CHAPTER 4

Onward, Brethren

01

“How is this happening?! They’ve fused with monsters!” cried the soldiers in disbelief at the corpses surging forth.

Perhaps the dead weren’t used to their haphazardly pieced-together bodies, as they moved somewhat stiffly. Some of them carried themselves in ways that suggested they had probably been high-ranking adventurers in life. Only their original body parts showed such refined movement, however. The way the monstrosities had been pieced together offset their centers of gravity, and differences in leg lengths hindered them from showing their true abilities. Nothing resembling reason could be found in the vacant expressions of the creatures; hopefully, they did not realize what a terrible thing had befallen them. Whether that was fortunate for the walking corpses or for the Labyrinth Suppression Forces who would have to face them was up for debate.

At the very least, the clumsy bodies of the seemingly endless supply of enemies proved a boon to the Forces, whose fighting-ready members had dropped below two hundred.

Swords were swung, lopping off heads and limbs. Spears punctured holes in torsos. Halberds sliced bodies clean in half. Great showers of arrows rained down. Magic swallowed and engulfed the rotting bodies. It was an overwhelming march that resembled a massacre.

As a group, with Leonhardt in command, the Labyrinth Suppression Forces clearly boasted higher strength. So why didn’t the corpses falter?

Death had taken from them fear and pain, and none of them seemed to care if they had holes in their chests. If one didn’t have legs, it crawled with its arms, and if a corpse didn’t have arms, it gripped a weapon in its mouth. Over and over, the creatures would fall to the Forces, but the army of the dead continued its offensive. There was a palpable sense of preparedness for death, a conviction that emanated from the lurching army of deceased men. In truth, such a preparedness for the end was no different from the feelings of their living brethren, who willingly entered the Labyrinth and delved into such perilous places.

“Protect our city! Now is the time for glory!” Mariela could hear those words emanating from the battle, but which side did the cries belong to?

From Mariela’s point of view, that first disaster was only around a year ago. The hopes the people of the Citadel City had carried in the middle of the chaotic Stampede hadn’t yet faded. The will of the Kingdom of Endalsia had persisted for two hundred years and now filled this stratum.

As a mere alchemist, Mariela had no way to grant those ancient desires. The young woman simply clung to the back of her raptor and ran through a time that should have been long past, charging forward with the army that fought back against the wave of death.

“Protect our city! Now is the time for glory!”

“Even if I fall in battle, as long as someone important is able to survive…”

Such feelings were expressed in the clash of blades. With each foe his weapon met, Leonhardt could feel it, too.

“These things still hold on to the dreams they once had. It’s an endless nightmare that’s lasted for two centuries,” Freyja said to Leonhardt as the two finally reached the stairs leading to the fifty-eighth stratum. Her voice was unusually quiet, as though she were offering words of condolence.

“So they’re the victims of the Stampede from two hundred years ago?”

Freyja nodded in response to Leonhardt’s question. To the walking dead, the tragedy of so many lifetimes ago had never ended; they probably saw Leonhardt and the others as the monsters that were attacking. That was what drove them to fight eternally, even in such a state.

“In other words, an entire kingdom’s worth of corpses from Endalsia awaits us below.”

“That and all the monsters that perished.”

“Why are they fused with the monsters?”

As she listened vaguely to Weishardt and Freyja’s exchange, Mariela recalled what Sieg had related to her about how Endalsia came to ruin. The story of the Stampede two hundred years ago had been passed down like a fairy tale. It was said that the swarm of monsters that closed in on the Citadel City consumed both the heroes who opposed them and the people of the kingdom. Then they ate their fellow monsters. The last one remaining swallowed the spirit of the ley line, and subsequently, the Labyrinth was born.

Freyja’s response to Weishardt was both straightforward and repulsive. “This stratum and the one above us were the Labyrinth boss’s ‘legs,’ right? What lies above the legs?”

“The stomach…?”

In other words, those who had been eaten in the battle two hundred years ago and settled into the stomach of the last remaining monster were gathered in the stratum below as remnants of their former selves.

Most likely, only a small portion of the true horde was overflowing into this stratum—the corpses storming up from the newly opened stairs. However, the number that could reach the stratum was limited by the actual physical dimensions of the path. Elite soldiers positioned in front of the stairs kept the swarm of the dead at bay, using skills to burn them or reduce them to chunks of flesh to keep them from moving farther upward.

“Lady Sage, why do you think the corpses are able to cross through strata?”

This time, it was Leonhardt who sought Freyja’s opinion. Admittedly, his question might have been meaningless in and of itself; the knowledge would’ve made little difference. It was more for the man’s own reassurance than anything else.

Freyja’s answer was quick to cut down any hope Leonhardt may have been holding on to.

“You think it’s just the corpses that can?”

It wasn’t that these shambling dead things had some unusual ability to move between strata; rather, whatever prevented all monsters from moving up the levels had been removed when the fifty-eighth stratum opened. Just as Leonhardt had feared, a stampede had begun.

Realizing this, Leonhardt looked to the heavens and closed his eyes. He wanted to remind himself not of the dark ceiling of the Labyrinth, but of the blue sky stretching over the Labyrinth City and the future that awaited them all at the end of this battle. After this quiet contemplation, Leonhardt issued an order to his younger brother without a hint of hesitation.

“Weis, take the scouts, the fourth and fifth units; return to the surface.”

“But, Brother!”

“Don’t worry. The boss of the Labyrinth has lost its legs; it’s squirming and struggling. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity. I have long desired to kill the Labyrinth and give this city, and our territory, a future. But the future of this city, and of our territory, is nothing without its people. What is a lord without the masses? Protecting them is our duty as well. That is why I entrust you with this duty. Go, Weishardt! I leave them all in your hands!” Leonhardt placed a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder. As the brothers passed each other, he added, “Go, protect your princess.”

Weishardt clenched his teeth and firmly grasped his brother’s hand in his own. Taking command of his new charges, Weis issued orders with resolve and speed. “We’re running through! Follow me, and don’t fall behind! Scouts, order the adventurers within the Labyrinth to return home! Gather as much information as possible about the migration of the monsters through the strata!”

Since the second stratum connected to the underground Aqueduct, the situation could deteriorate quickly if monsters reached it. An immediate blockade would be required. The Forces needed to guard the protective wall around the Labyrinth and prepare to meet the monsters that were no doubt going to charge forward from its depths. At the same time, those who couldn’t fight needed to be given evacuation instructions. Weishardt’s troops had to return to the surface before the monsters in order to minimize the number of victims.

Dick, I’m heading for the surface. Stay alive so we may meet again.

Malraux joined those returning to the City and sent a parting telepathic message to Dick. The man’s mental communication wouldn’t function over distances as far as the deepest part of the Labyrinth to the surface. However, it would undoubtedly be helpful in the extreme chaos that was to come topside.

Yeah, they need your telepathy. Make sure you get out of there in one piece. Dick replied with a short message.

As a constant precaution against the worst-case scenario in subjugating a stratum boss, soldier slaves accompanied the Forces and served as a supply train for consumable goods such as spare weapons, arrows, food, and potions, among other things. Now was no different, and they still had goods to spare. However, with the stratum stairs no longer safe, the supply line was severed. Proceeding from here to the lower stratum meant confronting an unknown enemy with scant information and no hope of reinforcements or supplies. How likely was it that they’d actually be able to return alive?

While you’re at it, make arrangements for the celebratory party. Despite such grim circumstances, Dick’s mental reply was very characteristic of him. It carried neither excitement nor fear and made it sound like he was merely heading to the Fell Forest as he had during his time with the Black Iron Freight Corps.

“Mariela, you’re probably a little frightened, so close your eyes and hold the raptor tight. Salamander, Come Forth. Light Mariela’s path.” Freyja spoke wearing her serious “master” expression. She gently stroked Mariela’s head, took her hand, and placed the reins into it.

The young alchemist’s hands were as cold as ice and violently shaking at the swarm of grotesque and unpleasantly familiar bodies. After wrapping Mariela’s right hand tightly in both of her own, Freyja touched the ring on the girl’s middle finger, summoned a small salamander about the size of one’s open palm, placed it on the raptor’s head, and smiled.

“Rawr!”

“Rar?! Raaar!!!”

The little salamander communicated something, and Koo replied as though saying “Leave it to me!”

“Well then, Sieg. I’m counting on you,” said Freyja. The Sage of Calamity then departed no more dramatically than if she was simply going to get a bottle of alcohol and began walking toward the front lines to join Leonhardt.

“M-Master…”

Freyja looked over her shoulder at the voice calling to her and waved in response. Mariela had a terrible feeling she’d never see Freyja again.

Mariela wanted to tell her to stop, but she felt that was almost certainly the wrong thing to do. She believed her master had awoken in this era because there was something she needed to do. Freyja had probably left to go do just that.

If her master told her to, Mariela would fulfill her duty as well. Even if that responsibility lay beyond the great hordes of the walking corpses. Resolving not to simply be a burden, like she had been when they’d lost Lynx, Mariela gripped the raptor’s reins tightly in her hands.

“Well, Your Excellency. Shall we go?”

“Oh, Lady Sage. It’s heartening to have your support. I don’t suppose there’s a good strategy you know of?” Leonhardt asked. Freyja had previously demonstrated unparalleled understanding of the situation, after all. Even facing an army of the dead, Leonhardt showed no fear; his majestic appearance made him worthy of the nickname the Gold Lion General.

“This isn’t a ‘strategy’ per se, but those corpses were slapped together; their individual attack power is low. Trouble is, there are a lot of them, and they’re extremely hardy. In this stratum, they’ll stop moving if you chop them up, but since the belly of the Labyrinth’s boss is right beneath us, they’ll probably be remade right away if you just slice them without a plan. If everyone cut down a hundred of them, that still wouldn’t be enough to keep up. Instead, just charge through without worrying about them. No more limit on stratum movement, remember? The way down should already be open. Luckily, the inside of the belly is a straight shot, no forks. If you plow your way through the corpses, you’ll definitely get there.”

“If we do that, the corpses will flood up the stratums.”

“I’ll stay to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Lady Sage…”

“No need to worry. This’ll be a piece of cake compared to culling earth dragons in the Fell Forest two hundred years ago. Besides, these people are from my time. It’s only fitting that I be the one to send them home, don’t you think? It’s fine; no need to worry about me. Living a long time gives you a sense of when you’re nearing the end. And I won’t meet my end in a place like this.” Freyja’s big grin brought the conversation between the pair to a close.

There was no time left for deliberation. The strategy had been established. After directing the entire army to use the monster-warding potions they carried, Leonhardt ordered the start of the operation. “Mage unit to the front! Unleash your magic at maximum firepower! Everyone, follow me! We’re running through at full speed!”

“Huuuooooooh!”

The war cry was intense enough to shake the Labyrinth, but to whom did it belong? Like the high-powered flames the mages unleashed, Leonhardt plunged into the enemy vanguard and cut through them, his soldiers close behind.

People and monsters alike burned as the swallowed city turned to ash, and every single person shouted as if a war cry could keep the stench at bay. They all charged forward with weapons in hand and unleashed magic and techniques to open the way down.

Just like a charging beast.

Just like a monster closing in.

Just like the day of the Stampede.

The Labyrinth’s fifty-eighth stratum was a cavern resembling an intestinal tract smeared with blood. Although there was no visible sky, the reddish-brown walls made it look like a city in flames, and the wet red floor gave the impression of a ruined, bloodstained country.

The Labyrinth Suppression Forces shook off the clinging corpses as they might shake off past nightmares, literally cutting through them, and crossed the ceaseless vision of horror, leaving the corpses behind.

Take up your swords! Ready your bows. You damn monsters. How dare you! How dare you—

Which side harbored such thoughts?

“It’s all over.” Freyja calmly stood at the entrance to the Labyrinth’s fifty-eighth stratum—the unending nightmare—far behind Leonhardt and the others. Multiple layers of flaming walls surrounded her to prevent the corpses from surging into the upper stratum.

