kscans

Chapter 252 - The Destination

At the bottom of the stairs. Not that the scenery was likely to change—or so I thought, until that notion was shattered a mere five minutes later.

A labyrinth of white chalk. Its wide passages were completely choked by a horde of monstrous spirits.

Wyverns and phantom soldiers marched in a grand procession. Ten minutes had already passed since we engaged the horde, a parade so over-the-top it would have been excessive even for Halloween.

"Ziiiaaaaaah!!"

"BWROOOO!?"

I swayed left and right to dodge the volley of spears, closing the distance without slowing down. I slashed at the enemy directly in front of me as it raised its shield.

The clash of my one-and-a-half-handed sword against its shield rang out, but I ignored it, forcefully pushing through. I melted the shield with fire and cleaved it apart with wind.

I squeezed my body through the newly opened hole in their battle line and spun, swinging my sword wreathed in a hammer of flame and wind to incinerate several of them at once.

"GAAAAH!"

Even so, the monsters’ morale didn't break. I leaped to dodge a thrusting spear and used Flügel to ascend.

A Sachs mounted on a wyvern immediately began a lance charge. I flew right at it and grabbed the Wyvern by its face.

The difference in mass pushed me back slightly, but I instantly brought my sword down on its head. I smashed through the scale-protected skull, then swung the snout I was holding and hurled the creature at the Sachs on foot.

At the same time, I foresaw an approach from behind. As I turned, I parried a thrusting spear with my sword, rising slightly to evade the subsequent body slam.

I kicked the face of the Sachs passing beneath me, and for good measure, threw a knife to pierce the left wing of the now riderless wyvern.

Next, a volley of fireballs was launched at me as I hovered in the air. I retreated at full power to create distance, then pressed my toes against the wind and leaned forward.

In the next instant, I kicked off and accelerated. Launching my body like a cannonball, I used the distance I'd gained to gauge the fireballs' trajectories.

I dodged the first with a barrel roll. Then I slipped through another as if doing a triangle jump, spiraling toward the wyverns that had unleashed the breath attacks.

"GYAAAAA!"

The Wyverns roared, and in response, the Sachs readied their spears.

I dodged under a thrusting spearhead, slicing the wyvern's torso diagonally as I passed. Then, in a sharp, V-shaped ascent, I cut off the wings of the one behind it. I spun my body toward the wall looming before me, kicked off in an inverted position, and forced a sharp turn and acceleration.

The Sachs finally noticed me a split second before I struck, but it was too late. I cleaved its head in two and, with another spin, decapitated the wyvern below.

Just as I scanned for my next target, another Wyvern lunged at me from the side.

Right before it could ram me with its snout, it tilted its head up and kicked its hind legs forward in a somersault.

Immediately after I parried its claws, the Sachs that had been riding it kicked off the saddle and leaped, raising its sword to strike me down.

I blocked the blow with my left gauntlet and countered with a horizontal slash that tore through its torso.

But using its body as a shield, other Wyverns launched fireballs. My vision was blocked by the body before it turned to salt, but I read the flow of mana and my foresight to predict their movements.

I blew away the upper half of the Sachs from the shoulder up and pressed forward. I sliced through the fireball in front of me with [Concept Interference], leaving the other projectiles that had been meant to block my escape routes behind.

The fireballs collided behind me and exploded. I used even that shockwave to close the distance in a straight line.

I broke through a volley of thrown spears, taking them on my gauntlet and helmet. I pierced a Sachs through the chest with my sword, then dragged the blade down to slice open the Wyvern's back as well.

Three riders left. I released a blast of wind from Flügel and simultaneously ejected flames from my blade.

The focused inferno roared like a jet engine, and I accelerated instantly. My vision wavered from the immense G-forces, but I ignored it and charged the enemy.

The three of them formed up, rotating like a Gatling gun to fire a sequence of fireballs. But they were too slow.

"Oooooooooh!"

Ignoring the ominous creaking of my sword, I spun horizontally. I deflected the fireballs and, using that momentum, slammed a kick into one of the mounted Sachs.

My right foot literally pierced its chest. As I passed the other mounted wyverns, I twisted my leg as if to crush it and kicked its shoulder away with my left foot.

