The flash of the Sanctifying blade slowly dissipated, leaving behind a suffocating silence.
In the center of the city, scattered bodies moved little by little, while the air still vibrated with the remnants of divine magic.
Toru was the first to move. His body ached. His leg burned. And his mana... almost extinguished.
Further on, Renji crawled over to Yui, who lay unconscious. His fingers trembled as he touched her.
"Yui... wake up, please..." he whispered, then more forcefully: "I'm sorry. I... I was an idiot."
He pushed her hair away with his fingers, revealing her bruised but serene face.
And then a memory hit him like a nostalgic breath. It came from the deepest corner of his mind.
○
"Renji, why do you always hide on the terrace?"
The boy in school uniform was sitting against the guardrail. His tired face and half-closed eyes were turned towards an RPG book, which rested in his hands.
"Because it's too noisy down there..." he replied, without raising his eyes.
Yui sat down next to him, a carton of juice in her hands.
"You should try talking to people more."
"You should try talking to them less," he retorted with a crooked smile.
Yui snorted, crossing his arms. "You're annoying."
"So are you."
They looked at each other.
And they laughed.
At that moment, even if neither of them said it out loud, something invisible and precious was born.
○
Back in the present, Yui slowly opened her eyes.
"It's okay..." she murmured, gently touching Renji's face. "Now... it's not just you three who have a path."
Her smile was weak, but genuine.
In Renji's eyes, something snapped.
Not of pain.
But of release.
Arisa, who was standing further away, watched the scene.
Her previously hard eyes wavered.
The archer then turned to Toru, realizing that he was lying with one of his legs injured. The result of the battle they had fought minutes ago.
She ran over to him, propping him up on her shoulders.
"Are you all right? I..." he hesitated, biting his lip. "I remember I was the one who hurt you."
Toru nodded silently.
But before he could reply, Arisa was also invaded by a memory, as vivid as it was painful.
○
It was raining heavily outside. The gym was empty except for the two of them.
"You used me, Toru."
He frowned. "I never promised you anything."
Arisa threw the practice bow to the ground, her eyes watering.
"You asked me for help, made me trust you, and then... you just ignored me."
"You only helped me because you wanted attention."
The slap was dry. Not because of the impact, but because of the silence that followed.
She left the school gymnasium without looking back.
○
Back in the present, Arisa looked at Toru.
He hadn't said anything. Neither did she. But their eyes revealed what words could no longer express.
The Queen watched them in silence. There was something in her gaze... a jealous, suspicious glint.
But there was no time for clarification, as a crash brought them back to reality.
The Maestro was still fighting.
He was being attacked by dozens of jade creatures. He was resisting, even with his passives deactivated, even as he was being torn apart.
At that moment. From the heavens. The Saint fell like lightning, raising a curtain of dust as he crashed to the ground, he looked desperate.
"You two!" He pointed at Renji and Arisa. "Remove your artifacts and Delete the Hero's Path passive! My ability only blocked the Maestro's control temporarily."
They both hesitated.
Renji clenched his fist. And then, with his eyes on Yui, he made a decision. He drew his dagger and cut the buckles of the armor, which fell to the rocks with a metallic clang.
Arisa followed him, taking off her gloves and throwing them against the debris. She then conjured a fiery arrow, firing and exploding both her and her companion's equipment.
They both dropped their weapons, letting them fall to the ground.
They then faced each other, as if sharing a silent vow.
[Do you wish to DELETE the Passive granted by: Maestro?]
[This action is irreversible.]
[Confirm?]
[Yes] or [No]
They pressed Yes.
The Maestro below staggered as if something vital had been ripped out of him.
"No! Saint... you bastard!" His voice reverberated like thunder.
Using his last strength, the swordsman gave an order to the necromancer.
"Toru! Get everyone on the dragon. We have to get out of here now!"
"Let's kill the Maestro first!" shouted Renji.
"No way! You have no level, and the sanctifying blade has blocked my hero's path."
He snorted with exhaustion, turning to the jade colossus.
"Toru's almost out of mana. There's no way you can hold out long enough to kill him, queen. It would be much more useful now if you used your strength to get us out of here..."
The legendary creature turned to the group, and for the first time in a long time, she just nodded.
"Climb on."
