Chapter 158
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Goddess of Healing
"Here, take a look."
As expected of Mitra, the mirror was positioned with its back facing her, as if she had been afraid to see it right away.
Lucille smiled brightly and turned the mirror around. Mitra, who had been anxiously facing it, widened her eyes.
[Is... is that me?]
"Isn't she pretty?"
[Y-Yes, she's pretty.]
Mitra nodded in agreement, then took another step closer to the mirror and stared intently at her own face.
[Hehe, hehehe.]
She giggled foolishly, but even that looked beautiful.
Without anyone telling her to, Mitra began striking various poses in front of the mirror.
"She seems to have completely forgotten about us."
"She's so cute."
Lucille could see why Cheon-ho had called her small and cute. Mitra was now bigger than Lucille herself, but she was still cute anyway.
"By the way, Hero."
"Yes, Lucille."
"Does Mitra really wail like that?"
"She really does wail. Later... no, I'll show you right now."
"Right now?"
"Yes, right now. It's the perfect timing."
What was a good time for wailing?
As Lucille wondered, Cheon-ho gave her a meaningful look and deliberately cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem!"
Mitra, who had been absorbed in gazing at the mirror, flinched at the obviously purposeful cough. She recalled what she had just been doing and blushed all the way to the tips of her ears.
Cheon-ho watched her quietly for a moment, then looked down at her with an expression as if he had no choice.
"You're cute today too."
[Euaang!]
Mitra covered her face with both hands and collapsed to the ground at the speed of light, wailing. Cheon-ho pointed at her.
'See?'
He said with his eyes, and Lucille nodded.
She etched Mitra's wail deep into her heart.
* * *
The God of the Army gazed at the staircase leading to the depths at the center of the Citadel of Virtue.
It was a passage not much different from the one in the Citadel of Justice—identical, even.
He still couldn't reach the Goddess of Healing.
It wasn't the first time, actually.
Contact had been lost several times before.
When they first assaulted the 19th floor, and when they were ambushed by the evil gods on the 21st.
The God of Order had told him not to worry too much.
Lucille could still sense the Goddess of Healing's presence itself.
But it felt ominous.
A sense that this time was different refused to leave his chest.
The God of the Army glanced back briefly.
He was alone.
His younger siblings were searching the Citadel of Virtue for any forces that might remain, while the Goddess of Music and the Goddess of Painting were checking the sanctuary. He didn't know where the Goddess of Purification was, but that was always the case, so it wasn't worth worrying about.
The Hero, the angels, and the holy sword.
Those who had obtained the divine relic of Evnail, one of the five goddesses.
Their march into the depths was inevitable.
Even if the holy sword hadn't become a divine relic, the Hero and his angels would have headed for the depths.
And it didn't stop there.
The God of the Army swallowed dryly. After manifesting a body to combat the Great Labyrinth's invasion and gaining a stronger sense of self—closer to a superhuman than a god—he rummaged through his bosom, reaffirming his new reality.
'If anything happens to me, make sure to check this.'
A small magic stone that the Goddess of Healing had sent up from the 20th floor after conquering it.
The God of the Army infused it with mana. A red light symbolizing the Goddess of Healing emanated from the stone, and soon her voice echoed in his mind.
And after about ten more minutes.
Having heard everything recorded in the magic stone, the God of the Army stood motionless for a moment.
He needed time to process the Goddess of Healing's story.
And a few more minutes passed.
Or rather, he couldn't even tell how much time had gone by.
The God of the Army looked down at the staircase to the depths. He made a decision that might determine the fate of the entire Labyrinth World.
'We head to the depths.'
With the Hero. Leading all forces from the middle layers.
No longer concerning himself with supply lines.
The God of the Army turned. He summoned the angels to return to the Citadel of Justice.
* * *
The man told the woman what he had discovered.
The reason the demon king's army had invaded Phaien.
Their true objective.
Phain's Dragon God King listened quietly to the man's story. By the end, a terrifying smile played on her lips.
"I guess we have no choice but to go."
To the Labyrinth World.
To collect Phain's debt.
The man agreed.
That was why he asked her.
"Can you make it?"
"The wardrobe's gone."
It was an incongruous exchange, but it was enough.
Phain's Hero.
Descendant of the Yaksha God King Kubera.
The mightiest Heavenly Demon in history.
The man grinned fiercely. The woman returned a savage smile.
The gazes of the two transcendent beings turned to the same place.
