“What’s our status, Donovan?”

“Unchanged, Father Kory. We still have limited access to the Great Ark’s systems. Although teleportation is still possible, our current layout of quadrants is unknown and we are unable to change it. It will take time to rally the others.”

“And our forces around Rever Point?”

“Still no contact. Somehow, the holy knights detected and disabled our line of communication.”

“… This bodes ill for us, Donovan. Station lookouts in the immediate quadrants and report any movements. Send a scout to map the rest of the floor and collect any of our scattered flock. Our brothers on the outside will move in on the mountain if the silence persists, but until then, we must stand defend the ritual room with our lives. His Holiness should be finished with Enbos soon, so the Ascension must be ready at any moment.”

“Understood, father.”

“… Is what they said, Sergeant Damien.”

“Not bad, kid. I could only make out a few syllables from this distance, but your ears are as sharp as a hound’s.”

“H-haha.”

Within the ritual room below, hundreds of cultists are assembled in uniform rows, awaiting their hierarch’s return. Maximillian is completely bound at the centre of the room, positioned in a circle of his unconscious men. The enemy is already expecting an attack, but for all their caution, they fail to notice us observing them from on high.

For some reason, a massive hole has been blown in the roof of the ritual room. Although it was crudely sealed, we’ve made several small openings to spy from above. The underground guild is ready to attack, however, the timing is too soon.

“I’ve dispatched men to clear the way here, but the holy knights are running late. I’m guessing Evans is having trouble convincing his priory and those second-rate jobbers won’t move without them.”

“I have faith in Sen and Norf. They will come.”

“Doesn’t matter if they don’t. All that matters is your cleric managed to talk that knight into leaving the bridge. Now, all my boys are on this side,” Damien says as he surveys his professional crew, all dressed as adventurers or city guards. “Not as good as the knights, but better than any B-rank party. Just hope your mate pulls through.”

“He will, Damien. Because Enbos is strong.”

We both return to observing the cultists, and after a minute, there is a noticeable change in their midst. One-by-one, the cultists start staggering or collapsing to their knees as if an impossibly virulent malaise is spreading amongst them.

“H-His Holiness seeks our charity. Let us prove our devotion! For Maleosis!”

“MALEOSIS! MALEOSIS! MALEOSIS…!”

“… Well, I’ll be draked. Your friend actually did it. Those maniacs are losing so much energy that we can probably clear them out on our own.”

“B-but the adventurers and knights have yet to arrive! We have to wait until-”

“We have no idea how long this is gonna last. It’s now or never, kid. Are you sure you can keep up?”

“… I can’t remain idle, Mister Damien. Not when I know my friend is giving his all,” I say as I brace my ears. “I’m ready.”

“Good, ‘cause I won’t be looking after your hide. Hey Bob, can we blow hole and drop directly on top of the inquisitor?”

“Sorry boss, but this floor’s harder than I thought. We’re lucky such a big hole got blown here in the first place.”

“*Sigh* The messy way it is. Alright, you wolves… time to feast.”

BOOOM!

In a shower of crushing stones, Damien’s men reopen the hole in the ceiling and use the chaos to descend into the room below. I rappel down with some rope, but I fall behind the rest as they simply jump down and begin fighting the cultists below. As per his word, I’m forced to catch up to the band of assassins as they rush toward the ritual circle. From above, a cohort of archers rain death on the cultists, thinning the enemies around us. Despite my fatigue, I manage to join the rear, fending off the enfeebled cultists with my equally feeble body.

“! Tell the archers to focus fire in front of us! We’re breaking straight through!”

“Undead group coming in on our left!”

“Ignore them! They won’t catch up so long as we keep pressing-”

“Look out!”

All of sudden, an enormous beam of scorching light passes through our group, as we all dive to either side. Although nobody was hit, that single attack has shattered our formation and forced all of us on the defensive.

W-what happened? How can they still cast such powerful magic while their lifeforce is being drained? No, before that, the nature of that spell was clearly…

“I-is that-”

“Why the hell do the cultists have a holy knight!?”

