Ch.88Chapter 88. The Real and the Fake

“The goddess told me. Find the path to the underground from here and go to the laboratory with the forbidden magic circle.”

Suppressing her pain, Rin relayed what the goddess had said.

But the dense magical energy made the floor impossible to see.

Even the hero’s party members who weren’t Rin felt their bodies tingling and trembling from the high-purity magical energy.

“How did you come to know a revelation that even I, a saint, didn’t receive?”

“We don’t have time to argue about that now. Forbidden magic always requires human life force. If the thief’s information about everyone from the slums disappearing is correct, we need to get to the underground laboratory quickly.”

Arsil tried to needlessly press the issue, but the mage quickly cut her off.

“Convection.”

Despite the quick incantation to create wind, the magical energy ignored physical concepts and didn’t budge at all.

The mage clicked his tongue and sent out stronger winds, but nothing changed.

[What extremely unpleasant magical energy. It’s from a demon god.]

‘A demon god?!’

At the abyss’s whisper, Lucy worriedly looked at Rin’s hand.

She could see the black energy that had stained even her fingernails slowly creeping upward.

[What’s corroding Rin’s arm is the Demon King’s magical energy. Fundamentally, it’s magical energy given by the demon god, but the Demon King’s magical energy, mixed with the power of resentment, is reacting against it because they don’t get along well.]

‘Then how can we save Rin?’

[The best way would be to leave this place, but you wouldn’t retreat with your enemy right in front of you, would you? Hmm.]

The abyss also had no intention of retreating from the demon god’s underling.

After all, it was the wish of the demon sword and the Demon King to eliminate all of Angria’s minions and take revenge.

[This battle will be fierce. I’ll properly lend you my power.]

The abyss drew upon its holy power after a long time.

Kwaaaa-

[Draw me and place my tip on the floor.]

Lucy quickly pulled out the gleaming white abyss from its scabbard and planted its tip on the floor.

After briefly struggling against the magical energy, the light spread brighter and wider, pushing all the crimson energy toward the walls.

“It worked!”

As the damp stone floor was revealed, Rin shouted loudly, uncharacteristically.

“There should be a mechanism in the floor that opens the way to the underground. We need to find it.”

[Intermediate: Tomb Raider’s Aesthetic Eye (Lv.6)]

Rin immediately used the skill through Cosmos.

But a mere intermediate skill wasn’t enough to detect anything different about the stone floor.

‘Damn, in the game you could just press each floor tile one by one.’

But the stone tiles were too numerous and densely packed.

It would be a waste of time to press each one individually.

That’s when the capable thief, Rabin the Thief, stepped forward.

“Look, those floor stones over there have more moss than the others.”

Pointing to the rightmost part of the chapel, Rabin quickly ran over and began pressing or rotating the stones with the most moss.

Ku-gu-gung

Soon, the moss-covered stones began to sink slightly, creating a stone staircase.

“Well done, Rabin!”

“This is nothing for a thief.”

Rin patted the boasting Rabin’s head and quickly gave instructions.

“Let’s go down right away. Rabin, take the lead to detect traps and determine the direction, and Arsil, follow behind to point out where the magical energy feels strongest.”

“Hey, why have you been casually speaking informally and giving orders? And don’t call me by my name so freely.”

Both Rin and Rabin sighed simultaneously at Arsil’s constant complaints.

Arsil’s eyebrows rose at their sighs, but Rabin urged her on.

“People’s lives are at stake here. Let’s settle the small stuff later and form up as Rin said.”

“…Fine.”

As Rabin and Arsil descended the stone stairs, the impatient Rin also went underground without waiting for Lucy, who was still gathering the abyss’s holy power, and the rear guard.

“Ah, Rin! Wait!”

A startled Lucy ran after her, reaching out her hand, but she suddenly stopped and withdrew her arm.

“Ultimate skill.”

[Severance: Spatial Separation]

A sharp yet heavy slash flew right in front of Lucy’s nose, separating her from Rin.

One step.

If she had taken just one more step, Lucy would have been hit by that slash.

“Lucy!”

Rin, belatedly noticing the situation, called out to Lucy, but the hero urgently gripped the abyss tighter.

“Go quickly!”

“But!”

“Go! We’ll handle this!”

Handle this?

The confusion lasted only seconds.

Lucy was holding the temporary holy sword in a battle stance, looking somewhere.

Realizing what this meant, Rin firmly instructed Lucy.

“Don’t lose, and don’t get hurt.”

“I promise.”

With those words, Rin quickly followed after Arsil.

Lucy felt strength welling up from Rin’s concerned words.

I can do this.

No, I must do this.

Because Rin told me not to get hurt.

Even if the opponents are powerful enemies surrounded by that enormous energy.

“Wow~ Getting concern from Rin, I’m so jealous!”

“Indeed.”

Lazy voices and sharp yet soft voices alternated.

“Who’s there!”

Naidrian shouted, aiming her bow, but the enemies didn’t even bother to acknowledge her.

