CHAPTER 440: ARC 5, CHAPTER 56: FINAL NAIL IN THE MONUMENTAL COFFIN

Upon the hill and through the trees, their gazes fell upon a massive ashlar castle-esque structure that was bordered by a lake on three sides.

"The Ever-Labyrinth," Jotou muttered.

"We’re about an hour out from the guild," Fumeko crossed her arms.

The blonde and the brunette stood under tree-shade, assessing the situation. ’...’ Jotou’s eyes narrowed and then sparked. "Meko, could you blink through the cavern, get to the totem back to Casten Castle, grab our things from Alänschäf and get back?"

Fumeko slowly turned her head up to face the blonde—her eyes were half-closed.

"I’m serious."

"And I’m hungry. I get that it saves time for us, but I can’t go that fast right now unless you have something to eat on you."

"Get Hotaru to rejuvenate you and take Sobi’s wand with you. You can grab a bite on the way back."

"That’s assuming I can carry all of our supplies," Fumeko uncrossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "Where’s your head at paranoiac?"

Jotou glanced over at the building in the distance, "There might not be a totem after I destroy the Ever-Labyrinth."

The brunette’s eyes blinked several times; "What?" she snappishly replied with a leer. "You’re not gonna be able to Thundering Strike through a building that regenerates and goes kilometres deep underground."

The blonde turned and walked, "Can it regenerate everything within seconds?" She waited for no answer as she headed back down the hill.

Fumeko’s head tilted to one side; she looked back and forth between the labyrinth and Jotou before following her in confusion.

Hotaru meanwhile, checked on Clyde’s unconscious body just as Jotou rejoined them. The redhead turned and got up, "He should be fine, no signs of paralysis. I’m not sure when he’ll wake up though."

"I think... that’s better for now," Ben replied. "Thanks. And... thanks for, trying," his sombre voice reached her crimson ears. His eyes pointed to Colwyn’s corpse by the side.

Hotaru gave a strained half-smile to him before turning.

"We’re an hour away from the guild. Aru, the stuff we have in Alänschäf’s replaceable, right?" Jotou queried.

"I’d like to keep those supplies, but I’m not too attached, why?" Hotaru pondered. "We don’t need to make a trip back if that’s what you’re asking, since we’re close to the guild."

"Crispy?" Jotou looked to. "Anything you all need there? We pretty much gave up everything when we teleported."

Ben thought for a moment and then shook his head, "Nah, most adventuring stuff’s on us. Ropes, packs, some climbing gear and stuff’s all there, but I guess it’s replaceable."

"Well, I guess that means we don’t have to go back. We’re at the Ever-Labyrinth," she relayed to the red-armoured figure.

"Dude..." Ben shivered. "We’ve been going there for..." he grimly glanced over to the twins—a haunted stare he gave. "That was right underneath it all..." it was almost like he was replaying memories in his mind.

"No one will ever have to go there again," Jotou replied.

"Yes, we can tell the guild and put a halt to the Gauntlet," the redhead stated.

"I don’t think she has that in mind," Fumeko spoke from behind. "Stop being ominously dramatic, what’re you planning to do?"

"You said it yourself detective, there’s a good chance destroying the whole labyrinth will kill a new god for good."

"Yeah, I didn’t mean you or we need to be the ones to do it, and especially not right the hell now."

Hotaru’s ears pricked, "Jotou if you think your thunder is going to be enough to break the entirety of that thing-"

"I wasn’t," Jotou interrupted. She crossed her arms, "His veins are magic and his bones are brick. Have I got that right Tiffany?"

Tiffany, who was listening in alongside Asobi, gave a nod, "I saw it myself. It must harden over time throughout the whole of it."

"Doesn’t matter; cause I can conduct all of it and fry him from the inside in a matter of seconds. The entire labyrinth’s a conductor."

"Hang on, you’re going to zap the building...?" Hotaru squinted.

"No, she’s planning to use that haros level spell..." Fumeko crossed her arms.

"No, no; I vote no," the wolf-girl repeated.

"I didn’t ask for a vote. This could take out a new god or at the very least, a base of operations."

"Would it even work? Ground beats lightning," Asobi chimed in.

"It’s not ground. Crispy, bones can conduct electricity, right?" Jotou turned to.

"Uh... you’re the physics guy," Ben rubbed the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes. "Yeah, bones are conductors, but really weak ones; plus moisture helps. You’d need a whole lotta voltage too."

