Chapter 262

The underworld’s farewell.

In the game, that power was originally implemented as a kind of gimmick-like system.

A gimmick that made it absolutely impossible to defeat Isabella until certain story conditions were met.

No, rather than story conditions, perhaps map conditions.

Isabella’s final battle wasn’t supposed to be in these underground waterways, but rather after bringing down the dragon Nidhogg in the volcanic mountains.

With Damien leading the protagonist’s party, you’d chase Isabella, corner her, and drop her into the volcano. That was the end.

Even if she resurrected in the lava river, she’d just melt again, repeating the cycle.

After that, you’d enjoy Isabella’s screams and press down on her with a holy barrier to make sure the witch didn’t escape.

Until Isabella, having exhausted all her lives, vanished with her final cry.

It was the ending of Episode 4, famously known as the “Baptism of Fire.”

Of course, there’s no volcano in these underground waterways.

Digging all the way to the magma zone would mean delivering Isabella near Nidhogg’s remains.

Moreover, if the backflowing magma spread throughout the entire underground waterway, it would mean I’d be responsible for half-destroying the capital…

In other words, you can’t defeat Isabella using the original, straightforward method.

…But that doesn’t mean there’s no way at all.

A player who wasn’t great at controls accidentally discovered a bug-like strategy.

When it was first revealed, no one believed it would work… but after those who tried it succeeded, it became the standard method for defeating Isabella.

Whether it was an Easter egg planted by the developers or just a plain bug remains unclear.

—

“What, eight thousand men? Did you have a party at the Imperial Army barracks or something?”

“Hoho, isn’t that something you should be doing?”

A splash of water soaked the floor, and the broken ceiling came crashing down.

Isabella’s attacks were becoming more ferocious, as if she was getting into the groove.

She moved beyond toying with insect-like limbs and started using her full power.

“Bow and scream. Sing the darkness of the night, and dance as if eternal!”

“Procumbe et Clama. Cantate Tenebras Noctis et Salta Quasi Sine Fine!”

The incantation spilled from her fully extended arms.

A whirlpool of magical energy filled the air, manifesting all sorts of mysterious spells.

The anti-demon blessing embedded in my flesh screamed a warning, shaking my nerves.

Yes, that bug-like witch has lived for over a hundred years. Even without her divine power, her magic alone makes her a formidable opponent.

From the start, her close combat was just a game!

“Ophelia! Lacey! Intercept as much as you can!”

I shouted urgently, looking back.

I couldn’t tell what each spell was, but just by the energy they radiated, they were no joke. And there were dozens of them.

This was like an entire artillery division aiming at us!

“You think it’s that easy? Duodecim Sagittas (Twelve Arrows)!”

The magical arrows Ophelia created collided with the whirlpool of magic, scattering as if twisted.

The foreign magical energy interfered with Isabella’s spells, disrupting their manifestation. Some spells broke before they could even activate.

“The night fades, and the day draws near. We cast off the darkness and don the armor of light!”

The holy light Lacey emitted formed a spherical barrier around Isabella.

An anti-magic barrier.

If it were cast towards us, it would interfere with Ophelia, so she surrounded the enemy instead.

“Elpinel’s light… really, it’s always so irritating!”

Isabella clicked her tongue and swung her mantis-like forelimbs in all directions.

Four blades wrapped in magical energy slashed deep grooves into the holy barrier.

“It’s your ugly body that’s irritating!”

I charged at Isabella like an arrow.

If left alone, Lacey’s barrier wouldn’t last long.

“Why? Afraid you’ll get wet?”

“As if!”

The oath sword swung, trailing a blue light.

Durandal’s blade pierced through the sphere of light as if melting into it.

Jin.

The blessed metal that scatters magic and magical energy but doesn’t react to divine power.

“Looking at a naked old hag over a hundred years old would rot my eyes!”

The slash, ignoring the anti-magic barrier entirely, cleanly severed Isabella’s forelimbs.

“Then I’ll pluck them out before they rot!”

A black storm erupted.

