??? SIDE
"Fufu…"
In the dead center of the dark space deep within the dungeon, a woman let a smile cross her face. It was a smile that could only be described as somewhat unsettling—even sinister—but since there was no third party present besides the woman, no one was around to point that out.
The woman stared for a time at the object enshrined in the heart of that space, and then,
she
traversed
the
air as though gliding across a smooth surface, and
"…Wake up."
She held her hand over its head and began pouring a massive amount of Magic Power into it.
Several seconds after the woman started channeling her Magic Power, a red glow ignited in the eyes of what should have been nothing more than a skeleton… and it raised the arm that had been half-merged with the rock, poised to swat her down.
"!"
The woman appeared to find the
skeleton's
actions thoroughly unexpected—for a single instant, surprise froze her in place. But thanks to the extra weight attached to the skeleton's arm, the woman was able to dodge the attack with ease.
However, she apparently judged that she would not be able to keep dodging the same way in such a confined space, and immediately began to withdraw.
The skeleton swung its arm once more, trying not to let the woman escape… but the arm never struck her, and the only thing still moving in that space was the skeleton itself.
Upon noticing the woman had vanished, the skeleton apparently chose to return to slumber on its own accord—its arm drifted back to its original position, its movements ceased, and the red light faded from its eyes as though eyelids were closing over them. Once more, the dark space was wrapped in silence.
End of ??? SIDE
God of Creation SIDE
"Not only Tenma's readings, but his readings have disappeared too!"
"That goddamn woman! How dare she pull something like that!"
The God of War was angrier than anyone had ever seen him. However, everyone else present felt exactly the same way, so no one tried to calm him down.
"...Found him. I can't sense Tenma's readings, but he's heading south... southeast."
The God of Beasts had taken over searching for the readings on my behalf after I lost track of him, and found him almost immediately.
"So he really is heading for the Great Old Forest?"
When the God of Destruction asked whether he was heading straight for the Great Old Forest where his hideout was located, the God of Beasts shook his head.
"He appears to be heading for Seigen's Dungeon."
he said.
I briefly wondered what business he could have there... and arrived at an unpleasant thought.
"The bones of an Ancient Dragon..."
The moment the God of Death muttered those words, I could feel everyone's expressions go pale at once. If our guess turned out to be correct, it could be checkmate for the worst-case scenario I had been envisioning.
"God of Beasts! Where is he right now?!"
"At the entrance to Seigen's Dungeon."
In response to the Goddess of Love's question, the God of Beasts answered briefly while maintaining his focus so as not to lose sight of him.
On the surface, we had already begun moving to rescue Tenma, but we hadn't even linked up with Merlin yet, so it would still take quite some time.
"Hm?"
"What happened?"
"His movements just suddenly slowed down."
The God of Destruction, noticing the strange change in the God of Beasts, asked what was going on. The God of Beasts, looking somewhat perplexed, relayed the situation regarding that guy.
"What's with the sudden..."
His movements slowing down should have been cause for celebration, but the abruptness made him suspect that there might be some other hidden motive at play.
"Could it be that the guy can't use Seigen's warp zone?"
The God of Magic, who had been quiet until then, suddenly blurted out something to that effect.
"You all know that place is special among the dungeons on the surface. As Tenma correctly guessed, it's a dungeon that exists inside a Dimension Bag. Originally, it was formed from the Magic Power of the 'Ancient Dragon' that died there — and a dungeon that had already been"
"forming"
"before"
"the"
"'Ancient"
"Dragon'"
"died"
"—merged with another dungeon nearby."
"Because of that, rules different from those on the surface apply to that place, just like the warp zone. It might be possible to create magic that breaks"
"those"
"rules,"
"but—"
"I can't even think of a way off the top of my head, so I find it hard to believe that guy could produce such magic at first glance."
For someone like the God of Magic, a specialist in magic, or Tenma, who possesses knowledge from a different world, it might be possible to develop such magic given enough time. But that guy probably has neither the knowledge nor the technique. If such a method existed, he would have jumped straight to the bottom — or he would have already taken the "Ancient Dragon" as a subordinate.
