Volume 7, Chapter 67 – The Helper

“Did they split up?”

Jumping alone into the giant pit of the labyrinth plaza, the light before Yisi’s eyes suddenly dimmed.

Although she had told Laxy that a capable assistant was on the way, the distance between them was over a hundred kilometers. Adding the time needed for precise positioning, by the time her assistant arrived, Nana and the others in the labyrinth might have already been attacked by monsters. So, Yisi chose to go in first.

The [Omniscient Map] showed that Nana’s group on the thirteenth floor had split into three teams. The higher-level Nana and Iman were each leading a smaller team to find an exit, while the remaining team, which accounted for two-thirds of the total number and exceeded sixty people, was holding their position.

“…Instead of heading to the surface, they chose to go deeper underground. Even if there are hidden passages between different levels, it’s too much of a gamble.”

If they couldn’t find a barrier wall like the one connecting the nineteenth and ninth floors, going deeper was almost a certain death sentence. And most barrier walls, even if found, could not be broken.

“But the passages from the thirteenth floor to the surface have either collapsed or been flooded. Nana and the others have no other choice… Although I have to praise their courage, this just adds more to my task.”

I’ll have to bring people out on three separate trips.

“By the way, even with the barriers, the water will eventually seep through the entire labyrinth. Those fluffy guardians inside…”

GAAAAAA—!

While Yisi was thinking, a group of bats shrouded in purple mist attacked from behind her. Catching a glimpse of the bats’ true form, Yisi couldn’t help but frown.

“These are monsters that should only appear after the twentieth floor. Has the earthquake already affected that far down?”

The purple light from the bats’ eyes shone on Yisi, and a thin layer of gray powder appeared on her body. With just a wave of her hand, she brushed the powder off her clothes.

Petrification Gaze.

The reason Yisi remembered this type of bat among the many monsters was that they had caused her considerable trouble before. While searching for treasure chests in the labyrinth, Yisi had been ambushed by them. The petrification gaze they emitted could turn anything it shone on into stone. If one’s magic resistance was low, even a large creature could be killed instantly. And at that time, due to a moment of carelessness, Yisi’s clothes had been turned to stone, forcing her to first cast aside her shame, dismember the bats one by one with Gungnir, and then change into a new formal dress.

“The same trick won’t work twice.”

Yisi let out a light huff. When the bats appeared, she had already applied a layer of magic barrier to the surface of her clothes. The bats’ petrification effect could only work on the barrier.

As if to flick off a stain from the blade, Yisi swung the Laevateinn that Laxy had called the Sword of Ruin.

“It would be bad if I let you get to the surface. Disappear.”

Pouring magic power into the rapier, Yisi unleashed a slash at the panicked swarm of bats. A fire blade, twenty meters long, instantly illuminated the deep pit. After devouring the swarm, it continued forward, burning to ashes all the monsters it touched.

“God, what was that just now?”

“A legendary fifth-tier spell? But I only saw her swing her sword once!”

The voices of adventurers echoed in the cave.

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Was I seen?

Yisi raised her eyebrows slightly.

She had been too focused on Nana and the others and had forgotten about the low-level adventurers not mentioned by Dominic. These lower-level adventurers had been in the areas above the fifth floor before the collapse and were now on the cross-section of the giant pit, trying to climb up to the surface.

Fortunately, the light inside the pit is dim, so they can’t see my face. Otherwise, it would be troublesome.

As she thought this, Yisi put on her silver mask and black cloak, displaying the wings of a pureblood. Then, she took out a coiled rope with a grappling hook from her inventory and threw it out of the pit with brute force, making it catch firmly on the ground.

“You can climb up from here.”

Flying to the side of the low-level adventurers, Yisi threw the rope to them.

The lead adventurer had a look of fear on his face.

“B-but there are monsters around. What if the rope is cut…”

Isn’t climbing with your bare hands more dangerous?

While snarking internally, Yisi let out a cold huff.

“I will take care of the monsters below. If you don’t like it, you can just climb up the wall yourself.”

“Thank you so much!”

Unlike the first timid adventurer, another one with a muscular build stepped to the front of the group and, without hesitation, began to slowly climb the rope. With the first one leading the way, the remaining adventurers also began to escape via the rope.

Now to clean up the monsters.

Retracting her gaze, Yisi looked down at the waves of monsters in the giant pit. She had originally planned to use teleportation magic to go deeper underground, but now it seemed that if she didn’t clear out the monster tide as much as possible, the pressure on the surface would be unimaginable. Especially monsters like the purple bat swarm; if they were to appear on the surface, it would be no exaggeration to say they could slaughter a city.

