novelraw Chapter 94: To and From Hell
Chapter 94: To and From Hell
The glowing particles of mist flew alongside them as they were dragged by the spectral vortex emanating from the magic circle. Deadly lightning struck down from the sky, tearing through the auroras and seeking to kill anything in its path.
At that moment, a laugh echoed.
It was Elyndor.
"You’re coming with me..."
Unable to win, Elyndor had resorted to one last dirty trick. No one knew what would happen, but neither Azel, Marco, nor Mitsuki had any idea what to do. The ground grew more distant, yet the magic circle shone brighter.
Monar had to know something about this! They all looked at him desperately, searching for answers. The dark elf didn’t hesitate—he conjured a wave of wind that pulled them all closer to him.
"I don’t know what the dragon is planning, but the mana and prana coming from the magic circle belong to a teleportation spell. It’s also a spell that activates post-mortem, so I couldn’t anticipate something like this happening."
Frightened, Mitsuki spoke up.
"Can’t we get out? I mean, push ourselves out of the vortex with wind..."
Monar glanced at the walls of the whirlwind. Lightning crackled like an impenetrable barrier; the violent winds would tear apart anyone too weak. There was no way to break through.
"I’m afraid not. The only option would be to go up and escape from above, but..."
A bolt of lightning struck directly into the magic circle, as if feeding it energy, causing the spell’s intensity to rise exponentially.
"Damn it..." Azel looked down in frustration. "If only I hadn’t been such an idiot..."
Marco placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no changing the past. All we can do now is hope the spell doesn’t take us somewhere we can’t return from."
"That’s right. So let’s stay together."
’That’s it?! They’re just accepting this so easily! I could use my ash to break through and escape, but...’
Watching Monar close his eyes, concentrating on creating a wind barrier to keep debris from hitting them, Mitsuki swallowed hard. He could choose to be selfish and leave on his own, but that wouldn’t be right. For one, these people had saved him many times. But more than that, they had helped him grow stronger.
The Mitsuki from the beginning wouldn’t have been able to do anything like what just happened with the dragon.
It might sound rushed, but for someone like Mitsuki—who had spent his whole life hiding behind a screen to mask his weakness—he couldn’t abandon the people who helped him stand up when he felt like he had fallen for good.
’I couldn’t...’
It was something he had to think about carefully.
’Marco’s an idiot, but he saved me a couple of times and followed my plan without hesitation.’
In the end, he didn’t seem like such an idiot.
’Azel’s a pretty normal guy, but he’s always giving me terrible nicknames. Though "always" isn’t exactly the right word.’
And then there was Monar.
’This dark elf... the weirdest guy I’ve ever met. Always looking for friends under every rock. He recognized my talent when he saw it and always tried to understand me, even when I wasn’t looking for that.’
Each of them had their strengths and flaws—that was the truth. That’s what made them different in Mitsuki’s eyes, and at the same time, what made it worth staying by the side of these three lunatics.
’I’ll have to trust... I’ll trust that everything will turn out fine...’
"Stay together," Monar said. "Clench your fists and teeth. Keep your body firm, as straight as possible toward the ground. If this turns into an aerial descent, you already know what to do."
The group nodded, though Mitsuki wasn’t entirely sure what Monar meant by that last part.
"But I—"
"I know. I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry. Now! Get ready!"
Suddenly, a loud hum rose from the depths of the magic circle. The vortex spun violently as lightning turned it into a wall of death and destruction. Like skydivers, the group assumed their positions and exchanged serious looks.
Hundreds of objects spun around them, but everything was deflected by the wind barrier Monar had created earlier.
Then, suddenly, the vortex stopped.
The light of the magic circle vanished instantly, and what had once been a battlefield where four mortals fought a great specter was now nothing more than silent ruins, where those wandering souls drifted aimlessly with lifeless expressions.
Amid all the destruction, the mysterious figure with the cowboy hat appeared among the distant streets. He took a step—and in an instant, appeared a hundred steps ahead. He repeated this until he stood before the magic circle.
Curious, he reached out and touched the magical formation, then sighed.
He then looked up at the sky, where the auroras had already been restored.
The cage in his hand shook. The flame inside flickered, growing and shrinking as if breathing—or communicating. The mysterious figure in the cowboy hat nodded, turned around, and walked away into the green mist.
But before disappearing completely, he said:
"Sometimes it’s worrying how easily mortals make their way into this world."
***
A blinding light—followed by a violent jolt that scrambled Mitsuki’s brain like a blender. He grabbed his head with both hands, but suddenly, the shaking stopped.
The sound of the vortex and lightning was gone. Everything fell into complete silence once more.
He opened his eyes, trying not to throw up, and found himself in a massive dark space with four rows of long white benches made of oak wood, arranged toward the depths of an enormous building with a domed ceiling. For a moment, he saw the place illuminated by sunlight; the walls were pure white, decorated with gold and silver accents with hints of black that adorned the imposing cathedral.
Beautiful, clean carpets covered the floor, along with hundreds of people attending the place.
However, when he blinked, everything had been consumed by ash. Most of the benches had turned to dust, the decorations were gone, and everything felt bleak.
The four of them stood there, in front of those benches. Four wide, low stairways led up to where they were.
Mitsuki turned around—and his eyes widened in shock.
Behind him stood a massive structure—art in every sense of the word.
Only... that art was made of ash statues.