Chapter 234: Resurrection (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234: Resurrection (2)
The Consul's Labyrinth Master subjugation squad was primarily composed of high-floor members.
All of them had experience clearing at least the 7th floor of the Labyrinth.
Therefore, the deepest floor the squad could reach and assemble on using the elevator was the 7th floor.
[Sea of Void]
Traveling four at a time via the elevator, the subjugation squad finally assembled on the 7th floor.
Among them, Professor Isilof sensed that something was amiss with the Labyrinth's atmosphere.
"This is rather strange."
Meldini felt the same.
"Why are there no monsters?"
The mermaid crossbowmen, Void Torpedoes, water ghosts, or sea serpents that appeared in the Sea of Void. Even the occasional pirate ship.
None of those monsters were anywhere to be seen. Normally, with this many adventurers entering over such a long period, dozens of creatures should have already sensed their presence and approached.
"It is certainly strange."
The Consul and Cardinal Servan agreed.
Strange phenomena often occur in the Labyrinth, but this was beyond all reason.
Perhaps a trap lay ahead.
However.
"Let's proceed to the 8th floor."
The Consul continued with the operation for now.
"We must defeat the Labyrinth Master as quickly as possible to protect Sohen. Magistrate."
The Consul signaled to Magistrate Delphin.
"I'll be back."
Delphin then tore a stair scroll and teleported.
She would have landed in front of the stairs leading to the 8th floor.
And from there, she would fire a signal flare. Like this.
Bang!
A magic arrow shot up into the sky.
Delphin's Tier 7 skill, 'Signal Flare of Salvation'.
No matter how far away, party members could identify that signal flare.
Of course, due to the massive reefs covering the 7th floor, they wouldn't be able to travel to the destination in a straight line.
"Still, having a sense of direction is a clear advantage. Let's move out immediately."
It was just as the adventurers were about to begin their exploration of the 7th floor.
[This is Delphin.]
A message arrived.
[Requesting dispatch of a wizard capable of psychometry. I've found unsettling signs.]
Meldini went herself, using a stair scroll.
"My god."
As soon as she arrived before the 8th-floor stairs, she covered her mouth at the shocking scene.
"What in the world is all this...?"
An incredible number of footprints were stamped in the ground before the 8th-floor stairs.
"The Black Iron Knights and the Silver Dagger Alliance."
Delphin had identified the footprints and come to that conclusion.
"I went down the stairs to check, and there are a ton of footprints on the 8th floor as well."
"But why do they all stop here?"
The footprints made it look as if the Deep Layer monsters had come up from the 8th floor to the 7th. But they stopped right in front of the stairs. There were no further signs of movement on foot.
"That's why I requested help, Professor."
"Wait a moment."
Meldini activated her psychometry magic.
And the memories she read from the surroundings were...
"Oh, no."
Shocking.
"It can't be."
Sohen's forces had been completely caught in the Labyrinth Master's strategy.
-
[The Labyrinth has already erupted. Tens of thousands from the Silver Dagger Alliance and the Black Iron Knights came up from the Deep Layer, and the Labyrinth Master came up the stairs as well. And as soon as they reached the 7th floor, they boarded pirate ships.]
"What does that mean?"
The Consul's head was spinning.
"They boarded pirate ships?"
That monster acted as a sort of boss on the 7th floor, much like the Black Hornets on the 1st floor.
Their numbers were few, so most 7th-floor adventurers rarely encountered them, but a direct confrontation was considered a death sentence.
That's because the pirate ships carry an enormous number of water ghosts.
They were also called ghost ships for that reason.
In other words, the ships could transport monsters.
Just like the Gourmet Whale.
[There were dozens of pirate ships. The Deep Layer army boarded them, split up, and scattered in all directions.]
If they were heading for the 6th floor, there would be no reason for the ships to split up and go in different directions.
Therefore, Meldini surmised:
[I think they're trying to cross the inter-wall space.]
The Spider Doctor once gave a warning.
