Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139846143860745
A horde of monsters filling the passageway bares its fangs at us.
Growling and howling, the monsters surge toward us from all directions. They come in all shapes and sizes—some are four-legged beasts, while others barely retain a human form.
The sight of them closing in would normally be enough to make anyone’s legs turn to jelly.
But—
“Get out of my way.”
As she spoke in a voice lower than usual, a flash of silver cut through the air.
Liene’s greatsword swept horizontally, and with a single step forward, she sliced three monsters in half at once.
Blood spatter arced through the air and splattered against the stone wall. As she continued her relentless charge, she sliced through many more monsters with the return stroke of her blade.
Step in, slash upward, smash to pieces.
Her barrage of attacks, as if venting the emotions she held within, sent many monsters flying—she was like a storm.
“The path is clear.”
Liene’s voice was flat as she spoke without even turning around.
It was a quiet, businesslike tone—so different from the carefree girl she was when with Rai that it was hard to believe they were the same person. To those who knew her normally, it was an eerie sight.
“……!!”
Liene’s greatsword swung once more, slicing through the center of the passageway. The monsters, blown away and killed by the impact, turned into black particles and dissipated one after another.
Staring straight ahead, she slashed, advanced, and slashed again.
Her demeanor was as desperate as if she were fighting a retreat.
—But Liene wasn’t the only one panicking.
“Disperse!”
The moment Elisia’s clear, calm voice echoed out, the air trembled.
A green magic circle unfolded around her, giving rise to a semi-transparent vortex that raced through the space between us students.
The wind knocked a beast-like monster that had been about to leap back into the air.
A thin, spreading membrane of wind sliced in two a creature that had been about to attack one of the students from the side.
Black particles scattered, and the wind raced off toward its next target.
To the left, to the right, toward the ceiling, and behind us—
“Don’t break formation. Press forward without fear.”
Despite Elisia’s calm voice, a sense of anxiety seeped through her expression.
A faint wrinkle furrowed her brow. Though her voice and posture should have been dignified and befitting a student council president, she seemed to lack a certain composure.
She pushed back the monsters closing in from both sides, deflected the shadows falling from the ceiling, and sliced through the small creatures creeping up from behind with a compressing gust of wind.
Yet her movements seemed less serene and more “hurried.”
(She must be that desperate…)
I recalled the moment the Headmaster explained the strategy to us.
Beware the strong, and trample the weak. We’d turn the Primordial Labyrinth’s very nature against it: while it focused all its attention on a single person, our main force would strike at its core…
I understood the logic. As a tactic, I thought it was close to the best possible.
If someone as powerful as Rai acts as a decoy, the Labyrinth won’t let him go.
(In fact, all we’re facing here are just a bunch of grunts.)
There are no strong individuals.
We were able to break through without much trouble, even against the Floor Guardians that appeared to block our descent to the next level—none of them were particularly formidable.
The operation must be succeeding.
So far, casualties have been minimal; there are wounded, but no dead.
Even though the number of monsters swarming us is extraordinary, their quality is low. It’s as if they’ve allocated all their resources to the “main target,” leaving their defense against us neglected.
(……Please stay safe, Rai.)
I clenched my teeth and gripped my sword tighter.
“Left! I’m breaking through!”
I shouted as I charged forward.
I slashed upward from below at the throat of the beast-like creature that had lunged at me. As I felt the flesh tear, I spun around and sliced through the chest of the humanoid approaching from behind with a horizontal strike.
Black particles scattered, and another monster came into view.
“Gaaah!”
I intercepted the four-legged monster charging straight at me.
I dodged its charge by a hair’s breadth, then thrust my sword into its heart. As I swung my arm upward, the blade sliced through the monster’s insides and raced up its back, splitting it in two.
The monster collapsed with a scream, vanishing into black particles.
Sure, there are a lot of them, but their movements are predictable.
“Yuu! Behind you!”
The moment I heard the voice, the monster closing in on my back was cut to pieces.
Countless slashes from dual blades. Silver trails crisscrossed, and the humanoid monster approaching from behind seemed to collapse before it even had time to react.
Swaying her sky-blue hair, she—Ciel—glanced my way the moment she landed.
“They’re still coming! Keep up!”
Ciel let out a short, sharp cry and ran.
Countless monsters were closing in right in front of her.
“—Yeah!”
I replied briefly and, as if chasing after Ciel’s back, I simply kept moving forward.
Slash, run, and slash again without a moment to catch my breath.
The passageway twisted and turned countless times, the stairs stretched on endlessly, and every time we passed through a hall, hordes of monsters would pour in like an avalanche. Yet my feet never stopped.
