387 – The Dragon’s Game – 2

Above the city streets near Crown Hall’s outer walls. Six playthings were plummeting.

“Kyaaah-!”

“Your Holiness!”

Waking up to find himself in the sky, falling at a breakneck speed, was a most unsettling predicament. Pin instinctively flailed in the air, reaching for Vecchio’s side. And he managed to stretch out his arms and embrace him… just barely.

“⋯⋯What do we do now?!”

“I have no idea⋯⋯!!”

He racked his brains, recalling the list of divine powers granted by the Goddess, but nothing related to flight came to mind. Holding Vecchio tight, Pin made sure that his back faced the ground.

He figured that using his own body as a cushion would give Vecchio even a slightly better chance of survival.

Meanwhile, Bennett’s party and Namgung Cheonghwi exchanged calm glances. Thanks to the mad mage, they had fallen from the Academy dozens of times and all were capable of the double jump.

“I’ll handle this side!”

“Understood. I’ll reduce our speed.”

Bennett drew his holy sword mid-air. A swing imbued with tremendous magical power created a reaction, and the resulting currents slowed everyone’s descent.

Envers, with peculiar movements, swam through the air, approaching Pin and Vecchio to take hold of them. Concentrating his inner force, he emitted strange waveforms from the tips of his feet.

He gave a warning.

“We’ll rotate eight times. You might get a little dizzy!”

“Eh?!”

“『Unryong Dae Palseik』!”

“Ughaaah──?!”

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh.*

Envers, and Pin-Vecchio in his grasp, flipped every which way, rapidly decelerating. Soon, they successfully landed on the roof of a nearby residential building.

“Let’s land as well. Be careful.”

-Thank you, Bennett. Please be careful too!

“Hmph, if I couldn’t handle even this, I’d have to give up my position as a Saintess.”

Even if the forms differ, the essence of the double jump remains the same. Applying the force of rebound, exerting power on the body in a vertical direction. Kicking off with semi-solidified mana, flipping the body.

Thwack.

Bennett, Tara, and Niore kicked against the empty air, finally decelerating to land.

At long last, the six found themselves on solid ground, surveying their surroundings. A familiar cityscape. The very image of the Imperial capital, visited time and time again.

“…Forcibly transported to Crown Hall, were we?”

“It’s more peaceful than I expected. So, *that*… that entity sent us here? I thought I was about to wake up in hell. Expected at least a few dozen monsters.”

Tara lowered her gaze. The citizens of Crown Hall, seemingly unaffected, strolled the streets, absorbed in their usual, mundane routines.

Walking, buying things, laughing, chatting. A scene entirely devoid of oddity.

-It’s strange.

“Huh?”

And that’s precisely why it’s strange. Just a moment ago, the six of them had dropped out of thin air. While the four academy students managed to maintain their composure, hadn’t the Pope screamed his lungs out?

Yet, despite such a commotion, not a single person even spared them a glance. As if they were non-existent beings.

Niore identified a further contradiction.

-If you listen closely to the conversations, they don’t quite mesh. Over there, someone’s trying to pay ten copper leaves for an apple, but the fruit store clerk is thanking them for buying a pineapple.

This is, almost…

-Like a stage, or a theatrical backdrop. Something fabricated….

“Hee hee hee. Quite right. The denizens of this district are merely acting according to pre-programmed routines. I’ve taken the liberty of embellishing the stage a little, by way of the Great Evil One’s bestowed power. I must say, your eyes are quite perceptive.”

A voice interjected.

Bennett turned his gaze towards the source of the voice. Behind the window of a residential building’s second floor, a face he had seen once before was smiling brightly, addressing them.

“…’Lamb.'”

“Ah, Bennett. A plaything of ‘Corpse Flower’, now a hero, it would seem. A remarkable promotion, wouldn’t you say?”

“You’re alive?”

“Half-dead. I’ve lost much. But the Evil One took pity on me, and filled the void of my missing half – the one that mad wizard, that son of a b*tch, erased. Care to see?”

Suddenly.

Another head rose from below the window. It was the face of a woman, smiling serenely, but the color of her hair was a murky, deep green. ‘Corpse Flower’.

