Chapter 851 - Chapter 7: Beyond That Point ⑫
Using the momentum of being blown forward and the effect of the Cat's Stone, I managed to keep running without falling, and put my right hand on the spot where the pain flared. It was slimy. Blood. Even with [Almighty Guard] active, I took damage. All this from a steel spear. It seems she really intends to kill me.
"[Heal]!"
I cast an upper-level [Heal] to treat it.
"There!"
"[Light]!"
"GAKIIIN!"
An impact hit the staff I held in my left hand. Predicting she would likely come in front of me with consecutive [Teleport]s, I emitted a wall of [Light] from the tip of my staff. I made it thick, prioritizing hardness. I successfully stopped the spear's attack. Thank goodness it was a steel tip.
It was immediately dispelled, and this time she swung it horizontally.
Using the effect of the Cat's Stone, I quickly readied my staff and blocked it.
But the staff I was holding with both hands was blown away.
The Goddess swung horizontally again.
I lowered my posture, dove under it as if to slip through, and performed a forward roll.
After one rotation, I looked in the direction where the Goddess should be while still crouching, but I couldn't see anything. That means...
"[Light]!"
I turned diagonally backward and fired a blade of light from my mouth.
"KIIIN!"
The aim was true. However, it wasn't that easy. It was deflected.
"[Light]!"
Applying the eight-shot burst, I fired light swords from eight fingers, excluding my thumbs. Since I fired them in a somewhat diffused manner, she shouldn't be able to dodge them easily.
"Unu!"
The Goddess's figure blurred for an instant. [Teleport]. Her appearance point would be outside my current field of vision.
In that case...
When I fell onto my back, the Goddess appeared directly above me.
"[Dark]!"
I blew out a mist. Unlike [Light], it can't gain speed, but its range is wide. Without magic, it shouldn't be easily broken through.
"Naive!"
The mist vanished in an instant. Dispelled.
Since I had anticipated the dispel, I fired a sword made of [Light] from my mouth. Simultaneously, I released the mist again with both hands.
"KIIIN!"
The sword was dodged, and the mist was dispelled again.
"Hmph!"
This time, I fired eight blades of light simultaneously with the eight-shot [Light] and released the mist from my mouth.
"Dokaah!"
I was suddenly kicked upward in the flank.
"You're too focused on the top; your sides are wide open."
I was kicked away by the Goddess, who had moved right next to me with [Teleport]. I was slammed onto the floor and went rolling from the momentum. If not for [Almighty Guard], I would have surely broken several bones. Especially in my flank.
Using the effect of the Cat's Stone, I managed to get into a half-kneeling position even while rolling. I thrust both hands forward, but this time a sharp pain, as if my neck had been sliced off, ran through me from diagonally behind.
I ended up falling forward just like that.
"Come on! Show me your spirit."
Along with the voice, I was poked in the back.
When I rolled over and looked up, I took a hit to the solar plexus. My breath...
"How naive. In the end, a human is just a human. Then, I shall give you a handicap. Try to inflict even a hair's breadth of a wound on me. If you do, I shall grant your wish."
My face was stepped on.
S-so this is the Goddess's true nature...
I grabbed the foot that was stepping on me with both hands. If we're in close contact, maybe...
"[Dark]!"
"It won't work."
She looked down at me calmly. Only a burning pain ran through my hands.
Even though I activated it...
If darkness is no good...
"[Light]!"
I produced [Light] swords from both palms. Even a little will do. If I can just inflict damage...
"It doesn't work at all!"
Such a thing... At this rate, no matter what I do, it's useless...
The foot that wasn't stepping on my face stepped on my chest. Whether an extraordinary pressure was being applied, my ribs creaked and felt like they were about to break.
It's hard to breathe... I'm going to be crushed like a frog and flattened...
Just like that, I was kicked in the mouth from the side with the foot that wasn't stepping on me.
Despite having [Almighty Guard] active, my teeth were sent flying. No, not just my teeth. My jaw might have been shattered too.
My vision gradually grew dark. Since I was grabbing her foot with both hands, I knew the Goddess was stepping on me.
"Mother! You're going too far against a human!"
"Mother!"
I heard the voices of the Demon Lord and Diana-sama. The Demon Lord is kind. I remember Keira saying something like that.
However, is the foot I'm grabbing really the Goddess's foot? Isn't it an Ogre's? Surely, she's disguised as the Goddess with magic. I wonder if she'll quiet down if I break her horns?
Stupid delusions crossed my mind.
"It is impossible for you. I was naive to show even a little mercy. I shall kill you as you are, restart the world, and wipe out humanity as well."
Such a thing... Humanity will be wiped out. Just because I tried to come here...
I just wanted the Demon Lord to return to his original world. I thought the Goddess could do that. Because, for a [Testament] activated by a human, the Goddess who granted that magic should be able to do something about it. And I thought I could make this incident a catalyst for co-existence and co-prosperity between the Demon Lord and humans.
