Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: How the Spiral Advances☆ (3)
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Before the gates of the three Eroding Dungeons being assaulted, the students of Scarlet Academy were fighting a desperate battle. But the larval Chaos Bugs, swarming like a tidal wave, were pushing past the barrier of flames and steadily advancing.
Among them, one stood out.
Screeeech—!!
"Where do you think you're going—!!"
Crack—!!
Ignoring all the flames, a larval Chaos Bug tried to break through, leading with its slimy carapace. A student from Scarlet Academy barely managed to cling to it, shoving her sword into a gap in its struggling shell and detonating her ether.
Kaboom—!!
Shredded flesh scattered through the air.
The green ichor raining down vaporized in the heat of the flames.
The horribly mangled Chaos Bug collapsed with a final death cry.
Kieeeeeek—!!
Standing up from the now-silent corpse, the Scarlet Academy student still wore a crazed smile. She looked at their position, now pushed back to the very edge of the fire wall, and let out a manic laugh.
"Ptooey—! Hahahaha…! What a mess—!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
A horrific wave was surging toward them.
Countless larval Chaos Bugs were swarming in like a tide.
They had swung their weapons with such frenzy.
They had slain so many with bursts of flame.
And yet, the larval Chaos Bugs filling the distant horizon continued their endless advance.
Their destination was the three Eroding Dungeon gates surrounding the northern slums. They were heading into the massive triangle formed by black ether in the sky.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!!
The sound of their legs shook the very earth.
Thousands, tens of thousands of carapaces glistened in the light of the numerous flame barriers erected to keep them from entering the city center.
"..."
Perhaps.
The thought that today might be their last crossed their minds.
Chaos Bugs, creatures they had only ever seen inside dungeons, were pouring out of the gates, trying to defile the very land they lived on. They sought to breach the wall of fire and advance toward the Eroding Dungeons where the assault teams were, and beyond that, the city.
If this operation failed, if the northern part of the Academy City fell to the Chaos Bugs…
"Khehehehe…!"
One girl looked upon the scene and burst into a manic laugh.
Hearing her laughter, the other girls around her began to laugh as well.
They opened their mouths, stained with Chaos Bug ichor and blood, and laughed loudly.
Ahahahaha—!!
Hahahahaha—!!
The demons of flame do not fear the final moment. They laughed, letting the flames carved on their chests and the flames etched in their hearts erupt all at once.
Within the barrier of fire, manic laughter echoed.
"Hahahahaha—!! Even if this is the end—!!"
"We will live like 'flames'—!!"
"Hyaaat!! Light the fire—!!"
"Hahahaha!! We are Scarlet Academy—!!!"
"Let's go—!!!"
The students of Scarlet Academy raised their weapons.
It was the moment they steeled their final resolve and moved forward.
-Screeeeech—
A faint scream from the Chaos Bugs echoed in the distance.
Hearing it, the Chaos Bugs responded with a collective cry.
Screeeech—!!
Kyaaaaaak—!!
"Huh? What?"
"...?"
The hundreds of advancing larval Chaos Bugs turned their backs and began to retreat, away from the barrier of fire. Soon, they were scurrying on their short legs, swarming toward a specific area.
The students of Scarlet Academy watched, stunned.
They suddenly lifted their heads to look at the sky, where something felt amiss.
"...Huh?"
Krrrrrrrrumble—!!!
Beyond the horizon, a massive light was flashing as it approached. Dozens of beams of light poured down from between the dark clouds. They produced a tremendous roar, audible even over the sounds of battle.
Krrrrrrrrumble—!!!
Each time a bolt of light struck, tens of meters of earth flashed and were overturned. The destructive power of lightning, said to be the authority of the sky god, tore apart the flesh and bone of dozens of gathered Chaos Bugs, shattering them to pieces.
Screeeech—!!
Kyaaaaaak—!!
With their screams.
Their carapaces were crushed.
Their blood and ichor evaporated.
Krrrrrrrrumble—!!!
Lightning like that continued to strike, dozens of bolts at a time, forging a path forward. The ichor from hundreds of Chaos Bugs that had gathered in the lightning's path exploded, creating a massive road.
Krrrrrrrrumble—!!!
A royal road paved by the king of destruction.
Soon, that road reached a few hundred meters before them.
And in the distance, a single silver-white light flashed and vanished.
Complete silence fell upon the royal road made of Chaos Bug ichor.
"..."
"..."
The students of Scarlet Academy were speechless at the overwhelming sight. They hesitantly looked at each other, trying to grasp the situation.
"Uhh…"
"That's…"
"[The Azure-White Lightning Spear]…?"
"The strongest in the Academy City…"
"...Did she come... to help?"
"The United Student Council came to help the north…?"
"But those Gjallarhorn guys also…"
The students of Scarlet Academy stood frozen, uncertain.
At that moment.
Kwoooooong—!!
With an ear-splitting roar.
A silver-white girl descended from the sky.
Her hair shimmered as she landed.
The lance in her hand was stained with blood and ichor.
"..."
The silver-white girl stood and surveyed her surroundings.
