CHAPTER 5

The Reaper and the Scarlet Swordswoman

Part I: A Golden Opportunity

Just like our first battle, the crab started off materialized, making physical attacks effective. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t let us get close easily. In exchange for her increased magic defense, Seraphina could no longer defend completely against those gigantic pincers. Elitia accelerated and went in front for a moment, and the Merciless Guillotine had two targets: her and Seraphina with her Provoke.

“Kyouka, Theresia, let’s spread out!”

“Got it!”

♦Current Status♦

Elitia drew the crab’s attention and evaded the huge pincer as it crashed diagonally down into the ground. Sand was kicked up from the impact, and Theresia and Igarashi moved in to where they could get in a counterattack.

If I can Stun or Confuse it now, then maybe Melissa can get in there with her auto-kill… Crap!

♦Current Status♦

It can change its immunities with skills other than Phantom Drift…!

That ruined any chance we had of getting an auto-kill hit in right away, or even of starting a combination attack with Elitia. But that didn’t change the fact we had an opening. I didn’t know if this would be effective now that it wasn’t materialized, but I used the new skill I took before we arrived.

Command Support!

♦Current Status♦

I knew it… The wound I made with Murakumo is a weak spot now!

“Theresia, Igarashi! Do a combo with magic attacks!” I shouted.

““……!””

I was going to try and get a status effect in there, specifically, Confusion. Stun had worked on the Sand Scissors, but either would work as long as it slowed down the crab.

“Cooperation Support…long-range attacks!”

♦Current Status♦

While in the sky, I pulled back my slingshot and fired off a magical bullet, with a single spot in my sights. It’d become difficult to make out all of the giant crab, but it wasn’t enough to hinder my aim since I’d found the weak spot with Hawk Eyes.

The bullet struck as it tried to raise its pincer, and it stopped moving for a brief moment.

“……!”

“Hyaaa!”

Theresia used that moment to slash at it with a blue fire–covered blade, and Igarashi jabbed it with a lightning-coated spear.

♦Current Status♦

“GWAAARARAAA!!”

“…Its pincer broke!” cried Elitia. The crack in its pincer widened until it was no longer able to support its weight and almost half the pincer broke off. The part that fell to the ground materialized, its tip piercing the sand.

We were able to get in a huge hit when only magical attacks were effective… Last time, this is the kind of situation where it materialized. But there’s a chance this thing won’t follow the same pattern all the time!

“Leader!” called Melissa.

“Arihito, I think now’s the time!” said Misaki.

“No, not yet!”

♦Current Status♦

I was right… It knows that we’ve come with a weapon that can kill it immediately!

“Melissa, wait until you’re sure you can hit it!” I ordered.

“Ah… Okay!”

The giant crab’s two eyes moved strangely. One eye looked up to the sky while the other stayed on the ground.

“Chirp!”

Right after, the Demi-Harpies let out a noise that sounded like a quiet scream. I felt an indescribable shudder run up my spine and decided to trust my instincts.

“Everyone, scatter! Misaki, Suzuna, get as far away as you can!”

“Okay!”

“R-right!”

♦Current Status♦

“—Aaaaaah!!”

The giant crab noticed us in the sky and deemed us a threat. The moment it leaped into the air, its body released a violent torrent of wind. ““Eeeek…!!””

God…dammit… How many skills does this thing have?!

The Demi-Harpies managed to hold on to us, but the lashing winds the giant crab produced left cuts on their skin. My suit was torn, and I saw small lines of blood running down. It was clear that my friends had been injured as well.

A light shone on the crab’s back. This gale-creating skill must be one of the ones it stole from Roland. I regretted not learning about all of Roland’s skills before coming here. But even if I had known, it would have been nearly impossible to evade that attack, beyond trying to fly higher in the sky.

“Ch-cheep…”

“Himiko, can you still fly?!”

“…Chirp!” Himiko mustered up some strength and replied.

It didn’t seem like the giant crab could continue to use two skills while in the sky, because it fell to the ground again. It wasn’t materialized, though, so it didn’t take any damage from the impact.

“Misaki, Suzuna, are you okay?!”

“Y-yes… I somehow managed to make it, thanks to your warning,” said Suzuna.

“Urgh… My eyes are spinning from being swooshed around…,” said Misaki.

I should have made sure I was behind them even though we were in the sky. Now I moved around to their backs and activated Recovery Support.

“Ah… It’s fast… But that’s not enough to hit me!”

♦Current Status♦

The giant crab targeted Elitia with wide-swinging violent attacks, but Elitia continued to evade. If she could at least activate Counter Slice 1, then I could use Attack Support 1 to get in a small hit, but she didn’t have the time to move in right now.

If only we could make it so that physical attacks are effective… What do we do?!

I couldn’t decide which path to go down… Any choice here couldn’t be changed, and it would have an impact on our future strategy. But I couldn’t sit around confused. The Merciless Guillotine was already starting to target Theresia and Igarashi.

“Agh!”

“—!”

♦Current Status♦

“Ms. Theresia, Ms. Kyouka!” cried Seraphina.

