Chapter 70: Closed doors

Welf:

"What… was that?" The entirety of the artificial dungeon was still shaking from whatever explosion had gone off.

"An explosion, …idiot."

Welf grunted at Clara's harsh criticism. "If that's an explosion, that's probably Bell and them, let's go."

"…Fine."

Getting the small girl's approval, Welf guided them in the general direction of the rumblings. In a few moments, Knossos had settled down and Welf had lost his guide. "Well, now what?"

"Right."

"You sure?"

"No."

Laughing, Welf followed the path that the little girl had recommended. "What's the first thing you're going to do when we get out of here?"

"Hmm…" Clara thought the question over, tapping her lips. "Eat something delicious."

"Ohh!" Welf added on excitedly. "That's a great idea! I know this really good bar we can go to!"

"Who said you could come?"

"Ahaha, don't be like that, Lil Clara!"

"It's just Clara!"

"Ah, sure, sure," Welf agreed linking his hands behind his head. The motion generated sharp lances of pain that coursed through his whole right side and neck that had borne the brunt of the evilus member's attack.

"Are you injured?"

"Ohhhh, so you do care about me!?"

"…Why do I bother?"

"Don't worry, the cold routine is fun as well!" Welf laughed. Only when the sound rebounded to him off the walls in a distorted mimicry did his smile fade. "We've been too loud."

"Hmm… But we should be close to the explosion's source. We may need to risk—AHH!"

Welf whirled at the scream, pulling out another of his daggers. He found Clara suspended upside down by her ankle, a string-like rope connecting to the ceiling.

"A trap!?"

"Free me!"

"R-Right…" Looking down at himself, Welf found his array of magic knives and… nothing else. "Ice is out… maybe fire?"

"F-Fire!?" Clara protested. "I'll burn if you do that!"

"W-Well what then!?"

"Then you pay for your sins obviously…"

The new voice made Welf gasp as he looked past Clara to where a stumbling figure had cleared the corner. It was the same evilus member with the high-pitched voice.

"Back for more huh?" Taking Kohiya, Welf gave it another wave, breaking the magic sword as it unleashed its last rush of ice and snow. The breaking as always was like a physical stab in his chest.

Damn it! His magic and heart had gone into its forging. Its sacrifice was not in vain, however, sealing off the hallway with a barrier of ice.

"A-Ahh, my leg…"

Turning his attention back to the flailing Clara, Welf gasped at the red lines that were creeping along her sun-deprived skin where the rope was attacked.

"Poison?" Welf could not consider the issue as the ice shattered. The evilus member was giggling manically as he stumbled through, still clearly injured.

"ARGH! Leave us!" Swinging down with the lightning blade and then the fire one, Welf glared at where the corpse would surely be.

"HAHAHA! You are a one-trick pony, smith!"

"Huh?" Welf gaped at a nearly destroyed black cloak that floated to the ground.

Thunk!

"Gah!" Gasping, Welf clutched his stomach and fell to the ground. Fumbling in that area with bloody fingers, he found the foreign object and ripped it free. Tossing the bloody needle to the ground, he looked up at Clara. "GO!"

With a wave of his fire sword—which broke it—Welf burnt away the rope, freeing the young girl to crash heavily against the unyielding ground.

"You should have attacked me!" The evilus member giggled. Now, I'll be taking that key—"

With the key clenched in his fist and his lightning dagger pressed to it, Welf shot the evilus member a bloody grin. "Not so cocky now, huh?"

"Oi, oi, think about how this goes! Hand it over, I'll let you wander. Break it, you die."

"Haha, I have a third option. Run Clara! Get out of here."

"W-What about you?" Clara asked, voice desperate as she pulled herself away from the evilus member. Her injured leg was being pulled along like a dead weight.

"…" Welf couldn't tell the girl to run again. There was clearly no point. That didn't change his plan as Welf continued to threaten the key. "Don't approach us! I'll hand it over to you when Clara is out."

"…That's the same as the first option." The evilus member sighed, shaking his head. "Just toss it to me now and keep moving, smith."

"Urgh…"

"Break it," Clara gasped, clambering to her feet. "My life doesn't matter. I'm already dead."

"Ohh, are you sure you should be boasting like that?" The evilus member giggled. "Don't you remember how you screamed while we sawed your finger off? You are almost dead, but the rest will hurt a lot more."

