Non-Administered World #97, Star Rail Universe…
The Alliance assault force continued its advance toward the World Tree. Hajime's initial bombardment with the Schwarzschild Cannons had successfully cleared the entrance, allowing the coalition to enter Hachiman's Geo barrier without suffering any casualties. However, the moment the soldiers reached the ruined streets beyond, they quickly discovered that getting through the barrier had been the easy part.
Dark Dimension creatures were everywhere. Some crawled across the remains of buildings like enormous insects, while others wandered through the streets in grotesque forms that barely resembled anything belonging to the natural world. Larger monsters moved between the ruins, their bodies covered in dark-purple flames, and every time the Alliance eliminated one group, more emerged from the corrupted areas surrounding the World Tree.
Nevertheless, the Alliance continued pushing forward.
"Everyone, maintain formation! Don't let them separate us!" Kiana shouted as she swung her Flamescion Greatsword, releasing a powerful slash of flaming Imaginary Energy that burned through several monsters charging toward the front line.
Beside her, Sirin raised her Key of Void and opened multiple Quantum portals directly in the path of another approaching group. The creatures rushed into the openings before they could stop themselves, only to reappear in an abandoned section of the corrupted zone where Kiana's next wave of flames was already waiting for them.
"Nice one, Sii!" Kiana grinned as the monsters disappeared within the flames.
"Hmph! Don't get distracted, Sis. There are still plenty more coming!" Sirin replied while preparing another series of portals.
"I know, I know!" Kiana replied before turning her attention toward the next group approaching from the ruined buildings.
Above the two sisters, Nanoha and Fate flew alongside the TSAB's aerial mages, intercepting creatures attempting to attack the formation from above. Raising Heart released several pink beams that pierced through the flying monsters, while Fate moved between the surviving enemies with astonishing speed, lightning surrounding her as she cut them down before they could reach the soldiers below.
"Fate-chan! Three more coming from your right!" Nanoha warned after noticing another group emerging from behind a damaged rooftop.
"I see them!"
Fate accelerated, leaving a brilliant trail of lightning behind her as she intercepted the creatures. Bardiche transformed into its scythe configuration, and with a single sweeping slash, she cut through the first monster before twisting around and eliminating the remaining two.
Meanwhile, Nanoha turned toward another group gathering above the rooftops. She raised Raising Heart, carefully adjusting her aim to keep the surrounding structures and the World Tree's roots outside the attack's path.
"Raising Heart, Divine Buster!"
[Divine Buster.]
A powerful pink beam erupted from her Device, tearing through the clustered enemies and clearing a large section of the sky. The monsters disappeared within the bombardment, leaving the aerial route temporarily free of threats without damaging the planetary structures the Alliance had come to protect.
[Excellent work, Captain Takamachi!] Chrono acknowledged through the communication channel. [Sector Three is clear. Continue providing cover for the advancing units.]
"Understood, Chrono-kun!" Nanoha replied cheerfully before turning toward another approaching group.
On the ground, Chaldean soldiers and Mahora mages advanced alongside the TSAB's combat units. Their cooperation was proving invaluable as the different groups compensated for one another's weaknesses. Whenever the creatures attempted to overwhelm the front line, TSAB mages established defensive barriers while Mahora's magicians launched coordinated spells from behind them, allowing the soldiers to maintain their positions without being surrounded.
The Titan mechs deployed from Hyperion were particularly effective against the larger creatures. Their heavy weapons struck the monsters' armored bodies with concentrated bursts of firepower, staggering them long enough for the accompanying soldiers and mages to exploit the openings.
[Nine o'clock! Incoming heavy-class hostile!] AI-chan announced as several warning markers appeared across the Alliance's tactical displays. [Titan Units Four and Six, intercept!]
Two mechs immediately turned toward an enormous creature emerging from behind a collapsed building. The monster roared as it charged toward the formation, sweeping aside several smaller creatures caught in its path, but the Titans met its advance with a coordinated barrage.
Their cannons struck its upper body repeatedly, forcing the creature to stagger while a group of Chaldean soldiers moved in to exploit its exposed lower limbs.
"Concentrate on its legs!" one of the commanders ordered. "Bring it down before it reaches the escort!"
