I awoke to a pleasant morning.
The sky was a brilliant, clear blue, with colorful fireworks continuously launching.
The morning sunlight, reflecting off the falling magical snow, sparkled.
Beneath the magical atmosphere of the festival, I hid my face with a large coat and passed through Valt’s market, encountering people enjoying the festivities along the way. I saw a brother and sister, children, asking their parents for things they wanted, with the parents replying, “Only for today.”
Finally, I could look upon such scenes with a calm heart.
I walked for about an hour, reminiscing, and reached my destination.
A grand assembly seemed to have taken place at Fuziaze Cathedral last night, and the priests were busy rushing around.
However, when I revealed my face and boldly declared, “I’ve come to see Sis,” I was immediately granted an audience.I suppose I had been instructed from above beforehand.
I was led to the innermost temple. However, it seemed that the area had been cleared of people, and there were no general guests inside, only knights and priests.
It felt a little nostalgic.
In the perfectly cubical space, stone pillars stood at regular intervals. The floor and walls were polished like mirrors, emphasizing the solemn atmosphere. A red carpet led from the entrance to the altar, with rows of benches for guests lining both sides.
A year ago, I had sat on one of those benches as a distinguished guest.
Dressed in unsuitable ceremonial robes, I had waited impatiently for Kanami to arrive—but today, I was the opposite.
Beneath my cheap coat was my dungeon exploration attire. Worn leather gloves and a chestplate, a rugged sword unbefitting a temple at my waist, and a pouch of potions and tools at my back.
In this state, I was here to pick up Kanami today.
Or so I intended, but the knights surrounding me on the red carpet would not allow it. Looking at the knights forming a cordon, I muttered.
“Is this all?”
Roughly fifty people, at a glance.
They didn’t come close to filling the vast cathedral.
I frowned at the lack of fighting power.
The new Senators had not appeared.
The knights’ movements were fluid, indicating the command structure was functioning well. I wanted to believe that someone from the Senate was hidden nearby, issuing commands. However, Kuuneru, likely their representative, seemed to have moved from the “Political Affairs and Connection Storage Room” below to another location, avoiding confrontation with me.
As I meticulously observed the surrounding knights, trying to glean any information about their new location, I heard footsteps from an exit in the corner of the temple.
Sis appeared.
And then, she slowly ascended the temple’s dais.
Upon the appearance of their serving Apostle, the knights all offered a knight’s salute.
There was nothing to obstruct the path between Sis and me, and my eyes met Sis’s as she stood on the dais.
Perhaps it was the light passing through the stained glass, but she seemed to be bathed in a halo.
Sis, clad in the sanctity of an Apostle, began to speak quietly.
“You’re so calm, Dia. Compared to when I was inside, you’ve truly grown.”
She judged me, seeing my meticulous information gathering.
“…Well, of course. I’ve been through a lot of battles. In my own way, I’m a veteran dungeon explorer now.”
I boasted a little, as I was praised.
However, Sis had also grown.
In the solemn early morning temple, Sis spoke leisurely, bathed in pale light.
“That’s right. There’s no dungeon explorer in these Allied Nations who surpasses you anymore. The last one you delved into was around the 80th floor, wasn’t it? …You were really close to the end.”
“Indeed. That’s why I think I’ll reach the Deepest Part today. And the Adventure, which I’ve admired since I was a child, will be over.”
“Since you were a child? …Ah, the entertainment novels in the village church. Come to think of it, you were always reading those. It’s a bit nostalgic.”
“What? Were you aware of that even back then?”
“Just a little. You weren’t leveling up very quickly, so I couldn’t really show myself, and I was constantly anxious.”
She didn’t engage in the one-sided pronouncements characteristic of Apostles.
Sis didn’t raise her voice and truly listened to me.
Thanks to that, I could clearly hear the fireworks launching in the distance.
And the sounds of the festival’s revelry and music.
They flowed like accompaniment, praising Sis as she spoke in the solemn temple.
Seeing me strain my ears, Sis’s vigilance intensified.
