Chapter 48

In a certain room, the walls faintly emitted a bluish-white light, and on these walls, the shadows of three people huddled together were reflected. It was Aichi, Tsuki, and Shia.

With Aichi at the center, Tsuki was on the right and Shia on the left, the three of them sat side by side, their shoulders leaning against each other. The room was filled with silence, and if one listened carefully, the hissing sounds of breathing could be heard. These were the sleeping breaths of Tsuki and Shia. The two were hugging Aichi's arms, using his shoulders as pillows to sleep.

Aichi and the others had been in the Lysen labyrinth for exactly a week since they entered. During this time, they encountered countless traps and unpleasant messages. The mental toll was far more severe than the physical. They were sent back to the starting point seven times, encountered deadly traps forty-eight times, and faced meaningless, annoying harassment one hundred and sixty-nine times. At first, Aichi and the others were filled with anger towards Millie Lysen, but after about four days, their mindset changed to a casual "whatever" attitude.

The food supply was still abundant, and it was fortunate that they wouldn't die early due to their physical condition. They rested and explored bit by bit. As a result, Aichi used the [Mark] to confirm the positions of the blocks, discovering that the structure of the labyrinth seemed to change in a certain pattern.

It was about time for some progress. Thinking this, Aichi cast his gaze on the two girls sleeping beside him.

"You're sleeping so soundly... This is a big labyrinth, you know?"

Aichi's voice, tinged with a bitter smile, echoed. He was now getting up to take the night watch. He gently pulled his arm free from Tsuki's embrace and stroked her hair. Seeing Tsuki's cheeks slightly bloom with a flower-like smile, Aichi's eyes softened.

Next, Aichi turned his gaze to Shia, who was leaning on his shoulder, drooling profusely, and moving her lips in a relaxed sleep. Recalling that Shia had indeed said she wanted him to pet her head, Aichi gently stroked her hair and then her rabbit ears. This made Shia's already relaxed expression even more at ease, a look of contentment. Perhaps she felt safe because Aichi was on guard, or maybe just being near Aichi made her feel secure.

As Aichi stroked Shia's soft white hair and rabbit ears, which were interspersed with a few strands of blue, he wore a complex expression.

"Really, what's so good about a guy like me... to follow me all the way to such a place..."

His eyes, usually filled with a harsh attitude, were now gentle. Aichi didn't think he had the same feelings for Shia that he had for Tsuki, but he appreciated her positive thinking, her cheerfulness, and her perseverance even when she cried and complained. Naturally, his touch became gentler. At this moment, Shia started mumbling in her sleep.

"Ah... Ah~... Aichi, boldly say~... in public... everyone is watching~"

"..."

Aichi's gaze remained gentle, but the smile had disappeared from his eyes. With that gentle touch, he quietly moved his hand, pinching Shia's nose to block her mouth. Watching Shia's expression change from peaceful to distressed, Aichi continued to block her mouth without a care.

"Mmm~ Mmm? Mmm! Mmm~!! Mmm~!! What the heck! Ha, ha, ha, what are you doing! This isn't the same as a night raid!"

Breathing heavily, Shia woke up abruptly and protested, and Aichi looked at her with a cold gaze.

"What's wrong? How perverted are you in my heart? What did you do in public? Huh?"

"Eh?... H, that was a dream!? So, after finally getting Aichi to be gentle, I couldn't hold back my excitement, scolding myself for feeling embarrassed and distressed, and finally confessing in public!"

Before she could finish, Aichi flicked Shia's forehead with his reinforced middle finger. The impact sent Shia reeling backward, her head hitting the wall behind her, and she crouched on the ground with tears in her eyes. Indeed, she was already deeply entrenched in the role of the pitiful character.

While rubbing her head, Shia whispered, "I felt so happy when I was sleeping just now, was it an illusion?" Perhaps she subconsciously felt Aichi's touch. However, Aichi could see that if he acknowledged it, she would get carried away, so he ignored her and said nothing.

Shia also got up (forcibly), and Aichi gently woke Tsuki. "Mmm... Ah?" Tsuki made such a cute sound as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked and looked up to confirm Aichi was there, her eyes smiling as she lightly kissed Aichi's shoulder, then quietly got up and tidied herself.

"Ugh, Tsuki is so cute... This is how girls wake up~ In comparison, I..."

This time, Shia started to feel down again. Tsuki looked at her with a puzzled expression, then ignored her with the reason, "Well, it's Shia."

"Hey, the fact that your charm (femininity) is overwhelmingly inferior was known from the beginning, right? Don't be down, let's start exploring."

"...Where did you lose your gentleness?"