I reignited my blade. Holding it over my shoulder, I used it in conjunction with Flügel to accelerate.

Holding it with only my right hand was strenuous, but it didn't matter.

The Wyverns I had just passed were also turning to face me. Before they could fire again, I was in range.

"Hraaaaaaaah!"

Twisting my entire body vertically, I brought my sword down on the nearest one. The blade of fire bisected both rider and wyvern before the core steel sword shattered with a sharp crack.

I threw the remaining third of the blade at a riderless Wyvern. It pierced its face, and the residual fire and wind reacted, causing an explosion.

One left. Before I could even turn my gaze, a lance charged me from behind. I spun to parry the spearhead with my left gauntlet, but I took the full force of the dragon's ram.

"Guh…!"

"GURUUUU…!"

Pressed together, the Wyvern opened its mouth. A tiny gap formed for just an instant. Faster than it could close, mana converged in its maw.

At the same moment, my right uppercut smashed its jaw upward.

The fireball that should have been fired detonated internally, and the wyvern's head shattered. I immediately pushed the remaining body away, but a single white soldier was running up its long neck.

"BUAAAAA!"

As if avenging its beloved mount, it brought its sword down with a furious expression. I reflexively crossed my arms to block the blade.

It was heavy. But compared to the enemies so far!

Like a tomoe nage throw, I fell backward while slamming a kick into my opponent's stomach. As the Sachs bent into a 'V' shape, I immediately followed up with a left palm strike to its face.

I transitioned into an iron claw, gathered mana in my palm, and released it.

A beam of heat blew its head off, killing it instantly. I pushed the remaining body aside and descended, my momentum carving a trench in the floor as I landed behind the enemy group.

There were still so many. I should go support Erina-san and the others—

'Fly!'

"Tch!"

Hearing Mia-san's voice through the earring, I leaped without a second thought.

In that instant, the horde of Sachs that had filled the passage was frozen solid. The ice extended all the way to where I had just been standing, and my jaw tightened involuntarily.

For now, I reformed the sword in my scabbard and flew back to my comrades, my eyes fixed below as I maintained an altitude just shy of the ceiling. Survivors… from the looks of it, there weren't any.

The line of ice statues ended, and I saw Erina-san waving both her arms enthusiastically.

"Kyo-chan! Good work!"

"Thanks… You too. You as well, Mia-san."

"Hah… hah…! cough…!"

Leaning on her staff—which was, in a way, its proper use—Mia-san gave a slight wave.

She looked utterly exhausted, and her breath was strikingly white, likely due to the ice.

As soon as I landed, the ice statues all shattered at once. All that remained was pure white salt. Combined with the chilled air, it looked almost like snow.

"You too, Blanc… In a manner of speaking, thank you for your hard work."

The silver knight nodded at my words.

The tower shield it held bore the marks of countless blades, and its entire suit of armor was covered in scratches. The sword in its right hand was also badly warped.

Ukon and Sakon were in even worse shape. Both had their left arms torn off, and they were holding their half-destroyed shields with their right arms, reinforced with ice.

'Are you all right!? All three of you!'

"Yup! A great victory for the Invisible Ninjas, senpai!"

"That was awful… We were told to expect groups of five to ten, but what was that? This massive horde…"

A mountain of salt spread out before my eyes. It was hard to tell on the white passage, but I couldn't see a single gap. The only thing not white were the ridiculously large gold coins that were drop items.

These things had suddenly charged us at full speed shortly after we descended the stairs. Thanks to Erina-san's scouting, we were able to detect them early and thin their numbers with Daisharinmaru, but… it was still a fierce battle.

"Are the other parties okay? This is clearly different from the intel we got from the SDF…"

'No, the others are fine. In fact, their combat frequency has decreased. It seems they're prioritizing sending them to you.'

"What kind of harassment is that?"

"We're so popular!"

"wheeze…"

"…Let's take a break for now."

"gasp…!"

Mia-san nodded, looking like she might collapse at any moment.

I had her sit with her back against a wall and, though I felt bad, asked Ukon and the others to stand watch.

"Erina-san, I need Blanc's spare parts and equipment."

"Okay!"

The self-proclaimed ninja gave me a thumbs-up with a brilliant smile.

