Chapter 1: Prologue

Death God of the Labyrinth

The path drenched in darkness akin to the starless night sky was turned bright red through the Dragon’s scorching hot blaze. The tsunami of blames was evaded by the female samurai with black hair, Chidori, with swift movement running along the wall, as she slid right beneath the dragon. And then, she leaped up to slash at its thick neck.

“Hup!”

She screamed with energy as the slash of her tachi cut right through the dragon’s skin of steel like it was clay.

“Guraaaaah!”

Screams of pain and burning flames gushed out of the wound, as the large Orc warrior Willow closed in on the dragon’s stomach and slammed his battle ax into the open space. This attack crushed the dragon’s heart and became the fatal injury that brought its life to end, as the large body turned into particles of light and disappeared.

“I swear…he had to get in the way right before our goal.”

“We should be thankful we made it this far without a single death.” Chidori put her blade away as she answered Willow’s statement.

The leader of the party, Holy Knight in his prime, Leon nodded along.

“Yeah. We’ve paid magic stones worth 100,000 coins just in preparation, so I would hate to suffer losses mid-way.”

“Maybe you should mention my hard work over some currency, no?” The female speckled magician Kanaria muttered with a pout.

With the special ink they bought in exchange for magic stones, she wrote spells on their bodies, including her own. Thanks to that, she was the only one severely running low on sleep.

“Everyone knows how hard you’ve woofed, Kanaria,” said the War Dog Priest Polski.

“That’s good, at least.”

Kanaria seemed to have been healed at seeing the large dog ears moving back and forth because she stopped her barrage of complaints. But that’s when Willow had to add another comment in the mix.

“If anything, shouldn’t you be happy that you got to see me and Leon naked?”

“I will kill you, fucking green-skin.” The magician grasped her wand in anger as she spit insults at the Orc, when the Holy Knight jumped in.

“Wait, wait, let’s not beat each other to death.” He said and pointed at the large iron door at the end of the hallway.

This was where the mortal enemy of all adventurers resided—the guardian of the 6th floor, the Dark Knight. To reach this area, they had fought hundreds of monsters, trained their aura, and prepared for each possible scenario.

“Kanaria, your magic is going to activate, right?”

Standing in front of the iron door, the Holy Knight wanted to confirm this one last time, and the female magician nodded.

“Yes, the Return Reserve magic has been cast on all of us. If we die, our bodies should be transported to the front of the cathedral.”

“Should be…huh?” Willow grinned, which earned him a sharp glare from the magician.

“There is nothing wrong in the procedure I’ve created. However, activating space-time teleportation magic after our deaths is ridiculously difficult. The place our bodies may end up could vary greatly.”

Just as much as they could end up mid-air and be splattered across the pavement, they may very well end up buried even deeper than this 6th floor, making recovery impossible. And if that were to happen, they would end up as one of the Lost—A death unavoidable even with the existence of revival magic.

“By ignoring weapons and other equipment, I can lessen the burden of the skill and make the location much more stable.”

However, the chances weren’t zero, either.

“We have to be prepared to lay down your lives, as have the adventurers before us who’ve reached this 6th floor. Yes, like Chidori’s—”

“Kanaria.” The Holy Knight gently tapped on her shoulder, as she seemingly got worried.

“Nobody is doubting your skill. And even if things went south, we won’t blame you.”

“Indeed. I have nothing but gratitude,” Chidori said and lowered her head.

She crossed the fast ocean to the east in order to arrive at the Goldo Kingdom. And now, her one wish in life could soon be granted. Thus, all she felt was indebtedness to the allies who allowed her to reach this part.

“…That’s good.” The female magician awkwardly averted her face.

The Holy Knight couldn’t suppress a bitter smile as he put his hand on the iron door.

“Is everyone ready?”

“I’m raring to go!”

“Let’s get this done!”

The door swung open as the five stormed inside. Contrary to the pitch-black hallway, they were greeted with a snow-white, half-circular room, with a single statue standing inside. A full-body armor colored in an ominous jet-black color, a blood-red greatsword to be swung by two hands, and the full-faced kabuto mask imagined after a demon. It was none other than the deliverer of despair, who had tormented heroes and adventurers for the past several thousand years.

