"Wait, they're all dead?!" I exclaimed in horror, caught off-guard by the sudden news. "Did she tell you their cause of death?! Is it perhaps similar to the situation here or...?!"

"According to Her Highness, the mages have either died due to numerous black spikes bursting out of their bodies or by those that have been partially converted into demons," Rufus answered with a sigh. "She also told me that the Academy is filled with a strange invisible miasma that carries properties of the Dark element. Thankfully, the crown princess and her group are unharmed, due to them being prepared for that possibility. They made use of the specialized protective gear designed to deal with it before entering."

"That affinity, huh?" I commented, frowning. "For the situation over there, I can certainly see that being the case from the info I've been given. But as for here, there doesn't seem to be anything like that save for the miasma in that particular room and maybe some of the corpses that have a weird murky aura. It's almost like..."

Raghnall immediately continued the sentence for me. "It's too controlled for that element, right?" he remarked as he put a hand on his hip, his other hand still holding onto his greatsword. "I'll be honest, I expected it to be a goddamn danger zone inside here when I came over to this base. However, it weirdly wasn't. All I could find were raving lunatics that were too dangerous to get close to and had no sense of self-preservation."

"...almost like they're just disposable pawns for the mastermind to use until they die," Idalia muttered to herself, her eyes downcast. "Whoever is responsible for corrupting them must have been an insider that didn't really care about our plight or cause and merely made use of us for nefarious purposes. Sadly, I have no idea who it could be since I wasn't all that important..."

...disposable pawns, huh? I repeated to myself as I glanced at the door behind us that leads back up to where all the corpses were. If we followed that train of thought and mindset, instead of just leaving behind dead bodies to rot away, wouldn't it be more efficient to—. My heart immediately skipped a beat as my eyes suddenly widened in realization.

As if on cue, I started hearing strange demonic groans from the distance and Raghnall cursed under his breath as I heard the sound of chains appearing out of the blue. With a frown, I turned around to see what he was doing and found that he covered the entrance to the gas-filled room with numerous fiery white chains to the point that it looked like a wall. Before I could process why he did that, he quickly spoke up.

"Goddamn it, we were played like fools! The mastermind behind this took advantage of us knowing very little to lure us down here!" he commented, growling. "Not only were the bodies timed traps, that room is most likely one too, especially since there's no way anyone would normally see it! If this was gonna happen, I should've burnt the bodies on the spot instead of gathering them to perform the mourning ritual! I did manage to reduce the amount of corpses at least due to the fight before but—!"

"Can't be helped! For now, all we can do is exterminate them by using fire magic!" Rufus said as he got his greatsword ready. "I have no idea how badly their souls are affected by the corruption but we can only hope for the best! Otherwise, if they're too far gone, this will be their last life, even if we utilize the sacred flames from the Fire Artifact wielder!"

My heart sunk at the mention of that but I tried my best to keep my composure, not wanting my emotions to get in the way of what to do. "I take it that we're leaving the headquarters now?" I questioned while strengthening my body with magic, preparing for the worst. "If this was a trap all along, then that means there's nothing of importance here. ...unless..."

"...unless there really is vital information here but it demands us to risk our lives to get it," Idalia continued, her voice solemn. "As to whether or not it's worth struggling for, sorry but I don't know..."

"Well, I say we get the fuck out of here! Going further in feels like a death sentence to me! Besides, I can't do shit there and burning the miasma away might just destroy everything in there!" Raghnall exclaimed but upon suddenly hearing numerous footsteps gradually coming towards us, he cursed to himself as he covered the door leading back upstairs with chains to prevent them from getting in. "Tch, hurry up and make up your minds! We're running low on time here!"

I bit my lip nervously as I stared at the entrance to the gas-filled room, mulling over what we should do. As Raghnall said, it could be a hidden trap designed to deal with intruders looking for information regarding the masterminds behind all this. ...yet, I couldn't deny that miasma could be there to prevent anyone from going in any further too.

However, none of us are properly equipped to deal with it. I thought to myself with a frown. I might be a Devourer and all but I'm getting the feeling I won't be able to 'devour' the gas fast enough to avoid inhaling the fumes or coming into contact with it. After all, if the Devourers in the Academy died from the miasma too, that doesn't bode well for me. And of course, not only that, we'll have to deal with enemies attacking us from behind too...

"...then let's hurry up and leave this place. It's too risky for us to take the gamble," I answered as I turned away from the door and glanced at everyone else. "That said, just in case, we might have to resort to using long-range attacks, crowd control, and protection if we want to get out alive. I'm worried the resurrected people are being used as ways to spread the corruption too..."

"Hm, good point. Oi, Rufus, Idalia, do you two know any magecraft designed for long-ranged combat?" Raghnall asked while he glanced back at the two of them. "I'm aware that the learning of magecraft is moderated and all but I'm sure the citizens of Ignifera should know a few spells due to our culture. Whether or not they're suitable for fighting is another thing entirely though but..."

Although Idalia seemed reluctant and guilty about admitting it, both the orange-haired boy and the brunette nodded their head. I guess a Guardian is responsible for those two knowing how to fend for themselves with that, huh? Just like how Rose was taught by one...

Noticing how the footsteps were getting louder, I turned my attention to the entrance we went through earlier ago and soon felt someone put a hand on my shoulder, my body strangely becoming warm and the air around me suddenly turning transparent white. I quickly checked to see who it was and found it was Raghnall, his eyes now dark blue. Hm? His eyes changed color...? I was about to ask him what he was doing but it went back to being light blue as he pulled his hand away.

