RUMBLE―!
The tunnel shook as spells collided in midair.
Upon the violently trembling ground, blue Aura roared.
Every passing moment tested the two boys, forcing them to shatter the walls of their limitations.
‘Being closer to death than anyone else means being able to grow stronger faster than anyone else.’
Recalling the truth that everyone had believed and followed a generation ago, they held back dozens—hundreds—of enemies.
Their devotion bought Lunae enough time to chant a higher-level spell.
“O darkness, your master beseeches you. Grant death to my enemies.”
The Second-Circle spell, ‘Living Burial’.
Formless hands emerged from the shadows and dragged the enemies beneath the earth.
Once the enemy’s defenses weakened, Heria’s sniping also began to shine.
Ice spikes too swift for the naked eye to perceive struck the enemies one after another, causing them to collapse in succession.
With the enemy Mages gone from the battlefield, the two swordsmen ran rampant as though they had finally entered their natural element.
Sezelin watched the battle from her usual position a short distance away and could not conceal her admiration.
‘The sword and magic are coexisting, compensating for each other’s weaknesses. Can you truly accomplish it, Joshua? Is your back really sturdy enough to bear them? Can you make your comrades forget the presence of death?’
The existence she had never doubted was faded shone more brilliantly than any magic when held in the boy’s hands.
The brightest Star of the North in history.
The Sword Master who had failed to ascend to Valhalla and descended upon the earth once more.
Joshua’s legend was being written anew.
“Haa….”
Before long, Joshua brought the battle to an end and leaned against his sword while breathing heavily.
Galev staunched the bleeding from the flesh that had been torn away when he failed to defend himself in time.
Unlike the Mages, who had merely expended mana, the two swordsmen were covered in wounds.
‘…Will the swordsmen of this age truly accept such one-sided sacrifice?’
Despite their significant accomplishments, Joshua’s mind remained filled with concerns.
Just as Sezelin had begun to resemble Joshua, the boy was also beginning to resemble her.
However, one thing was certain.
“Is everyone all right?”
Heria—
“Mash this herb and apply it to the wound. It will heal quickly, Galev.”
And Freya—
As long as swordsmen possessed comrades who recognized their noble devotion, any of them would fight without fearing death.
“…Tsk. Are both of you desperate to die? Why would you recklessly charge into a barrage of magic?”
Hannibal still could not understand them.
However, the fact that he was trying to understand people so different from himself was already remarkable progress.
Most Mages did nothing but point fingers at the two swordsmen.
“We will rest briefly before descending to the middle level.”
The Mages needed to recover their mana, while the swordsmen needed to restore their stamina.
They had been away from their homeland and marching relentlessly for two weeks. If they closed their eyes, they felt as though they would fall asleep immediately.
After finishing their brief but blissful rest, they resumed the expedition.
“Joshua, what do you think is inside the side passages the Hobgoblins came from?”
“There will likely be young individuals and pregnant females.”
Joshua answered Heria’s question by recalling both their theoretical lessons and the experiences of his previous life.
Leaving some of the creatures alive for the next pilgrims was a tradition that had continued for centuries, as well as a law of the Holy Order.
When they finally reached the boundary of the middle level, Joshua noticed a side passage containing no traces of monsters.
‘…Could it be?’
Driven by a faint hope, Joshua briefly changed direction.
As expected, pieces of dull, pitch-black ore had been abandoned against one of the walls.
The corners of the boy’s mouth rose as he gathered them into his backpack.
“This is… Black Iron Ore, is it not?”
“The miners affiliated with the Holy Order must have abandoned it. It was once extraordinarily valuable because it served as the primary material for swords, but now it has probably become little more than ordinary stone. In any case, you should take some as well, Galev.”
“Ah… All right!”
The unexpected harvest made their footsteps heavier, but they continued onward with joyful hearts.
‘I do not know whether any blacksmiths still forge renowned swords. If there are none, I will have no choice but to seek out the dwarves.’
The squat fellows he had befriended in his previous life surfaced in his mind.
They had been close enough that he could casually refer to them in such a manner.
Most dwarves lived for nearly three hundred years, so they should still be alive.
The middle level of the Abyssal Chasm.
Before long, they passed a sign engraved in gold.
This was where the Necromancia, a high-rank monster capable of absorbing Demonic Energy in earnest, wandered.
“It appears that we need to establish a specific strategy before the battle. As we learned at the Knight Order, the enemy commands Undead monsters and uses magic imbued with Curses. It can only be neutralized by destroying the Core near its heart. Therefore, we must assign our roles clearly and eliminate it before it summons more Undead.”
“Should I handle the Skeleton Archers as I did before?”
“Heria, you must handle the Necromancer. You are the only one capable of accurately sniping a specific target.”
“…Then leave the archers to me. I will sweep them away together with the ghouls using Area-of-Effect Spells.”
“I leave them to you, Lunae.”
“Freya and I will have difficulty displaying our full abilities here, so why do we not focus entirely upon supporting the two swordsmen?”
“That is an excellent idea, Herb Girl.”
They concluded the discussion quickly.
Even in Sezelin’s and the other knights’ eyes, their decisions were excellent.
“Then we are going in.”
Dark Mana had stained numerous areas of the middle level black.
Joshua, whose sensitivity to mana was particularly acute, struggled to breathe. Every breath felt as though he were swallowing mud.
‘The closer we get to the deepest levels, the denser the Demonic Energy will become. It is already this terrible here. I do not even want to imagine what lies below.’
A faint whistle suddenly brushed past his ears.
An arrowhead reflected the torchlight and glimmered red.
The moment that strange light entered his eyes, Joshua drew and swung his sword.