“The Dark Knight!”

Chidori screamed as she put strength into her body, pulling her tachi. As if it took this as a sign, the Dark Knight began moving, too. The enemy stepped forward one step at a time, as the female magician and Beast Priest started their chant.

‘O light of mana, reside in my blade and slice through our enemy—Enchant Weapon!”

“O God of Light, Ord. Protect us with thine grace—Holy protection, woof!”

Thanks to the information they gathered, obtained by brave adventurers who returned back to the surface through the use of Return Reserve, they learned that direct attack magic does not have any effect on the Dark Knight. However, even as Chidori and the others had been strengthened, the walking armor did not speed up in the slightest. It’s like it was waiting for their preparations to be completed.

“Looking down on us, huh?” Willow howled, but he could feel sweat all over his body.

Just by facing this enemy, he knew that it was strong to the point they themselves were small weaklings.

“…Gulp.”

Chidori gulped audibly, as she readied her tachi in front of her face. Once all the strengthening magic spells had finished, the Dark Knight slowly raised its greatsword, throwing it at the Holy Knight.

“Wha?!”

It crossed the sound barrier as it created a wave attack. The Holy Knight saw no other option but to block the blood-red sword with his shield. Several levels of defensive magic had been cast on this armor and shield, able to withstand a stomping attack from a giant dragon. And yet, it crushed the shield and armor with ease, piercing the Holy Knight’s chest.

“Gah…?!”

“Leon?!”

“O God of Light, Ord, soothe the wounds of—”

The Holy Knight coughed up blood, as the magician raised screams, when the Beast Priest cast healing magic. Ignoring all of this, Chidori and Willow ran toward the Dark Knight. They weren’t abandoning their allies, they wanted to use this chance where the opponent was without a weapon. Otherwise, they would betray their teammates. With a single breath, the two split up. Chidori moved to the left, and Willow attacked from the right.

“Hayah!”

It was an attack from head to toe, with all of the individual’s strength. This attack possessed enough strength to even slice through diamond itself, so it can’t be taken lightly. And this attack was now flying toward the Dark Knight from both sides, making evading it impossible. The same was the case for directly blocking it. As all of them were sure of that fact, the Dark Knight’s hands moved like a wave across the ocean, and both their attacks only met empty air.

“Wha…”

Chidori was utterly baffled at this happening, but her eyes managed to grasp the true happening of this for only an instant. The Dark Knight moved at the speed of light, using the back of both his fists to deflect their weapons, altering their trajectory. Met with such divine skill, they were overwhelmed with awe, even if this was neither the time nor place. And that wasn’t the end of it all, the Dark Knight used his hand as a sharp blade and rammed it right into the necks of Chidori and Willow.

“Gah?!”

The gauntlet bit into their throats, as they both coughed up blood. If they hadn’t been under the protection of defensive magic, their heads might have just come clean off with that. Although they could still fight, the Dark Knight opted to leave them both alone, and instead started running toward the Holy Knight, who had suffered a mortal wound.

“Ugh…”

Although he was under the assistance of healing magic, with a giant sword through his chest, there wasn’t much he could do. And yet, instead of trying to pull it out of him, the Holy Knight pressed it deeper into his chest, as he readied his own sword in his right hand. This greatsword managed to easily pierce their defensive magic. As long as the enemy would not receive it back during the fight, his allies had a chance to win. And if it meant victory in the hands of the challenger, a single life laid down was a cheap price.

There was no meaning in trying to save a single life in the labyrinth. As long as their opponent was still standing, all their sacrifices would be in vain. A single victorious survivor would mean the safe return of everyone else.

“Raaaaaah!”

In order to buy his allies even a second, the Holy Knight roared and swung his sword at the Dark Knight with the small remains of his life force. However, it didn’t reach the jet-black armor, as the Dark Knight stopped the sword with his left hand.

