There is a way.
The saintess and the high priests.
There was a way to ensure that no one, not even the knights, died.
To do that, what he had to do was hold out for as long as possible.
Kwaaaang—!
But it was no easy task.
The destructive power of the monstrosities surrounding Heaven was beyond imagination, and their numbers were only continuing to grow.
Every time they swung their hands and feet, they collided with Heaven and dealt an enormous impact, and just as much of that shock was transmitted to Hio, the caster.
It was like back then.
Back when he had recklessly carved a Circle into his heart.
If the feeling back then had been like something sharp slowly gouging out his heart, then now it felt as if tiny explosions were going off inside his heart dozens, hundreds of times over.
—Just release the skill!
It felt as though his head were bursting apart again and again.
Perhaps he had grown used to the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, or perhaps his tongue had gone numb; he could no longer taste anything from the blood welling up inside him.
Kwaang!
With a single collision, mana drained away in a rush, and the impact slammed into his body.
Even so, Hio’s outward appearance did not show the slightest disturbance.
“The Guardian Knight is with us!”
“Lifue is protecting us!”
“The barrier is holding, so move faster!”
And so the expedition force moved with even greater vigor.
—What ignorant fools! Are you planning to die just to save those people? Hurry and cancel the skill!
His head was already spinning, and it felt as if shells were detonating inside his body; with Purnell raising his voice on top of that, his mind rang loudly.
‘……Shut up.’
—I am speaking in earnest. At this rate, you won’t last until the exit anyway. Cancel Heaven now and recover yourself.
He had not known that a shock powerful enough to shake Heaven itself would be transmitted to the caster.
The monstrosities’ strength was immense, yes, but this was also the first time he had used Heaven to block physical attacks.
In short, it was the penalty that came with a fraudulent skill.
—They were prepared for death anyway, so they will not feel too wronged! Just leave the saintess to the Sword Saint and get out!
Kwaaaang—!
—Of course it is a waste. Losing this much combat power in an instant is regrettable, but honestly, you know as well as I do that knights of this level can be replenished from anywhere across the Empire.
Kwaang—!
—If they cannot even withstand the aura of the Abyss and their minds become contaminated, they will be of no help in the future anyway! They will only be a burden on our path!
Kwaaaang—!
—If you cannot maintain Heaven until the exit, they are people who will die in the end. So hurry and cancel it. Hm? You may not know this, but if you push yourself any further, you will be ruined from the inside forever!
Kwaaaaang—!
Immense force poured in from every direction to shatter Heaven.
Giants whose entire bodies, save for their eyes and mouths, were covered in black.
Monstrosities grinning with crimson-glowing eyes and mouths as they swung their limbs at him.
Kwaaaaang—!
But none of those impacts reached the inside.
The dense Abyss was blocked by divine power, and the physical impact by mana.
And the residual shock that even those could not dispel was transmitted directly into Hio Pavlenko’s body.
—Judge this rationally!
He knew.
Everything Purnell said, from beginning to end, was entirely correct.
Except for knights at the level of commander or vice commander, they would surrender their minds to the aura of the Abyss, and with a single gesture from those monstrosities, they would be swept away.
That level of strength was of no use in the current situation. Rather, it was only natural that they would become a burden.
The surest way to survive was to abandon them and escape with only the important figures. That was the best scenario for the future.
—If you know that, hurry and cancel Heaven! If this keeps up and something breaks in you……
But he did not want to.
—……What?
They were human, were they not?
Human.
The cry of that old mage, who had shouted, asking how one could ignore the suffering of fellow humans, still rang vividly in his ears.
The tears of that foolish king, who had knelt and begged him to save at least the people of the kingdom he loved, were still vivid before his eyes.
How could he do that?
—……You truly are……
And so he continued to wring out his mana.
Even as it felt as though his insides and his mind were exploding again and again, his two legs did not stop.
Even as blood he could not swallow flowed down the corner of his mouth, he did not even think to wipe it away.
Though his entire body trembled, Heaven shining down upon them remained firm, flowing down like sunlight.
That was hope.
It was the path he himself wished to walk.
And as he barely held on to his fading consciousness—
“……Enough.”
