Crack— A sound like shattering glass rang out as the barrier shattered.
With a flash of light, Artoria and Gudako appeared together in the dungeon.
"We're out?"
The two girls exchanged glances before finally confirming their current situation.
"Let's hurry."
Okita Souji stopped the group who seed about to start talking.
She kicked the Beryl-pig like a soccer ball ahead of her, taking the lead in walking out of the dungeon.
Seeing her urgent expression, the group couldn't help but tense up and quickly followed.
The Beryl-pig let out miserable squeals.
"Miss Okita, did you co alone?"
In the passageway leading to the surface, Gudako stepped forward and asked her.
"No, I ca with everyone, but I found this place first."
Okita Souji moved swiftly through the passage.
"Where are the others?"
"Up above."
She paused, her expression darkening slightly.
"However, you need to be prepared."
Prepared?
The group was sowhat confused.
What did they need to be prepared for?
But there was no need to ask her.
Led by Souji, the group moved quickly and soon reached the upper level of the dungeon.
As soon as they arrived, the expressions of the three turned extrely grim.
"Ahhh—!"
"Oww!"
"Eeeek?!"
In the not-so-spacious underground space, Mors figures were everywhere.
So were screaming, so were crashing into walls, and others were weeping bitterly.
Each one was humanoid—n, won, and children—each enduring the intense pain brought by the Mors toxin. The chaotic scene made it seem as if everyone was suffering unbearably!
"These are all the hostages taken from the Count's estate. Most are fine and have been taken away, but these infected with the Mors toxin can't be easily brought to the surface."
Okita Souji explained.
Da Vinci-chan, Muramasa, Tristan, and others were currently overwheld, trying to control the crowd. But with over a hundred infected, the number was simply too large, and their efforts were like trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon.
More crucially, they didn't know how to handle these people!
They had no research on the Mors toxin and couldn't extract it. If they brought them to the surface, it might trigger a large-scale Mors pandemic sweeping through the Fairy Kingdom. This dilemma left them almost helpless.
"Where's Gareth?"
Artoria suddenly spoke up.
Among the crowd, she couldn't see Gareth anywhere!
Given Gareth's nature of blending in with refugees, it was impossible for her not to be here at a ti like this!
Okita Souji didn't speak.
She pointed to a corner of the dungeon.
Artoria rushed over like the wind.
But what she found in the corner...
Was only a bell.
"Sorry."
A man sat beside the bell.
His face was pale, his body covered in the black Mors curse. He looked as weak as a critically ill patient in intensive care.
Even so, he apologized to Artoria with a face full of guilt.
"After being sucked into the barrier, Gareth and I were separated. By the ti I found her... she was already like this."
Artoria understood.
After being drawn into the barrier, a thick wall also separated her from Fujimaru Ritsuka. Only by relying on her familiarity with the garden could she barely interfere with Ritsuka.
After being pulled into the barrier, Pepe and Gareth were certainly separated as well. Unfortunately, the two weren't even imprisoned together.
By the ti Pepe broke out of the barrier, it was already too late.
"...How did he die?"
Artoria lowered her head.
"His body was completely entangled with Mors poison."
Struggling to support his weakened body, Pepe spoke with a mix of admiration and heartache.
"There were about 500 refugees captured in total, but only a little over a hundred remain here. The other three hundred have already left safely... and it's not like they weren't infected with Mors poison."
That's right.
When the 500 refugees were imprisoned in the barrier, its owner had already poured massive amounts of Mors poison into it. By now, several hours later, it was enough to infect everyone!
Yet, the number of infected people remaining here was only slightly over a hundred.
In other words.
"Did Gareth absorb everyone's poison into his own body?"
Artoria guessed the truth.
The hand gripping her staff bulged with veins.
"Correct."
Pepe's response confird her speculation.
This was indeed the right answer.
However, Pepe had concealed part of the story.
Gareth was just a lower-class fairy.
Although he was the reincarnation of the Mirror Clan leader, Ainsel, he hadn't completely inherited his predecessor's power and simply couldn't withstand that much poison.
In fact, Gareth died after absorbing only about a hundred people's worth of Mors poison.
The remaining two hundred people's worth was absorbed by Pepe himself.
"But now isn't the ti to talk about such things. Let Gareth-san receive more admiration - this is also my apology for failing to save you..."
"Bastard!"
"Ugh!"
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"
The staff struck Beryl's pig form again and again.
Artoria's eyes were bloodshot as she gripped her staff with both hands, rcilessly whipping the pale pig skin, making Beryl's pig form emit a series of pained grunts.
"I'll join too!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka, equally filled with hatred, rushed forward, kicking with all his might at its abdon.
"Add my share too..."
Pepe spoke weakly but with clear hatred.
"Senpai! I think Beryl is about to be beaten to death by you?!"
"Purification Heal! Then beat him more!"
"Bastard! Die! Scum!"
"You're healing him just to beat him up again?!"
anwhile.
Okita Souji approached the group infected with Mors poison.
"There's no choice. Although I originally didn't plan to reveal this..."
But now wasn't the ti to hold back.
She knelt down and placed her hand on a child.
Violet magical energy spilled from her palm.
Under the astonished gazes of Da Vinci and others, the child's cries quickly weakened as the black poison on his body gradually lted away like spring snow.
"It's... it's better now... Thank you, big sister!"
"Hurry and leave."
Okita Souji sent the child away and slowly sighed in relief.
Seems like it works!
In that case!
"Co forth! Eighth Familiar, Shaula Viola (Scorpion-Tailed Violet)!"
A blood mist sprayed out as the magical energy within the blood summoned a hazy giant beast!
It was a giant Scorpion-Tailed Tiger, its massive body nearly three stories tall exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure, almost piercing through the dungeon's ceiling. Its entire form was wreathed in purple flas, appearing profoundly mysterious and unfathomable.
The Scorpion-Tailed Tiger crouched there, releasing vast amounts of purple fire from its body that spread in all directions.
Strangely, the purple flas seed to carry no heat; when they enveloped people, they even imparted a cooling sensation.
As the purple flas continued to burn, the cursed toxins on the wailing refugees scattered rapidly, completely vanishing in less than half a minute.
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