Chapter 7: The Aurora Underground Labyrinth
A few days had passed since my duel with Taron. Just as Headmistress Ortea had anticipated, the envious glares directed at me for having a mana capacity of only five had completely vanished.
On the flip side, I was now constantly cornered by female students trying to pry into every detail of my relationship with Alphiria. That, of course, invited even more jealousy and murderous hostility from the guys, so my life hadn't gotten any easier.
However, all of that paled in comparison to how strangely Alphiria was acting. Ever since the morning after the duel, she carried an expression that suggested she was hiding something monumental, looking deeply troubled. Whenever I asked, "Is something wrong?", she would merely offer a distracted, forced smile and insist, "I'm fine." Even Cyril seemed bewildered by her behavior.
“Mr.Butler," Cyril asked me with a straight face one day, "did you and Aria get into a fight?"
Is she reflecting on what we did inside the locker before the duel, or maybe how far we crossed the line in the bath together? I wondered, just as the girl in question spoke up.
"Hey, Shinya," Alphiria began abruptly one evening as we were settling down after dinner. "Could I ask a favor of you?"
Her tone was unusually serious. Although her gaze was fixed directly on me, her eyes quavered slightly, betraying a hint of hesitation.
"The truth is, I went to consult Headmistress Ortea about my mana the other day," she said, her voice heavy as she set her teacup down onto the saucer. "I wanted to know if there was any way for me to regain it."
After all, she had suddenly lost almost all of her mana—the lifeblood of a mage. While skin contact with me could temporarily alleviate the issue, that was nothing more than treating the symptoms, not a permanent solution.
"What did the Headmistress say?" I asked.
"It isn't a guarantee, but she mentioned that an Artifact capable of restoring mana might exist," Alphiria explained. "The problem is that Artifacts are only found inside dungeons, and you have to descend into the lower levels to get your hands on one."
I see. So this is what's been weighing on her mind lately. Venturing deep into a dungeon meant encountering far stronger monsters, which inevitably brought serious life-or-death peril.
"Don't tell me you were worrying about dragging me along, Aria?" I teased with a cheerful grin, trying to lighten the mood.
It really wasn't like her to hesitate at this point over bringing me somewhere dangerous. The usual Alphiria wouldn't have given me a choice, demanding, "Follow me!" without a second thought.
"You should be celebrating instead," I added warmly. "This means you might actually get your magic back."
"I-I know that!" she snapped, puffing out her cheeks before turning her head away. "I was just so overwhelmed with excitement at finding a lead that I didn't know how to react! It's not like I was worried about you or anything!"
She turned away, fuming with flushed cheeks after delivering that textbook tsundere line. Ah, yes. That was the master I knew.
"That being said," she continued, regaining her composure, "diving straight into the deep floors to hunt for an Artifact would be suicidal. We're going to take things slow and build up our experience first."
"If it's for your sake, count me in," I replied earnestly. "I'll do my best."
"Well, of course you will!" Alphiria declared, pointing a finger sharply at me as her ears turned bright red. "You're my Familiar, so I expect you to work like a rented mule. And... and we'll be doing plenty of mana replenishments, so prepare yourself!"
Pointing her finger straight at me with ears beet red, she rattled off her demands in a flustered flurry to hide her embarrassment.
"Understood. Just say the word and I'll do whatever it takes," I responded.
Reclaiming her mana meant nothing less than restoring her pride and future as Alphiria Glastonbury. If that ultimately rendered me useless as a Familiar, so be it—that was a bridge to cross another day.
"...Thank you, Shinya," she whispered softly.
The small whisper of gratitude sounded strangely somber, though perhaps I was just imagining it. Regardless, if we were heading into a dungeon, there was one question I needed answered.
"Hey, Aria," I chimed in. "Are we going to hunt for this Artifact all by ourselves?"
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
My question earned a disgruntled look from Alphiria.
"Exactly what I said. Back in the dungeons I know of, forming a party is standard practice. Is it different in this world?"
"...It's not different," she admitted, narrowing her eyes. "It's the same, but... don't tell me you're suggesting we invite someone else?"
"Both of us have our unique circumstances," I reasoned. "Don't you think having at least one reliable ally would be safer...?"
If she ran out of mana mid-battle, it would be a disaster. While I could feel my own mana reserve growing beyond five, calling it stable would be a stretch at best. Adding even one member would help divide the combat burden and conserve mana. It had nothing but upsides.
"I understand your point, Shinya," Alphiria countered stubbornly. "But I refuse. I don't want to risk anyone else finding out that I've lost most of my mana."
"Still, safety comes first, right?" I argued. "What about Cyril?"
I felt confident Cyril would keep quiet even if she learned about Alphiria's condition. Granted, that would mean revealing I wasn't just an ordinary butler, but a Familiar summoned from another world.
"No way! Absolutely not Cyril!" Alphiria protested instantly. "She's more than capable in battle, but when it comes to trust, I can't rely on her at all!"
"Don't say that," I coaxed. "Out of curiosity, what makes her so untrustworthy?"
"...The way she keeps making eyes at you," Alphiria mumbled, averting her gaze and puffing out her cheeks.
"Wait, what?" I blinked in surprise.
Did she mean what happened when we went shopping for underwear? I had assumed Cyril was just teasing and having fun at my expense back then.
"A dungeon requires absolute concentration!" Alphiria slammed her hands on the table, passionately declaring her case. "I can't bring along a shameless she-cat who acts like she's in heat all year round!"
"A she-cat...?" I stammered, stunned by her outburst.
I was caught completely off guard by her unabashed jealousy. I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, picturing how Cyril would smile sweetly while delivering an iron-claw head-squeeze if she overheard that remark.
"Relax, it'll be fine," I assured her. "Even Cyril knows how to read the room—time, place, and occasion. She won't tease us in the middle of a dungeon. Besides, I..."
"...Besides you, what?" Alphiria glared at me with expectant, half-lidded eyes as I hesitated.
Her sharp, exasperated gaze fixated on me, carrying a faint trace of anticipation.
"I'm your Familiar, Aria," I declared proudly. "I'm not going to be swooned so easily!"
"...Are you sure about that?" she pressed, her tone menacing. "If I catch you flirting even a little bit, I'll blast you to a crisp right alongside the monsters!"
Yep, she's 100 percent serious about burning me to ash.
"I-I get it!" I said hastily. "Have a little faith in your own Familiar, would you?"
"Haaah... Fine," Alphiria sighed, slumping her shoulders in resignation. "I'll invite Cyril myself. Happy now?"
She shrugged her shoulders with a tired sigh. The faint shadow of melancholy etched onto her exasperated profile was surely just a figment of my imagination.
