Chapter Four
Slowly, the MacGuffin drives the plot forward.

A settlement run by adventurers on the 18th Floor, Rivira was what some would call the "world's most beautiful rogue town". However, it was also known as "the world's deepest hellhole" by others. The place was pretty much the real-life, low-budget version of a RPG's frontier settlement: Shopkeepers looking to scam you out of everything you had and low-quality items gouged up to 5 times their usual price.

Scam, scam, scam. The whole place was founded on the principle of profit. If someone sufficiently powerful and diligent–not to mention crazy–enough were to forcibly reform the place, Rivira would fall apart. That's exactly how integral the whole concept was to the existence of the place.

The Wanderer's Tavern, which was located in Rivira, was rowdy and chaotic. With a loud and boisterous atmosphere, there were many parties of adventurers clamoring for food and drink, cries for ale and meat echoing through the room.

Both Hackard and I took empty seats at the bar: I ordered a glass of 'the special' while Hackard asked for an ale. Even though my Skill was always present, I did my best to blend in, pretending to sip from my drink while slowly listening for snippets of names and information of interest.

I thought back to the Quest Notice. "Conceal your identity by any means possible." Level 4 adventurers were a rarity in Orario, with no more than over 100 of them within the city at most. If they were concealing their identity, it wouldn't be too difficult to spot the ones who stood out.

"Another ale, barkeep!" Hackard let out a contented sigh as she slammed her tankard onto the bar. Yeah, I didn't even need to try, huh? Hackard's already doing all the work for me, anyways. "Anyways, Hikitani–" her voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you see Lulune-chan yet? Can we make a move?"

I slowly scanned the room, looking for the black-haired chienthrope while mentally noting down a couple of the more interesting adventurers in the room. In a corner, an adventurer with a robe covering their body from head-to-tail nursed their own drink. At the back of the tavern, sitting by themselves, was an adventurer covered in full plate armor. Yet another adventurer with a hat pulled low over their face scarfed down food at their seat, their hands a blur.

Robe, armor, hat. Which one was it? Only Louie could know; she had taken the actual quest. Without her present for the transaction, I couldn't make a move without compromising the quest itself. There was nothing I, and in turn Hackard, could do.

"We wait." Hackard nodded in response as she downed another beer.

It was maybe another 20, 30 minutes before the door opened and I noticed the distinct figure of the black-haired chienthrope walk in. With a single arm, I nudged Hackard in the side. "9 o'clock, Hackard."

"So how do we do it?" She had a fair point. How did we escort Louie? Hermes hadn't left any specific instructions.

Tailing her wasn't an option. We couldn't afford to intercept her before she had gotten the package, either. Nor could we openly reveal ourselves in the bar.

A reveal outside was probably the best way to go about it. It didn't matter if Robe, Armor, or Hat had the package; so long as Louie was able to receive it and we could intercept her afterwards, everything was fine.

"Let's head outside now and wait to catch her when she comes out." Throwing the amount both of us owed onto the bar, I got off from my chair and slipped through the throng to reach the outside.

It wasn't long before Hackard joined me and we semi-casually loitered around the tavern's entrance, pretending to examine some wares before finally spotting the black-haired chienthrope happily strolling out of the building.

"There." I nodded towards the chienthrope, who was slowly coming in our direction. Hackard immediately did what she did best: she became a riajuu.

"Lulune-chan!" Hackard gleefully glomped Louie, who had an expression mixed between an awkward smile and full-blown panic as she tried to disentangle herself from Hackard.

"H-hikigaya-san and Maris-san, what are you doing here?!"

"We know about your delivery quest, Louie." The chienthrope reflexively stiffened as I nodded towards the package. "We're just here to ensure delivery."

"Ah, alright, then." she relaxed. "Well, wanna have a drink before we go up?"

"Sure!" Woah, woah, hold on, why are you agreeing, Hackard? Hermes gave us a very simple job: get the package and deliver it. There's no need to spend time dawdling.

Against my protests, the two girls began heading towards a bar titled the Golden Cellar. Resisting the urge to groan, I followed them in.

One drink turned into two, and minutes turned into hours. As the girls shared the most recent news and toasted repeatedly, even breaking out into a drinking song at one part of the night, I stayed sober, occasionally sipping at a glass of water to calm my nerves. As the hours wore on, first Hackard, and then Louie both passed out on the floor in a heap, snoring while lying on top of each other. The satchel was sitting there on one of the empty bar stools.

