The ritual scene was simple. A basin and one of the horned hellspawn were placed near each other. A pair of gloves and a spear were laid nearby. Felicia mentioned that the gloves were the kind you could find in any convenience store, and the spear was a rugged weapon they had fashioned by grinding iron bars during one of their scavenging missions. I asked Felicia how Elder July managed to enchant the spears, but she merely shrugged her paw—she had no idea.

"The ritual will now begin. Before using the centaur, I will first use this horned beast to create the strongest spear. Using the blood of the Anathema, I call upon the Pandora's Box—the box of despair. Everyone, by enduring the despair released by these monsters, shall we see the light of hope!"

"Yes! In the depths of despair, there is hope!" the men and women chanted in unison. The women wore white gowns, while the men, bare-chested and wearing only trousers, revealed their thin frames—a sign of malnutrition that was slowly being alleviated thanks to my intervention. Yet, these same bodies had endured so much.

The men then worked together to slit the horned hellspawn's throat with my naginata. Black ichor gushed into the basin they had prepared. As the slick ichor gathered, a black haze began to rise above it. Anathema didn't leave any physical bodies when they died; they evaporated and turned back into mana after a while. The black haze was proof of that. I tilted my head, watching their ritual with growing unease.

"Warning: Elder July has immersed her hand into concentrated Anathema's blood. This is a hazardous action. I recommend you stop this ritual immediately. Continuing may pose a fatal risk to Elder July's health!" Felicia's warning shattered the solemn mood. Thankfully, I was the only one who could hear her. Sensing the gravity of the situation, I ambled over to Jim, who was guarding the large Anathema.

"Is it really okay to continue this ritual? Felicia says it's dangerous to dip your hands in Anathema's blood like that."

"This is her choice, her decision—something more important than her life. Please witness her work carefully. She only prays that her efforts may help humanity," Jim said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. He looked at Elder July with a firm resolve, but I couldn't help noticing that his eyes could no longer hold back the tears. They flowed down his dirty cheeks, tracing the sharp lines of his face.

Elder July then marked a cross on her face using the Anathema's blood, drawing it from the top of her forehead to the bottom of her neck, and from her right ear to her left. She called upon the other women and drew smaller crosses on their foreheads and arms. She then dipped the gloves she had prepared into the basin, coating them with the slick, oily substance of Anathema's blood.

Afterward, Elder July laid the gloves on the ground. Dipping her hands once more into the black ichor, she drew lines from the gloves to her position and then to the four women behind her. Once this was done, she knelt on the ground, just as the four maidens did.

"Let despair come to us. Children! Maidens of Anathema! This ritual will be the toughest we have ever faced. But we will prevail!"

"Yes! The Light of Pandora will prevail!" the women chanted in unison. Two men then picked up the basin and poured its contents over the women. Felicia issued another warning, but her words went unheeded.

"Ah!! Darkness will not prevail! The Light of Hope shall come to us! Hold on!" The chants echoed through the empty darklands as dark motes of light evaporated from the Anathema's blood. The miasma swirled within the circle like a maelstrom. Yet, despite the darkness, the light of the moon shone down on us.

"What is Pandora?" I asked Jim.

"It is our belief. When we prevail against darkness, we shall see the light of hope. Through Anathema's blood, we could imprint this belief and enchant our equipment."

I witnessed a form of magic—not the kind used by MGs, not the kind used by Zenith, but by humans. The swirling darkness was laced with a sprinkle of hope, etched into the storm. It reflected the brilliant night sky above us. It was so dark, yet so beautiful. Despair was everywhere, while hope was but a simple mote of light, fleeting like stardust.

The dark world then descended upon the women. They screamed as tears of blood spilled from their eyes. Elder July suffered the most, sitting firm at the eye of the vortex amidst the despair. The gloves and the spear darkened, as if painted in vantablack, engulfed by darkness and losing all of their texture. But I could sense Elder July's prayers—her call for hope to vanquish the Anathema resonated strongly within their ranks.

Glittering lights began to sprinkle across the blackened gloves, slowly starting to regain their color as the darkness faded, leaving behind a cross symbol. The maelstrom of mana subsided, and as I looked around, I noticed that light was shining upon us from the east. Unbeknownst to us, dawn had arrived.

"Lily! Buy some first aid! Greater restoration kit and anathema corrosion cure!" Felicia's urgent voice snapped me out of my trance at the magic cat by normal humans. I saw Elder July and the women sprawled on the ground.

"Buy anything to save their lives!" I ordered.

"Done!"

[Purchased: Greater Restoration Gum x5!]

[-100 Points]

[Purchased: Anathema Anti-Corrosion Gum x5!]

[-200 Points]

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

[Remaining Points: 7465 (7765-300)]

The men rushed in immediately and carefully moved the women away from the ritual grounds.

"Start with the anti-corrosion gum, then use the restoration gum," Felicia instructed.

"Thank you, Lily. We are so weak. You have brought us a mighty gift, yet I can't give you my all," Elder July coughed and lay down.

"Felicia, summon a bed."

[Purchased: High-Quality Mattress x5!]

[-25 Points]

[Remaining Points: 7440 (7465-25)]

A black box appeared beside me. I opened it to find five white mattresses inside. Using my strength, I quickly laid the mattresses on the ground, and the men placed the women on them without needing to be told.

"Elder..." Jim pleaded. Even with a glance, everyone knew the centaurs were much stronger than the horned Anathema. If the horned Anathema had done this much damage, the centaurs would definitely be worse.

"I will use the centaur. Even if it kills me," she interrupted.

"Your endeavor will prove fruitless. You lack the equipment to process chaos mana from an anathema of that magnitude," Felicia cautioned. This time, she materialized and faced Elder July.