The three of them were using everything they had to draw the enemy’s attention and make sure it didn’t focus all its attacks on Seraphina, our tank. The problem was, it took everything they had to keep up with the crab’s speed, and they weren’t able to take a single opportunity for a counterattack. Even if I tried to support them from the sky, the giant crab kept moving so that it was keeping someone in the vanguard engaged.

“It’s fast…but I can still dodge!” Igarashi’s speed increased even more. I could tell she was getting more confident.

It was right then that I started to think they could keep dodging forever.

“Kyouka, look out!”

“Igarashi!!”

♦Current Status♦

“Eeeek!”

“……!!”

♦Current Status♦

Unfortunately, Igarashi had come close to the remains of a Ghost Scissors, and it exploded with a flash of magical light. Despite the fact that her Protection Necklace guarded against equipment breaking, it wasn’t able to prevent it. About half of Igarashi’s armor was blown off, injuring her in the process.

“How dare you—!”

“Ellie, wait!”

♦Current Status♦

Elitia was enraged, but Igarashi got her under control. At the last minute, instead of stepping forward to charge in, she leaped backward and avoided the scythe.

“Ow… This is nothing…!”

“—!!”

“Kyouka!”

Both Theresia and Elitia moved in to help Igarashi. Before the giant crab could lash out at her, Seraphina moved in to block the attack.

“GUWARARAAAA!!”

“Mr. Atobe, some support please!”

♦Current Status♦

I felt like my heart stopped. I’d guessed that attack had been magical because it had slipped right through Roland’s defense, but it wasn’t impossible that I was wrong. The scythe swung down toward Seraphina’s shield. There was no going back.

The moment the scythe touched the shield, there was an impact totally unlike when two physical objects collide, and the giant crab’s scythe was repelled with a loud noise.

“Haaaaaah!”

♦Current Status♦

“She did it!”

“Amazing… Seraphina blocked the scythe!”

That defense brought us back from the brink of destruction and set us up for a counterattack. Both Igarashi, who had taken damage, and Theresia fell into offensive stances. Melissa was also likely coming in for an attack. This was a once in a lifetime golden opportunity to get through this.

Part II: Crimson Petals

I was going to give the order to start a combo attack using the opportunity Seraphina made for us, but I saw Igarashi touch a hand to her broken armor.

What on earth is she…? Oh, right!

“Theresia, back me up!” said Igarashi, and Theresia readied her sword to make the second stage of the combo, followed by Seraphina.

“Suzuna, take Sacred Words!” I ordered.

“Okay!” She didn’t hesitate. Her license glowed, responding to her will to take a new skill.

“Holy symbols that repel the wicked, grant me your power!”

♦Current Status♦

A white character appeared on my black slingshot. I had a suspicion that the Holy attribute would be effective against the giant crab while it was immaterialized like this since it was a Named version of the Ghost Scissors and had a skill with “phantom” in the name.

Would it end up for better or for worse? If I was wrong and it wasn’t going to materialize even if we hit it with a massive attack while only magical attacks were effective, we’d have no choice but to keep fighting without our instant-kill attack.

Our magic attacks haven’t been our main strength up until now. Can they be powerful enough to become a threat…? It’s now or never!

“Cooperation Support…defensive line!”

“…!!”

♦Current Status♦

Theresia targeted the weak spot even without an order from me. That meant each person understood what area was effective to attack after I’d used Command Support once. The giant crab was engulfed in blue flames as it burned. It had been temporarily stopped, and now it flinched, followed by a knockback effect that pushed it back.

Igarashi was already spacing herself to get in the third stage of the combo. That was when my guess as to what she was doing turned into a certainty.

“Ethereal Form!”

♦Current Status♦

“Sh-she transformed… Arihito, she transformed!” cried Misaki.

I doubt Igarashi herself even anticipated this. Her magic filled in the sections of her broken armor, and winglike shapes sprouted from her back. Then she switched to her double-headed spear, whose power increased by the amount of damage the user had taken. After switching, she lashed out with a magic attack that she could use with any spear she used.

“Come forth…Lightning Rage!”

♦Current Status♦

Blue flames licked at the crab’s shell. Igarashi closed in on it and thrust her spear at its mouth. Lightning exploded from her spear, and since there were no other potential targets in the area, all the lightning that would have struck the surrounding area arced toward the giant crab, increasing the power of the attack.

Will this do it…? Maybe Elitia can get in there, too!

If Igarashi had her mirage warrior, we’d get even more attacks in there with one volley, but Cooperation Support 1 only worked for up to three people. Instead of aiming for simply increasing our number of fighters, I was hoping to get in a huge combo hit.

Everyone watched what happened after that volley. The crab had been translucent, but suddenly we were no longer able to see through it to the other side…

♦Current Status♦

The Stunned, blue flame–engulfed giant crab suddenly materialized.

“GUWAAARARAAAAA!!”

It still had plenty of vitality. The giant crab raised its broken pincer and scythe as if to testify to that, but—

“Now! Misaki, Melissa!”

“Take it out, Melissa! Morale Discharge, Fortune Roll!”

♦Current Status♦

I didn’t know where Melissa had gone—at the very least, she wasn’t in front of the giant crab. Seraphina’s gaze alerted me to Melissa’s location: She’d been waiting this whole time and was about to use the Ambush skill she’d just learned.

“I’ll bring you down!!”