“You truly are calm. As if you knew this would happen… Tell me, Dia, when did you see through the Master’s Plan?”
“Hmm, that’s difficult. …I clearly realized that Kanami was hopeless around the time of our hot spring trip.”
“The hot spring trip… Before tackling the Blood Land? That was almost immediately before.”
“Ah, it was right before.”
Everyone had vaguely sensed that Kanami had been struggling after the “final battle.” However, the hot spring trip was a more fitting context for the answer Sis desired.
On the day of that hot spring trip, I discussed the Final Festival with Maria and the others.
We identified “the final enemy” that Rustiara had mentioned and, anticipating the battle awaiting us at this festival, we resolved ourselves to it.
It was a resolution to never give up, no matter how difficult the battle ahead might be… But Maria had also said this at the time.
While soaking in the open-air bath with my familiar companions, she had said with a laugh, “—But if Kanami-san hadn’t been thoughtful enough to eavesdrop on our hot spring discussion, it would have been a different story. The battle might have been much easier.”
I trust Maria’s judgment.
Of course, Snow and Reaper too. And naturally, Rustiara.
It’s because I trust everyone that I’ve come to meet Sis alone, with peace of mind.
As if reading my inner thoughts, Sis nods.
“So… you’ve steeled yourself and you’re alone. But why did you come here first? I thought you’d head straight for the Deepest Part.”
“Of course, I’ll go to the Labyrinth soon. But it seems I can’t just go to Kanami’s place. I need to prepare various things.”
Sis continues her pure questions, and I answer truthfully.
Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that Sis and I aren’t suited for negotiation or bargaining, so we have no choice but to be honest.
“Prepare? Hmm… what kind of preparation is needed?”
“I’m not very bright, so I didn’t understand all of Rustiara’s last words… But I have a vague idea. It probably means I can’t forget anything.”
If just going was enough, I would have already gone.
However, when I close my eyes, the Rustiara I remember stops me. On that last night too, she smiled, repeating, “We’re all together.”
“Forgetting something, huh? …The Final Festival has already begun, and you speak so leisurely.”
“Maria told me there’s no need to rush. So, I’ll just stop it with all my might, in my own way.”
“…You won’t be able to stop it. No, my Lord can no longer be stopped. The reborn Revannism and the Divine Calendar will continue forever.”
Hearing the word “stop,” a tension runs across Sis’s face.
She immediately spreads her hands and begins to explain the religion she protects.
“Ever since my Lord resurrected me as a magic
She’s probably trying to persuade me.
I know she doesn’t want to fight me if possible, precisely because we were once one.
“I think it’s a good religion too. But to call it the highest and most perfect… is it?”
“It is. Because this Revannism is the real thing. Unlike fakes, it has definite protection. A thousand years ago, it saved people suffering from Demonic Poison and spread Divine Magic that enriched their lives, and in modern times, it saved the world from enemies like Palinkron and Hidaki. It doesn’t just Level Up. It bestows various blessings upon people.”
This isn’t a perfunctory sermon.
I can feel the passion in her words, conveying that this is her heartfelt evangelism.
“Why is that? Unlike other religions, the reborn Revannism has a true god. That’s why, the more you pray, the more you receive. …Hey, Dia. Is there any other religion like this?”
There is likely nothing comparable to this Revannism anywhere on the continent.
When I shake my head in acknowledgement that I cannot deny this,
“That’s right, there’s nothing else! …There hasn’t been for a long time. But we finally… finally found it after a long period of suffering! It’s not a fake, not a substitute, and not a mere comfort! We Apostles have found the true god!!”
Gradually, Sis’s gaze begins to wander into the sky.
She believes he is there.
“No, not we Apostles, but “I.” If I close my eyes, I can immediately recall the deeds of this Apostle Sis. I, the Apostle of Justice, always repeated the same words. ‘It is a great honor to be the foundation for saving the world.’ I said that many times to my Lord when he wasn’t yet a god. Over and over and over, I continued to tell him, ‘Sacrifice yourself for my Lord’… Finally, my words led my Lord…”
Looking at Kanami, who is not present, Sis’s lips curl into a smile.
