Saengdisyu Branchev, the fourth bell serving the goddess Ripue and the Tetradian mage who created five rings.
According to what he wrote, divinity came in different kinds, and the nature of divine magic also differed depending on which god one served.
The last god to remain in the present age was the goddess of hope.
So it was only natural that Hio, who had learned divine magic through Saengdisyu’s records, had learned the divine magic of hope.
Magic woven from mana by drawing the nature of hope to its utmost from Ripue’s divinity.
In the space submerged in the Abyss, that magic manifested as a skill.
「Skill—‘Heart’ is activating.」
Golden divinity flashed in Hio’s eyes.
Around his body, countless tiny grains of light appeared and began to gather together.
The cluster of light that formed took on a single shape and began to rise behind Hio’s back.
It was a face he knew.
Two hands clasped together, eyes tightly closed.
A beautiful figure that seemed as though it could not exist in this world.
Even the eyebrows, the bridge of the nose, and the lips drawn in light exuded sanctity.
It was unmistakably the form of Ripue, goddess of hope.
Was it not exactly as she had looked when, before falling asleep, she had sat facing Hio with her eyes closed?
Was it because the divine magic of hope had manifested as a skill?
Divine power was mixed into “Heaven” as well, but the goddess’s form had not been precise.
Unlike that, in the skill “Heart,” the goddess’s face was revealed with perfect clarity.
The figure of Ripue thus brought into being sent forth the light of hope.
It was not a light that drove back the Abyss.
It merely made it known.
That hope was here.
That they should now break free from despair.
「Designated as ‘Hope.’」
「All allies within range can perceive ‘Hope.’」
「Allies’ mental barriers will be determined according to the visible form of ‘Hope.’」
A bell rang.
Of course, it was only the sound of a bell that was nothing more than the skill’s effect, with no meaning or power of its own.
But to those who had sunk into the Abyss and fallen into despair, it was a bell announcing hope.
To those who had been fighting against the Abyss with all their might, it was the sound announcing a counterattack.
In the Abyss where they could not see an inch before them, the only thing they could perceive was the benevolent figure of the goddess.
And the figure of one person standing beneath her.
This was undoubtedly salvation. It was hope.
「All allies within range have confirmed the form of ‘Hope.’」
「Mental barriers are forming.」
The goddess rising behind Hio’s back spread wide the hands she had clasped together.
Then, above everyone’s head, spheres of holy light resembling the goddess appeared.
The spheres of light that came into being lowered curtains of light from above their heads, wrapping around the bodies of the expedition members.
That alone cleared their minds.
Those who had been sinking into the Abyss grasped the light and rose again, while those who had been fighting against despair were able to muster even greater strength.
Simply having the light wrap around their bodies made them feel protected within this dreadful darkness.
The commanders, realizing that this was their chance, began shouting until their throats were raw.
“Come to your senses and get on your feet!”
“Is this the death you wished for?”
“Is the goddess not with us?”
Only then did those who had fully regained their senses lift their heads. They rose to their feet.
They realized that they had been floundering, fallen into the Abyss.
Hio smiled faintly as he watched them begin to come to themselves.
“Thank goodness.”
It was fortunate, at least, that the damage was not yet great.
For some reason, the damage caused by the aberrations had not been as severe as their initial momentum suggested.
The moment they were eroded by the Abyss, it would not have been strange at all for them to be swept away without even being able to resist, yet the damage had instead decreased afterward.
The reason was something to think about later. Right now, he had to focus only on reducing casualties.
“Hio… are you all right?”
Claire asked anxiously.
He had already lost consciousness once, and she was worried he might be overdoing it immediately after waking.
“I’m fine.”
His physical condition was, needless to say, at its worst.
But he was fine.
Because Hio still had a second divine magic remaining.
「Skill—‘Light the Fire’ is activating.」
The moment it activated, a great magic circle appeared beneath his feet and blazed brightly.
This construct of light would link with the first divine magic, “Heart,” and greatly increase all of Hio’s basic stats, including his mana, as well as his divine power.
However, if there was one problem.
【Heh, hehehe】
It was that the instant he activated “Light the Fire,” the gazes of every aberration on the floor turned toward Hio.
