It's been a long time since I've had a chance to get to know them.

　Even as these two anomalies collided, the Cathedral Knights did not even see the word "collapse" in sight. Even though they were forced to retreat due to these unfathomable events, none of them turned their backs.

　Some, seeing their comrades in arms fall, wielded spears of approved magic. They are armed with magic authorized by the gods to kill the enemies of the gods. It is a magical armament authorized by the gods to strike down the enemies of the gods. It is a military might to crush all the enemies of the gods.

　All good intentions and bad intentions will lose their cause and effect and be considered enemies of the gods. That's how much power the cathedral knights are given.

　Cathedral Knights are the ones who slaughter and devour their divine enemies, and at the same time, they are the ones who create them.

　This has sometimes been one of the reasons for their violent authority, but at this time it is exactly the right way to treat authority.

　At least this dense, mud-like black mist is not a biblical entity. God would not allow a person to fall into a coma after drinking it.

　Then this is an enemy of God. The divine enemy is our enemy. The black mist was declared a divine enemy.

　The tip of the magic armament will pierce all enemies of God no matter what exists beyond it. As if it were a divine blessing.

　Perhaps that's why. The black mist, which normally has no regard for magic or martial arts, certainly struck off its body and writhed and writhed in agony the moment it was touched by the spear wielded by the Cathedral Knight.

　But even so, the effect itself was still there, though it quickly returned to its original state.

　His companion, Heldt-Stanley, tilted his white-bladed greatsword as he watched the scene from the corner of his eye. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　--It's like a muddy stream of curse. Don't be swallowed, this is...

　I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. With the support of the cathedral knights who wield the approved magic, I should be able to hold out for a while longer.

　But that's all.

　The black mist only shakes its limbs a little as it tries to shave off its body, but it doesn't seem to have been affected in any way. And so, one after another, like a great wave, it comes crashing down on us.

　The weight of it will eventually take us all by the legs and choke us.

　Then there is no point or meaning in continuing to wield swords and spears against the black mist in a fair and honest manner, without turning your back like a knight. What needs to be done now is something else.

　The golden right eye flickers. The white blade cut through the space with great speed, slightly bouncing off the black mist. But even so, it does not show the sweetness to disperse on the spot. He snapped his back teeth.

　He took a few steps back, his white blade bouncing.

"Holy woman, please step aside. You can't take much more of this. I'll clear a path for you. Just let the saint go.

　Behind me, I saw the saint blink her eyelids. I did not look at her, but only listened. In the meantime, her eyes were fixed on a spot of black mist.

　Herd's ears were caressed by a smooth tone of voice, as if she were singing a song. In spite of the situation, the voice of the saint Alueno did not seem to show any sign of pessimism.

"Yes, I don't mind. I don't mind. Whether you retreat or advance, that's what God wants you to do.

　In the midst of these words, I saw the saint's golden eyes pointing at the cathedral knights who continued to wield their armor in front of her. But what will they do, I suppose you ask?

　Heldt's lips chose their words for a moment.

　A knight of the temple is a man who is brave and loyal to his duty. They would give their lives and spit out their flesh and blood to ensure the safety of the saints. Without their help, there's no way I can hope to secure the saint's escape.

　Herd's lips rippled as he moved his vision. He could see the presence of the black mist opening its eyes behind him. He let out a breath.

"XO. With the loss of Commander Garrus, this place won't be around much longer. I think we should carve out a path where the black mist is thin and clear a way for the saint to leave. Even if all of us are abandoned stones.

　In the event that you're not a cathedral knight, then you're not a saint.

　I'm not a cathedral knight, I'm just a companion of Garrus Gargantia. In other words, I have no authority or title whatsoever. A cathedral knight would not so easily listen to the words of an outsider.

　Heldt was well aware of this. When he was in the walled city of Galuamaria, he had witnessed many times how words were judged as good or bad depending on their titles.

　At the time, I had accepted it as a ridiculous judgment that the words that were accepted were the correct ones and those that were not were surely not correct.

　Seeing how the XO was reluctant to say anything with his mouth twisted, Heldt opened his lips once more.

I have been informed of this by the Commander of the Garrus Succession. If anything should happen to you, your first priority should be to ensure the safety of the saint.