“Barehanded Interception?!”

Stealing the blade of the opponent with one’s bare hand was one of the most difficult sword techniques taught where Chidori was born. She never would have anticipated the Dark Knight, lurking in the depths of the labyrinth, to possess this ability.

“That’s impossible…”

The Dark Knight swung down the sword it just stole from the Holy Knight. His head soared through the sky, as the body convulsed and dropped to the ground. That’s when Return Reserve activated, leaving behind the bloody greatsword, as well as the Holy Knight’s own sword and armor, only teleporting the corpse out of the labyrinth.

“Leon…”

Met with the unexpected death of their leader, the female magician was taken aback, screaming as her face distorted in terror and rage.

“O Lightning, run wild as you burn everything to the ground—Thunder Vortex!”

The magician lost herself in anger as she put all her aura and power into this attack, letting forth a storm of lighting that rampaged inside the room.

“You damn moron!”

Willow screamed in anger since this attack could very well wrap her allies into this. However, that ended up needless worry. The Dark Knight picked up his red greatsword from the Holy Knight’s armor, swinging it once. Through that, the storm of lighting was split in two and finally vanished into thin air.

“No way…”

As they gathered previously, any direct magic attack did not work on the Dark Knight. They were shown that with their own eyes, but the walking armor wasn’t done yet, as it threw the sword of the Divine Knight at the magician’s neck. Beheaded by her beloved man’s weapon, the girl’s body slumped to the ground, vanishing into thin air as only her robe and wand were left behind. Willow finally managed to get up despite his pain, and ran towards the Dark Knight.

“Graaaaah!”

“Wait!”

Chidori tried to stop him when the Dark Knight chanted something behind its mask. Suddenly, he was surrounded by absolute nothingness.

“Darkness?!”

It was beginner-level magic that robbed the opponent of its sight. The female magician would be able to cast this a hundred times over. However, this spell influenced not the person themselves but their surroundings, allowing Willow nothing to do. After all, he was a warrior who could not use Light magic.

“Damnit!”

Willow’s battle ax cut through empty air.

“O God of Light, Ord. Illuminate the darkness—Light, woof.”

The Beast Priest created light to try and erase the darkness, but it was too late. The Dark Knight moved behind Willow without creating so much of a sound, swinging down his crimson greatsword.

“Hella strong, aren’t ya.” Willow cursed his own weakness, as his upper body slid off and fell to the ground.

His body disappeared all the same, leaving behind only Chidori and the Beast Priest.

“Chidori…”

“Don’t say a thing.” Chidori kept a stern expression as the Beast Priest was about to break out in tears.

There was no chance at victory left. The best they could do was hope for a swift death. Maybe they had begged for this outcome, assuming they could defeat the Dark Knight, which not even the few legendary heroes managed to best. However, laying their life without a fight was not permitted by a 6th-floor adventurer.

“Face me.”

Chidori readied her tachi, preparing for her strongest technique—Iaigiri. And as the Dark Knight approached her, she let loose an attack of divine-speed slices. Hakuyou Style Sword Technique – Nebulous Three-Claw. The attack aimed at the main body of the enemy, while also slashing at the head and legs simultaneously. The attack happened in an instant, and no human or monster had ever managed to defend itself against this divine technique…And yet, it was repressed by an overwhelming difference in strength.

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“GI.”

The Dark Knight let out a faint voice, as it swung its greatsword with both arms. The crimson-red mana emitted from the blade turned into six blades together, easily intercepting Chidori’s attack. After her aura blades were scattered into a thousand particles, her beloved tachi was split in two.

“You monster.”

As Chidori stood stiff without any weapon to defend herself, the Dark Knight followed up with yet another instantaneous attack. Her head was separated from her body with a clean hit, soaring through the sky. In the split moment before death, her eyes moved toward the Dark Knight’s mask, and her mouth opened.

—Next time, I’ll get you.

This declaration of war was met with silence, as the Dark Knight did not react. If not a hallucination, it only looked as if the mask formed a devious smile. And the moment she felt her head splatter on the ground, her consciousness faded to black.

