Mokushiroku Arisu - Volume 02
Just a moment ago, the time remaining before Gunjou turns into an eternal labyrinth was 200 minutes, but --- right now, that time rapidly decreases.
The number of minutes remaining has dropped to 77 at one go.
I don't know what has happened. However, that Santou Taisuke has probably continuously activated that magic called Time Difference Befuddling switch of unknown origins while he was in the classroom.
It seemed like it was a magic that messed up the hands of the clock and the sense of time.
"...... they got us."
I groan.
That was the worst kind of traps.
It was probably to buy time for the Kansai team to acquire the knowledge on the labyrinth since they arrived.
Several engines resound from the outside.
The few Kansai choppers parked in the schoolyard start moving. Both Santou and Miko board one of the choppers.
They are planning to go kill Gunjou.
And we have yet to decide on our magic slot composition and team make-up.
Our homeroom teacher Honjou Tsukasa dashes into the classroom.
"What are you guys doing! The guys from Kansai are already departing!"
After the Time Difference Befuddling switch was undone, our homeroom teacher also had her sense of time restored all of a sudden.
Shiro looks at me. Then,
"...... all right. Even though it took a while, we managed to purge all the pus before entering the labyrinth. And, well, our composition isn't going to change much I suppose. Since we are left with the usual group."
Indeed, it's kinda funny that no one else is left.
Shiro continues.
"This team has already raided a number of labyrinths together. Do we still need to spend time hammering things out?"
On hearing that, Yousuke raises his hand.
"Hn ~, before we set off, can I say something?"
"Go ahead, Yousuke."
"...... all this while, there is a formation that we should have been using but yet had never used before. Though everyone is strong, it's a pity that we never got along and never could properly cover for one another."
Shiro smiles and nods.
"Especially the brats Gunjou and Shinnosuke really suck at teamwork......"
"Yeah yeah. But, since Shinnosuke has finally grown up......"
Unable to stand their irritating chatter anymore, I cut them off and say.
"Ah ah I got it, I got what you're trying to say, so let's hit it. We have no more time right? Let's do our strategy meeting inside the chopper on our way there."
Every one nods in acquiescence.
Most importantly, we can't be discussing our true plan in front of our homeroom teacher.
Because the knowledge of my possession of a magic that can be used to sever the labyrinth disease from a diseased girl must never be leaked out.
At that moment, Honjou Tsukasa says.
"Then I'll immediately deploy the chopper."
On hearing that, we exchange looks with one another and nod simultaneously.
♦
♦
♦
A thunderous roar resound.
The sound of a chopper ascending into the sky.
At an altitude of 1200 meters.
We are about to insert into the abnormally gigantic blue tower born out of Gunjou from the 100th floor.
The noise of the military transport chopper is deafening.
Since only us, the Hero Team, and our homeroom teacher Honjou Tsukasa are in it.
But yet, for some reason, the seats around me are all jam-packed with people.
In front me is Himi.
Diagonally in front Yousuke.
With Shiro beside him.
Topping that off, Kiri is on my right, beside me.
"...... why, is everyone clustering together?"
Kiri then smiles.
"Because I want to be with you."
"I don't want that."
"And we have to come up with a strategy."
But that was done as soon as we boarded the chopper. Since there aren't a lot of strategies available to a team of only five people.
There are 6 available slots to load magic in a 《Headphone Fuzz》 for each person, and that amounts to just 30 slots for 5 people.
Furthermore, one of these slots is taken up by the Holy Sword switch for the purpose of saving Gunjou.
With that, we have 29 slots left.
Himi is on all support.
Yousuke on all defense.
Kiri is on a balanced configuration that places more emphasis on defense.
I am on a balanced configuration that places more emphasis on offense.
Shiro is on all specialized offense.
Our choices to employ the most effective strategy from this composition are limited. But well, the less choices we have the better.
Since we have no time. We are really too short on time. Thanks to Santou Taisuke's trap, we have lost a lot of time.
25 floors separate us from Gunjou.
And right now, we have 71 minutes remaining.
Even with the remaining 70 minutes for the raid, and if we were to leave 20 minutes to fight Gunjou, we have to clear each floor in 2 minutes.
One floor in 2 minutes.
Only 2 minutes.
2 minutes to clear a floor of a rank 42 labyrinth --- it's like a ridiculous joke in fantasy story.
But we have to do it.
Snap, snap, snap, I snapped my fingers slowly, slowly, at a speed that's not fast enough to activate the 《Headphone Fuzz》.
In order to stabilize my brain waves, in order to calm my beating heart, in order to erase the small vibrations of the chopper, I snap my fingers.
Honjou Tsukasa says.
"Everyone, activate your headphones. We've reached the insertion point."
We are at an altitude of 1200 meters. That, per se, is already out of the ordinary. Even with the current advancements in science, there is no technology with which a 1200 meter tall building can be constructed.
The rear hatchway of the chopper starts opening slowly.
