Chapter 124

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 124

Chapter Title: 12th Floor - Lv.1350 Demi-Lich Sharkma (6)

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Standing before Sharkma were, predictably, that martial fighter and the orc shaman.

The bare minimum force needed to contain him even shrouded in this darkness.

But even that was laughable.

Instead of a greeting, Sharkma unleashed the spell he'd prepared in advance, holding only its manifestation in check.

Flames and lightning whipped into a frenzy.

Ice spread across the ground.

And yet, he continued weaving new magic.

A brilliant blue inferno surged forth, incinerating even the manifested darkness.

But in the next instant, Sharkma teleported his body away.

It was pure instinct. The moment the mass of blue flames left his hand, it turned against him, corroding him in reverse.

It poured straight toward where he'd stood, flipping back on itself.

A chill ran down his spine.

This was the realm of shamanism. Controlling another's magic.

But to do it in real time like this? Did that martial fighter have shamanic talents as well?

Still, the range had to be short.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the martial fighter appeared behind him. He could ignore that attack. A demi-lich like him had resistance to magic on that level.

He expected an attribute-less explosion.

But lightning flashed.

A sacred relic gleamed in the vampire's hand. His own arm burned endlessly, regenerating just as fast.

It was a frenzied assault.

The darkness at point-blank range was swept away. The holy lightning tore through it effortlessly.

The shaman charged with his axe. Somehow bolstered by magic, he moved like a shot arrow.

The lich panicked.

This wasn't the positioning he'd anticipated.

He neutralized the burning lightning with mana and pushed it back. Then, he reached out toward his foe instead.

A bony hand extended.

A touch attack that could suck in even the soul of the living, turning them into a corpse on contact.

The same went for the dead. Undead were corpses with souls, after all.

The man swung his hammer to parry the arm piercing through the lightning.

Blue flames ignited at the lich's fingertips. Not the sun, but an inferno rivaling it touched the relic hammer.

Shockingly, the flames began to push back [Mjolnir].

The hammer started to melt.

At that moment, the lich realized something was wrong.

This lightning wasn't holy lightning. It was more like an explosion infused with attributes by the martial fighter...?

[Dash] to the side.

But he was a fraction too late.

The orc shaman's axe reached the lich.

Lightning struck from above. Heavenly judgment crashing down from the high sky, cleaving through the darkness.

The air ignited. Ionized plasma fragments rippled outward in all directions.

The lich blacked out for a split second.

Unfortunately, the LFV wasn't inside Sharkma's body. Destroying his flesh would just send him back to wherever the LFV was.

And we couldn't even destroy it.

I'd retreated with everything I had at the last moment, but even so, in that instant the lich lost consciousness from electrocution, there was nothing I could do.

The old man was a shaman, sadly not as skilled as a warrior. It was a single strike relying purely on his weapon's power rather than physical prowess.

At least the shamanically controlled lightning from Mjolnir rampaged wildly, scorching the demi-lich's body.

Even so, our firepower fell short.

The thick mana always cloaking the lich's body, visible to the naked eye, swelled dramatically.

Sharkma's signature mana, floating like fine pollen, exploded.

No physical shock, but the magical impact was immense.

I was hurled far away and slammed into the ground. The old man rolled across the floor too. His sturdy orc arm was crushed.

True to form as a warrior, the aged orc didn't scream. But he couldn't lift the hammer again.

He was far stronger than expected.

Should I have just brought the Girl? If anyone was coming, now was the time.

The lich bellowed. Power infused his voice, which was magic itself. A perfectly timed exploitation of our surprise.

The old man's body obeyed the enchanted voice. The rising warrior face-planted into the ground.

His eyes burned with fury, but he couldn't stand.

I swiftly neutralized the lich's power word.

His back arched halfway.

I braced for follow-up attacks, but none came.

"Good. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠This darkness is the problem. Can't sense it with magic, blocks sight and sound like a veil. I'll analyze it once I've captured you."

The lich drew up his mana.

I tried to interfere as he advanced.

But it wasn't magic.

Sharkma had no intention of engaging in a magic battle.

The ground crumpled.

The bats swarming everywhere clearly detected it.

The patch of earth beneath the old man and me was being lifted.

Not even a spell converting mana to physical force—it was something else entirely, carving out a chunk of the city in a perfect circle.

The city block began to float.

Torn out whole like a floating island, it rose into the air. Structures atop and around it collapsed.

Not magic, but violence so utterly magical it pulverized everything in all directions.

The darkness spell shattered. I felt the kid collapse.

She couldn't withstand the shock of her anchored magic being crushed by sheer force. The living darkness gradually lifted.

Our reliable ally, the darkness, reverted to mere absence of light.

