Vol 5 Chapter 55: Interlude – Hero vs Witch

South end of the Magocracy, inside the hidden World Dungeon, Reverse Tower

"How curious… I thought I've already told all of you to leave me alone here until I say otherwise."

When Opal Lestat promised she would do something, she would do it without a doubt. She had been that way ever since her youth and she hadn't changed a bit now that she was older.

And so, defying the command of Mira, she made a visit to the World Dungeon. Using the teleporter, she arrived at the top floor in an instant. She would find the archmage sitting cross-legged on the floor, seemingly meditating with her eyes closed.

Mira opened her eyes. She stood up, staring at the old woman with a displeased look.

"Why do you hide here? Why don't you lead us like the archmage you are? You were the one who wished for a paradise for mages like us. With your strength, defeating the Milicis Church and the Holy Empire would not be a problem."

Hearing the old woman's words, Mira covered her mouth and suppressed a giggle.

"Oh, my dear Opal. Do not be hasty. We'll wait until Project Golem is finished first before we attack. If we attack, we'll have to deal with the two Orders as well. And their two leaders—their strength surpasses the Imperial Knights. It will be much safer for us if we have Yaldabaoth on our side, no?"

The old woman scoffed. Project Golem. The pet project of that old fool Vehta. It was one of the reasons why they invaded the rest of the continent. They needed to build the spires in their territories for the grand runic spell to work.

"You really don't care about murdering millions?"

"Not when they're people without the gift," Mira replied with a smile. "After all, I aim to make a paradise for mages. There is no place for non-mages in my world."

Opal fell silent. To think a woman who once fought for the good of all humanity would say that…

"Yaldabaoth will be invincible," Mira continued. "There's no need to attack before it is ready for deployment."

Invincible… Opal frowned. She had seen the schematics, just like the other Council members. Using the mana crystals grown out of the millions of non-mages in the continent, they would construct a massive golem the size of a mountain. It would be impervious to all attacks, be it magical or physical. Even the blades of Esther Solis and Ciaran Hrothgar would not be able to take it down. Mana crystals naturally absorb magical attacks well while physical, aura-based attacks would be dampened by the force field the construct would be protected with, as well as the fact that it could survive being shattered into a million pieces, owing to its auto-reconstructive capacity.

She had to agree with Mira's assessment. By all metrics, the construct would be invincible.

And yet, she didn't like the plan.

As a mage, she never liked relying on magical constructs. For a mage to establish her superiority against non-mages, they would have to win using only their own magic, not by creating tools that could fight in their stead. Those swordsmen and women fought only with their blades. Mages should only fight with their staves as well.

It wasn't just her that had this sentiment. Merlinus agreed as well. But their dissent was eventually vetoed by Mira, who took Vehta and Selendia's side.

"Now leave. A guest will soon arrive here. And I prefer to meet her alone."

Opal raised her eyebrow. A guest? What kind of guest could she be waiting for?

Still, she said nothing as she made her way back to the teleporter. If she displeased her enough, she knew she would just kill her on the spot. And there would be nothing she could do against it. The disparity between their strength—it was simply too great.

Let these old bones of hers see what kind of world she would create, even if the foundation was a mountain of skulls.

"Here we are. Our destination."

"The nest of evil itself."

Ars and Milicis now stood in front of Reverse Tower, an anomalous, upside-down tower hidden inside a hidden cave at the southern border of the Magocracy.

The two had made their way through the enemy country without being discovered. The Saint was thankfully capable of hiding her divine aura. And, with the aid of a dull black cloak, she could hide her shining golden hair and fancy church robes from the common folks they met on the road.

Still, it hadn't been easy. The mage country had spies everywhere. Even the non-magic citizens were ready to tattle on any suspicious personage they found. Foreigners like them, mostly adventurers and merchants, were scrutinized to their very bones, to the point that anyone with ties to the Empire was to be arrested and detained even without any concrete proof.

Thankfully, Milicis brought with her enough Magus coins that they didn't have to accept any jobs as adventurers to feed themselves. She had naturally foreseen this type of surveillance and her plan was to just go through the country as fast as they could, only stopping to rest and nothing more.

"So Mira is in here? Are you sure? I expect a leader of a country like herself would be in the capital, not out of nowhere in some hidden underground tower like this. There aren't even any guards around." Ars asked with raised eyebrows towards the saintess.

"Oh, I am perfectly sure about that," Milicis replied, her tone making her almost seem offended by him doubting her words. "She is here. And the Administrator of the dungeon as well."