"...? Aichi is gentle to me."

"Grr, you're only gentle to Tsuki, damn it..."

Shia stood up with a slightly dissatisfied look. Tsuki and Aichi were already fully prepared. They hoped this time they wouldn't be sent back to the starting point, and the three of them began exploring the labyrinth again.

Now, even if they encountered many traps and annoying messages, they could maintain a calm and peaceful mindset like a bodhisattva.

Then, a room they had never encountered in the past week appeared. Aichi and the others reached a room filled with magical doll knights, the place where they were first sent back to the starting point and felt an overwhelming sense of anger. However, this time, the sealed door was already open, and on the other side of the door was not a room but a large corridor.

"This is... If we get surrounded, it will be troublesome. Let's go through while the door is open!"

"Okay!"

"Sure!"

Aichi and the others rushed into the room filled with magical doll knights. As expected, the magical doll knights emitted creaking sounds and rushed out from the wall niches on both sides. The leading magical doll knights were driven back by gunshots. Using the time gained, Aichi and the others accelerated through the encirclement and reached the altar in front. The magical doll knights caught up quickly, but Aichi and the others passed through the door before being caught. Escape is victory! Aichi smiled as if to say so.

However, Aichi's smile vanished in the next instant. The magical doll knights also passed through the door and caught up. Moreover...

"What!? They can run on the ceiling!?"

"...Surprised."

"Gravity, please work properly~!"

Indeed, the pursuing magical doll knights ran on the ceiling and walls as if they were unaware of gravity, their heavy armor creaking. Seeing this, even Aichi and the others were frightened.

"What's going on?"

Aichi couldn't help but mutter. Then, he glanced back at the knights and was even more frightened.

A magical doll knight running on the ceiling suddenly jumped, like a bullet, and aimed its head at Aichi and the others, maintaining a terrifying momentum as it flew through the air.

"What!? Damn!"

Aichi let out a cry of shock and fired continuously. The bullets, like flashes, destroyed the helmet and shoulder of the flying magical doll knight. The head and body of the magical doll knight separated, and it dropped its shield and greatsword. However, these items did not fall to the ground but directly hit Aichi and the others.

"Dodge!"

"Mmm."

"Wah~!"

Aichi and the others dodged the head, body, greatsword, and shield of the magical doll knight, which approached with a fierce momentum. The remains of the magical doll knight passed by Aichi and the others and collided violently with the floor, rolling to a distant place without losing momentum.

"Hey, this is like..."

"Mmm... [Falling]" (Note: Here, gravity is horizontal.)

"Gravity is slacking off, I know."

Indeed, Tsuki and Shia's words best described the situation. It was as if the magical doll knights could manipulate gravity. Why didn't they use it last time? Perhaps they couldn't use it in the previous room, but they could in this corridor.

Making this assumption, the [Falling] of the magical doll knights towards Aichi and the others did not stop. Among them, some even swung their greatswords like windmills and approached fiercely. Aichi and Tsuki used gunshots and [Break] for long-range attacks, while Shia dealt with the approaching ones, and they continued to move forward without stopping.

After a while, Aichi and the others sensed something ahead.

"Mmm... Aichi."

"Ah, I know. Well, it's normal for such a trap to be reconstructed."

"Front and rear attack."

The magical doll knights that had fallen earlier had been reconstructed in front. They were lined up, waiting for Aichi and the others. They all pushed their shields forward, crouched, and formed a solid wall. The second row of magical doll knights supported the knights in the front, who were acting as shields. Perhaps they had learned that a single row would be easily shattered by Aichi and the others' brute force.

"Damn, troublesome."

Aichi clicked his tongue, put Dorna Shuraku back into the holster on his thigh, and took out a weapon from the [Treasure Vault].

In his hand was a rectangular rocket and missile launcher with a twelve-barreled rotating magazine: Orgon. The rockets were about thirty centimeters long and had more destructive power than regular grenades. The warheads were equipped with [Lightning] stones, which were always charged with static electricity and served as ignition devices to detonate the explosive powder upon impact.

Aichi held Orgon under his arm and made a twisted smile.

"Tsuki, Shia! Cover your ears! You'll go deaf otherwise."

"Mmm."

"Eh~ What is that thing!?"

Tsuki covered her ears with her index fingers while running. Shia, seeing Orgon for the first time, widened her eyes, and her rabbit ears perked up, but Aichi ignored her and pulled the trigger of Orgon.

Bam!

With this sound, the launched rockets, trailing flames, aimed directly at the lined-up magical doll knights.

