Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 9 Ch. 1

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 9.

Chapter 1: The Final Labyrinth.

A large object floated high above the clouds. It was Tortus’ one and only flying vehicle—the airship Fernir. Sunlight glinted off its polished hull as it cut through the sky. Clouds spread out below it in all directions, forming a sea that stretched toward the horizon. They lacked the fluffy white quality of most clouds and instead seemed like a flat sheet of burnished bronze. Because of that, Fernir gave off the illusion that it was gliding through an actual sea like a massive manta ray.

“Wow. I can’t see the ground at all. It’s like how the Haltina Woods look from the sky.”

Shea’s bunny ears twitched excitedly as she looked out of the bridge’s round window. The clouds they were passing through certainly did resemble the mist that covered the Haltina Woods. The sight reminded Shea of her favorite place in the forest, the tree that served as her mother’s—Mona’s—grave. She thought back to the night she’d spent with Hajime there, where they’d gazed up at the moonlit fog and talked about their feelings. After many trials and tribulations, she’d finally been able to enter the kind of relationship she’d wanted to with him. Shea giggled bashfully to herself and her ears and tail started wagging back and forth.

“Mmm… It’s always cloudy over the Schnee Snow Fields. And there’s always a blizzard going. It’s the coldest place on the continent,” Yue muttered, as she turned from her own window and gave Shea a faint smile.

The Schnee Snow Fields were a large tundra that covered the southeastern edge of the continent. They were bordered on the west by the Demon Empire of Garland, and on the north by the Haltina Woods. Supposedly they were covered by clouds twenty-four seven, and never saw the light of day. Worse, the snowfields were covered by a perpetual blizzard. Everything was coated in layers of snow and ice, and the temperature never rose above a few dozen degrees below freezing. Its hellish climate was the most extreme on all of Tortus.

“There’s no way that weather’s natural.” Hajime muttered as he lounged on a sofa. His Demon Eye was glowing bluish-white through his eyepatch. Though he looked like he was relaxing, he was in fact constantly monitoring the external cameras installed on various places on the Fernir through his eye.

“Both the blizzard and the clouds conspire to isolate the snowfields entirely from the rest of the world. I would assume this is the work of the Liberator who constructed this labyrinth.” Tio muttered in admiration.

As she’d said, the Schnee Snow Fields were entirely cut off from the rest of the world. What was even more impressive was that the blizzard never pushed past its boundaries into demon territory in the west or the Haltina Woods in the north. Some invisible barrier kept the weather confined to a set area. While Tortus may have been a fantasy world, Hajime highly doubted weather like that was a natural phenomenon. Kaori, who was hovering around Hajime, suddenly looked out the window and said, “Umm… there’s supposed to be this huge crevasse in the snowfields right? And the final labyrinth’s supposed to be at its bottom?”

“Yeah. The labyrinth of snow and ice—The Frost Caverns.”

“The reason most people think there’s a labyrinth down there is because the weather’s clearly unnatural, and not a single person has returned from there alive, right?”

“Basically. But we know for sure it’s down there, Kaori. Since Miledi told us directly. We got our information from one of the Liberators directly, so there’s no doubt it’s solid.”

Oh, I forgot about that! Kaori nodded in understanding. At the same time, she felt they were kind of cheating by flying right through the harsh polar environment of the snowfields, which were likely part of the labyrinth’s trial.

“So how is it, Master? Is the compass working?”

Tio leaned over to get a better look at the compass in Hajime’s hand. In doing so, her voluptuous breasts dangled right in front of Hajime’s face. Hajime leaned back a little and nodded.

“Yeah, we’re good. I’ve gotta say though, this thing is amazing. It doesn’t just point to whatever you’re looking for, it also gives you this vague impression of how far the thing is, and what the place it’s at is like.”

Hajime held up the compass, which looked like an old-fashioned pocket watch. Lyutillis Haltina, the creator of the labyrinth within the Haltina Woods had granted it to the party as a reward for clearing the labyrinth. It was an artifact known as the Compass of Eternal Paths. And its ability was to show the wielder where what they desired lay.

Neither normal magic nor ancient magic was capable of achieving such a feat. The compass had been created using concept magic, the pinnacle of all magic on Tortus. According to the hologram Lyutillis had recorded, it could only be used by combining all seven types of ancient magic. On top of that, the wielder of concept magic needed an unbreakable will, or they’d be unable to rewrite the laws of reality with it. Long ago, when Miledi and the other Liberators had first discovered it, they’d only been able to create three kinds of concept magic spells, despite their best efforts.

Kaori sighed in wonder as she gazed at the compass and said, “It even told us where Earth is. Though it’s hard to describe how far it actually is…”

“It took a ton of mana just to find where it was too. I never thought a single spell could drain me of all my mana like that. Hell, I nearly fainted after that.”

Despite his bitter smile, there was a glimmer of joy in Hajime’s eyes. Back in the abyss, when he’d been on the verge of death, there had been just a single desire giving him the hope to push onward. Returning home. He’d been willing to throw everything else away for that goal. And now, that goal was finally in sight.

Everyone vividly remembered how Hajime had smiled after they’d first cleared Haltina’s labyrinth and learned how to return home. That smile had been a mixture of warmth and strength, a difficult to describe but highly memorable smile. One that had shone brighter than the sun.

Despite the hellscape outside, Fernir’s bridge was warm and safe. After a few minutes of staring at the clouds, Yue trotted back over to Hajime and sat down beside him. She looked warmly up at him, her expression full of love. Shea followed suit and hopped over to the sofa as well. But instead of sitting down on Hajime’s other side, she stopped in front of him. Fidgeting a little, she gave him a bashful, hesitant look.

“Come on, stop worrying so much about how close you should get or where you should sit. You’re making me embarrassed just watching.”

Hajime smiled awkwardly. For some reason, it was only after being acknowledged as Hajime’s lover that Shea had started getting embarrassed about being excessively clingy. Even though she’d come on to him nonstop when he’d been rejecting her advances, now that he’d accepted her she was hesitating.

“Mmm… That’s cute, Shea.”

Yue flashed Shea a thumbs-up. Shea’s bunny ears twitched and she said, “P-Please don’t tease me like that. Ugh.”

Shea blushed and hid her face with her ears. Tio put a hand on her chin and muttered thoughtfully, “Indeed, your cuteness is destructive, Shea. How cunning! You’re almost as cunning as Kaori!” Her comment caused Kaori to look up in surprise. Does Tio really think of me like that!? Hajime sighed to himself, but then smiled gently. He tenderly held a hand out to Shea.

“Come on, stop standing there and sit down.”

“O-Okay.”

Blushing, Shea happily accepted Hajime’s hand and sat down next to him. After a moment’s hesitation, she steeled her resolve and scooted as close to him as possible.

“Mrr… I have to admit, that is cute…” Kaori groaned. Tio flashed Shea a grin and said, “So? I believe it’s about time you gave us a report, Shea. I held my tongue thus far out of consideration, but I cannot wait any longer. Tell us all the juicy details!”

“What the heck are you talking about? Also, Tio-san, your panting and bloodshot eyes are creeping—Ahem, scaring me.”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m asking how your first night with Master went! Surely something happened!”

“Huuuuuuuh!? I-I can’t talk about that. There’s no way! How could you even ask something like that, you perverted dragon!?”

“Don’t waste your breath complimenting me! I won’t let you change the topic. If you have even the least bit of pity for Kaori and me, who rarely even get a chance to sleep in the same bed as Master, then you’ll lay everything bare right now!”

Shea shrunk back as Tio bore down on her, panting. Before she could argue back, Kaori said, “Oh? Did you just call me pitiful, Tio? Is it just me or have you been badmouthing me a lot more recently? Have I done something to make you mad!?”

Kaori grabbed Tio’s sash and started pulling.

“Calm yourself, Kaori. You’ve done nothing wrong. This is simply my way of bonding with you. I feel that since we two are the only ones being left out, we should get along.”

“That just makes me feel worse!”

Tio ignored Kaori’s protests and ignored the fact that her sash was about to come off, and continued pressing Shea.

“Now come, tell me everything! I need to know about Master’s fetishes, his preferences, and his desires! Spare no detail! You who has surpassed me in life experiences must teach me what I lack!”

“I’m not telling!”

“Impossible… are Master’s fetishes so extreme that you shudder to even—”

“Don’t put him together with you, Tio-san! Hajime-san’s not a pervert! He’s normal… but also… amazing. No matter how many times I—”

Shea’s ears burned bright red. It was obvious from her expression what she was recalling. Apparently, she’d had quite a steamy final night in Verbergen. Incidentally, Tio, Kaori, and a whole host of others had tried to peek into Hajime’s room, but Yue had chased them all away with her Draconic Thunder. A certain elf princess had been more persistent than the others, and so had been rewarded with an even more severe beating than the others. She was currently recuperating in her house, ecstatically nursing her injuries.

Hajime flicked Tio’s forehead with his prosthetic fingers, causing her to somersault gracefully through the air. The sound of her crashing into the wall brought Shea back to her senses. Realizing what she’d just accidentally let slip, Shea curled up in embarrassment and once again covered her face with her ears.

“Mmm… I taught Hajime all there is to know. He’s a true berserker in bed.”

“Yue, could you stop talking for a second?”

Hajime comfortingly patted Shea’s head with one hand while he pinched Yue’s cheeks with the other. Kaori watched on with jealousy while Tio lay on the ground writhing in pleasure.

“W-We finally made it to the final labyrinth! I want to hurry up and get through it so we can go see Myu-chan again!”

Shea hurriedly changed the subject in an attempt to clear the awkward atmosphere. Chuckling at her desperation, Hajime responded, “Yeah. I hope she’s doing well…”

By some strange twist of fate, Hajime had ended up taking care of a young dragon girl for a while. Her existence had been a huge part of why Hajime had started to change. In fact, he’d promised her that he’d take her back to Earth someday. The same promise he’d made to Yue back during the start of their journey. Hajime looked off toward the west, where Myu waited a continent away. Shea smiled and said, “I’m sure she is. Besides, she takes after you, Hajime-san. If we don’t show up to see her again, she’ll definitely go on a journey to find us instead.”

You’re not wrong there. Hajime turned to Shea and nodded.

“We’ll need to make some time to see Cam and the others too.”

“Hajime-san… Ehehe, thank you!”

In truth, Hajime had asked Cam and the other Haulia if they’d want to go to Earth with him before he’d left Verbergen. But their answer had been a definitive no. Hajime had expected that answer from the start though. After all, they’d resolved to fight against the empire. They’d decided to win their right to survive in this world with their own two hands. To fight back against the society that oppressed them. For the reborn Haulia tribe, earning their rights was both a matter of pride and their raison d’etre.

Though he’d known all that, Hajime had still been a little disappointed that Shea would have to leave her family behind. However, Cam had just smiled at Hajime and said, “As long as you make Shea happy, that’s enough for me, Boss.” There hadn’t been an iota of regret in that smile. Truly, all he’d cared about was his daughter’s happiness. Hajime, of course, knew that it was possible for him to travel freely between Tortus and Earth while avoiding the gods’ interference. However, it would be a difficult feat, especially when he knew so little about conception magic to begin with. While he fully intended to make interworld travel possible at some point, he had no idea how long it might take. Once they went to Earth, he couldn’t say for certain how much time it would be before Shea saw her family again. Which was why he wanted to give Shea at least a day to spend with her family before they made the jump.

Shea, of course, realized all that, and she beamed at Hajime before taking his hand.

“But you know, Hajime-san. I’ve already said my farewells to Dad and the others. I’m happy you’re worried about me, but you really don’t have to be. I’m sure Dad would want that too.”

“You sure?”

“Yep! Fufu, I realized this after we first met Myu-chan, but you’re really nice to your family, Hajime-san.”

Shea flashed Hajime a teasing smile and snickered. Yue also flashed Hajime a playful grin and grabbed onto his arm.

“Mmm… Hajime really spoils his family. You have to be careful, or you’ll drown in his kindness.”

“Ahaha. You’re right, if I let myself take advantage of Hajime-kun too much I won’t be able to do anything on my own.”

I can’t believe even Kaori’s saying that. Hajime thought with a frown. He didn’t really want to be seen as some kind of NEET-enabler. Just then, the bridge’s sliding door opened, and Kouki, Ryutarou, Suzu, and Shizuku walked into the room. The four of them were so used to seeing Hajime cuddling with Yue and Shea that they didn’t even bother to comment. However, one of the three still raised an eyebrow in disapproval. Hajime ignored him and took the group’s entrance as an opportunity to change the subject.

“You guys sure were at it for a long time. How is it? Did you get used to your artifacts’ new abilities?”

Kouki and the others had been on the deck familiarizing themselves with the new powers Hajime had enchanted their artifacts with. Shizuku heaved a tired sigh and replied, “We did, Nagumo-kun. Thanks to—Wait, why’s she lying on the floor and grinning like a creep?”

Shizuku leaped back when she spotted Tio panting on the floor. Considering Tio’s current appearance. Shizuku’s surprise was understandable. Kaori’s pulling had loosened Tio’s sash, and her kimono was on the verge of slipping off. On a normal person, that level of undress would have looked sexy, but everyone knew how much of a pervert Tio was, which was why Shizuku was so freaked out.

“You can ignore the trash lying on the floor. Have a seat.”

Tio squirmed in pleasure. Kouki and the others gave her a wide berth as they walked over to the sofa.

“Anyway, how were they? Find anything wrong with the upgrades?”

Hajime continued his conversation as though nothing had happened. I’ve seen this same exchange a bunch of times already, but I can never get used to it. Kouki thought to himself, nonplussed. He shot the dragon lying on the floor a few covert glances before replying.

“Nah, they were fine. Honestly, I’m surprised. I can channel magic through my sword way easier now. It’s stronger too, and all the new abilities look useful.”

Kouki frowned as he said that, unhappy that he’d gotten stronger without any effort, and that the source of his newfound strength was Hajime. Ryutarou either didn’t notice or didn’t care about his friend’s plight and added cheerfully, “Man, this stuff is awesome! It felt weird stepping on air at first, but this is going to come in handy for sure. And my gauntlets are twice as strong as before. I can’t wait to test them out in a real fight!”

On top of upgrading their artifacts, Hajime had also given Kouki and the others new artifacts to boost their abilities. Among those artifacts were boots which had been enchanted with Aerodynamic to let them stand on air. Ryutarou punched his gauntlets together excitedly, like a child eager to test out a new toy. Shockwaves spread out from the point of impact, a display of one of the new powers Hajime had endowed them with. Suzu, who was sitting next to him, grimaced as the shockwaves passed through her and ruffled her twintails. Once the shockwaves subsided she nodded and said, “Unlike everyone else, my artifact’s a completely new one so I was worried I might not be able to use it right, but it was way easier to get the hang of than I thought! Now… I’ll be able to fight too. I won’t have to settle for just protecting everyone. Thanks, Nagumo-kun!”

Suzu flashed Hajime a carefree yet determined smile. It was her persistence that had convinced Hajime to let Kouki and his group continue to tag along on his journey.

Even if it meant saying farewell for good, Suzu wanted to meet once more with her best friend, Nakamura Eri. In order to make that dream a reality, she needed power. Which was why she’d begged Hajime to give her one more chance and let her take a crack at another labyrinth with him. Her unshakable resolve might have been what had convinced Hajime to give her new weapons so that she could fight. As a Barrier Master, her job gave her unparalleled defensive abilities, but her base offensive skills left much to be desired.

“There was nothing wrong with my artifact either. In fact, it’s been upgraded so much I think I might have too many options in combat. I guess I’ll just have to build up more experience so I know what to use when.”

Shizuku looked down at her beloved black katana with a slightly stiff expression. She was almost afraid of how much Hajime had powered it up.

“Perfect. I mostly added those upgrades as a way to get practice with evolution magic, but it’s good to know you guys like them. Though there’s still some things about Amanogawa’s sword that I’m not happy with…”

“Huh? W-Wait up, Nagumo! Are you saying my sword’s defective!?”

Did he ask how the upgrades were because he wasn’t sure they’d all actually work!? Kouki thought, horrified. Hajime was like an engineer who, upon finding an extra screw after completing a project, would just shrug his shoulders and go “Oh well.” Hajime smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, that’s not what I meant. It’s just your holy sword is a little special. The blade’s enchantments are all extremely precise and perfectly balanced.”

“Uhh, so what’s that supposed to mean exactly?”

“It means your sword’s already been enhanced as much as feasibly possible. If I make too many adjustments to the core, I might end up making it weaker instead of stronger. Which is why I just did some general maintenance and added a few external upgrades to the surface. To be honest, you couldn’t call what I did a real remodel.”