"Urgh," Clara paled, her previous bravado shattered effortlessly by the man. Welf thought it was not from the words themselves, but the simple joy contained within. He was looking forward to hearing a young girl's screams.

"You're sick." Putting away the key, Welf knew that it wouldn't help. The bleeding from his gut had stopped. It was time. "Burn to ash!"

"EEP!"

The horizontal swipe buried the whole corridor in flame. As the heat tickled his face, Welf grabbed Clara's hand. "Come on!"

"Urgh, w-wait, my leg!"

"Then hop!" Welf yelled back. Doubled over himself, Welf could hardly offer her a supporting arm. Carrying her as he wanted was an impossibility.

"You're horrible…" Clara huffed but did as instructed. Looking back, Welf did not see the evilus member. The flames had faded and there was no corpse.

"Ugh, another corner…" Welf growled as their passage reached an end.

"Left," Clara muttered, voice faint.

"Oi, is that all you got left?" Welf taunted. "Just from hanging from the ceiling for a few seconds?"

"I'm… not an adventurer…" Clara managed to answer each word growing more labored.

"…Forgive me." Listening to the age-old adage, Welf did not bother asking for permission before flipping up Clara's dirty smock. The sickly white skin was still there in patches but most of the leg was now red, the lines where the rope had been were furrows in her leg.

"How… is it?"

"Ahh…" The lack of anger in her voice was more concerning than the leg. "Umm, we'll get it healed up, don't worry."

"Heh, you still refuse to kill me?"

"…We'll make it."

"Sure."

Falling into an awkward silence, Welf kept stealing looks backwards, searching for the evilus member. Nothing ever came from the front or the back.

"Tell me smith… why are you so special?"

"Me? Ha, I'm nothing right now. Just a guy cursed with a stupid family ability."

"Can you…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk, just listen." Welf tried to force a grumble into his words to hide his concern for the girl. It was hard as his stomach burnt with each word from the wound he had suffered.

After deliberating for a moment, he decided not to focus on the Crossos. "There's this goddess and she's… well, she's incredible. I only had to take one look at the sword she had forged to fall in love with her. Magnificent… Nothing I've made yet has come even close. But one day. One day I will…"

Caught up in the story, Welf was able to ignore his pains. Their pace increased as Clara too was absorbed into the telling. Each of Welf's words an unpolished gem for them to grab onto.

"When I catch up to her, she will be mine. Do you know that no one has achieved it? In not one thousand years of blessings has a smith managed to forge a weapon worthy of the divine plane. I'm going to be the first. And then my rival will catch up a few years later."

"Ahaha, you're a… weird guy."

"Hmpf! I'm pretty normal as far as smiths go, you know? We're a prideful bunch. Anyway—"

"Yes, anyway," the evilus member laughed from beside them.

Freezing, Welf could only fall to the ground as the evilus member ripped Clara away from them, holding a knife across her throat.

"This is, I believe, the correct way from stopping you from shooting fire at me. That last blast was close, you know?"

"Bastard!" Swearing, Welf felt at his almost empty belt. He had done his best but even dagger-form magic swords were hard to produce in any quantity. He had one wind dagger and another fire—his specialty.

"Hehe, drop those blades and throw them this way. Same with the key!"

"Welf," Clara croaked. "Do it."

Do it? His confusion only lasted a moment before her words from earlier filtered back into his mind. Will you kill me now? "Grr… Yeah, I probably should."

"Hurry it up," the evilus member whined. "Your situation will only get worse if you waste more time."

One swing of his arm. With the evilus member's guard lowered and the wind powering the fire, they would both burn to death in a few seconds. "I-I…"

As Welf could not make up his mind, the sound of footsteps interrupted. From behind him someone was comng into view. Knowing it was stupid, he turned away from Clara to check if another enemy was approaching.

The sight of his rival took Welf's breath away. "L-Liz?"

"Hmm, here I was hoping that you could save us. Guess I'll need to do it." Taking out a magic sword, Liz pointed it at the evilus member. "Oi, you. Hand over a key to the dungeon and scamper off."

"Huh? The hell are you all still alive for!?"

"Liz, I have the key," Welf said quickly. Pulling it out, he showed it to her.

"Ahh, that's amazing," Liz giggled. "It's great to see you again. Way to free yourself, you grumpy smith!"

"Why you…" Welf growled, but his attention was brought back to the evilus member glaring at them.