The soldiers immediately adjusted their attacks, concentrating their fire on the monster's legs while Mahora mages restrained its movements with magical bindings. Unable to maintain its balance, the creature collapsed onto the ruined street with a deafening crash. The Titans then delivered the final attack, destroying it before it could get anywhere near the center of the formation.
Not far behind the front line, Euphyllia and Rossweisse continued supporting the advancing troops. Euphyllia swung Arc-en-Ciel, unleashing powerful rainbow-colored magical attacks against the groups gathering along the sides of the street, while Rossweisse established layered runic barriers to prevent the creatures from surrounding their position.
"Rossweisse-san, another group is approaching from the eastern buildings!" Euphyllia warned as several monsters began climbing over the ruins.
"I see them. I'll restrict their movements!"
Multiple runic formations appeared around Rossweisse before spreading toward the approaching creatures. The monsters suddenly found themselves trapped within overlapping magical restraints, their bodies struggling against the bindings as their charge came to an abrupt halt.
Euphyllia immediately took advantage of the opening.
"Then I'll handle the rest!"
A brilliant magical formation appeared above the trapped creatures, releasing a concentrated barrage that destroyed them before they could break free. Rossweisse lowered her hand once the final monster disappeared, turning toward Euphyllia with an appreciative smile.
"Excellent coordination, Lady Euphyllia."
"Fufufu. Thank you, Rossweisse-san." Euphyllia smiled back at her. "Although I think we should save the compliments until we reach the World Tree."
"Agreed. I doubt our enemies intend to give us much time to celebrate."
As if to prove her point, another group of creatures emerged from the surrounding ruins. The two women exchanged a knowing glance before immediately preparing their next spells.
At the center of the formation, Elysia watched the battle unfold while the defensive units maintained their positions around her. Despite being more than capable of fighting herself, she understood why her companions wanted her to conserve her strength. Her Authority of Origin would be essential once they reached the World Tree, and exhausting herself before then would only make the restoration more difficult.
Still, that did not mean she intended to stand by while everyone else fought for her.
When a corrupted creature suddenly leapt from a ruined building toward a nearby Mahora mage, Elysia immediately summoned her bow and released a beautiful pink arrow. The projectile struck the monster before it could reach its target, destroying it in midair.
"My, my~. You should be more careful," Elysia said with her usual playful smile. "We wouldn't want anything unfortunate happening to you before the celebration, would we?"
The startled mage looked toward her with wide eyes before hurriedly bowing.
"T-Thank you, Lady Elysia!"
"You're very welcome~!" Elysia replied cheerfully before returning her attention to the battlefield.
Kiana, who had witnessed the exchange, laughed as she cut down another monster charging toward the escort.
"Ellie! I thought we were supposed to be protecting you!"
"Fufufu~. And I thought I was allowed to protect everyone too, Kii."
Kiana blinked before grinning. "Well… fair enough!"
Sirin released an exasperated sigh beside her sister. "Seriously, why am I not surprised?"
Unfortunately, despite the Alliance's successful advance, their progress remained considerably slower than anticipated. The streets were filled with debris, and the corrupted wall had spread so far into the surrounding city that the formation had very little room to maneuver. Every time the soldiers attempted to push farther ahead, another group of creatures emerged from the buildings or narrow passages, forcing them to stop and reorganize before continuing.
The longer the situation persisted, the greater the risk of the escort being surrounded.
That was when a new instruction came through the communication channel.
[All assault units, this is Chaldea. Please stand by. Lord Peverell is preparing to adjust the containment area around your current position.]
Kiana immediately looked upward.
"Captain?"
High above the battlefield, Noah watched the assault force's progress from his Force Platform. Hayate and Reinforce Zwei remained beside him, monitoring the magical readings and helping him identify sections of the corrupted wall that could be compressed without disturbing the World Tree or the leylines Hajime had isolated.
Noah frowned as he examined the ruined streets ahead of the advancing formation.
"Hmm… They're making progress, but that wall is leaving them almost no room to maneuver. If this keeps up, the monsters will eventually surround them."
Hayate nodded as she examined the readings from the Tome of the Night Sky. "The corruption has already spread across most of the surrounding buildings and streets. Even though Hachiman-kun's barrier is preventing it from reaching the unaffected regions, there's still very little space available inside."