In essence, what Hajime was saying was that the ancient sword had gotten a little rusty after all these years, and all he’d done was polish the rust off. Upon hearing that the sword was beyond even Hajime’s abilities to improve, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Kouki scrutinized his weapon, wondering what exactly it was made of.

“Anyway, if you guys can master those weapons then you should be able to hold your own even in demon territory. Of course you’ve gotta survive the labyrinth first… good luck with that.”

Though Hajime’s words sounded cold, he had just given Kouki and the rest a huge power boost. They were already indebted to him, so they could hardly ask to be coddled any further.

It really does feel like Nagumo-kun’s changed a little… Shizuku thought to herself. While Hajime’s speech and actions hadn’t changed much since conquering Haltina’s labyrinth, Shizuku felt as though there was an underlying kindness behind them now. Suzu felt the same way, and in fact, was beginning to think that Hajime might actually just be a tsundere. However, she knew how he’d react if she said that so she kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly, Hajime looked down at the compass. A second later, he turned to the window and narrowed his eyes. He was no longer lounging on the sofa, but rather sitting with his back straight.

“We’ve reached the crevasse. It’s time to descend.”

Fernir plummeted into the clouds, and the party felt a sensation of weightlessness wash over them. Everyone turned to the window as they descended, ignoring the butterflies they were getting in their stomachs. Outside was a world of dark grey. No sunlight made its way through the thick clouds, but occasional bolts of lightning briefly illuminated them. After a few seconds of descent, Fernir shuddered. It seemed one of the lightning bolts had struck the airship.

“Kyaa!?” Suzu screamed and shrunk back. Kouki and the other stiffened nervously as well.

“Relax, guys. Fernir isn’t like an airplane from Earth. A little turbulence won’t be enough to bring it down.” A fierce wind blew around the airship and pellets of hail struck it from all sides. From within the bridge, it sounded like someone was firing a machine gun. Peals of thunder interrupted the staccato barrage, with some occasionally striking the ship. Had Fernir operated on normal aerodynamic principles, it would have been in serious danger of falling. But as Hajime had said, his airship was made of sterner stuff. A few bolts of thunder or a hail of ice wasn’t enough to even scratch the hull.

“I know it’s gravity magic, but this feels like a sci-fi spaceship…”

“Tell me about it.”

Ryutarou watched in awe as Fernir weathered the storm with ease. Kouki shot Hajime a covert glance, saw the confidence on his face, then turned back to Ryutarou and nodded. It took only a few seconds to pass through the storm clouds. Once they were through, the snowfields spread out below them.

“Whoa. Hajime-san, Hajime-san, look outside!”

“Calm down, Shea. I get you’re excited, but can you stop flapping your ears around? You keep poking me in the eye.”

A fierce blizzard raged on outside. The temperature was so low that frost gathered on the windows in seconds. This was the first time Shea had ever seen snow, so she was unduly excited. She clung to Hajime’s arm and pointed at the window, her ears and tail flopping back and forth. Each time her ears made a full circuit, they bopped Hajime in the eye.

“Oho, so this is the coldest place on Tortus is like. It certainly lives up to its name. I must say, I am not fond of the cold.”

Tio frowned as she gazed down at the snowscape below. Knowing her masochistic tendencies, she’d probably turn her dislike of the cold into pleasure somehow. If she starts getting too annoying maybe I should strip her naked and throw her out into the cold… Hajime thought, and shot Tio a quick glance. Guessing his intentions, Tio shivered in pleasure. What a wonderful idea, Master. Hajime ignored her and held up the pendant he was wearing. It was a simple octagonal, clear-blue crystal attached to a plain chain. This was a new climate modulating artifact he’d created, the Airzone.

“I’m not going to make the same mistake I did at Gruen. Make sure you guys don’t lose the artifacts I handed out to you. Unless you want to have a miserable time in the labyrinth.”

Yue and the others took out their own identical pendants.

“Mmm… Wonderful craftsmanship as always, Hajime.”

“Yeah, I love how it looks like a snowflake!”

“This is the third gift you’ve given me, Hajime-kun… Ehehe.”

While it may have been necessary equipment, it was also a gift from the man they loved. And unlike the relatively plain pendant Hajime had made for himself, the ones he’d made for the girls all had elaborate snowflake designs. They glimmered enchantingly in the bridge’s artificial light. Yue, Shea, and Kaori smiled as they looked down at their pendants. However, a pained voice interrupted their admiration.

“Master, may I ask why only mine is a tiny snowman? I suppose I cannot deny that it looks cute, however… I would have liked a complex and fanciful design as well…”

Tio lifted her pendant up to get a better look at it. The crystal on her chain was shaped like a smiling snowman. It looked as though it was ready to come to life and burst into laughter at any moment. Tio glanced wistfully back and forth between her own pendant and those belonging to Yue and the others. Seeing her longing, Hajime said, “I know.”

“Kn-Know what?”

To Tio’s surprise, Hajime’s expression was serious. Her voice wavered a little as she replied. With a piercing glare, Hajime declared, “I know that Super Tio-san is sleeping somewhere within you!”

“!?”

Shock rippled across the bridge, leaving everyone speechless. Super Tio-san referred to the strange personality Tio had displayed back in the labyrinth when everyone’s emotions had been reversed. She’d been so reliable she’d been scary, and so cool she’d creeped everyone out. She’d been, of all things, a normal Tio Clarence!

“I thought it had just been a rumor, but Shea and Kaori told me all about how scary it was after we cleared the labyrinth. They wouldn’t lie… so it means a serious version of you really exists, Tio.”

“Master. My apologies for interrupting you in the midst of such a serious revelation, but don’t you think that’s rather rude? You’re actually hurting my feelings here.”

Tio shot a sulky look at Shea and Kaori. It was rare to see her actually feeling down. The two girls hastily replied, “D-Don’t blame us! You really were scary back then! When you were protecting me you looked so regal and said all that cool stuff… It started making me feel weird!”

“What’s so strange about that!? What reason could there possibly be to be scared!?”

“Of course I’d be scared! This is you we’re talking about, Tio-san! Just thinking about how cool and unflappable you were back them makes me—Ulp.”

“Now hold on just a moment, Sheaaaa! Why does the thought of me make you nauseous!? You’re making me cry! If you keep insulting me like this I really will start sobbing!”

The fact that Tio’s cheeks were still reddening despite how supposedly hurtful Shea’s words were proved that this dragon was beyond help. However, Hajime wasn’t willing to give up on Super Tio-san that easily. He pointed to the snowman pendant and said, “I want to see the Super Tio-san slumbering deep inside you. So make sure you bring it out while we’re in the frost caverns. If you do, I’ll reward you by making you a pendant of whatever design you want.”

“H-How cruel, Master… Doesn’t that mean you’ll never give me a proper gift my whole life!? That’s just too cruel! I may enjoy being punished, but I abhor being left out!”

“Oi, shitty dragon. Stop talking like that version of you’s dead forever. Don’t assume your horrible fetishes are incurable.”

Hajime sighed as he watched Tio cling to him with tears in her eyes. He’d thought this was his best chance to bring out normal Tio. Suzu and Shizuku exchanged glances as they watched Hajime bully Tio.

“Hey, Shizushizu. Is it just me, or did he not even try for ours? Like mine’s just a rock. Even a snowman’s better than that.”

“Don’t say it, Suzu. The difference in how he treats us hurts too much to think about.”

Shizuku looked glumly down at her pendant. The crystal on its chain looked like the kind of plain rock one might pick up from a riverbed. In truth, it was just a plain rock Hajime had enchanted to protect against the cold. Shizuku wasn’t exactly expecting a lavish present from Hajime or anything, but she was still a little disappointed that this was all she got.

“Is it really that big a deal? As long as it keeps me warm, I don’t care what my pendant looks like.”

“Ryutarou. I don’t think that’s why they’re sad about it.”

Suzu glared at Ryutarou as if to say “Yeah, it’s exactly what Kouki said!” Ryutarou, ever insensitive about girls’ feelings, awkwardly averted his gaze. He didn’t want to touch this issue with a ten-foot pole.

As the group was bickering over their pendants, Fernir descended far enough that they could make out a large crevasse through the ceaseless blizzard. The crevasse turned out to be a series of fissures that left a spiderweb of cracks through otherwise unblemished earth. This was the Ice Gorge that led to the frost caverns. Supposedly, the entrance to the labyrinth lay somewhere in that maze of fissures. Hajime turned Fernir to match the direction the compass pointed. Normally, any aspiring party of conquerors would have needed to navigate the deadly maze of fissures to find the entrance. All while braving the harsh cold and relentless blizzard. Hajime could see why people believed the region contained a labyrinth. After continuing forward for a while, they reached the gorge’s endpoint. However, they still hadn’t found the entrance to the frost caverns. Hajime cocked his head to the side.

“Huh? Does the gorge stop here? But the compass says we’ve got a ways to go still…”

“Hajime, look.”

Yue pointed to the crystal in the middle of the bridge that displayed what the external cameras were seeing. From the looks of it, the crevasse had narrowed considerably, but not vanished completely. After magnifying the display a few times, Hajime spotted something that looked like a tunnel at the very end of the gorge. Though he couldn’t see much further, it looked like the tunnel continued deeper in the direction they were traveling. Whatever it led to was hidden from above by a thick pile of snow and ice.

“Guess our only choice is to head down and continue on foot. According to the compass, it’s only a kilometer to the caverns, so it shouldn’t be a long walk.”

“We’re finally going outside!? This is my first time seeing snow! I wonder what it feels like? Does it have a smell? My fingers won’t freeze if I touch it, will they?”

Shea’s ears and tail swished back and forth in excitement. She was clearly looking forward to this a great deal. She ran over to the window and pressed her face to it, like an excited child looking out of a train window. Hajime scratched his head awkwardly and turned away from her. It was obvious from his outstretched hand that he’d been about to instinctively hug Shea and that he’d had to look away to stop himself. Shea had been just as childishly excited when they’d reached the ocean a while back, but Hajime saw her in a very different light now than he had back then. After formally accepting Shea as his lover, Hajime had found himself inexplicably captivated by Shea’s innocent curiosity and excitement.

“Fufu…”

Yue chuckled as she watched Hajime’s conflicted reaction. Hajime cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to make it seem as though he was focused on guiding Fernir toward the crevasse.

“I want to land inside the crevasse… but I guess that’s not happening. It’s too narrow. I’ll bring us down next to it.”

Talking to no one in particular, Hajime manipulated Fernir to land on the crevasse’s cliff. Since Fernir didn’t manipulate air pressure to fly, there was no gust of wind to whip up the snow around their landing point. In fact, Fernir touched down in complete silence. Hajime opened the ship’s hatch, and a frigid gust of wind blew into the bridge.

“Fwah!? That’s cold!”

“This is some weather… Achoo!”

Suzu shivered and wrapped her arms around herself while Shizuku sneezed. Neither of them had activated their Airzones because they’d wanted to experience just how cold it was first. Hajime and the others hadn’t either, and they all shivered violently for a few seconds before turning on their artifacts.

A fierce blizzard greeted the group the moment they stepped outside. A film of white snow soon coated everyone’s faces. Hajime’s Airzones only regulated the temperature around their wearer; they didn’t create any kind of physical barrier. So in order to keep out the snow, everyone had to put up the hoods of the coats they were wearing.

“Wow, so this is snow! Ahahaha, it’s all soft and fluffy!”

Shea, however, didn’t even bother to button up her coat, let alone put on her hood. She scampered excitedly through the snow, heedless of the blizzard and its gale-force winds. She stamped her feet on the snow, squatted down and picked handfuls of it up, and generally enjoyed her first encounter with the powdery substance.

“Oi, Shea. We’re leaving. Stop messing around and—”

“I’ve gotta try jumping into it!”

“Listen to me…”

Shea was so excited that Hajime’s words didn’t even register to her. She let out a spirited yell and dove headfirst into a pile of snow. As she left her mark on the virgin snow she shouted, “From today onward, I’m no longer a forest bunny but a snow bunnyyyyyyy!”

Her whole body disappeared into the pile of snow, leaving a Shea-sized hole where she’d landed. It seemed she’d dove straight into the crevasse. Snow had piled up around it so it had looked like part of the ground, but it wasn’t actually. A second later, Hajime walked over to the edge and looked down.

“And so, the foolish bunny girl was never heard from again…” He muttered, sounding like he was narrating an RPG ‘game over’ message.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second! How can you be so calm, Nagumo-kun!? What if Shea died down there!?”

“Eeeek Sheasheaaaaaa!”

Shizuku and Suzu looked down, their faces pale. Kouki and Ryutarou, on the other hand, were too stunned to even react.

“There’s no way Shea’d kick the bucket from a small fall like that. Come on, we need to get down there too.”

Hajime waved his hand as if it was no big deal and stored Fernir inside his Treasure Trove. Then, he casually stepped off the edge and fell down himself. Though the crevasse was easily 600 meters deep, he didn’t even hesitate.

“Wha!?” Kouki and Ryutarou exclaimed, their eyes wide. Yue followed after him, also stepping off the edge without hesitation. A desolate gust of wind blew past the remaining party members as they watched the two of them descend into the darkness.

“Ah, wait for me, you two!”

Kaori was the next to jump. She, too, had no hesitation. As if she was just jumping into a pool. Had she been back on Earth before amassing all her new powers, the fall would most certainly have killed her.

Technically, Kouki and the others were equipped with everything they needed to make the descent just as casually. The boots Hajime had given them let them walk on air, and they could, of course, use wind magic to slow their descent as well. That being said, their common sense, their instincts, were screaming at them that jumping off a cliff was a terrible idea. Suzu took one look down the cliff, then backed up. There were tears in her eyes, and she looked as though she had her back to a cliff.

“If you’re hesitating over such a simple task, how will you survive the labyrinth’s challenges? The trials you are about to face will be far more terrifying than a simple jump off a cliff. You can’t let yourselves falter here. Now pluck up your courage and jump.”

Unable to ignore Suzu’s plight, Tio walked over and gave her a pat on the back. A rather forceful one at that. Suzu quickly braced her legs to stop Tio from pushing her all the way over the edge. She looked like a terrified skydiver having second thoughts. Probably because she hadn’t been given a parachute.

“W-Wait! I’ll go, I promise! I can do it, don’t worry! So please just let me get myself ready first!”

“From the looks of it, it will take you all day to get ready.”

Suzu’s struggles were in vain, and Tio easily lifted her up.

“Fear not. Even if you end up splatting on the ground, we should be able to find some way to salvage your soul. So don’t worry and get going!”

“What do you mean, ‘should!?’ Aren’t you supposed to say you’ll definitely find a way to—Hey, wait, I said I’ll go when I’m ready. So please don’t chuck me oveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer…”

Taniguchi Suzu, seventeen years old. Upon arriving in another world, was thrown off a cliff. Literally.

Her screams grew steadily fainter, like the last flickering light of a dying flame, until finally, they vanished. Kouki and the others paled as Tio then turned toward them. Her sadistic smile made it obvious what was coming next. They were about to be thrown off too.

“Y-Yaegashi Shizuku, jumping off!”

Unwilling to suffer the humiliation of being thrown off, Shizuku elected to jump on her own. She fell headfirst, executing a perfect swan dive.

“I-I’m going too! I believe I can flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

“Fuck, guess I have to do it too!”

Ryutarou and Kouki followed suit. Though with considerably less grace and a good deal more desperation.

“Good. It’s nice to see youngsters with such energy.”

Tio nodded and leaped off the cliff herself. It was rare to see her act so pushy. Whether or not she was venting her frustrations over the Super Tio incident, only she knew.

“I-I’m not crying! I-I shwear, I’m not crying!”

Suzu’s wails echoed throughout the crevasse. Trembling, she shook her head and valiantly held back the tears threatening to pool in her eyes. It wasn’t the terror of the fall that had brought her to tears, but rather the damp patch spreading through her pants right now. Of course, the cause of that damp patch was something she could never reveal. Normally either Kouki, Ryutarou, or Shizuku would have consoled her, but right now the three of them were still recovering from the shock of their own fall. And so, it fell to Kaori to do the consoling. Unfortunately—

“Suzu-chan. Don’t worry, there’s nothing to be scared of. Oh, yes, do you want some candy?”

Kaori’s method of consoling someone was very similar to how an old lady would dote on her pet. The last thing Suzu wanted was to be treated like a small animal. Though she took the candy from Kaori, she still glared unhappily at her.

“E-Err, was the descent truly so terrifying?”

