Chapter 109: To Ensure Everyone Escapes Together
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: To Ensure Everyone Escapes Together
It worked. A flash of crimson light obliterated the giant’s head.
Are you out of your mind?!
She said she could kill it in one hit, and she actually did!
“This... is the power... of 10th-circle magic...”
Helena, collapsed on the ground, giggled as she preached the greatness of the 10th circle.
Wait, she said she was using 9th-circle magic, but it was actually 10th?
No wonder a mid-boss class monster from the 7th floor died in a single strike. There was a reason for it.
She probably realized the creature was stronger than expected and used a spell one tier higher to match it.
“I’m... passing out now...”
With those final words, Helena lost consciousness.
Since she had drawn out her full power from her prime while inhabiting an Apostle’s body, fainting was only natural. Her current body’s mana circuits were likely completely fried.
I might need to find her a new body...
This physical vessel couldn't withstand her magic. If she was going to use bodies as disposables, I’d have to prepare a more powerful one for her, but that was easier said than done.
The battle isn't over yet.
I cut off the idle thoughts. A horde of Dungeon Trolls and Heretics still remained. I couldn't afford to relax until they were completely wiped out.
“The giant is dead!”
I shouted toward the party members who were still swinging their weapons amidst the troll swarm.
My Warrior’s Roar echoed across the battlefield, announcing the giant’s demise.
“What?!”
Sasaro shouted back, questioning if he heard right.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs to capacity, and screamed again.
“The giant! Is! Dead!”
Immediately, a blood-drenched Rosier let out a war cry in response to my shout and began literally smashing the Dungeon Trolls to pieces.
Summoning every last ounce of her strength, Rosier crushed the trolls' heads.
We won. Now that the giant was dead, all that was left was to clean up the remaining small fry.
“Hahaha! That mage is insane! A 10th-circle beam cannon? It’s been twenty years since I last saw the Red Meteor in person!”
The Saintess, her pure white robes stained bright red, came running toward us with a laugh.
Now that the Saintess, who had been pinning down the giant’s feet, had joined us, the remaining monsters were finished.
“Paramel! What happened to Raphael?!”
“He’s incapacitated! He’s unconscious!”
“Damn it. Porter, regroup with Paramel and protect that mage. Roy! Fall back!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The Saintess barked out orders.
I hoisted the unconscious Helena onto my back and ran toward Paramel.
Just then, Roy, covered in wounds, emerged from the trolls and quickly caught up to me, taking Helena from my arms.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“As you can see, I’m covered in scratches. Can that man, Paramel, use healing magic?”
“I saw him reattach a severed lower half earlier.”
“Oh! He’s quite impressive.”
“Of course. They’re all Inquisitors.”
Soon, Roy, the unconscious Helena, and I managed to regroup with Paramel.
And then I saw it. Raphael was coughing up blood.
“Oh no...! Raphael! Paramel, what’s wrong with him?”
“I—I don’t know...! Raphael... Raphael is dying. He pushed his life force too far. Dammit... Raphael...!”
He had charged recklessly against the giant earlier. Raphael’s condition was critical.
He was hovering between life and death, vomiting blood.
His lower body had been blown off once, and his body had been shattered multiple times; it seemed something deep inside had finally snapped.
“Ugh... shit... the healing magic isn't working... Raphael... Raphael... I’m so sorry... Raphael...”
Eventually, Paramel broke down, tears streaming down his face.
“Wait, what happened to him?”
“He says the healing magic won't take. His exterior looks fine, but his insides must be pure mush. This is driving me crazy. Paramel! Pull yourself together! If you stop the healing, Raphael will die!”
“My... my divine power... it’s...”
“Ah...”
Looking closely, Paramel wasn't in good shape either.
It seemed he had exhausted not only his divine power but his mana and life force as well to keep Raphael alive. His fingertips were blackened and trembling slightly.
He had been keeping Raphael alive while on the verge of fainting himself. Now, Paramel could barely maintain a makeshift barrier.
What do I do?
The Saintess was busy dealing with the surging Dungeon Trolls. She, too, had used most of her divine power for the giant hunt and was now fighting purely with physical strength.
I couldn't ask Rosier for help either. And Sasaro was...
“Wait. Sasaro?”
Where did Sasaro go?
He was nowhere to be seen.
“....”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
He was alive just a moment ago. He even answered my shout.
Why?
“Fuck...”
The situation was spiraling again.
Right, there was no way the Labyrinth would just let us go. I knew this. This was the Labyrinth—the worst kind of place that never gave you a happy ending. A place where you had to crawl and suffer like a dog just to get a scrap of a reward.
“Paramel. Rest.”
“What...? But...”
“Raphael is already dead.”
“Ah... no... no...”
Raphael had stopped breathing.
I didn't know the exact cause, but I suspected that overdrawing his life force had been the fatal blow.