Chapter 24 - Goddess of Healing
The Great Labyrinth had eroded countless worlds.
The demon kings, subordinates of the Demon God, had invaded countless worlds.
Their goal was one and the same.
Both the erosion and the invasion served a single purpose.
* * *
That place was a frozen world.
Or more precisely, it was slightly different.
No one could grasp the relentless flow of time.
Not even the God of Time was permitted such a feat.
A world close to stasis.
In a space where an instant stretched into eternity, the five goddesses confronted the Demon God.
There was no distinction between sky and earth.
Just a black, dark void.
In the pitch blackness, only the five goddesses and the Demon God shone.
The Goddess of Heaven and Earth Teresia was slumped on the ground. In the seemingly halted time, she sobbed uncontrollably.
The Goddess of Death, Darkness, and Dawn Eos held Teresia tightly while glaring straight ahead.
She rarely spoke or asserted herself, but she was never weak. Among the four remaining goddesses with unbroken wills, she was the strongest by far.
The Goddess of Struggle, Love, and War Evnail panted heavily. Sweat poured down like rain as she stared ahead.
She could see the back of the Goddess of Life, Passion, and Sun Aiter.
Standing firm at the forefront, she glared at the Demon God.
The Demon God, enveloped in green light, approached Aiter.
The distance between the Demon God and the goddess was merely five steps.
It had started at about ten, but somehow it had closed to this.
When that distance vanished entirely.
When the Demon God's iron grip seized Aiter's slender neck.
Evnail felt a thirst. Her throat burned as if aflame.
How much time had passed outside?
Was the Great Labyrinth's world erosion truly being halted?
Did their actions even matter?
Evnail looked up again, fixing her gaze ahead. She peered at the Demon God's face beyond Aiter's shoulder.
A face shrouded in green light, visible only in outline.
It hadn't changed at all since first seen.
He faced them all alone. And he was even gradually turning the situation in his favor.
Evnail felt resentment at that fact.
She wanted to resent him for being too much.
But there was no helping it. Evnail understood it rationally too.
The Demon God took another step. He narrowed the gap with the five goddesses, and that fact soon became a shock.
Evnail let out a pained groan and staggered. Teresia struggled even to stay seated and nearly collapsed, while Eos held her, her face twisted in agony.
Aiter still didn't fall. She wobbled for a moment but stood firm like a pillar.
What expression was she making now?
Evnail shifted her gaze to the Demon God's hand, poised to seize Aiter's neck at any second. And right after, her eyes widened involuntarily.
'Ah!'
No voice emerged. But in her heart, she exclaimed repeatedly.
Evnail's own divine relic.
The sword of the five goddesses.
She felt it.
The aura of the divine relic, lost since the first defense against the Great Labyrinth's invasion and undetectable for so long, was felt once more.
Evnail thought of the Goddess of Healing. She praised her inwardly for finally succeeding.
Reach the deepest layer and sever the Great Labyrinth's connection to the Labyrinth World.
The sole victory condition given to the five goddesses.
Evnail's own divine relic would undoubtedly play a major role in fulfilling it.
And one more thing.
Though Aiter had said not to expect it, something she couldn't help but hope for.
Evnail whispered the name of the fifth goddess in her heart.
She pictured her face in her mind.
* * *
"We head to the depths."
At the gathering of everyone, the God of the Army stated plainly.
He didn't reveal all the information.
Some parts of the stories in the Goddess of Healing's magic stone couldn't be shared publicly.
The one fact the God of the Army disclosed was simple.
"Time is running out."
The Great Labyrinth's world erosion had certainly slowed. At this pace, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it would take decades more to devour the Labyrinth World.
But that was because the five goddesses were holding back the Demon God.
'The five goddesses... our mothers are being pushed back.'
At most a few years ahead.
Perhaps even less.
The moment the Demon God subdued the five goddesses, it would all be over. The Great Labyrinth would resume devouring worlds at its previous speed, and the Labyrinth World would share the fate of the many worlds absorbed before it.
When she sent the magic stone from the 20th floor, the Goddess of Healing had already judged that only a few years remained.
She had reached the 23rd floor, and considerable time had passed since then, so now probably only one or two years left at most.
At the death sentence pronouncement, the Goddess of Music and the Goddess of Painting swallowed dryly. Always cheerful, they couldn't bring themselves to speak now.
The Goddess of Infantry and the Goddess of Cavalry closed their eyes. They were shocked too, but accepted it more naturally.
