The great cathedral. Southeast. Near the campsite.
"Haaah!"
Axe swung her sword, cutting down puppets one after another.
Her swordsmanship was magnificent — no openings, no sloppiness. You could watch her fight forever and never tire of it.
It was easy to see why their eldest sister admired her.
"You really work people to the bone!"
Hoss split a puppet clean in half with his halberd.
He put everything into each swing, severing puppets like firewood.
Impressive.
Towering before the two of them was a massive red treasure chest.
A mimic puppet box.
Puppets poured endlessly from its gaping mouth.
The two of them were taking them down, one by one, all on their own.
"Are you done yet? Rel!"
"Almost. Stop rushing me like the eldest sister would."
"But we're hitting our limits here."
From the second floor of the ruins some distance away, I peered through my glasses and drew my bow.
My target was the heart, deep inside the puppet box's open mouth.
But the puppets kept pouring out, blocking my view.
To make matters worse, the heart was tiny.
About the size of a child's heart.
Still, I had to take the shot. That was why I was using Axe and Hoss as bait.
Puppets that would overwhelm Hoss on his own were no problem with Axe there.
If it were just me and Hoss, we could never take down a mimic puppet box.
But with Axe making us three — the Thunder Fang — I could see a path.
"Shot!"
I released my arrow, just like the eighth sister would.
I was certain. This arrow would reach the heart.
And just like that, we took down the mimic puppet box.
"Phew. We did it."
"I'm beat."
"Good work, both of you."
"You too, Rel."
"Still — what the hell was that?"
"No idea what happened, but... that was rough."
"What about Wof and Mineha? Are they okay?"
"We left that area to Alexander. If anyone can handle it, he can... probably."
Axe. Deep down, she probably wanted to go too. I understood.
As for the regret of not going through with it back then, the fourth sister could have that all to herself.
"More importantly — the campsite."
The puppet box had attacked without warning.
While we'd been fighting, the campsite had been torn apart.
It looked like the kitchen after the eleventh sister finished cooking.
Except the food she made was even more destructive.
"Yeah..."
"What would the thirteenth sister do in a situation like this?"
"She was pretty wild, wasn't she?"
"Yeah. Always cooking up something tricky."
"I've been hearing this for years, but every single one of your sisters is tricky, Rel."
"...When she got into a fight with the sixth sister, the thirteenth sister threw an undead rotten-meat pie at the innocent fifth sister. That's about the level we're talking."
"Poor fifth sister."
"Why does that sound almost like bragging?"
We thought it over.
It would be fine. We'd find an answer.
If we were the Thunder Fang, then —
Axe's eyes went wide.
"Wait. Undead rotten meat? Corpses... box."
See? Just like that.
---
The great cathedral. The western temple district. The rubble-strewn corridor.
Crushing through the ruins, monsters emerged from the monster box one after another.
Kobolds. Treants. Lizardmen. Slimes — all manner of monsters came flooding out.
"...Hmm. Heavenly form... Pleiades... Tayugete Blade."
Riv drew her glowing green sword and sliced the ground in a straight line.
From the cut, a translucent green barrier sprang up.
The monsters were held at bay.
"Now then, what shall we do?"
"Ugh, we've got no choice but to fight. Annoying, but..."
"Child."
"Ah —"
Lupinus grabbed me by the collar with one hand and lifted me up.
"That's enough. Come with me."
She carried me off just like that.
Crown poked its face out of the monster box, grinning and waving.
Unbelievable.
"Stay by my side."
"Y-yes, ma'am."
She sat me down and fixed me with a stern glare.
I decided to behave.
"Mm... the barrier... is at its limit."
When Riv's barrier vanished, monsters surged through.
"Ugh! I hate lizards!"
Bid unleashed a barrage of arrows at the lizardmen.
A single arrow splitting into multiple — that must be a Relic. I wonder which one.
Her shooting prioritized suppression over precision, it seemed.
It wasn't a machine gun, but it was enough to hold them back.
Behind her, Riv turned her sword red and cut through a treant.
Pakira burned through a swarm of slimes with Fire Strike.
Lupinus shielded me while crushing kobolds one after another with her greatshield.
