I made my way to where the signal had risen—the forward base for this operation, where Citry and the others were running the device.
By the time Selen arrived, most of the teams had already assembled. Almost simultaneously, Luin, who had been guarding the device at the opposite end, also made it back.
The base bore heavy scars of battle.
Phantoms had clearly launched raids here too, though perhaps not as many as at Selen's position. Citry's bizarre familiars—paper-bag-headed creatures—were carting away the remains of fallen Phantoms.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Several beast-type Phantoms were closing in. The relatively modest numbers might suggest they were still sizing things up?
Then again, judging by the Phantom count they'd confirmed through the mirror, it was only a matter of time before the Phantoms swarmed in en masse. Anthem's barrier was up, but it wouldn't hold for long.
Citry's face was a grim mask. The moment Selen saw her, she couldn't help but cry out.
"What happened?! The device was completely destroyed!!"
She knew she needed to stay calm, but the words tumbled out before she could stop them.
This operation was supposed to determine the fate of the world.
Citry sighed and lifted a device fitted with a gauge and needle.
"The experiment was a complete failure. The cause was that the Mana Material volume in the Ley Line far exceeded our projections. The device functioned normally, but it couldn't get far enough to create a new flow."
A dire situation. Surrounded by the approaching presence of Phantoms on every side, Citry continued her explanation in a steady voice.
"This is a Mana Material measuring device we built alongside the main apparatus. You can see the needle is pegged all the way to the right? It means the Mana Material flowing through this Ley Line exceeds the maximum threshold we projected during our research—the 'maximum Mana Material the Ley Line can tolerate.' In simple terms, that mana-material disruption device doesn't have the capacity to handle this volume. Our estimates were too optimistic, I suppose, but there are still many unknowns when it comes to Ley Lines... Well, it can't be helped."
The device installed at this location hadn't broken yet. Looking more carefully, the Mana Material flowing through the Ley Line here seemed to be slightly less than at Selen's post.
Selen's device had been working fine initially too. Perhaps it really had been operating right at the razor's edge of what the device could handle. It had broken right after the Phantoms were defeated—so it was possible the Mana Material released by their deaths had pushed it past the limit.
Either way, there was nothing to be done about it now.
"b-but it'll work out somehow, right?! I'm sure you said the device could be adjusted—"
Citry had mentioned that the device's size and performance could be modified by changing the parameters of the magic circle used in its construction. She was certain of that.
But to Selen's desperate words, Citry shook her head.
"That's not possible. To begin with, I built the most powerful device I could with the materials we had this time. If I'd cut corners on materials and it had failed, the consequences would have been unthinkable... Lucia, you were also asked for a tremendous amount of mana when you built yours, weren't you?"
"...That explains it... I was wondering why the exhaustion was so severe for something any Mage could apparently make."
Lucia's expression was pained. How could anyone remain composed in a situation like this?
Lapis let out a snort and pressed Citry for clarification.
"Hmm... I see, I see... One question—can the device be modified at all?"
"...It would be difficult to do quickly. We'd have to redo the research from scratch, and the colleagues who worked on it with me are in prison—no, never mind. It may look simple, but it took assembling top-tier practitioners and conducting extensive research just to develop it..."
Selen understood how difficult Mana Material research could be. Even Yggdrasil had spent a long time developing its defensive magic.
She wanted to cry, but there was no time for tears.
Whether they stuck with the current plan or changed course, there was nothing to gain by lingering here.
They needed to withdraw while their mana reserves were still intact.
The number of Phantoms approaching this location had been climbing steadily—perhaps because everyone had gathered in one spot. Even as they spoke, her earthen soldiers were charging to intercept, but it barely slowed them down.
Miles was strong, but not invincible. He consumed mana too, and his defenses grew lax in the moment of attack. He'd won earlier, but surrounded by a hundred or two hundred at once, he could easily be crushed.
Mages were fragile. A direct hit from a Phantom's attack could kill them in a single blow. Fighting an endless swarm of Phantoms capable of one-shotting you was not exactly a wise proposition.
"We'll... retreat. Let's figure out what to do after we get back to Yggdrasil."
Nothing was going smoothly... or perhaps everything up until now had gone too smoothly.
There was still a hundred years before the god's awakening. With that much time, improvements to the device would surely succeed.
They'd fall back and devote themselves to defense. That was the best move available right now.
The only worry was whether this failure might provoke something worse—stirring up a hornet's nest, so to speak— "...I heard your mission completion rate was a hundred percent, but even the 'Thousand Transformations' can fail, huh."
She'd trusted too much in those legendary abilities—the ones that had brought Miles back from the brink and recovered Luin.
Thousand Transformations was only human, after all. She should have considered the possibility of failure.
But maybe that carefree, unbothered attitude was part of the problem too. If he learned about this situation, would that perpetually relaxed expression of his finally crack?
Citry blinked and exchanged glances with her fellow Mourning Specters, then said with a puzzled look: "...No, Krai doesn't fail. The one who failed just now wasn't Krai—it was me."
"...What?"
She hurriedly looked around. Thousand Transformations still hadn't returned. None of the Night Parade of a Thousand Demons had shown up either— Just then, a figure dropped from a towering tree nearby.