“It’s your turn, my kin. Your first big stage in two hundred years. The job is to lead home those poor lost children who are trapped in the past. You’ve received plenty of offerings, so how about you show me what you can do?”

Despite the fact that they’d be burned to charcoal by the flames, the corpses accumulated and closed in, and the blazing walls surrounding Freyja began to narrow, bit by bit. She smoothly dodged the spears and magic that flew her way while desperately defending the stairs to the upper floor in a beautiful dance of flame, and she wasn’t performing alone. A group of fire spirits was emerging one by one around her.

A lone corpse stepped in front of Freyja, as if lured by her steps. Perhaps as a result of the crimson dance, a trace of reason could be seen in his eyes. “Say, have you seen a girl? I wonder if that alchemist made it home safely?”

The corpse had severe injuries, and more than half of his body had been blended with a monster’s. The little bit of clothing remaining suggested he had once been a guard. In fact, it was the same guard who had given Mariela his own monster-warding potion on that day two hundred years ago.

“Yeah, she made it. So you can rest easy and go home, too.” Freyja began to sing while she danced. It was a song she offered to the spirits, one with which she commanded her kin. No, perhaps it was more appropriate to call it a requiem for the dead.

“Come, great flames. Come, great flames. True fire, deep fire, you are primordial blood. Ignite, destroy, burst, barrage. Summon Fire Blast!”

In that instant, the stratum of the ancient dead was engulfed in a thunderous roar and a blast of overwhelming heat. The inferno purified the hellish scene, reducing it to ash and scattering the remnants to the wind.

A great many corpses had awoken from their two-hundred-year nightmare. As properly deceased people, as they were meant to be, the dead at last embarked on a journey to the one place they were meant to go.

02

Weishardt was dashing up the stratum stairs that ran through the Labyrinth when he felt a blast rock the foundation of the entire underground.

The fifty-sixth stratum’s red dragon hadn’t yet revived, and Weishardt continued through to the fifty-fifth and then the fifty-fourth. Thankfully, the only monsters here had been each floor’s respective bosses: the Black Fiends and the Sea-Floating Pillar. Weishardt ran all the way up to the fifty-third stratum, where he at last saw with his own eyes that monsters were moving between different strata.

…Are they eating each other?

Basilisks had left their habitat on the fifty-second stratum and moved to the fifty-first, where they were attacking and greedily devouring the beasts that lived there. In such a state, they resembled the monsters inhabiting the Fell Forest.

Monsters of the Labyrinth ate people. However, Weishardt had never heard of monsters here eating their own kind or dying of starvation from lack of people to consume. The purported reason for this was that monster bodies were maintained by the magical power filling the Labyrinth. However, when different species met, did one species naturally become prey?

“At any rate, they do not seem to be heading for the surface en masse. If that’s the case… Let’s hurry to the surface while we have the chance!”

Without a moment to lose, Weishardt and the others ran up to the fiftieth stratum and used the Teleportation Circle to return to the second stratum.

“I don’t believe monsters can activate a Teleportation Circle, but keep watch over it for caution’s sake. If you confirm a suspicious transition, destroy it immediately!” said Weishardt.

Considering that this magic circle was a way back for Leonhardt’s group, Weishardt wanted to leave it the way it was. However, he couldn’t overlook the danger of powerful monsters from around the fiftieth stratum suddenly appearing in the second.

“Blockade the Aqueduct entrance on the second stratum! Don’t allow monsters to invade from underground! Fifth unit, establish a defense on the tenth stratum, and sixth unit is to be stationed at the Labyrinth entrance! If you encounter any adventurers, immediately have them return to the surface for the time being. Malraux, take command of half of the scout unit and get me some intel on the situation from the tenth stratum up. The rest of you, get in touch with every location! This is an emergency summons!”

“Sir!” The soldiers immediately took action under Weishardt’s orders. During the brief time when the monsters moving between strata were eating those in the earlier levels, the protectors of the Labyrinth City had to get ready. This was a race against time, and no one was about to let the tragedy that had befallen them two centuries ago repeat itself.

03

A handful of goblins were the first monsters to reach the surface. They were a hideous sight to youths aspiring to be adventurers, but they made for an easy battle.

Goblin skin was a dark, greenish-brown hue, a pigmentation never found in humans, and they had small, childlike bodies. However, the fact that goblins walked on two feet and were similar to humans in a few ways helped to inspire a type of readiness in those considering the life of an adventurer, a person who continually fought and slaughtered monsters. The sight of a slain goblin brought many to consider that it just as easily could have been them. Such monsters had a certain unsettling familiarity about them. However, the ones that crawled from the Labyrinth for the first time were noticeably different.

Their skin was darker and duller than that of normal goblins, and they had bloodshot eyes. Blood mixed with saliva dripped from their mouths, staining their chests. Each held a low-quality sword covered with blood and fat. Whether the creatures had picked up the weapons in the Labyrinth or had taken them from some unfortunate victims was unclear. Unusual monsters like these had previously only been encountered in the Fell Forest: for example, the black death wolves and werewolves that the Black Iron Freight Corps had once come across.

Those wolves would eat people, go mad from magical power, eat their fellow monsters, and become more ferocious individuals. Any living thing that ate of its own species could hardly have been considered acceptable, but perhaps it was a fitting evolution for creatures that originally arose from corrupted magical power.

The goblins, felled by soldiers who were keeping watch, had been stronger than the average specimen of their kind. Strangely, despite having been generated within the Labyrinth, their corpses didn’t vanish.

“Were their bodies fully incarnated?” Weishardt received a report regarding the goblins in a council room of the Adventurers Guild, and that was when he hit on the reason for the monster cannibalism he’d witnessed. “Are they eating each other to acquire physical bodies? What is the status of monster generation within the Labyrinth?”

The magical power of the Labyrinth’s boss hung thick in the air of the deep strata. Among the monsters generated from the stagnant magical power, individuals whose bodies hadn’t incarnated much probably couldn’t exist without a constant supply of magical energy. So they would eat one another to replenish their magical power and achieve full incarnation.

If monsters ate each other and evolved into stronger forms, their numbers would decrease. As long as those creatures of the Labyrinth didn’t come thundering through like an avalanche, it was possible to hold them back and buy more time.

“According to a report from the fifth unit defending the tenth stratum, the number of monsters being generated in the shallow strata has doubled, and about ten percent of those are one rank higher than the rest. Higher-rank ones are eating the other monsters in the area and moving toward the surface. The fifth unit is blocking the progress of the monsters from the tenth stratum upward, but the report says that the strength of the fiends is increasing slowly over time.”

New monsters were appearing one after another and moving to reach the surface. It seemed like a desperate situation for sure. However, Weishardt had noticed a silver lining in that report. Not even two hours had passed since they had established their headquarters in the Adventurers Guild, the place closest to the Labyrinth. If there was a time for action, it was now.

“On that note, Your Excellency, how do ya want us to welcome our guests of honor from the Labyrinth?” asked Haage, the master of the Adventurers Guild.

It wasn’t just the Labyrinth Suppression Forces who had been assembled, either. Elmera, master of the Merchants Guild, and division chairs with high fighting strength had been summoned as well. The City Defense Squad, charged with guarding the Labyrinth City, was also present. It was understandable for the colonel and Captain Kyte to be there, though Adviser Teluther’s presence was questionable.

However, Teluther was observing the situation not with his usual excitement at being in the presence of his admired Lightning Empress Elsee, but with a tense, extremely serious expression. Perhaps he’d hastened here believing that his long career in the City Defense Squad meant he would be able to provide something of use.

“The Labyrinth’s northeastern gate is closed, so enter and exit on the southwestern side. The Labyrinth City’s large southwestern gate, western gate, and southern gate are closed. City Defense Squad, continue to guard the protective wall while advising residents who can’t fight to evacuate. Just like with the drills, we will use the mountain road leading from the large northeastern gate for evacuation.”

Around the Labyrinth was a reconstructed, protective wall that had once been the castle ramparts for the Kingdom of Endalsia. The barricade was meant to hold back the monsters in the unlikely event they flooded out of the Labyrinth. Not one had emerged in the past two hundred years; the wall had simply served to give a sense of security to the people living in the Labyrinth City. However, thanks to how carefully it had been repaired, it would now serve as the city’s final line of defense.

The barrier around the Labyrinth had two entrances, one on the northeast side and one on the southwest. The former, which many residents used, was closed. The purpose of this was also to buy time to evacuate, because if you left the Labyrinth City and headed northeast along the mountain road, you would arrive at the dwarves’ autonomous region, Rock Wheel.

A route through the Fell Forest by way of monster-warding potions also existed, but there was a possibility the forest’s monsters were linked to—and had been invigorated by—the Labyrinth. It was safer to use the mountain road, an already well-known evacuation route, in times of emergency.

“Adventurers Guild, organize your people to subjugate monsters in the Labyrinth. Form lines of defense on the tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth strata. Keep the monsters’ progress in check while bringing down as many as possible. I would also like to request that the Merchants Guild supply and transport reinforcements and goods. I will ask Lord Royce and the Aguinas family to make potions available. The house of Margrave Schutzenwald will be responsible for all expenses.” Weishardt took command just as easily as his brother would’ve.

“We were gonna do that from the get-go, but how long do ya plan to fight?” Haage asked as both the mediator for the adventurers and as a guildmaster.

Was the battle they were ordered to fight meant to buy time to save the residents’ lives, or were they sacrifices meant to prevent damage from reaching the imperial capital?

Adventurers had far more freedom than soldiers. They had few obligations, but in exchange, there was no security. Of course, those who belonged to the guild were entitled to guild benefits in exchange for defined responsibilities, so it was possible to mobilize members by force. It was even within the power of the guild to send adventurers into an extremely dangerous place without telling them the particulars.

However, in addition to being a guildmaster, Haage held classes for young adventurers and had been teaching people how to fight for a long time. He wanted to help raise strong adventurers and see them return alive; he couldn’t send them somewhere perilous without telling them anything.

“What should I say to ’em before I send ’em off?” Haage’s eyes were serious. He was not about to falter, not even in the face of the house of Margrave Schutzenwald’s influence.

They faced threats from the Labyrinth on the inside, the Fell Forest on the outside.

The man who had long watched over the adventurers of this isolated human land was also their protector.

“They’re to remain until my brother has killed the Labyrinth, Haage.” Weishardt looked the bald man straight in the eye as he answered. Leonhardt was still fighting, and Weishardt trusted that his brother would slip through the sea of the deceased and deliver the point of his sword to the boss of the Labyrinth. “New monsters are being created, eating each other, and incarnating. That means there are fewer monsters than there have been for a long time, but they’re also strong enough to move to the surface. The Labyrinth Suppression Forces and adventurers entering the Labyrinth for many years and continuing to weaken its power was by no means pointless. Our time spent, our sacrifices, from drops of blood to chunks of flesh, were all worthwhile.”

Weishardt stood before them and made his speech. Although they had different affiliations, the people gathered in that room all lived in the same city and fought together against the Labyrinth.

“And now, the monsters can move freely, despite the fact that without enough incarnated monsters, preparations for a stampede are not complete. There is no doubt that our accursed, longstanding enemy in the Labyrinth has its back to the wall. My brother, the Gold Lion General Leonhardt, will kill the Labyrinth. Of that I am certain. So in answer to your question, Haage… Until that time, we will protect the Labyrinth City and the people who live there, defeat monsters, and work to weaken the power of the Labyrinth.”

Weishardt didn’t have any skills like Lion’s Roar to inspire the people. However, an equally powerful force existed in his words. The man continued to stare straight at Haage, and all present sensed the unwavering fighting spirit burning within him.

“Listen, everyone. This is not a battle of defense with no end in sight. This is a battle to take back our city, this region, from the monsters and return it to human hands. Understand that we are at a turning point. Will we win the right to build a happy future for ourselves and welcome each day in this land that will be truly ours? Or will those days, will our very lives, be snatched from us and devoured? I know my brother, the Gold Lion General, will defeat the Labyrinth and return this land to us. Until then, we must protect it, together.”