Countless Scarlet Academy students stood there blankly, covered in Chaos Bug ichor.
Silence.
"..."
"..."
After a moment passed.
Brynhildr, the strongest in the Academy City, spoke to the surrounding Scarlet Academy students in a cold voice. Her piercing gaze held a killing intent so strong it seemed to warp the very space around them.
"...Where are Sigrun and Gjallarhorn?"
***
"[Blind Stitch]—!!"
Kwaaaang—!!
Vel's skill crashed against the adult Chaos Bug's pincer attack with a deafening roar. The top of her tracksuit had long since been torn to shreds.
Kuwoooooo—!!
A deep, massive cry, incomparable to that of a larva or adolescent. And the giant pincer bug, easily over nine meters tall, charged at the small girl floating in the air.
Vel watched it and clenched her fist.
The crimson dagger shot forward in response to her gesture.
Swish-swish-swish-swish—!!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The path of the crimson dagger danced wildly. It carved a crimson trail along the massive body of the adult Chaos Bug, the final gatekeeper, weaving a cross-stitch of destruction.
Krrrrk—!!
Simultaneously, a red dotted line appeared on the adult Chaos Bug's large carapace and pincers, which slowly began to crumble. The [Erosion Barrier], a special buff that nullified the first attack, vanished under the relentless barrage.
Kuwoooooo—!!
Sensing its defeat, the adult Chaos Bug roared and fired a stream of ichor capable of melting even stone. The green fluid, which had at first trickled out unimpressively, soon lunged at Vel like a massive blade.
Kwaaaaaa—!!!
Vel dodged the surging attack, running swiftly on her short legs. With her clenched fist, she manipulated the dagger's movements, once again creating a massive red geometric shape.
"Haaaaah—!! [Blind Stitch]—!!"
Just as she had boasted, Vel unleashed the ether she had been conserving until the final room, spamming her skill.
The dagger's movements followed a path several times more complex than the shapes she had shown in the city. The marvelous pattern felt like a cross-stitch embroidered in mid-air.
Another pattern was etched into the air.
But at that moment, Vel staggered.
"Kuh…!"
Drip—
A nosebleed trickled down from Vel's excessive ether consumption. Blood vessels had formed beneath her large, clear red eyes.
"It's... it's almost over...! Just a little more... a little more—!!"
A murmur escaped from between her tightly clenched pink lips.
Beyond her bloodshot face, her narrowing eyes shone brighter than ever.
Even if it wasn't a [Unique Ether] awakening, she was clearly taking the next step.
'Fighting an event-spec adult Chaos Bug seems to be giving her a lot of experience.'
And around them, the juniors' precarious battle continued.
Alvitt and Kara were now fighting the Chaos Bugs with acrobatic movements, repositioning and weaving between their summons.
"[Flash Sword]—!!"
"Three larvae at three o'clock! Adolescent at five—no, six o'clock, attack!!"
The adolescent approached with a shriek.
Screeeech—!!
Kara extended her flag and sent one of her robot summons charging at the adolescent.
Kreee—!!
Crack—!!
The [Revolutionary Comrade] shattered into pieces.
Faced with the adolescent's unavoidable attack, Kara boldly sacrificed one of her summons to buy some time.
Thanks to Kara's desperate struggle, Alvitt was able to leap into the air and continue her assault.
"[Flash Sword]!!! [Flash Sword]!!! Flash Swoooord—!!!"
Once.
Twice.
And a third time, sword energy shot forth.
A very stable vibration emanated from the projected sword energy.
Thrum!
Thrum!
Thrum!
It wasn't just fired relying on ether.
The power of [Vibration], resonating with the energy that constitutes the world.
That power now destroys everything that makes up the world.
Spapapat—!!
Shoom!!
Shoom!!
Kwoong—!!
The larval Chaos Bugs exploded without even letting out a scream.
The continuous barrage of sword energy turned the exploding swarm of larval Chaos Bugs into shredded flesh and vapor.
Alvitt had somehow grasped the secrets of [Vibration], the second stage of ether, without Lotha's help, and was firing off consecutive blasts of sword energy. Her eyes were glazed over with the excitement of battle, lost in a trance.
'First, I should help Vel recover, then go to Alvitt.'
I looked at Alvitt and Kara fighting the Chaos Bugs nearby, then spoke to Lotha, who was on my back.
"Lotha♪ I'm going to run now! It might be tough, but hold on tight—☆"
"S-Sorry, senior…"
"Don't worry about it—☆"
"But, Kara... and Alvitt are fighting right now... and I'm the only one…"
"Hmm♪ Then maybe you can let me touch your cat ears all I want later—☆"
"...Okay."
Tat-tat-tat!
Carrying the exhausted Lotha on my back, I ran forward and threw one of the black cores I'd obtained from defeating the mid-bosses to Vel.
'A gimmick where ether consumption is extremely high, but defeating the mid-boss adolescents gives you recovery items…'
But even those dropped in very small quantities, so they had to be used carefully.
'Eir is a stage-four user, so she doesn't need to use skills, and Sigrun is on the same level as Vel, plus she brought the Gjallarhorn investigation team, so they should be fine.'
