Chapter 7: vs. The Guardian of the Sealed Labyrinth’s Second Layer
At that time, I could barely manage to inflict any damage. But now, how about…?
“Dashaaahhh!!”
I slammed the Demon Sword Gram down, but it was still as hard as ever. However, I had no time to dwell on my thoughts. The mineral monstrosity— the Crystal Humanoid— towered over me and moved with astonishing speed. Its swiftness was nearly on par with my own at my best.
To make matters worse, every part of that monster was sharp enough to slice through anything with just a touch. Not only that, but it also possessed overwhelming weight, giving its attacks a lethality that seemed designed solely for the purpose of extermination.
I couldn’t help but recall how, as a novice in the Labyrinth, I would have been left on the brink of death with every strike. But now, I was different.
I deflected its swinging arms and dodged its slicing kicks. With the Demon Sword Gram, I parried all of its razor-sharp attacks.
The sound of crystal clashing against the Demon Sword Gram echoed repeatedly. After all, my opponent was a tireless monster; its brutal assaults showed no signs of weakening. If it were the old me, I would have been cleaved into pieces countless times by now. But the current me had survived through many harrowing battles.
“Autobahn!”
The speed of my sword reached the velocity of light, severing the Crystal Humanoid’s left arm clean off— I could still go on— and I drove the blade deep into its torso. I could sense the Crystal Humanoid’s panic as it tried to regain its stance— but I wouldn’t let it escape.
“One more time!!”
Activating Autobahn again, I spun around and struck from the opposite side of the wound I had just inflicted. The damage I dealt from both sides cleaved the Crystal Humanoid’s massive body in two, causing it to crumble— fall—!?
“Hey, wait a minute!”
With a splat, a viscous sound echoed. The Crystal Humanoid, which should have collapsed, gathered all its body parts into a single point, merging together like droplets of mercury, and returned to its pristine form without a single scratch.
“What the hell!? After all that effort, it’s completely unscathed!!”
Despite my lament, I didn’t let my thoughts come to a halt. Even when emotions ran high, a part of my mind remained cool, continuously analyzing my opponent— that was the key to overcoming difficult situations.
“Then—”
The Crystal Humanoid swung its right arm horizontally. I ducked to evade it.
“Show me again!!”
I activated Autobahn— and with a single stroke, I severed both of its legs. In that instant—
The Crystal Humanoid liquefied once more— and then, it absorbed its separated legs, repairing itself and achieving complete restoration.
“Got it.”
I had fought against opponents that could infinitely revive countless times before. Each time had been a struggle. That’s why I knew exactly what to do now.
Sure, it was fast. Its lethality was undeniable. But that was all it had. Its attacks were limited to mindless slashes and kicks.
“Hah!”
I activated Autobahn for the third time and unleashed a powerful slash, cleaving through it with all my might.
The body slid down, and as it showed signs of liquefying for the third time— in that fleeting moment— I held the sword in my left hand and placed my right palm against the monster.
—Stinger!!
What I unleashed was the pinnacle of the fist technique I learned from Sena. This was my version of Stinger, where I channeled my finely honed Qi and Mana into my fist, striking deep into the opponent’s body to create vibrations and amplify the impact.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!”
The Crystal Humanoid vibrated its massive form, letting out a shrill, death-like scream.
If it was liquid, it would surely conduct Qi even better than the poor monsters that Sena and I had used as test subjects in the past— and my prediction was spot on, as its vibrating body collapsed without beginning to regenerate.
“This is the final blow!!”
I swung the Demon Sword Gram with acceleration, slicing through the collapsing Crystal Humanoid into four pieces, then eight, then sixteen— ultimately reducing it to tiny fragments. I confirmed that the vibrations had ceased before sheathing my sword.
As I frantically tossed every last shard of crystal (the remnants of the boss monster) into my Magic Bag, I heard Sensei’s voice.
“I’d like to commend you for your efforts, but my dear son-in-law, what on earth are you doing crawling around like that…?” Sensei said, placing a hand on her forehead as she addressed me.
Something felt off… Normally, it was Sensei who would mess up, and I would be the one to point it out. But now, it was completely the opposite. However, that was a trivial matter. I remained on the ground and replied,
“Thank you for your hard work, Sensei.”
As I looked at her, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
“Yes, everything went smoothly on my end as well.”
Following Sensei’s words, I surveyed the situation. Angelica had fully recovered but remained unconscious, Eris was motionless, staring down in exhaustion, Mika sat nearby, seemingly drained, and Ash lay on his back, limbs sprawled out. It was a scene that truly embodied the phrase “a pile of corpses.”
“Uh…”
“This is to be expected, son-in-law. They did their best in their own way.”
“Well, that’s true.”
They certainly did their best. I had a lot to say, but…
“What’s with that face, son-in-law? Don’t make such a face.”
I realized that I was indeed weak against Sensei’s kindness. Whether it was her mischievous expression when plotting something bad or her compassionate demeanor towards them, both were quintessentially Sensei, and both were what I cherished about her. So, I took a deep breath to clear my mind.
“I’m fine now. For the time being, let’s decide what to do next.”
“Indeed—” Sensei replied, and just then,
“Um…”
Saintess Mika stood up and walked over to us. I was at a loss for words in response.
“What is it?”
Sensing my confusion, Sensei answered for me.
“Saintess Mika, I dislike you.”
Did she really come all this way just to say that? Perhaps reading my inner thoughts, Sensei shot me a look that seemed to say, “Listen to her until the end.”
“But you— the you from earlier was certainly a Holy Knight.”
“……”
“Thank you for saving me— for saving us.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
I might have sounded brusque, but I simply couldn’t find the right words to respond.
“More importantly, look over there.”
I pointed to the edge of the floor. There, I saw—
“The stairs to the third layer.”
This damned dungeon, which had introduced a vicious boss out of nowhere, was, as expected, just getting started.