＊＊＊＊＊
The next morning, Alphiria and I stood before the teleportation circle located deep beneath the school grounds, ready to take on the Aurora Underground Labyrinth. We weren't jumping straight into the lower depths searching for an Artifact right away, however; our immediate goal was to clear the fourth floor, which lay beyond the Headmistress's direct oversight.
"If it were up to me, I'd head down to the 10th floor right this instant," Alphiria remarked with a self-deprecating smile.
Her wry smile betrayed her true eagerness.
According to her, Artifacts only began appearing from the tenth floor downward. The deeper one ventured, the rarer and more valuable the Artifacts became, though the danger level of the monsters rose proportionally. In that sense, it was just like the video games I used to play back home.
"Honestly, where is Cyril?" Alphiria complained, tapping her foot in impatience. "The meeting time has already passed!"
"We still have five minutes until the appointed time," I pointed out. "Besides, you invited her on super short notice last night. Cut her a little slack."
"Mmph... You're my Familiar, yet you're taking Cyril's side?" she pouted. "Don't tell me that she-cat has already seduced—"
"—And who, exactly, are you calling a she-cat?"
Just as Alphiria was closing in on me with a palpable aura of hostility, a clear, bell-like voice cut through the air. I turned around to see a silver-haired beauty in our familiar school uniform standing nearby. She offered a gentle smile—though her eyes harbored not a single trace of warmth.
"Ack—Cyril!" Alphiria gasped, flinching. "H-How long have you been standing there?!"
"Fufu. Good morning, Butler-kun," Cyril greeted, breezing right past the flustered Alphiria toward me.
Unapologetically pressing the luscious softness of her chest against my arm, she looked up at me with captivating eyes and a sultry smile.
"Thank you for inviting me today," Cyril purred softly. "By the way, Butler-kun... why don't we leave this little wild bronco behind and go somewhere much more fun together?"
"W-Wait a minute, Cyril!" Alphiria shrieked, her face flushing crimson as if boiling over. "Don't start hitting on Shinya the second you arrive!?"
Desperate to reclaim me like a favorite plush toy, she grabbed my other arm and yanked with all her might.
"Inviting you to the party was a mistake!" Alphiria fumed. "Do an about-face and go home right now!"
"My, how cruel," Cyril pouted playfully, turning her gaze back to me. "I canceled my plans just because Aria insisted so strongly, and now she tells me to leave? What do you think, Butler-kun?"
"Aria, I think that's a bit unfair to her," I chimed in gently.
"Gnrgh...! Taking Cyril's side again...! Shinya, you idiot!"
She stomped her foot repeatedly to vent her pent-up frustration, then stormed off toward the teleportation circle with heavy, angry strides. Watching her retreating back, I quietly whispered to Cyril, who was still clinging to my arm.
"Thanks, Cyril. You really saved us by coming on such short notice," I said.
When I offered my sincere gratitude, Cyril smoothly let go of my arm. The teasing expression melted away, replaced by a serious, focused look.
"I knew something was off the moment prideful Aria invited me to join," Cyril said softly. "It was your idea, wasn't it, Butler-kun?"
"You noticed she's been acting strange too, right?" I asked.
"Of course," Cyril answered without hesitation. "We've known each other for over ten years, after all. We can tell when something is wrong with each other."
She stated it as a matter of simple fact.
"She has the look of someone carrying a heavy burden all by herself," Cyril added, concern creeping into her voice. "If we take our eyes off her for even a second, she might do something recklessly dangerous."
"That's why I wanted you here," I admitted. "I'm counting on you when push comes to shove. I don't trust myself to stop her alone."
"Leave it to me," Cyril replied reassuringly. Then her expression tightened. "Oh, but there's one thing I've been meaning to ask you, Butler-kun... Shinya-kun, are you really just Aria's butler?"
Her sharp gaze radiated an unspoken pressure that made it clear she wouldn't accept a lie. She really is a good friend who cares deeply about her, I thought, letting out a soft, rueful smile. I just wish the two of them were a little more honest with each other.
"...Of course. I'm just her butler," I answered smoothly.
I care about her enough to lay down my life to protect her, I kept to myself, far too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"...I see. Sorry for asking such a strange question," Cyril relented softly.
"Hey! You two!" Alphiria shouted from up ahead. "How long are you going to keep standing there chatting!? Let's get into the dungeon already!"
"Our master seems quite furious," Cyril smiled faintly. "Shall we get going?"
"Yeah," I agreed.
Exchanging a brief nod, we quickly trotted over to Alphiria, who was still fuming in front of the teleportation circle.
＊＊＊＊＊
Enveloped in a dazzling flash of light, I set foot inside the Aurora Underground Labyrinth once again. The moment the glare receded from my vision, a wave of biting, sub-zero cold washed over my skin. The thick, metallic stench of rusty blood mingled with a heavy, moldy miasma that felt as though it hadn't circulated for centuries, filling my lungs and forcing a grimace onto my face.
Even a novice like me could tell—the atmosphere hanging in the air was entirely different from our previous practical training exercise. If last time was like a zoo where safety was guaranteed, this place was a wild savanna where apex predators roamed free.
"This is the 4th floor, beyond Headmistress Ortea’s barrier," Aria remarked, scanning our surroundings. "In a sense, this is where the real Aurora Underground Labyrinth begins."
"So this is what a real dungeon conquest is like..."
Aria's words drew a murmur from my lips alongside a breathless sigh of wonder.
The ambient air felt as heavy as sludge. From every direction, an eerie malice pressed in, as though the entire labyrinth was salivating in delight over the arrival of fresh prey.
Aurora Underground Labyrinth 4th Floor. Beyond this threshold lay no protection from the Headmistress's powerful barrier—only a lethal domain where merciless death waited with open jaws. Yet despite the danger, the surge of excitement in my chest far outweighed any dread.
"Hee-hee. You really are a boy at heart, Butler-kun."
"Why do men always get that look in their eyes the second a dungeon crawl comes up?"
I heard the two girls exasperatedly muttering to each other, but I paid them no mind. Alphiria would probably blow a fuse if I actually voiced it, but I couldn't suppress the thrill coursing through me. Just as Cyril had pointed out, the inner boy in me was practically bouncing off the walls.
"Well, I suppose it's better than trembling in fear," Aria relented, her gaze narrowing. "Just don't lower your guard for even a second. Understood, Shinya?"
"I hear you. Hot heart, cool head—that's the plan," I replied with a nod.
"Very good. Then let's move out."
With Alphiria taking the lead, Cyril and I followed in her wake, carefully advancing through the dimly lit stone corridor. Our white breaths puffed into the frigid air, the echoes of our footsteps ringing sharply against the walls.
"Come to think of it, Cyril, what kind of magic do you specialize in?" I asked casually.
