“Man, everything it does is so cute... Oh well. Die.”
Hajime sped through the air faster than the eye could follow and planted a flying kick squarely in the cockroach’s chest. There was a thunderous roar of metal slamming against metal. Then Hajime landed lightly where the human-shaped cockroach had been standing, while the cockroach flew through the air so fast it looked like a blur. Without any means to slow itself down, it slammed painfully into the Grand Tree’s trunk. A second thunderous roar reverberated through the room. Judging from the noise, the Grand Tree’s trunk was far sturdier than any normal plant’s.
Despite that, the human-shaped cockroach was buried deep inside the trunk’s wood. There was a huge crater in its chest where Hajime had hit it, and white fluid leaked from its every orifice. But he wasn’t done yet. He pulled Orkan out of his Treasure Trove and took aim. He may have called it cute and adorable, but Hajime had no mercy for it despite that.
However, this cockroach was still the labyrinth’s final guardian. While it may have relied on underhanded trials to confuse Hajime’s party, it was no slouch when it came to combat. Before Hajime could pull the trigger, It unleashed a discordant shriek.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
A huge shadow loomed over Hajime. Looking up, he saw a group of tiny cockroaches forming a magic circle above him. Before he could react, black mist spewed from the circle. It didn’t stop there. Every tiny cockroach, whether it was part of the circle or not, began emitting the same black mist.
Hajime’s honed senses warned him that coming into contact with that mist would be a death sentence.
“Tch.”
Hajime brought his Cross Bits close and activated his spatial barrier, but there was no telling if it would finish deploying in time. Just then, Hajime heard a loud howl. A jade-green dragon made of wind swallowed up both Hajime and the cockroaches surrounding him.
Yue’s Storm Serpent. The dragon comprised of thousands of blades of wind held together by a gravity core near its jaw shredded all it came into contact with. At the same time, another dragon comprised of deep blue flames and one wreathed in a storm of electricity bore down from above, obliterating the cockroaches’ magic circle.
Her Sapphire Serpent and Draconic Thunder, twin dragons made of fire and gravity and lightning and gravity magic respectfully, had also entered the fray. They were like whales, swallowing up thousands of cockroaches in a single gulp.
However, that wasn’t all, as another dragon, this one made of crystal clear ice, headed toward the weakened human-shaped cockroach.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
It let out another screech and jumped out of the way right before the ice dragon slammed into the Grand Tree. Ice spread across the tree’s trunk, and waves of frost assailed the cockroach.
This was a new composite spell of Yue’s, Frost Wyrm. Right as the cockroach cleared Yue’s Frost Wyrm, another one comprised of pure white smoke bore down on it from above.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiii!”
A horde of small cockroaches surrounded the human-shaped one, creating a sphere-shaped shield. The dragon unleashed a stream of white breath. Any cockroach the breath touched was petrified, turned to white marble. Bereft of the ability to fly, the petrified cockroaches dropped like hailstones.
This was another new composite spell of Yue’s, Stone Wyvern. Together, the five spells were known as Yue’s five heavenly dragons. Yue observed the carnage with an impassive eye and spoke in a flat voice.
“Did you die?”
Her wind dragon coiled itself around her as she tilted her head. And an angry voice replied from below.
“Just who were you trying to kill back there, huh? It better not have been me.”
Hajime used Aerodynamic to jump up to where Yue was floating. His clothes were in tatters. His barrier had deployed a split-second too late, and the Storm Serpent had chewed them up.
“Heh,” Yue smirked.
“Y-You little bitch. You were totally trying to kill me back there, weren’t you?”
“...It was just a joke. If it was that easy to kill you, someone would have done it ages ago.”
“Hmph, you make it sound like there’s a ton of people who want me dead. Don’t make me shoot you.”
“There’s definitely a ton of people who want you dead. Would you have preferred the lightning dragon?”
Hajime and Yue glared at each other. Regardless of her intentions, Hajime came out of the cockroaches’ mysterious attack safely because Yue had acted under the conviction that Hajime wouldn’t die to an attack of that level.