Chidori calmly opened her eyes, awakening from her dream in which she suffered this overwhelming defeat.

“Again…”

Half a year had passed since these events, and yet each and every move and attack of the Dark Knight had been burned into her mind, not leaving her alone. She slapped her cheeks to rid herself of the lingering terror, putting on her cotton cloth and fundoshi, adding her kimono and hakama, and she left the room. She didn’t live in a regular inn or rented home, but a regular one-floor residence she bought with her allies. The five from White Wing and their maid all lived here as a big family.

“Good morning, Chidori-sama.”

Spotting the appearance of Chidori, the maid, who was a bit older than her, greeted her with a polite bow.

“Bring me tea.”

“Understood.”

Chidori sat down, to which the maid immediately prepared the black tea she asked for.

As delicious as always. However, I’d like to have some green tea once in a while…

Chidori was slightly displeased that she didn’t get to taste her hometown’s distinct flavor, as she slowly gulped down the warm black tea.

Just where does that manager from the Eternal Maiden get it from…?

Not just rice, the Eternal Maiden even offered miso soup, soy sauce, and even other ingredients from the area Chidori came from. The food made by the maid was nothing to scoff at, but it couldn’t beat the nostalgic taste Chidori was used to. And yet, the manager from the Eternal Maiden never offered her secrets.

I understand that rice can be made in southern countries as long as they’re warm enough, but miso soup and soy sauce were supposed to be limited to only my hometown…

If she actually imported them from the eastern island country Wano, it would cost half a fortune. And yet, the Eternal Maiden offered miso soup and soy sauce dishes for a single silver coin.

Not to mention that I’m practically the only one ordering it, too…

You could technically order this food at the Eternal Maiden, but it wasn’t part of the menu, and Chidori had never seen anybody order it. It seemed like, even if she invited someone to eat together, they saw the food she loved as something with a nasty smell. Even her team members said “I don’t like the distinct smell,” so only Willow, who was after the hefty manager of the Eternal Maiden, agreed to join Chidori.

I don’t think she’s making much profit from that, so maybe it’s just the manager’s hobby?

Whether or not it’s true or not is left up for debate, but it’s said that the manager is supposed to be a legendary karate ninja who fought without using any kind of weapon or defensive equipment. Even now, her existence was shrouded in mystery, and even Chidori, who was born at the ground zero for the art of karate, only heard tales about this. However, it would explain why she held such love for this type of food despite her not possessing typically eastern facial features. But as she was lost in her thoughts, her other three team members arrived at the cafeteria.

“Oh God of Light, Ord, I thank you for your blessing, woof.”

The Beast Priest offered a prayer, to which Chidori put her hands together, reaching for the white bread, bean soup, and bacon eggs with a vegetable salad that the maid had prepared. As they were 6th-floor adventurers who earned thousands of gold coins a day, this breakfast may seem a bit plain, but they didn’t dislike it. Eat too much, and you’ll end up suffering later in the labyrinth. It could all prove fatal, especially the deeper you went. There seem to be female adventurers in this world who are wearing diapers in the midst of battle, openly defecating as they saw fit, but Chidori hadn’t deserted her femininity to such a degree. And after they finished their well-nourished breakfast, the Beast Priest offered another prayer. While waiting for that, Chidori quietly spoke up.

“Can I have a moment?”

The others must have felt like this was serious business, as they all listened.

“What?” The Holy Knight asked, taking the representative position in the group.

“I’d like to challenge it again.”

She didn’t need to say who she was referring to. Everyone on this team knew all too well.

“We’ve fought hundreds of monsters and acquired stronger equipment. Right now, we—”

“No way!” The female magician interrupted Chidori’s voice. “A bit of a boost in strength isn’t going to help us against that monster!”

The girl would usually keep her calm no matter the situation, and yet she now resembled a young child terrified of adults. The fear of seeing how powerless her magic was, with the scene of witnessing the leader’s head flying off his head probably terrified her to the bone.

I don’t blame her for that.

