Chapter 28

The light from the magic circle filled the field of vision. Although nothing could be seen, one could still feel the environment had changed. It was markedly different from the stagnant air at the bottom of the abyss. Feeling the fresh air, Aichi's cheeks relaxed.

The light finally faded from his field of vision, and Aichi's sight gradually returned.

It was a cave.

"What the heck is this?" (Aichi used the Osaka dialect)

Aichi unconditionally believed that the other side of the magic circle was the surface, but the cave in front of him made him involuntarily complain. To be honest, he was very disappointed.

Tsuki tugged at the hem of Aichi's clothes, trying to comfort him, and offered her speculation.

"…This might be…a secret passage…"

"Oh, oh, right, it makes sense. The path to the rebels' residence would naturally be hidden."

Such a reasonable thing, and he hadn't thought of it. Realizing he could finally return to the surface, Aichi felt quite happy, but also somewhat ashamed. He scratched his face to regain his composure and stabilize his emotions.

The cave had no green light stones and was almost pitch black. However, this was not a problem for Aichi and Tsuki, and they continued to move forward in the cave.

On the way, Oscar's ring reacted to several sealed doors and traps, deactivating them all. The two remained vigilant and proceeded smoothly through the empty cave. Gradually, they saw light, the light from outside. It was the light Aichi had been seeking for months, and the light Tsuki had been seeking for the long three hundred years.

The moment they saw it, Aichi and Tsuki looked at each other's faces, and smiles appeared on both of their faces. The next moment, they both ran towards the light.

As they ran, the light grew stronger, and the wind from outside blew in. It was not the stagnant air at the bottom of the abyss, but a cool and fresh air that was incomparable. At this moment, Aichi finally had the feeling that "the air is really good."

Then, Aichi and Tsuki leaped into the light… and the long-awaited surface appeared.

For the people on the surface, this place was a hellish execution ground. The cliff below was almost unusable for magic, and it was inhabited by many powerful and ferocious monsters. On average, it was one to two kilometers deep, about nine hundred meters wide, and at its widest point, eight kilometers wide. It stretched from the [Gurun Great Desert] in the west to the [Hartina Tree Sea] in the east, like a scar on the earth, dividing the north and south continents. People called it

[The Laeson Grand Canyon]

The exit of the cave where Aichi and Tsuki were located was at the bottom of the Laeson Grand Canyon. Although they were at the bottom, the warm and brilliant sunlight poured down from above. The scent of the earth and the wind blended together, stimulating their nostrils.

No matter where they were, this was indeed the surface. Staring blankly at the sun above, both of their faces broke into smiles again. Even Tsuki, whose default expression was usually blank, would be recognized by anyone as smiling at this moment.

"…We're back…"

"…Yeah…"

The two finally had the feeling of being back on the surface. They shifted their gaze from the sun and looked at each other again, hugging each other tightly.

"It's great—!! We're finally back, damn it!"

"Unn—!!"

Aichi held the small Tsuki and spun her around, and for a while, laughter that was out of place in a place called hell echoed. In the middle of this, they stumbled on the uneven ground and fell, but even such a failure was worth a laugh. The two of them laughed uncontrollably.

As the laughter gradually subsided, they were completely surrounded by monsters.

"Ah… They're all such unsentimental guys… By the way, can't we use magic here?"

Aichi tilted his head and drew Dona Shuraku, having learned that the Laeson Grand Canyon was a place where magic could not be used.

"…Magic is decomposed… But, more power will do."

The reason magic could not be used in the Laeson Grand Canyon was that the magic power required to cast spells was decomposed and dissipated. Of course, this applied to Tsuki's magic as well. However, Tsuki was a princess of the vampire clan and possessed an extraordinary amount of magic power. Now, she also had an external magic power reservoir in the form of a magic crystal. In short, for Tsuki, it was a matter of inputting more magic power before it was decomposed to overwhelm the enemies with overwhelming power.

"How much more power…?"

"…About ten times."

Clearly, to cast a basic spell here, one had to input the magic power usually used for an advanced spell, and the range was quite short.

