Chapter 53: Mirror Match
He was born to starve.
The first thing he did when he stepped onto the ground was kill.
He was surrounded by countless members of his own kind, yet they attacked him without mercy. And thus, he answered in kind.
Crushing them with fist and foot, they all died in a storm of carnage.
Wandering aimlessly in his home, he fought endlessly.
An eternal hunger ached within him, yet he knew not what it was his body or soul desired. Fighting through the torn skin, the broken bones, and the decaying flesh, he continued to search for his desire.
Each victory brought him strength. Each kill sparked something deep inside him.
A memory. An insatiable hunger.
A memory of lighting. A clap of thunder.
But the memory held two different colors.
A bolt of red. A spark of gold.
This single image, this single memory, was all he had to go on.
And yet when he was about to fall to his knees…
"Oi! Are you all right!?"
Someone came to help him. A strong voice seeped in red.
Those appeared in front of him as he was at his lowest were not of his own kind, but allies, nonetheless. They took him to their home and cared for him.
They helped him understand these emotions dwelling inside him, sparking something else within him. Something that made him understand the starvation, the desire within his heart.
"It is the dream you saw and the desire you had since you became yourself."
A soft voice bathed in gold.
"It's a wish that was strong enough to transform you into a new person, the one you are now."
Although he did not understand what the word "desire" meant, he knew what his wish was.
To chase after that golden light. To clash against the red light once more.
This understanding linked with the very depths of his soul and drew out both strength and satisfaction, filling the emptiness within his body.
The starvation he felt was his desire to once more meet that which he saw in a dream. To stand within it and do battle with the light once more.
His allies granted him many things. Knowledge, strength, and above all else, a weapon. With these things, he delved back into the dark Labyrinth where he was born.
And yet, no matter how much he did battle, none of it came close to the satisfaction he felt within his dreams. Each "victory" against the creatures of the Labyrinth only enraged him as his hunger grew.
And then…
He found a door.
A door that resounded within him.
And then, as if he had known to do so from the very start, he unleashed a mighty roar from the depths of his very soul.
Like the water of a geyser, the desires to meet the golden light surged back up to the surface, nearly drowning out the red light.
The doors opened and the white stone walls beckoned him in…
Like a servant welcoming its master home.
X-x-X-x-X
The Monster Party that Bell's Party found themselves in was affecting the entire floor.
When they were on the long and windy cliff pathways that crisscrossed throughout the floor, they were assailed from all sides by the dragonfly-like libellulas and any monster that happened to land on the path they were running on. But if they took shelter within the cavelike rooms that formed within the cliffs and walls, the monsters would burst out of the walls in the cave and came upon them within seconds.
Thus, they had no choice but to keep running forward.
To compound their problems, while Rei and Fia were priceless to their defense on the paths, they barely had room to fly within the rooms on the floor and had to run beside the Adventurers, leaving them vulnerable. Considering the only other option was for them to fly on their own while being assailed by the constantly spawning libellulas without any support, they had no other choice but to rely on Bell and the others to protect them.
Arles was continuing to prove that she was no ordinary al-miraj however, as the white rabbit Xenos leaped back and forth across the room, crushing the heads of the spawning monsters underfoot or splitting them in two with Bell's longsword. When paired with the even faster Assassin by her side, the normally adorable pair that desired each other's hugs more than anything were quite brutal and terrifying as they zipped across the floor covered in the blood of monsters.
"It's always the cute ones…" Welf had muttered and the entire Familia plus the two Xenos agreed with him.
After who knows how long of constant running, fighting and more than a little screaming, they finally found the stairs leading up to the Twenty-First Floor.
"…At least three more floors of this?" Karen asked as the girl wiped her forehead which was covered in sweat, blood and grime.
"We might not have to go that far," Rei said. "One of our villages is on the next floor. None of us are using it currently so there should be no problem if I lead you over there.
"That'd help a lot!" Bell replied, gratitude seeping from his exhausted body. Even if that meant going through uncharted territory, it was far better than taking their exhausted Party up three floors. "In that case, let's-"
A series of screams cut Bell off as they all turned back toward the Twenty-First Floor.
Another party was coming up on them, running from a mass of monsters.
Bell's body moved on its own.
"Lancer!"
Taking his sword back from Arles and calling out his Servant's name, Bell and Lancer shot toward the oncoming Party.
As they moved, Bell felt his body heat up as an aura of flame surrounded him.
The two zipped through the oncoming Adventurers and crashed into the swarm of monsters.
Bathed in the flame of Lancer's Skill, Bell felt his strength and speed skyrocket far beyond that of his usual power. Each swing of his sword was strong enough to cut through two monsters at once with enough speed to flank around the monster even as it was only halfway through swinging its arm at him.
For some reason however, the Skill only affected him this strongly. For the others, while the boost was relatively significant for their level, it wasn't even a third as effective as Bell's boost.
When Bell had asked why, Lancer's cheeks turned bright red and refused to give him a clear answer other than "Because you are my Master" and "Caster, Archer and Saber are affected the same way."
The only thing that they all had in common was that they were all men but Welf's blessing wasn't as powerful either. There was another link that Bell was missing but he decided not to push any further.
"Ah."
However, just because Bell's strength was boosted didn't mean that his equipment received the same boost.
The longsword in Bell's hands couldn't endure the abuse it suffered from Arles's rough handling and Bell's increase strength pushed it past its limits. As a result, the metal shattered upon hitting a lizardman's flower shield. However, as the monster attempted to counterattack, Bell managed to duck under its swing and got right in its face, jabbing the shattered sword into its neck before drawing the Hestia Knife and stabbing it into its chest where the Magic Stone resided.
The lizardman burst into a cloud of black smoke, telling Bell that he hit his target.
As Bell spun back around, the path leading to the stairs was being bathed in a blue flame. Each swing of Lancer's spear sent out a wave of blue flame that engulfed the monsters in front of them. Sharpened feathers rained down from the sky as well as burst of magic wind, telling Bell that the two fliers had jumped into the fray as well.
With their help, the number of monsters quickly dropped to zero.
However…
"As expected, it was a Pass Parade," Lily muttered. "They used us as bait to run away from the monsters."
Using Hestia Familia as a decoy, the Adventurers had run by and retreated up the stairs and were nowhere to be found.
"We're only going to be seeing more of that if we don't get moving," Lily continued. "Right now, every Adventurer in the Dungeon will be trying to get out, without care for anyone else. It wouldn't be out of the question that they would attack and injure other Adventurers and use them as bait for the monsters while they make their escape."
"So, you're saying that we're lucky that the last group didn't try that, huh?" Karen asked and Lily nodded her head. "True, if we consider Levels…Emma, Primo and I are the weak links in this Party."
"Considering fighting ability, Lily is more of a weak link than Miss Karen," Lily replied.
