Chapter 161: Unextinguishable Will
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: Unextinguishable Will
Rosier, who had been thrown deep into the Garden Section, finally opened her eyes.
Feeling a sharp, intense pain in her abdomen, she quickly scanned her surroundings. She saw monsters rushing past her, heading toward the Central Section.
It’s as if they’re being controlled by something.
Was it the Demon King’s power? Or perhaps the malice of the Labyrinth itself was pulling their strings. Having reached that conclusion, Rosier hid herself within the collapsed ruins and began to heal her wound.
The mere fact that she hadn't died after taking a direct hit from a Demon King was a testament to her absurdly durable body.
Considering that Roy, a Black Iron Golem, had been instantly torn limb from limb and reduced to dust, Rosier’s body could be considered harder than steel.
"Whew. Haaa..."
The damage to her internal organs was severe. Drenched in a cold sweat, Rosier slowly began to treat her abdomen, which had turned a bruised purple.
I hope he’s safe.
She prayed fervently for Sion’s safety.
From the Central Section, she could feel the Saintess’s presence and, for some reason, a strangely familiar warmth.
The Saintess had likely unleashed her final trump card.
The Saintess’s lifespan...
Rosier knew she had less than thirty years left.
By the end of today, that lifespan would likely hit rock bottom.
Perhaps, by pinning down the Demon King in this campaign, the Saintess would exhaust every last second she had left.
I am still so weak.
A moment of reflection. Rosier felt the sting of her own inadequacy.
She felt a sudden urge to descend to the 7th Floor of the Labyrinth and reach the same level of strength as the Saintess.
If the current Saintess were to lay down her mantle, the position would become vacant.
Rosier would likely be the person closest to succeeding her.
The position of Saintess wasn't just about communicating with the Goddess or possessing vast amounts of divine power.
She had to become stronger.
"Rosier!"
"Inquisitor! Where are you?!"
While Rosier was busy lamenting her lack of skill, Yuria and Leah discovered her hiding spot.
They had been searching for her after slaying the Dungeon Trolls that were rushing toward the Central Section. After scouring every possible hiding place, they finally found her in a corner of the ruins, treating her wounds.
"I’m here!"
"Ah! You’re alive!"
"We’ve been looking everywhere for you."
"I was busy healing. But where is Sion? Why did only you two come?"
"Well, about that..."
"Sion is in the Central Section right now, slaughtering monsters."
"Pardon? Sion is doing that alone?"
"Yeah. Where do I even start? Leah, you explain. I’m not good at putting things into words."
"Alright. I’ll explain."
Leah filled Rosier in on everything that had happened.
How Sion had awakened all the vengeful spirits of the Underground City and forcibly resurrected them by stuffing them into the bodies of monsters and humans.
And how he was currently butchering the boss monsters of the Underground City after consuming some strange medicine.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"You’ll have to, whether you want to or not. You’re going to see it for yourself soon anyway."
Sensing something unusual in Leah’s confident tone, Rosier followed them back to the Central Section.
And there, Rosier witnessed a beast.
He was like a Yaksha, caught in a frenzied rampage.
"Is that... Sion?"
"Whoa. Do you see that on the ground?"
"Yeah. It’s a Minotaur. He’s already killed it..."
While they were retrieving Rosier from the Garden Section, Sion had hunted a Minotaur all by himself.
He had ruthlessly driven the Dragon-Slaying Arrow—the one Gon had fired for him—into the three-meter-tall bovine monster as it charged.
An oversized arrow, longer than a man was tall, was buried deep in the heart of the dead Minotaur.
That wasn't all. The area around Sion was a carpet of corpses. Paramel and other adventurers were casting buffs on him as he raged, while Ainhel summoned black figures to guard his back.
With his eyes half-rolled back, Sion was in the middle of a monster massacre.
"Let’s join in."
"Right. Let’s..."
Leah was slightly overwhelmed. If he was pulling ahead this fast, how on earth was she supposed to catch up?
