Barca had never once stepped onto the surface.
Because of the records of Daedalus that had entered his vision as an infant, the first thing he ever perceived in life was the ancestor's obsession.
"..."
Grip—!!
He knew nothing of love, friendship, morality, or ethics. He lacked emotion itself, having discarded everything merely to complete a thousand years of lingering resentment.
"..."
At times, he carved through bedrock until his fingernails shattered. He continued the expansion of the labyrinth even on the verge of starvation. He assaulted captured women to increase the number of his kin, and he gouged out the eyes of those kin who broke, unable to endure the destiny of Daedalus.
"Barca-chan, you're raising a monster in your heart, aren't you?"
"A cruel, hideous, and innocent monster."
He had no interest in the words his Patron Deity spoke.
Drip—!!
He became a member of Thanatos's Familia because it was necessary. He obtained Mystery, forged Cursed Weapons, and did not hesitate to commit murder.
"And yet...."
'Why.... why does your face keep coming to mind....!'
Dix Perdix. He was the younger brother born later than Barca.
"I cannot understand you. You meddlesome brat...!"
Unlike Barca, Dix had seen the records when his sense of self was already established. He had not been consumed by the obsession, and Barca had viewed his frantic struggle to resist as nothing but foolishness.
Tighten—!!!!
'So why you...!!'
"Why must I be the one to use this...!!"
The corpse of Dix that Barca had discovered had no eyes.
No, both eyes were physically intact, but the 'Eyes of Daedalus' were gone.
"...Damn it."
The madness of Dix, who had resisted until the very end, was ultimately saved by a certain existence that loved chaos.
"Ha...! Ha...!"
The humiliation of having to use a device made by Dix, whom he considered a traitor; the jealousy toward Dix, who had escaped on his own; and the fact that using this would cause massive damage, delaying the completion of the labyrinth.
Creak—!!!
Grip—!!!!
He, too, was human.
Despite giving up everything for his obsession, he still cherished his own life. He loathed the idea of dying without seeing even the faintest glimpse of the labyrinth's completion.
"[Colla—"
Slash—!!!
That hesitation created the opening.
"Kh....!?"
"It was just as the Braver feared...."
Ssh!
"That was a narrow margin."
Asfi appeared, having severed all of his fingers. She removed Hades's Helmet and looked down at Barca with a dignified gaze.
"Even with a magic item for invisibility, how did you get this far...? How did you even find me in the first place!?"
As he spoke with bloodshot eyes, Asfi gave a relaxed smile and gestured behind her, where Lulune held one of the Evils hostage.
"We approached and suppressed them before they could self-destruct, then used an item to make them answer our questions."
Step, step—
"Barca Perdix, correct? The half-brother of Dix Perdix and a descendant of Daedalus."
Ssh— Ssh—!
Following Asfi's words, the members of the Hermes Familia who had been hiding revealed themselves before Barca.
"To find me and Thanatos.....?"
"And these records as well."
"!!"
Their objective was three-fold: the vanguard would rapidly tear through the labyrinth to drastically reduce the enemy's strength; during that process, the Hermes Familia would capture key figures; and finally, they would seize the blueprints of the man-made dungeon.
"By securing this, a short-term decisive battle finally becomes a reality."
Ssh!
"It saves us the trouble of mapping it out ourselves."
Flip—!!!
As soon as Lulune received the records, she began to memorize every detail within them at high speed.
"Which means....."
"Yes. From the very beginning, the rapid assault of the vanguard was merely bait."
'That's why Akumo-san didn't need to be here.'
Everything up to this point had unfolded exactly according to the strategy Finn had planned.
"Creating a sense of crisis through the Saint of the Battlefield, mappers who seemed too genuine to be bait, and an excessively fast conquest speed...."
Barca was horrified to realize that even the Xenos had been deployed as units to block their retreat. He stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"This entire large-scale operation was a trap.....?"
"Impossible.... something like that...."
'Destroying all the eyes was also to prevent us from finding the invisible...'
Seeing Barca in such a state, Lulune spoke up playfully.
"Well, if Akumo had been here, he really would have just smashed everything to pieces~"
"Be quiet and do your job."
Ssh—
"Well, the fact that the executive we found was you was purely a matter of luck."
"Luck.....?"
Dazed by that simple and clear answer, Barca asked one more thing.
"How did you get the key....?"
'There shouldn't have been any spare keys for you to carry....!'
In response to his question, Asfi pulled an item from her robes.
"That is.....?"
He wanted to believe it wasn't true. He thought it was impossible, but the identity of that circular magic item—similar yet different in form to the Eye of Daedalus—was unmistakable.
"I made it."
Just ten days. That was the time it took for her to obtain the original key from Finn, conduct repeated experiments at the waterway gates, and complete the replica.
With just that, the eye containing Daedalus's curse—a curse so deep and mad it had lasted a thousand years—had been duplicated.
