episode_0159

Necromancer Cain.

A peculiar necromancer I happened to meet while taking a request on the 6th floor.

I knew he was different from typical necromancers based on what I roughly felt.

I didn’t expect him to be this hostile.

As the 1st Captain and Cain faced each other fiercely, more familiar faces were visible.

“Hey!! If you don’t scram, I’ll mix you into a corpse golem?!”

“Return to the darkness again♥”

The twin necromancers and other necromancers who had become half-monsters were seen.

Even though they were doing strange things, they were still necromancers. People who possess the power to use such labyrinth passages.

Could it be they came to save us?

It was unexpected reinforcement.

Cain immediately grinned, looked down at me, and roughly threw a potion, hitting my body.

*Clang*!! As it shattered, the potion began to seep into my body, allowing me to move a little.

“It’s been a while!! Apostle of the Main God! You seem to be in quite a difficult situation!”

“You are…?”

“Just stay put for now. Thanks to the time you bought, even if just a little, it seems quite a few people can be saved.”

“Why….”

“Huh? Isn’t the enemy of an enemy a friend? It’s only natural.”

The enemy of an enemy is a friend. It was a very simple logic.

With a slight smile at Cain’s words, I slowly got up from my spot.

As if the dark mana that had been pressing down on my whole body receded, the remaining explorers and knights who had survived stood up.

There were quite a few corpses, but about 30% survived.

The monsters that had been attacking us nearby turned back into dark mana, and the half-monster necromancers and ordinary necromancers were having a power struggle.

“Even though we are helping, it is difficult for non-necromancers to stay here. Hurry and leave with the Apostle.”

Cain, who spoke so resolutely, immediately charged towards the 1st Captain.

It seemed Cain was not an easy match for the 1st Captain either, as he retreated significantly, and the two were soon out of sight.

“Mr. Ivan!!”

Grace, who had approached without me noticing, helped me up and immediately returned to everyone.

As if they weren’t interested in us, while the two factions of necromancers were fighting fiercely.

“Take all the dead!!!”

Noah shouted.

Could it be possible to take the corpses out of the labyrinth?

Action preceded doubt.

After everyone collected the remains of the dead explorers, they immediately ran following Noah.

Although there were far more dead people than living ones.

People running with bodies held in their arms as if they could carry that many people.

“Hey!! Aren’t you running faster?!!”

“The golem I summoned would run faster than this♥”

The twin necromancers followed as if to cover us.

Under their escort, we continued to run through the passage.

How long did we run like that?

Just when it felt like I was about to lose consciousness from the strong smell of blood.

We reached the end of the passage.

Instead of the slightly tired Noah, the twin necromancers opened a space.

Somewhere where intense light was streaming out.

Even though there were no words telling us to go in, not one person doubted and threw themselves into it.

Everyone went in, and our party was the last remaining.

I immediately looked at the twin necromancers, but they only told us to quickly scram.

“Thank you.”

With a final word of thanks, I entered the shattered space.

Intense light filled my body, and when I came to my senses, I was already outside the labyrinth.

*Shhhhhhh-*

The intense rain felt even with my eyes closed.

Was it raining outside the labyrinth right now?

Besides that, I could hear all sorts of sad voices.

Of course, how many people had died as we escaped?

“Huu…”

After taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes.

“…What the.”

But the scene unfolding before my eyes was even more serious than I had imagined.

Ariel Plaza.

In the very center of Zone 0, located in the heart of the Labyrinth City.

The exit of the Labyrinth, which would not be strange to call the very center of the Labyrinth City.

Since countless explorers come out through this place, at midnight when it’s possible to exit the Labyrinth, it’s truly swarming with people.

Of course, it’s possible to come out at times other than midnight, like from hidden dungeons, but generally, not many explorers enter those. So, it’s natural for there to be few people at such an ambiguous time.

Moreover, at 3 to 4 AM, long past midnight.

But now, Ariel Plaza is more crowded than ever.

Injured explorers, dead explorers, and even people from the guild trying to grasp the situation.

“Priest!! Cleric!! Call anyone!!!”

“Are there any top-grade potions?!!! I will pay the price!!!”

In the noisy situation with various people shouting, we discovered a familiar face.

Rain.

A multitude of guild guides, including her, were here.

What exactly is going on?

Rain also found me and quickly approached.

“Ivan!!!”

“What’s happening?”

“Well…. We’re still figuring it out, but boss monsters were summoned on all floors from the 5th to the 10th of the labyrinth. So….”

“……What?”

Actually, listening to what the necromancers were saying, I did infer that similar things were happening on other floors. But I only thought it would be around the 7th to 9th floors at most.

But from the 5th to the 10th floor. Could it be a plan to kill all the strong explorers?

“First of all, it’s a chaotic situation and things aren’t sorted out yet, but an incomprehensible story is circulating that the necromancers and the Ariel Church teamed up to attack the explorers, and then the necromancers saved them. But everyone is saying the same thing….”

