At last, we stood before the final bastion of the Black Constellation.
The wind howled around my ears, but I paid it no mind.
An unwelcome feeling settled in my stomach as I stared at the massive gate of blackened iron that barred our way forward.
We were nearing the end of our journey. The moment we stepped through that door, we would begin to determine what our futures held.
Uneasiness clenched my heart tight and refused to let go.
As much as I hated to admit it, I didn't want this to end. I wanted to continue journeying with Lucrezia, Priya, and—much to my own surprise—Antenora.
Even so, I had to move forward. It was the only path that I could take, and even if I was alone in the end, it didn't matter.
It shouldn't matter.
These past few weeks were like a paradise to me. No one could possibly understand.
I was a broken person, if you could even call me a person at all. Everything that's happened here was nothing compared to how I lived back on Earth.
Any rational person wouldn't have put up with Lucrezia's spoiled attitude back when the two of us first saved Antenora. Instead, I apologized to her and somehow became a member of her family.
Any rational person wouldn't have dealt with Antenora's deceptive bullshit, especially after she'd been such a bitch ever since the start. Instead, I overlooked her attitude and even continued to journey with her despite the obvious risks.
The obvious risks that I was deliberately ignoring and trying to justify.
Was it for Lucrezia?
No, not really. It was for myself.
The only person in the entire party who had some semblance of normalcy was Priya. She didn't open up until later, but she was grateful for being saved. She mourned her friends, and she strove to become stronger.
Her eyes had been straightforward and guileless whenever we spoke. She'd sworn to stick by my side even if she was the only one there.
They were just words, but they pierced my heart.
No one had bothered saying anything like that to me before. Not even Lucrezia.
But even so, did losing all of this really matter? I'd been alone since I could remember, neglected and unloved by all.
I of all people should understand that this was just temporary. Friendships were never real, and neither did they last.
I knew that Lucrezia intended to introduce me to the clan. I knew that the crest I could summon on my forehead marked us as family.
But even so, I couldn't bring myself to truly believe it. Something as convenient as that couldn't exist in any world.
That's right... Even if this is the end of our journey, I'm here right now. Even if I'm alone, it doesn't matter. Because I'm here right now.
I gripped Liandra's arm and placed her hand on the black iron doors that barred our way. A purple sigil glowed in the center of the doors and illuminated a magic circle that was engraved into the steel.
With a groan, the doors opened. Behind them was an endless chasm of darkness that remained for five ominous seconds.
Fwoomp.
The sound repeated itself multiple times as purple flames came alight alongside the walls all the way down the length of the hallway that extended from the entrance.
A smooth obsidian that pulsated with an eerie warmth lined the walls of the hallway, illuminated by the floating purple flames that had combusted to life mere seconds ago.
Everyone hesitated before stepping through the doors, but I knew that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. I'd already come to terms with it after all.
My sole step echoed throughout the empty hallway, loud enough to drown out even a fanfare of trumpets. This was not a hero's return home.
I clenched my fists tightly.
It was an executioner's arrival to the gallows.
Our footsteps rang through the empty hallway as we made our way past doors of dubious purposes and pathways which led to unknown ventures.
"It's strangely quiet, isn't it?" Lucrezia observed.
"I thought there would be more cultists to bar our way." Priya said, directing the statement to Antenora. She was the one who shared information supposedly gleaned from Liandra after all.
"Likewise." Antenora frowned, nodding in agreement. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was on edge too.
I doubted any of us expected such a silent reception. Even Liandra was visibly confused by the lack of activity here within the Precipice of Night.
We reached the end of the hallway, barred by yet another door. [Complete Analysis] told me that it wasn't protected by any form of magic, so I simply pushed them open.
"Welcome." A voice intoned. "We have been expecting you."
It was not the voice of the Archbishop, but it was smooth and well-modulated. This was the voice of a politician, not a warrior.
The man who was speaking had gray, slicked-back hair and sharp eyes that held the shrewdness of a merchant who dealt in unsavory services.