As pointed by one of our members, that attack came from one of the priory’s own elite fighters. Even more shocking, it was cast by none other than Maximillian’s lieutenant… Agnes Gregoria.

“.”

“Get back!”

Hovering in the air with her winged armour, Agnes fires dozens of spherical lights to pin our fighters in place. Furthermore, the human cultists have pulled back, allowing their relentless undead to swarm around us. Even our archers cannot help as the revenant shrug off their shots.

“W-we can’t do this, boss! Not with that bloody knight picking us off!”

“She ain’t a knight, she’s Maximillian’s secretary! Just get close and take her out.”

“None of us are in position, boss! There are too many bodies.”

“Fine! I’ll deal with her myself. !”

With incredible agility, Damien weaves between all the undead and cultists before any of them can react. He then appears in front of Agnes, with both swords drawn, leaping up to her before she can conjure a barrier.

“!”

Ting! Ting!

“… Huh?”

“For your information, this “secretary” was second in line to be prior of the Cleansing Swords.”

As I evade a skeleton and cut off its head, I notice Damien’s blades have seemingly stopped on Agnes’ skin. D-did she really conjure a barrier? At that distance? Moreover, Damien can’t pull back his swords. This isn’t a reactive defence: she actually planned to catch them by a hair’s breadth.

“Quick, get bac-!”

“.”

Too close to dodge, Agnes conjures a translucent orb in her palm and presses it against Damien’s chest. It detonates with explosive force, sending him crashing through cultists and undead alike. I barely manage to halt his momentum, but even with , my small physique causes both of us to fall over.

“*Cough, cough*!”

“Damien, a-are you alright!?”

“D-do I look- *Cough*… Sorry kid. Looks like… I was the one who needs fussing.”

“We have to withdraw. Your companions can’t fend off Agnes and the cultists on their own!”

“Aye… Fall back, now!”

Following his command, all our comrades suddenly scatter small pellets in every direction, leading to a series of loud bangs and grey plumes of thick ash. The resulting smog fills the entire room and obscures our escape as I struggle to carry Damien.

“Just go… kid.”

“Not without you. My friends and I swore not to abandon anyone.”

“By the spirits, you really are the darndest- Look out!”

All of a sudden, a translucent wall erupts from ground in front of us. I try to turn but two more panes manifest around us, completing the triangular prism. I place Damien on the floor and draw my katana to face Agnes who emerges from the lingering smoke. I-I can probably break out with , but will my body hold? Can I really face off against a holy knight after paying the toll?

“… Contact him.”

“H-huh?”

“Contact Enbos and tell him to submit to Tascus,” demands Agnes. “The fact you launched this attack now implies coordination. You must have a means of receiving his orders.”

“He never ordered me to do anything, Ms Gregoria. I stand here now because I chose to answer his trust.”

“You cannot reach your master, then?”

“Even if I could, I would encourage him to fight harder!” I declare. “Our bond is not as mentor and apprentice, but as equals. We respect each other’s path and are willing to give our all for the other’s success. I will not betray my companion, like you!”

“… Some paths… are never meant to align.

… And some paths will end right here.”

To my alarm, Agnes raises her hand and conjures a magic circle that fills the base of the pyramid. This isn’t a bluff: she truly means to kill us. I immediately begin accelerating my spiritual energy before-

CRACK!

To both our surprise, something heavy flies in from the smoke and smashes through Agnes’ barrier, before swerving back into the haze. I hastily grab Damien and leap back just as a blade of light erupts from the ground. Sensing something is amiss, Agnes raises her guard instead of following up on her attack. Now that I think about it, I can still hear fighting throughout the room despite Damien’s order to retreat.

“C-could it be…”

“That’s right, Hachirou. The cavalry has arrived.”

