“...Should we really have left Dame Eirlys behind to deal with that thing on her own?” Viviane asked worriedly. Though the war had undoubtedly forced her to grow as a noblewoman, her gentle heart and desire to help those in need hadn’t changed at all.

“She’ll manage,” Medrauta said. “If we had run back to help her, it would’ve just been a waste of her efforts.”

Rosette nodded in agreement. “Our mission was clear. Get to the top of the Spire and finish this thing once and for all. The only problem is... Where the hell is that shaft we talked about?”

As it turns out, the actual interior of the Spire was much different than the rough diagrams they looked over during briefing. While the diagrams compiled by the courageous scouts weren’t exactly inaccurate, they had neglected an extremely important facet of the Spire’s interior. Namely, the labyrinthine nature of its hallways.

They couldn’t really be blamed though. Without actual access to the Spire, the scouts’ report was primarily based around what little they could observe when the doors at the base of the structure swung open to release new waves of witchspawn into the world. The central shaft containing the magical apparatus connecting a majority of the Spire had only been seen due to the bright flashes of light that it emitted when operating, revealing its existence through the small embrasures that dotted the lower levels of the structure.

Medrauta cast her gaze around the Spire’s interior, keeping Viviane close by her side as they walked through the maze-like hallways. The black walls pulsed, vein-like strands of crimson stretched across their lightless surface. It was almost as if they were inside one massive witchspawn. The mere thought sent a shiver down the knight’s spine, but she kept herself focused on the objective.

Wherever the central shaft was, it likely laid deeper in the Spire itself, meaning that figuring out which way to turn when faced with a fork wasn’t particularly important. The group of eight continued to make their way through the Spire, all of them aware of this fact. Whichever path they took shouldn’t have mattered so long as they were going deeper into the structure, but several minutes had already passed since they last entered and it still didn’t look like they were getting anywhere.

“Say, Medrauta.” Leticia began, casting a glance at the silver-haired knight. “You think we could bust through these walls instead? We’ve wasted quite a bit of time already.”

Medrauta considered Leticia’s suggestion for a moment, inspecting the pulsating walls. “...Probably not.”

She had no idea how thick the walls actually were, but something about their almost organic nature made her think twice about damaging them. Instead, she glanced to the left and right as the hallway divided into two paths yet again. Both of them took them deeper into the structure, making it practically impossible which path would lead them closer to their objective.

As Medrauta was about to randomly pick a path, she felt a tug on her wrist. She turned, looking at Viviane curiously. Her lady’s eyes were alight with an idea, a confident smile on her lips.

“Hold on a second, everyone. I think I might have an idea.” Viviane said. “It’s slightly embarrassing that I’ve only just realized this, but the apparatus must emit an enormous amount of mana, right? Lady Scarlet, you’re quite skilled at sensing the flow of mana, so could you not perhaps locate the source that way?”

Scarlet shook her head almost immediately. “I do not intend to demean your efforts, but in truth, that was something I have already considered. Unfortunately, mana runs rife throughout the entirety of the Spire’s structure, making it impossible for me to pick out a single source when surrounded by all this chaos.”

“But it would be the strongest source, no?”

“It would, but merely sensing it would not lead us to its location. Let us not tarry any longer, Lady Viviane.” Scarlet said, beginning to march down one of the hallways confidently, only to be stopped by her own knight. “What seems to be the problem, Eris?”

“...I think Lady Viviane might be onto something.” Eris reached into the pouch on her hip, retrieving a mana neutralizer. 

This particular version was small and ill-suited for slaying witchspawn due to its single-use charge, but it was portable and easy to hold in the hand thanks to its cylindrical form. The knights had each armed themselves with a set of these neutralizers which would prove to be powerful defensive tools capable of neutralizing mana in a small area once activated, allowing them to defend against witchcraft-based attacks.

“What’s that for?” Leticia asked, stopping beside Eris.

“Lady Scarlet isn’t capable of tracking down the apparatus through mana signature due to how much magical energy is clashing in the air as we speak. However, we know that the apparatus should be the strongest source, right? So, if we just adjust this...” Eris said, turning a dial on the cylinder.

“Ah! You’re right!” Viviane clapped her hands together delightedly. “How about it, Lady Scarlet? Do you think you could do it if we managed to do away with the other mana signatures in the air?”