Such was the fate and role of a Supporter in Lily's eyes. Even if her hand-to-hand combat had improved since joining Hestia Familia, she would probably still lose to Karen due to the difference in experience.
Suddenly a series of roars and screams rose up behind them.
Bell immediately turned to run toward them only for someone to grab him by the scruff of his neck and yank him back.
"Oh no you don't," Rider said with a frown. "I understand, and even applaud, your willingness to go and help people, but now is not the time for that."
She glanced toward the others for a moment before turning back to Bell.
"Right now, your Familia needs your leadership," Rider said, her voice quiet but not lacking in authority. "We've been down here for hours already, fighting monsters left and right and just escaped both a Monster Party and a Pass Parade. Do you think you or anyone else is fit to fight a prolonged battle to save random people who might just as easily run and leave us to fight on our own? Or worse, attack one of our Supporters and steal our supplies?"
"Not that we have all that much left either way…" Primo said softly as Bell glanced down at his broken sword.
"We also do not know where to look and are limited by the pathways," Rider continued. "Fia and Rei may not have that limitation, but panicking Adventurers surrounded by monsters seeing a harpy and a siren in the middle of this chaos will spell only disaster."
"But, it's not like we have to go all the way up to the Eighteenth Floor," Bell said. "We can take them with us to the Xenos's Village and-"
"That's not possible," Rei cut Bell off with a sad but firm expression. "While there shouldn't be much risk in bringing your Familia along due to us being allies, I cannot expose one of the few safe places my comrades have to outsiders. Arles and I will also have to leave you here."
In short, if they were to bring along anyone else, they would lose some of their fighting strength and take a longer path to safety.
"But…"
It's not like you need to bring the entire Party with you right? A voice, his voice, in his head asked. Split the Party here and take Jack and Lancer with you to assist the other Adventurers. Have Rider lead the others as they head to the Xenos's Hidden Village. They would only get in the way, right?
Abandon his friends here to save complete strangers simply because they can't keep up with him.
A smaller elite team meant they could move faster and there would be less need to cover each other. The Servants' weapons have little risk of shattering and Bell's Hestia Knife would never break due to its Durandal trait.
Cast away everything unnecessary to go as far as you can as a Hero…or fall short of the horizon because you wish to make that journey with your friends. While certain others may tell you, which is the proper answer, I believe there isn't a wrong answer, so to speak. Each hero has their own path to walk. Which is yours?
"My path…"
The path he would travel under his own power. That was how it should be right?
In that case, his answer was clear.
"Bell?"
Emma's voice made Bell look up back at the others.
Even if he wanted to be a hero, he knew he wouldn't get very far without the support of the people around him. As long as they wanted to support him, he would never abandon them.
Besides, considering the circumstances, going out to try and help people without a proper base or rendezvous point would only be suicide. Not to mention saving those people would only increase the size of their elite team as he would have to escort them back as sending them back alone wouldn't mean anything if they were injured.
In this situation, he could only prioritize his own Familia first.
"We're retreating," Bell decided.
Even for his dream, he couldn't abandon his friends or lead them further to the brink of exhaustion.
It would have been one thing if they were forced to defend a point with more numbers, but their Party barely reached two digits and they can't afford to search around blindly for other people.
Those are the excuses Bell decided to make for himself.
"If we can't help the people back there, then let's just help anyone we come across at least," Welf said, patting Bell on the back. "Course, Rider will stop us if we get in over our heads, right?"
"As long as you boys actually listen to me," Rider said with a sigh. "Then we'll do that as a compromise…although we can't take them with us, understood?"
"In the end, we're going to meddle in things again, aren't we?" Lily asked with a wry smile.
"That's just how Bell is after all," Emma replied with her own smile. As she affixed the shield back on top of her pack, she grasped the blue pendant around her neck and started squeezing it.
"Miss Emma?" Lily asked, looking worried for a moment.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling a bit nervous," Emma admitted as she turned toward one of the Dungeon walls.
X-x-X-x-X
Saber gave one last look at the paper in his hands before releasing his grip on it and allowing it to burn into dust.
"…What foolishness…" his companion said, her voice dripping with venom and contempt.
The paper was a form of messaging system that Caster had Saber and Lancer try to make.
The papers came in pairs. When one burned something on one, the exact same markings would appear on the other. In this case, Caster had inscribed the name of the God that was currently the leader of the bulk of Evilus's forces, Thanatos, as well as the method in which he was using to recruit new members who all willingly marched to their deaths at his orders.
"The promise of reuniting with one's loved ones after death is a tempting offer, especially when made by a God who rules over Death," Saber replied simply. "They are pitiful, but do not call them foolish for being manipulated in their despair."
"I do not care that they are being manipulated," Ryuu snapped back, as she wiped the monster blood off of her weapon. "The Gods themselves have said that memories are not retained after reincarnation. They aren't merely holding out for a miracle; they are holding out for an impossibility."
"'But is it truly impossible?'" Saber didn't so much ask as recite. "Despite what everyone believes, the gods freely admit that they are not all knowing. Miracles do in fact happen which in turn brings them excitement. As for reuniting with one's love in a new life after death…"
Such a thing has already happened.
But Saber didn't feel like that was something he should say. Not because it would reveal something, but because he didn't think she would believe him.
Still, he was glad he donned his full mask for this incursion. He had confidence in his poker face, but the young woman in front of him was a pro. It would be best not to let her know too much.
"Even so, there is no reason to commit so many crimes and injustices for that reason," Ryuu said. "If a person learned someone that you cared for killed hundreds of people just for the chance of reuniting with them in the next life, would that person truly be happy? It'd be better for everyone involved if they made a contract with another god then just commit suicide instead."
"Harsh words…but not incorrect in sentiment," Saber muttered in agreement.
No matter their wishes, the members of Evilus are willingly committing atrocities against their fellow humans and then use the release of death to escape the consequences of those actions with the knowledge that they will reunite with their beloved in the next life once the God Thanatos returns to Tenkai to handle their reincarnation.
Although all the gods remaining up in Tenkai handle the cycle of life and death ever since the majority descended down to Gekai and started up Familias, the Gods of Death were able to handle more souls due to it being their domain. Perhaps it is because Thanatos was a God of Death that the pitiful souls felt that their chances of being reincarnated with their beloved ones were greater.
But even so…
"No matter their reasons, they have willingly chosen to become 'Evil,'" Saber said. "What we came to do has not changed."
"Of course not," Ryuu agreed.
It is fine to understand and even sympathize with them. However, it is not enough to forgive them.
"Even so…" Ryuu continued as she looked around at the remains of the large caterpillar-like monster corpses around them. "All we've run into are monsters…ones I have never seen before at that."
"Indeed," Saber nodded his head in agreement. "From what I have heard, Evilus have been turning monster feeding areas within the Dungeon into nurseries to create these creatures."