Caught off guard by a familiar voice, I turn to find Sen standing beside me with a wide grin. He’s not alone either as dozens- no, a hundred armed figures emerge from the thinning smoke. Although greater in number, the cultist forces panic from the sudden reinforcements.

“I-I can’t believe… you gathered this many jobbers,” stammers Damien.

“And I can’t believe you would dive into an army without us. You almost got Hachirou killed.”

“I-I’m fine, Sen. Thank you for freeing us from Agnes’ prison.”

“Actually, Hachirou,” Sen says with a sidelong smile. “That wasn’t me.”

“Drop dead, drop dead, drop dead, you skin-stealing slimes!”

Leading the charge, a tall, burly man with a two-handed axe charges into the cultist line. He throws his glowing axe and cleaves through their metal shields before recalling it with equally impressive force. He then leaps into their midst and unleashes a powerful shockwave, dismantling their formation.

“Come at me, you dogs! You will pay for killing my right-hand man!”

“I-is that Dion the Destroyer? Was he the one who saved me and Damien?”

“It sure is, and he’s not the only one who came to your aid.”

Pointing to the back, I see Norf alongside the green-robed archers from the battle on the plains. At the front are the city guards I was accompanying while under disguise. Even some adventurers from our original incursion have rejoined the attack. All of them have formed a united front…

“.”

BANG!

… against the might of a former holy knight.

“H-hey guys, i-is that-”

“Unfortunately so, Sen. Agnes is our opponent.”

“Where are… our own holy knights?” asks Damien.

“We divvied our fighting force since we had no idea what this quadrant looked like. They should be coming soon, but at this rate…”

“Die, you wretch!”

“No Dion, get back!”

“.”

Sidestepping his downward strike, Agnes conjures a wall that sprouts from the ground like a guillotine. Dion immediately pulls back out of instinct, and while he avoids having both his arms chopped off, Agnes removes the head of his magical axe. She then creates another “barrier” along the length of her palm, as thin as a sheet of paper.

“!”

Drawing Agnes’ attention, Norf fires an arrow straight at her head. She turns and knocks the arrow out of the air, but to his surprise, her swing creates a wind scythe that cleaves through the crowd. To my horror, the shockwave eviscerates his bow as Norf falls over in a spray of blood.

“NORF! Damn you. !”

Closing the distance in an instant, Sen readies his spear as Agnes is about to impale him. However, Sen then thrusts his spear into the ground and uses the momentum to flip over her… while I follow up with . Unfortunately, Agnes sees through Sen’s misdirection and carries through with her thrust, deliberately aiming low to strike me. But before her hand can make contact…

Swoosh!

“…!”

… I activate , and Agnes’ sword palm passes through my afterimage. Meanwhile, Sen the “Distraction” attacks from behind.

Ting!

“Wha-!”

“No way!”

She conjured a small barrier in her blind spot!

“.”

I can feel my ears shudder as the spell that blocked Sen suddenly reshapes into a golden dome, enveloping both me and Agnes. Sen frantically stabs at the unyielding cage while Agnes lords over me with her deadly palm. I-I only have five steps left on my skill. Can I even last long enough to-

“.”

Agnes launches a series of flowing strikes that could rival my eldest brother’s. I don’t even have time to panic as I quickly exhaust my remaining steps. I desperately activate …

Cling!

… only for my katana to be caught by her reinforced hand. There’s another magical edge in her other palm. I can see her attack coming, b-but my body can’t-

“Ngh! ARRRRRGH!”

“HACHIROU, NO!”

I-it hurts. Even with my spirit art dulling my senses, I can tell I am badly wounded. Her fingers are buried deep in my shoulder, and the only reason she hasn’t pierced straight through is because I’m grabbing her wrist. I-I can’t push her back with . A-am I… going to die?

“Brothers… Sisters… please… stand with me!”

Snap!