♦Current Status♦

I just barely caught sight of Melissa circling behind the giant crab in midair and raising the sinister-looking Forbidden Scythe.

Time seemed to stop. Would the auto-kill effect actually work? All I could do in that moment was pray.

♦Current Status♦

“—GUWA…RAARAAA…RAA…”

The fierce giant crab fell. Rumbles echoed across the beach as the ground trembled from the crash when its long legs lost their strength and its body plummeted to the ground.

“We did it… Wow, we really did it, Arihito!”

I heard Misaki crying in joy. Igarashi and Theresia turned back to look up in my direction. But I, along with several others, noticed something. I didn’t want it to be true; I didn’t want to think that the battle would continue even though our strategy had succeeded.

♦Current Status♦

All of a sudden, a figure clad in a crab shell appeared in front of the immobilized Merciless Guillotine. It looked like the humanoid version of the giant crab and was vastly smaller, but I could sense that it was even more powerful.

♦Monster Encountered♦

“A-Arihito… It’s…”

“It’s coming!”

It started moving without a moment’s delay. The blades on the outside of its shell-clad arms flashed as it went for the closest person: Theresia.

“—!!”

“No you don’t!”

“Elitia!”

♦Current Status♦

Elitia covered Theresia, who didn’t have time to react, and defended against the attack with her sword. They weren’t that different in size, but the Mourner’s attack pushed Elitia backward. Just before I thought she might try to get in a Counter Slash 1, the monster lashed out with its other arm.

♦Current Status♦

“—Aagh?!”

Its second attack landed before Elitia’s. If this thing was faster than her, then no one in the party would be able to keep up with it.

♦Current Status♦

“Ah… It’s so fast!”

A slash of its arm meant it could reach even an opponent it wasn’t engaged with. It looked like it cut nothing more than air, but its range was longer than it appeared. Igarashi managed to evade thanks to the effects of her Evasion Step. Even so, if she had used it a split second later, she would have been hit.

Theresia knew it would target her next, but she didn’t fall back, instead readying her sword and shield. But I knew she wouldn’t be able to handle this monster; it was faster than Elitia.

“O devotee, my Guard Arm has recovered. It is now available for your use.” I heard Ariadne’s voice in my mind. She’d deemed that this was a time when it was necessary.

“All right… Go, Ariadne!”

“……!!”

♦Current Status♦

Ariadne answered my request, but even though the Guard Arm halted the attack, it didn’t stop the monster.

♦Current Status♦

“……!!”

Theresia wasn’t able to completely brace herself against the horizontal slash with her shield. She was launched into the air and went crashing into the sand. I couldn’t cry out or even go down to save her. I knew that if I lost my composure, people would die.

“—No more…!”

♦Current Status♦

The intervals between its attacks were so quick that I couldn’t respond with another Guard Arm request. Seraphina couldn’t even bring the damage from one attack down to zero, but she didn’t fall a single step backward thanks to her Immovable Breath skill.

“—Seraphina, it’s no good!” shouted Suzuna. She, along with the rest of us, knew that Seraphina was risking her life to buy us time.

“I will not retreat a single step… You cannot push me back!”

“Suzuna, use Auto-Hit! That should be able to land!” I ordered.

“Okay!”

♦Current Status♦

It wasn’t Stunned or slowed down…but still!

The monster was wary of Suzuna’s arrows and stopped its series of attacks against Seraphina to fall back. But it was still within range to use its long-range Execution attack. Even our lowest-level member, Melissa, was in range.

♦Current Status♦

It didn’t turn around; it just whipped its right crab shell–covered arm behind it. Neither Melissa nor Cion had any way of dodging it. I should have ordered her to get out of there the moment her auto-kill attack was successful…before she was targeted.

All sound faded. I couldn’t do anything to intercept. This creature was faster than Elitia—there was nothing the rest of us could do to beat that speed.

She’d always been that fast. She had always saved us from destruction with that sword of hers.

“—Hyaaaaaa!”

♦Current Status♦

A red blur streaked across the beach and blew the enemy away. Based on what happened, I guessed she had slashed at it horizontally.

“Ellie!”

Her eyes were dyed crimson, and a red aura surrounded her body. This was completely different from when she’d just used Berserk.

“I will not let my friends get taken from me again… I will scatter you across this beach like crimson petals!”

The monster’s shell was gouged, but it stood against Elitia with no less hostility than before.

“Master, Elitia cannot maintain this state for very long,” came Murakumo’s voice. She was right; we needed to end this as soon as possible.

♦Current Status♦

The creature spread its arms, and I saw Sand Scissors sprout up here and there, and I knew. I knew that it was thinking the exact same thing as us—that it absolutely wasn’t going to lose this fight.

Part III: All-Out War

Each of the Sand Scissors was still level 6, the same level as the Arachnophilia. I didn’t waver even though I saw an absurd sixteen of them appear. We still had ways to handle this; we hadn’t exhausted the attacks available to us.

“Melissa, Cion, you did a great job! Get out of there before they surround you!” I ordered.

“…But I can still…”

“Woof!”

Melissa was still trying to get in an auto-kill hit. But it wasn’t like Elitia could stop the monster every time it targeted Melissa. Cion seemed to understand that well.