　The XO bounced his fingers for a moment, then said in a grave voice. A sigh escaped his lips, but I could see a bitter smile on his face.

Then, Lord Heldt-Stanley, I'll send two canon knights with you. I'll take the saint, and you secure the path of retreat--sorry, I didn't mean to bother you.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Even though he knows he is a waste of time.

　A sigh escapes from Heldt's mouth. It turned white and quickly disappeared. Judging from the way the XO looked at him, it seems that he had seen through our intentions.



　That he had received instructions from Garrus Gargantua was, of course, nothing but a lie. In the first place, he is not a man who makes passive assumptions about what might happen to him.

　The XO must have understood this and listened to his words.

　Heldt closed his eyelids for a moment. Then he opened his eyes wide.

　He pointed to a part of the black mist with his white blade, so that the cathedral knight and the saint who had been told to accompany him could see it. With his right eye, Heldt saw that there was a kind of slackness in the area.

　Of course, it could be a trap of some kind, or it could be truly accidental. But there was no time to question the truth of it. Then we must go.

　Holding the white blade, I walked in front of the saint and let her hang on my leg. In the meantime, Heldt's cheeks twisted.

　--And yet, to have done so with falsehoods, how could he have done so before?

　It's a good idea to take a look at the web site and see if you can find anything that might help you.


　I'm not sure.


　Beyond the black fog, there it was.

　In the past, it may have been used for ceremonies. It was probably used for ceremonies in the past. There were white altars and candlesticks, and statues carved out of stone stood out here and there with an eeriness.

　The white stones that make up the temple seem to have a faint light. The white stones that make up the temple seem to be faintly lit, so it's not as if you can't see what's ahead, but it's not as bright as it could be, and the dimness continues forever.

　It was a strange, inexplicable space.

　The faint lights in the hall made the hall seem fantastic, and it made his brain wonder if this place was really real, or if he was dreaming.

　Herd-Stanley's ears perked up, and he gazed out into the hall.

　Behind him was the saint Alueno, and further behind her, two cathedral knights, oozing with a sense of danger, stepped forward.

　No wonder. This is a place to be wary of, of course. After all, the black mist that had constricted the cathedral knights and nearly destroyed them in a single breath had given way with surprising ease to this point.

　It would be easy to say that this is a blessing from the gods, but even the cathedral knights have not entrusted everything to the gods to that extent.

　We were lured here, weren't we? It's only natural to have such thoughts.

　That's why the Cathedral Knight's steps are heavy and his senses are sharpened to the limit. His eyes swiveled from side to side, turning into suspicion itself.

　But Herdt-Stanley was different. His dazzling gold gazed at the shadow sitting on the altar at the end of the hall.

　It was so still and silent that it blended into the surrounding darkness itself, and in the dimness it was hard to make out its identity. At first glance, it may have even looked like an ornate statue.

　Heldt could feel his skin naturally tingling. Both of his fists clenched around his greatsword, and he heard the sound of it clenching. He knew better than anyone that what he saw before him was no mere ritualistic image.

　He stepped forward. It was as if he no longer cared about what was behind him. Her golden eyes just stared at the thing in front of her.

　The left eye, which had lost its light, let out a sob as it stirred.

　Hot. He knew that something that hadn't gone away since that night, even in the arena, even in the political arena, was now screaming in the depths of his guts. Very, very hot.

　His cheeks rippled.

It was a bit of an invitation, wasn't it? Would you have preferred to invite me out on a beautiful moonlit night?

　Suddenly, the shadow let out a word, as if in self-mockery. His demeanor and tone of voice had not changed since that night.

　Suddenly, Heldt remembered what he had said that day.

　--If you and I are going to be on par with each other, we have to be like this.

　Yes, you and he are enemies now. But what's the matter? Rather than that, I felt a feeling in my heart as if I hadn't seen a friend in a long time.

No, there's no point in taking the long way around for nothing. Besides, you might have gone out of your way even without an invitation.

　Deep within the Great Temple. The shadow's eyes and the golden gaze naturally overlapped. Neither of them said a word about why or how.

　There was just a quiet, yet enormous heat here.