The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker, Vol. 2

by Tôwa

  “If they all came at us at once, I could just take them all out in one go… This is so frustrating!” shouted Elitia, dropping them one by one as they took turns coming down. A Slash Ripper or Rising Bolt was a one-hit KO for these things, but it’d be far more effective to reduce their numbers if she could get a large number of them to gather in range of Blossom Blade. Instead, they were coming down in alternating twos and threes to attack. It was almost like they were aware and cautious of area attacks.

  “Miss, I can lure them down—,” started Ribault.

  “I’m fine—you just run! What do you think your party will do if you die here?!” shouted back Elitia.

  “Hmph… All right. I’ll leave it to you, then… Haaaaaaah!”

  Ribault was determined. He sprinted toward the buildings on the other side of the square where his companions were hiding, picking up one of the fallen on his way, the whole time with the massively heavy shield on his back.

  “Hurry! We’ll lure the enemy!” shouted Elitia.

  “—One more hit! I can take one more hit… Haaaaah!”

  Cion was guarding Madoka. If I had Cion cover Ribault instead, she could take serious injury if my Defense Support didn’t completely ward against the laser. My mind was racing. There were nine Flying Dooms left; the Named one was uninjured… And then I realized something.

  Death from Above hasn’t used its laser… Has it run out of magic? Or is it aiming for something else—?

  As a mere ball of brightly colored tentacles, this monster was incapable of facial expressions…but I could’ve sworn it smiled. The remaining Flying Dooms went after Igarashi and Elitia, and Death from Above went for Ribault and the collapsed magic user he was carrying.

  ♦Current Status♦

  > DEATH FROM ABOVE activated SWALLOW WHOLE

  Crap—it’s going after Ribault!

  Ribault was running with the shield on his back, which blocked his view of the sky. The beast’s mouth was massive enough to consume a person in one bite, and it was flying down with intent to kill.

  The name Death from Above didn’t just refer to the laser beam it shot from the air. It literally came from the heavens to kill. I’d been using Morale Support as I called out to everyone on the battlefield, but their morale was still only at ninety-nine. I just needed to pull off one more Morale Support. I could use Rear Stance on Ribault to go behind him, but then I’d just be eaten. Elitia had to use Blossom Blade to kill five of the Flying Dooms. Igarashi was forced to dodge. No one would make it to him in time.

  But I wanted to save him. I couldn’t let someone like him die, someone who was so aware that he couldn’t win yet refused to back down. What could I do? If I was going to save him—I’d have to risk it all on one option. There was Ariadne, the being who’d given us her protection. If anyone could do it, it was a Hidden God!

  “Ariadne, protect the person I’m going to support!” I said. My license responded to me, showing the page I wanted before I could even swipe my finger. I could only support those in my party…and Ariadne’s protection was likely the same. But I did have one skill available that let me ignore that rule: Outside Assist. I hadn’t thought I could help other parties, but this skill solved everything.

  “Ribault, I’ll back you up!”

  “Arihito—?!”

  ♦Current Status♦

  > ARIHITO activated OUTSIDE ASSIST

  > ARIHITO activated DEFENSE SUPPORT 1 Target: RIBAULT

  “GWOOOOOOOHH!”

  Death from Above hurtled down to consume Ribault. I could tell that Defense Support 1 wouldn’t be enough to defend against that attack. That mass, that speed—it was like a meteorite crashing to Earth and bringing death with it.

  Would my prayers go unanswered? My throat was sore from shouting. No matter how much I yelled, I couldn’t make them reach her ears.

  Can I do this…? Can I protect someone who’s spent his whole life putting others first…?!

  I was filled with regret and anger, but the scene in front of me started to change, as if trying to rewrite those emotions. The area around Ribault as I supported him seemed to…twist. I heard her voice in my mind. Before, it had been mechanical and self-deprecating, but now, it was filled with fire.

  “I, Ariadne, grant my devotee and his allies my protection!”

