Pitch-black exoskeleton, with golden joints peeking through.
A single rainbow-colored, sword-like horn extended from the center of its forehead, flanked by pitch-black antennae of the same hue as the exoskeleton, swaying gently.
That exoskeleton had been modified according to its Master's preferences, completing its fusion with
As a special steel alloy, the Magisteel—saturated with a massive quantity of its Master's Magicules—blended remarkably well with the exoskeleton.
Now it possessed unparalleled properties: hardness surpassing diamond—a material that could now be called Living Magisteel—combined with the flexibility befitting a living organism.
It had become natural armor forged from the highest-grade materials.
But his strength was by no means derived from the exoskeleton.
The true essence of that strength lay in his instincts, which voraciously sought battle.
And now, yet another prey was about to walk into his path.
Everything went according to his will.
He was the labyrinth's absolute strongest.
The supreme guardian—the
……
…
Michel and
They had been fortunate enough to defeat the White Ape, an extraordinarily dangerous monster.
But from reports and experiences on other floors, they already knew as established fact that monsters revived even after being defeated.
So they had fled back to the staircase before the creature could resurrect.
There were no reports of monsters spawning on the staircase itself—it hadn't been confirmed, but it was their faint hope. They believed this to be their only place of refuge and rested there.
"Hey... what do we do? Keep going?"
"Don't be stupid. We've only gone down one staircase, and already that damn ape showed up. If there are more of those things ahead, we're done for."
"Yeah. But how are we supposed to escape? We can't go forward, but we can't go back either. There's no way we can clear this labyrinth!"
That was the core of the problem. The staircase they had originally descended had, upon trying to go back up, transported them to a different floor. They couldn't return to the surface.
It had seemed fine at first—they could enter and exit without issue—but then it suddenly started teleporting them to different floors.
Michel and Raymond had no way of knowing this, but the floor they had originally entered was the 81st floor. From there, they had been sent down to the 87th.
Going back up the stairs wouldn't return them to the 81st, and even if it did, they would simply be teleported to the 80th from above.
Originally, the system had been set to send anyone trying to go directly to the boss room back to floor 79, but that restriction had been lifted too.
So the only way out was to climb up through each floor one by one—which would be endlessly difficult.
But since they had no way of knowing any of this, they couldn't even tell whether going up or going down was the correct answer.
Water might be manageable, but they had only eight days' worth of food left. If they kept wandering the labyrinth, they'd need to eat monster flesh or something similar—and even then, they'd be incapacitated within three weeks.
Only one day since they had entered. Already, the situation was descending into hopeless chaos.
"Hey, do you think these things the Development Division handed out are legit?" Michel asked, pointing at his bracelet while looking at Raymond.
The Development Division had claimed these experimental items possessed resurrection effects—replicas of what Shinji's forced reconnaissance squad had brought back.
The people in the Development Division had handed them over with absolute confidence, but Michel didn't trust them.
Of course, if they could test them, that would settle it quickly...
But since there weren't enough for all soldiers, they had only been distributed to those with higher combat ability, so no one had been able to verify their effects.
They had joked darkly that one of them could test it by dying first.
Now, that joke wasn't funny at all.
"There's no way they work. We have to act on the assumption that you can't revive after you die," Raymond replied realistically.
Michel had been thinking the same thing, so he shrugged in agreement.
But just in case, he had kept the bracelet on...
According to Shinji's report, people had indeed been revived in the town surrounding the labyrinth entrance thanks to the "Resurrection Bracelet."
But that was solely due to the will of the Labyrinth's Master.
These counterfeit bracelets might only serve to anger the other party.
Michel removed the bracelet and crushed it underfoot.
It shattered with a dry crack.
He looked at the fragments with a bitter smile, and Raymond did the same.
From now on, they could only rely on their own strength.
With matching bitter smiles, they rose to their feet.
"Shall we?"
"Yeah. Since it's come to this, let's see how far we can go. We earned this power, after all. Either way, we have to go down."
"That's right. Exactly!"
