The Self-Staged Heroine

ROSE

I narrowed my eyes, waiting for the blinding radiance to die down. When the glare finally subsided, a massive White Gate stood in its place.

“This is…?” I muttered.

“It’s opening…?”

The White Gate pulsed with a faint, ethereal glow as the heavy doors began to creak apart, inch by inch. It was a surreal, mysterious sight.

“No way… Could it be the Sanctuary has responded to him?” Nelson stammered, looking utterly dazed.

“The Sanctuary responded?” I asked.

“As you know, today is the one day a year the Gate of the Sanctuary is supposed to open,” he explained.

“I heard the Gate of the Sanctuary was located within the Holy Church, though.”

“Yes, there is one there. But there isn't just one door. The Sanctuary chooses which gate to present based on who comes knocking. The Gate of the Uninvited, the Gate of Summoning, and the Gate of Welcome… We won’t know which one this is until we step inside.”

Nelson kept his eyes glued to the White Gate while he humored my questions.

“We can’t continue the Goddess's Trial under these circumstances. Escort the audience out of the stadium immediately!”

On Nelson’s orders, the staff began herding the crowd toward the exits. Even the VIP guests started vacating their seats. All the while, the gate continued its slow, steady crawl open.

“Don’t let anyone near that door!” Nelson barked.

By the time the gap was wide enough for a single person to slip through, Nelson turned his attention to us.

“I must ask the rest of you to leave as well,” the Acting Archbishop said.

The second the words left his mouth, I drew my sword. Alexia was just as fast; we moved in sync, taking up a defensive stance back-to-back.

“What in the—!?”

Nelson fumbled, panicking. He looked around and realized that, without us even noticing, we had been surrounded by a group dressed in head-to-toe black. Not even Alexia or I had sensed a hint of their presence until the very last second.

“Sorry, but we’re going to need you to behave until the gate closes,” a voice said. It was beautiful, like the clear ring of a silver bell.

A single woman stepped forward. Her outfit was different from the rest of the group.

“You lot… Don’t tell me you’re Shadow Garden!?”

Amidst the sea of black bodysuits, this woman wore a robe that looked more like an elegant dress. She walked toward the gate with total grace. Her gaze flicked toward Alexia and me for just a heartbeat.

My shoulders trembled. We both stiffened, our backs pressed tightly together.

She’s strong!

The pressure radiating from her was staggering. She had an overwhelming presence, as if she were the one true ruler of the night. To us, Shadow was the pinnacle of power, but this woman… she was at least within reach of his level.

“Epsilon, I’ll leave the rest to you. Young ladies, do be good girls now.”

“Understood, Alpha-sama.”

“Wait! Don’t you dare enter the Sanctuary!!”

Ignoring Nelson’s frantic screeching, the woman called Alpha vanished into the depths of the light.

“So that’s Alpha…” I heard Alexia murmur.

I wanted to ask her how she knew that name, but I held my tongue.

“So, mind telling us what you’re planning with this little stunt?” Alexia asked.

“We just want you to stay quiet until the gate disappears,” the woman with the remarkably voluptuous figure replied. Epsilon, I assumed. “However, Acting Archbishop Nelson will be coming with us.”

Nelson, hearing his name, started flailing in a panic.

“What do you even want in the Sanctuary?” I demanded.

“It’s not about what we’ll do, but what’s already there. Stay quiet and no one gets hurt.”

She kept us pinned with just her gaze. Her eyes were as clear as a mountain lake, watching our every move with cold vigilance. She was strong, too. Not quite on Alpha’s level, but she definitely had that aura of an absolute elite.

Still, if it comes down to it…

“I wouldn’t move if I were you. Unless you don’t care what happens to this woman,” Epsilon said, reading our hostility perfectly.

She gestured toward a woman being held captive by one of the black-clad soldiers. It was Author Natsume.

“I-I’m so sorry…” Natsume-sensei said, her eyes downcast and filled with apology.

“Natsume-sensei!!”

Seeing her holding back tears made my heart ache. My chance to counterattack was gone… or so I thought.

“We could always just ditch her,” Alexia whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.

“Absolutely not!” I snapped back.

“We really should. She’s sketchy as hell.”

“I said no!”

While we were bickering, the Gate of the Sanctuary finished opening and began the process of swinging shut. Slowly. Very slowly.

The Shadow Garden units filed in one by one. They marched the captured Author Natsume and Acting Archbishop Nelson toward the light. Alexia and I could only stand there and watch.

There were no openings. Every single one of those women was strong and perfectly disciplined. They moved in three-person cells, constantly covering each other’s blind spots. It was easy to see that any attempt to exploit a gap would be covered instantly. Their coordination was terrifyingly refined.

The gate was almost closed.

“Stop! Don’t be so rough!” Natsume-sensei cried out in a pained voice as they shoved her inside.

“Natsume-sensei!”

“I-I’ll be fine! Please don’t worry about me!” she shouted bravely, her voice trembling as she was dragged into the light.

I watched her go, my heart breaking for her.

“So suspicious,” someone muttered. I ignored her.

The only ones left were Epsilon and the restrained Nelson. Epsilon did a final check to ensure everything was in order, then turned to drag Nelson into the gate.

Nelson put up a struggle, drawing Epsilon’s attention for a split second.

In that moment—

A black shadow dropped from the sky, slashing right through Epsilon.

“Well done, Executioner Venom!!” Nelson’s cackling laughter filled the air.