I couldn't hold back my tears, but I couldn't leave it all like that. If Kurone were to die now, her soul would become part of this demon, and even if we defeat him, she would be forever locked in that prison with him. Before he claimed her soul, I had to find a way to break the contract. She didn't want revenge; she wanted something else.
"The witch is dead, and now everything will be fine," that vile, sarcastic voice that had annoyed me for so long reached my ears, saying the most inappropriate words for this moment. But it helped me realize what I needed to do.
I looked at Alfred, the young, spoiled inquisitor who cared only for himself. He was ready to abandon even those who were closest to him to save himself. And at that moment, an indescribable rage filled me just by looking at him.
"Nothing is over yet," I laid Kurone on the ground and marched heavily towards the mage. "You still have to answer for everything."
"Hey, hey, I had nothing to do with this; it was your little witch who caused all this bloodshed. What are you accusing me of?"
"I'm accusing you of being responsible for all of this. From the very beginning, you tried to hinder Katrina. You followed your father's orders. You had to do everything possible to prevent her from achieving any success. You interfered with everyone's entry into the guild, except those you could influence. You kept an eye on everyone in her circle. You forced Vin to spy on us to ransom her father. You provided the inquisition with all the information about our abilities so that eventually they could find someone to label as a witch. You spied on us before we set sail for the eastern islands, and you gave the evidence against Aileen. Because of you, the royal guard and the inquisition were able to establish their rules here. And because of your testimony, they were able to charge Kurone. And because of you, she ended up in prison, where, by chance, the archdemon's soul was imprisoned."
With each word, I tightened my grip on the sword's hilt in my hand.
"All this is just your conjecture," Alfred shrugged. He still struggled to move his hands and was an easy target. "She made a deal with the demon willingly, and look at how many victims it led to, including among your friends. I was right; her power was dangerous. None of the prisoners before her could establish a full connection with the demon because they lacked her abilities. Getting rid of her should have happened much earlier; it would have saved many lives."
"In some ways, you're right. All this happened because of her power. Too many wanted to possess the power of the mind, as it's such a convenient ability – reading other people's thoughts and implanting their desires. Oh, if you knew about Kurone's power before she took the princess under her protection. I can't even imagine what would have happened then. But you're right; now it doesn't matter, neither her choice nor its consequences."
"See, her death benefited everyone," Alfred said smugly.
"Sure, but there's just one thing..." I looked at the faces of my guildmates, tormented by the same emotions. If Hilda hadn't restrained Seleria, she would have turned that charming face into a bloody mess already. And I didn't wish upon them what I had condemned myself to. "I don't want her soul to go to that demon. And I'll do what I must."
"And what do you plan to do?" Alfred sneered, disgusted. "You decided to sacrifice yourself for your dead friend? Well then, let's go, I'd be happy to throw you in the same cell where she was held."
"Thanks for the kind words," I retorted through clenched teeth, and the black blade drove into the inquisitor's chest. "I've wanted to do this for a very long time. Too bad I didn't do it sooner. That would have genuinely saved many lives."
"Cough," Alfred couldn't believe his eyes. "What have you done?"
Weak and helpless, he fell to the ground, trying to press on the wound in his chest. He couldn't believe what I had done.
"If I kill the son of the Supreme Inquisitor, they will never leave me in peace. They will hunt me down wherever I hide, and it would set her free. But know that I did it not for anyone else; I did it solely for myself."
Leaving the sword in the inquisitor's chest, I returned to the sorceress's body. No one tried to stop me; even Miguel and Milena, standing nearby, averted their gaze. It was a pity to die like this when nobody would stand up for you.
Alfred, I don't believe that Wilhelm will pursue me out of some warm feelings for you. More likely, he'll be upset because you played an important role in his plans. Even Kurone, responsible for the deaths of so many, now garners more sympathy from people than you. You lived a lonely and sorrowful life, but thanks to you, I saved her soul.
Kurone had died, but a faint greenish glow emanated from her body. It meant her soul was returning to Thanatos, and the demon no longer had power over her. At least that much I could do...
"Haha-haha, how grateful I am to you," the demon said, still present and unwilling to give up even though the contract had been broken.
"You won't get her soul anymore. Leave," I demanded.
"That doesn't matter. She was already tormented, and she wouldn't have suited my creation anyway. But this young man here is a different story!" Alfred's body began to emit a crimson glow as the demon started to absorb his soul and the remains of the golems once again gathered at the edge of the Arena. "His clan, despite all their preaching, actively exploited my power for centuries. And a young and powerful mage like him is perfect for me. You can take your little friend; she's no longer of use to me."