"Administrator?"

Milicis didn't reply. She simply continued onward, entering the tower with a frown on her face.

ᅠ

The tower's interior was nothing like Ars had ever seen before. The walls were glowing a gentle green hue, emitted out of millions of runic lines that covered them from top to bottom. A heavy atmosphere blanketed the stale air, and every step he took seemingly echoed across the darkness.

The hallway they entered soon took them into a large, empty room. A large gaping hole rested in the middle of the room, seemingly leading into a bottomless pit.

"Well, would you look at that? You come at last, my old dear friend."

Ars swiftly drew his sword, his eyes scanning around his surroundings for the source of the voice.

"Jump down the hole. The teleporter shall take you to my room right away."

Ars gritted his teeth. Where's that voice coming from?!

"Don't worry. I'm not so foolish to think you'll die from a simple fall."

The voice then disappeared, leaving the two on their own once more.

"Come." Milicis then spoke, without sparing a glance at the confused hero. "She waits."

The saint took a step forward. And another. And another. Until she was right at the edge of the hole.

"H-hey, I don't think we should—"

The woman vanished.

"Oh come on!"

He ran to the edge of the hole. Peering down, he could see nothing but darkness.

"I swear, that damn woman!"

And so, he took a deep breath and jumped as well.

ᅠ

Milicis

Darkness.

I saw nothing but darkness all around me as I plummeted further and further.

It doesn't matter if it is a trap or not. There is nothing in this world that can harm me. Not in my current state.

And that includes her as well.

The world shifted. No longer was I inside the hole. I could see the floor under me with clarity as it glowed from the runic charm written on it.

I landed on my feet, receiving an impact so soft as if I had merely jumped a foot high. Looking around, I judged that I had been teleported into a small round room, with an opening leading to a much larger one.

Ars soon landed as well, his face looking as if he just saw a ghost. Compared to Arthur, he was indeed quite the expressive man.

I walked towards the opening, entering the much larger room beyond it.

And there, we finally met.

"Mira."

She stood with a small smile on her face, as if satisfied that I finally made it here.

"Long time no see, Milicis. Or should I say Catherine? That's the name of the woman whose body you're using, correct?"

She looked… different. He was right. She really was using the body of another.

"You're one to talk, filthy necromancer."

She burst into a laugh.

"Oh, how ironic you'd say that! You, who have devoured all the souls of those women for a millenia, just so you could remain in this world."

…She is right.

My existence… it is sin itself.

The Church, ever since its inception, has held the secret of my existence away from the eyes and ears of the public.

The Saints, those chosen to lead the Church, were not some honored existence chosen by me and Him. No, they were cursed creatures, destined to surrender their bodies so I could continue to lead the Church.

I didn't want to. But He insisted, telling me that my presence was necessary to keep the balance of the world.

…Balance… heh… so much for that… The Goddess managed to escape anyway…

"I am here not to seek justification for my actions. I am here to confront you, before you can enact whatever foolish plan you have in your mind."

"Ooh, interesting!" She laughed once more. "What do you think, then, my plan is?"

"You're trying to take down the Goddess. Your Yaldabaoth Project, it is all for the sake of creating a spell powerful enough to rip Her from Her throne."

"Oho! I see your Heavenly Dragon is peeking into all my secrets! Good! Good! I was hoping you'd know me well enough that you know I won't ever kneel to that despotic tyrant out of my own volition!"

She was now clapping her hands, smiling as she did.

"Indeed, that is my plan! But you miss one crucial thing! I won't just be killing her! I will replace her as well!"

"...I see. You wish to prevent the death of the world. So you are privy to even that information…"

"Of course! This is a plan millenia in the making after all!"

The World Seed.

It was the true form of the Goddess.

She really did create the world, but she herself was created by someone or something else.

This world didn't exist before she came into being. It was her who grew to become "it" as its seed.

The world's will is her will. And her death would mean the death of the world as well.

"Do you have any idea what the consequences would be if you do so? You think you're smarter than the Ancients, who learned of the truth and decided not to kill her?"

"I have surpassed them. I shall be the one to deliver this world from Her blight."

Her eyes… they glint with such immense confidence… or is it madness?

"I am sorry. I cannot entrust the world's future to your delusion."

There is no changing her mind… even in her youth, she had always been such a headstrong girl…

"Ars, you may begin."

ᅠ

Ars

Finally! That took her long enough!

