Aozaki Aoko Case File

Mash was lowered bit by bit into the pit by Totorot's strong thread, while the others above watched her status intently. They weren't worried about fairies or Mosses attacking—both would instinctively avoid this place, so no anti-Londinium attacks were expected.

Both Totorot's thread and Mash were protected by Toneriko's spells, but those required concentration to maintain, so the others couldn't go down with her.

As Mash descended deeper, farther from the rim, she wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the darkness seemed to thicken dramatically. After about half an hour, she could barely see her hand and had to activate the illumination spell on her shield.

Normally, the spell would provide bright light, but in this strange pit, Mash couldn't see more than 30 meters—unusual.

"Mash, are you alright?" Toneriko's voice came through the rune stone from above.

"All normal," Mash replied calmly, "but the darkness here feels… sticky. The light can't penetrate it…"

"…I understand," Toneriko reply after a pause. "If you feel any discomfort at all, tell us immediately and we'll pull you up."

After about another half hour, Mash's vision was almost completely gone. She couldn't even see the outline of her shield; the darkness seemed to have mass, pressing in on her.

I can keep going… Mash thought, breathing evenly, staring into the void below. There were no observable changes, no signs of life.

But then… cough, cough!

Mash coughed lightly, something in the air choking her. She sniffed cautiously and caught a familiar yet strange scent.

"Ash…?" Mash whispered. "Is it drifting up from the bottom? Is something burning?"

"How's it going, Mash, any discoveries?" Toneriko asked.

"I found ash drifting up from below!" Mash reported. "But it shouldn't be a problem, I'll keep going!"

Mash continued her descent, but as time passed, the temperature rose and the air grew heavier, making it harder to breathe.

Is it Sir Galahad's protection? Mash analyzed calmly. She reasoned that her ability to function here was thanks to her demi-servant status and the special modifications Miss Touko had made to her body.

"Miss Mash, do you see 'it' at the bottom?" Toneriko worried inquiry. "If you see any sign, tell me immediately!"

"No, I don't—" Mash began, but then, through the thick darkness, she seemed to see a giant, bizarre face, oozing dark red blood, surrounded by hair.

It was a fiery red glow. Mash's heart pounded, her blood raced, and Galahad's protection screamed at her to flee.

"Quick, Ector, Totorot, pull Mash up!" Toneriko shouted. They worked full force to maintain the protection spells, ensuring the rope could still pull Mash up even if partially corroded.

At the bottom, Mash was still conscious, but the divine presence suppressed most of her bodily functions. The amount of magical energy was lethal, and a curse, shaped like an arm, reached up from the bottom, trying to grab this audacious intruder.

I shouldn't have come down, Mash thought. I've seen divine power before, but I underestimated the threat of the god's corpse… Is this the end of my journey, senpai?

At that desperate moment, she noticed a crimson light flying in from the west, plunging straight into the pit, growing brighter, and turning from red to icy white—the color of stars.

Just before losing consciousness, Mash saw light in this cursed, thick darkness.

"Sister… Aoko?" she managed to look up. Miraculously, the light was intense but not blinding. In it, she saw the magician Aoko Aozaki, holding a strangely shaped staff.

"I meant for you to just collect some data at the edge of the cave," Aoko sighed, flying to Mash's side. "Didn't expect you to come down here after knowing what's below…"

"Are you brave, or just reckless?" Aoko tilted her head, smiling.

"I'm sorry… Sister Aoko, watch out!" Mash was just apologizing when she saw a thick cursed hand force its way through Aoko's light, trying to grab the intruder.

"Oh my, impatient, aren't we?" Aoko turned, and eighteen spindle-shaped objects materialized, spinning rapidly and compressing her magic. Eighteen magic bullets shot out, intercepting the cursed hand and stopping it dozens of meters away.

"Time to go," Aoko cut Mash's safety rope (causing panic above), then seamlessly pulled Mash into her flying wind barrier. "It's not time to resolve this yet—let's head up."

With that, Aoko intensified her attack. The eighteen spindles merged into a ring, forming a cone of magic bullets that pierced the massive curse hand and exploded on the god's corpse below.

Aoko ascended rapidly with Mash, never taking her eyes off Cernunnos's corpse. She noticed her attack only broke some curse layers on the surface, not harming the corpse itself.

At that moment, she saw the light deep in the cave flare up, growing ever brighter—something was about to emerge.

At the center of the light was Aoko Aozaki, staff raised high, and beside her floated Mash.