I was a fool.
I guess I got carried away because of things like 'Overflow' ultra-high-level magic...
After all, since I'm someone with mediocre talent to begin with, no matter what I think, something is always lacking...
I slowly let go of the hand grabbing the Goddess's foot. Tears from the corners of my eyes ran down my temples.
"What, is it over already? Then shall I deliver the finishing blow?"
Since my vision was dark, I didn't know what the Goddess was doing. She must have raised her spear. If it's thrust down with enough force to pierce through [Almighty Guard], it's over.
It was the last moment of my life. I took a deep breath.
"Fuu."
I slowly exhaled. An impact ran through my stomach, and I lost all sensation. And that rapidly spread through my whole body.
Even though I'm a priest... to die like this after fighting the Goddess...
"You! Do you intend to kill yourself with [Undead] and let the power of the four great spirits run wild!"
The Goddess's voice was distant.
For an instant, an image of when I had a big fight with Beatrix-san when we were little came to mind. Things like this really do happen.
Beatrix-san back then was a child who didn't smile. It was as if she were caught by the frog's curse...
I'm sorry, Beatrix-san... I can't keep my promise...
◆◆◆◆
In northern Medioland, in the southern part of the mountainous region called the largest Demon Realm on the White Island, there was a wide river flowing from east to west, and that river separated the Demon Realm from the human realm. Near the mouth of that river, there was a port town on the south bank, and there was a large fortress managed by the Medioland royal family. The fortress was built for surveillance in preparation for the Demon Lord's resurrection. In times of emergency, many soldiers would gather from all over Medioland, but this time, despite the Demon Lord's resurrection, there was no sign of the Demon Lord's army itself, led by upper-level Demon Race, being formed, let alone the Demon Lord. Furthermore, since Jeanne had sealed the Demon Lord in the cave with [Testament], it had lost almost all of its original role. Now, it was being used as a place of rest for those who had challenged the underground labyrinth, now called 'Beyond That Point' by a handful of people on the White Island, along with Jeanne, and had unfortunately dropped out midway.
"I wonder if she's alright, that girl."
Beatrix looked at the mountain range of the Demon Realm visible to the north from the window of a room in the fortress assigned to her for rest.
The sun was high in the southeastern sky. In two more hours, it would be due south. Since they were quite far north compared to Sertoria, the warmth of the sunlight was pleasant, even though it was the end of June.
"She'll be fine. It's Jeanne, after all."
Lyudmila was next to her.
The two of them, though at different times, were both moved to the fortress after being transported to the Demon Lord's Temple. Going out was, of course, forbidden, as was conversation with anyone other than direct associates... this included the soldiers stationed at the fortress... and their meals and health management were all handled by priests led by Price.
The fortress would house many soldiers in times of emergency. Being the front line against the Demon Lord's army, it naturally had many bedrooms provided according to rank for the royalty and nobility of Medioland. This time, associates from as many as six countries gathered. Among them, since royalty from five countries—Finis, Northern Gram, Medioland, Sertoria, and Primordia—were participating, the room assignments were also complicated. Among the Class of 175, Beowulf, being the Crown Princess of Primordia, shared a room with Crown Prince Edward. Additionally, Princess Sianya shared a room with the Wetlands Priestess, who was also her guard. Mary and Matilda were given special consideration, and double rooms with their respective husbands were prepared. Will and Bonnie were treated as attendants to Henry and Eleanor, and along with Wilson, they were in the room next to theirs. Beatrix shared a room with Lyudmila, Fiona, and Violet. Fiona had exhausted her spiritual power and was sleeping inside the crystal she used for movement. Violet, who had been crying non-stop, had fallen asleep after being told by Beatrix and Beowulf that Jeanne had safely reached the final location.
"I don't know who she's meeting with the Demon Lord beyond a place like that. To try and help the Demon Lord, she really is too good-natured."
"Because it's Jeanne."
When Beatrix said it with a sigh, Lyudmila replied with a grin.
"I haven't heard that a Vampire Quarter is a spirit."
"Ahaha. I just tried to imitate Dune and the others a bit."
"Geez!"
She reached out and roughly ruffled her hair.
Now Lyudmila was much taller than Beatrix. In the past, she would have grabbed her hair and made a mess of it.
"I'm worried."
In the past, Lyudmila would have laughed and run away, but now that she was an adult, she didn't run away and instead hugged Beatrix.
"I suppose so."
"Right?"
Lyudmila gently stroked the head of Beatrix, who had pressed her cheek against her chest like a child acting spoiled with her mother.
"Don't you think she's changed lately?"
"Maybe. It's like a sense of duty, I guess? She seems to be driven by something like that. It might be natural since she's a priest. But it feels like she's forcing herself to be inspired."