"Come on Johnny, give it up!"

"You wish! I still have the hostage idiot!"

"Oh yeah, good job. A girl we don't know. That's real clever. Let's go Welf."

"Huh?" They were going to leave Clara behind? Seriously? Liz was already starting to back up. It made sense…

"I can't." Standing straight, Welf wielded a dagger in one hand and the key in the other. "I won't leave Clara to these monsters!"

Welf, having yelled out his determination was met by a sigh and a laugh. Johnny pointed his free hand at Welf. "Did you actually believe her bluff? I guess that makes one of us? Now come on…"

"Urgh…" Clara moaned in pain as the dagger cut into her neck, a trickle of blood staining her skin.

"Hand over the key," Johnny laughed.

"Hurting a little girl is pretty low," Liz growled. "At least you'll die for it."

"Me? Nah, you guys should worry more about—"

Welf threw the fire dagger. His mind wasn't working. He had never been good at puzzles and bargaining and all the shit like that. Done with evilus' garbage, Welf whipped out the wind dagger.

"GOOO!"

A hurricane blew from the knife, catching the midair fire dagger and whipping it past the pair. With Johnny braced against the wind, struggling to stand in place, the fire dagger hit the floor and exploded in a ball of fire, singing his back.

"AHH, w-what the hell!?"

"Come on, Clara!" Darting forward, Welf grabbed and pulled the girl free. As they left, he threw another blast of wind at Johnny black, sending him stumbling to the floor.

I-I did it?

"Bastard!"

"Welf!"

Stumbling from having Clara push him, Welf looked back in confusion. They were free. Why had she…

Eyes bulging, Welf collapsed to the floor at the sight of the girl. Clara was staring sightlessly as she slowly collapsed to the floor, Johnny Black's knife stuck in her neck. Sticking out his shaking hands, the motion was useless as she fell between them, her blood spilling out on the floor.

"ASSHOLE!" Liz raged, stepping forward with her magic sword.

"Shit!" Swearing, Johnny dashed away as a wave of flame pursued him out.

Welf was still sitting there when Liz pulled him to his feet and away—Clara's body left behind.

Liz:

"I-It's just a little ways up here…" She could not stop the stutter infecting her voice. The brief pain that the little girl had shown before her death was etched into her mind.

Looking back at Welf, it was clear that it was affecting him far more. Pulling a little harder, she offered more empty platitudes.

"I-I screwed up…"

"You did your best," Liz assured him. "You getting a key is going to save our lives."

"It won't save Clara…"

Yeah, I know… Turning a final corner in the confusing labyrinth, they found the group that Liz had left behind. After Bell's gamble had failed, Liz had gotten them to agree to a gamble.

"Liz!" Silica greeted her, voice relieved. "I thought it was your voice but there was another… Welf?"

"Hey…"

"Don't mind him," Liz spoke quickly. "He has a key. Let's gather up the others and get out of here."

"A key?" Leafa asked rising. Her voice was weak from the magic energy that she had used. The other three were arranged in a line on the floor. Bell had not woken up from the effort expended and both supporters had passed out from injuries.

"That's right." Liz confirmed, turning to Welf. "The door out is right there."

But the blacksmith was not looking at the door. His wide eyes were focused on Bell and the destruction on the other side of the boy. "W-What—"

"Bell tried to blast us a way out," Liz interrupted. "Come on now, the key."

"Blast a way out… The walls are…"

Liz could understand Welf's disbelief. They had to flee back from the site of the impact as part of the ground had collapsed around them leaving a gigantic mess of rock and metal just a bit past them.

"Blame the poor architectural support. Now come on, the key."

"R-Right."

As Welf opened the door, Liz scooped up Haruhime. Leafa took Lili again and Silica was left with Bell. The white-haired adventurer looking massive in her small arms. Even with the size difference, Silica easily carried him around.

"Umm, Shouldn't I…" Welf tried to say, but couldn't manage it without reflexively covering his stomach.

"Shut up and get us out of here," Liz growled.

"…Fine."

Passing through a long straight, rapidly shrinking tunnel, they came to another door. The inside of which was inscribed with the markings that Liz had seen upon their entrance.

"Finally…" Liz's breath of release was matched by the others. They had almost died, but as the door opened, light filtered in.

Welf broke through the crystals at the edge of the dungeon and that was it. They were out.