While the Merciless Mourner was glaring threateningly at Elitia, it seemed to radiate hostility in every direction. In the sky, the Demi-Harpies were terrified and didn’t seem like they could move in any closer, but they were prepared to do what was needed if it came down to it.

Then, before Elitia and the Merciless Mourner could cross blades again…

“Morale Discharge, Soul Mirage!”

“……!”

♦Current Status♦

The Demi-Harpies didn’t get a mirage warrior, but everyone in the party other than Cion, who was in the secondary party, was strengthened by the effects of Igarashi’s and Theresia’s Morale Discharges. That meant there were two Elitias’ worth of attack power, both of their abilities skyrocketing thanks to Red Eye.

“Hyaaaaaa!”

Elitia started the fight. Two blurs of the golden-haired swordswoman closed in on the monster.

“We’re going in, too… Suzuna, your flute! Misaki, can you still keep going?!” I said.

“I—I think I can just about do it somehow… I won’t hold you back!” said Misaki as Suzuna pulled out her flute. It was made from a massive horn but looked like a normal sideways flute. The two Shrine Maidens readied their flutes.

♦Current Status♦

Elitia used her strongest skill as her first move. It reached sixteen stages because she was in Berserk, and then went past sixteen. As hard as it was to believe, however, the monster raised its arms and took Elitia’s vicious attack straight on.

“—I’ll cut you down!”

While she was violently slashing away, a light emerged from Suzuna’s flute. The Sand Scissors had just started to move, but they froze the moment her music started. And I had already pulled the trigger of my magic gun to support Suzuna’s sound attack with another bullet.

♦Current Status♦

The Holy-attribute sound wave crashed into the Sand Scissors, stopping them in their tracks where they were shot by black lightning from the Darkness Bullet. Having a mirage warrior didn’t double Attack Support 2, but since my support applied to Suzuna’s mirage warrior, the black lightning struck the Sand Scissors twice.

“W-wow… That combo was, like, insane!!” said Misaki.

I hadn’t expected it to go that well, either. The Merciless Mourner seemed to have an immunity to sound because the attack didn’t affect it. On the other hand, ten Sand Scissors turned back to sand, and a number of them left behind what looked like magic stones. On the ground, Igarashi and Theresia attacked the Sand Scissors coming at them. They, along with their mirage warriors, used Lightning Rage and Double Throw, and that, with my support, meant we’d wiped out all the summoned crabs in the blink of an eye.

But Elitia and the Merciless Mourner continued to exchange ferocious blows. The Mourner was being hit with a rain of slashes from a second round of Elitia and her mirage warrior’s Blossom Blade. I started to feel concerned when Elitia went to use it for the third time.

“Urgh… Ah…”

The strength suddenly went out of her body. Being in Red Eye state drained too much of her magic. It was already depleted.

“Ellie!”

♦Current Status♦

I have to make it!

“AAAAAaaaaah!!”

♦Current Status♦

“—!!!”

The Merciless Mourner screamed in wordless rage and stumbled back as it was hit with Elitia’s strikes and my black lightning. Elitia and her mirage warrior had used Rising Bolt, a skill with few attacks, but she was able to use it with the magic I’d given her with Charge Assist. It managed to completely destroy the Merciless Mourner’s defense, despite how perfect it had seemed.

Smoke wafted from the Merciless Mourner, but it didn’t fall. Elitia recovered a lot from the effects of Triple Steal and moved in to strike again, but—

♦Current Status♦

What?!

Instead of attacking Elitia, who was directly in front of it, the Merciless Mourner pointed one arm at Theresia and one at Igarashi, then launched its bladed shell covering at them. It was trying to take down at least one person with it. A single attack from a level-9 Named Monster like this could be fatal to anyone in the party.

But she was there with her large shield ready, as if she’d read the attack.

“O devotee, now is the time to give strength to your ally. Call on the armor of your Stellar Mechanical God,” came Ariadne’s voice. That’s right, she’d said something before. She’d said that when our party’s combined level reached 20, I would be able to use a Guard Variant.

“Ariadne, I request your support!”

♦Current Status♦

This wasn’t the Guard Arm—it was a different protection from Ariadne. It worked by strengthening a member of the party who carried a shield. Thankfully, Seraphina accepted the change that happened to the shield in front of her eyes and continued with her action.

♦Current Status♦

“—Gah…ah!!”

The two shell pieces the Merciless Mourner shot bounced off the huge shield and were repelled. Actually, they were launched back with the same force.

“This shield…does more than protect!” exclaimed Seraphina. The shield returned the enemy’s physical attacks as they were. You could tell from looking at the damage of the impact left on the Merciless Mourner’s shell that it was a threatening attack, even to itself.

The mirage warriors hadn’t yet disappeared. All the monsters it had summoned had been defeated. Its shell was no longer in one piece. But the Merciless Mourner still faced down Elitia.

“…I’m ending this!”

♦Current Status♦

The red blurs that Elitia and her mirage warrior left in the wake of their swords looked like bountifully blooming flowers. The monster took those attacks head-on and continued to hold its own. It didn’t have only incredible offense; its defense was probably head and shoulders above that of other Named Monsters that appeared in the labyrinths in this district.