"So you're saying the guy dove into Seigen's dungeon on a whim?"
"I suppose so. As the Goddess of Life said, there's a high chance he stopped by Seigen's dungeon on a whim... Really, what a nuisance — and a terrible whim at that."
The God of Magic spoke in his usual flippant tone, but his face was dyed with anger.
The fact that he couldn't jump all the way down meant they had bought some time, but Merlin and the others who were still stationed near the Royal Capital — there was no way they could prevent him from reaching the room with the bones. No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible.
"Everyone, if the Ancient Dragon's consciousness still remains in those bones, it might refuse to let him become a subordinate. But if the worst comes to pass... be prepared for one of us to intervene and force the situation to a resolution, even if we have to do it by force."
"In that case, the damage on the surface would be immense, and there's no telling what would happen to whichever god intervenes... In that case, I'll go."
The first to volunteer was the God of Destruction.
"If we want to keep surface damage to a minimum, we have no choice but to settle things in a short time. And to reliably finish him off within a short window, a god who excels in combat is the most suitable candidate. Furthermore, considering what lies ahead, the one whose absence would cause the least disruption is me."
"That's... well, if it comes to that, we'll be counting on you."
When it came to gods who excelled in battle, there were the God of War, the God of Magic, and the God of Destruction. And among them, the one whose absence would cause the least disruption was, as he himself had said, the God of Destruction.
It seemed like each of them had something to say, but no one voiced it.
"Come to think of it, has Namitarou been told about Tenma? If not, things could get even more complicated."
The God of Skills changed the subject by bringing up Namitarou, and—
"Then I informed him a little while ago. We couldn't finish our conversation before he left, but he should be heading toward the Royal Capital by now."
The Goddess of Earth reported in a slightly hurried tone, a stark contrast to her usual drawn-out manner of speaking. The Goddess of Earth had spoken this fast only a handful of times before, which only underscored how abnormal the current situation was.
"Then why not ask Namitarou to handle him?"
The Goddess of Love proposed this as though it were a brilliant idea, but—
"No, Namitarou would have a hard time against him. If anything, Namitarou is better at fighting groups or large targets rather than one-on-one combat. It's not that he couldn't do it, but the uncertainty of whether he could reliably take him down is too great. If he let him escape and he went into hiding, that could truly lead to an irreversible situation."
"Exactly. That's why I should be the one to fight."
Having been shot down by the God of War and the God of Destruction, who had both regained some of their composure, the Goddess of Love fell silent with a pained expression.
"Why don't we all take a deep breath and calm down a little? Then, let's reassess the situation and see if there's anything we can do."
The Goddess of Life's suggestion prompted everyone except the God of Beasts, who was still keeping watch on their target, to take a deep breath.
"It seems he's found a shortcut to the Bone Room."
The situation was accelerating in a bad direction. Furthermore:
"And also, one of the 'Ancient Dragons' is making suspicious movements."
A separate nightmare was about to bare its fangs upon the kingdom.
SIDE OF THE CREATION GODS
SIDE OF MERLIN
"Slarin, Tenma is definitely over there! Shiromaru, well done!"
It had been two days since we linked up with Jin and began our pursuit. We managed to catch up to the woman at a speed that could be called astonishing. This was all because Shiromaru handled most of the travel, running at a considerable pace without rest during the chase.
As for us during that time, while Slarin searched for Tenma's position from her spot clinging to Shiromaru's back, Jin and I took turns moving during Shiromaru's rest periods. Though it's true we contributed to the travel (I flew with magic, Jin rode a horse), when you add our travel time over two days together, it doesn't even amount to half the time Shiromaru spent running. That just shows how reliant the chase was on him.
"Whoa... rough..."
Even Shiromaru looked tired, so we decided to let him rest in the Dimension Bag until the last possible moment (though we couldn't spare much time).
As soon as Shiromaru entered the bag, Jin and I prepared to move (Jin isn't very skilled at horseback riding, so he waited inside the bag with Shiromaru and the others).
"Lord Merlin, let's push straight through to the dungeon this time! We can handle the entrance formalities later!"