Watching Sion butcher monsters with those crazed eyes, Leah felt a mixture of awe and admiration, which naturally blossomed into idolization.
Yuria, on the other hand, felt a tinge of regret and a competitive fire. When she first met him, Sion was just a weak porter. In just a few months, he had caught up to her and now seemed to have surpassed her.
Even within the Labyrinth City, this was an unprecedented rate of growth. While she was genuinely happy for his progress, Yuria felt a bit lonely seeing Sion reach a height where she could no longer protect him.
Finally, Rosier simply felt proud of Sion’s growth. When they had entered the Labyrinth together for the heretic subjugation, he was someone she had to protect. Now, she was the one receiving his help.
She was proud of how quickly he had grown to stand by her side.
Meanwhile, Sion was going through hell.
The monsters just keep coming...!
Until the Demon King returned to the depths, the monster wave would continue.
There were still thirty minutes left.
How much longer do I have to hold out...
Sion felt like his hair was about to fall out from the stress.
Just then, Rosier and Yuria returned from the Garden Section and joined Sion along with Leah.
Finally finding a moment to breathe, Sion immediately pulled out some water, poured it over his head, and gulped down the rest.
The water he poured over his head evaporated instantly into steam from the sheer heat radiating from his body.
"Sion! We’ll help!"
"Ah...! Aaaah!"
Sion, who could no longer even form proper words, clapped his hands as he saw Rosier approaching.
He then leaned on Leah for support and retreated to the rear of the battlefield. He finally had a chance to rest properly.
As he was laid down, the fatigue that had been accumulating since he first summoned the Three Villainesses hit him all at once.
His eyes began to close. If he closed them now, when would he open them again?
At the very least, he didn't think it would be inside the Labyrinth.
Maybe... I’ll die with my eyes closed.
Sion had a premonition. He had pushed himself to the point of draining his very life force.
His body was on the verge of total collapse. In this state, it would likely take a very long time to recover.
Perhaps it would be better to just die and be resurrected.
"Sion...! Everyone, focus on healing Sion...!"
Paramel, seeing Sion being carried in by Leah, realized instantly that his condition was catastrophically bad.
His body wasn't just damaged; it was completely worn down.
"Even with healing magic, there will be aftereffects. In this state, it might be better to..."
"Better to...?"
"It might be better to just die and be brought back..."
At Paramel’s words, Sion wiped his face with his hand.
He understood what she meant. Healing magic wasn't omnipotent. Paramel wasn't lying when she said resurrection might be a better option.
"What should I do... I can't die yet..."
But he couldn't die yet. The Three Villainesses were currently taking their places at the pillars.
He absolutely could not die until the Demon King descended back to the lower floors. Only after the Demon King vanished would the Villainesses be able to properly anchor themselves to the pillars.
If Sion died before then, the bond of the Three Villainesses would waver, and the Labyrinth would seize that opening to trigger a cataclysm in the Underground City.
He had to endure. He couldn't die yet.
"Then we will do our best to hold out. Sion, please keep denying your own death... The Goddess will protect you."
Just as Paramel said, Sion kept repeating it to himself.
I am not dead yet. And I will never die.
He waited for the battle between the Saintess and the Demon King to end.
He absolutely could not die. The moment he died, all of today’s efforts would become nothing but a meaningless, agonizing waste.
If that happened, Sion would suffer an incalculable loss.
He had to endure, no matter what.
And after enduring, he had to collect all those corpses.
Manticore, Minotaur, Chimera...
He could make a fortune just by taking those three. If he added the other monster corpses scattered across the Central Section, he would more than make up for all the expenses he had incurred during this campaign.
"Ugh... Painkillers..."
Sion pulled a potion from his inventory and downed it.
He intended to hold on, even if it meant relying on painkillers.
*
I’m reaching my limit.
Saintess Freya realized something was wrong with her body.
Her physical form was beginning to break down.
How much lifespan did she have left?
Was it even a year?
In exchange for delaying the countless deaths in the Underground City, the Saintess had abandoned her dreams of a future and a peaceful retirement.