Almost crying from relief, Liz shared bright smiles with her awake family members, completely unaware of how Welf was doing.

Sachi:

"Oh, Mikoto…"

Clutching the body of her friend in her arms, Sachi ran alongside her remaining familia members. Mikoto stirred occasionally but had yet to open her eyes. They hadn't had time to apply more first aid.

She was one of many people bearing a body in their arms. Sachi did not have the courage to ask which of those were still breathing.

"What a disaster…" Rain mumbled from near here, her delicate fingers stroking the hilt of one of her swords. It was one more sign that no one was doing well.

As someone carrying one of the injured, Mikoto was near the middle of the group. The healthy, unincumbered members were drawing out in a line in front of them. Only Tsubaki trailing at the back gave Sachi faith that they wouldn't be abandoned.

Ching!

"Huh?" Sachi flinched at the now familiar sound of the doors opening and closing. Looking up, she balked as a door folded down right in front of her.

The orichalcum door hit her like a hammer, sending her flailing backwards as Mikoto once again suffered the consequences of Sachi's failures.

"W-Why did a door come down?" Sachi whined, looking around. There were only a dozen or so people here.

Tsubaki, chief among them, strode forward, striking the door hard. "OI! Get that Freya member here to open the door!"

Whether he heard the yelling, or simply noticed the party getting cut in half, the door began to open once more. Sachi breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a step forward, that same sound of a magical switch being flipped went off.

"EEP!" Crying out, Sachi stumbled backwards and away from the door before it could strike her again. "W-What is happening!?"

"…They are keeping us trapped here," Tsubaki muttered. "Although poorly. This is no more than a delay tactic. When the door opens, I'm going through. Wait here until I test something."

"S-Sure…" Sachi agreed pointlessly. She was reduced to just watching as Tsubaki darted through and the door closed again. And then opened and closed. And opened and closed.

The next time it opened Tsubaki stepped through, far slower and more confidently than before. "It is as I expected. The door cannot begin to close until it is fully open and sets in the that position. Likewise, it cannot be opened while it is closing. This is easy!"

"Oh, cool…"

Standing up, Sachi prepared herself to rush through with some of the others. It was, as Tsubaki mentioned it would be, incredibly easy. There was nearly three whole seconds where the door was held in place open. Being as heavy as it was, the initial fall was also slow before a final acceleration.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Sachi sent a smile at Tsubaki. "That was very clever."

"Ah, but I expect we will find ourselves blocked at every door. Everyone! Keep your eyes up when we get to a door!"

Looking forward, Sachi was pretty sure that their group was smaller than it had been before. P-People are deserting us!? A small whimper escaped Sachi.

"Come on!" Tsubaki cried, "keep us moving!"

At a slow shamble, the column resumed its path. Thankfully, with their thorough mapping, they knew the shortest way back which wasn't that far away.

"Two doors left," Rain mumbled.

"Hmm?" Sachi inquired about her meaning.

"We will have to go through that only twice more," Philia explained. "But that also means one of them is likely a trap."

"T-Trapped door?" Sachi stuttered, not understanding.

"Not the door itself, the area."

"O-Oh, no…" Sachi lamented, looking down at Mikoto. "P-Please help me protect Mikoto!"

Rain shared a look with Philia. Both of them breaking out in laughter a moment later. The foreign sound dispelled some of the horror from the ever-present darkness.

The sound drew the attention of everyone present. Rather than yell, even those carrying injured friends and family also began to laugh quietly.

"Ahh, that's right! We are adventurers, a few trials don't daunt us! Let's go!"

With that inspiring speech from Tsubaki, they proceeded to the next door that was closed when they arrived. Opening it resulted in the door closing again. This time, rather than part of the group, the entire raid was forced to slowly dart through five people at a time.

Sachi spent the slow minutes looking backwards, waiting for that evilus member to show back up again. Eventually it was her turn and she darted through cleanly again.

One more round and Tsubaki and some of the others finished off the group. "Come on," their leader growled.

Kicking into motion again, Sachi had thought her battle instincts were engaged the whole time, but now they kicked into another gear. Almost certainly something was going to happen.

It was only one hundred meters to the next door around a few corners. A short distance that they covered in half a minute, even burdened as they were.

The closed gate stood ominously ahead of them, the last between them and the exit. "I'll go through first and clear out any evilus members. Open it, Freya boy."