"Then I'll make some room for them." Noah drew his arms backward and looked toward Hyperion. "Hachi, I'm going to push the outer sections of the corruption farther inward. Can you adjust your barrier to accommodate the change?"
[Yeah, but make sure you don't push everything toward the World Tree,] Hachiman replied. [We don't need Dormammu concentrating even more of that stuff around the place Elysia is trying to reach.]
"Ahahaha! Don't worry. I'll compress the outer sections and redirect the pressure away from their route."
[Good. Then I'll secure the path.]
With Hachiman's cooperation secured, Noah took a deep breath and adjusted the distribution of his Force. He carefully selected the sections of the corruption obstructing the Alliance's advance, making sure that the pressure he was about to redirect would not interfere with the affected leylines or the World Tree itself.
Then he thrust both arms forward.
Across several sections of Mahora, the enormous dark-purple wall began retreating under the pressure of Noah's Force Push. Its surface distorted violently as Dormammu's influence attempted to resist, but the tremendous pressure Noah exerted continued forcing the boundary backward while redirecting the displaced corruption away from the designated route.
Buildings that had previously been swallowed by the wall gradually came back into view as the corrupted boundary retreated. The structures remained damaged and contaminated, but the additional space gave the Alliance considerably more room to maneuver without constantly risking contact with the advancing corruption.
[The corrupted boundary is retreating!] a Chaldean operator announced through the communication channel. [Lord Peverell is compressing the contaminated region along the designated assault route!]
"Ahahaha! There we go!" Noah grinned as he continued applying pressure. "That should give everyone a little more breathing room!"
[Don't get too comfortable, idiot,] Hachiman replied, although a faint smile appeared on his face as he watched the battlefield.
With the additional space available, Hachiman raised one hand and directed more Geo Imaginary Energy through the enormous pillars maintaining his containment barrier.
"Gather."
Above the corrupted streets, several massive Geo constructs materialized, their surfaces glowing with intricate golden patterns. Unlike the six enormous pillars maintaining the main barrier, these constructs were considerably smaller and specifically designed for direct combat.
Hachiman examined the enemy concentrations surrounding the assault force before selecting several locations where the constructs could provide the greatest advantage without endangering the advancing troops or interfering with Hajime's work beneath the ground.
"Fall."
At his command, the Geo constructs descended toward the battlefield.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The first constructs slammed into the Dark Dimension creatures gathering along the streets Noah had just cleared, crushing entire groups beneath their tremendous weight. Others landed between ruined buildings, creating temporary obstacles that prevented additional enemies from approaching the Alliance's flanks.
Hachiman carefully controlled their placement, avoiding areas connected to the corrupted leylines while ensuring that none of the constructs blocked the assault force's designated route. Each impact disrupted another enemy concentration, allowing the soldiers below to reorganize and continue advancing without constantly worrying about attacks from every direction.
[Additional Geo support confirmed!] AI-chan announced. [Eastern and western enemy concentrations have been significantly reduced!]
"Nice one, Hachi!" Kiana exclaimed after watching one of the enormous constructs flatten a particularly troublesome monster.
[Just keep moving,] Hachiman replied. [I'm not going to carry the entire battle for you.]
"Ahahaha! We know!" Kiana laughed before turning back toward the formation.
Unfortunately for the creatures still approaching from deeper within the corrupted territory, Hachiman was not the only one providing support from outside the containment zone.
Near the isolated leylines, Hajime examined the latest readings while continuing to maintain his Authority. Ingvild and Villhaze remained beside him, keeping watch over their surroundings as the Schwarzschild Cannons hovering above them adjusted their positions.
"Hmm… Noah and Hachi are making things easier for them," Hajime remarked while studying the tactical display. "Guess I should contribute a little more too."
Ingvild glanced toward him with a concerned expression. "Hajime-kun, you're still maintaining the isolation, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. I'm not planning to move from here."
Villhaze glanced toward the enormous cannons overhead before giving him an amused smile. "Then I assume Your Majesty intends to let those weapons do the work?"
"Pretty much."
Hajime directed the Schwarzschild Cannons toward several enemy concentrations gathering beyond the assault force's immediate position. Rather than targeting creatures already engaged with the soldiers, he selected the groups attempting to converge on the route from farther away.
The cannons rotated toward their designated targets as their gravitational focusing mechanisms began gathering energy.