But we were a group, and the enemy was alone. Even if it maintained its impenetrable defense from its front, its response to attacks from behind was slow. That moment of delay could mean its death.

“I’ve been waiting…for this!”

♦Current Status♦

Melissa and her mirage warrior had been waiting for a chance. There’s no way she wasn’t afraid, but she still waited for that brief opening.

“Melissa!” cried Elitia. She knew I would have been looking for that opening, too, and supported Melissa’s decision.

♦Current Status♦

“Ah?!”

The auto-kill effect didn’t always succeed. That’s why we’d planned our strategy around using it after having used Fortune Roll.

But we can’t let it get us down. That spot’s behind it!

“Come forth, Murakumo!”

♦Current Status♦

I wasn’t directly behind the enemy—I was at a distance, which I could close immediately with Meteor Strike. It was thanks to Melissa being there that I could even use Rear Stance to reach it.

The monster couldn’t handle the attacks from behind and both sides. Even so, how little its shell was destroyed on the front really spoke to its horrific strength. But Elitia wasn’t going to miss the opening I made for her. She moved in to use her strongest skill, and I would fulfill my duty as a rearguard. I used the last remaining drops of magic to activate my skills and support her in the end.

“Scatter, my crimson blooms! Blossom Blade!”

♦Current Status♦

“Aaaaah…aaah!!”

Red slashes formed crimson flowers. Elitia abandoned defense to focus everything into the might of her sword as each strike she made looked like a move in an elegant dance. Each of her strikes was accompanied by one from Murakumo, bringing the total number of attacks close to one hundred. The first few dozen strikes continued to rain down on the monster in the air where it had been flung. Its shell suddenly shattered; it fell to the sand without bouncing—and didn’t stand again.

♦Current Status♦

“Huff, huff…”

“You did it, Ellie! …Uh, wh-what’s wrong…?”

“Igarashi, wait! Right now, Elitia’s…”

Even though the battle was over, Red Eye hadn’t ended. That meant Berserk was still in effect, which made her attack anything. But…

“Ellie, it’s okay now… We’ve won.” Suzuna dropped to the beach and pulled Elitia into a hug, not a single shred of fear in her. At first, Elitia seemed to be having a hard time, but the red magic surrounding her body faded as Suzuna stroked her back.

♦Current Status♦

“Ah…S-Suzuna…?”

“Oh, Ellie… Thank goodness…”

“…I’m sorry; I don’t have much strength left… Could I lean on you?”

“I’m here for that kind of thing, toooo! I didn’t even have time to use my exploding cards, so I’m pumped full of leftover energy!”

Misaki and Suzuna both helped support Elitia. I asked the Demi-Harpies to retrieve the stone that was stuck onto the giant crab’s shell. If we had that stone, which I thought housed Roland’s soul, we should be able to bring him back.

Melissa sent the materials from the giant crab and the Merciless Mourner to her storage. I went closer to the Merciless Mourner to check and discovered there wasn’t a humanoid monster inside the shell. I decided it was safe to assume that it was simply a set of armor housing the giant crab’s soul, which was what made it move.

“I cannot say I was able to completely use my abilities as my master’s sword. I have to make it to the limit of your abilities…,” said Murakumo sadly from my back where I’d returned her to her sheath. She was half-right.

My skills and sword-wielding abilities… They both have room to grow. We’re only in District Seven—we can’t stop improving just yet.

Murakumo didn’t respond for a little while. She seemed to be thinking about something. Either that, or perhaps she was discussing it with Ariadne.

“Arihito… Your growth has been incredible. However, I do not expect you to gain a level even having fought an enemy like this one. This will be because of the usefulness of the skills you can get at each level, as well as the fact that Elitia was the primary attacker,” said Ariadne.

You were listening, too, huh, Ariadne? …You’re right, my level didn’t go up. But I wouldn’t say it was nothing since I was able to get about eighty percent of the experience needed for the next level with just a few fights.

It was harder to get experience because of the difference in levels between me and Elitia. The reason I hadn’t really noticed until now was because we’d gotten so much experience before the adjustment was applied. But there was no way we could have had Elitia back off just before the enemy was defeated. I thought we were making good progress as we were, but I didn’t want to have an extended face-off against an opponent who could kill us if we made one wrong move. I’d love to be incredibly cautious, if only we didn’t have any time restrictions.

“…I am not sure if this is what you wish for, but I… From the day you came to me, I have felt the hands of fate at play,” said Ariadne.

I’d had a similar thought. We encountered far too many Named Monsters and unique circumstances for it to be coincidence—for instance, the chest left behind by the Merciless Mourner. I’d never seen this kind of chest before. It wasn’t a Black Box; engraved on the front of this chest were the words White Box. Theresia brought it over to me. We knew how big of a threat the traps on Black Boxes were, so there was no way we could try opening this one. We’d managed to find something I wasn’t sure even Falma could open.

“Atobe, that chest…,” started Igarashi.

“I thought Black Boxes were the most valuable, so I don’t even know how to react to this one… But there’s a risk of traps. We can’t open it now. I want to try talking to Falma about it later.”

