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At the Bottom of the Dark Pit – Part 05

She hadn’t given up yet. Silently, Selyse crept up behind the enraged Ranna. If Hikaru could pass the holy sword to a master of the blade, there might be a chance to defeat her. They were both at their limits, but Ranna should be as well.

However, without the Stealth ability, Selyse would have a hard time picking up the holy sword. In that case, there was only one thing to do.

“Hey, Ranna.”

For the first time, Hikaru decided to become the decoy.

“Over here. Can’t understand human language now? What a joke.”

Hikaru was worried if the transformed Ranna could even recognize him, but she glared at him hatefully, baring her teeth, drool dripping.

She could understand him. Hikaru was both surprised and terrified at the same time. If Ranna’s mind was still present at the core of that demon, he wondered what she was thinking now. Despair? Or perhaps joy?

“So the researcher has ended up like this. Are these the results you obtained from experimenting on yourself? You must be satisfied, knowing you’ll die in this abyss.”

“Gaaaaaah!”

Ranna was angry. Good, Hikaru thought. Her attention was now entirely on him.

The holy sword was lying two meters behind her, and Selyse was about to reach it in a few steps.

“We’ve won. We will destroy this pit. It’s not you, but us, who will accomplish what the genius could not a thousand years ago.”

“…”

Abruptly, Ranna calmed down. Selyse grabbed the holy sword.

Shit.

Hikaru’s Instinct went off.

Before Selyse could step into Ranna’s range, Ranna whirled around and kicked Selyse. Selyse managed to block with her arm, but her body was sent flying to the side, sliding along the ground, then went completely still.

“Selyse!” Sophie cried.

No one had expected Ranna to notice Selyse’s approach. Selyse was at death’s door. She had to be healed soon, or she would die.

“Gwahahaha!”

Ranna laughed triumphantly. A declaration of victory. She believed she had incapacitated all the capable warriors.

“Haha… Ha?”

“A composed scientist would have noticed.”

The holy sword had pierced the center of Ranna’s body—the pit of her stomach.

Ripples of holy energy radiated from the sword, burning Ranna’s body. The organ that had been converting malevolent mana into life force was destroyed, and now, Hikaru was sure that this was truly the end for Ranna.

Selyse had intended to take the blow from the beginning. So she could leave the holy sword to Hikaru. She had grabbed the weapon and slid it toward him. That’s why she took Ranna’s kick directly.

Ranna had let her guard down. She misunderstood Hikaru and Selyse’s plan.

That was their last opportunity.

“Gaaaahhh!”

Ranna tried to pull out the holy sword, but her hand started disintegrating from the tip.

“You’re done.”

Ranna started running, heading toward the source of dark energy, toward Paula.

“Paula! Run!” Hikaru shouted.

Even in the brink of death, or perhaps because of it, Ranna’s speed was astonishing. What would happen if she collided with the source of evil? Would they fuse? Pass through each other? What about Paula?

Various questions raced through Hikaru’s mind, but it was already too late.

Suddenly, a tremendous burst of white flames descended upon Ranna’s back. Upon touching her skin, the white inferno consumed her entirely.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

It was Lavia. True to her word, she managed to replenish her mana at the last minute and unleashed one more Atonement Flame.

“A… gah, aaah…”

Ranna, engulfed in white flames, crumbled away. Hikaru believed that this was truly the end.

By the time the fire subsided, Ranna’s body had turned into black dirt and dissipated into the air. The holy sword and Hikaru’s own sword dropped to the ground.

---

Paula and Sophie rushed around for healing. Paula had repeatedly cast Purification, and Sophie kept using healing magic; they were both running low on mana, but they persisted with the healing.

Jillarte, Selyse, and Gerhardt were severely injured, but they managed to survive. In the end, one Beastman and two temple guards perished, a regrettable result.

Igloo, too, died as soon as the battle ended. Sara was able to confirm this because she was right nearby. When Hikaru thrust the holy sword into Ranna, an intense amount of energy was released from the sword, and Igloo grew weak, shriveling up like a mummy before passing away.

So, does this mean the holy sword draws on its wielder’s life force to use its incredible power?

If so, then by thrusting the holy sword into Ranna, Hikaru had indirectly killed Igloo.

Thinking about it won’t change anything.

If Igloo had fought, the outcome might have still been the same. He might have been skilled in handling the holy sword and capable of long-range attacks, but he chose not to fight. Had they all perished without him handing over the weapon, he would have met the same end.

His fate had been sealed. That was the only way to see it.

Even if that wasn’t the case, I have no regrets.

Hikaru laid the unconscious Lavia down. At that moment, his Mana Detection picked up a signature.

Sara was the only one who could move properly. She was carrying the injured, laying them down after treatment. Paula and Sophie were sleeping next to each other. Only he had noticed.