They steeled their resolve and chose their path forward.
Wearing bright smiles and with steady steps, they began descending the staircase.
They had no way of knowing what awaited them ahead.
……
…
Having confirmed their will, someone quietly closed their eyes.
Though those crimson compound eyes continued to absorb surrounding information and process it in their mind even when shut...
Someone thought.
They had the qualification to fight him.
That was precisely why he was summoning them—to this dark space.
Those who reached this floor were fortunate.
They could die having fulfilled their dignity as humans and their pride as warriors.
— Labyrinth Floor 80, the room before the Dark Space — Beyond the staircase lay a dimly lit room.
The room was furnished with practical everyday items, and several chairs had been set out.
A single door stood at the far end.
From beyond that door drifted an indescribably dense aura of darkness.
This was the room Michel and his group had arrived at after descending from the 87th floor's staircase.
The 80th floor—the antechamber before the boss room known as the Dark Space.
Several early arrivals sat there, chatting in their chairs.
They appeared to be exchanging reports on their situations.
When Michel's group approached, one of them raised a hand and looked their way.
"Where did you come from?"
That question led Michel to realize they had each arrived from different floors.
It seemed they had been exchanging information with each other as well and were already aware of this.
"We came from a place crawling with magical beasts," one group reported.
"After a death match with White Apes, we debated whether to go up or down before ending up here."
"I see. We defeated a giant golem and went up the stairs."
"We faced the Lich King."
"The Evil Dead King—a name befitting a truly terrifying demon lord. Though the real threat was the Lich Knight guarding the king..."
"Everyone from our floor except us three was killed. A dead dragon, a sword saint of the dead, and an undead king. It's a miracle we survived. Intelligence Division types—they were strong ones, and there were several of them challenging together."
Such were the reports being exchanged.
In total, seven had gathered.
They were the last surviving members of the Imperial Army inside this labyrinth, though none of them realized it.
They had a vague sense of it, though.
The room was stocked with ingredients for making tea and light meals, and there was even a place to rest.
And the staircase behind them was gone.
A clock had been provided, along with a countdown display.
Time remaining: approximately three hours.
They had been granted a final window of mercy.
"It seems like... we can't get out alive without defeating the enemy ahead."
"But rather than having us fight one at a time, is it waiting for a certain number to gather...?"
Questions abounded, but they should use this time to recover as much fatigue as possible.
There didn't seem to be any poison, but no one had touched the food ingredients.
Each of them pulled out what might be their last field rations and replenished their energy.
Fighting for survival.
"Alright. I understand the situation. Then, to increase our chances of survival, let's share what each of us can do without holding back."
The man who appeared to be the leader of the trio of three spoke up.
No one objected.
This labyrinth was not a place that could be conquered by military force. They understood that viscerally now.
If they could return to the surface immediately, they would swear never to set foot inside again.
But that was impossible. So the only option was to press forward.
"I'm Michel. I'm an Otherworlder. My ability is the Unique Skill 'Morpher.' I specialize in high-power attacks, but I'm not great at teamwork."
"I'm Raymond. Also an Otherworlder. I have the Unique Skill 'Brawler' and 'Super Strength EX.'"
Following Michel and Raymond's introductions, the others began introducing themselves honestly.
The men who had defeated the golem—Colonel Kansas and Major Minits.
Colonel Kansas—the hero who had commanded the annihilation operation in the Demon Territory.
And Major Minits—the officer in overall command of this labyrinth conquest force.
Such high-ranking officers were here? Michel and Raymond straightened their posture.
Kansas signaled them with a hand gesture not to worry about it.
In the Empire, being an Otherworlder alone placed one in a high position. Given that both men had proven themselves militarily, there was no need to worry about rank in an emergency situation.
After all, what was needed here was not rank, but power.
Next, the remaining three spoke.
They belonged to the Emperor's Direct Imperial Guard.
At those words, Michel and Raymond exchanged shocked glances. Even Kansas and Minits couldn't hide their surprise.
"Let us prove it. Unseal!"
The three produced pendants and chanted softly.
A torrent of light erupted, enveloping their bodies.
It was equipment of the Legendary grade—ancient, top-tier gear passed down since antiquity, not something that could normally be obtained or even seen.
The radiant glow of Divine Shining Gold Steel, gleaming in gold.
It was unmistakably the equipment that the Empire's Emperor permitted only his strongest hundred direct subordinates to use.
The aura it radiated proclaimed its authenticity.
Three members of the Imperial Guard.
That was equivalent to having three of the Empire's upper-echelon strongest forces present.
And then there were themselves—boasting top-tier combat power even among the Mecha-Modified Corps.
Imperial Guard No. 17 —
Michel and Raymond's expressions brightened at the hope this brought.
Seven in total.
No further reinforcements seemed forthcoming.
But with this lineup...
The top seven among all those who had entered the labyrinth had assembled.
The countdown reached zero.
Simultaneously, the door at the far end opened.
Their resolve was set.
Without hesitation, they passed through the door and headed for a battle where survival was on the line.
— Labyrinth Floor 80, inside the Dark Space — The interior was pitch black, but Reia lit a Wide-Area Illumination spell.
The group gasped at the sight before them.
It was a single floor, piled high with the corpses of Imperial soldiers.
Atop that mound sat a single monster.
Seated in meditation, cross-legged.
The fact that it hovered slightly in the air proved it was refining its Magicules to an extraordinary degree.
Michel and the others were certain.
That monster was the one who had summoned them here—the Demon Lord Rimuru himself.
And so— "You're... the Demon Lord Rimuru?"
It was perhaps inevitable that those words slipped out.
But that single remark struck Zegion's raw nerve.
"You mistake this humble one for... the great Demon Lord Rimuru?
There is only one path for you wretched earth-crawling fools to survive.
Defeat me—Zegion!
Burn your life away and fight with everything you have!"
And then—the battle began.
—————
The footage that had been showing the labyrinth's interior moments ago now showed silence—every floor indicating that all Imperial soldiers had perished.
The battles were over.
But we were left momentarily wordless at the sheer absurdity of what we had just witnessed.
"Isn't that thing... stronger than you?"
After a moment, that honest thought escaped my lips.
Benimaru had been silent for a while—reluctant to admit it—but finally murmured, frustrated: "...I have to concede that there's a slight possibility of that."
Most of the battles inside the labyrinth had gone as expected.
The Labyrinth Guardian Colossus being defeated by two of the Empire's high-ranking soldiers was one thing, but I was genuinely surprised when Adalman and the others were felled by the terrifyingly powerful trio wearing Divine Shining Gold Steel armor.
It seemed some truly strong ones had slipped in.
The knight who had defeated Alberto in single combat, and the female knight who had won against Adalman in a magic duel.
Of course, Adalman had been challenged by both the knight and the female knight together, but the fact that they could defeat Adalman—whose "Holy-Demonic Reversal" left him without weaknesses—made them a significant threat.
I had considered increasing my vigilance... but that turned out to be unnecessary.
The two high-ranking soldiers and the three knights in Divine Shining Gold Steel armor had been teleported to the 80th floor the moment they descended the staircase.
This was the doing of the 80th floor's guardian, Zegion.
Zegion had been forcibly summoning those he recognized as strong through spatial manipulation.
Ramiris had mentioned something about the lottery being favorable and possibly encountering strong opponents—though I learned this later from
He had simply used brute force to interfere and redirect them to himself.
What was truly terrifying, though, was his perception.
Spread throughout the labyrinth, observing all combat, and selecting only the strongest.
He must have been tracking every movement while in meditation. What an absurd ability.
With the two who appeared to be Otherworlders added to the mix, the battle began.
In a word: overwhelming.
The knight who had defeated Alberto launched a strike at maximum speed.
Zegion caught it with his left hand, gently redirecting the blade's flat side without impeding the knight's momentum.
In the same motion, he slipped inside the knight's guard, and as he planted his right foot forward, he drove his right fist into the opponent's armor.
