"--- Acceleration switch."
My body accelerates abnormally. To a level where Gunjou's movements couldn't match up to. To a level where even the red devil's movements appear to be in stasis. I accelerate for just a second, for a fleeting instance, and is right beside Gunjou. I forcibly grab her arm.
"Hi vomit girl. You look pretty unsightly now after all that boasting."
"What."
Her strong-willed almond shaped eyes widen. Those clear, pale blue irises catch sight of me.
"Y-Y-You......"
However, interrupting her, I give a strong pull to her arm. And hold her to my chest. Her body is slender and thin. Such a small body fighting by herself, there is a limit to how foolish one can be. She must be a moron at heart, I suppose.
"Ah."
Ignoring her cry, I land on the ground. Then turn around. I know that the black devils wouldn't be able to react to my movements. They are trash. No big deal. However, the red one reacted.
By the time I turn around, its ax is already closing in. Of course, I too respond in kind. And deploy my defensive magic.
"...... hn."
However, there seems to be no need for that.
"Heyah!"
Before me, Kiri appears with her skirt fluttering, and stops the ax with her Japanese sword. It completely cancels out the power of the ax --- more like, her Japanese sword appears to possess such a capability. Though there should probably be a limit to the number of times it can completely cancel out the physical force of an attack.
That seems to be a convenient power.
It can be utilized in both offensive and defensive roles.
However, right now, I can't figure out from which labyrinth the technology from which the magic was derived came, or which was the organization that handled it. First and foremost, we have to deal with the devil before us --- and then terminate the diseased girl who is on the brink of killing 3 million people in Kanagawa prefecture.
My finger whirls in the air.
The slots in my brain whirl. As my 《Headphone Fuzz》 spins, I select my song.
I select the magic that can terminate the devils ---
However, at that moment, I stop my magic invocation again. Another person who can pose a threat to the devils appear behind the devils.
In the direction of the entrance to the hall. A man with grey hair, and mismatching red eyes.
It's Hishiro Shiro.
Shiro says.
"...... Penitence Severance switch ---"
An abnormally large knife appears in his hand. It's even much larger than what I saw earlier in the classroom. He starts running towards us, dragging his knife against the floor.
His knife has been extended to a length that's just nice to mow down all four devils at the same time. But he would have to make a really large swing. It's natural for the devils to end up turning around. And attempt to block his knife with their axes.
However, Shiro isn't the least bothered.
Rather, he smiles in delight,
"Those skimpy axes can't block against my sword. Cut down everything, Penitence Severance!"
Shiro swings his gigantic sword with an overbearing attitude. The axes are cut apart readily. And with that, four devil upper torsos dance in the air.
With that, it's over. All of them died.
But, because of his momentum, Shiro comes running all the way up to me,
"Woah woah woah."
And he is beside me. Looking at me.
"I finally caught up to you."
I look at Shiro with half-opened eyes, and say.
"Are you an idiot? That kind of move normally doesn't work right? Firepower idiot."
"Normally, Yousuke would be protecting me."
"Aah ~."
I remember Yousuke for an instant. Is Mr. Glasses already dead? I wonder.
At that moment, Shiro looks down at the Gunjou who's in my arms, and says.
"So you guys...... are in that kind of relationship?"
Instantly, the Gunjou in my arms says,
"Say what!? No way...... hey, get away from me!"
Dohn, she hits my chest. I look down at Gunjou, and say.
"...... that hurts you know?"
Gunjou's face is beet-red.
"Hurry up and get away from me!"
As she is about to hit me again, in a rolling motion, I throw her down onto the floor.
"Kyah."
She rolls down onto the floor. And immediately gets up. She glares at me, no, at all of us, and says.
"...... w-w-what! Hey! Don't misunderstand! E-Even if you didn't come help me, I, would have dealt with all of them by myself!"
The way she's expressing what she wanted to say is really adorable.
I look down at Gunjou with half-opened eyes and move my finger thereafter. I instruct my 《Headphone Fuzz》 to display the remaining time limit.
As expected, Shiro ignores Gunjou, and calls out in the direction of the entrance to the hall.
"Himi! It's safe now. Come over here. Shinnosuke and the rest are also here."
Himi dashes out from the entrance happily.
"Thank goodness! Shinnosuke-san, you are okay right!"
Gunjou then shouts with an angry face.
"Hey! Why am I being ignored! I'll kick your asses!"
"Whatever."
"I'll seriously kill you!"
Gunjou sends her fist flying. At a pretty fast speed. That's right. At the very least, she's the one who dominated Shiro with her charisma and popularity and has been dubbed as the number one most capable magician in her class --- no, in the entire school year.
But, from the side, Kiri grabs the hand of Gunjou.
"Hey ~. Don't you think that this is not the time to be doing this?"
With that, Kiri's capability was immediately conveyed to the rest.
Shiro looks at Kiri.
Gunjou's expression changes as well. Glaring at Kiri with her blue eyes, she wrests her hand out of Kiri's grasp, and sends a hand chop at her. With that, Kiri and Gunjou spar with just their right hands in a flurry of fists and hand chops.
