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Turn Undead.

It is about purifying the dead with unclean energy using Divine Power.

The mercy of the gods that sends the dead back to the Afterlife with the power of Divine Power.

“It’s all about what you can take and how you can attach it.”

While that might be the rumor, it’s actually akin to burning bugs with fire.

“Just as poison that can’t melt steel can corrode humans, Divine Power works in the same way.”

It would be more accurate to describe it as the holy flames that burn magic.

Divine Power burns magic.

And the dead, the Undead, naturally harbor magic.

Here, the magic refers to the so-called negative mana, unclean mana, mana infused with the essence of the Demon World.

Of course, since pouring Divine Power directly onto a being imbued with magic would ignite the Undead with Divine Power, it’s only natural they burn away.

“Wow, it burns well.”

With a fierce blaze, the golden storm unleashed by Lucius quickly purified the group of Undead.

“Oh God, may your holy mercy reach them and allow them to enter the realm of the dead.”

Every time Yan’s prayer echoed, all the Undead that entered through the hole turned to dust.

Unlike merely burning with flames, it was as if they were annihilated at a molecular level, leaving no ash behind, and thanks to that, nothing accumulated on the ceiling of the barrier we were descending through.

“In the name of the Moon Goddess.”

Kyaaaahh—!

The prayers continued.

The holes were getting deeper, and more Undead threw themselves above us.

Whether they burst into flames and were obliterated by Divine Power or not, they tumbled down the cliff, struggling to keep their bodies steady.

Kiiiii!

Since there was a hole, they would first stick their heads in.

The instinct of these souls, desiring to return to their homeland, kept drawing the Undead into the hole.

Gu gu gu gu.

But the digging wouldn’t stop.

It was too late to halt now, and Lucius was determined to see it through after making one hole.

Gu gu gu.

The hole was becoming deeper.

With every descent, I worried that the prayer of Turn Undead might lose its effect, but thankfully, Yan, as a Saintess, maintained her Divine Power.

“She has so much Divine Power.”

If humans have a mana pouch, Yan has a Divine Power pouch.

Just as the Magic Core that dwells in my heart expands every time I fill it with mana, Yan’s Divine Power boasted enough capacity to answer the Moon Goddess’s call even in this deep underground.

“If I had a Divine Power pouch like that, I could definitely use Divine Power even in the deep sea.”

Thanks to Yan’s ample Divine Power, even though we descended quite far, we managed to continue going deeper underground.

Then, rather than merely going straight down, we needed some other mode of advancement.

“If we just dig a hole, the Undead could fall into the sea, right? So let’s make a turn.”

Even if we blocked the hole, sediment would accumulate from the corpses of the Undead falling from above, so we change direction here.

“I think the bottom is coming into view. Lucius, let’s make a turn here.”

“A turn?”

“Yeah. Maybe… no, there’s no point in saying that.”

I was about to ask if he had seen the plumbing of a bathroom, but the plumbing in the Intermediate Realm was still significantly different from that in the Demon World.

“It’s natural, given the difference in technology.”

I intended to suggest digging the hole in a shape that would allow for sediment to settle like toilets and plumbing configurations, but upon reflection, the structure of bathrooms in the Intermediate Realm is different from that of the Demon World.

They collect, process, and use it as fertilizer.

In contrast, the Demon World uses powerful water pressure to flush it down while employing special plumbing to keep the stink from rising by storing the inputs stacked in the middle.

Naturally, it differs from the method of the Demon World, where the inventions of Mammon led to the excrement being purified by the water stored in the tank and sent down to the purification zone.

“Lucius, can you dig in the direction I instruct?”

“That’s simple enough….”

“Then do this. From now on, I’ll blow mana into your back to guide you, and you just keep digging.”

I directed Lucius to carve out the tunnel in a shape that wasn’t simply vertical but curved downwards into a U-shape.

“Sage, are you trying to create a slope now?”

“Yes. I want to bend the pipe at 90 degrees to be completely parallel, but that’s hard.”

Like drawing an ‘N’ shape.

“If the Undead fall into the hole, doing this will prevent them all from going into the sea.”

I hoped to draw an ‘\I\’ shape more accurately, but I had to settle for just a gentle ‘N’ shape in the hole.

“Lucius, just keep going up at about 45 degrees from here.”

“At this angle… understood. I’ll keep pushing upwards.”

Lucius adeptly followed my directions and gradually adjusted the direction of Ascalon’s excavation.

“Hmm, well done. You could be a hole-digging champion later.”

“Just leave it to me. I can dig through anything.”

“That’s the spirit. You seem to have the qualities of a hole-digging master.”

“…Heh.”

Thanks to Lucius, it seemed like things would proceed rather smoothly.

Although we couldn’t go straight up, the gentle slope would make the hole a space no one could casually enter.

“Creating Creature. Ice Wall.”

Using mana, I formed a massive ice wall outside the barrier toward the hole we had just passed.

“Even if someone miraculously falls below the hole, all they will see is the enormous ice shield.”

