Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu
Hoshi and Kazuko's direct mental communication took only one second.
Hoshi's hand then started glowing even more brilliantly.
He turned around and started drawing his bow, which instantly became completely enveloped in green.
An arrow of pure white instantly started forming. It gave off a gentle glow that seemed rather divine.
*Whoosh!*
The arrow of light shot out and left a spinning trail behind it as it struck the sticky fluid figure farthest in the front, exploding into a green-white blaze!
A large portion of this sticky fluid figure's body was destroyed. It stopped its movements entirely.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…* Hoshi continuously shot out arrows of white light, destroying countless sticky fluid monsters.
Every arrow that Hoshi shot out caused the light on his hand to diminish. When he destroyed the last sticky fluid figure, the light was so weak that it was almost about to vanish.
Seiji and everyone else all saw that Hoshi's right hand was violently trembling!
"Hoshi, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing…"
"Don't lie so blatantly like that. Your hand is shaking."
"It's really nothing… it's my own problem." Hoshi held his right hand with his left and stopped it from shaking.
"Don't say something like that!" Seiji furrowed his eyebrows. "If there's a problem, tell us. Don't bear it by yourself."
'That's something you should have learned already.' Seiji transmitted such a thought with his eyes.
However, Hoshi smiled and revealed a look of resolution.
"Team Leader… Thank you."
Why was Hoshi suddenly thanking him?
But, Seiji didn't have a chance to ask, because his vision suddenly darkened…
Everyone else saw a red flash as Seiji suddenly vanished!
What was going on!?
Before anyone could react to their astonishment, there was another red flash as Shika vanished next.
"Juumonji-san, I apologize that I must refuse your request." Hoshi smiled as he spoke to Hisashi. "It would be better if the amazing maid attire you wanted to prepare is left for a cute girl to wear instead."
"Knight of Light…" Hisashi was unable to finish his sentence as he also disappeared in a red flash of light.
Mika sensed that everyone that vanished must have been teleported back to reality.
But why did Hoshi have such an expression on his face?
She wanted to ask, but didn't get a chance as she was instantly teleported away.
Inside the green crystal pillar, Kazuko slowly opened her eyes as she looked towards Hoshi.
"Sorry…"
With that apology, she vanished as well.
Hoshi was now by himself.
The sticky fluid figures that were destroyed earlier by the arrows of light started wriggling again. They speedily formed themselves again and started moving once more as they began approaching Hoshi.
Hoshi did his best to remain calm as he placed his right hand on the crystal pillar once more.
"What exactly happened?"
Back at the Juumonji Mafia Group's dojo, Seiji asked Kazuko this question.
It was quite nice that everyone had returned to reality. However, why wasn't Hoshi together with them?
"Amami-san is being targeted. I'm unable to bring him out."
"Being targeted?"
"Yes. When he touched the crystal, I was able to mentally communicate with him. I learned about what he experienced. That mysterious golden-haired girl… I believe that she was the one who blocked my portal and caused everything else that happened afterwards." Kazuko sighed. "She has a similar ability to mine, but hers is stronger. If I'm something akin to a 'door opener,' then she's the 'master of the house'! Coincidentally, the Domain that I can open up is actually one of the 'rooms' in her 'house.' Now, she's restored her own control and turned things around."
Kazuko then continued, "For some reason, Amami-san is able to see her. That's probably why she took an interest in him and gave him his marking. That's what I'm referring to as targeting him. Now that she's taken control over her room again, bringing all of you out and maintaining my own existence is the very limit of what I'm capable of doing. As for Amami-san, whom she's now targeting, I can't do anything for him at all. I'm so sorry…"
"Even if that's the case, then you should have let me stay behind as well!" Seiji frowned. "I can't let Hoshi stay there by himself."
"That was a request from Amami-san," Kazuko stated softly. "He asked me to bring all of you out safely."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"What the hell!!!" Seiji viciously stomped his foot. "What does he want to do there by himself!? Does he want to die!?"