Tio asked guiltily. Seeing how traumatized Suzu was, she felt a little bad about what she’d done. Hajime gave Tio a pensive look and muttered, “Now that’s rare. I never see you go sadistic, Tio. Did that side of you only awaken because you’re dealing with Taniguchi? If we use Taniguchi as a sacrifice, can we bring out enough of your sadistic side that it cancels out your masochistic side, leaving behind only Super Tio?”

“Nagumo-kun!?”

“Master!?”

“Did you just call me a sacrifice!? You did, didn’t you!?” Suzu screamed, while Tio pleaded, “Please, Master, can we forget about that subject already!?”

A second later the party heard a faint voice. “Hmm, I heard a voice from the other side of this wall.” A second later, there was a loud yell and a series of rhythmic thuds came from the other side of the frozen wall. Each thud caused more cracks to appear in the ice. Finally, the wall blew apart, and Shea appeared from the opening. Drucken was perched casually on her shoulder.

“Man, what a cunning trap. I totally fell for it. Who would have thought the snow would conspire to take advantage of my childish innocence and—Bweh!?”

Shea wiped an imaginary bead of sweat off her brow to hide her embarrassment at falling through the snow. Before she could finish her sentence though, Hajime smacked her on the head.

“Moron. We might not be inside the labyrinth yet, but it’s still dangerous here. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Awawah, sorry. I got carried away.”

Shea’s shoulders and bunny ears drooped. Hajime cleared his throat with a cough and said awkwardly, “Well, it’s reassuring to see that worthless part of you is still going strong, I guess.”

He walked over and started stroking Shea’s ears. Yue seemed to have been thinking the same thing since she said, “Yeah… I was starting to miss the useless Shea.”

She also strode over and started petting Shea.

“C-Cut it out you two! You’re making it sound like you want me to be useless!”

Shea fidgeted awkwardly. Despite her complaints, she seemed rather glad at the attention she was getting. Everyone watching could easily tell she was actually happy. In fact, it looked more like Hajime and Yue were flirting with Shea than actually admonishing her. This was the first time Yue or Hajime were flirting with someone other than each other. Meanwhile, Suzu had just suffered a terrifying fall, fallen into despair, and was now being abandoned.

“Things are getting so steamy over there I think the snow might melt. Good for you, Sheashea. Fucking lovebirds.”

“S-Suzu!? Did you just curse!? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you curse in your life!”

The cruel treatment Suzu had suffered had finally caused her to snap. Shizuku quickly snapped back to her senses and started doing everything she could to cheer Suzu up before the party’s barrier master was lost to the darkness forever. Including offering her candy.

“Looks like it’s… this way. Quit fooling around you guys, it’s time to go.”

“Like you’re one to talk!” Shizuku screamed, but Hajime ignored her and walked forward, using the compass as his guide. After a few minutes of walking, the party arrived at a fork where three different tunnels split off. Hajime’s compass pointed toward the rightmost tunnel. As they headed toward the tunnel Kouki slapped his cheeks and said, “He’s right, this isn’t the time to be messing around. Ryutarou, Shizuku, Suzu, let’s do this.”

“You got it. Suzu, cheer up already.”

“Ugh, I know, I know.”

“You okay, Suzu? Want another candy?”

“I’m sick and tired of candy.”

At Kouki’s urging, Ryutarou and the others walked into the dark, icy tunnel. The tunnel had been formed when snow piled up around the frozen walls of the crevasse. That caused strong winds to blow continuously through it, buffeting the party. Since cold air descended while warm air rose, the bottom of the crevasse was even colder than the surface of the snowfields. Factoring in wind chill, it was likely close to -40° F or -50° F in the tunnel. Were it not for the party’s Airzones, no amount of thick clothing would have been able to save them from these frigid temperatures. Thankfully, this crevasse didn’t disperse mana the way the Reisen Gorge did. That being said, no amount of fire magic would have been able to fend off this weather for long. Plus, trying to use magic to stay warm would have just drained everyone’s mana. Hajime led the party, walking cautiously down the tunnel. Naturally, the tunnel wasn’t maintained. Natural rock formations and half-buried pillars of ice obstructed the path at regular intervals, and the route snaked around while also varying in elevation. The party, at times, clambered over obstructions, at other times detoured around them, and at yet other times destroyed them outright.

“Hm? Is something here?”

Shea’s ears perked up. A second later, Hajime turned to the right. The right-hand side of the crevasse was filled with a wall of ice pillars jutting out like spears. And it seemed there was something hiding inside.

“Squeak.”

“Waaah, it’s so cute!”

That something turned out to be a baby rabbit. Shizuku let out an involuntary squeal when she spotted it. Everyone turned to her with a knowing grin.

“A-Ahem. Is that a monster? I never realized there were monsters out there who tried to lure in victims using a cute appearance.”

“Shizuku-chan, I don’t think you’re fooling anyone.”

“Shizushizu, you know your ears are red, right?”

While the girls were talking, the bunny slowly hopped toward the party. Upon closer inspection, it became clear this was no normal rabbit. Its fur was pure silver and coated with a fine layer of glimmering snow crystals. Its appearance was clearly designed to blend with the surroundings. However, it didn’t seem much like a monster. Especially since it had silver eyes, instead of the customary crimson that most monsters did.

“Squeak, squeak.”

Plus, it just looked so cute. The way it cautiously approached while it tilted its head was almost enough to get the party to lower their guard. Even Yue smiled a little. The silver bunny hopped over to Hajime, who stood at the head of the party. It sniffed his shoes, then looked up at him, cuteness radiating from its every pore. Hajime looked down at it with a smile.

Aaah, I knew it. Everyone thought simultaneously. He really did mellow out after conquering Haltina’s labyrinth. Before, Hajime had separated the world into those who were his enemy and those who weren’t, killing anyone who got in his way. In order to return home, he’d been willing to sacrifice anything and everything else. But thanks to the people he’d met since falling into the abyss he’d slowly started to change. After finding a way home, he’d started returning to old, kind Hajime he used—

“Your tricks won’t work on me, filth.”

Squelch! What? Everyone thought, stunned. What’s that red stuff spilling out from under his shoe? Why’s the cute little bunny twitching like that? And where’d its head go? Oh, it’s underneath his shoe…

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah, Nagumo-kun, how could youuuuuu!” Suzu wailed. She looked like the man in The Scream. Shizuku was so shocked she fainted, and Kouki hurriedly caught her as she fell. Kaori covered her face with her hands and squatted down on the spot, while Yue and Tio exchanged glances and sighed. Shea, on the other hand, shrieked and backed away from the gruesome spectacle.

“Squeak, squeak!?”

“Squeak!?”

More bunnies hopped out from behind the pillars, mourning the loss of their friend. They hopped toward Hajime, squeaking reproachfully at him. However, they weren’t intimidating in the slightest. All they could do was throw themselves harmlessly at his legs. They were clearly cute, harmless little animals.

And yet— “Tch. Fuck off.”

Hajime mercilessly started squashing them. He also grabbed one by the ears and lifted it up. The bunny trembled helplessly, squeaking for mercy. Unable to bear it any longer, Shea said, “U-Umm, Hajime-san? Don’t you think that’s enough? I mean, they’re not attacking us or anything, and they look pretty scared…”

“Huh? What’re you saying?”

Shea’s words didn’t register to Hajime at all. Shizuku, who’d regained consciousness, and Suzu gave Shea shouts of encouragement, urging her to keep trying to get through to him.

“Hajime-san! I’m your girlfriend, right!?”

“Y-Yeah, you are, but where’d that come from? You’re making me blush.”

Hajime bashfully averted his gaze. Shea and Yue both preserved that image in their memory, determined to never forget it. As that expression of Hajime’s was one he didn’t show often, it should have been further proof that he’d begun mellowing out, and yet— “That’s right, I’m your girlfriend, Hajime-san! And your bunny!”

Shea grabbed her bunny ears to show off how much like a rabbit she was.

“You know, this really isn’t the time or place for this. I’m happy you think so, but you’re making it hard to concentrate.”

Hajime’s troubled expression was just as priceless as his shy one. However, despite acting extremely cute, Hajime didn’t stop slaughtering bunnies as he responded to Shea. In fact, he accidentally used so much force he sliced off one bunny’s pair of ears. He then punched the bunny so hard it crashed into the opposite wall, leaving only a stain behind. The pristine wall of ice now had a smear of red on it.

“Tch. Fucking disgusting bunny ears.”

Hajime looked at the pair of bunny ears he’d ripped off like they were putrid garbage, then tossed them aside.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Yue-saaaaaaaaaaaaan. I don’t understand Hajime-san anymoooooooooore!”

“Mmm… Bad Hajime!”

“What’re you mad at me for?”

Shea hugged Yue tight, and Yue gently tried to console her while admonishing Hajime. He couldn’t understand what there was to be mad about, though.

“You know, Hajime-kun. Those bunnies are sort of related to Shea, right? Plus they’re so cute there really isn’t any reason to be killing them. I think that’s what Shea was trying to say too.”

Pale-faced, Kaori tried to explain the problem to Hajime.

“She’s right, Master. Besides, such a gruesome method of slaughter is…”

Even Tio was objecting to Hajime’s actions.

“Squeak!”

A veritable avalanche of bunnies poured out from the gaps in the pillars. Faced with such overwhelming numbers, Hajime was forced to open up his Treasure Trove. There was a series of metallic clanks, a flash of light, and suddenly a spray of needles turned the rabbits into pincushions. The avalanche of rabbits spasmed and threw up blood as Hajime’s needles pierced their organs, sending them to the afterlife. Hajime had used one of his new weapons, the revolver-style shotgun Alvus. It was a different kind of weapon that retained the lethality of his railgun-powered firearms without any of the noise or recoil. Instead of using gunpowder he’d packed the needles into miniature, disposable Treasure Troves which he’d made using evolution magic. By compressing them to an extremely small space, they shot out with lethal force when released. Furthermore, the needles were coated with a potent poison Hajime had found in the abyss.

“Hey, you guys. Stop spacing out and help me kill these things. Just be careful not to use any big attacks or make too much noise, or the snow’ll cave in around us.”

Hajime set about slaughtering the bunnies in the fastest and most efficient manner possible, showing just how serious he was about this. Kouki, Ryutarou, Suzu, and Shizuku watched on in horror.

“Y-You monsteeeeeeeeeeer!” They shouted. So much for Nagumo returning to being a kinder person! Fortunately, their screams didn’t cause an avalanche.

The party continued forward, Hajime leaving mounds of bunny corpses in their wake. By the time his lagomorphian genocide was complete, they were only three hundred meters from the frost caverns’ entrance.

“Like I said, those things were all monsters,” Hajime grumbled, a sour look on his face. He was tired of the girls, especially Shizuku, Suzu, and Shea telling him off for his actions. The rabbit extermination had left the three of them in tears. According to Hajime, those rabbits had possessed special magic that allowed them to drain the heat from others. He’d noticed when the first bunny had gotten within the radius of his Airzone. He’d even grabbed one just to make sure, and as he’d suspected, the bunny had started stealing his body heat at a prodigious rate. Meaning those bunnies were actually crafty monsters that used their cuteness to get close to their target, then kill them by draining all their body heat.

“If you let yourself get fooled by their cuteness, you would have been a popsicle in minutes. And they started coming in droves after a while… they might look cute, but trust me, they’re the real monsters.”

It seemed Hajime was still holding a grudge over being called a monster. Shizuku and the others awkwardly averted their gazes.

“Actually wait, didn’t you guys notice when the first one came close? It was close enough to affect you guys too. I know you two realized at least, Yue, Tio. You could have helped me out, but no, you left me to deal with all of them.”

“Mmm… I was busy consoling Shea.”

“M-My apologies, Master. But when I saw Shea crying, I felt so guilty that I just I couldn’t… Besides, you seemed to be handling them just fine.”

“What kind of excuse is that!? Also, Shea, stop crying.”

Watching Hajime mercilessly shred through hordes of rabbits and rip off their ears had left Shea traumatized.

“I can’t help it! I know they’re monsters, but you just kept ripping off their ears without any mercy. How could I watch that and not be sad!?”

Sighing, Hajime walked over to Shea and gently stroked her ears.

“Shit is shit, and you’re you, Shea. The only bunny I care about is you. So why would I hesitate about killing a bunch of other shitty ones?”

“I-I guess that makes sense. Hehehe.”

Shea gave Hajime a warm smile. She really was easy to please. Seeing Hajime and Shea start flirting again, Kaori pouted and murmured, “Mrr… Whenever I see something like this it really feels like Hajime-kun’s accepted Shea.”

“Indeed. Well, it’s too soon to give up, Kaori. That future will be ours if we persevere a little longer.”

“You’re right. Let’s both do our best.”

Yue turned to Kaori as she pumped herself up and scoffed.

“Kaori… You’re wasting your time. Don’t bother.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean, huh!?”

Kaori reached out to Yue to pull her cheeks, but Yue slapped her hands away.

The two repeated the same sequence of actions over and over. The others had gotten used to this spectacle over the past few days, and Suzu turned to Shizuku with a smile.

“At this rate, Nagumo-kun might really accept Kaorin and Tio-san as his girlfriends. It’s hard to imagine he’s the same guy he was in Japan. Don’t you think so too, Shizushizu?”

“……”

Shizuku didn’t reply. Or rather, she hadn’t even heard Suzu. She was watching her best friend mess around with an almost wistful expression. But was it really Kaori reflected in her pupils, or was it—

“Shizushizu?”

“Ah. Wh-What is it, Suzu?”

“Oh, nothing important… Are you okay? You looked like you were spacing out for a second.”

“Oh yes, I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you. I’ll focus, don’t worry.”

Shizuku gave Suzu a reassuring smile.

“……”

Kouki, who was walking at the back of the party, grimaced. He nearly let his annoyance show through, but he reflexively tried to hide it, leading to the pained grimace. Ryutarou walked over to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Sheesh, Kaori’s at it again. She’s really gotten feisty recently. You think so too, right Kouki?”

“Huh? Oh yeah. She used to be the one to scold us for fighting too much.”

Kouki looked at Ryutarou blankly for a second, but the quickly gave him a troubled smile. Seeing the nostalgic look on Kouki’s face drove away the niggling anxieties Ryutarou had had regarding his best friend. He grinned and said, “Tell me about it!”

Just then, Tio, who’d walked ahead of the group to get a read on the wind turned back and said, “Hmm. I dislike this breeze. It reeks of despair.”

The corridor they were advancing down ended in a T-junction. Even from a glance, it was obvious a furious gale awaited them regardless of which direction they took. Normal humans would have had trouble even standing in such winds. Hajime walked into the intersection and checked the compass.

“Looks like… we gotta go right. We’re gonna have to get through the headwind somehow—Tio.”

“As you wish.”

Tio responded immediately. She was more suited to dealing with wind magic than Yue was. After all, her race used wind magic all the time to fly. When it came to wind magic specifically, Tio was more skilled than even Yue. Just as Tio was about to cast her spell though, Suzu called out to her.

“Wait, Tio-san! Let me handle this!”

She was starting to get annoyed at the fact that all she’d been doing so far was either cowering in fear or screaming in terror. Both during Hajime’s genocide, and when Tio had thrown her off the cliff. Gaze resolute, she looked up at Tio. Held in her hands were the two new artifacts Hajime had given her. At a glance, they seemed to be no more than small rectangular blocks. But in truth, they were a pair of iron-ribbed fans, weapons Hajime had customized to suit a barrier master. In fact, they’d been bound to Suzu’s mana and blood, so only she could use them. Naturally they were sturdy and helped Suzu cut down the length of her chants, but in addition, Hajime had used evolution magic to enhance any defensive spells channeled through them. Furthermore, the specific abilities of each fan complemented each other. The right fan was used to cast traditional barrier spells, while the left fan could add secondary effects to those barriers, allowing Suzu to use composite magic. Her fans also absorbed trace amount of her mana at all times and stored it for future use, as well as reducing the mana consumption of spells cast with them. Essentially, they were far more powerful than the bracelets Suzu had been using thus far. Hajime turned toward Suzu. When he saw the clear determination in her eyes, he nodded without complaint.

“It’s probably a good idea for you to get some practice in.”

“Indeed. I agree with Master. Suzu, I leave this in your hands.”

Tio smiled at Suzu, and she nervously smiled back, eager to show off the fruits of her training. She stepped forward and unfurled her twin fans. “Awaken, Steel Fans!” Suzu shouted the keyword to activate her artifacts, and they began to glow with a faint orange light. The light originated from the handles and extended to each of the folds in the fans in turn.