In the next instant, a loud explosion occurred. The compressed explosive powder released a terrifying shock, causing the entire corridor to shake violently. The magical doll knights, centered around the point of impact, were blown in all directions, colliding violently with the walls and ceiling, and were destroyed beyond recognition. It would take some time to reconstruct them.

Aichi and the others quickly crossed over the remains of the magical doll knights and continued forward.

"Rabbit ears~ My rabbit ears~!!"

While running alongside Aichi and the others, Shia pressed her folded rabbit ears and cried out in distress. Rabbit people... were the race with the best hearing among the sub-humans.

"So, I told you to cover your ears."

"Eh, eh? What did you say? I couldn't hear."

"...Really, pitiful rabbit..."

Aichi and Tsuki looked at Shia with stunned expressions, but the distressed Shia didn't notice.

They continued to run and deal with the falling magical doll knights for about five minutes. Finally, they saw the end of the corridor. In front of the corridor was a vast space, but the corridor ended here. About ten meters ahead, a cubic floating stone hovered in the air.

"Tsuki, Shia! Jump!"

Hearing Aichi's voice, Tsuki and Shia nodded (Shia's hearing had finally recovered). The magical doll knights were still falling from behind. While countering them and dodging, Aichi and the others jumped out from the edge of the corridor.

With their bodies enhanced, Aichi and the others had jumping power far surpassing Olympic athletes. They easily broke the world record and flew towards the cubic floating stone below.

However, the characteristic of this big labyrinth was that things never went as planned. Just as Aichi and the others were drawing a parabolic arc towards the cubic floating stone, the cubic block began to move backward. (Note: This reminds me of the变态猫版马里奥.)

"What!?"

This was the umpteenth time Aichi had let out such a scream since entering the labyrinth. The drop below was deep, and falling would be disastrous. Aichi immediately raised his left hand and shot out a grappling hook, followed by Tsuki's shout.

"[Ascend]!"

The wind magic generated an updraft, extending Aichi and the others' jump. The effect was enough for a moment. The grappling hook caught up with the floating stone, which was still trying to move away, and successfully hooked onto its edge. Using the anchor of the prosthetic hand, Tsuki and Shia tightly hugged the hanging Aichi.

"Good job, Tsuki."

"Tsuki, as expected!"

"...More praise."

Confirming they wouldn't fall, the three of them couldn't help but smile, and Aichi and Shia praised Tsuki. Tsuki, who had expended a lot of magic power, showed signs of fatigue but exuded a sense of pride.

However, the harmonious atmosphere was shattered by the magical doll knights flying in the air. Indeed, the magical doll knights were flying in the air. They probably controlled gravity to determine the direction of their fall. They approached Aichi and the others, who were still hanging in the air, with terrifying momentum.

"This! Tsuki, Shia, climb!"

Aichi gave the two instructions and drew Dorna, firing continuously at the approaching knights. Tsuki and Shia climbed up the floating stone along Aichi's body, and Aichi performed a backflip to move onto the floating stone. Immediately, a magical doll knight stabbed the place where Aichi had been hanging with its greatsword. The magical doll knight was momentarily stunned by the impact, and Aichi shot its head, knocking it down.

"Damn, I don't know if these guys can really manipulate gravity, but their movements are getting more agile."

"...Maybe, the reason is here?"

"Ahaha, what is common sense? Floating is common sense?"

As Shia said, everything around Aichi and the others was floating in the air.

Aichi and the others had entered a huge spherical space. The diameter was over two kilometers, and in this space, various oddly shaped large mineral blocks floated and moved irregularly. This was a space that completely ignored gravity. However, strangely, Aichi and the others could still feel gravity. Perhaps, only specific materials in this room were not affected by gravity.

In this space, the magical doll knights flew around endlessly. Indeed, they could adjust the direction of their fall, and their turns were quite sharp. It wouldn't be strange for a living being to die from the intense centripetal force. (Note: Astronauts can withstand up to 7G without special equipment, 11G with water-filled special suits, and dragonflies can withstand 13G. The anti-gravity suits for astronauts are based on dragonfly biomimicry.) Considering that the closer they got to this space, the more precise their movements became, it was likely that...

"There might be someone controlling the magical doll knights here."

Hearing Aichi's hypothesis, Tsuki and Shia tightened their expressions in agreement. For some reason, the magical doll knights were just circling around Aichi and the others without attacking. They decided to look around to see if there were any other paths. They didn't know if this was the end. However, it was likely that this was the deepest place. The increased abilities of the magical doll knights made Aichi's hypothesis about this unique space more convincing.

Aichi used [Far Sight] to carefully investigate the huge spherical space. In the next instant, Shia's voice, full of anxiety, rang out.

"Run!"

"!?!"

Aichi and Ts