Chapter 52: The 6th floor (4)

Chapter 52: The 6th floor
(4)

“Purrrrrr!”

An
aggressive falling attack from the bull’s head.

I
chose to fight rather than dodge. I swung my axe with the intention
of cutting off its horns.

-Kagagagagak!

Sparks
flew and the minotaur’s horns split.

It’s
quite hard. I locked eyes with the minotaur, who looked slightly
impressed.

“Purrrr!”

“You
damn bitch!”

-Kagagagagak!

Like
a sword deflecting an opponent’s attack, my axe sliced through its
horns.

I
glanced down to gauge its reaction.

‘What
the hell.’

For
a moment, I thought I was looking at the wrong thing. The shadow of
the minotaur came into view. There was [Darkness] there, a very pale
darkness.

That’s
what I’d been sensing from the hobgoblins and other monsters!

Although
it was a pale shadow of Diana’s womb sigil, its cheap presence was
not easily erased.

-Thud!

The
lead minotaur fell from its lofty perch, headfirst, but remained
perfectly centered as it attacked.

-Boom!

I
duck my head to avoid the fist and gifted an axe to her neck.

-Kaaaaang!

She
quickly rejected the gift and blocked it with her arm. It was an
iron-walled woman, no, an iron-walled minotaur.

‘What
kind of monster wears this?’

The
quality of the minotaur’s breastplate armor, including the bracers,
was considerable.

Idelbert
had said the axe could cut through the eighth floor monsters, but
this breastplate seemed to go beyond that.

The
minotaur’s fist dug deep, and after a moment’s thought, it drove
straight through.

It
lowered its upper body to add momentum and it took me a moment to
decide. Should I just dodge, or should I go for flesh and bone?

The
fist was aimed at my abdomen.

It
was the hardest part of the leather armor Diana had given me, so I
trusted this armor to perform.

The
fist that was thrown out while flexing her monstrous muscles was
instantly embedded in my abdomen.

“Purrrr.”

The
leader minotaur chuckled in triumph.

It
hurt. It felt like a knife in the gut. Blood gushed from my mouth as
my guts churned.

No
amount of leather armor could fully offset the minotaur’s fist.

No,
it’s the other way around. I’m only alive because I’m wearing this.
Actually, it doesn’t really matter.

The
only thing that matters right now is that I survived that punch.

“Don’t
laugh already, asshole.”

The
minotaur’s expression hardened at my casual remark. Even if it didn’t
understand the words, it must have sensed the cheapness in them.

“Purrrrrr!”

The
Boss Minotaur shouted urgently but the axe had already been swung.

-Zzzzzzzzzz!

The
minotaur screamed but it wasn’t the scream of the Boss Minotaur.

A
minotaur had heard the boss’ cries and rushed forward, knocking the
boss out of the way and slamming her head in my axe.

At
least I managed to slaughter one.

“Purrrrrrr!”

The
Boss Minotaur shouted again as she closed the distance between us,
and the Minion Minotaur’s attention turned from the party to me.

They,
too, had made a choice and focused.

It
brought me in immediate danger, but in the grand scheme of things, it
was to our advantage.

“Ms.
Gelsia, take care of the students first!”

I
bought Gelsia time to convince the students, who were cowering under
the Minotaur’s assault in the Intermediate Barrier.

Explorers
are used to dying and killing, but not students.

Besides,
if any of them died, the mission would be a failure, so I couldn’t
let them die.

“Kids,
calm down and listen to me! That minotaur can’t break intermediate
barrier magic. If we can hold out inside the barrier until Professor
Mankostil arrives, we have a chance!”

“Is
that really so⋯?”

Soon,
a human-sized hole appeared in the barrier.

One
by one, the students in our party began to slip through.

It
was a good sign. Part of me wants to run through that hole right now.

“Purrrrr!”

“Purr!
Purr!”

The
minotaurs attack is getting serious as four minotaurs surround me
from all sides.

There
is no escape but paths are meant to be forged. If there’s no way out,
you make a way in. Simple logic.

“Jubeel!
Joy Hog!”

I
quickly turned my head and shouted loudly, and one of the creatures
on the left got lured. This is the drawback of higher intelligence. A
goblin wouldn’t have fallen for it.

