Chapter 261 This Is Going To Be The Final Battlefield
Suddenly, Lucia's painful scream echoed.
But what she said was really not important at all.
None of us cared that the fake goddess was completely n*ked. No, there were probably a few guys who were excited, but she was the last guardian of the labyrinth. There was no fool who would stop and stare at her.
However, it was true that for a few moments, our attacks were delayed because of Lucia's scream.
I'm not blaming her, but the fact is, the fake goddess acted faster than us.
Heavy attribute magic――[Gravity Shield].
She must have realized that space magic was being blocked. Instead, she used heavy attribute magic to create a pitch-black barrier in front of her.
"――!?"
But I quickly realized that it wasn't magic to protect herself.
I felt the surge of magical energy typical of magic use coming from the fake goddess hidden behind the barrier.
An attack. Or maybe it was to remove the [Black Seal Domain]. She was buying time for that.
Either way, I couldn't just stand by and let it happen.
"――Shh!!"
I swung my "Black-White."
My unique sword technique――[Heavy Flying Blade].
The black slash that shot out from my sword easily shattered the fake goddess's barrier and sliced through her real body behind it.
"!?"
But I couldn't completely cut through her body.
With pure white wings, silver hair, and smooth white skin, the overall impression of the fake goddess was pure and clean, but she had changed dramatically.
Her hair and skin, her entire body, were dyed in pitch black.
Heavy Attribute Bestowal of heavy magic.
The body of the false goddess, heavy, hard, and denser, not only felt solid but also had the unique elasticity and toughness of living beings.
At this point, I should be able to slice through most metal blocks, even those the size and thickness of a human, with [Heavy Flying Blade], but the transformed body of the false goddess was tougher than those metal blocks.
I couldn't help but think, "I see," in admiration.
I didn't know which thought pattern she was mimicking, the former Lucia or the [Evil God], but it was a solid and reliable choice.
Even so, fresh blood danced from the blackened skin that had been slashed diagonally.
"――――."
Our gazes crossed, her golden eyes still wearing an unchanging smile, as if she felt no pain at all.
Healing magic was probably activating, instantly healing the false goddess's wounds.
At the same time, I shouted while launching my own follow-up attack.
"――――Go for it!!"
At this point, no detailed instructions were needed.
In that moment, everyone unleashed their full-force attacks toward the false goddess.
Auras and magic surged toward the false goddess in the air, and with the first few strikes, her body was blown against the wall of the room.
She crashed into the wall with great force, and before she could bounce back, the relentless attacks continued, pressing her body against the wall.
An even more powerful concentrated attack than what had rained down on Galahad in the 47th floor.
A loud explosion roared, flashes of light raced, and the air in the room became chaotic. Slicing, burning, piercing, crushing, slamming, bursting, freezing, shattering――the destructive energy focused on the goddess eventually broke the balance and rebounded.
――Boom.
A shock raced through the vast room from corner to corner.
Each of us wrapped our bodies in an aura, deploying magic shields in front of us, the Shieldsmen protected those without any means of defense.
After enduring the storm of destruction with no escape, as the flash and dust cleared――
"She's not here..."
"Wait, did we actually defeat her...?"
My teammates murmured, glancing around the room, searching for the false goddess.
On the wall where the attacks had focused, cracks ran deep enough to reach the ceiling and floor, and in the center of those cracks was a huge crater. However, surprisingly, the wall wasn't completely destroyed; in fact, it was slowly starting to repair itself.
It seemed that the magical energy running through the wall had increased its strength. And now, it was beginning to heal little by little thanks to that magical energy.
But the false goddess was nowhere to be found in the room.
In my [Black Seal Domain], I didn't feel any sensation of magical energy forcefully penetrating through. In other words, the false goddess hadn't teleported somewhere...
"Did we win...?"
"Really? No way!"
Voices of disbelief rose up.
Well, that was to be expected. We had been serious in our attack, but we were far from using our full power. The battle had just begun, and it felt more like a test of strength.
Our opponent was the final guardian of the [God's Remains Labyrinth].
Somewhere in their heart, they must be thinking that an attack powerful enough to not even kill the Clan Master can't possibly defeat the last guardian. And I feel the same way... but if I think about it calmly, it wouldn't be strange if that attack had actually defeated it.
As proof, Lucia said.
"Everyone, don't worry. We definitely defeated it."
Then, she pointed with her small finger to the center of the room.
"Look over there."
As Lucia pointed, particles of light began to gather from nowhere――eventually, they formed a gate and materialized.
"Something's coming out!?"
"It looks like a gate."
"Does this mean we can go further?"
"Further? Is there really somewhere else? This should be the deepest floor, right?"
Seeing what had appeared, everyone voiced their confusion.
It was a gate, about 3 meters tall (≈ 9.8 feet tall), quite large, and gave off a heavy impression.
"Did it appear because we defeated the guardian?"
"Yeah, that's right."
When I asked, Lucia nodded.
So, where does that lead to?
Before I could ask that, however, Lucia suddenly looked down and, for some reason, apologized.
"More importantly, I'm sorry."
"Huh? Why the sudden apology?"
"Because I shouted, I gave the guardian a chance to use magic."
So that's what it was.
"Is that all? No one really cares about that."
I moved closer to Lucia and roughly patted her head.
"That's right. Plus, after seeing something like that, it's no wonder Lucia shouted."
Fiona added, trying to comfort her.
But what did she mean by "something like that"?
Was there something strange about it?
I found it strange, but I brought the conversation back to the main topic.
"By the way, Lucia."
"Hm?"
"Where does that gate lead? This floor should be the deepest, right?"
"Um... I think it probably leads to the 'Terrafomer007' admin area..."
As she answered, Lucia moved closer to the gate and stood in front of it. She reached out as if to open the door, so I hurriedly asked.
"Hey, is it really okay to just open it like that?!"
"Yeah, I'm a bit curious. I want to check it out."
"...If you open the door, there won't be [Evil God] waiting on the other side, right?"
"Of course, that possibility exists."
Seriously?
"But we can't move forward without opening it. Plus..."
Lucia looked straight at me. There was no sign of worry on her face.
That means Lucia has some idea of what's on the other side of the gate.
"Ah, I get it."
Nodding, I told my friends.
"Lucia is going to open the gate now! Get ready for anything that might happen!"
"""Got it!!"""
Everyone readied their weapons.
I also focused my aura into "Black-White," preparing to move no matter what happened.
"Alright."
"Mm."
I nodded at Lucia.
Lucia placed her hand on the surface of the gate. Then, without even needing to push, the large gate opened smoothly and silently.
"Nothing... is there?"
"It's a beautiful sight!"
"It smells like the sea... no, wait, it doesn't smell at all. So, is it a lake or something?"
"But even if it's a lake, I can't see the shore at all?"
What spread out on the other side of the gate was a blue and white space.
The gentle blue sky had no wind, and soft white clouds floated in it.
Under that sky, a surface of water stretched out to the horizon. Because there was no wind or current, the water reflected the scene above like a mirror, creating an indescribably fantastical view, as if space was expanding endlessly.
It hardly seemed like a real landscape.
In front of such scenery, Lucia murmured.
"I knew it..."
"...Did you figure out what kind of place this is?"
"Yeah, I got it."
Nodding, Lucia turned to me.
"No doubt about it... This is going to be the final battlefield."
She continued.
"Maybe, definitely, probably..."
I wanted her to be more certain, though.
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