Chapter 78

"Deceiving... right? Hikari... lost?"

"That... that kind of..."

"Don't... don't... why..."

The companions who emerged from the hidden room looked at Hikari, who was hanging there, some in shock, others muttering meaningless words. Even Shizukana, Kaori, and Suzu stood there as if they couldn't speak. Seeing them, who had lost their fighting spirit, the woman of the demon race spoke to them with an unchanging cold attitude.

"Hmm, to fall for such a simple trick. You kids, who I underestimated in every way, seem to be just as I thought."

Shizukana's face turned pale, but despite that, her voice carried a strong resolve as she questioned the woman of the demon race.

"...What did you do?"

"Hmm? This, this..."

Saying this, the woman of the demon race turned her gaze to Captain Merudo, who was still bound to the blue troll. Following her gaze, they saw the dying Captain Merudo, and Shizukana instantly understood. Captain Merudo was used to divert Hikari's attention. Seeing a familiar person in a dying state, Hikari would surely react, and at the same time, he would lose his composure.

The woman of the demon race must have grasped Hikari's straightforward character during the previous battle. Then, using the Chimera's innate ability, she hid a powerful monster and attacked at the moment Hikari lost his cool.

"...So? What do you expect from us? From the way you're talking, it seems you spared us for a reason, right?"

"Ah, indeed, you seem to be the one who can best judge the situation. There's nothing special to say. I just want to persuade you again. Last time, I already tried to persuade you, but the hero decided everything on his own, right? There seem to be some capable people among you, so I'm asking again. So? What do you think?"

Hearing the woman's words, a few people reacted. Shizukana glanced at them and asked again without hesitation.

"...What does Hikari plan to do?"

"Hmm, smart... sorry, but the hero can't live. I don't think he'll come here, and it's impossible to persuade him, right? He's the type who would end his own life. In that case, there's no reason to let such a dangerous person live."

"...Does that apply to us as well?"

"Of course. To eliminate any future trouble, it's impossible to let those who don't surrender live."

"But if we just comply now and betray later, wouldn't you think that?"

"Of course, I would. So, at the very least, you'll be put in collars. Ah, don't worry. As long as you don't rebel, it won't take away your autonomy."

"Such a high degree of freedom feels like slavery. Acknowledging free will but not allowing actions that harm the master, right?"

"Exactly, exactly. It's a big help that you understand so quickly. Unlike the hero, it's great to have a conversation with you."

The classmates listened silently to Shizukana's conversation with the woman of the demon race. Their eyes, filled with unease and fear, met each other. If they didn't accept the demon race's proposal, the monsters that even Hikari couldn't resist would attack, and they would most likely be killed. If they accepted, they would be collared and unable to fight the demon race anymore.

In that case, the "Apostles of God" would essentially cease to exist. When they managed to return, would the Holy Church still protect them, who had become useless? And could they return to their original world?

No matter which choice they made, the future looked bleak. But...

"I, I think we should accept her invitation!"

Just when no one was speaking, unexpectedly, Eri spoke with a trembling voice. The classmates were surprised, their eyes wide open, staring at her. In response, Ryotaro, his face flushed with anger, shouted back.

"Eri, you damn it! Are you going to abandon Hikari!"

"Ah!"

"Ryotaro, calm down! Eri, why do you think so?"

Seeing the furious Ryotaro, Eri took a step back in fear. After Shizukana calmed Ryotaro, she finally relaxed. Then, she took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and spoke from her heart.

"I, I just... hope no one dies... As for Hikari, I... don't know what to do... Sniff, sniff..."

Eri, tears streaming down her face, struggled to form her words. Seeing her, the other members were also moved. Then, someone agreed with Eri.

"I also agree with Nakamura. We've already lost. There's no point in hesitating between annihilation and survival, right?"

"Hinoyama... So, is Hikari just fine with that? Huh?"

"Hinoyama, are you going to die with Hikari, who can no longer fight? Make us all die?"

"That's not it! That's not it, but!"

"Shut up if you don't have a better plan. Now, we need to think of ways to save as many people as possible."

After Hinoyama spoke, the atmosphere began to shift towards accepting the invitation. As Hinoyama said, to survive, they had to accept the proposal.

However, even so, they hesitated to choose this path because of the guilt: "Is it really right to abandon Hikari to survive?" It felt like they were betraying Hikari to survive, and they couldn't make up their minds.

Seeing the classmates, the woman of the demon race proposed again at the perfect moment.

