A Giant Stingray in the Labyrinth
"She's after me."
"You? Why?"
"Because I'm the Snake Princess."
"The Queen's daughter? But your species look completely different."
"...There's no time."
Isabella spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"We split up here. I'll buy you time."
"Don't talk nonsense. There's no way you can stall something like that alone!"
It would be a dog's death. Isaac pictured the Desert Queen closing in behind them.
...That thing was clearly not human.
Something that transcended humanity — perhaps even transcended the category of monster itself.
It had been a truly, unspeakably horrific sight.
He wanted to retreat, but the Saintess was the problem.
If they left Saintess Seia behind, she would be torn apart by that monster in the most wretched way imaginable.
And they still had no idea what state Randolph was in.
They needed to confirm whether Randolph — who had vanished through a sudden golden warp — was even still alive.
Once they retreated, they would never make it back here. They simply didn't have enough fragments of the Golden Rule. Leaving him behind was not an option.
"You're wounded."
Isabella glanced at Isaac's waist.
In the Queen's sudden assault, Isaac had been run through. No vital organs or bones had been damaged, but he was still bleeding steadily.
The situation, however, left no room for treating the wound.
"Snake Princess! Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
"Ooh. So it really is the Snake Princess. The traitor of Faisalmer!"
...Barbarians.
They appeared, blocking the path ahead.
Every one of them mentioned the Snake Princess with naked killing intent in their eyes.
Isaac was speechless.
She was a fugitive from her own homeland?
Judging by the fact that even the Queen was hunting her, he wondered just what she had done.
It didn't seem like simple theft.
In any case, Isabella too seemed to have lived a life far from smooth.
Just like him.
He even felt a flicker of kinship — but they were trapped with nowhere to go.
"You damn bald perverts. Fine! Let's settle this today! Come at me, you bastards!"
Isaac set the unconscious Saintess down and drew his sword.
Isabella, too, turned to face the opposite direction, on guard.
And then —
My precious child. You will be mine forever.
...The Desert Queen revealed herself.
The last time they had seen her, she had worn a human form. Now she was something that could no longer be called human by any stretch of the imagination.
Her skin had split open and spread outward like wings.
Her face had torn in half, revealing countless spines within.
Could anyone call that a human being?
A monster that had devoured countless children. A blood-craving demon.
Every girl who had ever been called a princess had died at the Queen's hands.
That was how the Queen had reigned over the city in eternal, undying youth.
And Isabella, too, had been destined to be consumed by her.
Are you frightened of me? Come here, Isabella. Weren't you always such an obedient child?
Obedience bought a longer life.
Looking useful bought a little more time still.
She had worn a perfect mask and carried out every order like a doll.
If told to go, she went. If told to kill, she killed.
But then Isabella had met the Star-Touched One, and once again she had dared to dream of escape.
She had been able to dream of breaking free from that loathsome Queen.
She had defied her orders, and she did not regret it.
Even if she failed, she had resolved to accept her choice with quiet composure.
And she had succeeded. She was certain of it.
She had finally broken free.
...So why was her body still trembling?
This labyrinth is fascinating. It brings back old memories. That is why I must claim this place for myself. And for that, I need you, Isabella. My beloved child.
"Why... me?"
Your Mystery. That serpent's Mystery holds a hidden effect. And you, Isabella — you possess a truly special talent. Far more exceptional than any of the children who have ever shared eternity with me.
Isabella's body shook.
In the end, it meant the Queen intended to devour her.
The Queen would never let her go.
For all eternity. As long as she lived, she would keep coming.
That monster, the barbarians, everything in the desert.
She hated it with every fiber of her being — but there was no other way.
"Then let these two go... I'll come quietly."
But of course. All I need is you. With you alone, I can become the master of this labyrinth. I could even kill that bothersome Death King and his rabble.
...The Death King?
The Death King was in the labyrinth?
Then had she taken this form because of the Death King?
No matter how dire the situation, the Desert Queen never shed her human appearance. The fact that she had done so meant she had faced an enemy powerful enough to force her hand.
