Chapter 195: The Abyss Within (1)

Nightmare.

There was no better word to describe what had happened.

It was the same word that lingered in the minds of every surviving hunter scattered throughout the cathedral. After the roof collapsed above their heads, their crimson eyes witnessed what could only be described as a death sentence descending from the heavens, a colossal golden sword overflowing with a terrifying amount of aura.

To them, that sword was death itself. The pressure bearing down upon their bodies came from heights of power they had never even dreamed of reaching, much less overcoming.

It was the ultimate attack of a High King standing on the verge of becoming an Emperor.

How could they possibly hope to stand against something like that?

Not Moon, the extraordinary magic knight blessed with the greatest talent of her generation and the bearer of the Phoenix Blessing. Not Luna, the terrifying witch beloved by mana itself. Not even Chai, the young prodigy who had managed to become a hunter at the age of fourteen, or Alicia, the finest swordswoman among them.

Every single one of them had surrendered to the golden terror falling from the sky, abandoning whatever hope of survival they had managed to preserve until that moment.

Ever since the battle between Asterion and the Golden Dawn Knight began, the waves of aura released by their clashes had continued reaching the other hunters. With every earthquake that shook the cathedral to its foundations, their hearts trembled with despair, reminding them just how helpless they were before monsters of such overwhelming strength.

There was nothing they could do except pray, desperately hoping that the Uncrowned Emperor would somehow find a way to deal with the enormous sword that had plunged them into the depths of despair.

“Is this the power of those who have reached the pinnacle of the ranks? How can they wield such an enormous amount of mana as though it’s nothing?”

Luna’s face had gone deathly pale as she stared at the colossal sword.

Her crimson eyes were special. Where the others saw an enormous golden blade, she saw a vast concentration of mana, so immense that she could scarcely comprehend how it had been gathered into a single attack.

It was many times greater than anything she could wield, despite possessing a talent that allowed her to continuously absorb mana. The amount even surpassed what her own teacher could command by an overwhelming margin, leaving Luna frozen in place with fear.

For a brief moment, she considered carrying her older sister on her back and fleeing as far away as possible. But she quickly realized how foolish that thought was. There was nowhere to run, not when the sword’s attack would engulf the entire cathedral and everything within it.

Her trembling gaze shifted toward Jackson next.

The giant hunter was a monster in his own right, possessing extraordinary endurance and terrifying physical strength. If anyone among them could do something about the situation, perhaps it would be him. At the very least, he might have been able to carry them away and escape before the sword struck.

But that possibility disappeared almost as soon as it occurred to her.

Jackson was still unconscious after his battle against Morgus.

‘What do I do now? Should I summon a barrier? If I pour all my mana into it, maybe… No. That won’t work either…’

Little by little, as the enormous sword drew closer and the earthquake beneath her feet grew increasingly violent, Luna finally began losing the composure she had maintained throughout the ordeal.

Death had never felt so close.

She couldn’t even bring herself to take a single step. Her legs trembled uncontrollably, her heart raced with anxiety and terror, and every breath escaped her lips in an uneven, frightened rhythm.

No matter how desperately she searched her mind, she couldn’t think of a single way to survive. Every possibility ended the same way, leaving her with nothing but the horrifying reality of what was about to happen.

Slowly, she turned toward Moon.

Tears had already begun gathering in the corners of her eyes when she finally spoke, her voice trembling.

“Sister… I’m sorry.”

The words escaped her lips just as the tears began rolling down her cheeks, falling one after another onto the ground beneath her.

Luna broke down, sobbing helplessly.

At that moment, she was no longer the cold, composed hunter everyone knew, nor the terrifying witch whose mastery of mana had earned her such a reputation. She was simply a girl who had barely turned eighteen, taking part in her very first hunting expedition inside a cursed ancient city where everything seemed determined to kill her.

As she wept, two slender arms slowly reached toward her and pulled her into an embrace.

Moon, who had been resting against the wall in front of her, gathered what little strength remained in her body and struggled to her feet. She drew her younger sister against her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around her as though she could somehow shield her from everything that was about to happen.

Unlike her terrified younger sister, Moon still maintained a determined look in her crimson eyes, a sign that she had not completely surrendered to despair.

“Luna… It’s alright. I’m here.”

Moon spoke in the gentlest voice she could manage, holding her younger sister close. But she was still utterly exhausted, and her legs soon gave way beneath her, forcing her to sit back down with Luna cradled in her arms.

“It’s not over yet. We’re still alive, aren’t we? And Grandfather is still fighting!”

She tightened her embrace before continuing.

“Do you remember the stories Mother used to tell us about him? She always described him as the strongest hunter in the world, someone nobody could ever defeat! So let’s believe in him. Let’s believe that he’ll find a way to turn this despair into hope!”

Moon spoke with all the determination she could muster, but her voice betrayed her several times, trembling despite her desperate efforts to keep it steady.

In truth, her words sounded less like an attempt to reassure the younger sister crying in her arms and more like a desperate effort to convince herself.

Moon wasn’t a fool.

She understood that her grandfather probably wouldn’t be able to save them. He was no longer the terrifying monster who had forged a legend through his strength in the past. He was merely an old man now, what remained of a hunter who had once stood among the greatest.

He couldn’t save them and win the battle at the same time.

He would have to sacrifice one for the other.

And if Asterion lost, death would inevitably come for all of them.

Knowing how overwhelmingly the odds were stacked against them, Moon slowly closed her eyes and buried her face against her younger sister’s shoulder. Luna did the same, clinging to her with all the strength she had left.

Not even the Phoenix Blessing could save Moon now. She had already used her Phoenix Rebirth against Morgus, and its flames would not regenerate in time to grant her another chance at life.

There was nothing left for her to do except accept her fate.

Moon and Luna remained locked in each other’s arms, while Chai and Alicia clung to Raiden’s unconscious body, covering him with their own as though they were living shields.

For a moment, it truly seemed as though everything had come to an end.

The earthquake caused by the descending sword grew more violent with every passing second, while the oppressive aura bearing down upon the cathedral intensified as the blade drew closer.

And then, at the darkest moment of their despair, a black knight suddenly leaped into the air.

He appeared almost out of nowhere, launching himself straight toward the enormous sword without the slightest hesitation, seemingly indifferent to the horrifying pressure radiating from it.

He was a tiny figure compared to the weapon looming above him, little more than an ant standing before a ravenous monster. Against the sword’s colossal size, his presence was so insignificant that he was almost impossible to see.