“It’s your fault for getting in my way. If you’re going to charge in so recklessly, you’re better off retreating.”
“Hah. You’re so full of it. That puny dragon of yours didn’t even scratch that cockroach. You’re the one who should get back.”
The two of them pushed their faces together so closely that their noses touched. The whole time, Yue’s fire and lightning dragons continued to incinerate the cockroaches above them. Her wind dragon’s umbrella of protective wind kept the rain of burnt bugs from falling onto the two of them.
From a distance, they looked like lovers huddling up next to each other to take shelter from a sudden downpour. They must have seemed that way to the human-shaped cockroach as well, since it let out an angry roar, furious that they were ignoring it. At the same time, it beat its six pairs of wings rapidly and shot out of its mostly-petrified shield of small cockroaches.
Its wings let out a strange, high-pitched whirr as it sped through the petrifying beam. Because of its ridiculous speed, it managed to push through with only its extremities petrified. The ice dragon and stone dragon chased after it, determined not to let their prey escape.
“Mmm... It’s fast.”
The dragons were unable to keep up with the cockroach’s inhuman velocity. It flew up toward the ceiling, where it had gathered another group of tiny cockroaches, and vanished into their midst.
A scant few seconds later, the thick mass of tiny cockroaches dispersed, revealing a completely unharmed human-shaped cockroach. There were no traces of the damage Hajime had dealt with Schlagen and his kick, or of the petrification and freezing Yue’s ice and stone dragons had caused.
“Is it absorbing the tiny ones to heal itself?”
“It was made from a group of small ones to begin with, so it makes sense.”
If the human-shaped cockroach could heal itself using its minions, then their situation suddenly grew desperate. Considering how many cockroaches covered the walls and floor, they’d be fighting forever. And thanks to their reversed emotions, their sense of desperation was transformed into admiration.
The human-shaped cockroach roared, signaling the start of the second round, and the beginning of its counterattack.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiii!”
Black smoke spilled from its mouth. It was joined by its surrounding servants, who also started spewing black smoke.
Unconcerned, Hajime shouldered Orkan while Yue unleashed her five dragons at the cockroaches. In response, the black surrounding the cockroaches began to swirl around them in a spiral. The tornado of smoke then raced forward, toward Hajime and Yue.
“Tch.”
“Hmph...”
Trusting their instincts, Hajime and Yue chose to dodge the tornado rather than block it. They leaped in opposite directions, and the black tornado flew past them, right into one of the Grand Tree’s branches.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me...” Hajime muttered.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the branch wither before his eyes. It shriveled up, turned black, and started to crumble away.
“Did it rot?” Yue mumbled to herself, a short distance away.
Her guess was right on the mark. The cockroaches’ black smoke eroded anything it touched. It was one hell of a dangerous weapon.
The human-shaped cockroach screeched again and flew toward Yue. Its tiny servants encircled the pair, preventing them from escaping.
<
br /> The human-shaped cockroach was probably aiming for Yue first because it felt her dragons were more dangerous than Hajime’s weapons. Yue prepared to intercept the cockroach with her Storm Serpent, but then something unexpected occurred.
“Ah!?”
As if it had teleported, the human-shaped cockroach appeared right in front of her. In response, she used gravity magic to fall sideways, dodging the cockroach’s bladed fingers by a hair’s breadth. But despite the successful dodge, blood still spurted from Yue’s shoulder and side. Furthermore, she doubled over and started coughing up blood.
“Wind blades and a shockwave?”
Once again, Yue’s assessment was accurate. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the human-shaped boss was surrounded by a faint white aura. It was whizzing around so fast that it had broken the sound barrier. Its oscillating wings weren’t just to give it speed, but also to allow it to shoot out blades of wind as it passed, and to leave shockwaves in its wake. In the time it took Yue to process all that, the cockroach boss had already closed in for a second assault. Before it could slice at her again though, a missile slammed into it.
