The last light that had shone upon the expedition.
Even Ripue’s divine “Blessing” had shattered.
And when that happened, darkness in which one could not see an inch ahead came.
Claire raised a flame to brighten her vision, but the fire that flared up for a moment was soon greedily devoured by the abyss.
“……”
Nothing could be seen.
No, perhaps she was seeing it.
The abyss itself.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Ah, Ripue!”
“For the glory of Verden!”
“You think I’ll yield to this thing?!”
Even the various sounds seemed to be encroached upon by the abyss, gradually growing distant.
There was nothing to see and nothing to hear.
Then now, one had to fight against one’s own imagination.
The monstrosity that had been grinning with red eyes and a red mouth.
When would it suddenly pierce through the abyss and appear?
Considering movements swift enough to rival a high-ranking knight, it would not be strange at all if it appeared at any moment.
No, in a situation like this, she was not even sure whether she could react.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that she had experienced this abyss, however briefly, before.
Back then, on the Floor of Breakthrough with Hio, she had once been exposed to the abyss that appeared as it tore through space.
Of course, experiencing it did not mean one could develop immunity to it.
No matter how firmly one gathered their wits and prepared, the abyss was something that encroached upon them without their knowing.
The current Claire was the same.
She had tried to come to her senses, but the abyss had long since been shaking her mind.
The proof was that she could sense no sound. No presence.
The only thing she could do was fight herself.
For darkness was originally such a thing.
The fear that a monstrosity would suddenly appear, piercing through the dark.
Why were the others so quiet?
Had they perhaps already all died, leaving her alone?
It was a fight in which she had to drive away the negative thoughts that rose without end.
In other words, it was a fight she could never win.
Negative thoughts kept rising.
The surrounding environment made it so, and the abyss embedded in her mind spurred them on.
So it was useless to resolve to shake off such thoughts.
Because the more one tried not to think of something, the stronger it rose—that was the nature of humans.
Claire gradually sank down like that.
Just as countless others had until now.
Slowly sinking into the abyss……
Thud—
“Ghk……!”
When she stabbed the dagger into her thigh, her mind cleared a little.
There was only one reason she was trying so desperately to keep her senses.
Because she thought of Hio, who would be right behind her.
This would not do.
Like this, she could not protect him.
Had she not always only received help, only been protected?
This time, she had to do it.
Resolving herself so, she raised a flame once more, but as expected, it was useless.
She had heard before.
That purifying a defiled area was dozens of times harder than protecting a clean one.
This place was already a defiled area.
Therefore, the abyss that had spread thickly after shattering the divine Blessing could not be undone.
Then what should she do?
The answer was simple.
……No, was it really simple?
There was no way someone like her could accomplish what high-ranking knights, the commanders, and even the saintess could not stop.
“……Get a hold of yourself.”
Thud— This time, when she stabbed the dagger into her other thigh, her mind cleared a little again.
Without even realizing when it had grown hazy, she was sinking like this.
“I have to protect him.”
Right behind her was Hio.
She could not see or feel anything, but he was surely there.
Then all she had to do was protect him.
With her life on the line.
With every last ounce of strength.
“……Come out.”
The skill she unfolded so.
The flames that had always obediently followed her will.
But this time, they would not listen at all.
“Hurry up and come out……”
Whoosh— It seemed to blaze up, only to be extinguished immediately.
As if it feared the deeply saturated abyss.
Or as if it had been devoured by it, it vanished without leaving even a handful of light.
But could she stop because of that?
She had to raise the flames somehow.
This was Claire’s foundation and her identity.
Yet no matter how many times she tried, only the same result repeated.
All sorts of negative emotions and thoughts naturally began to well up.
Thud—!
This time, she drove the dagger into her left hand.
“Phew……”
Let’s think slowly.
What should she do?
Using a skill blindly would be meaningless.
It would only eat up her mana.
Think, she had to think.
—There’s a technique called intent.
What rang in her head was something Mellisa had once told her.
A technique like something out of a fairy tale that only the strongest on the continent could use.
She had said that if Claire could only handle it, her flames would never die out.
Of course, she did not know how to learn or control it.
Mellisa had not known either.
—Strengthen your will. The path you want to walk. Imagine the form you want to become.
That was the only advice she had given.
The path she wanted to walk.
The form she wanted to become.
Had the answer not already been given?
She slowly closed her eyes.
Or perhaps they were already open.
What came to mind was fire.
But it was not Claire’s own flame.
It was the blue fire she had seen today.
The magnificent flames that had covered the sky, that had replaced the sky.
A sky of blue fire.
Whoosh— A blue flame rose in her mind.
Was it thanks to that? She felt as if her vision had grown a little brighter.
“Phewww……”
Calming her heart again, this time she recalled another flame.
It was not an ordinary flame.
This was lightning she had once seen.
A rain of lightning that had risen in the sky and struck down endlessly.
A wave of thunder.
A lord of lightning before whom any ordinary person could only slam their head to the ground and tremble.
The white blaze that had burned at its end.
Kraaaang—!
Lightning struck inside her mind.
Her vision brightened further, and her thoughts became clear.
The darkness that had crowded in retreated in shock before the blue flames and the white lightning.
Though it was nothing more than something that had happened inside her own mind.
“Ha.”
The red eyes that slowly opened had, before she knew it, been cleared of storm clouds.
Their focus was sharp, and her mind, where flames had bloomed, was brighter than ever.
It was still the same that she could not see even an inch ahead, but she no longer felt as if she had been left alone in the world.
If one were to name the reason.
“U-uaaaah!”
“Don’t come…… Don’t come……!”
