kscans

Chapter 249 - The Alabaster Labyrinth

The Alabaster Labyrinth

It was a majestic space, a labyrinth of chalk-white stone, adorned in ultramarine and gold.

I stood in a passage far too wide to be intended for foot traffic, my eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Aira-san's voice came through my earring.

"Can you hear me, Kyo-chan-kun? This is Aira-chan, the lover of your ears."

"I can hear you. The Telepathy seems to be working fine."

"Indeed. In that case, I will now board the designated unit."

"...? You didn't board before entering?"

"I wanted to get out and check the condition of the exterior first. I've never experienced a mana concentration this high, after all."

"I see."

"And with that..."

Suddenly, Erina-san held a vanity mirror in front of my face.

In it stood Aira-san, dressed in her Sherlock Holmes-esque Arcane Gear.

With her usual smug look.

"Gaze upon my glorious boarding sequence!"

"Enough already, just get in."

What is she doing?

To be joking around even during a decisive battle like this... this woman is truly hopeless.

"No, I'm good. We should be watching our surroundings."

"It's okay, Kyo-chan! I'm great at parallel processing!"

"That's not the problem here."

"Excuse me. Will there be any lewd cuts in the boarding sequence?"

"You be quiet, Hopeless Number Two."

"Music, staaart!"

"Professor. These are your granddaughters. Please do something."

"I'm busy keeping watch on our surroundings..."

"Don't run away. Don't look away. Take responsibility."

"Ah, and... press."

I could hear something. That idiot really started playing music.

Aira-san struck a needlessly grandiose pose, turned, and began to walk with an air of elegance. Before her stood a grotesque golem.

Its armor was primarily black, colored with red and blue. The feminine upper body alone was nearly two meters tall.

What was most remarkable was its lower half. Like a centaur, its body from the waist down had the shape of another creature.

But it wasn't that of a horse. If I had to say, it was closer to a spider's. Though it only had four legs.

Two legs in the front, and two extending from the 'cockpit' that stretched out behind it.

The legs, clad in exoskeleton-like armor, were bent, and the cockpit's hatch was open upwards.

The interior was a two-seater, and Aira-san sat in the back. There must have been a mirror inside as well, as the reflection switched.

It seemed to be designed with a surprisingly spacious interior; she propped her chin on an armrest and crossed her long legs.

Aira-san snapped her fingers.

"Come forth, Sana-kun."

"Eh...?"

The seat in front of her began to glow, and a single girl appeared.

She had reddish-gold hair, like molten gold, tied into a side tail with a black ribbon and reaching her shoulders.

Her sharp, upturned blue eyes were large, but held no readable emotion. Her straight nose and small, cherry-pink lips were so perfect they looked artificial.

I recognized those features. More importantly, Aira-san had just called her name.

"Sana-san...?"

The spirit from that birdcage was now the same height and build as Aira-san.

Her well-proportioned body was encased in a black leather bodysuit, over which she wore a red jacket.

Her attire resembled the Arcane Gear from when Aira-san and Sana-san had fused, back in the Minotaur's labyrinth. The spirit girl placed both hands on the grips to her left and right.

"Dungeon Mobile Communications Hub, 'Ariadne'! Activate!"

At Aira-san's words, Sana-san gave a small nod and tightened her grip. Instantly, her mana flowed into the golem's body like an electrical signal.

The reflection switched again, showing the exterior view. The golem... Ariadne's folded legs stamped powerfully on the floor as it rose to its feet.

A single revolver materialized on its right arm. It was a decorative gun, like a cylinder and grip attached to a rugged rectangular block. This, too, looked exactly like the one I saw in that labyrinth.

Its left arm then picked up the three-barreled cannon that had been resting nearby, the Black Hell Cannon.

A second, shorter and thinner arm extended from its forearm, enabling it to hold the weapon with one hand.

"Fuhahahaha! A normal golem's form cannot deviate greatly from the humanoid shape. That includes its size! Howeeever! That is because its core is a Homunculus born from a human! A custom unit for the spirit Sana-kun makes such an outrageous design possible!"

Yeah, I know that part, since I was involved in making it.

I'm more surprised that Sana-san is human-sized. I didn't hear about this.

It might not have anything to do with the parts I worked on, but it's still bad for my heart.

"And the pilot, Sana-kun, has independently mastered how to operate the unit through her vast experience! Furthermore, she also serves as the fuel tank, so combined with the internal Magi Battery, she's capable of extended combat!"

Aira-san's smug look had morphed into the grin of a villain.

She hooked her fingers into the walls on either side of her. With a click, the locks released, and two panels extended in front of her.

They opened vertically, revealing countless small mirrors meticulously fitted inside.

"...Well? Your thoughts? Kyo-chan-kun."

"You should have told me about the pilot, or rather, about Sana-san, beforehand. I'm one of the creators, you know?"

"Eh, you didn't hear from Shizuku-kun...?"

"Shi-chan said senpai was going to tell him!"

"Oh boy..."

What an anticlimax. Such a common mistake.

"Ahem! Aside from that, your thoughts!?"

"I'm glad it activated safely. I hope it continues to operate without any accidents."

"You're no fun, Kyo-chan-kun!?"

"Sorry. If the situation wasn't what it is, I'd say something a bit more clever."

"Yeah, yeah. ...Now then."

On the other side of the mirror, Aira-san's expression turned serious.

