Chapter 230: Scenario Dungeon (6)
Chapter 230: Scenario Dungeon (6)
It was a bit surprising to see Helena swinging her mace in earnest while using her Divine Arts as support, but…
Thinking back, she had just become a bit more intense; it wasn't that different from her usual self.
Besides, as long as she was getting stronger, it was fine. Yeah.
After clearing out one cavern, I relied on my memory once more to navigate the narrow tunnels.
Of course, it wasn't long before we reached another cavern and another battle broke out… but perhaps because we had faced them once already, the fight went much more smoothly.
After passing through several more caverns and navigating a series of winding paths and forks, we finally reached a dead end.
Carla, whose stamina was relatively low, tilted her head as she went to take a sip of a Vitality Potion.
"Master? Um… could it be that we’ve taken a wrong turn…?"
"No, this is the right place. If you look closely, you’ll see the material is a bit different from the walls we’ve seen so far. It’s because someone dragged rocks over to block the entrance."
For the record, in the game, the color of the wall in this specific spot was noticeably different, as if begging the player to investigate it. Now, I had to focus quite hard to even notice the difference.
I spent a moment comparing the game screen in my mind to the scenery before me. Carla finished her potion and blinked her ruby-colored eyes.
"I wonder who blocked it? Was it the creature that made these tunnels?"
"Could be… but I think it was on the orders of the alchemist who owns the chimeras. You saw it on the way here, didn't you? There are a lot of chimeras that get lost and wander in here."
"Are you saying they blocked the entrance entirely because their forces kept leaking out this way? Then what about the entrance we came through…?"
"That one was hidden well enough."
To anyone else, it looked like a side path leading in a completely different direction, and you could only find the entrance once you reached the very end of that path.
Unless you were a gamer who couldn't rest until every inch of the map was explored, or someone who already knew the way, you wouldn't have given it a second glance.
"Everything would have been visible from above, though…."
"Ah, did I not explain why we aren't flying?"
"Pardon? Isn't it because we’d be easy targets and get hit by concentrated fire?"
"Most of the chimeras here don't have long-range capabilities, so we don't need to worry about that. It’s just that flight is impossible in this vicinity."
"…Impossible?"
At Carla’s puzzled reaction, Iona raised her hand high.
"Professor Iona will explain that part!"
"Oh… then please, Professor."
Carla seemed a bit overwhelmed by Iona’s enthusiasm, which was so intense she would have been sulky if no one had asked.
Of course, Iona didn't care about that and nodded.
"Yep, yep. It’s actually nothing special. It’s just been like that from the start! That’s it! Explanation over!"
"……?"
Carla tilted her head. Helena, who was listening beside her, also blinked her golden eyes, wondering what on earth that meant.
Seeing the two of them, Iris let out a deep sigh.
"How can someone who calls themselves a professor give such a reckless explanation?"
"But, but! That really is the end of it!"
"Even so, you should add a bit more detail. We lived through the era when Cassis Valley actually existed, but these children were born after the entire valley was sealed off."
"Gasp… you old hag!"
"You are just as old as I am!"
"Nuh-uh! I’m two hundred years younger than Iris! I’m in my prime for a vampire!"
"Grrr…!"
Iris puffed out her cheeks and swung her staff. Of course, Iona dodged every strike.
Gilbert, who looked the oldest among us, stepped back slightly with a look of disgust on his face.
Well, I suppose it would be absurd for anyone to watch vampires (who appear in history books) casually bringing up stories from 300 years ago and teasing each other about being 'old' over a 200-year age gap.
Eventually, Iris gave up after failing to land a single hit on Iona. Panting, she continued where she left off.
"A-anyway. Whew… Cassis Valley has long been famous as a place where objects above a certain altitude are forced to crash, though the reason remains unknown. Even if that was over 300 years ago."
"Pardon? The reason was unknown?"
"That’s right. Seeing as there are several tunnels of unknown origin, it was assumed there was something underground causing it, but since nothing was ever found, it might as well have remained a mystery."
It was exactly as Iris said.
For some reason, it was impossible to fly above a certain altitude in Cassis Valley. The moment you crossed that boundary, powerful gravity would take hold and pull you straight down.
If you searched the area thoroughly, you could even find the remains of birds that had fallen to their deaths while trying to fly across.
Labyrinth-like tunnels of unknown origin. And a mysterious flight-restriction phenomenon.
It was incredibly suspicious. In fact, there was a hidden piece related to flight in this dungeon.
However, that was only something people who had datamined the game knew existed; no one knew how to actually obtain it.
Everyone had speculated it was deleted content or perhaps meant for a DLC… but being here in the Eurelia Continent myself, I had a different thought.
Perhaps whoever created H&A decided that the hidden piece wouldn't be particularly helpful in reaching the world's Happy Ending.
Still, I did want to see what kind of item it was at least once….
While I was lost in thought, Iris, having caught her breath, continued.
"Because of that, one had to cross the valley on foot, and it just so happened that this was the fastest route from the southern part of the continent to the center."
"Is that why they fought so hard to defend the Cassis Valley Fortress?"
"Well… they ended up losing it toward the end of the war, though."
Iris shrugged. She spoke lightly, but this was information you’d normally only find by digging through dusty old tomes in a library.
I clapped my hands lightly as I watched Carla and Elisha nod in fascination.
