Thorrak and Erelith sprinted through the dim tunnel, heading for the other escape route. The first had already been blocked by a shadowy assassin lurking in the dark.
They ran in silence until the faint glow of light appeared at the end of the passageway.
"This passage is blocked as well," Thorrak said, narrowing his eyes.
"No matter," Erelith replied. "As long as it is not the Saintess, we should be able to handle it. I will use the Blighted Eye to weaken them first. While they are affected, you can drain their blood."
"Agreed."
But as Erelith stepped forward, she suddenly stopped.
At the fork ahead, the passage opened into a scene of raw carnage. Piles of flesh, shattered bones, and pools of blood covered the ground. The remains were more than enough to form several dozen bodies, yet not a single intact corpse could be found.
Erelith's voice was tight. "Whatever did this is as strong as a Rank 2 at the very least. No ordinary warrior could be capable of such destruction."
Thorrak's expression hardened. "Then we strike carefully. With this much blood, I can raise a few Blood Golems to draw their attention. Are you confident you can withstand the attack long enough to activate the Eye?"
"I should be able to."
"Good. I will raise the golems and send them forward. While they are distracted, use your Eye. Once they are weakened, I will move in and drain them."
Without waiting, Thorrak began his spell. The surrounding blood and remains responded at once, writhing as they were reshaped into grotesque Blood Golems. Three took form, each the size of a man, with limbs made of hardened flesh and sharpened bone held together with blood.
Once they were ready, the Blood Golems charged forward in tight formation. Thorrak and Erelith followed close behind, bracing themselves for whatever threat waited at the end of the blood-soaked corridor.
As they turned the corner, they were met with a long tunnel covered in thick frost, the walls and floor glistening with the pale shimmer of ice. At the far end, the passage narrowed into a small opening, just wide enough to see the head of a man wearing armor staring back at them.
Erelith focused on the knight and activated his Blighted Eye. A sickly green ray shot forward, striking the helmet dead center.
"Success," he thought with a hint of satisfaction.
But that single thought was the last to ever cross his mind.
His head exploded in an instant, spraying blood, brain matter, and fragments of bone across the frozen floor. The Blighted Eye vanished along with him. As it turned out, glowing green rays were easy targets.
A split second later, bullets screamed through the tunnel. The Blood Golems were torn apart one by one. Thorrak, standing behind them, was next. The rounds pierced his body and kept going, carving through armor, flesh, and stone until the only thing left was a bloodstained corridor and silence.
"Bastion!" Lilia shouted. "Are you okay? That looked like a stronger version of Ray of Weakening."
"I'm fine. My health didn't drop at all. It must have been a physical status effect. It didn't cause any real damage. I do feel weaker, but it shouldn't stop me from firing the autocannon."
"Thank the Goddess. I was really worried for a moment. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe take off your helmet and let me see? You did get hit right in the head, after all."
Bastion removed his helmet, completely unharmed. A faint green glow of mana clung to his skin, gradually fading away. His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened.
Lilia stared for a moment, caught off guard by his undeniably handsome face and deep blue eyes.
"You're, uh… You look good. I mean, you look fine. No injuries or anything."
"Thanks," Bastion said with a chuckle.
He put his helmet back on and resumed watching both sides of the fork while Lilia continued freezing the other side of the tunnel as much as her mana allowed.
Almost half an hour later, a shadow darted past the fork, startling Bastion. Fortunately, he had the presence of mind not to open fire.
"Elyra?" Bastion called out.
"Master, it's me," Elyra said as she emerged from the shadows.
She was genuinely surprised by the defenses Bastion had prepared. The setup was ruthless. Even she wasn't confident she could have avoided his detection in such a narrow, ice-covered corridor, let alone evaded his devastating weapon capable of tearing through Rank 2 enemies.
"The hideout's been cleared. No enemies remain. We're to regroup with the others," she reported.
"Alright. Lilia, can you melt the frost? Just convert it back to water and let it drain into the soil," Bastion instructed. "Eli, would you mind checking the corpses for anything useful? We're low on funds, as you know, and could use the extra coin."
"Easy for you to say," Lilia grumbled.
"Yes, Master," Elyra replied calmly.
Meanwhile, Bastion broke through the hardened earth, widening the passage enough for them to walk through comfortably. He also took a moment to retrieve his light fixtures.
Once the cleanup was finished, Elyra approached Bastion and presented him with several magic bags.
"I took down a few weaklings and managed to ambush a Rank 2," she reported. "According to Seraphina, she was one of the head priests. Her bag was full of ritual materials."
"Well done, Eli. Taking down a Rank 2 and bridging the gap in rank isn't easy. How did you do it?"
"She lacked Strength and Vitality. It wasn't hard to cut her head off in an ambush."
