Part Two, Section Three: “The World of Asmodeus”
Chapter Sixty-nine
What an embarrassing defeat. I never imagined I would be captured so easily. The peculiar air I was sensing on my skin and the amount of mana was clearly different from the Surface. This place was probably… the Interstice Elsa mentioned to me before.
Asmodeus doesn’t seem to have noticed I’m awake yet. Looks like he is flying somewhere.
It was fortunate he was touching me carelessly. Despite being caught off guard once before, he was far too lax. Likely because his immense power meant he could be careless without consequences.
“Gwaaaaaaaah!”
Like when we held hands earlier, Asmodeus writhed in agony and released his grip on me. Yes, once again I channeled my magic power into him through his arm. Falling for the same trick twice in such a short span could only be called foolish, but in any case, I was falling from the sky towards the ground.
I must mind my landing or it would hurt a lot…
“Good grief, how did you manage to escape from Asmodeus on your own?”
“I always thought you were a capable woman, Sister Philia!”
Before even a full second into my fall elapsed, Elsa and Mammon appeared and caught me. I knew Mammon could open the path to the Interstice, but I didn’t anticipate them arriving at such a perfect moment.
“Thank you very much. You saved me.”
“I should be the one thanking you. But we can get to that later…”
“Sister Philia, you are injured, right? First, we need to get away from Lord Asmodeus.”
Asmodeus had an anguished expression, but he clearly noticed us. Perhaps learning from experience, he immediately severed his left arm to minimize the damage. Since I’m also wounded, getting into a fight with him now wouldn’t be wise.
In that case—
“Damn you, exorcists! Give me back my beloved! Don’t get in my way!”
“Elsa, Mammon, close your eyes… Flash Ball!”
“Wha—!? My eyes!? I can’t seeee!”
I threw a bright, flashing sphere at Asmodeus. This sphere radiated a brightness several times that of sunlight, and looking directly at it could potentially blind even a normal human. While it was not particularly useful for the saintly duties, it proved to be greatly beneficial in our attempt to escape.
“Saintly Heal…”
While being held by Mammon, I tended to the injury on my side as we descended to the ground. I had trained my blood vessels to be more resilient to injuries, so there was minimal bleeding, and the treatment was quickly completed.
“Clever move… for a saint.”
“She’s special after all. The first Great Saint who appears after 400 years.”
“Fiana had crazy power, but she didn’t have Sister Philia’s finesse, y’know?”
With my injuries healed, we successfully concealed ourselves behind a rock’s shadows. But still, this space was far too desolate. I felt no signs of life, and looking up at the sky, there was only an endless white expanse. The rocks, the ground, everything was pure white, making it seem as if color itself had been lost.
The only thing I could sense vividly was mana. This must be an environment well suited for devils whose bodies overflow with magic power.
“Great Saint, I appreciate your interest in the Interstice, but it’s about time we head back.”
“I apologize. Thank you for coming to help. If I were left alone here, I would have been at a loss.”
Just imagining what would have happened without Elsa and Mammon coming to help made me shudder. This place seemed even harsher than any environment I experienced during my training days. I couldn’t even fathom how to find a way back.
“I’m your bodyguard. And you got hurt saving me. I already said it but… thank you.”
“No, a saint must save everyone within reach. Don’t worry about it.”
Elsa awkwardly expressed her gratitude to me. I just instinctively helped the person in front of me who was about to be hurt, and taking a hit afterward was simply due to my lack of training, so there was really no need for Elsa to be concerned…
“Whoa! Sister Elsa honestly thanked someone! Maybe it’ll snow in the Interstice!”
“Oh shut it! Hurry up and open the gate to the Surface!”
“Roger, roger. I’ll open the gate right away…”
Mammon provoked Elsa, and when she responded with an angry tone, he raised his hands to the sky, concentrating his magic power. Crackling waves of magical energy stimulated the skin. While not reaching Asmodeus’s level, Mammon also possessed a considerable amount of magic power…
“…Weird. The gate to the Surface isn’t opening.”
However, Mammon lowered his hands with a mutter.
It seemed he had failed to create a path to the Surface.
What could this mean?
“Don’t tell me… that bastard Asmodeus sealed off the spatial transfer with his overwhelming magic power?”
“Tch! He works fast! Lord really didn’t want his crush escaping from him…!”
“In other words, the three of us are stranded here in the Interstice?”
“Sorry for coming to your rescue just to get stuck here too.”
Elsa nodded at my words in affirmation. Apparently, she thought we had successfully escaped from Asmodeus, but returning won’t be as easy as she hoped.
This was troubling. Everyone on the Surface must be worried, and I at least wanted to let them know I was safe…
“Let’s try using this. It’s still a prototype so I’m not sure if it will work properly…”
“What’s that? A bracelet?”
I gently stroked the blue stone set into the bracelet on my arm. It was an accessory I crafted so I could communicate with Lina and the rest even when apart during the saintly duties.
The necklace I recently gifted to Lina was designed to catch the unique magical wavelengths emitted from this bracelet, enabling communication through a special mechanism…
With everything that had been happening lately, I neglected even testing it. And I hadn’t yet explained the mechanism to Lina either. At that time, she was so delighted with what she called my "fashion awakening" that it was hard to bring up.
The issue was whether the magical wavelengths from the Interstice could reach the Surface. I channeled power into the bracelet and attempted to connect with Lina’s necklace.
‘There’s no way I can just stay here not knowing Miss Philia’s situation! I’m too worried about her! Taking me there immediately is the only option!’
“Is that your voice, Your Highness Oswald? It’s Philia. Can you hear me?”
‘La-La-Lady Philia’s voice is coming from my necklace!’
It looked like the communication was a success. And I seemed to startle everyone.
First, I should explain the situation.
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