What did you think of Dionysus' fighting style, from your point of view?
He fights like he's never given an opening. It's a little awkward. But it's the only thing I can do.

　A conversation on the road to the labyrinth.

'But that wasn't all, was it?
'Yeah,'

　I know Dionis' fighting style very well.
　That guy had mastered each of the basic fighting styles such as water attribute magic, body arts, and sword arts to a high standard.
　Therefore, depending on the situation, he can be either the vanguard or the rear guard.

''So, unlike his joking personality, he has a solid fighting style.
That's the way it is. However, instead of having a fatal flaw, he doesn't have an outstanding advantage.

　Because he is seamless in his fighting style, he is immensely powerful against opponents who are stronger than he is.
　On the flip side, he doesn't have the power to pull off an upset against a superior opponent.
　Even when they were buddies, Dionis was only able to stall for time against higher-ranked opponents.

　Also, even if he was winning on overall strength, that guy was defeated even if his opponent had a prominent trump card.
　He's strong against lower ranks, but he's weak against higher ranks or a blow that exceeds his overall strength.
　That's that guy.

"If I was that guy thirty years ago, we could beat him now if we fought him head on.

　Even if Elfie alone, if he can fire his maximum firepower magic eye from a distance, he'll have a chance to win.

'But ......'
The problem is, it's not the same as it was thirty years ago.

　The change in that guy's abilities could not be read from the series of water bullets in the earlier battle.
　The only reason for this is because that battle technique of scattering destruction is still something that only a lower-ranked person can understand.

　But that one time he showed that sorcery, when he thrust his sword into Elfi's leg from a handless state.
　It's not easy to understand what she did with a quick glance.

'We fought together for a few years, and I've never seen Dionis use magic like that.
When it comes to ......, it's a trick I've learned over the last 30 years.
Doesn't Elfie know what it is?
...... If it's just a sword out of thin air, I've got a few ideas. There's so many of them, I can't even identify them.

　Elfi was right.
　He hid the sword in a cloaking spell, taking it out of the storage spell.
　I can think of several ways to do it, but I don't know up to which one.

'Earlier, I was just distracted by a water bullet and ate it. Even if we can't identify it, we can deal with it by using our magic eye.

　Pointing to the golden eyes, Elfi confidently stated that.
　It's a little unsettling not to know what kind of attack it is, but if you're vigilant from the start, you'll be able to duck.　

　The way to fight is the same as always.
　I'm the vanguard and Elfi is the rear guard.
　I've already prepared a way to get through that water bullet.

　The only concern is that we'll have to fight in his field, but that doesn't mean we're going to get anywhere thinking about it.
　The soldiers here won't be able to keep up with us, and we don't have time to wait for support from the outside.
　We have the information about the labyrinth, and we have all the equipment we can.

　All that's left is to take revenge on Dionis.

　We pass by the destroyed pedestal of the "Keystone" and come to the entrance of the labyrinth.
　It's dark inside, so it's impossible to see what's going on from the outside.

''-- Let's go!

　We stepped into the dead swamp labyrinth.


◆

　It was said that the appearance of the Dead Swamp Labyrinth had changed, but the entrance was not much different from before.
　There didn't seem to be any magic element coming to the entrance, and the darkness continued.

''You've never been good at the dark, have you? Are you okay?
'Fool. That's what I'm saying. I just don't like being alone in a dark and quiet place.
............
It's ......, so we're good to go now.

　The magic illuminated the surroundings and we proceeded through the cavernous labyrinth.

　As soon as we entered the labyrinth, Elfie took off his "bracelet of disguise".
　The magical power that had been trapped inside is pouring out at once.
　It's so much more than just being next to them that you can feel their tremendous amount of magical power.
　He regained his arms and increased his magic power even more.

''...... poison swamp, huh?''

　After a while, a purple swamp came into view up ahead.
　It wasn't that deep, but purple smoke filled the surrounding area.

　If you touch it, your flesh will rot and your bones will melt.
　Breathing the smoke that the swamp gives off will not help.
　It's a nasty, poisonous swamp.

　But I've taken measures against the poison beforehand.
　I've purchased several antidote potions and a non-toxic necklace that creates a small warding effect on me that neutralizes the poison just by wearing it.
　I already have the "Non-Toxic Necklace" on and nothing will happen to me even if I breathe in the smoke.

　I stepped into the bog, being careful of my feet.
　I could feel the cold, slippery feeling.
　It's not affected by the poison, it's just hard to move.

'It's ...... nudgy and uncomfortable. It makes me want to disarm my body for a minute and move around with just my neck and arms.
Please don't do that.

　If you're floating next to them with only a raw head and arms, you might accidentally cut them down when you meet a demon attacker.
　Besides, if something happens, you won't be able to react without a body.

　Besides, the magician of this labyrinth is Dionysus.
　It's not a good idea to have a swamp where all you have to do is put a magical gift in it and it's nullified.