"I see. I would love to prove you wrong, Zenith…" Elder July rasped, her voice filled with determination. "You have declared us creatures incompatible with mana… yet look at us now."

"You have indeed proven that humans can wield mana to some extent. However, it also proved that mana is hazardous to your body," Felicia responded calmly.

"Sorry, but I am a stubborn woman." Elder July coughed up blood again, the black ichor staining the white mattress.

"…At the very least, let Black Lily handle the centerpiece. Will that be acceptable to you?"

"What?" I looked at Felicia, surprised. I hadn't expected her to suggest involving me. She seemed against the ritual in the first place.

"The soul gem will prevent mana from corroding your body. She is a better fit," Felicia explained.

"What a slave driver you are. How could you let a young girl be exposed to something like that?" Elder July countered.

"She is not just an ordinary girl. She is a magical girl, a light of hope," Felicia spoke firmly, her words cold and unwavering. She believed fully that I was a beacon of hope. I could only lower my head under the weight of her high expectations. I wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out.

"This is our business. Lily has done her duty. She has caught the Anathema. All you need to do is watch. Watch as despair grips us. Watch as we endure the despair. Watch as the light of hope finally shines down upon us," Elder July said.

"Elder… your body won't last," Jim said, his voice heavy with concern.

"Jacob… Mama will…" Elder July whispered before she fainted. Her mumblings were her regret, and they resonated with everyone. The cure was working, but her body was clearly at its limit. She might have been delirious, but her words struck a chord in all of us. Her conviction was unwavering. Despite the turmoil her body had endured, she still wanted to see this through. A few hours later, she regained consciousness. I sighed as she drank the tea that Catherine had prepared.

"I will do it." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Looking at the frail woman before me, that's all I could say to her.

"I mean, can I do it?" Indecision gnawed at me.

"You can't... you are enveloped by Zenith's light. Despair won't reach you. Your conviction won't affect the world for you were always in your shell, and the spell will fail," Elder July said, her voice strained as she tried to sit up but collapsed back onto her bed.

"I see. Then, I suppose..." One of the female researchers turned away.

"Wait... what about now?" I interrupted, undoing my astral shift. My white hair returned to its natural black as motes of light dissipated around me.

"...I see your resolve. You may try," Elder July conceded. Was it truly resolve? I was merely curious about this opportunity. "You will be at the center, but I am still the one leading the ritual, alright? You don't know what to wish for yet."

"Alright."

"It will be tough... But, thank you... and I am sorry... I will rest now. We will do the ritual at dawn tomorrow. You are more beautiful than your zenith persona," Elder July said before drifting back to sleep. Her words shook me, but I calmed myself down. Either she was blind, or she respected my resolve to help her. There is no way this weak self was more beautiful or stronger than Magical Girl Black Lily.

The sun rose on the horizon, casting its warm light as it climbed higher into the sky. I stood there, taking in the serene, barren landscape. There were no chirping birds, no bustling humans, no hum of magitrains or seinjets—just an overwhelming silence.

"Felicia, can you contact Eden?"

"Do you want to turn off the radio silent protocol?"

"Yes, please..." I nodded, finally summoning the courage to contact Eden. It might be too late, but I wanted to go back now. I wanted to plead the case for these people too. They have suffered enough here.

"Radio silent protocol deactivated. No signal of any Magical Girl or Zenith technology detected within a 10 km radius," Felicia reported. I tilted my head in confusion.

"So?"

"That means we can't contact anyone unless we borrow a mana radio amplifier."

"Hm? Borrow? Like with the drones?" I felt a twinge of panic. Why hadn't Felicia mentioned this sooner?

"Yes, but it comes with a risk. I suggest going to a deserted place at least fifty kilometers away before using it. The mana radio amplifier emits mana that would attract Anathema from its surroundings. It would be difficult to protect Jim and the others while fighting Anathema."

"I see. A three to four-hour ride, then?"

"Yes."

"How long do you think it will take them to arrive here? Will they come at all?"

"They will definitely come, but I can't say exactly how long it will take. If they use a ferry, it could take about a week. But if they use a specialized MG-powered seinjet, they could be here in two days."

"I thought seinjets couldn't be used outside of sanctuary cities."

"If a Magical Girl is present, they can use their mana to power a seinjet. It would take about 100 mana for a ten-kilometer trip, though."

"Would they really use such a valuable MG just to pick me up?" Seinjet capacity was limited. If they wanted to take all of these people, they would need to send about five seinjets, each piloted by at least mana-focused Guardians of B rank.

"They will. Your strength is already in the D rank category despite being only level 28. Moreover, you achieved that in less than a month. They will definitely pick you up—don't doubt it."

"I see." I reeled back a bit, taken aback by Felicia's fierceness. Was she trying to make me feel secure despite my failures? Did she want to assure me that the Guardians wouldn't abandon me?

"So, should we take a moment to deliver the report? I believe we still have some time before the ritual."

"No. I want to be there in case Elder July needs medicine. The radio could wait."

"Roger."

And so, night fell. Elder July's condition had improved considerably thanks to the restorative gum. I considered buying a higher-tier medicine, but Felicia advised that painkillers and rest were the best treatment for her right now, so I bought that for 10 points. Her condition was terminal to begin with. Even with the best medicine, Felicia said she would only live for five to eight more years at most.

The starry night was beautiful. This kind of sky wasn't visible in Eden or other sanctuary cities. It was even less pronounced in New Mesa. Only in these desolate lands, filled with nothing, could we truly see the brilliance of our world.

At dawn, we shall see whether hope will last.