It was a casual question. Not because I couldn't stand the silence, but because excessive tension causes your muscles to lock up in a crisis, ruining your performance. In short, light banter to break the ice was a vital part of staying sharp.
"Ah, now that you mention it, I've never shown you my magic before, have I, Butler-kun?" Cyril replied, casting a playful glance over her shoulder. "Curious to see what I can do?"
"Of course. Since we're diving into a dungeon together, understanding each other's abilities is essential for good teamwork, isn't it?"
"My goodness... staring at me with such intense eyes makes a girl blush," Cyril purred softly. "If you're that eager, I'll tell you anything you want to know. My three measurements, the color of my underwear today—take your pick."
Cyril flashed a seductively sweet smile. If we weren't standing inside a dangerous dungeon, I might have caved to such scandalous teasing right then and there. Any other guy would probably be panting with bloodshot eyes by now.
"Wait, that's not what I was asking about—"
"It's ice magic," Aria interjected from up ahead, cutting me off. "Ice is Cyril's specialty—a derivative element evolved from water magic, to be precise."
Alphiria delivered the explanation on Cyril's behalf, though her tone was frigid enough to freeze boiling water.
"Hey now, Aria. Don't go stealing my lines," Cyril pouted, crossing her arms.
"You're letting your guard down way too much, Cyril. Nobody cares about your three sizes or the color of your underwear."
"Oh, where's the fun in that? Butler-kun is a healthy young man, so sharing these juicy details only builds trust, doesn't it? Besides... without getting too specific, mine are bigger than yours, Aria."
As she spoke, Cyril folded her arms right underneath her chest, giving a deliberate sway to accentuate her bountiful assets for all to see.
"...W-What?!"
"When I went lingerie shopping the other day and got fitted, they'd grown again. Any bigger and it'll just give me terrible shoulder aches, not to mention how hard it is to find cute bras in my size. It's such a hassle."
Cyril complained with a melancholic sigh. All the while, her twin peaks bounced so ostentatiously you could almost hear the sound effects, drawing my gaze toward them entirely against my willpower.
"...Hey, Shinya. Where exactly are you looking?"
Alphiria turned to glare at me with eyes dripping with pure murder. Talk about unfair! What did I even do wrong?!
"It was an involuntary reaction! Any guy would look if they were jiggling like that!" I protested.
"Hee-hee. If you want a better view, Butler-kun, I don't mind giving you a closer look~"
"Knock it off already, you perpetually in-heat cat!" Aria hissed angrily.
Hissing in fury, Alphiria delivered a sharp smack to the back of my head. Cyril let out a soft chuckle at her friend's flustered reaction before finally getting back to my question.
"I don't have affinity for all elements like Aria does, but when it comes strictly to ice magic, I'm actually superior to her."
"Her epithet is the 'Rose Princess of Ice Frost,' by the way," Aria chimed in.
"I wish people wouldn't give me such an exaggerated title," Cyril sighed, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "I'm hardly princess material."
Even the usually unshakeable Cyril flushed slightly and shrugged. Apparently, being called by that dramatic alias wasn't entirely to her liking. Seeing such an endearing reaction from a girl so mature and talented nearly made me burst out laughing—even while my eyes were still covered.
"'Rose Princess of Ice Frost,' huh? I think the title suits you perfectly, Cyril."
"...And what exactly do you mean by that, Butler-kun?" Cyril asked, pausing.
"Well, you're gorgeous and elegant, so calling you a rose princess feels completely natural to me."
The instant those words left my mouth, all sound evaporated from the corridor. Alphiria gaped like a fish pushed onto dry land, while Cyril froze in utter astonishment.
"H-Hmph... Well, if you say so, Butler-kun, I'll take it as a compliment. But more importantly—they're here."
—Grrrrrr...
A low, guttural growl echoed suddenly from the pitch-black depths of the corridor. In an instant, the relaxed mood vanished, replaced by taut tension. Alphiria dropped her hands from my face and fixed a stern glare straight ahead.
"They finally decided to show up," Aria muttered, her eyes piercing the dark. "Looks like... five of them?"
Emerging from the shadows was a pack of bipedal, dog-like monsters—kobolds, a classic staple of shallow dungeon floors. But unlike in video games, these beasts were terrifyingly real. Their glowing, ravenous eyes held not a single trace of intelligence, burning with nothing but pure murderous intent and hunger.
"Aria, leave this batch to me," Cyril offered calmly.
Before Alphiria and I could draw our wand-swords from our hips, Cyril stepped out in front. Lightly lifting the hem of her uniform skirt, she reached toward her long, supple thigh. Strapped around it was a black leather holster, from which she fluidly drew a sharp dagger. The captivating elegance of her draw held my eyes hostage.
"Is that your wand-sword, Cyril?" I asked.
"Yes, indeed. I'm not very strong, so swinging a full-sized sword around isn't really my style."
"Are you picking a fight with me, Cyril?" Aria chimed in with a twitch of her eyebrow.
"My, nobody said anything about Aria being a brainless gorilla with super strength," Cyril teased with a smirk.
Cyril let out a soft chuckle. Even with monster beasts glaring right at us, she didn't show an ounce of stress, bickering casually with her teammate. Just as a wave of anxiety crossed my mind over whether we were truly going to be okay—
"Now then, enough teasing Aria. Allow me to give you a front-row seat, Butler-kun, to see why they call me the Rose Princess of Ice Frost."
With a crisp metallic click, Cyril readied her dagger. Her cheeks flushed with a delicate touch of crimson, she glanced back at me as she delivered her line.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!!"
As if Cyril's words were the starting signal, the kobolds unleashed an ear-splitting roar and lunged forward in unison. A foul gust reeking of wild beasts whipped against us.
Yet Cyril didn't panic for a fraction of a second. Raising her dagger smoothly before her, she channeled serene magic into its blade and chanted her spell in a crisp, dignified voice.
"Crimson bloom, freeze and blossom—'Cocytus: Frozen Blossom Coffin'!"
Cyril snapped her fingers with cool, effortless grace.
An instant later, a wave of absolute-zero frost erupted from her wand-sword, transforming the corridor into a frozen hell. Translucent ice roses bloomed wildly beneath the kobolds' feet. Glacial vines bristling with razor thorns bound their bodies in the blink of an eye, leaving no chance for escape.
"G-Gah...?!"
Engulfed by the ferocious cold, the kobolds froze into breathtaking ice sculptures, their eyes wide in frozen terror.
"And that's that," Cyril declared smoothly.
At the ice princess's lovely yet merciless decree, the beasts trapped within the giant frozen rose shattered into countless glittering shards like delicate glassware, dissipating into a shimmering cloud of diamond dust.
"A-Amazing..." I gasped.