If I stopped—it would be over.
That premonition alone was what drove everyone there forward.
■
Eventually, after sprinting down a long flight of stairs, the view opened up.
It was a space with an atrium-like structure, strikingly similar to the grand hall at the entrance. High ceilings, a floor patterned with geometric designs. Numerous magic stones were embedded in the walls, glowing eerily.
(—The air feels heavy…)
The air entering my lungs felt sticky, accompanied by a suffocating pressure that pricked my skin.
I felt an eerie sensation, as if someone were staring intently at me. When I turned my gaze forward, I saw a massive double door sitting at the far end of the hall.
It had the texture of black iron. Countless patterns intertwined, and at the top center was a design resembling a giant eye. The door is tightly shut and doesn’t look like it would open easily, but what catches the eye more than its sturdy construction is the clearly unnatural mark in the center of the massive door.
A huge impact mark.
As if “something” of overwhelming mass—neither stone nor iron—had been slammed against it, the surface of the door is dented, and spiderweb-like cracks run around it.
But it wasn’t broken.
There was a mark. Yet, the door remained closed.
“…It’s Rai.”
No one contradicted Elisia’s words.
In this labyrinth, there is only one being capable of leaving such a mark.
He must have made it this far.
All by himself. —And then.
(Was he rejected…?)
The dense remnants of magical power lingering around the door.
It was as if the labyrinth itself had pushed him back with all its might.
(…It’s as if it’s saying, ‘You shall not proceed beyond this point.’)
The labyrinth possesses a “will.”
The headmaster’s words flashed through her mind once more.
Then this door is proof that it judged Rai to be “dangerous.”
If he reaches the core, it will be destroyed. That’s why it rejected him with all its might.
That dent must be the result of that.
“……Hm?”
Footsteps echoed from behind me
When I turned around, I saw students who had been taking different routes from the countless entrances converging one after another into the hall.
Some were walking while supporting each other’s shoulders.
Some had bandages wrapped around their arms.
Some had lost color in their faces from running out of magic.
Yet everyone was still standing and making their way toward us.
“…Any casualties?”
Elisia asked briefly.
“None. We’ve withdrawn the critically injured. The number of combat-ready members in this unit is… 97.”
At the report, a slight murmur rippled through the hall.
There were fewer than 500 people present here.
Even just the A-Class members—the main force for conquering the labyrinth—should have numbered over 1,500. That number had dwindled to this. Given that, “zero casualties” could truly be called a miracle.
(—So Rai acted as a decoy, and this is the result…?)
The Labyrinth had clearly been spreading its forces thin.
Both the powerful entities and the Guardians were reserving their main forces for elsewhere.
And yet, the toll was this heavy.
What if the Labyrinth had come at us with everything it had from the very start?
Just thinking about that “what if” sent a cold sweat trickling down his back.
“……!?”
At that moment, deep within the hall, the “eye” motif on the massive door began to glow. As a crimson-black light pulsed and flickered, the eye slowly warped into an arc. Drawing a circle, like a crescent moon, it opened wide. —It smiled.
“——……!”
Someone gasped.
Some students screamed in terror.
The sculpture, which should have been rigid, writhed like a living creature.
The lines of the pattern shifted, and the part corresponding to the pupil in the center spun menacingly.
Slowly. As if it were scanning each of us gathered in the hall, one by one.
Next, a sensation struck me as if it were touching my mind directly.
【――You came……】
It sounded incredibly delighted.
【――My toys are all here……】
A voice like a child’s excited chatter raced through my head, sending a chill down my spine.
【――Let’s play, let’s play. Ahah, ahahahaha……!!!!】
A laugh like the tinkling of bells bounced around inside my skull.
An innocent, carefree sound. A voice that was simply—pure joy.
The laughter wouldn’t stop. A high-pitched voice, indistinguishable as belonging to a boy or a girl, echoed as if overlapping. Though there should have been only one, the voice—which now sounded as if it had multiplied into two, then three—continued.
【Let’s play, let’s play】
【Don’t break, okay?】
【Let’s play for a long time, okay?】
The “eyes” of the great door curved even deeper.
A crimson-black light pulsed, and the entire pattern writhed as if undulating.
Gogogogogo……
A heavy vibration shook the ground beneath my feet.
The massive door began to move inward with a creaking sound.
Dense magical power overflowed from the cracks, filling the hall. Space warped, and the geometric floor groaned. From the depths of the darkness, a steady, rhythmic pulse echoed.
Thump… Thump…
【Let’s play to our hearts’ content】
Finally, a whisper, sounding incredibly delighted, fell. And then—
The massive door opened completely.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !