Once everyone had regained consciousness, we began the return journey that would determine our fate.
In warfare, a retreat was when you took the most casualties. With more than half our group injured and an abnormal situation developing, whether we could all make it back alive was frankly up to the gods.
Gregg supported the two largest members, Gilbert supported one, and Luda supported the lightest female member.
Rudolf, who could still be useful in combat, had used up all of the Compassionate Devotion's mana to recover enough to walk on his own. Leaning on his spear like a walking stick, he advanced step by step, slowly.
Tinno took the lead, remaining vigilant. Without strength or stamina, I was completely dead weight.
But my certified Level was the highest of everyone's.
Rudolf looked like he could collapse at any moment, but his voice was firm.
"If that boss shows up, I'll be the shield. I'll buy as much time as I can."
"I have no intention of abandoning you."
"My comrades' lives... I'm begging you. Please, get them to Zebuldia somehow. Please."
Deep regret was visible in his voice.
What a Hunter needed more than skill was luck. It was a common story — a genius certified at a high level would simply stop showing up one day.
I didn't know why he had come to a place like this, but he seemed to have built up more than enough of a safety margin. It could only be called bad luck.
This mission was quite hard. Even without running into that boss with a face entirely covered in bone, encountering the Silver Wolf Knight alone had already made everyone's survival a toss-up.
Rudolf probably understood that fact more deeply than anyone. And he also knew that in situations like these, the most exhausted rescue target would be the first to be abandoned.
A Level 5 certification was no joke. Those eyes had surely witnessed the deaths of countless comrades and friends before.
Tinno responded to those words heavy with resolve in a surprisingly casual manner.
"Relax. As long as Mastaa's here, there's no problem."
Wasn't that trust a bit excessive? The only thing I could do even with me around was run.
Dark Wings of the Night was designed for one person. But if I pushed myself hard enough, I could probably carry one person while flying.
Fortunately, Tinno was small in stature. In the worst case, I was prepared to abandon Gilbert and the others, abandon the rescue targets too, and fly off with just Tinno in my arms.
Of course, having come this far, I intended to get everyone back alive. I would do my best, but I wouldn't miscalculate priorities.
Rudolf looked at me and bowed his head deeply.
But I wasn't a god, so praying wouldn't help anything.
While walking along the narrow passage, Rudolf spoke about their first encounter.
"The only reason we survived was because it was playing with us."
"Playing?"
"It had a sword. Its skill was incredible. If it had been serious, it could have killed everyone in an instant. It wounded us and left us alone. Perhaps to weaken us and toy with us to death. Or maybe it left us to starve. Its cruelty, its intelligence, its strength — none of it was normal."
Even Gilbert wore a grave expression as he listened to those incredible words delivered in a halting voice.
Phantoms grew more powerful the denser the Mana Material in their surroundings.
Intelligence. Power. Equipment. In low-level Treasure Halls, Phantoms only manifested as beasts covered in fur, but in higher-level ones, it wasn't uncommon for them to possess intelligence sufficient to understand human speech.
But this being had clearly never belonged in a Treasure Hall like this one.
Rudolf continued.
"I... once entered a Level 6 Treasure Hall. I fled halfway through, but the Phantom I encountered this time — it surpassed that one. I'm certain."
No way.
This was originally a Level 3 Treasure Hall. Even with some environmental changes, it was nearly impossible for the difficulty to suddenly double.
A sudden mutation could produce a powerful Phantom, but such a drastic leap in strength was unheard of.
"I know it's hard to believe. But I saw it with my own eyes."
Yet those words carried an eerie conviction.
He must have been terrified by his defeat, but to say that much to those who had come to rescue him — this was something we absolutely had to avoid.
Tinno probably couldn't win. Damn it — should I have waited for Ark after all?
Over and over again, the distant howling of wolves echoed through the passage. Each time, my heart clenched in fear.
Because the sound reverberated within the narrow corridors, I couldn't gauge the distance at all.
"It was... small. Less than half the size of the Half-Faced Knight. About human-sized — but it far surpassed the Half-Faced Knight."
"...Today is an unlucky day, huh."
Gregg let out a deep sigh. I completely agreed. I could definitely share a good drink with him.
If we both made it back alive, that is.
It seemed Rudolf had also defeated several Phantoms before we arrived.
He had taken down several of the skull-faced Phantoms like the ones we had encountered, finished most of his exploration, and was about to head back when he was attacked.
It was an unpopular request. If we hadn't come, he would certainly have been done for.
The man Gilbert was supporting whispered as if in a delirium.
"Rudolf... came here for my sake—"
"...Don't say that, Herian."
It seemed Rudolf and the others had their own complicated circumstances.
But in a situation already this grim, I couldn't bear to hear any more of that. I shrugged and gently pointed it out.
"Well, you can have that discussion among yourselves. After we get back to the Imperial Capital."
"Ah... yes..."
