Kouki frowned in irritation, Ryutarou clicked his tongue in annoyance, and even Suzu and Shizuku seemed angry at themselves. Kaori, however, seemed as spirited as ever.
“Take that! And... this!”
She’d returned to fighting with Kouki’s party temporarily so that she could gain more experience fighting in Noint’s body. It appeared Noint’s senses were unaffected by the fog, so the area around the Grand Tree made for perfect practice. Kaori flapped her silver wings and unleashed a barrage of feathers. She had gotten much better at controlling her feathers, and they homed in on the monsters in front of her with pinpoint precision. Each one hit its mark and the monsters disintegrated under the merciless onslaught.
“Yaaah!” Kaori then bisected the one monster that had managed to close in with a single sweep of her glowing broadsword. She wasn’t able to use both at once just yet, but her skill with a single sword had improved considerably. Enough to the point where her job might be mistaken for Swordmaster, even.
“Looks like you’ve gotten pretty used to swinging that sword around. I guess you got a lot of practice in fighting with Yue every day.”
“Her stats are ridiculously high. If I don’t work harder, I’ll be left behind.”
Hajime and Yue watched as Kaori took a step back and sucked in a deep breath. Originally, Noint had managed to go toe to toe against Hajime at full strength, so Kaori still had a ways to go. But considering it had only been two weeks since she’d had her spirit transplanted into this body, her growth was astounding. Her diligence in training was coming in handy here. It wouldn’t be long until Kaori could move Noint’s body like her own.
“I’m not nearly good enough yet. I still can’t use offensive magic in battle, and I can’t activate my weapons’ disintegration powers unless I concentrate... I still haven’t been able to beat you even once, Yue.”
Kaori walked over to Yue and Hajime, pouting. She’d clearly overheard their conversation. And though they’d been praising her, she still couldn’t move this body the way she wanted to, and her frustration was making her snappy.
“Kaori. You can’t be serious. Not only do you have better physical stats than us, you can use disintegration abilities, and your affinity for every type of magic is perfect. Plus, you can cast spells without magic circles or incantations. Your swordsmanship’s already reaching crazy levels, and you’re still in the middle of improving it so it’s going to get even better from now on. Also, you’re a walking fortress who also can heal yourself instantly at any time... You’re so overpowered it’s ridiculous. What’s there to be unhappy about?”
Kaori couldn’t meet Shizuku’s gaze. Now that she’d had her abilities pointed out objectively like that, it did feel a little like she was whining.
“But I still can’t beat Yue or Shea... so if I’m overpowered, what does that make Hajime-kun and the others?”
“I don’t even know how to begin describing them...” Shizuku racked her brains, but in the end was unable to find a good descriptor for Hajime and the rest. And sensing her frustration, Kouki walked up next to her and provided words of comfort.
“It’s okay, Shizuku. Once we get through this labyrinth, we’ll be just as strong as Nagumo. Actually, since his job isn’t combat-related, we’ll probably be even stronger than him.”
“You got that right. I can’t wait to see what magic we’ll learn.”
“Yeah, we just have to keep trying and we’ll get there too!”
The primary source of Hajime’s strength had nothing to do with the ancient magic he’d obtained, but Kouki was oblivious to that fact. He, Ryutarou, and Suzu all looked raring to go.
“We’re here, everyone.” Shea looked over her shoulder as she said that.
The group hurried after her and found themselves in a clearing free of the thick mist that pervaded the rest of the forest. In the center of the clearing towered the same withered tree that Hajime had seen last time.
“So this is... the Grand Tree...”
“It’s freaking huge...”
“It... really is massive...”
Kouki and the others looked up in amazement. The tree was so tall they couldn’t see the top of it, and so wide that its trunk seemed like a solid wall of wood. Hajime and Yue exchanged glances and smiled at each other. They’d had the exact same reaction the first time they’d come here. Hajime pulled the proofs of all the labyrinths he’d conquered out of his Treasure Trove and walked up to the lithograph in front of the tree. It hadn’t changed at all since his last visit here. Each of the heptagon’s verticies had one of the Liberators’ crests drawn on it, and a depression on the back to insert whatever proof each labyrinth provided.
