“To think I would be so badly beaten...”
Having returned from the fabricated world using the Dimensional Cornerstone, Harrison immediately fell to his knees. The wounds carved across his body by the Abomination Katou Mana were deep. Her feelings had just been that strong.
“How impressive.”
Regardless of her being an enemy, Harrison felt respect for that girl’s way of life. At the same time, his sense of responsibility put a lid on the despair boiling in his heart.
“I must do my duty...”
He had to protect the world. To that end, Harrison Addington didn’t need such feelings. He was the marshal of the Holy Order. He was the world’s guardian.
“Sir Harrison!”
The one who called out to him was a boy who’d exited the fabricated world with him—Kouzu Asahi. He was one of the former exploration team members being sheltered by the Holy Church. When expelling all foreign matter from the labyrinth, Harrison’s skill with the Dimensional Cornerstone hadn’t been enough to differentiate friend from foe. Everyone had been forcefully removed. He’d coincidentally managed to keep Kouzu Asahi inside with him. Thanks to that, he was the only one with Harrison when he exited himself.
“W-We need to stabilize your wounds!”
After being carefully cared for in the capital, Kouzu Asahi had recovered emotionally and now felt deeply indebted to the Holy Church. He had genuine concern for Harrison’s critical condition.
“Please calm down, Mister Kouzu.”
Harrison was grateful for his concern, but he couldn’t allow himself to depend on it. The plan had failed and they’d suffered greatly for it. Even if he needed treatment for his severe injuries, he couldn’t take any breaks.
“There’s no time to drag things out...”
Harrison encouraged his screaming body to move. First, he had to order his subordinates to...
He realized the abnormality immediately after that. Harrison was in a top secret sector of the grand cathedral that led directly into the fabricated world. There were several entrances to the labyrinth, but this one was kept a secret even to those who knew about that world.
There was a specific reason it had to be that way. That was why he normally had subordinates who were in the know standing guard here at all times. However, those knights were nowhere in sight. If they were, they would be panicking like Kouzu Asahi over Harrison’s wounds.
He couldn’t sense anyone. It was ominous. The space was empty. Harrison felt blood draining from his already-pale face.
“What happened...?”
His question echoed vainly in the empty room.
✦ ✦ ✦
It had all happened before Harrison was defeated in the battle against Majima Takahiro and returned everyone to the world using the Dimensional Cornerstone. There was a figure running down a secret corridor leading to the fabricated world.
It was a suspicious man wearing a hood. He had a blood-soaked sword in hand. On his way here, he’d encountered many knights guarding the area. He’d killed all of them and forced his way through. Normally, it would’ve been far harder to break through, but the current crisis made it easier.
This was a secret sector that led to the fabricated world. The personnel who could be assigned as guards were limited. A majority of them had been dispatched in the plan to attack Majima Takahiro. Who could possibly predict that an intruder would appear with such perfect timing to attack a place that hadn’t seen an intruder in centuries?
That said, even short on hands, security was strict. It would be impossible to infiltrate this far through normal means. Those serving as guards were without a doubt the strongest knights in the world. They all surpassed even the strongest knight of the northern Woodlands—without the help of her spirits, at least. Some even matched her prowess with the support of her spirits.
“Stop!”
A man so large his armor looked tight on him stood in the intruder’s path. He had a beard that went down to his chest and a distinctive tattoo on his cheek.
“My name is Jackson! The Raging Bull Knight of the Prairies!”
He wielded an enormous axe in two hands and proudly announced himself. The mana in his body swelled. He had an abnormal capacity for a resident of this world. It was extremely rare for such an outstanding knight to have been born among commoners. He had surely overcome many trials with clear conviction in his heart, devoting himself endlessly to his improvement. The knight boldly took a stance and glared at the intruder.
“For the sake of my people, I—”
“Shut the fuck up.”
The intruder’s voice cut him off, and in the next instant, a tremendous crash shook the corridor. The intruder had suddenly accelerated to inhuman speeds, ramming the knight head-on.
“Guh?!”
Caught off guard, the knight barely managed to block the attack with his axe. His eyes shot open, trying to figure out what had happened, and witnessed something sticking out of the intruder’s back.
“Th-Those are...?!”
They were large dragon wings made of an explosive amount of mana. Such power was surely enough to even save the world. Unfortunately for the knight, he identified his opponent.
“A savior?!”
Faced with the enmity of an absolute savior, the deeply religious knight’s heart broke. Using that fatal opening, the intruder struck mercilessly. His sword flashed, cutting a deep diagonal gash through the knight’s armor. The next attack lopped off the knight’s arm. The prodigious knight screamed in agony, but still wielded his axe in one hand to resist. After the third strike, however, he reached his limit.
The knight collapsed wordlessly and the intruder slipped by him without giving him a second glance. He proceeded farther. His path was one smeared in blood. If anyone got in his way, he would cut them down mercilessly too. The intruder ran at full speed down the gloomy corridor.
“Gah?!”
And letting out a scream, he was impossibly sent flying the way he came. His neck arched back as if his head were a ping-pong ball. It was like he’d run headfirst into an invisible wall. This was enough to send him reeling off-balance and falling on his rear.
“Wh-What?”
The impact had had enough force to break a human’s neck, but the man stood back up immediately. However, the blow had removed his hood. Beneath, his face was hidden by a mask. It had many feathers decorating it that stretched to the back of his head.
Because of the collision, cracks ran all over his mask. The intruder held it in place as someone appeared before him. It was a slender old man with a perfectly straight back. The intruder’s eyes shot open.
“Archbishop Gerd Kruger...”
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to pass,” Gerd said quietly. “May I ask you to withdraw, Dragon Jinguuji Tomoya?”
The masked intruder froze. Coincidentally, his mask chose this moment to crumble to pieces, revealing a boy with cold eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
