Everyone was confused.
—A monster can speak?
It was impossible by their common sense.
A monster that moved according to instinct was speaking the same language as humans.
It felt as though everything they had known had been overturned.
The fear was even greater because of its eerie voice, which had no rise or fall.
Their poor physical condition also played a part.
"A-A monster can speak...?"
"No way, i-it hasn't grown wings yet...."
The knight who had lost his eye muttered.
The knight standing beside him and supporting him also spoke.
Even the Holy Knights reacted similarly.
"My God."
"Have You abandoned us?"
They sought God as they stared at the monster beyond all common sense.
Even Arden, their only hope, had fallen.
They could not think of a way to overcome this crisis.
They had moved only to help Arden.
"Pull yourselves together!"
Dylan shouted amid the chaos.
Moving with difficulty, Kane slapped the cheeks of those who stood staring vacantly.
Of course, that did not make the two of them special.
They were just as frightened and afraid.
No one could remain composed with death before their eyes.
But unlike the others, they had not forgotten what they needed to do even in the face of the monster.
'We have to get Arden to the Central Region.'
The two shared the same thought.
Then what they had to do was decided as well.
WHOOOOOM—!
Dylan released Divine Power with all his strength.
The battered Holy Knights were the first to regain their senses.
The knights recovered soon after.
At that moment.
"Especially that boy."
The pure-white, dragon-like monster continued speaking.
It was undoubtedly far away, yet its voice sounded as though it were whispering beside their ears.
Magic power was imbued in that voice.
It was magic power so dense that no one could withstand it.
Goosebumps rose all over their bodies.
—......
However, Arden was a little different.
His fallen body twitched faintly.
He was absorbing mana, and his body was slowly recovering.
Then an unknown voice echoed inside Arden's head.
The necklace in his pocket began to glow softly.
—Tear it apart.
—Advance.
—Infuse it.
Of course, no one noticed.
They had no time to look back.
The creature moved its enormous legs.
RUMMMMMBLE—!
The Snow Mountain shook from the tremendous impact.
It was difficult even to remain standing.
"Interesting."
The creature spoke while keeping its gaze fixed on Arden.
GRRRRR....
KREEEE....
GRRR....
Even as that happened, the monsters bowed their heads and backed away.
Even the liquid creature that had fought Arden on equal footing fell silent and seeped into the ground.
"So it comes to this in the end."
CREEEAK—! Dylan tightened his grip.
His hand around the sword was drenched in sweat. His heart pounded rapidly. Like the two knights, he wanted to give up.
But he could not.
Dylan steadied his resolve and looked ahead.
"Arden is the highest priority. I will buy time. You should be able to get out of the mountain."
Kane, carrying Arden over his shoulder, limped closer.
"Captain, what about me? Are you going to do this alone?"
"With that leg, it will be over once even your Divine Power runs dry. Before then, use everything you have to get out of here. Get as close to the Central Region as possible."
"...You're planning to abandon the North."
"It cannot be helped. I will bear all the blame."
"......"
"Even so, the High Priest and the Saintess Candidate are in the North, so it will not be total destruction. It may take a long time, but it can be rebuilt. You could say the rest is in your hands."
No one could say anything in the face of such firm resolve.
They could only look at Dylan with complicated expressions.
Of course, they could not remain like this forever.
They had to move quickly.
Even at that very moment, the dragon-like monster was approaching with thunderous steps.
"Do you not even intend to struggle?"
The one fortunate thing was that it was slow because of its enormous body.
If it had moved as quickly as the other monsters, they would have died long ago.
"Yeah...."
"Go. I can buy you at least a minute—"
"Put me down."
Arden, who had barely regained consciousness as mana restored his body, interrupted.
He rolled off Kane's shoulder.
Arden landed unsteadily and continued in a cracked voice.
"Put me down for a moment."
At those words, everyone focused their attention on Arden.
His limbs, which had turned black, and his twisted fingers had recovered to some extent.
But he was still in a state where it would not have been strange for him to die at any moment.
Yet he intended to fight.
This was no different from suicide. They needed to stop him.
However.
WHOOOOOOOOOM—!
The air around Arden trembled.
The ground shook.
Separate from the necklace, pure-white light burst from Arden's body.
It was brighter than any light they had ever seen.
The Pope, the Saint, the Saintess, the Avatar....
No. It could not be compared to the light they gave off.
Would it feel like this if a god manifested?
Their heads lowered naturally.
Their hearts pounded. Something swelled within them.
Radiance....
That was what Dylan thought.
The others felt the same.
They even forgot their pain. Their weapons fell from their hands.
Once again, everyone's gaze focused on Arden.
"Hoooo...."
After expelling all the monster's blood, Arden took the necklace from his pocket.
He looked at the necklace in his hand for a moment.
But it was truly only a moment.
Arden exerted strength and immediately tore the necklace apart.
It was the only keepsake connecting his mother and Arden, but he did not hesitate.
CRRRRAACK—!
The chain broke apart completely.
But nothing fell.
Every fragment shone brightly, suffused with light.
They flashed even more brilliantly than before and flew around Arden.
... Everyone watched that sight blankly.
"Interesting."
The creature murmured from afar as well.
But none of it reached Arden.
He heard no sound, and his sight was fixed on only one place.
The monster.
"......"
Arden bit his lower lip and moved forward.
Nausea rose with every step he took.
His legs, overworked even past their limits, convulsed.
The bones throughout his body, which had not properly healed, crushed and screamed.
Even so, Arden advanced.
