Heaven's Labyrinth (8)
“How was the Labyrinth of Greed? Weren’t you happy?” Bais asked, his tone as light as if they had simply run into each other in an afternoon park. It was the kind of attitude that could only come from someone who firmly believed Leon wasn’t even worth considering an opponent. According to his own claims, Bais was the Third Finger of Greed—one of the ten fingers beneath the Apostle of Greed. In other words, he was at least the tenth-strongest priest in the sect. The number of fingers didn’t necessarily correspond to strength, so Bais wasn’t necessarily the third-strongest priest overall, but being one of Greed’s fingers meant he was no easy opponent by any measure.
Leon leveled his holy sword at Bais while glancing at the kaleidoscope behind him. Countless similar scenes stretched out as though mirrors were reflecting one another, yet they weren’t identical—each one differed slightly. What is he trying to do? Lacking magical knowledge, Leon couldn’t tell exactly what Bais intended. Still, it didn’t matter. Whatever an Evil God’s priest was doing couldn’t be normal, and that fact alone meant Leon’s duty remained unchanged. This, too, was merely another manifestation of the holy technique Bais had deployed. Once Bais was dead, the phenomenon would vanish like mist.
Leon measured the distance between them, then swung his holy sword at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Starlight erupted from the blade and illuminated the dark altar chamber.
BOOM!
The starlight struck Bais and shook the room. Amid the scattering radiance, Bais smiled faintly. “Holy Relic Descent. Until recently, you weren’t receiving that much favor from the Genesis God, were you?”
Bais stood motionless in place. He bore no wounds. His clothes weren’t even disheveled. Had he used a defensive holy technique? Or something else? Leon’s brow furrowed at the rising questions.
Bais flicked his finger. Black blades conjured by his divine power shot toward Leon. Leon spun his holy sword, deflecting every technique, then stomped the ground as though crushing it and closed the distance. He flew like an arrow and raised his sword. No matter how powerful Bais was, he remained a priest specialized in ranged attacks. Narrowing the gap would give Leon a decisive advantage.
Reaching Bais’s nose, Leon calmly swung his holy sword. Starlight gathered along the blade. The light flowing down the edge finally burst free toward the world, and a pure white line swept through everything. Then Leon froze in place, sensing something wrong.
He had definitely swung at Bais. Yet the result was different. What Leon had cut wasn’t Bais—it was the empty air beside him.
Leon quickly retreated, eyes locked on Bais. That alien sensation just now. It could only be described as a miracle. He was certain. What Bais had just used was magic. Moreover—
“Unique magic.”
The kind of magic a mage would spend an entire lifetime trying to reach—the very trajectory of one’s life. Unique magic.
Without answering Leon’s murmur, Bais pointed at him with a finger. Dodging the rain of holy techniques, Leon thought. Bais had blocked Leon’s attack without so much as twitching. Bais had deflected Leon’s attack without so much as twitching. What kind of magic is that? How do I break it?
“Your speed is truly remarkable,” Bais whispered in a tone that could have been admiration or mockery, then pointed at Leon again.
Immediately after, Leon’s world twisted.
He had clearly been dodging left. Yet the moment Bais pointed, Leon found himself running right instead, as though the world had been cut and pasted without warning.
Leon frantically parried Bais’s holy techniques while his mind raced. After several exchanges, he understood. Bais possessed a unique magic that distorted space. The attacks Leon had launched with his holy sword had likely been blocked the same way.
All mysteries were most threatening when their nature remained unclear. Once revealed, they became nothing more than problems to solve.
Space-distorting unique magic. The method to counter it was simple. Magic of the spatial variety always had limited activation range. The stronger it was, the more restrictions and the greater the cost. Therefore, spatial magic rarely blocked everything, and there was only one way to deal with it.
Simultaneous omnidirectional attack.
Having reached that conclusion, Leon reinforced his legs with divine power and crossed the altar chamber. Entering the domain of swiftness, he arrived before Bais and raised his holy sword. He executed a contradictory swordsmanship—slow yet fast at the same time. The holy sword left afterimages as it multiplied. Dozens of blades surrounded Bais. And then—
They stabbed him from every direction.