[Target coordinates confirmed.]
"Fire."
Several bursts of compressed gravitational energy erupted from the cannons, striking the designated locations before collapsing into miniature black holes. The surrounding creatures were immediately dragged toward the singularities, their bodies disappearing into the concentrated gravity as the attacks consumed the enemy formations.
Each black hole remained confined to the area Hajime had selected before collapsing upon itself, leaving the surrounding planetary structures untouched. Within seconds, several groups that had been preparing to reinforce the creatures attacking the Alliance were completely destroyed.
[Schwarzschild Cannon support confirmed!] Void Archives reported. [Enemy reinforcements approaching the northern route have been eliminated.]
"That should do it." Hajime gave a satisfied grin as he returned his attention to maintaining Blessing of Terra.
"Fufufu. As expected of Hajime-kun," Ingvild giggled.
"Although I believe the assault force deserves most of the credit," Villhaze added with a pleasant smile.
"Of course they do." Hajime nodded. "We're just making sure those idiots can reach the World Tree without getting overwhelmed."
Ingvild smiled at his answer. Despite how casually he spoke, she knew perfectly well how much effort he was putting into protecting everyone while continuing to maintain the isolation of the corrupted leylines.
Back inside the corrupted territory, the assault force immediately took advantage of the assistance.
With Noah expanding the available space, Hachiman suppressing enemy concentrations along their flanks, and Hajime eliminating reinforcements attempting to converge on their route, the Alliance could finally begin advancing more efficiently.
However, the three men did not attempt to eliminate every creature themselves. Their attention remained divided between maintaining the containment barrier, protecting the planet's natural systems, and preventing Dormammu's influence from spreading beyond the affected areas.
The actual advance still depended on the soldiers and mages fighting inside the corrupted zone.
"Everyone! This is our chance!" Kiana shouted as she pointed her Flamescion Greatsword toward the distant World Tree. "Let's move!"
The TSAB mages immediately reorganized their defensive formations, allowing the Chaldean soldiers and Titan mechs to advance through the newly cleared streets. Mahora's magicians followed closely behind, maintaining protective enchantments around the formation while eliminating smaller groups of enemies attempting to approach from the surrounding buildings.
Nanoha and Fate continued providing aerial bombardment and interception support, while Sirin used her Quantum abilities to prevent the creatures from surrounding the escort. Whenever a larger monster attempted to force its way through the defensive lines, Welt disrupted its movements with carefully positioned gravitational fields, giving Euphyllia and Rossweisse the opportunity to finish it off with their coordinated spells.
Their progress remained cautious, but the distance separating the assault force from the World Tree was gradually decreasing.
At the center of the formation, Elysia watched her companions fighting tirelessly around her. Her smile softened as she realized just how much everyone was doing to ensure she reached her destination safely.
"Everyone…"
"Hmm? Something wrong, Ellie?" Kiana asked as she glanced back toward her.
"Nothing~." Elysia shook her head and smiled. "I'm just really happy to have all of you here."
Kiana blinked before a wide grin appeared on her face.
"Of course we're here! We're family, aren't we?"
"And we're not letting you face that thing alone," Sirin added, giving Elysia a reassuring smile.
"Exactly," Nanoha agreed as she briefly descended beside them. "We'll make sure you reach the World Tree safely."
Fate nodded, her expression warm but determined. "You can count on us, Ellie."
Elysia looked between them for a moment before laughing softly. She had always treasured the people around her, but after everything that happened during the previous future, seeing everyone working together like this made her happier than she could properly express.
"Fufufu~. Then I'll make sure all your hard work is worth it."
Kiana grinned and raised her greatsword again. "That's what I like to hear!"
With their determination renewed, the assault force continued pushing deeper into Dormammu's corrupted territory.
Meanwhile, as the battle for the World Tree continued, another important operation was already underway far beyond Mahora.
—------------
Little Hangleton, England…
The abandoned Gaunt residence stood at the edge of a neglected plot of land, its deteriorating walls almost completely hidden beneath overgrown vegetation. Most of its windows were broken, a large portion of the roof had collapsed, and the surrounding grounds looked as though nobody had bothered maintaining them for decades.
At first glance, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the miserable little building. However, the group currently standing outside knew better than to judge it by appearances alone.