“Alright, here I go! Hallowed Ground – Dispersal!”

Suzu said only the name of her spell, then swung her fans.

A translucent orange barrier appeared in front of Hajime and the others. Pulses of light intermittently spread from the center of the barrier to its curved surface. The strongest barrier spell had been fused with advanced level light magic to create Hallowed Ground – Dispersal. Now the barrier also diffused the energy of anything it came into contact with. Though Suzu had cast the spell with the ease one might a beginner-level spell, its strength wasn’t diminished in any way. Furthermore, it even had additional effects tacked on, and only cost as much mana as an intermediate-level spell. Suzu truly had trained hard. She stepped into the intersection and braved the wind head-on. Instead of stopping the gale, her barrier deflected it, weakened it, and let it pass through. The rest of the party felt only a gentle breeze.

“Wow. Nice going, Suzu.”

“Mmm… Not half-bad.”

The two magic experts in the party praised Suzu’s skills. Though part of it was due to her new artifacts, it was true that Suzu herself had improved quite a bit as well. So much so that both Kaori and Yue were impressed. Suzu grinned triumphantly. She tried to keep herself from looking too smug since she knew she had to concentrate, but she couldn’t help but let out a few happy giggles. The party continued down the corridor, with Suzu at the head to blunt the force of the storm. Before long, they spotted a faint light up ahead. Hajime narrowed his eyes and focused his vision.

“Is that it?”

They arrived in a well-lit opening. In front of them was a large, isosceles-triangle-shaped opening. It was two meters high at its highest point, and the area around it was covered not with piled snow, but hardened ice. Its shape was just unnatural enough to look manmade, but also jagged enough to appear natural. Regardless of the nature of its origin, it had a mystical aura to it, as if it were a temple of sorts. The ice at the back of the opening had a huge crack in it. Ice pillars jutted out of the crack, blooming like crystal flowers, inviting all who beheld them into the darkness. Hajime double-checked his compass, and as he suspected, the needle pointed straight into the fissure. The sense he got from the compass also told him he needed to go inside. So this is the entrance to the last of the seven labyrinths, the Frost Caverns.

“Ah, the wind stopped. I’ll dispel my barrier.”

Suzu lowered her fans, and the barrier faded away. Like she’d said, the wind had faded the moment the group entered the triangular opening. It was dead silent inside. Not a single noise could be heard.

“Looks like we made it. But… Hajime-san!”

“Yeah, I know. Everyone watch out, something’s coming!”

Shea’s ears twitched and she narrowed her eyes dangerously. Her enhanced hearing picked up on multiple noises growing steadily closer. Hajime sensed them as well with his superhuman perception and shouted out a warning. Yue, Kaori, and Tio remained relaxed, but Kouki and the others tensed up. A second later they heard it.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

With an ear-piercing roar, six monsters jumped out. They looked like three-meter large gorillas with snow-white fur. However, unlike normal gorillas, these walked exclusively on two feet. In fact, they resembled a certain mythical earth monster.

“Bigfoots?”

Indeed, the monsters looked like the bigfoot that enthusiasts seemed to love talking about so much on television. They kicked up clouds of ice and dust as they dashed across the ground toward the party. If I took one of these back with me to earth, I could become one of Time magazine’s people of the year. Ah well, time to kill ’em. Hajime casually unholstered Donner. Before he could fire though, Kouki leaped forward.

“Let’s do this, Shizuku, Ryutarou, Suzu!”

“Hell yeah! We’re conquering the labyrinth for sure this time!”

“Leave the defense to me! Shizushizu, let’s go!”

“Alright. There are a few things I want to test as well. Nagumo-kun, do you mind leaving these enemies to us?”

Hajime shrugged his shoulders and retreated to a corner of the room together with Yue and the others. This was a good chance for him to observe how well the other artifacts he’d given Kouki and the others functioned. He observed them with a craftsman’s eye, his pupils glowing.

“Shizuku-chan, Suzu-chan, don’t do anything reckless, okay!?”

“Good luck, guys!”

Kaori brought her hands together as if praying while Shea struck a cheerleading pose and shouted out encouragement to the four of them. Kouki raised his sword high and shouted, “Soar, Celestial Flash – Shatter!”

With a mighty swing, he let loose his favorite attack, Celestial Flash. Though he’d barely chanted an incantation at all, his Celestial Flash was twice as large and powerful as before. Looks like the holy sword really wasn’t operating at peak efficiency before. Kouki’s blade of light threatened to split the very air. For once, he was living up to his title of hero. Furthermore, thanks to Hajime’s external improvements, each attack unleashed its own shockwaves as well.

Surprised by the ferocity of Kouki’s initial assault, the bigfoots faltered. They stopped their headlong rush and scattered to avoid Kouki’s Celestial Flash. However, their reaction came a moment too late. While they managed to avoid the attack itself, the shockwaves it emitted sent the bigfoots flying.

“I was waiting for that! Take this— Death Fist!”

“Ook eek!?”

Ryutarou jumped up to where one of the bigfoots got blown back and drew his fist back. He’d been ready for this. He twisted his body, using all of his weight and momentum to deliver a right hook that slammed right into the bigfoot’s torso. The air shook from the force of the impact, and blood squirted out of every one of the bigfoot’s orifices. It flew backward and crashed into a wall, dead as dead could be. Death Fist was one of Ryutarou’s new skills that bypassed an enemy’s defenses and destroyed their internal organs. The gauntlets he’d been given by the Heiligh Kingdom had originally possessed the ability to emit shockwaves, but nothing on this level. Hajime had upgraded them to also oscillate at a very high frequency, thus multiplying their destructive power. He’d also enchanted them with spatial magic to cause those oscillations to spread into the surrounding area. That bigfoot hadn’t stood a chance.

“Alright, that’s one down!”

Ryutarou struck a victory pose as he landed. A shadow dashed past him, moving too fast to follow with the eye. A second later there was a sound of wind rushing past and one of the bigfoots slumped to the ground, dead. As it hit the ground its head rolled off. Shizuku calmly resheathed her sword next to it. Her swordsmanship had been so fast the bigfoot hadn’t even been able to register it. It hadn’t even seen its own death coming. The remaining bigfoots started to back up when they saw how easily two of their comrades had been killed. At least, two of them did. But the other two…

“Suzu-chan!”

Kaori called out a warning. A second later, the ground behind Suzu and Kouki burst open. The remaining two bigfoots jumped out of the ice. They must have used their special magic the moment they’d landed to burrow into the ice. Assured of their victory, the bigfoots bore down on Suzu.

“Swallow them whole— Hallowed Ground – Burst!”

However, Suzu calmly turned around and raised her fans. Two barriers appeared from their tips, protecting her. The bigfoots’ talons bounced off the hardened barriers. Right after the attacks were deflected, the barriers exploded. A surge of orange mana spread out from the point of the explosion.

“Gyaaaaah!?”

The two bigfoots were caught by surprise and were sent flying backward. Blood sprayed through the air as they flew, along with glittering shards of orange. Hallowed Ground – Burst was, as its name suggested, basically a barrier burst. Though it functioned specifically as a kind of reactionary shockwave that directed itself at anything that struck it. It converted the energy stored within the barrier to destructive force and turned the barrier into a kind of shrapnel grenade. Furthermore— “Swallow them whole— Hallowed Ground – Bind!”

Suzu launched a follow-up attack against one of the wounded bigfoots. A whirlpool of mana appeared at its landing point. The orange whirlpool absorbed the nearby snow making it into a localized blizzard. The moment the bigfoot landed, the whirlpool expanded, turning into a barrier that trapped the monster. It attempted to get to its feet to shatter the barrier, but stumbled the moment it did so.

“Ook eek!?”

It tried to get up a second time, but seemed unable to put any strength into its limbs. In fact, it seemed to be taking all of its strength just to stay on all fours. But that was only natural. Hallowed Ground – Bind used gravity magic to deploy a barrier that contained a localized gravitational field. It was meant to seal foes. The bigfoot’s bleeding grew more intense as the pressure against it mounted.

“Kouki-kun, you take care of the other one!”

“On it! Radiant Slash!”

Kouki rushed forward, his holy sword glowing pure white. He raised it up high to cleave the bigfoot in two, but was stopped by part two of the monsters’ surprise attack. Pillars of ice fell toward him like a hail of spears. The two bigfoots that had looked to be retreating had actually been keeping their distance from Shizuku and Ryutarou while gathering up pillars to lob at Kouki. That being said, this surprise attack was still something Kouki could deal with. While the barrage covered too wide an area to dodge, he could easily intercept the pillars. Kouki slowed down and prepared to turn around.

“Keep going!”

A clear voice echoed across the battlefield and a shadow interspersed itself between Kouki and the oncoming pillars. It was Shizuku, her ponytail fluttering in the breeze. She wasn’t going to let this attack stop Kouki. She drew her black katana and shouted, “Gather— Confluence!”

The pillars of ice changed trajectory and flew toward Shizuku’s sword as if it were some kind of magnet. This was one of the new abilities Hajime had enchanted Shizuku’s katana with, a gravity field that absorbed anything. The ice pillars bore down on Shizuku with unbelievable speed. There shouldn’t have been any way for her to cut them all down, yet she seemed calm.

I wanted to try this out in an actual battle. I’ll have to get the timing down perfect! Shizuku activated the trump card she’d obtained from the previous labyrinth. In other words, one of the evolution magic spells she’d learned as a reward.

“Sublimate— Limiter Removal!”

It felt as though sparks were dancing in her brain. Time slowed to a crawl and she perceived the world in monochrome. Her senses magnified to encompass more than before, and her reflexes sharpened. She could feel power filling every muscle in her body.

“Gale!”

A gust of wind blew past. One second passed, then another. Suddenly, the pillars of ice broke apart into tiny glittering shards. To the naked eye, it seemed as though Shizuku hadn’t done anything at all. Yet the pillars of ice had all been chopped into miniscule pieces. Shizuku had cut them all. In that brief instant, she’d sliced through a barrage of pillars. Her slashes had been so fast they’d formed a barrier of attacks. Anything that had moved within reach of her sword had been cut apart multiple times. It was hard to tell how many times Shizuku had even slashed each pillar. Factoring in the shockwaves, she must have unleashed dozens of attacks in that one second. Shizuku’s attacks had already been so fast they barely left afterimages, so now that she’d gotten her hands on evolution magic, they’d reached the point where they couldn’t be seen at all.

“Haah…”

She breathed a deep sigh. A second later, gravity once again reasserted itself on the shards of ice and they clattered to the ground. Shizuku turned toward Kouki, expecting him to have finished off his target. However, that proved not to be the case…

“Dammit!”

The bigfoot had managed to dodge Kouki’s Radiant Slash by a hair’s breadth. It wasn’t because the monster had found a second wind. No, it was because of Kouki’s own mistake. His conflicted feelings over being protected by Shizuku had caused him to hesitate for just an instant.

“Sorry, I let them get away! What the hell’s with these guys anyway!?” Ryutarou, who was supposed to have been chasing the remaining two bigfoots, yelled in the distance. From the looks of it, their special magic allowed them to manipulate ice. But what the two other bigfoots were doing defied everyone’s expectations.

“I-I guess it’s kinda fitting.”

They were skating. Calmly and elegantly, their fur swaying in the breeze. It was impressive how skillfully they navigated their way across the frozen ground. The last surviving bigfoot regrouped with them a short distance away and the three started skating in tandem, synchronizing their movements perfectly. They looked like Olympic skaters with how smoothly they glided across the ice. It was no surprise that Kouki and the others were stunned. In fact, even Hajime and the others were surprised by this turn of events. Hajime even took out one of his artifacts to snap a picture of the surreal sight. Shizuku and Ryutarou retreated to where Kouki was, keeping a wary eye on the three skating bigfoots the whole time. After a few seconds, Kouki finally snapped back to his senses.

“If they’re coming at us head-on, that just makes this easier! Soar, Celestial Flash – Shatter!”

A huge blade of light hurtled toward the bigfoots, a tornado of shockwaves surrounding it. Kouki was done with this farce. None of the bigfoots tried to dodge. Just as Kouki was convinced this fight was over, they once again defied all expectations.

“Wha!? Did they just do a triple axel!?”

The bigfoots instantly transitioned from speed skaters to figure skaters. Fur bristling in the wind, the bigfoots jumped right over the Celestial Flash and spun thrice in the air. Kouki’s attack passed harmlessly underneath them and slammed into the wall. Shards of ice danced through the air as the bigfoots changed from a horizontal formation to a vertical one with far more grace than their size suggested. Kouki’s jaw dropped open. Even Hajime exclaimed, “No way!?” Everyone was awestruck. Once again, Hajime snapped a few pictures. The three bigfoots landed right in front of Kouki and the others and launched a synchronized series of roundhouse kicks, using their earlier triple axels to give them more force.

“Kyaa!?”

“Whoa!?”

Shizuku and Ryutarou hurriedly backstepped out of the way, just barely avoiding the bigfoots’ kicks.

“You little— Radiant Slash!”

Kouki launched a counterattack as he dodged his kick. The bigfoot bent backward, balancing perfectly on one foot, and avoided Kouki’s horizontal slash. These bigfoots’ skating abilities were on par with Ina Bauer’s.

“A-Are you fucking kidding me!?”

“Hey, calm down, Kouki!”

Determined to prove his worth and earn the right to inherit this labyrinth’s magic, Kouki grit his teeth and charged. At a glance, it certainly did seem like the bigfoots were toying with the party, what with their ludicrous movements. However, they were really just fighting in the way they knew best. Kouki was unable to think calmly enough to realize that though, and his frustration only grew as the bigfoots continued to avoid him with their elegant maneuvers.

The three bigfoots scattered, circled around Kouki, and launched a pincer attack. They once again dexterously leaped into the air. This time they supplemented their jump with an unbelievable eightfold spin toe loop jump. They spread their arms wide, creating a deadly whirlwind with their talons as they spun. It was the most deadly work of art Hajime had seen. In response, Shizuku stepped forward and drew her sword.

“Haaah— Flash Blitz!”

She frowned as her enhanced dynamic vision caught sight of bigfoots’ grinning faces. She slashed at the one in front of her then jumped out of the way, along with Kouki and Ryutarou. A second later, the three bigfoots landed where the trio had been standing. Like the rest of their moves, their landing was perfect. Unfortunately, one of the three bigfoots had been cut cleanly in half.

“Ook eek!?”

The remaining two screeched in surprise. Flash Blitz was one of the new moves Hajime had added to Shizuku’s black katana. It cut through space itself, so unless the opponent also had the ability to manipulate space, it was impossible to defend against.

“Pay attention, Kouki, Ryutarou. As long as you don’t get swept up in their erratic movements you should be able to handle them. Let’s finish this up. Suzu’s already killed her targets.”

“Y-Yeah. Damnit, why’d these guys have to be the first enemies we run into?”

Cursing, Kouki jumped into action. Ryutarou leaped in after him with a grimace. Realizing their gambit had failed, the remaining bigfoots dropped their exaggerated movements. They tried to fight Kouki and the others head-on, but failed spectacularly. In the time it took Kouki and the others to mop up the remnants, Suzu finished crushing her target with her gravity barrier.

The four of them came out of the fight more or less unscathed. It was a total victory. But for some reason, Kouki wasn’t satisfied. Ryutarou and the others were still recovering from the shock of fighting a group of ice-skating bigfoots. Hajime grinned and said, “Nice work you guys.”

“Don’t laugh at me! How come this labyrinth has stupid monsters like that!?”

Hajime waved off Kouki’s complaints with a wave of his hand. He then turned to Yue and Shea and asked, “Is it just me or did those monsters remind you of Miledi?”

Both girls nodded in unison. Hajime could just imagine Miledi saying “How’d you like my present, huh guys? How’d you enjoy fighting a bunch of ice-skating gorilla monsters in sub-zero temperatures? Had fun? Of course you did! No need to thank me!”

“Mmm… Miledi had a hand in making these.”

“Definitely. She’s the only one who can make things that annoying.”

Vandre Schnee, the creator of this labyrinth, must have been just as annoyed to follow Miledi’s bidding and place those monsters here. While Hajime, Yue, and Shea were reminiscing about the past, Tio turned to Suzu and said, “That was a splendid display of barrier magic, Suzu. You’ve grown much in these past few days.”

“Hweh!? You really think so? Hehehe.”

Yue stopped waxing nostalgic and turned to Suzu as well. “Mmm… not bad,” she said with a faint smile. Suzu blushed bright red and scratched her cheek.