As a result, she was able to keep the Demon King at bay.
It’s not a total loss. I’ve cleared a path toward the future.
The Saintess smiled as she watched the Demon King writhe in agony.
Through her own sacrifice, she could save countless lives.
Furthermore, humanity would gain control of the Underground City.
That was enough.
The Saintess was satisfied.
To say she had no regrets about dying... would be a lie, of course.
Nevertheless, she chose to be content.
I suppose I’ve done my part. I wanted to follow that porter to see how far he could go, but it seems this is as far as I go.
The Saintess sensed that her time was running out.
She had used up every last bit of her remaining life.
She couldn't kill the Demon King, but she had enough life left to stop him from reaching Sion.
I leave the rest to you, Porter. Please... dedicate the rest of your life to the salvation of humanity.
The Saintess, who had never been able to trust others, finally let go of her suspicion at the very end.
She decided to believe. In the man known as the Porter.
She decided to trust the man who accomplished things others couldn't as if they were nothing. No, she wanted to trust him.
Just as he had used the Three Villainesses of the Labyrinth to turn the Underground City into human territory.
He would surely save humanity in a way she could never have imagined.
And so, my narrative comes to an end. I think I’ve lived a fairly decent life. Wouldn't you agree, Goddess?
The Saintess asked inwardly.
That her sacrifice was not in vain.
That she had lived a wonderful life.
Now that she had reached the end of that life.
Though she was leaving without doing many of the things she had wanted to do.
Even so.
Even so, she had no lingering attachments to this life.
Therefore, she had lived a proper life.
The Saintess questioned the Goddess.
She had committed many errors.
She had even killed the innocent.
But even that, the Saintess believed, was something she had to do as part of her burden.
She never shied away from the dirty work.
For the Church. And further, for humanity.
She had thrown away her entire life in sacrifice.
Freya was a true Saintess, born an orphan and rising to the position closest to God.
The Goddess acknowledged this.
A sensation akin to a divine revelation washed over the Saintess.
A benevolent hand stroked her head.
Raised as a hound of the Church since childhood, she had fought as a savior of humanity since she came of age.
If there was one thing even someone like her always craved.
It was parents.
The Saintess loved being praised.
And she had a childlike side to her.
Because her childhood had been miserable.
Because she had never once properly received a parent’s love.
The Saintess was so happy to feel the Goddess’s touch.
The Goddess, who had always only given Freya tasks to perform.
Only now, just before her life ended, did she finally show her how much she cherished her.
How much she loved and adored her.
"This is enough. My life was not a mistake."
The Saintess smiled.
And the Demon King wailed.
The Saintess didn't know why he had become like that.
But she felt a certain empathy for the Demon King’s pain.
"You must be lonely too. If only I had been a little stronger... I might have been able to help you as well."
The Saintess’s final blow struck the Demon King’s chest.
Such a weak attack couldn't kill a Demon King.
However, it was enough to send him back down.
Two hours had passed.
Having finally endured those two hours, the Saintess collapsed where she stood.
And the Demon King, who had failed his mission after a two-hour struggle, was dragged back into the darkness of the Labyrinth.
"Kaishar... I will... definitely... find you... again..."
The Demon King was enveloped in darkness and sucked downward.
The malice of the Labyrinth had been defeated.
It was a victory for humanity.
Today, for the first time, humans had seized victory against the Labyrinth.
It was the beginning of a counterattack against the coming nightmare.
It was a momentous event signaling that the spark of humanity had not yet been extinguished.
"Saintess!"
Abram and Raphael rushed toward her.
The Saintess knelt as if in prayer, her arms hanging limp.
"Saintess... Ah..."
"Abram. The Saintess is already..."
"Re-Resurrection..."
"It’s impossible. Her physical body has reached its end..."
Starting from her fingertips, she began to dissolve and scatter.
Her life had run out.
Saintess Freya of Fanatical Love, known as the most ferocious Saintess in the history of the Church.
Today, carrying the future of humanity on her back.
She fulfilled her mission and fell in battle.