"…What a miserable place," Reines remarked as she examined the ruined residence. "To think someone so obsessed with his supposedly magnificent ancestry would choose to hide something this valuable here."
Gray silently observed the house beside her. "It does feel rather unpleasant, Lady Reines."
"That's because something unpleasant is waiting inside," Sae answered, her expression serious as she examined the magical readings provided by the Clock Tower Enforcers accompanying them.
Beside the three women, Hayate-chan and Rein-chan looked toward the building with considerable curiosity.
"So this is where Voldemort hid the first Horcrux?" Hayate-chan asked.
"That's what Lumine-san's Trailblaze indicated," Sae replied. "But before we go inside, let's make sure there aren't any traps waiting for us."
"Understood!"
Hayate-chan nodded enthusiastically while Rein-chan raised her tiny hand in agreement. Reines and Gray also prepared their equipment as the TSAB personnel accompanying them began establishing a temporary isolation barrier around the property.
Meanwhile, the Clock Tower Enforcers examined the surrounding magical defenses. Several detection spells revealed traces of concealment magic covering the residence, along with more dangerous enchantments concentrated around its interior.
"Hmm… as expected." Reines narrowed her eyes as she studied the readings.
Her Mystic Eyes activated, allowing her to examine the complicated flow of magical energy surrounding the building. Several defensive formations had been cleverly concealed beneath ordinary-looking enchantments, making them difficult to distinguish without a more thorough examination.
"There's a concealment field surrounding the property, but that's hardly the interesting part," she explained. "Something inside is connected to several additional curses. Whoever designed them clearly expected someone to discover this place eventually."
Gray looked toward her with concern. "Can you determine what the curses are supposed to do?"
"Not entirely. Some of the structures are unfamiliar even to me, but I can already tell that forcing our way through would be an exceptionally poor decision."
Sae nodded before turning toward the others.
"Then we'll proceed carefully. Hayate-sa… ehhh, Hayate-chan, and Rein-chan, could both of you help Reines-san analyze the magical formations? Gray-san, please remain nearby in case something emerges from the building. I'll coordinate with the Alliance personnel and make sure the surrounding area stays secured."
"Got it!" Hayate-chan answered with a cheerful smile.
"Leave it to us, desu!" Rein-chan added, giving a playful salute.
Gray gave a small nod. "Understood."
Reines turned toward Hayate-chan with an amused smile.
"Well then, shall we see what kind of unpleasant surprises our dear Dark Lord has prepared for us?"
"Hehe! Let's do our best, Reines-san!"
The three immediately began examining the magical formations while Sae coordinated with the accompanying personnel. Using the information provided by Reines, Hayate-chan and Rein-chan carefully studied the enchantments with the Tome of the Night Sky, comparing their findings with the magical structures Reines could perceive through her Mystic Eyes.
Although they belonged to entirely different magical traditions, their cooperation quickly began producing results.
"How is it, Rein? What did you find?" Hayate-chan asked as she examined one of the defensive formations.
"This part, desu!" Rein-chan pointed toward a section of the active enchantment. "This protection is designed to respond whenever someone tries to enter the building without passing through the designated front path."
"Hmmm… and if we interfere with that protection directly, the secondary curse will activate," Reines added as she studied the connection between the two formations.
Hayate-chan frowned thoughtfully. "So we need to separate the two before removing either one."
"Precisely." Reines smiled approvingly.
Hayate nodded before adjusting her spells, carefully suppressing the connection between the defensive formations. At the same time, Reines manipulated the surrounding magical energy to prevent the remaining enchantments from reacting to the interference.
The process required considerable patience. Every time Hayate weakened one portion of the protection, Reines and Rein-chan checked the surrounding structures to make sure another curse was not being triggered in response.
After several minutes of painstaking work, the first dangerous defensive mechanism finally disappeared.
"Alright!" Hayate-chan smiled triumphantly. "We did it!"
"Don't celebrate just yet," Reines replied, although she looked pleased with their progress. "That was only the outermost protection."
Sae approached them shortly afterward, having finished coordinating the surrounding personnel.
"How's everything looking?"
"We've disabled the dangerous response mechanism near the entrance," Reines explained. "However, there's still something deeper inside the residence. I suspect that's where the actual Horcrux is hidden."