If she had confronted the Death King and ended up like this...
...then the Desert Queen might not be in perfect condition right now.
Now. Come here. My beloved child.
She spread her wing-like hide even wider.
A sight grotesque beyond description.
Isabella's body trembled. Her feet would not move.
She had watched from a distance, more than once, as that form consumed children.
It was terrifying. It was dreadful.
But if she wanted to save Isaac and the Saintess, this was the only way.
Just as Isabella slowly began to lift her foot —
"There's a giant stingray in the labyrinth."
"...Ah."
A familiar voice.
But a stingray?
Looking at the Desert Queen from behind, the resemblance was there — but only someone whose guts had spilled clean out of their belly would dare say it out loud!
She thought she must have misheard. Then he appeared behind the Desert Queen.
"Talking stingray, that's enough. Step aside. How long do you intend to stand there blocking the path?"
For a moment, the world spun.
Isaac's eyes went wide in disbelief as well.
............Randolph.
He sat atop the head of a massive golden goblin, wearing that same look of utter disdain he always did.
Radiant beyond measure.
Why didn't they escape?
The moment I used the Tracking Artifact, Isaac and Isabella's positions lit up.
Not far from here.
But it was strange.
Once free of the ambush, they should have fled immediately — yet the dots on the Tracking Artifact kept moving without rest.
Fortunately, Greed knew the labyrinth's geography inside and out, so it was no real problem.
We found the optimal path, caught up to them in an instant, and upon spotting a giant stingray, I nodded to myself.
Barbarians. The Desert Queen.
If the barbarians were following a monster, it was almost certainly the Desert Queen.
Having laid eyes on Isabella, she was pursuing the two of them with everything she had.
A Demon Blood Clan member...
A monster that disguised itself as human, then peeled open its own skin to form wings.
That stingray-like thing was unmistakably one of the Demon Blood Clan — an extremely rare breed even among the vampire races.
The Demon Blood Clan were a species that consumed living beings with special blood to strengthen themselves. They were infamous for the grotesque hobby of laying eggs in the husks left behind after draining a life dry.
As if to prove it, her level was 12.
Red text. A Super Elite Raid Boss monster!
Greed's skin surface rippled faintly at the sight of a worthy rival. The master of the desert and the master of the overlapping abyss.
I was curious which of them would win — but defeat was not an option.
I opened my mouth as leisurely as I could manage.
"That's enough. Step aside. How long do you intend to stand there blocking the path?"
...Did you just call me that? A stingray?
Stingray. One of the words the Demon Blood Clan despised most. As if equating a lowly sea creature with the great Demon Blood Clan was some kind of personal insult.
The Desert Queen turned her back to face me, and she was truly grotesque. I had rarely encountered a monster that inspired such visceral revulsion from the mere act of looking at it.
"A slip of the tongue. My apologies."
There was no worse kind of mistake.
I smiled faintly and continued.
"I should have called you a talking, fascinating stingray."
So you strut about relying on nothing more than a golden goblin, child.
The Desert Queen's entire body twitched.
Getting so worked up over a single word — how remarkably human of her.
That was when it happened.
"R-run... please. It's dangerous."
Isabella barely managed to open her mouth. Her whole body was still trembling like a leaf in the wind.
She was terrified.
Scared out of her mind.
Of the Desert Queen.
Of that monster.
She must have known that this Demon Blood Clan creature intended to devour her.
And yet she was telling me to run.
Her body shook, but her eyes held resolve.
The resolve to sacrifice herself to save the rest.
Ah. I see. So you're the man who eloped with my beloved child?
Having figured out my identity, the Desert Queen cackled.
A Star-Touched One, are you? Hoho! Did you enjoy deceiving an innocent maiden? But I've never seen a Star-Touched One like you. A Star-Touched One without even the Brand of the Star-Touched — such a thing couldn't possibly exist, could it?
The Brand of the Star-Touched?
I'd never heard of it.
Some Star-Touched Ones bore tattoos, but that didn't seem to be what she meant.