His lips were upturned and his brow was creased into a permanent frown. The man's clothes were that of a cultist's, but they had a unique embroidery to them that suggested he was more than just the common rabble.
Standing before him in an orderly formation was a group of Shades. I did a quick headcount and came up with fourteen.
Behind all of them was a hallway that connected to a large set of doors crafted in the same fashion as the doors of the main entrance. There was no doubt that the archbishop was waiting for us behind them.
"First allow me to thank you for delivering the offering vessel to us. We are gra—"
"Shut the fuck up and come at me."
Before even waiting for a response, I blasted forward straight at the Shades. Aurelia had waited long enough, and I didn't feel like listening to his generic "suave villain" monologue.
"Shields!" One of the Shades bellowed loudly, causing the entire formation to step forward and present their shields, bracing for impact.
It didn't matter. I'd smash through them anyway.
The moment my fist struck against one of their shields, there was a deafening clang that rushed through the room. I felt a great resistance that barred my way, and a dome of shimmering purple light had enveloped their formation.
Fuck! So that's how you wanna play, huh!?
Unwilling to relent, I immediately activated [Demonic Enhancement]. It was the final stretch, and there was no need to hold back here.
I fired my punches into their defensive line in rapid succession, but instead of breaking through the man I was attacking, someone in the rear line perished in an explosion of gore instead.
"What the fuck...?"
I leapt backward and used [Complete Analysis] on the barrier while it still shimmered. The ability that they were employing was a Multi-Caster Spell according to the rulebook. It was something like a magical array that was maintained by several casters.
The current array that they were using was classified as Forbidden magic and known as [Sacrificial Bastion]. It created a barrier that was normally designed to redirect all damage taken to expendables, but it didn't look like there were any other than the Shades.
I frowned as I quickly realized that was incorrect. The amount of punishment that the barrier could withstand was based on the durability of the expendables after all. If they'd simply used slaves, I'd smash through the barrier without even trying.
So they're determined to keep me here as long as possible, huh...?
I didn't want to waste time figuring out why.
The lead cultist was making some sort of speech about the impenetrability of his barrier and the futility of our efforts, but I didn't give a shit.
"We're going to have to teleport past." I declared. "There's just one problem though. I can only bring one person with me."
Truth be told, I was no archmage. The only reason why I could use the magic skills that I picked was because I'd spent so much time in my previous life fantasizing about this kind of magic.
However, I'd never spent time imagining mass teleports, so I didn't really know how to wrap that around my head yet. I could always just teleport them with me one by one, but they'd probably have some sort of countermeasure after the first teleport.
I could tell the lead cultist wasn't just some mediocre caster like the others I'd dealt with before. [Complete Analysis] told me that he was actually quite powerful and his skills were rather diversified.
I only had one chance to teleport into the hallway behind them.
"You should bring Lucrezia with you." Priya said.
"...Huh?"
That was unexpected. I was actually thinking of bringing Priya with me, but here she was suggesting that I bring someone else.
"All of this was for her sister, right? She should be given the chance to see her as soon as possible."
I blinked, realizing the truth in her statement. Even now, she could afford the time to think of others.
"That's right, Ryuuko. You don't have to worry." Antenora flicked her wrists, causing multiple daggers to appear in her hands, forming true fans of knives. "We'll handle the trash here."
Priya nodded. "We've trained hard, so just leave it to us, alright?"
I stared at them for a few seconds before nodding.
It was true. Aside from using my body to help them raise their skills, they'd all trained as much as possible during our journey. I just wasn't there to watch because I was preoccupied with my own things.
Because of that, there was really no way for me to confirm just how strong they'd gotten other than using [Complete Analysis] on them, but Antenora was immune to the ability and I didn't want to use it on Priya.
I'd just have to trust them.
I took Lucrezia's hand in mine, taking a moment to make eye contact with her.
Her crimson eyes hadn't dulled at all. Instead, they were brighter than ever now that we were nearing the conclusion of this small tale in our lives.
Be safe, Priya. Antenora.
I stared at the path that laid ahead, and then space around us twisted.