A sudden gust of wind, and thunderous roar.
Totally dark night.
The blue tower stands, as if it were sundering the darkness of the night.
Right now, the chopper is at a point that is 1200 meters high --- which is supposed to be where the 100th floor is at but, the tower continues to extend upwards to the sky.
The tip of the spire can't be seen at all.
Shiro looks up at that tower created by his comrade.
Himi looks up at the tower.
Yousuke looks up at the tower.
Kiri looks up at it, and squeezes my arm.
But,
"............"
I turn my eyes not to the tower but further down --- to the lands beyond. In the direction of another labyrinth that seems to line up side by side with Gunjou.
My little sister Saki's labyrinth.
Both Gunjou's tower and Saki's labyrinth are almost like they just next to each other. Even from this distance, I can see that they seem to be lined up perfectly side by side without overlapping into each other's turfs.
Honjou Tsukasa says.
"Now ~, it's finally time to kill the girl! It'd be fine! If you deal with it coolly, it'd be a walk in the park for you!"
There's no way it'd be fine right? It's rank 42 after all. But the words just now are the same as what Honjou Tsukasa says each time, as if they are standard lines memorized by heart, perhaps.
"Well, let's do a final check. Prepare your 《Headphone Fuzz》 for insertion. And also, don't forget your armband."
The armband refers to a tool that will allow one to ascertain the number of classmates remaining in the labyrinth.
I look at the armband with 『Class 5』 written on it, worn on my arm. On it are 5 red ☆ marks. By the way, when a full class of 20 are raiding the labyrinth, there will be 20 ☆ marks but, right now, 15 of them hav
e already disappeared.
Honjou Tsukasa continues.
"I've always said this, but when 4 stars are gone, it'd be impossible to kill the girl so give up on the raid and Esca...... bufuhfuh."
She breaks out into laughter halfway.
Since, even though she said 'when 4 stars are gone', there are only 5 of them to begin with.
Looking around the roaring chopper, Honjou Tsukasa says in delight.
"Well, do your best."
I wave my fingers. I activate a song that has been loaded as a fundamental software different from the slots inside the 《Headphone Fuzz》.
It's the intrusion magic.
The remaining time limit is 68 minutes.
We no longer have 2 minutes to clear each floor.
"Well, we'll be at the insertion point in another 30 seconds. Prepare yourselves ~. And, our class will win this time again. Don't let the other classes...... the guys from Kansai get the credit."
Shiro stands up and looks at me.
"All right. Let's get going. There's only one thing you must promise. Don't die. Don't get hurt. Escape when things get rough. Ok?"
Everyone nods.
Following that, Himi says.
"Once we enter, I will use the Picnic switch, and search for the shortest route not found on the map. Then I'll employ trap detection magic. When that happens, I have to close my eyes so......"
I cut her off.
"The same routine right? Shiro will be the one dragging Himi along. And everyone will protect you guys. Let's do it. Is there anything else?"
Shiro then says.
"No, none. And let's win, come back, and go to karaoke together."
"No thanks to that."
"Even though you're really thinking, 'it's great to have friends'."
"No way."
"Let's have fun together."
"............"
At that moment, Honjou Tsukasa says.
"It's time."
Then,
"Dive switch."
He says the trigger code for the purpose of activating the intrusion cursed song.
Instantly, Shiro's body is transported into the labyrinth and he disappears.
Following that, both Himi and Yousuke say.
"Dive switch."
"Dive switch."
Finally, Kiri looks at me,
"...... hey, Shinnosuke-kun. Are you really going?"
She asks and I turn to her and reply.
"Of course I won't be going to the karaoke."
"Haha......"
"Then, see you in the labyrinth. Dive switch."
Instantly, my body disassembles, and gets transported into the labyrinth.
♦
♦
♦
I enter the labyrinth.
I enter the inside of Gunjou.
My cells that were disassembled by magic are reassembled.
"............"
Zuhkihn, Zuhkihn, a pain assaults my head numerous times. The pain from the backlash assaults my brain which is awash with the cursed song.
My eyeballs regenerate, and colors enter my dark vision.
White light.
Red light.
Blue, yellow, green, black.
My headache is gone.
My consciousness clears up.
I can see my surroundings.
Right now, I am inside the labyrinth created by Gunjou.
Gunjou's labyrinth is a world filled with vibrant blue.
The ceiling is so high that you can't see the end.
The wall is filled with paintings of the sky, clouds, oceans, and horizon. No, I'm not sure whether we can call those paintings. Because those paintings are moving like a movie. Because they are moving inside the wall.
But they aren't real paintings.
Like a picture book, an oil painting, the scenery of sky, clouds, and ocean slowly, gently, flows.
Occasionally, migratory birds fly in that wall painting.
Water splashes, forming a faint rainbow.
From afar, the roar of the ocean waves can be heard.
I look intently at that and think.
"............"
