Celestia appeared out of nowhere, her eyes fixed on me in a sharp, piercing glare.
Her gaze held unmistakable hostility.
"I’ve heard about your true objective from the members of The Order we captured! I won’t let you lay a finger on Princess Irene!"
No, no! That’s not it at all!
I’m not with The Order. The real cultists are the corpses littering the floor over there.
『Your disguise only covers your appearance. If you speak, you might give yourself away,』 Zest warned.
He was right. If it were anyone else, it might be different, but I’d spent a long time at Celestia’s side. Even the sound of my voice carried the risk of being recognized.
"Fire Lance!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Celestia unleashed a spear of flame.
Now that I thought about it, despite her appearance as a sheltered noble lady, Celestia was a fire-attribute specialist known for her fierce aggressiveness.
However, the gap in our abilities was undeniable. I gave Zest a light swing, swatting the fiery spear aside with ease.
"What!?" Celestia’s eyes widened in shock.
If I recall correctly, her grades at the Academy were second only to Irene’s. It was an elite school, so she probably hadn't tasted defeat very often.
『The Order is coming!』
Zest’s warning came just a second before a Fire Lance streaked out from the far end of the hallway. It was the same spell Celestia had used, but the speed and power were on a completely different level.
At this point, I wasn't afraid of magic of that caliber—but Celestia was standing directly in the spear's line of fire.
"Tch...!"
Clicking my tongue, I kicked off the floor and lunged forward. I cut in behind Celestia and swung the Jet-black Sword in a wide arc.
A high-pitched metallic clang rang out as I knocked the flaming spear away.
"Eh...?"
Keeping the stunned Celestia shielded behind me, I leveled my blade at the newcomers.
These weren't common foot soldiers. Five figures emerged, all clad in the white cloaks of the Apostles.
Taking on five Apostles at once while protecting Celestia... this was going to be a massive pain. But there was a piece of information I absolutely had to confirm.
Zest, can you perform a wide-area mana sensing for me? Since Celestia is here, Reiji might be nearby as well. I don't like to rank the importance of lives, but if Reiji dies, everything is over.
『I’m really not good at sensing... but I’ll stop if it gets too dangerous!』
That was good enough.
Zest expanded his mana. In the meantime, I focused entirely on parrying the Apostles' attacks. I used Dark Gate to neutralize a Fire Gate deployed directly in front of us. To ensure Celestia didn't get caught in the crossfire, I scooped her up and repositioned.
"Kyaa!?"
Man, she had a tiny waist. She really needed to train more.
『Stop it... I’m losing focus...!』
Sorry.
The Royal Castle's labyrinthine layout worked in my favor. Since I couldn't counter every single Gate individually, I used the pillars and walls as cover, expertly weaving out of the enemy’s line of fire.
However, I couldn't move too far from the basement stairs, or Irene might be abducted while I was occupied.
Damn... this was getting rough.
『I found Reiji! This is...!』
A tremor of genuine shock colored Zest’s voice. The information he gathered through his sensing flooded into my mind.
Reiji was at the Academy. And in the immediate vicinity—
Wait. Wait, wait, wait!
You’ve got to be kidding me, Reiji! That guy was fighting four Apostles all by himself!
『And... he’s protecting hundreds of students alone?』
Based on his movements, that was exactly what he was doing. While there were more Apostles here, the number of people he had to defend was exponentially higher.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I sensed Reiji’s heroic aura through the mana connection.
Incredible. Do you really intend to save every single one of them by yourself? I don't think I could pull that off.
"...Haha."
A natural smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. That was a true hero for you—a man worthy of stepping over me.
I understood now why Celestia was here. She had placed her faith in Reiji. She believed he could protect everyone, which allowed her to come here to save her childhood friend, Irene.
I couldn't afford to lose. If he was going that far, I couldn't let his stepping stone be a weakling.
I readjusted my grip on the sword. The five Apostles had fanned out to surround me. Every one of them was a high-level threat capable of using Second Rank magic. A head-on fight would be disadvantageous.
In that case, I’d have to play dirty.
"Full Drain!"
This power wasn't just for stealing mana. It could devour any form of energy. For example—the light from the lamps!
With a soft hum, the hallway's lighting vanished. I used the sudden darkness to quietly set Celestia down.
"What? The lights!?"
"How!?"
The Apostles' bewildered voices echoed through the absolute pitch-black.
Zest—give me the enemy positions.
『Leave it to me!』
He claimed to be bad at sensing, but he seemed fine as long as it was restricted to our immediate surroundings. I sprinted through the dark. I struck one, then another as I passed them, accurately hitting their vitals and knocking them unconscious.