At the sudden hand grasping his shoulder, Hio’s body was brought to a halt without being able to offer much resistance.
There was, of course, only one person to whom that hand could belong.
The Sword Saint, Vitalianus Mahel, who had been running beside Hio all along.
“Everyone, halt.”
At Vitalianus’s calm voice, every knight stopped without the slightest hesitation.
Hio opened his mouth to say something to him, but—
“Stay still.”
Vitalianus raised a hand and covered his mouth.
The blood that had been about to gush out instead of words was hidden by that large hand.
“Mage, how long do you intend to steal the honor of our knights? Rest now.”
It was utter nonsense.
What was he saying in a situation like this?
They needed to move as quickly as possible and reach the exit.
“That’s enough. You have done all you can.”
No.
He could do more.
They still had to move farther to reach the exit.
“A knight is one who protects. Yet you do not understand the shame of those who, far from protecting, have only been protected all this time.”
Even so, they could not die here.
What meaning would there be if they died?
Hio looked at Vitalianus with all that meaning in his gaze, but Vitalianus merely smiled faintly.
“Thanks to you, we have become far too complacent. Instead of risking our lives, we have been sucking our fingers from behind.”
This was not the time for this.
While Heaven was still being maintained, they needed to take even one more step toward the exit.
Kwaaaang—!
Each and every impact was now becoming difficult to endure.
He tried to raise his hand and push Vitalianus’s hand away, but his arm only trembled slightly and would not move.
The internal injuries he had suffered were that severe.
“So no one will blame you.”
Kwaaaaang—!
At the immense shock that struck again, his body finally lurched.
A shock enough to make his vision grow distant.
That was the decisive blow.
The blood vessels in his eyes, which had endured to the limit, burst, and bright red blood flowed like tears.
And the mind that had held on and held on began to drift far away.
“Expedition force, all members.”
Dazzling aura erupted from Vitalianus’s sword, and as it turned toward the monstrosities like a roar—
“Prepare for battle.”
「Skill — ‘Heaven(天上)’ has been canceled.」
Heaven collapsed.
「Authority — ‘???’ has grown.」
* * *
Heaven collapsed.
The figure of the goddess in the sky grew indistinct, and the hands that had been extended were severed at once.
Even so, the “Blessing” being deployed by Irina and the high priests remained.
The crystallization of divine arts, composed solely of divine power.
A divine art that brought healing and recovery to allies, and became a fatal power against cursed beings.
Even though Heaven had collapsed, the aura of the Abyss could not pierce through the Blessing.
But the monstrosities surrounding them on all sides rushed in the moment Heaven fell.
Whether they were unaffected by divine power.
Or whether they could simply ignore this level of it.
They tore through the Blessing far too easily and charged toward the expedition force.
A speed and flexibility impossible to believe from such enormous bodies.
And considering the force they had used against the barrier, even a graze would be fatal to a human body.
Of course, the expedition force was not merely standing there watching.
“Hinder their movement!”
At Daphne’s shout, for which they had long since prepared, the possessors unleashed all sorts of skills in every direction.
Daphne also fired Rafflesia, and Silbert exerted his telekinesis to the utmost, sealing the monstrosities’ feet.
Of course, the effect was not very great.
Rafflesia could not pierce the monstrosities’ bodies, the ice walls crumbled instantly at their movements, and the hands of telekinesis were shaken off in the blink of an eye.
They did not seem to possess any special skills, but their physical abilities were close to the extreme.
They had broken through the high-ranking skills poured out by the possessors with nothing but the strength of their bodies.
“Stop them!”
The first line of defense formed by the possessors was breached in the blink of an eye.
Then it was now the knights’ turn to step forward.
The first to go out was a golden aura shaped like a lion.
As always, it shot forward first, a radiant aura swinging without hesitation.
Like a wolf plunging into a flock of sheep, it entered the gaps between the giants and slaughtered them.
Every time his golden lion swung once, a black monstrosity was inevitably split in two.
Not a single drop of blood splattered, but their crimson, grinning faces remained unchanged even as their bodies were cut apart.
If one looked only at Vitalianus, they seemed infinitely weak. But that was only an exceedingly small part of the situation.