"As you wish." Resolute as ever, Heathcliff flashed the item again.

It was what they had expected, but Sachi still gasped as she stared at the packed corridor on the other side. Standing in front of a bunch of monsters was a slim-built woman with spiky pink hair. There was something about her yellow eyes that chilled Sachi's blood.

"VALETTA!" Screaming at the woman, Tsubaki struck forward, magic blade descending in an arc, a wave of fire shooting forward, consuming the entire four-way intersection that was hidden on the other side.

"Eep!"

Their victory looked to be instant as the cocky evilus member darted away with a speed beyond Sachi's perception. The monsters in the fires path howled and wilted, bodies melting first into mush and then ash.

When the fire had passed, a massive hole had opened up. Space for them to proceed.

"Come on! To the right, let's go!"

From the back of the group, Sachi watched as the door shut after a few people had gone through. Bouncing on her feet, she craned her neck, trying to get a glimpse—despite the metal door in her way.

"Calm down, Sachi, you'll injure Mikoto."

"Urgh!" Wilting, Sachi stepped behind her higher-ups. As the two girls pressed forward to make themselves useful, Sachi gradually wound her way closer to the front of the raid group that was hesitant to jump back into another fight.

As she passed, whispers of dread caught her ear.

"That was Valetta…"

"The Ruthless assassin is here!?"

"Ahh, I want to go home…"

Sachi felt an instant bond with that final person. Hang in there! Cheering on the random adventurer, Sachi waited as Heathcliff flashed the key, lifting the door. As she had expected, Philia and Rain rushed forward with this second group.

"Oh, darn it…" Following them through, Sachi quickly came to a halt on the other side, taking in her bearings. The way out was a clear shot, but the other two directions were swarming with monsters. Tsubaki was alternating between them with magic swords, quickly working her way through her remaining blades.

In moments she would be out and the trap would snap shut with vengeance. The people from the raid that had gotten through the door took one look at Tsubaki and fled for the exit.

Sachi stood frozen, looking between those running and her familia, standing firm behind Tsubaki as she drew forth her last sword.

"What are you doing, Sachi? Get Mikoto out of here!"

"G-Got it!" Giving them a final worried look, Sachi turned and began to run.

"N…No."

"Eep!" Squeaking, Sachi gaped down at Mikoto. Somehow stirring, she had gripped Sachi's shoulder.

"T-Trap…"

"Huh? Yeah, I know we walked into a trap. But don't worry! The entrance is just ahead, and I will…"

"Trap!" Mikoto gasped out with more urgency.

Feet slowing to a halt, Sachi looked back and forth between the fight that was now escalating and the corridor that was getting just a little brighter.

"W-What are you talking about?" Sachi asked, a hint of anger entering her voice. "No, why am I talking to an unconscious person? AHH!"

Even with her yell, Mikoto did not stir again. Her injuries or pain driving her into unconsciousness. Sachi was still stuck motionless as the screams of terror started.

Argo:

"AHHHH!"

The pain-filled scream came from a corridor over. Standing up, Argo drew one of her knives and looked to the right. There was nothing there, but if she squinted, it felt like there should be.

Addressing that empty space, Argo spoke softly. "You were right."

"Yes, unfortunately. Let's go."

"You got it, Captain."

Stalking forward, Argo drew a knife. Ahead of her was the entrance to Knossos that she had entered hours earlier. Even with downing magic potions, her magic was starting to wear on her mind.

It made her jealous of her captain flaunting her magic item that appeared to have no drawbacks. Can that really be true?

"AHHHH!"

Another scream quashed Argo's jealousy. Gulping, she darted back to the main corridor. Right at the entrance, which stood open, were adventurers standing in the middle of a magic sigil that decorated the floor. A swarm of spider monsters were approaching them, screams from adventurers still echoing as limbs were being pulled by sharp mandibles.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Argo pulled up. That magic… it looked powerful. The adventurers had the appearance of seasoned high-tier warriors. Yet, to a man, they were slowing and tripping. Argo could see the magic lines that were woven like a spider's net, slowly wrapping around each member, the more they moved, the worse it got.

"Stop!" Asfi hissed from a step ahead of her.

"I already did…"

Her captain had no reply. It looked like they were still undiscovered, but standing a good fifteen meters away from the nearest monster or adventurer left them with few options.

A gun would be great…

"My cloak may protect me from this magic's effect. Give me a moment to test it out."