Together with the necklace's remnants wrapped around his body.
"......"
"Is this the end?"
By the time Arden faced the four-meter-tall creature, he had lost consciousness.
All the goals embedded in his heart had led him this far.
But even that was now over.
THUD—!
Arden dropped to his knees and collapsed onto the ground.
"How disappointing. I had expected more."
The dragon-like creature spoke with its jaws wide open.
It intended to swallow Arden just like that.
It did not care about the light that had yet to fade.
Once the boy before it died, the light would disappear as well.
RUMMMMMMMBLE—!
Then it happened.
The gloomy sky split apart. Pure-white light poured down. That light was focused entirely on Arden.
SSSSIZZLE....
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The creature's scales began to burn the moment they touched the sudden light.
That was not all. They slowly began to melt.
The stench of burning covered the mountain.
"Kkh, kkhugh...."
The creature twisted its body in pain and tried to escape.
CRRRRACKLE—!
The necklace's remnants reacted.
Each fragment clung to the creature's entire body.
The light flowing from the severed points stretched out, binding the creature.
CREEEAK....
The chains slowly tightened.
The creature howled in pain once more.
"KRAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The ground shook violently. The monsters' eardrums burst.
If Dylan had raised his Divine Power even a little later, they would have suffered the same fate.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!"
Just then, the scales melted away and its flesh was exposed.
The light stopped.
It no longer melted the creature.
Instead, the chains binding it vibrated even more violently.
Slowly, they dragged it into the depths of the Snow Mountain.
"No! Once again, for an eternity—"
RATTLE—!
The chains stretched out and bound even its jaws.
The creature widened its eyes as it was dragged away.
Only the marks left by its enormous body remained on the cracked earth.
—......
A sudden silence fell.
Everyone wore expressions of incomprehension.
"What I saw...."
"I can't understand...."
"At the Holy Temple...."
No one could continue speaking.
They could only voice their disjointed thoughts.
Then Dylan suddenly came to his senses and approached Arden.
"Are you all right?"
"......"
There was no response. However, he was not dead. He was still breathing.
But his limbs, which had briefly regained their color as blood flowed through them, had turned black again.
He was continuously vomiting blood.
His condition had become even more serious.
"Descend now! Gather all of Arden's belongings!"
After confirming that, Dylan shouted. He intended to return immediately.
"Right, I'll retrieve them."
Kane ran to retrieve Arden's sword, which had fallen far away.
He had wrapped his leg in what little Divine Power he could squeeze out.
Meanwhile, the others finished preparing and carefully supported Arden.
When Kane returned, they hurried down the mountain.
***
[An unnamed Snow Mountain in the North. There, after a hard-fought battle, the boy sealed one of the Great Demon's remnants, once again changing the continent's fate.]
***
Deep within his consciousness.
Arden was still sinking without having regained consciousness.
—!
Then, something pulled Arden upward.
As his sleeping mind awakened, the space around him changed.
"......!"
Arden came to his senses and looked around.
It seemed to be a temple.
He could see columns made of platinum and a ceiling of the same color above them.
At the end of the temple stood a massive chair made of gold.
"......"
Arden slowly walked toward it.
At the same time, a genderless voice echoed inside his head.
Yet it felt somehow familiar.
—Welcome.
Arden flinched and looked around.
—Was I right?
At the question of whether it had been right, Arden looked around before quietly nodding.
It belonged to the owner of the voice he had heard while lying unconscious.
"Yes."
—That's a relief. It truly is.
"......"
—I would like to watch you a little longer, but... there is no time allowed to us. This will be the last time.
The voice was filled with regret.
—I even used the necklace as a medium... yet I cannot bear the weight of causality. I only went as far as drawing out your potential, just in case.
"Potential...."
—Regrettably, you must go now. I enjoyed speaking with you, even if only briefly... Yes. For a final gift, this should do.
The moment the unknown being finished speaking, the temple shook violently.
RUMMMMMBLE—!
It began collapsing from the entrance.
—Arden, many people worry about you. Never treat them carelessly. Then....
Just before the temple collapsed completely, Arden was enveloped in pure-white light.
"W-Wait—"
Arden tried to say something, but he was soon thrown out of the unknown space.
—......
The space was empty. Nothing remained.
The light flashed a few times before disappearing completely.
That place no longer existed.
***
"—!"
Arden's eyes flew open. He bolted upright.
"Kyah!"
Startled, Kamer dropped the glass of water she had been holding.
CLATTER—!
It shattered into pieces, soaking the floor.
"H-He woke up!"
Without even paying attention to it, she shouted loudly.
Then she ran outside.
"What...?"
Arden looked around and muttered.
"My memories...."
They were growing increasingly faint.
The conversations he had had there were being erased one by one.
Before long, he could no longer remember what that space had looked like or what had happened at the end....
He could not recall anything.
"What on earth... Ugh."
A headache soon took its place.
Arden frowned as he pressed his throbbing temples.
His throat was parched, and his empty stomach churned.
How long had he been unconscious?
"Y-You're awake! Are you all right?"
Kamer returned just then. The old man Arden had seen before was with her.
But that was not all.
This time, Berua, the Saintess Candidate, was there as well.
"Are you all right?"
The old man approached Arden and asked.
Arden nodded.
"Do not move."
"That's right. Please do not move. There may still be injuries that have not healed, so I will examine you."
Berua approached and placed her hand on Arden's shoulder.
She intended to see whether there were any places that had not completely healed.
But then.
"—!"
Berua's eyes widened in disbelief.