"Yeah. I hope she doesn't do anything reckless."
Jeanne is the only user of light magic. Naturally, the responsibility becomes heavy. She pretends to be carefree, but the two of them—no, the comrades of the Class of 175—knew she was trying not to lose to the pressure.
"Jeanne went to the Goddess's place, right?"
Lyudmila asked in a low voice, sounding a bit fearful. All the associates of this exploration vaguely understood that. They just didn't put it into words. Price's position was particularly delicate. Considering the relationship between the Demon Lord and the church, and the possibility that Jeanne might not return safely, he would be in a position to stop her. It could be said that they, including the Grand Archbishop, had bet the end of the war with the Demon Race on Jeanne, who could even chat with that Demon Lord. And, though the two didn't know it, the Grand Archbishop was secluded in a room of the Medioland Royal Capital Great Church, desperately continuing his prayers for the Goddess to grant Jeanne her blessing.
"I think so. She didn't say it clearly, though."
"Henry-sama and Price-sama don't say anything either."
"Yeah. Their positions are difficult."
"Will would probably say it."
"Ahaha, because she's a pagan."
Beatrix couldn't help but laugh at the words that came out with Lyudmila's mischievous smile.
As the two of them were laughing, Beatrix suddenly looked out the window.
Her expression had changed.
"What's wrong?"
"Just now, didn't I hear Jeanne's voice from outside?"
"Eh? I didn't hear anything, but did she come back?"
"The thing is, I felt like she was apologizing to me for some reason..."
"Eh?"
The two of them looked out the window. The scenery of the Demon Realm's mountain range remained unchanged.
The Demon Realm is roughly divided into two areas. The mountainous region from the central to the western part, and the eastern mountainous region. Compared to the central and western parts, which have uniformly gentle slopes, the eastern part is full of cliffs and rocky mountains. Naturally, the outlines of the mountain ranges are different, so they could be distinguished at a glance. The Demon Lord's Cave is in the central part, and many monsters that form the core of the Demon Lord's army live in the forests spreading from its vicinity, but since the eastern part has few trees, the number of monsters is not that large; however, many ant nests have been discovered there, and there is a history of concentrated extermination being carried out.
Lyudmila leaned out the window. She was pointing toward the eastern part of the Demon Realm.
"Something flashed!"
"Jeanne's [Light]?"
"Isn't it too big for [Light]?"
It was then.
A flash of light ran near the summit. After that, a giant fireball erupted, followed by a black spherical cloud that seemed to cover the fireball. The cloud began to rise while growing into a large sphere. It was connected to the ground as if trailing a tail. In the sky above, several streaks of lightning were sparkling.
"Eh? What's that? An explosion?"
"If it's an explosion, it's too big."
How high was it? It continued to rise more and more, taking a shape like a rapidly growing mushroom.
The petite Beatrix clung to Lyudmila. Something of a scale they couldn't even imagine was happening. The sentries on the outer walls and turrets must have seen the same sight; they were loudly relaying the occurrence of an anomaly to those in the fortress.
Perhaps because of the distance, the sound of a giant explosion finally reached them.
"It must be Jeanne. We have to go."
Lyudmila hurriedly stopped Beatrix as she tried to make a bowl with [Wind Barrier].
"No. It's dangerous there."
"It'll be fine if I hide my presence."
"No! Absolutely not! It's not like that. Anyone who approaches there now will die. They'll die as if burned by an invisible magic. Please, Beatrix. Believe me. The ability I inherited from my mother is warning me not to go there."
"Lyudmila, you..."
It was rare for Lyudmila to speak so seriously.
"Hey, let's believe in Jeanne for now. If we die going to look for Jeanne, Jeanne will definitely be sad."
Lyudmila desperately clung to Beatrix's arm. She had to stop her. Not just Beatrix. She didn't want anyone to approach that strangely shaped cloud. She desperately appealed for that.
"Understood. If your Vampire blood says so, I'll stop going."
"Really! Thank you!"
"But I'm going to use [Flight Magic]. I have to tell everyone in the fortress what you said."
"Yeah! That's right."
When Lyudmila let go, Beatrix used her free hand to make a bowl with [Wind Barrier].
"She'll be fine. Jeanne will."
"Yeah. She'll be fine, right?"
"That girl, you know, she's clumsy, she's slow to learn magic, and she was always doing nothing but being a decoy. But ever since the first time we did rat extermination, for some reason, she's been invincible."
Lyudmila could tell that Beatrix was desperately holding back her tears from falling. Her figure looked blurred.
"That's right! Jeanne has never known defeat. Let's believe in her."
"Yes, I believe in her. So, you stop crying and help me. We have to quickly tell Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, and everyone in the fortress not to go there."
"Understood. I'll use [Flight Magic] too."
The two of them each made a [Wind Barrier] and climbed in.