There was no despair in Weishardt’s eyes; instead, there was confidence, and the conviction that he would protect the people. Such was the duty of those born into the house of Margrave Schutzenwald. It was their dearest wish and for Weishardt, his raison d’être.

“I see. So the Gold Lion General is still fighting, is he? In that case, our blades are yours, Lieutenant General Weishardt. The Labyrinth Suppression Forces have the support of the Adventurers Guild!” Bam! Haage gave his answer along with a snappy thumbs-up and a radiant grin.

If the Schutzenwald brothers hadn’t given up the fight, then the Labyrinth City, built so the Labyrinth could be killed, would fulfill its purpose. In this pivotal moment, adventurers would not fail to take up arms.

“Let’s go, ladies and gents! Summon the adventurers! Now’s the time to stand our ground! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Don’t forget to take care of the idiots and make sure they don’t rush into danger! Let’s go! It’s time for Team Haage!”

Was it the destiny of an adventurer to be roused to action in exactly this sort of situation? Haage had directed his thumbs-up toward the assembled top brass of the Adventurers Guild, and they all responded at the same time: “Guildmaster, please go on your own.”

“Even with all of us managing things and assigning adventurers according to their abilities, we’ll be short-staffed. Honestly, you should know that much.”

“Ah, but we don’t need your help here, Guildmaster, so please fight to the utmost on the front lines.”

“Besides, no one wants to call us ‘Team Haage’ except you.”

“Wh-what’s is wrong with all of you?!”

Even though he’d expressly gone “Bam!” when he made the decision, nothing had come of it, as per usual. Despite the state of emergency, the strong-willed staff members of the Adventurers Guild didn’t budge an inch but ran things as they always did. They really exuded a sense of stability, likely thanks to Haage’s daily training.

The top brass of the Adventurers Guild left the council room to summon adventurers, as Weishardt had directed. They were quite calm, even finding the time for pointless chatter.

“I’ve always had objections to the name Team Haage.”

“I’d at least like it to be Team Limit Breaker. Something even a little less embarrassing.”

“No, what about Team Hair? That way, the boss can’t join. Not that he ever had to join us.”

“You all know I shave this, right?”

“Mm… So you’ve gone out of your way to encourage hair loss? That’s a very fresh interpretation. Still, it’s impossible to say you’re not bald.”

Although they cracked jokes with each other, the guild staff members were hastily dividing up their work. Watching, Weishardt peered curiously at the adventurers, tilting his head, his beautiful blond hair bouncing slightly.

“He shaves it… So pure!” Telluther seemed to have been deeply moved by something.

04

The stairway heading into the abyss of the Labyrinth began at the end of the corridor creating the nightmare, just as the Sage of Calamity had said.

They’d managed to shake off the corpses, flying down the stairs as if an explosion were propelling them forward. The Labyrinth’s fifty-ninth stratum was pitch-black, keeping Leonhardt from seeing what awaited him.

The corpses on the fifty-eighth stratum had lost interest in the Labyrinth Suppression Forces that had charged through. Instead, the walking corpses appeared more interested in heading toward the upper strata. Would they reach the surface, or was Freyja still going strong even after the explosion powerful enough to devastate the entire fifty-eight stratum? There was no way for Leonhardt and the others who walked among the abyss to know for sure.

The stairs connecting the strata of the Labyrinth up to this point were aptly called “stratum stairs”; they had been constructed with uniform steps. Here, however, the way down was a slope of accumulated rocks and dirt. No longer was there a structure one would call a “staircase.” The stratum’s ceiling was high, likely dozens of meters above, making the path down seem even steeper.

Not a single blade of grass had sprouted in the soil, giving the impression the place was a newly excavated cave. The dirt appeared to be claylike rather than coarse and sandy, and there was enough water underground to dampen the chill earth. Although soft, the soil wasn’t loose and posed no threat to anyone’s footing; rather, it had the texture of something like soft rock made of densely packed particles.

“Light. I can’t see anything. Light the lamps and confirm the damage.” At Leonhardt’s order, the soldiers lit their lamps one after another and filed into ranks.

Normally, the walls and ceilings of the Labyrinth contained shining rocks called luminous stones or another material called moonstone. Both made the strata as bright as day. Even in gloomy strata, you could use night-vision magic to ensure a sufficient view. However, there were neither luminous stones nor moonstones in this stratum. This was truly the bottom of a dark hole that any would have rightly dubbed an abyss.

In this level, devoid of light and as silent as the grave, the signs of life were the roll calls taken and the lamps lit by the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. The damage check was surprisingly quick, but both the reports and the roll call were done in near whispers. No one believed the stratum was free of monsters.

The Forces had lowered their voices so as to listen carefully for the sound of monsters approaching. Monsters in this stratum could have been heading right for them, guided by the light from magic or lamps.

Shining lanterns in this darkness would mean telling the fiends their position, but the soldiers wouldn’t have been able to sense monsters approaching otherwise. More than anything else, however, it was fear that caused Leonhardt and the others to use illumination magic.

It’s hard to believe that this is what came after a nightmare like the Stampede two hundred years ago…

Mariela recalled the cellar of her cottage in the Fell Forest, where, terrified of dying, she’d used the Magic Circle of Suspended Animation.

Back then, I was so, so scared… I just didn’t want to die there all alone…

Perhaps sensing Mariela’s uneasiness, the salamander riding on the raptor’s head looked back at her with a “Rawr?” and tilted its own head a bit. The little spirit had been given form with her master’s magical power and so had a physical existence. Despite its having been born of fire, the salamander wasn’t too hot for the raptor’s head. The flickering flame reminded Mariela of the lantern’s light back when the Kingdom of Endalsia had fallen.

On the day of the Stampede, the flame of the lantern she’d carelessly forgotten to extinguish had led her to the world of two centuries later. The young alchemist wondered where the salamander’s light was leading her now.

“It’s all right, Mariela, I’ll protect you.” Sieg, who was holding the raptor’s reins, tried to reassure her. The alchemist’s worries must have shown on her face.

“Yeah, thank you. It was scary, and I’m still worried, but I’ll manage.” Mariela put on a smile as she answered Sieg.

She’d run through the Fell Forest to escape alone on that day two hundred years ago, but she wasn’t by herself now. This time, the Forces and, most importantly, Sieg were at her side. She would be all right. Mariela wasn’t taking refuge in a cellar alone; she was in a place everyone had worked together to reach.

When the young alchemist took a fresh look around, she saw that the stratum was extremely large. However, the darkness kept her from taking it all in. This lack of vision might have made the place feel more expansive and more mysterious to her than it actually was.

Within the illuminated area, enormous lumps of earth stood in a row. They varied greatly in size, ranging from only a few meters to over ten, but all of them towered over the average human. Their irregular shapes, as if a child had made them out of dirt, made it difficult to call them rocks. They looked like they’d been carelessly molded from clay.

The damage report seemed to have wrapped up while Mariela was surveying the place.

A short distance beyond the entrance to the stratum, each unit formed a line in front of Leonhardt and the captains, who themselves were standing as though to guard the general. Nierenberg, his medical team, Mariela, and the sixth unit in charge of protecting them were in the center line.

The Labyrinth Suppression Forces, which had numbered over two hundred people when they’d first entered the Labyrinth that day, had suffered losses during the battle with the Bladed Beast of Many Legs. After some had split off and made for the surface with Weishardt, the group that remained had steadily lost more of their men while pushing through the stratum with all the walking dead bodies. Only about a hundred of them remained. Roughly half of those lost had returned alive to the surface, but the Forces had clearly suffered some heavy casualties.

Most likely, everyone felt the same. They’d given their all in the battle with the Bladed Beast of Many Legs; neither fighting power nor resources had been spared. Crossing the sea of corpses had been no easy task, either. The alchemist was still going strong, and the army hadn’t yet run out of potions, but was it really possible to make it through this stratum with only half of their original fighting force and without adequate preparation?

Like this floor of the Labyrinth, a darkness seemed to swallow the hearts of the remaining members of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. The gigantic clumps of earth might as well have been a high wall that barred the way.

“Rawr!”

A sharp cry from the salamander broke the silence. As if in response, the raptor leaped to the left to pull Sieg, who was holding the reins, and the nearby soldiers away.

“Eek, Koo?!”

“Whoa, hey!”

Mariela and Sieg cried out in surprise at the sudden movement of the raptor. The soldiers whose ranks had been thrown into disorder all stared, equally startled.

“What’s going on?”

Before the words even left his mouth, some kind of enormous explosion blew away the soldiers to the right of Mariela’s group like a pile of wooden splinters.

05

The city was in an uproar.

The news that monsters from the Labyrinth were heading to the surface was sweeping the streets, so such a reaction was understandable.

The Adventurers Guild was near the Labyrinth, and adventurers gathered there one after another, each fired up. A person who would flee upon hearing that monsters were attacking would never have been among their ranks. Every person there jumped at the chance to make a good profit and earn a reputation for themselves.

Of course, in order to survive and be able to earn money and prestige, information was needed more than anything else. People packed the Adventurers Guild because they understood that rashly storming the Labyrinth was not a good plan. Staff members more than had their hands full with distributing information on the status of the monster outbreak, suitable ranks for each stratum, and deployment locations of support items such as potions.

Running against the stream, Elmera hurried toward Sunlight’s Canopy. Of the work entrusted to the Merchants Guild, the duties of transporting and supplying goods were things Leandro was qualified to handle. Elmera trusted that he would skillfully allocate work to the staff and that everything would proceed without issue.

What Elmera was better suited for in an emergency situation like this was fighting on the Labyrinth’s thirtieth stratum and below as the Lightning Empress. There she would cull the monsters, even if only a little. A single monster’s death weakened the Labyrinth, and delaying the progress of powerful monsters meant buying more time for the people who couldn’t fight to escape.

And to that end, Elmera was heading for Sunlight’s Canopy to prepare. She fought for the sake of her children and faced the battlefield to ensure that they would not come to harm. That was why she had to make arrangements to ensure that they got away.

Elmera’s precious children awaited their mother at the entrance to Sunlight’s Canopy, along with Voyd and Ghark.

“Hello, Elmera. I thought I’d run into you if I waited here for a bit.” Elmera’s husband, Voyd, smiled and called to her as if he’d been waiting for a lost child. Next to him stood their two sons, Pallois and Elio, as well as the woman’s grandfather, Ghark.

“Darling, Pallois, Elio, Grandpappy…”

Elmera’s two children were wearing some unusual outfits. Both had donned the armor they normally used during combat training at school, and they carried no luggage for evacuation.

Elio was the type who fought with magic, so he had no weapons to begin with. Pallois, on the other hand, was holding a real sword and shield. Ghark, who accompanied them, had brought his customary double ax and was brimming with an amount of vigor one wouldn’t have expected from such an old man.

“Mama! I’m going to the Labyrinth, too!” Elio embraced Elmera in a cute gesture appropriate for his age while saying something rather troubling.

“My, what are you talking about, Elio? You will leave the monsters to your mother and evacuate with Grandpappy.”

Elmera responded as any mother would have. In truth, she wanted to take her children and evacuate, but she knew where she was needed.

“Mother, the guards told us ‘Those who can fight go to the Labyrinth; those who can’t fight evacuate.’ That’s why we have to go. We learned how to fight in school.”

Pallois’s assertion that they were ready for battle put Elmera in a bind. Certainly, two children with the blood of Elmera and Voyd possessed plenty of the qualities needed in warriors. However, they were still children.

“‘Don’t go in too deep. If it becomes dangerous, run away, no questions asked. That’s the hardest part.’ That’s what we learned from Miss Master. We don’t want to go with everyone out of selfishness, Mother. We’ll make sure to fight in a place that’s appropriate for us. We can do it. Believe in us.”

