Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 144: Ray of light

I know she's resistant. I know she's strong. But this… this is something else!

Is this what it truly means to bear the curse of demonic corruption?

Is this the hell that Alter and Morvena have lived in for centuries?

The weight of it crushes my thoughts like a slab of iron. It grinds down my will, claws into my memories, and smothers every piece of me in silence and dread.

And still—we move forward.

Step after step, we drag ourselves deeper into the abyss. The path offers no mercy. The nightmares return, each one darker than the last, digging deeper, peeling away pieces of my mind.

I can feel myself unraveling.

I don't know how much longer I can last.

After all… in just under a minute…

How many times have the nightmares come?

I've lost count already.

Dozens?

Hundreds?

But every time they do, fortunately, Alter is there.

She pulls me back. Again. And again.

Like an anchor in a storm, like a shield against the madness, she is the only thing keeping me from shattering completely.

Until—

Just when it feels like we cannot take another step—

The dark mist stirs…

"Wait… light?" I whisper.

Something flutters inside me.

My soul stirs, like a heart taking its first breath after drowning.

I see it… A RAY OF LIGHT!

It's faint, and weak, but it's real light.

And soon, more begin to appear.

One after another, golden threads weaving through the darkness. They pierce the endless black, filtering through the mist like strands of morning sun breaking through the veil of a nightmare.

——————————-

Step…

Step… step…

With every footfall, the faint rays of light ahead grow clearer, stronger. For the first time in what feels like forever, I can see hope again. Fragile, flickering hope, but real.

I cling to those lights as if my life depends on them.

I focus on them, breathe them in, let them anchor me against the tide of darkness still clawing at the edges of my mind.

And slowly, mercifully, things begin to change.

More and more rays begin to pierce through the fog, delicate beams of gold and white that illuminate the path ahead. The mist starts to thin, parting like curtains under the gentle touch of light. The air, though still heavy, becomes a little easier to breathe. The tar-like sludge beneath our feet softens. It's no longer as clingy or resistant. Our steps grow steadier, more fluid, as if the darkness itself is drawing back, reluctant to let go.

And our hearts—once gripped by suffocating despair—begin to beat calmly again. The whispers in the shadows quiet to a hush. The madness fades, like a nightmare slipping out of reach.

"Hey, you did great. You endured the madness," Alter says, trying to cheer me up.

"Ahhh… finally," I exhale with relief.

But then the thought creeps in.

The return.

Knowing we'll have to go back the same way—through that nightmarish gauntlet of illusions, despair, and madness… urggghhhhh… fuckkkk…!!!

Well… there's nothing I can do about that, I guess.

I already made it through once. That means I can do it again… hopefully.

Besides, there's still a mission ahead.

And so, I force myself to refocus, to stay sharp.

Because if I don't… I will affect Alter, since her soul is connected to mine…

Following that, as we step forward and me breaking from my negative thoughts finally, the light ahead—once distant, barely visible—begins to take form. It sharpens with every step, slowly revealing its true shape.

It's not a single source.

There are five.

Five colossal swords, each one taller than the highest tower, driven deep into the earth like anchors of the heavens themselves. They glow with a celestial brilliance, radiating waves of silver, gold, and white light that shimmer through the air like liquid starlight.

They are breathtaking.

Like fragments of the sky, fallen to earth to stand guard against the darkness.

"Alter…" I whisper, overwhelmed by awe. "Are those… the sealing swords?"

But Alter simply stares at them for a long moment before shaking her head.

"No," she says quietly. "They're constructs—imbued with divine energy. Their purpose is to repel the darkness and suppress the corrupted mana. Nothing more."

"O-oh…" I murmur, watching the way the light spreads outward, brushing back the fog like a gentle tide pulling away from the shore.

—————————

But then—something shifts.

As we draw closer, the radiant glow of the swords begins to reveal more than just light.

Shapes emerge.

Chains.

Dozens of them.

Thick, glowing chains forged from divine energy stretch outward from the base of each colossal blade. They arc through the air in long, sweeping curves, humming with restrained power. Each one pulses faintly, trembling as if under constant pressure, all of them drawn taut toward a single point at the center of the formation.

And there—beneath the flood of celestial light—hangs a figure.

No.

Not standing.

Suspended.

A lone silhouette, bound and unmoving, floats in the very heart of the circle formed by the five swords. Chains curl around her like a cage of light.

A collar at her neck.

Bindings at her wrists.

Shackles at her ankles.

Our breath catches as one.

Our feet stop, frozen mid-step.

Then, without warning, a sharp pain lances through our chest. It hits so suddenly, so violently, that Alter nearly collapses. The sword on her back groans beneath the strain, trembling against her spine. Her entire body shudders—as if something sacred inside her has been struck.

Because… it's her.

That figure.

That light-bound prisoner.

It's Morvena.

She hangs in silence, her arms stretched and bound by the chains of divinity. Her head tilts forward slightly, eyes closed, as though caught in an endless sleep.

Her hair, long and deep blue, floats gently around her, rippling like water in the still air.

Her skin is pale—so pale it glows—like fresh snow under moonlight.

And she is beautiful.

Even here, even now, she wears a white dress that shines softly with untouched radiance. It gleams as though stitched from starlight, unmarred by the rot and filth that stains everything else in this cursed place.

But then—I see them.

The sealing swords... they pierce her.

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Three long, slender blades, more like divine spears, glow with sacred power as they impale her from front to back. Meanwhile, three more lie discarded on the ground below.

From the exposed wounds, black mana pours out in liquid form, curling into the air before dissolving into smoke.