Meanwhile.
『Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?』
Screams sounded throughout the town of Magrid.
That was because, all of a sudden, a massive flood of black mud was surging toward the town from who knew where, as if it was going to swallow up the whole town.
—Shaaaaa!
Naturally, the mud was blocked by the dome-shaped barrier Exa had deployed and couldn't enter the town, but the barrier ended up getting completely enclosed by the excessive amount of mud flooding over. In the end, the people were trapped in darkness.
"Exa-sama…"
What was going on?
Kaya, who had been working to reconstruct the town with the other islanders, looked at the now pitch-black sky with a worried look.
—Sizzle.
The silver barrier kept burning away the mud covering it, but was it just her imagination? It seemed that the barrier was getting weaker as time passed.
At that moment.
—Crack!
『!?』
Suddenly the sound of something cracking echoed, and the blood drained from people's faces.
When she took a closer look, cracks had formed in the gigantic barrier that was protecting the town, and it looked like it was going to break at any moment.
At the rate things were going, the barrier would eventually be broken, and the ominous mud would flood the town.
It wouldn't be a problem if it was just normal mud, but there was no way normal mud could break the barrier created with the power of purification.
In which case, the mud must be the 'filth' that she had heard from Exa before.
It was highly concentrated, too.
If it swallowed the town, everyone other than Kaya, who bore the Phoenix Seal, wouldn't be safe.
"…?!"
No, even Kaya herself might…
"…What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
He must have been worried seeing Kaya suddenly showing a shocked face after placing her hand on her lower abdomen.
Kaya's grandfather, who was also the mayor of Magrid, called out to her worriedly.
"No, I'm fine, but…"
"?"
Kaya shook her head and said with her voice trembling, "Exa-sama's warmth is gradually fading…"
"W-what does that mean? C-could it be that something happened to Savior-sama?!"
"I don't know… But I have a feeling that, at this rate, we will never be able to see him—no, not just him, but everyone who went to battle, ever again…" Kaya hugged her body tightly, filled with uneasiness.
The mayor looked up at the barrier, "…Seeing that cracks have started to form in the barrier Savior-sama created, the enemy they are facing must be terrifyingly powerful… I fear that your feeling may come true…"
"No… Is there something I can do to help them, anything…?"
"I wish there is, but the only thing we can do right now is pray…"
"Pray…" Kaya echoed as though chewing the word, but then suddenly, something came to her mind and she voiced it out, "…Miko Kagura…"
"…What was that?"
"It's 'Miko Kagura', Grandfather! I heard about it from Mother before! Miko Kagura is now just a sideshow of festivals, but originally it was meant to deliver everyone's prayers to the gods and cheer them up!"
"I-I do remember that story… B-but how are our prayers going to be delivered? And even if our prayers are delivered, would they be of any help to Savior-sama and his comrades?"
At the mayor's words, Kaya shook her head and said, "They will! I'm sure of it! Because that is the true reason I was born here in Magrid and met him as a priestess!"
"True reason…?"
"Yes. I'm sure that everything was for this moment. My meeting with him here, my witnessing him receiving Igniver-sama's power, then my being embraced by him and having him 'marked' me as his wife, everything was for the sake of this day, for this moment."
"…Hm? Embrace…?"
"So, I will dance. I will perform the Miko Kagura and deliver everyone's wishes, prayers, and feelings to him!"
"N-no, before that, I think there's something we need to talk about…"
The mayor seemed to be perplexed by the sudden confession, but Kaya said with a straight face, "As such, please get everything prepared as soon as possible!" so he could only hang his head and heaved a deep sigh.
◇
And so, dressed in attire used at festivals, Kaya stood on the hastily made stage and bowed to everyone.
"Thank you very much for listening to our sudden request, everyone. You may have heard the situation from my grandfather, but at this moment Savior-sama and his comrades are risking their lives fighting a great evil, and I'm afraid they have found themselves in the worst possible predicament. At this rate, our world will be shrouded in eternal darkness, just like the situation we are in now."
『…』
"But of course, Savior-sama and his comrades are not going to succumb to the great evil just like that, so we humans must not despair. Instead, we must fight together with them. That is why, I am planning to deliver to them the power of everyone's prayers, wishes, and feelings through the Miko Kagura that has been passed down on this island. So, I beg all of you, please lend me your strength."
『YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!』
The people cheered so loudly that the ground shook, and Kaya couldn't help but tear up.
"…Thank you, everyone."
But she held back her tear with all her might, then she rang the Kagura bell that she was holding in her hand.
『――』
At that moment, silence suddenly enveloped the area, and as everyone began to pray at the same time, Kaya gently sang and performed the Miko Kagura.
—Tinkle.
—Tinkle.
—Tinkle.
She begged in her heart.
(…Everyone, can you hear me? If you can, then please.)
Of course, her plea wasn't just directed at the people of Magrid.
Kaya continued her speech in hope that it could reach everyone who was facing this trial.
(Please entrust your wishes, prayers, and feelings to me, Kaya, the shrine maiden of the volcanic island of Magrid. So that Savior-sama and his comrades, who are about to fall into the depths of darkness, can once again regain their light. Please, please lend me your strength.)
In truth, there was no guarantee that her voice would reach everyone across the world.
She didn't even know if the Miko Kagura could really gather people's strength.
But still, Kaya believed.
That although the warmth was fading, as long as the Phoenix Seal was still on her body, her voice would surely reach inside the barriers formed by Exa's power.
And that people who heard the voice would pray, then Miko Kagura would deliver their prayers to Exa and the others.
That was what Kaya believed.
(Please, everyone. So that this world can once again be filled with light and kindness. Please lend your strength to the saintesses. To the goddesses. To the Savior—to Exa-sama…!)