The black core disintegrated with a puff of acrid smoke, leaving behind a small amount of ether that vanished. The remaining ether was absorbed into Vel.
"Vel—☆ Catch—♪"
"Kuh! Thanks, Pinky... I'll end this now!!"
Having regained a bit of her strength, Vel began preparing her skill for the final showdown.
Paaaaat!!
At the same time, light burst from a triangle engraved on the massive black crystal hidden by a seal behind the adult Chaos Bug.
The topmost point of the triangle glowed blue, signaling that one of the Eroding Dungeon gates had been cleared. And the circle of black ether surrounding the triangle slowly began to rotate.
I threw a black core to Alvitt, who was looking this way, to restore some of her ether. She then spoke to me in a hoarse voice.
"Senior!! That's the thing, right—!!"
"That's right!! Judging by the position, it looks like Sigrun's dungeon has been cleared—☆"
"Ten minutes from now!! We have to finish everything within ten minutes, right—!!"
"Right—☆"
I was inwardly surprised.
I thought Eir, the [Unique Ether] user, would have cleared it much faster…
'Could something have happened to Eir…?'
No way…
At that moment.
A second light shone from the triangle on the black crystal.
"!"
That was definitely the one Eir was clearing by herself.
Now, our dungeon was the only one left.
Seeing this, Alvitt shouted to Vel.
"Senior Vel—!!"
"Bliiiiind!! Stiiiiiitch—!!"
Vel screamed as if she were coughing up blood.
Simultaneously, the crimson dagger soared more spectacularly than ever before, carving away at the adult Chaos Bug's body.
Spapapapapat—!!
Krrk!
Krrk!
Krrk!
The carapace peeled away.
The writhing heart within was visible.
Vel kicked off the ground in a single motion and rushed toward it.
"With this!!!"
The dagger returned to her hand.
She gripped it and pressed forward.
Having poured out all her ether, she became a crimson line shooting through the air.
"This is the end—!!!"
The small girl advanced, becoming a needle that would pierce the giant's body.
Spat—!!
"!"
The adult Chaos Bug stopped moving.
And the protective barrier around the black crystal vanished.
Ssk—
With her dagger still plunged into the adult Chaos Bug's heart, Vel spoke.
"Alviiiitt—!!!"
"Uwaaaaaaah—!!"
Tat-tat-tat!
Alvitt dashed forward and swung her sword at the black crystal.
"Flash!! Light!! Sword—!!"
Pouring in her last remaining red ether.
The unleashed sword drew a path of light.
The explosion shattered the black crystal into pieces.
Kwaaaaaang—!!
Shaaatter—!!
And then.
The dungeon, which had been filled with an ominous black fog, slowly returned to a familiar atmosphere, and the Chaos Bugs that had appeared due to the anomaly began to vanish.
The Chaos Bugs disappeared like crumbling dust.
Krooooooo—!!
Kyaaaaaak—!!
Finally.
The black fog that had dominated the dungeon dissipated, and peace returned.
Inside, we looked at the shattered fragments of the black crystal. Like the black cores we had used throughout the dungeon crawl, it seemed to store and absorb a vast amount of ether.
"Hoo…"
"Ugh…"
"..."
Having exhausted all her strength, Vel collapsed onto the floor.
The completely drained Kara and Alvitt also slumped to the ground.
Carrying Lotha on my back, I watched them quietly.
'The trickiest late-game gimmick dungeon... we actually cleared it…'
Limited effective characters.
Annoying debuffs.
Even a time attack element.
We cleared a dungeon filled with malice toward the players.
'The [Priest of Erosion] himself is the type to plot from the shadows... I'm sure we'll meet again someday.'
I let out a sigh of relief.
'The exit should be automatic, so we can rest for a bit.'
Now freed from the shackles of the black crystal that absorbed and stored ether, the dungeon gate would activate its personnel limit function and automatically eject us.
Or so…
I thought.
Kwaaaaaaa—!!
Suddenly, the flow of ether in the room began to churn from the floor up. We, who were slumped in the boss room, looked at the floor in surprise.
Engraved on the floor was a massive magic circle.
It had activated the moment the power of the ether-absorbing black crystal disappeared.
"What is this!?"
"I don't know! But I have a bad feeling about this!!"
"Get out!!! Senior!! We have to get out!!"
Lotha, still on my back, saw the massive magic circle and shouted in a voice like a scream.
"This is an ancient magic circle!! The designated magic is instan—!!"
"...!"
A feeling of floating.
At the same time, I felt a sense of liberation, as if we were outside.
And what appeared before our eyes after the instantaneous teleportation was…
a black sky. The darkness of the night sky was above our heads.
The center of the black ether triangle that stretched across the northern district.
A place where a faint barrier of flames lit up the dark sky.
"Keuk…!"
"[Trajectory]?!"
In the middle of it all, Eir was being held by the throat by a large man in a black robe. Wings and a tail protruded from between the luxurious black robes, and the strange man radiated a power incomparable to that of an Apostle.
I let out a groan as I looked at him.
'Why is he here...?!'
The [Priest of Erosion] had revealed himself.