I get that I have the benefit of my unique skill, but how is she so energetic?

Well, this self-proclaimed ninja being ridiculous in more ways than one was nothing new. I set the question aside and took the bag and weapon case.

"Here you go, senpai! Tea!"

"Thank… you…"

"I'll give you a magic potion later, too!"

"…………Yes."

I had a good idea what Mia-san had been about to say, but I chose to ignore it. Tough luck.

I still had to repair Ukon and the others. To ask them to stand guard in the meantime, I had to hurry with Blanc.

I quickly removed the armor, then replaced the heavily damaged body parts with spares.

"Hey, senpai. Why are we the only ones getting all the attention?"

'First, it's likely because the three of you and your three machines defeated that fused monster alone. The other parties either fought with more people or retreated. The enemy's wariness of you must be particularly high.'

"I see! So it's because we were very, very ninja!"

'Also, your exploration speed is a cut above the rest. Rest there for a bit and try to match the others' pace. Pushing too far ahead is dangerous.'

"So it really is because we're ninjas…!"

'That's right.'

"What do you mean, 'that's right'?"

I couldn't help but retort as I reattached the armor to the now-perfect golem body.

Fortunately, only the torso and helmet armor needed immediate replacement. The arms and legs were still usable.

We had a limited supply of equipment. Shizuku-san is a master craftsman, but blacksmithing takes time. With the work on Ariadne, she wasn't able to prepare that much armor before the decisive battle.

"Oh, you're already done fixing Blan-chan?"

"Yeah. It's more of a replacement than a repair. It's been designed in various ways to get back into the fight quickly."

"Huh."

Erina-san gave a noncommittal reaction, and I couldn't tell if she understood or not. Knowing her, it was probably the former.

Incidentally, being able to quickly swap parts to maintain combat readiness comes at a high cost. A really, really high cost.

"Blanc. Can I ask you to keep watch in place of Ukon and the others?"

The white knight nodded at my words, took its long-handled battle-axe, and stood a short distance away with its back to us like a guardian statue.

Seeing that, I turned back to Mia-san.

"Mia-san. I'm sorry, but could you repair Ukon and the others…"

"It's fine. My mana has recovered, and I feel a little better."

Her face looked anything but fine, just in a different way than before. Mia-san took a large burlap sack from Erina-san.

It seemed to contain mana-infused soil and stones. She called Ukon and the others over, spread the contents of the bag on the floor, and had the golems stand on it.

Then, she lightly touched her staff to the edge of the spread soil.

"O, earth… become flesh and blood of proxy, and be nourishment for my servants…"

As she chanted softly, the soil on the floor began to move slowly.

It was absorbed by Ukon and the others from their feet up, gradually filling in the damaged parts.

"Huh… So that's how you repair golems with Civil Engineering Magic."

"Yes. It looks simple, but it's quite laborious. Especially preparing the necessary soil and stones."

Still holding her staff, Mia-san looked back at me.

"And it's not as fast as Blanc's return to the front lines. Please wait a little longer."

'Well, if you're willing to sacrifice performance, you can repair them with materials from the surroundings in a pinch. It also has the advantage of being cheaper than an alchemical golem, apparently.'

"I see."

Technically, Blanc can use surrounding materials too, but the drop in performance is more than just a hindrance to its movements. In that sense, Civil Engineering Magic might be superior for long-term battles.

Well, everything has its pros and cons, I suppose.

"Hey, hey. I was wondering, can't we use Blan-chan's Magi Battery for U-chan and the others?"

"Impossible. The specifications are too different."

"It is possible to extract the mana and have them absorb it… but it would have to be done manually, and a lot would be wasted, so it wouldn't be very effective."

"I see."

"Well, I suppose it would work if they ran out of mana and shut down, and you just needed to restart them."

It was a similar mechanism to the Magi Stands the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club had built all over the place. Though theirs used more advanced formulas, since they were doing something with the leylines.

Extracting mana should also be possible for people like Erina-san and Mia-san, who became able to use magic upon awakening. I've heard that when you awaken, the knowledge necessary to cast spells just enters your head. A part of that should include knowledge like this… probably.

"Oops. Here, Kyo-chan, some tea. And a chocolate bar."

"Thanks."