It was surely one of the traits of the Star-Touched that only a Desert Queen who had lived for ages would know.
You must have lured that innocent child by claiming you could hear the voice of the stars. I'm curious how you broke the curse, but I truly cannot leave you alive, can I?
A violet aura, reminiscent of the Abyss itself, began to writhe across the Desert Queen's entire body.
A Mystery forged from condensed mana.
In response, Greed unleashed a golden Mystery of his own.
To monsters, a Mystery was like a mane or a horn — something that made them larger, more lethal.
Unlike those of humans, their capabilities were extraordinary.
They could seize the initiative, assault an opponent, even drive them to death.
This was likely the most powerful Mystery the Desert Queen could produce.
But I couldn't be certain.
I shouldn't be certain.
A Demon Blood Clan member was likely to possess other Mysteries as well.
Now. Who wants to die first? As a special treat, I'll pull out your entrails and show them to you. Looking at your own still-beating heart should be quite the novel experience.
"A fine Mystery. Is that your finest one?"
I always give my prey my very best. Are you frightened now, at this late hour?
"Is that so? That's the best Mystery you have?"
Indeed. A Mystery a mere human like you could never even dream of. Now, shall we end this? If you intend to stall for time...
I smiled faintly.
Snap.
I flicked my thumb and forefinger.
In that instant —
................................What?
The Mystery shattered.
And simultaneously —
Desert Queen — Level Down
Lv.12 → Lv.11
The Desert Queen's level dropped.
That Mystery she possessed had been one of the critical elements composing her very rank.
After all, just as humans transcended by devouring stars, monsters often raised their levels through Mysteries — exactly like the creature standing before me.
Ah...? What have you done............?
The Desert Queen searched frantically for her vanished Mystery, panic written across what remained of her face.
But a destroyed Mystery was never coming back.
Eternal Randolph. Through it, I could unconditionally destroy one of an opponent's Mysteries.
However, Mystery destruction had to be done with care.
I had to destroy the best Mystery they possessed.
I was grateful the Desert Queen had so helpfully given me the answer herself.
M-my Mystery — what did you do to it? Did you take it? Hmm? Aaaah!!
She was crumbling into despair.
A Mystery she had honed her entire life had vanished in the blink of an eye.
For it to cause a level-down, she must have poured an extraordinary amount of her rank into that Mystery.
Tap. Tap.
I rapped twice on Greed's head.
Greed extended a hand.
I stepped onto his palm, slowly descended to the ground, and spoke to him.
"Subdue her yourself. You should be capable of at least that much."
I-if you entrust it to me, I shall most certainly take that vile stingray's head...!
"Just subdue her."
Greed could barely contain the emotion surging through him.
A human who could destroy even Mysteries!
He looked utterly convinced that his eye for value had not been wrong.
The value Greed saw in me must have included Eternal Randolph as well.
Though I still had no idea what that number actually was.
I had asked him once, but he couldn't answer.
I shook my head and approached Isabella.
"Are you all right?"
"A-are you all right? More importantly, that goblin..."
"My pet."
"...Pardon?"
Isabella blinked.
Who had ever seen a golden goblin of that mountainous size?
Even at a glance, it was no ordinary goblin.
And he called a monster like that a mere "pet."
"And who is that woman collapsed on the floor?"
I finally asked the question that had been nagging at me.
A woman lying face-down, unconscious.
She looked as though she'd been dumped there without ceremony — but they had clearly been fleeing together with her.
The answer came from Isaac.
"It's Saintess Seia."
"...?"
What?
Saintess Seia?
"Impossible."
I shook my head at once.
It couldn't be.
Saintess Seia was dead. She had been buried in the Demon Realm along with every curse imaginable.
She had taken upon herself every curse acquired while piercing through the Demon Realm.
The total volume of those curses was never something a single human life could withstand.
Her being alive made no sense.
It was impossible.
But I couldn't simply dismiss Isaac's words either.
BOOM! CRACK!
The Desert Queen and Greed began to clash.
But the sounds of the two monsters fighting did not reach me.
I slowly approached and looked at the woman's face.