The “Miss Master” Pallois referred to was Freyja. The red-haired woman had always seemed to be just playing with the children, but apparently, the sage had been teaching them important lessons.

Even so, Elmera was dumbstruck. Voyd gently nestled up to her and spoke. “Let’s let them go. It’s all right—they’re our children, after all. Your grandfather will be with them the whole time, and I want to respect their desire to stand and fight.”

“Darling… I understand.”

Elmera nodded, and Voyd smiled tenderly at his wife.

The family was soon joined by Sherry and Emily, who had met them there, as well as Amber, who had finished closing up Sunlight’s Canopy. Although they weren’t very well equipped, they wore armor that covered their vital spots. Amber had a pole about the length of a broomstick, Sherry wore two cooking knives at her waist, and Emily carried monster-warding potions, as well as smoke bombs with a variety of effects, such as sleep and concealment.

Evidently, they also intended to go to the Labyrinth. Amber dealt with drunken adventurers all the time, so she was likely fairly capable, and schools in the city taught children how to fight, so the girls would know enough to handle goblins.

Even Emily, the girl of the inn, was ready to head to the Labyrinth as if it was the obvious thing to do. Likely more than half of the Labyrinth City’s children were adhering to the orders for those capable of fighting to make for the Labyrinth.

Seeing this, Voyd crouched so that his eyes were level with Pallois and took his son’s hand. “Pallois, you must protect everyone.”

“Yeah, leave it to me, Father. Miss Master taught me how to use my power. You heal wounds by absorbing attacks, but I don’t have a special recovery ability. She said I could make the ‘Hollow World’ swallow stuff, and that I could just ‘isolate’ the energy that hurts the ones I love.”

Voyd’s eyes widened a bit at Pallois’s encouraging answer. “Is that so? Very well.” Voyd nodded as if to say he understood the truth of the secret Freyja had imparted to the boy.

“I learned from Miss Freyja, too. She said if I train my dismantling skill, I can ‘Dismantle’ living monsters, too. My teachers at school didn’t tell me that. They said I shouldn’t talk about it or use it unless I was in danger. But I don’t think I’ll get in trouble if I use it now.”

“I learned things toooo!”

“Meee too!”

Master Freyja seemed to have been busy teaching a variety of things to the children while playing around with them at Sunlight’s Canopy. Sherry’s remark in particular was frightening. What had she meant by dismantling something while it was still alive? Despite Sherry being such an adorable girl, one had to wonder if inheriting not only Nierenberg’s blood but also his disposition was having an effect on her development.

In any other town, Freyja might have received a litany of complaints from parents, but this was the Labyrinth City, where the sort of knowledge she taught was useful. Even Nierenberg and the owner of the Yagu Drawbridge Pavilion, neither of whom were aware of the sage’s lessons, would probably have given their blessing to this Youngster Bloodbath Squadron. Though, like Elmera, they would have done so with rather complicated expressions.

“Just leave the brats ta me. I may be gettin’ on in years, but I was once an A-Ranker. I’ll make sure ta take care of ’em,” Ghark assured his granddaughter. The man was not one to be doubted, but since when was the Labyrinth City a place where people were on active duty well into their golden years?

“Grandpappy, remember your age. Don’t overdo it.”

“I’m counting on you, Grandfather.”

Elmera and Voyd bowed their heads while they spoke.

“Hey, Old Man Ghark, we’re gonna get a head start!” Gordon and Ludan, who were nearing elderly status themselves, ran past, brimming with energy and weapons in hand. Gordon’s son Johan appeared to be falling behind as he chased after the two.

“Shall we go, too, Elmera?”

“My, you’re coming, darling?”

The S-Ranker Voyd, master of the Hollow Rift, had chosen to go to the Labyrinth with his wife, Elmera, yet again. Choosing to trust their children, the couple had changed their minds completely. The powerful pair was already making their way toward the deepest levels of the Labyrinth.

“I’m the only one who can keep up with you at your full power. You’re quite the stubborn young lady.”

“The last time we were alone together in the Labyrinth must have been when we first met, darling. It’s been a long time since we had a Labyrinth date.”

The fate they were burdened with and the place they were heading for both promised tremendous danger, yet Elmera and Voyd began to walk with their arms linked, a show of their affection.

Watching his parents head to the Labyrinth, off in their own little world, the precocious Pallois wondered if perhaps he might find himself with a new sibling soon. He hoped for a sister.

06

A towering lump of earth exploded, sending the Labyrinth Suppression Forces reeling right before Mariela’s eyes. Referring to it as a “lump of earth” didn’t exactly speak to its actual nature, but rather to what it first appeared to be.

What was once an enormous clump of dirt had become something else, a thing that imitated the form of a powerful monster. After seeing his soldiers get blown away, Leonhardt at last understood the true nature of the mound-turned-monster.

“You again? How many times will you stand in our way?” Anger was boiling from the depths of the man’s heart.

Leonhardt’s men had been knocked back by a powerful tail, and following the attack had been a boastful roar—their foe was a dragon. It was a monster that had once defeated Leonhardt’s group on the fifty-sixth stratum of the Labyrinth. Although they’d felled the creature on a second attempt, the follow-up battle hadn’t been an easy one.

The transformation wasn’t limited to the single earthen mound. Spiral cracks formed on the surfaces of all the visible lumps. Fractures spread across them in a way suggesting that perhaps the strange piles were of deliberate design, that their purpose from the very start had been to transform. Each then took on the countenance of a monster.

One became a dragon, another a basilisk; there was a manticore and even a one-eyed giant. Every one of them was an enormous and fearsome foe.

“Sieg! Aim for the wings! All of you, follow me!”

Not a moment after Leonhardt gave his instructions, Sieg fired an arrow. Thanks to Freyja’s guidance in revealing the true strength of the Spirit Eye, a great number of frail and formless spirits gathered and surrounded the Sieg’s projectile, making it look just like a comet. The arrow, with light swirling around it like powerful magic, pierced and tore the dragon’s wing membrane as easily as it would have torn a piece of cloth.

“Rrrrrroooar!”

Its wing damaged and no longer able to fly, the monster opened its jaws in furious anger.

“Oh no you don’t! Rising Dragon Spear!”

The deadly flame would have left the dragon’s maw before Leonhardt and the others could do anything, but Dick’s spear crashed into the monster with enough force to leave a crater in the stratum floor. Leonhardt and his soldiers charged at the dragon, attacking mercilessly.

“These are young monsters, just formed! They’re nothing to be feared!”

Leonhardt’s cry as he brought his sword to bear wasn’t made of empty, encouraging words. This wasn’t a stratum of lava, so the Labyrinth Suppression Forces could move as they pleased. The ceiling here was also much lower than that of the fifty-sixth stratum. What was more, this dragon, generated from a lump of earth, was clearly far weaker than the red one that had given them so much trouble.

Although the soldiers had suffered serious injury for their moment of carelessness, they’d avoided death. As soon as the wounded drank the potions they’d kept on hand, they rejoined the ranks to challenge the dragon. It was as Leonhardt had said: There was nothing for them to be afraid of here.

A lone dragon of this caliber was something they could most definitely handle. Things would swiftly change, however, if all the many lumps of earth in this stratum suddenly turned into monsters and headed their way. While the dragon was unlikely to be difficult to defeat, it was also a matter of how long it would take to bring the creature down.

If they weren’t quick, the Forces would soon find themselves surrounded by a multitude of monsters while they’d wasted time felling this one individual. Speed was essential if the Labyrinth Suppression Forces were to escape becoming prey themselves. None of them had descended this deep into the Labyrinth to dig their own graves. That was precisely why Leonhardt announced a decision to all those in his command.

“I permit the use of regenerative medicine! Now is the time to carry the power of dragons in your bodies! Warriors who have traveled to this most dangerous place! My proud brethren! Let your names be forever remembered as heroes of history and the Labyrinth City!” Leonhardt took out a potion of shimmering red and downed it in front of the assembled soldiers.

All at once, the general’s entire body began to exude light and the man’s wounds healed before their eyes. Leonhardt’s offensive and defensive powers—indeed, every one of his physical faculties—seemed to greatly increase. He appeared to have instantly gone up an entire rank.

This was one more miracle the alchemist had brought along with the mana potions; it was the effect of the special-grade version of Regen.

Earth-element earth dragon, fire-element red dragon, water-element philoroilcus, and wind-element wigglertrill. Crafted from the four elemental types of dragon blood, this potion was further enhanced with Drops of Life and ley-line shards such that it manifested a miraculous power that not only rapidly increased recovery ability but also boosted every skill of the person who drank it, though only for a fixed period of time.

Dragon blood dwelled in individuals who had acquired abilities worthy of dragonkind. Such a creature didn’t gain power from its blood. Rather, possessing power worthy of a dragon was made its blood worthy of the title.

Despite engendering such incredible effects, the potion could cause harm to the bodies of those unable to handle the power. This was a medicine that was overly potent while simultaneously being very poisonous.

Still, the miracles of this concoction came at a cost: the deterioration of their honed physical strength and magical power, the dulling of their reflexes and sensory organs, and sometimes even the shortening of their lifespan. It was said that so long as you drank of it only once, anything lost from the effects of the potion could be regained later in life. Negative effects differed from one person to the next, though, so that was hardly a proven fact. An overreliance on this potion could even rob someone of their life.

The price for achieving tremendous military gains and carving their names into history as heroes was heavy: possibly even their futures. And yet not a single soldier had any doubts.

“If I can protect those I love, if I can cut a path to a peaceful and happy future for them, I will not hesitate for a second. Even if I lose my arms and can never take up the sword again, even if I lose my legs and never walk again!” The golden-maned general worthy of his name continued his valiant speech. What was a dragon before a lion such as him?

“My sword, my body, my life, are for my people!” Perhaps most of all, Leonhardt fought for the children who would inherit his will and carry the future.

The soldiers of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces gulped down the potion one after another and faced the dragon and, beyond it, all other monsters that came their way. The bodies, techniques, and hearts of the soldiers of the Forces had grown strong through years spent battling monsters more powerful than they were. Each of the brave warriors was deemed worthy and received the power of the dragon, pushing their abilities to new heights. Blows crushed dragon scales; magic pierced the eyes of the enormous monsters. Fiendish enemies who before required hundreds of hits to whittle down their stamina and finally defeat could now be felled in only a few dozen strikes. But no matter how many they defeated, there was no end in sight to the waves of monsters or the enormous, dark stratum.

The war, it seemed, was only just beginning.

07

The united front of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces and the adventurers holding back the monsters’ advance functioned via a certain kind of paradigm. The soldiers of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces, who were trained and accustomed to group operations, but adventurers were not. They were more of a mob, so one might’ve expected there to have been a great many of them running to try and get ahead of the others.

The reason Weishardt made the Adventurers Guild participate in the defense of the city was because he trusted that its staff members would have a crystal-clear understanding of those idiosyncrasies, meaning they’d be able to deploy adventurers effectively.

The current state of the Labyrinth differed from what anyone was used to. Far more monsters than usual were appearing, and in every group, there were a few that were clearly stronger than the rest. Since each adventurer had a hunting ground they were accustomed to, it normally would’ve been more efficient to deploy adventurers in corresponding places where the monsters were springing up the quickest. However, such a strategy would leave those adventurers unprepared for the occasional foes a rank higher than the others.

To help combat this issue, battle-ready staff members of the Adventurers Guild and the Merchants Guild patrolled the strata, defeating the higher-ranked monsters. They moved from one stratum to the next, supporting those groups of adventurers who were beginning to falter, making sure such parties would be able to continue fighting.

In particular, the shallow strata up to the tenth were packed with crowds of children, the elderly, and city residents who ran shops—all people who, up to a short time ago, wouldn’t have been considered fit for combat. They’d formed small squads of only a few people each and engaged monsters like goblins, orcs, and lizardmen, using teamwork to their advantage.