Hajime got down to one knee and started sorting through the five proofs he had. Curious, Kouki and the others finally tore their eyes away from the tree to see what he was doing. From this point on, not even Hajime knew what to expect. They were finally entering the lion’s den. Hajime glanced sharply back at Cam.
“Cam, there’s no telling what might happen next, so have the Haulia retreat to a safe distance.”
“You got it, Boss. Good luck in there.”
Since Cam had secured the area around the Grand Tree for the Haulia in his previous negotiations with the elders, he and his men had tagged along on the trip to the tree. Though it was a little vexing that he couldn’t go any further with his beloved boss, Cam still gave Hajime a crisp salute and retreated back into the fog. Once they’d left, Hajime put Orcus’ ring, the proof that he’d conquered the Great Orcus Labyrinth, into the first depression. A second later, glowing letters appeared above the lithograph.
—Four markers of strength. —The power of restoration —A beacon woven from bonds. —Only with those three ingredients in hand will the path to a new trial be opened.
“Looks like that’s still the same as last time. I guess... I’ll just use the first four we got.”
Hajime inserted the proofs into their respective depressions. Reisen’s ring, Gruen’s pendant, and Melusine’s coin. With each item inserted, the lithograph’s glow grew greater. After Melusine’s coin was in, the glow coalesced on the ground around the stone tablet and shot in a straight line toward the tree. Once it hit the tree’s roots, the Grand Tree began radiating its own light.
“Hm? Look, there’s a crest on the tree now.”
“Yeah. Do we have to use the power of restoration now?”
Just as Tio had said, a shimmering crest had appeared on the tree’s bark. Yue walked up to it, placed her hand on the crest’s center, and cast restoration magic. A light far more dazzling than the ones before rippled outward from the crest, and with a loud whoosh, climbed up the tree’s trunk. Once the light had enveloped every inch of the tree, it started regaining its vitality.
“Ah, new leaves are growing in...”
Shea pointed and watched in awe as new leaves sprouted on the bare branches. It was like watching a video at ten times the speed. Even Hajime was moved by the wondrous spectacle. Within seconds, the tree’s branches were coated in lush, vibrant leaves, and the tree itself had regained its former vitality.
A strong gust blew past, and the fresh leaves rustled audibly. At the same time, the tree’s outer bark parted to each side, revealing a hollow grotto. The opening was wide enough that ten people could walk abreast. Everyone nodded to each other, then together they stepped into the cave that marked the entrance to Haltina’s true labyrinth.
Hajime had been worried he would only be able to take people who had also conquered at least four labyrinths with him inside, but it appeared that had been a needless concern. No one was barred entry into the tree.
I guess it’s just like the other labyrinths. As long as you can find a way in, it doesn’t matter how you did it. After all, if you don’t have what it takes to survive, you’ll just die inside.
Hajime examined his surroundings. But so far, there didn’t seem to be anything special inside the tree. Just a large, dome-shaped room.
“Is this
a dead end?” Kouki muttered dubiously.
Before Hajime could reply, new bark started growing in around the entrance. The shaft of light illuminating the room grew narrower and narrower. Kouki tried to rush back, but was stopped by a shout from Hajime. The bark closed around the entrance completely, and the party was trapped in darkness. Yue raised a hand to summon a light sphere, but her actions proved unnecessary. For a massive magic circle lit up beneath the group, illuminating their surroundings.
“Whoa, what’s going on!?”
“What is this!? What’s happening!?”
Calm down! This is just a teleportation circle! Get ready, there’s no telling what’s waiting for us on the other side!”
Hajime shouted out a warning to Ryutarou and Suzu just as the light enveloped them all.
“Where...”
As the light faded, a dense sea of trees sprang into Hajime’s view. For a moment Hajime thought they’d been teleported outside the Grand Tree, but then he realized they were still inside the labyrinth.
