After eliminating the monster, the expressions on their faces did not relax; instead, they grew even more solemn.
An unsettling squelching sound continuously drifted up from beneath the abyss, as if countless slimy bodies were scaling the rock walls, and the noise was drawing closer...
Ansu raised his hand and cast 【Illumination】 into the air.
Where the light reached, the sight beneath the abyss was enough to make one's scalp crawl.
Densely packed eyes suddenly contracted under the stimulation of the intense light, and the monsters let out indescribable, eerie shrieks as countless tentacles surged from the depths of the darkness.
"Stay behind me!" Celia stood before Ansu with a cold gaze.
Even though her mana was nearly depleted, she still struggled to condense a magic barrier as solid as a wall, barely blocking the first wave of black tentacles.
Ansu cast 3rd Circle Fireball spells, continuously bombarding the monsters below.
The succession of fiery explosions caused the tentacles to retract in pain, and Ansu quickly looked toward the increasingly exhausted Celia.
Her condition was worrying; her pale skin had almost no color left, and she gripped her trembling hands tightly, her entire body radiating a foul aura that seemed on the verge of spiraling out of control.
Seeing Ansu's worried expression, Celia forced a light chuckle. "Don't worry about me, I can still hold on..."
But Ansu knew she was nearing her limit.
At this point, not only was Celia's magical precision declining, but every spell she cast was weaker than the last; her mana was about to run out.
"Let's go back, we should just go back..." Eddie had caught up while carrying Professor Duncan, and he looked at the monsters illuminated by the magical glow, trembling with sheer terror.
"At least those above are human... but these things below... what on earth are they?"
"We can't go back, we have to keep going down!" Ansu looked up; because they had been delayed by the battle, the cult members had already closed in to within fifty meters.
"Watch out!" Celia suddenly cried out.
She channeled the wind elements to suddenly accelerate the team, and at the very moment her words fell, a brilliant magic arrow pierced the darkness, slamming into the spot where they had just been standing like a cannonball.
The piercing power of this spell was far more terrifying than the 4th Circle magic Ansu had used earlier, blasting a horrifying deep crater into the giant stone steps, but more importantly... this magic had been released from over fifty meters away...
Ansu looked at the large hole behind him with lingering fear.
Damn... what kind of magic sniper rifle is this?
"【Arcane Bow】... it's Elder John." Celia was clearly familiar with the caster. "He specializes in this type of beyond-visual-range offensive magic; his furthest recorded kill was from over a kilometer away..."
She looked upward with cold eyes, where Elder John was illuminated by a faint blue glow, his next spell already prepared.
"Ansu, carry me on your back from here on..." Celia had already thought of a plan, but continuously drawing upon her mana had left her body weak to the extreme.
Ansu immediately supported her staggering body, and without a word, he hoisted her onto his back and sprinted forward.
About three seconds later, the opponent's magical assault whistled toward them again, while simultaneously, a massive defensive magic circle enveloped the entire team.
Celia leaned against Ansu's back, tightly hugging his neck, desperately pouring out her remaining mana.
Ansu looked up to see a magic shield marked with twisted black patterns expanding at an incredible speed, with Elder John's 【Arcane Bow】 only causing the shield to flicker slightly.
He remembered the last time Celia had been forced to use this move was during the simulation when they were bombarded by the Imperial Army, but her condition then had clearly been better than it was now.
Currently, Celia's breathing had become rapid, and the sound of her heavy gasping brushed against his ear; Ansu felt a sense of urgency and sprinted downward with reckless abandon.
He knew that if Celia's mana ran out here, this simulation would enter its final countdown prematurely...
...
With monsters ahead and pursuers behind, the final sprint reached a point of extreme danger.
Ansu didn't even know how he managed to run all the way down; with his adrenaline spiking, he felt as if his legs had gone completely numb.
When he saw the massive circular plaza at the very bottom of the spiral tower, he gasped for air, his senses gradually sharpening, only then feeling a pain in his legs as if they were about to snap.
"Ansu... how are you?" Celia's worried voice came from his back, but it was very faint, almost as if it were about to vanish.
Ansu turned his head to look at the witch whose eyes were hazy and who was too weak to speak, then smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine, look! We've made it."
"You must be exhausted..." Celia sighed, knowing Ansu was just putting on a brave face, so she tried to loosen her grip to get off his back.