Gunjou probably appears to be slightly faster. If both of them use their full strength, then --- but before that even happens, Kiri draws a step back.
"Hey, wait a minute, why am I fighting with you?"
Gunjou narrows her eyes, grins, puffs out her chest, and replies.
"...... when a new person comes in, we have to first determine who is the better one, don't we?"
"Totally not interested."
"Then, subordinate yourself to me."
"Uh~hn."
Knowing that I should break them up and end this talk of theirs, I make my move and say.
"...... well, at the very least, if it's about breast size, the winner is clear though."
Instantly, with widened eyes that can't get any larger, Gunjou looks at me. For some reason, she brings her hands to her chest as if trying to hide them, and glares at me in indignation.
"Just saying but! I'm n-not l-like totally flat!"
"Liar."
"I'm not lyyiing! W-Well, even though I can't compared to the holstein here but, erm, I'm still growing!"
"Hey, who's a holstein? And Shinnosuke-kun, you said that purposely to stir things up between us right?"
I was seen through.
With a foolish grin, I avoid the reprimanding gaze of Kiri and turn around. And looks in the direction of Shiro and Himi. Himi had already activated her 《Headphone Fuzz》, using some kind of magic.
I asked Shiro.
"Is Himi doing a check on the third floor?"
"Yeah."
"And?"
"She's underestimating us. Once we go up, we'll find the diseased girl without a single guard."
"Isn't that convenient for us?"
"Yeah. Or, that the diseased girl is confident in her own strength."
There are two types of diseased girls.
The type that has tons of guards protecting her.
>
And the powerful type that's hard to deal with.
A labyrinth of the later type is much harder to clear. Since there's a possibility that the powers of the diseased girl could reach lethal, overwhelming, shockingly bizarre levels.
"...... I'm going to draw out the map of the floor above."
Himi extends her index finger. A light lights up from her finger, and using that to bore into the surface of the floor, she starts drawing the layout of the upper floor.
The upper level seems to be made up of a circular room. The stairs here lead up to the center of that room.
There is one enemy.
Only the diseased girl, Asahi Momoka.
Alongside the wall on the northern side.
Peering at that layout, Gunjou says.
"If the layout is so simple, there's no need to take the trouble to draw it out right?"
It seems like the meaningless dispute between Kiri and Gunjou had ended.
Himi replies.
"No, erm, I just thought that it would be a good idea to draw out the positions of the traps."
"Traps?"
Asked Kiri.
Himi nods.
"The floor of the above level is filled with drop-down hole traps --- and the remaining floor is like a gridded suspension bridge. So I'm going to mark the areas of the floor that we should not step on."
Tapping with her finger, Himi colors the floor with black patches. It seems like those black patches are the drop-down holes.
Shiro looks up at the ceiling and says.
"The drop-down holes are on the floor above this right? Then, if we fall through, we'll fall to here?"
But Himi shakes her head.
"With my magic, I can't tell the actual make-up and how things connect up but --- the chances of a fatality occurring on falling is 94%."
In other words, it would be over if one were to easily fall through.
With half-opened eyes, I look intently at the map Himi drew. While tapping my foot, I memorize the map and make several simulations on how to move around once we reach the level above.
There is hardly any time to memorize it.
The time limit is ---
"............"
I take a look at the time limit that had been called up into my mind earlier.
Seven minutes remain.
In other words, there is the possibility of 3 million people of Kanagawa Prefecture getting erased seven minutes later. Asahi Momoka would then become an 《Eternal Labyrinth》, get a code name, and become a tool that military organizations and countries would fight for the rights to it.
Of course, if we remain here, we would be assimilated by the 《Eternal Labyrinth》 and terminated.
Seven minutes remain.
Just seven minutes.
Normally, we should be escaping.
So, what will these fellows do?
As I look up, Gunjou says.
"...... just to say this up front, I'm the leader get it? It's natural right. As the one who's most capable in our year, I should be giving you instructions."
Shiro looks at Gunjou.
"Damn you, don't f**k with us. We are the ones who picked you up when all your allies were killed and you are the last one remaining, aren't we?"
"What? Then, why don't we decide who's the stronger one here before going up?"
"Hey, fine with me."
The two glare at each other.
But, frankly speaking, we don't have time for such foolishness. The two of them should also know this very well, thus, their outbursts just now exceeded the level of mere idiocy and were goddammit kind of idiocy.
"Ah ~ ah", I sigh out, look up at the ceiling, and advance towards the stairs.
Gunjou says.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Shiro says.
"Wait up Shinnosuke!"
I reply without turning around.
"Nah. Why don't you guys just do what you like? I'll profit from this labyrinth all by myself......"
At that moment, my words got cut off,
"H-Hey, everyone, please listen to me!"
Himi raises her voice. Her voice was pretty loud that even she looks surprised by it.
I look at Himi.
Gunjou also looks at her.
Kiri also looks at her.
Shiro also looks at her.
As we all do that, Himi becomes increasingly nervous,
"E-E-Erm, I'm sorry. Ermmm...... my magic slots are all on support magic, and I won't be of any use from hereon, so when the remaining time is up on this floor, I'll probably Escape ---."