"Ah~, I'll take care of it, Tsuki just protect yourself."

"Un… But…"

"Alright, alright, everyone has their strengths. This place is a nightmare for mages, so leave it to me."

"Un… I understand."

Tsuki reluctantly stepped back. It was hard to accept that she couldn't be a combatant in her first battle on the surface. Her pride was slightly hurt, and she pouted.

Seeing Tsuki like this, Aichi couldn't help but smile wryly and raised Dona to shoot at the monsters. Without even looking, he naturally pointed the gun at one of the monsters and pulled the trigger. The attack was so natural that the monsters didn't even notice and were killed with a headshot. The surrounding monsters couldn't resist and fell one by one. Only the sound of gunfire lingered, and the remaining monsters were frozen in place, not even understanding what had happened. Indeed, if he used ten times the magic power, he could use [Thunder Bind] and fire an electromagnetic cannon without any problem.

The monsters remained frozen, and Aichi smiled fearlessly.

"Then, let's see which is stronger, the monsters of the abyss or you guys?"

Aichi reloaded his gun, and his eyes were filled with killing intent. Seeing those eyes, the surrounding monsters instinctively took a step back, though they didn't realize it themselves. They instinctively felt that their current opponent was a monster they couldn't fight.

If a normal person were here, they would feel a strong pressure that could make them lose consciousness, and the monsters were bearing this immense pressure. Finally, one monster couldn't stand the tension and roared, charging forward.

"Shaaaaa—!!"

Bang!!

But the gunshots rang out almost simultaneously, and a flash flew. The monster didn't even have time to react, let alone dodge, and its head was blown off. This wasn't a battle but a massacre. Not a single monster was allowed to escape, and it was a matter of course that their heads were blown off. In less than five minutes, the area was filled with the bodies of the monsters.

Aichi inserted Dona Shuraku into the holster on his thigh, tilted his head, and surveyed the pile of corpses around him. Tsuki walked up to Aichi's side with a pattering sound.

"…What's wrong?"

"No, just feels too easy… I heard the monsters in the Laeson Grand Canyon are quite ferocious, maybe it's different in other places?"

"…Aichi is a monster."

"That's a bit harsh, but maybe the monsters in the abyss are just too strong."

Saying this, Aichi shrugged and looked away from the pile of corpses, losing interest.

"Then, how about we try to climb this cliff… What do you think? Since the Laeson Grand Canyon is considered one of the seven labyrinths, it's a rare opportunity to explore it while heading towards the tree sea?"

"…Why the tree sea?"

"Well, right after the canyon, there's a desert in front of us, which is quite unpleasant. The tree sea is closer to the city."

"…True."

Tsuki nodded in agreement with Aichi's suggestion. Considering the monsters were so weak, the canyon itself probably wasn't a labyrinth. If so, it was more likely that the labyrinth had a different entrance. Using Aichi's "Aero" and Tsuki's wind magic, climbing the canyon wouldn't be difficult. However, exploring the Laeson Grand Canyon was necessary. There was no reason to oppose it.

Aichi injected magic power into his right middle finger's "Treasure Vault" and took out a magic-powered motorcycle. After mounting it casually, Tsuki sat behind him and tightly hugged his waist. Unlike Earth motorcycles, this one didn't need gasoline. Instead, it was directly powered by magic, and the wheels started moving. Moreover, it was silent like an electric vehicle. While Aichi thought the sound of an engine starting was a man's romance, the parts required to make an engine were too complex for him to recreate through alchemy. Incidentally, the speed of the vehicle was proportional to the amount of magic power used. However, in the Laeson Grand Canyon, the efficiency of magic power was very low, so they couldn't ride for too long.

The Laeson Grand Canyon basically extended straight from east to west. There were few forks, so they wouldn't get lost, and they would quickly reach the tree sea. Aichi and Tsuki had nothing to worry about; they just needed to be careful not to miss the entrance to the labyrinth. The motorcycle sped along smoothly. The alchemy mechanism at the bottom of the vehicle turned the uneven ground into a flat surface, making the ride quite comfortable.