I placed Raphael’s body into my subspace pocket. Then, I grabbed the sobbing Paramel by the shoulders.
“Paramel. Mr. Paramel!”
“Ah. Yes... yes.”
“Get a grip. The Heretics are still here. So are the Dungeon Trolls. You have to stay sharp.”
“I’m sorry... I think I fell into despair for a moment...”
Paramel’s eyes regained their focus.
I was worried he might completely lose it, but as expected of an Inquisitor, he snapped back quickly.
“It’s unfortunate, but let’s celebrate the giant hunt on the surface.”
As long as I could get out safely, I could bring Raphael back.
Once we were out, I’d resurrect him, and then we’d share a drink and talk about it. Now was not the time to share the joy of victory with comrades.
“Roy.”
“Yes.”
“Can you dive back into that troll horde with me?”
“Of course. Just give the word.”
Roy showed absolute faith in me. It seemed he had developed a deep trust in me after I brought him back to life. I was glad to have an ally who believed in me unconditionally.
“Paramel. I’m leaving Halcy in your care.”
“Where are you going...?”
“Sasaro is missing. He might have been killed and dragged away by the Heretics. Roy and I are going to search for him.”
“Sasaro... is missing?”
“Yes. Those Heretics can use the resurrection ritual too. They probably took him to resurrect him as a slave.”
If they got their hands on an Inquisitor’s corpse, they would definitely try to take it. They had the Authority of Resurrection as well. I didn't know who the Saint in Black was, but he wasn't the type to just leave an Inquisitor’s body behind.
I had to get Sasaro’s body back. Even if he was already dead, I had to recover him and bring him back to life.
I couldn't let him die to some cliché flag. He said this was his last expedition into the Labyrinth. His words about retiring to farm with his wife and kids were still ringing in my ears.
“While the Saintess and Rosier are drawing the trolls' aggro, we have to pull Sasaro’s body out. If he gets eaten, we can’t resurrect him.”
“Ah... I’ll go too...”
“If you come, who will protect Helena? Besides, in your current state, you’ll only be a hindrance.”
Paramel conceded. With his divine power depleted, he would only get in the way.
“Roy, let’s move.”
“Yes!”
We ran back toward the battlefield.
The Dungeon Trolls were swarming the Saintess, trying to kill her, while Rosier was in the thick of it, tearing through them.
Those two were drawing all the attention.
I had to find Sasaro’s body in this chaos.
Where is it? Where did they take him?
To avoid drawing the trolls' aggro, I used the scattered corpses as cover, staying low as I tracked Sasaro’s trail.
“Sion! Over here! Look at this!”
Roy found a trace of the Heretics. There were drag marks on the ground.
“This is...!”
“It leads underground.”
Following the trail quickly, we came upon a half-collapsed shack. Inside, an entrance leading underground was revealed beneath some floorboards.
He was dragged down here.
“The blood hasn't even dried; the trail is fresh. They must have just taken him down. What should we do? Do we keep following?”
“....”
I agonized over the decision.
It was too dangerous. There would be Heretics down there.
Of course, we had thinned their numbers significantly, so they wouldn't be crawling out like insects, but...
If we ran into an Apostle, the Saint in Black, or a Yeti, Roy and I would be torn apart.
Should I take the risk? Or should I give up on Sasaro?
At the crossroads of choice, I asked Roy.
“Roy.”
“Yes.”
“For the sake of the team’s survival... are you willing to die?”
Roy was silent for a moment, then asked me back.
“Will you bring me back again?”
“Yes. I will make sure to resurrect you.”
“Hahaha... Then, I’ll gladly offer up this life.”
The moment I heard Roy’s answer, we entered the basement.
Below the layer division.
The area beneath the Garden Section was also a labyrinthine maze.
If we get lost, I can just use a teleportation scroll.
The teleportation scroll was essentially a return scroll. With it, we could go anywhere. Even if we got lost, we could return to the entrance. Of course, since inter-floor travel was impossible, we could only move freely within the 5th floor, but that was enough.
What was the concept of the area below the Garden Section again?
I remembered Olivia telling me.
Ah.
It was the Hatchery. The monsters there were insect-types. And the boss of the Hatchery was supposed to be a Cockatrice.
I don't feel any presence of monsters; maybe it's because of the Heretics.
Since we couldn't light a torch and reveal our presence, I shook out some faintly glowing fairy dust to light the path ahead.
The bloodstains continued. Roy and I pressed on, following the trail.
After wandering through the complex labyrinth for about ten minutes, we finally found the place where Sasaro had been taken.
“Th-That’s....”
“Shh...”
Roy covered his mouth.
Through a slight crack in the door, we could see inside the room.
Crazy... what the hell is that...
A pale pink mass of flesh, wriggling like a giant larva, was devouring Sasaro’s corpse.