【Found you】
As if they had only now finally found him.
* * *
“Run! Don’t hesitate for even a moment!”
Thanks to Hio’s divine magic, the expedition had regained its senses and succeeded in resisting the aura of the Abyss.
They were gathering the wounded and moving toward the exit again.
“Remember, the longer you hesitate, the more of a burden you become!”
There were many wounded, but almost no dead.
Most of the injuries had occurred in the first collision after Heaven collapsed; there had been no injuries sustained after that.
Even so, there were more than enough wounded, and the expedition’s pace toward the exit could not help but be slow.
But nothing threatened them.
For one reason alone.
Kwaaaang!
Because every aberration had flocked toward the two beings fighting behind them.
They could see it even with a brief glance back.
Kwaaang!
Magic and lightning flamboyantly churned through the Abyss.
The goddess’s form remained so clear that it could be seen even from afar.
And the holy light that began there still stretched out in strand after strand, reaching each and every member of the expedition.
And so Gale Ainsidel, commander of the First Knight Order, could only grind his teeth and suppress his rage.
It was not rage toward anything else.
It was rage toward himself.
“Run! Escaping as quickly as possible is the best that weaklings like us can do!”
Because of them, Hio Pavlenko was unable to unleash his full power.
Had he not poured out his strength until he lost consciousness to protect the weak? Was he not still using divinity to shield the expedition’s minds?
A knight was one who protected.
And yet to feel, instead, as though he was the one being protected—
How terrible was this disgrace of limping away from the battlefield.
For those who had lived their entire lives as knights, it was the worst humiliation imaginable, beyond words.
Even so, there was no helping it.
To insist on remaining on the battlefield for the sake of their paltry honor would be an act of utterly disregarding the guardian knight who had risked his life to protect them.
It would be nothing more than an ugly refusal to acknowledge their own incompetence.
“Do not ever forget the despair and helplessness you felt today. Carve it into your hearts.”
Of course, knights at the commander level like Gale could turn around and join the battlefield right now.
Their firm minds would not sink into the Abyss even without divinity, and they had the skill to contend with the aberrations’ overwhelming strength and swift movements.
But they did not.
With Hio Pavlenko, their spiritual pillar, and Vitalianus, their commander, both absent to save these worthless lives, the commanders could not leave their posts as well.
It was not only them here; the saintess and the high priests were with them too.
“The exit is in sight!”
They could see it because the holy light created by the priests drove away the Abyss and illuminated the front.
The gate was still intact. They had finally reached the entrance through which they had first come in.
If they stepped into the gate, they could leave.
Then what came after?
After leaving, how were they supposed to enter again and clear the floor?
Each floor had a fixed pattern.
Once that was cleared, the floor collapsed, and all gates connected to the Demon Realm vanished.
That formula had never once failed until now.
Which meant there must be a condition for clearing this floor and making it collapse.
“…Escape comes first.”
But getting out of here came first.
They would be unable to reenter for one day, but there was plenty of time left to clear it anyway, and their loss in fighting strength was not great.
They could gather the information they had obtained and discuss countermeasures.
“The expedition will swiftly evacuate the floor through the exit.”
Gale gave that order, but no answer came back.
The expedition had stopped before the gate and was looking at the battlefield they had fled from.
Every single one of them.
As if they were truly so furious they could barely endure it.
Kwaaaaang—!
The benevolent figure of the goddess.
A baptism of lightning and flame spreading on either side of her.
When the Sword Saint’s golden lion roared toward the darkness, the aberrations were inevitably torn apart.
Because of their incompetent selves, the two greatest people were drawing attention over there. Buying time.
Did that make any sense?
And so they clenched their fists until they might shatter, staring at the fierce battlefield as though engraving it into their eyes.
“Expedition! What are you doing? Move!”
But in the end, they had no choice but to leave the floor through the gate.
Simply remaining there was a nuisance.
Because there was nothing they could do except suppress their rage toward themselves.
Claire and Irina, who had stayed until the end and kept glancing back with anxious eyes, finally went through as well.
After confirming that, Gale headed outside through the gate.
And so now, only two people remained on the floor.
* * *
The promised signal came from Gale and Melissa.
