Labyrinth of the Ark (4)

"……"

Diana quickened her pace without a word.

She kept her eyes fixed on the direction the thread of yarn was pointing, her magic already stirring, ready to plunge into battle at any moment.

My condition is far from good.

She could feel it in broad strokes — a substantially drained mana stat, and the backlash of the intercontinental coordinate-transfer spell gnawing away at her body from the inside.

Even if she unleashed everything she had now, she would never be what she once was.

But it didn't matter.

If it means I can make that man suffer — the man who tried to steal everything precious to me —

She would gladly give this life a hundred times over.

The carnage she had witnessed mere moments ago flashed through her mind.

The mages of the Magic Tower, slaughtered with terrible cruelty.

The Argos guards, cut down before they could even close their eyes, dying helplessly. The Council of Elders, who had defended the Ark to their final breath despite it being their twilight years.

"Tch……"

Bloodshot veins crept into Diana's eyes.

Furious rage seemed to scald her soul from within.

"You'll pay for this… you damned invader…!"

She would make certain the one who had thrust despair upon her regretted it — with every fiber of her being.

Ziiiiip!

The thread of yarn began to reveal its end.

Diana concentrated magic into her legs and accelerated.

Whap!

And there it was — the terminus of the thread.

A mass of blue mana, clumped together and hardened into something like stone.

"This is…"

A fake.

A construct of raw mana the Ark had randomly spun up to scramble anyone's sense of location.

Diana let out a faint sigh and turned on her heel.

"I need to hurry and catch up with the others."

One of the remaining three must have reached the Ark by now. She needed to regroup and protect them — quickly.

"Wolf, would you guide me—"

"So this place is not the 'Ark' either."

At that moment, a coercive voice brushed past her ear.

Diana's nerves stood on end before she could stop them.

"Truly — they've made this as convoluted and infuriating as possible."

Thud. Thud.

Something was approaching along the very path she herself had walked.

Bronze skin. Hair white as snow.

A man of utterly alien appearance.

A… human…?

No — could something like that truly be called human?

The aura radiating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from this man was nothing that belonged to a person.

A pressure like the presence of a higher being bore down on her whole body.

"Isn't that right, Diana?"

"You… who…?"

"Come to think of it, this is our first meeting."

He grinned crookedly and tilted his head.

"I am Marca. I do wonder whether you found my preparations to your liking."

"You…!"

So it was true. The man before her was the very one who had reduced the Magic Tower to this.

"You bastard!"

Hot loathing surged up, punching straight through the vague dread gripping her.

"One thing, however, surprises me. I had thought none could yet cross that 'Inviolability.' Magic truly is a tiresome discipline."

Inviolability — that seemed to be the name of the golden barrier that had encircled the Magic Tower.

Diana clawed back her reason, which threatened to fly off on wings of rage, and strained to gather every scrap of information the man let slip.

"And you even drew in that 'Heaven-Defier.' What a troublesome mess you've made, Moonlight Witch."

"Heaven-Defier…?"

"Well — no matter. Judging by your condition, you paid quite a steep price to breach the Inviolability."

His golden eyes swept over Diana from head to toe.

"As I thought — you've grown weak. Compared to your prime, you're nothing but a guttering wick. There'll be no need to strain myself snuffing you out."

Marca stroked his chin, then curled his lips into a grim smile, as if a fine idea had just struck him.

"Decided. I'll kill both you and the Heaven-Defier here. Then the Iron Blood Dominion shall arrive all the sooner."

Brilliant sunlight blazed to life in both of his hands.

"Solar Sword."

A sword of light took form in Marca's grip.

"All of it — for His descent."

"I don't know what you've been babbling about this whole time—"

Diana answered him by whipping up a storm of mana.

The explosive magic transformed entirely into moonlight, weaving a mystic aura around her as silver currents of energy wrapped her body.

Become the Moonlight Witch herself, Diana glared at her opponent with frost-blue eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You're going to die by my hand either way."

"Reckless. In that state, you dare face me?"

Her answer came not in words, but in magic.

Moonlight condensed into the shape of a colossal scythe.

Lunar scythes came surging forward as if to carve her opponent from existence.

Shwaak!

The sinister blades drove straight for Marca's neck —

"Pathetic."

— and Marca, utterly unbothered, swept his sword once.

Crack!

A single stroke of his blade shattered the scythes entirely.

But she had anticipated at least this much, and the next spell unfolded without pause.

"Moonlight."

Vmmm…!

Moonlight rippled outward through the air around her, spreading in widening rings.

"Moon-Gazing."

Shaaaaaaa—!!

The ripples swelled into a raging tidal wave and crashed down upon where Marca stood.

"Oh ho…"

A low murmur of admiration escaped him.

To think she could cast magic of this caliber in such a battered state.

If I took that head-on, even I would suffer for it.

Marca gripped his sword tight and took his stance.

"Twelve Solar Swords."

The sun at high noon

"Fifth Sword."

— no matter how brilliantly a moon may shine, it blots out without mercy.

"Scintillant Beheading: Ten Thousand."

The crossing strokes of the Solar Sword split the oncoming tide clean apart.

Kwa-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku—!

The slashing light bored straight through the wave and came charging at Diana herself.

A shield of moonlight, thrown up at the last possible instant before the blow could land.

Crack!

The instant the shield met the slash, both shattered together.

"Ggh…!"

Even diminished from carving through the tidal wave, it had shattered her barrier in a single stroke.

If she'd taken that head-on…

My body would have been cut clean in two.