As gods under the war god, they had vaguely anticipated it.
That the current situation couldn't last much longer.
That it was already a blessing it had held for nearly decades.
"The 15th floor has essentially become the domain of the good gods. The God of Justice on the 14th floor has secured the pillar to the 15th, and if we descend to the 16th and secure the connected pillar there, the link between the depths and middle layers will fully belong to us good gods."
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
But the God of the Army believed it possible.
"We'll lead all remaining forces down to the depths. Our plan is to aid the Goddess of Healing and the assault team to conquer the Great Labyrinth before the promised time arrives."
He intended to mobilize every force of the good gods left between the 23rd and 16th floors for supply lines as well.
Like the Goddess of Cavalry's favored lance charge, it was a plan to charge toward the depths' lowest layer as a suicide squad that never looked back.
Of course, it was a plan that ignored the rear.
But considering the reality of scant remaining time and the fact that securing the lowest layer and severing the Great Labyrinth's connection to the Labyrinth World would ensure a retreat path, it was unequivocally the best strategy available now.
"I agree."
The Goddess of Purification spoke, and the God of the Army looked at Cheon-ho. Cheon-ho nodded as well.
Now that Mitra had absorbed Evnail's divine relic, no strategy could even be formulated without Cheon-ho.
As Cheon-ho voiced his agreement, the God of the Army visibly relaxed his shoulders and addressed everyone again.
"We return to the Citadel of Justice. We'll enter the depths as soon as we regroup our forces."
* * *
"He-ro-!"
Exactly three days later.
At the forefront welcoming Cheon-ho's party back to the Citadel of Justice was a very welcome face.
"Eizel!"
"Hero!"
Eizel spread her wings wide and flew to Cheon-ho, hugging him as if she were Lucille.
Cheon-ho tightly embraced Eizel's small body and asked with a joyful face.
"Are you okay? Have you adjusted?"
"Of course. Aurael-senior came with me too."
Eizel grinned, and Cheon-ho hugged her once more.
Because he was overjoyed.
"H-Hero?"
For Eizel, it had been just over two months since they last met, but for Cheon-ho, who had gone beyond the Door of Time, it was a reunion after two years.
To the flustered, fidgeting Eizel, Cheon-ho said.
"I missed you."
"M-Me too."
B-But, no, we can't. Lucille-senior is right there.
While Eizel muttered to herself in delusion, Cheon-ho greeted the others.
Not just Eizel and Aurael, but Elriel and Saschiell had also descended to the 15th floor.
"I gave it my best shot."
"Glad to see you again."
Cheon-ho nodded too. Excluding Lucille and Mitra, they were his longest companions, so the emotions were fresh.
[Hmm, nice to see them, but I wonder if they can come all the way to the depths with us.]
There existed a wall between the middle and depths surpassing even that between the 14th and 15th floors—a veritable cliff.
At Mitra's words, Lucille made a gloomy face too. She didn't want to part with Eizel again after finally reuniting.
"There's a solution for that, though."
"Yeah, yeah, it's just a matter of resolve."
Seeing Lucille downcast, the Goddess of Music and the Goddess of Painting chimed in slyly.
Though briefly, they had traveled with Eizel's group too, so they could guess the situation from Lucille and Cheon-ho's reactions.
"A solution?"
"Yeah. Music Goddess and I can make Eizel our apostle."
Becoming an apostle would elevate an angel's rank.
Eizel could descend to the 15th on her own, so as an apostle, she could reach the depths.
"But staying here might be safer."
That had been one reason for leaving her on the 14th initially.
Eizel wasn't some mascot character. She had skills and aided in combat. But she remained the weakest in the party.
Taking her just because no one wanted to part was too risky for the depths.
What to do.
The choice was Eizel's, and she didn't deliberate long.
"If I won't be a burden, I want to go down."
They had been together since escaping the branch office.
As an angel, Eizel wanted to fight for the Labyrinth World too.
"You've grown up."
Raguel murmured very softly from behind.
Recalling their hardships together on the 1st and 2nd floors.
Aurael smiled wryly, remembering too.
The sight of Eizel wailing that she wanted to quit was still vivid.
"But you still haven't fallen?"
"I told you from the start I wouldn't."
Her wings had darkened, and lately she preferred black clothes.
Raguel snorted and shrugged, while Aurael worried that the black wings might be a sign of corruption.