After Schlus stepped forward for the decisive battle, the institution fell eerily silent, like a lie.
Emilia let out a *sigh* at the peaceful scenery, just as always.
Even now, Schlus was risking his life in a fight against the Majin, while I had nothing to do here but *pray*…
“What are you doing, Emilia?!”
“Ah, yes?”
“Hurry up and help! We’re short on hands!”
“Okay!”
Surprisingly, there seemed to be work to do.
Still dazed, Emilia rushed to Erika’s call.
As she hurried, she couldn’t help but gaze in awe at the vast laboratory’s scenery.
It was the research facility located underground in the Imperial University, one of the continent’s largest research establishments.
The area was filled with people in white coats.
They appeared to be quite older and likely possessed numerous degrees.
Yet, only two faces were recognizable.
Graduate student Erwin.
And the head researcher, Professor Ludwig, who was directing the staff.
“Emilia, can you see the scale here? Every time the scale rises to 8—”
“Hey! Erika!”
“Yes? Why? We’re in a hurry!”
“Why am I even here…?”
“I just said it. We need more hands. We urgently need to finish this research, but we can’t rely on court magicians or outside magic users. We have to manage with reliable personnel only. Now, let me continue explaining.”
“Okay…”
Instantly bombarded by the rapid-fire explanation, Emilia found herself folding her hands and adopting a completely cooperative stance.
Glancing aside, she spotted a huge sword placed at the center of the lab.
The sword that divides dimensions, Durandal.
Not long ago, it seemed like just a tale from legend.
“Now you understand your task, right?”
“Yes. But what exactly is this research about…?”
“Oh no, did I skip that? Um… Where should I begin? Thanks to Professor Sergey sacrificing his life, we managed to extract almost all of the sword’s power.”
“Almost all?”
“Yes. There is still a tiny bit of power left inside. We’re currently trying to extract that.”
“What are you planning to do with that power…?”
Emilia’s words trailed off.
Her gaze was drawn to a map hanging on the wall.
To the north, there was a snowy mountain.
Surrounding it were numerous black dots swarming.
“Schlus and your brother are in danger. They’re facing an enemy powerful enough to require the strength of myths.”
“Ah… Ahh…”
A secret experiment occurring beneath the Papal Palace.
Recently, fanatics had mysteriously vanished from the asylum’s base.
Puzzle pieces fitting together in Emilia’s mind.
An ominous energy crept in.
*
“*Cough…!*”
The blizzard raged on the snowy mountain.
Hertlocker exhaled sharply, clutching his chest.
Breathing was incredibly painful.
He felt he could tear his lungs at any moment, but the surrounding mana was so thin he couldn’t cast magic at all.
Even with his internal circuits running at maximum, he still felt dizzy.
Ordinary people would have fainted by now.
Hertlocker clung desperately to his sanity and advanced.
Towards the source of the mana ripple effect.
“Damn it. What the hell is this?”
As he got closer, Hertlocker was even more horrified.
The mana output felt stronger with each step he took, but he couldn’t tell how strong the source was.
How powerful was the mana ripple effect emitting from that source?
Surely, if Schlus arrived here without the mana ripple effect to guide him, he would have exhausted all his mana trying to block the output with barriers.
“Here it is.”
Having reached the cliff, Hertlocker felt certain.
He was almost there.
A source emanating a wave strong enough to incapacitate communications across the continent was right ahead.
“Hey, damn it…!”
Peering over the cliff, Hertlocker couldn’t help but curse.
The slope was steep enough to exceed 90 degrees, and below glowed a red light.
Narrowing his eyes helped him quickly identify its nature.
It was a sword.
A sword with a red jewel at the end of its hilt.
He recognized the sword immediately.
It was the sword wielded by the man he had killed.
“A thing that devoured a myth…”
Hertlocker let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Myths establish their renown sufficient enough to echo throughout the continent only after a long period.
It takes time.
Spreading across different races and cultures demands even more time.
It had taken Durandal and the magic sword thousands of years to gain such unnatural power.
Yet, that sword, Judgment Day, was different.
It had appeared less than 40 years ago.
Yet somehow, it formed such a formidable myth and stored this amount of power.