I opened the bag and looked inside. Whatever the package was, it wasn't any larger than a small rock, but it was spherically shaped, wrapped in a drawstring bag. I flashed back to the warning–"do not handle with bare flesh"–and wisely decided not to open it. Those warnings were there for a reason.

But leaving it in the open was one of the easiest ways to lose it, and coming from someone who had wasted enough of his life watching anime and other mediums of entertainment, I knew that there was also something I could do to change it.

Very quickly, I reached into my backpack to pull out a food ration of similar size and shape, replacing the package as discreetly as I could and stuffing the bag deep in a corner of my pack before covering it up with a small pile of food rations, potion vials, and other equipment. I closed the satchel and placed it back in its original spot before nudging both Hackard awake.

"Hey, you two passed out. Pay up whatever you owe, and let's leave."

"Errr… alright…" Hackard mumbled, still half-asleep. Taking the remaining water I had in my cup, I poured it over her face. "Wha–I'm awake! Don't splash me!" She flailed wildly and swung an arm at me, but I saw it coming from a kilometer away and easily dodged. Hackard's hand hit the bar with a WHUMP, sending her half-finished tankard of ale into the air… right onto the top of her own head.

As she coughed and sputtered in surprise, I allowed myself the leisure of a chuckle. It wasn't often that I saw Hackard make a fool out of herself. "Wake up Louie and let's get going. You two've already wasted enough time as it is."

"Alright, alright…" Once the two had regained sufficient consciousness and paid the barkeep after calling him over, the two of them stumbled out of the bar behind me.

I walked out of the Golden Cellar into a mass of chaos. Adventurers swarmed towards my right side in a steady stream, all of them headed towards the town square. Apparently, Bors Elder, the leader of Rivira, had called for a meeting–a mandatory one that would get you blacklisted if you didn't go.

There was a loud ruuumbbble as I watched two giant boulders being slowly pushed to close the southern gate of Rivira.

The town was being closed off. Something had happened. Following the crowd, the three of us ended up in Crystal Square, the main town center.

My eyes narrowed as I spotted a short, blonde pallum step out onto a small pedestal. My eyes made out the figures of the Hiryute twins, Wallenstein, Alf, and Viridis. Just my luck for Deimne and the Loki Familia executives to show up…

2 Level 6s, 3 Level 5s, and a Level 3… what happened to my luck?

Louie froze behind me. "T-that's…" She sucked in a choked gasp. "That's the adventurer who gave me the package…" Hanging upon a wooden frame, with crimson splatters of blood running across it was a set of white plate armor. The same that I had seen in the bar, which must've belonged to that adventurer.

The world around me seemed to slow down for a brief moment. Level 4 and above adventurers only.

The guy in white armor–whoever he was–had to have been Level 4. Level 4.

I was Level 3. Hackard was Level 3. We might've been adventurers nearing Level 4, but there was still a long, wide gap between a Level 3 and a Level 4 adventurer.

Next to me, Louie trembled, her hands covering her mouth as she quaked violently. It wasn't hard to understand why. Someone who could kill a Level 4 could just as easily kill one of us.

I listened as the Loki Familia gathered and began explaining why they had closed off the town. Overnight, while Hackard and Louie were drinking the night away, a Level 4 adventurer–Hashana Dorlia of the Ganesha Familia–had been murdered. They were trying to find the murderer and bring them to justice.

Come on, Hachiman, think fast. Loki Familia gathered all of us here. Why here?

Were they so generous as to extend a free helping hand? Definitely not. Deimne wasn't the charitable type; he only helped if it boosted Loki Familia's public image. There was an ulterior motive at hand here. What was it? What would Loki Familia gain from gathering all of us here?

My mind raced. They claimed they wanted to find the murderer. That wasn't entirely untrue, but there was something else they wanted. Why would they close off Rivira if they were looking for the murderer?

That means Deimne automatically assumed the murderer would still be in Rivira–why? Because… because… because–

because of the package.

The murderer would certainly be among us if they were looking for the same package that Hashana had delivered. The package that was currently in my pack right now was wanted by not only Deimne, but a murderer that could kill Level 4s.

What did writers call it–the MacGuffin? The MacGuffin, that's right.

As the saying went, this was "way above my pay grade".