"…" Argo growled under her breath. The blatant risk-taking reminded her a particular lovable nutcase. Unable to argue, Argo watched as the blur that was her captain stepped into the magic sigil, threads beginning to snap around her.

"I am… slowing."

"No shit, sherlock. You got a second plan besides feeding these monsters more food?"

"One."

Argo blinked in surprise as her aqua-haired captain became visible again, eyes bagged heavily. Argo wasn't sure if she had slept since staggering out of the dungeon on the day of return.

"Umm…"

"Stay here and help the others when the magic falls."

Before Argo could formulate a question, Asfi had taken a vial from her waist, uncorked it, and dumped the contents on her head.

Argo's nostrils flared in rejection of the rotten scent. Asfi's eyes as well bulged as if she had been struck physically.

"A monster attractor!? Are you stupid? Why…"

"EEEP!" With a monstrous cry, the spiders that had been slowly descending upon the adventures turned and whirled to find Asfi. Locking on to her they charged her with abandon.

Still invisible, Argo threw herself against a wall. Heart hammering, she held her breath as they charged past her, her captain leading them on, further into Knossos.

"Ahh, so much for being a safety net!" Their role as invisible backup had failed spectacularly. Taking one more look at the magic, Argo groaned and ignored her captain's orders. Charging after the back spider, Argo leapt and came down on its unsuspecting back with her knife.

The plunging attack drove the hilt of her blade hard into the middle of its back. The force of her attack crippled the spider as it was slammed into the ground.

"Argo!" Asfi yelled, seeing one of the monsters go down.

Ignoring her, Argo leapt for the second monster, ignoring the mounting headache. Ahh, this side effect sucks…

The second monster was no wiser than the first. Argo first cut off its right legs, sending it toppling to the ground before stabbing its head.

Panting now, Argo growled and shook her head. "One more… One more and I'll let it drop."

"Boom!"

With a loud roar, the nearby corridor was enveloped in an explosion. "Burst oil…" Her captain's special item—well, one of her special items.

Half a dozen of the thirty or so monsters now lay twitching on fire with limbs missing.

"I told you I'd be fine! Go back!"

"Sorry captain," Argo apologized with a smirk as she let herself become visible. "There's a god that doesn't want to lose you again."

"W-Why you!"

"Hehe, you're cute when you blush."

"S-Shut up and fight already!"

Now visible, Argo had to contend with seven of the beasts that turned and focused on her. They were hissing angrily, clearly upset at being denied their meal.

"C-Come on guys, be reasonable…"

Letting out a squeak as one lunged, Argo somersaulted backwards. She could no longer see Asfi but heard another explosion and assumed she was doing fine.

"Asfi isn't the only one with tricks though…"

Another of the monsters ignored her warning and lunged. The spiders had the speed of a level three adventurer and all the subtlety of a charging bull. Stepping to the side, Argo left her knife behind for the monster to eat.

One down.

And then, the rest came. Three opened their jaws, shooting out a web-like substance and the others all charged at the same time.

Doffing her cloak, Argo let one of her own items fall where she was. String and mandibles pierced the garment and grenade, filling the chamber with a noxious gas.

Holding her breath, Argo closed her eyes and backed up counting. When she got to the count of ten, she opened them again, drawing a throwing knife from her belt.

The three spiders that had bit right into the item were now writhing on the ground, moments away from death. Even the vestiges of the gas burned at Argo's eyes, summoning tears.

Squinting, Argo stalked forward toward the three remaining. "Come on now, charge."

One obliged. A throw of her dagger later and two were left. The monsters were scary, but Argo made quick work of the two remaining. With a glance further down, Argo shook her head and headed back to the entrance. Running around with no direction wouldn't help Asfi now.

When she arrived, Argo tsked at the result. The adventurers were laying motionless on the ground, completely encased by the magic. Poking at the edge, Argo could do nothing but watch, and wait.

Rain:

"Hyah!" Slicing one of the plant monsters in half, Rain frowned down at her hand that was shaking from the feedback. They were so hard that her arms were quickly accumulating injury from just attacking.

"Everyone! T-There is magic blocking the exit!"

"Huh?" Whirling back, Rain looked at a desperate Sachi, still clutching Mikoto to her chest.

Before Sachi could explain, maniacal laughter rang out from their sole human opponent. "Are they getting munched on by some spiders? How sad!"