A technique containing the essence of illusion, where every feint was simultaneously real. This would break the spatial magic and bring Bais down.
—He had believed it would.
“An interesting idea. Did you think I was merely distorting space?”
A flash. A pillar of black light pierced into Bais. Chains granted by God struck Leon, and he vomited blood as he was sent flying through the air. Crashing to the floor, Leon staggered to his feet.
Seemingly pleased, Bais curled his lips upward. “You should have stayed in the Labyrinth of Greed. It would have been better for both of us.”
Step.
Bais approached Leon. Clatter! Chains shot toward him. Leon barely managed to knock them aside and fired starlight in return. Yet the starlight he launched flew in the completely opposite direction from where Bais stood—an absurd trajectory.
Slash!
A holy technique grazed Leon’s shoulder. Without even thinking to clutch the wound, he desperately blocked the next wave of techniques. Chains slithered through the air like serpents, targeting him. Leon tried to evade with footwork, but the same thing happened again. Space twisted, and everything fell into chaos.
Clang!
The holy sword clashed with God’s chains. Shockwaves rippled outward. Already off-balance, Leon fell to the floor and was pinned beneath the chains.
Cough.
Blood spilled from his mouth. Leon flung the chains away and rolled. Exhausted, he bit his lip. He had been attempting to heal his body with divine power, but the process was painfully slow. The chains must have carried the ability to prevent wound recovery.
A crushing sense of powerlessness washed over him.
“For someone who boldly came looking for me, you’ve accomplished remarkably little.”
“……”
“Did you think you could kill me and save your companion? Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”
Bais flicked his finger, and the chains coiled around him like a serpent. He continued, “It seems you were fortunate enough to receive a holy relic from the Genesis God, but that alone isn’t enough to defeat me. I am a priest who received a holy relic long ago—and a mage who has obtained unique magic. Do you understand the gap between us?”
“……”
“Planning to kill me and rescue your companion was arrogant from the start. You’re in a position where you can only wait for your companion to wither and die inside the Labyrinth of Greed.”
Leon was still far too weak. He had many shortcomings when it came to upholding justice.
“The Labyrinth of Greed is a world that devours human desire. You’ve experienced it yourself, so you know well. Once trapped there, you’ll be drained until every desire is gone and only an empty shell remains.”
That was why Leon felt such deep disappointment in himself. To think he had strutted around claiming he would uphold justice with only this much power.
“Well then, can you imagine what state your companion will be in? What kind of horrific appearance—”
“Hey.”
Leon cut Bais off. He was certainly disappointed in himself. But it was only after reaching that state that he could finally see something else. Even while feeling immense disappointment, there was something he refused to lose.
Bais was right. He had to save Ruina. He was the only one who could save Ruina. Truly, it was an unbearably arrogant notion. Who was saving whom? Him? Saving Ruina? Once he came to his senses, nothing sounded more ridiculous. He had made such a fuss about saving someone who could handle herself perfectly well. If Ruina found out, she would surely wear a delighted smile and tease him mercilessly.
Ruina would definitely appear here. She would tear apart something as trivial as the Labyrinth of Greed by herself and stride in boldly. The basis for that belief was crystal clear.
“You’ve lost your mind. Can’t you grasp the situation?”
“You’re the one who can’t grasp the situation.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re a mage, aren’t you?”
At Leon’s question, Bais’s eyebrows twitched. “I am.”
“And you’ve even obtained unique magic.”
“What exactly are you trying to say—”
Bais’s words were cut short. Because—
BOOOOOOM—
In that instant, an impact shook the entire fortress.
Bais touched his cheek. The air temperature had risen ever so slightly. His eyes narrowed. Just what was happening?
“What are you planning?”
Leon gave no answer. After all, it no longer mattered.
“I asked what you’re planning—”
Clink.
At the very familiar sound, Leon quietly raised his sword. And then—
From within the darkness appeared a lantern. More precisely, a mage holding a lantern opened their mouth.
“Hello there.”