Sanctuary of Memory (Finale)
I shook off the things clinging to my ankles, batting aside the blades that thrust up from below, and dodged the sharp projectiles that whistled through the air as I sprinted toward the crest of the hill.
Hermila, missing one arm, still crushed monsters like insects with her remaining hand. Bishur, her rapier broken, slipped into stealth and slashed throats with a dagger. And beyond the two of them, Ser’s assaults were pure calamity for the creatures. The earth yawned open like a dragon’s maw and swallowed them whole; formless meteor showers rained from the sky, distinguishing friend from foe with perfect precision as they punched through skulls.
Yet their numbers never dwindled—if anything they seemed to swell—and that grotesque regenerative power made Hermila grind her teeth.
“If I try to estimate how many of those things are out there and where… it makes my head spin.”
“Haa… Lady Hermila, in the future you saw, did beings like that not exist?”
“They did. But… they were never this tenacious. Hup—!”
Kwaang—! Hermila smashed dozens of monsters that had closed in an instant, then continued.
“And… they seem even tougher than before. Their recovery’s faster. It wasn’t this bad originally…”
Her gaze dropped to the surging waves of divine power below; she sealed her lips as if swallowing whatever she had been about to say. Rubia, watching her, seemed to reach a certain conviction. A self-deprecating smile touched her lips as she spoke.
“My… divine power… haa… When my divine power grows stronger, their regenerative ability rises with it, doesn’t it?”
“We still… can’t be certain.”
“I was only half-sure before, but this time I know. Every time a Beast of the End dies, my divine power grows. Noah felt it too, right?”
I swung Frey and nodded. Just as Rubia said, each time we felled a Beast of the End her divine power swelled unnaturally. The reservoir of power pooling inside her body multiplied exponentially as well.
“And… that strengthened divine power is so easy to control, as if it had been mine from the very beginning.”
Rubia’s voice trembled. My grip on Frey tightened. My movements grew rougher still.
“So… to put it precisely.”
A cracked smile painted itself across Rubia’s face.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m getting stronger so much as… like my body is being completed.”
Jjeoeong—! Sword aura, overcharged by her surging emotions, shook the very air. Hermila flinched, steadied her breath, and shook her head.
“Nothing is certain yet. And no matter how tough those things get, we can still kill them this…! easily, so don’t overthink it. We have a self-proclaimed genius up there, after all.”
Sswaeek—! A razor-sharp gust skimmed past Hermila’s hair and severed a wrist that had been reaching to snare our feet.
“Geniuses always have good ears, don’t they.”
Pajik— Lightning this time. Rubia, who had watched the childish exchange unfold right in front of her, chuckled softly and drew up her divine power.
“Yes. Well… no matter what, the task before us right now is already decided.”
[You see that look on her face?]
‘I can’t see anything, you know…’
[You damn brat. You think that’s what I meant?]
The sound of a tongue clicking filled my head.
[You’re really doing something awful here.]
‘…I know.’
[You son of a bitch… You’d better treat me right after this. Got it?]
‘Yes… I know.’
[Knowing it and still… haa. Fine. You’ve got some picture in your head, so… yeah. Doing it is fine. But what if it goes wrong?]
I swung Frey with irritable force. Violent sword aura, shaped by my emotions, did not merely cut the monsters—it burst their rag-doll bodies and carved out a massive crater.
‘I’d rather I go wrong than Rubia.’
Cartia’s heavy sigh.
[Do whatever you want, you cocky little brat.]
With those final words, Cartia’s voice fell silent. I shook off the thoughts and hacked indiscriminately at the things climbing onto our path, steadily advancing toward the summit.
And so, when we finally reached the top, it was not Ser’s calm, refined voice that greeted us, but one cracked and strained with effort.
“Don’t just stand there like idiots—run! Faster!”
Kugung— The path we had climbed collapsed. Rubia’s hand seized my wrist and we broke into a desperate sprint. Bishur and Hermila led the way, clearing a path. Ser, swaying on her feet, shoved back the things pursuing us from behind.
Almost there.
Sword aura that lunged as if to kill me vanished the instant it met a veil of divine power. Petals spilled from a headless torso and swirled through the air, trying to wrap around our bodies; hundreds of wind spirits hovering in the sky whipped up a fierce gale and drove them back. Hermila’s fist slammed into the center of a magic circle that bloomed beneath our feet, while Bishur’s dagger buried itself in the back of a completed Master’s skull as the creature rose in the distance.
Just a little farther.
Teok— A languid attitude split open the belly of a body crawling across the ground. Blood poured from the gash. The blood became flowers. One bloom, two, three. When the ceaselessly flowering blossoms had completely covered the spilled blood, the petals took flight.
Petals that blanketed the entire world in soft warmth drifted gently down and brushed Bishur’s left arm.
Ppuddeuk— Without a moment’s hesitation Bishur tore her own arm free, spun around, and shouted.
“Khup… Don’t let the petals touch you!”