As he did this, the lich reached out toward the old man too.

Pure mana shock—not magic—struck him.

The old man didn't open his eyes again.

I quickly decomposed my body into as many bats and wolves as possible, scattering them.

The moment the lich's hand extended, half the dispersed bats were caught and reduced to blood.

Barbaroy's authority tried to reassemble them and return to me, but they were thoroughly crushed.

It wasn't magic to begin with, so resistance meant simple brute force.

But compared to his mana reserves, I was a firefly before the sun. No means of resistance.

The lich reached out. Mana so dense it blocked vision extended forth. I tried to control it, but it was unyielding.

The remaining bats and wolves were caught wholesale in the grasping hand.

They shattered one by one. Only a single bat corresponding to my heart remained.

That last one—that was all I had left—was sucked into the lich's grip and seized.

Even [Blood Spring] was nearing empty.

"Should've done this from the start. Unnecessary curiosity. Exiles are too dangerous after all. In wielding magic, you might even surpass me. Exile."

I formed a human mouth on the bat's wing to retort.

"You should've been a bit more curious. Had a proper magic duel with me."

"We'll enjoy that after I separate your soul."

"Ha, didn't want to do this."

The Nature God watching over me briefly stepped away.

'Goddess, this is the third time.'

「Very well.」

The world froze for a moment. My vision tinted purple, and the lich, mid-sentence, was locked in place.

Even the thick, dust-storm-like mana blanketing the world halted.

'Let's reroll the map. You can do that now, right?'

「More than capable. How shall I proceed?」

Reroll the layout of one floor.

Normally random dice rolls, but this time I could design it myself.

I'd saved this for the absolute last resort, planning to use it only in the [Main Dungeon].

Now that the goddess had succeeded in her resurrection, no more such contracts would be possible.

Even if she wanted, the divine seat wouldn't allow it.

Distorting the essence of divinity was thoroughly overstepping bounds, with cumulative backlash. Even if she offered, I couldn't lose a friendly god.

Three times was already razor-thin.

I'd meant to save that final one for the [Main Dungeon].

But this was the Labyrinth. I'd find another way eventually.

'Ha, damn. Stopping time like this to watch, he was winnable. Guy gave up his pride faster than I thought. Expected more of a magic fight. If he'd left the LFV somewhere else, I could've stalled longer.'

「What's that matter? For an Exile, is there anything more important than surviving to the next round?」

'Truly the words of a Challenger.'

「Only you could say that. But it's strange. Shouldn't one of your future self's party members have arrived by now?」

Yeah, why no sign?

I tried to smack my lips, but in time halted by divine power, even I couldn't move.

Not even my eyes, though I could see the distant sky.

And there, something odd caught my eye.

'Goddess? Can you see my vision?'

「What is it?」

'What's that?'

「……A bird? No. A person—no, emitting light like that, an angel?」

In the frozen time, far, far behind the demi-lich, high in the sky.

Something emitting light even in the dark night was visible.

Not the sun or moon. Those weren't on this planet.

Not a star either. Too bright for one.

More like... hope.

After a brief silence, the goddess spoke.

「Cancel the power?」

If my body were intact, I'd have grinned ear to ear.

An angel, and the Girl.

Against this lich, nothing could be more perfectly countered.

As expected of me. Sent something like that. But why so late? Why was it so far away?

Even this one got lost. Close call.

When the signal flare pinged on the Girl's senses, she'd been slightly off course.

Five seconds of "What the hell is that?" like an idiot.

Then "Aha" and a course correction.

The angel flying at full speed broke the sound barrier. Leaving sonic booms behind, the ashen city finally came into view ahead.

Darkness was no obstacle for an angel.

The archangel's vision pierced the pitch-black ground flawlessly.

En route, all sorts of chaos unfolded.

Manifested darkness roiled, and soon a chunk of earth was outright ripped up and floating.

Her terrifying eyesight, capable of zooming in, caught it all.

As she drew close enough, she could even see what was happening atop the airborne landmass.

"He's in trouble!"

Thinking back, something similar happened when she was on the 12th floor. She'd gotten lost and barely made it in time.

"History... repeats itself."

Muttering sadly, the Girl squeezed every last ounce of strength to accelerate further.

Skills activated simultaneously.

The last one she activated then immediately deactivated. If Uncle the vampire got caught in that, he might die before she could save him.

And a divine power too.

"O Time!"

In the stopped world, the Girl accelerated and accelerated again.

Sound was long left behind. Even her visual field warped.

Pin-shaped wings vibrated mercilessly.

The city, a mere speck to human eyes, closed in with every instant.

And finally, her latest top-tier replacement for an AoE skill.

One angel became light and plunged into the city amid frozen time.

The darkness lifted.