"A Pantry, you mean?" Ryuu asked and Saber nodded again. "There's no way the Guild wouldn't notice that…"
"Indeed. One such nursery has been dealt with thanks to the efforts of Hermes and Loki Familias. However, who knows how many more exist on the lower Floors where only the First-Class Familia dare travel. From what my Familia member says after joining Loki Familia on an Expedition, they even appear all the way down at the Fifty-Ninth Floor."
"…Does this Dungeon also stretch down that far?" Ryuu asked, her eyes looking a bit worried as she quickly scanned the map she received from Caster.
"I cannot say for certain," Saber replied. "It is something beyond mortal understanding to begin with after all."
The two of them came across a fork in the road as Saber glanced down both corridors.
"Enemies down both lanes," he noted. "Shall we split up and if we finish after ten minutes, head back to help the other?"
"Agreed," Ryuu said as she took a look down the paths. "Which side has more enemies?"
"That way…" Saber pointed to the left and she immediately ran down that path before he could get out another word.
"…Has less…" he finished with a shrug as she disappeared around a corner.
Of course, Saber wasn't completely letting her off without keeping an eye on her. The map Caster gave her had a rune inscribed on it that left a small trail behind it, one that only he could see thanks to his crystallization of wisdom.
If she attempted to move on without him, he would be able to track her down without difficulty.
Regardless of Caster's motivations in including her in this assault, Saber would make sure the woman returns home to the Hostess and Syr.
Saber then proceeded down the right path at a brisk walk, not feeling the need to run as Ryuu did. Although it was his duty was to smite evil, he was not in any particular hurry to kill humans.
Eventually, he came across the spot where he had tracked the presences but there was no one around that he could see with his eyes.
"…Magic to make one and one's allies invisible then?" He asked to no one as the light seemed to reflect off the lenses of his mask.
Immediately, the area around him shimmered and several people in black, loose-fitting robes lunged at him. Their movements were almost completely silent, either the result of some Skill, the Magic or simply their training, Saber wasn't sure, but they definitely did not seem to be the rabble that had joined Thanatos after losing themselves to despair. Which meant they were a third party or a more elite group.
At the very least, they were no Loki Familia, and thus enemies.
A chain shot out from under one of their sleeves and Saber held up his blade to catch it. The chain wrapped around Gram and with a simple flick of the wrist, the blade easily cut right through it.
In one smooth motion, Saber unhooked two of his daggers with his free hand and flung them upward, striking two other assailants' weapons and knocking them upward, leaving them open to be cut.
Before their bodies even hit the ground, Saber's hand shot forward and grabbed the falling chain and pulled, dragging the unsuspecting assailant through the air toward him. A flash later and the man crumbled, unmoving.
The next target charged at him with two swords. The assailant, a woman judging from her frantic scream, slashed at him in a clumsy panic and the blows were easily dodged. His hand shot out again and grabbed the woman by the neck and slammed her against the wall.
As he was about to deal the final blow, something dislodged itself from the folds of her hood.
A crystal blue necklace.
Saber's eyes widened as he dematerialized Gram to free his hand and pull off the woman's hood.
A pair of purple eyes glared back at him from behind her long purple hair, but he knew the face.
He had seen it before, several weeks ago on the first night of their vacation in Melen…before the girl who wore that face broke down into tears at hearing her own voice with magic.
"You are…!" he began but the woman held something up before he could finish.
A long cord connected to several dark-red rocks tied to her chest that looked as though a flame had been petrified mid-burn and sealed in stone and a small box.
Saber understood exactly what the woman was trying to do.
He immediately snatched the rocks from her body and flung her aside.
A moment later, fire enveloped his body and the explosion drowned out all other sounds in his ears. The stone in his hand had exploded, scattering ash and sone everywhere.
Pain surged through his hand as he felt his armor sear itself against his flesh. The stones had been some kind of volatile material, either a Drop Item or an ore mined from the Dungeon, and the box was a detonator to ignite it. It was how the members of Evilus detonated themselves to prevent capture and to fulfill their pact to their God.
But…for what reason would that person need to do so?
With a rune, Saber blew away the smoke and dust, only to see that the woman was nowhere to be found.
It would seem that she was quick to flee when at a disadvantage.
"No matter…" Saber said as he turned to the rest of the assailants who had also been injured by the explosion. He walked to the closest one and slammed his foot on top of their hand to prevent them from moving. "I have questions for you. You will answer them."
…
A few minutes later, Ryuu came up to him to see him standing in the middle of the remains of the explosion with no one else in sight.
"…Are you all right?" She asked, noting how parts of his armor was covered in ash and seemed to have been shaved off from his right arm.
"I am, for the most part, uninjured," Saber replied, his voice causing a chill to run down the elf's spine. "However, I need to have a word with Caster once this is over. But first…"
Saber continued down the path with Ryuu following right behind him.
As they rounded the corner, the two of them were met with the sight of three frightened women with their legs and arms chained together.
"…This is…" Ryuu muttered as Saber knelt down and snapped the chains with his bare hands.
"This place is one of the easiest ways to leave the city without going through the gates," Saber said as the women realized he was freeing them. "As my goddess noted, criminal elements would not monopolize them and instead build alliances and treaties to make use of them as peacefully as possible. I suspect the woman you rescued several weeks ago would have been moved through here if she had not been bought by the Casino."
"…That makes sense…" Ryuu admitted as she looked at the women who were clutching Saber's hands and thanking him profusely. "Hey…who brought you down here?"
"A woman," one of the would-be slaves replied. "She brought us down here and was about to hand us over when everything started changing…"
"…I see…" Saber muttered with a nod before turning back toward Ryuu. "I plan to take them back to the surface but…what will you do?"
"…I will help," Ryuu said after a moment's thought.
"Excellent," Saber said, nodding his head in approval. "Then you take that one while I take these two."
"Umm?"
The women looked confused as Saber had one of them climb onto his back before picking the second up in his arms with Ryuu following suit for the shortest of the three, a pallum.
"We are short on time so this will be the fastest way," Saber answered. "Do not open your mouth. You will bite your tongue."
As soon as he said that, the two Adventurers burst down the hall to the muffle screams of the saved women.
X-x-X-x-X
There were a lot of people who lucked out and got convenient Magic when they get their Falna.
Fighting alongside such people made things easy and quick.
Fighting against such people however…
Bete Loga wasn't too familiar with guns but he knew that they worked in a similar manner to bows and crossbows. Load the projectile in, then pull the trigger and let it loose. Reload then repeat.
However, the one in front of him seemed to have no need for the reloading part of the equation.
As the sword-like gun was swung over Bete's head, he noted some blue light shining in the middle of it.
No, it wasn't that he didn't need to reload, he was actively creating new projectiles within the guns the same way he would create new arrows for a bow.