With incomprehensible force behind it, that single blow shattered the Divine Shining Gold Steel armor and took the knight's life in one hit.
All of this happened in under three seconds.
Sensing his comrade's death and the momentary lapse in attention, Zegion struck the female knight with a hand blade.
She was fortunate.
She died without feeling pain or fear.
"U-URAAAH! How dare you kill Reia! Die, you monster! Dimension Annihilation Slash!"
The armored knight unleashed a technique fueled by rage, but— "Ridiculous."
Distortions around Zegion nullified the attack.
"Before this technique bestowed upon me by the great Demon Lord Rimuru, any attack is meaningless!"
That was...
The absolute defense controlled by the Covenant King— The Spatial Distortion Defense Zone!
Zegion's spatial domination ability exceeded the level of a Unique Skill.
He had obtained an absolute defense on par with Chloe, who had once fought Veldora.
That explained how he could fight Veldora on equal or better terms in close combat.
Did that mean Zegion was as strong as the Heroes of old? What a terrifying rate of growth.
And that appearance—there was something oddly familiar about it.
Covered in exoskeleton, specialized for combat, wielding a monster's abilities to their fullest...
(Hey, Raphael! That appearance...)
《Analysis. You may have forgotten, but I gave part of my physical body to this individual. As a result of the individual named Zegion's Super Optimization, he developed abilities similar to mine.》 I remembered.
When I saved the dying Zegion, I had used a part of my body to seal his wounds.
Back then, Zegion was still an insect-type monster.
A creature with the combined aesthetics of a rhinoceros beetle and a stag beetle—an oddly charming appearance.
He was an insect-type magical beast about 50cm in body length, but since I was told he was a rare specimen, I entrusted him to Ramiris.
Of course, before releasing him into the labyrinth, I used the Magisteel that had been integrated into my body and adapted to Magicules to enhance his defensive capabilities...
I think there was a similar bee-type creature as well.
That was
Apito had only received the Magisteel coating and a "Naming," but Zegion had undergone a Super Evolution.
In a sense, he had become a battle-specialized demon with my ideal combat form.
Furthermore, the constant meddling—reputation for overdoing it—that was the Great Sage had resulted in magical modifications that produced that kind of existence.
And Zegion had undergone special training with Veldora, so it was no surprise he could handle opponents of that caliber.
My prediction had been correct.
"Dimensional Nirvana Severance Wave!"
Zegion spread the five fingers of his right hand and slashed downward.
That alone generated a spatial severance through dimensional cutting.
The armored knight was helplessly reduced to nothing, and another was caught in the crossfire.
Four dead in under ten seconds.
Nope. This won't do.
He had surpassed the limits of humanity. Without question, he was a transcendent being.
By my calculations, Apito was as strong as Hinata at her peak—and even Apito wouldn't last three minutes against Zegion.
Only three minutes at most before Zegion got serious.
Why was something this strong hiding in the labyrinth? What a waste!
That thought crossed my mind, but this was a secret weapon. Let's just say it was like that. In fact, this was a perfect example of what happens when you leave things to the Great Sage without supervision.
I should check whether there were other things I'd left in its hands and have a thorough discussion later.
The remaining three were only a matter of time.
A superheated wave from a compressed explosion struck Zegion, but it was useless against his absolute defense.
The brute strength enthusiast was crushed by Zegion in a contest of power.
The old man's super-speed attacks, perhaps a product of his modifications, would have appeared slow to Zegion.
In the end, the final seven were defeated in under a minute total.
Honestly, if I transformed into that form and fought Zegion with my abilities sealed, I might lose.
That sentiment was what had prompted my question to Benimaru earlier.
I knew there were hidden strong individuals in the world, and I hadn't been careless...
But having one lurking right under my nose was beyond anything I'd imagined.
Truly, the world is beyond comprehension.
With the labyrinth battles concluded, I had acquired an additional 350,000 souls.
And on the surface, the final battle was about to begin.