Her magic possessed a majestic force entirely different from Alphiria's inferno. Witnessing the mystical spectacle it produced, an awed murmur slipped from my throat. In a matter of seconds, the suffocating reek of blood and death had been thoroughly purified by the frost.
"Hee-hee. Well? What did you think?" Cyril asked, turning back around.
Amidst the swirling ice crystals, Cyril twirled around to face me. Her expression wore a proud, triumphant grin—resembling a child waiting to be praised for scoring a hundred percent on a test.
"Honestly, Cyril! Don't waste high-tier spells on small fry," Aria scolded. "It's a complete waste of mana."
"Don't worry, something like this won't drain my reserves. Consider it fan service for Butler-kun," Cyril chuckled softly. "Come on, let's keep moving."
Easily brushing off Alphiria's scolding, Cyril resumed her walk as if nothing had happened.
We ran into several more packs of kobolds after that, but we didn't struggle in the slightest. The moment we engaged, Cyril encased them in ice, or Alphiria scorched them to cinders as if venting her pent-up frustration. After repeating this ruthless slaughter several times like relentless invaders, we arrived at the deepest chamber of the 4th Floor in no time at all.
"So this is the boss room... That went surprisingly fast," I muttered.
"Stay on your toes, Shinya. Everything up until now was just a warmup," Aria warned.
Towering before us was a massive, heavy set of double stone doors. Ominous reliefs of grotesque monsters were carved across their surface, and the air seeping through the seams felt immeasurably thicker and heavier than anything we'd faced on the way here.
"No slacking off, Butler-kun. It's been smooth sailing so far, but a floor boss is a completely different story," Cyril advised.
Even Cyril, who had been effortlessly composed, tightened her grip on her dagger with a solemn expression. Exhaling a deep breath, I stood shoulder to shoulder with the two girls, grabbed hold of the doors while gripping my wand-sword, and pushed with all my strength.
With a heavy, grinding creak, the colossal doors slowly glided open. Bracing ourselves for the crushing aura of the boss waiting within, the three of us stepped into the chamber in unison.
"...Huh?"
Alphiria's bewildered squeak echoed through the boss chamber. No furious roars aimed at intruders, no skin-pricking bloodlust, no stench of wild beasts—only total, eerie silence. We stood utterly stunned by the bizarre anomaly: the creature that was supposed to be guarding this room was missing.
"What... is the meaning of this?" Cyril murmured, dumbfounded.
Ahead of the stunned Cyril, her eyes fixed upon the charred corpse of the Kobold Lord—the floor boss ruling over the 4th Floor.
"No... way..." Aria gasped.
The towering body was scorched pitch-black like a heap of charcoal, plainly dead. The surrounding stone floor was melted into a gooey sludge, proving it had been roasted by an extraordinary fire spell.
"The boss... was already defeated?!" Aria cried out, looking around frantically. "Who—or what—could have done this?!"
Though clearly shaken, Alphiria scanned our surroundings on high alert. Someone had entered the dungeon ahead of us and slain the boss. Under normal circumstances, that was the logical conclusion, but if that were true, there was no way we wouldn't have run into sign of them on the way down.
Yet we hadn't seen a single kobold corpse on our path, nor heard the faintest echoes of combat. In short, whoever committed this deed must have strolled through the labyrinth like an invisible ghost before felling the boss. Could such a thing even be possible—
RUUUUUUUMBLE!!
"W-What is that?!" I yelled.
It wasn't an earthquake. A terrifying roar vibrated from deep subterranean depths, shaking the world to its very foundation.
"Eeeek?!"
"Aria!"
The next instant, the thick stone floor beneath our feet fractured into a spiderweb of cracks, and a blinding pillar of radiant dawn light surged upward from the far depths below.
"Aria! Cyril!!"
With a deafening crash, the stone floor collapsed, obliterating our foothold. Gravity vanished, and a colossal, funnel-shaped abyss opened wide to swallow all three of us whole.
Instinct took over before my brain could even process. Kicking off a falling slab of stone, I grabbed the airborne Alphiria and Cyril with both hands and hurled them with all my strength toward the safety of the corridor behind us.
"Huh...? Shinya?!"
Landed heavily on the corridor's hard floor, Alphiria's eyes widened in horror. The recoil from hurling them to safety sent me spinning backward into midair, tumbling headfirst into the blazing abyss below.
"SHINYAAAAAAAH!!!"
Alphiria's anguished scream echoed over the edge of the crater as she desperately reached her arm out toward me. Her terror-stricken face receded rapidly into the blinding swirl of light and shadow.
At least Aria is safe...
Buffeted by violent shockwaves and a sickening sense of weightlessness, I sank into the abyssal darkness of the labyrinth.
＊＊＊＊＊
"Gah! H-Hah...!"
A bone-creaking agony coursed through my entire body as I forced myself to sit up.
For a split second, I wondered if I had landed in the afterlife, but my limbs were still attached and my heart was beating in my chest. Cuts and scrapes stung all over, and the unmistakable metallic taste of blood coated the inside of my mouth.
"Am I lucky, or just cursed...?" I muttered under my breath.
I looked around as I spoke. Not that there was much to see—the cavern was bathed in a faint, murky twilight. Even looking back up at the massive pit that had swallowed me whole, nothing met my eyes except a bottomless expanse of darkness.
"Aria...! Cyril!"
I bellowed their names with enough force to shred my vocal cords, but my voice was swallowed whole by the hollow gloom without even an echo. No response came. It seemed I was completely isolated—and to make matters worse, I didn't have the faintest clue where I was.
The cardinal rule in a situation like this was to stay put. Secure the area, conserve stamina, and wait, trusting that Alphiria and Cyril would fetch help. Logically, I knew that was the smartest move. I knew it, yet my instincts kept screaming at me: Keep moving forward.
"What's the line? 'Turn back, beyond here lies hell'?" I gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
Staring into the impenetrable pitch-black ahead, I felt an overpowering dread—as if a demonic hand were reaching out from the depths to clutch my heart. It was a crushing pressure on a completely different plane than the mutated Kobold Lord or Goblin Lord.
"Running away is the smart choice here... right?" I whispered to myself.
Even though every drop of reason screamed at me to halt, my feet moved forward of their own accord. Dragging my battered body, I stepped slowly but surely into the darkness, drawn toward whatever thing was beckoning from the shadows.
What awaited me at the end of the path was a massive, unadorned double door, devoid of fancy relief work or carvings. Simple, solid, and imposing. Guided by instinct alone, I forced my aching arms to push it open and stepped inside.
At the center of the deep, suffocating stillness stood not a grotesque monster, but a single man.
"My apologies for the rough treatment, child of another world," the man spoke.