Elba, the owner of Elba’s Shoe Shop, and other shopkeepers who dealt in leather products commented on the condition of monster hides as they beat them to a pulp, while butchers from the wholesale market cleaved their enemies with carving knives. It was quite the bloody spectacle.

In particular, the groups made up of children fought surprisingly effectively, employing what they’d learned in school so they wouldn’t be surrounded. The adults and elderly who saw this wanted to stay strong for the younger generation, so they kept calm in this truly urgent situation and fought all the better for it.

The Youngster Bloodbath Squadron, the pride of Sunlight’s Canopy, played a very active role in the fighting. Pallois used his shield to parry any monsters that leaped at him, Emily used magic and smoke bombs in accordance with monsters’ weaknesses to create openings, and Elio and Sherry worked marvelously in sync to defeat even the higher-ranked lizard monsters that otherwise rarely appeared around the tenth stratum. First Elio paralyzed them with electric shocks, then Sherry dismantled and killed them.

Having evolved from the common lizardmen, these more fearsome creatures were, under normal circumstances, found only on the nineteenth stratum. Such a feat seemed to impress Ghark. “Kids sure do grow up fast,” he commented in a brief spell of sentimentality. Not to be outdone, however, he continued to cut down monsters with his ax with a strength and speed that was truly shocking for his age.

At Ghark’s side was Amber, who was kicking down monsters with magnificent footwork and beating them with her pole. “These children are special, but it’s because of that Lady Sage’s guidance,” she said in reply to Ghark’s comment.

“Eek!”

“Are you okay, Sherry?!”

“Sherry!”

“Don’t pick on heeer!”

Although the children fought magnificently, there was no way for them to make it through unscathed.

“Here, have a potion. We only have a few left. Why don’t we take a break and go get some more?”

At Amber’s suggestion, the group headed for a potion distribution location. The stations had been set up next to the Teleportation Circles at the entrance to the Labyrinth and on every tenth stratum. The one on the tenth was the closest for them. Defense of this key stratum and the managing of its potion distribution had been entrusted to the City Defense Squad. Curiously, Teluther was also encamped at the distribution center.

The City Defense Squad was originally supposed to help evacuate any citizens who weren’t able to fight, but there were surprisingly few residents who wanted to leave. Excluding the guards leading the evacuation and keeping looters in check, most City Defense Squad members had announced themselves as the escorts for the tenth stratum.

Even before this development, Teluther had always enjoyed generously distributing goods, but the items he was handing out now had been, until just a short time ago, extremely rare. Teluther himself, who handed out the concoctions fully conscious of that fact, and the people he gave them to seemed in extremely high spirits. Perhaps they all recognized that they were collectively writing a new page in the annals of history.

Teluther offered encouraging words like “Keep at it!” and “I respect your efforts and courage!” as he watched over the potion sharing.

People of the Labyrinth City who weren’t used to being praised or receiving exceptional respect were suddenly brimming with motivation. Curiously, Teluther’s words also caused those folks who’d planned on stealing the vials to be filled with feelings of guilt, inciting them to fight for the cause to atone for their lawless intentions. Teluther’s work was really something.

Seeing a man who was usually nothing but a nuisance playing such an active role nettled both Captain Kyte and the soldiers of the City Defense Squad. None of them wanted to be outdone by Teluther, so they grouped up and challenged the powerful monsters that had eluded subjugation and were going up the stratum stairs.

The Labyrinth Suppression Forces’ backup troops had taken upon themselves the responsibility of defending the twentieth stratum, where more powerful monsters appeared. They also worked to bring down monsters from the twentieth to the thirtieth strata. The Forces’ fourth and fifth units, along with Haage’s group, dealt with things from the thirtieth stratum onward.

Since Voyd and Elmera Seele had strolled by not long ago on their date, no monsters had made it to the thirtieth stratum. Floors below had probably become a veritable nest of lightning strikes. A rather intense date, to say the least. Only someone like the Isolated Hollow—a man with superhuman defense and regenerative power—would’ve dared describe it as merely “stimulating.” Doubtless, the couple had the entire place to themselves.

Unsatisfied by the weaker caliber of monsters springing up in the thirtieth stratum, Haage had been keeping track of time and wondering if it would be best for him to follow the two and hunt for monsters deeper in the Labyrinth. However, he feared he’d get in the way of Elmera and Voyd’s date if he went now. It was a thoughtful gesture to show a married people, but the pair had gone to battle monsters. It was not a romantic getaway. Really, Haage had no need for such strange concerns.

“This is the first time I have been to such a deep stratum. Its surprisingly calm.”

When Haage looked back toward the sweet if out-of-place voice that had come from Teleportation Circle, he saw Caroline. The young lady of the Aguinas family had tagged along with the potion transportation unit. At her side stood Weishardt, assessing the situation, while likely also serving as her guard.

“Oh, it’s Miss Aguinas. I know you’re with Lieutenant General Weishardt, but do ya really need to come here when it’s so dangerous?”

“That danger is the very reason I deemed it necessary to see the battle with my own eyes,” Caroline answered.

How was the battle progressing? How many potions should they transport? Were any other goods needed? The young head of the Aguinas estate had come to the thirtieth stratum to check such things firsthand.

“Help! First-aid treatment didn’t do anything!” At that exact moment, an adventurer rushed in carrying a wounded comrade.

“This way!” called Caroline.

Though a young woman of noble birth, Caroline Aguinas was also a resident of the Labyrinth City, born and raised. She’d never tended to living things, and it was probably incorrect to say she was accustomed to the sight of blood. However, Caroline had learned the basics from Nierenberg, as well as the fact that knowledge alone was useless. In recent days, she’d visited the clinic where her older brother worked. Even if Caroline didn’t perform the medical treatments herself, she refused to succumb to fear and avert her eyes from the terrible sight of one who’d suffered gruesome injury. Watching a doctor who’d come with her tend to the wounded adventurer, Caroline got to work taking orders for potions.

“She’s quite the impressive young lady,” muttered Haage.

“Indeed. Carol refused to evacuate and came all the way here,” Weishardt responded as he watched his bride-to-be. He looked both troubled and proud.

“Carol, I must protect this city. However, I want you to go somewhere safe,” Weishardt had told her.

But Caroline had turned down his plea with a smile.

“During the Stampede of two hundred years ago, the Aguinases were the ones who rushed in with soldiers before anyone else. I take pride in having come from that bloodline. There’s not much I can do, but I at least want to deliver potions to those fighting for our future.”

Even against her impassioned reasoning, Weishardt again begged Caroline to leave. “Please, evacuate for me.”

Caroline faced the man and delivered the finishing blow. “Lord Weis, you will be protecting this city, correct? If so, this is the safest place to be!”

“After she put it that way, I had no choice but to stay with her.”

Although Weishardt looked troubled as he explained what had happened to Haage, he was obviously proud of the woman he loved.

If anyone, the lieutenant general’s aide was more likely to be worried. With Weishardt’s older brother currently engaged in a life-or-death struggle, Haage had been hoping the younger sibling would be stricter.

Caroline finished gathering all necessary information and promptly returned to Weishardt’s side. “Lord Weis. Thank you very much for bringing me here. I now have a general grasp of the situation. From here, I will return and begin to expand the transportation and preparation of potions, as well as the readiness of my brother’s clinic to accept patients. Please, continue as you were, Lord Weis.”

Caroline seemed to have her act together far more than Weishardt did. Thanking everyone for their time and giving a beautiful if tremendously out-of-place curtsy, the young lady left Weishardt and vanished into the Transportation Circle, accompanied by the transportation unit.

“…Well, I’m off to subjugate some monsters!” Haage seemed to be suggesting that despite how critical the situation was, he would lose his mind if he remained in such a boring stratum any longer, so he too left Weishardt and descended the stratum stairs.

08

Having left her fiancé and returned to the surface, Caroline reported to her father, Royce, and the family steward on the situation and the estimated potion consumption.

Considering the monsters moving between strata and the unusually ferocious variants prowling around, the fights on each stratum remained relatively contained. Of course, the conflict was still highly unpredictable, but it was doubtful that monsters would surge to the surface in great enough numbers to pack the streets and leave a mountain of death in their wake. Caroline anticipated a lengthy fight, however, so a large delivery of potions was going to be needed to handle the accumulating fatigue.

“Hrm, in that case, let’s take a break and make preparations so our transportation unit can move when it’s needed. Carol, you should rest a bit, too.”

“I can keep going. I will rest after I check on my dear brother.”

Royce was clearly concerned for his daughter, and she responded with as much of a smile as she could muster before going out into the city again. Robert’s clinic was already packed with the injured and the maimed.

“Brother, do you have enough potions?”

“Carol? It was by your orders, wasn’t it? Plenty of potions are being delivered not just to the Labyrinth but here as well. What we lack is hands to administer the actual treatment.” Even as he spoke, Robert continued to tend to the injured.

The former prisoner went about his duties, shouting things like “This is what happens when you to close a wound with a potion while a monster’s fang is still stuck in it!” as he opened a patient’s abdomen and removed a foreign object from it.

Compared to his once-gloomy demeanor, Robert now brimmed with vitality. Although her brother had been ousted from his previous position as the head of the Aguinas family, it seemed to Caroline when she looked at him now that everything had turned out for the best.

Nevertheless, it would have been unthinkable a short time ago in the Labyrinth City for there to be a place like this where adventurers received surgical incisions while their bodies were still dirty. Thankfully, a potion after such rough medical treatment allowed those operated on to heal themselves without any problems. Truly, the little concoctions were extremely useful.

“Honestly! This is what happens when benighted cretins depend too much on potions! It creates double the work! Right, you’re healed. Next!” Robert insulted the adventurers as he treated them, but being of a lower social standard, they didn’t understand difficult words like “benighted” anyway.

Even if they had, Robert was awfully polite for his insults. Most would have found such anger amusing, though they probably would’ve hidden such feelings from the man himself. However, likely because of the day’s pressures, an adventurer unintentionally blurted out what he really thought: a complaint.

“Then why don’t you go to the Labyrinth, Doc?”

Currently, people could still come up from the Labyrinth and get to this clinic to receive treatment, but if things worsened, there would probably be some who couldn’t make it all the way back to get medical assistance.

One could tell just by looking at this aristocratic youth that he was a man who had no strength to lend to battle against the Labyrinth. However, Robert had healed every last one of the injured who had come to him. Adventurers Robert treated believed that so long as they could reach the man, he would surely help them, no matter how seriously wounded they were. Perhaps that confidence was why the adventurer had made his comment born from the unease of risking his life in battle with monsters.

“Hrm, yes, it does seem that would be more efficient. I will do so.”

“Huh? Doc?!”

With a side glance at the now-dumbfounded adventurer, Robert began stuffing medical devices into a bag, cursing himself for not having thought of that himself.

“Brother, if you are going, I believe the twentieth stratum would be best. It is the one with the most wounded. I will make arrangements for the transport of additional potions as well as for someone to take your place here.”

“I’m sorry to create extra work for you, Carol.”

Robert hastily departed, with soldier escorts in tow. Even the adventurer who’d just been treated followed him, perhaps feeling as though he’d said too much. As she saw them off, Caroline headed for the command room in the Adventurers Guild. She would need to set some things in order to ensure her brother could administer treatment as freely as he wished.

09

Leonhardt and his forces charged through the seemingly eternal darkness. How much time had passed since they began fighting in this dark stratum? How many special-grade Regens had this latest vial made?

No matter how many powerful enemies fell to his blade, they kept coming. Still the Labyrinth Suppression Forces continued their advance, regardless of the grave injuries they suffered or the number of times their magical power ran dry. The hundreds of potions created by the alchemist in their ranks would heal them, and the soldiers would return to the front lines.

In this endless world of shadow, it was hard to even tell what direction they’d originally come from, but there did begin to be some evidence of change. The ground grew uneven, like parts of it had been gouged out, and the earth at the jagged edges of the shallow pits was soft. When the Forces advanced farther, a more distinct landmark came into view: a pair of identical trees.