“We’re all going to die anyway…… Just kill me……”
“Get a hold of yourself! Don’t let that thing devour you!”
It was because her blocked ears had opened, and all sorts of sounds began to reach her.
They were not coming from very far away either.
Until just moments ago, she had thought they had each been separated into different spaces far away, or that most of them had died, but in truth, there was not much difference from when the abyss had spread.
She had cleared away the abyss in her mind.
Then now, she had to raise a real flame.
In the end, only if she could light a fire within this dense darkness could she move forward.
Only then could she protect Hio, who had lost consciousness after protecting everyone, and become a single ray of light for those whose minds had broken.
The skill manifested so.
With all her strength, she poured the flames of the blue sky in her mind, the flames of white lightning, into the skill and unfolded it.
However.
“……”
Failure.
The flames did not even respond to her call.
* * *
—Aaaaargh!
—S-save me!
—I don’t want this…… I don’t want to die…… No……
Within the pitch-black darkness.
Screams suddenly rang out.
A dazed mind.
It was just like that time.
That day when he had stared blankly down at his leg, which was pouring blood.
A memory of the distant past he had thought he had forgotten by now.
He dragged one leg that would not listen to him and crawled everywhere, but all he could feel was blood clinging stickily to him.
The screams that had rung out thunderously gradually ceased as time passed.
Were they dead?
They must have died.
He had possessed neither the strength nor the ability to save them.
All he could do was stare blankly down at his blood-soaked leg and cover his ears against the screams that were growing ever fainter.
Would it have been different if he had strength?
If his ability had been greater, could he have saved them?
Would there not have been comrades, friends who would greet him with smiles when he returned home?
Perhaps he, too, would not have lived that way, waiting for the logout.
Leaving his rotting leg alone had been despair and regret, and a small expression of his will that there was no longer any reason to live.
But now, was it not different?
He had precious people again, he had strength with which to protect them, and the regrets of the past were lodged deep in his mind.
Then what on earth was he doing?
Not standing up at once on two perfectly good legs.
“Gahak!”
The breath that had been blocked burst out as if vomited.
Along with it, droplets of blood splashed up, but they could not be seen.
Because the abyss filled every direction.
How much time had passed?
The last scene in his memory was Vitalianus stopping him…… As expected, had everyone fallen to the abyss the moment the heavens collapsed?
With that thought, he raised himself, and from not far away, someone’s voice reached him.
“……Come out.”
Thuk— The sound of something sharp stabbing.
The scent of blood spreading thickly.
“Come out.”
Once again, thuk— A stab, and something liquid pattered down.
「Trait — ‘Ghost Eyes’ is activated.」
When he activated Ghost Eyes, he saw an all too familiar soul.
A soul that appeared even clearer because he had greatly raised his spiritual power stat.
Claire’s soul, burning so fiercely it was as if it were flame itself.
“Please…… come out!”
Claire was stabbing herself with a dagger, tormenting herself.
In a desperate voice.
Resenting herself for not moving as she wished, she was gradually falling into despair.
So Hio quickly approached and grabbed Claire’s wrist as she was about to strike down once more.
Startled, Claire turned her head, her eyes likely widening like saucers.
No, they must have widened like that.
Even though she was right in front of him, the abyss hid even her expression.
“Claire.”
What was she blaming herself for so much, hating herself over so much?
He did not know, but it surely was not Claire’s fault.
“It’s all right.”
There were still many presences he could feel around them, and many souls visible through Ghost Eyes.
Fortunately, it seemed not much time had passed since he lost consciousness.
Then it was all right.
It was not too late yet.
“It’s just too dark.”
When it is darkest, there is something that can, rather, shine the brightest.
Its name is hope.
“Get ready.”
「Skill — ‘Heart’ is activated.」
Golden divinity flashed in Hio’s eyes.
Small particles of light gathered around Hio.
They gathered to form a sphere, and the sphere burst as if exploding, creating a golden wave.
“Because I’ll light the fire.”
A sacred radiance spread out, piercing through the abyss.
The gazes of every being that existed on the floor turned toward one person, Hio Pavlenko.
The knights who had sunk into the abyss and despaired, and those who had gathered around the saintess and struggled, suddenly turned their eyes toward the spreading holy light.
Vitalianus, who had been freely traversing the abyss, and the commanders of each knight order, who had been swinging their swords desperately, did the same.
Everyone turned their heads and looked at the brilliant light that had suddenly appeared.
This was the only hope shining within the darkness.
Of course.
「Skill — ‘Light the Fire’ is activated.」
Hundreds of monstrosities smiling with red eyes.
All of their gazes also turned toward one person, Hio Pavlenko.
「Hope Divine Magic — Heart」
「Divine magic containing the trait of Hope.」
「Creates a high-level mental barrier for all allies within range.」
「The caster is designated as ‘Hope.’」
「As long as ‘Hope’ does not fall, the allies’ high mental barrier will continue to be maintained.」
「However, if ‘Hope’ appears to be in danger or falls, the barrier will collapse, and they will suffer from rapidly intensifying anxiety symptoms.」
「Hope Divine Magic — Light the Fire」
「Divine magic containing the trait of Hope.」
「Grants the target designated as ‘Hope’ the basic stats ‘Stamina,’ ‘Agility,’ ‘Strength,’ ‘Mana,’ and the rare stat ‘Divine Power.’」
「The target designated as ‘Hope’ acquires the trait ‘Pain Immunity’ for a set duration.」
「The duration of ‘Pain Immunity’ and the amount by which the stats rise increase in proportion to the number of allies who recognize ‘Hope’ and the strength of the hearts relying on him.」