SLASH―
The arrow, severed in half, fell powerlessly to the ground.
“Prepare for battle.”
At Joshua’s cold warning, the Squires swallowed dryly.
A vast cavern filled with countless Undead soon appeared.
At its center stood the Necromancia.
The instant it sensed their presence, it drove a Staff adorned with a skull into the ground.
WHOOOSH―!
A bloodstained Hexagram shone and brought the monsters under its control.
A powerful spell containing a Curse immediately shot toward them.
Its strength was enough to make Sezelin instinctively raise her Staff.
After absorbing Demonic Energy, the creature had attained power approaching the Third Circle.
If the slightest thing went wrong, the Instructor would have to intervene immediately.
‘…I hope my comrades do not lose themselves to fear.’
To raise his allies’ morale, Joshua displayed his blue Aura and charged into the enemy ranks.
Galev followed closely behind him.
RUMBLE―!
As promised, Lunae’s darkness exploded against the enemies in the rear.
Freya’s and Hannibal’s spells rained upon those surrounding the two swordsmen.
However, Heria’s body stiffened when she found herself facing a Necromancia whose strength approached the Third Circle.
‘…Can I truly stop it?’
Despite her fear, she gathered the cold for the sake of the comrades who had placed their trust in her.
The ice she released with all her strength shot forward at once.
CRACK―!
However, Heria’s Second-Circle Magic was intercepted with astonishing ease.
The Necromancia’s Curse remained intact.
The girl hurriedly looked around.
Everyone else was already occupied with their own battles.
She could not ask anyone for help.
‘For now, I should at least cast a First-Circle spell….’
Her hands moved quickly, tracing a casting formula.
More ice collided with the Curse, only to shatter immediately.
In the end, Joshua was protected only after Freya added her magic to Heria’s own.
Naturally, the Necromancia’s assault had only just begun.
FWOOSH―!
When the Hexagram shone once more, the already numerous Undead multiplied further.
The Squires’ gazes began to waver.
As the enemy’s momentum overwhelmed them, their chanting grew slower.
The defensive line that had remained taut began collapsing in an instant.
Even as the ghouls’ hands seized his entire body, Joshua’s expression did not change.
“Remember why every one of you chose to become a knight! For lofty honor! To protect those precious to you! To become mighty warriors! We must overcome this!”
He truly seemed incapable of feeling fear.
His watching comrades could not help but feel awe.
‘How am I supposed to defeat… an enemy I cannot overcome?’
Heria continuously manifested Second-Circle Magic, yet she could not even block the enemy’s attacks.
The unrestrained Curse repeatedly descended upon Joshua, only to be cut apart by his blue Aura.
“It is all right, Heria! Keep struggling! Shatter the wall before you! I will bear the entire price!”
“Joshua….”
The guilt of forcing her burden upon a comrade.
The helplessness she felt before the Necromancia.
The anger she directed toward her own inadequacy.
Those swirling emotions poured into her magic.
All the blood and sweat she had shed until now roared within her.
‘Yes. If I cannot stop it once, then I will stop it with two spells. If that is still not enough, then I will use three!’
The enemy’s Curse surged like waves.
Her cold continued to shoot forward without tiring.
She loved Galahad more deeply than anyone else.
She was the girl who always remained in the Training Hall until the very end, casting one more spell whenever she could.
She traced the casting formulas that had become more familiar than breathing, entering a state of complete selflessness.
The surrounding air filled with geometric characters from an Ancient Language.
Unaware of the dizziness brought about by her rapidly draining mana, she sank into a world of mental imagery.
Only magic.
Then more magic.
Just as the sword represented both ideals and conviction to Joshua—
Magic was also Heria’s dream and the goal she desperately desired.
‘More… More… Just a little more. One more time.’
In the end, Heria poured out every last measure of her strength and consciousness before collapsing.
Only then did she begin to see what had previously remained hidden.
“The enemy line has collapsed! I will charge alone, so everyone else, support me!”
While the girl had held back the Necromancia, her comrades had overcome the Undead army.
Joshua was now tearing through the wave of ghouls and ravaging the enemy ranks by himself.
Whenever his blue Aura flashed, the road before him parted like the Red Sea.
Everyone combined their strength to block the Curses aimed at the boy.
CRACK―!
At last, his sword pierced the Core within the enemy’s heart.
The tremors of the battlefield gradually subsided.
Joshua stepped upon the Necromancia’s corpse, raised his thumb, and directed it toward Heria.
“You did exceptionally well.”
“You trusted me… I merely repaid that trust.”
However, the world was cruel.
Merely surpassing one’s limits did not allow someone to immediately reach the Third Circle or awaken overwhelmingly powerful magic.
Such developments belonged only in pleasant fairy tales and novels.
Nevertheless—
“Those who confront their limitations directly and overcome them earn the right to reach their dreams. You can become the greatest knight, Heria.”
“…You should look forward to it. I will surpass you, Joshua—even the legendary Joshua himself.”
Joshua smiled and willingly extended his hand toward the fallen girl.
“I will always await that day.”
Contrary to their concerns, they successfully conquered the middle level without anyone suffering a serious injury.
At this rate, they would not be inferior even when compared to the Knight Orders of other houses.
‘Perhaps they truly can bring about another golden age for Galahad.’
Deeply satisfied, Sezelin stepped before the Squires.
“You fought well. Only the lower level remains. From this point onward, the Full Knights, including your Instructor, will participate in the expedition. In other words, enemies too powerful for you to face alone will appear. Do not act rashly, and carefully observe the battles of the Full Knights!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
Though exhausted, they answered with all the spirit they could muster.
Thus began the final battle of their Sacred Site Pilgrimage through the Abyssal Chasm.