But then again, when was it ever not in those types of stories?

No matter what happened, it was clear that I couldn't let the package fall into anyone else's hands.

"Hackard, Louie." I pulled the other two closer to me. "Look, no matter what happens, we can't let it fall into someone else's hands. Right now, we need to figure a way to get out of here and get the package out of here before anyone or anything shows up."

"Like those plants…?" Hackard's face turned serious when she saw my nod.

"Louie, I have the package." I gripped the chienthrope's arm as she shuddered and recoiled from my touch. "I have the package. Don't worry about it."

"B-but whoever killed him might've seen me…" There was an edge of desperation in the chienthrope's voice that told me she was centimeters away from going full catatonic.

"Louie. Louie!" I shook her once, twice. "Focus on me. You don't have the package. I do. You're not the one they want. I am." Slowly, her panicked breaths slowed down.

I tried returning to my previous train of thought. Come on, Hachiman. Stay two steps ahead of the enemy. Retrace the steps. If Hashana was killed with a woman, it makes sense that they would only search women. That means that if the killer was one step ahead of Loki Familia, they'd disguise themselves as a guy to avoid suspicion. Therefore, the correct action here was to…

"The two of you should join the main group of females to avoid suspicion," I pushed both Hackard and Louie forward. If they were both in the group of females, they could easily clear themselves of suspicion and then we could trade packages once the search was finished, simultaneously absolving all three of us. No problems there.

Then we could take the package back to the surface and–

"You heard him, ladies?! We need to check every inch of your bodies—so off with the clothes!" My thoughts were broken by a loud shout. As I watched Elder whip the large majority of the male adventurers into a frenzy, I couldn't help but feel a stab of irritation. What were all of you, copy-and-paste degenerates? The next thing you know, a fight's going to be breaking out over which part of the female anatomy is better: the chest or the ass.

What?! Asking me which part was better? That'd clearly be–wait, hold on. This isn't the train of thought I should be having right now! I need to be checking that the plan's being stuck to… and it's not.

As the crowd erupted into chaos, the women dogpiled onto Deimne, and Louie took the chance to zip off towards the town's northwest section. What are you, idiotic? Don't you know that's exactly what marks you as suspicious?

I briefly considered giving chase before realizing that the package was in my backpack. Even as I watched, two more figures broke off from the Loki Familia executive lineup and followed after Louie's fleeing figure. Wallenstein and Viridis, huh. Level 5 and Level 3. There wouldn't be a problem for Louie, then, if she wanted to live–

My shoulder met with what seemed like a corner of a solid wall and I briefly stumbled. I had accidentally bumped into an adventurer dressed in black-plate armor.

Huh, that totally doesn't mark them as suspicious. Definitely not with the way they're flexing their fingers and eyeing the trio in the distance.

The figure didn't even look at me before it began pushing through the crowd, ignoring the stares of the others as it began heading towards the same path the three had taken.

I suppressed a full-body shudder. Could that guy be… Level 5?

Not your problem, Hachiman. I dropped any ideas of trying to stop or delay the figure on the spot. Even if things got out of hand, Deimne and Alf were here, not to mention the Hiryute twins. If something really problematic occurred, they'd be able to take care of it in a flash. I just needed to get the package squared away.

That was what counted, wasn't it? Delivering the package.

That's when the little voice in the corner of my mind decided to speak up.

You could at least check on Louie to make sure she's fine, it whispered.

But that would raise questions. And questions, with the package in my pack? I wouldn't be able to finish the request. No, attention was the thing I wanted the least. There wasn't a point.

So now what? You didn't ask for backup, besides Hackard. What're you going to do? Have it end like last time? No, I didn't need those memories. Not now, not here. And this wasn't like last time. This was different.

This wasn't my problem, unlike last time. This time, I had the choice of not making it my problem. There were other people here, people stronger than me. Wallenstein and Viridis were already on the scene. There was nothing to worry about.

You always had a choice, the voice countered, and I was silent.

Denial was an interesting thing. No matter how self-aware one claimed to be, they tended to view their own personality with some semblance of bias. Riajuus tended to look at themselves through rose-colored lenses, believing themselves to represent some sort of lofty ideal. Otherwise, they'd attempt to espouse some sort of overtly cynical viewpoint on life regarding suffering and how all life was worthless since all of us would die some day.