This was the problem with disproportionate stats. Putting everything into a single attribute while ignoring the rest might look good on paper, but in practice, the imbalance could be fatal. This was especially true for those without a blessing to regulate their bodies. It was similar to the demon worshipers, who had likely received their power from the Demon Lord rather than a god of Gaia.
"Efficient as always. What about the others? Did the corpses have anything useful?"
"A few more magic bags. Two of them were as full as the head priest's."
"So we took down three head priests? That's a good haul. Have you counted the coins yet?"
"Not yet."
"We'll do a full count later then."
The party followed Elyra through the tunnels until they reached the main hall, where Seraphina and her group were resting. They looked exhausted and distraught.
"What's wrong?" Bastion asked.
"I put most of the grunts to sleep," Seraphina replied. "They helped… ease them out of their misery."
"Oh… That must have been tough. You have my sympathy."
The group spent another hour recovering their mental state before heading back to the academy. Along the way, Bastion and Seraphina talked about the uncertain future that lay ahead.
They had succeeded in eliminating all five of the cult's head priests. Without them, the enemy no longer had a central command or a coherent strategy. Whatever came next would be the product of scattered remnants acting on their own rather than an organized threat.
With no more foreknowledge to guide her, Seraphina began to worry about the future. All she could do now was hope the Demon Lord would be unsealed soon so she could fulfill what she believed to be her duty.
Still, the unsealing would likely happen on its own eventually. The exact timing was unclear. Based on what they knew, the most likely estimate placed it sometime after their graduation. Thanks to Seraphina's efforts in disrupting the cult, it was expected to take longer than it had in the game.
Bastion didn't mind the delay. It gave him more time to stay at the academy and study Smithing properly, rather than rushing through it. As for his parents, he believed they would understand. The threat of the Demon Lord took precedence over their long overdue adventure.
Once they made it back to the academy, Bastion took stock of his gains and was pleasantly surprised. The materials he had gathered were quite substantial. They would easily fund any projects he and especially Lilia might have involving magic.
Ritual materials were essentially anything infused with mana. They could be stones, grass, or even twigs. What mattered was the mana they held.
Unfortunately, they did not have much in terms of money. At most, they had a few mithril coins. This was considered a significant sum for commoners but was merely pocket change for nobles of his standing.
Still, it would be enough to buy some Rank 1 materials he could afford to experiment with.
Speaking of gains, Bastion was genuinely shocked by another kind he had acquired: levels.
[Name]: Bastion Diamondhart
[Age]: 22
[Class]: Diamond Knight (Rank 3)
[Ability]: Diamond Body
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 85
[Health]: 110/110
[Mana]: 95/95
[Strength]: 90
[Dexterity]: 75
[Vitality]: 110
[Intelligence]: 95
[Wisdom]: 110
[Charm]: 60
[Intuition]: 90
[Status Points]: 35
[Arts]: Earth Magic 3, Light Magic 3, Shield 3, Smithing 3, Sword 2, Whip 2, Unarmed 2, Heavy Armor 2, Fire Magic 2, Water Magic 2, Dark Magic 2, Wind Magic 2, Riding 2, Taming 1, Cooking 1, Traps 1, Enchanting 1, Cannon 1
[Skills]: Shield Bash 3, Block 3, Charge 3, Reinforce 3, Amplify 3, Slash 3, Parry 3, Taunt 3, Stab 2, Smash 2, Dodge 2, Dash 2, Jump 2, Summon Familiar(Zephy) 2, Diamond Armor 2, Diamond Edge 2, Diamond Shrapnel 2, Diamond Rain 1, Diamond Steed 1
[Skill Points]: 60
He had been at level 65 before the battle, mostly due to their party's lower priority on dungeon dives. After the battle, he gained 20 levels, which was a significant increase considering all he did was hold a position. Then again, he had taken down two Rank 2 opponents.
Elyra and Lilia also gained 20 levels each, starting from the same level 65. This was likely because Elyra had soloed one Rank 2 while Bastion and Lilia had shared two.
As for changes in his Arts and Skills, he gained Cannon, which suggested that a Gunner or Cannoneer Class existed somewhere in the world. It reminded him that the world was far larger and more complex than he had been seeing.
Another change appeared in Diamond Shrapnel, which made sense given its compatibility with Diamond Edge and Diamond Armor, two of his most-used skills.
Lastly, he distributed his stats evenly to shore up any weaknesses.
[Level]: 85
[Health]: 110/110
[Mana]: 100/100
[Strength]: 100
[Dexterity]: 95
[Vitality]: 110
[Intelligence]: 100
[Wisdom]: 110
[Charm]: 60
[Intuition]: 90
[Status Points]: 0
The final surprise however didn't come from Bastion, Elyra, or Lilia's gains. It came from Seraphina.
"Bastion! I reached Level 100! I can advance to Rank 1 now!"
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