Though still at a distance, Leonhardt was certain the things resembled great weathered trees. Or they would have, if they hadn’t been moving.

Despite having nothing you could call a trunk, the bizarre growths had many branches. They looked something like trees that had been planted upside down, with their roots visible above ground. Of course, there did exist proper plants without trunks that had many branches sprouting from the earth. But the way these curious things spread in such a complex manner, coupled with the densely growing “leaves” comprised solely of veins, gave them the countenance of withered trees.

However, the definitive difference from the plants Leonhardt and the others knew was that these twin things squirmed sinuously, grabbing things. This was far more than just the tips of branches that quivered like the wind was blowing through them. Each bough that protruded from the earth moved as an independent appendage. If the Forces had managed to get close enough, they likely would have noticed that even the veiny leaves were squirming.

“So these are the ‘hands,’ then?”

There was one tree for each hand. The boss of the Labyrinth had left behind its legs and torn open its stomach; now it seemed to have left its hands behind in this stratum.

The concept of walking on legs had transformed into the Walking Mountain of Fire and the Bladed Beast of Many Legs, and the people and monsters the boss had devoured in the Stampede had overflowed from its stomach. So then what sort of things were these “hands”?

The answer to that question was evident almost immediately. The twin things bent low, motioning like they were grasping and kneading something. They tore up chunks of the ground. When they were finished, the “hands” had produced a single lump of earth.

“‘Hands of Creation’ is far too good a name for such repulsive things. Why don’t we call them the Wicked Hands of Creation. Everyone! They are the boss of this stratum! Those abominable hands create monsters from clods of earth and defy the laws of nature! If we defeat them, these monsters will no longer be reborn.” Leonhardt’s call to encourage the Forces cut through the dark of the stratum.

“Take heart! The boss of the Labyrinth is near! Take heart! Soon they will know the points of our swords!”

“Take heart, take heart,” Leonhardt told the soldiers—and himself. “Take heart, take heart.”

“Take heart!” “Take heart!”

Dick, Nierenberg, and the soldiers following Leonhardt all raised their voices.

“Take heart!” “Take heart!” “Take heart!”

It didn’t matter how many times they fell. The lights of lives that had been on the verge of disappearing, the torn-off limbs that had been reattached, all had been healed with potions. It was because of them that the Labyrinth Suppression Forces had made it this far.

“Take heart!” “Take heart!” “Take heart!” “Take heart!”

Stamina, magical power, and even willpower had long ago been pushed past their limits. The soldiers had reached this place by gambling their lives on the special-grade Regen potions. Even now, their bodies swayed amid the cries of encouragement. Leonhardt’s field of vision blurred, and even breathing was unpleasant. The man tasted blood when he exhaled.

It was agonizing, difficult, and painful.

Leonhardt’s body and soul had been so whittled away that nothing remained. The temptation to stop and rest was overwhelming. Yet, if they quit here, resigning themselves to dwindling away in this place, what would remain as proof of the lives they had all lived?

That was why they shouted. To drive away despair, to encourage themselves and their comrades.

“Take heart!” “Take heart!” “Take heart!” “Take heart!”

Leonhardt brandished his sword. The blade, which had brought low so many monsters, had grown damaged and weak. It was unlikely to last much longer, much like its wielder. Still, Leonhardt’s gold lion roar reached the hearts of those who followed him, even if his throat was crushed and his voice was dry and hoarse.

Dick and the captains of each unit inspired and encouraged their subordinates, and attacked over and over with the weapons they had grown so accustomed to. Each body was pushed past its limits; muscles tore with every swing, and the Regen healed their bodies every time.

Even if the monsters’ claws and fangs wounded and sent them all reeling again and again, though blood poured from their bodies, these brave people weren’t ready to quit. Having slain monsters many times over, their bodies were coated with both their own blood and that of the enemy. If anyone had seen the Forces in such a state, they might not have recognized them as human anymore.

Nierenberg continued to heal. He would never force those with the will to stand and fight, and the will to move forward, to stop. Nierenberg knew they had the determination not to lose heart, no matter how stained with blood their armor became, no matter how much pain racked their bodies.

“I could not be more grateful to have all of you beside me.” Siegmund drew his bow. To him, this place at the bottom of the world was like some kind of hell. Even here, however, the darkness was brimming with a radiant determination.

The pain and suffering he’d gone through up to this point felt like child’s play compared with the agony he was experiencing right now. The beauty of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces overcoming such incredible torment, and moving forward in spite of it, left a deep impression on the hunter. What strength these men and women had! How weak Sieg had been before!

It was in this place that Siegmund found he was deeply grateful for his fate. It had allowed him to fight alongside these people to create a better future. He offered an earnest prayer for a time to come when he could keep Mariela completely safe with his own two hands. Charged with with Sieg’s prayers and gratitude, the Spirit Eye boosted his arrows, and many spirits gathered to them. The blood he lost after using his eye so heavily was restored by Regen potions.

Flesh was regenerated and destroyed, monsters were born and annihilated repeatedly…

And Siegmund loosed his arrows at the Wicked Hands of Creation to put an end to the cycle.

“Potions are meant to heal people. They’re meant to get rid of pain and suffering…,” Mariela muttered.

Even with their arms missing and their legs torn, no one was about to stop walking. No matter how much agony they were in, their wounds would heal and they would return to the battlefield as long as they had potions. Blood flowed in rivers, and Mariela had walked along the trail of that blood to make it this far.

“Young lady, I found a ley-line shard. Use it to make potions.” A soldier stained with crimson handed a ley-line shard he’d obtained in this stratum to Mariela. She still had crystallized medicinal herbs and magical power of the moon left, but the shards she’d brought had already been used up. It was only the continuous recovery effect of the Regen potions that had enabled everyone to hold on.

“Mariela, you make potions. Because of everything you create for us, because we can recover, everyone can stand against the monsters. That’s why everyone’s able to show such courage!” Through it all, Sieg had constantly been at Mariela’s side, protecting and encouraging the young alchemist.

“But…” The ley-line shard in Mariela’s hands began to tremble.

“Guh, look out!”

It was then that a small dragon at low altitude unleashed its breath at the young woman. Sieg leaped in front of her and fired several arrows that managed to alter the breath’s trajectory and even brought the dragon to the ground. A shield knight further repelled the attack and kept Mariela safe. The attack had grazed and scorched the left half of Sieg’s body, however, and smoke rose from his skin.

“Sieg!!!” Mariela cried.

“I’m fine. The Regen is working. This kind of injury will heal immediately. Don’t stop, Mariela. Keep at your work. Lynx didn’t give up, and neither will we. Lynx’s dying wish now lives on in me, in us. Keep working; make sure our hopes aren’t extinguished.” Sieg spoke to Mariela, but his eyes remained locked on the fallen dragon as he drew his bow.

“But, but, Sieg…the blood… There’s even smoke…”

Mariela sounded like she was about to cry. Siegmund looked back at her and cracked a smile. “Mariela, this is the part where you tell me to give it my all.”

“…Sieg… I understand. You can do it, Sieg! Give it your all!!!” Mariela tightened her grip around the ley-line shard.

Everyone is doing everything they can! What am I doing getting disheartened when all I’ve done is hide behind them?!

Both the raptor and salamander roared encouragingly at the young alchemist.

“Transmutation Vessel.”

All she could do was make potions. There was little else she was capable of here, but still, Mariela was glad she’d continued as an alchemist. She was glad to keep at her work.

This is something I can do that helps them all!

The only ley-line shards she had now were those she’d obtained from felled monsters in this stratum, and few remained. She couldn’t waste a single one. As she made potions, she put a prayer, a wish, and as much Drops of Life as she could into each.

Keep at it! You can do it, everyone!

Surely the hope she put into the potions would reach them.

The concoctions charged with Mariela’s feelings would heal the wounds and restore the magical power of Sieg and the soldiers of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. Her hope would warm and permeate the spirits strained by the battle with no end and the bodies withering from pain. Those who imbibed her works would remember who they had been before they headed into the Labyrinth.

The relentless attacks from Sieg and the Labyrinth Suppression Forces buffeted the Wicked Hands of Creation. Trembling and spasming, the things grasped at air and earth.

When the hands clawed at the seemingly empty air, they were most likely reaching after the magical power that filled that stratum. New monsters were still being born from the earthen clods, but their shapes had clearly become sloppy, as their necks were longer and thinner, and the number and length of their limbs differed from those of normal monsters.

“Just a little longer!”

Leonhardt and the others pushed harder, charging ever forward. Just a little longer and they could put an end to the creation of the deformed monsters that boasted no strength but that of numbers. Soon they would strike down the stratum boss molding those misshapen things to desperately defend this place. Just a few moments more and their attacks would finally strike home, ending the life of the stratum boss. Surely the soldiers had felt Mariela’s wish for them to keep fighting.

Leonhardt led the Labyrinth Suppression Forces in a charge through the monsters protecting the stratum’s boss.

10

“The number of injured has suddenly increased. What caused this?” Robert, who’d been administering medical treatment on the Labyrinth’s twentieth stratum, posed his question calmly.

“A bunch of weird monsters suddenly started appear— Owwww!”

“Does it hurt? Hrm, that’s good. It’s proof you’re alive. There, you’re healed.”

Robert was certainly healing his patients, but he did so quickly and with a physical roughness that was difficult to describe as courteous. It was probably unavoidable that he’d get angry over a sudden increase in the number of injured, but Robert’s words had called to mind a certain medical engineer. Did he resemble that man now because they’d been providing medical treatment together for a long time, or was such bluntness a common trait among those of this occupation?

“H-heeelp!”

Robert was currently in a provisional clinic established in the twentieth stratum of the Labyrinth. Although he had been afforded several adventurers who knew how to use healing magic—they’d all offered to help administer treatment—the place had originally been a potion distribution location. As such, soldiers and adventurers who’d used up their potions and suffered wounds were already gathering there, making things fairly convenient for Robert. Among those warriors were those fleeing from monsters. Normally, the act would have been an utter breach of conduct.

“Gh, again?! And it’s a wyvern?!”

The second-string soldiers of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces protecting the twentieth stratum dashed toward the monster chasing the adventurer who’d rushed in. More than half of the second-string soldiers were C Rank. A wyvern was a monster of around B Rank, a powerful enemy that was troublesome even for a group of fighters.

Now that the areas around stratum stairs were no longer safe, this potion distribution location was one of the few safe zones in the Labyrinth and had to be protected. Especially since it was the main source of medical treatment. The strategic placement of the clinic on the twentieth stratum also allowed others to reach it via Teleportation Circle. As such a crucial bastion in their fight, the place needed to be defended no matter what.

In the twentieth stratum, adventurers ranging from D-Rank youths to more intermediate-level combatants had gathered. Excluding those not combat ready, such as children and the elderly, these types of people made up the largest portion of the Labyrinth City’s population. If more powerful monsters flooded the twentieth stratum, there would probably be a great many casualties.

“Grakakakakar!”

Even a single wyvern was a challenge for the soldiers defending this place, but it summoned another two with a birdlike call. They came flying in, weaving their way between closely packed pillars. To make matters worse, one of the newly appeared wyverns had most likely eaten another monster or a person. The surface of its body had obviously blackened, and bloody saliva dribbled from its mouth. It was clearly an anomaly, more brutal and powerful than others of its kind.

“Lord Robert, this place is dangerous. Please evacuate.” Robert’s guard concluded that the situation had worsened and urged him to evacuate in a voice low enough that the surrounding people wouldn’t hear. Robert quietly shook his head, however, and answered his guard without pausing his treatments.

“I promised them, these adventurers, that I’d help them as long as they were still alive. No, this is a promise I made to myself. I won’t abide failure to save anyone anymore. This is clearly some kind of counterattack, or perhaps the Labyrinth is truly growing desperate. Truthfully, I suppose the reason doesn’t much matter. I want to see this with my own eyes. All of you should go on and evacuate yourselves.”