Shown in the fact that she had a nightmare just this morning, Chidori’s fear of the Dark Knight had yet to subside. However, the passion and desire to face him again and emerge victorious were even stronger. However, the female magician didn’t have as strong of a drive for that.

“We may have managed to all make it back safely to the cathedral back then, but there’s no guarantee that it’ll work out twice in a row, you know?!”

She attended the Imperial Academy which gathered talented mages and sorcerers across the continent. And in order to prove all the people who looked down on her wrong, she chose to write her own legend and became an adventurer. However, her passion lasted up until becoming a 6th-rank here as an adventurer, and nobody who practiced magic would dare take her lightly. Even if she was unable to reach the deepest part of the labyrinth to have her wish granted, she accomplished everything she set out to do. And during her long adventure, she found someone she didn’t want to die. And that person felt the same way about her. She didn’t have the freedom to fight the Dark Knight as she pleased.

“I have to agree, woof.” The Beast Priest showed an apologetic expression as he gave his veto.

Unlike different races like elves and dwarves, beastmen with animal ears or tails happen as an irregularity among humans. The reason for this is still unknown, with speculating it to be a curse of the killed monsters, half-breeds originating from humans getting together with monsters, or maybe even some forbidden ritual. As their looks could be similar to kobolts, the inhabitants of many regions in this world despite beastmen, it wasn’t a rare occurrence to see them killed at birth or even thrown out as babies. He was one of those children that had been cast out when young, but a church in a rural area found it and raised him. Luckily, the priest and other orphans didn’t discriminate against him, which allowed for an upright upbringing, and he became an adventurer in order to repay them.

“Challenging an unwinnable fight, let alone wasting all our money and resources on it, is idiotic.”

Nobody held him in contempt for judging this way. He would regularly send back some of the money he earned to the orphanage, and this money has helped countless children already. It made perfect sense for him to abandon his desire as an adventurer to go beyond what anybody had seen and prioritize the health and well-being of those who cared for him. Half a year ago, he agreed to join their battle because of his wish to reach the 7th floor and bring wealth and fortune to the entire world. Now that this was crushed, he had no reason to risk his life for nothing.

“I agree with Chidori.”

To everyone’s surprise, Willow raised his thick, green arm.

“The strongest enemy we could ever fight is waiting there. That’s all the reason I need.”

“Indeed.”

Chidori smiled as she witnessed the barbarous but equally brave answer she had expected from him. As Orcs are known to be a race of fighters, they feel no shame in laying down their life in battle. Those who die an honorary death in battle are promised beautiful maidens and a great banquet in heaven. That is their faith. However, those who run from the enemy that brought them shame are said to have their genitals cut off in hell, sliding on ice for the rest of all eternity as they become a laughing stock. This evidently was much more terrifying to an Orc than the fear of death itself. And as such, the 6th-floor ranked orc warrior Willow, receiving admiration from his other orc comrades, could not run from this battle.

“What about you, Leon?”

“…”

The conversation was brought full circle towards the Holy Knight Leon, who went silent. He was the oldest son of a relatively poor family, so he became an adventurer to bring back his family to wealth. In reality, half of the noble families ruling over the Empire had been built by former adventurers, and since the Holy Knight’s family had been adventurers many hundreds of years ago, he now went back to their roots.

Unlike Chidori, he wasn’t born with limitless talent, but from the day he turned 15 to now, he invested blood, sweat, and tears to reach the rank of a 6th-floor adventurer. Thanks to his efforts, his family has been on the rise again, and many invitations to draw him into the army had arrived at his doorstep.

“I agree with your desire to once again challenge the Dark Knight. However…”

He turned 32 this year. In terms of being a politician or merchant, he was still quite young, but as an adventurer who made his bread by defeating monsters and going through rigorous battles, he was slowly closing in on the idea of retirement. Adding to the fact that his body was slowly starting to dull, and the fact that he couldn’t throw around his money because of his family, he may fear that it would all be for naught.

