by Fujino Omori
It’s been only a few days, so why?
“My Status ain’t any different.”
Aisha spins into another attack and practically reads my thoughts.
The palm of her hand flies right in front of my face. It was all a feint so she could get her heel above my head and slam it down into my shoulder.
I catch a glimpse of my beaten and damaged reflection in her eyes—she’s wearing the same expression as Hyacinthus at the end of the War Game.
“Miss Mikoto, please follow Mr. Bell!”
“But—”
“I’ll clear the way—move!”
Voices sounding similar to my friends’ reach my ears from far away. However, I don’t have time to process their meaning.
My sense of self is disappearing with each blow, focused down to a fine edge. A purple edge that manages to block an oncoming kick.
Throwing her leg out of the way, I swipe forward with Ushiwakamaru Nishiki.
“HAAH!!”
CLASH! My crimson knife connects with the flat side of her blade.
I see her grip loosen for a moment and focus all my strength onto that one point. The weapon spins from her grasp a moment later, flipping through the air.
She’s disarmed. Her eyes jump open for a moment in surprise—but that’s all.
Changing her strategy, Aisha grabs hold of me with both hands.
“?!”
Tremendous pressure encompasses my shoulders, each finger digging deep into my skin. One quick swipe at my feet to get me off balance again and she slams my back into the wall.
My bones crack on impact. Then Aisha starts to run with me pinned against the rocky tunnel surface.
“UGH—UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
BANG BANG BANG BANG!! Every bump in the wall slams into my back, my skin burning from the friction and waves of pain pounding through my body every second.
Aisha forces me even farther down the tunnel as pieces of the wall either explode away or embed themselves in my skin.
—This is insane!
I can’t get away, can’t block, can’t defend.
This unbelievable strength—not just the power from her blows but the individual fingers on the verge of tearing my shoulders apart—doesn’t add up.
It’s not just her speed, it’s her Strength, too.
She’s in a completely different class from the other day.
Actually, this is more like—
—Level 4?!
The realization jolts through my body.
Everything shaking, the only thing I can see clearly is the look in Aisha’s eyes. She’s absolutely terrifying.
I hang on to my knives for dear life. Working up all the courage I have, I try to take a swipe at my unarmed opponent—silence.
“?!”
Sudden weightlessness. The shards of rock that were tearing my back to shreds are gone.
But the overwhelming force is still pushing me. That’s when I realize what happened.
I was pushed down one of the many holes in the Dungeon walls on this floor.
Her fingers still digging deep into my flesh, the two of us tumble down the chute connecting to the floor below.
“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!”
She’s not letting go. Down, down, down.
Drops of sweat pour off me as the air suddenly becomes even more humid. We rotate forward, falling headfirst.
I fight to catch my breath. The sparkles of light coming off her body are burning themselves into my memory.
Enchantment?!
That makes sense—for only a moment.
There was a chapter dealing with enchantments in one of those books that Eina drilled into my head. Enchantments with this much of an effect simply don’t exist. At most, they can add fire or an electrical element to a weapon for a limited time, but nothing like this.
—Their members fought with strength well beyond that of their reported levels.
—Personally, I’m afraid of Ishtar Familia.
Eina’s warning passes through my head, making my skin break out in goose bumps.
“GEH—UWWAAAHHHHHHH!”
We emerge through the ceiling of the fifteenth floor. I grit my teeth and twist my shoulders, finally breaking her grip.
Kicking off of Aisha, I manage to get my body into a good position to take the fall at the last possible second.
The back of my shoulder hits first. The momentum sends me rolling down the tunnel, but I catch a glimpse of my opponent landing softly on her feet. I put my foot down and stop the roll as soon as there’s a good distance between us.
“Haaah…haaah…!”
I’ve taken so much damage that even the feeling of air coming into my chest burns. Kneeling on the floor and clutching my ribs, I look up at Aisha. There isn’t a single hint of emotion on her face.
Most of my armor’s been destroyed and I dropped a knife somewhere around here. Aisha takes a few steps forward, an executioner bound to do her duty.
“Sir Bell!!”
A voice from above.
A surprised Aisha and I look back toward the hole in time to see Mikoto appear from the opening.
Her violet battle gear has been torn to shreds and bloody cuts cover her exposed skin. Katana flashing menacingly in her right hand, she lands with nary a sound.
“…How the hell did you know we were here?”
Mikoto doesn’t answer Aisha’s cold question. She does, however, charge.
My eyes fly open as I jump to my feet and do the same.
It’s two-on-one, a pincer attack.
I don’t care how cowardly it is. She has her back to me and I’m seizing the opportunity.
She’s left me no choice. I have to end this, now.
“Samira’s team lost track of a brat. How sloppy.”
But it’s useless.
Mumbling something about her allies upstairs, Aisha takes a defensive stance.
Her long right leg shoots out at Mikoto, forcing her to use her katana for defense before she can get in range. SNAP! Aisha’s kick is so powerful it bursts through the guard and her foot connects with Mikoto’s chest.
