“Just how low can you stoop?!” Miledi screamed. However, she knew yelling wouldn’t change anything. And so, she used gravity magic to call the broken halves of the arrow toward her, while the portal to the Sanctuary closed shut.
A second later, the apostles and all the crazed fanatics stopped moving.
“To think you would manage to acquire even concept magic,” Ehit said, his voice ringing out across the sky. “The seven of you truly are fascinating. I imagine you must have created a concept magic weapon capable of killing me as well?”
He’d guessed as much after seeing the Arrow of Boundaries.
Miledi ignored his question and tossed the arrow to Oscar. He and Meiru worked desperately to restore it, while Ehit’s booming laughter rang in their ears.
“Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Splendid! So your desire to slay me is that strong?! What a delight! Do your best to struggle and reach me while the world is destroyed around you!”
Oscar looked hopelessly up at Meiru. She was using all the restoration magic she knew, but judging by the despair in her expression, it wasn’t going to work.
“O-kun, Meru-nee!”
Meiru had managed to restore the arrow’s outward appearance, but it no longer gave off the unique signature concept magic did.
“But remember this, so long as you live, the world shall continue to plunge deeper into chaos! The crazed masses won’t just hunt down the Liberators, but even their own loved ones given enough time!”
As Ehit finished his speech, all the fanatics in the cathedral pointed their weapons at their own necks. Meanwhile, the apostles aimed their weapons at those who were still sane enough to not kill themselves.
“Why are you so cruel?! What drives you to do this?!” Miledi shouted.
“Miledi, we have to retreat!” Oscar said, grabbing Miledi’s arm.
“We already retreated once! I’m not running away again!” she replied, shaking him off. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to shed them.
Oscar and the others understood exactly how she felt. They also wanted to say damn the consequences and go wild. But they knew they couldn’t. They were Liberators, after all.
Meiru and Lyutillis grabbed Miledi, while Naiz opened up a portal.
“We need to regroup,” Laus said, serving as the rearguard with Vandre while the others dragged Miledi through the portal.
Right before they left, Ehit said in a displeased voice, “Failing to understand me is what is truly evil, not what I do.”
That was the first time any of them had seen him display a negative emotion.
Miledi and the others returned to the forest where they were greeted by Ruth, Corrin, Dylan, Katy, and Sharm and Parsha, who’d both woken up. None of them knew what to say, though.
“Oscar, Meiru! Is the arrow still not fixed?!” Miledi shouted. She was in such a foul mood that she wasn’t letting anyone touch her.
Sounding utterly defeated, Oscar said, “Miledi, we can’t repair it.”
“Why not?!”
“The concept magic contained within it was destroyed. Not even restoration magic can bring that back,” Meiru explained.
“Th-Then we just have to make another one! What are you waiting around for?!”
Laus walked over to Miledi and said, “Calm down.”
“You want me to calm down?! Even though hundreds of our comrades are being slaughtered as we speak?! Even though people might start killing themselves at any minute?! Even if they wipe out the Liberators, they won’t stop! They’ll just start killing each other! We need to at least rescue what little of our friends are still alive. We have the compass, so... No, wait...”
Miledi suddenly paled and started biting on her nails. She was one step away from falling into madness herself.
“I told you to calm down! Soul’s Repose!”
Laus’s magic washed over Miledi. Normally, she’d have the presence of mind to resist it if she wanted to, but right now, she was so distraught that she ate it head-on. Calming down a little, Miledi looked around and realized how immature she’d been acting. Seeing Corrin look so taken aback made her feel ashamed of herself.
It was obvious to everyone watching that Miledi wasn’t in her right mind and that they’d failed to kill Ehit.
A cold breeze blew through the trees as everyone waited silently for Miledi to say something. She staggered backward, feeling as though she’d betrayed everyone’s hopes.
No, it’s not what you guys think. We can still do it. We can still win. I’ll make it happen. I swear I’ll kill Ehit and change the world! Miledi tried to say as much, but she couldn’t get any words out of her throat. Her teeth started to chatter, and Oscar gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Miledi, lend me the compass.”
“The...compass?” Miledi parroted, handing the compass over. Oscar then gave it to Parsha.
“Can the surviving dragonmen, Schnee clansmen, and beastmen warriors focus on rescuing any surviving Liberators?” he asked.
What will you guys do?
Oscar could feel the question in everyone’s gazes.
“We’re going to try to recreate the concept magic that will let us enter Ehit’s Sanctuary. It’s going to take all of our concentration, so we won’t be able to help with the rescue effort.”
“Oscar!” Miledi shouted, glaring at Oscar. But then she noticed that Oscar’s hand was trembling as well, so she shut her mouth.
“I’ll repair the Skynets we have left and make more to serve as relays for communications. Everyone, follow Parsha-san’s orders. She’ll organize things properly. Lyu, use your evolution magic on the search squad. Sharm-kun, I know this will be hard for you, but can you maintain the barrier in Lyu’s place while we’re gone?”