Alternating between [Blink] and [Spatial Lock], Yisi specifically sought out and killed monsters above level 20. And because she wasn’t hiding her strength, in the eyes of the low-level adventurers, the current Yisi was equivalent to a god.

“Who on earth is that? Why did she just disappear?”

“That speed can only be [One Flash] from close-combat magic. But isn’t [One Flash] only usable on the ground?”

“The monster stopped moving just by being pointed at. Only a god could have such power, right!?”

“And that sword, the one burning with fire! It’s definitely the most beautiful sword I’ve ever seen. Even the holy sword in the hands of the Flower of the Kingdom isn’t as beautiful. Did you see? That sword cut a Rock Snake in two with one strike. That’s a monster that can only be dealt with by a magic blade!”

“Isn’t the most amazing thing her ability to kill the Moth of Principles ¹ hmm weird monster name ? The defense of a Moth of Principles can only be broken by magic, but that lady split it with just a sword. That’s a Moth of Principles! Even the court magicians in the royal capital have a headache dealing with them.”

“Damn it, why didn’t you say so sooner? Hurry up and run! If we get caught by the Moth of Principles, we’re done for.”

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“R-right.”

Ignoring the low-level adventurers’ astonishment, Yisi, who had been killing high-level monsters all along, glanced at the [Omniscient Map].

“That’s enough. There won’t be any very strong high-level monsters appearing for a while. All that’s left are the slimes.”

Yisi looked down at the gradually rising water level. With her excellent vampiric vision, she could glimpse the green slimes stirring restlessly under the water.

“Although I don’t want to meet these disgusting things, this is the only path available now… [Hellfire].”

Unlike the white flames of [Sacred Fire], Yisi’s entire body was now burning with black flames. If someone were standing beside her, they would have found that the black flames on her body did not feel hot. On the contrary, it was a coldness that felt like being plunged into an ice cellar.

Taking a deep breath, Yisi dove headfirst into the rising water.

Like throwing a live chicken into a snake pit, the slimes hidden under the water madly swam towards Yisi. As hunters, they had long had their eyes on her, just waiting for the water level to reach her. And now that she had willingly thrown herself into their arms, they naturally would not give up this opportunity.

However, the slimes soon realized their mistake.

All the slimes that approached Yisi would quickly die from having their life force burned out as soon as they touched even a little of the black flame. What was even more terrifying was that the black flame that entered the water did not just burn around Yisi. Like a contrail left behind by an airplane, the black flame dragged a long, continuously burning tail behind her.

[Hellfire], a ninth-tier spell, was not something [Sacred Fire] could compare to. [Hellfire] would burn all life it touched, causing the target to die from the depletion of their life force. And because it used the invisible and intangible life force as fuel, no elemental magic could extinguish it.

The mad surging only lasted for a few breaths. The slimes that had noticed the abnormality desperately fled from Yisi as if escaping the god of death. Even so, several thousand of them had perished in the brief approach just now.

But Yisi was concerned about another matter.

As expected, moving underwater is a hassle…

Being unable to breathe was only a small factor. Perhaps it was a characteristic of a vampire, or perhaps it was due to her level, but even if she didn’t breathe for a long time, she wouldn’t die. At most, she would just feel very stuffy and uncomfortable. But because she couldn’t swim, she could only rely on [Wings of Hermes], which was originally a flight spell, as her propulsion. Her movement speed was much slower than before.

After about three minutes, Yisi finally arrived at a place that had not been flooded—a passage separated by a stone door. Teleporting to the other side of the door with [Blink], Yisi’s feet landed on solid ground.

“Phew, finally on land. Now I just need to find Nana and the others… Are they just ahead?”

“Nana, you go first! We’ll create a chance to escape in a moment. You break out from the left!”

“How could I abandon you and save myself!”

It seems they’ve run into a life-or-death crisis.

About ten people were trapped in a narrow passage by countless slimes. Although the slimes moved exceptionally slowly out of water, because they were difficult to kill by physical means, the group’s living space was being slowly squeezed, which was equivalent to a slow death.

“Hraaaaaaah!!! Even if I die, I won’t let you beasts have an easy time! [Mighty Strength]!”

A huge poleaxe split a slime in two, but the bisected slime did not die. Instead, a sizzling sound of corrosion came from the poleaxe. The slimes, seeing the moment the man’s strength was spent, no longer gave the adventurers a chance and lunged at them.