Elisa Beck touched down gracefully on the ground, looked at Citry, and spoke: "Citry, the Phantoms—they seem to be running away. No, not exactly running away... it's more like they've found a new target—"
§ § § Cutting through the wind, weaving skillfully through the forest. Tino's carpet tech, already impressive, had undergone yet another level-up since the last time anyone had looked.
Weaving at high speed between the densely packed trees, and whenever branches blocked the path ahead, Tino was already sweeping them aside from the driver's seat—not even a splinter made it through to Mastaa or Mimmi-kun.
Even carrying Mimmi-kun, Mastaa, and Tino, Carr's speed was remarkable. If Mastaa had been riding alone but been the one at the controls, he probably would have slammed right into a tree.
Tino's profile as she piloted the carpet was taut with tension. She'd been dragged into that cursed-artifact nightmare and put through the wringer, so a strained look was only natural.
But if he might be allowed a small excuse... this time around, being spartaned by Liet would have been harder than fleeing through the forest with him.
"...How strong... that presence! Even though we should be making a wide detour! Mastaa, I can feel their gaze... This is—a Level 10 Treasure Hall, isn't it!"
"...Mm-hm, that's right."
Fear colored her voice. But Tino's body was no longer trembling.
She'd steeled her resolve. It was precisely in moments of mortal peril that a Hunter showed their true worth.
As for Mastaa, he couldn't feel any gaze at all... but he decided not to say anything about that.
Tino steered the carpet forward, occasionally changing direction as she went. Who would believe that the girl before him had been completely removed from anything violent just a few years ago? She was even overtaking the one companion who'd been his superior—the only Treasure Weapon user among them.
Bringing Tino along had definitely been the right call. In a forest like this, with nothing but similar-looking scenery in every direction, Mastaa alone wouldn't have been able to reach the northern side at all.
"Mastaa... um... once we arrive, what should I do? This is embarrassing, but... I intend to fight with everything I have, but against the Phantoms from the [Source Temple]... I might not have enough strength."
"Mm-hm, that's right. But don't worry—the goal this time is just to buy time, and I've got a plan for the fight. If you want, Tino, you can even hide inside Mimmi-kun."
He'd probably end up hiding too, come to think of it. But fighting with everything she had against a Level 10 Treasure Hall's Phantoms—Tino had certainly grown some backbone.
At Mastaa's words, Tino stiffened mid-motion. She took several deep breaths, then turned back to face him with determination in her eyes.
"No... I was chosen by Mastaa, and this time I'm going to live up to your expectations!! I can't become a proper Hunter if I just keep hiding!!"
"...W-well said, Tino. Good girl, good girl."
Somehow, she seemed brimming with fighting spirit.
And it stung. Because Mastaa knew he couldn't become a proper Hunter precisely because he always hid.
Tino always met his expectations. This time too, her carpet handling exceeded them.
Honestly, from navigation to piloting, he was leaving everything to Tino.
"n-no, I'm not worthy of Mastaa's praise— We're entering the northern side from around here. Where should I set down?"
Tino's cheeks flushed slightly as she reported their position.
They'd entered the destination area... he hadn't noticed at all. Good grief, this was why forests were— They happened upon a slightly open clearing. Enough space to place the device—this spot would do.
Citry had told him to do as he pleased. The main event was Citry's team anyway, and if he could draw even a fraction of the Phantoms' attention and lighten their burden, that would be a huge win in his book.
"Then I'll have you set us down here."
"!? E-eh? H-here?"
Tino's eyes went wide and she looked at him in alarm, but she lowered the carpet as instructed.
From here on, it was a race against time.
"I'll get things ready, so Tino, keep watch on the [Source Temple]!"
"?! W-well, there's nothing to watch—the [Source Temple] is right there—n-no, never mind. Understood."
"If Phantoms come our way, hold them off. You can even take them down."
"Huh!?"
Tino let out a startled yelp. Mastaa slipped over to Mimmi-kun and requested the device from his storage.
Mimmi-kun spat out a mana-material disruption device about the size of a person's embrace.
The more Mastaa looked at it, the more bizarre it appeared. The structure itself seemed simple enough, but how could a device like this manipulate invisible Mana Material? This world was full of mysteries.
Well, he had no interest in how the device worked. The only thing that mattered to him was how to activate it.
Citry had said to do as he pleased, but he'd still synchronize the activation time with hers. Checking his watch, there was still a little time left, so he decided to bring out his ace in the hole.
Tino kept glancing his way. She was probably curious about what he intended to do.
Mastaa issued his instruction to Mimmi-kun in a hard-boiled voice: "Mimmi-kun, bring out the cursed item I stored in you the other day."
"A cursed item!?"
Tino let out a startled shriek. Mastaa was secretly pleased that she'd reacted with such surprise.
None of the Treasure Weapons he currently carried could handle a Phantom from a Level 10 Treasure Hall.
But if it wasn't limited to Treasure Weapons—then he had something.
One of the causes of the recent incident in the Imperial Capital. The worst curse ever created by humankind—the very thing that had once fought on equal footing against multiple ultra-high-level Hunters, including Ark.
After the incident, through a chain of events, it had ended up in Mastaa's possession. The most powerful cursed item of all.