The magical energy sprayed in all directions shook Lacey’s barrier, and the dozens of completed spells activated simultaneously.

“Bring it on!”

“Elpinel, guide us!”

The blue blade danced like a whirlwind, and the pure white holy light spread like a veil.

A wave of shadows covered it—

And one section of the waterway completely collapsed.

—

“Cough! Cough…! Is everyone okay?!”

I spat out the dust that had gotten into my throat and looked around.

All I could see was the rising dust and the waterway covered in debris.

It was just a pile of rocks.

Isabella’s magic definitely showed off the power befitting a witch.

Black flames poured down like a waterfall, and lightning tore through the air.

Ophelia tried to counter with similar spells, but the difference in power was too great to completely neutralize them.

And that wasn’t all.

A festival of weapons made of magic: spears, whips, hooks, and axes.

Hersela and I managed to fend off most of them, but we had to use our reserved techniques.

Poison seeping into the air.

By the time we noticed, our insides were already screaming in pain. Lacey purified it, but in the moment our movements slowed, we got hit by the next spell.

Shadows binding our feet.

Black hands stretched out from our shadows, gripping our legs. Even as they melted in the holy light, they clung stubbornly.

Curses of blindness, silence, and frenzy, among others.

I resisted with anti-magic, and Lacey endured with blessings, but… I’m not sure about Ophelia. She said she could handle most curses, though.

A net of magic pressing down from the ceiling.

We attacked the ceiling fiercely to break it, but that was the problem. We were so focused that even after tearing the net, we ended up shredding the ceiling.

And then, the flesh scattered on the ground exploded all at once. I knew about corpse explosion magic, but I didn’t expect it to work on leftover fragments of resurrected beings.

We managed to deal with it, but each spell was incredibly powerful.

Not just the spells themselves, but their aftermath was threatening too. In the end, the waterway couldn’t withstand it and was completely destroyed.

[What a disaster.]

That really sums it up.

A collapse akin to a localized landslide. With a deafening roar, the ceiling, wide enough to fit two mansions, came crashing down. Boulders rained down, shaking the passageway, and the rising spray swept through like a tidal wave.

A calamity as if the mountains and sea were venting their fury simultaneously. We managed to dodge by cutting through magic and deflecting rocks, but our limbs still ached. It was impossible to escape unscathed.

Ironically, Isabella, who cast the spells, also got buried under the rocks.

—

Blood trickled down my leg. A rock fragment the size of a palm was embedded in my left thigh, and my right arm bore clear burn marks.

Lacey’s blessings were healing the wounds, but the pain remained. Plus, I had to pull out the fragments myself.

Not just my thigh, but small fragments were stuck in my abdomen and cheek, stinging sharply.

“Ugh…!”

Grimacing, I pulled out the embedded pieces one by one, and blood gushed as new flesh began to grow.

“…That was close.”

Lacey sighed, clearing the rubble with her cross-shaped weapon as she approached. Her clear face was smeared with dust and groundwater, her clothes the only clean thing, making her look bizarre.

“You don’t seem too hurt, that’s good. What about the others?”

“They’re over there—”

Lacey pointed in the direction she came from.

“Haahhh!”

“Elpinel’s sword wouldn’t break this easily!”

“Brother! Get a grip! You went off on your own, acting all high and mighty, and look at you now!”

At the back of the waterway, untouched by the collapse, three people and one enemy were still locked in a fierce battle, emitting dazzling flashes. Nigel’s upper body was marked with cuts, and Bels’s armor was half-shattered.

In contrast, Leonor had no injuries… Was it because Ernst was desperately resisting? Or was she just less threatening and thus less targeted? It was hard to tell.

“They seem fine over there… But what about Ophelia?”

Don’t tell me she got swept away? We brought her along because we needed her magic, but she was the weakest among us…!

“Ophelia… Are you talking about this girl?”

A sweet voice laughed mockingly in response.

– Kwaaang!

The pile of rocks exploded, and eight legs suddenly emerged. Isabella, resurrected from being crushed, stood up laughing.

And in her arms, Ophelia was nestled, smiling ecstatically.