She’s smiling. However, the corners of her eyebrows are downturned.
“—This ‘I’ made ‘my Lord’ into a ‘true god’.”
It was a proud smile.
But at the same time, it looked like an expression of repentance.
Sis continues her evangelism.
“Since a thousand years ago, I’ve sacrificed various things, sacrificed, sacrificed, sacrificed—built many foundations—and finally fulfilled the mission of saving the world. I saw it through to the Deepest Part and was praised by the previous Lord. It was only one word, but I was definitely praised…”
“…Sis, that’s good. You went through a lot, and I know you worked hard. With this, your mission as an Apostle is finally over—”
“No. It’s not over yet.”
My consolation was cut short. Sis’s complex smile disappears, replaced by a determined, sharp expression.
“The mission continues. There was a continuation to the Apostle’s mission. …And that continuation is to protect the new Lord.”
“…Protect him? Did that Kanami order you to do so?”
“No. It’s just that after seeing the form of my Lord in the Deepest Part, I vowed it in my heart. I chose this continuation of my mission, this path, by my own will.”
Even Noi, the former Lord, is irrelevant, Sis declares. Then, she pledges towards Kanami, who is in her line of sight.
“Therefore, Apostle Sis will dedicate her entire being to the new Lord and continue to protect him until her life is exhausted.”
The halo of light was dazzling.
It was the first time I had ever seen Sis like this.
However, this was not the first time I had seen such a figure in my life.
Sis had finally obtained something more important than the role of an Apostle.
With newfound emotional support, she was determined to forge ahead on the path she had chosen, even at the risk of her life.
Seeing her intently holding onto Kanami, never letting go, was undeniably like looking at myself—
“I see. With ‘my’ will. Then, there’s nothing I can do. …It seems it was fate that I was Sis.”
“Fate…? Dia, what are you talking about?”
Sis tilted her head, her attempt at proselytizing having missed its mark, confused by my strange response and phrasing.
Though it was difficult to explain in a single word, I would convey it in my own way.
“It was inevitable, I suppose, that I would be the reincarnation of Apostle Sis. I was born as ‘myself’ from the start, which led me to meet Kanami that day and invite him into the labyrinth. …Certainly, it was ‘I’ who invited him.”
It was a night when a snow of magic power fell.
That day, I, who was still Level 1, led Kanami, who worked at a tavern.
It was the same thing Sis did a thousand years ago.
“Sis, I wasn’t the only one who cornered Kanami. ‘I’ also fulfilled the Apostle’s mission. I believe it was fate’s ‘connection’.”
“…That’s not true!! Fate!? What are you even saying!? Dia has nothing to do with the Apostle’s mission! So, there’s nothing for you to regret! Did you forget the Master’s words?! Dia is Dia! Not a single sin or responsibility—…! Of course not! It’s all ‘my’ story! It’s obvious if you just think about it a little!?”
In that instant, Sis shielded me.
However, I realized mid-sentence that “regret,” “sin,” and “responsibility” were mixed into her words, and I became terribly flustered.
To her words, I immediately agreed and continued speaking.
“Yeah, there’s no sin or responsibility. I think so too. But that’s, Sis—”
I don’t regret taking Kanami into the labyrinth that day.
It was not a mistake that Kanami and I met, and I won’t pretend it ‘didn’t happen.’
Because I feel that way, I came to the Cathedral first.
“Sis, you too. You’re just like me, so you don’t need to feel any guilt or responsibility. …Having fulfilled your mission, you’re no longer an Apostle. Let’s end all that here.”
I stated my primary objective for the day.
However, as I expected, it was unacceptable to Sis, and her expression gradually hardened.
“You say I’m no longer an Apostle…? I?”
“If you took Kanami to that person named Noi, your role as an Apostle must be over, right? You’re just Sis now.”