"I have that covered. Any flaws to my plan?"

"I mean... haros level? Dude, you can pull that off...?"

"Rejuvenate," Jotou jolted herself with lightning into her palm. "Should be able to, if everyone can pool their remaining mana into me," she looked at Hotaru.

The redhead sighed, "I’m not going to try and protest. But have you thought this through at least?"

"Best case, I destroy the labyrinth; worst case, I land on the rood and will need help getting down," the blonde shrugged.

"And the mana-eating being inside?" she raised a crimson brow.

"Twas simply a particular chamber of which that being dwelled in that prevented the arcane entirely."

"Jotou should also be fast enough that whatever mana she loses isn’t gonna mean anything. You remember how fast she got across that entire chasm?" Fumeko supported.

"No, because I didn’t quite see it. Do you really think ’frying’ the labyrinth will destroy it?" Hotaru’s ears fell.

"That won’t destroy it exactly, but like crumble it for sure," Ben answered. "I mean the thermal shock’ll evaporate most of the things inside and the internal pressure’ll start shattering it, making cracks and fractures.

Lightning’s not just electricity, it’s also a ton of heat. And a haros level spell, knowing Jotou’s lightning..." he shivered again as he met the blonde’s gaze. "I t-think he could pull it off."

"Everything’s in my favour," Jotou faced Hotaru and said with a cold look. "I owe it to her to at least try," she tilted her head slightly to point at Colwyn.

Hotaru took a moment to compose herself. With an exhale she said, "Alright then."

Jotou then faced her friend, and walked over to him. She looked down, "I know it must be hard," a tender voice from an icy expression. "This will haunt you for a bit, if not for a long time. Grieve for as long as you need.

But right now, stand up," she offered her hand. "Her memory’s now something you carry for the rest of this life. The best way for you to honour her memory is to keep going—keep fighting.

Till every bone’s fractured, till every artery’s bled, till everything crash and burns; and then some," the cold expression melted into a soft one. "I need you by my side Ben, and I’ll be by yours; I need my friend for what comes next."

Ben stared up at her. He looked over to the twins placed against the tree. In a deep breath, scarlet red flame roiled in his eyes as he clutched Jotou’s hand with his gauntlet and stood up. "I’m with you," he uttered.

Jotou held on for a moment before letting go with a single nod, which Ben reciprocated in kind. "Any and all mana that’s disposable, give it to me. There’s a good chance I’ll be knocked out if it works. I’ll try my best to land outside the labyrinth," she spoke to everyone.

Hotaru prepared spell and siphoned from Ben who offered first. One by one, she siphoned what mana everyone conscious could muster and felt a slight rush, "I’m feeling a lot better."

"Rejuvenate," Jotou jolted herself again. ’Can’t feel any pain in my body.’ "Sobi, can I have your wand for a bit?"

"Sure! Just don’t let it break," the magician handed her the wand.

"I will," Jotou unsheathed her armite sword and handed it to her in exchange,

"Ooo," Asobi took the sword and swished it around. "It’s super lighter than I expected."

"Okay," Hotaru’s hand glowed a bright blue. "Can’t waste a drop, so open up."

Jotou parted her lips and Hotaru clasped her mouth shut. Blob after blob of glowing blue water was taken in with heavy gulps. Jotou winced her eyes, feeling every bone in her body all of a sudden shake.

Sparks fizzled from her fingers and teeth, and flew wildly around her. "Ow!" Hotaru flinched her hand away. She flapped her fingers in the air, "Jotou, stop sparking."

"Eh," Jotou could not control her shoulders. She took a deep breath and huffed out, dispelling all the sparks that crawled up her body. She raised her hands, "My fingers feel sparkly..."

"That can’t be good," Fumeko stated.

"No it’s fine!" Jotou accidentally shouted and her leg kicked the dirt. "I can’t feel my joints much. Just splash me," her other foot began to thump violently against the ground.

Hotaru groaned her annoyance out and splashed rejuvenates onto the blonde till, "That’s as much as I can give and I think that’s enough..."

Jotou’s eyes were open wide, sparks arced between her eyelashes and bangs. Her vision grew blurry and she could feel her heartbeat beating in her ear. "Everything’s hazy-this spell is drugs-I’m going!" she dashed towards the top of the hill.

"I think we should go too," Asobi suggested.