But Ansu firmly held her legs, refusing to let her down. "Don't move, I said I'm fine so I'm fine. Just stay put!"
"Okay..." Celia chuckled, obediently remaining on his back as they observed their surroundings together.
"This is the end of the temple?" Ansu looked at the empty darkness around them, his brow furrowing in confusion. "But there's nothing here, and it doesn't look like a place where treasure would be kept..."
After reaching the end of the spiral tower, the troublesome monsters they had encountered along the way had actually disappeared. Ansu looked up and could only hear a series of rustling sounds; the monsters perched on the rock walls and buildings seemed afraid to approach this area.
Ansu looked at the flickers of firelight further up; even the group of pursuers from the cult had not continued downward...
This situation made Ansu increasingly suspicious, as he could sense that the cult members were intentionally driving him toward this place...
Ansu warily scanned the vast circular plaza, but there was only an eerie, quiet darkness surrounding it.
"Something's not right..."
Eddie and Professor Duncan arrived at the circular plaza right behind them. Eddie clutched his heaving chest and collapsed to his knees in exhaustion, while Professor Duncan, who had woken up during the latter half of the journey, stared at the surroundings with excitement, murmuring to himself.
"We're finally here... we're finally here!"
Supporting each other, he and Eddie struggled step by step toward the center of the plaza.
"This is the very core of the temple... the sacred site where the demon empire once sacrificed to the gods, and the final destination where the demon army's treasure and the secrets regarding the gods are buried..."
At this moment, Celia didn't seem to care about the secrets of the demons or gods, nor did she care about any treasure.
She simply lay quietly on Ansu's back, her pale face drooping sadly, appearing full of regret over the outcome of this 'trip'.
"Ansu... coming here was all my idea... I'm sorry, I didn't think it would turn out like this. I overestimated myself..."
"What's there to be sorry about?" Ansu turned to look at the guilt-ridden witch, thinking to himself that he actually wanted to come here more than she did.
"You... don't regret this journey, do you?" Celia asked cautiously.
She was truly afraid now, deeply afraid...
She had really gone mad from studying magic; why did she risk bringing Ansu here just for some 'ancient magic texts'? After all the narrow escapes along the way, the two of them had almost lost their lives here...
If she could do it over again, she would never bring Ansu here no matter what; she shouldn't have been greedy for the demon army's treasure from the start...
Because she now had something far more precious than 'treasure' or 'magic'...
"I don't regret it." Ansu smiled, comforting the dejected witch. "I really don't!"
He was more than grateful for Celia's powerful support along the way; without her, he certainly wouldn't have reached this place alive.
Although the process was indeed a bit arduous...
But this information wasn't obtained for nothing.
This time was a simulation; next time would be a speedrun!
"Oh... is that so." Celia seemed to regain a bit of strength, her arms around Ansu tightening slightly as she said teasingly, "Since you don't regret it, then I can rest easy. But speaking of which... I'm very satisfied with your performance along the way~"
They say true feelings are revealed in times of trouble. Seeing Ansu so worried about her, so tense for her sake, and giving his all... her heart felt happy.
Being cared for so tenderly and considerately throughout the journey made her feel a constant sweetness, as if she had eaten candy.
She was starting to like this feeling; even if Ansu wasn't powerful, she wanted to rely on him... she almost greedily enjoyed his meticulous care...
Celia hadn't expected to have such a strange side to herself, perhaps because... in her past life, she truly had no one to rely on...
Ansu didn't know what the witch was thinking; he only felt...
Her hands were subconsciously tightening... while she hugged him, her body was shifting around against him, which resulted in... a subtle sensation of two soft masses being pressed flat against his back...
"Uh... Celia, could you please stop moving around..." Ansu looked back helplessly, but Celia seemed to be trying to find a more comfortable position, her body moving incessantly...
Wasn't she quite quiet while he was carrying her earlier? Why was she so active now...
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Celia looked at Ansu in confusion.
"Forget it, it's nothing..." Ansu's mind wandered restlessly, thinking to himself that the witch wasn't lacking in that department either...
"Eh?" Celia narrowed her eyes slightly, keenly sensing Ansu's emotions. "Ansu... why is your heart rate accelerating? Is there danger nearby?"
"There's danger..." Ansu silently looked into the depths of the eerily quiet darkness.
"Big danger..."
Rate on N.U.