There was only one Sword Saint, and the area to protect was vast.
Though Vitalianus slaughtered the monstrosities with ease, that was only possible because it was him.
To the others, the monstrosities were a disaster.
Their speed rivaled that of top-tier knights, yet their bodies were several times larger.
Naturally, their strength was overwhelming, and even when wounded, they did not so much as flinch.
On top of that, as if there were no end to them, they kept bursting out from the deep darkness.
“W-we have to stop— Gwaaah!”
The formation rapidly crumbled.
It was not because the expedition force grew frightened and retreated.
Unable to stop the monstrosities’ breakthrough, the formation was being swept away purely by force.
All of this happened within mere seconds after Heaven collapsed.
* * *
“Hio!”
Hio Pavlenko’s body collapsed helplessly.
The staff fell from his hand and rolled across the ground.
Heaven collapsed.
The golden radiance was cut off.
The form of the golden lion shot out like an explosion in his stead.
None of that entered Claire’s eyes.
Her body reacted before thought could, and she ran toward the falling Hio.
Perhaps she had unconsciously noticed that something was wrong.
Because when everyone else had been distracted by other things, Claire had been watching Hio all along.
Because his smile had somehow seemed awkward, and there had been small flinches between each of his movements.
That was why she realized it before anyone else and barely managed to catch the collapsing Hio.
“H-Hio!”
Eyes closed as if he were dead.
Blood flowing down from the corners of his eyes.
Bright red blood dripping from the tip of his chin.
Had he not shown even a sign of it until he reached this state?
No, had she failed to notice properly until he became like this?
It was a side of Hio she had never seen before.
“W-what should I……”
When she muttered that and lifted her head, what she saw was a pitch-black fist.
A massive fist filling her entire vision.
Before she knew it, a monstrosity had come right up to them and was swinging its fist.
To crush Claire.
To kill Hio Pavlenko, who lay in her arms, along with her.
Of course—
“Ah……”
Vitalianus was not someone who would let that happen.
A golden aura arrived even faster and split the giant apart, fist and all.
“Claire, guard the mage properly.”
“……Yes!”
After leaving that brief command, Vitalianus immediately vanished.
Coming to her senses at those words, Claire carefully laid Hio down and stood in front of him.
She drew her dagger, gripped it with both hands, and burned with resolve.
She would not allow anything to come here.
Even if she died, she would protect Hio no matter what.
And as she made that vow and looked ahead, she saw yet another scene of despair.
Knights were swept away by fists that approached with tremendous speed and swung down.
They wrapped aura around their bodies and swung their swords with aura imbued in them, but from the start, they could not cut down such fast and massive bodies in a single stroke; moreover, the monstrosities did not care even when swords lodged in their bodies.
And so they were swept away in an instant.
That was what those monstrosities were.
Hio had been holding back such monsters alone.
Because he had foreseen that if he did not stop them, the expedition force would be swept away.
He had been holding back dozens of them, perhaps even more, entirely on his own.
One monstrosity slammed down its enormous fist.
The two knights who had tried to stop it threw themselves to either side and narrowly avoided it.
Kwaaaang—!
But the ground where the monstrosity’s fist struck burst apart as if exploding from the impact.
And the ones who lost their balance from that explosion were not only the nearby knights.
A high priest was among them.
Originally, “Blessing” was the most delicate of divine arts, performed with immense divine power, high priests, and the Divine Tree of the Sanctuary combined.
That divine art began to waver.
The shaken divinity became a massive current and engulfed all the priests. Irina gritted her teeth and tried to control it, but before the already swollen flow, her struggle was far too insignificant.
“E-everyone……!”
At last, even the “Blessing” shattered.
“B-be careful!”
What rushed in through the crumbling Blessing was pitch-black darkness.
Light faded away, and darkness greedily slipped in through the gaps.
It was a terrible aura that blinded the expedition force’s sight, robbed them of their senses, and toppled their minds.
A dreadful darkness that devoured even a single ray of light.
If it were to be described in one word, it was the Abyss.
And it covered everyone in the expedition force.
Now, there would not be many who could endure.