“It’s like being inside a pyramid,” Arisu marveled as we descended into the mysterious space beneath the middle school building.
The space indeed resembled a dungeon from a computer game. It was made entirely of stone and was about half the size of a classroom, with ceilings five meters high and passageways leading off in several different directions—each one splitting in two a short distance away.
“Ugh, it’s a labyrinth,” Tamaki lamented.
“Do we really have to wander all over the place?”
“Let’s skip the hassle. Nahan, we’re right above our target, right? Dig us another hole,” I instructed.
“As you wish,” Nahan replied, and so we followed the hole dug by Nahan, descending further and further. Dungeon attacks? No way we have time for that now!
✦ ✦ ✦
Finally, we arrived in a dome-shaped space large enough to fit our entire school campus inside. The ceiling must have been thirty meters high, and the floor was exposed red soil. By my estimation, we had descended more than one hundred meters to reach this point. Had we actually navigated through the labyrinth, it would have taken us hours, so I was grateful for the shortcut.
And there, near the center of the vast chamber, was a giant octahedral gem, nearly three meters across and glowing a deep red.
“No mistake about it, that’s the Wedge…” Rushia murmured in astonishment. Her usually flat voice was feverish with excitement; I wasn’t sure I’d even seen her this stirred up.
“The Sixth Wedge,” she breathed. “So, it truly exists.”
Among the Wedges anchoring this continent to the surface, this one had remained a phantom; until now, we hadn’t been able to say for sure whether it was real. Given that Rushia was elf royalty, and the elves were the guardians of the underworld tree, her surprise was understandable.
“Rushia, can you do it?”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
She hurried over to touch the Wedge, closing her eyes for a moment.
But nothing happened.
“Is it… no good?”
“No, it won’t activate. Either it’s sealed, or there’s some other…”
Just then, Leen’s hawk familiar arrived, landing before Rushia on the ground. Its eyes gleamed eerily in the gem’s light. Was it releasing magic? Near the hawk, a familiar teleportation gate appeared. With a flash of pale light, someone stepped through the gate—it was Shiki!
“Shiki, isn’t it dangerous for you to come here?”
“Leen asked me to,” Shiki replied. “She gave me a magical tool for controlling the World Tree.” With that, Shiki produced a dagger with a blade stained dark red. She handed the ominous-looking weapon to Rushia.
“It controls it… how? Rushia, do you know how we use this?”
“Rituals like that are highly confidential; I’ve never been shown them before.”
“Don’t worry. Leen explained it to me,” Shiki said, briefly outlining the ritual with gestures.
Then, the Celestial Apostle Penusa looked up toward the dome ceiling we had breached.
“Are enemies coming?” I asked.
“Indeed, Master. Formidable adversaries are drawing near.”
“Okay, Rushia, let’s hurry up, please!”
Rushia nodded and began following Shiki’s instructions. She nicked her left middle finger with the dark red dagger, applied a drop of blood to the dagger’s tip, then plunged the knife into the colossal ruby. The dagger submerged effortlessly into the ruby, eliciting a surprised gasp from Rushia. At the same moment, the garnet octahedron began shining even more brightly.
“Is that it? Great! With this…”
“They are upon us, Master,” announced Penusa. I looked up, just in time to witness two figures, one gray and one black, plummeting through the hole in the ceiling. The gray apparition was a luminescent, semi-transparent skeleton adorned in radiant robes. With every illumination of its hefty staff, thunderbolts targeted the black figure—which was unmistakably Algrafth, the black-winged Berserker Wolf.
“Um… then, that partly transparent skeleton is…” It seemed the only plausible conclusion.
“The Ghost King, Diasnexus,” Shiki whispered, following my gaze skyward. Indeed, two of the Four Heavenly Kings were embroiled in a fierce conflict right above us. Their energy beams clashed near the ceiling, generating a powerful explosion.
“Wait, not here!” I cried as all of us were thrown backward by the blast. This is dangerous, I thought. Shiki-san is unprotected…
“I’ve got this,” declared Heavenly Turtle Nahan, positioning himself in front of Shiki and creating a barrier. A moment later, a wave of intense heat engulfed us, blasting everyone away with cries of dismay.