Shifting her balance, Aisha then spins like a top and comes at me with a roundhouse kick before I can get within striking distance. The specks of light all pulse as one, distracting me for a very valuable instant. I can’t defend myself in time as her foot collides with the side of my face.
I fly backward as Mikoto rises. Unfortunately, Aisha sees that, too, and brings her leg high above her head before bringing down her heel.
“UGWAH!”
“GEH!”
Aisha’s heel hitting just below her neck, Mikoto crumples to the ground. I land quite a ways behind them.
The Amazon dances her way out of our pincer attack, long black hair flowing gracefully behind her.
“M-Miss Mikoto…?!”
Her body is twisted into an awkward lump on the floor. She’s not moving.
A graphic demonstration of the difference in their levels. I force myself to my feet and take a few steps toward her.
“Nahh. That one’s already done.”
Aisha looks back at me with ice-cold eyes. I was knocked clear back to an intersection; there’s no way I can get to Mikoto in time.
A heartbeat later…
WHOOSH. A new dark shadow falls over me.
“”
A horrifying smile greets my eyes as I turn to face the newcomer.
A body standing over two meders tall. Stocky arms stretched out to the sides.
My instincts scream to run away, every nerve firing at once, but it isn’t nearly soon enough.
Even faster than Aisha, it prevents my escape with a fist the same size and power as a ballista—by slamming it into my back.
“GAHH!”
My body bends backward like a broken board, all the air forced out of my lungs on impact.
Pain blasting through my stomach like a wrecking ball, my feet leave the ground as
my body goes airborne.
My vision gets fuzzy, but not fuzzy enough not to realize another boulder-size fist is coming right for my face. It opens at the last second and snatches my head out of the air.
“—GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GEH!”
Laughter like the croaking of an overgrown frog reaches my ears before what feeling I have left in my body tells me that I’m pinned against a wall.
My bones crack under the pressure. But it’s the Dungeon wall that gives way first, cracking and exploding into thousands of pieces around me. Showered in an avalanche of stone debris, my arms and legs go completely numb.
I can’t see anything but darkness with my eyes stuck between two gigantic fingers. Hopeless despair floods my mind and unimaginable pain jolts through my entire body.
“Ah…” Even my vocal cords have given out.
The hand moves away from my face and light hits my eyes.
The last thing I remember seeing is that woman’s horrifying smile.
Literally embedded in the wall, I lose consciousness.
“DAMN IT!”
A greatsword cleaved the final hellhound in two.
Corpses of countless monsters and piles of ash littered the hallway.
Slamming the greatsword into the floor and using it like a cane, a man wiped the sweat and blood out of his eyes as he looked around the area.
“Where the hell are they?!”
“Lilly has no idea! Mr. Bell and Miss Mikoto haven’t come back…!”
Lilly responded to Welf’s angry scream with a yell of her own.
The groups of hooded adventurers tormented the two of them to their heart’s content before killing most of the monsters and disappearing without a trace. Welf and Lilly were now all alone in dead silence.
They fought off their confusion and anxiousness enough to begin searching for their lost allies. The badly injured human and prum were soon discovered by passing upper-class adventurers, and word of their plight spread.
“—It cannot be.”
Elsewhere…
The screams of the victims were long silent.
Haruhime stared in disbelief at the people just beyond her feet.
A white-haired boy, battered and bloody, and the girl with long black hair covered in bruises and gashes, lay unconscious just in front of her.
“Master Cranell…Miss Mikoto.”
Many Amazons worked quickly around her, preparing to return to the surface, as she sat in a state of shock.
“Why’d you have to pick up that little girly, Aishaaa? Our orders are to take the bunny home.”
“She’d be in some monster’s belly by now if I’d left her there. Wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
The monstrous Amazon Phryne and Aisha exchanged words.
Haruhime’s lips trembled as she turned to address them.
“Lady Aisha…Were these people the targets for this mission?”
“…That’s right. On Lady Ishtar’s orders.”
Every ounce of strength left the renart’s body.
She watched in dismay as their bodies were loaded into the metallic cargo box behind her.
“Aahh……”
Pale as a ghost, Haruhime fell to her knees.
CHAPTER 5
KILLING STONE
Drip, drip.
I slowly blink open my eyes.
“…Ugh.”
The sound of dripping water reaches my ears as my surroundings come into focus.
Pain. Pain from every corner of my body. Mustering strength in my neck, I lift my head for a better view.
The first thing I make out is a small magic-stone lamp.
But it’s very dim in here.
And I think…the walls are made of stone. Not just the walls, the floor and ceiling, too. It’s a decently wide room, but the air is chilly, humid.
My eyes begin to adjust and my brain starts to wake up then.
“…?!”
My last memories flash before my eyes.
In the Dungeon, an attack by hooded adventurers, a strangely strong Aisha, and—
A grotesque smile on a massive woman’s face. My whole body shudders and I clench my eyes shut.
That’s right, I was…!
“Captured…!”