For
being distracted in the midst of a battle, an axe has been impaled on
its head.

-Tsk
tsk!

The
skeletal armor shattered, decapitating the creature.

Pushing
past the helpless creature, I ran to rejoin the party.

“Kaha,
you’re crazy, coming through that, and killing two of them
single-handedly!”

“If
you knew it was crazy, why didn’t you help me?”

“Haha,
you have to understand. We were busy defending them.”

Joy
Hog and Jubeel were protecting Lammel, who was chanting magic, and
Hitolis, who was praying with eyes closed.

“I
tried to put them in the barrier spell, but it didn’t work. I guess
there is a limit to how many it can hold.”

Jubeel
said grimly. She turned her head toward the barrier and locked eyes
with Ellie, who was pounding her fist against it.

-Mister!
Mister!

I
couldn’t hear her voice from the distance, but the shape of her mouth
seemed to say so.

I
nodded to tell her not to worry, then turned my attention back to the
battle.

“The
Earth Mother will embrace you, O body of the dead.”

As
I received a miracle from Hitolis, the internal injuries inflicted by
the Minotaur began to heal. At the same time, I felt a slight boost
in vitality.

Lammel
broke out in a cold sweat and continued to chant, her mouth moving
constantly.

She
must have run out of magic.

As
the chant continued, some kind of power began to gather in Lammel’s
staff. I naturally realized it was magic.

“Five
more minutes,” she said.

“Fuck.
Five minutes? Five minutes? Are you kidding me?!”

“I
need some time to perform my special move. But if I finish the chant,
it’s a sure kill.”

Five
minutes it’s ridiculously long time considering it’s been just over
a minute since the minotaurs appeared.

“Huh.
Let’s see what I can do.”

But
now was not the time to complain; we had to keep going.

“Purrrr!”

Eight
minotaurs, led by the boss minotaur, charged at a furious pace.

***

Assistant
Gelsia muttered softly as she watched the battle begin to unfold.

“I’m
sorry, but they’re going to have to be sacrificed.”

Ellie’s
eyes widened at that, and she turned her head.

Now,
what the hell was that crazy TA talking about?

“Ms.
TA, what the hell are you talking about?!”

Hearing
Ellie’s rant, the TA sighed heavily.

“Ellie,
look at the flow of that battle. You don’t have to be an explorer to
see which side is at a greater disadvantage.”

“⋯⋯”

Ellie
stared at the battlefield wordlessly.

Clearly,
the odds were stacked against Balkan’s party.

Until
Balkan killed the first two minotaurs, it looked like they might be
able to turn the tide, but then the tide turned against them.

“Purrrrrr!”

Having
had a near-death experience, the eyes of the monsters, including the
Boss Minotaur, were half-crazed.

They
ripped the horns off the two dead minotaurs and wielded them like
blunt weapons.

The
Joy Hog Party was among the most skilled explorers on the seventh
floor, but the minotaurs in front of them were alien beings, beyond
the limits of the seventh floor.

There
was no way to hold out while protecting the mages against such
monsters, who swung their horns and body-slammed as if they would
tear them apart at any moment.

The
cow girl swordsman has a broken left arm and is clutching her sword
with one hand, while the Dwarf holds her shield steadfastly, but is
wounded over her left eye.

The
cat priest grimly sprinkles miracles and pours potions on the harpy
mage, who continues to chant even as a shard of minotaur horn lodges
in her stomach and she spits up blood.

The
rest of the party, pushed to their limits, are still alive.

Because
in front of them, a battered Balkan was still holding his axe and
swinging it at the beast.

With
a potion vial in his mouth, he squinted, and fought five of them at
once, including the boss minotaur.

He
dodged and countered the rapid-fire barrage with near-magical
dexterity.

The
pace, however, was slowing.

“They
can only do this for so long. It’s coming to an end.”

“That’s
why we should do something to help them before it’s too late!”

“Absolutely
not! Working with other magic inside the barrier will drain it,
making the barrier last even less. At this rate, it’ll last a week,
and that’s not what they’ve prepared for in the first place. Escorts
are supposed to protect their employers in times of crisis, even if
it means giving their lives.”