Kaori also smiled at Suzu and said, “Yeah, you did great. You all did! You’re way stronger than you were when we conquered the Haltina Woods. I’m impressed!”

“Hehe, I know right? Though I guess we’ve got Nagumo’s new weapons to thank for that.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess. But we’ve gotten stronger ourselves too.”

Ryutarou blushed as well. He could tell everyone’s praise wasn’t just flattery. On the other hand, Kouki still had a bitter expression on his face.

Shea suddenly turned to Shizuku and said, “Oh yeah, Shizuku-san! You used evolution magic during that fight, didn’t you? I’m still practicing with it, so it was nice to see how it works in action.”

“Ah, I saw that too, Shizushizu! Actually, I couldn’t see it at all, but you cut everything, right? It was so fast!”

No one noticed Kouki’s eyebrows twitch slightly at that. All eyes were on Shizuku, who blushed and nodded.

“Yes, I did. Just for an instant, when I drew my blade. It drains a lot of mana, but I wanted to practice it in actual combat before we start fighting tougher enemies… I think I have the hang of it now.”

Overjoyed, Kaori hugged Shizuku, who patted her head like she would a small animal.

“Even I could barely follow that… You can’t pull off moves like that with just evolution magic. You must have trained your techniques a ton. That was pretty damn good.”

Even Hajime praised Shizuku’s skills.

“Huh? Oh, u-uhh well umm… thank you?”

Shizuku awkwardly averted her gaze and started fiddling with her katana.

“Why’re you phrasing it like a question?” Hajime said with a chuckle, then turned to Shea.

“Shea. You have a habit of relying on brute force, so try learning from Yaegashi’s moves.”

“Yeaaaaah. I’m learning a lot though! I’ll try punching so fast you can’t see it next time!”

“On second thought, just how overpowered are you going to get if you manage to learn proper techniques?”

“Mmm… The gentle rabbits of the forest are no more.”

Joking among themselves, Hajime and the others walked toward the entrance of the Frost Caverns proper. Kouki and the rest followed behind, still discussing the earlier fight. The party stopped right before the entrance. Hajime looked over his shoulder and gave everyone his trademark fearless smile.

“You guys ready?”

Everyone, even Kouki, nodded silently. Hajime nodded back and said, “Then let’s get this last labyrinth squared away.”

His words echoed down the dark caverns.

The inside of the Frost Caverns was an ominous and mysterious place. The walls on either side were made of ice so clear one could see straight through them, but they also reflected light, causing barely perceptible shadows to be cast across them. Every time the party moved, the shadows moved with them, giving the impression that something was following them just out of sight. Despite their enthusiasm, Kouki and Suzu remained wary, with weapons in hand. When they finally realized it was their own shadows they were afraid of, they both blushed in embarrassment. This place looks like some hack’s failed attempt at making a mirror house. Hajime thought to himself as he scrutinized the frozen walls.

“There isn’t anything dangerous about these walls but… it’s annoying how they keep reflecting our shadows.”

“There was a ghost story that went like this, wasn’t there? A group of people got stranded in a snowed-in hut and after a while, their shadows started becoming people.”

“D-Don’t say that, Shizuku-chan! You know I’m not good with scary stories!”

“Ah, sorry. I forgot how jittery you were. Remember when Endou-kun spooked you by standing behind you and you smacked him with your staff?”

“Why’d you have to bring that up!? Ah, it’s not what you think, Hajime-kun! I’m not a violent woman! I just get scared easy! Please don’t hate me! Please don’t back away from me like that!”

Kaori desperately tried to make excuses. However, Hajime wasn’t buying them.

“No kidding? You killed Endou just cause he was standing behind you? Poor dude…”

“Mmm… So in scary places, Kaori turns into a devil. Good to know.”

“Yue!?”

“Everyone, please keep clear of Kaori-san! She’s a savage beast!”

“You too, Shea!? Meanie!”

“You know, Endou flew pretty far, considering he was hit by someone whose job is Priest. Watching that sent shivers down my spine.”

“Yeah, he really flew… Kaorin’s scary!”

“I can’t believe you two would betray me too, Suzu-chan, Ryutarou-kun… Tiooooooo, everyone’s bullying me! Please become creepy reliable Tio again so you can scold all of them!”

“K-Kaori, to think you would berate me while begging for assistance… you’ve reached a higher level than I thought possible. Haah haah.”

Tio started panting heavily as she patted Kaori’s head.

“Alright, that’s enough teasing Kaori. Let’s get going.”

“Hajime-kun that’s not helping!”

Hajime ignored Kaori’s glare and resumed walking. After a few steps, he glanced back and saw Shizuku give him a nod of gratitude. Thanks for playing along, she thought silently. She’d noticed that Kouki and Suzu were a little too wound up, so she’d lightened the mood by teasing Kaori. Though she hadn’t expected Hajime to join in, the fact that he had helped both Suzu and Kouki relax a little. Silently offering a prayer for her friend’s sacrifice, Shizuku smiled at Hajime.

“Shizuku.”

“Hm!? Oh, what is it, Kouki?”

“Ah… it’s nothing important. Just, it’s rare to see you teasing Kaori.”

“Fufu, I was just a little nervous. I’ll apologize to her later.”

“I see… That makes sense. Yeah, you probably should.”

Kouki smiled faintly and nodded to Shizuku. The party continued in silence, the snow-covered floor absorbing the sound of their footsteps. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the corridor. Hajime squinted and looked for the source of the wind. Up ahead he saw snowflakes whirling in the breeze, heading toward the party. He raised his artificial arm to block the tiny flecks. The snow melted almost instantly, but Hajime didn’t think this was normal snow. He carefully touched a melting flake with his right fingertip.

“Tio—No, Taniguchi. Put up the same barrier you did last time. As fast as you can.”

“O-Okay!”

Hajime’s voice was calm, but firm. Suzu jumped, but then instantly cast her Hallowed Ground – Dispersal. Just as her orange barriers snapped into place, the wind grew stronger. It was accompanied by a flurry of snow, turning the passage into a mini-blizzard.

“Be careful. This snow isn’t normal. Touching it will give you frostbite.”

“Oww!?”

Ryutarou screamed in pain. His large frame had worked against him. Part of his face stuck out above the barrier and was now covered in mottled red dots that resembled freckles. Kaori smiled kindly and cast a healing spell on Ryutarou. Silver light suffused his face and a second later, he was healed. Stifling a laugh at his best friend’s comical new look, Kouki turned forward.

“Is this… dry ice?”

“Even if it’s not, it shares similar properties to it. But even then, it freezes you way too fast.”

Hajime looked down at his finger as Shizuku answered him. She took her Airzone out of her pocket and added, “We’re in caverns made of ice, surrounded by a blizzard of snowflakes that will give you frostbite just from touching them… I don’t even want to think about how cold it actually is. If it wasn’t for our artifacts, this’d be hell.”

“It’d be impossible to even drink water without them.”

After healing Ryutarou, Kaori created a ball of water with magic and sent it forward. The moment it left the range of Suzu’s barrier and the Airzones of the party, it froze into a solid sphere. The process happened in less than a second. The frozen ball of water fell to the ground with a clunk. Under normal circumstances, the water in everyone’s canteens should have frozen solid the moment they stepped foot into the caverns.

“Indeed. Furthermore, it appears fire magic is severely weakened here. It would have been quite the ordeal to have to use advanced-level fire magic every time we wished for a drink.”

“Mmm… But that’s not a problem for us…” Yue pointed to the pendant she was wearing and held up the ring on her finger. Since everyone had an Airzone and their own personal Treasure Trove, the harsh conditions of the labyrinth weren’t a problem at all.

“Glad to know they’re coming in handy… I wouldn’t want to end up like that.”

As they were talking, Hajime spotted something up ahead. Yue and the others followed his gaze and saw a man encased inside the wall. His eyes were closed, as though he were just asleep. It looked as though he’d just leaned against the wall for a short break, and before he knew it he’d froze to death. Seeing as there were no wounds on his body, chances were that was what had actually happened. However, there was one strange thing about him that Shea noticed.

“Hajime-san… It’s one thing if he was just leaning against the wall, but don’t you think it’s weird he’s inside it?”

“Good point. It’s like the wall reached out to encase him.”

Hearing that, Kaori shivered. It was as if the entire labyrinth was feeding on hapless challengers. She clung to Shizuku, just like she always had whenever the two went to a haunted house or anything similar. The look in her eyes made it clear she wouldn’t let go no matter what. Even though Kaori was a strong girl who’d managed to even make the body of a God’s Apostle her own, she still couldn’t handle horror. In some ways, she hadn’t changed at all from the person she’d been during their adventure in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine. Hajime gave Kaori a rueful grin, then slid off his eyepatch and examined the frozen man more closely.

“I don’t sense any mana… From the wall or the corpse, I mean. But just in case I guess we should kill… or I guess break him.”

Since his Demon Eye hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary there was no real reason to mess with the corpse. But conversely, there was no reason to leave it alone either. Hajime unholstered Donner and pointed its muzzle at the corpse. He’d redesigned it a little, and the revolver was now black and sleek, like Tio’s scales, with streaks of red running down the barrel. After acquiring evolution magic he’d gotten even better at Transmuting, so he’d strengthened Donner while also remaking it with alloys that conducted the power of his Lightning Field more efficiently. Schlag had received the same treatment.

Sparks ran down Donner’s length as he reached for the trigger, appearing far more vivid than they used to. A second later there was a loud bang and two crimson streaks pierced through the frozen wall. There was a good three meters of ice separating the surface of the wall and the corpse, but Hajime’s bullets pierced through the ice like a needle through a sponge. One bullet passed through the corpse’s head while the other crushed its chest. Both traveled straight through the corpse and bored so far into the wall that they were no longer visible. For the newly improved Donner and its upgraded special bullets, a wall of ice might as well have been a piece of paper.

“……”

Kouki raised an eyebrow in disapproval, but he held his tongue. He knew now wasn’t the time for an argument.

“Looks like we’re good. I’m still curious about how that happened, but I guess we don’t have to worry at least.”

Hajime kept an eye on the wall for a few seconds but neither it nor the corpse moved. The party breathed a collective sigh of relief and began walking again. Though Kaori shot multiple glances back at the wall as they left.

Sometime after Hajime and the others had left, the sound of ice cracking pierced through the incessant wind that scoured that section of the caverns.

“Gaaah goooh gugyaaah…”

Pained groans accompanied the cracking ice.

Oblivious to what was happening behind them, Hajime and the others pressed forward. Ryutarou forgot multiple times that he needed to stoop to fit inside Suzu’s barrier and Kaori gave him a scolding each time as she healed him. Normally the party would have to explore to find the right path, but thanks to the compass Hajime always knew which way to go.

“This is too easy. We’ve come pretty far in, but nothing’s happened still.”

Hajime kept his guard up, concerned at how smooth their progress had been.

“Mmm… This isn’t normal for a labyrinth. If there was really nothing here, then why are there so many corpses?”

Yue was, of course, referring to the corpses stuck in the walls. Finding dead adventurers within a labyrinth was hardly a cause for concern, but the sheer number the party had seen over the past few minutes was abnormal. Especially since this was a quiet path that didn’t even have any monsters in it. Hajime doubted so many people could have been done in by the harsh weather alone.

“Ah. There’s more…” Suzu muttered. She walked directly behind Hajime with her fans held high, maintaining the barrier. Her expression was grim; seeing so many corpses had dampened her mood.

“Demons again, huh?” Kouki murmured. The corpses were indeed those of demons, with dark skin and pointed ears. There were three of them lined up next to each other. Like the rest, these men also looked like they were just sleeping.

“We must have passed 50 or so by now. And most of them were demons.”

Shizuku breathed a heavy sigh. Though they were ostensibly at war with the demon kingdom, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for these demons. On the other hand, Hajime didn’t seem affected at all. He stroked his jaw and said, “This is just a guess, but if Freid conquered this labyrinth, these are probably his soldiers. I bet he sent his army in after he cleared it to see if any of them could make it too.”

“That makes sense. If the demons’ advantage was that they can control monsters, then they probably wanted to make sure as many of them got that power as possible.”

Supporting that theory was the fact that the majority of demons they’d passed so far had all been wearing the same military uniform as the demons that had attacked Heiligh’s capital. Those who were wearing adventurers’ outfits or older uniforms were likely people who’d tried to challenge the labyrinth on their own, or from joint expeditions centuries ago.

“Hmm. I suppose they believed themselves capable since they were aware of what to expect. Yet it clearly did not end well for them. Considering how many other routes there are, a great deal of demons must have died here.”

“But if the whole demon army challenged this labyrinth, doesn’t that mean people other than that Freid guy might have conquered it as well? In that case, it’s only a matter of time before they rebuild their forces,” Kaori said worriedly. She was thinking of the classmates and friends she’d left behind in Heiligh. Even without Eri’s betrayal, the demon army would likely have been able to overrun the capital. Were it not for Hajime, the human race would be in dire straights.

“Don’t worry, Kaori. I don’t think they’ll attack again this soon. Besides, the barrier’s been repaired and Yuka’s keeping an eye out for any other spies. But most importantly, the demons don’t know Hajime’s laser weapon has been damaged. Even if they manage to rebuild their army, they’ll be wary.”

“Shizuku-chan… Yeah, you’re right. They’ll be fine.”

Kaori breathed a sigh of relief. However, she still looked a little worried, which was something Shizuku didn’t fail to notice. She’s happy she can finally get back home, but she’s probably worried about what will happen to Lily and the others when she does. Returning to Earth with Hajime would mean abandoning Liliana. Of course, the neverending war between humans and demons along with the gods manipulating events from the background were both things that had been going long before Hajime and the others were summoned to Tortus. However, just because that was true it didn’t mean Shizuku could justify abandoning the friends she’d made here.

At the same time, Shizuku understood. She knew that it would take power on par with a god to obtain everything she wanted. Humans were limited in what they could do, and they always had to make choices on what to protect and what to abandon. And Shizuku had no right to make that choice, not when she was relying on Hajime’s power like this. If she asked for anything more it would no longer be making a choice, but plain and simple begging. Just then, Kouki butt into the conversation.

“Don’t worry, Kaori. Once I get my hands on this ancient magic, I’ll defeat god. I’ll protect Lily… No, not just Lily. I’ll protect everyone in this world, humans, and demons. That means I’ll have to stay behind a while longer, but I’ll be able to return on my own once I clear all the other labyrinths. I won’t abandon anyone!”

“Kouki-kun…”

Those were exactly the kind of words a hero would say. Yet for some reason, they lacked the pure-hearted optimism that had been present in Kouki’s older declarations. It was clear from where he was looking that Kouki wasn’t saying this for Kaori’s sake. Though he spoke of protection, his words were like a spear, hurtled at the target of his animosity. That target was naturally Hajime.

Rather than reassuring Kaori, Kouki only managed to give her something else to worry about. She turned to Shizuku, hoping she had a solution for this. However, Shizuku seemed as much at a loss for what to do as Kaori. This was the first time she’d seen such darkness in his gaze. Back on Earth, he’d never been like this. Jealousy, doubt, impatience, irritation, frustration—every manner of negative emotion swirled around inside Kouki’s head. It took all his willpower to keep them under control, and his willpower was slipping. Noticing Kouki’s gaze, Hajime looked back over his shoulder. After looking into his eyes for a few seconds, Hajime turned his gaze to Kaori. Honestly, he was used to dealing with Kouki. But he didn’t want to see Kaori looking like that. So he scratched his cheek awkwardly and muttered, “Alright, alright.” He returned his gaze to Kouki and said, “Amanogawa, what is it? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing.”

Kouki thought he’d just be ignored, so he was surprised when Hajime actually confronted him. Kouki stiffened up for a moment, but then raised his eyebrows and once again pushed down his emotions. His face ran through a series of expressions as he struggled to master himself.

“That so? Alright then.”

Ignoring Kouki’s inner turmoil, Hajime turned back to Suzu and clapped her on the shoulder, letting her know it was time to continue. He then turned to Kaori and added, “If you’re worried about the princess, don’t be. It’s not like I don’t care about her at all. I’ll at least leave her a few presents before we go. I’m sure she’ll be fine with a Hyperion, some ICBMs, a few armored tanks, and a couple of gravity-ignoring fighter planes.”

“Hajime-kun… Fufu, don’t you think those are some rather unfitting presents to be giving a princess?”

