Volume 7, Chapter 47 – The Enemy

No, in the end, it would be me experiencing it. Rather than overthinking, I should strike first!

But what would be the best way to get closer… isn’t Faith magic the perfect idea?

All I need to do is say the connection with my other self is growing stronger, then act anxious and unsettled. Her Highness would surely try to comfort me, choosing more… direct methods. No, I should be the one to take the initiative and request it, saying something like, ‘Because I feel so uneasy, I hope your Highness can touch me to accelerate your Faith magic learning…’

Th-this is too despicable!

Anastasia screamed in her heart, mortified. This exceeded her limits. She could fight a hopeless battle on Dofi’s command, but she couldn’t speak such shameful, unladylike words proactively. If her other self knew she’d tried to seduce her on her own… how could she face that look of disgust?

But this chance might be the only one.

It’s despicable, but things have come to this—!

Anastasia swallowed hard. Mustering her courage, she stiffly wrapped her right arm around her chest, emphasizing her already ample bosom. Then, with what she believed was an impeccable, serious expression, she spoke.

“Your Highness, I was thinking—”

“Shh.”

To her surprise, Fia interrupted her before she could finish. Simultaneously, their descent slowed drastically. Fia placed a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture, her gaze fixed intently below.

Their long descent had brought them near the bottom of The Abyss. Following Fia’s line of sight, Anastasia saw light where there should have been utter darkness. She could also glimpse a cliff face similar to the one above, but composed of a strange, jet-black rock that seemed harder than normal stone. If she had to use a metaphor, she’d think of a metal called ‘darksteel’—its hardness apparent just by looking.

“There’s light below? But I recall the recording crystal Your Highness showed before was pitch black.”

“It was night when I last visited the Primordial Continent, so it appeared dark. The World Tree continent isn’t floating in the sky. It’s a landmass rising from the Primordial Continent, at least ten thousand meters high. You’re aware of this, right?”

“Yes, it’s recorded in the legends.”

“Good, that makes it easier to explain. The first time I came down here, I observed the foundation of the World Tree continent. Part of it has already been corroded by Chaos—shallow areas a few kilometers, deeper ones tens of kilometers. For the continent’s vast area, it’s negligible. But the result is, if you dig vertically down from the edge, beyond a certain depth, you find a massive void underneath, large enough for sunlight to enter.”

Like a cake with a ring nibbled away by ants, forming an overhanging shape.

“The light now is evidence of that corrosion. But the current focus should be here.”

Their descent slowed further as Fia moved closer to the cliff wall. They were still about two kilometers above the Primordial Continent, but the cliff face showed clear signs of corrosion—numerous holes of various sizes. Fia gently prodded the rock with a [Spatial Hand]. The surface emitted a crisp sound, like a biscuit cracking, and easily flaked off.

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The debris emitted the same rotten stench as Chaos.

When she came here with Helian before, she hadn’t seen corrosion marks at this altitude. Their appearance now meant Chaos had climbed this high, undetected.

The Chaos that attacked Anastasia proved they weren’t completely mindless. Once they realized the second chasm lacked the World Tree’s barrier, they’d likely surge out like a pack of rabid dogs.

Fia’s heart sank.

And unfortunately, there was no permanent solution.

Fia sighed quietly. Her experience with magic so far made her feel [Hyper-computation] had diminishing returns. Low-tier spells could become extremely powerful, but high-tier magic gains were only ‘limited’ (though other casters would rise from their graves in envy). If she could learn a spell that created landmasses out of nothing, Chaos wouldn’t be much of a threat—like burying them under an entire continent.

But no such grandiose magic existed on the World Tree continent. She also dared not use [Overload] lightly. [Overload] was an enhancement spell capable of transforming ordinary attacks into world-shattering, even god-killing, power. Fia had a strong premonition that combining [Overload] with [Orbital Beacon Bombardment] would destroy not just Chaos, but the entire world.

A truly troublesome matter. If pre-Shining Age humanity faced such a calamity, they’d probably migrate to another planet and blow up this one. But that was the past. Now, she could only hope [Blessing of the Mother Goddess] would prove useful. Then, after establishing an outpost, she could seal this chasm, just as the Queen of Death did.