The remains of all the golems, not just the three colossi, but also the smaller golems that hadn't merged with them, began to assemble again. Alfred's soul was drawn into a giant soul stone, over three meters in diameter, and around it, the chest plate of a new golem began to take shape. This one was much larger than any we had seen before. At full height, it could reach fifty meters, but apparently, there wasn't enough material to complete it entirely. The golem stood, leaning on its arms, as the available materials were only enough to construct its legs up to the knees.
But the demon wasn't finished with the golem yet. As soon as it could stand steadily, the chest plate began to open. The magical core was already charged with power for a massive blast. If it fired, it would sweep away everyone on the arena, including the main building where people might still be.
"This is my Destroyer. It's a pity I didn't finish it in time, but I've long wanted to test it in action. If you're going to do something, do it quickly," the demon's voice echoed from the golem's body; he had chosen it as his temporary abode and had no intention of leaving the Academy yet.
"You know what," I tightened my grip on the staff that had just destroyed the three colossi, "I made this staff six months ago, but I haven't had the chance to test it in a real battle yet."
I began to step backward, positioning myself on the line of fire from the golem.
"Do you really have something left in your arsenal?"
"As you can see, even after such a powerful lightning spell, it didn't break, melt, or crack the magical stones," I lightly twirled the staff in my hand, "the idea for it came to me in a dream. It symbolizes our world and the cycle of life energy."
At the tip of the staff was a large black crystal, and from it, intertwining serpents extended towards a smaller crystal at the base.
"Our world is brimming with magic, flowing from the soul of every living being and, after death, it travels to the world of spirits," I pointed to the large crystal and smoothly traced my finger to the smaller crystal at the base, "there, spirits receive this energy, amplify it through the heritage of ancient gods, and following the path set by the god Miras, return it to our world."
"I don't know where you're leading with this, but this pathetic stick won't save you. It's time to say goodbye," the golem's core glowed with a final bright flash before the shot.
"The cycle of life is designed to absorb the energy of living beings in our world and allow great spirits to amplify it and return it," I explained. The golem released a massive surge of magic, a column of magical energy so large that it covered half the arena. I positioned my staff in front of it, hoping to absorb it all.
"Divine metal, meteoric iron, with unmatched magical properties," I said before the magical stream reached its target, starting to contract and being drawn into the staff's tip. This power seemed to be sucked inside, but the recoil from it knocked back everyone standing nearby. "But even that isn't enough. The crystal capable of withstanding such power and possessing all the necessary properties simply doesn't exist in nature."
I planted the base of the staff into the ground, bracing myself to withstand the attack's pressure. Magic filled the staff; each symbol on the handle glowed with blue light, burning my palms, but I had to endure until the golem's power was depleted.
"But I found such a stone. In the golden tomb, where possibly the first summoner was buried, there were these strange stones. Dark, with a murky aura inside, as if alive. I pondered long over what they could be and could only come to one answer—they didn't emit light even after absorbing so much magic; they could only absorb everything they touched—fragments of the heart of the black god,"
At that moment, the magical flow ceased. The golem was slightly smoking, and the light in its magical heart was barely visible. Its powers were still replenishing the armor, but it had exhausted much of its magic on that shot.
"They will never give back what they've absorbed unless compelled to," I struggled to contain the immense power, my hands bleeding and burnt, but I aimed the staff at the golem, "release!"
I uttered the last word in the ancient language, and an even stronger surge of magical energy burst from the black stone. It ground the remnants of the armor to dust and scattered the golem's soul stone in the wind. Along with the golem, the crystal shield above the Arena and the entire alley leading to the Academy disintegrated.
Exhausted, I fell to the ground, still gripping the cooling staff. Blood continued to trickle from my hand, and my right hand had gone almost completely numb. It seemed the recoil had fractured all the bones in my hand, but the numbness was suppressing the pain. It was over, or at least I wanted to believe it was.
"Remarkable, you've stunned me twice," the demon chuckled, but for some reason, he didn't want to return to the rift from where he emerged, "but who knew this was exactly what I lacked!"
In the center of the arena, a small flame ignited, resembling a candle's light. But there was nothing there that could burn. It began to grow and crawl across the arena, forming a clear pattern. Within a couple of minutes, the flames outlined an enormous pentagram that covered the entire main square, and its center started to sink into the ground.
Fire burst from cracks in the ground, and the earth began to collapse somewhere below, where the red glow illuminated the sky.
"I am FREE!" an enormous hand burst from under the ground. Muscular, covered in growths and spikes, with red skin, the demon's hand rose above the arena and, anchoring itself into the ground, began pulling the archdemon's body from the depths.