Hajime’s compromise succeeded where Kouki’s words had not, and after a moment’s surprise, Kaori smiled happily. Of course, she was still worried about leaving her friend behind during such dangerous times. But it lightened her heart knowing that Liliana and the others wouldn’t be completely defenseless without the students. Shizuku smiled as well, relieved. She turned to Hajime and said jokingly, “You know, Nagumo-kun. At this rate, you’re going to destroy this world’s power balance. I think you should stick to defensive artifacts, or you’ll give Lily a heart attack before the demons can get to her. She’ll probably worry herself to death wondering whether or not to use weapons like that.”

“That’s not my problem. Besides, offense is the best defense. If you kill your enemies, they can’t hurt you. That princess is tougher than she looks, so she’ll be fine. Just imagine a princess shooting down God’s Apostles with a sniper rifle… You know, I only just thought of that but she’d look pretty cool carrying a sniper rifle. Maybe I should make her a custom one.”

Had Liliana been present she would surely have screamed, “I’m a princess, not a warrior! Stop treating me like one!” Yue, Shea, and Tio watched the exchange with smiles on their faces. Before, Hajime would have just abandoned Liliana and the others to their fate, but now he’d grown kind enough to at least leave them something to defend themselves with.

Of course, that didn’t mean Hajime had turned into a nice guy who was willing to help anyone and everyone who asked for it. He drew a clear line between those he’d help and those he wouldn’t. He had to. If he didn’t, everyone would come seeking his strength and he’d be stuck fighting for other people’s causes for the rest of his life. Hence why he’d decided he wouldn’t fight to save this world. He wasn’t going to waste his time and energy on people he didn’t know. Especially if that fight would endanger the people he cared about.

He didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it, and he wouldn’t hesitate to abandon those who didn’t matter to him. Hajime may have grown kinder, but he still had his priorities. Some people were worth more than others. Providing Liliana with an army’s worth of munitions was the most he was willing to do for her. Yue and the others understood that, and they were already satisfied with the fact that Liliana was at least someone Hajime was willing to help at all. They had no intention of asking him for more. For the same reason Shea hadn’t wanted to ask Hajime to help save her family, and Kaori had parted from her childhood friends to travel with Hajime.

“All that aside, you three need to decide what you’re going to do too. Are you going to stay in this world or come back with us? Like I said before, I’m not gonna wait.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Yep. I’ll decide after I’ve talked with Eri.”

“I’m gonna stick with Kouki.”

Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutarou all nodded. Their discussion came to a halt as the party reached an intersection. Every path was identical, ten meters across and ten meters high. In the center of the intersection was a fierce whirlwind that blew the snow falling from the roof into all four of the corridors.

“Taniguchi. Be ready to shift the barrier. The right path is the one directly across so we’re going to be hit with a tailwind once we pass that whirlwind.”

“Rooooger—I’ll slide it around to the back.”

Hajime looked down at the compass and Suzu started adjusting the barrier’s position. But a second later Shea’s ears perked up and she said, “Hajime-san… something’s coming. A lot of somethings, actually.”

“Monsters? About time they showed up. Where are they coming from?”

“All four directions.”

“What? You mean behind us too?”

Hajime cocked his head dubiously as he readied his guns. His confusion was understandable. On their way here, the group hadn’t encountered even a single monster. So if there were enemies approaching from the rear, it would mean both Shea and Hajime had walked right past them without sensing them. Realizing what that meant, Kouki and the others stiffened up nervously. Their expressions grew grim and they gripped their weapons tight.

“Nagumo! We know what direction we gotta go in, don’t we? Let’s just go!”

“Wait, don’t leave the hallway. I don’t want to get surrounded while we still don’t know how strong our enemies are. Kaori, protect Taniguchi’s rear. If you need to, start using your disintegration attacks. Inside a straight corridor, your abilities are the most powerful.”

“Okay! Leave it to me!”

“Tio, you put up a barrier too. Taniguchi’ll need support. You only have to make it strong enough to divert the snow.”

“Understood.”

As Hajime barked out a series of rapid-fire commands, Yue and Shea naturally took the positions they knew he’d want them in. Kouki, who’d wanted to break through before they got pincered inside the corridor frowned unhappily. However, Shizuku managed to calm him down and he took his position at the rear. He didn’t have much time to dwell on his anger since the approaching waves of enemies required his full attention. After a few seconds, the party heard a strange noise. It sounded like moaning. More specifically, like the moaning of the damned, full of despair and hatred. A chill ran down everyone’s spine. The moaning echoed down the dark corridor, its intensity amplified by the smooth walls. Possibly due to nerves, the far end of the corridor seemed even darker than it had moments ago. Someone gulped, the sound seeming louder than it should.

“Here they come!” Hajime said in a loud voice, trying to dispel the fear settling in everyone’s hearts. A second later, they started crawling out of the darkness. The first thing everyone saw was a person. He was wearing a black military uniform and had long ears. A demon. However, there was something off about him. For one thing, his skin was pale rather than dark. For another, his eyes were clouded over, and he was moving stiffly, like a wooden doll. But most striking of all was the fact that his entire body was coated in frost. He was obviously dead.

“Wait… don’t tell me these are the corpses in the walls?”

As if answering Hajime’s question, a wave of undead people came shambling behind the first.

“Mmm… Looks like it. They’re not all demons, either.”

There were also humans dressed in adventurers’ clothes and even beastmen. One thing was certain, this wasn’t another one of the demon army’s attempts to conquer the labyrinth.

“They’re… not alive, are they? I don’t hear any heartbeats.”

Shea tilted her ears forward, confirming that they really were dead.

“Wh-What on Earth… They’re like zombies!”

The scene in front of them resembled the ones Shizuku had seen in horror films. And indeed, the corpses certainly were moving like the zombies in movies. The only difference was they were completely frozen. I guess that makes them frost zombies. Hajime thought to himself. Kaori, the party’s stalwart rearguard, went white as a sheet. A horror movie development like this was the one thing she couldn’t handle. Suzu trembled next to her, almost as terrified. The frost zombies turned uniformly toward the two girls, their eyes glowing dark crimson. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.”

With a series of loud moans, the zombies charged. They ran like Olympic sprinters, their earlier shambling motions nowhere to be seen. Since their corpses had been frozen their flesh hadn’t rotted, but they were otherwise just as terrifying as regular zombies. Their mouths gaped open, revealing rows of frosted teeth. And so—

“G-Get away from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Kaori transformed into a berserker. Streams of silver mana rose up around her and she thrust both hands forward. Mana converged around her palms and a second later a disintegration beam large enough to fill the entire corridor shot out. With a thunderous roar, the beam obliterated anything in its path, leaving not even dust behind. The wave of Frost Zombies never stood a chance. By the time Kaori’s beam faded, there was nothing left. In just one attack, the Frost Zombies’ pincer attack had been defeated. The party’s escape route was clear, should they need it. Ryutarou’s lips twitched and he muttered, “When I get back to the capital I better warn Endou not to stand behind Kaori if he values his life.”

“Yeah. I’m making a mental note to never take Kaori to a haunted house again.”

She might blow up the whole building if something scares her too much… That was just how terrified Kaori was of haunted houses and ghosts.

“Waaaaaaaaah, Shizuku-chaaaaaan! I was so scaaared!”

You’re the scary one here! Everyone thought simultaneously.

“Well, anyway. Good work, Kaori. Now we won’t have to worry about enemies to our—”

But Hajime cut off midway.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Hajime-kun?”

His gaze was fixed on the ground at Kaori’s feet. Confused, Kaori looked down as well. There was a Frost Zombie right below her. It stared into Kaori’s eyes, and her smile froze in place. A second later, the zombie slid smoothly through the ice in the floor and thrust its hand into the air. What for? Obviously to grab onto Kaori’s leg.

“Awaah…”

Kaori’s eyes rolled back. Though she’d been raining silver death just moments ago, now the fear overwhelmed her and she nearly lost consciousness.

“Kaoriii! Don’t fall asleep! You’ll die if you do!” Shizuku screamed, unsheathing her katana. That was the standard line for someone in a group stranded in the cold, but the reason for the danger was very different. In one clean stroke, Shizuku severed the Frost Zombie’s arm. She then turned around and slapped Kaori on the face.

“Huh!? What was I—”

Wait, what’s that on my leg…? A severed arm? Oh no… Kaori fainted again, and this time Yue had to slap her awake. Smack!

“Y-Yue…”

“Haaah… Get it together, Kaoridiot.”

Yue sighed as she looked down at Kaori. Hundreds of zombies now filled the intersection Hajime and the others had moved back from. And though Kaori had obliterated the army behind them, more had started crawling out of the walls and floor.

“Yaegashi, stick with Kaori. You two take care of all the enemies behind us. Taniguchi, put barriers next to the walls and floor around us. Everyone else, focus on the front!”

Hajime turned to the advancing army of Frost Zombies and pulled Donner’s trigger. Yue and Tio unleashed blasts of wind while Shea transformed Drucken into bombardment mode and started unloading shells. Kouki’s blade of light traced a solitary arc through the chaos and Ryutarou launched shockwave blasts one after another. There were so many Frost Zombies there was no need to aim. Swathes of destruction cut a path through the crowd, destroying clumps of hapless zombies.

“They look like they’ve been doused in liquid nitrogen. How the hell are they moving?”

Hajime watched in awe as the Frost Zombies burst apart, cracks forming in their frozen bodies. From the looks of things, they’d been frozen through completely, and even when they blew up, it was solid crystals of blood that came out, not a gory splash of it.

“However, their frigidity makes them frail. I do not sense any special magic from them so… I imagine they must be hoping to overwhelm us with numbers.”

Tio’s assessment was spot-on.

“Oi, they’re regenerating! How’re we supposed to stop that!?” Ryutarou shouted, shaken. Chunks of zombie flesh started sliding across the ground, gathering together, and reforming the Frost Zombies they’d originally been parts of.

“Ugh, what is that, it’s so creepy! Nagumo-kuuun, there’s something wriggling over here!”

This time it was Suzu’s turn to scream. Hajime turned around to see motes of red dust gathering near Suzu, forming some flesh-colored abomination.

“I guess they can regenerate from being disintegrated too. Damn.”

“This isn’t the time to be impressed! Kaorin’s eyes have glazed over again! I’m scareeed!”

“Kaoriiii! Keep it together! Look, it’s me! Shizuku, the girl who always protects you from ghosts!”

Kaori had half-overcome her fear and was now blasting waves of disintegrating feathers at the zombies while trembling. Suzu and Shizuku were more scared of her than they were of the zombies.

“Fufufu, disintegrate! Disintegrate! I’ll disintegrate everything!” Kaori muttered hysterically. Sighing, Yue turned to Hajime and asked, “Hajime, does your Demon Eye see anything?”

“Nope. They’re covered in a tiny layer of mana, but that’s all I can see.”

“Wait, does that mean these are the same as that thing we fought in Melusine’s labyrinth!?”

Shea thought back to the massive jellyfish monster they’d had to fight in the ocean—the Hell Eater. It had been a monster without a mana crystal, meaning it could regenerate perpetually no matter how badly it was damaged. Only by filling it full of liquified taur and setting the entire thing on fire along with half of the ocean had Hajime been able to destroy the immortal jellyfish. Just the thought of fighting something on a similar level sent shivers down Shea’s spine.

“No way. There can’t be that many of those kinds of monsters in the world. I’m pretty sure this is some kind of trick.”

Hajime gunned down zombies with one hand while he pulled out the compass with the other. What he was looking for was these zombies’ mana crystal. His guess was that there was some kind of camouflage hiding it from his Demon Eye.

“Damn that’s far. Are these things like Miledi’s golem knights?”

The compass pointed to the mana crystal as Hajime desired. However it wasn’t in any of the Frost Zombies’ bodies, but rather in a separate location over five hundred meters away. Hajime thought back to the golems Miledi had controlled remotely. He clicked his tongue, and Yue gave him a questioning look.

“Hajime?”

“Looks like the mana crystal powering these guys is somewhere else. That might be what their special magic is. I dunno if the crystal’s controlling them remotely, or if they’re just following preset orders though.”

“Interesting. Regardless of the process, the fact remains that we must destroy that crystal if we want to end this fight.”

“Then let’s go!”

Shea let out a spirited yell and knocked aside an entire wave of zombies with one swing of Drucken. Hajime nodded and said, “I’ll cut open a path. Don’t fall behind, guys!”

He jumped into the gap Shea had created and opened his Treasure Trove. A second later a long, rectangular weapon fell into his artificial hand—the missile and rocket launcher Orkan. He tucked it under his armpit to allow him to fire with just one arm. Seconds later, the zombies were assailed by a wall of missiles. The missiles left trails of orange smoke as they barreled toward the zombies. They landed in waves, creating a ripple of thunderous explosions that blasted through the shambling crowd of zombies. Unable to withstand the impact, they were blown backward in chunks of frozen flesh. The exploded zombies were blown away with such force that their fragments served as shrapnel that tore through the zombies further behind. When the smoke cleared, a single unobstructed path was visible.

“Go!”

At Hajime’s command, the party dashed through the intersection. Yue went last in order to fire one final potshot at the zombies regenerating behind them. The environment of the Frost Caverns made fire and water magic difficult to use, but Yue had plenty of other options at her disposal. She launched a combined barrage of wind and lightning magic at the regenerating zombies, blasting them apart a second time and hurling them against the icy walls. Still, that wasn’t enough to stop them for long. Within seconds, an army of zombies was chasing the party once again. Though they weren’t very powerful individually, it was still quite terrifying being chased by an army of immortal zombies. Kaori and Suzu especially were shaking in their boots.

“Eeeeek! They’re coming from the ceiling too! Kaorin, disintegrate them already!”

“Disintegrate, disintegrate! Aaaaaaaaaaah! It threw its arm at me! And it’s moving! It’s crawling closeeeeeer!”

“Shut up, Kaoridiot…”

“You wouldn’t understand, Yue! Vampires are part of the scaring side, not the scared side! You’re secretly working with the zombies, aren’t you!?”

“I dare you to say that again, Kaori. But fine, if you think vampires are so scary, maybe I’ll show you just how scary they can be.”

“Jeez! This isn’t the time to be fighting you two! Keep attacking, or we’ll be overrun! Hey, Suzu, your barrier’s dropping! You have to keep the blizzard at bay! No complaining!”

“Yue-san, stop playing with Kaori-san and help me out! There are tons of them coming out of the ground! I can’t keep up with just Drucken! Ah, not again… Give it a rest already, you persistent bastards! Take that!” There was a saying that said three women made as much noise as a crowd, and that proved doubly true when there were five and they were being chased by zombies. Though the reason everyone was clowning around was despite how terrifying they looked, the zombies really weren’t much of a threat. In fact, Kaori and the others were reacting with the same level of seriousness they would were they in a regular haunted house.

“My, youngsters sure are full of energy. Getting so worked up over a few monsters…” Tio muttered quietly as she watched Kaori and the others yell at each other. Yue turned to her reproachfully and said, “Tio, you sound like an old lady.”

“Fwoh!? Such harsh criticism! Well, I suppose I am that much older so I cannot deny that… but are you not in the same boat, Yue?”

“No… I’m forever seventeen.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you were imprisoned in Oscar’s labyrinth after you turned twenty, Yue?”

Even if you cut out the three hundred years you were trapped, that’s still too low. Just as Hajime thought that, Yue turned her stern gaze on him. A horde of Frost Zombies baring their fangs at him hadn’t been enough to make Hajime so much as wince, but the moment he felt that gaze on him he withered.

“Yep, Yue’s eternally seventeen. No doubt about it.”

“Mmm… I’m the same age as Hajime.”

“What a henpecked husband you are, Master.”

Tio sighed and shook her head. Everyone but Kouki and Ryutarou seemed as though they weren’t even taking this fight seriously.

“Hey, Kouki. Is it just me or…”

“Don’t say it, Ryutarou.”

Kouki and Ryutarou exchanged glances, then sighed. They were losing the motivation to take this seriously themselves. With the sound of gunshots, explosions, screams, and the occasional “Bastard!” from Shea serving as the group’s background music, they advanced through the corridor, fleeing from the zombies. After a few minutes, Hajime and the others arrived in a vast open space. It was shaped like an arena and was easily as large as the Tokyo Dome. For some strange reason, the blizzard that had been pounding at their backs as they’d run through the corridor seemed to turn back on itself the moment it reached the corridor’s exit. None of the wind made it into the dome. Hajime instinctively realized they’d reached a new section of the labyrinth. He walked to the center of the room and said, “Found it. Here I can see it with my eye even.”

Hajime pocketed the compass and grinned. His gaze was fixated on the room’s far wall. Or rather, the dark crimson fist-sized lump embedded within it—a massive mana crystal. It had been buried so deep that not even his evolved Donner would be able to pierce that far in.

