimming. My Mana was draining.
I was suddenly terrified. If my Mana ran out, Racshell would disappear. We would be left stranded in this darkness. And, of course, there was no air. My hand, still on Racshell's chest, tightened reflexively.
Just then, a light appeared ahead.
"This place is..."
It was a familiar space, one I didn't need to search my memory for. A strange hall surrounded by pointlessly extravagant stone pillars. A temple-like chamber.
"The memorable spot where I kissed Mizuki."
"That's true, but that's not the point!"
Mizuki immediately shot back, though she looked just as surprised as I was. This was the space where Racshell had summoned us when we were first transferred to this world.
"So this was the 'World of the Sacred Oil Jar' all along..."
Fam, Maira, Marmie, and Petra were all looking around curiously. In the center of it all stood Racshell.
"Rejoice, Maira. You've finally reached the world where the gods reside."
"Th-this is it?!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, took a deep breath, and began to eagerly observe her surroundings. Racshell approached us from behind.
"That's not quite accurate. This is my space, and mine alone~."
She wagged her raised index finger from side to side. For someone who was supposed to be trapped here, she seemed oddly proud.
"According to the elven myth, this space was created to separate the worlds. So that means you're sealed here, right? Are the other four goddesses in the same boat?"
She didn't answer. No, she was probably constrained from answering.
"If you can cut through space like you did just now, couldn't you go visit the other goddesses?"
"I can only leave this space when you summon me."
"So, if it's now..."
As I started to speak, the Mana drain made me lose my sense of balance, and my vision swam. I couldn't regain my footing and fell to one knee. At that moment, a blade sliced through the air where my head had just been. It was pure luck that I'd dodged her sword. Samaim stood there, shortsword in hand, glaring at me.
Fam immediately stepped between us, raising her sword.
"H-how did she get here?!"
"When you were all trying to grab onto Lady Racshell in the dungeon, Sam came after you, so I caught her."
I hadn't noticed at all. She had closed the distance while dodging the flames from Yuuki's summoned dragon? It was insane. Had Yuuki ordered her to do it?.
"I told you not to just pick up everything you find!"
"You did not! Besides, you told me to think of a way to bring Sam over to our side!"
Did I say that? I wondered, as I moved to draw my sword. But before I could, Petra closed in from behind Samaim and restrained her. Fam quickly disarmed Samaim as she struggled against being pinned to the floor.
Watching the scene unfold, I felt something was off. Her movements, her stance, her sheer intensity—they were all those of a seasoned veteran. Yet, she'd been flanked so easily just now, and Etowan had gotten behind her just as easily in the Crystal Palace.
"Hey, don't just stand there, get something to tie her up with..."
"Ah..."
I replied to Petra and took some rope from my Storage. Then, I tied Samaim up. With Fam and Petra holding her down, it was easy.
"You only needed to tie her arms. But why did you..."
Petra muttered, looking at Samaim bound in a tortoise-shell pattern. The ropes emphasized her charms—specifically, her breasts looked adorably pronounced. The curve of her bottom, too; she seemed to be developing better than Fam. Still, she refused to say a single word. Was this also under orders?
"What are you talking about? It'd be dangerous if these things started thrashing about."
At my words, Petra looked around at the rest of us.
"...Do you all really like this man? A man like this..."
Just as she sighed, I noticed that everyone's legs were starting to fade. I frantically looked toward Racshell, but her form was hazy. When I tried to focus by rubbing my eyes, the scenery distorted dramatically.
"It seems your time in this space is up. And Mash, you're at your Mana limit, too..."
I tried to reach for Racshell. But I couldn't tell if my arm was actually moving. I just felt a warmth spread through me, as if she had enveloped my hand in hers. Everything went black.