Through the lenses, the world twisted to fit one's rationale. One would only magnify their strengths while ignoring their flaws from their perspective. They weren't twisted; it was the world that was twisted.

I knew better than to think like that. I might've not been aware, but despite everything, I was still self-aware. So I knew that it was impossible to fool myself.

As I slipped through the crowd, chasing after Louie and keeping an eye on the three shrinking figures, I felt a bitter smile curl onto my face.

In the end, Hikigaya Hachiman was still selfish.

~~This is a Line Break~~

I sucked in another breath. We had been chasing after the three for a while, and the crystals in Rivira that represented the sky were beginning to dim. This was starting to get tiring, even for the frontliners like me and Hackard. Our stamina might've been better than either Viridis's or Louie's, but we had to be quieter, which used more stamina than I would've wanted to.

As both of us rounded a corner, I stopped Hackard just in time and pulled myself backwards, dragging Hackard with me. That was too close for comfort. We had nearly run into Wallenstein and Viridis.

The corridor ahead was long, smooth, and narrow; a ravine that was surrounded on all sides by the crystals. If I wasn't mistaken, someone could have very easily set up an ambush here to corner anyone trying to pass through.

Hopefully, that wasn't the case, but I wasn't going to risk it.

I wouldn't peek around the corner, but I had to ensure Louie's safety, at the very least, before I left. If the black-armored figure attacked, though, I'd leave it up to Wallenstein and flee by myself. There wasn't any merit in taking the risk of fighting.

There was a cry from around the corner. "Please, don't take me back to the square! If I go back, I might die! Please, please, please…" As the chienthrope continued to chant the word like a mantra, I heard a softer voice.

Wallenstein. "Lefiya, take her to somewhere without any people. I'll be with you shortly." You've got to be kidding me, she noticed?!

I turned to flee, but before I could–

"... damn." With that one word, I fell silent when I felt the cold edge of metal press into the side of my neck. I was too late.

"Who are you?"

Very slowly, I raised my hands before turning around to face Wallenstein. "I'm Hikigaya, a member of the Hermes Familia."

"And she is?"

"Maris Hackard, also a member of the Hermes Familia."

"Why were both of you chasing us just now?"

"Louie's one of our party members," I began fabricating a half-truth. "When she ran, I was surprised and began to give chase, and Hackard tagged along with me."

"... Come with me." Putting down the sword at her side, Wallenstein turned and began heading northwest. Looking at Hackard, I shrugged and followed. We didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Once the three of us had been grouped up on the edge of a storage lot which overlooked Rivira, right near the passageway where we had been found, Wallenstein began asking us questions.

Names? Lulune Louie, Hikigaya Hachiman, and Maris Hackard. I made no attempt to switch my names to conform to the first-family name basis. The only one who was allowed to call me Hachiman, outside of myself, was Totsuka. Although, being honest, I wouldn't mind if that white-haired Totsuka expy from the other day did that… wait, no. Back on track, Hachiman.

Why did you run away from the square? Louie had feared for her life and so she ran. As her party members, we were understandably concerned so we followed.

Were you carrying something on yours that belonged to Hashana? No, no, and… yes. I ignored Louie and Hackard's panicked glances. There wasn't a point in trying to play technical smartass here.

Why were you carrying it? It was a delivery quest.

Could they see the package?

"Nope." I didn't hesitate to stop Wallenstein and Viridis in their tracks right there. The next thing after that if I let them see the package would be to take it to Deimne, who'd then probably confiscate it under some pretense of the greater good for his own research of some sort. That'd pretty much eliminate the only lifeline I had. I needed to get the package to the client.

"And if we insist?" Wallenstein's eyes glittered coldly as she raised her sword and pointed the tip at me.

This wasn't a battle I could win, and I knew it. But I wasn't handing over the package.

"... Fine, I'll let you see it." I emphasized the word to make sure they knew what I was letting them do. It was an empty limit, of course, since Wallenstein could've knocked us all out and taken the package for herself. But it was a limit that would work, since she hadn't done so already.

Reaching into the bottom of my pack, I pulled out the bag and very carefully loosened the bag just enough so that all of us could see whatever was inside the bag without it touching my bare hand.