He had always possessed a genuine heart of dreaming about one day defeating the Dark Knight and leaving behind a heroic tale, as well as the genuine desire to reach the 7th floor and have whatever wish of his grant. However, he possessed plenty of reasonability and a clear gaze on the situation at hand.

“…Are you certain that we can win?”

“…” Chidori’s words were stuck in her throat, which acted as an answer of its own.

After their initial defeat half a year ago, the group had grown stronger. There was no doubt to be had in that. But even so, none of them could actually see themselves besting the Dark Knight.

“Then I must ask you to give up.” The Holy Knight flashed a bitter smile as he forcefully cut this conversation short.

Right as Chidori wanted to argue against this, the bell of the front entrance rang.

“Excuse me.” The maid, who had been standing in the corner of the room, now moved towards the entrance.

After a brief moment, she returned with a bewildered expression.

“There is someone who’d like to meet all of you.”

“Who is it?”

“Three young girls who seem to be adventurers. I have yet to see them before.”

“Then please send them home.” The Holy Knight sighed.

Since being a 6th-floor ranker brought a certain level of fame with it, they’d regularly come in contact with passionate fans, as well as devious individuals who seek to use them for their own good. And needless to say, they didn’t have time to attend to each and every one of them. Usually, their maid would send them away with grace or force, but the circumstances were a bit different this time.

“Leon-sama, one of the visitors asked me to hand you this,” the maid said and passed him an envelope.

Accepting this, the Holy Knight’s face immediately froze up in terror.

“The Empire’s sigil?!”

Holding the letter together was the sigil of the Goldo Empire, depicting the Goddess of Earth. The only people able to use this sigil was the 41st Emperor Graf, followed by a small selection of the royal family.

“…”

The Holy Knight showed a tense expression as he opened the envelope, taking out the letter inside. On there, it stated “Please listen to what the deliverer of this letter has to say,” with nothing else. Not even a name or a sender could be found. The doubt of this being fake passed through the room for a moment, but that possibility was quickly disregarded. Leaving behind a letter with a fake sender would put too much doubt on it, and you’d end up with more political hostility. As a noble himself, the Holy Knight was all too aware of it. That is why they instead added the imperial family’s sigil. This meant this was no ordinary case.

“What would you like to do?”

“…Let them in.” The Holy Knight had no other option.

As adventurers, they held no obligation to answer the orders of the Emperor. However, nothing good will come from giving the royalty a reason to dislike you. Especially since the Holy Knight’s family was part of the noble circle, he had to fear for the safety of his parents and siblings.

“I don’t like this,” Willow let out a disgruntled snort as the maid headed for the entrance once more, bringing the people in question.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you from White Wing.”

Out of the three girls, the hunter acted as the representative and greeted the group, but mostly kept her eyes directed at the men with a smile. The female magician didn’t miss that, but the girl continued nonetheless.

“I came here with a request for all of you. The reward you can see with me.”

The priest and spearman behind her stepped forward, placed a large box on the table, and opened the lid. Immediately after, the beautiful radiance of a magic stone illuminated the room.

“This magic stone holds the worth of 500,000 gold coins. Please, see for yourself.”

“How about you name yourself before that?”

Even faced with a value of money that would make the regular person pass out, Chidori remained unfazed as she raised one eyebrow. In response, the girl hurriedly lowered her head, seeming rather irritated at that.

“My apologies. My name is Eclair. I am but a humble 3rd-floor adventurer.”

That must be a fake name and rank. Someone with the sigil of the imperial family could never be a regular adventurer. And the girl named Eclair must have realized this, as she continued with a wry smile.

“Many of the imperial family are adventurers, so please don’t concern yourselves with that.”

There was once the 7th princess of the Empire, a beautiful elf who wished to join the White Wings. Since this was indirectly brought up in this conversation, this case must come from another princess, no doubt. Chidori and her friends were prepared for this to be revealed, as the girl continued.

“My request is a simple one. I’d like to hire your skill set.”

So spoke the girl, the assassin who named herself Eclair the other day and aimed to assassinate the other Dark Knight, as she smiled with the devilish grin of a serpent.

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