Fully awake, my body springs to life. Rattle, rattle. But something holds me back. I whip around my head for a closer look.
My butt is on the cold stone floor and I’m sitting up against a wall. My arms…are tied above my head by silver chains. Surprise overtakes me, my eyes going wide. I try to break free, relying on my Strength to break the shackles—but it’s no use. Not even a crack!
I pull a few more times, the heavy metallic chains rattling above my ears. But this is a waste of energy. There’s no choice but to give up for now.
Taking quick, short breaths, I try to relax my shoulders.
“What the hell is going on…?”
My weak voice comes tumbling out. The attack came out of nowhere, and now this. Nothing makes any sense.
But I do know that Aisha was leading the attack, which means that it was Ishtar Familia. I don’t know what they were trying to achieve, but…they captured me and brought me here…So this would be their home?
Lilly, Welf, Mikoto…Is everyone okay?
I’m in surprisingly good shape…
I take my eyes off my suspended hands and have another look at myself. My knives and armor are gone. My black undershirt is a complete mess, but the skin underneath looks healthy. Arms and legs, too, barely even a scratch.
Ah, that’s why. Splashes of residue on my shirt prove that they practically showered me with potions at some point. The cold is sharp on my exposed skin.
Actually, my whole body feels pretty cold. I take a deep breath, collect my thoughts, and scan the room one more time.
The stone room feels old, like it was built a long time ago. No windows at all, and I’m pretty sure that’s mold in the air.
The magic-stone lamp is built into the wall…and just below it are whips, chains, candles, a variety of handcuffs and restraints, and a spiked club…Other things, too, but actually thinking about them scares me half to death. There are even more of them on a table and in a pile in the corner.
And directly in front of me, barely recognizable in the dim light on the other side of the room—is a black iron grate.
“It’s as though this were…”
An interrogation room.
I gulp down the air in my throat.
No one else is here, at least I don’t think so…A wave of fear rushes through my body all the way to the tips of my toes.
I pull even harder at the chains, my heart anxiously pounding in my chest. I look left and right; the sound of footsteps reaches me.
“…!”
I hold my breath.
More droplets of water fall from the ceiling as the footsteps get louder, coming toward me. My heart slams against the inside of my ribs as my eyes lock onto the iron grate, dreading what I might see.
A large shadow appears on the other side. It shifts slightly from side to side, then, creak. The grate opens and the figure steps inside.
Every nerve in my body is pulsing, screaming at me to run. The figure’s details come into view—
“Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-geh! Look who’s awake!”
I nearly pass out again.
“Find that damn toad!”
Ishtar Familia’s home, Belit Babili, was in a state of chaos.
Aisha had led a group of Berbera into the Dungeon to attack Bell’s battle party under the orders of her goddess.
They returned to the surface and arrived back in their territory without a hitch. That was when the massive woman in front of them, Phryne, chose to make her move. Knocking all the other Berbera unconscious within a matter of seconds, she took Bell out of the cargo box and vanished. She had ignored a direct order.
The equivalent of apocalyptic pandemonium erupted the moment her actions were discovered. Aisha screamed orders to h
er allies, getting the entire familia, including animal people, elves, and noncombatants, to join the search. Adventurers and prostitutes alike raced up and down the halls of their brothel fortress.
“That tub of lard…!”
“She’s going to ‘feast’ even though Lady Ishtar told her not to!”
Amazons shouted to one another as their search party increased in number by the second.
“That’s just like you, Phryne…”
The frantic footsteps of her followers echoing from below, Ishtar sat on a sofa with an extremely displeased look on her face.
She was currently in an open room toward the top of her towering palace. Accented with a thick red rug, the entire space was designed to look like a throne room fit for royalty. The goddess sat with her legs up on the sofa, sprawled out like a queen.
She was surrounded by a ring of shirtless servants—all handsome men and stylish older boys. Each one of them was slowly waving a fan back and forth.
“But…no man would ever be attracted to a woman like that, right?”
An animal person who had only recently come into Ishtar’s service quietly voiced his opinion as he waved his fan back and forth. A dark-skinned human, Ishtar’s preferred servant, Tammuz, was quick to respond.
“Do you not know?”
“Know what?”
“Phryne forces an enormous amount of aphrodisiac down the throat of any man she catches. That woman doesn’t give a damn how much her victim cries. She’ll take what she wants.”
Tammuz finished by saying that she indulges until there is nothing left, only the empty shell of a man. The color drained from the young servant’s face.
A cold chill ran through the other servants, causing them to shiver while wearing sour expressions.
“It still might let me take revenge on Freya somewhat…but it doesn’t sit well with me.”
Ishtar took a grape out of a bowl in a servant’s outstretched hand and ground the juicy fruit between her teeth.
Licking her plump lips with her dark-pink tongue, Ishtar turned her gaze to her most trusted attendant.
“Tammuz, join the search.”
“At once.”
The handsome human made a curt bow before leaving the room.
The actions of one woman had unleashed utter confusion and disarray within their palace and the surrounding areas.