One by one, they mounted on its back. Renji carried Yui in his arms, while Toru was supported by Arisa. When everyone was settled, the Queen spread her wings and shot up into the sky, blowing away both the dust and the debris of the city. Drakenvaar was left behind.
In the skies above all that chaos, the cold wind seemed to tear at the students' faces, while below them stretched a sea of ruins, broken forests and the trail of destruction they had left behind.
"Where are we going...?" asked Arisa, her voice muffled by the sound of the wind.
"I intended to take you to level eight, but my path is blocked. Let's go to floor number three, since it's closer to here."
"But... what about Level Two?" she insisted, confused.
"The labyrinth isn't linear, Arisa," explained the Saint, seriously. "The second floor only connects to zero, three and eight."
"That's crazy..." she muttered.
"It's the labyrinth itself that chooses the routes, not us. "
Toru remained silent, his eyes closed. His forehead glistened with cold sweat and his breathing was shallow. The vital energy that kept him upright was draining away like sand through his fingers.
The Saint watched him for a moment and then said in a low voice:
"Try not to spend any more mana. If my ability recovers, I can restore some of your energy."
No one answered.
The weight of reality, and of the previous battle, still hung over them all.
The silence lasted for a few seconds. Then a colossal structure appeared on the horizon.
A coliseum.
Made of ancient stone, cracked by time. Its walls were reminiscent of the architecture of ancient Rome. Half of its structure was collapsed, but it still emanated an aura, coming from a dormant power.
The Queen began to spiral downwards, her wings opening like ceremonial veils, until she landed hard in the center of the arena. The earth shook under her claws. They were there: at the door to level three.
The air was different. Dense. Charged with something invisible, as if the voices of ancient champions were still echoing between the fallen pillars.
Without wasting any time, the Saint jumped up and ran to the center of the arena, where a stone altar awaited them. On its surface, ancient markings and runes glowed faintly blue.
"Kid! Cut me!" He ordered, pointing at the altar.
Renji hesitated only for a second. Then he drew his black blade and made a firm cut across the Saint's palm.
His blood flowed through the cracks in the stone, drawing an almost ritualistic pattern.
The altar glowed, creating a magical circle that expanded around them.
The air shook.
A rift opened in the ground, tearing space and time apart in the center of the arena. A portal of light called out to them.
"Enter!" shouted the Saint.
Renji didn't think twice. He carefully took Yui in his arms and ran, jumping into the light.
Arisa, still supporting Toru, exchanged a glance with the Queen and then with the Saint. Silently, she helped the necromancer through the portal.
Only the two of them remained, staring at each other from outside.
"You're not going with them?"
The saint closed his eyes for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was choked:
"I can't. Someone has to stay outside to destroy the portal." He sighed. He sighed. "And floor three is single access, I can't go back there again."
She remained silent, absorbing the words.
"You were the Maestro's companion," she said at last. "I remember a girl... next to you. A warrior. Silent, but powerful."
The Saint seemed to be crossed by memories he would rather not relive. His gaze wavered.
"Yes..." he only answered. "But that was a long time ago."
He held out his hand. A sword appeared, molded in pure azure energy, pulsing with strands of raw mana. - His hero's path had returned. - He then offered the blade to the Queen.
"This is a sword of mana. Stick it in Toru. It will help him keep you longer."
The Queen then did something unexpected: she bowed her head in respect. Then she held the sword gently and firmly, as if it were already part of her.
"He must be the strongest of the students," added the Saint. "Take them to the land of the elves, the queen there is an ally."
She nodded. And without another word, she began to shrink, then shot into the portal.
A silence fell outside.
The Saint then extended his hand upwards, conjuring the largest of all his swords. It floated in the air, formed from the glow of the moon itself and the darkness of the night, visible even from mountains away.
He knew that the Maestro couldn't access the third floor, but it was still risky to leave the portal open. The swordsman didn't know if another warrior, like Shouma, could be at his old companion's side and, deep down, he hoped the answer was no.
As he lowered his hand, the blade crashed through the portal.
The explosion lit up the coliseum as if the sky itself were collapsing.
The massive attack conjured by the Saint mixed with the magical implosion that distorted the air. Destroying the dimensional rift.
Severing the connection with both the first and third floors.