Blood dripped in thick spatters from her severed stump. Those droplets bloomed into petals once more, unfurled, and scattered. Bishur flung her dagger aside, yanked a magic scroll from her coat, and tore it open with her teeth and remaining hand, igniting a burst of flame. She pressed it to her left shoulder.
“Kheup… kkeuk…”
Chiik— With a hideous sizzle the shoulder cauterized and the bleeding stopped. Rubia sucked in a startled breath and raised a wide veil of divine power. Tadak— tadak— Petals that struck the barrier left fine cracks before dissolving into the air.
At once I spread my Qi Sensing and painted the surroundings in my mind. Any monster the petals touched crumbled without a trace—holes punched through them, bodies twisted, torn, annihilated. From the blood that spilled, more flowers. From the flowers, more petals. An infinite bloom swallowed the world.
Defense meant nothing. Barriers of mana, living things, unliving things—people, equipment, everything on this battlefield died the instant a petal touched it.
Rubia, having surveyed the situation, understood as well. She yanked my hand hard and pulled me into her embrace.
“Noah, don’t fall behind.”
Jeolgeureok—
Then a familiar sound came from within her arms.
[Ha! You fucking bitches! You’re both the exact same kind of crazy! Perfect match for each other, you lunatics!]
Listening to Cartia spit out rage that had reached its absolute limit, I quietly smiled. Because Rubia, who was so like me, was far too precious. Because the lie she had told me made me so unbearably glad. Because I understood better than anyone the feelings that had led her to that decision. Because I finally realized what responsibility she had been prepared to shoulder. Because Rubia was so insanely lovable. Because for her sake I felt I could do anything at all.
The tangled mess inside my head cleared completely. I nodded and slipped free of Rubia’s arms. Then I stepped forward with lightened feet—toward the summit. Toward the Sanctuary of Memory.
Jjeojeok— Cracks spiderwebbed across the divine veil. Hermila’s rank erupted roughly and shoved the petals back. Overwhelming spirit winds wrapped around us and scattered the blossoms.
“Goddess of the Sun!!”
A grief-stricken cry rang out. Shadows fell across the earth.
“Your apostle earnestly beseeches you!!”
Dark light coiled around the petals. A viscous rank settled upon the ground.
“Grant me the power to take the head of the heretic who dared reach for the heavens!!”
Through a gap in the Black Sun still marked by sword scars, divine power poured down and illuminated a man.
“The price! My everything! Even a single fragment of my soul I offer!!”
In that instant every sound vanished from the noisy battlefield.
—Heh heh heh, I like it.
A familiar voice drifted to us.
“Aaaah! Aaaaaah!!!”
Hearing that voice, the man ignored his own swelling body, buried his head in the split-open belly of a corpse still pouring blood, and began to devour its contents with ravenous greed.
A brief silence. The signal was the divine power wrapping our bodies. Every one of Ser’s spirits unleashed everything they had toward the man. Hermila, cloaked in the rank of annihilation raised to its absolute limit, shot toward him like a bullet. I too dragged Frey roughly behind me and stepped in front of Rubia.
Then, just before the spirits’ power could reach him—
Jjeoeok— The man’s head, smeared with every kind of filth, lifted. Where eyes should have been, mouths opened. Where a nose should have been, a mouth opened. Where ears should have been, mouths opened. Mouths. Mouths. Mouths. Mouths. Teeth.
Jjeojeok— jjeok— jjeoeok—
The mouths sprouting across the man’s body yawned wide. Behind him a colossal beast’s maw formed and opened. In the sky. In the empty air. Upon the earth. Identical maws appeared and gaped. What filled those openings were teeth. Inside the yawning abyss existed countless teeth.
And then— Kwaduk—
The maws closed.
Every monster blanketing the battlefield vanished. The countless petals swirling through the air vanished. Half the earthen walls encircling the Sanctuary of Memory vanished.
Jjeojeok— jjeop— jjeoeok— jjeop—
Mouths busily chewed and swallowed the spirits’ attacks that came from every direction. Again— kkagagagak— a gigantic maw formed beneath the Sanctuary of Memory and began to open.
And so, just as the mouth was slowly, slowly about to close—
“Hwaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
A hearty roar plummeted from the sky, and—
Jjeoeong—!
The beast’s maw that had started to shut was wrenched violently open again. A massive frame. Corded muscle. A prosthetic arm of unknown metal, covered in magic circles. A halberd gripped in that arm. And—
“Kwahahahahahaha! What are you all so scared for!”
A bald head.
Guung—!
A colossal bell-like peal rang out; gravity that warped even space itself forced the beast’s jaws still wider.
“I came for an arm-wrestling match, little one! Hm? But you look even shorter than before?”
“…H-Heinzel… Uncle…?”
“Mm!”
Jeolgeureok— Every movement of his arm produced a heavy metallic clang.
“How about it, little one! Cool, right?”
“H-Heinzel-ssi? That arm, what on earth—”
“Oh! Lady Rubia! I had it made so I could finally beat the little one at arm-wrestling! How’s it look? Stronger than before, yeah?”
Jeolgeureok— jeolgeureok—
While Heinzel flexed and swung the arm this way and that, a sharp voice cut down from above him.
