Chapter 612 - The Destination
From the giant hole Lux had blasted open, three more great dragons flowed into the chamber like a waking nightmare. While there were slight differences in the shape of their shells and the size of their bodies, they were undeniably the same [Feidran Tyrantinus] that was currently cornering me.
What is this place, some kind of demonic realm?
There are too many monsters packed into one area. Don't tell me these things are actually common mobs that travel in herds… I had a mountain of things I wanted to say, but,
"Ngh…!"
An avalanche approaches. Death approaches. My numb mind and tired body have to be forced into motion—and just as my instincts made me shift my battle focus from a single target to multiple,
"Ah, no no no no, stop Har-kun, stooop!"
"Wha—Guh?!"
Lux, who had outrun the rampaging dragons with truly wind-like speed, came charging in with a shout, and I felt an impact to my abdomen.
Swept away by a surprise lariat, my avatar was too confused to resist being carried off. Three seconds after letting out a yelp, I had reached the destination.
That is to say, a hot and heavy embrace between my back and the wall.
"Gahack…?! You—kidding me—I'm gonna die…!"
My HP, already down to ten percent, was chipped away even further. The impact, which I couldn't brace for, brought on another stun. Thus, I voiced my complaints as was my right, but,
"Har-kun, shield! Quick!"
Lux, for her part, didn't seem to be messing around or causing chaos for the fun of it. Her voice was as cheerful and lively as ever, but hearing the faint hint of seriousness in it made me open my eyes wide. Reflected in my vision were her shining, golden pupils.
The Treasure Hunter—I've heard all about the certainty of that authority from my partner.
"…Tch—Recall!"
The moment the brief debuff vanished, I summoned the twin shields to my left arm and slammed them into the rock floor in their combined greatshield form. The space between the wall and the shield was just enough for two people. We were awfully close, but this was no time to complain. It was an emergency evacuation.
Furthermore, a wind, likely Lux's magic, who was still clinging to me with the momentum from her tackle, began to rage and swirl around us, fortifying our position—
On the other side of our defense, a hellish clamor began to echo.
"Whoa, hey, what what what what's happening?! What's going on, this is terrifying!"
"Aha, uhm… a giant monster battle royale?"
"What in the world are you even doing?!"
Heat rays were being scattered indiscriminately, licking the top of my shield. A chain of roars that sounded like shouting matches. And a series of tremors far more massive than anything from my one-on-one fight.
I could imagine the scene unfolding on the other side of the shield, but thanks to the uniform appearance of the rampaging monsters, it was the kind of hell I'd rather not imagine.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or perhaps it was just a simple territorial dispute she was trying to provoke. It was easy enough to guess what Lux was aiming for—
"Hey, Ms. [Traveler]…! Where does this lead…?!"
"Hmm… I dunno."
"You don't know?!"
"Well, look, all I can see is where the path is heading and the treasure I'm looking for, right? What happens along the way is part of the fun of finding out when it happens."
Don't give me that “part of the fun” crap! Are you that carefree?!
"There, there, Har-kun. Now that I'm here, you don't have to worry. The path is still there, and a best ending is guaranteed. Fufufufu."
Completely unfazed by the aura of death that must have been vibrating through the shield and into her back, Lux leaned limply against me and began to relax with incredible nerve. That's when I knew for sure.
Ah, yes.
This girl is, fundamentally, an idiot who defies common sense.
"…………I heard from Sora, you know."
"Hm?"
"Your power, that thing. It's true that the 'absolute guarantee of reaching the goal' part is a broken ability you can trust one hundred percent, but…"
"Mhm, that's right! Relying on it too much isn't very traveler-like, but in a pinch, it's an excellent emergency measure—"
"It's also not uncommon for it to force you through hellish hardships along the way."
"It's a reliable… eh…"
"…………"
We both looked at each other, and,
"Tee-hee☆"
"I'm screwed."
"That's so mean! I'm a proper lady, you know!"
"Oof?! Hey, quit it—stop—I told you I'm gonna die!"
Despite our playful exchange, the situation was anything but a joke.
Our double defense of shield and wind was blocking the barrage of heat rays, but if one of those giant bodies happened to get sent flying our way by chance, it would be instant death. Our future was completely uncertain.
Therefore, as much as it annoyed me…
"…So. Where is this 'path' of yours heading?"
If she says there's a path that can break through this, then I'll welcome any hellish hardship.
In fact, it's not like I dislike that sort of thing either—but saying that would just make her get carried away, so I deliberately shot her a half-lidded glare and a low voice.
"Nfufufufufu."
"Less like a lady, and more like a little brat, to be blunt…"
"I said that's mean!"
What I got back was a smug grin that said, “You're not being honest, are you?”
An idiot who is also sharp is impossible to deal with. After shattering her knowing look with a term of endearment-like insult and one more round of banter… the traveler pointed her finger.
Her finger pointed,
"…………You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
And in the next moment, just as the dragons' battle, whose endless escalation I could sense through sound alone, reached its critical point—an unusual noise ran through the cavern, and a crack appeared.
It was, of all things,
"Aha, we're going down."
a fissure in the floor that had spread all the way to us at the edge of the wall.
And then, a few seconds later.
"You're telling me we're backtracking the way we came—aaahhhhhh!"
The ground beneath our feet crumbled, the chamber disintegrated.
As I looked up at the receding ceiling, my scream,
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!
was drowned out by a chorus of roars from the equally falling monsters,
and we plunged even deeper into the earth.