Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: S2. Resentment Brushing Against the Stars -6
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Inside the New Life Newspaper building, the group began their final meeting.
Bennett pointed out two spots on the map.
"This magic circle seems to have two central axes. The Silver Twilight Cult building and...
the meteorite crater. The ritual will take place at both locations."
"Two central axes mean it's more stable, right? So we have to smash both?"
"No, probably not. In most cases, adding more central axes to a magic circle increases both instability and power at the same time. Disrupting just one of them should be enough to doom their ritual."
Therefore.
"I think they've split their forces between both sides."
[Then the cult leader must be at one of them.]
"Yeah. And at the other spot...
there'll be some key figure leading the ritual too."
Tara clenched her fist and shook it hard. The battle against the Silver Twilight Cult was right around the corner. Finally, the time for true revenge had arrived.
"So we just pick one and smash it?"
[Where should we attack?]
"In my opinion...
hitting the cult building looks like the better option."
Bennett explained why he thought so.
"The other axis—the suspected meteor crater—has no good obstacles. And as you all know, their magic is extremely offensive. We've developed a new technique called parrying to counter it somewhat, but on an open plain..."
"We couldn't block attacks coming from all sides."
"Exactly. Open terrain with no cover favors the side with more numbers. Since we're outnumbered, it's smarter to choose a narrow battlefield full of obstacles."
"That makes sense..."
As Tara nodded eagerly with interest, Niore tapped the table with her finger and scribbled on the map.
[I think the opposite.]
"Opposite?"
[An open plain without obstacles is perfect for area-of-effect spells. The fanatics lack defense, so we could wipe them out in one go.]
Tara slammed her fist down on the map, right on the cult building.
"...Niore, we could just blow up the whole building, right? If they have that kind of magic, couldn't we do the same to them in one shot?"
[These are enemies who installed a magic circle in the middle of a city. It's hard to believe they wouldn't have defenses at their home base. Don't you think they have countermeasures?]
"A prepared mage is a strong mage. That's the iron rule of magical combat. Good point. But that assumes we can use area-of-effect spells."
[I picked up a spell while studying on the side. It borrows the power of a flame god from distant space—tremendous power and range.]
Bennett fell deep into thought.
The reason he'd suggested assaulting the cult building—likely riddled with spells and traps—was because fighting hordes of enemies on open plains felt even riskier.
If they had area-of-effect magic ready, the crater might be viable. But there was one thing they needed to address first.
"Is it safe to use?"
"Ah."
"Casting a spell that powerful... I doubt it'd end with just a nosebleed."
[...Don't freak out. Read this?]
Niore clasped her hands at her chest and took a deep breath. Something flickered in her eyes... an emotion. Tara felt it looked familiar, like she'd seen it somewhere before.
[I... I think I met a goddess.]
Tara's face twisted in a scowl.
"A goddess?"
[Yes. A blonde goddess. Her features were blurry, so I couldn't see clearly, but she said she's the guardian deity protecting this planet. She was defeated and sealed by an evil god, but... she wanted to help us like this. Here.]
Niore pulled out a glowing white crystal and placed it on the table. It shimmered with a milky light, radiating mystical power. It was essentially a holy relic.
Its effect? It reduced the casting cost of spells to near zero. Tara could sense the pure, vast mana sloshing inside. It might even work with Bennett's dark magic.
A goddess, huh.
Bennett had once had a hazy dream like that himself. If that being could relay messages in dreams and provide a physical artifact like this, it had to be divine.
"So there was a proper god here after all..."
[She was defeated, though.]
"Then you're practically a saint who received a divine revelation. Niore. Isn't that right?"
[It's a bit embarrassing...]
As Niore shyly hunched her shoulders, Tara fidgeted restlessly, her eyes trembling. The idea that this world's goddess had chosen Niore over her fueled her anxiety.
After squirming for a while, Tara hesitantly spoke up.
"...Hey, Bennett."
"What?"
"What if... I became useless?"
"You've already been useless around the house."
Tara smacked Bennett's arm in outrage. After a brief pause, Bennett asked her seriously. It didn't seem like a throwaway comment.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing. Just... spitballing."
"That's the least convincing 'just' in the world. Tara, if you have something to say, spit it out properly—"
Bang!
The door flew open as reporter Sally burst in. Her face was deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat. She screamed.
"Y-you have to see what those crazy bastards are doing!"
"Let's go. Now."
The group grabbed their gear and rushed to the rooftop.
A high-powered telescope was set up there. Instead of stargazing, it peered down at the city streets below.
The world through the lens was a living hellscape.
An endless procession. People marched in orderly rows toward somewhere. But it wasn't just walking. Their dazed, vacant expressions showed they weren't in any state to think straight.
And mixed among the entranced masses were the occasional normal people. The sight stirred endless unease and disgust.
One family came into view.
Father, young daughter, and mother, hands linked as they walked. At a glance, it looked like a wholesome family outing.
But the parents' blank faces gripped their daughter's hands tightly from both sides. Her expression was pure terror, as if the world were collapsing. She screamed and struggled, but couldn't break free from two adults.
A guy dragging his girlfriend, a high school girl pushing her elderly grandpa in a wheelchair. The hypnotized forced the unenslaved along.
And at the end of the line.
Fanatics tossed people one by one into the meteor crater. Those who went in first were crushed under the weight of those who followed.
Squashed together into oblivion.
"...Horrific."
"We have to save them!"
[...Yes. We have to. Right?]