A sea of trees inside a tree... That’s about as weird as it gets.
“Everyone alright?”
Kouki shook his head to clear his vision and checked to see if his comrades were all safe.
“No problems here,” Shizuku responded. Yue, Shea, Tio, and Kaori all seemed fine as well, so the group started scanning their surroundings. Flustered, Kouki spoke up.
“Nagumo, we’re in the labyrinth for real now, right? Which direction do we take?”
There was nothing but trees in every direction, so it was hard for Kouki to tell which way led to their goal. In fact, aside from the clearing they were in, they could only see trees in every direction. To make matters worse, the sky above them was covered by a thick fog, so they couldn’t pinpoint their destination from the air either.
“I guess I’ve gotta look for them.” Hajime’s mutterings didn’t seem like they were a reply to Kouki’s question. And indeed, Hajime wasn’t even looking at Kouki.
“If you say so. Anyway, I’ll take the lead. If you see anything, let me know.”
Kouki found Hajime’s actions odd, but he put him out of his mind and marched forward. He still remembered Hajime’s warning about how they wouldn’t be granted the ancient magic unless they proved they’d helped overcome the labyrinth’s trials. For that purpose, he wanted to contribute as much as possible.
As no one raised any objections, everyone in the group followed after Kouki— except for Hajime. For whatever reason, he hadn’t moved from the spot he’d been teleported to. He glared coldly at the backs of his comrades. Noticing he wasn’t following along, Shea turned back and looked questioningly at Hajime.
“Hajime-san, what’s—”
Shea was interrupted by the sound of something cutting through the wind. Hajime had pulled three of his bolas out of his Treasure Trove and thrown them with inhuman speed. His targets were Yue, Tio, and Ryutarou. All three of them were too shocked to react, and his spatial magic-enhanced bolas pinned them in place.
“Hm!?”
“Master!?”
“What the hell are you doing, man!?”
The three of them struggled against the wires holding them down. Kouki looked at the three of them, dumbfounded. He then rounded on Hajime and shouted.
“Nagumo, what’s the meaning of this!?” He glared angrily at Hajime. Shizuku and Suzu both gave him questioning stares as well.
“Hey, Nagumo—”
Hajime held out a hand to silence Kouki, then walked over to Yue. She looked up at him, puzzled. He unholstered Donner and pressed its muzzle against her forehead. There wasn’t the slightest bit of warmth in his eyes.
“Hajime? Why—” Yue couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Neither could the others. Hajime pointing a gun at the girl he loved most? Impossible.
He must have gone insane... Kouki thought to himself. He rushed forward to stop Hajime, but before he could—
“Ah!?”
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the forest. Hajime had pulled the trigger without hesitation. He’d moved the gun from her forehead to her shoulder at the last second, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d really shot her.
“H-Hajime-kun!?”
“Wh-What are you doing, Nagumo-kun!?”
Kaori and Shizuku screamed at him to stop. They tried to pull him away, but Shea, who’d noticed that something was wrong, kept them away from Hajime. Kouki looked ready to jump at Hajime as well, but Hajime’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“Answer me, fake.”
His voice was ice-cold. Kaori and the others shivered. Of course the temperature hadn’t dropped at all, but the murderous look in Hajime’s eyes had leeched all the heat from their bodies. It even felt like their surroundings had gotten darker. Cold sweat poured down Kouki’s back, and his breath came in short gasps.
“Who are you? Where’s the real Yue?”
“......” The creature pretending to be Yue looked flatly at Hajime, no longer even trying to copy Yue’s expressions. Whatever the creature was, it wasn’t human. No blood dripped from the shoulder that Hajime had shot off.
There was another gunshot, and the creature’s remaining shoulder was gouged through. However, the fake Yue’s expression didn’t budge. Apparently, it didn’t feel pain. Its mannerisms were even more doll-like than Noint’s, so it was possible it had no will of its own.
“Don’t want to answer, huh? Or rather, looks like you don’t have the ability to. Fine. Die.”