However, Aichi's hands were never idle while driving. He shot down every monster that attacked. After riding for a while, they heard the roar of a monster from a distance, which was quite intimidating. At least, it was much stronger than the monsters they had encountered so far at the bottom of the canyon. They would meet it in about thirty seconds.

Riding the motorcycle around a protruding cliff, they saw a large monster on the opposite side. It resembled a dragon but had two heads. A two-headed tyrannosaurus, perhaps.

However, what Aichi and Tsuki truly noticed was not the two-headed tyrannosaurus but the rabbit-eared girl who was half-crying and half-hopping away from it.

Aichi stopped the motorcycle and looked at the rabbit-eared girl who was about to be eaten with a puzzled expression.

"…What is that?"

"…A rabbit person?"

"Why is she here? Do rabbit people live at the bottom of the canyon?"

"…I haven't heard of it."

"Then, is it that? Maybe she's a criminal who was exiled or something? A form of execution?"

"…A bad rabbit?"

Aichi and Tsuki were puzzled, chatting leisurely while glancing at the fleeing rabbit-eared girl. They had no intention of helping her. Additionally, the Laeson Grand Canyon was used as an execution ground for criminals. Considering the rabbit-eared girl might be a criminal and a stranger, helping her would just be a hassle, and they had no interest.

Aichi, who was always selfish and cruel, had no sympathy for the rabbit-eared girl. Without any benefit, he wouldn't be moved. There was no obligation to respond to every cry for help. Moreover, Aichi had already given up on this world.

However, the rabbit-eared girl noticed Aichi and Tsuki. After being blown away by the two-headed tyrannosaurus and landing in the shadow of a rock, she crawled out on all fours and stared at Aichi and Tsuki. Then, the two-headed tyrannosaurus swung its claws again, knocking away the rock she was hiding behind. The rabbit-eared girl rolled on the ground and fled with a killing intent.

Despite the distance, her desperate cries echoed through the canyon and reached Aichi and Tsuki.

"Please save me~! I—I'm going to die! Please, save me!"

Her cheeks were soaked with tears as she ran desperately, with the two-headed tyrannosaurus about to eat her. If she continued like this, she would be eaten before reaching them.

Indeed, if she came directly for help, even Aichi would…

"Wow… There's a monster train behind me… Please, spare me."

"…Troublesome."

They still had no intention of helping the rabbit-eared girl. Her desperate cries did not move Aichi and Tsuki; rather, they found it annoying. They turned their gaze away from the rabbit-eared girl, who finally realized they had no intention of helping her. More tears streamed from her eyes. How did she cry with her eyes wide open like that?

"Wait~! Please don't abandon me~! I beg you~!"

The rabbit-eared girl shouted even louder.

Despite this, Aichi remained unmoved and continued to ignore her. The rabbit-eared girl would definitely be eaten. Yes, as long as the two-headed tyrannosaurus didn't look at Aichi and Tsuki with a killing intent.

The two-headed tyrannosaurus, seeing the direction the rabbit-eared girl was fleeing, roared at Aichi and Tsuki with a killing intent.

"Roaaaaaar!!"

Aichi's reaction was immediate.

"Huh?"

Now, his survival was threatened, and he was seen as prey. An enemy was blocking his path! Aichi's body reacted to the killing intent of the two-headed tyrannosaurus, and his will screamed: enemy, kill!

The two-headed tyrannosaurus pursued the rabbit-eared girl, and one of its heads opened its massive mouth. The rabbit-eared girl sensed this and looked back—seeing the approaching rows of sharp teeth—and realized, "Ah… it's over…" Her eyes reflected despair.

But in the next moment,

Bang!!

A dry, cracking sound she had never heard before echoed through the canyon, and a flash of light passed between her two ears, which were standing up in fear, and then entered the mouth of the approaching two-headed tyrannosaurus, shattering and piercing through its head.

One of the heads lost its strength and fell violently to the ground, sliding along the surface due to inertia. The two-headed tyrannosaurus lost its balance and flipped over, causing a thunderous sound as it hit the ground.

The impact blew the rabbit-eared girl away again, and she landed as if aiming for Aichi.