“This is… corrosion?”

“Mhm. The culprits are Chaos. It’s only a matter of time before they discover this chasm lacks a barrier. Perhaps I should have listened to Helian’s advice and not provoked the Chaos here,” Fia said jokingly, though she didn’t truly think so. Anastasia had already stated that in her world, Chaos poured from the second chasm sealed by the Queen of Death. Therefore, they would have discovered the lack of a barrier sooner or later, regardless of Fia’s actions.

“Let’s continue down. Be alert; Chaos might be hiding nearby. Brace yourself.”

“What can this subordinate do?”

“Today is mainly about testing new magic and observing Chaos’s reaction to you. Just stay alert within the [Aegis of the Firmament].”

In short, do nothing.

Realizing this, Anastasia couldn’t help but feel dejected. Before, she could at least rely on her physical prowess to surpass Fia, a magic caster. Now, she was merely dead weight. The power gap was too stark.

Amidst their vigilance, they finally reached an altitude about a kilometer above the Chaos sea. Without cloud cover, Anastasia could clearly see the faintly writhing sea below. The view was so vast she could even see the curved horizon in the distance. The world seemed reduced to two colors: the sky’s azure blue and an endless expanse of pitch black. Nothing else existed. Even the air felt still, deathly silent and terrifying.

“Ugh…”

As if an invisible hand were strangling her throat, Anastasia’s breath caught. This was her first time witnessing the Primordial Continent. The world was so quiet it invited despair. In her world, she’d often heard soldiers returning from the front say that lands eroded by Chaos “died.” Now she finally understood. This wasn’t just the death of the ley lines.

“No movement?”

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While Anastasia was shocked, Fia was calmly observing the Chaos. Last time she brought Helian, the Chaos surged up like a frenzy. But now, it lay still, as if unaware of their presence.

Perfect.

Fia opened the magic book always hanging at her waist and flipped through it. The incantation for the 8th-tier spell [Blessing of the Mother Goddess] was quite long, taking a normal caster about a quarter-hour. With her photographic memory, she could chant much faster, drastically shortening the time.

“O starry sky that guides the lost—”

The moment the first verse began, the Chaos sea boiled into motion. Different from any previous reaction, a counterclockwise vortex swirled into existence within the sea. Even from several kilometers away, Anastasia could hear the skin-crawling squelching of mucus rapidly writhing, as if an immensely powerful demon beast was emerging.

Yet Fia remained unmoved. She continued the incantation. The stronger Chaos’s agitation, the more it proved they took her seriously, even feared her. She accelerated her chant, watching as the distant vortex spun faster, as if competing in a race of spellcasting speed.

Then, the Chaos sea beneath them erupted with tendrils, spikes, and now, pitch-black spears the size of [Lightning Spears]. The entire sea seemed to come alive, lunging all together towards the two figures in the air.

They’re coming!

Anastasia desperately wanted to warn Fia, but she wasn’t foolish enough to interrupt the chant. Moreover, she had witnessed the [Aegis of the Firmament] in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom’s grand cathedral. Those withered arms that had instantly disarmed the 7th-tier Pope could do nothing against that barrier. As long as she stayed obediently within it, she’d be safe.

Even so, seeing sky-covering Chaos hurtling towards her was an unpleasant feeling. Someone with less resolve would already be screaming and crying while running away.

Clang!

The first Chaos spear slammed into the [Aegis of the Firmament]. Just as Anastasia imagined, the fierce impact caused no damage. The spear itself shattered into pieces. One after another, more spears crashed against the bright blue barrier, producing nothing but deafening booms.

Indeed. Even those withered arms were helpless. These Chaos can’t possibly break through.

Relieved, Anastasia didn’t worry excessively, even as more tendrils and spikes surged up from below.

The chant for [Blessing of the Mother Goddess] grew more intense. Simultaneously, Anastasia clearly felt earth elements converging frantically around them. In this world devoid of elements, the earth elements appearing out of thin air was extremely conspicuous. She could even see earth-yellow radiance forming from their extreme concentration. These pale yellow light clusters gathered around Fia, visibly slowing the Chaos’s advance.