"I will now connect via Telepathy with the A-Rank Candidates inside the dungeon. I will act as a relay point, logging each person's position and providing navigation. For a short while, I won't be your Aira-san alone, so don't you dare start crying out of loneliness, you hear?"

"Just make sure you don't puke from nervousness."

"I'll try my best."

Erina-san put the mirror away.

As her atmosphere shifted, I tightened my grip on my sword.

"How many enemies?"

"In the passage ahead. Five of them are coming our way from around the corner."

"Got it."

I nodded at Erina-san's crisp voice and took a step forward.

"It's time for us to get to work, too."

One deep breath. Following my usual routine, I shifted my focus.

I could hear the flapping of wings as well.

This oversized passage was made for them. At the end of the path, illuminated by braziers of white fire, five shadows appeared from around the bend.

Two of them were textbook Wyverns. Dragons with horned, lizard-like heads, long necks and tails, and bat-like wings fused to their forelegs.

The other three were pure white soldiers. Their mana gave them a commanding presence, even within this alabaster labyrinth. Clad in archaic equipment, two rode the drakes, while one charged forward carrying a tower shield.

Wyverns and Sachs. The forces of the white dragon I had seen that day.

"GYAAA!!"

Mana gathered in the roaring Wyverns' maws and was unleashed as fireballs.

I cut down the approaching projectiles with [Concept Interference], and explosions engulfed the area.

But it was no problem. I pierced through the swirling flames and smoke and took flight.

As I charged head-on, gaining altitude, the two Wyverns fired another volley of fireballs. I weaved between them with minimal movement, closing the distance.

Our relative speeds meant the gap closed in an instant. I dove toward the left Wyvern, and the mounted Sachs thrust its lance at me.

But it was too slow.

Without decelerating, I barrel-rolled to evade the lance tip. Now parallel to the ground, I slashed the Sachs's torso as I passed.

I bisected the white soldier with an upward diagonal cut. As I immediately reversed course, Blanc and the shield-bearing Sachs were colliding head-on below me.

Their power was equal. As they clashed shield against sword, Erina-san used her hook claws to leap over them both and get behind the Sachs.

Further ahead, of the two Wyverns that had flown straight on, the one that had lost its rider was struck in the torso by an icy battering ram that flew up from below.

The remaining Wyvern. That one opened its great maw and was about to unleash a fireball at Mia-san.

But I was faster. The knife I threw pierced its throat, and the flame, on the verge of being fired, exploded inside it.

I charged at the Sachs that leaped from the dragon as its head was blown off.

It immediately tried to counter with a horizontal sweep of its spear, but I ignored it and accelerated into a tackle. My left gauntlet met the spear's shaft.

I see. So these white soldiers really do have physical strength comparable to an 'exhausted Shuten Douji'.

Even so, I forcefully pushed the spear aside, and the Sachs reached for the sword at its hip. However—

"Too slow!"

—my blade bit into its white neck first.

My sword, accelerated by fire and wind, tore through skin and flesh. It even severed bone as I passed the Sachs in mid-air.

When I turned back, the white soldier had transformed into a pile of salt of equal mass before it even hit the ground, scattering across the white floor.

The shield-bearer was finished as well; its arms were gone, and a ninja sword was buried in its throat from behind.

Still wary, I descended. My feet touched the floor, and I jogged to regroup with my allies.

As I remained in a ready stance, Erina-san's carefree voice reached me.

"Good work. No other enemies around."

"Understood... phew."

I answered briefly and lowered the tip of my sword.

These soldiers called Sachs. They certainly had physical abilities that warranted comparison to Shuten Douji or Cerberus.

But their movements were clumsy. No different from that day, their skill level was about the same as my own. On top of that, they didn't have any special powers like those two, so dealing with them wasn't too difficult.

However.

"Be careful, you three. Other adventurers are being pincered by groups of ten. Another adventurer was nearby, so I had them go for a rescue."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Roger!"

"Of course, Nee-san."

We didn't have the luxury to let our guard down.

And these... these were just 'foot soldiers.' It was utterly disgusting.

Ukon picked up a large coin from the pile of salt, and Erina-san stored it in her Item Box. There probably wouldn't be many chances to calmly collect drop items.

I glanced at Blanc, confirming that the Magi Battery on its back was functioning normally. With a small nod, I spoke to Aira-san through the earring.

"We're beginning our search now. We'll report again when we find a landmark."

"Right. Be careful."

"Yes. Also, I told you before, but I've given the Professor spare parts for the Ariadne. If it gets damaged, please replace them."

"Yes, I know."

"I'll fix Boo-chan if he breaks, too! I read the manual and everything!"

"Please do."

For this operation, I had prepared plenty of spare parts for Blanc and entrusted them to Erina-san.

If I had the time, I would repair it myself, but the plan was for her to fix it if it came down to it.

...Although, most of the spare parts, including the equipment, were just repurposed from Byakuren.

They were sleeping in the Item Box along with its silver armor, not its current blue limbs.

I don't intend for this to be a battle of vengeance... but I shook off the strangely sentimental thoughts and tightened my grip on my sword.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

I took the lead, with Blanc diagonally behind me, followed by Erina-san, Mia-san, and Ukon and Sakon.

Our usual formation, but in a dungeon unlike any other.

We took a step forward, aiming for the deepest part of the Alabaster Labyrinth.