It wasn’t that Robert had given in to despair or that he wanted to die. The doctor simply wanted to help. That was all he had. Seeing Robert continue his medical treatment, the soldiers at his side exchanged glances, then drew their swords and turned to face the wyverns that were mowing down adventurers.

“If we live through this, please help us, too.”

“We’ll be in your hands, Dr. Robert.”

“You…” Robert lifted his head and looked at his guardsmen. He surveyed the adventurers in the vicinity.

All around, an extremely disastrous scene was unfolding. A mere three wyverns were routing adventurers left and right; many among them were faces Robert knew. They were people who’d broken free of the slums and returned to being adventurers thanks to potions and Robert’s medical treatments. Every one of them was covered in blood, but not a single one fled.

They knew this was an important place that needed defending to the last.

A blow from a wyvern sent an adventurer flying into a wall. Robert recognized him as the man whose leg he’d healed. The leg he’d gone to such lengths to fix was bent in an unnatural direction, and the adventurer appeared to have lost consciousness as he fell into a puddle of his own blood. The occasional twitch meant the man was likely still alive, but the presence of the wyverns prevented Robert from rushing over. If the adventurer couldn’t return to him, Robert could do nothing to save him.

Don’t die. Please, don’t die. Someone help them…

Was there anyone to hear such a prayer?

“My left arm is a pedestal for flames; my right arm a pedestal for thunder. Abide in me! Dual Sword Elements!”

Fire surged and wind danced. Flames, undulating as if they were a living creature, engulfed the wyverns. Their wing membranes burned to nothing in an instant, and the wyverns fell to the ground. On the way down, they tried to attack using their powerful legs, but before they could, blades of wind whirled around them and cut into their necks one after another. That frenzy of flames and wind was more than enough to overpower both the normal and evolved wyverns. The fearsome monsters were rendered little more than hunks of meat.

“Incredible…,” muttered one young adventurer after witnessing the power of an A-Ranker. As if in response, the man who’d appeared in this hour of crisis looked back at the adventurers and gave them a dauntless smile, because that was simply who he was. His dramatic entrance seemed to say “The hero always arrives late!”

“The hero always arrives late!” Then Edgan went and ruined it by actually saying it.

“Uh…say, who is that guy? He’s kinda pathetic, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. He’s kinda… Well, maybe not entirely pathetic. Who is he?”

Edgan, the young A-Ranker who’d made such a gallant appearance at a pivotal moment, cut quite an attractive figure, though likely only because of the heat of the moment. Many of the adventurers in the twentieth stratum were young women. Edgan ought to have been grateful to the wyverns he had so thoroughly defeated.

“Hey? Didn’t you get too far ahead of us, Edgan?”

“That’s right. It’s important to act as a group.”

Yuric, Grandel, and the other members of the Black Iron Freight Corps appeared in succession after him.

“Whoa, Edgan’s nostrils are flaring?! Gross!”

“Yuric! As much as I hate to say it, it’s improper to call the captain ‘gross’!”

Evidently, Edgan was fairly full of himself after receiving the adulation of female adventurers, and his nose was twitching. His fellows in the Black Iron Freight Corps likened him to a monkey.

The raptors Yuric brought along were practically stacked with the wounded, and the beasts hastened to retrieve the adventurers that fallen prey to the wyverns.

Edgan was standing arms folded, with one foot atop a wyvern in a contrived pose. The rest of the Black Iron Freight Corps seemed perfectly content to ignore him and instead dropped off the many wounded at Robert’s clinic.

“Good, they’re still breathing… I’m grateful for your aid with the wounded.” Quickly assessing the status of those injured the Corps had transported, Robert expressed his thanks to the members of the Black Iron Freight Corps, save Edgan.

“We gave them all basic first aid, but that’s all we could do for them. We need to keep moving, so we’ll entrust them to you,” said Franz, the healing magic user. The Black Iron Freight Corps took their raptors and headed for the stairs leading to the lower strata.

“Onward to the next stratum.”

Despite the seriousness of his surroundings, Grandel used his umbrella as a walking stick as he sauntered along in his usual lightweight equipment. He struck a sharp contrast to Donnino, who walked with a heavy hammer over his shoulder. Behind them, Newie and Nick carried so many umbrellas they looked like umbrella peddlers. As Grandel was unable to carry a proper shield, his strategy likely consisted of cycling through disposable umbrellas, discarding one when it broke and picking up a fresh one.

A magic-wielding swordsman, a heavily armed warrior, a healing magic user, and an animal tamer. The group was a bit lacking in long-range skills, but Grandel, the “legendary hero,” had fashioned himself a fairly balanced party overall. Though the four were just members of the Black Iron Freight Corps, in that moment, they truly appeared to be the companions of a legendary hero. Perhaps because their real leader was a captain who defied all meaning of the word.

“I didn’t know the Black Iron Freight Corps were in the City…”

“Isn’t that Edgan?”

“Is he the new captain?”

Female adventurers whispered to one another as they assessed Edgan. The man himself turned his back to them in an affected manner, as though to suggest he had no interest in the likes of them. He was, in fact, listening with keen interest to their conversation, however. As evidence of this, his ears twitched, and his face was plastered with an idiotic grin.

Again, Edgan’s subordinates commented on his monkey-like behavior. Whether or not the female adventurers noticed Edgan’s unflattering expression, they didn’t seem to mind. After all, Edgan had demonstrated considerable strength, far beyond that of the other adventurers fighting in the stratum. Plus, he was good-looking—so long as he kept his mouth shut—and managed a successful business.

“Umm, thank you very much for your help.”

“I’m Anja. How about I give you a little token of my appreciation later?”

“Hey, no fair butting in. I’m Mirke.”

Though they were still in the monster-filled Labyrinth, a few female adventurers ran to Edgan to express their gratitude. They even took his hands in theirs, hoping to leave a more lasting impression. Perhaps Edgan’s true golden days were yet to come. Who could’ve said what sort of life awaited him after defeating the monsters overflowing from the Labyrinth?

“Hey, Edgan? Come on!”

“Rar! Grr!”

“Wah! Hey, raptor, don’t bite me. Leggo, leggo of my ass…!!!”

If he managed to make it back to the surface, of course.

Ridiculous…, Robert thought. He’d been on the cusp of expressing his own wish for the safety of those who’d been fighting so bravely when Edgan had butted in. What an absurd charade.

Although situated in the middle of a deadly battlefield, Robert continued to conduct himself with an air of nobility as he treated the wounded. In truth, he was getting more acclaim from the adventurers than Edgan was, but Robert wasn’t taking notice. All he wanted was for everyone to make it through this alive. Conversations about the future could wait until everyone had safely made it back to the surface. Their tomorrow still lay just beyond the defeat of the Labyrinth.

11

“So they really are here.”

“These sorts of abnormalities have a pattern to them. They seem to be few in number because they’re high-ranking monsters. Nick, Newie, an umbrella, if you please. Take care not to leave my side.”

The Black Iron Freight Corps hadn’t gone into the Labyrinth after Edgan, the man willing to do anything to meet someone, anyone, for a date. Even Edgan himself hadn’t come to the fight merely looking for a chance romantic encounter. The Black Iron Freight Corps’s destination was the Labyrinth’s twenty-third stratum, the Shores of Eternal Night.

This stratum was one normally enjoyed the gentle glow of moonlight and the sounds of babbling streams. Today, however, all anyone could hear were the echoing cries of armored lizardmen.

One had to wonder if the lizardmen had gone mad, as they struggled against a single paler creature despite some truly gruesome wounds. The monsters were trying to eat their comrades-in-arms.

The alabaster monster, a death lizard, was gobbling down the torso of an armored lizardman with no regard for the other lizardmen snapping at it. Perhaps it was because the magical gems of armored lizardmen lay somewhere in their intestines.

“Those’re some really disgusting monsters, aren’t they?” Yuric spat.

In most of the strata, there were a few monsters one rank higher mixed in with the ones that normally appeared. However, death lizards were actually two ranks higher than armored lizardmen. The death lizard continued to tear through the armor-like scales of the lesser monsters as though they were butter. It consumed one lizardman’s intestines while seemingly paying no heed to the many other armored lizardmen trying to eat it—a clear demonstration of how much stronger a death lizard was.

The A-Rank death lizard was probably still far from achieving a full incarnation, no matter how many C-Rank armored lizardmen it consumed. Still, it continued to eat mindlessly, as if it had been starved for months.

Without warning, the death lizard suddenly turned its neck halfway around to look directly behind where it was standing. The monster’s mouth split into what appeared to be a smile. It had spotted prey of much finer quality.

There were seven humans and eight raptors. Although the strength of humans clearly varied, to the death lizard, the Corps were first-rate food when compared with the C-Rank lizardmen.

The monster barreled toward the Black Iron Freight Corps with the armored lizardmen still chomping at its body. The creature’s strange gait—four long, thin limbs carrying an undulating torso—called to mind a strange insect more than any reptile.

Edgan took a step toward the approaching death lizard, his eyes narrowed. “I know you’re not the same monster that killed Lynx. This isn’t revenge. I’m just venting a little anger.”

Edgan charged his dual swords with magical power.

The Black Iron Freight Corps had made sure to exterminate the death lizard that had killed Lynx after they’d received news of his passing. This death lizard had only recently appeared; it couldn’t have been the one that had attacked Lynx and the others.

However, it was because death lizards appeared on this stratum that the Black Iron Freight Corps had chosen it as their hunting ground should they ever venture into the Labyrinth.

The day they’d lost Lynx, the members of the Corps had talked until sunrise.

“We’ll make sure Lynx is avenged. Let’s kill the Labyrinth,” they’d sworn.

Unfortunately, few among the Black Iron Freight Corps were fit to battle alongside the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. Only Dick, Malraux, and Edgan had the necessary strength. The rest had the solo fighting power of second-string soldiers at best.

Yuric specialized in handling beasts like the Corps’s raptors, and Franz possessed demi-human characteristics. This had made it difficult for them to integrate with a human group, even if it was the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. Likewise, Grandel and Donnino had both transferred out of the Forces because the group’s fighting style didn’t cater to their specific talents. You could say it was the iron carriages that had really let them come into their own.

The Black Iron Freight Corps’s frequent trips between the Labyrinth City and the imperial capital by way of the Fell Forest were vital to both the Forces and the City itself. That was why only Dick and Malraux had returned to the Forces. The remaining members of the Corps supported the subjugation of the Labyrinth in a different but no less vital way.

As it happened, Edgan had already surpassed Malraux in terms of strength. Edgan had ostensibly remained with the Black Iron Freight Corps to defeat the occasional powerful foe, but in truth, it was for a far more foolish reason: he’d cultivated too much of a reputation as a philanderer during his time in the Forces, so he couldn’t return. There was no two ways about it; Edgan was reaping what he’d sowed. The promise of working with people who thought better of him, if only a little, made the decision to stay with the Black Iron Freight Corps an easy one.

The remaining members of the Corps had their own reasons for staying with the trade group. Today, however, they’d all been contacted in advance about the Labyrinth Suppression Forces’ expedition and had been on standby in the Labyrinth City in case of the unlikely worst-case scenario.

While it was unfortunate that a stampede had begun, it was incredibly fortunate that the Corps, usually preferring to help only in discreet ways, chose to get involved.

“With our fighting power, around the twentieth stratum is probably the most we can handle. No matter what, if we fight, let’s do it on the stratum where Lynx fell.”

After someone among them had said that, the members of the trade group headed for the twentieth stratum, which, unbeknownst to them, was in need of aid.

With several armored lizardmen chomping on it, the death lizard’s movements were more sluggish than they would have otherwise been. The members of the Black Iron Freight Corps watched its approach as bloody saliva dripped from its quartered mouth. Edgan charged his dual swords with magical power to strike down the monster.

“My left arm is a pedestal for flames; my right arm a pedestal for……”

“Now that the anchor is set, heave-ho, Shield Bash. It’s done, Donnino.”