Immediately afterward, the presence of the expedition vanished.
They had succeeded in escaping the floor.
“Looks like they got out safely.”
Vitalianus spoke calmly.
But contrary to his tone, the situation was not calm at all.
Kwaaaang!
The aberrations were fast and strong.
Their speed was similar to that of a high-ranking knight moving at full power, so Hio, whose agility was still lacking, had no choice but to spam Blink.
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
“Magic really is enviable. It must be convenient.”
Vitalianus grumbled playfully at the sight.
Kwaang!
Yet he himself was cutting three or four aberrations in half with a single sword strike.
“Aberrations, hm. Truly dreadful creatures.”
Hio could not help but agree with that.
They were dreadful.
They had no special abilities, but they were fast, strong, and tough.
And was that all? Creatures like that did not even die.
Even if their necks were cut, even if their bodies were severed in two, they did not die.
Their upper and lower halves moved separately, and even without heads they accurately found Hio and lunged at him again.
Nor was divine power effective against them.
“They really do insist on rushing only at you.”
Every single one of those aberrations was charging only at Hio.
This was why the expedition had been able to escape safely.
After Hio cast “Light the Fire,” they had strangely pursued only Hio.
No, perhaps he simply had not noticed. It might have been like that from the very beginning.
“At any rate, we should get out now too.”
“…We should.”
Thanks to the divine magic of hope, his basic stats and divine power had risen greatly, but even that was now hanging by a thread.
He had been casting Blink without pause and drawing out top-tier skills one after another.
He could summon Kkingkkingi to replenish his stamina and mana, but then the rest of his skills would be sealed.
With only 5th Circle magic, he would not be able to pierce the aberrations’ tough bodies.
For now, he had to leave the floor, recover, and formulate a plan.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
Kwaaaang!
With those words, Vitalianus became a streak of golden aura and shot away in an instant.
From an enemy’s perspective, the strongest knight alive was truly, terrifyingly powerful.
‘…Wouldn’t this be over if we just left Vitalianus alone?’
Enough to make Hio think that.
Of course, it had to remain only a thought.
Even a Sword Saint like that had died in the latter half of the game, and now so many variables had arisen that things were impossible to predict.
Hio was about to cast Blink as well, following after Vitalianus as he grew distant.
—But those things… no matter how I look at them, they’re strange.
Suddenly, Purnell spoke to him.
“There have been plenty of strange things since a while ago.”
—No, not in that sense. How should I put it… it’s as if…
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
Kwaaaang!
‘As if?’
—…Let us talk again after we leave the floor.
This was no time to be leisurely thinking about other things.
With Vitalianus leaving his position, one side of the axis he had been holding had disappeared.
The aberrations were chasing Hio even more fiercely.
“…They really are disgustingly fast.”
Vitalianus, who had shot off first, had already reached near the exit.
He turned around as he was, shouted something, and then slipped right into the gate.
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
Well, Hio could guess why he was in such a hurry.
He was probably worried about the knights of the expedition in his own way.
Vitalianus must have ties to most of the expedition, which was composed of elite knights.
Hio also diligently used Blink as he headed toward the exit.
The divine magic of hope, “Heart” and “Light the Fire,” was still being maintained, and though his mana was precariously low, reaching the exit seemed to pose no problem.
Once he left the floor, he would have to convene a meeting right away.
Why had the Abyss appeared?
By what route, through what means, had such a situation occurred? That was important, of course.
But what they needed to think about first, even before that, was the condition for clearing this floor.
Even if there was plenty of time left to clear it, the damage they would suffer the moment they failed would be incomparable to the 51st floor last time.
Yes.
Once he left the floor, they would have to discuss that first.
Hio moved while thinking that.
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
He was gradually nearing the exit.
If he cast Blink about seven more times, he should reach the gate.
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
The Blink he continued casting with that estimate in mind—
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
「Skill—‘Blink’ is activating.」
—came to an abrupt halt after exactly three more times.
The reason Hio stopped moving when the exit was not far away—
“…!”
The reason he widened his eyes in disbelief and snapped his head around to look behind him—
Was the final misfortune bestowed by the 58th floor.
And the worst calamity to befall the continent.