It was a crystal orb of some sort, encasing a green liquid with what appeared to be a half-formed fetus inside, curled into a small ball. With tiny, shriveled limbs that hugged its body, it had a disproportionately large head and closed eyelids, as well as hair reaching down its shoulders which suggested that it was female. Altogether, it gave the resemblance of some grotesque mix between an embryonic frog and a fetal human.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a ripple which passed over the creature's eyelids as they peeled backwards to reveal large eyes which darted around the group, lingered on each of us for a split second, before fixating on Wallenstein.

Something seemed to pass between the two as Wallenstein and the creature locked eyes, the blonde adventurer's breaths beginning to speed up.

"A-Aiz-san?!" The elf let out a timid squeak as Wallenstein swayed back and forth, almost falling to the ground before Hackard managed to catch her and lay her to the ground. There was a small, almost unnoticeable ripple in my hand. Could it be–? A whisper of a thought passed through my mind, but before I could follow up on that it vanished.

"Alright, that's it." Pulling up the drawstring bag to cover the crystal orb, I stuffed the bag in my pack again. As Wallenstein slowly recovered, I couldn't help but feel as if there was something wrong, something I was missing. There was a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit in anywhere.

I took a deep breath and tried to pay attention to the surroundings. Was there anything out of the norm? My eyes caught the shadow of a figure standing on Rivira's wall. As the figure came into focus, I watched as its arms lifted and the song on a reed pipe began to play.

It wasn't anything extravagant; it was simple, using only 5 notes. But why? Why would the figure choose now, of all times, to be playing a reed pipe–oh.

All of a sudden, everything clicked and the pieces fell into place. How could I have forgotten about the suspicious black-armored adventurer? And a reed pipe, a reed pipe–what did people in fantasy settings use those for?

Shit, this wasn't good. I clicked my tongue in frustration before beginning to issue orders to everyone on the spot. "We've got problems. Wallenstein, cover our right. Hackard and I will cover our left and back. Louie, defend Viridis. Viridis, start chanting. I don't care what you do; I need a wide-area attack spell."

"Wha–?" Ignoring everyone else's responses of surprise and confusion, aside from Hackard who grimly nodded and drew her claymore, I unsheathed my own blade and held it into a defensive position.

A pipe in fantasy settings could only mean one thing: A Tamer.

As if on cue, there were a series of rumbles and roars that spread throughout the entirety of Rivira.

"That's–!" Countless green bulbs rose into the air, undulating like snakes before splitting open to reveal crimson petals and two sets of teeth.

The man-eating plants had returned. Green vines whipped through the air, easily breaking down the flimsy wooden shacks that served as buildings. As the plants began tearing through the town, headed towards the square, I gritted my teeth.

"Viridis, what did I say? Start chanting!" Had I been given time, I might've asked politely, but now wasn't the time. The elf startled, but raised her staff and began to cast. Loki Familia weren't complete idiots, but even the executives would've been taken by surprise at this point.

Fortunately for them, I intended to even the battlefield. A silent understanding fell over the temporarily-aligned group as we moved into action.

"Proud warriors, snipers of the forest." An intricately-designed circle of golden light opened up underneath Viridis as she closed her eyes and began concentrating. "Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers."

A swarm of the plants appeared near the crates to the elf's right, and Wallenstein rushed off to engage.

"Louie, stay here and watch this." I set down my pack at her feet. "Make sure no one gets it." She nodded quickly, drawing a knife and taking a defensive stance over the pack I handed her.

There was a sound behind me and I instantly reacted, turning around to chop off a tendril which had been whistling towards Viridis's exposed back. The elf let out a shriek as it landed at the dirt near her feet. I held up my sword to meet the eyes of one of the plants which had appeared from around the temporary party's back.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" Left, right, up, left, left, right, below. I parried and deflected more tendrils before lunging forward.

"A-Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows."

Weak spot is right under the chin, and the plant has 12 tendrils. It just used 8; it has 4 left. I dashed at the creature, spinning mid-lunge to avoid 2 tendrils which erupted from the ground before skidding to a halt, spinning to deflect the last 2 which shot at me from beneath my feet before shoving my sword upwards through its jaw in a single motion and following up by slamming my palm into the sword's pommel.

There was a crack! before the plant let out a roar, flailing about as it dissolved into dust. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Hackard whirling with her sword, the blade mowing down tendrils before she slashed upwards, the monster turning to dust as her sword cut through its jaw.

"Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest." There was a roaring sound as another three of the plants rounded the crates.