"Hmm, if you're just worried about the hero... I can let him live. Of course, he'll be put in a much stronger collar than the ones you'll get. And in exchange, everyone must come to the side of the demon race."

Shizukana couldn't help but inwardly sigh at the proposal. She realized that the woman of the demon race had planned to make this proposal from the beginning. If killing Hikari was a foregone conclusion, it would have been strange for him to still be alive at this point. She could have killed him without hesitation. His survival until now was precisely for this moment.

Clearly, the woman of the demon race, after watching the previous battle, recognized that Hikari and his companions were useful. While she was certain that Hikari, who wouldn't even engage in conversation, would never defect, she wasn't sure about the others. Therefore, to pull the others to the side of the demon race, she played a trick.

First, to avoid increasing their resentment, she didn't kill Hikari at this point. Second, she narrowed their choices at the critical moment of life and death, and third, she guided their thinking to "as long as it's not that," removing the issue of "Hikari will die" at this crucial moment.

Now, Hikari could live, and if they did that, they could survive and defect to the side of the demon race. The atmosphere began to shift in that direction. However, there was no guarantee of Hikari's survival. If they regretted it after he was killed, it would be too late to defy the demon race.

Shizukana noticed this. "To survive at this moment, we can only rely on the demon race," she said to herself and fell silent. As long as they could survive, there might be a way to save Hikari.

For the woman of the demon race, acquiring Shizukana and her companions would bring her great benefits. First, it would cause a significant shock to the human side. The "Apostles of God," who brought hope to the human side, joining the demon race would be a deep despair. This would give the demon race a significant advantage.

Second, it would supplement her forces. The true purpose of the woman of the demon race coming to the "Orkus Great Labyrinth" was to gain the immense power that would be obtained after conquering the labyrinth. Up to this point, the monsters she had were enough to easily clear the levels, but it might not be the same afterward. Although only for a few minutes, the monsters she brought were also killed by Hikari and his companions. Therefore, acquiring Shizukana and her companions would be a great addition to her forces.

At this rate, she would soon acquire Shizukana and her companions. Understanding the atmosphere, a smile appeared at the corner of the woman's mouth.

However, the smile disappeared when she heard a sudden, pained voice.

"Everyone... can't... listen to her..."

"Hikari!"

"Hikari-kun!"

"Amatsukawa!"

The voice belonged to Hikari, who was hanging in the air. The companions' eyes all turned toward Hikari.

"...Deceived... Aran and the others were... killed... trust... is gone... fighting humans... being enslaved... run... it's fine... how I am... just one more person... run..."

Even on the brink of death, he warned of the dangers of the deal. Instead of making such a deal, it was better to abandon him and run for their lives. Seeing Hikari's insistence, the classmates' resolve wavered again.

"...In this situation, who do you think can survive? Be realistic! We've already lost! The knights... killing each other! There's no way! To save as many people as possible, we have to comply!"

Hinoyama's angry voice echoed. Seeing Hikari, who still refused to change his mind, Hinoyama glared at him with anger. What Hinoyama wanted was to survive at all costs. At worst, even if everyone else died, he wanted to survive with Kaori. The possibility of running away was low.

Regarding the demon race, if they showed their usefulness, they might be given important roles. In that case, acquiring Kaori might be possible. (Note: You're overthinking it; she's more useful than you...) Of course, they would be put in collars, restricting their free will. But for Hinoyama, even if her free will was restricted, it didn't matter. As long as Kaori became his possession, he would be satisfied.

Hinoyama's anger swayed the companions toward a more certain future.

At that moment, another pained but powerful voice echoed through the room. Despite being weak, it was somehow loud and deep. How many times on the battlefield had they been encouraged and supported by that voice? No matter the situation, he always made the right judgment, and his words were strong and unwavering. His tall, reliable figure was a role model. To everyone, he was like an older brother or a father. Merudo's voice echoed.

"Grr... You... just think about surviving...! Follow the path you believe in! ...Our war... I'm sorry for involving you... The longer we spent together... the deeper the regret... So, live and return home... don't worry about the humans... from the beginning... this was our war alone!"

Merudo's words were not those of the captain of the Helich Kingdom's knight corps but simply those of a man, Merudo Rokins, speaking from his heart, without his position. He expressed this because he knew it was the end.

Hikari and the others muttered Merudo's name, then widened their eyes. Merudo began to emit light from his entire body, broke free from the blue troll, and rushed toward the woman of the demon race, tightly embracing her.

"Demons... die with me!"