"Fuck!"
The gun fired in the middle of its swing, forcing Bete to jerk his head the opposite way, only to come face to face with a blade.
He leaped back a little too late and the blade cut into the area just above his right eye. It was a shallow cut, but blood was coming out all the same.
"'Bone of my sword,' was it?" Bete muttered.
The blade hadn't been drawn out out from a hidden pouch or anything like that. A shard of metal was jutting out of the man's arm, just near his elbow as if it had burst out from under his skin.
"Wait…you're telling me this really is Archer?" Tione shouted. "They look nothing alike!"
"Neither do you two idiots," Bete retorted, wiping the blood from his eye as the man in front of them fixed his posture and the shard of metal vanished…no…just the tip had vanished. The base remained on his body, acting like a seal to keep his blood from flowing out.
"Hey, at this range you could probably tell his scent, right?" Tione asked, ignoring Bete's comment as she stood in front of the still frozen Tiona. "You can tell, right?"
Bete refused to answer.
The smell of rust, metal, and above all else, a thick layer of blood.
His first guess would be that they were twins, but both Tiona and Tione had different scents. Of course, they were similar due to being in constant close contact with each other and being family, but they were distinct enough that he wouldn't mistake either one for the other even if he was blindfolded.
But this…if one removed the smell of monsters and violas…
It was the exact same scent.
Or perhaps, the difference between Archer and the one in front of them right now was that scent of monsters?
"…What's your deal?" Bete demanded.
"My deal?" The man asked, tapping the gun against his forehead again. "I've been ordered to kill the intruders."
"Seems like you're not trying very hard if you take breaks every minute," Bete pointed out to which the man simply shrugged as if admitting.
Tione then pulled Tiona to the ground as the man fired a shot at them.
Immediately after that, he lunged toward Bete again, firing shots from one gun and spinning the other around in his hand.
The bullets were dodged or blocked by Bete's sword, then when he got close, the two guns were slammed into each other, creating a double-ended blade like Tiona's Urga but bearing the same eastern design as Archer's usual blades.
Just like how that guy could transform a blade into an arrow on the fly, the man in front of him could create and shape any weapon he wanted in an instant.
Every instinct was screaming that the one in front of him was the same man that fought alongside him for two weeks down in the Dungeon. And now that same man was trying to kill him…
"Fuck that!" Bete roared as he delivered a kick into the man's chest.
Within the same instant however, the man leaped backwards, reducing the impact of the blow as he fired several rounds far above Bete's head.
The werewolf spun around just in time to see the bullets tear through several poison vermis that had crawled above them. The bug-like monsters exploded, showering their toxin down upon them.
"Damn it, get a hold of yourself, idiot!" Tione shouted as she grabbed Tiona around the waist and carried her away from the raining poison. "You saw him yesterday, didn't you? No way he could change that much in less than twenty-four hours!"
"But…" Tiona muttered as Tione let out a groan before turning toward the man who was tapping his forehead again.
"And you! Is there something wrong with your head or something!?" Tione demanded, raising her borrowed sword just in case he attempted to shoot at them again.
To the surprise of everyone present, the man answer.
"That woman's voice," he said, tapping the gun against his head even harder. "Like worms digging into your skull."
"Woman?" Bete replied. "You mean that red-haired bitch, Revis something-or-another? That mean you a Creature too?"
"...Who knows?" The man said as he tapped the glowing spot on his chest. "I'm unable to shoot her or myself. Why don't you tell me?"
Both guns were raised and both Bete and Tione dashed forward to close the distance.
Bete and the members of Loki Familia that fought alongside Archer knew that he always preferred to fight at a distance, hence his nom de guerre. He only ever fought at close range when either things had gone to hell or if he was trying to avoid collateral.
The man in front of them did not even attempt to fight at long range and instead walked up close and engaged in close range even with his guns.
Cracks of fire rang out in the stone corridor followed by the clashing of steel. Even as the guns were shattered by the Level 6 Adventurers' strength, they were simply recreated anew in wisps of blue light. Even if they could narrowly dodge his strikes, a blade would jut out of his body and slash at them as well.
But the wounds created were shallow, superficial. The two could be cut in such a way a thousand times and still fight without worry.
By all rights, two Level 6 Adventurers should have easily triumphed over the man. For all his experience, skill and magic, it would not be able to overcome their overwhelming strength. However, they could not land the final blow.
Even if they were confident that the man in front of them was not the one they knew, a small tingling of doubt remained. It was not as if they knew how one became a Creature in the first place.
Within the short time that Tiona had seen Archer, could he have been captured and turned into one of those monsters? All traces of Hestia Familia had vanished from the city after all, including their two monsters.
The fact that Tiona was completely hesitant to fight was enough to feed the doubts in Tione's mind while the man's scent was what caused Bete to doubt.
Combined with the man's apparent lack of will to take the fight seriously also fed into their doubts.
With such doubts, they would never win this battle.
"Uuuwwaaaaaah!"
With a scream that was one part cry of pain and one part roar of rage, Tiona suddenly leaped into the fray herself, smashing Urga down in front of the man, forcing him back and away from her sister and Bete.
"Tiona!?"
"Finally awake, you stupid amazoness!?"
"Shut it you dumb werewolf!" Tiona shouted back, her eyes strained and and her breathing ragged. "I'm just not going to think about it anymore! I'm going to kick his ass and ask questions later!"
"If you're going to say that then say it in the first place!" Tione shouted as the three of them turned back toward the man who had once more stopped attacking and was tapping his forehead.
Then, without moving his body, the man's eyes seemed to glance at something behind him.
"That body is made of a blade." / "I am the bone of my sword!"
The man turned around just as a red star streaked through the corridor, turning at odd and even ninety-degree angles as it made its way toward the man. But just as it reached mere meters from him, he fired a bullet toward the star's trajectory. The bullet and star collided and exploded, scattering dust and small shards of metal around.
"That was…" Tiona muttered as something shot out from the cloud of smoke.
The familiar flash of a red mantle danced around with the black mantle in the smoke as streaks of blue and red lights were accompanied by the shattering and instant creation of blades.
"…There are two of them…" Tione muttered.
Indeed, two men with identical faces and weapons were clashing in front of them.
One of them was the man they were all familiar with, their comrade who fought with them all the way to the Deep Floors of the Dungeon.
"…Twins?" Tiona asked. "Archer has a brother?"
"Looks like he's trying to turn that into 'had' right now."
Indeed, each strike from both men were quick and sharp, like a pair of vipers both trying to strike at each other's throats. Their black and white fangs shattering themselves upon their identical twins only to reform immediately afterward and begin the strike anew.
"…Should we help?" Tione asked just as Tiona took a step forward, only to quickly step back as several blades rained down in front of them, blocking their path forward.
"You really think he's going to let you join in on a family feud?" Bete asked. "Or are you saying you want to help kill him?"