“Hello, Bennett.”

“…It’s been a while since you escaped. Whose body did you steal this time—”

“Hello Bennett. Ah, ah, hello. Bennett.”

“… … … …?”

Corpse Flower repeated the same phrase, like a broken tape.

And then, abrupt.

Another head rose from below the window. The beaming face of Duke Maximus Redburn. And beside it, just as suddenly, the head of a maiden so beautiful it hurt to look.

The Noose and the Virgin, respectively. They should be dead, surely. The Succubus Queen hadn’t even left a corpse, and the Duke had most certainly incinerated her remains. So these things—they must be replicas.

Four heads, pressed close together, emerged over the windowsill. Amiably. So near that their ears almost touched. Smiling, bright and serene.

Floating.

Four smiling necks detached. Beneath each, a long, pristine white spine of bone descended, connecting below into a single, unified mass. A spherical lump of flesh.

Like four flowers blossoming from a pot, yet ghastly, repulsive. Enbers’ face tightened. Bennet grimaced. Finn hastily covered Vecchio’s eyes.

The Lamb stretched its neck long and murmured.

“See? My friends. We are now *One*. The Evil God has joined us together so harmoniously. I feel warmth always, though strangely, a little cold…”

His lips were stretched wide in a smile that looked ready to split, yet somehow, also looked like he was crying. An empty smile.

Battle was imminent. Everyone felt it.

Bennet, slowly assuming his stance, said quietly.

“…Hero. Enbers. Take the Pope and run.”

“What…?”

“We are practically already captured by the Evil God. And to face a God, we need a God. Not holy power, but direct aid. Do you understand?”

To overcome such a fundamental disadvantage, external help was needed.

Of course, the Evil God would have anticipated this. From the moment they fell, most of the Holy Sword’s functions were disabled. As if they had entered some kind of *signal-jamming zone*.

Tara quietly gestured. Holy power also blocked. Unable to download, it seemed. The connection between the Goddess and the earth was completely severed.

They had to do something about it. And the one with even a sliver of a chance of summoning the Goddess was not the temporary administrator Bennet, but the official administrator, Pope Vecchio.

“Are you sure you three will be alright? There are four enemy heads. Perhaps I should stay…”

“Hmph, Enbers, you dolt. You’d just get in the way. We’re the *Fake Hero Party* bonded by love. Right, Niore?”

“Yes. We three are at our best together. Even in bed. Ahem… Please take care of His Holiness, Enbers. We’ll be fine.”

“Hm…! Understood. I, Namgoong Cheonghwi, shall succeed!”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Wh-where, are you trying, to goooaaahhh──!!”

“aaahhh──!!”

“Aack, Aack──!!”

The heads of the black mages, mouths agape, screamed in unison. Nearby windows shattered as magic of every kind rained down haphazardly.

*Crimson Fireball*, *Flame Harpoon*, *Ice Fog*, *Lightning Whip*, *Vision Disruption*, *The Temptation of the Great Harlot*, *Presence of Shadows*…

The spells used by the four black mages mixed together and flew toward them. At the same time, Bennet’s party began to move.

“I’ll hold them. You pierce through! 『Guardian Wish』!”

“I don’t know if I can reach… But I’ll try, Bennett! 『Regret’s Thorny Embrace』!”

-I’ll support you. From the dark abyss, I call upon that slumbering one──

*Kwaaang──!!*

With the explosion echoing behind them, Pin, Vecchio, and Enbers surged forward.

—

Enbers practically carried Pin and Vecchio as he ran. He poured every ounce of martial skill he possessed, solely to increase their speed.

“Tell me where we must go. I will clear the path!”

“To commune with the Goddess… I believe there’s a church dedicated to her in Crown Hall. We can try to establish contact there!”

“T-That, Knight? Sir Knight! The nearest church is that way!”

“Understood! And I am Namgung Cheonghwi, a warrior of the Murim!”

*Tadat.*

They advanced swiftly. But their rapid progress was short-lived.