“Well,
still, if I can cast my magic from this safe place, something will
help⋯!”

“Get
a grip, Ellie Ordia, you’re a senior, you should know better! It’s
better to barricade yourself inside the barrier and wait for the
professor! Knowing that, why on earth would you risk it!”

Ellie
Ordia was silenced by Assistant Gelsia’s spittle-spattered retort.

‘Why?’

Why
in the world would I give up the safety of this place for the danger
of that place?

Gelsia
was right.

The
escort will die doing their duty as an escort, but we can sit here
and wait for the professor, who should arrive in a week at most.

It’s
the easiest way. It’s also the safest. If we just stay still, if we
stay quiet, we’ll make it out of the Labyrinth alive and well.

Besides,
Ellie was scared of the Labyrinth.

It
wasn’t just because she was a coward. For the vast majority of normal
citizens, the Labyrinth was a danger zone.

Green
monsters lunged at them, their ugly faces contorted.

Malevolent
traps that rained arrows from the sky, spewed pillars of fire, and
caused space itself to burst into flames, all of which could kill you
if you so much as flinched.

An
uncomfortable, vigilant night’s sleep, the occasional scream of
someone, the howl of a beast and the corpses.

When
Ellie saw the mangled corpses, covered in red paint, she felt a
horror rise from the depths of her heart.

She
choked back tears and vomited.

After
all she’d been through, why couldn’t she wipe her eyes from that
scene?

Why!

Right
now, she’s about to work her magic.

“Ellie
Ordia!!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m
leaving.”

“If
you do this, we all- What?!”

“I’m
getting out. From here. From this barrier!”

“No!
Wait! Stop-“

Whoosh-

Ellie
stepped outside the barrier, and it spat her right back out.

You
have to ask permission to enter, but you’re free to leave.

“Ellie
Ordia! Are you crazy?! Get back here!”

Ellie
was one of the students who shouldn’t have died in this labyrinth,
given her potential and background.

She
had to stop her now, but Ms. Gelsia couldn’t take her foot off the
barrier easily.

If
Ellie died, she’d be a social pariah, but if she left the barrier
now, she’d just be a pariah.

“Coward.”

Ellie
tore her gaze away from Assistant Gelsia’s distant scowl and focused
on the magic gathering at her fingertips.

She
was still scared as hell. Her limbs were trembling slightly.

Ellie
was suddenly fully aware.

Why
in the world had she stepped outside the safe barrier?

A
brief but happy memory from the library came back to her.

The
gaze she’d seen over the helmet, the eyes that had looked not at her
parents behind her, but only at her.

The
praise and approval she’d gotten through.

The
warmth of a hand holding her trembling one in the labyrinth.

All
the emotions Balkan conveyed to her, including his concern as he
patted her back.

“Because
you stayed in my heart.”

She
couldn’t just stand by and watch him in danger.

A
giant fireball appeared from Ellie’s fingertips.

Top
of her third year at the Academy. Everything that was Ellie Ordia,
the unprecedented genius mage who had been recommended to become a
royal wizard before graduation, was contained within it.

“Flare.”

It
was a short word, but its effects were far different from those of
ordinary mages.

A
ball of flame, packed with immense magical power, flew at breakneck
speed and slammed directly into the left half of the boss minotaur
body.

“Purrrrrrr!!!!!”

A
tremendous blast of heat and a cloud of dust rose up, covering the
sixth floor in an instant but the minotaur survived, even as its left
hindquarters and armor burned and melted.

It
had instinctively awakened to the [Darkness] that resided in the
shadows.

As
the minotaur’s body was steeped in [Darkness], the magic flames that
burned it began to fade.

“When
you get back to the surface, I’ll give you a stamp of honor. Ellie.”

Balkan,
who had deftly dodged the flare even before Ellie fired it, was
already on the Minotaur’s heels.

Shaaaaaah-!

The
axe was blessed with a brilliance that had an absolute effect on
[Darkness].

Balkan
chuckled and tightened his grip on the axe.

“Before
you go, let me tell you something. This leather armor, it’s made from
your family.”

-Tsk,
tsk, tsk!!!

The
axe of light sliced through the dust, decapitating the minotaur
surrounded by [Darkness].