  ♦Current Status♦

  > ARIHITO requested temporary support from ARIADNE Target: RIBAULT

  > ARIADNE activated GUARD ARM

  > DEATH FROM ABOVE’s SWALLOW WHOLE was ineffective

  If his defenses failed, Ribault would be swallowed whole with his shield—but that didn’t happen.

  “What…is that…?” he stammered.

  Put quite simply, it was a massive arm. It was like the hand of a giant, stopping Death from Above in its tracks despite it being so much bigger than Ribault. It crackled and shot sparks of electricity as it wrestled with the brightly colored beast. It was the hand of some mechanical person, appearing out of thin air to protect Ribault. I had heard Ariadne’s voice, and then that huge arm appeared. That meant Ribault was being saved by a Hidden God’s protection…and confirmed that the Hidden Gods were extraordinarily powerful beings.

  “Wh-what the hell…? There’s a hand comin’ out of thin air…,” said Ribault.

  “Ribault… Oh, thank goodness… You idiot! Were you trying to get yourself eaten alive?!” shouted Misaki.

  “Shit… You’re not a regular guy, are you? …Arihito, what the hell can’t you do…?” said Ribault.

  The Named Monster landed for a moment, but we weren’t going to let it fly away again. I ordered Cion to cover Igarashi to buy us enough time for her, Theresia, and Misaki to use their Morale Discharge.

  “Let’s finish this here… Morale Discharge, Soul Mirage!”

  “—!”

  “Let’s go! Morale Discharge, Fortune Roll!”

  ♦Current Status♦

  > KYOUKA activated SOUL MIRAGE All party members gained a MIRAGE WARRIOR

  > THERESIA activated TRIPLE STEAL All party members received TRIPLE STEAL effects

  > MISAKI activated FORTUNE ROLL Next action will succeed automatically

  “Scatter like flower petals! Blossom Blade!” cried Elitia.

  The gigantic hand had flung back Death from Above, and Elitia dashed toward it, raining blows on it along with her mirage warrior. Stealing was successful on the first hit thanks to Fortune Roll, then the attacks piled up with the set damage. Between her and the mirage warrior, they landed a total of twenty-four attacks, shooting past three hundred total damage. Death from Above was a lower level than the Giant Eagle-Headed Warrior had been. The attacks cut down its vitality, and it was unable to float anymore. It crashed to the ground, motionless.

  Suzuna, Cion, Leila, and I combined our attacks to go after the Flying Dooms that had encircled Igarashi. With the additional mirage warrior attacks, cleaning up the rest of them wasn’t an incredibly difficult task. I realized how much of a help it was to have a duplicate of Cion.

  ♦Current Status♦

  > 1 DEATH FROM ABOVE defeated

  > 4 FLYING DOOMS defeated

  There were no more monsters left. By the time we’d all caught our breaths, the mirage warriors disappeared, too. I checked the map on my license and saw no remaining monsters displayed.

  “Is it…over? Seriously, only you guys could have pulled that off…,” marveled Ribault.

  “Yes, it’s all over… We managed to beat it somehow. But we’re not done just yet.”

  The people who’d collapsed needed first aid; some of them had severe burns from the laser beam. We were happy to have won but put off any celebrations for the moment to begin helping the injured. The guards eventually arrived and started to lug off the injured to the Healers.

  I went over to Ribault and his party of three others. He raised a hand and smiled as he saw me come over.

  “We practically just met, and you’re already the one saving me. You’re something else,” he sa
id.

  “Look who’s talking… I’m just glad you’re all right,” I replied. He grinned, then looked at his friends. There was a heavy-set man who had lent Ribault the shield and a girl with a bow who seemed fine, but the magic user was unconscious. The person he’d saved was one of his friends.

  “We dragged you into our mess… Sorry. And thank you,” said Ribault apologetically.