Surprisingly, his opening words were disarmingly gentle. Yet beneath his tone lay the heavy, undeniable presence of absolute strength. In an instant, I realized the truth: by whatever means he had used, this man was the culprit who had incinerated the Kobold Lord and blasted that massive crater with a beam of radiant light.
"...Who the hell are you?" I asked cautiously, my hand resting on my Wand-Sword.
If the man standing before me was a lion, I was an ant crawling in the dirt. Even with distance between us, the gap separating our power felt as wide as heaven and earth.
"I was once told that one ought to state their own name before asking another's... but no matter," the man replied easily. "My name is Heimdall. Not that you need to bother remembering it."
Heimdall. The same name as the god from Norse mythology. The vigilant guardian possessed eyes that could see across vast distances and ears that could hear grass growing, who ultimately fell in mutual destruction fighting the god of treason during Ragnarok... if memory served.
"What's a deity doing down in a gloomy dungeon like this?" I shot back. "Killing time?"
"Heh heh. As expected of a child from another world," Heimdall chuckled softly. "You deduced I was a god so readily."
"...Shouldn't you get back to work?" I countered. "Won't your boss chew you out if you slack off?"
"Exchanging quips even while knowing I am divine? Khufu... You are a fascinating one," Heimdall mused, his chest rumbling with amusement.
Merely from his laughter, the air crackled and vibrated so violently I felt like I was losing my mind. Gritting my teeth until my jaw ached, I fought with everything I had to withstand the chest-crushing aura radiating off him.
"There is no need for such hostility. As I am sure you have realized, I am not the floor boss here, nor do I intend to bring you harm," Heimdall reassured me. "Quite the contrary—I have brought glad tidings for you."
"...Glad tidings?" I repeated warily.
"Indeed," Heimdall nodded. "News that should sound sweeter than anything else to someone torn from another world."
Ignoring my suspicion, Heimdall spread his arms wide with the solemn grace of a priest. His voice resonated with a warmth like gentle sunlight filtering through spring leaves.
"What if I told you... I can send you back to your original world?"
"...What?"
My heart gave a violent thud at the out-of-left-field proposal. Go back? To that peaceful, ordinary, boring everyday life?
"What are you talking about...?" I stammered. "There isn't supposed to be any magic that can return someone to their world—!"
"That limit applies only to mortal magic, does it not?" Heimdall replied coolly. "For a god such as myself, it is trivial."
His nonchalant declaration rendered me speechless. Hiding behind "because I'm a god" reeked of sketchiness, yet the overwhelming aura he exuded lent it terrifying credibility.
"A quiet, peaceful life is the greatest happiness a living being can possess," Heimdall continued. "A tranquil world without conflict... compared to this place, it is a true utopia."
"Utopia, huh...? Maybe it is," I mumbled.
The sweet poison of his words seeped deep into my soul. I'd been summoned without warning, bound as a familiar, and forced to fight to take responsibility for stripping someone of their magic. I'd genuinely feared for my life more than once. If I could return to my old world, nothing could be better.
"For someone from a foreign realm, a world like this where death lurks around every corner must be unbearably harsh," Heimdall said, extending his hand. "Come, take my hand. Do so, and you shall return home."
"Good news usually comes bundled with bad news—that's how these things work," I said, eyeing his outstretched hand. "Mind if I ask one question?"
"...And what would that be?" Heimdall inquired.
"If I leave, what happens to Aria?"
When he told me I could go home, the first image that flashed in my mind wasn't the landscape of my world, nor the faces of my family or friends.
It was the face of a gorgeous blonde girl—always overflowing with confidence, charging recklessly ahead, turning red to the tips of her ears whenever I teased her. Clumsy, incapable of lying to herself, bearing a tearful smile as she tried to shield me. A girl so breathtakingly beautiful and cute that even the word "peerless" failed to do her justice.
"Alphiria Glastonbury... the 'great sinner' who summoned a foreign entity like you into this world?" Heimdall mused.
"If I'm gone, will Aria's power... will her lost mana return to her?" I asked.
In response, Heimdall cast his eyes downward in deep pity, shaking his head slowly as he passed an agonizingly cruel judgment.
"Her power will never return," Heimdall said softly. "For every sin requires an equal punishment."
The verdict echoed hollowly through the chamber before fading into silence. But Heimdall was not finished.
"Furthermore, regarding the Artifact to restore her mana that she spoke of... no such item exists, nor has it ever."
"...Say what?"
"An Artifact so convenient cannot be found in this dungeon, nor anywhere else in this world. Why, then, did Alphiria Glastonbury venture here? For no other reason than to send you back to your homeland."
The revelations spilling from Heimdall's lips came too fast for my mind to process. No... I couldn't assume his words were absolute truth. They might just be lies meant to deceive and unbalance me.
"I have no reason to deceive you," Heimdall added, reading my doubts. "She intended to send you home even if it meant throwing away her own dreams. That is why she came here."
"You're saying there is an Artifact to return me to my world?!" I demanded.
"More precisely, an Artifact capable of severing the master-servant pact between you and Alphiria Glastonbury," Heimdall explained. "An Artifact that forcibly annuls any contract does indeed exist. Even across world boundaries, its magic holds true."
"...I see. So that's how it is," I muttered with a bitter chuckle.
She'd tricked me completely. To obtain the Artifact that would return me home, she had to dive into a lethal dungeon. Alphiria had wrestled with that agonizing trade-off all on her own. Man... I really am a lousy familiar.
"...Don't give me that bullshit," I growled.
What welled up inside me wasn't relief, nor sorrow, but pure, unadulterated anger. You absolute idiot. I never asked for that kind of self-sacrifice. I never said—nor ever even thought—that I wanted you to throw your life away just to send me home.
"...What do you intend to do?" Heimdall asked softly.
With a sharp metallic ring, I drew my Wand-Sword from its scabbard.
"Give me your life. In exchange, I'll give you mine."
"We're in this together," I declared, fixing him with an unwavering glare. "If bringing me to this world is Aria's sin, then I'll take the punishment, too. We'll atone for it together."
Heimdall's eyes widened in surprise at my unyielding declaration. Then, letting out an exasperated sigh, he shrugged his shoulders.
"Is that sympathy? Or affection?" Heimdall questioned. "Are you truly willing to abandon your return home and a life of peace over such vague, fleeting emotion? Ignoring the fact that she, more than anyone, wishes for your return?"
"I'm doing it because I want to," I answered, grinning. "No matter what Aria says."
As the god sighed as if pitying a fool, I stood firm. I didn't care if Alphiria yelled at me or burst into tears. If she was going to shoulder her sin alone, then out of pure selfishness, I'd stay right by her side.
"Despite your appearance, you are quite the selfish child," Heimdall observed.
He sounded exasperated, yet he smiled as though he had received the very answer he had hoped for.