Meanwhile, the rising Chaos completely engulfed the [Aegis of the Firmament]. Anastasia’s world turned pitch black, filled only with the thud-thud impacts against the barrier.

She wasn’t afraid. She focused on slowing her breath, avoiding any interference. She didn’t know the chant’s content, but she could tell from its rising and falling tone whether it was nearing completion.

And now, the spell is almost finished.

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An 8th-tier spell!

The thought of the impending grand magic stirred excitement in Anastasia. She had never witnessed an 8th-tier spell in her life, let alone one cast by her beloved Dofi. Her fists clenched, her mind repeating countless times a hope for the magic to manifest, her heart rising to her throat.

Then.

Abruptly, a chill crept up Anastasia’s spine. An unexplained coldness swept over her, raising goosebumps on her skin.

Simultaneously, the passionate chanting filling her ears stopped abruptly. Thinking the chant was finally over, Anastasia subconsciously wanted to offer congratulations. But she suddenly noticed something seemed mixed within the pitch-black Chaos pressed against the barrier.

Due to the dim light and Chaos interference, she couldn’t see clearly. She could only make out a twisted thing with a color slightly different from the Chaos, clinging to the barrier, writhing at a slow pace.

What is that?

The moment curiosity arose, the twisted object suddenly moved. A single, fist-sized golden eye suddenly snapped open. The instant their gazes met, Anastasia felt as if falling into an ice cellar. A tangible chill froze her blood solid. Her thoughts instantly froze; she couldn’t move, not even to look away.

“Get over here!”

A voice like thunder roared in her ear. Anastasia’s stiffened thoughts jolted awake as Fia forcefully yanked her to the side, switching their positions.

But the golden eye on the other side of the barrier was already prepared. A magic circle shimmered within its pupil, slowly rotating. Countless golden streamers converged towards it from all sides, and the pupil contracted. Then, an intensely focused beam of light stabbed toward the [Aegis of the Firmament].

Yet Fia’s magic was also ready.

—[Mind Blast]

Crack. Crack.

Two distinct sounds of shattering.

A hole the thickness of an index finger appeared in the [Aegis of the Firmament]. Meanwhile, the golden eye on the opposite side trembled violently, emitting a piercing screech before it “popped” and exploded.

“Tch!”

Clicking her tongue in a cursing manner, Fia clutched her right palm with her left. The stinging pain told her she’d been injured in the exchange.

“Your Highness!”

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Not missing the flicker of pain on Fia’s face, Anastasia anxiously grabbed her wrist. Though Fia tried to hide it, a stinging glimpse of blood seeped between her fingers.

“You’re injured?”

“It’s just a superficial wound, and it’s mostly healed already.”

Not sure what that was, but put distance first.

While explaining, Fia controlled the [Aegis of the Firmament] to rapidly gain altitude. She opened her right hand, showing her palm to the worried Anastasia. As she said, the wound had already been repaired by Nanomachines. Though bloodstained, it was no more severe than a cut on a thumb.

However, only someone with Fia’s defense could walk away with just a surface wound. Anyone else would have suffered fatal injuries.

It hadn’t targeted her, the one using [Blessing of the Mother Goddess]. It went straight for Anastasia.

Interesting.

Swiftly shaking off the obscuring Chaos, Fia and Anastasia regained their high-altitude perspective. The distant, rapidly rotating vortex had subsided. The Chaos still tried to rise, but their strength couldn’t sustain a vertical climb over a kilometer.

“Even a 9th-tier Miracle-level like you was injured. That must be the 9th-tier Chaos troubling the Queen of Death. We should retreat and reconsider our approach.”

“No, Anastasia. Don’t lose your composure just because I got hurt. Remember why we came here.”

Not looking at Anastasia, Fia gazed down at her bloodstained right hand. Though healed, a lingering sense of pain remained.

How nostalgic.

It makes my blood boil.

She’d been waiting for the enemy to deliver themselves to her door. If not now, then when?

Since she knew the enemy had means to penetrate the [Aegis of the Firmament], keeping Anastasia here was not rational enough. First, send Anastasia to Claire’s side. Then return and have a good time with these things.

Fia retrieved a paired teleportation tool from her storage, broke off one half and crushed it. Then she extended her right hand.

[Teleport]