“Right. Mega Hammer!”

There was a loud thud, followed by a whomping noise. Before Edgan had been able to strike down the death lizard in style, Grandel had opened his umbrella and thrust it into the ground handle-first in place of an actual anchor. Then Nick had driven the “anchor” into the ground with his hammer. With Grandel’s weapon now firmly rooted in the ground, his Shield Bash sent the attacking monster flying.

Grandel’s slender build meant he could never repel a death lizard on his own. Knowing this, he’d angled the umbrella he was using as a shield diagonally to deflect the impact of the attack. What was more, the handle had remained anchored against the attack. After the setup, all Grandel had to do was simply open and close the umbrella. Despite being rather gaunt and enervated, Grandel had definitely manned an attack of “legendary hero” caliber. Newie recovered the umbrella, now in tatters after sending the death lizard flying, and handed a new one to Grandel. Apparently, this was a system that had been worked out in advance; Nick was in charge of setting the anchor, and Newie was in charge of reloading.

The Shield Bash knocked the death lizard toward the ceiling, and when it fell back down, Donnino’s hammer turned its head into ground meat. Donnino boasted incredible strength, but his speed and accuracy meant he needed help to strike at opportune moments.

Apparently, the death lizard was still alive in some form after the attack, as it twitched from its spot on the ground. Perhaps that was to be expected of a high-ranking monster, but its head had been flattened. Were death lizards’ brains somewhere other than their skulls?

The armored lizards attached to the death lizard had gone flying with it and fallen off partway through its soaring arc, but they were unconcerned with that. They armored lizards quickly resumed gnawing at the other monster with little regard for anything else.

“Surfeit Heal.”

Franz used a peculiar type of recovery magic on both the chomping armored lizards and the death lizard to heal the bite wounds on the now-distorted head Donnino had crushed and to glue all the armored lizards to those injuries. This resulted in a single mass of monster meat. A skill that forcibly manipulated parts of creatures’ bodies in such a way could hardly have been called “healing.” This technique that transfigured the flesh of a living thing wasn’t something humans could use. Only a demi-human like the masked Franz was capable of it. This inherent ability of Franz’s went beyond mere recovery, and he had only ever dared to show it to the Black Iron Freight Corps before.

The joined mass of monsters, with both their fangs and their claws impeded, was now little more live bait awaiting the finishing blow.

“All right, Yuric,” Franz called.

Yuric looked down on the squirming lump of flesh and bone that had once been the death lizard with a frigid expression, then held out a hand and cut it open, dripping blood in some apparent pattern onto the foreheads of the raptors.

“Now it’s time to dine. Go Wild, My Children!”

“Raaararararararaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!!”

The power of an animal tamer was one few possessed, even in the imperial capital. It was an ability only members of the borderland tribe inherited. Although prized for its usefulness, it was the very reason the tribe was so ostracized.

It had likely been precisely because of this ability that Yuric—an orphan bearing the unique trait of his people—had survived in the slums of the imperial capital. The demi-human had prowled the streets like a beast with no land to call home. One had to wonder which defined Yuric more: his time living as a beast on the streets of the capital, or his time living as a human after Franz adopted him.

At Yuric’s command, the raptors made a savage charge at what remained of the death lizard, tearing off the entirety of its tough skin, and started to eat it. Screaming as they devoured the monster-turned-meat, the raptors appeared free from the constraints of human domestication, displaying their bestial nature. It was an extremely cruel and brutal feeding, but there was a certain natural beauty to it—this was the way animals were.

The same was true for Yuric. The demi-human was all smiles while watching the scene unfold. Something about killing the species that had killed a friend felt right.

“Uh…my prey is…? Huuuh?”

Edgan had been completely left out of the combo attack, being outdone before he could show off his Dual Sword Elements. He stood at a loss, holding his half-charged blades.

“Edgan, there’s a fresh death lizard over there!”

“Yes, he’s right. It’s waaay over there. See it? You should get after it.”

“We’re relying on you, Edgan.”

“Yeah, we’re countin’ on you.”

Grandel, Yuric, Franz, and Donnino treated Edgan as they ever did. Edgan may have falsely represented himself in many ways, but his strength was most certainly real. Both Nick and Newie thrust their fists into the air to cheer him on. “You can do it.”

Per Grandel’s theory, a leader was one who “creates an environment where his team can demonstrate their true strengths.” Edgan was an A-Ranker who could defeat death lizards even by himself. He’d culled monsters whose numbers had made victory unthinkable for the other members of the Corps. Then he’d gone off to slay more-distant monsters on the twentieth stratum who hadn’t noticed the group yet. The number of subjugations alone made his work worthy of an A-Ranker.

The frenzied death lizards paid no heed to the apparent difference in strength and eagerly attacked Edgan at every turn. He didn’t know whether the monsters were or male or female, but it seemed that Edgan’s popular phase had arrived at last.

Being popular did have its challenges.

12

Around the same time that the Black Iron Freight Corps was killing death lizards, Voyd and Elmera were strolling around the thirty-eighth stratum. It was a world of whirling clouds with the couple at its center, as if they were in a place that belonged entirely to them.

Even subjugating ferocious monsters was an activity for Elmera and Voyd to do together. Monsters struck by the Lightning Empress’s thunderbolts were burning in place of romantic candlelight.

“I’ll be with you come hell or high water.”

In contrast to the sweet atmosphere in which the couple routed monsters as they advanced to the deepest parts of the Labyrinth, Haage was in the thirty-fifth stratum, three levels up from them. The lonely man loosed his Limit-Breaking Cleave against the grotesque creatures that were starting to appear again, giving a thumbs-up to the empty air every time he defeated a formidable monster.

Since Haage was skilled enough to teach young people how to fight in the Adventurers Guild, he was more than safe fighting solo. The way he maintained distance between himself and his enemies was flawless. Seemingly unconcerned with the strange-looking monsters that sprang up one after another, Haage dealt with them as they came. By any measure, he should have been happy with how his fight was going, but he looked somewhat dispirited.

Could the long, lonesome fight have finally started to wear him out?

Bam! There was no one to ask him, because Haage was the only human in this stratum.

“…” The smile gradually faded from Haage’s face, and a deep sorrow started to make him wonder if he should stop giving the thumbs-up. He seemed to be mentally exhausted.

Haage sliced up monsters by using his Limit-Breaking Cleave, and the defeated monsters became magical power for the Labyrinth and disappeared. Even that stagnated, corrupt magical power wasn’t as gloomy as the atmosphere surrounding Haage. After breathing a small sigh, Haage began to look for his next prey without flashing a snappy thumbs-up, when…

“This is nice and quiet.”

“Seems even the guildmaster stops his pointless exercises when he’s tired.”

“I’d like to think he realized how meaningless inefficient words and deeds are.”

“Wh-what?!”

The top brass of the Adventurers Guild, the members of Team Haage, came running in. Haage didn’t appear to be in any actual danger, but he’d been on the verge of losing his unique affectations. That in and of itself was a kind of tough spot. After seeing his subordinates appear on the scene like a team of heroes, there was only one thing Haage could do in reply…

Bam!

He threw a snappy thumbs-up with a great big smile on his face.

“…Now I wish we’d been a bit slower in coming.”

“It was absurd to finish our work in a hurry…”

“The change in mood has made him twice as annoying.”

Haage’s recovery speed was too fast. Evidently, a potion was not needed for the man’s mental health.

The top brass of the Adventurers Guild seemed to want to say they were fed up. Still, they remained unwilling to admit defeat, and they surrounded Haage in their usual battle formation. The arrangement created an impregnable fortress around Haage while still letting him leverage his attack power against monsters. It allowed the group to search for, restrain, and defend against monsters—perfect for long battles.

“Let’s go! Team Haage’s battle starts now!!!”

“Please stop using that name.”

“Maybe you’d rather we leave you alone?”

“You’ll bring bad luck.”

Haage shouted a rallying cry they’d heard somewhere before as he happily challenged swarms of monsters. Conversely, the guild’s administration accompanied him in low spirits. Haage’s battle was one of many dramas unfolding in the Labyrinth at that moment.

13

Everyone was challenging the Labyrinth today. There was a large number of adventurers and soldiers, of course, but many of those embroiled in the battle didn’t normally fight. People like farmers, merchants, young women, the elderly, and even children all rallied to the cause.

That didn’t mean everyone could defeat powerful monsters. Many could defeat only weak monsters like goblins, and only if they were in groups, but even a single slime or goblin was part of the Labyrinth’s power. Monsters were created after being defeated and were defeated again after being created. The greatest strength the monsters had was their numbers.

Just as the monsters had stormed the streets of the Kingdom of Endalsia on the day of the Stampede, the people of the Labyrinth City now crowded the Labyrinth to protect their homes, their way of life, and their families.

Had anyone, even the boss of the Labyrinth, ever expected this day to come?

Even supposing the boss had the ability to think, it probably hadn’t imagined that opening movement between strata and sending out monsters and corpses to crush the Labyrinth Suppression Forces underfoot would cause the people of the Labyrinth City to surge into the Labyrinth.

Two hundred years ago, considering the scale of the Kingdom of Endalsia, comparatively few adventurers had fought against the monsters. It had been easy for the monsters to chase after and devour the people who tried to escape, because perpetual peace had robbed the citizens of the kingdom of the knowledge of battle.

Such was not the case for the Labyrinth City. Even children took up arms in the fight.

Not a single person gave up hope; an indomitable light burned in each person’s eyes.

Did the Labyrinth’s own confidence quail, if only for a moment, at that determination?

The Wicked Hands of Creation would occasionally stretch into the air. They were probably making monsters in other strata far above. All it did was create a good opportunity to attack, as far as Leonhardt and the others still fighting in the fifty-ninth stratum were concerned.

Every time the people who’d gone into the Labyrinth defeated monsters, the Wicked Hands of Creation produced new ones to replace them. Leonhardt and the Forces seized upon those moments, advancing toward the hands. Slowly but surely, they crept closer.

Their progress was like that of the Labyrinth City, or of the Schutzenwald family’s Labyrinth subjugation—slow but deliberate forward momentum over the span of two hundred years. The Schutzenwald house had been wounded and defeated countless times but had continued to pass down their wish to subjugate the Labyrinth to the next generation. Every time the noble house had fallen to its knees, comrades and people of the City had helped to lift them again and again. It was no different now.

The men and women of the Forces would never concede. They continued their march, until at last, the weapon of the Gold Lion General, Leonhardt Schutzenwald, rested just before the core of the Wicked Hands of Creation.

“This ends here!!!”

Leonhardt mustered his unshakable determination, his unstoppable wish, and thrust his sword forward. By his sword, Leonhardt would end the days of endless fighting, the bloodshed, and the centuries of lives lost. To Leonhardt, the stairs leading to the deepest part of the Labyrinth were more than mere steps. They were a bloody path built by the hands of all his comrades who had died.

“I won’t let it all be for nothing! Those following me, the time we’ve spent, everything! I won’t!!!” There was no doubt Leonhardt was more relieved than anyone to have seen none of his own people among the lifeless warriors they’d run through in the stratum above. Even now, those fallen members of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces were with him. They held Leonhardt’s sword as tightly as he did, driving it forward to kill the Labyrinth.

The tip of Leonhardt’s blade, Dick’s spear following behind, the weapons of the captains, and Sieg’s spirit arrows struck the Wicked Hands of Creation one after another.

Their blows were techniques honed over each of their lifetimes for this very moment. The hearts of those men and women swelled with their unified purpose.

Throughout the past two centuries, innumerable people had met their end in this Labyrinth. Yet it had never extinguished the dream of its death, instead spurring them to further action. Those comrades-in-arms marched ever onward, ever deeper—to that final place.

At long last, the Wicked Hands of Creation, the limbs of the Labyrinth’s boss, the strange things that created the monsters of the Labyrinth, met the steel of the City.