Hikaru stood up and walked toward the mana signature. The source of malevolence was still emitting miasma. The holy sword, Hikaru’s sword and throwing knives lay scattered on the ground nearby. He picked up his sword and continued walking.

His gaze was fixed on a figure trying to escape on all fours—a Man Gnome whose skin had turned purple. A fully naked Ranna.

“Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa…”

“Ranna.”

“Eeek!”

Startled, Ranna turned around, revealing her immodest state, but Hikaru stared at her without a single change in his expression.

“You survived, huh?”

Ranna yelped. When Hikaru inched closer, she thrust both her hands forward and shouted, “Let me go! If you let me go, I won’t do anything bad!”

“Let you go? It’s too late to beg for mercy.”

“You guys are trying to destroy the fountain of life, right? If you do that, it’s going to be a disaster!”

By fountain of life, does she mean the spot that’s releasing evil energy?

As Hikaru pondered over what she said, Ranna saw an opportunity.

“Th-This is a contraption that gathers hatred, anger, and all sorts of dark emotions from all over the world. By collecting and releasing them here, the total number of undead monsters in the world can be controlled. If you seal this place, the malevolent energy will continue to accumulate, but the population of undead monsters in the world will decrease significantly!”

“You think I’m stupid? I’m not buying that fairy tale.”

“It’s true! I didn’t know about it until I came here. Besides, you don’t even know what kind of magic has been cast on this massive stone, do you? The one who created this might be an incredible genius—or even a god. I know the results, but I can’t comprehend the process. I think Funai sealed this place because he couldn’t dispel the magic.”

Hikaru thought that it was possible. Initially, he believed that Funai and the others were underpowered and had no choice but to seal this place, but the reasoning that Funai sealed whatever was here because it was beyond his capacity made more sense.

“L-Let me research this. Then we can make great use of this place. Okay? It’s a win-win situation for both of us!”

“You do have a point.”

“Right? I’m a top-notch scientist!”

“But I can’t make this decision alone… I need to discuss it with my companions.”

Hikaru turned his back on Ranna and started walking.

“Hehe.”

Ranna got up and lunged at Hikaru.

“Huh?”

But as she swung her arm, there was no one there.

A sword was sticking out from Ranna’s back. She spat out blood and collapsed on the spot.

“You’ve betrayed others a number of times already. Did you really expect me to trust you? If you had just behaved, there was a chance you could have lived. You’re such an idiot.”

“N-No…”

“The resentment of the many people who died because of you may be drawn into this source as well.”

Hikaru glanced at the source still emitting malevolence, but Ranna was no longer listening.

Ranna, the Man Gnome who left her village, was picked up by the Pope of the Theocracy of Bios, created toxins for mass killings, and developed technology to create chimeras—synthetic beasts created by toying with the lives of knights and temple guards. Ranna, though she didn’t directly take lives herself, was involved in the deaths of many people. And now, she lay lifeless.

“Silver Face,” Sara said.

“I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah… Sorry.”

Hikaru was momentarily taken aback. He couldn’t understand why Sara was apologizing.

“I’m a scout and not really a fighter, but I could have dealt with someone like her. Sorry you had to do all the dirty work.”

“Can you keep what you just saw a secret between us? We defeated Ranna together. Igloo died because of the power of the holy sword, and if the people learned that she was still alive, I don’t think he can rest in peace.”

“I didn’t expect you to care about that guy.”

“The more I thought about it, the more I felt sorry—no, forget it. I just want you to keep it secret for my own selfish reasons.”

“Sure thing. Big sister will keep it a secret,” Sara said jokingly.

Hikaru smiled. “Shall we go back then?”

“Yeah, let’s. You should rest for a bit, though.”

“I will. There’s something I need to talk about with His Holiness.”

Then it hit him. Every part of his body was begging for him to rest. Fatigue was seeping out from the core of his bones.

When Sara touched his arm, an irresistible drowsiness overcame him, and he fell asleep in her arms.

---

As twilight fell, the dark clouds looming over the holy city began to dissipate. The residents of Agiapole, their hearts heavy with anticipation of impending disaster, gradually lightened up.

Luvain, who had been deep in prayer within the cathedral of the Tower, raised his head in surprise as this moment unfolded.

The cathedral, bathed in a warm crimson glow streaming through its windows, remained hushed, so still that one couldn’t sense the presence of any living soul.

“The calamity has passed,” Luvain suddenly spoke, his words momentarily leaving those present bewildered.

The silence broke. Soft murmurs were followed by exchanged glances as realization dawned. Finally, an explosion of joyous cheers filled the air.

“…”

Luvain, however, retained his stoic expression. He observed the joyous reactions of the people with the same level-headed look he had always worn.

What lay hidden within the depths of his eyes, no one could discern.