Chapter – 64
Swish!
The sword, imbued with light, sliced the Ghoul Wraith vertically.
“Are you alright, sister?”
“Thanks to you. I’m fine.”
“Don’t mention it. Of course.”
I was being protected like a healer should be. Rei stepped in with a cold expression.
“So, you’re an Aura user after all.”
“Yes, brother.”
“W-What? Brother?”
“It’s not important, so don’t argue.”
“Alright. The important thing is something else. Since you’re showing your strength, why not bring out your main weapon too?”
“Oh, you knew that far along?”
Ash threw away her old longsword as if waiting for this moment, and pulled out the dual short swords strapped to her thighs.
“You and I should be the main fighters. I’ll go first.”
As expected of a knight—their duty is to tank. The others, including Ash, nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I’m not confident in frontal combat.”
“Please. Our Golden Apple Squad will follow up with attacks.”
“I’m a mage, so I’ll handle rear support. I’ll start with incantations first.”
While Seijin applied buffs, Ash asked me:
“Sister, if I may ask, what’s your healing range?”
“About 25 meters radius.”
“Eh? Not diameter, but radius?”
“R-Really, healer?”
Even though I shortened it, she seemed genuinely surprised. I stayed silent, and Rei broke the tension.
“No time to be shocked. Count three and open the path. Everyone, get ready.”
“Yes, cadet!”
I could feel Rei raising his aura. He intended to create an aura storm to drive away the Ghoul Wraiths.
“Then, one, two…!”
Against the wraiths, aura was inefficient. I couldn’t let the main forces waste their power.
I quietly muttered:
“Exorcism.”
[<System> Advanced Skill ‘Exorcism Lv.28(+10)’ activated.]
“Se…! Wha—?!”
Krieeeek…!
The wraiths were torn apart by the exorcism spell, letting out cries of agony.
The swirling horde, now powerless, was instantly broken.
“D-Don’t tell me…”
“As expected of the second-ranked cadet!”
Everyone admired, while Rei flinched in surprise.
Standing still here would be dangerous.
“Cadet, move out.”
“Ah!”
Only when I nudged him did Rei regain focus and stomp the ground. The Golden Apple Squad followed.
“Uwaaaa!”
“Hyahhh!”
Shouts to overcome fear of the S-rank boss.
“…I have a question, but I’ll ask after we get through this, sister.”
Ash moved at a speed ordinary eyes couldn’t catch, following the lead.
Rei leapt toward the wriggling Obscuria at the front, swinging his aura-infused sword horizontally.
The strike sliced tens of Ghoul Wraiths at once. The air tore with their shrieks, mixing with the wailing of the cavern.
Momentum gained, Rei unleashed consecutive aura strikes, and the Golden Apple Squad drove their weapons into the outer limbs of Obscuria.
“It… It’s working!”
“Good!”
Ash circled the edges of Obscuria, slashing freely.
“I need to strike the back, but I can’t tell which way it is.”
Due to its clustered form, Obscuria, despite being S-rank, was weak.
The steadily shrinking boss boosted the morale of the allies. But…
“If we keep this up… Wait! Look over there, captain!”
“My god! The regeneration speed—what is this?!”
Uwaaah…!
Ghuuuh…
Like a sewer overflowing, black wraiths were vomited from the abyss.
Since the wraiths kept replenishing, Obscuria remained as strong as before.
“Damn it, it’s endless!”
“Where’s its weak point?!”
As time passed, minor injuries began appearing. Limbs of allies were bleeding profusely from wraith bites.
“….”
Watching from behind, I silently healed their wounds. I’m a healer, after all.
[‘The Tower Architect of Trials’ watches your movements.]
Ash approached Rei.
“Brother, at this rate it’ll just be a war of attrition.”
“I know. But for now, there’s no other way.”
Holding out was the best they could do. Without a healer, they would have been wiped out long ago.
Then, Obscuria, which had been on the defensive until now, began its counterattack.
<It hurts…! It hurts…!>
<How dare… you hurt me…!>
<I won’t forgive…!>
Suddenly, a flood of wraiths poured from the abyss.