"Unfortunately for you, I was raised to believe a boy ought to be a little stubborn."
The corners of Heimdall's mouth curved up into a crescent moon. With a clean, sharp hiss that sliced through the air, he drew the longsword sheathed at his hip.
In that instant, the atmosphere of the chamber shifted dramatically. A skin-prickling pressure took on physical weight, crushing down on me until I could barely draw breath. But I refused to yield.
"Child of another world, I shall grant you a trial."
Raising his longsword into a mid-level guard, Heimdall proclaimed in a voice brimming with divine authority:
"Defeat me, if you can."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" I roared.
My opponent was a god. Probing attacks or superficial feints were pointless. Besides, a complete novice in combat like me didn't have the skill for clever tactics anyway. That left only one option: hit him with every last scrap of power I had, holding nothing back.
"O Purgatory, bloom into madness—"
I thrust my Wand-Sword high into the air. In an instant, my heart pounded violently and excruciating pain tore through my entire body. Ignoring the agony, I channeled every drop of mana I currently possessed—and all that I could conjure—into the blade.
The dim chamber blazed with brilliant white illumination as if thrust directly beneath the sun. Flaming swords materialized in the empty air, glowing beyond crimson with a searing bluish-white light. There were not merely hundreds, but well over a thousand, filling the massive domed cavern.
"Hoh..." Heimdall murmured.
The immense heat radiating from those blades of bluish-white destruction scorched the air, pushing back Heimdall's divine aura with a wave of pure thermal pressure.
"To manifest such a vast host of flame swords with a mortal body..."
Heimdall let out a voice of marvel as he looked up at the sea of bluish-white infernos blanketing the ceiling, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"—Steeria: Blooming Blaze Blades!!"
With a blood-curdling war cry, I brought my Wand-Sword down. In response to its arc, a thousand azure flame swords rained down simultaneously like a meteor shower.
ROOOOOOOOOOAR!!
With a deafening roar that threatened to shatter my eardrums, the pale blue blades slammed into Heimdall one after another, triggering a rapid succession of massive explosions. Monstrous shockwaves and scorching heat waves raged through the hall, tearing effortlessly through the sturdy stone floor as a hellfire as bright as the sun swallowed the god whole.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Flames engulfed my entire field of vision, and a roaring cloud of explosive fire blanketed the chamber. Heat intense enough to scorch skin blasted against my cheeks as I huffed ragged breaths, keeping my wand-sword raised.
"Splendid magic, child of another world."
With a single sweep of his longsword, Heimdall blew away the raging inferno, emerging calmly from the smoke without a single burn or scorch mark on his unblemished form.
"Yet you are still merely human," Heimdall declared softly. "Heat of this measure is nowhere near enough to destroy my vessel."
"Haha... You've got to be kidding me..." I let out a dry, disbelieving laugh.
The reality before me was far too harsh to be called mere despair. Even after taking a direct hit from nearly a thousand blue flame blades fueled by every last drop of my mana, the god standing before me hadn't even lost his breath.
As I stood there stunned, Heimdall slowly raised his longsword high overhead and swung it down without mercy. It was neither magic nor a refined sword technique—just a simple, ordinary swing. Yet executed by a god, that single strike generated a torrential wave of force that crashed over me like a thunderous waterfall.
"Ghah...!?"
The impact felt as though I had been slammed by a heavy truck at full speed. My body flew through the air like a tattered rag doll before crashing back-first into the chamber's stone wall. Every bone in my body screamed in agony, and the air was forcibly knocked from my lungs as I coughed up a spray of blood.
"I shall grant you this much," Heimdall remarked. "Your magic is indeed formidable. But to me, it remains nothing more than child's play."
There was no mockery in his voice. No contempt, either. Looking down at me where I lay collapsed, he was merely stating an indisputable fact. But I didn't need a god to tell me that—I knew it better than anyone.
"So... what of it?!" I snapped back.
Wiping the blood from my mouth, I pushed myself up, using my wand-sword as a crude crutch to stand on shaky legs. A splitting headache tore through my skull, and my heart felt on the verge of bursting. My vision flickered red, and no strength remained in my limbs. Even so, I refused to give up, invoking the spells of two great mages back-to-back from memory.
"Pierce, O Ice—! Pierce, O Flame—!"
Conjured from the faint embers of mana produced by my failing heart, Cyril's ice spears and Aria's fireballs surged toward Heimdall in unison.
"How tragic," Heimdall murmured softly. "That does not even qualify as a futile struggle, child of another world."
Heimdall took a single step forward and casually swung his longsword. That effortless gesture alone cleaved the very space between us, slicing through both ice spears and fireballs until they scattered into nothingness.
"...Do you know what is required to enforce one's own will?" Heimdall inquired calmly.
He closed the distance toward me at a measured pace as I barely managed to keep my footing, his quiet voice echoing through the chamber.
"...What are you talking about?" I rasped out.
"Power," he answered. "An overwhelming force capable of subjugating all others. Selfishness without power is far more pitiful than a child's temper tantrum. As for which one you are right now... there is no need to spell it out, is there?"
Along with those words came a god-speed kick that dug deep into my stomach. My body slammed against the stone wall once more, and this time, every last shred of strength to stand left me. I fell face-first onto the stone floor as sensation faded from my limbs and my consciousness rapidly slipped away.
"Considering what lies ahead, granting you death here may be the greatest mercy I can offer," Heimdall mused.
"...What... are you saying...?" I forced out in a hoarse whisper.
Looking down at me with pity in his eyes as I choked out the question, Heimdall raised his longsword high toward the heavens.
"I shall send you to the side of God without pain."
It was a cold, ruthless sentence of execution. Though I desperately wanted to resist, I couldn't move so much as a finger. Just as the massive blade began its descent to sever my head from my shoulders—
I'm sorry, Aria...
Closing my eyes softly, I pictured the carefree, smiling face of my master.
"Shinyaaaaaah!!"
Accompanied by an anguished scream that shook my eardrums, a colossal strike of fire magic detonated right against Heimdall. A tremendous explosion erupted, catching the god off guard and forcing him to instantly leap back from me.
Through the thick clouds of swirling smoke, a golden-haired beauty burst forward, out of breath with her gorgeous tresses disheveled.
"Shinya! Are you alive?!" she cried frantically. "If you're alive, call out my name!"
"A-Aria...? Why are you... here...?" I stammered in disbelief.
"I came to save you, of course!" she shouted, teary-eyed as she grabbed my arms and pulled me upright by force. "More importantly, can you stand?!"
Glaring down at me with tear-filled eyes, Alphiria forcibly hoisted me up. This touch was no illusion. As I leaned heavily on her shoulder and swayed on my feet—
"So you came to rescue your familiar," Heimdall remarked coldly, swatting away the haze of smoke. "A foolish woman, Alphiria Glastonbury."