All of a sudden, the pressure from Agnes’ attack recedes, followed by the excruciating pain. I didn’t succeed in overpowering her; she withdraw her palm of her own volition. While I’m too tired to attack, I’m also transfixed by her current expression. Not quite sadness. Not quite distress. It is beyond my ability to read human emotion. I then realise I’m holding on a thin bracelet, which Agnes is staring at intently. Silently, she looks down at her own hand, covered in fresh blood.

“A Bloody Hand… now attached to nought.”

“Agnes?”

“I wasn’t honouring their memory… was I, Nomura?”

Lost for words, I stare at Agnes as I finally gleam what lays behind her vacant eyes. However, before I can reply, a golden spear collides with the wall of magic, shattering it into a thousand fading lights. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust as the backs of two silver-clad champions appear before me.

“AGNES!”

“Mavel... Evans…”

“Do not address us, traitor! You disgrace the title of Gregoria! You betrayed the trust of Sir Iudico!”

“For the crime of colluding with heretical elements and discarding your sacred duty, I hereby sentence you to death before the eyes of the Lord!”

Their unbridled fury is palpable as friend and foe alike distance themselves from the inevitable clash. The two knights charge at Agnes who coldly receives their challenge. Elsewhere, away from the display of thunderous lights, our side is still cutting through the cultist forces.

“Hachirou! Are you alright?”

“I-I’ll live, Sen. I think that knight applied healing magic when he arrived.”

“Still, there’s no way you’re in any condition to fight. Here, let me carry you-”

All of a sudden, there is a powerful burst of magic that even the mana-insensitive can feel in the air. We turn to find a massive arcane wall bisecting the entire room, with the cultists – and Maximillian – on the other side. Close to the barrier, dozens of dying mages are chanting endlessly in a possessed state.

“T-that’s the same barrier from before, when we were trapped with that skeleton,” exclaims Sen. “Not even the holy knights could break through that. How are they even casting magic in that kind of state?”

“I-I don’t think they’re using mana, Sen,” I infer. “They must be sacrificing their spiritual energy to maintain that wall of magic.”

“Damn it, so they plan on holding out until Tascus is done? I-I hate to say it, but can Enbos really survive against the power of a thousand cultists? Do you reckon…”

“It’s fine, Sen.”

“Huh?”

“Everything will be fine. While I believe in Enbos’ perseverance, I want you to know… I can’t smell her on this side.”

A wave of foul mana washes over me as I continue to observe the situation. Although I can barely turn my head nor see past the blasphemous mass, it is clear things are spiralling out of the cultist’s control. While I suspected there was more to Enbos’ straightforward assault, the events that have transpired were beyond my expectations. From the sudden weakening of the cultists, to the explosive incursion, to the timely arrival of reinforcements, I have been kept in a state of constant disbelief. But most shocking of all… is the involvement of my Path-sworn brothers.

I can’t believe they defied my command to rescue me. Did they embrace my vision of the priory in lieu of precedent? I don’t know what brought about this defiance and I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do, but in the depths of my being, I can’t help but feel proud of my brethren. Even Agnes appears taken aback, and it’s because she’s witnessing firsthand what she said she’ll never live to see: change.

*Crackle!*

“Tsk.”

The magic binds are still strong, even with most of their mages focused on the frontline. I’m about to try again, but unfortunately, I’ve drawn the attention of one of their number. I need to bide my-

Huh? These footsteps are muted, almost like they’re trying to avoid notice. Could they be…

As the mysterious figure stands before me, a cacophony of noises return as the translucent barrier is suddenly dispelled. Holy magic is being channelled into my cage, weakening the restraints across my entire body. Keeping quiet, I look up at my unknown rescuer…

“…”

… and almost exclaim in shock as I recognise the figure staring back at me. It’s a familiar face, but not one I ever expected to see again. His grey-lined hair, that torn black cloak, and those mismatched, hardy eyes. He’s the spitting visage as that person on that fateful night, only this time… he’s the one holding a spear.

Clang…

The man rolls the spear towards my bent knees. Looking up, I catch a glimpse of a melancholic expression just before “he” fades into thin air. From that single, fleeting look, it suddenly dawns on me… that I’m not the only one haunted by a face since that night.

