Episode 241: The Lowest Stratum of Dvarapala
“Huh? Well, that’s…”
Yuma was taken aback by the sudden, direct question, and he struggled to find the words.
“Hee hee hee, no need to hide it. I’ve lived long enough to figure that much out. So, how much ‘power’ do you have left?”
Yuma turned to look at Rui and Akito. They both seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded.
They probably figured there was no point in hiding it now. Yuma thought the same and steeled himself to speak.
“…I can only transform fourteen more times. Each transformation lasts for five minutes, and once I use it, I can’t use it again until a day has passed.”
“Hmm… so that means you can only use it thirteen more times.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Anik closed his eyes and stroked his beard as he listened to Yuma’s explanation.
“We are currently on the 283rd Stratum. It is said that this Dvarapala has about 303 Stratums. That means there are only twenty Stratums left… that’s a rather unreliable number of transformations.”
Anik’s concern was understandable. Yuma raised his gaze and took a step forward.
“Anik-san! If we can reach the lowest Stratum, I will defeat the final Monsters!”
“Oh?”
Anik narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuma.
“You’re going to defeat the ‘Labyrinth Guardian’… you’re confident?”
“Yes.”
Anik’s cheeks relaxed, and he began to laugh, “Hee hee hee.”
“Understood. I’ll trust you. We will support you with all our might, so we will reach the lowest Stratum no matter what.”
Yuma exchanged glances with Rui and Akito, then looked at Anik again.
“Yes, definitely!”
◇◇◇
As they approached the lowest Stratum, the Dungeon Conquest became even more intense.
Kaira continued her Conquest as before, without getting involved with Yuma and the others, but she was struggling in the environment with a large number of powerful Monsters appearing.
“Flank them! Cut off their escape route and corner them!”
Kaira shouted. The Indian Seekers were surrounding a Scorpion Monster, a Serket.
While many were killed, Kaira inflicted damage on the Monster and cornered it. The moment a pillar of fire rose and the Serket flinched, Kaira swung her Longsword down.
She used Vacuum Magic to blow away the “Wind Barrier” and imbued the returning Longsword with Vacuum Magic again.
“Ooooooooooooooh!”
She shaved off the Serket’s outer shell and slammed a Vacuum Sphere into the center of its body. Finally, the sphere burst, tearing the giant Monster to pieces.
Kaira, who was catching her breath, suddenly raised her face, only to see another Serket peeking out from between the trees.
The Seekers around her wore expressions of despair, but Kaira wiped the sweat from the back of her hand and glared at the Monster sharply.
“Come at me, as many as you want! I’ll take you all on!”
While Kaira was engaged in a fierce battle, Anik and the others were fighting in a slightly different location.
Surrounded by seven Itsuki Monsters, “Kalpavriksha,” even Anik lost his smile and desperately dodged their attacks.
Rui and Akito joined the fray to help Anik and the other Peacock King (Mahamayuri) members.
Yuma was told not to use his “Metallization” ability, so he could only watch, biting his lip in frustration. He was not yet strong enough to face the Abyssal Monsters.
They somehow managed to defeat the Monsters and move on to the next Stratum, but the Seekers suffered many casualties, and Anik, Rui, and the others were battered and bruised.
In the end, Yuma used “Metallization” twice by the 290th Stratum to scatter the Monsters.
And when they entered the 290th Stratum—
“I’ll go ahead!”
“Ah, please do, Yuma.”
Rui, who was holding his left arm, said with a distorted face.
Having gone this deep, the environment was no longer suitable for humans to proceed normally. Serkets and other powerful Monsters appeared endlessly, and poisonous plants grew everywhere.
Yuma “Metallized” and stood at the front, clashing with the Monsters.
“Get out of the way, get out of the way!”
When Yuma swung his green glowing axe, the Serkets and Kalpavrikshas were torn to pieces and blown away.
He also obliterated the giant plants blocking their path with a single strike.
Anik and the Indian Seekers ran through the path that Yuma had created. Among those Seekers, only Kaira had a complex expression on her face.
295th Stratum.
“Just one Stratum! We’ll break through without using Yuma’s power!”
Akito shouted loudly. If Yuma continued to use his power like this, he might not be able to “Metallize” in the lowest Stratum.
Akito, Rui, Anik, and the others tried to conserve Yuma’s power as much as possible, but…
“No way! I’m going!”
Near the lowest Stratum, Monsters appeared almost inexhaustibly. The Indian Seekers could not do anything about it.
Yuma jumped out and activated “Metallization.” His entire body was dyed black, and as a grotesque Monster, Yuma stirred up “Wind Blades” and scattered the Monsters in his path.
◇◇◇
A gentle slope leading down the Stratum. As everyone walked along, battered and bruised, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a blown-out-like scene.
The ground ahead turned into a Cliff, and looking over the edge of the Cliff, the bottom was far below.
“This is… the lowest Stratum…”
Yuma was at a loss for words. Anik, who came from behind, also looked down and exclaimed, “Oh.”
It was a space that seemed to have blown through two or three Stratums, and although the circumference was narrower, it was a cylindrical Stratum with considerable depth.
In the center, a giant Tree towered, piercing through the Stratums.
And around that Tree, four smaller Trees stood.
Even though they were smaller, the Trees were still fifty meters tall. The ground was covered with Tree Roots, and the Roots and vines spread to the Dungeon walls.
Yuma, who was crouching down and looking below, felt a sense of déjà vu at this sight. He recognized the shape of the Stratum.
“This place looks like the lowest Stratum of the ‘Black Dungeon’ in Yokohama…”
The Yokohama Dungeon that he had dived into with the president and Aisha. Although the size of the Stratum was different, the shape, which was like a vertically expanded Stratum, looked the same.
What was even more concerning was the giant Tree in the center, but—
“That is… an aggregate of Kalpavrikshas.”
“Aggregate?”
Yuma frowned at Anik’s words.
“The ‘main body’ of the Kalpavrikshas is parasitizing the Tree in large numbers. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“This is… the ‘Labyrinth Guardian’!”
Yuma glared at the giant Tree. At that moment, a voice was heard nearby.
“No way… how are we supposed to defeat a Monster like this!?”
Kaira, who had been looking down at the bottom of the Hole, knelt down powerlessly, her shoulders drooping and her face filled with despair.
Anik, who had been stroking his white beard, also had a stern expression.
“Indeed, if it is an aggregate of Kalpavrikshas, its ‘Regeneration’ will be extraordinary. On top of that, with its size, it will be difficult to defeat it before it regenerates.”
Yuma frowned as he listened to Anik’s story. Most of the people here, including Rui and Akito, had used up almost all of their Magical Power.
He didn’t think they could generate enough firepower to destroy such a giant Tree.
Yuma stood up abruptly and looked at Rui, who was next to him.
“I’ll go, we have to burn it down in a short amount of time.”
“But Yuma, the time you can ‘Metallize’ is…”
Rui looked distressed. He had used “Metallization” thirteen times to get here. He could only transform one more time, for five minutes.
As expected, he had run out of time because he had used “Metallization” too early. But he had no choice but to do it.
“Are you going?”
Anik asked with concern.
“Yes, this is my role.”
As Yuma stood at the edge of the Cliff and was about to go, a voice called out from behind.
“Wait!”
When he turned around, he saw Kaira with a stern expression on her face.