Scarlet nodded despite the frown that touched her otherwise unblemished face. “I would. However, I do not think this solution is viable. We would need to expend a neutralizer each time we exit its area of effect.”

“Not a problem, my lady.” Eris said. “I’ve only got my two daggers with me, so I ended up carrying an extra satchel of these things. Besides, it’s not like Rosette would need hers anyway.”

Rosette pursed her lips. “I would like to conceal that particular skill for as long as I can.”

The red-haired knight’s reply earned a raised eyebrow from Medrauta. She wondered what Rosette could possibly be hiding, but she suspected she would find out soon. It must be what she was holding back before all of this... I’m looking forward to a duel once this is over.

Eris merely shrugged in response. “I’m pretty sure Volutia has already made them well aware of your ability, but oh well. We’ll only dip into your resources if mine aren’t enough. Shall we, Lady Scarlet?”

Scarlet sighed. “Very well then. Let us see if this will truly work.”

Surprisingly, Eris’ idea actually did work. The mana neutralizer emitted multiple loud noises similar to that of a firecracker as it detonated, sending blue sparks flying through the air. The sound of crackling and sizzling followed after, the telltale noises of mana in the air being eradicated.

Scarlet closed her eyes, seeking out the strongest thread of mana that still remained amongst those that were vaporized by the mana neutralizer. She devoted all her focus to her mana sense, knowing that she had to be quick due to the flow of magical energy in the air. Within a second, the Spire’s ambient mana had already begun to flood back into the gap created by the mana neutralizer.

But even so, Scarlet was quicker. Her trained senses allowed her to capitalize on the moment she was granted, seizing hold of the faint traces of mana still remaining in the air. Her eyes snapped open as she whirled around to face the opposite direction.

“I have it.” Scarlet announced, marching down the other end of the hallway confidently. “We’re close. If we continue like this, we should be able to reach the central shaft in under a minute.”

Eris grinned. “Aren’t you glad you’ve got such a smart knight like me?”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, making a dismissive gesture. “Do not discredit Lady Viviane’s contribution either, Eris.”

“Boo~”

As the group hastened to follow Scarlet’s trail, Medrauta smiled and reached a hand toward her lady, patting Viviane on the head gently. The noblewoman yelped in surprise, but quickly gave in to her knight’s ministrations, blushing slightly.

“Good job, Vivi.” Medrauta said.

“T-Thanks...!”

Sure enough, Scarlet’s estimate turned out to be correct. The group of eight managed to make it to the central shaft in just under a minute, leaving them to marvel at the enormity of the Spire’s structure.

In actuality, the “shaft” was no more than a completely hollow portion of the Spire that nearly reached all the way to the top. Peering upward, the knights and ladies could see exposed portions of the Spire’s upper floors, sometimes even spotting a few witchspawn that wandered close to the edge as they patrolled the towering structure. The sky wasn’t visible at the very top, confirming Scarlet’s theory regarding the shaft’s terminus that she had proposed during the earlier briefing. 

In the middle of this hollow center was a simple circular pad that looked rather unassuming. It was quite sizable and certainly large enough to fit all eight of them on top of it, but other than that, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the pad. It was constructed with the same material as the rest of the Spire, though it lacked vein-like threads that decorated the walls.

Medrauta drew her sword and prodded it experimentally. Nothing happened. “I’m guessing this must be the apparatus. Doesn’t look very magical to me,” she said.

“Sure doesn’t,” Leticia agreed.

The four knights stepped onto the platform before their ladies, ensuring that it was safe before allowing them to step onto it as well. As the eight of them stood in the center waiting for something to happen, neither the platform nor their surroundings changed. It was rather anticlimactic, but they weren’t sure what to expect either.

“...Perhaps it needs to be activated somehow.” Scarlet mused. “Shall we try bestowing our Crests to produce a burst of mana?”

The other noblewomen nodded in assent. There was little else they could do without experimenting, and it seemed only logical that a magical apparatus would be activated by mana. Raising their hands into the air, pillars of light shot through the air and toward the top of the tower. Silver, gold, violet, and crimson, a veritable shower of colors cascaded down upon the knights, empowering them with the abilities they were all so familiar with.

As the pillars of light faded, all remained still. For a moment, it almost seemed as though nothing would happen despite their efforts.

And then the ground beneath them rumbled.