Cold sweat broke out along her spine.

"Is that all you have?"

"…As if it could be!"

Diana pressed her palms together and deployed the spell she had been holding in reserve.

"Descend — Polar Night!"

Hooooooh!

A moon bloomed into being, and the surroundings transformed into a night of moonlight.

Her signature magic — the very spell she had unleashed against Lee Tae-hyun in the sparring arena.

Here, I can…!

Within this domain, she could push her spell output back up to something close to her true condition.

I can't sustain Polar Night for long!

So — while it lasts,

Even if it burns everything I have — I will kill this man!

Jikkeun!

A splitting headache lanced through her skull, but she paid it no mind.

Diana ignored her screaming body and loaded spell after spell.

"Moon… light…!"

Shuuuung!

Countless spells unfurled across the night sky.

Six spells deployed simultaneously — the penta-casting alone was breathtakingly flawless, and atop it, a greatsword of moonlight besides.

Threads of blood began trickling from Diana's nose and eyes.

Proof that she was burning through her very life in real time.

And yet her face was more resolute than it had ever been.

Even if it kills me.

So she could apologize to the children waiting for her in the world beyond.

So she could stand tall before the mages of every generation past, who had guarded the Magic Tower since its founding.

I will fight to the very end!

The Magic Tower must not end with me.

It would continue on, unbroken, forever — becoming the beating heart of humanity itself.

The song that would crown her final moments

would not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be a dirge, but a marching hymn.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

Watching the spells embroidered across the night, Marca's expression turned ever so slightly serious.

"I underestimated you. To think you'd wager your life for this place."

A mere human.

A mortal who lived on but an instant — to bare such resolve…

This has grown slightly inconvenient.

But the original plan did not change.

He thrust the sword of light straight forward and threw himself fully into the battle.

It was the moment sun and moon collided.

"This is…"

I parted my lips slightly as I stared at the scene before me.

At the end of the thread's guidance stood an enormous crystal orb, wreathed in layer upon layer of protective magic deployed to shield it.

Vmmm…

The crystal orb floated in the air, humming a low, sonorous tone.

Within it, a vast expanse shimmered into view — as if someone had carved out a slice of the cosmos and sealed it inside.

And drifting through that space were thousands of spells.

This goes beyond anything Wiz ever created in Spellcraft.

I already thought Spellcraft was incredible enough.

But this was something else entirely — a different order of existence altogether.

It almost felt as if I were witnessing a phenomenon in its own right.

"I can tell with one look."

I'd never once seen it, in my past life or this one — and yet I knew.

This was the thing that could only be called the very source of the Magic Tower.

The Ark.

Thankfully, it looks like I'm the first one here.

Unlike the rest of the Tower's magic, the protective spells enveloping the Ark still stood intact.

No traces of external impact, no signs of any attempt to dispel them — the invader hadn't found this place yet.

He'll be heading this way soon enough, though.

As long as the Ark was his objective, no matter how long he wandered the labyrinth, he would make his way here before long.

"Rir, send a signal to the other wolves. Tell them I've found the Ark."

"Woof woof!"

Better to gather and prepare our assault in advance.

Sticking together gave us far better odds of survival than wandering off separately and facing the invader alone.

"Whiiiine…"

Rir squeezed his eyes shut and relayed the signal to his subordinate wolves.

And in that very instant—

"…Kyin?!"

Rir flinched, his whole body shuddering, and looked up at me, working his front paws in a frantic pattern.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Three urgent beats.

That means…

Someone had died — or taken a wound so grave they might as well have.

Just before the shock could wash over my mind—

KWAANG!

A golden slash came hurtling at me head-on.

An attack!

I reacted instantly, deflecting the slash with my spear.

The impact was enough to leave my hand numb.

"Haah… to think the Ark was with the final candidate all along…"

The one who had evidently loosed the slash came walking out from across the chamber.

"I'm a step late yet again. This is no way for a cardinal to keep up appearances."

The man was stained with blood from head to toe.

Countless small wounds had carved up his brown skin.

Instinctively wary, I tightened my grip ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on my spear.

That revolting aura.

No doubt about it.

This man was one of the Advent Cult.

And a fairly high-ranking one, at that.

…But then again.

That face.

Somehow, it looked familiar.

I was sure I'd seen it somewhere before…

Snap.

I forced the lid down hard on the thought trying to drift elsewhere.

Now was no time to waste my attention on useless things.

This one's a World Ranker class.

An opponent I'd have to clash with at full strength.

I held myself ready to dive into combat at any moment, and spoke.

"You're one of the Advent Cult's, aren't you?"

"Hoh. So you are the Heaven-Defier. A far cry from that woman, who knew nothing at all."

"…That woman?"

Come to think of it —

his condition looked like he'd already fought one battle.

The wounds aren't deep, but it was clear he'd been through a fairly brutal fight.

"Don't tell me… you ran into Diana first?"

"I'll answer you out of courtesy. Yes. Before I arrived here, I met that Moonlight Witch."

"…And then what happened?"

"A meaningless question."

He brandished the sword of light and flashed an unpleasant smile.

"I killed her. Split her belly open with this very ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blade."

"……"

"Now it's your turn to die — and hasten the coming of the Iron Blood Dominion."

A memory flickered through my mind.

Just moments ago — Rir's signal.

Someone had died, or been mortally wounded.

"So that's how it ended up."

The instant I heard Diana was dead, my heart turned terrifyingly calm.

So calm that even I couldn't understand why.

But one thing was certain.

"Then die."

I would never — never — let that man walk away alive.