I took the water bottle and chocolate bar, moistened my throat, and then unwrapped the plastic.

I crunched on the bar while leaning my back against the wall. Physically and magically, I was fine, but this dungeon was mentally taxing.

Meanwhile, next to me, Erina-san was drinking a magic potion while using self-hypnosis. It was a little awkward.

As I felt the sugar revitalizing my brain, I spoke to Aira-san through the earring.

"Aira-san, is now a good time?"

'It is. What's wrong?'

"No, I was just wondering how much farther it is to the Guivre."

'Still a long way to go. It will be a long journey. I know it's tough, but do your best.'

"Understood. You should take breaks too."

'Of course. The cockpit of Ariadne has drinks, chocolate snacks, and even a toilet for when nature calls. Aside from the lack of an internet connection, I'm confident I could last three days in here.'

"Tch!"

Mia-san's shoulders jumped. It seemed she managed to restrain herself since she was in the middle of repairing Ukon and the others.

'Speaking of which, what do you all do about a toilet?'

"We go before we start exploring. After that… we hold it?"

When you're in a situation where going to the bathroom isn't an option, you'd be surprised how the urge doesn't come.

Then again, our usual explorations last two hours at most. We've already been diving for an hour, and she said we're 'still a long way to go,' which means this will be the longest delve we've ever done.

I was so daunted by the thought that I let out a sigh.

This is bad. Negative thoughts can, and I'm not exaggerating, lead to death. I have to stay positive.

"Enough of this depressing talk. We'll rest for about five more minutes, then resume our explo—"

Just as I was about to say that nonchalantly.

The world moved.

"Tch!"

I knew this feeling. The mana in the atmosphere swelled and churned, rushing about like a raging river.

The mana that had been flowing through the dungeon, as orderly as a gentle stream, was now raging like a great winter sea.

This is…!

"Aira-san!"

'We've observed it here too! All adventurers! It's a teleport! Stick with your—'

As her voice rang in my ears, I dropped my water bottle and immediately grabbed onto my comrades.

"Blanc! Touch me!"

"Ukon! Sakon!"

I grabbed Erina-san's hand and Mia-san's shoulder. Blanc rushed over and wrapped an arm around my waist, while Ukon and Sakon each placed a hand on Erina-san's and Mia-san's shoulders.

The next moment, I was assaulted by a sensation of nothingness, where up and down ceased to exist.

Even though the ground beneath my feet had vanished, there was no feeling of floating. It was just like the moment I'd stepped into a gate.

And above all else—

It was the same as when I first encountered the white dragon.

The world spun. Then, just as suddenly, I felt the hard sensation of stone pavement through my boots.

"Battle stations!"

At Erina-san's voice, we all broke apart as if jolted and readied our weapons.

The scenery around us had completely changed from the passage we were just in.

A road of stone paving lined with trees bearing lush green leaves, the gentle babbling of a river reaching our ears.

A 'cityscape' with houses built of white stone, and bridges and churches colored with indigo and gold.

Though the design was medieval, no such city could have been built on Earth during the era it resembled.

A magnificent metropolis that achieved both prosperity and beauty. And we were in a corner of it.

"…Aira-san."

'—, —…! Can you hear me! All units, report your status! You can all talk at once! I'll sort it out on my end!'

"We're in a city. A beautiful city painted in white. The Invisible Ninjas have been teleported to a deserted metropolis."

Sword in hand, I looked up.

Above us was a false night sky. The stars twinkled, and the moonlight gently enveloped the city.

It should have been a sight to calm the soul, but…

…the twelve monsters looking down on us transformed it into a scene of mortal terror.

Warriors, each with four eyeballs, swiveled them grotesquely. But unlike the one we fought before, these were all in full color.

Blonde or dark brown hair and beards. Blue or green eyes. And a variety of armaments that appeared to be made of steel and fur.

Swords, spears, axes, bows. The gazes of the warriors, each holding their weapon of choice, were all fixed on us.

'…Kyo-chan. You and the other adventurers, including us, were all sent to different floors, but…'

From the distance, the rumbling roar of a dragon echoed.

'No one else was sent to that floor. Only you.'

—The deepest level. The dragon's lair.

That was where we had been sent.