I have no idea what she was talking about with her but I do know one thing.

This Mira person… She's strong. Overwhelmingly so.

Not just because she was supposed to be The Legendary Archmage. No. More than that. I can sense it — the overwhelming aura of danger she exudes.

Is it my instinct speaking? I don't know. But I do know for sure that I should not hold back in the slightest against her.

I leapt forward, swinging my sword as fast as I could towards her.

…She vanished?!

My slash missed the mark entirely, its force crashing into the tower walls instead.

"Gyaahhh!"

A piercing pain surged throughout my body, enough to bring me down to my knees.

Behind me was Mira, hovering in the air with her right palm aimed towards me.

"Call me surprised. You actually survive that. My Supreme Thunder possesses enough power to turn even an Elder Dragon to ash. You really are the new chosen Hero, aren't you?"

Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation across my body.

My wounds… they're all gone…

"Be careful. That woman… She possesses the magic to teleport herself faster than the blink of an eye. She can dodge your blows that way."

I glanced towards Milicis. Of course! She was the one who healed me!

Heh, being the legendary saint that she is, I imagine she can heal any wounds no matter how grave…

I jumped, slicing the air in a full 360 degrees motion. She vanished once again, but this time, I was ready. Predicting that she would reappear somewhere behind me, I dashed backwards.

Got you!

I switched my sword grip into a backwards one before performing a stabbing motion, aimed at her who was now right behind me.

…What the—

My sword… it—it fails to reach her…

…Gah!

My blade exploded, sending me flying backwards right at the nearest wall.

"Wormhole Shield. I bent space itself, creating a singularity that counteracts the sheer force of your stabbing motion. Your pitiful sword simply cannot handle it."

Another rejuvenation spell from the Missus. It seemed she would rather have me do all the dirty work instead of fighting herself.

And damn, that woman really is strong. And arrogant as well. That smile of hers is practically saying, "I'm so much better than you lot!"

What an unpleasant person.

"Take out your axe. I'll bless it with my protection so it won't shatter like your sword."

"Now that's more like it." I grinned at the holy lady, pulling the weapon from my back, discarding the sheathe to the ground. "Arthur might love his swords but I'm more of an axe guy myself."

She aimed her staff towards me without looking, and the next second, my axe had this weird golden glow on it. Her blessing, I presume.

"Stay there for a bit. Attack only when you see an opening."

Oh, so she's going to join the fray. Finally.

Let's see what the legendary Saint is capable of.

ᅠ

Milicis

As I feared, she's just as strong as she was in her prime.

Gravity magic… her expertise… No other mages in the world can cast her gravity spells…

Perhaps she decided to never share the knowledge to her disciples… or perhaps they're simply too difficult for any mage other than hers to cast…

Whatever the case is, it'd take more than Ars's prowess to break through her defenses. He may have been blessed by the destiny of a legendary hero but his technique and experience are still far less compared to Arthur.

Ironic. Isolde is stronger than him now, even though she's supposed to be his companion.

But, her strength is needed elsewhere. So I have to make due with just him.

"Chains of Fate."

Let's see how you deal with this, o wicked necromancer.

"Wormhole Shield! Spread Formation!"

To my surprise, she managed to block every single one of my chains. And the way she did it was by creating innumerable singularities to absorb the mana and force of the innumerable chains I sent her way.

Even they can't overpower her singularities, it seems.

No. It's because I'm only fighting with half of my power. If I'm at full strength…

"What's this? I remember your spells being stronger, Milicis." She grinned. "Don't tell me you've gotten weaker over the years!"

The singularities swallowed the chains one by one, storing their energy inside their infinitely small masses.

"Reversal!"

Before firing it all out in a massive beam of golden light.

"Perfect Barrier."

I could survive her counter-attack. But Ars was a different story entirely. As such, I had to erect a barrier for him.

And then, I saw it — a pair of spells forming in her hands. Red and blue. Supreme Heat and Supreme Cold, most likely.

In the millisecond after her singularities fired, she was already readying a new cast.

As expected, she would use this opportunity to further her attack. She's fast enough of a caster to do so. And cleverly enough, she sent both spells towards Ars. She knew my barrier couldn't withstand three Archmage-level spells back to back. A Perfect Barrier may theoretically be capable of reflecting anything that hits it, but its integrity does weaken every time it does, especially when the spells are as powerful as the ones she's casting.

In this situation, there's only one optimal solution.

"Morning Star."

The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was the blindingly bright light exploding from the tip of my staff.