"...This is... huh, self-destruction? Bold. I don't dislike it."

"Don't joke!"

Merudo, enveloped in light, seemed to have activated a "Limit Break," with magic power surging from his body. However, it wasn't from his body but from a gem-like object hanging from his neck.

The woman of the demon race, recognizing the gem, immediately identified its true nature and praised Merudo's decisive action.

The gem, named "Final Loyalty," was a magic item for self-destruction. Those in high positions in the kingdom or the Holy Church, who naturally held important information, were forced to carry such items. In dark magic, there are spells that can read memories to some extent, so especially when high-ranking officials went to the front lines, they were required to carry these items to self-destruct in emergencies to prevent their memories from being read.

This was Merudo's final attack, and Hikari and the others shouted his name in a voice like a cry. However, unlike Hikari and the others, the woman of the demon race remained calm, even though she might die in the explosion.

Merudo's "Final Loyalty" shone even brighter, and just before it activated, the woman of the demon race muttered a single phrase.

"Devour it all, Absorption Turtle."

After the woman's words, the light overflowing from the "Final Loyalty" rapidly dimmed.

"What!? What!?"

If you looked closely, you could see the light flowing in a specific direction. Merudo, while desperately holding the woman, turned his gaze in that direction. There, a six-legged turtle-like monster, the Absorption Turtle, was opening its large mouth and continuously sucking in the light fragments surrounding Merudo.

The Absorption Turtle's innate magic is "Magic Storage." It can absorb and store magic power in its body. It cannot absorb multiple attributes of magic simultaneously or use the absorbed magic to cast different spells. At most, it can compress the absorbed magic and release it from its mouth. However, its storage capacity is quite large, and it can still have some left even after absorbing high-level magic. For those who rely on magic as their main combat power, it is a formidable enemy.

The "Final Loyalty" rapidly lost its light and eventually became a regular gem. Merudo, stunned by the unexpected method that stopped his final struggle, suddenly felt an impact. It wasn't a strong impact. What? Merudo looked down at the impact point, his abdomen.

There, a reddish-brown, rough, blade-like object had grown. More accurately, a blade of sand had pierced through from his abdomen to his back. Blood dripped from the tip of the blade protruding from his back.

"...Mr. Merudo!"

Hikari, spitting blood repeatedly, showed no sign of concern and shouted Merudo's name loudly. Merudo, responding to the voice, turned his gaze from his abdomen to Hikari, his eyebrows furrowed, and a regretful smile appeared on his face. Only his mouth moved, silently saying, "I'm sorry."

After that, the sand blade was swung horizontally, and Merudo, thrown like a broken puppet, fell to the ground with a thud. Blood pooled around him. It was a fatal wound. Even in his severely injured state, he had made such a surprising move, but everyone knew it was truly over.

Although it might be too late, Kaori immediately cast a long-distance healing spell on Merudo. The bleeding seemed to decrease slightly, but with Kaori's magic power almost depleted, the wound showed no signs of closing.

"Sniff, please! Heal!"

Exhausted and overwhelmed by a terrible fatigue, Kaori still supported herself on her knees and desperately cast the healing spell.

"I didn't expect you to be able to hold me like that with such injuries. You truly are the captain of the kingdom's knight corps. Impressive. But this time, it's really over... This is the end. What do you plan to do?"

The woman of the demon race lightly waved the sand blade, now stained red, and looked down on Hikari and the others. Seeing a close friend about to die, everyone's bodies trembled, except for a few. If they didn't accept the woman's proposal, the next one to die would be them. Even if they disliked it, they understood the answer.

Hinoyama, intending to accept the proposal as a representative, was about to speak to the woman. But at that moment,

"...Don't."

Hikari, still hanging in the air, weak and powerless, muttered something. Despite his severe injuries and no surprising actions, there was an inexplicable pressure that made Hinoyama stop speaking.

"What? What did you say? You damn cockroach."

The woman of the demon race also noticed Hikari's muttering. Thinking it was just more shouting, she sneered and asked. Hikari raised his head, his gaze piercing the woman of the demon race.

The woman, seeing Hikari's gaze, couldn't help but hold her breath. His eyes had turned silver and were glowing. Feeling an unknown pressure, the woman instinctively stepped back and, following her instincts, gave an order to the horse-headed monster. Whether it was advantageous or disadvantageous to acquire Shizukana and the others was not the issue; she instinctively understood.

"Ahat! Kill!"

"Rooaaaaaah!"

Ahat, the horse-headed monster