  “You don’t need to thank me; we all fought together to protect the city. But couldn’t you have hidden in the labyrinth?” I asked. One of Ribault’s companions explained that when there was a stampede, you couldn’t enter the labyrinths until all the monsters had been defeated, though they didn’t know the reason why. It would’ve been a huge miscalculation on our part had we hidden in the labyrinth, unaware of this. I made sure to remember that tidbit and turned to help out the rescue squads, when…

  “Melissa… And Rikerton!”

  “Thank you for protecting the city, Mr. Arihito. We were only able to defeat some of the monsters that appeared near the shop; we couldn’t get near the big one… You really are quite strong,” noted Rikerton.

  “…Can I dissect the Named Monster? And the others, too?” asked Melissa.

  “Yes please,” I replied.

  Melissa was covered in what looked like Flying Doom blood and was holding her butcher’s knife. That meant they were at least strong enough to take on a Flying Doom between the two of them.

  I was happy to know some of the people I knew were safe, but the damage to the city seemed quite extensive. I looked around at the square and building walls, which were covered in scorch marks and holes from the monsters’ collisions, and wondered if there was any way we could help out with rebuilding.

  Part V: After the Battle

  According to Leila, the monsters that appeared because of the stampede had rampaged around, attacking the city’s residents and destroying buildings. When Leila and her coworkers got word, they tried to mobilize the mercenaries but were attacked before they could get everyone ready. They were unlucky in that the monsters were flying right above and started attacking the moment they saw the mercenaries leaving the office, damaging the office in the process as well.

  The mercenaries had been taken to the Healers by the guards and were receiving medical treatment. Luckily, the one mercenary who’d taken a direct hit from the laser possessed a skill that improved their flame resistance, so they’d managed to escape with their life.

  “No doubt we would’ve seen fatalities had the battle lasted even a little longer… I can’t quite say everyone’s doing fine, but we managed to make it through, and it’s all thanks to you and your party, Arihito,” said Leila. “As witness to your bravery, I intend to report your accomplishments to the Guild.”

  “No, that’s not neces—,” I started.

  “Don’t be so modest,” she interrupted. “Having seen it in person, I have no doubt of your courage and your party’s abilities.” She’d already thought highly of me for adding Theresia to the party, and it seemed now her opinion was even higher.

  “And that strange skill you used when you saved Ribault… Arihito, can you summon?” she asked.

  “Summon…? Oh, I mean, I guess it’s similar. Just think of it as a defense-type skill,” I replied.

  “Hmm… All right. Guess that’s one of your party’s secrets. I did see something similar once in a different district when I was still seeking…”

  So there really were other adherents to the Hidden Gods… Either that or what she saw was some type of actual summoning magic. Although, I didn’t think it’d be possible to summon just a hand like that to defend against an attack with the Summoning Stones that were used to call for actual living monsters.

  “Leila, what you once saw summoned before… Was it like a giant, but only a part of it?” I asked.

  “No, someone called forth a mud golem and used it as a shield. Golems can shape-shift, so it would be possible for it to change its whole body into one giant hand.”

  “Ah… I see. Thanks for letting me know.” So it was something different. Finding a Hidden God wouldn’t be quite that easy, nor would they be hiding in plain sight. Even though I’d requested Ariadne’s protection in front of everyone, I doubted people would be able to realize it was connected to the Hidden Gods. Even Ribault and his friends probably assumed I was just using a skill called Guard Arm.

  That said, I’m not sure a human would be capable of using a defensive skill like that… Although, I’d like to believe my Defense Support skill is sort of headed in that direction…

  Carriers were called over to the site where we asked them to take care of the monsters we’d defeated. This time, we should let Rikerton handle everything. Melissa had already brought a cart over, and Rikerton was helping her take Death from Above back to the shop. I’d feel better if everything was all in the same place.

  “Right, I’m gonna go check on the mercenaries. I also need to think about what we’re gonna do about rebuilding the office… Wonder if we’ll be able to rent a different building for a bit,” pondered Leila.