ᅠ

How long has it been since I last cast this spell?

…A millennium. There hasn't been any threat great enough that I have to resort to casting it. I didn't even have to use it against her when we fought a millennium ago.

No. I only used it against the demon hordes, back when we were still fighting side by side.

It took almost all my mana to cast it. And I expect it will still hold true now, especially since the body I am wearing right now doesn't have the same amount of mana pool as my old body.

After all, it is a spell designed to scour the earth of existence itself. It is only natural it requires an immense amount of mana.

ᅠ

Fall.

We were falling.

The floor we stood on was no more.

Nor the walls. Or the ceilings. Or anything else.

Everything had turned into sand and dust. The violent bright I created had eradicated them to their very core.

Only those protected by the same light would be spared of the destruction, which meant myself and Ars.

Casting a protection spell on my feet, I landed without harm. Ars' barrier was still intact so there was no need to do the same to him.

We were now inside a massive crater made out of fine sand. The tower was nowhere to be found, along with the cave that contained its presence. My spell erased them all and now they existed only as little, tiny grains under our feet.

I scanned my surroundings. Thanks to the light streaming down from the sky above, there was no dark corner one could conceivably hide in inside the crater.

She's not here… Does it mean that—I won?

Surely that can't be it. You're smarter and more skilled than that, aren't you, Mira?

"W-what in the blazes was that?! You… you blew up… e-everything! I nearly went blind because of your spell!"

Ars was, understandably, quite taken aback by what just transpired.

Ironic, considering as the new Hero, he had the strength to cut down mountains himself.

"That was my ultimate spell, Morning Star. It was invented by the Ancients, to kill other Ancients en masse. In the old days, they would send flying runic devices that could cast the spell autonomously. They possessed thousands of them, and when they went to war against each other, they inevitably turned the world into a graveyard of endless sand, just like the one we are in right now."

"Seriously? No wonder the Demon God lost to you."

"Don't be silly. You, as the new Legendary Hero, should be stronger than this. And besides—"

My legs wobbled as a wave of exhaustion hit me from top to bottom. I knelt down, not wanting to fall from the sudden dizziness.

This body… it can't handle the spell…

"Hey, you're okay?" Ars gave me a concerned look.

"I'm fine. That magic just took almost all my mana to cast."

"Is that it? Did we win? Heh, I guess you don't really need my help after—"

He was wrong.

She was still alive and well.

A wormhole appeared right behind me. And from it, a pair of arms crept out, hovering right around my neck.

"Dimension Slice."

Within a swift millisecond, my head was no longer attached to my body.

ᅠ

Ars

"Milicis!"

I leapt forward, swinging my axe down at the two outstretched hands.

Only for it to be repelled once again by her spell.

Damn it!

Damn it damn it damn it! I should've known she wouldn't die that easily!

A surge of heat gathered near the arms. I managed to back away, just in time to dodge the spell. It hit the sand behind me, turning it into glass in an instant.

The wormhole opened further, revealing the mage in her entirety.

She was still alive, but she was gravely wounded. Her clothes were in tatters with blood dripping all over her body.

Stepping out of the hole, she had a victorious grin on her face.

"Ha! I did it! Take that, you obnoxious priestess! You think you're invincible just because you have that cheat spell of yours? Not in the slightest! My Dimensional Slice isn't an attack! It simply dislocates the space around your head, teleporting it somewhere else! Your cheat spell can't do anything against it!"

She spat on Milicis' corpse before moving her gaze towards me.

"Do you know what spell she used? Barrier of Fate! It sends all attacks towards its user to someone else in the world! She doesn't care if it kills someone else! Some holy woman she is!"

"Unfortunately for her, I can store myself inside a pocket dimension to dodge that spell of hers! And now, I am the one that remains standing!"

"Now you!" She pointed at me. "Will you stand against me as well? You're free now. You're no longer controlled by her to fight by her side!"

I glanced towards Milicis' body before looking back at her.

Controlled, huh? Maybe she did control me. Ever since I saw her in that dream, I had this undying desire to stay beside her at all costs. Even though I know I normally don't like to fight in the slightest.

And yet, these past months we traveled together… They have been the happiest days of my life.

My life was supposed to be unremarkable. Despite being born with an anomalous strength, I never had any ambition to become the greatest swordsman or adventurer. I am content having a quiet life on my own. I know how power can corrupt those that wield it and I have no desire to be like those master swordsmen.