“Mmm!?”
“Kiiiiii!?”
There was a loud boom, followed by a massive explosion. Shockwaves of heat rolled over Yue. The human-shaped cockroach spun to the ground below, smoke trailing behind it. Its recently-healed body was covered in cracks and fissures.
Hajime clicked his tongue.
“Tch, couldn’t finish you off.”
“Who were you trying to kill back there? It wasn’t me, was it?”
Yue floated up behind Hajime and glared angrily at him. Her clothes were singed and covered in soot.
Thanks to her innate regenerative powers, so long as Yue had mana left she could recover from even getting her head chopped off. However, doing so required time and concentration. Meaning she was wide-open while she was regenerating fatal wounds. And since the human-shaped cockroach’s attack would have decapitated her, in a way Hajime’s missile had saved her. Broken bones and burns healed much faster than a missing head.
Of course, Yue was still pretty pissed at Hajime’s attempt to blow her up. Hence why she’d teleported behind Hajime and was now pointing a glowing blue finger at his back. Hajime turned toward her, Orkan still on his shoulder. Then, after a quick glance at her, he turned away.
A vein pulsed in Yue’s forehead, and she growled.
“You bastard. You really were trying to kill me.”
“It was just a joke. If it was that easy to kill you, someone would have done it ages ago.”
“Don’t make it sound like everyone wants to kill me.” Yue’s glare grew sharper, and she debated loosing her lightning dragon on Hajime. Their exchange was a perfect mirror of the time when Yue had tried to off Hajime. Though they were supposed to despise each other, it almost seemed as if they were good friends who happened to fight a lot. Not that anyone was brave enough to point that out.
Their glaring contest was interrupted by another high-pitched whirring. The two responded instantly. Hajime drew Donner and fired a full salvo while Yue unleashed a torrent of azure flames.
Crimson streaks and azure flames crossed each other in mid-air, then whizzed past Yue and Hajime’s faces. The half-humanoid cockroaches sneaking up behind Hajime and Yue were shot down without mercy.
Another wave of black bore down on the pair as they finished off the half-humanoids. This time, the tiny cockroaches were wreathed in the corrosive black smoke. And there were billions of them.
With a flick of Yue’s finger, her five dragons coiled themselves around her. Then, true to their name, they flew up toward the heavens.
“Mmm... Roar.” Yue snapped her fingers, and the five dragons unleashed their most powerful attacks.
With a thunderous howl, the lightning dragon burst apart, blooming into a radiant electric flower.
With an explosive howl, the fire dragon burst apart, scattering flames of destruction everywhere.
With a stormy howl, the wind dragon burst apart, throwing thousands of razor-sharp wind blades in all directions.
With a rumbling howl, the earth dragon burst apart, coating the cockroaches in white.
With an icy howl, the ice dragon burst apart, sending shockwaves of sub-zero temperatures through the army of cockroaches.
The five dragons’ howls scattered the putrid miasma and destroyed most of the cockroaches surrounding the human-shaped one.
“Kiiiiiiiii!” It charged Yue, who was still staring at the ceiling. Seemed it had already used its underlings to heal itself again.
However, Yue predicted the attack and canceled her gravity magic, falling safely out of reach. As she fell, Hajime locked on to the boss from the other side.
There was a single loud bang, and five streaks of crimson light shot out of his revolver. He’d aimed for the cockroach’s head, heart, stomach, and both shoulders with pinpoint accuracy.
Its figure blurred as the bullets passed harmlessly through it. Hajime had ended up hitting the cockroach’s afterimage. It accelerated even further and flew behind Hajime.
Four arms bore down on him, each covered in blades of wind and the black mist of death.
“Hmph... I knew you’d try that.”
Hajime spun Donner around with a flick of his wrist and fired at the enemy behind him. His last remaining bullet punched through the cockroach’s shoulder, fouling its aim and causing half of its slashes to miss. Hajime blocked the remaining two arms by twisting to the side and using Orkan as a shield.