Even after restoring its main body, the number of wraiths was astronomical. They began occupying walls and ceilings.
“Gasp!”
“What… what is this!”
Debris fell as the cavern darkened rapidly.
The wraiths seemed endless. The walls, ceiling, even the floor were filled with squelching wraiths.
“I-It’s dark…!”
“Over here! Grab my hand!”
As everyone climbed to safety, avoiding the wraith swamp…
<No escape…!>
Obscuria cast a curse.
[<System> Warning. ‘Prey Mark’ activated.]
Black symbols appeared on the backs of everyone’s hands, including mine.
<Prey… Prey…>
<Submit quietly…>
The millions of wraiths covering the cavern revealed themselves, flashing their eyes in unison.
“Huff…”
The sheer numbers were overwhelming. It was like glimpsing the army of a thousand wraiths.
[<System> Fear effect activated by ‘Prey Mark’.]
Unless one had reached a certain level of mastery, resistance was nearly impossible.
Even Rei and Ash froze for a moment; the others were worse.
“Ah… no way…”
The dam holding back despair finally broke. The Golden Apple Squad, who had been holding on, were now fully terrified.
“T-The numbers…!”
“It’s over… we’ll all be eaten…”
I could heal their bodies and raise them up, but I couldn’t restore their terror-stricken minds.
<Eyelet.>
“….”
[‘The Tower Architect of Trials’ anxiously watches your every move.]
Uwaaaah!
The wraiths lunged at the Golden Apple Squad like piranhas. Rei hastily intervened to block the attack.
“Ugh.”
Though he was bitten in multiple places, he stood firm.
I quietly poured healing energy into him, while Rei raised his sword high, drawing aura. His strike fell like a hammer of judgment.
Kwah-kwah-kwang!
The wraiths in its path melted away. The attack was powerful but insignificant in effect.
The wraiths quickly refilled the empty spaces, and Rei panted, exhausted from exertion.
The Golden Apple Squad behind him were no longer capable of fighting.
Rei spoke gravely to Ash, who had just arrived:
“Ash, I’ll draw its attention. Take everyone and escape.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Please.”
“A moving act of chivalry, but unfortunately, it might be too late.”
“What?”
Ash held up her hand in front of Rei.
Not just Ash, but everyone had black symbols on their hands.
It was the same curse that the original Duke Valenstein bore his entire life.
“From now on, you will be prey to the boss for life.”
Once marked, Obscuria would inevitably appear to hunt its prey.
Seijin added bitterly:
“Better to die here than become a conduit for dungeon sync. Otherwise, you’d endanger everyone.”
Rei remained silent.
Ash smiled wryly, her expression filled with doubt.
“Ah, if the boss had run off alone at the start, it might have survived.”
The Golden Apple Squad had already given up entirely.
“God… how did this happen to us…?”
“We’re going to die… S-rank was impossible from the start…”
Suffocating fear and despair filled the air.
Ah, I need to ventilate this.
‘Architect.’
[‘The Tower Architect of Trials’ flinches.]
Then it happened.
<Meal…! Time…!>
Whoosh!
The countless wraiths clinging to the ceiling stretched out simultaneously.
They intertwined and formed a distinct shape—a blazing sun made of geometric patterns.
It looked like the neck of a yokai wearing a mask, stuck to the ceiling.
The main body appeared.
<Feeding…!>
The black sun-mask opened its mouth and charged vertically.
“Eek!”
“A-Aah…!”
Just as the massive mouth tried to devour everyone…
I raised my right hand toward the sky, palm open.
Kwah-kwah-kwang!
A loud vibration ran up my legs, wrapping my body.
That was all.
Confused shrieks echoed:
<W-what…!>
<Why… can’t I devour the prey…!>
Through the haze, everyone slowly lifted their heads.
Their eyes reflected silver light. Between them and Obscuria’s sun-mask stood a barrier.
Ash muttered in a daze:
“Wall…?”
A silver fortress surrounded everyone, shielding them completely.