"Then let's move in," Sae replied with a nod.
With the exterior protections temporarily suppressed, the group carefully approached the ruined house. Gray moved at the front, carrying Add within its birdcage while Sae remained beside her. Hayate-chan and Reines followed closely behind, accompanied by Rein-chan and the Alliance specialists assigned to the recovery operation.
The moment they entered the residence, the unpleasant sensation surrounding the building became noticeably stronger.
The interior was in terrible condition. Broken furniture lay scattered across the floor, dust and cobwebs covered the remaining walls, and several sections of the wooden flooring had rotted away, exposing the ground beneath. Every step required careful attention, especially with the possibility of hidden curses still waiting somewhere inside.
"Ugh… this place is even worse on the inside," Hayate-chan muttered as she looked around.
"This place looks really creepy, desu!" Rein-chan exclaimed from beside her. "Please watch your step, Hayate-chan! We can't have you falling through those broken floorboards!"
"Hehe! Don't worry, Rein. I'll be careful!" Hayate-chan reassured her.
"At least we know nobody's been living here recently," Reines remarked while observing the surrounding furniture.
[That doesn't mean nobody's waiting for you,] Add suddenly commented from within its cage.
"Add?" Gray glanced toward the Mystic Code.
[What? I'm just saying this place reeks of bad news. You don't need to be a genius to figure that out.]
"For once, I agree with you," Reines replied.
[For once?!] Add protested indignantly.
Gray released a small sigh at their familiar exchange, but before either could continue, Sae suddenly raised one hand.
"Wait."
The group immediately stopped moving.
Sae slowly turned toward a section of the floor near the back of the residence. Her expression became more serious as she examined the area.
"There's something under those floorboards."
Hayate-chan raised the Tome of the Night Sky and began examining the location.
"You're right… I'm detecting a concentration of Dark Magic underneath them."
Reines approached carefully, activating her Mystic Eyes as she studied the magical structures surrounding the floor.
"Interesting. The enchantments around this room are all connected to that location."
"The Horcrux must be there," Gray said as she looked toward the indicated area.
"Most likely, desu," Rein-chan agreed. "But I wouldn't recommend taking it out just yet."
Sae turned toward the personnel accompanying them.
"Please establish a temporary barrier around this section. Nobody approaches those floorboards until we've identified what kind of protections Voldemort placed there."
The TSAB officers immediately complied, creating a small isolation barrier around the suspected hiding place. Several Clock Tower Enforcers joined them, preparing additional containment spells capable of preventing dangerous magical energy from spreading beyond the designated area.
Hayate-chan examined the readings again before frowning.
"There's something strange about these curses."
"Hmm?" Reines glanced toward her.
"They don't seem to be protecting only the hiding place," Rein-chan explained while pointing toward the magical readings. "Some of the connections appear to be attached directly to whatever is hidden inside."
"…I see." Reines' expression became more serious as she examined the formations herself. "You're right. The curses aren't simply intended to prevent someone from reaching the object. They're designed to activate when someone attempts to take possession of it."
Sae frowned. "So whoever finds the ring and tries to wear it gets cursed?"
"That would be my assumption," Reines answered. "Although I suspect touching it would already be dangerous enough. We shouldn't underestimate the protections simply because we've managed to disable the outer layers."
Gray looked toward the floorboards. "Then we should avoid any direct contact with the artifact."
"Agreed," Sae replied. "No one touches anything until we're certain it can be moved safely."
The group spent several more minutes examining the magical formations, gradually separating the protections surrounding the hiding place from the curses attached to the artifact itself. Rein-chan assisted Hayate-chan with the analysis while Reines carefully suppressed several magical connections that would otherwise have activated the moment someone disturbed the floorboards.
Eventually, the outer protections had been weakened enough for the team to proceed without triggering the curses connected to the hidden object.
Sae looked toward Gray.
"Gray-san, could you help us uncover the hiding place without touching whatever is inside?"
"Yes. I'll be careful."
Gray moved forward, using Add to carefully remove the damaged floorboards under the supervision of the containment specialists. The wooden pieces were lifted away one by one, revealing a small compartment beneath the floor.
Inside rested an ordinary-looking box.
However, the moment the box became visible, Reines' Mystic Eyes reacted violently.
"…Ah!"