Heimdall spoke in a chillingly indifferent tone as he swept aside the dust.
"Too bad for you," Alphiria retorted with a dauntless smirk, stepping forward to shield me. "I'm not the kind of terrible master who lets her familiar die."
Wearing a bold, defiant smile, Alphiria put herself between me and the god.
"Besides, am I right in assuming you're the one who roughed up my precious familiar?" she asked sharply.
"I did not rough him up," Heimdall answered flatly. "I merely granted him a trial."
Though his voice remained detached, it carried a crushing pressure capable of flattening the room itself, alongside an unmistakable aura of killing intent that hadn't been present before.
"...Ngh! Aria, run! He's... we can't beat him...!" I gasped out urgently.
Despite her brave front, Alphiria's slender back standing protectively in front of me trembled faintly from the sheer terror of Heimdall's overwhelming presence.
"If I run, you're coming with me," she asserted resolutely. "And if we die, we die together."
Without letting an ounce of fear show in her voice, she gave her steadfast reply.
"Besides, did you forget?" she added, turning back toward me. "You were the one who said it first—that we'd die together."
As she looked back at me, Alphiria wrapped her arms around my battered body in a gentle yet firm embrace. Her sweet, floral scent and reassuring warmth felt entirely out of place in this frigid, gloomy labyrinth.
"It's my turn to protect you now," she whispered softly. "So just rest here for a bit."
Releasing the embrace, Alphiria turned back around to face Heimdall once more.
"Here I come!"
Alphiria effortlessly deployed her magic without making a sound. It was her lethal, ultimate flame spell—the very one I had witnessed before, capable of obliterating even a boss monster on the upper floors in a single blow.
"Reduce all to ash—Vulcanus: Furious Incineration!"
She incanted the name quietly, and a terrifying storm of fire large enough to consume the whole hall surged forward, roaring like a beast as it swallowed Heimdall. Yet Heimdall merely offered a faint sneer—
"Futility," he muttered coldly.
Just as he had done against me, he swept his longsword horizontally to nullify the strike. But Alphiria, fully expecting as much, showed no sign of flinching and unleashed spell after spell in rapid succession.
"Insolent pest...!" Heimdall barked, swatting at her attacks as though brushing away a pesky fly.
As if anticipating that exact moment of distraction, Alphiria conjured six massive magic circles around herself.
Red, blue, green, brown, white, and black. She manifested magic circles of all six fundamental elements—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark—simultaneously, converging them into a single focus. It was an extraordinary spell beyond comprehension, made possible only by her affinity for all attributes and her flawless mana control.
"O Six Laws, gather in my hands and pierce all creation—"
The six-colored circles fused into a single entity, transforming into a divine, iridescent beam of light. Alphiria raised her voice to chant the name of her ultimate trump card.
"—Arcus Cadente: Prismatic Meteor Beam!"
A colossal beam of prismatic light tore out from the magic circle, sweeping across the entire hall straight toward Heimdall. The blinding glare forced me to squint. A torrent of destruction capable of shaking the very foundations of the labyrinth blasted into the god, ringing out with a deafening roar.
"...Did she... get him?" I muttered under my breath.
It was at that exact instant.
"To think the day would come when I would taste that spell once more," a voice echoed wistfully from within the rainbow pillar of light.
Inside the radiant surge, Heimdall grinned as he raised his longsword high above his head and slashed downward with all his power.
"...Ngh!?"
Alphiria's spell shattered like fragile glass, sending rainbow fragments scattering through the air in a shimmering spray.
"Now it is my turn," Heimdall declared, initiating his first counterattack.
Closing the distance in a flash, he swept his longsword horizontally, aiming directly for Alphiria's slender neck.
"...Kuh!" Alphiria gritted her teeth, refusing to yield an inch.
Instantly pulling the lingering rainbow embers back into her body, she re-wrapped herself in a radiant, prismatic cloak of physical reinforcement.
CLAAAAAANG!!
A violent clash of metal reverberated through the room. Reinforced to the absolute limit by her rainbow magic, Alphiria blocked Heimdall's god-speed strike head-on with her slender arms and wand-sword.
"You... brute strength monster...!" Alphiria spat out with a strained laugh.
Unable to withstand the staggering force of the impact, the stone beneath her feet shattered into a wide crater.
"...Oh?" Heimdall hummed in genuine impression.
With their blades locked, Heimdall let out another exclamation of wonder and delight—one of many he had uttered today.
"To instantly convert the shattered remnants of your spell into physical reinforcement... Magnificent quick-thinking, Alphiria Glastonbury!"
"Haa... haa...! I won't allow myself to fall until I've defeated you...!" Alphiria panted out, gritting her teeth as she desperately pushed back against his sword.
Glaring up with absolute determination, the brilliant fire burning in her eyes was born from a single, unyielding resolve: to protect me no matter what.
"You have honed your craft exceptionally well for a fledgling flower," Heimdall praised. "You deserve admiration."
"Did you expect me to say 'I'm honored by your praise'?" Alphiria snapped back. "Hearing that from you right now just sounds like mockery!"
"Though you are a sinner," Heimdall spoke gently, "out of respect for your blazing willpower and relentless dedication, I shall get somewhat serious."
Saying so in a tranquil voice, Heimdall leaped backward. After a brief silence, his longsword gave a sudden, heavy pulse. My instincts screamed in alarm.
"Aria, run—!" I yelled frantically.
"Perish," Heimdall commanded softly.
A slash imbued with divine authority erupted from his raised blade, ruthlessly severing Alphiria's body right through her prismatic cloak.
"...Huh?" she gasped out faintly.
Fresh blood sprayed into the air. Stripped of her rainbow luminescence, Alphiria collapsed onto the cold stone floor like a puppet with its strings cut, falling flat on her back as a pool of red pooled around her.
"Kah... haa..."
"You fought valiantly for a mortal, Alphiria Glastonbury, but this is where it ends," Heimdall pronounced mercifully. "Atone for your sins with your death."
As he delivered the merciful execution sentence, he slowly raised his longsword once more.
"Ariaaaaaah!!"
My vision turned crimson. Ignoring the agonizing creak of my shattered bones and the suffocating pressure crushing my lungs, I scrambled desperately toward my master collapsed in the puddle of blood.
"Look at me! Heimdall!" I roared.
As I screamed, I offered up not only my lingering mana but my very heartbeat itself, burning my life force to unleash an ice spell.
"Bloom in frozen crimson—Cocytus: Frozen Blossom Coffin!!"
Devouring my life force, an absolute-zero frost surged forth, enveloping Heimdall and sealing him within a massive, sculpted rose of solid ice.