Even if they fell beneath the hole and managed to come up through our dug hole, they would only see the ice barrier I created.

“From here on out, we’ll build several layers of barriers as we go down. Saintess, you don’t need to use Turn Undead anymore.”

“Is that alright?”

“Yes. By changing the direction like this… we won’t have to worry about anything falling on us from above.”

While sediment accumulating in the hole was unavoidable, I didn’t want to care about that too much.

“But Sage, we’re not planning to come out this way later, right…?”

“Of course not. This path is one-way. To turn back… you’d rather have to dig a new hole? Not forward, but backward.”

“I’ll dig.”

Lucius showed considerable enthusiasm.

“I’ll make sure to dig through anything, front or back.”

“Yeah, let’s dig a pathway that can be traversed in both directions later on.”

“You promised.”

It seemed Lucius had developed a liking for the very act of digging down.

I wondered if he might end up digging through the core of the planet and out the other side.

‘That would be troublesome.’

If he found out that there was another continent on the other side of this ocean by digging down, it might be a huge shock.

“…We should be able to turn again soon. Lucius, go down again.”

“Should I just slam down like this?”

“Yes. Just poke straight down like a spear.”

“Understood!”

Who knew he would be so enthusiastic?

I wondered if we might end up digging a seabed tunnel at this rate.

Kiiing!!

A strange noise began to resonate beyond the ice wall.

It felt like the ice wall was being scraped at, or had someone pushing against it.

“Sage, what’s that…?”

“It seems there are some left that fell to the bottom of the hole but are still intact. Saintess, you don’t need to use Turn Undead. The ice wall is perfect.”

“Really?”

“Yes. My ice wall is sturdier than any other magic. It’s permanently solid unless I dispel it myself or the spellcaster dies.”

The source of the ice shield, the ice wall, is ‘Spirit Power.’

“That’s similar to what was created with the Holy Water Sword.”

“How could that… No, that must be possible because you are the Sage.”

“Exactly. It’s because I can.”

The Spirit Power I borrowed slightly from Liriez.

Using that to create the ice wall meant that to dispel the ice wall, one would have to be strong enough to breach at least a level 3 Holy Shield.

And.

“The ice wall is part of nature. It’s a physically powerful barrier, but it’s also set up to allow certain things to pass through.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sea water.”

The seawater flowing beneath us.

“The moment we hit the bottom….”

Swoosh—!

As Lucius fully dug into the ground and created a hole, the seawater began to surge upwards alongside the barrier.

“Ugh…?!”

The barrier began to shake.

Unable to grasp the sudden change in circumstances, the barrier started to tremble violently.

‘O winds.’

Lucius momentarily lost control of the barrier due to the intense water pressure, but I supported from behind and stabilized it.

“Thank you. Master.”

“Oh, so you can feel these things now?”

“I can recognize immediately what you have done, Master.”

“Impressive.”

Did he realize I was stabilizing the barrier?

Slowly, is it time to move beyond level 2 to level 3?

Already?

‘Has there been a situation strong enough to instill such a determined will?’

The awakening of the Holy Sword is closely tied to the user’s will.

To manipulate the powers of nature, one needs a strong will, and if there’s a reason for Lucius to grow stronger in such a short time…

‘He can’t resist the Spirit Device.’

I understand.

It’s a yearning that every man has to pilot massive combat mechanisms.

That’s probably the source of Lucius’s strong will, the root of his growth as Lucius.

‘Having a goal is a good thing.’

The Spirit Device.

I want to see it too.

More precisely, I want to ride it.

“Lucius.”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask one thing in advance?”

“…If it’s a strange request, I won’t listen.”

With Lucius suddenly stern, the atmosphere in the barrier fell silent.

“Why? What could I possibly ask?”

“When you suddenly ask for something like this….”

Lucius’s gaze briefly shifted towards Rosmas.

Rosmas shook his head at me with a face that seemed to have caught on to something, but I couldn’t understand at all.

“Is it so wrong to want to try piloting a Spirit Device?”

“…Huh?”

“I want to pilot your Spirit Device. Isn’t that something everyone wants?”

At my words, Droniel slightly nodded, while Yan frowned but didn’t deny it, and Rosmas briefly looked dejected but then smiled knowingly.

“Ultimately, since you’re the Hero, you have to operate it while onboard. Let’s all take turns riding it, okay?”

Since if I said I’d be the only one riding it, it might feel awkward, I’d also provide an opportunity for the other three to ride the Spirit Device with Lucius.

Ahh, where else could you find such a love assistant?

“Master.”

Lucius extended a pinky from the Holy Sword.

“It might be dangerous, so I’d like you to be the first to board. You should be able to control it through any danger.”

“Of course. It’s a promise, right?”

Yes, yes.

I am the one who first sits in the seat of Ascalon’s Spirit Device.

Up until now.

Throughout all of history, there has never been a time when Ascalon’s Spirit Device made an appearance.

Since its creation, no one has ever ridden it.

That maiden flight will be mine.

 

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