The cockroach pushed against Hajime, trying to force its way through. But in seconds, Orkan’s surface started to corrode due to the black mist’s influence. Before it could wither away entirely, Hajime threw it back into his Treasure Trove.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiii!”
Thrown off-balance by the sudden move, the human-shaped cockroach pitched forward. Hajime pressed Schlagen’s muzzle against its flank and fired multiple rounds. He did it all so fast it was hard to tell when he’d even taken Schlagen out of his Treasure Trove.
The monster’s shape blurred again, and it retreated at top speed. Despite its inhuman reaction times, it hadn’t been able to dodge all the shots, and there was a single hole in its stomach. Hajime spun his revolver’s barrel as he reloaded and muttered to himself.
“I guess this is supposed to simulate a battle with one of God’s Apostles.”
The human-shaped cockroach seemed to be the Liberators’ approximation of what a fight with an apostle would be like. Since anyone challenging these labyrinths would eventually find themselves facing real apostles, the Liberators had created a trial where one faced something similar.
The corrosive smoke was similar to an apostle’s disintegration. Its near limitless regenerative abilities were similar to their bottomless reserves of mana. Its wind blades were similar to their twin greatswords. And its army of tiny cockroaches was similar to their barrage of feathers. Even its speed rivaled that of an apostle.
No wonder this labyrinth required you to have cleared four others first.
As far as Hajime could tell, the human-shaped cockroach was a bit weaker than Noint had been, but it still posed quite a threat. Had they fought this monster right after escaping the abyss, Hajime and Yue might have found themselves overwhelmed.
“Bring it on,” Hajime spat as the cockroach sped toward him faster than the speed of sound.
With Yue’s dragons gone, it had determined that Hajime was the greater threat. Recalling his fight with Noint, Hajime chose to backstep out of the cockroach’s way, rather than face it head-on. However, retreating a few meters wasn’t going to be enough to get out of the monster’s way.
From an observer’s point of view, Hajime’s flight might have appeared panicked, but there was a good reason for his actions.
“Kiii!?”
The moment after Hajime pulled back, lances of lightning shot up underneath the spot he’d been standing on. The human-shaped cockroach, who’d jus
t reached that same spot, was struck by the barrage. Two of its arms and four of its wings were ripped to shreds.
The loss of its wings caused its speed to drop, and Hajime took advantage of that opening to bombard it with Donner and Schlag. The cockroach jerked back and forth like a ragdoll as bullets blasted through it.
A second later, it burst apart, like a popped balloon. All that remained now were the tiny regular cockroaches.
“Did we get it?”
“I’m not sure. I definitely destroyed all the mana crystals inside it, but...”
Mana crystals were like the heart of a monster. The human-shaped cockroach had possessed multiple, likely because it was comprised of hundreds of tiny ones. It was because Hajime had shot through all of them that it had dispersed into its component mini-cockroaches again.
However, Hajime didn’t let his guard down. He looked up at the ceiling with his Demon Eye, and as he’d feared, he spotted numerous pinpricks of crimson light.
Yue followed his gaze and watched as dozens of new human-shaped cockroaches emerged from the roiling mass. It appeared just beating one cockroach wouldn’t be enough to clear this trial.
“Looks like I guessed right.”
“Yeah... An army of Kaoris. It’s like a nightmare.”
While they were meant to be facsimiles of apostles, calling them Kaoris was a bit rude to her. Either way, this proved Hajime’s theory. This trial was meant to be a simulation for when labyrinth challengers would eventually need to face Ehit’s army.
Once they’d marshaled their forces, all 50 human-shaped cockroaches rushed at Yue and Hajime. and as that happened, two of them looked at each other and snapped at each other.
“Don’t get in my way.”
“That’s my line.”
They wrapped themselves in crimson and golden mana respectively, a dangerous glint in their eyes. Then, they greeted the monsters’ charge with fearless smiles and lined up side by side. It was hard to believe their feelings really had been reversed.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 20