"He wants to find that girl by himself… He thinks that as long as he's by himself, he'll be able to meet her again."
"What if he can't find her!? How is he supposed to leave that place!?"
Kazuko remained silent.
"Can you teleport me back in?" Seiji then looked back at Kazuko.
Kazuko shook her head. "I used up a great deal of my power. I need to enter a hibernation state very soon."
"…How long will you be in a deep sleep for?"
"I'm not sure myself. A few days at the shortest, but it might be a few weeks at the longest."
"Is there any way I can help you to recover quicker?" Seiji looked directly at her.
"There isn't." Kazuko chuckled. "Just wait for me to wake up."
Right after this, a blinding red glow flashed over her body. She then transformed into a jacketed boy.
"Good evening, Ooike-kun." Seiji sighed.
"Good evening, Harano-kun." Kazufuru adjusted his eyeglasses.
Kazuko had now entered a deep sleep. Clutching at his last hope, Seiji asked Yomi if she was capable of teleporting him back to that dimension. However, she was also unable to do so.
'It's so idiotic of Hoshi to stay there by himself!'
Seiji now had only two choices left. He could load back to the past, or stay here in the present and wait for Hoshi.
Waiting would mean trusting Hoshi that he would be able to return safely. Loading would be akin to not trusting him.
Although Seiji was quite angry at his idiotic junior for making his own decision like that, Seiji still wanted to trust Hoshi—Seiji wanted to trust that the Fourth Knight would return safely!
And so, Seiji decided to wait.
However, he wouldn't wait around indefinitely. Seiji decided that he would load if Hoshi still hadn't returned safely by tomorrow morning.
"Hoshi, hurry and return… when you return before me again, I'm going to teach you a really good lesson!"
"Achoo!" Hoshi suddenly sneezed.
He didn't even need to think to figure out that Seiji was probably angry at him right now.
Actually, he had wanted to say "I'm sorry" to Seiji just now, but he knew that Seiji didn't like to hear apologies. That was why Hoshi thanked him instead.
Hoshi knew that staying here by himself was a foolish choice to make.
However, he still felt that he had made the correct decision. There was no need to drag his companions into danger by having them stay behind here. It was far more likely that he'd be able to meet that golden-haired girl again if he was by himself.
No… not more likely, he would definitely see her again! He had to meet her again.
Although he had resolved himself, he definitely didn't want to die.
Hoshi looked at the marking on his palm.
"You gave this to me… I don't think that you want me to die here by myself…"
Even if that girl was the existence who caused the entire series of events that happened in here, Hoshi still wanted to believe that she wasn't an evil existence. He wanted to believe that she would reappear before him.
He also knew that this was an incredibly naïve way of thinking. But… he was unable to give up on this naivety.
At this moment, he suddenly heard the faint sound of singing.
'It's her!'
Hoshi listened closely and determined the direction that the singing came from.
After determining the direction, he placed his right hand on the crystal pillar to absorb as much energy as he possibly could. After he could no longer absorb any more energy, Hoshi set out.
Sticky fluid monsters soon appeared everywhere and started chasing behind him.
Hoshi continuously ran in the direction of the singing. He only slowed down to fire arrows whenever the sticky fluid monsters were about to catch up to him.
After running for an unknown length of time, the singing he heard finally became much clearer.
Yet, he suddenly saw a giant stone door before him! This stone door was identical to the one he saw earlier with his companions.
The singing was coming from behind the stone door.
Countless sticky fluid figures were catching up to him. More such monsters were also appearing in this district.
Hoshi only had a tiny portion of power remaining that he absorbed from the crystal. And he didn't see a single new crystal on his way here at all.
A stone door was blocking his path, while large numbers of monsters were behind him.
He was all by himself and lacked a way of fighting.
This was unmistakably a brink that he was facing… Hoshi felt despair when he realized this.
"AhhhhHHH!!!"
His shouting echoed throughout the ancient sanctuary.