"Hackard, fall back!" As Hackard drew backwards, I withdrew one of the Burst Oils and hurled it at one of the creatures' open mouths.

A lucky shot. The vial sailed through the air, landing right into the creature's mouth. There was a thunderous explosion as the monster's mouth ballooned from within before exploding, spraying outwards in a fantastic display of gore as chunks of its head rained down around the rest of its body. The monster collapsed to the ground, the ground slightly cracking with the impact.

"Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies."

"Engage!" As the other two monsters rushed forward, Hackard and I ran forward to meet them head-on. Dodging more tendrils, both of us worked in silent unison, covering each other's blind spots as we parried and cut off vine after vine. Dodge, step, slash. Spin to the left, slash. Dodge, dodge, parry. Keep going, don't stop. I leaned to the side to avoid a tendril which whizzed past my shoulder, missing by mere centimeters as I advanced towards the monster. Parry, dodge, backstep, forward, slash, and now!

Once again, I shoved my sword through the same spot on the plant's chin, hammering the blade in with my other hand. The monster shrieked, but there was a sudden release as something gave way and it broke into ash, crumbling into nothing.

"Fall like rain, burn away the savages." I looked over at Viridis. The energy in the air hummed and swelled around the elf, gathering in a pinpoint beam of incredibly condensed and focused light centered on her staff. I knew better than to stick around.

Both Hackard and I dove for cover as Viridis finished chanting, sweeping her staff with a flourish towards Rivira–and all the monsters within it.

"Fusillade Fallarica!"

What seemed like a hail of flaming arrows rained down on Rivira, each bolt finding its way to one of the many, many plants in the town. Just when the barrage seemed to ease up as the arrows ran out, another series of fiery bolts would rain down on the monsters, smiting them with magical energy.

Hellfire. That was the only phrase that came to mind which could describe the scene before my eyes. The flames crackled and burned, consuming the plant creatures as plume after plume of smoke began to rise from the remains of the town.

I coughed several times as I rose from cover.

"Everyone alright?" Viridis asked. I waved her off. I was going to be fine.

"I'm–" Hackard burst out of the rubble with a loud shout before erupting into a fit of coughing. "I'll–be–fine… just… lemme catch my breath…" As Hackard thumped her chest and wheezed, we all patiently waited for her to recover while we all made our own separate gear-ups.

There was a howl to my far right and I turned to see Wallenstein easily liquefy the top of one of the plant's heads with a flick of her wrist alone before dancing through the air, her sword flashing all the while as she made quick work of the remaining plant monsters.

Was I even necessary? Were me, Hackard, and Louie even needed in this fight? Viridis had instantly killed well over 2 dozen of the plants with a single spell and Wallenstein was single-handedly holding back a swarm of them, armed with nothing but her sword. All we did was take care of the stragglers.

It was pretty obvious that if the problem was being handled, then it was time for me to leave before anyone or anything else showed up to ruin my day… speak of the devil.

My eyes narrowed as I watched the black-armored figure slowly pick its way towards us from the bottom of the slope, well over 500 meters away. I was too late.

They were coming for the package. Maybe they could or couldn't spot us, I didn't know. As the figure picked their way up the mountain, I considered my options.

I could hand over the package. But that wasn't happening. Giving up the package was tantamount to giving up. Sure, the movies and the stories always have it where the benevolent being then says, "By giving up the power, you have proven yourself worthy", but stories were stories. And benevolent beings wouldn't summon man-eating plants just to get an orb, killing hundreds in the process. If I gave up on the orb, I could say goodbye to returning home. Then what? I'd waste the rest of my life here, always wishing I hadn't given it up. The package was my lifeline. It would stay with me until I finished its delivery.

I could run. It was easy. All I had to do was to incriminate Louie, or Viridis, or someone else. A single sentence: "She has it." It would've been easy. I would've probably made off with my life, and no blood of mine would've been spilled. I could live with that. Pass parades occurred in the Dungeon, and nothing could be helped about it. It would've been easy.

It didn't have to be my problem. It was my choice not to make it my problem.

It always came down to this. Whether I chose to run or not. Whether I chose to fight or not. Whether I chose to make it my problem or not.

No matter how fucked up this world got, one thing about it never changed, and that was the fact that it was always forcing Hikigaya Hachiman to choose.

And every time, for some reason, I decided to pick the wrong choice, the choice that I knew I would regret.