“Stronger my ass! Just kill that monster already, you crazy bald bastard!”
Charlotte.
“He has clearly been eating age with his asshole.”
Yuria.
And then—
“Protect the Sanctuary of Memory!”
““Uwaaaaaaaaaah!!!””
Hundreds of people charged forward at Jure’s command.
“Finally… we made it.”
Hermila let out a breath of relief and eased the tension in her shoulders a fraction.
“What… in the world is this…”
“The subjugation force we dispatched to Urusphier.”
Yuria, riding a tree root, answered Rubia’s startled gasp.
“And the kind people who insisted on coming with us from Urusphier to protect Lady Noah.”
Noise once more filled the battlefield that had fallen quiet.
“From Urusphier… for Noah…?”
“Yes. They were raising hell about smashing Erden for branding Lady Noah a heretic. So we had no choice but to bring them along.”
Tears welled and spilled from my tightly shut eyes.
“Th-They could all die—”
“No. Without Lady Noah we would already be dead. So risking our lives for the one who saved us is only natural.”
Lebuje hurriedly slid down from the tree root, dropped to one knee before me, and bowed his head.
“This Lebuje. Even if my soul is extinguished, I will protect Lady Noah.”
“…Uh… uhh…”
“Kwahahahahaha! Little one! This is when you’re supposed to smile, not start blubbering! Laugh!”
Kwang— kwang— A gigantic hand thumped my back. The tears that had pooled in my eyes splattered free.
“Augh… th-that’s…”
“Lady Noah. Lady Rubia. Even with reinforcements here, do not lower your guard. They may have called for support of their own.”
Ser, lightly stepping down atop the heads of her spirits, looked between Rubia and me as she spoke.
“Ugh… uk…”
I wiped my tears on a ragged sleeve and nodded.
“I’ll open the path with the baldy, so Yuria, just connect the road with tree roots. And… you over there from the Magic Tower—”
“Please call me Ser. You may speak freely, Third Imperial Princess Charlotte.”
“Ugh, damn. Princess my ass. Just call me Charlotte. Anyway, Ser, you… yeah. You’ll handle yourself fine.”
“Correct.”
Charlotte’s head snapped around.
“And Hermila. What’s with your arm.”
“I got jealous of Heinzel-ssi’s prosthetic and thought I’d try swapping mine out too. Hehe.”
“Kwahahahahaha! So you get it too, Hermila! The coolness of this arm!”
Jeolgeureok— jeolgeureok—
“Cut the bullshit and follow me, baldy.”
“Mm! I still haven’t properly spoken with the little one, though.”
“Ah, fuck. You can do that after everything’s over!”
“Mm… little one. Will you talk with me once it’s all finished?”
Heinzel stroked his chin with the naturally moving prosthetic and looked down at me, voice a little crestfallen.
“O-Of course… We still… haven’t finished our arm-wrestling match.”
“Oh! Hahahahaha! Good! That’s good!!”
He thumped my shoulder once more, a happy grin plastered across his face, then turned his back.
“Come back, little one. You must come back.”
“Let’s move. Ah, Bishur, you come too.”
“Ah, it would be an honor, Princess Charlotte.”
Watching the others pull away, Hermila turned to us.
“Leave this place to us now. Trust us.”
“…Yes.”
Udeudeuk— The moment Rubia finished speaking, tree roots surged up, linking all the way to the Sanctuary of Memory.
Kkagagagak—
A gigantic maw yawned open beneath them, but—
Guung—!
Heinzel’s Unique Ability blocked it once more.
“I should be going as well. Hurry.”
Hermila gave us a bright smile, turned, and walked away. With every step the rank of annihilation bloomed and burned ever more fiercely. Rubia and I climbed the tree roots and advanced toward the Sanctuary of Memory.
Teobeok— teobeok—
Ten steps ahead. This should be safe enough.
Eight steps. Even if a Beast of the End bursts out, it won’t be a problem.
Five steps. So.
Four steps. I can leave Rubia behind.
Three steps. And go.
Two steps. I can do it.
One step.
Jeolgeureok—
The familiar sound rang out at the same instant I shook off Rubia’s hand, removed Cartia’s bracelet and the Bracelet of Verdure, and fastened them around her wrist.
Teolsseok— cheolgeureok—
“…Huh?”
Thanks to Cartia’s bracelet, which held my rank, and the Bracelet of Verdure with its sealing effect, Rubia’s strength drained away and she sank to the ground. Sure enough, handcuffs dangled from her fingers.
“Hehe… I was faster.”
Then I pressed my lips to hers and whispered.
“You don’t need to sacrifice yourself, Rubia.”
“Noah…? W-Wait. Noah…!”
“Lady Cartia. I’m counting on you.”
I turned, drew the greatsword hanging at my waist, and said,
“I love you so much, Rubia.”
Then I leapt into the Sanctuary of Memory and swung the greatsword with every ounce of strength I possessed.
“I’ll be back.”
Kureureureung—!
With a tremendous roar the Sanctuary of Memory collapsed, and a familiar landscape came into view.