Magic Tower’s Domain, Underground Maze 2nd Floor.
“P-please… just spare my life…!”
“You know it’s your fault, Laila.”
“Even so, taking my life is—!”
Thud—!
Laila’s heart was pierced by a mana bullet, and soon, she transformed from a high-ranking mage of the Magic Tower into a corpse.
“Do the assistants die too?”
An elder of the Purple Magic Tower asked.
“They’re mages of the same Purple Magic Tower!”
“Exactly, a very good point.”
Laila’s assistant spat out those words in desperation, but Elder Gendiz just stroked his beard.
“Since they are also mages of the Purple Magic Tower, be understanding. You promised unreasonable rewards to the Imperial Tower. Rather than handing over everything as it is…”
He grinned widely as he revealed his true colors.
“…it would be much cheaper if you all just died and erased the evidence, don’t you think? Since they’re mages of the same Purple Magic Tower, be broad-minded.”
“No…!”
Thud—!
The assistant’s heart was also pierced, and soon he became a corpse.
This was the scene that unfolded right after the successful repair of the teleportation magic circle in the Purple Magic Tower.
Tsk, tsk, Gendiz clicked his tongue.
“The emergency relief magic of the Purple Magic Tower was born through countless battles and immense bloodshed. Asking to hand it over to the Imperial Tower? What nonsense…”
He spat on the head of a corpse. He was completely different from the kind persona he had shown in front of others.
Gendiz then turned his head towards the elders.
“What’s the current status of the magic circle?”
“It seems it can be activated at any moment.”
“Good. How many people can we use?”
“All mages of the Purple Magic Tower will be able to escape. The rest will have to be left behind.”
“If we can escape, that is enough. No, it’s actually better that way. We can hide the fact that the Magic Tower has received a favor from the Imperial Tower.”
The emergence of a great Inspector at the Imperial Tower easily meant that the Purple Magic Tower would have to take the Imperial Tower more seriously.
Moreover, if they were to receive favors and benefits, and the Purple Magic Tower was the only one that emerged intact, wouldn’t that lead to problems?
“It would also be good to spread rumors, saying that even though mages from other towers perished weakly, mages from the Purple Magic Tower survived strong.”
“Indeed…”
“We need to emphasize that we tried our best for relief efforts. We did everything we could to save everyone, but unfortunately could not.”
“Yes. Elder, that seems to be the way to go.”
As Gendiz exchanged such conversation, he stepped onto the magic circle, a sinister smile on his face.
Wooong—! Wooong—!
The magic circle resonated and shone with dazzling white light. Before long, all the mages of the Magic Tower rose up.
“Did everyone make it?”
“Yes. Only the activation by you, Gendiz, is left.”
Gendiz immediately reached out.
But then hesitated for a moment.
“…”
The conversation he had with Ezekiel flitted through his mind.
—If you decide to abandon someone, that someone will surely be the one abandoned. I will make it so.
Even though he was just a young Inspector, how could he dare to say such things to a high elder like Gendiz? It was something that would definitely stick in his memory.
He was unlike any other Inspector he had known.
On the other hand, there was a tinge of regret.
“Justice, loyalty, and collaboration… The world calls those who only shout hollow words fools. If only you were a little more cunning, we could have been good friends…”
“Elder, the magic circle is becoming unstable again. We must depart at once.”
It was then that the elders urged him on.
Gendiz quietly blinked.
“Could it be that I’m hesitating to depart because I’m concerned about that young Inspector’s warning?”
Ezekiel’s blue eyes lingered in his memory.
With a chill, and a voice that just contained sincerity. Could it be that he feared that?
“…That’s ridiculous.”
Gendiz shook his head, denying it.
This underground maze couldn’t be escaped without the teleportation magic circle. In other words, it meant that there was no chance of meeting the Inspector again later.
“Take care. It might be hard to survive here.”
Fwoosh—!
Gendiz activated the teleportation magic circle.
Leaving the mages of the Imperial Tower behind.
First Floor of the Underground Maze.
Surprisingly quiet.
“….”
Silence engulfed the area. The mages of the Imperial Tower faced despair so overwhelming that they couldn’t utter a word.
To make matters worse, the mana was thickening ominously.
