The entrance to the ancient shrine ruins gaped like the maw of an enormous beast, pitch-black and breathing out cold, damp air.
The ancient stone doors stood partly open. Their frame bore the scars of countless years and was covered in runes whose meaning had long been lost.
Artemis stepped forward and pressed her palm against the stone.
Light bloomed beneath her hand. It was the pure, sacred power of the moon goddess, shining like a beacon in the darkness.
The glow spread through the grooves in the doors like countless silver serpents, gradually illuminating their entire surface.
A low rumble echoed through the passage as the seal came undone.
The stone doors slowly slid apart, revealing a passage that stretched into darkness.
A stench of decay rushed out to meet them, mingled with blood, rot, and something even more pungent.
Genichi frowned slightly, suppressed his revulsion, and stepped inside.
Ancient magic-stone lamps were set into the walls on either side. Most had long since gone dark, leaving only a scattered few to shed their feeble light.
The flickering glow barely illuminated the way ahead.
A slick layer of moss coated the rough stone slabs underfoot, making them slippery.
The damp air carried a stronger odor now, a sickly sweetness that turned the stomach.
The farther they went, the worse it became.
Genichi surveyed his surroundings while reports from his shadows assembled a complete map in his mind. Five hundred meters ahead, the passage forked. The left branch led to an enormous underground chamber, while the right ended in a dead end.
Another three hundred meters beyond that was a narrow passage, barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast.
At its end lay a vast circular hall.
Antares was there.
His shadows had already explored the entire ruin. Every corner, every passage, every possible ambush site was accounted for.
He could have opened a portal and brought everyone straight to Antares, but he chose otherwise.
That would have raised questions. Artemis was no fool. If he seemed too familiar with the ruins, she would certainly grow suspicious.
How could someone who had never set foot in the Great Forest know this place so well?
Instead, he chose a more plausible approach: send his shadows ahead to scout, then lead the group behind them.
That let him avoid most of the danger without making his actions seem too deliberate.
"So this is what it's become."
Artemis spoke behind him, a tremor in her voice.
Genichi glanced back. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with grief and anger.
She had been here before, before she was sealed away.
Even then, the place had been in disrepair. But at least it had been clean. It had been sacred.
It had still belonged to her.
Now it was a monster's nest, Antares's lair, and the grave of her Familia.
Eggs resembling flower buds covered the walls on both sides of the passage.
They ranged from the size of a fist to larger than a person. Dark red patterns spread across their surfaces, giving them an unsettling appearance.
They bulged from the walls in dense clusters, some pressed together like grotesque bunches of grapes.
Through their translucent shells, shapes could be seen writhing inside. Half-formed scorpion monsters greedily absorbed the surrounding magical energy, waiting for the moment they could break free.
Genichi stared at them in disgust.
They were absolutely revolting.
The eggs glistened eerily beneath the dim lamps. Inside, the monsters squirmed without pause, seeming to struggle as they continued to grow.
He could hear faint cracking sounds.
The creatures were beginning to force their way out.
Had they not been inside the ruins, he would have unleashed wide-area annihilation magic and burned the whole place to ash.
But he couldn't. An attack like that would cause too much of a disturbance, alert Antares, and make Artemis suspicious.
"Pick up the pace!"
His voice was low and urgent, leaving no room for argument.
The eggs began to crack almost as soon as he spoke.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sounds rose all around them, like countless insects gnawing through something.
Fractures spread across the shells, multiplying into dense webs.
Then the eggs burst.
Dark red liquid gushed out, splashing against the floor with a hiss.
Scorpion monsters crawled free. Their bodies were still wet, their shells not yet fully hardened.
But their eyes were already open, each blood-red pair filled with hunger and madness.
They lunged at the group.
Genichi didn't even raise a hand.
The shadow beneath his feet erupted, splitting into countless black shapes that hurled themselves at the monsters.
They darted through the dim passage with astonishing speed.
Then the slaughter began.
Dark red fluid sprayed across the walls, floor, and ceiling, staining the entire passage crimson.
Severed legs and mangled scorpion remains littered the ground, still twitching.
The thick smell of blood filled the air, mixed with a nauseating, sour stench.
Genichi continued at the head of the group without breaking stride.
Those shadows were extensions of his body, his will, and his weapons.