“Y-yeah… I’ve heard how bad it can be for Black Boxes if you try to force it open, fail, and end up activating a trap…” Igarashi must’ve remembered what Falma had told us because she hugged her body tight with worry. Her magic armor made from the trans rune was still doing fine, but I didn’t know what would happen once her magic ran out… I decided to worry about that when I couldn’t help her out with Charge Assist anymore. I couldn’t use it too much during battle, but if I ran out of magic even after having recovered some from Triple Steal, I could just drink a mana potion.

Seraphina approached while we were talking. Her shield had returned to its normal form, no longer strengthened with Guard Variant.

Part IV: The Joint Battle

“Mr. Atobe…that was incredible. Every single one of you possesses not only strength but also courage and compassion. You have my utmost respect.”

“Seraphina, you’re the one who helped us in the most crucial moments.”

“Only because of this shield. Without it, I would surely have been killed without being able to fulfill my duties as your defense… I will provide the funds necessary for its maintenance after this.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine. Actually, if you like it, you can keep it. We still don’t have anyone in the party who could equip it, and I have a feeling we’ll want to ask for your help again sometime.”

“Arihito, going in for the direct invite… I like it. I wanna get invited like thaaat,” said Misaki.

“I would feel better having Seraphina in our party, but her Guild Savior duties are still important. I would be honored to just fight by her side like this once in a while,” said Igarashi.

I wasn’t really planning on recruiting her, but it wasn’t as though I never wanted to work with her again. Having her in our party gave us access to a much wider array of strategic options. But I couldn’t force her. She had already helped us so much.

“We need to get stronger so that we don’t rely too heavily on Seraphina. With that, I just hope we can fight together again, at another time, on a different day,” I said.

“What are you saying…? Your party is exemplary. Level is not the only factor when considering a party’s actual strength.”

If Seraphina said it, then I could believe it. Everyone smiled at me as I thought that.

“Arihito’s the one who contributes more than you’d expect for his level. Compared to him, even I need to work harder.”

“Ellie…that’s far too humble of you—look at the incredible attacks you made,” said Suzuna.

“…It was cool. I can’t be like you, but I admire you,” said Melissa.

“Wh-what’s this all of a sudden…? I’m not cool or anything…” Elitia’s face flushed red as even Melissa started to compliment her. I doubted there was anyone who wouldn’t be happy if they got complimented for the way they fought.

“Mr. Atobe, please feel free to drop in whenever I am stationed nearby. You have no need to hesitate; I myself would like to assist you when possible.”

“Thank you, Seraphina.” I shook her hand on behalf of my party. She removed her gauntlets for it, and while her hand was large for a woman, it felt smaller than I expected it to.

“While we might have some time left, I don’t want Roland to spend a long time like this. Let’s go, Atobe,” said Igarashi.

“Right… Except, there’s something bothering me.”

I was still thinking about that person who’d entered the labyrinth before we did. If it was Gray, he must be waiting for his chance to make his move. I hoped he wouldn’t do something stupid. Even though a part of me expected he would, I couldn’t help hanging my head in disappointment when we made it out of the narrow path through the cliffs.

“So you finally finished, huh? …Hey, ladies, and you, asshole in the suit. Bet you’re pretty worn out after fighting that monster!”

Ahead of us was the cave that led out of the labyrinth. On the path leading to it stood Gray, with a number of giant monsters following behind him.

“…So that’s how far you were willing to go. You intend to let them destroy us?”

“Aaaah… Th-there’s three of those giant mantises!”

“He even has Arachnophilias… How’d he pull that off?!”

♦Monsters Encountered♦

“…Did you use summoning charms to gather them and then bring them all the way here? If that’s the case, you probably have a skill that lets you push the target’s hostility onto someone else,” I said.

“Ha-ha-ha, I’ll let you know before I send you off to the Healers! I have a skill that eliminates hostility toward me. Look at these guys; they won’t target me even though I’m closest to them.”

Well, that explained it. If he was willing to talk that much, there was one other thing I wanted to ask him.

“What are you trying to do here?”

“I can’t tell you my whole plan. I just happen to be here, you know? And you just happen to get attacked by a bunch of monsters. That’s nothing but some really bad luck… Haaa-ha-ha!”

I had an idea of what he was going to do—I figured I’d ask first is all. I imagined he’d go pick up something as proof that he defeated the Merciless Guillotine and use it for his own benefit.

“…It seems you have some misconceptions about us, but we’re not kind enough to tell you what those are,” said Elitia.

“Misconceptions? Are you saying that you, the Death Sword, could easily kill all these monsters? You can’t even walk without someone helping you right now!”

Elitia huffed but didn’t seem to have any desire to respond to him. I agreed with that move. All we had left to do was to show this guy what was going to happen.

“All right, I’m simply going to stand by and watch what happens. I can add more monsters if there aren’t enough… Though these summon charms don’t come cheap. You fellas better work hard enough to justify the cost!”

The three mantises looked at us with hostility and jumped forward in unison. Seraphina stepped up to take the front vanguard position; we put Elitia down to rest in a safe place, and we got ready to battle.

But what happened next was something that not I, not even Gray, could have ever imagined. The three mantises were all hit at the time—from behind.

“SCREE!”

“GRAAAAAH!”

A glowing symbol appeared at the feet of one monster before it was engulfed in flames. A glowing mass struck another one forcefully, and the last one recoiled when it was hit by two bullets.

