It's quiet; nothing is happening.
It's getting terribly suffocating.
Then, Yousuke says.
"Since we have nothing to do, let's play Shiritori."
Are you an idiot? Go to hell. I look at Yousuke with such a thought in my mind, then sit on the floor. To rest my body.
But Yousuke smiles, and really begins a game of Shiritori with Himi and Shiro; are these guys for real? I thought.
Away from the group of fools who have lost their sanity, beside me, Kiri sits with her legs folded against her chest. She looks at me and smiles,
"...... I'm a little tired ~"
She says.
"But we are really amazing. I thought it's definitely futile, but maybe......"
"............"
"Maybe with just the five of us, we can clear a rank 42."
"............"
"We really came ~"
I smirk tiredly,
"Even though we shouldn't have."
I say.
Kiri smiles again.
"Yeah. We shouldn't have come. Well, we are idiots."
"Yeah. The worst bunch of idiots."
"Ah-haha."
Kiri smiles, and turns to look at me with a really serious face,
"Hey, Shinnosuke-kun."
She calls my name again.
I frown and reply.
"I really want to rest."
But Kiri continues.
"You know, have we really become comrades?"
"............"
"Earlier, I declared that I was a comrade of the Hero Team but...... can I become a comrade of the Hero Team, I wonder?"
She has the same confusion as I did, it seems. Well, when we got caught up with these bunch of fools who are having a game of Shiritori in such a situation, it's easy to lose our bearings, I suppose,
On top of that, she wears her 《Headphone Fuzz》 on her right ear.
She's the type who uses her left brain to manipulate her magic.
In other words, she's the type who doesn't use her emotions, but logic and rationality to control her magic. In that case, she shouldn't be able to stand this kind of situation in which she is risking her life for others with no benefit to her.
I look at Kiri with half-opened eyes, and say.
"...... since they are fools, if you were the one who caught the disease, they would come save you too, won't they?"
"Really?"
"Who knows."
"...... then, what about you, Shinnosuke-kun?"
She asks. Staring at me.
"Shinnosuke-kun, would you also...... come save me if I had manifested the disease?"
"Nah."
"Eeeh, you're terrible."
Kiri smiles.
"Even though you say that ~, but, even as you keep protesting...... you definitely would still come...... if it's you."
She tries to touch my hand.
And I am already kind of exasperated at hearing that.
That's right. She's probably right.
If Kiri had manifested the disease, I would probably go save her as well.
Even though I shouldn't be that kind of person. Even though, I have always, always, been the kind of person who would suppress the weak feelings of wanting to save someone.
Since meeting these people.
"............"
No, since seeing the Asahi Momoka who had been thanking me with a teary-eyed expression, I might have become a little weak.
Weak.
Weak.
Weak.
But then, I remember Shiro's words.
--- At any rate, it's probably an ambition you can achieve by yourself, right?
I ponder a little about those words.
Is there also really a need to be weak at times? I thought. Isn't it a weakness to be wanting comrades from one's loneliness and pain?
I really don't know. I don't know for now.
As Kiri tries to touch me, I pull my hand back and say.
"I've said this before, but I already have a date for Christmas."
"An imaginary girlfriend?"
"It's not imaginary."
"How old is she?"
"Hn?"
"What kind of hairstyle does she have?"
"Erhm."
"Right, it's all in your head."
"I want to close my eyes for a while, so can you stop talking to me?"
"Ah-haha ~"
Kiri smiles.
I close my eyes, the numbers in my head continue dropping.
17 minutes remaining.
Only 17 minutes remain before Gunjou turns into an eternal labyrinth.
The elevator descends.
Descends.
Descends.
Everyone remains silent from the fatigue.
Descends.
Descends.
Descends.
Before long, the elevator reaches the 76th floor.
I have already memorized the map of the 76th floor during our class in school. Along the way here, I have also inquired Himi about the position of this elevator.
Thus, the instant the elevator door opens, we just need to run straight to the stairs that lead down.
And at the end of those stairs, will be our diseased classmate.
Mizuiro Gunjou.
We snap our fingers all together. Activating our 《Headphone Fuzz》.
The elevator door starts opening.
Outside the door, are sharks.
10 of them.
They haven't noticed us. Defeating them is easy. We have already been annihilating them earlier, and are used to fighting them.
But the time limit is just 10 minutes.
Thus,
"Uwooooooooh!"
We start running with all our might.
♦
We kill sharks.
We kill sharks.
Risking our lives desperately, we fill our brains with magic enough to melt our brains.
Even though it should only take 30 seconds to run to the stairs that will connect to Gunjou's floor, killing the sharks take time, and we end up losing time steadily.
8 minutes remaining.
7 minutes remaining.
"That's all of them!"
I bellow. Swinging my Demon Sword. As I split the stomach of a shark.