Maybe Gunjou really loves such tranquil things.
Or, maybe she's strongly attracted to the peaceful, ordinary, safe, tranquil world.
Or at the very least, she can't deal well with a world where she has to desperately risk her life to kill girls.
I thought. And I feel a slight pain in my chest. Is it because I felt a touch of concern for the Gunjou who has manifested the disease? Or, is it because I realize that a part of me also yearns for that tranquillity?
Well, anyone would have those kind of feelings.
"............"
I look in the direction of my comrade who has already started using her magic.
While moving her fingers, fuh fuh fuh, Himi blows out gently.
The magic she's using is a difficult one. A complicated magic that only someone who excels in support magic can employ.
Because what she's using is a powerful magic that can bring just a little change to both the fates of the labyrinth diseased girls and humans.
"...... Picnic switch."
Himi murmurs.
She murmurs the trigger code to activate her magic.
A magic code appears before Himi's eyes and she perceives the world through it. Different from her usual timid self, a look delight appears on her face,
"Ah, ah, now now ~ which place is more fun?"
She says.
She looks around her with a terribly delighted face.
This is a route-finding magic which allows her to find a detour en route to her destination and that detour will turn out to be a better route.
"It's better if it's more fun."
Even her tone of voice is different.
Probably the effect of the magic.
"Not yet ~, it'd be nice if it's even much more fun ~"
I then say.
"Not done yet?"
Yousuke then raises his hand in an attempt to silence me.
"Be quiet. Himi is expanding her search to increase the number of routes."
I look at Yousuke.
Yousuke continues.
"Himi must have judged that the first route won't let us reach Gunjou within the time limit, so she has boosted the magic and is doing another search."
Himi seems to be staring at some misdirected way and says with a smiling face.
"Ah-ha ~, no no, we want to...... adventure even more ♪."
Her eyes are bloodshot. Blood flows from her right nostril.
Shiro says.
"Himi, that's enough. We'll take that route. If you go on further, your brain will......"
"Not yet ♪ that's just too boring. I really love something more amazing, so ~ ♪"
Then, at that moment, something large jumps out of the ocean from the wall.
A shark.
A shark with a long sharp horn.
The shark jumps out of the wall onto the floor. Splash, the blue floor undulates. Seems like that shark is able to swim across the floor.
And it's terribly fast.
I count.
One.
Two.
Four.
Eight.
Eighteen.
"...... damn, that's a crazy number of them."
I let my fingers dance. I choose my song and activate my magic. Melody flows in my head. A cursed song flows.
【Sliced, shredded light ♪
Shredded, ripped-up light ♪
Abnormal, ruthless, extraordinary light ———】
"Demon Sword switch ---"
I hold a blade of darkness and ready my Demon Sword.
Following that, I immediately activate its power.
"Assassination property."
A target point appears before my eyes, searching for the sharks' weakness. I search for the place where I can kill a shark in one swing of my sword.
The weak point
is their stomach.
Other than their backs, the sharks's bodies are submerged into the floor as they swim.
In other words,
"...... crap, can't pierce their weak point."
I scowl with a troubled face, to which Kiri asks.
"Where's the weak point?"
"Their stomach."
"Uweh, that puts us in a fix huh?"
"Very much."
Then, from behind us,
"Stomach huh? All right. Then, I'll use a magic that will create a large opening and I'll leave you to deliver the killing blow."
Shiro jumps.
And activates his magic.
"Fate Reversal Hammer switch!"
What an exaggerated name, but I suppose it's a magic that would probably conjure a hammer.
He raises both hands.
And with that, he swings down.
"Dohn!"
He verbalizes it.
Instantly!
Right before Shiro's eyes, an abnormally gigantic mallet with a sharp tip appears. It slowly, slowly, swings down. It's so slow that one of the sharks is on the verge of attacking Shiro.
"Jeez, Acceleration switch."
Activating both Demon Sword and Acceleration switches side by side, I jump. I thrust my sword into the stomach of the shark which is assaulting Shiro.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah."
The shark howls and is annihilated.
Its stomach is its weak point as expected.
At the same time, Shiro's mallet strikes the floor on which the sharks are swimming.
Then,
"............"
Nothing happens. But, the mallet melts into the floor and disappears.
"What the hell is that magic!"
But Shiro says.
"Fate reversal!"
In that instant, goh goh goh goh, from underneath the floor, the hammer returns as it pierces the floor back and it jumps out with a dohn.
At the same time, all the sharks are thrown up into the air.
"Do it Shinnosuke!"
"No, you should have explained things...... aah whatever, I'll do it."
I jump. Swing my sword.
I cut the stomachs of the upturned sharks; cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.
Including the one that had assaulted Shiro, I've killed a total of seven. The remaining eleven look at me. My body's acceleration ends.
An assemblage of horns threaten to pierce me all at once. I gauge the time for reactivating my Acceleration switch.
I listen to the song.
I listen to the song.