"Of course, there was a lot of trial and error to identify the minute and specific magical signature the key emits."
'Akumo-san helped as well.'
Thinking that, Asfi simply smiled, brushing her hair back as if boasting of her skill.
"Lately, between Akumo-san, the magic swords, and the Cursed Weapons, I've been feeling a bit self-conscious."
Ssh!
"I thought I had no pride to speak of, but it seems my blood was boiling after all."
Grin!
"As a fellow item maker, I couldn't afford to lose."
Starting with that, only devastating news followed for Barca.
"I've memorized it! I know all the paths!"
A magic item to transmit her thoughts remotely, and the sight of Lulune having memorized the records in an instant.
"The enemy base is...."
Smirk!
"The 9th floor!!!!"
The structure of the man-made dungeon, built over a thousand years, was exposed in an instant.
"The location of the Spirit clone is the 10th floor! There are several large spaces where even a Monster Rex could go on a rampage!"
"We strike the enemy base first! The Spirit clone comes later!"
Finn responded immediately to Lulune's report, signaling his intent to head to the 9th floor and slit the enemy leader's throat. Other voices began to chime in one after another.
"Tell me the number and location of the entrances to the 9th floor!!"
At the rough voice, presumably belonging to Bete Loga, Lulune stated the locations of the doors with pinpoint accuracy, proving her claim of memorization was no lie.
"There are three! Locations are North, Southeast, and Southwest!"
That sight caused Barca's final thread of reason to snap.
Dash—!!!
"It is over. Barca Perdix. No, apostle of the Evils."
Though not even five minutes had passed while he stood dazed, the sight of the subjugation force assembling so quickly made him lose all will to live.
Stab—!!!
"Is this where my end lies...."
Stab—!!! Stab—!!! Stab—!!!
Barca repeatedly plunged a Cursed Weapon into his own body, spilling black blood.
Thud—!!
"Even if the Evils fall... the man-made dungeon was not in vain...!!"
He offered himself as a sacrifice, fusing his body with a Spirit Orb. It was the act of a madman, made possible only because he had bound himself with the threads of a curse.
—Gek... Guk... GAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!?
This was his ego. It was the first choice he had ever truly made for himself.
—Die.... here!
Rumble—!!!!
—ADVENTURERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was an aberration, an incarnation of ugliness that even the Loki Familia, who had faced countless monsters, could not help but feel physiological revulsion toward.
—Kwooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
A monster in the truest, original sense of the word.
"All units, assume your positions!!!!!!"
Finn's command rang out through the party alongside the creature's roar, and the adventurers who had momentarily lost their composure began to regain control.
"Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting!! I don't want to cut something like that with Urga~!?"
"Don't be stupid! Are you planning to punch it with your fists instead!?"
"I hate that too~!!"
Tiona and Tione were horrified by the repulsive sight, their faces contorted as if they didn't even want to touch it.
Whoosh—!!!
"Here it comes!"
As if to show they had no time for such complaints, Barca swung an arm that had transformed into a mace, striking at the Hermes Familia first.
"Meryl!"
"On it!"
Shooooo—!!!!
Asfi immediately coordinated a formation with her comrades to kill the monster before them. She threw a bottle of [Burst Oil], drenching Barca's body in the explosive liquid before boosting the power of magic.
"[Liwar Flare]!!!"
Boom—!!!!!!!!!!
Meryl's magic detonated, successfully creating an opening. Tione and Tiona lunged in during that gap.
Slash—!!
"Tiona, go for the top!"
"Got it!"
Dash—!!!
Tiona, attempting to strike Barca's head, was startled by the weight she felt—it was far beyond what she had expected.
'It's heavy!?'
Grit!
"Even so....."
Grip—!!!
"Akumo and Gareth are way stronger than thiiiiis!!!"
Nevertheless, Tiona succeeded in delivering a heavy blow to Barca's head with her Urga.
"Die!!!!"
"Tiona, Tione, get back!"
""!?""
Just as the two were about to close in and decapitate him, Finn's warning shout—prompted by a sense of wrongness—rang out. Immediately after, black liquid erupted from Barca's body like blood.
Splatter—!
The liquid fell like rain, and its true nature revealed itself the moment it made contact.
Gush—!
""""!!!??""""
Blood sprayed from the mouths of those whose bare skin was touched, followed by horrific screams.
"Aaaaaagh!!?"
"Hieeeeeek!!!"
"Aaaaah!!!?"
'Poison...!?'
But the sight was too gruesome for mere poison. Finn was able to deduce the answer instantly.
"A curse!?"
At Finn's words, the members who hadn't been hit by the rain tried splashing Amid's curse-breaking potions, but—
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!"
"I-It's not working!? Even the Anti-Curse Elixir can't dispel it!!"
"Another wave is coming!!"
Before they could even process the failure of the medicine, the black blood scattered throughout the plaza by what used to be Barca erupted again. The ultra-high-potency curse became a black rain, lashing down across the entire room.