“I see you and your party are doing perfectly fine!”

“Arihito… Everyone…!”

♦Current Status♦

Entrance to the labyrinth was supposed to be restricted, but these entirely unexpected people appeared. There was Ceres riding on Steiner’s shoulders, Takuma, Shiori, and then Luca, with a small magic pistol in each hand.

“Madoka… Did you bring everyone here?!”

“I didn’t. I was in the workshop with Ceres, but they all just kept coming… They all said they wanted to help you…”

“I don’t think I can do much but watch my brother fight…but it’s been so long since I’ve seen him make a move to do anything on his own. I’m sorry; I’m babbling,” said Shiori.

“I’d be a mess if you didn’t come in to pick up the suit I’m making for you for some reason. I’ll show you that even a support person like me can still have it, as long as they practice,” said Luca.

“Mr. Atobe, we came to fight alongside you as well! It appears it will take a little longer to defeat these monsters, but please just wait and see!”

Gray couldn’t seem to understand what was happening. The mantises started to turn toward Ceres’s party, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Only the Arachnophilias were left.

“S-spiders… Get them! Those people are your enemy, make no mistake!”

I’d figured this might happen… But we might as well show Gray ourselves.

“Come forth, Arachnomage!”

♦Current Status♦

I gripped my pendant with the summoning stones and called on the Arachnomage. The moment Gray saw it, he jumped and tripped backward exactly like he had when he first saw the Merciless Guillotine.

“A M-Monster Tamer… You’ve even got one of the spiders?!”

The Arachnomage seemed to be communicating something to the Arachnophilias. I couldn’t hear anything, but the Arachnophilias must have because they turned around and headed into the field.

“…They’re all making a fool of me… Goddammiiiit!” Gray didn’t even try to come at us in one last desperate attempt. Instead, he scrambled to his feet and ran to the labyrinth’s exit.

“Hmph… It has been far too long since my last battle… I’ve gotten rusty!” said Ceres.

“—!!”

“The mantises are supposed to be the strongest type of monster in District Seven… They’re not going to make this easy!” said Igarashi.

Ceres and the other four with her were fighting well, but it wasn’t an easily won fight. Theresia and Igarashi had already rushed out. Melissa got on Cion, and they circled around behind the enemy, looking for an opening to use the butcher’s knife Melissa switched to.

“I might be losing my edge with age… In the past, two shots would have sent these guys off to heaven!” said Luca. His boots must have been reinforced with metal because he kicked up his foot to block a slash from one of the mantis’s scythe-like arms. Fighting like that while wearing a suit like he did would surely have affected his reputation as a master of kick-style fighting.

♦Cooperation Request from Other Parties♦

“—!”

Takuma was a master of hand-to-hand fighting. He moved in quickly and attacked a mantis with a palm strike, pushing it off balance. Igarashi and Theresia used the chance to get an attack in.

“Do it, Atobe!” cried Igarashi.

“……!!”

I accepted Ceres’s cooperation request, grateful that they came to reinforce us, then raised my hand and shouted, “I’ll support all of you… Complete Mutual Support!”

♦Current Status♦

“Ah… Wh-what on earth…?!” stammered Ceres.

“A strengthening skill… Is this because of Mr. Atobe…?” said Shiori.

“That’s not half-bad… Arihito, if you’re going to go this far for us, we’re going to have to liven things up in here… Hah!” said Luca.

“……!!”

Everyone’s buff skills were shared with everyone else—that’s what Mutual Support meant. The person who seemed to benefit most from it this time was Takuma, since a lot of the buffs were compatible with his fighting style.

My own party wasn’t going to be outdone, though. Igarashi prepared a Lighting Rage and Theresia readied an Azure Slash.

“Here we go, Theresia!”

“……!”

“Igarashi, Theresia, I’ll support you!” Without a moment’s hesitation, I loaded my magic gun with a dark bullet stone and fired it. Luca was fairly far away, but he still saw me do it—and whistled when he did. Seraphina readied her shield to tackle a mantis in the second wave of attacks.

“Haaaaaah!”

“Whoa… She’s very brave. Steiner, we can’t let them show us up!” said Ceres.

“B-but, I’m not very good at fighting… But I guess that doesn’t cut it right now!”

“Arihito, we’re ready whenever you aaaare!”

“Just let us know when, Arihito!” cried Suzuna.

“I know… Let’s go, you two! Cooperation Support…rearguards!”

Misaki’s Blast Card, Suzuna’s Storm Arrow, and my Darkness Bullet struck all three of the mantises. Our attacks were strengthened with Complete Mutual Support, and the three mantises’ vitality had already been worn down, and they all crumpled to the ground together.

♦Current Status♦

The mantises were finished, but what happened to Gray? I could tell with my Hawk Eyes that he hadn’t actually managed to flee.

“Sorry we’re late…but it looks like we were able to stop this would-be runaway.”

The four members of Four Seasons had blocked Gray’s path just before he was about to make it out.

“K-Kaede… Hurry, out of my way… G-get out of my way!” shouted Gray.

“Aha… You really hate surrendering, huh? I knew that’s the sort of person you are,” said Ibuki. Kaede was blocking the path, and Gray started to shout at her, but Ibuki quickly moved around him, pinning him in so he couldn’t escape.