In that case… Hajime’s Treasure Trove glimmered. This time he brought out his railgun-enhanced anti-material rifle, Schalgen. Naturally, it too had been upgraded with evolution magic. This was one of his strongest weapons, capable of blasting right through even Miledi’s azantium golems that had given the party so much trouble months before. So while the ice protecting the mana crystal may not have been normal ice, Hajime was confident his rifle would penetrate it.

“Let’s blow it to pieces.”

Crimson sparks started running down the long barrel’s length. Hajime aimed the gun with one hand, smirked viciously, and put his finger on the trigger. Just as he was about to pull it—

“Hajime!”

Yue shouted out a warning. Sensing a presence, Hajime looked up and saw a massive eagle swooping down on the party.

“Tch, more enemies.”

The eagle wasn’t any normal eagle. Its entire body was made of transparent ice. Just as the zombies were Frost Zombies, this was a Frost Eagle. And there wasn’t just one. More dislodged themselves from the ceiling and dove toward the party. Before anyone could react, Hajime drew Schlag with his free left hand and fired. A single crimson streak bore through the chest of the closest Frost Eagle and unleashed a massive shockwave, destroying the creature’s body. Unsatisfied, the bullet kept going and shattered another two Frost Eagles before running out of momentum. By using evolution magic, Hajime had empowered his bullets to unleash multiple shockwaves before running out of steam. He’d dubbed these improved bullets Burst Bullets. Donner and Schlag were equipped with bullets that could shoot out shockwaves three times. Having eliminated the distraction, Hajime returned his attention to Schlagen. This time, there was nothing to interrupt him from firing. With an earth-shattering boom, a streak of light shot out of the rifle’s barrel. It traveled with unerring aim, headed straight for the mana crystal.

“Tch, the thing can dodge, huh?”

Hajime clicked his tongue in frustration. He’d planned to end it with one shot. But the instant he’d fired, the mana crystal had moved out of the way. It was clear the crystal was actively dodging attacks.

“Master, it seems this monster is similar to the Bachulum we fought in the oasis. That isn’t a wall, but rather the body of a monster camouflaged as one.”

“Looks like it. Meaning… Everyone, watch out. Assume every part of the walls, ceiling, and floor is your enemy!”

Hajime’s warning came not a moment too soon.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A pack of bipedal wolves was spat out from a section of the ice wall. Like the Frost Eagles, they were made of pure ice, aside from their glowing red eyes. Each one was around two meters tall. Going off their appearance, Hajime decided to dub them Frost Werewolves. At the same time, more Frost Eagles swooped down from the ceiling, and the Frost Zombies the group had outrun finally caught up to the group. In seconds, the massive room was filled with three different kinds of ice monsters. There were hundreds—no, thousands of each.

And like the zombies, the Frost Eagles Hajime had shot down began regenerating. The large dome had been turned into a merciless arena where the gauntlet of enemies was neverending. Worst of all though, it seemed the monster controlling everything wasn’t done yet. With a loud cracking noise, the part of the wall where the mana crystal sat started bulging outward. It was gathering all of the nearby ice to fortify its defenses.

Then, as if signaling the start of the fight, part of the wall transformed into a massive jaw and roared.

“Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The roar was so powerful it felt palpable.

“Omnibarrier.”

Yue instantly deployed a spatial magic barrier. A second later a huge shock ran through the invisible barrier that put even Hallowed Ground to shame. Space itself warped around the edges of the barrier, showing just how powerful an impact it had withstood. Outside the barrier stood a monster with the mana crystal embedded inside it. Crystal white breath spilled from its massive jaws. Each of its fangs was an arm-length icicle. The monster’s body was so large that each step it took shook the ground. Its body was so clear and hard it seemed as though it was made of diamond, not ice. It was over twenty meters tall and had a huge shell on its back. Spines of ice protruded from the shell, protecting its rear. To Hajime, the monster vaguely resembled a turtle, but with six legs. In fact, it looked like a giant version of the Absod monsters the demons used. Chances were Freid had based them off of this monster, the Frost Turtle. He must have fought it to clear the labyrinth after all.

“Guess this trial’s testing whether we can crack open that turtle’s shell and smash its mana crystal before we get swallowed by a swarm of monsters.”

Despite how imposing the Frost Turtle looked, Hajime just casually shouldered Schlagen and glared at the beast. There was a feral gleam in his eyes. Kouki and the others paled when they saw what they were up against, but then calmed down somewhat when Hajime countered the Frost Turtle’s imposing aura with his own Intimidation. As if to pay the turtle back for its earlier attack, Hajime unleashed a shockwave of pure mana that obliterated all of the nearby monsters. His attack caused even the Frost Turtle to take a step backward. In response, Hajime took a step forward.

In an attempt to prove it wasn’t scared of some mere human, the Frost Turtle roared again. At the same time, the surrounding monsters began releasing waves of chilling frost.

“We’ll handle the small fry. You guys take the turtle out.”

Using his patented gun-kata style, Hajime started shooting through waves of monsters. Kouki and the others watched blankly, not realizing for a moment that Hajime was talking to them. But a moment later they realized his gaze was still fixed on them, even as he killed dozens of monsters with each shot of his revolvers. It appeared he really was planning on leaving the Frost Turtle to Kouki’s group.

The realization took them by surprise. Considering how much Hajime and the Frost Turtle had been glaring at each other, they’d figured the two were about to duke it out.

“Don’t give me that blank look. You finally have a chance to beat a boss monster. Didn’t you want a chance to prove you’re strong enough to conquer a labyrinth?”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s right. We did!”

“Amanogawa’s got the most firepower out of you four so the rest of you support him while he smashes its mana crystal. Meanwhile, we’ll keep the other monsters out of your way. Though if you think it’s too much and chicken out, I can take care of that guy for you too.”

Hajime’s lips curled up into a provocative sneer. Determination burning in his eyes, Kouki replied, “I don’t need your pity! Just watch, I’ll beat that thing down! Ryutarou, Shizuku, Suzu, let’s do this!”

“Yeah, let’s beat that turtle to a pulp!”

“I’ve got your backs. Speaking of which, watch out for the spikes on that thing’s back. There’s likely more to them than meets the eye.”

“Leave defending to me, guys! I’ll protect you all!”

Realizing this was no time to be getting overwhelmed, Kouki and the others let out spirited yells. Just then, a beam of silver light shot out. It obliterated the monsters surrounding the Frost Turtle, clearing a path for Kouki and the others.

“You’ve got this, guys! But don’t push yourselves too hard!”

“Thanks, Kaori!”

Kouki dashed down the newly cleared path. But before he’d gone more than a few steps, the Frost Turtle’s eyes glowed menacingly. Seconds later, the destroyed monsters began regenerating much faster than usual. However, the Frost Turtle’s purpose wasn’t to bar Kouki and the others’ way. Its gaze was fixed squarely on Hajime. Clearly, it still believed that Hajime, not Kouki, was the real threat here.

“Hey, your opponent is me! Celestial Flash – Shatter!”

Frowning, Kouki unleashed his favorite attack to get the Frost Turtle’s attention. A huge blade of light shot out of Kouki’s sword, firing a tornado of shockwaves as it passed. The Frost Turtle didn’t move, and Kouki’s attack hit it in the eye. The main part of the attack crushed its eye, while the shockwaves expanded the wound.

“Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Having lost its eye and a good part of its head, the Frost Turtle screamed and turned its attention from Hajime to Kouki. It glared at Kouki with its one good eye, opened its maw, and shot out a breath attack. A tornado of wind hurtled toward Kouki, sharp fragments of ice swirling around inside it. Anyone hit by it would be frozen instantly. If they managed to avoid that, the shards of ice would still cut them to ribbons. However, Suzu wasn’t about to let either of those things happen to Kouki.

“Like a flowing stream, like a gentle breeze— Hallowed Ground – Dispersal!”

By tacking on an incantation, Suzu made her already powerful composite spell even stronger. A barrier of light enveloped Kouki, protecting him from the turtle’s breath. A second after Suzu’s barrier formed, the turtle’s breath slammed into Kouki. He was thrust into a hell of howling gale and frigid ice. But Suzu’s impenetrable barrier protected him from the elements. She’d grown strong enough to contend against even a labyrinth’s boss-level monster. When she realized that, her lips naturally curled upward. Confidence welled up within her, and that confidence made her even more powerful. Safe within Suzu’s barrier, Shizuku calmly assessed the situation.

“Its head and eye are already regenerating. I guess as long as that mana crystal’s intact it can keep regenerating forever like everything else. We’ll have to take it out in one go.”

Can you do it? Shizuku asked silently with her gaze. Kouki nodded in response.

“Yeah, I’ll finish it with Divine Wrath. But I need to fire it at full power, so you’ll need to buy me thirty seconds.”

“Roger. I won’t let that oversized turtle lay a finger on you, Kouki.”

Before, it had taken Kouki a full minute to chant the incantation for his trump card. Hearing it would only take half as much time now was reassuring. Ryutarou grinned and punched his gauntlets together.

“Everyone, the breath attack is fading!”

It was time to counterattack. Kouki held his sword aloft, and it began to glow with a dazzling light.

“Ryutarou, Shizuku, keep it busy for me. Suzu, stay close to me. I’m going to focus on my incantation.”

“Roger! Hit it with a big one for us!”

Finally, the breath dispersed completely. A curtain of snow hung in the air, acting as a veil to temporarily obscure Kouki and the others from sight. Using the cover to their advantage, Shizuku and Ryutarou dashed forward toward the Frost Turtle. Shizuku was the faster of the two, and she burst out of the snow first, keeping her body low to the ground. Thanks to the poor visibility and Shizuku’s natural speed, she was able to get close to the turtle without taking a single attack. Ponytail fluttering in the breeze, Shizuku drew her katana in one fluid motion.

“Take this! Slice through—Flash Blitz!”

A short incantation accompanied Shizuku’s slice. In the blink of an eye, her sword was resheathed again with a satisfying clink. The only proof that she’d attacked at all was a black streak flashing through the air a moment later. The streak passed through one of the Frost Turtle’s right legs, warping space as it passed. The turtle’s thick, diamond-hard leg twisted unnaturally. Then, without any resistance at all, it fell off. Shizuku’s Flash Blitz sliced through space, so theoretically no material should be able to withstand it.

“Flash Blitz! Flash Blitz!”

Not content with a single leg, Shizuku darted forward, barely a blur in the snow. In less than a second, she’d circled around to the Frost Turtle’s rear. The only indication that she’d drawn her sword at all was the faint clink signifying its return to its sheath. And the turtle’s pained screams.

“Graaaaaaaaah!?”

All three of its right legs had been sliced off. Its remaining legs couldn’t support its massive bulk. Groaning helplessly, the giant turtle leaned to one side, then crumpled onto the ground. Incensed, the Frost Turtle’s eyes gleamed with a vicious crimson light. It turned around to glare at Shizuku, determined to destroy the puny creature who’d brought it to its knees. The bloodlust coming off it was palpable, and Shizuku felt goosebumps rise on her arms.

“Ah!?”

Trusting in her instincts, she dived to one side. A moment later, countless spears of ice shot up from the ground she’d been standing on. The flat ice had turned into a deadly bloom of thorns.

“This’s as far as you go!”

Ryutarou burst out of the snow a second later and charged toward the Frost Turtle’s jaw. With a deafening war cry, he leaped off the ground with enough force to leave a crater and delivered a full-power uppercut. The force traveled all the way from the Frost Turtle’s jaw to the top of its head. Its jaw shattered completely, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. However—

“Ngh, damn this thing’s tough!”

Despite Ryutarou’s attack, the turtle didn’t stop summoning ice spears from the ground. They continued chasing Shizuku wherever she ran. Eventually, she was forced to escape into the air using her Aerodynamic-enchanted boots. Another array of spears popped up right below her, nearly scraping her soles. But she still couldn’t relax—the Frost Turtle’s assault was far from over.

“Shizuku!”

She didn’t even have the leeway to register Ryutarou’s warning. Her attention was focused solely on the enemy trying to kill her. Unfortunately, the real threat was the three Frost Eagles swooping in on her from above. The turtle had orchestrated a pincer attack. Since it had created all these monsters, naturally it could control them remotely. It had in fact lured Shizuku into taking to the skies.

“Force—”

Realizing her mistake, Shizuku turned around and attempted to repel the eagles with Force Pulse. Her shockwave slices certainly did have the necessary power to bring down the Frost Eagles. But she’d reacted too late. No, I won’t make it in time! She would be able to avoid a fatal blow. Of that she was certain. But she’d still get hit by at least two of the three attacks. Even if she survived, she’d be gravely injured. Fear and grim determination warred within her mind.

Time slowed to a crawl. Her sword moved as though in slow-motion, and she could clearly see each of the talons about to rake her body from above and behind. But a moment before they reached her, three streaks of red light shot through the Frost Eagles. The impact destroyed them utterly, blowing them to pieces. The remaining shards of ice reflected the crimson light from the bullets’ shockwaves, making it look as though it were raining blood.

“Cough, cough. What the heck was—”

Coughing up ice particles, Shizuku watched on in awe. A second later, she realized what that attack must have been. Fixing her stance, she looked down at where the streaks had come from, and as expected, saw Hajime. He was smack in the middle of a sea of enemies, but between his Cross Bits and Metzelei, not a single one was able to get close. Upon closer inspection, Shizuku noticed he had Donner in his right hand, and though his back was turned to her, its muzzle was pointing in her direction. Though it was obvious what he’d done, the impossibility of the feat caused Shizuku to gasp.

“How did he shoot so accurately from so far away, without even looking?”

There were countless monsters between him and Shizuku. At a glance, she counted twenty Frost Eagles alone. No matter how upgraded Hajime’s weapons were, his bullets wouldn’t have reached Shizuku if they’d had to penetrate through that many enemies. Even if they had, they would likely have their trajectories deflected somewhat, and therefore miss.

So how had Hajime managed to shoot the eagles around Shizuku? The answer was simple. He hadn’t hit any other monsters. Meaning he had somehow fired all three bullets along a path that avoided every one of the twenty Frost Eagles in the way. He’d taken advantage of the spaces below their wings, between their legs, and above their necks. Not only had he pulled off such a feat, but he’d also done so without even looking behind him, while still fighting other monsters.

The word “amazing” didn’t do his skills justice. They were well and truly godlike.

“You really are a reliable guy…”

Forgetting for a moment that she was on the battlefield, Shizuku just watched Hajime fight. But a second later, a loud yell brought her back to her senses.

“Don’t get so full of yourself, fucker! Hammerfist!”

Ryutarou leaped into the sky, then used his Aerodynamic-enchanted boots to jump back downward in mid-air, falling toward the Frost Turtle like a meteor. He wasn’t going to let it get any more attacks off. He activated one of his gauntlets’ new abilities, and used gravity magic to amplify his punch’s weight tenfold. That, plus the momentum gained from his fall gave his fist earth-shattering force. He really was like a comet hurtling toward the ground. The moment his steel gauntlet hit the turtle’s head, the ground shook. A massive shockwave blew away the nearby snow. The Frost Turtle’s head was blown clean off from the impact, leaving just its neck behind. Confident that he’d stalled the turtle’s attack, Ryutarou grinned and used the attack’s recoil to do a backflip in the air. However, he’d miscalculated. He hadn’t realized that the turtle had grown a new head from the stump of one of the legs Shizuku had cut off. Though it looked like a turtle, the monster was really the ice itself. It wasn’t something that followed the laws of common sense.

“Geh!? Shit—”

The moment he landed, Ryutarou was met with another pair of glimmering crimson eyes. The newly-formed head opened its jaws and prepared to attack. Sensing the vast amount of mana and cold gathering within its mouth, Ryutarou hurriedly crossed his arms to guard his vitals. Dark green light enveloped his body. He was using Diamond Skin.

Is this gonna be enough? No, I’m gonna make it be enough! Scolding himself for his hesitation, Ryutarou steeled his resolve. The turtle unleashed its breath, intent on blowing Ryutarou away along with his resolve. But just before the breath hit, an orange, hexagonal shield slid into place in front of him. The force of the breath caused the barrier to crack almost instantly, but a moment later more barriers slid into place behind it.

“O-Oh? Is that your Heaven Crusher, Suzu?”

Surprised, Ryutarou turned around to see the tiny barrier master grinning at him. Behind her, Kouki was in the middle of his incantation. This was another one of her advanced composite light spells, Heaven Crusher – Barrier. Normally Heaven Crusher was used as a makeshift shield, or to push back enemies, but by combining it with Hallowed Ground, it had turned into a formidable barrier. This was one spell Suzu had specifically asked Hajime to put into her fans. Its versatility made it her favorite spell, so she’d wanted to have a stronger version available to use whenever she needed it. Adding that versatility to stronger spells was certainly an efficient way of using mana.