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"If you're wondering what I'm doing, I'm bestowing some sort of 'blessing' onto you or something like that. Though, honestly, I have no idea what I'm actually doing if I were to go into detail. I don't even fucking know what kind of spell I'm casting," he grumbled out. "All I'm doing is just following my intuition like usual, unexplainable and strange as it may be. I'll be honest, the only thing that I'm weirdly certain of is that it'll improve our chances of survival."

Maybe it's a spell that gives us an aura that burns the corrupt miasma when it gets close to us? I thought to myself as I silently nodded my head. That certainly seems like the case, judging from what I'm seeing right now. ...though, as to how this guy instinctively knows a spell that the Academy has never taught is beyond me. After all, they only told us about the ones where it's used on the user themselves, not on someone else. I wonder, is it because of his status as an Artifact Wielder...?

Before I could think about it any further though, I heard the door loudly shatter into tiny bits, catching me off-guard. Upon swiftly glancing towards where the noise came from, I spotted reanimated corpses that now mostly looked demonic in nature, as if replacing all of their lost body parts. They were currently blocked from going any further because of the chains Raghnall put up and were now just fruitlessly trying to break them, burning themselves in the process.

"...I'm sorry if this sounds selfish but may I be the one to...incinerate them...?" Idalia requested, trying her best not to emotionally breakdown. "They look drastically different but I recognize them. ...as their former comrade, I feel like I should be the one to do the final blow as a final goodbye..."

Worried, I looked back at the girl to see if she was okay but an unfamiliar, distorted male voice suddenly spoke up. "So you're abandoning us just like everyone else did, Idalia? Even though you too wished for change like we have? As I thought, you—"

"Shut up! Don't speak any further, demon!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking. "You're no longer the comrades I once knew! The people I knew and fought side-by-side with are all gone! They all died protecting me, just so I could run away to safety and survive! The only thing I could do for them now is...!"

Idalia starts creating a ball of tightly condensed orange flames near her trembling hand and Rufus hurriedly calls out to her in a panic. "Wait, stop! He's intentionally provoking you! He's just emotionally manipulating you to create a way for them to get inside this room!"

Her whole body flinched in response and immediately stopped what she was doing. She bit her lip hard and averted her eyes elsewhere as she dismissed the projectile she just made. The girl opened her mouth to say something but it was cut short by sudden screams of pain. I turned my attention back to the enemy and was greeted with the sight of them skewered by white burning chains.

"Sorry, but we don't have much time to deal with this. If you wish to say goodbye to them and put them out of their misery, do it now and fast," Raghnall commented, frowning. "I made chains appear behind them to make sure nothing interferes but I don't know how long it'll hold."

The brunette glanced at the white-haired male in surprise, then soon nodded her head right after. "...sorry and thank you, Sir Raghnall," she remarked with a small smile.

Without further ado, she turned her attention back to the demons and closed her eyes. As she quietly chanted to herself, a magical circle with different runes than the usual appears underneath the group of monsters, taking me by surprise. I've never seen those symbols before during my time in the Academy. On top of that, the chant she's using is unfamiliar and drastically different from what I know... I thought to myself as I watched in silence, ready to strike when necessary. Is this a regional variant or...?

Though, the instant I heard her say goodbye, intense orange flames immediately bursted out from below, engulfing all of them in one fell swoop. There were no screams or cries when that happened, surprisingly. It was as if their death was quick and painless. ...well, maybe except the painless part. They were being burnt alive, after all... Once the fire disappeared, the only thing left of them was their ashes.

I channeled magical energy to my eyes to see if there was anything off about the remains but found nothing. "Idalia, if you want to get their ashes, it's safe to do so. There's nothing suspicious on them or around them so you're in the clear," I remarked as I removed the vision enhancements. "Raghnall, Rufus, and I will have to go forward first if you plan on doing that though."

"I'm pretty sure she will. The ashes are vital in the mourning ritual, after all," the white-haired male stated while walking towards the exit and dismissing the first wall of chains covering it. "Just don't take too long though. If too much miasma quickly accumulates in that certain room, the barrier might explode."

"Will you be alright on your own though?" Rufus questioned, rightfully worried due to her current emotional state.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, a sinner like me should deal with this alone, rather than having someone right by my side..." she answered with a somewhat bitter laugh. "Just go on ahead and I'll catch up with you guys soon enough."

I could only nod my head, finding myself at a loss for words. Trying to avoid stepping on any of the remains, Rufus and I ran up to Raghnall as he quickly killed the corrupted humans that were trying to destroy the second barrier. The male turned his gaze to the two of us, then gestured towards the corridor leading to the stairs with his head.

"You lot ready? This is going to be chaotic as fuck but I'm sure we'll be able to handle it. Just don't get too reckless and keep a close eye on your mana storage in case more shit happens when we get the fuck out of this shithole."

This guy's choice of words sure is something. I didn't vocalize that thought though and merely gave him an affirmative. Rufus, on the other hand, let out an exasperated sigh but also said yes.

"Alright! Time to cause some havoc then!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Let's have a countdown first!"

As he slowly counted down, since my body was still strengthened by magic, I instead casted a strong protection spell on myself to make sure I don't get harmed by any of their attacks to avoid getting corrupted. After that, I summoned a few magical circles around my hand to shoot down any enemies and enhanced them with speed buffs to make the bullets harder to dodge.

"Go!"

The instant the chains disappeared, the three of us hurled ourselves into battle.