Keeping my eyes on the figure, I tossed my pack to the side as far as I could, the bag sailing through the air and landing somewhere amongst the mountain of crystals with a WHUMP far, far away. I'd have to get it back later, but right now, what was important was making sure that no one could get the package.

We had to buy time. A quick glance told me that Wallenstein was a little more than halfway done with the swarm of monstrous plants as she dodged back and forth.

"Louie, the satchel. Pass it over." Listening to my instructions, the chienthrope passed over the satchel, which I slung over my back. "Viridis, still got Mind?"

"... Yeah, I've still got some. Should I…?"

"Yeah. Start getting ready. Don't cast until I give the signal, but get ready. We're going to need to buy as much time as we can." I had no doubts that even with 4 of us here, we weren't going to win. Louie wasn't a frontliner, as evidenced by her equipment, and Viridis was a backline mage, which meant that Hackard and I had to buy as much time as we could to at least let her get a spell off.

Hackard and I both stared down the figure, who was approaching us. As the figure reached within talking distance, I sheathed my sword on my back and held up the bag, keeping my other hand by my side. "Is this what you're looking for?"

The figure's hand began slowly moving to the large, two-handed saber strapped to the back of her waist.

"Woah, I'm not looking for a fight!" I put my hands up into the air, the satchel with it. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"... What if it is?" High-pitched and soft, the armored figure spoke in a female's voice. Viridis, Louie, and Hackard all gasped.

As I had expected, Hashana's murderer had disguised herself as a male.

"H-how? Aren't you a man?"

"... peeled off his face." The woman put a hand to her face and grasped at it with her fingers. Underneath the helmet, the features wrinkled and distorted, revealing jagged strips of torn skin. "I peeled off his face, and now I'm wearing it."

"Wha–?!" Viridis and Louie clapped their hands to their mouths, almost as if they were going to be sick. Hackard shook her head, repeatedly chanting "gross, gross, gross." like a mantra under her breath.

"Didn't you know? If you use a Poison Vermis's fluids, you can prevent skin decay. That's what I did," The woman replied in a perfect monotone. What were you, the Terminator?

It wasn't a surprise that this world had a substitute for formaldehyde and other preservatives, but to see it in action… I swallowed the lump in my throat and exhaled shallowly, stopping my gag reflex.

"Ahh, this is too tight." As we watched, the woman began removing her armor. First, a black chestplate hit the ground, followed by the legs, the upper arms, and the back. Finally, what stood before us was an odd combination–a man's face on a woman's body. As we watched, however, the skin began to flake off. Clearly, the preservatives weren't going to hold for long.

"Now… you will give me the seed." I suppressed a shudder at the woman's threat as she approached us while her hand went to the large saber on her back.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The woman actually paused for a moment as I put my hands up. "We don't want to fight. Here, just… You can have it." I slowly tossed the satchel towards the woman, the bag landing on the ground some distance away. "Just let us live, and we won't even go after you. I promise we didn't even look at it."

All three of my current party companions looked at me with glances of surprise. Not only was I attempting to lie to the woman, I had even given her the empty bag without the package. If she found out, we would likely die horrible deaths. It was a zero-sum gambit that would be more likely to fail than to succeed if she decided to check on the spot, especially since she was much, much stronger than all of us combined. Her focus was entirely on the package.

But that was exactly why I had handed her the satchel. Her focus was entirely on the package.

"..." As the woman walked towards the bag and picked it up with both hands, I made my move.

"Viridis!"

"Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow."

There was a tinkle of glass as my second Burst Oil smashed against the woman's face. "You–"

An explosion rocked the ground in front of us, blistering heat erupting from the point of impact. Ignoring the flames, I lunged forward with both hands on my sword in a massive right to left slash, aiming for the woman's throat.

As the smoke cleared, I caught a glimpse of the woman's face. Parts of it had been heavily charred or burned by the explosion, with smears of blood across the side of her head where the Burst Oil had hit, but even as I watched, steam rose from the wounds, replacing the injuries with fresh skin as flesh grew over the wound. An accelerated healing factor. That wasn't good.

"Shoot, sniper of the fairies."

I swung, my sword flashing towards the woman's neck. There was a CLANG and a jarring sensation as the blade glanced off of the woman's gauntlet. She had raised it right before I could cut her neck. The sword shook violently in my hands and my arm bones rattled as the woman's gauntlet was forced to the side.