After a few seconds though, Suzu’s grin transformed into a look of panic. Worried, Ryutarou turned back around. What he saw gave him a shock.

“Wha— there’s two of them now!?”

Indeed there were. A second head had sprouted from the turtle’s neck. Ryutarou had realized common sense didn’t apply to this monster when a head had grown from its leg, but this still came as a surprise.

To make matters worse, Ryutarou still couldn’t move because the first head’s breath attack hadn’t stopped. Suzu put a few more barriers down in front of Ryutarou in an attempt to prepare for the next attack. Since she’d devoted the bulk of her mana to protecting Kouki, she’d initially used Heaven Crusher – Barrier to cut down on mana expenditure, but that decision had backfired on her. If I’d known this was going to happen I would have used a more powerful barrier to begin with! She was worried even multi-layered Heaven Crushers wouldn’t be enough for this. Fortunately, she didn’t need to find out. Hajime wasn’t the only overpowered monster on the battlefield. The moment the Frost Turtle opened its second mouth, a massive dragon made of lightning flew in from the side and bit it clean off. The dragon’s roar sounded just like the Frost Turtle’s.

“Whoa, wh-what was that for…”

The lightning dragon circled around, grazing Ryutarou as it passed, then returned to its owner. Ryutarou twitched from the static discharge as the dragon’s tail swept past him. Embarrassed, he grumbled to himself to hide his earlier reaction. As he watched the lightning dragon go, he noticed Yue was looking over at him. Even though there was no way she should have been able to hear his grumbling, he was still worried she somehow had. She gave him a curt nod, then moved her fingers like a conductor’s baton, controlling seven lightning dragons at once. Dense as he was, even Ryutarou could tell what Yue was trying to say.

“Don’t let your guard down.” Scratching his head awkwardly, Ryutarou grinned ruefully.

“Hah, I just can’t compare to those guys.”

The turtle’s breath was finally starting to weaken. This time Ryutarou stayed alert for follow-up attacks as he readied his next move. Just as the breath petered out, the barriers protecting Ryutarou vanished. He charged forward, kicking off the ground with all his might.

“God, I’m jealous of them!” he shouted as he launched a Death Fist at the turtle’s leg-head. But despite his words, Ryutarou didn’t look the least bit annoyed. In fact, he was positively cheerful. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was feeling more energized than usual, knowing he had reliable allies like Yue to back him up. Nor would he ever admit that he’d fallen for Yue the moment he’d seen her imposing and beautiful figure controlling a fire dragon back in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. After all, he’d seen her flirting with Hajime the minute after, so his love had withered the moment it arrived. But that was something he wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Kouki.

“Guess I’m a moron too for sticking with them though!”

Upon seeing how attached Hajime and Yue were to each other, Ryutarou had just given up. He hadn’t even felt jealous. Though that didn’t stop him from being happy whenever Yue acknowledged his existence. However, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint her, so he kicked it up a notch and made sure to remain vigilant. He unleashed a flurry of blows that resembled a karate form, keeping his attention focused solely on the enemy in front of him. Meanwhile, Shizuku once again ran around chopping off the turtle’s legs, ruining its balance.

Though the Frost Turtle could regenerate indefinitely, the two were succeeding in keeping it busy, which was all they were after. Finally, after a half-minute that seemed like ages, Kouki was ready.

“Shizuku, Ryutarou, get back!”

“Roger!”

“I’ve been waiting for this!”

A spiral of white light rose up from Kouki’s body. His sword was glowing bright as a star, a staggering amount of mana gathered at its tip. This was Kouki’s trump card. His strongest attack.

“Take this you damned monster— Divine Wrath!”

Divine Wrath was the strongest light spell in existence, an attack that exemplified god’s wrath. Kouki swung his sword down, unleashing the cluster of condensed mana.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The Frost Turtle screamed as its shell was obliterated. Though it managed to avoid being cut entirely in two, Kouki’s attack wasn’t over yet. Divine Wrath wasn’t a slashing attack, but rather a bombardment. Kouki pointed the tip of his sword at the Frost Turtle and the mana pouring off it turned from a blade of light into a cannon of light. White annihilating light ripped through the turtle.

“Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

Kouki unleashed a powerful yell. The air around him trembled. Any part of the ground caught in his attack was gouged out, and the room was filled with blinding white light. It looked as though a mini-sun had just formed, with Kouki at the center.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The Frost Turtle roared in desperation. A second later it retracted its head into its body and formed a conical ice shield around itself. It was clear the turtle was getting desperate. The conical shield did manage to mitigate Divine Wrath’s power somewhat, but it was hardly enough to change the inevitable outcome. Not only was this the legendary hero’s strongest attack, but it had also been enhanced by the world’s greatest Synergist. The turtle’s shield cracked, then shattered under the pressure. No matter how densely packed its ice, it just melted like Icarus’ wings in the face of Kouki’s holy sun. White smoke rose from the turtle’s body as its ice evaporated. But the Frost Turtle’s greatest asset was its ability to use surrounding ice to regenerate its body. This was now a contest to see whether its regeneration could outheal the damage Kouki was delivering.

“Just disappear already! I need more power goddammiiiiiiiiit!” Kouki screamed desperately as he watched the Frost Turtle start weathering his attack. This was the utmost power Kouki could bring out at once. If this wasn’t enough to kill the turtle, it would just prove he still wasn’t strong enough to handle a labyrinth.

That alone was the one thing he was absolutely, utterly, unwilling to accept. He had to defeat this enemy using his own strength, no matter what. Otherwise, the negative feelings that had been building up within him ever since his reunion with Hajime would overflow. As if trying to prove that he really was in the right, that the situation he feared wasn’t reality, Kouki pressed forward.

“Kouki-kun…”

Suzu was a little frightened by the way Kouki looked. However, Kouki was too focused to notice Suzu’s voice or her gaze.

“Uwoooooooooooooooooooooh!”

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Kouki and the Frost Turtle’s final screams collided. A second later, there was an earsplitting crack. More followed, and the Frost Turtle was soon covered in a series of spiderweb cracks. Pieces of its body fell to the ground, its life all but shaved away. Then finally—

“Gaaaaaah!?”

With one last roar, the Frost Turtle was swallowed up by the light. Kouki’s Divine Wrath pierced right through it and bore into the wall behind it. Unable to support its own weight, the Frost Turtle split in half, down the same crack the slash portion of Kouki’s Divine Wrath had created and collapsed in on itself. At the same time, the white light faded away, signaling the end of the battle.

The Frost Turtle’s remains lay scattered on the ground, unmoving. It didn’t look like it was going to be regenerating again.

“I-I did it… Haaah… Haaah… I beat it… I really…”

Panting, Kouki stared at the Frost Turtle’s remains in awe. His legs slumped underneath him, and Suzu hurriedly caught him before he fell.

“Kouki-kun, are you al—”

Ignoring the dangerous aura she’d sensed from him earlier, Suzu worriedly called out to him. But before she could finish her sentence, the Frost Turtle’s broken body exploded. Or rather, a single Frost Eagle emerged from within it, making it seem as though its body had blown apart.

“Wha… Why’re there still moving enemies!?”

Kouki’s exhausted eyelids flew open, and Suzu shouted, “Kouki-kun, look over there!” in a panicked voice. She pointed to the Frost Eagle’s talons, which held the monster’s mana crystal.

“Dammit! I didn’t destroy it!” Kouki shouted angrily. It seemed the Frost Turtle had realized it couldn’t withstand Kouki’s Divine Wrath, and so had transferred its mana crystal into a Frost Eagle that it had hidden inside the ground. It truly was a tough, crafty monster. While it was normal for monsters of the labyrinth to be this resilient, Kouki wasn’t in the mood to praise its abilities. This can’t be happening.

“You’re not getting away! Celestial— Gah!”

“Kouki-kun!”

Kouki tried to finish the eagle off with his favorite spell, but he was too exhausted to even swing his sword. Hajime had enhanced Kouki’s Sacred Armor to absorb mana from the nearby surroundings to replenish his reserves when he got low, but that would still take another ten seconds or so. And right now, they didn’t have that kind of time. The Frost Eagle was already gathering nearby ice to transform into a Frost Turtle. If it managed to reach one of the walls, everything Kouki and the others had worked for would be undone. They’d have to do the fight all over again.

“Kouki-kun, it’s alright! Don’t push yourself!”

Suzu desperately tried to hold Kouki back, but like a man possessed, he kept struggling.

“I can do it too… I’m just as capable… No more capable than Nagumo… I’m the one who’s right… It’s me…”

But no matter how strong his determination was, Kouki could only muster a meager amount of strength. Seeing as he couldn’t gather any mana, Kouki decided to try something else. If this is my limit, then I’ve just gotta surpass it! That’s why I’ve got this skill, isn’t it!?

“Limit—”

“Kouki-kun, listen to me!”

Suzu clung to Kouki, screaming in his ears. Lack of mana was something he could recover from within a few seconds, but if he used Limit Break he’d be out of commission for much longer. Not even healing magic could fix the exhaustion that came from using Limit Break. Of course, restoration magic could, but that would require Hajime or one of the others to use up a lot of mana. Granted, at this point that would hardly be a dent in their total mana pool. That being said, it still wasn’t a trump card to use when not actually necessary. And right now, there was no need for Kouki to push himself that far. Since he wasn’t in this fight alone.

“Carve out a path— Force Pulse!”

Shizuku suddenly appeared at the Frost Eagle’s side and swung her katana down. Though she swung only once, multiple streaks of light shot toward the eagle, which was trying to escape into the ice wall. They made mincemeat out of the eagle before it could gather any ice to defend itself. The mana crystal dropped from its shredded talons.

“Shatter – Shock Slugger!”

Shizuku spun around using the force of her swing and smashed her sheath into the falling mana crystal. Dark blue mana spread out from the point of impact, rattling the sturdy crystal. Shock Slugger was a special move that Hajime had imbued into Shizuku’s sheath. It converted all the mana poured into the sheath into powerful shockwaves. Those shockwaves tore through the mana crystal, cracking it in multiple places.

“Gale!”

Shizuku then dealt the final blow with a roundhouse kicking, shattering the crystal entirely. Crimson fragments rained from the sky. At the same time, all of the other monsters in the room crumbled to the ground. They were nothing more than lifeless chunks of ice now and shattered at even the slightest touch.

“……” Kouki watched on, dumbfounded. Suzu gave him a worried look, but he didn’t notice. A boisterous laugh broke the silence.

“Hahahahahaha! We did it, Kouki! We won!”

“Huh? Oh, Ryutarou…”

“Why the long face, man? We won! You should be happy! But man, your Divine Wrath is fucking insane! It was already insane before, but now it’s even more insane.”

Though his vocabulary was somewhat lacking, Ryutarou was honestly impressed. He slapped Kouki on the back good-naturedly. Seeing his best friend in such high spirits helped clear away some of the dark thoughts intruding onto Kouki’s consciousness, and his expression softened a little.

“Yeah, you’re right. I, no we won. We beat a labyrinth monster!”

“Hell yeah! It feels so good to finally pound something down. We kept getting our asses handed to us before!”

“Haha… I certainly do feel a little refreshed now.”

“See? We’re gonna catch up to Nagumo in no time!”

“I sure hope so…”

Kouki thanked Suzu for lending him her shoulder, then stepped away and stood on his own two feet. He smiled faintly, his spirits bolstered somewhat by Ryutarou’s cheerfulness. But he was still frustrated that even his trump card hadn’t been enough to completely destroy the Frost Turtle.

“Shizuku…”

Shizuku landed gracefully beside the party. Kouki nearly shot her an accusatory glare, but then realized what he was doing and quickly smoothed his expression over.

“Hm? Good job, Kouki.”

Shizuku didn’t fail to notice Kouki’s strange behavior, but she didn’t want to ruin the celebratory mood so she didn’t mention it. Instead, she thanked him with a smile. Using all of his willpower, Kouki forced his own lips into a smile and replied, “Yeah, you too, Shizuku. That follow-up at the end was amazing.”

“Really? I think your Divine Wrath was more amazing… It was way stronger than I expected.”

“Yeah, totally! It was awesome!”

“W-Well, I just…”

Shizuku downplayed her own achievement and did her best to praise Kouki. Sounding almost desperate, Suzu quickly added her own accolades in the hopes of improving Kouki’s mood. Hearing all this praise from two pretty girls made him blush, and he scratched his cheek awkwardly. Looking at the objective destruction his Divine Wrath had wrought helped convince him that maybe they were right. Behind him, Hajime called out, “Oiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Celebrate all you want later. It’s time to go!”

Turning around, Kouki saw Hajime seated atop a mountain of ice, Metzelei resting on his shoulder. Judging by the size of the ice mountain, he’d likely slaughtered thousands of monsters all on his own. Despite that, he wasn’t even breathing hard. In fact, he looked like he’d just been out for a stroll in the park. Next to him, Yue and the others looked just as nonchalant.

Hajime put Metzelei back in his Treasure Trove and pointed off to the side. Kouki turned around again and saw an arch-shaped hole in one section of the wall that definitely hadn’t been there before. It seemed defeating the Frost Turtle had opened the path forward. Kouki and the others nodded and dashed over to where Hajime was waiting.

“Congrats. That was a pretty tough fight… but it looks like you guys can handle boss-level monsters inside labyrinths now.”

Kouki and the others’ jaws dropped open. They weren’t used to hearing praise coming out of his mouth. They stared at Hajime like he was some kind of rare animal. Annoyed, Hajime narrowed his eyes dangerously, so Shizuku hurriedly said, “Yeah, I guess we managed. Also… thanks, Nagumo-kun.”

“Huh? What for?”

“You helped us out, didn’t you? When you sniped those eagles earlier… Well, those shots were so accurate they sent shivers down my spine.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’ve been thinking this for a while, Nagumo-kun, but are you sure you don’t secretly have two jobs? There’s no way your only job is a non-combat one. Are you sure you don’t also have the Gunner job?”

“Don’t be stupid, a job like that doesn’t even exist… When humans have their backs against the wall, they’re capable of pulling off miracles, that’s all.”

Hajime’s eyes glazed over as he thought back to his traumatic experiences. Shizuku gave him a look that was half sympathy, half admiration, then turned to Yue. She was grinning proudly as Ryutarou thanked her for saving his life.

“By the way Nagumo, you sure you should have let us beat that thing?” Kouki interjected, his tone brusque. Hajime didn’t particularly mind the change in topic and he replied, “Hm? Are you worried we won’t get recognized as worthy conquerors of the labyrinth?”

“Yeah.”

“I think we’re fine, considering what the theme of this labyrinth is.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Kouki cocked his head to the side, and Hajime turned to Tio to make sure his guess was right. She nodded, then explained, “During that previous fight, we faced sub-zero temperatures, an army of infinitely regenerating monsters, and a powerful guardian controlling them all. But powerful monsters exist within Orcus’ labyrinth as well. I highly doubt the Liberators would have created labyrinths with overlapping purposes, so I suspect the Frost Caverns’ true test lies up ahead.”

“I agree with Tio. Everything up till now was just to see if we were even worth the labyrinth’s time. Whether we have the minimum ability necessary to even clear it. After all, beating these monsters wasn’t hard. I figured it wasn’t a very important part of the trial.”

“Besides, all of us killed at least a few hundred monsters each.”

“Since we were able to overwhelm an army like that, I’m sure we won’t be disqualified on the power front.”

“Mmm… So don’t worry.”

All the evidence pointed to Tio’s conjecture being correct. Furthermore, Hajime and the others had suppressed the massive army of monsters with consummate ease. Besides, Hajime and the others had far more experience conquering labyrinths, so Kouki couldn’t really refute them. Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutarou all nodded, impressed by Tio’s deduction, but Kouki once again felt a wave of negative emotions well up. Despite having defeated the powerful Frost Turtle, he felt like the gap between him and Hajime was growing, not shrinking. Knowing he couldn’t let these emotions out, Kouki bottled them up deep inside and nodded as well.

“Amanogawa, how’re your mana reserves doing?”

“Fine. I drank a mana potion so I should be good.”

Kouki smiled, pretending as if everything was fine. Shizuku could tell his smile was faked and opened her mouth to say something. But she couldn’t find the right words, and in the end, she just stood there until it was time to depart. The group left the devastated battlefield behind and walked into the dark corridor. Ignoring the inner turmoil of one of their party members, they struck out into the unknown future.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.