It felt like the entire space was sinking below sea level. All the mages felt their bodies grow heavy. It was truly an enormous power.
—Hoohoo… hoohoohoo… hoohoo…!
A charming laughter echoed throughout the underground. Finally, the Goddess started to speak again.
—This is an expected result. Humans cannot love each other. Only I can truly embrace Ice Ghost… Have you begun to understand a bit?
Her tone sounded triumphant, as if she had predicted this from the start.
A black cube barrier unfolded high in the air.
Once again, from within, the goddess only showed a translucent shape of herself, without revealing her actual form. Yet, the mana was sharply visible.
—Boys, bind them all up.
With that, black tentacles sprang from all directions. The mages, except Ezekiel, had no chance to react.
“…!”
“I can’t react!”
“What’s happening…!”
Fwoosh—!
The black threads wrapped the mages tightly, forming them into cocoons like a spider wrapping up its prey. Only Ezekiel was left out.
“What the….”
It was when Ezekiel glared fiercely at the goddess.
Fwoosh—!
Something shot forth at Ezekiel with tremendous force. He immediately raised an ice wall.
But it wasn’t an attack.
A black staircase descended from the mana barrier above him. That was all.
—You see, there’s no need to worry. The mages inside the cocoons are just asleep, their lives are not in danger at all. Not yet, anyway. Hoohoo…
It was then that the goddess extended her hand out of the barrier.
A beautifully white hand like a flower, with sharp claws stained with black paint. A large spider crawled down the staircase.
—Understand my messenger first. I wish to show you my true face, but… If I did, the weak humans would all die. Ah, then Ice Ghost would be sad, right…? I wouldn’t want that…
A massive black spider was descending on the staircase, seemingly the goddess’s messenger. Its fangs were as sharp as any sword, and countless red eyes glinted.
—I sensed it for the first time in the Ruiple region.
A sultry voice continued.
—The moment I recognized that unique chill, I knew instantly. I had been searching solely for Ice Ghost from the beginning. Ever since, I have been observing you. Observing, observing, observing…
“What do you want to say?”
—I mean I will never let you go.
Ezekiel thought she was pursuing him out of resentment, but that was far from the case.
The Goddess, referred to as a deity in the demon realm.
She seemed to have taken a liking to Ezekiel. However, the problem was that her level of affection seemed to be approaching madness.
“She’s not right in the head. And that’s a huge problem.”
Ezekiel glanced at the barrier imprisoning the goddess.
It wasn’t a barrier to protect himself. Instead, it seemed more of a device to ensure her mana didn’t leak, thus protecting the humans.
Indeed, there must have been a reason for the goddess to earn that title in the demon realm. She was on an entirely different level.
“I need to find a way…. I need to find a way…”
Feeling a sense of crisis for the first time in a long while, Ezekiel recalled the lives on the line.
If it was just about his own life, that would be fine, but the Imperial Tower mages, including Seina, were being held hostage in the cocoons.
Even if Ezekiel won against the goddess, if all the other mages died, such a result couldn’t be called a victory at all.
Scritch, scritch— scritch, scritch—
Meanwhile, the gigantic poisonous spider was edging closer to Ezekiel.
—Ice Ghost, you want to save everyone, right?
Even from a distance, her voice felt like a whisper right beside him. Ezekiel could feel the goddess’s breath.
—If you sweetly follow me… I can gladly save any other humans.
Ezekiel hesitated for a moment.
“….”
And then he released the chill surrounding his body.
He had been to the demon realm before. Regardless of what happened, for now, he needed to save the mages held hostage before thinking of anything else.
—Oh, just a moment….
The goddess’s shape, which was projected in the barrier, trembled for an instant.
—Ahh…. The thought of being accepted makes me overflow with joy. Knowing I can take you away makes me quiver all over… Ahhh…
It was an embarrassing sound, remaining in the air for quite some time, feeling almost like a climax.
Shortly after, the spider’s fangs glinted.
—Well then, let’s go. My dear husband.
With a word from the goddess.
Pwooooosh—!
The fangs of the spider pierced deep into Ezekiel’s chest, leaving him defenseless.
At the same time, Ezekiel’s consciousness completely faded away.
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