Shub le Ruelle (1): The One Who Gazed Into the Abyss
The training arena had turned into a complete hellscape in an instant. Buildings were collapsing everywhere, flames licking at the rubble.
Monsters from the Otherworld had poured through. Among them were the caterpillar-like creatures I’d seen before, along with humanoid ones and others that resembled wyverns. Still, since this was only Act 1, nothing truly catastrophic seemed to have crossed over. Or perhaps Shub’s corruption simply wasn’t strong enough yet to fully channel the Otherworld’s mana.
Eve and Panzy were staring at me, waiting for my next move.
Shub no longer seemed to have any sanity left. Her glowing red eyes fixed on me with murderous intent as she slashed her hand downward. A magic circle formed in the air, and a high-pressure water cannon screamed toward us.
“Cain!”
A circular array of ancient Holy Kingdom runes appeared in front of me, manifesting a pure white barrier. Eve had instantly deployed a shield that barely managed to block Shub’s attack. Because it was reinforced with holy power, the mana composing the water cannon scattered on impact. A normal defensive spell probably wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Looking at the white barrier already cracking like thin ice, I knew it wouldn’t last long. The immediate priority was to distract Shub and locate Durendal. I couldn’t handle this many monsters alone, so I’d have to borrow the holy sword’s strength.
Originally, Alex was supposed to be the one to wield it. But handing that crazy bastard a holy sword? No telling what kind of nightmare that would create.
To obtain Durendal, you needed a certain qualification that only Alex possessed—the qualification of a hero, or one fit to save the world. Even though he was clearly a psychopath, he probably still met the requirements.
There was something I needed to confirm with that guy first. Whether he’d actually cooperate was another question.
“Still, there’s always a way. Let’s move.”
“M-move where?! You’re just going to leave Shub like this?”
If we abandoned her now, the uncontrolled Shub would rampage across the academy and turn the entire place into a wasteland. She glared at us again, preparing another attack. The monsters that had spawned around her also recognized us as enemies and charged forward with grotesque roars.
“Fuck. Let’s hold them off while we figure this out. Silph! Gnome! Undine!”
The three spirits condensed their respective elements into razor-sharp projectiles and hurled them at the monsters. The caterpillar-like creatures at the front had their foreheads pierced clean through. They lost their shape and disintegrated into dust.
The silver lining was that my life force wasn’t being drained nearly as badly as before. The stronger my bond with the spirits grew, the more efficiently my vitality was consumed.
“Just a little longer! Hold on just a little longer!”
“What exactly are you planning?! My sword doesn’t work on them!”
Panzy shouted while barely shoving back a dog-like monster that had lunged at her. She was right. To her, fighting these things probably felt like trying to cut through iron with a wooden training sword. We needed something to buy time. A miracle worker who could measure this situation perfectly and resolve it.
She—or rather, he—must have sensed this presence by now.
“They should be here any second.”
“Who?!”
“The one person in this academy who would never tolerate Otherworld monsters invading it.”
If my guess was right… The person most sensitive to Otherworld mana, who would have immediately noticed the academy’s anomaly. If it was Dorothy Gale… then right about now…
At that moment, the space above our heads began to warp.
“Can’t even pretend to be proper, huh.”
I smiled and lifted my head toward the sky. A blue-glowing portal formed, and as if she’d been waiting for her cue, Dorothy Gale stepped out, striking a dramatic pose with a bizarre “ta-da!” sound effect.
“This body. Has arrived.”
She pointed her staff—covered in black metal and engraved with geometric golden patterns—at the monsters while keeping her face perfectly expressionless.
“The moment I arrived, the stench was so disgusting it gave me a headache. Shub le Ruelle.”
“...Dorothy. Gale.”
Shub responded curtly and raised both hands. A magic circle formed on the ground, and five lava-covered serpents burst forth, charging straight at Dorothy.
Without even chanting, Dorothy lightly flicked her staff twice. Dozens of blue magic circles appeared around her and unleashed a brutal ice storm at the snakes. In an instant, Shub’s lava serpents were petrified into granite.
Shub simply stared with unfocused eyes and began her next attack. An endless stream of crawling monsters rushed toward Dorothy. For a brief moment, pure hatred flashed in Dorothy’s eyes.
“I’ve spent a long time preparing something specifically to deal with trash like you.”
Dorothy glanced down at me and gave a small nod. What the hell? What am I supposed to do if she suddenly nods at me? Am I supposed to block something?
She gripped her staff with both hands, closed her eyes, and began muttering an incantation. Completely defenseless.
No, no—wait. I was planning to leave you here and go find Durendal!
“Ha! Fuck. Senior! Blocking for you will help, right?”
