Inside the building of New Life Newspaper, the party started their final meeting.
Bennett pointed out two points on the map.
“This magic circle appears to have two central axes. One is in Order of the Silver Twilight’s building and⋯⋯ the other is where the meteorite fell. The ritual will be held in these two places.”
“Does that mean it’s more stable since it has two central axes? So basically, do we have to destroy them both?”
“No, that most likely will not be the case. Usually, the act of increasing the central axis of a magic circle increases both instability and power. Disrupting just one of the central axes will cause their ritual to fail.”
Because of that.
“I believe they would have split their troops. To both sides.”
[Then, there must be the Cult Leader in one of them.]
“That is right. And in the remaining one⋯⋯there must be a key individual who is leading the ritual.”
Tara clenched her fists. The battle against the Order of the Silver Twilight was right in front of them. The time for revenge had finally come.“So you're saying that we can just choose one of the two and crush them into smithereens, right?”
[Which one should we attack?]
“I think⋯⋯it would be better to hit their church building.”
Bennett explained why he made this decision.
“The location that is expected to be the opposite axis, the meteorite pit, has no obstacles. And as you all know, their magic is on the extremely offensive side. I could say that we can partially counter it thanks to a new technique called Parrying, but on an open field like that⋯⋯."
“If it comes in from all directions, it would be impossible to block it.”
“Correct. The side with more numbers has the advantage in a flat area without any cover. Since there are only a few of us, it is advisable to choose a battlefield that is narrower and has more obstacles.”
“That does seem to make sense……”
As Tara nodded with a somewhat persuaded expression, Niolle tapped her finger on the table and then scribbled on the map.
[I think the opposite.]
“Opposite?”
[After all, flat areas without obstacles are good for using magic of mass destruction. Since the fanatics lack defense capabilities, we'll actually be able to blow them up in one go.]
Tara hit the area where the church building was drawn on the map with her fist.
“⋯⋯Niolle, you can just blow up the entire building, right? If you have that kind of magic, wouldn’t it be the same case either way?”
[These are enemies who have even set up a magic circle in the entire city. It's hard to believe that they wouldn't have built up defenses in their home base. Wouldn't they already have countermeasures?]
“A well-prepared wizard is strong. It’s an unbreakable law of magical warfare. So, your words have merit. But that’s only when we can use a magic of mass destruction.”
[I know a spell that I learned in my spare time. It is a spell that borrows the power of the Flame God from a distant universe. Its power and range are incredibly wide.]
Bennett fell deep into thought.
The reason why he chose the church building, which might have all kinds of magic and traps installed, was because he judged that it was more dangerous to fight swarms of enemies in the plains.
If they had magic of mass destruction on the ready, it would be alright to aim for the meteorite pit, but one thing. There was just one thing that needed to be pointed out.
“Is it a spell that is fine to use?”
“Ah.”
“If you use a spell with that much force, I do not believe it would end with just a simple nosebleed.”
[⋯⋯Can you read what I write without being surprised?]
Niolle placed her hands on her chest and took a deep breath. A certain…… emotion fluttered in her eyes. Tara found it quite familiar. She felt like she had seen something like this before.
[I think I met the Goddess.]
Tara's expression darkened.
“Goddess?”
[Yes, she was a Goddess with blonde hair. Although it was hard to see her exact appearance because her face was blurred, she said she used to be the guardian deity of this planet. Even though she was defeated and sealed by the Evil God⋯⋯ She said she wanted to at least help us in this way. Here.]
Niolle took out a glowing white crystal ball and placed it on the table. It was shining with a milk-like color and a mysterious power could be felt from it. It seemed like a Holy Relic, so to speak.
Its effect was to make the cost used for spells close to 0. They felt pure and vast mana flowing through inside it. It seemed like it could be used for Bennett's Black Magic as well.
Goddess, was it?
Bennett, too, had a similar dream while half-asleep. Was that being indeed a Goddess? If a person could deliver a message in a dream and even provide a material artifact like this, that must be proof of a divine being’s existence.
“So this world had a normal God too⋯⋯?”
[Though, it looks like she's been defeated.]
“If that is the case, you are a Saintess, seeing as how you received a revelation from God. Niolle. Isn’t that right?”
[It's kind of embarrassing⋯⋯.]
While Niolle’s shoulders shrank as if embarrassed, Tara’s eyes shook in extreme anxiety. The fact that the Goddess of this world chose Niolle over her fueled her instability.
After she hesitated for a while, Tara timidly struck up a conversation.
“⋯⋯Hey, uh, Bennett.”
"What is it?"
“This is just hypothetical, but how would it be if I turned useless?”
“You were already useless when it came to household chores, though.”
Tara slapped Bennett on the forearm in a fit of anger. After Bennett paused for a moment, he asked her seriously. After all, he didn't think she said such a thing without reason.
“What do you mean by that?”
“No, it’s just… It’s nothing much⋯⋯Just something that came to mind.”
“That was the most unconvincing reason in the world. Tara, if you have something to say, just say──”
Crash!
The door was kicked down and Reporter Sally came in. Her complexion was pale and she had broken out into a cold sweat. She yelled as if screaming.
“L-Look at what those c-crazy bastards are doing right now!”
“Let's go right away.”
The party gathered their weapons and went up to the roof of the building.
There, a high-performance telescope was installed. But instead of observing the stars in the night sky, this time, it looked down on the people of the city.
The world seen through the lens was a hellscape.
A long procession. People were walking side by side somewhere. However, the problem wasn’t simply that they were walking. If one looked closely at their expressions, they could see that the people were in a daze, clearly not in a state where they could think properly.
And among the people with dazed expressions, there were occasionally those who appeared unaffected. As they mingled, scenes that evoked a sense of unease and discomfort occurred countless times.
A family could be seen.
A father, his young daughter, and a mother all walked side by side holding hands. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a happy family outing.
The daughter, whose hands were firmly gripped by her dazed-looking father and mother on each side… had an expression filled with terror as if the world was crumbling around her. She screamed and struggled, but she couldn't overcome the strength of the two adults.
A man dragging his girlfriend, a high school girl pushing an elderly grandfather in a wheelchair, and others. People under hypnosis were forcibly leading those who were not.
And at the end of the procession.
The scene of fanatics throwing people one by one into the crater created by the meteorite collision was visible. Those who entered first died, crushed under the weight of those who came in later.
Just like that, they were all being crushed together.
“⋯⋯How terrible.”
“We have to save them!”
[⋯⋯Yes, we have to save them. That’s right.]
“It may sound heartless, but if that many living sacrifices were made⋯⋯ It’s unimaginable how much power our enemies will gain. Before even needing to consider morality, we must stop this madness if we want to achieve our objective.”
The party hastily prepared to set out.
Tara bit her lip. And she checked the remaining Divine Power she had.
Last night, the recovery rate of Divine Power had dropped to 0.
Once all the remaining Divine Power in her body was used up, Tara would return to being a mere clothing store girl. Back to times when she had no abilities. She would lose the wealth, honor, and revered social standing she gained as a Saintess.
If she at least endured now and refrained from her Divine Power... Perhaps it would be possible to extend her life as a Saintess. If she skirted around the truth, perhaps it could last a good ten years.
However, she didn’t feel regretful at all about losing such things.
There was anxiety. The loss of everything she gained at the cost of her family, the fear of the various things that would happen to her once she was no longer a Saintess. But above all, her worry was…
Whether she can be a help to them one last time.
Bennett was fighting for his sister. And of course, Tara deeply understood the burning desire to save one’s family. Thus, she had no choice but to reflect on her own situation.
Tara had failed to save her family. Because she was too late.
Then at least for Bennett. At the very least, Bennett should be able to⋯⋯.
The party quickly armed themselves and set out.
===============================================================
They walked, blended into the procession heading towards the pit, concealing their identities under rags. Fortunately, their true identities were not discovered, possibly due to the Perception-Impairing Magic cast by Niolle.
There was no sound in the world seen through the telescope.
However, once they immersed themselves in the procession, the sheer desperation of hell was vividly felt.
“MOM, DAD, WAKE UP! PLEASE…!!”
“Grandma, why are you going this way? Please, let’s just go back. Okay?”
People walked towards death, having lost their own will.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Bennett looked up at the sky. The stars in the night sky boasted their twinkle, laughing as they watched the earth's cries of despair. And then, they swelled.
As time passed, the constellations in the night sky mixed strangely and chaotically. The starlight connected to form someone’s glaring eyes, a beheaded child, and a clown hanging upside down.
The increasingly insane night sky was a harbinger of the Evil God’s descent.
As the party approached the meteorite pit, they saw fanatics preparing the ritual. They were so mingled with the people that using a mass destruction spell would also burn the innocents.
“⋯⋯This is.”
[I'll use it.]
“⋯⋯What?!”
[The spell, I'll use it. Those people⋯⋯will get caught up and die. But it can't be helped if we wish to save the others.]
Bennett and Tara's eyes trembled at the content Niolle so calmly wrote on the whiteboard. Tara trembled with shock, looked around at the sight of people heading to their deaths, and then back at Niolle.