"Alright, alright. We’ve rested enough, right? Let’s keep moving."
The moment we stepped out of here, we would be dropped right into the middle of enemy territory. And we wouldn't be given any time to rest until this dungeon was cleared.
I renewed the buffs that were starting to wear off and offered my neck to Iona.
"My regeneration will activate as soon as we step out into the sunlight anyway, so you can drink quite a bit."
"No! No! Lewd talk is forbidden during battle!"
"……."
I still couldn't understand vampire sensibilities.
Crunch.
The familiar sensation of blood being drained hit me the moment Iona bit into my neck.
And then, mana began to boil over from Iona behind me.
Until now, she hadn't been able to unleash her full power for various reasons—lack of chanting time, the narrowness of the tunnels, the close proximity of enemies.
But now, we could start things off with a massive bang.
The others also began preparing the most powerful single strikes they could muster.
"Pah. Here I go, then?"
Iona licked the puncture marks on my neck a couple of times to stop the bleeding, then curled her lips into a smirk as a blood-red magic circle bloomed at her fingertips.
"Blood Fall."
As always, it was a somewhat questionable name that just had 'Blood' tacked onto it. However, its power was something that could never be ignored.
Rumble—!!
A massive torrent of blood poured from the magic circle. The water pressure—or rather, blood pressure—was like a literal waterfall, instantly sweeping away the boulders blocking our path and revealing the landscape outside.
Chimeras were packed so tightly their shoulders touched. But the only emotion in their eyes was pure shock.
Well, anyone would be shocked if a massive flood of blood suddenly burst out from the wall beside them.
Iona’s magic, fired in a straight line, pushed aside all the chimeras near the exit or crushed them with sheer pressure before beginning to split to the left and right. It felt as if she were clearing a path for us.
I leaped into the gap and unleashed the magic I had prepared toward the fortress.
"Starlight Rain!"
A swarm of light, heavily empowered by the Sun God's Blessing, rained down on the chimeras like a meteor shower.
A single light bullet might not kill them, but after being hit two or three times, their carapaces shattered, exposing their flesh.
And Starlight Rain was a spell that hammered down hundreds of such bullets over a wide area.
"Kyahhh!"
"Gueeehk!"
The chimeras in front collapsed as if melting away. Iona’s magic surged forward to fill the void.
A multitude of thorns sprouted from the walls of blood that were holding back the chimeras.
Though the chimeras were riddled with holes, they didn't die easily due to their sheer toughness and vitality.
They tried to strike Iona’s magic with their fists in a desperate counterattack… but how could they break a spell they could barely handle when healthy while they were so heavily injured?
The only thing left for them was to be impaled by thorns until they died.
Having learned a bit of Blood Magic myself, I could tell. Iona was currently using Blood Manipulation to control the magic she had already cast.
I wondered why the spell seemed a bit plain considering the preparation time… but she had basically brought a bulldozer.
With this, we could surely and quickly push through the enemy formation before the effect wore off.
Realizing Iona’s intent, Carla, Elisha, and Iris stepped out in turn and unleashed their prepared spells.
Hard carapaces melted under the absurd firepower, and their stubborn vitality crumbled before the relentless magical onslaught, leaving them no time to recover.
This time, thanks to Iona’s magic acting as a fence, Carla was able to show off her full strength as well.
The mages’ insane firepower swept everything away for a moment.
When there was a brief lull as they chanted their next spells, Gilbert, who had been gathering Holy Power, stepped forward.
A brilliant white light enveloped his greatsword, extending far beyond the blade itself.
"Hmph!"
Gilbert swung his greatsword in a simple horizontal arc. But the power and range were anything but simple.
Not only were all the chimeras within reach of the blade of Holy Power sliced in half, but a deep sword mark was carved into one of the valley walls.
The creatures, their upper and lower bodies separated, writhed for a moment before their breath finally stopped.
Normally, they weren't enemies that would die so easily… but I guess there was no mercy before Holy Power as densely concentrated as Aura.
Finally, it was Helena’s turn. She now had lion ears and a tail, having fully drawn out her connection with the Righteous Light.
"My Lord. Bestow Your authority upon these wicked masses. Lend me the sharp claws of judgment!"
The moment her prayer ended, Helena thrust her mace high into the air.
But nothing happened.
For a second, I was confused and flustered. Then, a moment later, an intense light began to pour down through the clouds.
It was a familiar pressure, though less intense than before. I could feel the blessing within me surging with joy, as if it had met its true master.
And shortly after, a massive lion’s paw emerged from the rift of light.
Everyone on the battlefield, friend and foe alike, looked up at the sky in shock.
But Helena alone stared straight ahead without wavering, as if measuring something.
Helena’s golden eyes flashed with determination. At that same moment, she slammed down the mace she had been holding up with all her might.
"Heaven's Punishment…!"
As if responding to her movement, the lion’s paw floating in the sky crashed down to the earth.
BOOM—!!
The force was powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the earth.
The paw made of light vanished in an instant, but the shock engraved in everyone's minds remained.
Helena, having likely consumed a significant amount of Holy Power with that last attack, gripped her medallion and hurriedly drew in the Holy Power she had pre-charged.
She spoke with a slightly breathless voice.
"Let us go, Brother."
The fortress that had been visible in the distance was now quite close.