"It might sound cold, but sacrificing that many victims... I can't even imagine the power it'll give them. Forget morals—for our goal, we have to stop this."
The group hurriedly prepared to depart.
Tara bit her lip hard. She checked her remaining divine power.
Last night, her divine power regeneration had hit zero.
Once she used up what was left, Tara would revert to being just a shopgirl. No powers. She'd lose the wealth, fame, and reverence that came with being a saint.
If she held back now and avoided using it, she might stretch out her saintly life. Slacking off and hiding the truth could buy her a solid ten years.
But losing it all? She didn't regret it one bit.
The anxiety was there. The sense of loss as something gained through losing her family slipped away. Fear of what awaited a former saint. But above all, what worried her was...
Could she still be useful to them one last time?
Bennett was fighting for his sister. Tara knew that aching desire to save family all too well. So she had no choice but to reflect on her own situation.
Tara had failed to save hers. It was too late.
At least Bennett... Bennett had to...
The group armed up quickly and set out.
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They blended into the procession heading for the crater, cloaked in burlap sacks. Luckily, no one noticed them. Maybe Niore's perception-blocking spell was working.
The telescopic view had been silent.
But up close, immersed in the march, the hellscape's anguish hit sharp and clear.
"Mom, Dad, snap out of it, please...!!"
"Grandma, why are you going this way? Let's go home, please?"
Devoid of will, the people trudged toward death.
"......"
Bennett looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled smugly, mocking the screams below. And they swelled.
As time passed, the constellations twisted into grotesque chaos. Starlight linked into glaring eyes, headless children, upside-down clowns.
The maddening night sky heralded the evil god's descent.
As the group neared the crater, fanatics preparing the ritual came into view. Clustered tight with the crowd, any area spell would incinerate innocents too.
"...This is."
[I'll use it.]
"...What?!"
[The spell. Those people... they'll get caught in it and die. But to save the others, we have no choice.]
Bennett and Tara's eyes trembled at Niore's calm whiteboard words. Tara shook in panic, glanced at the doomed marchers, then back at Niore.
"You... what? You're gonna kill all these people?"
[Yes. But not all. Half caught in the radius die, but the other half who haven't jumped in yet live.]
Sacrificing half to save half.
"Think again—this isn't like you...!"
[But Tara, when I acted like myself... when I wanted to save everyone without losing a single one. You saw what happened. Didn't you resent me for it?]
"...What?"
Niore's eyes darkened gloomily.
[If I hadn't tried to save the reporter... you thought that, didn't you?]
"......"
[So I'm giving up. Tara. I don't want to lose what's truly precious for the less important stuff. It hurts... but...]
Niore clenched her fist. It turned white, nails digging into her palm, blood trickling down. Even as her conscience tore at her, she gritted her teeth.
[We have to do it.]
"...But!"
[Don't you want to kill the Silver Twilight Cult more than save a few civilians, Tara?]
"......"
Tara knew Niore's true nature. She loved helping people, jumping into unrelated troubles with her warm heart.
So this decision—to accept innocent sacrifices—must have been agonizing.
That's why Tara couldn't scold her for saying it.
Then Bennett spoke.
"Trying to save everyone, or sacrificing half to guarantee the other half—both beat standing around doing nothing. But personally...
I'd prefer to save them all if possible."
[...That raises the risk, you know?]
"I'll cover the gaps somehow. Because."
Forcing down their hearts, winning through mass sacrifice would leave huge scars. Bennett didn't want that for them.
Hiding his real feelings, he said something corny laced with sincerity.
"Saving more lives... isn't that better?"
"Doesn't suit you, dark wizard."
"......"
Tara steeled her resolve.
"Alright, then. After this fight, I probably won't be able to use divine power anymore."
"...What are you talking about?"
"Dunno. It's been dwindling since that day. Supply just cut off. Maybe...
I stopped believing in the goddess. So she took it back."
Bennett understood why Tara's divine spell usage had plummeted. And her anxiety's source. She was losing her saintly qualifications.
Tara forced a smile.
"Still got enough left for a few fights... And if I pour it all out now, we can save everyone and still fight."
"......"
"Can I leave the call to you? Bennett. My last divine power... use it to save people, or to save us?"
Bennett paused silently, then placed a hand on Tara's head.
"Ah, why."
"Thanks for telling me ahead."
"...Too late anyway."
He stroked gently—a comforting gesture. Losing her power overnight would be devastating. In quieter times, he'd scrape together words of solace.
But urgency called for action.
And he said,
"Use it to save people. Feels like it'd make the fight easier anyway."
"Got it."
"Quick and clean. The one coordinating the ritual... looks like that guy on the platform. Kill him, drop him, and pull out."
Bennett glared at the figure directing fanatics near the crater with finger gestures. Hood pulled low hid the face, but the build felt oddly familiar.
"Alright, then... shall we do one last saintly deed?"
"Lose the divine power, and I'll give you private lessons on mana control. Rebuilding'll be easier."
[......]
Bennett drew his longsword, Tara her holy symbol, Niore her grimoire.
Through screams of humans, mocking stars, crushing deaths, fanatics' ecstatic wails—all the ugly darkness—they three pushed upward.
Their wills shone in different hues, but shone brightly nonetheless.
As the group approached, the hooded figure looked down from the platform and smiled. Then, in a soft voice, greeted them like old friends.
"Everyone, it's good to see you again."
"...So it was you who made Abraham a burnt offering."
"All for the Great One."
She removed her hood. Beneath it was Isaac's face.