“...You’re not supposed to interrupt someone while they’re chanting, junior.”
“Shit… Silph! Undine!”
Sharp blades of elemental power from Silph and Undine carved through the countless monsters charging at Dorothy. Rock shards launched by Gnome, amplified by Silph’s wind, smashed them apart. As I struggled to hold the horde back, Eve and Panzy watched with wide-eyed astonishment.
“Cain, you were this strong against monsters…?”
“Hmm. So during our spar you really were going easy…”
“No! It’s not like that!”
Fuuuuuck!
My life force was draining away at an alarming rate. It was melting. The monsters charging forward weren’t only targeting Dorothy. Even Shub refused to stay still, so there were too many things demanding my attention.
Eve and Panzy, who had been purely on the defensive against Shub, finally saw an opening. They exchanged a glance, nodded, and burst toward her. Eve, empowered by holy power, grabbed Panzy’s legs, spun her around like a hammer throw, and hurled her straight at Shub.
You could throw a person like that?
In the game, Eve had only used buffs and healing. Seeing her wield holy power in such creative ways felt strangely unfamiliar.
Panzy accepted being used as a human projectile as if it were perfectly normal. In a flash, she drew two swords and swung them at Shub. Shub’s eyes flicked between Dorothy and me before locking onto Panzy. The moment her gaze met the blades, a dark red barrier formed.
With a sharp ting!, Panzy’s swords bounced off harmlessly.
It seemed Shub had quickly learned how to manipulate Otherworld mana. Or rather, the demonic sword had made her body intimately familiar with using it.
“Senior Dorothy! Is it still going to take long?!”
“The swords aren’t working! At this rate…!”
I completely agreed. Fuck, if you had a plan, why not prepare it earlier! What kind of spell takes this long? Are you trying to drop a meteor or something?
A spell of that caliber could probably wipe out half the monsters here, but Dorothy likely didn’t have the mana reserves for something that powerful yet.
Several minutes passed. I panted heavily, feeling the life force Eve had restored steadily draining away again. Dorothy continued chanting with her eyes closed, completely unbothered. This was exactly why you needed a solid frontline.
The longer her incantation dragged on, the more my insides felt like they were about to explode.
“Ah. It’s finished.”
At last, the long chant ended. Dorothy raised her staff high above her head. The golden decorations erupted with blinding light. The monsters shrieked and staggered backward.
“Alright, Cain. You should go now.”
“What? But what about you, senior?”
I had been planning to leave anyway. Still, I had to at least pretend I couldn’t abandon her.
“Hmm~ Your intentions are way too obvious, junior.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Dorothy stared at me with deep suspicion, but I poured everything I had into the most innocent expression I could manage. Of course, if she asked me to stay and help, I would. After I took care of my own business first.
“I probably won’t be able to hold them for long. As you can see, these things don’t respond well to either magic or swords.”
As if to prove her point, cracks began spreading across the staff, leaking light. The trembling staff looked like a makeshift solution at best. It really didn’t seem like this standoff would last much longer.
“Besides, this staff is nothing more than a trick to fool their eyes. It’ll only force them to retreat temporarily. Once the energy runs out, they’ll recover and come at us again.”
“But of course you came with other countermeasures prepared, right, senior? I believe in you!”
My answer must have been too cheerfully innocent. Dorothy let out a deep sigh and waved her hand dismissively.
“Haa… I don’t have any other methods. I came in a hurry… And since the headmaster sent a message, you should go. The situation is extremely serious. The professors who finished evacuating the students will probably head here soon.”
“Yesss! Understood! Wait, the headmaster sent a message?”
I had been answering with a bright smile, but the mention of the headmaster made me freeze. That man shouldn’t have any information about this incident yet. A message, huh. It made me strangely anxious.
“Um~ To relay it exactly: ‘That… bastard is probably running around claiming he’ll handle everything alone. Tell him to go to Professor Faust.’”
“Haha… What a wonderfully eloquent person, isn’t he?”
“Cain. Where exactly did you learn to speak so disrespectfully about the headmaster?”
Dorothy waved her hand in light scolding before continuing with the headmaster’s message.
“He also said… that you, Cain, would be able to determine ‘whether he possesses the qualification.’”
“I don’t know how much he’s figured out, but I’ll go confirm it.”
“Hmm~ I don’t know the details. Oh, and when you see Professor Faust, you’re supposed to tell him something.”
“What is it?”
“Um… Wal… Wal… Night? Walpu… Walbur… Walpurgis… Ah, I remember.”
"The night has come."
⟨ Walpurgis Night ⟩
Dorothy stumbled over the unfamiliar word several times, retracing her memory, then snapped her fingers as it finally came to her.
“Walpurgis Night has arrived.”