“But you know what? Why would a hero like her receive concern from Rin? Rin’s arm ended up like that because of them, right?”

“That’s because Rin is too kind.”

“I see, so they’re taking advantage of Rin’s kindness~!”

Anger was building up at these giggling voices.

Lucy had heard it before.

This coquettish voice.

Tigria had heard it before.

This lazily drawling voice.

“Helloooo~”

“It’s been a while.”

As the magical energy cleared, two of this main episode’s final bosses revealed themselves.

Tigria opened her mouth while unfolding the scroll of knowledge.

“You…!”

“I’m Salamei, the spear-wielder of the Demon Hero’s party.”

“And I am Adora, the illusionist of the Demon Hero’s party.”

“Adora!”

The woman who had humiliated Lucy in Valtercrois.

Lucy immediately sprang up, trying to swing the abyss.

However, she quickly turned her head to avoid a sharp thrust coming from the side.

Swaaaash!

“Kuk!”

“Oops! That won’t do~!”

Salamei took a battle stance, her red eyes gleaming ominously.

She was clearly different from when she had casually wielded her spear against Arsil and Tigria.

“Will you be handling the hero?”

“Yes! This one has troubled Rin the most, right? I’ll teach her a lesson!”

“There are some demon soldiers gathered too, aren’t there?”

“Adora, who just used that big skill, can handle them. I’m planning to beat this one up one-on-one.”

This won’t be easy.

Salamei held her spear with both hands and spread her legs to grip the ground. Lucy couldn’t find any openings in the spear-wielder.

Tigria was also sweating nervously as she faced off against Adora, who could create heat haze just by waving her hand.

“Um, who should I be targeting…?”

Naidrian was still awkwardly unsure where to aim her bow in this situation.

While all three hero party members were tense, the conversation between the demon heroes continued.

“Agreus, that impatient guy, struck first.”

“It doesn’t matterrr~”

That conversation,

“We just need to take Rin, right?”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

properly provoked Lucy and Tigria.

“…Who are you going to take?”

Crack. Lucy loosened her stance while cracking her neck.

But the abyss was still gleaming sharply.

“I will never, ever let you.”

Tigria also rose into the air, emitting magical power.

“I’ll handle that woman. Don’t interfere.”

At Lucy’s threat, Naidrian also aimed her bow at the illusionist.

“Haha! Good! That’s how it should be! Let’s greet each other properly then!”

Blue magical power began to flicker like flames on Salamei’s spear.

“Ultimate skill.”

“Estel-style secret technique.”

The abyss also gathered holy power and Lucy’s magical power in preparation for battle.

Finally, when both had charged enough magical power,

“Javelin Throw: Dart the End!”

“Beargalgi!”

Merciless attacks with no quarter given clashed violently.

—

“Where are the others?!”

“Demon heroes invaded and are holding them off in the chapel!”

When Arsil saw Rin coming down alone, the answer was devastating.

“We need to move forward too. While the hero and the rear guard are holding them off, we need to eliminate the pope and save the people!”

At Rabin’s urging, the three immediately started running.

As Rin ran frantically, she noticed Arsil’s short hair fluttering in the wind ahead of her.

A single hairpin precariously hanging from the end of her hair.

It was the only gift Rin had given her on the day they left the Sewage Alley.

“Arsil!”

“Why are you calling me!”

“I have something to tell you. It’s important!”

“We don’t have time for that now!”

“But I must say it, this is…!”

However, Rin couldn’t continue.

A large, open space suddenly appeared before them as they ran down the narrow, long corridor.

“What is this…?”

Arsil was speechless at the sight before her eyes.

In the center was a large magic circle emitting a faint red light.

On either side of the magic circle stood a massive glass container.

Inside them were the adults from the slums, limp and crumpled like sacks of grain in a warehouse.

And at the top of the left container lay the Holy Knight Commander Casty, bleeding from his mouth.

Agreus, who had been examining the magic circle, slowly turned around to greet them.

“Arsil, you’ve finally made it here.”

“Agreus!!”

“Shh.”

When Arsil roared, the pope raised his long index finger in a gesture to be quiet.

“I have something to tell you. Something very, very important.”

“What’s important is those people’s lives! Stop this terrible act now!”

“It’s about your mother.”

“M-mother?”

Arsil was taken aback by the unexpected word.

But she soon raised her fist toward the pope, summoning holy power.

“I don’t need to hear about a mother I’ve never seen!”

“Then let me change my expression.”

This bastard, is he going to talk about that now?

Rin realized that Agreus was deliberately stalling for time.

But the story Agreus was about to tell was one of the things Arsil absolutely needed to know.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the pope revealed the cruel truth to Arsil.

“Let me tell you about the real saint who loved her unborn daughter so much that she gave all her holy power and died.”

“The real… saint…?”

“Yes, and she is, of course, your mother.”

Agreus spread his arms.

Just like when they first met in Sewage Alley.

However, in his hands were Diane’s clerical robes, a shin bone, and a clump of hair.

“Won’t you say hello to your mother?”

The wide smile of the snake was utterly chilling.