Frankly, they should.
To allow an enemy with the same magic and skills as Archer to reside in Evilus would only spell trouble for all of Orario. If he were to mass produce Cursed Blades or Magic Swords like Archer could then that would provide Evilus with power to rival the stronger Familias of Orario.
But even so, they could not find an opening to interrupt the fierce battle in front of them.
It was as though their twin swords were an extension of their body, one of iron and flame. Though they didn't choose the battlefield, neither would yield to the other but neither would gain anything either and would not find victory here.
And so, their lives have no meaning.
It was if they were nothing but swords.
But even so…
"LIKE HEELLLLLLLL!"
One person refused to stand at the sidelines. Tiona shot forward and smashed through the sword barrier and smashed Urga right where the black-clad man was standing, forcing him to leap away.
"I don't care what this is!" Tiona shouted, pointing a finger at Archer who didn't flinch or tear his eyes away from his double. "I'm not letting you fight that alone!"
"That goes for me too!" Tione said as she walked up and stood by Archer's side opposite from her sister.
Bete simply shook his head before taking up a spot next to Tione as well.
As he did, a growl sounded from behind the man in black. Coming out of the shadows were what looked like several dozen kobolds, weak monsters found in the very first Floors near the entrance of the Dungeon. Only these were a sickly green color with vines sprouting from their body. An abomination that reminded Bete of the violas and virgas.
Were they infesting normal monsters as well?
"…Don't get in my way," Archer said simply as his swords disappeared and was replaced by his black bow.
"Big words for a Level 1," Bete snarked back as Tiona gave Archer a big smile.
"…Ain't that nice?" The man in black said with a shrug as his swords were replaced by his guns.
Then with a shot being the signal, the mass of infested kobolds surged forward with the Level 6 Adventurers meeting them in the middle under the cover of silver arrows.
X-x-X-x-X
Lefiya and Filvis continued their search throughout the Labyrinth, both for an exit and the missing Loki Familia members. But no matter how far they traveled, there was still no end in sight and they still were unable to confirm their location or gain their bearings. As they traveled, the smell of monsters and magic grew stronger and stronger.
Eventually the two of them had to pause for breath as their mental fatigue became too much to bear.
"Filvis…are you really okay?" Lefiya asked.
She had asked the question several times since they left the room where they had met Thanatos and the golden-haired boy. Even though the medicine the boy had given them had seemingly completely healed the cursed wound, she was still holding a hand over her side to cover the gap where it had torn through her clothes as if desperately trying to block an unseen blood flow.
"Yes…" Filvis said once more though with no sign of irritation at Lefiya's worry. "It's just…just a phantom pain."
Lefiya could accept that. She had been attacked rather violently with a cursed weapon that left untreatable wounds near her stomach only to be healed almost immediately after. Adding on Thanatos and that boy's words and the situation they were in, there was no doubt she was extremely disorientated.
Then, the room suddenly started shaking, prompting both women to leap to their feet as one of the doors started rising up with a large hand appearing underneath it. Or rather, the hand was what was lifting the door up.
As they braced themselves for an attack, Lefiya was pleasantly surprised at who stepped through.
"Sir Gareth? Berserker!?"
Gareth, alongside Raul and the other Supporters quickly stepped through the door followed by the large minotaur before it let the door drop behind them.
Berserker's sash that bore the Hestia Familia's Emblem was nowhere to be found and was instead replaced by a large tarp of some kind, carrying another monster…a siren or a harpy based on the shape…but its feathers were a different hue than the harpy that Hestia Familia brought to the War Game and the Behemoth Alternative Incident and its more prominent crest meant that it was probably a siren.
"Oh, Lefiya…and Filvis was it?" Gareth greeted them when he saw them. "Glad we found ya. That just leaves, Ais, Finn, Bete and the twins."
"Berserker…as in Hestia Familia?" Filvis asked. "Are they here too?"
"Well, all we found was this guy so far," Gareth replied pointing a thumb at Berserker.
"…Primo isn't here, is she?" Lefiya asked, feeling a mixture of horror and worry flood her already strained stomach but it quickly vanished as Berserker shook its head, causing Filvis's eyes to pop wide open.
Berserker also seemed to be staring right at Filvis in response with one arm still supporting the siren tied to him.
"Ah, that's right," Lefiya realized. "He hasn't seen her before while he probably already saw Raul and the others during the Behemoth incident."
"This is Filvis," Lefiya said quickly. "A friend of mine."
Berserker slowly nodded its head before moving to another door and began lifting it up with his massive arms.
"…It can understand people?" Filvis asked.
"Yes," Lefiya replied with a nod. "It probably has to do with how Hestia Familia is Taming monsters, but it can understand humans and actively protects them from other monsters."
"…What about other people?"
Lefiya had no answer to that.
Berserker's strength was already several magnitudes stronger than that of the already fearsome minotaurs. Even when it was defending her against Behemoth, its armor and shields crumbled before its body and will did. At that level, it might even be at Gareth's level…
A Level 6 or possibly Level 7 monster…one under Hestia Familia's control. The power balance of Orario might be tipping at an unexpected corner.
"Come on, the big guy seems to know which way to go," Gareth said, urging Filvis and Lefiya to follow. "And as we got no better idea, we've just been following him."
Lefiya looked back over to Berserker, who was holding open the door as Cruz was carefully stepped pass, giving the minotaur a small thanks as he did, to which Berserker simply nodded as he kept it open for Anakitty to cross.
"…Minotauros and the Labyrinth…"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Berserker's head immediately turned toward her and Lefiya felt a strong heat of rage coming from behind its mask. Raul, who had been stepping past, yelped and quickly moved out of the way.
"I-I'm sorry, a story just came to my head is all!" Lefiya said quickly, raising her hands up in apology.
Berserker kept its gaze on her for a few more moments before looking away and shifting himself into a more comfortable position to keep the door held up.
"…Do minotaurs hate labyrinths or something?" Filvis asked, sounding more and more confused by the moment.
"Who knows…" Lefiya replied. She had only said that because Argonaut's Comedy was still fresh in her mind. Minotauros who kidnapped the princess and ran into the Labyrinth with her before Argonaut went to rescue her.
Considering how much Bell knew about Hero Stories, it wouldn't be strange for him to tell them to the younger members of the Familia as bedtime stories or something like that so maybe Berserker listened in when he did? Was Berserker intelligent enough to hate stories about 'evil minotaurs?' Was it intelligent enough to listen to and enjoy stories?
"My head hurts…" Filvis grumbled, echoing Lefiya's current feelings.
"I'll stop thinking about that stuff for now…" she decided as she and Filvis exited under the door with Gareth being the last one out. "I'll use the next time I tutor Primo to check things out with Berserker and maybe that harpy too."