"Aaaaaah—! Please, please help me~!"

The rabbit-eared girl reached out to Aichi. Her tattered body exposed parts that shouldn't be seen, and even with a tear-streaked face, any man would have caught her without hesitation.

"Are you an idiot? So shameless."

But this was Aichi's talent. (Note: This talent rivals the hero's inability to read the atmosphere.) He instantly backed the motorcycle away, elegantly avoiding the rabbit-eared girl.

"Huh!?"

The rabbit-eared girl let out a shocked cry and fell to the ground in front of Aichi. She lay on the ground, her limbs twitching. Although she was conscious, the pain prevented her from standing up.

"…Interesting."

Tsuki, looking over Aichi's shoulder at the rabbit-eared girl's awkward state, offered a personal comment. Incidentally, the two-headed tyrannosaurus had only lost one head, and the other head, to regain balance, actually ate its dead head. Now, it looked like an injured regular tyrannosaurus.

The regular tyrannosaurus's eyes were filled with immense anger, and it roared. The rabbit-eared girl, startled, jumped up. Surprisingly, she was quite sturdy. She quickly stood up and, with unexpectedly quick movements, hid behind Aichi.

Completely dependent on Aichi, she would have been eaten long ago if she were alone. Although she didn't know what Aichi had done, she understood that he had killed one of the heads. So, hiding behind Aichi was a natural action.

"Hey, you. You exist just to be a joke! Why are you using us as a shield without permission? Don't involve us, go and attack!"

But she clung tightly to the hem of Aichi's coat, refusing to let go! Aichi glanced at the rabbit-eared girl, sincerely finding her annoying. Tsuki, sitting behind him, kicked the rabbit-eared girl to make her let go.

"No, no! If I let go now, you'll definitely abandon me, right!"

"Of course! Why should we help a troublesome rabbit we don't know?"

"R-Right! What do you mean by 'of course'? Don't you have any compassion? Doesn't it hurt your conscience to abandon a beautiful girl like me?"

"That kind of thing was left at the bottom of the abyss. By the way, don't call yourself a beautiful girl."

"Then, if you help me… I, I'll grant you one wish, no, I'll do anything you want?" (Note: After reading this a few times, I think this is a double entendre. Listening doesn't necessarily mean doing, right? Just listening can be anything...)

The rabbit-eared girl, blushing and looking up, leaned in. Clever, but a rather vulgar move. Without the tears and snot, she would have been quite charming. Indeed, up close, even with such a dirty face, she was a beautiful girl, as she claimed. Very well-featured, a beautiful girl with white hair and blue eyes. Most men would be charmed by her, despite her dirtiness.

However, the man in front of her was not ordinary.

"I don't need it. Rather, don't come close with that dirty face, you'll get me dirty."

Always adhering to his cruel ways.

"Dirty!?! I'm not as dirty as you say, I'm not dirty, I protest!"

"Roaaaaaar!!"

"Ah—! Please save me~!"

Just as she was about to loudly protest Aichi's words, the tyrannosaurus, as if saying, "Don't ignore me," roared and prepared to charge at Aichi and Tsuki.

The rabbit-eared girl screamed pitifully and tried to force her way onto the motorcycle, hiding between Aichi and Tsuki. Tsuki kicked the rabbit-eared girl to make her get off, but the rabbit-eared girl, with shoe prints on her face, clung on tightly, refusing to let go.

Observing this, the regular tyrannosaurus felt completely ignored and glared at Aichi and Tsuki with even more anger. Finally, it charged. Aichi raised his gun and aimed at the tyrannosaurus's forehead, then fired. The entire sequence took less than a second. The gun fired, and a flash of light pierced the tyrannosaurus's forehead.

After a moment of convulsions, the tyrannosaurus easily died. It fell to the ground with a thunderous sound.

The rabbit-eared girl, hearing the gunshot and the sound of the tyrannosaurus falling, let out a foolish "Huh?" and cautiously peeked out from under Aichi's arm to confirm the tyrannosaurus's fate.

"D-Dead… That black one was killed in one shot…"

The