Three left.
"Damn it! Fire Gate!"
One of the Apostles deployed his Second Rank magic to provide light.
"Dark Gate."
I met the torrent of fire with a flood of darkness. The clashing mana sent sparks flying. In the flickering light, the remaining Apostles saw their two fallen comrades.
"It can't be helped! Change the target to Celestia!"
I figured they’d do that. Giving up on Irene for the moment, they turned their sights on Celestia. The remaining three deployed their Gates simultaneously, aiming directly at her. They clearly didn't care about capturing her unharmed; they were prepared to take an arm or a leg if necessary.
"—Lost!"
A brilliant white flash crackled through the air. One of the three Gates vanished instantly.
Was that Celestia’s Secret Rank Magic? She was incredibly strong! But there were still two Gates active.
Make it in time!
I hurriedly activated Dark Arma and threw myself in front of her. Using Full Drain, I absorbed the barrage of spells firing from the two remaining Gates. I held my ground with the Holy Sword, soaking up an onslaught that felt like it would last an eternity.
Finally, the barrage ceased. The enemies were likely running low on mana.
"Ugh...!"
A faint groan escaped me. I was covered in nicks and cuts, and blood was seeping from all over my body. I’d realized it by the feeling in my arm, but Full Drain had a limit to how much it could absorb at once.
『The limit of your internal mana capacity is the limit of your absorption. You can increase it with training... but we don't have time to wish for things we don't have,』 Zest noted.
True. On the flip side, I was currently brimming with the maximum amount of mana I could hold. The only question was how to use this overwhelming power.
"...I will create an opening."
Celestia’s voice came from behind me. I looked back to see the noble lady standing there with resolute, unwavering eyes.
"You can coordinate with me, can't you? ...If it’s you."
The suggestive weight behind her words was concerning, but I didn't have the luxury to worry about it. Could I coordinate?
Of course I could.
Celestia fired several Fire Shots at the Apostles. Naturally, those Fifth Rank spells weren't a threat to them. But then, she showed her tactical brilliance.
"Scatter!"
The moment she shouted, the Fire Shots transformed into a swarm of countless butterflies.
"Tch!?"
"A diversion—"
The Apostles were momentarily blinded. I used that opening to lunge forward. I’d grasped Celestia’s intent instantly because that was a technique I had taught her.
I remembered the time I’d used Dark Shot to create swallowtail butterflies. She had been so delighted when I showed her that trick.
"Dark Arma."
Clad in a shroud of shadows, I closed the distance at high speed. One Apostle desperately tried to aim an Earth Gate at me, but I swung my sword before the magic could fire.
"Gwah!?"
A dark whirlwind swept through, cutting him down. In the next heartbeat, another Apostle activated Fire Arma and slashed at my back. I couldn't block or dodge in time, but I didn't panic.
"Lost!"
"What—!?"
Thanks to Celestia’s Secret Rank Magic, the Apostle's Fire Arma was forcibly canceled. I delivered a turning slash to the enemy who had suddenly lost his momentum.
How long do you think we were together? How many days and months did Tia and I share? We didn't need a plan. If I could see her eyes, see her magic, or even just hear her breathing—we could achieve perfect coordination.
Only one Apostle remained. Against a single enemy, and with all this absorbed mana...
There was no way I’d lose!
I swung Zest, unleashing a torrent of darkness that filled the Royal Castle Great Hall. It was less of a slash and more a localized flood of shadows that tore apart everything it touched.
The fifth Apostle was obliterated.
Silence returned to the castle. As I caught my breath, Zest performed one last scan.
『No signs of reinforcements. Reiji has also succeeded in repelling the attackers at the Academy. ...It’s our victory.』
Good. It had been a brutal fight, but I felt a sense of accomplishment. I could feel how much I’d grown.
Now then, I didn't want to overstay my welcome and risk making a mistake. I turned to leave without a word, but—
"Please wait!"
Celestia’s voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.
This was bad. I really didn't want to hear what she had to say. I had a terrible feeling about this.
"That weapon... it’s a Holy Sword, isn't it?"
Crap! How did she know?
『There have been other Holy Swords and Saviors in history,』 Zest reminded me. 『She likely researched the records and put the pieces together.』
Come to think of it, he had mentioned that Full Drain was the same ability possessed by the First Savior’s sword. Actually, now that I thought about it, I knew next to nothing about Holy Swords.
"If we assume... that there are two Holy Swords... then the situation changes completely..."
Celestia’s voice was trembling.
"Are you... could you be...!"
I broke out in a cold sweat, more terrified than I had been while fighting the Apostles. Is there any kind of insurance I can sign up for right now?