Once they all left the room, Berserker let the door drop and moved to the front of the line where he led the way down the stone hallway.
Occasionally, the minotaur would stop and not move for several minutes before continuing and they would come across stains of blood and explosive marks telling of a recent battle with monsters and members of Evilus.
"Probably his instincts as a monster," Gareth muttered as he glanced over the carnage while the others looked over in disgust and horror. "Or maybe he just doesn't want to to get involved in a fight while he's holding that siren."
Considering the explosives were powerful enough to injure Level 3 Adventurers seriously and, based on the burn marks, they could envelop the entire hallway, it was probably for the best they continued to leave it to Berserker and stayed out of any fights.
"Still blowing themselves up, huh?" Gareth muttered kicking aside a piece of stone.
"Still?" Anakitty asked.
"Met a few down in Melen. They were chasing after…I suppose it was Bell Cranel now that I think of it."
"Bell?" Lefiya asked in surprise. "Why?"
"Didn't realize it at the time since he was in a disguise, but seeing Berserker carry that siren jogged my memory. He was probably carrying that red-feathered harpy and they were chasing after him to get it back probably."
"But why go to all that trouble for a monster?" Raul asked. "For both sides?"
"…For their intelligence?" Anakitty offered. "Remember how smart the harpy was in scouting out the monsters and using a Magic Tool? Maybe they're fighting over that? Or at least Hestia Familia is probably working with Ganesha Familia to stop them in that regard."
"I guess that old Knossos probably had multiple entrances," Cruz added. "They probably popped out everywhere, both in the Dungeon and in and outside of Orario itself. Maybe all the way to Melen too. They might have been smuggling monsters out and Hestia Familia probably ran into one of those operations or were told to take it out if they were disguising themselves."
"I see…considering how quickly everything moved after that, they're probably working closely with the Guild too," Gareth muttered before shaking his head. "But that's stuff we'll worry about later. For now…"
Gareth's voice fell off as he suddenly raised his axe.
Berserker had stopped and his agitation could visibly be seen on his body.
"Oh? Guess it noticed."
A voice came from the other end of the corridor. It was a man wearing googles with translucent smoky quartz lenses, a slightly dirty battle cloth, and a large battle knife on his leg. A member of Evilus but not one of those that lost themselves to Thanatos's honeyed words?
Immediately, Berserker let out a blood curdling Howl that not only shattered the stone floor and walls directly in front of him, but also seemed to make Lefiya's blood freeze in fear. Not just her but everyone but Gareth took a step away from the extremely enraged minotaur.
"▃▃▃…▃▃▃…▅▅▅▅▅▅!"
Berserker let out a series of growls before letting out another Howl as if he was trying to say something before his rage overcame him as the small script engraved on his mask lit up. Whatever it was, it was clear he recognized the man in front of them as an enemy on a deep personal level.
The man let out a smirk before pushing off the wall he was resting against and running the other way. Lost in its anger, the minotaur quickly gave chase.
"W-wait, Berserker!" Lefiya called out as she and the others gave chase.
"Why did he suddenly lose it?" Narvi asked.
"Going back to the previous topic…maybe that's one of the guys smuggling monsters?" Cruz shot out. "He probably sniffed him out…his monster nose probably isn't as affected by the strange Dungeon as mine."
"Save the chatting for later," Gareth called out. "He's clearly leading Berserker into a trap. Without him, our time in this place will be much rougher!"
They managed to keep pace with the rampaging bull, but they didn't need to travel all that far before they came into another large room with multiple exits.
The man looked over his shoulder as a red light seemed to shine out of his left eye. Immediately after, several spider-like monsters rushed into the room, as if by his command. However, Berserker was not to be stopped. Drawing its two massive halberds that were nearly as long as he was tall, the minotaur carved a bloody swath through the spiders as well as the stone floor itself as red lightning arced across his arms. His technique was clearly amateurish, but his speed and power were as great as any High-Class Adventurer.
Five spiders were crushed and scattered with each swing of its mighty weapons, making even the veteran Loki Familia Adventurers hesitant to get close to him.
"…Apollo Familia were rather fortunate that Primo Libera was there to keep it reigned in, weren't they?" Filvis noted as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.
However, when their numbers were quickly thinned out, another figure appeared at the hall.
He wore a set of loose-fitting work clothes topped by a long waist cloth; his weary and begrimed appearance was the antithesis of clean. His sickly pale skin told of a life away from the light of day, and his washed-out, almost desaturated hair hung down in unkempt clumps, hiding one of his eyes. Beneath its visible counterpart was a large, dark bag.
"That's…the person from Lord Njord's description, isn't it?" Cruz asked as Berserker let out another loud Howl, causing the small engravings on his mask to light up again.
"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"
"…I see, so you recognize us, Beast," the man muttered. "Your magic may have changed the layout of Knossos, but its secrets are still open to us."
"…Can he understand that growling?" Narvi asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
"…Oh, I get it, you guys don't know, huh?" The goggles wearing man sneered. "Guess Hestia Familia wasn't keen on sharing that info with you, no matter how chummy you guys are. See, there are monsters that-FUCK!"
Berserker cut off the man's words by flinging one of its massive halberds at the man, only just narrowly missing his head as he fell backwards. The other man didn't move from his position as the weapon smashed itself into the wall, scattering rock everywhere.
"It seems to not like you in particular, Dix," the man noted. "Most likely because of your hobby."
"Yeah well, it ain't one of the ones we hunted," Dix said as he stood up. He then gave the halberd a quick tug, but the weapon refused to budge. "Hestia Familia pulled it from somewhere else. That siren is though."
At his words, the siren in the tarp began to shake as well as let out a fearful voice, prompting Berserker to cover her with his free arm while still keeping his gaze on the duo.
Rather than a conversation between two men and two monsters…it was more like two villains sneering at a princess and her guardian knight.
Wait…
"Wait…did they say something about a minotaur's magic?" Filvis asked. "Are they saying that's the cause of Knossos's transformation?"
"Indeed," the man said. "I am called Barca. My family had been tasked by our great ancestor Daedalus to build Knossos. My eyes could see every inch of our creation. However, when Hestia Familia entered our Labryinth from an old entrance, the Minotaur was the first to enter and upon placing its hand on the floor, the entire Labyrinth was changed into what you see now, robbing us of our glory."
The man called Barca's words sent a shiver down Loki Familia's spines.
"Berserker…is the one who did this?" Lefiya asked.
How was that possible…did this mean that Berserker was also one of the Spirits called by Argonaut and Bell Cranel?
Come to think of it, when one thought of "The Minotaur" in terms of stories, one usually thought of the one from Argonaut's tale and "The Labyrinth" was never far behind. If these Spirits took the form of characters from stories, did that mean their power and magic were also influenced by them as well.
The Minotaur does not stray far from the Labyrinth which was its home.