"Valetta!" Tsubaki roared, lifting her two-handed blade. She was completely out of magic swords and there was still a horde of monsters approaching.

"Hehe, don't worry, I'll let one of you out. After all, I want Finn to hear a firsthand report of this."

Narrowing her eyes, Rain gave up on playing nice. Spreading her arms, she started chanting. "Dance.

Blades of fire Blades of Ice, Obey your mistress and dance."

"GRAGH!" With a horrific cry, the monsters turned all of their attention upon Rain and charged.

"The hell!?" Philia was there instantly of course, struggling to intercept the first with her knife, allowing the monster's momentum to bury her knife inside it. Tsubaki did better with her massive sword, cutting down two effortlessly. That was when Valetta jumped forward, engaging Tsubaki with a flurry of first-tier attacks.

Left unprotected, Rain watched as three of the monsters continued for her, clearly drawn by her magic.

"Sing. Swords of Air, Swords of Earth,

Obey your mistress and sing."

Dancing, Rain stepped forward and to her right, twirling as the monsters crashed together.

"Come and multiply, blades of light."

Ducking under a tail, Rain ignored the bundle of three writhing monsters and looked down at Valetta and the swarm of monsters behind her.

"Appear and fall,

Thousand Sword Rain!"

Waves of magical blades formed from golden light formed above her head and were sent down the corridor. The passing of the swords ruffled Tsubaki's hair. Locked as she was with Valetta, Rain could not aim at the evilus member but cut down her horde like a scythe through wheat.

Three waves of blades sent straight into the magic stones of the plant monsters looking like angelic arrows striking down the hordes of hell. Unlike her physical swords that struggled to cut through the iron skin, her magic sunk in easily.

After her magic was finished, there was a large gap behind Valetta where the corpses of her monsters were dissolving.

"Nice one!" Tsubaki called out. "Keep it up."

"You know it!" Taking a deep breath, Rain dove back into her chant. Behind her, Philia had just taken out two of the three that she ignored. Bodies of the monsters were clogging the intersection, hampering the adventurers from getting through.

Once again, she was swarmed as no one was holding back the other direction. Backpedaling, Rain swung her blades in time with her song. It may have looked like a cocky flourish to an observer, but for Rain, it was the only way for her to concurrent cast.

The ebbs and flows of the magic inside of her matched the rhythm of her body dictating when and how she could move.

As lithe as she was, Rain was far from perfect. A mess of plant matter that was thrown at her could not be perfectly evaded. Taking glancing hits to her limbs and torso, Rain gritted her and teeth and continued to sing.

"Thousand Sword Rain!"

More waves of magic, more dead bodies, and yet more monsters revealed behind them.

"This is endless…" Philia gasped. Her body was beaten and bruised. Rain knew that Philia's mind was already low from holding her magic endlessly for hours to start the day.

"No!" Rain rejected the claim. "I can continue casting, this is fine!"

Most of the adventurers were now milling in the hallway behind her, stuck between the magical trap and the attacking monsters.

There were still a good fifteen of so by Rain's memory on the other side. The remaining weak members and those scared, along with Heathcliff.

Rain waited, and the door did not swing open again. Hesitating between diving into another chant, Rain addressed the people that had come through. "What happened on the other side? What is wrong?"

"Nothing! They probably just didn't want to come to this side!"

It was an explanation that Rain hadn't thought of. Shrugging off the irregularity, she dove into her chant again. The monsters down Valetta's path were already back to the intersection, trying to interfere in the first-tier fight. They still had a bit of time from the second path.

All bad news, except Rain could see the end of the monsters behind Valetta. With a limited number left, this should be their victory.

Rain, had enough time to realize the foolishness of jinxing herself. However, unable to help it, she thought their victory into being.

"AHAHA! That's why a smith should stay by the forge!"

"Gah! That was underhanded!" Tsubaki backed up, her blade now only being held in her left hand as her right hung uselessly. Rain only needed a glimpse to see that the tendons on the inside of her elbow were cut through.

It was a weird reminder that first-tier adventurers could still be crippled by the same injuries as a normal person. No matter Tsubaki's strength, her right arm could no longer bend at the elbow.

"Come and multiply, blades of light."

With her own chant coming to a quick end, Rain rushed through the rest, hoping to take advantage of the separation between the two women.

"Appear and fall,

Thousand Sword Rain!"