“Ah!”
“Rushia!”
This is not good at all; Rushia’s let go of the dagger! After being hurled several meters and tumbling to the ground, Rushia struggled to lift her head, moaning in pain. The dark red dagger had slipped from her grasp.
“Rushia, quickly!”
“Yes!” Rushia scrambled to her feet and grabbed the dagger. But before she could act, someone else stood before the gigantic ruby. It was a semi-transparent skeleton, cloaked in gray robes. Although its entire form shimmered like mist, there was an overwhelming presence about it, making it difficult to even look directly at it, let alone approach. Within the depths of its skull’s eye sockets glowed a sinister red light.
“Diasnexus…”
Each of the Ghost King’s bony fingers, peeking out from his robes, was adorned with rings, each set with a gemstone that flickered intermittently. Are these rings magical artifacts activating various effects? I wondered.
Near the ceiling, Algrafth was entangled with several skeletal giants. Though the giants were blown away by Algrafth in the next moment, it seemed that brief engagement was sufficient for the Ghost King.
“We will not hand over the keystone!”
“You won’t get past us!” Arisu and Tamaki charged bravely at Diasnexus, but their blades simply passed through the skeleton.
“Is the skeleton actually made of mist?” I asked, but no one heard me.
Diasnexus paid Arisu and Tamaki no heed. He reached out one skeletal hand and placed it on the surface of the ruby. Mist or not, he seemed to have absolutely no problem interacting with physical objects. What absurd trickery…
The gems on all ten rings flickered simultaneously, and the ruby emitted a dazzling light…
“Penusa, Strass!”
“Yes, Master!” Penusa replied. Strass gave a sharp nod, and the two familiars charged toward Diasnexus. Penusa’s slender arm extended, piercing through the Ghost King’s body…
“Barrier Break.” The angel executed her unique magic. Diasnexus groaned as something pale and shining scattered around him. Yes, this was Penusa’s greatest power: the ability to shatter barriers and enchantments with her mana.
In the battle against the Ghost King, who was known for casting anti-magic barriers, I knew her ability would prove invaluable. With that in mind, I had made it a priority to form a contract with her. And so, the barrier had temporarily vanished.
Immediately afterward, Strass swung his greatsword from a few steps away. The blade emitted a white light, connecting solidly with Diasnexus’s misty form. The blow only made the Ghost King stagger half a step backward, but that was enough. His hand withdrew from the gigantic ruby.
“Now, Rushia!”
“Yes, Kazu!” Rushia propelled herself off the ground, crashing bodily into the gigantic ruby with the dagger in hand. The ruby’s brilliance continued to intensify, until it was too dazzling to look at directly.
“Ah, ah, ahhhh!” Rushia screamed.
“No, it’s no good! I can’t control it!” The dome filled with white light.
✦ ✦ ✦
I heard a song—this was the third time I’d heard this terribly melancholy melody. The first was on the third day in this other world, when Mia and I had been warped by a Globster. The second had been this morning. “It’s Mia, isn’t it?” I asked the singing voice in my mind. There was no reply. I asked again, but all I got in reply was the echo of the song.
Well, that’s okay, I thought, deciding to simply listen to the song. What was she thinking as she sang? Why can I hear her song?
Eventually, the song ended. My consciousness was beginning to come back to me.
✦ ✦ ✦
I awoke, startled to find myself gazing up at a dull-colored sky, flanked by familiar concrete walls. Ah, but this isn’t a school building, is it? Slowly, the murmur of a large crowd reached my ears. I propped myself up on my elbows, shook my head…
“Master,” came the voice of Heavenly Turtle Nahan, and by the time I turned, he was standing right beside me. But it wasn’t just him; Strass and Penusa were there, too.
“It appears we have been transported from the underground cavern. Where might this be?”
“Where?” I took another look around. Amid the hustle and bustle, there was a circle of people surrounding us. The ground beneath us was asphalt, and there were signs and telephone poles sticking out of it.
I even heard a car horn honk.
“What? Could this possibly be…” I stood suddenly, staggering from utter bewilderment. In front of me stood the Shibuya Tokyu Department Store.