At the same time, the stairs finally come into sight.
No time.
There's not much time.
We have spent too much time to reach here.
Sending a command to my 《Headphone Fuzz》 to bring up the time limit in my mind, it shows 6 minutes left.
6 minutes.
Only 6 minutes!
But finally, we can see the stairs that will lead us to Gunjou's floor.
Shiro yells.
"She's just below us! Gunjou is just below us!"
But we can't just descend carelessly. Gunjou has been taken by the labyrinth disease.
She's a rank 42 labyrinth diseased girl.
If we fight, she'll be a really strong opponent. Even if we know that her weakness is blood, based on her rank, her strength will be nothing like that of Asahi Momoka, I suppose.
We have already decided on the formation in the chopper.
On who will guard who, who will pour blood, Gunjou's weakness, on her to stop her.
And finally, I will use my Holy Sword switch to cut the illness away from Gunjou.
If we are successful, then Gunjou will turn back into a normal human being.
Provided if this magic is really complete, just as what Lizel said.
I turn around.
"Himi!"
I say.
Himi has already activated her magic.
She stops running midway, putting a distance away from us, then starts drawing the map on the floor. A magic for predicting to a certain extent the structure and trap locations in the next room.
When using that magic, Himi is defenseless, and Yousuke deploys his protective magic to protect her.
T
he magic completes.
Himi looks up and shouts.
"The next floor has no traps as well! She also has no guards!"
But there isn't good news.
There are two types of diseased girls.
- the type that's protected by a large number of traps and guards.
- the type that's troublesomely strong.
The later type is more difficult. As there's a high possibility that the diseased girl's power will be at an overwhelming, lethal level.
As was largely expected, Gunjou belongs to the later type.
The type of labyrinth diseased girl who's really strong herself.
Shiro says.
"All right, then let's go. Himi should Escape here......"
But, Himi runs up to us.
"I'll go too!"
"No you can't."
But, she protests,
"I'll definitely go! There's no more time! I have already activated my Escape. If it becomes dangerous, I'll get out right away. But, I think it's better to have more of us. If by chance, Gunjou gets distracted by me, please make use of the opportunity to save her!"
She yells.
But, it doesn't matter anymore.
To have come so far, it doesn't matter anymore.
I ignore her, and breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And then, I listen to the sound flowing from my 《Headphone Fuzz》.
The loud blast of the cursed song, Acceleration switch, jolts my brain matter.
My brain matter shakes.
My brain pressure increases.
My brain stem trembles.
In an instant, in a flash, in the time of a flash.
In an instant, in a flash, in the time of a flash.
My magic has yet to activate.
I can't activate it yet.
I can only activate it once I reach the next floor.
Our plan has already been decided.
Since we have just a small team.
There aren't many strategies we can use.
Yousuke and Kiri will enter first.
We'll run under their protection; Yousuke will deploy AoE defensive magic while Kiri will use her absolute point defense magic.
From behind, Shiro will suppress Gunjou with specialized offensive magic, I'll observe Gunjou's movements, and jump out from the very rear.
The problem is that the Holy Sword switch will consume the entire capacity of my brain so I can't activate two magics at the same time.
In other words, until I terminate my acceleration magic, I can't use my Holy Sword switch.
I have to thrust my sword into Gunjou as if I am naked, without my acceleration, or my demon sword.
This is something that's normally impossible.
It's a fool's errand to close in on a rank 42 diseased girl naked.
But I shall do it.
The foolish, idiotic me shall do it.
Yousuke waves his fingers, muttering as he manipulates his 《Headphone Fuzz》. As if to repeatedly suggest to himself.
"...... I'll protect them. I'll protect everyone. I'll protect all my comrades."
Kiri stands behind him. And murmurs.
"Nine-fold switch ---"
A Japanese sword appears in her hand. She then turns around.
"Shinnosuke-kun, are you ready?"
Not answering.
I merely increase my concentration.
Breathing.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Then, I stop.
Only 5 minutes remain ---
The instant I stop, Shiro stands before me.
"Let's go! We'll save Gun......"
But Shiro's voice is drowned out by the noise of an explosion.
It came from below.
Dohn!
A large noise rings out.
The ground shakes.
Dohn! Dohn! Dohn!
Dohn Dohn Dohn Dohn!
The sound of fighting.
A battle has ensued below.
Yousuke yells.
"Damn, it's the guys from 『Valor Team』!"
Himi says from behind us.
"If we don't hurry, Gunjou-san will be......"
But Shiro bellows.
"It's just nice for us! With the 『Valor Team』 distracting her, we'll save Gunjou! Let's go!"
Yousuke jumps.
Kiri jumps.
Shiro jumps.
I jump, following after Shiro.
My brain has already been engulfed with the curse.