That a catastrophic eruption of the Labyrinth would swallow all life on the surface.
This wasn't just Sohen's problem.
From the very beginning, the Labyrinth Master intended to destroy the entire world at once.
That's why he used the pirate ships on the 7th floor to transport a massive army across the inter-wall space all at once. They must be heading for the various labyrinth cities, like Madurai, Cruaden, and Wyndham. And the Labyrinth Master's main force was surely ascending toward Sohen right now, and perhaps...
[Perhaps we're trapped in the Labyrinth now.]
They would use the transport capability of the pirate ships to evade the Consul's army and ascend to the surface.
The Consul's army would hastily give chase, but...
'By then, Sohen might already be destroyed.'
A horrifying thought flashed through everyone's mind.
Even if they started clearing exit rooms now, only one four-person party could leave at a time.
And didn't the Labyrinth's structure change every time an exit room was cleared, causing a new one to appear in an unknown location?
How could they possibly get this many adventurers out through exit rooms in time?
"They're not even..."
Someone's voice, full of helpless despair, trailed off.
"They're not even going to... fight us...?"
The adventurers here had all written their last wills and testaments at home before joining this subjugation squad.
The firm resolve of this expedition, who had left their families behind and marched into the Labyrinth's depths ready to die, now felt as worthless as a scrap of paper.
In an instant, morale plummeted.
This, too, must have been part of the Labyrinth Master's scheme.
"No..."
The Consul felt his mind go blank.
His misjudgment, organizing an army to enter the Labyrinth and subjugate its master.
It had left Sohen completely undefended.
The words of the Labyrinth Master, whom he had met inside the Gourmet Whale's mouth, came back to him.
'Consul. You are a leader of upright character who loves Sohen. You cannot make the bold decision to ruin Sohen on your own.'
He could almost feel that devil's laughter.
'And you shouldn't make it alone.'
Despite that warning, the Consul had made his decision. This subjugation squad was entirely his responsibility.
'I've...'
The Consul's heart began to crumble under the terrible weight of his guilt.
'Haven't I just thrown Sohen into the Labyrinth's maw?'
This was the worst-case scenario.
Aren't there only low- and mid-floor adventurers in Sohen right now?
"Consul."
Isel tapped the shoulder of the Consul, who was half-catatonic.
"Calm down. Sohen won't fall that easily."
The only way to get from the Labyrinth to the surface is by 'clearing an exit room'.
This is because there are no stairs on the 1st floor that lead to the surface.
Bang!
An exit gate from the 1st floor of the Labyrinth opened in the Labyrinth Union.
"Consul! Where's the Consul!"
Krom burst out, shouting.
"Consul! The Labyrinth is in an uproar!"
Nimue and Rococo, following close behind, yelled as well.
But the Labyrinth Union was strangely quiet. Considering the considerable size of the army the Consul had assembled, the place should have been bustling with people.
Anxious, Krom immediately ran to the Labyrinth Union's counter and received the terrible news.
"They already went down!"
The three of them jumped in shock.
"They might have already clashed with the Deep Layer army."
"Or they might have missed each other."
"This situation is getting more and more twisted."
Rococo slapped his forehead.
It was the same during the Labyrinth eruption 12 years ago, but the adventurer coalition had one fatal flaw compared to the Labyrinth's army.
The absence of a unified command.
Not only was Sohen's total military strength weaker than that of the Labyrinth's Deep Layer, but it also couldn't even utilize that strength properly.
They would fall into disarray, unable to agree or communicate, and eventually collapse.
Just look at the current situation: Krom's party returned to warn the Consul about the eruption in Sohen, but the Consul's army went in to stop that very eruption.
On top of that, another party, unaware of this fact, was emerging from the Labyrinth.
"What's the situation?"
Aimus asked, having cleared the 1st-floor exit room right after Krom's party.
"The Consul's army took the elevators and went all the way down. Right now, we six are the only Deep Layer adventurers on the surface," Nimue said.
Aimus's expression hardened.
A brief silence fell among the six Deep Layer adventurers.