*ooong-!*

“N-No. A-A nightmare, a nightmare, a c-call. M-My head, my head aches. *Achesaaack──!!*”

Far in the distance, a black wave emanated from the battlefield along with a scream, sweeping through Crown Hall. It was the *Corpse Flower’s* ultimate technique, 『Nightmare Summons』, forced into his head by the Evil God.

From the shadows of the streets, fearful things began to emerge.

At first, small insects. Snakes, spiders, things of that nature.

But as time passed, they grew stronger, more concrete terrors were drawn forth. Blocking the group’s path were human shapes. Shapes of old men.

“Your Holinessss. You have failed, how will you care for the peopleeesss.”

“Your Holinessss, you must create order, and enrich usss.”

“H-Heok. H-Hit⋯⋯!”

Vecchio gasped, faced with the shadows of former cardinals. Trauma cannot be resolved instantly. The torrent of fear from the past surged back, and his body trembled.

Pin clenched his teeth, furious.

“You worthless b*stards, no help even after death!”

He swung his sword, cutting them down. While Pin slew one, Enbers carved through more than ten shades of old cardinals in a single motion, clearing the way.

But Namgung Cheonghwi felt unease. If this continued, the next to appear would be… ‘Him’. The being that remained as fear in his heart.

And at the end of that road. He saw the form of a pitch-black man. He was right. Namgung Cheonghwi murmured his name.

“⋯⋯『The Heavenly Demon』. Damn it, I suppose this is where I end.”

“Huh?!”

“You’ve phrased that poorly. I mean to say we must expend all our strength in holding that one back. The church isn’t far, I beseech thee, brave hero!”

“Yes, yes! Your Holiness, let us go! Fear not, for I shall protect you!”

Running. There’s nothing else to do but run.

Finn clutched Vecchio, running desperately. Protecting the warmth he felt in his arms. Repeating that single thought, over and over.

—

The Black Dragon, Crown, displayed the players’ forms within a vast crystal sphere. One group facing the First Prince, and another confronting the fused Black Magician. And, as if wanting them to witness it, he showed these screens to the women.

*How is it? What do you think?*

That seemed to be the question he posed.

“That mad b*stard…”

Aisha spat onto the floor. The spot briefly bubbled, then her saliva became tiny ants, scattering in all directions.

“…This feels like the Succubus Queen’s *Nest.* Like my *Wordless Domain*, Yuna.”

“Mm. Or perhaps, like my *Wordless Domain*. Should we call it, another world?”

“Or maybe we’re inside some mad magician’s *simulation*. Haa… Mima, I told you not to let your guard down, was that so hard?! When we get back, I’m seriously going to clock you one. Filial piety be damned!”

A black void.

Judging from their experience thus far, the three of them had a 0% chance of winning.

The gulf between the Black Dragon and them was already immense. Moreover, this space was the Black Dragon’s nest, his authority boosted to an almost dizzying degree.

They couldn’t win.

But… they could buy time. Aisha clenched both fists tightly.

That monster loves suffering, loves despair. This is a golden opportunity to break their spirits and toy with them. He wouldn’t let such a delicious chance slip by.

As long as they didn’t give up, as long as they screamed to his heart’s content, the Black Dragon would allow them unlimited chances.

Waiting like that, waiting… until the Mad Magician awakened–enduring.

He would awaken and win.

Yes, this was a desperate situation. He’d appeared unconscious even just before being warped here, and a boy knight was already drawing his sword. But, but he *was* the Mad Magician. He had to have prepared something.

There had to be a breakthrough, a plan for a happy ending.

Then, a tiny scrap of information, transcending language, was launched. It resonated directly within Aisha’s mind, the Black Dragon’s will made audible.

*[I concur with your assessment. My tainted fragment. He will awaken, and he will fight me. Perhaps he will even win. But he will be too late, and his friends will be gone.]*

“…Just you try and see.”

She wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t. Yuna and Yuri, Aisha, prepared for battle. Then… they realized.

One was missing.

Among the visages that the Black Dragon showed them, Selvier was nowhere to be seen.

If that’s the case… ?

—

Swoosh.

“……”

The sensation of the blade meeting resistance was peculiar.

The boy knight lifted his head. Flickering flames remained on the ground.

Whoosh.