  “Let me know if there’s any way I can help. You’ve done a lot for me; I want to pay you back if I can,” I said. She didn’t reply right away but just stared at me for a moment. She normally looked like a powerful and brave Amazon, but there was something different now with her red hair sticking up as she rubbed her ear… She was a battle-hardened warrior carrying a heavy chain flail, but I think she might have been a bit bashful then.

  “…Do the people you fight with always feel this safe? It’s almost like being hugged and protected from behind…,” she admitted.

  “Uh, um… I-I’m not really sure…,” I stammered. She had moved in front of me after that first attack with her flail, so perhaps the Outside Assist skill let me support her as well… I wondered if Attack Support 1 felt like that, too.

  “Hmm… Never mind. It’s just my imagination. Forget I said anything. I’m gonna head out now,” she said.

  “A-all right… Take care, Leila.” She shot me an awkward smile, took a cord that she had on hand to fix her eyepatch, and then walked off. She was probably embarrassed since she’d let me see her sheepishness, which was very unlike her.

  I cast a glance across the square and noticed that Madoka was with the rest of the party. I went over to them, and she trotted away from the group to meet me.

  “Arihito, thank you for saving me… If your party hadn’t come, I’m not sure what would have happened to me…,” she said shakily, her face pale. It was normal to be afraid after having a group of monsters that big come and attack you. Her stall, which she sold beginner weapons from, hadn’t taken a direct hit, but the laser had scattered and broken a lot of her goods.

  “It’s really unfortunate what happened to the equipment. Will you still have enough to supply the new Seekers?” I asked.

  “W-well… I can’t say anything for sure without checking what exactly was lost…”

  When we’d opened the Black Box, we ended up getting a lot of weapons that didn’t have any pluses, but they were plenty strong enough for the beginners. There were limits to what job could equip which type of equipment, and apparently, there was even strong equipment that you couldn’t use unless you were a high enough level… I hadn’t come across anything that I couldn’t equip yet. I was concerned, though, thinking that Madoka could get pulled into things if a stampede ever happened again like this.

  “I know you provide weapons for beginners here, which is important work… But, Madoka, would you like to join our party exclusively and work as a Merchant? I mean, if you’re in some sort of organization, I obviously won’t tell you to leave that…,” I said.

  “Hmm… A-are you sure? I’m still only level two…”

  “I’m only level two, too, Madoka. How ’bout we level up together?” suggested Misaki.

  “Misaki…,” said Madoka.

  “I mean, that’s just because I want more party members at my level! Suzu’s one level higher a
nd already doing tons of stuff. I shoulda gone with kendo or something…”

  “I’m still trying to catch up to Arihito and everyone else,” added Suzuna. “Madoka, why don’t you try working with us? I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time with Arihito.” Madoka already seemed convinced, and the two girls were basically just adding on more reasons she should come. Madoka started to weep, perhaps finally feeling safe enough that she could, and Igarashi handed her a handkerchief for her to dry her eyes.

  “To tell the truth, I was really thinking how much I wanted to level up and learn new skills. But…there were so many of those monsters, and I’ve never even gone to the end of the beginner labyrinth. I thought I was totally useless… So…,” started Madoka.

  “Don’t give up. A party’s all about helping each other out, and any job is an asset at higher levels. I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I were alone,” I said.

  “…But you’re so much stronger and more capable than me, Arihito. You didn’t even seem scared when you saw all those monsters.”

  “Yeah, he does remain surprisingly calm. But that’s why I think it’s a good thing for you to join us. We might be all girls, but Atobe doesn’t do anything weird,” said Igarashi.

  On the contrary, I’m starting to suspect they all did something weird to me in the middle of the night that one time… Not that there’s any real way of confirming it, since it’d blow up in my face if I were wrong and it was just a weird dream.

  Perhaps someday, I’d find an item that would let me video record while I was sleeping. Like…a record stone. Hey, this is the Labyrinth Country—anything’s possible.

  “U-um… Then…if you don’t mind, I’d like to join your party,” said Madoka.