At that weight, even kobolds would shatter on impact — but what kind of strength did that take? Was she a gorilla?
As expected of Class III delvers. They'd thinned the herd considerably.
Even so, monsters kept flooding out of the monster box.
We had to take out the core.
But did we have the means?
"Well then, everyone. See if you can buy me some time."
Pakira said suddenly.
"Mm. Understood... Lupinus..."
"Understood. Child — draw your weapon and wait behind me. Understood?"
"Y-yes."
Lupinus stepped in front of Pakira and raised her greatshield. She was like a wall.
"As long as I'm here, no one is getting to Pakira!"
Her fighting spirit was palpable — the sheer determination of someone who would protect at any cost.
"I don't know what she's planning, but — ugh, fine, let's do this!"
"Mm... Pakira. It's all yours..."
"Very well."
What was she going to do?
Then Pakira removed her pure white robe. What!?
Now wearing a blue jacket and a white long skirt, she unfastened the inner buttons of the skirt.
The sides of the skirt split vertically, revealing her bare legs through the deep slits.
W-what.
Then she inverted her staff and pressed it against her forehead.
"— Benediction."
She murmured something, then spun it around.
Next, she struck the ground with the base of the staff.
A rainbow-colored light rippled outward in an octagonal pattern for just an instant.
"That was..."
What was Pakira doing?
And then she moved.
"— Prayer. Prayer of the Holy Heavens. Prayer of all truths. Om. Hararita. Rita. Shuku. Harahararita. Hararita. Shuku. Hara. Shuku. Rita. Rita-amrita. Kata. Harari. Rita. Hararita. Ritaraha. Ka. Shukurashuku. La. Rita."
Pakira chanted in an otherworldly manner, as though singing.
Moving to a rhythm like a dance, Pakira spun around while striking her staff against the ground.
"Ritahara. Kararita. Remurita. Rita. Hararita. La. Rita. Shuku. Hara. Shuku. Rita. Amrita. Hararita. Shukurita. Rita. Ka. Rita."
"..."
I stood there, dazed. What on earth was this? Was it a song? A spell?
Pakira kept dancing — chanting, singing, and twirling.
An aura of wonder and mysticism hung in the air.
"..."
A chill ran down my spine. I activated my Relic — Danger Discernment — on instinct.
I could see that black "death" was converging on Pakira from all around through Danger Discernment.
The "death" was flowing upward through her staff.
A black vortex had formed above the monster box.
"—!?"
A shiver ran through me.
I had never seen that much "death" before.
Frightened, I deactivated Danger Discernment.
Above the monster box, white vortex clouds were swirling.
Occasional flashes of pale blue lightning flickered within.
The vortex clouds were growing larger and larger.
"..."
Pakira twirled her staff, spun her body, and kept singing, chanting, and dancing.
"— Wish. Prayer of the myriad heavens. Prayer of the festival. Prayer of the Dragon. Shukushuku. Ka. Hararita. Hararita. Ritaraha. Amrita. La. Shuku. Rita. Shuku. Hararita. Ur. Shukurita. Hararita. Om — ! I beseech you. Come forth. Mausoleum's Undying Light...!"
Immediately after, a streak of pale blue light split through the swirling sky and came crashing down.
It pierced straight into the monster box below, and the flash expanded in a dome before detonating.
After the explosion, a rainbow-colored light rippled outward in an octagonal pattern once more.
The monster box vanished along with a circular patch of the surrounding ground. Without a trace, every monster disappeared with it.
"..."
I was too stunned to speak.
That was a Relic. That was what a Relic could do. It was like a weapon of mass destruction.
That was... even beyond Generous.
"What?"
Huh? What? Why had Pakira stopped?
"!?"
Not just Pakira. Everyone — no, everything had stopped.
Even the dust from the rubble hung frozen in midair.
What on earth was happening?
"AAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!"
Suddenly, laughter erupted, and Crown popped up from where the monster box had been.
It slapped its body, sending dust billowing like smoke, then let out an exaggerated cough.
Spotting me, it pulled out a trumpet and blared it. Loud.
Wait — had it survived a direct hit from that?
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!"
Laughing uproariously, it pointed at Bid, then Riv —
then Lupinus, singling each of them out with a gleeful laugh.