"Block it!!!!!!"
Pitter-patter—!!
Contact meant a near-death state. The only hope remaining was.....
"[Dia Frater]!"
Fortunately, she was still there.
"!! The pain... it's gone!!"
"Amid's magic can fix it!"
"Eh... that means....?"
The reality was that there was only one person who could counter the rain of curses being scattered over the wide area.
"Protect Amid!!!"
While everyone else was paralyzed by a mix of relief and bewilderment, Finn's rapid judgment took hold. Faster than they could think, the Loki Familia swung into action.
Splash—!!!
And then, hell was reenacted.
"I have deployed the barrier at maximum range."
"The healing effect will continue within this area! Please, with this—"
Amid, much like Akumo had done before, thought of a strategy to endure the enemy's curse while accumulating damage.
"""""Aaaaaaaaah!!!??"""""
"How!? The magic is still active...!!"
Even if it was weaker than Akumo's curse, it was not at a level they could simply endure.
"Could it be the recovery speed is too slow....!?"
The total recovery magic was indeed working. But the death curse was doing the same.
Sizzle—!!!!
Shooooo—!!!!
The moment they were healed, they became prey to the curse again. An infinite loop of recovery and agonizing pain.
Pitter-patter—!!!
Flickering agony. A living hell without end.
The height of chaos.
"Kyaaaaaaaa!?"
"Meryl!"
"Barca Perdix....! He even foresaw this...?"
Asfi, flustered by the sudden deterioration of the situation, was asked by Lulune if they should contact the other units for support.
"Since it's come to this, we should request support from the other units—"
"No!!"
Finn shouted, cutting off the request for support.
"If only Amid can heal this, the result won't change no matter how many people we have!"
Thump—!!
"It will only increase the number of victims!"
"Ugh...!?"
Unless they were executive-level, reinforcements were almost meaningless. Everyone felt this, and despair began to take hold of many.
"Get a hold of yourselves!!!!!!!!!!!"
—'Get a hold of yourselves!!!!!!!!!!'
Finn would not let them simply lie there. Just like Akumo during that previous incident.
"Remember why you fight!!!!!!!"
"Subjugating the enemy leader is absolute! Concentrating our forces in one spot is unacceptable!"
Ssh—!
"The others will surely corner Thanatos!!!"
So, have faith and face the enemy before you. Have faith, endure the current pain, and fight for victory.
"Isn't that what we've always been told!!!?"
The words Finn and Akumo had always given them.
""""...Let's go!""""
Even in the midst of the nightmare, those words were heard clearly.
As they regained the will to fight that they had almost lost, as they straightened the morale that had nearly crumbled—
Clang—!!
"Raise your shields!"
Thud—!!
"Abandon evasion!"
Step, step—!
"Take the enemy's attack with courage!!"
The strongest Familia rose once more and walked toward the enemy. Their footsteps were filled with the resolve to never fall again.
"Now is the time to prove the name of adventurer!"
Dash—!!
"Advance!!!"
Finn also knew the pain of the curse well. He had nearly died from it during the first Knossos exploration. Even so, he endured.
Smirk!
The image of Akumo, who had laughed even as countless cursed needles targeted him, overlapped with Finn. Seeing his back as he faced the downpour of curses without fear, the members responded in kind.
"Advance!!!!!!!!"
"Follow the Captain!!!!!!!!"
Lulune could not understand it. Why were they fighting when nothing had been settled?
—'Then fight!!'
"!!"
Because nothing had ended, they fought. To see the end of something, to prevent their own end.
Though he wasn't here, it was what one of their heroes had always told them.
""""Uaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""""
If they had been alone, they might not have been able to stand again. If they hadn't seen Akumo in that battle that day, they might not have risen.
But everyone was here, and a hero was standing before them.
Stab—!!!
Thwack—!!!
Boom—!!!
There was no reason not to be brave.
"All units, assume positions! Here it comes!!!!!"
Rumble—!!!!
Meanwhile, in the unit where Riveria and Ais were stationed.
"You've been running for quite a while, Aria."
They once again faced the red-haired creature—the overwhelming powerhouse who had cut down Finn in a single stroke.
"R-Riveria-sama....!"
"Do not panic. Ais and I will strike the enemy first."
A powerhouse bordering on Level 7. However, looking at the situation, they had lured her out, and even now, the labyrinth was being conquered with Finn at the lead.
'So far, everything is according to plan.....'
'....But what is this....?'
The first operation of the man-made dungeon conquest.
The tide of battle seemed to have turned.
Smirk!
"Ah~ Ein-chan~ It looks like it's about time we stepped out together, don't you think?"
"..."
—Ah.... Ah....!
But the darkness of the labyrinth grew deeper and heavier, swallowing the adventurers.
Boom—!!!!
""!?""
—!?
And then, the power of a hero and a warrior rose from the Dungeon far below, shaking that very darkness.
========================
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