I know. You still haven’t forgive me... But thank you. Thank you for understanding.

BOOOOOM!

“W-what the hell!?”

“Something blew up behind the cultist’s wall!”

“Wait, look! It’s breaking!”

“T-that’s because half their mages are dead! Did someone sneak a bomb in?”

“N-no, that’s…”

As the thick dust lingers, a single beacon of light uplifts the attackers’ spirits and chills the bones of every cultist in the room. The two holy knights disengage from battle and take a moment to offer their salutes. Agnes looks back at the tall figure, not with her impassive façade, but genuine, dumbfounded astonishment.

Mana-deprived and physically-battered, yet none can match his overflowing spirit, like a warding flame in a swarm of heresy. The inquisitor then points his weapon to Agnes and says:

“The world needn’t wait for a new dawn. We will carve a better Path right here, right now!”

“!”

Thrusting Bloodletter, I narrowly miss Tascus as he diverts my blade with his steel bracers. However, I immediately follow up with another , and another, and another, as I cycle through my collection of souls. To him, I must seem like I’m ignoring my skill’s cooldown as he desperately conjures an . However, with his mana level fluctuating so greatly, he’s unable to conjure the complex runes demanded of him. Frustrated, he materialises a and deflects my blows at close range.

“!”

“!”

Swoosh!

“! !”

“Hm!?”

I’m so glad he gave his assassins standardised training.

Tascus manages to intercept my blade as the sheer force of knocks him onto the floor. He immediately recovers, but the in his hand disintegrates into ethereal particles. His twin halos have all but disappeared, and with the backlash from his blessing still going, he can barely tap into his own mana. Of course, I’m little better with my critically low HP, and both Helena’s and the pseudo ravager’s souls in poor condition.

Tyler, your MP is ready.

Thanks, Helena. Are you sure you’re up for it?

My soul can still be used, but the spiritual fragments sustaining my consciousness will unravel after this… I won’t be able to watch over you from then on.

I see… Helena, in case I don’t make it-

Shhhhh. It won’t be the last time I see you, Tyler.

Because it’s preordained?

Because you promised.

Yeah. Leave it to me, Helena…

“It’s about time we ended this.”

“INSOLENCE!”

Tascus charges forth and launches a series of barehanded thrusts, each strike more than enough to kill me several times over. However, oblivious to this fact, he’s exerting too much energy trying to overwhelm me rather than land a single precise blow. With manufactured grace, I continue to evade his attacks while he grows ever more unhinged.

“You think… you have… bested me!? I swear to Maleosis… I will see you dead before my last breath!”

“*Sigh* You just had to walk into that one. Sky-Splitting Vajra!”

Falling for my bluff, Tascus leaps back as I direct my sword towards him. However, I continue the motion and point my enchanted towards the roof. Suddenly, invisible runes across every brick in this room begin to glow, resonating with the magic array along my blade. He tries to charge back in, but he stops as the space between us appears to stretch.

“What kind of sorcery-”

“Haven’t you realised, Tascus? As someone who has inherited the Watchful Light’s soul… I also have the same powers that made this place.”

See you later… Tyler.

Leaving behind a fleeting smile, Helena’s visage fades from view as I finish activating her Unique Skill, . Immediately, our surroundings distort then change into the target destination. From an empty room with smooth floors, to a crater-filled hellscape filled with debris. There are no exits in this dark space, but most of all…

“Hngh! *Cough, cough, cough*!”

… there is no oxygen left from my battle with the pseudo ravager.

Silently, I stare at Tascus as his coughs and gasps continue. Everything has come to this point, or rather, if he had just died from any one of my previous traps, he wouldn’t have to suffer like this. Cruel as it is, I must admit that such an end is almost fitting.

“This is what you tried to throw away,” I say as he shoots me the same, murderous gaze. “This is what I go through with every. Imaginary. Breath. Welcome to my world.”