Ten meters away. A woman with a body blazing like fire was embracing the Mad Mage. She’d used the momentary acceleration of her flames to pull him away.

“….Brother, wake up. This can’t be it, we can’t end like this. I… I haven’t given up yet… !”

How had she avoided *Forced Exile*?

The Sword Saint knew the answer soon enough. Her state was not normal. Roughly thirty percent of her fiery body was torn away, riddled with holes.

“She discarded her name… Treating her amorphous flesh like an information lifeform. Cramming her name into a part of her body and abandoning the rest… But… does it even matter? Clinging on with such desperation, nothing will change.”

“……”

“Give up and let go. You know it too, don’t you? That everything is predetermined.”

“….I don’t care. We’ll have to fight to know who is stronger. Even if the opponent is you!”

Every other Player had been swept up in *Forced Exile*. She was the only one who could protect the Mad Mage here.

How could he not know?

Apotheosis and sublimation. The thick chasm between them.

But he believed some things must be done, regardless of success or failure.

“Then I will gladly cut you down. A life returning to nothingness through death is a life happier than this one.”

The Sword Saint merely swung his sword. Technique honed through long years, and a heart that preceded technique, and the apotheosis emanating from that heart – it was not an attack that could be avoided.

Fast, powerful. At least death would be painless.

Thud.

Terror bloomed in her eyes. She, too, had realized it. She could not block this attack, and she would meet her death.

But she didn’t retreat a single step. To save the Mad Mage’s life for even a second longer. The Sword Saint’s blade sliced through the rising flames and pierced through in a single strike. Carving a crescent moon through the fire.

Snikt-! The blade instantly swept across her neck.

“Kuh…?!”

“……”

“….Heu, heuk. Ha. Ha… ?”

He cut her. He clearly cut her, but the sensation was strange.

Even Vane himself blinked, taken aback by the fact he was still alive.

Her flames had diminished. So, the attack had landed. But, why hadn’t it killed him?

Usually, it would have been an instant demise. Moreover, the manifestation of the enemy Red Tower mage was overtly offensive, a form that should have crumbled from even the slightest injury.

“…I see.”

The young knight understood. Precisely because of that.

His manifestation, *Gyeokmul* (擊物) – Striking Things – was an omnipotent ability to cleave all things. If it could grasp it, it could respond to all forms of attack.

It could even sever the very concept of an opponent’s lifespan, killing them instantly, or slice away at the flow of time, freezing it. In theory, at least.

In practice, it was possible. However, it required more time and effort than simply swinging his blade and severing a head. *Conceptual* things possessed a high durability and couldn’t be easily cleaved with *Gyeokmul*.

The seemingly all-powerful manifestation of the Sword Saint came with such limitations.

Among them, the concept of a human lifespan was extremely tenacious. Severing it through *Gyeokmul* would take a considerable amount of time.

And her manifestation…

“The act of turning your body into flame is akin to extracting your lifespan from your body…so my manifestation isn’t working as well as it should. Truly, the realm of the soul is ever new, even after so many years.”

“…”

How ironic. The very technique she used, willing to drastically weaken her body and embracing death, making her flesh synonymous with her lifespan itself, was what allowed her to withstand the young knight’s manifestation.

“But merely surviving a single strike won’t be enough, will it? Isn’t that right, young mage?”

The solution was simple. A straightforward approach existed. He could deactivate his *Gyeokmul* manifestation and, with pure physical strength, cleave the flame mage before him in one fell swoop.

But that method… was dangerous.

*Hwareureuk-*!

Even with all said and done, her destructive power was still a threat, even to a Sword Saint. He had to sever the incoming flame attacks with *Gyeokmul*. To ensure safety, he needed to maintain a constant state of *Gyeokmul*.

But it didn’t matter.

Because the difference in skill was overwhelming. Even if the Sword Saint’s attacks were less effective due to their incompatibility, the process of death was only slightly delayed. Eventually, she would die.

However, even so.

“…I don’t know how. But your attacks… they’re not working very well.”

“It will only take a little time.”

“That’s enough. If I can protect it for even a few more seconds, it doesn’t matter…!”

Selvir stepped forward with determination.