'Fuck… better never make her angry…Who knows what she'd decide to hit me with next…'
Lost in his thoughts, Kelly had no idea how much strain Kei's body was under. Even for her, holding the attack together was becoming harder with every passing second. If she hadn't been in the middle of this crisis, with adrenaline surging nonstop through her veins, she was certain she would have collapsed by now.
Finally, realizing she couldn't pour even a shred of power into the orb anymore, Kei hurled it toward the advancing skeleton army. The moment it left her hands, her strength gave out completely.
She had exhausted herself to the very limit, there wasn't even a trace of energy left in her body to keep standing. Involuntarily, she leaned into Kelly, clutching his upper body just to remain upright. Seeing her state, Kelly reacted instantly, his hands trembling as he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. Neither of them spoke, only watching silently.
The attack tore through the soldiers, disintegrating them as if struck by a holy judgment. Then, almost as if it possessed a will of its own, it plunged into the heart of the skeleton army and detonated at its center.
"BOOOOMMMMM!!!"
Just for a minute, it felt as though the entire world had gone silent. Agawa's attack had been impressive but something no one could truly witness, it blasted everything away in an instant. But Kei's attack was different. Everyone could feel it. It was as if the world itself had slowed down, forcing them to watch the destruction unfold in agonizing detail. First came the cold. Then temperature of the cavern plummeted within seconds. Eyes widened in shock as frost spread across the central platform where Kei and Kelly stood, ice crawling over stone like a living thing. One by one, the skeleton soldiers froze in place, trapped mid-motion, their forms locked in absolute stillness. And yet, even that wasn't the end. If the cold arrived silently, like an unseen wind brushing past, then what followed was the true destruction.
"BooMMm!"
Then, another blast followed, but this time, it wasn't silent. The sheer noise alone shook the cavern, reverberating through the stone as if the world itself were screaming. And with that roar, it felt as though hell had descended. At the centre of the platform, a raging fire tornado was born, tearing through everything in its path. It devoured the frozen remains without mercy, blasting apart whatever stood before it. Watching from the other side, the students could only stare in stunned disbelief. Agawa's attack had been too swift, too quiet for them to truly feel anything, but this was different. What they were witnessing far exceeded anyone's expectations. In the heart of an icy battlefield littered with frozen corpses, a blazing fire tornado bloomed like a flower. A scene so bizarre, so contradictory, yet impossibly beautiful. everyone present forgot about the crisis surrounding them, all they could do was stand there, utterly captivated, and admire the sight before their eyes
If his classmates were merely fascinated by the spectacle, then witnessing it up close was something else entirely for Kelly. Terrifying, on a level equal to, if not worse than, what the skeleton soldiers must have felt. First, the freezing cold hit him. A thin layer of ice crept up to his feet, numbing them as frost spread across the ground beneath him. Then, the moment the dance of fire began, sheer panic took over. To put it bluntly, he was damn near shitting his pants. Blistering heat crashed into him, followed by waves of scalding steam, the temperature rose and fell violently in rapid succession, throwing his senses into chaos. The air grew thin, oxygen scarce, forcing him to suck in deep, desperate breaths just to stay conscious. Without even realizing it, Kelly pulled Kei closer, wrapping her in a protective embrace as the storm of ice and fire raged around them.
For her part, Kei felt the hug and noticed the sweat beading on Kelly's forehead. A smirk of pride tugged at her lips, but it didn't last long. That pride quickly twisted into terror as the platform, having endured hell itself, began to give way. Cracks spread across the surface, spiderwebbing outward as chunks of stone broke apart piece by piece.
The sight snapped both Kelly and his classmates out of their stupor.
"NO shi…"
Before he could even finish the word, the ground beneath them shattered. Stone gave way in an instant, and Kelly lost his footing, plunging downward as the solid platform vanished, replaced by the endless darkness of the abyss below.
"Kell…"
Kei couldn't even finish calling his name. The support she had been leaning on suddenly dropped away, her balance thrown off as Kelly fell. In the next instant, their roles reversed, she was the one gripping him now, desperately holding onto his arm as he dangled over the void. Her body, already pushed far beyond its limits, trembled violently. She didn't have the strength to pull him up.
Kelly realized it immediately.
Looking up at her, dread pooling in his chest, he forced a smile onto his face and spoke with bitter sarcasm.
"You really e-ended this with a bang, huh…"
"Shut up, idiot… why just why are you so heavy?"
"Just let go…"
Kelly said it quietly. In response, Kei gave him a sad smile.
"Doesn't matter now… at least I'm glad I won't feel anything."
The moment those words left her lips, the ground beneath her finally gave way. The stone cracked apart, unable to endure any more strain. Her body, already pushed far beyond its limits mana completely exhausted, strength long gone, gave in as well. Kei lost consciousness.
And before their terrified classmates could even scream, both Kelly, eyes wide in shock, and Kei fell together into the endless abyss below.
"Nooooo…."
"Kellllyyyy…"
"Keiiii….."
Agawa's scream tore through the cavern, raw and despairing. Ayase could only watch helplessly, her own shout breaking out moments later. Sumire, witnessing the scene unfold, whispered Kelly's name one final time before her strength gave out. She collapsed, fainting into Ayato's arms as he caught her just in time. Mei and Airi stood frozen, terror etched across their faces, unable to look away from the abyss that had swallowed them both. And at last, amid the suffocating silence that followed, someone whispered softly
"No…. I am too late"
Sir William finally arrived, only to be met with the horrifying sight of the two children plummeting into the abyss. His face remained sombre, but his heart clenched with bitter sorrow. He rushed forward as fast as he could, yet even then with all his strength, he could only witness the devastating truth, the death of two of the most promising individuals who could have strengthened his kingdom, and, more painfully, the loss of two children for whom he bore ultimate responsibility. An emptiness unlike any he had felt in recent years settled over him. After a long moment, he turned his gaze toward the terrified faces behind him. His voice, heavy with the weight of loss, broke the silence, a weight he hadn't felt in years.
"This ends here. Let's go back."
"But we have to…"
Agawa's protest was cut short. William's stern gaze, coupled with the sheer pressure he subconsciously focused on him, was enough to make the boy slump unconscious. He turned to face the remaining students, his voice firm and commanding, yet anyone who knew him well could detect the heavy guilt lurking beneath his words.
"Anyone else have an opinion?"
"…"
A heavy silence fell.
No one spoke. Each student was lost in their own thoughts, struggling to process everything they had just endured.
"Okay, then… let's leave."
Ayato carried the fainted Sumire, while Ayase and Hiroya, who had only just regained consciousness and witnessed Kei and Kelly fall into the abyss, remained in a state of total confusion. Agawa, still frowning even in unconsciousness, was hoisted along as well.
Thus, the adventure that had begun with twenty-seven people entering the dungeon ended with only twenty-five returning two lost, victims of their own recklessness and misjudgement. At least, that was how it would be recorded in the kingdom's history books.
However, that too not for long. Soon, even those pages would need to be rewritten.