Yet with a simple shift of Heimdall's body, the thick ice rose shattered effortlessly like delicate glass, crumbling into dust.
"Ghah...!"
That was the price of pushing my mana beyond its limits. Dark, clotted blood spilled uncontrollably from my lips. The power summoned by my fury vanished, and I collapsed right onto the ground.
"Shinya...!"
Forcing a voice from the depths of her throat, Alphiria dragged herself up, leaving a trail of crimson across the stone as she reached my side and pulled me into her arms.
We were out of options. My mana was completely depleted, and no magic had been able to leave so much as a scratch on that god. Every means of resistance had failed us.
"I'm sorry, Aria..." I choked out weakly, resting my head against her slender shoulder.
A feeble apology slipped from my lips. If only I had been stronger... If only I hadn't drained her mana... things never would have turned out like this.
"...Holding you like this... reminds me of the day I gave my first time to you," Alphiria whispered tenderly.
Clasping me tightly, she spoke in a soft, tranquil voice so out of place with impending death. Though it had happened so recently, why did it feel like a memory from the distant past?
"It's just like back then, isn't it?" she mused gently.
"Yeah... it really is..." I agreed softly.
Though the scale of the enemy was completely different, this utterly hopeless state where we had exhausted everything was nearly identical to our battle against the mutant Goblin Lord.
"Hey, Shinya... Before the end, won't you... kiss me one last time?"
Looking up, my eyes met Alphiria's, moist and burning with deep emotion. The world fell silent. I could no longer sense Heimdall raising his sword, nor did I feel the creeping terror of imminent death. My mind melted into the sweet breaths and luxurious scent of roses—so delightfully unfitting for the dark depths of this abyss.
"...Yeah," I murmured softly.
Perhaps granting us one final mercy, Heimdall held back his blow. Surprisingly, this god possessed a human side after all. Savoring the precious few seconds we had left, we drew close to one another.
"I give my everything to you," she pledged softly. "So stay by my side... until the very end."
"As you command, Master," I replied.
Slowly bringing our faces together, our lips met.
In that instant, my heart gave a violent thrum.
An unfathomable heat unlike anything I had ever felt shot through my entire body like a falling star. Completely distinct from any ordinary mana generation, a supernova explosion like the birth of a newborn star erupted within me.
Sparks of seven-colored light burst inside my mind.
It was the power once possessed by the first and last great archmage who defined the laws of magic, laid its foundations, penned its truths, and handed them down to posterity in an age long past—Albion Aurora.
My awareness returned. As our lips parted, the world had fundamentally shifted. Or perhaps it was I who had changed. The oppressive, torrential weight of Heimdall's divine authority now felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"Sh-Shinya...? What is... this mana...?" Alphiria stammered out, her eyes wide with overwhelming astonishment.
She stared up at me in disbelief. Offering her a reassuring smile, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before carefully pulling back from her embrace.
Rising rainbow-colored mana surged through my body and spilled over into Alphiria, completely restoring our battered forms in the blink of an eye.
"I'll put an end to this in a second," I told her warmly. "Wait here for me, Aria."
"...Mm. Okay," she nodded softly. "Go get him, Shinya."
Returning her nod with a smile, I turned away and stood up, retrieving my wand-sword. The moment it brushed against the seven-colored magic, the silver blade unleashed a dazzling radiance as its form metamorphosed.
A refined, pure-white blade edged in starlight took shape, connected to the hilt by the gentle curve of a golden ring. Embedded at its center was an azure gem that looked as though a piece of the open sky had been carved out and set within it.
Though I had never laid eyes on it before, I instinctively knew its name: the Star Wand-Sword Sephirot—the very first wand-sword in existence, entrusted to the archmage Albion Aurora by the fairies.
"That power... That radiance..." Heimdall gasped, a mix of shock and melancholy washing over his face as though he had once clashed with someone wielding that very strength.
A complex mixture of awe and sorrow swept across Heimdall's visage, as if remembering a legendary opponent of old.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, God," I said. "Let's finish this."
"Heh... Very well," Heimdall chuckled softly.
All human emotion drained from Heimdall's expression, replaced by the stern, majestic countenance of the god of war who had once reigned supreme over the world.
"If I am to face that radiant aurora, I shall unleash everything I possess to cut you down," he declared solemnly.
Heimdall raised his longsword into a high guard position. An immense concentration of divine power gathered upon the blade, spilling forth a light so brilliant it dyed the entire hall in pure white—the very light of despair that had collapsed the fourth floor's boss room and plunged me into this abyss.
"Perish before my divine majesty, child of another world!"
A strike of dawn light that bathed the world in white surged forward as a torrent of absolute destruction, threatening to cleave space itself along with Alphiria standing behind me.
Yet in that moment, not a single shred of fear remained in my heart.
Quietly raising the Star Wand-Sword Sephirot, I traced a magic circle in midair with my left hand, picturing the infinite expanse of stars and wishing for eternal tranquility. It was the lost star magic of antiquity—a secret art reserved solely for that legendary archmage.
"Moon of night. Maiden's prayer. Celestial sword and earthly shield. Creation of ideal sanctuary—"
The strike of dawn light collided directly with the magic circle, causing the entire dungeon to groan. In that compressed instant where a single misstep meant soul-vaporizing oblivion, I chanted the incantation and fed my mana into the spell—a radiant gold reminiscent of stars hanging in the night sky.
"Astraea Serenade: Starfall Utopia!!"
With a battle cry that split the air, I swung the Star Wand-Sword Sephirot straight down.
The starlight blade unleashed cleaved the torrent of dawn light like parting the sea, shattering Heimdall's longsword and cleanly slicing deep across his divine form.
From the path of the wand-sword's swing, a shower of countless shooting stars rained down, dispelling the dark clouds of despair that shrouded the bottom of the abyss. To us, it was a wondrous, blessed light of hope.
"...Beautiful," Alphiria murmured softly.
Basking in the starry rain, Heimdall slowly lowered his broken sword. A serene, proud smile worthy of a god rested on his face.
"...Magnificent," he breathed.
Leaving behind only those final words, the god dissolved into a glowing sand of starlight, fading peacefully into the dark.
A veil of silence fell over the chamber.
Having fulfilled its purpose, the Star Wand-Sword Sephirot reverted to its original silver form. Sheathing it, I turned around slowly and offered a gentle smile to my beloved master standing stunned before me.
"...It's over, Aria," I said softly.
The moment those words left my mouth, the mana dissipated from my body, and a wave of intense exhaustion overwhelmed me. Darkness gradually crept into my vision as I felt myself swaying and falling.
"Shinya...!"
Riding on the breeze came the familiar scent of roses. Enveloped in soft, warm affection, my consciousness melted away into a peaceful slumber.
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