"As expected of Mastaa... you truly are a god."
If I were a god, I'd call down lightning and burn this Treasure Hall to the ground.
We advanced at a slow pace, matching the speed of the rescue targets.
We had made it about halfway back when Gregg furrowed his brow sharply.
He said aloud what everyone had been thinking but no one had voiced.
"Hey... isn't this bad?"
"...What's happening?"
Gilbert also looked uneasy.
The frequency of the wolves' howling had increased dramatically compared to before.
At first, we had stopped each time the howls echoed, but now silence had become the exception.
I didn't know what was happening, but it was clear something was.
Of the seventeen Barrier Rings I had, only six remained. In other words, the seventh attack would kill me.
I had almost no usable Treasure Weapons. I had a few Dog Chains and Finger Shots, but none of them would do more than slow an enemy down.
Then there was a Treasure Weapon that could store magic, but what my sister had imbued in it was a spell that would flatten everything in the surrounding area — so it was truly a last resort. I could only fire it once, and more importantly, since it was a wide-area attack spell, it was highly questionable whether it had enough power against a Phantom estimated at Level 7.
Wait, was I screwed? Had I brought the wrong Treasure Weapons?
Everything had gone beyond expectations.
That there were actually Phantoms in this Treasure Hall that Tinno couldn't handle was beyond expectations, and that the rescue targets were still alive was also beyond expectations. Gilbert and the others putting up a decent fight was a welcome surprise, but everything else was decidedly bad.
To top it off, I was running out of Treasure Weapons. What a mess.
As I grumbled to myself about all this, Tinno, who had been walking ahead of me, came to a stop.
"M-Mastaa... something... big is coming."
When she turned to face me, her expression was so fragile it made my heart skip — filled with a kind of anxiety I had never seen in her before.
I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.
At her words, Gilbert and the others immediately snapped into combat readiness. They set down the rescue targets they had been supporting and moved them against the wall.
Rudolf raised his spear, cold sweat streaming down his rugged face.
Reluctantly, I extended my arm, pulled Tinno behind me, and stepped to the very front.
Even someone like me had a shred of pride.
"M-Mastaa!?"
"Stay back — it's dangerous."
Can't be helped. Time to show them the most powerful human missile I could muster.
Truthfully, the mana remaining in Dark Wings of the Night was also pretty suspect, but it should still have enough for one strike.
The opponent probably wouldn't expect its target to come charging in at full speed, so the first strike should land... I hoped.
Last time it hit the armor, but with a miracle, I might be able to pierce its skull.
Of course, landing one hit would cost me one of my lives, but at this point, that couldn't be helped.
The anxiety was so intense that, paradoxically, my heartbeat had calmed down.
Apparently I had come full circle and gone flat. Was that even possible?
I narrowed my eyes and stared straight ahead.
And then, in the dim glow barely illuminating our path, it appeared from around the corner.
"...!"
Rudolf drew a sharp breath. What appeared from around the corner was, just as he had described, a humanoid figure whose entire face was covered by a human skull.
Its size was roughly half that of the Silver Wolf Knight — about the same as me — but the pressure radiating from it was incomparable to the Wolf Knight we had encountered earlier.
It bore a far more human resemblance than the Wolf Knight. From the side, it did have wolf ears, but the shape of its head and its hair were distinctly human.
A black sword gripped in its hand — we backed away inch by inch.
"What... is that?"
Gilbert's voice cracked. His body was trembling.
Even I could tell this Phantom was on another level entirely. He could surely sense the power gap even more keenly.
And then, as if to drive the point home, another silhouette appeared.
A small figure, almost comical compared to the first, wearing a grinning skull mask.
Lightly dressed and without armor, though metal boots covered its legs up to the knees.
In its hand, approaching the other skeleton with light steps, was a familiar Treasure Weapon of mine... the Star of Silence that I had dropped somewhere.
I couldn't help rubbing my eyes and staring at it.
"Two... of them!?"
"No way... Kl— Klye — what do we do?"
Gregg and Luda cried out in despair.
But the strongest reaction came from Tinno.
She let out a voice on the verge of tears and clung to my arm.
What was there wasn't the coquettishness from before — it was fear.
"!? M-Mastaa... no... help me, Mastaa, I'm done for. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll do my best. I'll do anything. Please, just forgive me that. Please help me."
"!?"
Seeing Tinno — normally so cool on the surface — like this left Gilbert, the temporary party members, and Rudolf all stunned.
And then, the head of the grinning skull slowly turned to face me.
Its eye sockets, unlike the Wolf Knight's, were darker than darkness itself, and its twisted mouth simultaneously formed a grin and seemed to mourn the world.
I couldn't make sense of anything anymore. This was unbelievable.
I rubbed Tinno's head in a soothing motion, leaving everyone else teetering on the brink of despair, and spoke the first thought that came to mind.
"Huh? That's Liliz."
What was she doing in a place like this?