With that, Jin pulled out the flags of the Ootori family and the Royal Family. Essentially, by flying the Royal Family's flag, since Seigen was directly under royal jurisdiction, it would signal an emergency to the gate guards.
"They might chase after us, but we'll shake them off without worrying about it."
Even if they didn't understand, the plan was to force our way through regardless. Well, with no time to explain, a forced breakthrough was only natural if necessary.
However, as we approached to pass through the gate, not only were we not stopped, there wasn't even a hint of the gate guards coming out.
"What's going on here?"
"Maybe that woman did something. Let's stay on our guard even more and proceed!"
As I nodded back to Din and stepped through the gate… the scene that greeted Seigen was far worse than anything I had imagined.
"Monsters are pouring out… damn it!"
"Din! Dismount and grab onto me!"
Swarming toward Din were monsters — goblins and orcs and the like. They weren't the kind of creatures that gave us any trouble to put down, but the way they came charging, wild-eyed and frenzied, was nothing like the half-hearted nuisances we usually dispatched without breaking a sweat.
Almost the instant I finished speaking, Din leapt from his horse's back and grabbed onto my feet as I hovered in midair (in the process, he drew his blade and drove it lightly into the horse's hindquarters, so the beast galloped out beyond Seigen's borders before the monsters could surround it).
"Did these things spill out of the dungeon?"
"That's the most likely explanation, but I've never seen them this ferocious and deranged. That woman may have done something… Din, I'm sorry, but we're making a brief detour!"
Since I'd be the only one traveling by flight, a quick detour would still be faster than moving together with Din, so before heading to the dungeon, I veered toward Amy's family home. There,
"It looks like the knights are holding their own, more or less… Golem! Take down the monsters bearing down on us!"
Near Amy's family's apartment, several knights and what appeared to be a handful of adventurers were fighting the monsters, shielding the building. If the knights were battling there, then Amy's family — now people of considerable importance — had to be inside the apartment.
Of course I was worried about Tenma, but I couldn't very well ignore the families of the Ootori clan's affiliates — even if the connection was indirect — and so I stopped here. It turned out to be the right call.
"Knights and all you fighters there! Under no circumstances attack the golems! These are reinforcements! Work with them to protect the apartment!"
The first batch of golems I had deployed — roughly forty of them — had moved away from the apartment to engage the incoming monsters, so I ordered the second wave — about twenty — to coordinate with the knights and hold the apartment's perimeter.
While I was summoning golems and issuing commands, Din stood below me, holding up the Ootori family banner where everyone could see it. The knights and adventurers alike surely understood the situation from that alone.
As I turned toward the dungeon, I caught sight at the edge of my vision of several adventurers — apparently directed by the knights — running after the golems that had moved off. Those golems had probably been assigned the role of demonstrating that they belonged to the Ootori clan and were not the sort of things that would indiscriminately harm people.
"Din, we're going straight down through the warp zone!"
"Understood!"
I crashed through the above-ground building of the dungeon at full speed, and inside, several adventurers were locked in combat with monsters.
A few of the monsters noticed us and came charging, but I cut them down with my magic while Din released Jin and Slarin outside in the meantime. Shiromaru would stay inside the bag for a bit longer to rest, as Slarin had decided.
"I'm sorry I haven't been much of a fighter until now. But from here on out, let me take point!"
Jin emerged from the Dimension Bag and declared forcefully, cutting several newly approaching goblins cleanly in half with a single swing. He had already been faintly sweating before that last attack, so he must have been preparing inside the bag to be ready to move at any moment.
The monsters, their companions killed in the blink of an eye, ignored the adventurers they had been fighting and rushed toward us. Well, they had become quite frenzied and were more troublesome than usual, but goblins and orcs alone were no match for us, so we cut them down immediately... Meanwhile, the adventurers who had been fighting moved away from us. They weren’t fleeing, but had used the opening to head for the stairs leading to the upper levels, tossing broken chairs and tables into the stairwell to prevent more monsters from coming out. It might be called a heartless tactic, since there could still be adventurers below, but they likely judged it more important to stop any further monsters from escaping outside. They might also have reasoned that other adventurers could return from the warp zone.