Flinging a blade forward, Rain sent out a curtain of seven blades arranged in a pattern where dodging was impossible. Valetta did not dodge. Instead, she used her blade to cut down the one closest to her and slipped through the gap created. A third of her magic expended and all Rain got for her efforts was a tear on the sleeve of Valetta's cloak.

"Just the monsters!" Tsubaki swore. "Your magic is too weak for her!"

Too weak…

The words stung, but Rain acknowledged her futility. Patiently aiming the remaining fourteen, Rain halved the number from that side, but it was no good. If Tsubaki could not hold Valetta, they were done for.

"Distorted Thrust!"

Suddenly, from right beside her, Sachi was standing, spear struck out ahead of her.

"Take this!"

From her other side, adventurers stepped up, firing arrows at the monsters.

I guess now isn't the time to be stingy… Shaking her head, Rain raised one of her swords above her head and channeled her skill. "Come on everybody, let'sssss do this!"

Letting out a dazzling smile, Rain's motivation was met at first a few hesitant cheers that morphed into a wave of enthusiasm. The beaten and scared group dropping injured friends to take up weapons once more.

"Well said!" Roaring, Tsubaki leapt back at Valetta, swinging wildly with only one arm.

Rain chuckled, diving back into her magic for a fourth and final time. Her song was the final catalyst that broke the barrier, slamming the two groups together into combat. The monsters were focused intensely upon her, maws dripping saliva as they charged. Likewise, the adventurers responded in kind.

Many of them were exhausted and just throwing themselves in front of the monsters, trying to slow down the plant creatures for a second or two.

Philia was right there with them, knife stabbing the mouth of a monster that tried to swallow her.

In the melee, monsters went down as weapons tore holes in them, adventurers were sent flying. It was a grind that would leave both sides defeated by the end.

Valetta is the main problem… Tsubaki was doing her best, but it was clear that the evilus member was the more skilled fighter of the two. Tsubaki's blade length was keeping her at bay for now, but she would tire long before the evilus member who was barely fighting.

"Thousand Sword Rain!"\

Putting everything she could into the spell, Rain took a deep breath and then yelled out more inspirational words. "Don't give up, everyone!"

With the swords forming over her head, Rain charged. Jumping over a beleaguered adventurer, Rain stabbed both of her twinned swords into the chest of the monster about to devour him. At the same time, she fired one of the seven at the monster behind it.

As the two monsters began to shatter into ash, Rain darted through the gap created, continuing her slaughter. With her magic primed and drawing monsters to her, Rain had prime opportunities to kill. They would lunge, and she would bury a magic sword down their throat. Standing in the middle of the intersection, Rain was left alone on a stage of murder.

With her exact killing, Rain was quickly thinning out the horde. By a quick scan, she only saw a dozen or so monsters remaining between the two sides. However, she was out of blades, six of last wave gone.

Come on…

Rain had done as much as she could. It would all depend now on whether Valetta reached the same conclusion that she had.

"Hey, where are you going!?"

"Rain!"

The voices of Tsubaki and Philia warned Rain of what she was expecting. Turning to meet the rush, Rain uselessly defended herself from the rushing demon.

With a two level difference between them, Rain heard her sword shatter before she felt the impact. Her blade and armour did just enough to turn the thrust aside, leaving only a shallow cut in her side.

Smirking, Rain fell backwards and fired the hidden seventh blade. Coming from her waist-level, Rain did not try to kill Valetta but aimed at her feet. The cocky level-five didn't even see the attack until it impaled her foot to the ground.

"AHHHH!" Valetta's scream was more anger than pain. Her golden eyes were glowing with an insane light. "Fine, leave idiots! Don't think you'll get out next time!"

Does she mean?

Rain had to only wait for a few moments before a joyful voice called out. "The magic is gone! We can leave!"

"Woohoo!" Tsubaki cheered, lifting her blade in victory. "Come on all, let's get out of here!"

"Not yet!" Philia answered, banging against the door. "Open it, Heathcliff!"

There was no response.

Valetta giggled, her eyes containing a vindictive light. "It seems Dix did his job properly. Later losers."

The remaining monsters and injured evilus member slunk back into the shadows. Left stuck at the entrance with no key, victory felt empty. Limping out with those remaining of the raid group, Rain stayed silent as Tsubaki explained the result to a despondent Hephaestus.