"Lady Reines?!" Gray immediately turned toward her.
Reines raised one hand, stopping Gray before she could move any closer.
"I'm alright. But don't touch that box."
Her eyes burned as she examined the enormous concentration of Dark Magic surrounding the object. The curses she had detected earlier were far more densely layered than they had initially appeared, with several magical connections leading directly toward whatever was contained inside.
"…Good grief. The Dark Lord certainly didn't hold back when he prepared this thing."
"There's so much Dark Magic concentrated around such a small item, desu…" Rein-chan remarked as she stared at the readings in disbelief.
"Then that's our target." Sae's expression hardened as she looked toward the box.
The specialists accompanying them brought forward a reinforced recovery case equipped with multiple containment enchantments. Reines took one final look at the box with her Mystic Eyes, carefully examining the connection between the protective curses and the artifact inside.
"There's a powerful curse attached to the ring," she warned. "As long as nobody touches it directly or attempts to interfere with the ring itself, we should be able to move the box safely. However, I'd strongly recommend leaving it unopened until the proper containment specialists can examine it."
"Agreed." Sae nodded before taking out a talisman. "Then leave moving the box to me."
She held the paper charm between her fingers and murmured a short incantation before releasing it. The talisman unfolded into a small shikigami, which floated toward the hidden compartment and carefully lifted the box without disturbing its contents.
Everyone watched closely as the shikigami carried the box toward the waiting recovery case.
Rein-chan monitored the magical readings, ready to warn the others if any of the curses began reacting. Fortunately, the box remained inactive as the shikigami lowered it into the reinforced container.
Once the artifact was safely inside, the TSAB officer closed the recovery case and activated its protective enchantments. The Clock Tower Enforcers immediately performed another examination to confirm that no dangerous magical energy was escaping.
Only after the readings remained stable did the group finally relax.
"Alright! That should do it!" Hayate-chan smiled in relief.
Gray nodded. "And nobody had to touch the ring."
"Which is exactly how I'd prefer to keep it," Reines remarked. "Whatever else Voldemort put into that little trinket can remain a mystery until the proper specialists deal with it."
Sae gave the secured container one final inspection before activating her communication device.
"First Team reporting. We've successfully recovered Marvolo Gaunt's ring. The Horcrux is secured, and we're ready to return."
[Excellent work, First Team,] Chrono answered from the Arthra. [Keep the artifact secured and return to the designated collection point. I'll inform the other teams of your success.]
"Understood, Admiral."
[Congratulations, everyone!] Lumine's cheerful voice suddenly joined the channel. [I just received your report! Give me a moment, and I'll adjust the Silver Rail so you can come straight back!]
Outside the ruined residence, the silver path they had followed earlier began glowing more brightly. Its direction gradually changed as Lumine used her Trailblaze Authority to establish a return route toward the Alliance's secured collection point.
[There you go!] Lumine announced happily. [The return path is ready! Just follow it, and it'll bring you directly back to us!]
"Hehe! Thank you, Lumine-san!" Hayate-chan replied with a bright smile.
[You're welcome! And good job, everyone!]
Reines watched the Silver Rail forming beyond the ruined house with an amused expression.
"My, how convenient. I could certainly get used to traveling like this."
"Let's save the sightseeing for another time," Sae replied with a small laugh. "We still have an important artifact to deliver."
With their mission complete, the group carefully left the abandoned residence and approached the waiting Silver Rail. The accompanying specialists carried the secured Horcrux between them while Sae, Hayate-chan, Rein-chan, Reines, and Gray followed closely, making sure the recovery case remained protected throughout the journey.
Before stepping onto the path, Hayate-chan looked back toward the miserable little house and released a small sigh.
"To think Voldemort went through so much trouble hiding that ring here."
"And we found it anyway," Reines replied with a satisfied smile.
Sae chuckled as she gestured toward the Silver Rail.
"Come on, everyone. Let's head back."
The First Team stepped onto the glowing path, allowing the light of Trailblaze to carry them away from Little Hangleton and toward their companions.
The first Horcrux had been successfully recovered, leaving four more hidden across Britain. While the remaining retrieval teams continued their respective operations, the Alliance assault force was still fighting its way toward the corrupted World Tree.
Both operations had made progress, but their work was far from finished.
====== Chapter 251 END ======