If that is the case, then if Berserker was a Spirit, it made it so that he could recreate his home wherever he wished? It certainly would explain how he was navigating through the corridors without hesitation or confusion. He already knew the entire layout from the beginning.
This went beyond what was considered common sense though.
And yet, here they were…
"You'd think he'd be happy about seeing this done but frankly, we're in agreement on this matter," Dix said as he stood up and held his right arm out. "Agreement that you and this entire place is a damned eyesore."
"…!"
"Everyone out, now!" Gareth's order forced everyone out of their haze and they immediately retreated… only Barca's eye to suddenly glow and for a door to slam shut.
Even though they had claimed to lose control of Knossos, it seemed as though not everything had been lost.
"Berserker…!" Lefiya called out as she turned back to see the minotaur quickly remove his tarp containing the siren and fling it toward her.
"Become lost in an endless nightmare."
The vibrations rose from the man's throat to form a spell as the siren soared through the air. Lefiya immediately stopped, not quite realizing what she was doing and caught the monster as Filvis stood in front of her with her own arm out.
"Phobetor Daedalus!"
"Dio Grail!
A wave of crimson light burst forth from Dix's fingers and a red glow swept over the room. The ominous light devoured the darkness of the Labyrinth. There was no explosion or even a shock or vibration. The light engulfed the minotaur just as it spun back around to face the two men even as Dix's, malice-filled tone rand in Lefiya ears.
It was a Curse of some sort but Filvis's magic seemed to have blocked it from reaching them...or it simply didn't have the range to reach however…
"▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"
Berserker released another massive Howl, creating a massive crate in the center of the room with him at its epicenter. A roar of pain and rage.
"While you are our enemy, there is nothing we have at present that could do away with you," Barca admitted as Berserker was thrashing around wildly. "So, we'll make use of the intruders instead."
"Yeah, so just kill each other for us," Dix said, only to once more be cut off as Berserker flung its remaining halberd at him. This time, the weapon struck home, smashing into his side and severing his arm from the shoulder.
Although the door had attempted to slam shut in front of them to prevent escape, Berserker's first thrown weapon had lodged itself in the gap, preventing the door from closing all the way, allowing the second to make it through.
Barca seemed to click his tongue as he dragged the injured Dix away from the half-closed door, all the while Berserker was clutching his head and screaming in rage.
"…A confusion or berserk Curse," Gareth noted as he stood out in front of the group, putting himself between Berserker and the others. "What a disaster…"
As he said that, Berserker's arms dropped to his side as the minotaur turned around to face them with glowing red orbs shining through his mask with steam coming out of his nostrils. The pressure exuding from the near three-meter-tall Minotaur made Lefiya feel as though she was staring down a Monster Rex from the Dungeon. That being said, if Lefiya's theories were true, that probably wasn't far from the truth.
"…Looks like we're going to have to apologize to Archer's Familia after this," Gareth said solemnly.
"We can't kill him!" Lefiya said. She didn't want to have to explain to Primo that she had to kill Berserker, not after the younger girl had asked the minotaur to protect her at great personal cost to himself.
"We might not have to!" Raul said quickly, pointing to the doorway on the opposite side of the room. "We have three options! Look, the door still hasn't closed properly so we can try getting around him and running through there! Also, considering the Curse was cast from a Caster and not a Weapon, we can also hold out until he passes out or dies!"
"…And the third?" Anakitty asked only for Raul to put on a bitter face and clam up. "Right…of course…"
As soon as she said that, Berserker suddenly lunged at them, only to be caught by Gareth. The dwarf and minotaur locked hands and engaged in an impromptu grappling contest.
"Then, I'll keep him locked down!" Gareth shouted, his voice raising a pitch when he noticed that he was actually struggling in a contest of strength against a minotaur. "Go!"
Taking the siren in her arms, Lefiya ran toward the door with the others. Raul took the lead, followed by Anakitty, then Cruz, Narvi, Lefiya and Filvis taking the rear.
However, that small moment where Gareth was distracted in giving orders was enough for Berserker to rear his head back before smashing it against Gareth's own. Both the minotaur's mask and Gareth's helmet cracked from the impact as the dwarf reared back from the impact. With a mighty roar, Berserker then threw the dwarf into the wall, stopping the others in their tracks.
"Gareth!" Raul shouted but the dwarf managed to pull himself out of the crater in front of them without much fanfare.
"Yeesh, I'm going to feel that in the morning…" Gareth muttered as he rubbed his head, only for the helmet to snap in two and fall to the side. "See kids? That's why you wear a helmet."
"Is now really the time?" Raul asked as Berserker let out another roar.
Gareth reached up and shoved Raul to the ground just as a rock flew over his head. The rock flew toward the door and smashed into Berserker's weapon, knocking it out and forcing the door to slam shut.
Strictly speaking, they weren't quite locked in. If Berserker could lift and open the doors, then there was no reason to believe Gareth couldn't.
The problem was that only Gareth would be able to hold down Berserker without harm to either of them, meaning he couldn't do both.
"Shit," came Cruz's elegant comment about their situation.
In the story of Argonaut, the minotaur he fought was known to have devoured both humans and monsters in order to increase its strength. Without a doubt, it must have been an enhanced species at that point. For all he was said to be a fool, it must have taken great courage for someone without a Falna to fight it.
The reason such a thought came to Lefiya's mind was because she found herself in such a position right now…probably even staring down the same minotaur.
"…There's no other choice," Gareth muttered.
But as he and the others readied their weapons, a voice screamed out…
"S-STOP!"
A voice that none of them had ever heard before…one that caused Filvis and the members of Loki Familia to look over to Lefiya…or rather…
The siren in Lefiya's arms.
Paying no heed to the stares of the Adventurers, the siren then took in a deep breath.
Gareth and Raul, recognizing the action, quickly stepped to the side.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Almost immediately after a low melody escaped the siren's mouth. It was the attack that separated a siren from a harpy, a type of sound wave attack that acted like magic.
The wave hit Berserker head on, causing the minotaur to convulse as it let out a howl and started stumbling back and forth. A type of confusion attack?
"Ah! Gareth, now while Berserker's confused!" Raul said, pointing toward the door.
Gareth gave one last look at the minotaur as it collapsed to its knees before running toward the door. As he struggled to lift it, Berserker started smashing his own head against the ground, as if trying to remove the noise from his head, causing more cracks to form in his helmet.
He was clearly suffering, and the sight of it made Lefiya's heart ache but it was far better than being killed by Gareth while he was not himself.
"…It won't budge!" Gareth shouted. "Did they lock it?"
But before anyone could say anything, Berserker let out another monstrous howl as he slammed both his hands onto the floor, sending a shockwave running through the stones and causing them all to fall over.
At this point, the siren's throat could no longer handle her song, causing her to spit up blood.