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“They’re coming! Nana, quick, use magic!”

“I don’t have any magic power left.”

“…Is today the day I die?”

Not intending to watch the tragedy unfold, Yisi dispelled her [Hellfire] and used a blink to appear beside the group. With a speed that could not be caught by the naked eye, she plunged the Sword of Ruin into the slimes’ bodies, destroying their magic cores.

The slimes that had been lunging at the adventurers lost their strength and, with a splat, fell powerlessly to the ground.

Not knowing what had happened, the elf Nana stood frozen on the spot.

“Eh…”

“We’re saved…?”

As if to confirm that he was still alive, the adventurer who had closed his eyes earlier began to touch his face and arms. Some even clenched their right fist and punched themselves in the face. Only when they cried out in pain did they start to laugh while crying.

“We’re saved! We’re saved!”

“It’s all thanks to this lady!”

Especially the elf Nana. Perhaps it was a custom among the elves; she sobbed as she took Yisi’s hand to kiss the back of it. Yisi, however, withdrew her hand just as she was about to do so and coughed twice.

“Ahem, it’s too early to be happy. Are there any members of your group who have been separated?”

“Iman, and his group! They’re waiting for us to find an exit in the guardian’s room.”

Just as the [Omniscient Map] had indicated. Yisi let out a sigh of relief.

“You all stay here and don’t move. I’ll take you to the surface—no, it seems I won’t be needed.”

The moment her voice fell, the space beside Yisi distorted.

A girl of about 12-13 years old, with short orange hair and orange eyes, dressed simply and full of youthful energy, leaped from the air to Yisi’s side.

“Big Sis!”

As soon as she landed, Sandra, with an expression overflowing with joy, opened her arms and hugged Yisi. Like a puppy welcoming its master home, she rubbed her cheeks against her.

The capable assistant she had mentioned to Laxy earlier was the Fallen Angel Sandra, a subordinate of the Earthen Demon Lord, Tartaros. Although Sandra was a Fallen Angel, because she had almost no offensive capabilities, and after becoming a captive, she had been freeloading off her, refusing to leave, and even helping with chores like laundry, Yisi no longer saw her as a Fallen Angel. And Sandra, because of Yisi’s strength and kind attitude, had come to see her as an older sister.

Yisi raised an eyebrow and pushed Sandra’s face away with disgust.

“We’re in the middle of official business right now. If you want to eat, we can talk about it after we’re safe.”

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“Mmph! I’m only doing this because I really missed you, Big Sis!”

Sandra pouted in dissatisfaction.

“Yes, yes, let’s just say that’s the case. For now, I won’t ask why you’re here, Sandra. I have a mission for you.”

“A mission? Is it something even you can’t handle, Big Sis?”

Sandra tilted her head in confusion.

“I have more important things to do. You have map magic too, right, Sandra? Help me take the adventurers in the labyrinth to the surface.”

“Adventurers? Humans? Mmm… since it’s a mission from you, Big Sis, I guess it’s not impossible to save them. But if they resist, I won’t be able to take them. My teleportation isn’t as good as yours.”

“Don’t worry. Take this elf with you. Let her explain to the adventurers for you.”

Yisi pointed to Nana. Sandra’s mouth turned into a discontented [へ]-shape.

“Why do I have to work so hard for a lower species… You’re a strange person, Big Sis.”

“And yet you never complain when you’re doing the laundry.”

“That’s because those are your clothes, Big Sis! It’s my honor to be able to do things for you.”

And this isn’t helping me now?

Not wanting to waste any more time, Yisi lightly flicked Sandra’s forehead.

“Alright, hurry up and go. We’ll talk properly when we get back to the surface.”

“Since it’s your order, Big Sis… alright.” Sandra turned around and extended a hand to the adventurers with a cold expression. “Put your hands on me, lower lifeforms. I’m about to teleport. Resisters will be left here. Remember to be grateful and worship Big Sis after we get back.”

This girl…

Yisi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. A strange thought popped into her head: perhaps Sandra wasn’t even as respectful to her own Demon Lord as she was to her.

Well, that’s not a bad thing.

Now, I have more important things to do.

The [Omniscient Map] had revealed the cause of the slime outbreak in the labyrinth—someone had dug through the underground, connecting the lake under the Water Tree with the ninth floor of the labyrinth.

“This prank isn’t funny at all…”

After Sandra had teleported Nana’s group to the surface, Yisi went to the source of the problem.