“How about you give up? I’m sure whatever you did here was terrible,” said Anna.

“She’s right… You should really get yourself together and stop constantly thinking about doing terrible things,” said Ryouko.

“Sh-shut up! I…I’m—!”

“Gray, stop!”

Gray wasn’t responding to Anna’s or Ryouko’s attempts at persuasion. He pulled something out and threw it at the ground. It was a smoke bomb.

“Get outta my… Gah… Aaaah?!”

But he didn’t manage to flee. When the veil of smoke cleared, there was an eyepatch-wearing armored man holding Gray up by the lapels with just his right hand.

“Whoa there, kid. You’re a real prickly one, eh?”

“Khosrow, I only want him unconscious.”

“Yes’m… As you wish, Captain Kozelka.”

With the man was a woman wearing a kind of black armor that I hadn’t seen in the Labyrinth Country yet. Her outfit made it look like she’d chosen knight or something for her job, but I still couldn’t tell for sure.

“Kozelka…the third-class dragon captain…” Seraphina’s eyes went wide. We were told it would take a few days for the help we requested from the Guild Savior headquarters to arrive, but they were already here. In other words, even this third-class dragon captain felt the situation was unusual enough to warrant a speedy response.

Kozelka had flowing silver hair. I couldn’t tell how old she was, but I guessed around Seraphina’s age or maybe slightly older.

“You must be Lieutenant Seraphina Edelbert. I apologize for providing you with incorrect information… The higher-ups determined this issue to be more pressing than our previous assignment. I was ordered to prioritize this mission in District Six, which is why we have arrived sooner than originally planned,” said Kozelka.

“I understand the situation. This group, the party of Arihito Atobe, has defeated the Named Monster that was causing the damage,” Seraphina reported. “I apologize, but our priority mission as Guild Saviors has already come to a close.”

Kozelka examined us. She carried herself gracefully, but her gaze was sharp when she looked at me, making me feel like I couldn’t get away.

She gave the man named Khosrow an order, and he finally lowered Gray to the ground—but Gray had already passed out.

“The Guild already received a number of reports about this man’s actions. Based on eyewitness testimony, we will have to investigate the records retained in his license. He will be tried at the headquarters to determine if he has committed a crime,” said Kozelka.

“’Course he has; it’s written all over his face. Guys like him usually get beat into shape over at the training facility… Oops. My apologies.”

Kozelka glared at Khosrow, and he shrugged. An official punishment would probably be given to Gray for his attempt to pin our deaths on monsters and his use of force to get people to join his party.

“That sounds too kind, considering what he’s done… But this facility does sort of sound like imprisonment with forced labor.” Igarashi must have felt that the sentence was light because she was very angry at him. I was quite happy to wash my hands of Gray altogether, so the Guild could just take care of everything.

“Hmm… That was tough. But I felt power welling up in me whenever Arihito called out to us. I wonder what kind of skill that was,” said Ceres.

“Master, you should have recovered more magic before coming. You weren’t nearly as strong as usual.”

“……”

“Takuma does good work as a mercenary, which means he hasn’t lost his skills. I’m glad to see it,” said Shiori.

“Arihito, I can’t believe you know this many support people. And here I thought I was the only one you were exclusive with. Ha, I’m just joking. It makes me as proud as if it were myself to see a fine customer like you gaining the trust of so many people,” said Luca.

Even though it was the first time they’d fought together, the five of them, including Shiori, made a pretty good team. Madoka was the one who brought them along, but she used Hide just in case. Now that the fight was over, she was handing potions out to everyone.

“Oh good… Arihito, I’m so happy… I was sure you’d get injured this time…”

“Sorry to worry you, Madoka. We’re all fine, though, as you can see… Elitia, are you doing better?”

“Yeah, it seems that my abilities will gradually recover over time, but it’ll take a couple of hours for me to be back to normal. My vitality’s completely recovered, though, thanks to Theresia’s Morale Discharge.”

Triple Steal was good for its ability to steal a monster’s dropped loot, but the vitality and magic recovery part of it was a lifesaver. It worked well with Soul Mirage, which meant it wasn’t uncommon for us to finish a battle being completely recovered.

“Make sure you bring us along next time. I can’t wait until we seek together again. But you seem like you’re going to move up to District Six anytime now…,” said Kaede.

“…I want to show you guys the racket you helped me make,” said Anna as she showed us the racket she had but hadn’t used this time. Ryouko and Ibuki smiled happily as they watched the exchange.

“Anna gets that look when she’s with Arihito and no one else,” said Ibuki.

“You only need to consider us if you have the time, Atobe,” added Ryouko. “We’re going to do our best, too, to hurry up to District Six.”

It was reassuring to know there was another party trying to move up as well. I was looking forward to another opportunity for us to fight together.

Four Seasons, along with Ceres and her party, teleported out of the labyrinth first. Kozelka had Khosrow go ahead, and she was the only one left with our party.

“Mr. Arihito Atobe, I’d like to speak with you briefly. Could you come with Lieutenant Seraphina to the Upper Guild later?”

What Third-Class Dragon Captain Kozelka wanted to discuss would end up becoming a major turning point for our party—something I couldn’t possibly have fathomed at the time.