Episode 344: Australia
“Australia? Why would we go to a place like that?”
Akito asked Rui, looking completely lost, while Albert stroked his chin and smiled knowingly.
“I see… the Black Dungeon.”
Rui looked at Albert and nodded.
“Yes. Australia has the world’s deepest Black Dungeon, ‘Tartarus’.”
“Mitaka Yuma has the power of the Black King. It’s related to that, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. I once asked Yuma, and he said that when you defeat monsters in the Black Dungeon, Demon Ore drops 100% of the time.”
“100%!?”
Mia, who was next to Albert, raised her voice.
“I’ve never heard of such an ability. Can he really increase the drop rate like that?”
Like Mia, who had her doubts, Akito frowned.
“I haven’t heard about that either! Yuma had such an ability!?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the details, but that’s what Yuma said. He seems to have tried it in the Black Dungeon in Yokohama, so I don’t think he’s mistaken.”
The four fell silent, but after a while, Albert spoke.
“The Demon Ore from the Black Dungeon strengthens the body. In other words, we can expect physical improvements.”
“That’s a necessary element to defeat the Yellow King, right?”
Albert nodded at Akito’s words.
“More than that, the world’s largest Black Dungeon, ‘Tartarus,’ is bound to have strong monsters in its Depths. We might get our hands on incredible Demon Ore.”
Rui agreed with Albert, saying, “I think so too.”
“Yuma’s Magical Power surpasses the Yellow King. If his physical abilities are equal or better, the chances of winning should skyrocket.”
“Then we need to prepare immediately!”
Akito slapped his knee and stood up.
“Wait a minute, Akito. This is only after Yuma’s injuries have healed.”
Akito retorted to Rui’s complaint, “I know that!”
“That’s why we’re preparing before Yuma wakes up! He’ll definitely try to fight the Yellow King again. It’s only natural that we support him.”
“Of course… but still.”
As Rui lowered his eyebrows, Albert also stood up.
“I understand. I’ll talk to the military to arrange for us to go to Australia. You guys wait for Mitaka to recover. Mia.”
“Yes.”
Mia also stood up and looked at Akito and Rui.
“I’ll prepare your rooms. Please come this way.”
Akito and Rui would be staying at McConnell Air Force Base while Yuma was being treated. And two days later, Yuma finally woke up.
◇◇◇
“Yuma… are you okay?”
Akito spoke to Yuma, who was lying in bed. Rui, who was next to him, also peered worriedly at Yuma’s face, asking, “Can you hear me?”
“U… au… u…”
Yuma’s eyes were half-open, but he couldn’t speak, and his focus was off. Akito immediately looked at the Messiah woman nearby.
“Hey, what’s going on!? Isn’t he healed!?”
The woman who was asked lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly.
“With our power, we can’t completely heal the wounds. Just regaining consciousness is close to a miracle…”
Akito gritted his teeth.
“There are five Messiahs, and you can’t heal him… I thought you said you could provide the best treatment in the world!!”
“Akito!”
Rui scolded Akito. Akito knew that he was just lashing out. Still, he couldn’t control his emotions.
“Prometheus’s Messiah has given him sufficient treatment. If it weren’t for them, Yuma might have died.”
“I know that! …I know it well…”
Akito clenched his fist and shifted his gaze to Yuma, who was lying down. He couldn’t move on the bed, and he couldn’t even speak.
He was reminded once again of the sheer power of the Lightning Strike that the Yellow King had used.
“Damn it! What should I do?”
Rui and Akito stood there with grim expressions. The door of the hospital room where the two were standing was knocked on, and Mia came in.
“You two, Albert is calling for you. It seems that the military has given permission to go to Australia.”
Rui and Akito exchanged glances and decided to leave the hospital room.
◇◇◇
“You’ve arrived. Please, have a seat.”
Rui and Akito, who were guided to a place that looked like a reception room, were urged by Albert to sit on the leather sofa.
“What is this place?”
Albert smiled slightly at Akito, who was looking around.
“It’s the office assigned to me. Well, I don’t intend to work in such a stuffy place.”
Albert also sat on the sofa, and Mia stood still in the corner of the room.
Akito turned his gaze to Albert.
“We can go to Australia, but Yuma’s injuries are worse than we thought. Please wait a little longer before we depart.”
Albert leaned forward, closed his eyes, and shook his head slightly.
“No, you’ll have to depart soon. The military’s personnel and equipment are stretched thin from the battle with the Yellow King. We don’t have time to wait leisurely.”
“But Yuma can’t move!”
Akito’s tone grew stronger. However, Albert continued to speak without concern.
“Treatment can be done while moving. I’ll have one of the Messiahs accompany you, so please try to finish the treatment by the time you arrive in Australia.”
“That’s outrageous!”
Rui stopped Akito, who was furious, with his hand.
“It can’t be helped. We’re the ones asking for the impossible.”
As Akito fell silent, Rui turned his gaze to Albert.
“I understand. We’ll prepare immediately. So, we’re going by aircraft this time… is that right?”
Albert denied it, saying, “No.”
“The skies over Australia are a dangerous zone known as the ‘Dragon’s Nest.’ Dragons coming out of the ‘Red,’ ‘Blue,’ and ‘Yellow’ Dungeons are swarming there. No one can get close, and we don’t know what’s happening in the country at all. Going by aircraft is suicidal.”
“A ‘Dragon’s Nest’… I didn’t know it had become like that…”
Rui frowned. The devastation in Australia seemed more serious than he had imagined.
“In that case… how are we going to get to Australia?”
Albert returned Rui’s question with a chuckle.
“That’s why I was negotiating with the military. Tomorrow night, you’ll be boarding something in California.”
When Rui asked, “What is it?” Albert answered with a raised corner of his mouth.
“A Nuclear Submarine.”