“You… What are you… Are you saying that you’re going to kill all these people?”
[Yes. But not everyone. Though half would get caught in the range and die, the other half who haven't thrown themselves into the pit will live.]
A decision to kill half to save the other half.
“No, think again, this isn’t like you⋯⋯!”
[But Tara, when I acted like myself⋯⋯when I wanted to save everyone without missing a single person. You saw what happened, didn’t you? In fact, weren’t you also resenting me for it, Tara?]
“⋯⋯What?”
Niolle's eyes sank gloomily.
[What if I didn’t try to save the reporter? Have you never thought about that?]
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
[So, I’m going to give up. Tara. I don't want to lose more precious things for less significant ones. It's not that I’m not tormented by this decision, but⋯⋯.]
Niolle clenched her fist. Her fist turned white, nails dug into her palm causing blood to flow. Even though the triangle of conscience1 was tearing her heart apart, she gritted her teeth.
[It has to be done.]
"⋯⋯But!"
[Tara, instead of saving a couple more civilians⋯⋯ don't you want to kill more of the Order of the Silver Twilight?]
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Tara knew about Niolle's true nature. She loved helping people and she was warm-hearted enough to jump into matters that had nothing to do with her.
Thus, the decision she made now… To suggest sacrificing innocent lives… Must have been incredibly difficult for her.
That's why Tara couldn't criticize her, yelling how she could say such a thing.
Then, Bennett spoke.
“Both the opinion to save everyone and the opinion to definitively save half by sacrificing the other are better than standing idly by. But personally…… I'd like to move towards saving everyone, if possible.”
[⋯⋯Even though it'll be more risky?]
“I will do my best to fill in what we're lacking. I’m sure she’ll do the same.”
If they forcefully suppressed their hearts and achieved victory after the sacrifice of many people… It would leave a huge scar, after all. Bennett didn't want them to go through that.
Hiding his true intentions, Bennett said something obvious but sincere.
“Wouldn't it be⋯⋯better to save more people?”
“That’s not like you to say, Black Wizard.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Tara made up her mind.
“Yeah, okay. Then, I also have something to say. I probably won’t be able to use my Divine Power anymore after this battle.”
“⋯⋯What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. It’s been diminishing since that day. And then, the supply just stopped. Maybe⋯⋯it's because I no longer believe in the Goddess. Perhaps that’s why she took her power back.”
Bennett now understood why Tara's ability to use Divine Magic had drastically decreased, as well as the reason for her anxiety. She was losing her qualifications as a Saintess.
Tara forced a smile and spoke.
“Still, I have enough to fight a couple of times⋯⋯and if I give it my all right now, I can fight while saving everyone.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“Can I leave the decision up to you? Bennett. The last bit of my Divine Power⋯⋯ Whether to use it to save people or save us.”
Bennett was silent for a moment, then placed his hand on the top of Tara's head.
"Ah, what."
“Thanks for telling me in advance.”
“⋯⋯Rather, isn’t it a bit late?”
Pat pat . His light strokes carried an intention to comfort. If she were to lose her power overnight, the shock of that loss would be immense. In any other situation, he would have scrounged up words of reassurance, however inadequate.
But in this urgent situation, Bennett expressed his feelings through his actions.
And then, he spoke.
“Please use it to save people. In fact, that seems like it would make it easier for us to fight.”
"Eung, got it."
"We'll finish this quickly. The one coordinating the ritual⋯⋯appears to be the person on that platform. We’ll kill the bastard and then retreat."
Bennett glared at someone near the meteorite pit, who was directing the fanatics with finger gestures. The figure's face was hidden deep under a cowl, but the physique was oddly familiar.
“Alright, then⋯⋯ Shall I go do one last deed worthy of the title of a Saintess?”
“If you lose your Divine Power, I will give you private lessons on how to use mana. Building it up again will be a bit easier than when you started from scratch.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
Bennett pulled out his longsword, Tara took out a Holy Emblem, and Niolle opened the grimoire.
With stars gazing down, three people waded through the horrid and dark tumult of human screams, the sound of someone being crushed to death, and the fanatics’ mixed cries of ecstasy and agony.
Their wills were each colored in different hues, but they were undoubtedly shining.
As the party approached, the cowled figure looked down from the podium and smiled. And in a soft voice, they were offered a greeting of reunion.
“Everyone, we meet once again.”
“⋯⋯As expected, the one who sacrificed Abraham… Was it you?”
“Everything is for the sake of the Great One.”
When she removed her cowl, beneath it was the face of Isaac.
***
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