They were all thinking the same thing.
'We have to call the Consul's army back to the surface.'
But how?
Messages couldn't be sent between the inside and outside of the Labyrinth, so someone with elevator access to at least the 7th floor would have to go in person.
The only people in Sohen capable of that were the six of them standing here.
Losing even one of them would be a huge blow. What would they do if the Labyrinth erupted before the Consul's army returned?
"There are the forces of the other race leaders, but..."
Rococo glanced at the delegations waiting outside the Labyrinth Union.
"They won't help."
If Sohen erupted, rather than fighting to protect it, they would head for their homelands at full speed.
Because their own homes were also in danger.
They had to assume that the only forces defending Sohen were the low- and mid-floor adventurers and the six of them.
But could this combination stop the Labyrinth's eruption—that massive army they had witnessed in the Deep Layer?
If they were going to fail to defend it anyway, shouldn't someone rush to the 7th floor right now, send a message to the Consul, and urge him to retreat?
And there was another variable.
'What if the Sohen army is fighting the Deep Layer army on the 7th floor?'
In that case, all six of them would have to rush to the 7th floor to join the fight.
"There are too many variables."
Cold sweat trickled down Krom's neck.
The Labyrinth Master must have exploited the fact that communication between the inside and outside of the Labyrinth is impossible. His eruption was designed not only to kill Caleb, win over Blackdog, and break the morale of two parties, but also to tie down the Consul's army inside the Labyrinth and sow confusion among the six adventurers standing here now.
"Damn it."
He was suddenly reminded of what Bipa, the Deep Layer adventurer, had said at the general meeting.
'The Labyrinth Master is the ruler of the walls, and walls are a symbol of division.'
This was a time when they needed a leader who could overcome that division and unite everyone.
The Consul couldn't fulfill that role.
They needed a more capable commander...
"Don't go in."
Yernil said, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Let's trust the Consul."
"..."
"They're all smart and capable people, aren't they?"
If they were fighting the Deep Layer army, that was for the Consul to handle.
If they missed the Deep Layer army, that was also for the Consul to handle.
Let's trust him.
Let's trust the professors, the cardinal, and the constables in that squad.
They would figure out the situation somehow and come up with a proper plan.
"We'll wait for the Labyrinth Master here."
Yernil sniffled and glared at the stairs.
"When he comes up... I'll kill him..."
The arm holding her bow trembled.
"..."
Krom squeezed his eyes shut, deep in thought.
"Alright."
He finally made the same decision as Yernil.
"We can't spare anyone to go to the 7th floor right now. We'll hold them off here by ourselves."
"About the leaders of the other labyrinth cities."
Aimus gestured with his chin toward the outside of the Union building.
"Let's try to persuade them. Ask them to help defend Sohen."
Send Bearhim up to the 6th-floor stairs to save Birtanen's party, Bernard's party, Hijikata's party, and the barbarian chief Romkier's party.
Yernil's party and Krom's party will wait in Sohen.
Don't move. The battlefield will be Sohen anyway.
Instead, try to persuade the other race leaders.
It's fine if you fail. Just lay the groundwork, and I'll finish it.
And the Consul's army.
There's a reason I showed you the pirate ships' routes via psychometry.
'Select the fastest people as couriers and have them chase the pirate ships.'
So that other labyrinth cities like Cruaden and Madurai can prepare for the eruption.
-This is actually for the best. Let's dispatch couriers now to follow the pirate ships' routes, so we can warn the other labyrinth cities.
Isilof's voice could be heard.
-I'll take the west.
Richard, the orc zanbato warrior from Clorence's party, volunteered.
As the couriers were being chosen, he gave another order.
'The Consul's army should wait there. I'll transport all of you to the surface at once.'
However, I need my physical body to use this method.
The 9th floor of the Labyrinth. The root of the World Tree.
I can see Hyedam burying my corpse.
The Spider Doctor is casting restoration magic on the corpse, mending the hole in its side.
'Hurry.'