But now—now that I have tasted the delight of adventure, I can't get enough of it. What a fool I was to think that just chopping trees everyday until you die is a good way to live.

No. This is how you should live. Especially when you possess great strength like me.

"You got me wrong, Lady Witch. I'm not here because I'm controlled by her. I'm here out of my own will."

"And I know that you and your little magic kingdom is something I would like to smash into pieces."

Milicis might be a stuck-up holier-than-thou woman but that doesn't mean I'm happy to see her die. This megalomaniac woman who thinks she can just take over the world with magic… She deserves to die more than her.

If I'm really the new Legendary Hero, then I will save the world from her evil, as cliche and corny as that might sound.

I jumped up, gripped my axe with both hands, and swung it down as hard as I could.

Once again, she blocked my blow with her spell. This was well within my expectations.

But she couldn't keep it for long. Not when she was that wounded.

All I had to do was to slam my axe against her spell over and over.

"Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!"

I swung and swung and swung, never relenting in the slightest, using all my strength at every swing. The woman was slowly being pushed back, each hit that landed making her grit her teeth more and more. She tried to cast her other spells to stop me but I took every single one without hesitation. It didn't matter how hot or cold it got. It didn't matter how my clothes evaporated. It didn't matter how much of my skin was burned beyond recognition.

I am the Legendary Hero. And I can not die before I fulfill my purpose.

"You—you really are—you really are a monster. At this rate, I might just—I might just lose…"

"...Ah, I see it now. Milicis is still here, with you. Her power now resides within you, augmenting your endurance far beyond the level of even the strongest fighter."

"Fine! I'll show you my strongest magic, here and now!"

Strongest magic? Well, that can't be good…

I just have to hit her harder.

I swung my axe even faster, even harder. All you have to do to win is swing that weapon of yours as fast and as hard as you can. You don't need any techniques. You are the Hero after all. Those were Milicis' words when we first met. She was right. I could not overcome her spell in any other way. Using brute force is all I can do right now.

" O despot of space and time—"

Faster, harder…

"---Sing to me the song of oblivion—"

Faster, harder!

"---So I may collapse reality itself!"

FASTER, HARDER!

A loud crashing sound filled the air.

Her singularity shield… I managed to cut through it at last…

Now, just one more swing… just one more swing until I can cut through her flesh…

"Black Hole!"

Only for everything to be swallowed by pure darkness.

In the end, I was too late to stop her…

ᅠ

Mira

"Haa… haa… haa… haa…."

…It's… it's over…

I won….

And barely… at that…

My whole body hurts. What remains of it anyways.

Both of my arms were gone, crushed by my own spell.

Black Hole. It was a spell that created a singularity that sucked in anything that surrounded it, even light.

Once you were a certain distance away from it, nothing could escape its grasp.

That was why my arms were gone. When I created the singularity, it promptly sucked in my hands. Flesh and bone were grinded and compressed down into nothingness in an instant. The only reason I am still alive right now is because I also cast a Dimensional Transfer spell right after, hiding the rest of my body in a pocket dimension.

Damn it… I really didn't want to ruin this body… I'm sorry, Freyja…

"The plan is successful. We've trapped the power of the holy saint. However, I'm afraid she only brought half of her benefactor's power with her."

I looked up and saw Etor standing over me. As usual, he had that mischievous smile on his face that made you want to punch him.

I ordered him not to participate in the fight. His job, after all, was to imprison the soul of Milicis here, and with it, the power of the Heavenly Dragon. Without him and his magic, she would've just returned to her false master and I wouldn't be able to steal the power I desperately needed for my plan.

"Half? Damn it. I've been had… Did that idiot seriously think she could defeat me with just half of her power?"

"Shall I heal your wounds?"

I burst into a weak laugh. "What a bad joke. The tower's gone. You don't have the strength to—"

"I do. My one last spell — I shall give it to you, my dear Mira."

"...You're a fool, you know that?"

With a bright, eerie light, time rewinded.

All the way back to when I still had my arms.

It was the only way for him to heal me. Using his time magic.

And, as it took a lot of mana to do, without his tower, there was only one thing he could use as fuel.

His own body and soul.

When his spell finished, he was nowhere to be found.

And where he stood remained a pile of ash and dust.

Oh, Etor… You are still a fool… Ever since we met a thousand years ago…

You think I'm the only one who can topple the Goddess. You even betrayed your own creator just to hedge your bet on me.

Very well. I shall carry that hope with me.

You can rest easy now.