Hajime brought Donner back to the fake Yue’s forehead and fired a third bullet. Strange, squishy goop flew out of the back of her head. Shizuku involuntarily covered her eyes, but after a few seconds she opened them back up and realized what was splattering the ground wasn’t brain matter, but some kind of rust-colored slime.
Bereft of its head, the rest of Yue’s body dissolved into the same rust-colored slime. The slime was then absorbed into the ground until only a faint stain remained. Hajime then walked over to Tio and Ryutarou, and shot them through the head as well. Like Yue, the two of them turned into rust-colored slime and were swallowed up by the earth.
“Tch... I guess I should expect this kind of stuff from labyrinths at this point...” Hajime clicked his tongue as he holstered Donner.
“Hajime-san... does this mean Yue-san and Tio-san are...”
“They probably got teleported somewhere else, yeah. When we were getting transported, I felt the same kind of brain probe we get whenever we clear a labyrinth. Those red slime things probably got copies of our memories so they could act just like our real selves and stab us in the back when our guard was down,” Hajime spat. He was still upset that someone had dared to impersonate Yue. Shizuku and Suzu shivered as they heard Hajime’s explanation.
“I see... I’m surprised you were able to tell so quickly, though.”
“Yeah. I totally couldn’t see any difference. How were you able to tell?” Suzu asked, still a little pale.
Kouki waited eagerly for Hajime’s answer. He was worried about how the real Ryutarou was faring. Unfortunately, Hajime’s response wasn’t too helpful.
“That’s a tough one. All I can say is, the moment I saw her, I knew she wasn’t the real Yue.”
“.......” Everyone slumped in disappointment. Suzu, however, gave Hajime a curious look and asked another question.
“So then, how were you able to tell Ryutarou-kun and Tio-san were also fakes?”
“Once I knew there was one fake, I used my Demon Eye to check if anyone else had been swapped. Unless you’ve got something similar, the only real way to know who’s fake and who’s not is to see if you can tell they’re acting different from usual, I guess.”
“I-I see... But then how am I going to tell Ryutarou-kun apart? All he has to do is talk like any old musclehead and it’ll sound like him.”
“Maybe that’s why he was one of the ones chosen to be replaced. Curses... Ryutarou...”
Suzu’s comments were rather harsh,
but the fact that Ryutarou’s best friend agreed with them meant even he knew Ryutarou was a bit too simple.
Poor Ryutarou. Shizuku looked off into the distance sympathetically. For a moment, she imagined she saw Ryutarou’s figure in the sky, giving her a thumbs-up.
Shea’s ears shot up as if she’d just thought of something, and she turned to Hajime. Eyes full of anticipation, she asked him a simple question.
“Umm, Hajime-san. Would you be able to tell if I was a fake with just a glance too?”
“Ah!” Kaori twitched a little when she heard that. She gave Hajime an intense stare and chimed in as well.
“What about me? Could you tell me apart too!?”
Everyone’s gazes focused on him. Hajime didn’t seem affected by the expectant atmosphere and responded bluntly.
“Dunno. I probably wouldn’t be able to tell with just a glance.”
“......” “.......”
If there were any crickets present, they would have all been chirping at that moment. Going by the flow of the conversation, Hajime should have said something like “Of course I could.” But in standard Hajime fashion, he’d just given them a brutally honest answer. Shea and Kaori both glared at him, but he ignored them and briskly walked into the overgrown forest. The two of them sulkily followed after him.
“There’s such a thing as having too much nerve, you know...?”
“K-Kaorin, Sheashea, cheer up!”
“Seriously, what does Kaori see in that guy?”
Hajime smiled wryly to himself as he heard Shizuku and Kouki’s grumbling. In truth, he probably would have been able to tell Shea apart with just a glance, but if he’d said that Kaori would have gotten angry for sure. The best way to keep Kaori’s demon stand from appearing was to stay quiet.
The party wandered through the sea of trees for a good two hours before they heard something. Mechanical whirring, similar to the sound an electric fan made when put on max speed surrounded them from all sides. There appeared to be multiple sources.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 8