“Dia, there are things you can say and things you shouldn’t. I’m still an Apostle, you know? I always have been, and I always will be, Apostle Sis. There’s no way I’m just ‘Sis’…! I’ve always been a special existence, with no equal in this world…! There wasn’t one!”
Sis’s “Apostle” is probably the same to her as my “Swordsman” is to me.
She clings to that role, even if it no longer has meaning.
I understand that feeling.
As an equal friend, I invite Sis.
“Sis, what I said I’d stop wasn’t Kanami or the ‘Final Festival.’ It was… you. I want to go with you to find Kanami.”
Repeatedly calling her name, I extended my right arm—a prosthetic made solid with magic power.
Mimicking Kanami further, I tried to persuade Sis.
“Let’s revive ‘Diablo Sis’ one last time. Together, we’ll catch Kanami, pull him along, and bring him back. He’ll surely be surprised.”
“Th-That’s… I absolutely won’t let you! Because the Master is going, right? ‘Beyond the deepest part of the labyrinth’! To a domain no one could reach! And there, he will make everyone ‘happy’! The Master himself! Beloved Master Noi! And me, and you!! Everyone will be ‘happy,’ and the world will be saved! Are you going to interfere with that perfect ending!?”
Upon learning my objective, Sis shook her head back and forth repeatedly.
Clenching her fists tightly, she continued to assert her own sense of justice.
“I’ve read that ‘happiness’ is something you obtain for yourself. It has irreplaceable value because you reach for it desperately and grasp it with great effort. …That’s what the book said, and I confirmed in my ‘Adventures’ that it was not mistaken. ‘Happiness’ that simply falls from the sky will quickly become ordinary. People won’t be able to be grateful and pray to God forever. Eventually, it will definitely become a ‘curse’.”
I don’t think my rebuttal is very effective.
However, my experience traveling to various places as an Apostle tells me that simply praying and being prayed to would lead to mutual destruction. In fact, I collapsed and made my way to these Allied Nations. My experience as an Explorer also tells me this is absolutely a mistake.
“Are you saying that people will get used to ‘happiness’? No, they won’t. The Master has already experimented with and resolved that kind of issue with Seldra and Kuuneru. No matter how much we discuss it, as long as the Master always controls the flow, the ‘plan’ will have no flaws.”
“There’s a flaw in that only Kanami isn’t ‘happy.’ With that kind of approach, Kanami will definitely fall one day.”
“No, the Master will also become ‘happy,’ so it’s fine. He promised me that he would become ‘happy’ ‘beyond the deepest part of the labyrinth’.”
“That means she’s not ‘happy’ yet. …Besides, Kanami might break promises. He has a bad habit of just glossing over things at the moment. This time too, even though he said he’d ‘stay by my side,’ he left so easily…”
We are arguing.
And I am aware that I am saying mean things.
However, just to confirm, I will continue for a little longer.
“Th-that’s not true! The Master keeps their promises! Even now, through the “Gap,” they are right beside me! Even after the “Final Festival,” they will continue to watch over us as magic! The Master kept their promise made with me a thousand years ago! They showed me true “Magic”! This time too, they will keep their promise!!”
“That’s why Kanami never shows anything but his best side to his companions, and that’s why he always reaches his limit. That’s why he’s weak at important moments and always loses.”
“Weak!? The Master is strong!! They are truly amazing!? They’ve surpassed even Noi, who gave birth to the Apostles!? Don’t you dare insult my true Master…! I won’t forgive anyone who insults the Master! Dia, I won’t forgive you either!!”
Sis yelled, grabbing the hem of her clothes and squeezing them tightly.
Seeing that gesture, I confirmed how much Kanami liked him.
Just as I thought…
It was good that I came here…
—My strongest connection is with Sis.
Because I think so too.
I also think Kanami is strong.
I truly admire them.
I believe they will keep their promises.
I will never forgive anyone who insults Kanami.
Because I feel that “Connection” strongly.
I’m sure Sis is included in Rustiara’s “everyone together.”
Of course.
Is Rustiara’s “everyone together” only for us companions?
Could it be that narrow? Rustiara, with her broader heart than anyone I know, accepted me with a smile even when I was so confused.
Emulating Rustiara, whom I respect, I decide to bare my true feelings to Sis.
Because we love the same person, let’s argue more, even if it means fighting to the death.
Because I know that a strong bond will be born beyond that battle—
—That’s why, today, I will definitely go with Sis to Kanami’s side.
Perhaps my fighting spirit was conveyed.
Sis, trembling, closes her mouth with a look of regret.
Then, averting her gaze from me, she looks down and informs those around her.
“Everyone, listen… Unfortunately, I couldn’t persuade Dia. She intends to drag me to the “Deepest Part” of the labyrinth, even if she has to. And with that, she intends to defeat our God.”
Her statement sends a ripple of tension through the temple.
It is a place where devout believers gather, so the tension is anything but ordinary.
“Of course, God will absolutely not fall. However, my Shrine Maiden may disrupt the “Final Festival” that blesses the new Revannism. We absolutely cannot let her into the labyrinth. We mustn’t let her interfere with God’s ceremony…!”
As she declared this, the magic emanating from Sis changed.
It began to glow white, became directional, and spread out from her back like a fan.
It was beautiful, like an angel spreading its wings, and if one looked closely, one could see the pattern of a magic circle drawn on it.
Combined with the sunlight streaming through the temple’s stained glass, it was truly divine.
It was a sight that made everyone believe that they were receiving God’s blessing from heaven.
Sis then slowly raised her hand and pointed her fingertips at me.
“Everyone, I will lend you my strength, so please gently apprehend Dia. My Shrine Maiden uses tremendous magic, but she cannot use her full power indoors. If she is cornered and uses it, I will definitely “Magic Nullification” it with the exact same magic. So, in the meantime, please hurry…”
Instructions came from the divine Apostle.
And perhaps due to the flow of Kanami’s magic, not a single knight hesitated to advance, despite being lost.
The knights who were waiting approached.
However, not all of them.
Only five, who appeared to be the elite.
They approached me with gentle words first.
“Lady Dia, forgive me. If you have something to suggest, please do so after the “Final Festival.”
“You are not merely a Shrine Maiden. Many knights believe you are… no, a being above the Apostles.”
“At this distance, with this many people, please do not resist. No one intends to harm you.”
Along with the warning, the hand of the knight at the forefront, who seemed to be of noble birth, was extended.
I immediately extended my hand in return.
The noble knight’s right hand and my right prosthetic hand met.
Our gazes also met at the same time, and my smile was reflected in the knight’s eyes.
The noble knight sighed softly.
He must have been relieved, thinking I had surrendered.
He immediately tried to gently lead me further in, like a gentleman pulling a lady’s hand.
However, in response to that kindness, I regretfully applied strength.
If quantified, it would be Level 59.
My “Strength” exceeds 15.00.
With inhuman power, I took him by surprise and flung the noble knight into the air.
The man’s body, weighing about seventy kilograms, was sent soaring into the sky as easily as an arrow.
“—!!”
In response to this defense, the actions of the other elite knights were swift.
Although their eyes widened at my raw strength, they judged that I had no intention of surrendering and began to sprint simultaneously.
Four more from the front.
With a “Speed” that ordinary people couldn’t even perceive, they closed the distance and extended their arms to capture me.
I dodged all of those arms by arching my body back significantly.
At the same time, I flicked my left foot upwards, driving it into the solar plexus of the second knight who was closest to me. The knight, gasping for air and collapsing in agony. From both sides of him, the remaining knights, who were trying to pin me down, rushed forward, reaching out their hands.
I arched my body even further, my cheek nearly touching the floor, and dodged again.
My body was bent back to its absolute limit.
Under normal circumstances, I would have fallen.
However, thanks to my prosthetic leg reinforced with Magic Power Solidification, I would never fall.
My left prosthetic leg had reshaped itself, piercing the floor, rooting itself, and supporting my entire body.
Because of this, I could attack from such an impossible posture.
First, I grabbed the arms of the third knight, who had already reached out, with both hands, threw him over my shoulder, and sent him flying towards the temple wall. The fourth knight drew his sword without hesitation, but I caught his gleaming blade with my right artificial hand, crushed it, and then knocked him out with a punch to the jaw from my left fist.
The fifth knight was quite delayed. So, I delivered a spinning kick to the torso of the second knight who was groaning nearby, sending him flying and pushing him out of sword range along with the fifth knight.
Just then, the first noble knight, whom I had thrown upwards earlier, began to fall.
He was truly an elite knight, using the temple’s ceiling as a foothold to jump, accelerating, and even chanting a spell.
“Capture the miko! —Water Fisher!!”
However, the spell chosen was a water net.
Prioritizing capture even now, truly gentlemanly.
From my post-spinning-kick stance, I raised my right artificial hand.
However, I was not going to cast a spell.
I elongated and sharpened my right artificial hand, constructed from magic power, sliced through the approaching water net, and sent it directly towards the noble knight.
But before my blade could reach him, the knight generated a gust of wind, moved sideways, and stuck to the temple wall.
It was a familiar way of using magic.
Given his youth, he might be a friend of Rainer’s.
The combat concluded, and particles of magic power swirled in the temple.
Sis, finally catching her breath and processing the situation, let out a gasp of shock.
“Wh-What…!? How…!?”
She must have perceived close combat as my weakness.
The knights and priests maintaining their distance seemed to share this understanding, their expressions clearly showing them desperately revising the information they had.
And Sis was still waiting for the right moment to use Magic Nullification, remaining still.
Fortunately for me.
All I had to do was fight using Magic Power Solidification.
According to my master, this Magic Power Solidification was a technique passed down in the Aleis family, which produced many Sword Saints, and was apparently one of a knight’s ultimate techniques.
Frankly, there was no reason I couldn’t use it.
Moreover, I had been unconsciously using this ultimate technique for so long that I had already stepped into the next domain.
I examined my own body.
My torso was twisted to its limit, my chin pointed towards the ceiling, and I was frozen in a posture that looked like I would fall any moment.
My left prosthetic leg, through advanced application of Magic Power Solidification, had manifested magic like roots extending up to my waist, stabilizing my body’s balance.
My right artificial hand, through the basic application of Magic Power Solidification, had become a long, sharp sword, but I slowly retracted its blade.
My ability to wield it so powerfully and fluidly was likely due to using it daily for the past year.
It was also thanks to the example shown by Hitaki, Thief of the Principles of Water, during the “final battle.”
I gazed at the tip of my raised right artificial hand and felt a sense of deep emotion, even at this moment.
I have truly grown.
I have changed.
But in the end, what I am holding up now is not a “sword,” but a “mass of magic power in the shape of a sword.”
Thinking about it, my life has always been dictated by this.
It all began when my abnormal magic power made it impossible for me to return to my home village.
Being constantly called an Apostle, I lost myself and ended up in the labyrinth of the Allied Nations, fleeing.
There, I met Kanami, who was Level 1, and my companions. After that, my body was taken by Sis, I lost someone important, and ultimately, I faced the crisis of the world, and those days were truly—
“—Truly, it was hard. But it was also an enjoyable Adventure. It was ‘as if it were from an old hero’s tale’—”
The words escaped me.
I had recited them.
The surrounding knights gasped and became more vigilant.
They were likely re-evaluating their strategy due to the enemy’s unexpected strength.
I had been deliberately maintaining an unstable posture to appear vulnerable, but they didn’t seem to be falling for it. I recalled my master’s advice that I was too theatrical and bad at feints and lures, and gave up.
I expanded the solid magic of my right prosthetic leg and reshaped it.
It covered me from my waist to my back as I slowly straightened my torso.
I, who had straightened my posture using only magic power without relying on my physical body, took a stance in the Aleis style of Swordsmanship with a “mass of magic power in the shape of a sword.”
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We have entered the final battle, but the resolution is still far off, and what follows will be a “story accumulation” period.
I apologize.