"All of you! Half stay here and keep watch, the rest go outside, find allies, and bring them back! If we hold this place, the Ootori family’s Golems will eventually purge any monsters that have spilled out!"
When Jin, the representative adventurer of Seigen, gave that order, the adventurers present roared in agreement. As expected of Jin—the trust and track record he had built in Seigen gave strength to the others.
"We’re heading straight down, but if a strange woman you don’t recognize appears, flee this place immediately! She’s likely the cause of all this chaos and, at the same time, the mastermind behind the war between the kingdom and the empire. Understand? Above all, value your own lives! That will be the first step in saving those precious to you!"
The adventurers listened silently to his words, then after a brief pause, let out another fierce battle cry. He hoped this would at least reduce casualties if that woman appeared... If she targeted the adventurers, escape would be almost impossible, unfortunately. However, if they chose to flee without hesitation from the very start, their slim chances of survival might improve a little.
He silently wished them luck and was about to head toward the warp zone with Din and the others when—
"An earthquake? It’s strong! You all, evacuate outside for now! Din, Jin, Slarin! We’re pushing onward down! I have a terrible feeling about this!"
He told the adventurers to evacuate, but he himself proposed continuing downward because of a very bad premonition.
The first to react to his proposal was Slarin, who called Shiromaru out of the Dimension Bag it had been resting in, climbed onto its back, and, leaving Din and the others behind, started moving toward the warp zone. He began walking alongside Shiromaru, and the two followed while keeping watch on their surroundings.
"This is... please stop."
After leaping all at once to the floor just above the bottom, he left the lead to Jin—who knew this dungeon best among them—and at the first corner, Jin halted.
"There are Skeletons and rotting-flesh Golems that were in the dungeon below the bottom floor."
"I can still sense them, and that’s why Shiromaru has been looking so disgusted until now..."
Shiromaru was pitiful, but as one of their few combat assets, he couldn’t just have it wait in the bag from here on out.
"I’ll go ahead and scatter them. Jin, you direct from behind me, and Merlin-sama, please conserve your magic power."
"Understood."
"Hmm."
Din gave his orders immediately, and they decided to follow them. Having served for many years as captain of the royal guard, Din’s quick situational judgment in moments like this was simply commendable.
"If weak monsters like these are in the bottom floor, does that mean the original inhabitants have moved up to the higher levels?"
"So the weaker monsters were driven up floor by floor, and that's what caused them to spill out onto the surface?"
"That must be it. Still, it's entirely possible that some of the original inhabitants remain on the lower levels, so we can't afford to let our guard down."
The stairs from the warp zone down to the lowest floor weren't that far, and since this floor was crawling with nothing but weak monsters, we made it to our destination without any trouble beyond the stench.
"Slarin, is Tenma still somewhere below us?"
After arriving at the spot where the Hydra on the lowest floor had been, and after clearing out the wandering skeletons and rotting-flesh Golems, I asked Slarin for confirmation. Slarin said she could still sense Tenma's presence coming from below, so we decided to hold our ground here and intercept the woman.
"Merlin, what should we do about the stairs leading to the upper floors? If we leave them as they are, there's a chance that woman could use them to escape. I think it would be better to block them off."
"Indeed. Destroying them would be difficult, but raising a wall with earth magic to seal them off should be simple enough. That woman might be able to tear through a wall without much effort, but it would at least buy us some time."
Following Jin's suggestion, we decided to seal off both the stairwell entrance and the room's entrance.
The reason we didn't just destroy them was that it would have wasted magic power and time we couldn't afford, and in the worst-case scenario, we might end up trapped with no way out.
"Merlin! Slarin says Tenma's presence is getting closer!"
There had been several earthquake-like tremors since we arrived at this location, but when I noticed the intervals growing longer, Din—after receiving Slarin's report—came to inform me that Tenma's presence had begun moving.
"So those earthquakes up until now were connected to that woman."
The tremors had stopped just a little before Tenma's presence began moving, so it's reasonable to conclude that the woman was involved in causing them.
I don't know what exactly she was doing, but all I can do is hope that it drained at least some of her stamina or magic power.
Merlin SIDE — End