"H-hey, get a hold of yourself!" Narvi said as she helped Lefiya pull the siren back. But they couldn't keep standing as Berserker's strikes caused more and more tremors to fill the room.
Then, as Lefiya looked back at the minotaur, she saw the last pieces of his mask crumble away, just as the glowing characters on its sides fizzled out.
"…Run…"
Another new voice…yet it was one Lefiya heard before…just before Knossos transformed.
"Get…away…" Berserker cried before raising his arms over his heads once more…and with one last strangled roar, smashed them against the floor, causing the stones to crumble underneath the Adventurers.
But even as she fell, Lefiya's hand stretched out toward that monstrous face…one covered in blood and tears.
X-x-X-x-X
"…Again…"
Berserker said that single word as he glanced down the hole where the Adventurers dropped into.
Although the distance was far, he had confident in that they would be able to survive the fall.
Though his mind was clear again thanks to the siren's song, he felt himself too dangerous to stay anywhere near the humans…and they probably didn't want to be near him either. It was dangerous for the siren as she fell down with them, but Berserker felt that he could trust the young woman who was Primo's teacher. And even without Berserker leading them out, they still had the ariadne he gave Raul.
Carefully walking around the edges of the hole, Berserker made his way to the exit. There he found that the door had been sealed…or the mechanism that would let it open had been damaged from the battle. It proved little problem as Berserker simply reared his fist back and smashed it through the walls surrounding the door instead.
Although they too were lined with metal, compared to the indestructible doors, the metal in the walls folded like tissue paper.
On the other side of the door, both of his weapons could be found along with a trail of blood leading away. There were no severed limbs however, meaning that they took the arm with them.
"…Probably…angry…"
He had spoke in front of outsiders. No doubt he will probably get in trouble when he got back but considering the siren had already spoke up first, maybe it won't be too bad.
For now, he had to get out.
It was too dangerous to keep chasing Fia's enemy deeper into the Labyrinth. He couldn't afford to be Cursed again. He also had to bring the information back home, that the reason their enemy could move so easily was because they could use that Curse to hide their tracks.
To take them down, more preparations needed to be made.
He chose to make his way to the closest exit but as he drew close, a presence seemed to be making its way toward him.
Both of them seemed to be aware of the other as they slowed their pace at the same time.
When they reached the same corridor, Berserker found himself looking in a mirror…although they looked nothing alike.
The minotaur in front of him had a jet-black mane and stood a meter shorter than he did but the two shared the same red-colored horns. He was wearing full plate armor that did not fit him, making it look more like light armor on his person and he was wielding two axes in his hands, with one of them cackling with the power of lightning.
They looked nothing alike…and yet he knew they were the same.
For they both had done battle with a young man who defeated them with the help of a woman…
For their destinies were closely entwined with a young man who also wielded the power of lightning.
But that was where the similarities ended.
He could tell right away at first sight…
If he were to meet with that person again, he would love to be able to talk to him…but the mirror was different…he wished to fight him once more…both of them did.
Not a simple spar but another fight to the death, one that would be once more told throughout the world in the songs of bards and storytellers.
He could not let them meet…and the mirror seemed to realize that.
The two of them both let out a bloodcurdling roar as Berserker lifted his halberds up at the same time as his mirror raised his axes.
"…Asterius," one stated simply.
"…Asterios," came the other's reply.
And with that, black and white lightning clashed against each other.
X-x-X-x-X
"You young ones all right?" Gareth shouted once the rocks stopped falling. Compared to the fall, the pieces of adamantite hidden in the floor were more dangerous to him and the Supporters.
"S-somehow," Raul said as he got up from the ground, pushing the rubble off his chest.
"…Tell me I didn't hear that…" Anakitty said softly as she pushed herself off the ground. "Tell me I didn't hear twomonsters talk just now."
No one said anything as Gareth turned toward Lefiya who was still holding the slightly coughing siren in her arms.
Once the siren stopped coughing, it…she looked around and slowly lifted up a small bundle within her wings.
Lefiya took it from her and opened it up, revealing the Hestia Familia emblem as well as several bottles filled with the special potion that showed up on Dian Cecht Familia a few times, one that restored both the body and Mind.
Figures Hestia Familia would know how to get those as well.
"Looks like Berserker kept it safe with her before he threw it," Narvi noted as she plucked one of the bottles from Lefiya's hand.
"Spread them amongst yourselves," Gareth said. "Lefiya…you and Filvis should take them…and…give one to the siren too."
"…Gareth?" Raul asked.
"Monster or not, she helped us…" the dwarf replied before taking another look at her…or more specifically, her injuries like the bent wings and missing eye. "And I don't think she's in any condition to do anything else."
"Got it," Raul said as he stood up and took the siren from Lefiya so she could treat herself.
A pair of roars echoed down from above, causing the Adventurers plus siren to look up.
"We best get moving," Gareth said. "Berserker managed to get us away from him, but it'd be all for nothing if he jumps down after us in his addled state.
"Right," Raul said as he gestured toward Cruz, who walked over and helped the harpy climb onto Raul's back before tying them together.
"You sure about this?" Cruz asked the human who nodded back.
"Berserker trusted us with her so I'm going to make sure she gets out at least…" Raul said. "And…Loki might know what to do about this."
"This is above our pay grade, isn't it?" Narvi admitted.
"…Can you understand us?" Lefiya asked the siren who shrunk back a bit before nodding. "Did you know Berserker…that minotaur before this?"
A shake of the head.
"I suppose he found her in Evilus's clutches then," Filvis noted. "Probably what that man who cursed Berserker…Dix was it? Probably from one of them."
"…That means there are probably more monsters that can talk, aren't there?" Anakitty asked. "Considering we met two while fighting Evilus…they're probably hunting them."
"And I guess Hestia Familia took it personally," Cruz said with a mirthless smile.
And then…the walls of the room they were in came crashing down.
The Adventurers plus siren wheeled around toward the noise that appeared behind Gareth.
A mountain of green skin blocked their vision. Four impossibly large, powerful legs supported its lower half, two mangled horns twisted away from its head, and its skin was the sickly yellowish green of corroded steel. It was tall, more than six meters from the ground to its shoulders, and from its back sprouted a tail that split in two down the middle, both ends sharpened into swordlike points.
All in all, it very much resembled a bull, save for the woman's body jutting out from the creature's forehead. The upper half of its body was female, its lips curved in a disconcerting smile.
It would seem that they found the source of the other roar.
"RUUUUUN!"
Gareth found his voice and gave the order, prompting them all to run as fast as they could away from the new unknown…the new Demi Spirit. And the Demi Spirit chased after them, its massive legs causing tremors with each step, sending them stumbling and flying as they tried o scramble away.
And above all of this, on a wide corridor that was traveling above the Adventurers' corridor, a young golden-haired boy let out a wide smile.
"I found you~"