When it got to Pakira, it doubled over with laughter.
What was with this thing?
Every gesture was over-the-top, and its theatricality was grating.
To top it off, it patted me on the rear.
"...Is this your doing? Your Relic?"
Time stop, presumably.
Spacetime-type. I knew about storage Relics.
But I had no idea a Relic like this existed.
I couldn't figure out why I was the only one still moving.
I squared off against Crown, irritation simmering.
I knew dungeon monsters weren't truly alive.
The Fool. It was simply playing the part of a jester.
Maybe that was why. Maybe that was exactly why its attitude got under my skin.
"AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!"
Crown ignored me and began juggling Banishes.
Hm? What was that? Inside one of the Banishes, I caught a glint of something sharp.
"!?"
A dagger.
I readied my knife instantly.
Crown walked forward and slammed four Banishes into the ground.
They bounced and arced beautifully through the air, all converging on me.
"!?"
Bad. It had seized the initiative. But at least time was still frozen.
If that was the case, then it was time to end this.
I activated my fourth Relic — Generous.
My eyes and hair began turning purple — but nothing happened.
"...Huh?"
Activating Relic #4 — Generous.
Nothing happened.
Activating Relic #4 — Generous.
Nothing happened.
Nothing.
Crown's Banishes were closing in. With no other choice, I activated my Relic — Still One.
I was pretty sure the cooldown had already elapsed — wait. Cooldown?
Cooldown...!
T-that was why I couldn't use it.
Oh, how stupid could I be?
I managed to dodge four of the Banishes, then dispelled the last one with my own Banish.
As expected, my Banish couldn't be dispelled.
"AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Laughing, Crown closed the distance in an instant and thrust its dagger.
The dagger was shaped like a cross.
The crossguard was bladed as well — unusual, but practical.
It slashed in with a thrusting motion, but I calmly deflected it with my knife.
When the blades met — my knife's blade was severed.
"!?"
No. That wasn't right. I could tell.
It hadn't been cut. It had vanished.
I hastily sheathed the broken knife and leaped back.
Crown grinned, deftly spinning the cross-shaped dagger in one hand as if showing it off.
That knife. It was... an OOPArt.
An OOPArt knife specifically adapted to work with Banish.
I caught my breath. There was no helping it. I drew my trump card — the elixir knife.
That thing was undead. In that case, this elixir knife would be effective.
I took a careful stance — and the atmosphere shifted entirely.
"How was that, Wof? Aren't I strong?"
Pakira turned around, beaming with amusement.
"..."
"Wof?"
"Y-yes. I was... very impressed. Was that a Relic?"
Time had resumed. Crown was gone.
What had happened? Why had Crown backed off? Could it have... fled?
To my confusion, Pakira spoke with amusement in her voice.
"That's right. It's a conditional Relic. The activation conditions are demanding, but once they're met, it can be that powerful."
"Conditional..."
The constraint I had gained when I saw the girl statue of Generous.
Conditional Relic — Banishment Line... So it required certain conditions to use.
No. I wouldn't use this. I must never use this. It would change the world.
In any case, I had my answer. Crown had fled.
It had been afraid of the elixir knife and run away. That was my conclusion.
"That really was amazing. But hey, Leader — where are Romomo and Crouton?"
"...Bid, about that — they're not here."
"Wh-what do you mean!?"
Lupinus's words rattled Bid.
Those were the names of team members, apparently.
"Back then, they were near that giant land catfish, so they weren't teleported here. As proof, the catfish's corpse is nowhere to be seen."
"Mm... the ones who were... nearby... were Agaro and Aegis... Romomo and Crouton."
"Agaro isn't here either?"
"That's right. It was Agaro of the Doom Sword who delivered the final blow."
"Mm... right..."
Agaro wasn't here either. Was Megadia around?
Bid gazed up at the sky and murmured.
"...What a mess..."
"No need to worry. Those four will make it out safely."
"Mm... absolutely no problem..."
"If anything, we should be worried about ourselves."
"Yeah, fair point."
Bid smiled softly.
And so, we headed for the campsite.
The cooldown on Generous. An OOPArt knife made to counter Banish.
The shock of both still reverberating in my heart.