【In an instant ♪ In a flash ♪ In the time of a flash ♪
The flash of time, the flash of an instant ♪ In an instant ♪ In a flash ———】
I descend down.
The floor below is already ridden with a sea of blood.
Covering the whole floor ---
Blood,
Blood,
Blood,
Blood,
In an instant, I thought that the entire 『Valor Team』 has been killed.
But the truth is something else.
There are no bodies lying on the floor.
Then, whose blood is it?
"............"
A girl who I know well stands in the center of the sea of blood.
It's Mizuiro Gunjou.
Like a puppet hanging from a gigantic black hand resembling that of the devil.
Her face is contorted.
Looking lonely.
Looking sad.
"...... ah............ ah............ ah............ ah......"
She groans softly.
She's trembling.
She's trembling in fear.
Before her eyes is a sea of blood.
Blood.
She's weak against blood.
On the other end, as the girl called Makoto of Kansai's 『Valor Team』 throws out an entire bucket of blood,
"All right! Just like what the data said, she's weak against blood! All right it's the end ~! Burning Bullet switch!"
While saying that, flames engulf her fist. She jumps out right to the front of Gunjou.
Gunjou extends her hands forward as she trembles. A whirlpool of water appears from her hands.
It's a defensive magic that Gunjou often uses --- Defensive Tyrant switch.
After becoming a labyrinth diseased girl, she can activate her magic instantly without invoking her 《Headphone Fuzz》 or calling out the name of the magic.
But Makoto smiles.
"Just kidding. That's a feint."
She stops.
Unexpectedly, right behind Gunjou, the girl with deep blue hair, the leader of the 『Valor Team』 closes in.
It's Mitsutomo Kujaku.
Kujaku has a knife in her hand. As she is about to thrust that knife into Gunjou's neck,
"All right Gunjou, you can take a rest. It's the end here."
She says.
If she stabs her, it'd be the end.
At that moment,
"Acceleration switch!"
I activate my magic. I kick the floor and jump.
The formation is broken right away. Gunjou is not attacking us. Instead, she's on the verge of being killed.
I'm heading to save Gunjou.
To save a diseased girl.
To save the enemy of the world from a human.
However, as if she's ready for us, Makoto look in our direction. She grins. As if they have been expecting what we would do, they have gotten into formation.
"Tempering Flames Banquet switch ~!"
She raises both hands. From her feet, a wall of flames spurts up.
It's an AOE defensive magic.
If I burst through it, my entire body will probably turn to ashes.
"Damn."
I jump to the side, and as I try to dodge the wall of flames, from behind me, Shiro yells.
"Burst through it Shinnosuke! Thousand Deiti
es Flash Of Light switch!"
He activates his magic.
Shiro uses his spear magic.
With its drill-like tip, it zips past my side. Piercing through the wall of flames, it gouges a hole.
On the other side of the hole, 9 enemies are activating their magic, waiting for me. Probably the remaining members of the 『Valor Team』. Both Santou Taisuke and Kamiuchi Miko are also there.
But I am not concerned about them.
Only this thought exists in my mind.
Faster.
Even for just a second.
In an instant, in a flash, in the time of a flash.
My speed surpasses even that of god.
I chase after the Thousand Deities Flash Of Light switch, slips through the enemies, and reach the side of Gunjou and Kujaku.
I don't care about my back.
Even though there are 8 enemies behind me, I never turned around.
My comrades should be covering my back.
Shiro, Yousuke, Kiri and Himi should be protecting me.
It sounds really foolish. Really stupid. But I trust my comrades and look forward.
I look only at Gunjou.
I look only at the figure of my classmate, my comrade.
Gunjou notices me. She stares at me with her vacant, almond-shaped, beautiful eyes.
Then instantly,
"...... ah."
She says.
Her eyes suddenly widen.
She focuses on me.
Completely different from the reaction of Asahi Momoka.
Looking at me, her eyes quivered. She's clearly wavering. Is she conscious? But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now. I'll save her. Because I'll save her.
I extend my hand. I grab the hand of Kujaku that's about to kill Gunjou. At that moment, my acceleration magic ends.
Kujaku looks at me.
"...... oh my, are you interfering with us from saving the world?"
Kujaku throws away her knife readily.
She retreats a step back.
She intends to use magic against me.
But I can't deal with that. As I have already let the cursed song of Holy Sword flow from my 《Headphone Fuzz》.
And I can't use another magic together with Holy Sword switch.
I'm completely defenseless.
I'm completely a dunce.
But it's fine.
If I can save Gunjou.
If I'm not killing a labyrinth diseased girl, not giving up on her,
"........."
If I can save her, I don't mind being a trashy blockhead.
I can hear Shiro's bellowing voice.
"Do it! Shinnosuke! Save Gunjou!"