It’s certainly an unbelievable story.

The content that the Ariel Church, perceived as good, joined forces with the necromancers to trap the explorers.

And the content that another force of necromancers, previously thought of as a single group, appeared and saved the explorers.

What would have happened if the necromancers from Cain’s side hadn’t saved the explorers?

Probably most of the explorers in the labyrinth would have lost their lives.

Perhaps the explorers on the 10th floor would be better off, since there would be a few deep-layer explorers mixed in their clans.

At any rate, since such an unusual event occurred, the Labyrinth City is bound to fall into chaos.

Just as I was about to change my deck to help immediately, I felt something strange.

“…Why are there so few Ariel Church clerics or priests visible?”

Hundreds, thousands of casualties occurred, and at this level, contact should have already been made with the church in Zone 0.

But looking now, the only ones providing treatment here are the clerics who entered with the existing explorers.

Where did all the others go?

They wouldn’t stop treatment just because it’s dawn, or something like that?”

“Well…, the Ariel Church isn’t responding right now.”

“No, even though the Ariel Church is one group.”

“Recently, the Ariel Church called all followers in the Labyrinth City to Zone 1, the Holy Land, saying there was an important ritual.”

“……What?”

“And since past midnight, Zone 1 has been completely silent.”

It seems they probably called all the followers back, even anticipating intervention from Cain’s side of the necromancers.

It’s a situation where anyone can see their true intentions. They were planning to cause a big incident from the start.

If so, I’m the only one who can help in treating them.

Immediately change the deck.

『Deck has been switched.』

『Current Deck: Paladin’s Deck』

『Time until next change possible: 0:59:59』

Just as I was about to wait until the next turn.

*Sway-*

I had been hit hard by the hammer, and I had summoned quite a strenuous schedule, so it seemed fatigue had accumulated.

But Grace immediately caught me.

“Don’t overdo it. You were hit squarely.”

My concentration was already starting to wane.

Is it because of the relief of having arrived at a safe place?

But even so, if there’s something I can do, there’s no reason not to.

“Guide me.”

Held in Grace’s arms, I continued to move and began treating people.

Temporary tents were set up, and all the patients were moved under them to escape the pouring rain.

Support seemed to be coming from the guild too, as medical supplies such as potions and bandages arrived quickly.

But even so, the priests still showed no sign of coming.

“They say the gate to Zone 1 is firmly closed.”

According to Rain, it’s said that it’s impossible to even grasp the situation in Zone 1 right now.

Although it makes me wonder if that’s even possible. For now, it wasn’t important.

There were people who came out of the labyrinth afterwards as well.

They all said, in one sentence, that they had received help from Cain’s side of the necromancers.

Listening to these stories, only one question could arise.

“No, is there a reason for them to take on such a risk?”

“Right. I don’t know why the Ariel Church bothered to participate in this incident.”

If their intention was to summon field bosses and massacre the explorers, wouldn’t it have been enough to just use a small number of necromancers and the Seven Sins?

Why on earth did the Ariel Church actively participate in that?

No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know the reason.

Perhaps the situation that will unfold in the future will reveal everything.

Not long after having that thought.

An explorer shouted.

“It’s the Paladins of the Ariel Church!!!!!”

“Paladins? Not priests, but paladins?”

As someone said, paladins are people who use their power to fight someone. Conversely, it is known that priests or clerics are the ones who do healing or supportive work.

Of course, it’s not that paladins can’t heal, or that priests or clerics can’t fight, but that’s the general perception.

But now, in a situation where there are clearly many patients, only paladins are flocking here.

Moreover, paladins whose armor is clearly flashy just by looking at it.

As the unaffected explorers, sensing something strange, were wary of them, the paladins stood in a line and were trying to surround the area.

…At this point, wouldn’t it be stranger not to feel something is strange?

“Stop!!!”

Someone stepped forward in front of the paladins.

It was the knight, Karin.

Her armor was already mostly broken, and her whole body was covered in bandages from receiving treatment, but she held a sword imbued with aura and pointed it at the paladins.

“If you were going to help with treatment, you should be helping, what on earth are you doing?!!”

“……”

The paladins simply looking this way without saying anything, suddenly a cleric from the Ariel Church who was here stepped forward.

“Those, those people are the Holy Knights under the Pope!!!”

Pope. There was no one who didn’t know what that name meant.

However, the fact that there were Holy Knights under that Pope was completely unknown.

Because it was unlikely that someone known to be more upright, benevolent, and good than anyone else would operate such private soldiers.

Moreover, it’s a problem even if this is true. Because it’s currently announcing itself that it’s highly likely the Pope instigated all of this situation and problem.

But sometimes truth is cruel.

The Holy Knights silently draw their swords.

As if they would kill us all now and achieve their goal.

Their gaze was fixed solely on one place.

『Malice has been detected. Draw 4 cards.』