"Aah, I see. Then see you. Bye, thanks for your hard work."
Himi nods at my words.
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much...... wait, that's not what I want to say."
She raises her voice again.
"E-Erm, I'm a nobody but...... everyone here who has survived such a high level labyrinth is a really amazing person......"
She says to us with a teary face for some reason.
"Shiro-san is of course amazing, Shinnosuke-kun too, Gunjou-san as well, she's really incredibly strong --- and also......"
Himi's words trail off as she looks in the direction of Kiri.
Kiri waves her hand and says.
"Ah, erh, I'm Kiryuu Kiri. From 『Class 3』. The rest of 『Class 3』 has Escaped so I'm left all alone here. Nice to meet you."
Himi then nodded and said.
"Then, Kiri-san as well...... all of you are really amazing for not Escaping from here."
Cutting her off, I say.
"So what? Make it shorter. Unlike you who's free, we have no time."
"Ah, ah, yes. Sorry...... erm, that is, I mean...... if everyone here properly work together, I think you will be the dream team of our school year, so......"
I continue after her.
"So please don't fight like idiots whose brains have turned to moss, and work with each other. Get it? Firepower Idiot and Vomit Girl."
Shiro looks at Himi with narrowed eyes.
Gunjou glares in my direction.
"I don't need you to tell me that......"
But I cut her off and tell them the time limit that is displayed in my mind.
"Six more minutes. We only have six minutes of a chance to duke it out with the diseased girl. But let me say this first, if the diseased girl is strong and it seems like we can't win, I'll immediately escape. And also, even if it seems like we can win, I'll Escape if there's only two minutes left."
"............"
"Even if someone's hurt or if someone's in danger, I'll just get out of here. I'll definitely not help anyone. I can't give a bunch of hypocrisy or sugar-coated words here. The things I want are money, fame, and authority. I'm interested in nothing else. The lives of Kanagawa's 3 million people? World peace? Hah. I don't care about those. I think it's insane to give everything I got for the sake of people I've never even met. So that's about it, I'm going up to claim the reward for myself but --- if there's any praiseworthy fellow here who wants to come along, please feel free."
And I start walking.
I start ascending the stairs.
Immediately, Kiri appears alongside me. While grinning, she says.
"Is it okay for me to tag along?"
"A money-monger huh."
"Ah-ha, not as much as you, Shinnosuke-kun. And a-also, erm, can I ask you about something?"
"Hn?"
"Shinnosuke-kun...... erm, are you dating that Gunjou girl?"
"Huh? What the hell's with that?"
"Because you know, you were carrying her like a princess ~."
Kiri pouts her lips as if she were a little displeased. It isn't evident to me as to what kind of motive she has to say such a thing. Is she trying to control me? Or does she have some other motive?"
At that moment, Shiro appears alongside me.
"Well, let's clear the labyrinth and visit Yousuke together after this."
"Yousuke, that guy, is probably dead right? Rat
her, if he's in heaven, you might get to see him there right?"
"You really are an unpleasant guy."
"Haha."
And lastly,
"............"
Without saying anything, Gunjou makes a really displeased face as she follows after us.
The ones going to the top are these four people. Himi is the only person remaining on the second floor.
In the end, nobody Escaped. Even though there are only five minutes remaining. Additionally, this is a high level labyrinth. Then, no one can imagine how dangerous the diseased girl above is. Despite having made the decision to Escape if things become bad, the chance of dying is high. But yet, everyone stayed. In other words, these fellows are missing a few screws like the crazy driver with his foot down on the accelerator; either that or, they are burdened with some special circumstances that didn't allow them to retreat.
"Well, at any rate, I'm not interested in the circumstances of others......"
"Eh?"
Kiri looks at me. I shrug my shoulders.
"Nothing. We're almost there......"
At the third floor.
I climb up, to the third floor where the diseased girl is.
And, at the same time when I'm in the process of ascending, the diseased girl who is alongside the northern wall comes into view. The diseased girl is like a puppet, with both her hands hung up by threads. Her vacant face hangs down. At the end of the threads, is a gigantic hand, with black skin like that of the devil from earlier. That hand moves just a little. Right after that, the body of the diseased girl --- Asahi Momoka, starts moving with a few large jerks.
The girl's right hand gives birth to lightning.
While splitting the floor apart, that lightning is unleashed straight towards me ---
"Huh, so sudden damn! Acceleration switch!"
While accelerating with full power, I step onto the third floor.
* * *
Chapter 4 - About the Story of the Last Four Minutes
4 minutes remaining ---
With the map that Himi showed us called up into my mind, I run. In order not to fall into any of the holes. In order not to set off any of the traps.
The diseased girl is running amok. She is unleashing her lightning magic, which possesses an abnormal amount of destructive power, all over the place, endlessly. Making the fall-through holes meaningless. Most of the trap-ridden areas of the floor have been destroyed, leaving gaping holes.
Mokushiroku Arisu - Volume 01 Page 12