… It's as I thought. Level 5. I was no match for the woman. Even after having taken the equivalent of a grenade to the face and being caught off guard, she was still able to deflect a blow that I had put all of my strength into. In a regular one-on-one, I would've already died.

Unfortunately for her, this wasn't a regular one-on-one.

The shock in her face told me everything I needed when Hackard followed up right behind me with a similar swing at full strength as I fell backwards, her sword aimed for the same place.

There are no pointless attacks except the ones you choose to make pointless. A long time ago, Anya had drilled this core concept of fighting into my head. Every single block, every single dodge, and every single counter required stamina and concentration, and every time an attack landed, that number would decrease or change entirely.

Throw off the woman's concentration by hitting her with a direct Burst Oil to the face to severely decrease her hearing, vision, and other perceptive abilities. Then, go for the same vital spot twice to circumvent a block and counter.

Confirmed to work?

Confirmed.

Hackard's blade carved a metallic arc through the air, taking with it half of the woman's right hand as well as a spray of crimson blood.

"You little–" There was a CRUNK as the woman's fist connected with Hackard's chestplate and the metal crumpled under the force of the blow. Hackard flew backwards into one of the crates, landing amidst a pile of snapped planks.

My blood turned to ice. Just one of those hits would be fatal. "Hackard!" There was a groan from the pile of collapsed crates.

"Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy."

Focus, Hachiman! You don't have time to worry about Hackard! I hugged the ground, the woman's backhanded swing flying over my head with a massive WHOOSH. Rising from the ground, I made another slash at her neck but I was repelled by her gauntlet.

Keep on pressing the attack until Viridis can cast. Keep on pressing. Keep–

A sledgehammer smashed into my gut and the woman seemed to fly further away from me in an instant–no, I was the one who had flown further away–and then a wall slammed into my back, pushing the air out of my body.

I tasted blood in my mouth. My stomach burned. I had been kicked. I couldn't even react as the woman appeared over me in a flash, her black sword raised and poised to deliver the killing blow.

"ARCS RAY!"

As I watched, the woman turned to block, but not in time. A beam of light engulfed her, swallowing the woman's silhouette in its entirety. There was a CRACK-CRUNCH of impact as the woman's body was flung backwards from the spell, punching through crates and bouncing off the ground until the spell smashed her into the opposite side of the storage yard.

"Hah… hah…" As I turned my head to look at Viridis, the elf was looking extremely pale, swaying back and forth until she collapsed to her knees.

Mind Down. We had just lost our greatest source of firepower. That spell must've taken up every single drop of Viridis's mana.

I withdrew one of the High Potions on my ankle, downing it within a matter of seconds and forcing myself to move despite the pain that ripped through my body. A temporary break from combat was extremely valuable, considering that within the span of a minute almost everyone in the party was out of commission.

"Louie, check on Viridis. Give her whatever you've got."

"Y-y-yes!" The chienthrope patted her pockets and withdrew a glass bottle of what looked to be a Mind Potion.

"Hackard!"

"I'm… fine..." Hackard's reply was weak, but relief flooded my veins.

Against the odds, all of us were still alive.

krrch krrch
krrch krrch krrch

"You've gotta be kidding me…" I muttered under my breath.

Staggering towards us from the rubble was the woman, her figure wrapped in rising wreaths of steam which dissipated in the air. As she got closer, with every step her limping slowly turned into walking as she began moving normally again. Even the part of her hand that Hackard had sliced off had regenerated.

The woman lunged at me again, her sword prepared to deliver a killing blow. In response, despite how futile it was, I raised my sword to guard, but before her slash could connect–

CLANG

The screech of metal-on-metal rang out on the battlefield.

"You did well." Wallenstein's soft voice echoed over the battlefield as her gaze focused on the woman. Her blade firmly locked against the woman's black saber, she spoke one more line. "Leave the rest to me."

Go ahead and knock yourself out, but skip the chuuni talk, would you?

Author's Note: Aghhhh, I was so conflicted as to where to break this chapter off. The battle of Rivira is honestly too long for a single chapter, considering the setup involved and all of that jazz, so I needed to break it apart. I hope you liked it. Also, apologies for the late release: I was more burned out than I expected from writing 3 chapters over the course of break. Happy, but burned out nonetheless. I hope I delivered with this.

Until next-next week,
Oreo the Cookie