“A monster…”
Indeed, it was a monster.
That was the only thought in his mind.
Along with that, admiration surged for the man he had killed with his own hands.
Hertlocker grasped the rocky edge of the cliff and slowly began his descent.
His vision narrowed gradually.
Despite the icy wind that felt like it would tear his skin, Hertlocker felt an overwhelming sleepiness.
He bit down hard enough to burst his lips.
Heating his internal circuits, he used the intense heat to regain his senses.
While blood poured from his mouth, he spotted the radiant ‘thing that devoured a myth’ right in front of him.
“I’m almost there, you bastard.”
Standing before the sword, the mana output felt like it was going to shatter his head.
Even though his mana sensitivity wasn’t very high, it still affected him.
Hertlocker raised his trembling hand to grasp the sword embedded in the cliff.
He instinctively knew what needed to be done.
Gripping the hilt, Hertlocker mustered all his strength.
*Scrape…*
A chill seeped out as the sword was pulled from the cliff.
“Whoa!”
Hertlocker’s arm muscles swelled as the sword finally came free.
In that instant, the red jewel at the hilt lost its radiant glow.
The mana ripple effect that had been overwhelming like it would split his head also ceased almost simultaneously.
“Haah… my role ends here…”
Holding the sword and examining it, Hertlocker released a deep *sigh*.
He could have chosen to scramble back up and continue towards the peak where Schlus had gone.
But he doubted he could collect himself properly at such a high elevation.
Even if he managed to gather his thoughts, it wouldn’t help in a fight against the Majin.
Though he might be late to the party, it would be better to head south and join the traveler attack.
As he considered this, ready to descend, he noticed something.
“Uh…?”
Below the cliff.
From a distance, something was wriggling.
Could he have mistaken it amid the snowfall?
Hertlocker opened his blurred eyes wide and concentrated on the movement below.
“What the hell is that…?!”
A scream escaped Hertlocker’s lips as he identified it.
It was clearly a living creature.
A being climbing the cliff on four limbs.
Its pure white fur and greyish skin resembled that of a monster, but its limbs and spine hinted that it was once human.
Once human but no longer.
Those monstrous beings were crawling up the cliff and heading towards the peak.
“Going all the way, huh?!”
Not only were they turning fanatics into self-destructing soldiers, but now they were transforming them into monsters too.
Hertlocker climbed the cliff with great effort and stood up to look down.
The numbers were in the hundreds, if not thousands.
It seemed those creatures could breathe even at this height where oxygen was scarce.
“Seriously… Damn. What the hell is this?”
Even if they were lowly creatures, a relentless onslaught from all sides would make things tough for Schlus.
Especially since magic couldn’t be cast here.
He couldn’t let them reach the peak.
Before he knew it, Hertlocker had unknowingly taken up a combat stance.
Clutching Judgment Day with both hands.
“If I lose and return, know that you’ll die at my hands, Schlus Hainkel!!!”
Yelling with all his might, warmth surged through him, and his vision cleared once more.
The ugly faces and filthy claws of the monsters climbing the cliff were now in view.
Not a single one of them could be allowed to reach the top.
With that singular thought, Hertlocker lifted his sword.
The shape and weight of the hilt were profoundly uncomfortable for Hertlocker.
.
.
.
*Thud.*
Stepping inside, all outside noise vanished, almost as if it were a lie.
There were neither barriers nor walls, yet the space felt like it separated inside from outside.
Even after visiting twice, it was still mysteriously awe-inspiring.
Located at the highest point on the continent, the Shrine of the Majin.
“Alexia.”
“……”
At the end, he spotted a figure kneeling before an ancient statue.
As far as he knew, Alexia didn’t believe in any gods.
She looked as if she were fervently *praying*, bowing her head, but upon hearing his voice, she startled and slowly rose to turn towards him.
“You’ve come.”
“……”
Her calm response echoed through the shrine.
It wasn’t in Alexia’s typical loud, lively tone.
With a sorrowful expression as if bracing for the end, Alexia locked eyes with him.
“Schlus. I’m sorry. I will now impose a trial upon you.”
In that moment, a rush of *chills* crawled across his skin.