With adrenaline twitching her neck and arms, she reached the top of the hill with a sprint—faster than she has ever ran before. Her dilated eyes locked onto the labyrinth in the near-distance.

Massive fizzles of electricity formed from Jotou’s spasming knuckles and sprang onto her fingers and palm. Loud as a jet engine, the lightning whirred up her arm in an instant.

The surrounding wildlife scattered and flew as the lighting twisted and twisted, the noise only growing louder. Jotou could not hear quite literally anything else while she ran.

Her irises sparked in yellow lightning and the golden electricity coiled and coiled around her entire form. Her eyes narrowed and her voice was muffled by pulsating lightning as she uttered, "Goodbye."

Her body was thrown into the air and she raised Asobi’s wand high, "Webbing Lightning!" everyone saw a bright yellow flash of light, as—"CLATTER! BLAST!"—a bolt of yellow lightning shot into the sky.

With a streak of lightning that disappeared as quick as it came, she was gone. Up in the sky, goosebumps riddles her skin under her attire. A rush of static gave her a joyous smile as she felt the wind blows past her ears and hair.

The thin air, so cold and fresh. The light buzz was no longer from the overloaded mana, but from the dream-like gaze she had at the clouds that drizzled and that brushed her nose.

Somehow, she managed to take a deep breath and turned around. Gravity pulled yet she felt graceful—almost like she was in flight while the air howled past her.

Her enchanted and tattered fabrics whipped alongside her golden hair; she set her sights below onto a structure of ashlar, surrounded by a lake.

She clutched the wand tight and there was a hiss as she plummeted down, evaporating the moisture in the air. "FZZ

ZZZZ...BLASTSTT!!!!"

A bolt of golden lightning struck down from the heavens into the top of the labyrinth and crashed further in. Rubble blasted off the roof and flew into the lake.

A dome of lightning bloomed and webbed where she struck. Electricity discharged into the bricks and another twenty domes blossomed and webbed down the sides of the building, conducting the rained-upon surface of the building.

On the inside however, perhaps hundreds if not thousands of webbing domes of lightning infiltrated each seam and each brick; they were not large, they were in fact tiny.

Tiny enough to slip through each crack and burst within. A purple mist-like substance escaped in bursts of steam through the walls. Bricks fractured and flaked as the webbing electricity tunnelled deeper and deeper in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, those on top saw the entire lake’s surface constantly webbed with electricity, which was only stopped when it hit the lakeshore.

"DUFF!"

"BFF!"

They watched as sections of the wall exploded outward and the rest began to collapse in on itself. The earth began to quake beneath them, rippling the water and making them get onto the ground or hold onto something.

Clyde slumped to the ground and hit his head. With a grunt he woke up, feeling the ground beneath him shake violently. He glanced around confused, till he saw his sister’s corpse fallen over on the other side.

Meanwhile, deep underground, Jotou could feel her magic dissipating and that she may have done enough damage. She still continued, not ending the spell and yet not knowing where she was going.

All she was was conscious thought. No physical form, nothing more than arcs of electricity stretched thin across a vast distance. Even so, this much clarity was not here the first time she attempted this.

Not a breath, not a sound—she merely felt a hum. "I CANNOT DIE!" There was only thing she heard, and it was the croaky scream that pierced her thoughts.

The voice screamed in agony in her head, shrill and torturous. She could say no words and even then. ’OW! GH!’ Her thoughts, hurt?

With each scream growing quieter and quitter, she felt the voice being zapped away and electrocuted till it was gone. ’Are you dead... or are you not...?’

Wracked with a headache being her only physical feeling, she attempted to dispel the spell. She felt her consciousness spread across kilometres from up to down and over the surface of a lake.

Sensing the water and the air above it, she shifted her consciousness to that space.

Bracing themselves, Fumeko, Hotaru, Asobi, Tiffany and Ben watched as the webs of electricity dissipated over the lake and coalesced into a figure.

The electricity faded and Jotou’s form re-emerged on the water’s surface and- "Ts!" "Tsh!" "Splash!" "Splosh." "Thud!"

Jotou fell face first into the water and was skipped across the lake like a ragdoll before she was flung into a tree. She groaned and collapsed—the wand rolling out of her palm while the earth quaked.

Before her eyes shut, she watched the structure in the near-distance collapsing and rupturing under its own weight. Crimson leaked from the side of her eyes and her lips. ’...Still can’t stick the landing...’