They could assess their surroundings, act, and kill on their own, requiring none of his attention.
Every scorpion that emerged from an egg died the instant it met the air.
Not one reached the group.
Not one posed a threat.
The members of the Astraea Familia followed with weapons in hand, but there was nothing for them to do.
"What's even the point of us being here?"
Kaguya couldn't help complaining, frustration creeping into her voice.
"Are we supposed to be his cheering squad?"
Alise laughed.
"Being the cheering squad doesn't sound so bad. We can still cheer him on."
Ryuu said nothing. She merely sighed.
Before, they had at least been able to deal with the lesser monsters. They could contribute something and prove they weren't just dead weight.
Now Genichi was clearing out every last one with his shadows, leaving them utterly useless.
They weren't weak.
He was simply too strong.
So strong that they didn't even have a chance to fight.
Demeter walked behind him, watching the shadows dart through the passage, a faint smile touching her lips.
Of course she knew why he was doing this. He wasn't trying to leave the Astraea Familia with nothing to do.
He was saving time.
Every second mattered. Antares was constantly absorbing Artemis's divine power, growing stronger with every passing moment.
They couldn't afford to waste time on lesser monsters. They needed to reach the deepest part of the ruins as quickly as possible.
Astraea walked beside Demeter. Her expression remained calm, though conflicting emotions flickered in her eyes.
Her children had already died once and only recently returned to life.
She didn't want to lose them again. She didn't want them to face that kind of danger a second time.
With Genichi's shadows clearing out the monsters, her children were safe.
That brought her relief, but also guilt.
Relief that they didn't have to risk their lives.
Guilt that they could do nothing to help.
Artemis walked beside Genichi, her gaze fixed ahead.
Her heart was beating so fast that she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.
Antares was up ahead, in the deepest part of the ruins, in the very place where she had fought it before.
Her true body was sealed there.
Her children had died there.
Her hopes rested there.
She gripped her longbow until her knuckles whitened, her palm slick with sweat.
"We're almost there."
Genichi spoke softly, almost to himself, though his words also served as a warning to those behind him.
The light grew dimmer near the end of the passage.
An oppressive presence weighed ever more heavily on the air. It belonged to Antares, ancient, maddened, and hungry to devour everything.
Like an invisible hand closing around their throats, it made breathing difficult.
Genichi stopped and raised a hand, signaling the others to halt.
His shadows had already reported what lay ahead.
Beyond the passage was a vast circular hall, with Antares at its center. Its body had grown even larger, and silver patterns spread across its shell, proof that it was still absorbing Artemis's divine power.
Its stinger arched high above its back. A mass of silver-white light gathered at its tip: Artemis's divine authority, being converted little by little into the monster's own strength.
"Get ready."
Genichi's voice was calm, but there was a note of gravity beneath it.
"This is going to be a hard fight."
Artemis took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her weapon.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. Blood surged through her veins, and countless images flashed through her mind.
The faces of her fallen children.
Their bodies lying in pools of blood.
The children who had trusted her, depended on her, and willingly given their lives for her.
She couldn't fail again.
She couldn't let their deaths be in vain.
She couldn't allow Antares to keep slaughtering others.
"I'm ready."
Her voice was firm, carrying a resolve that nothing could shake.
Genichi looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Then he turned and stepped through the end of the passage.
Everyone followed close behind.
The light faded. The pressure intensified. Antares's presence grew stronger with every step.
Then they saw it.
Antares, the Celestial Scorpion.
It was even larger than the impression Genichi had received from his shadows. At least twenty meters long, its body was covered in dark red armor, with silver markings that gleamed eerily in the darkness.
Its enormous pincers opened, each large enough to snip a person in half at the waist.
Its stinger towered above its back. The silver-white light at its tip had condensed into an orb that radiated suffocating pressure.
Its blood-red eyes shone like two lamps in the dark.
Antares abruptly flicked its tail.
The silver-white light split into countless beams that rained down on the group.
Genichi raised his hand.
"Fairy Sphere."
Pale golden light flared once more, enveloping everyone.
The beams struck the barrier, sending ripples across its surface.
But this time, the impact was stronger.
Antares had grown more powerful again.
They couldn't afford any more delays.
He had to end this quickly.
(End of Chapter)
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