"Elfie. I think we're almost at the trap. What do you see?
............ There's a thin layer of magic on the left and right walls. It's a trap.

　I stare at it, but I can't feel anything on the wall.
　It's at a level where I can finally notice its existence after carefully examining the place Elfi told me to go with my magic power.
　Only an advanced sorcerer would be able to see through that trap.

　It's time to proceed cautiously and reach the part of the trap.
　From the walls on either side, thin lasers shot out silently from the walls on either side.

''--!
''Hmph.''

　It itself is not very powerful and can be played with a jade taiji.
　Elfie, for example, is even defending against it with his bare hands.

　The disgusting thing is that the laser was aimed at the 'necklace of detoxification'.
　If it is destroyed, you will die in the poison swamp.

　Furthermore, the lasers are fired at different times from different angles.
　If they noticed the first shot and ducked, the lasers would shoot at them from different locations.
　Just when you're relieved to have ducked, the magic granting items are destroyed, and that's it.

I see. This trap is certainly effective in this darkness.

　Elfie muttered admiringly.
　The books he had read had mentioned this place.
　But this place was only a first-time kill, and it wasn't that dangerous if you knew the trick.

　As we advanced deeper, magical elements began to drift in the air.
　Thanks to the magic element, the interior of the labyrinth is illuminated and lights are no longer needed.

''From this point onwards, the nature of the poisonous swamp will change.
"Corrodes magic items, right?

　In addition to being extremely poisonous to the human body, the poison in the future will also affect the magic power.
　If a person is exposed to a poisonous swamp or its miasma for a long period of time, the magic item will not work.

The limit is about five hours. We'll cross this poisonous swamp area sooner than that.

　The green swamp is just ahead of us.
　On top of that, the road is getting narrower.
　In proportion to that, the swamp is getting deeper.

　It seems that the imperial troops who came to the labyrinth have been poisoned by the poison because they were fumbling with this narrow path and corroded the magic granting items.

　I step into the green swamp.

''It's a demon, Iori.
Yeah.

　A group of acid snakes leapt out of the swamp ahead.
　Following them, the tooth bugs were falling from the ceiling.　　
　There's no time to be concerned about them.

　I went ahead and slashed at the demons.

I'll be able to see it.

　The demon tribe had sided with the Demon King's army in the past.
　However, they couldn't keep up with their brutality and defected from the Demon King's army.
　Since then, they have always been neutral.

　The demon king's army hated him as a "traitor" and the humans hated him as a "past enemy", and the number of demons was reduced as they were driven out of their homes.
　In order to overcome such a situation, the demon tribe decided to side with the humans.　
　The representative of the demon tribe was Dionis Harberg.

　He had a gentle tone and a gentle appearance.
　He was looked up to by the demon tribe as 'the man who became the strongest through hard work'.

''I will end this battle and create a world where my friends won't get hurt. ......!''

　Dionis had a strong feeling for his friends.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

　But he had a tendency to look down on others.

You're not ready for this. I see a future where you're going to die, that's all I see.

　He once said this in frustration to me after I pulled his leg.
　I remember my subordinate Bertoga agreed with that, and the atmosphere became acrimonious.
　Nevertheless, in the course of the battle, Dionysus gradually acknowledged me--.

You are strong. You are indeed the strongest and bravest. I believe that you can bring peace to the world.
I can't do it alone. It's ......, Dionis. Can you help me with ......?
Absolutely not ....... That's not something you should be talking about, Amatsu. Of course not. You're already a very important colleague of mine.

　--That's what I believed.

◆

　I slayed the demons that rushed in and proceeded to the depths of the labyrinth.
　There is no hierarchy in this labyrinth, it just spreads out from side to side.
　An hour and a half had passed since they entered the labyrinth.
　Based on the density of the magic element, we must have advanced about a third of the way through.

　There had been a number of traps set up on the way here.
　Starting with the lasers at the entrance, the pit leading to the abyss, the bottomless swamp, the hidden transition camp leading to somewhere else, and many other things.
　The pitfalls and bottomless swamps had no magic power, so Elfi could not detect them.
　The traps that have no magic power are discovered by me, using my experience in the labyrinth many times.

You're not going to be able to find out what's going on. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the best out of this place, the demons have been avoiding it since a while ago. It's probably a trap.
Yes, sir.

　So we both work together and continue onward.
　The road is even narrower, and me and little Elfi can barely walk side by side.

　On the other hand, demons are coming one after another from the front.
　If they had come in large numbers, the rear guard wouldn't have been able to function properly and the vanguard would have been the first to be killed.
　The reason we're able to proceed without difficulty is because we have high individual strength.

　After walking for a while, the demons suddenly stopped appearing.
　Ahead of us, we could see a large open room.
　The room had a doughnut-shaped land area and a huge green swamp in the center.

''The Imperial Army was only able to reach this far. In this room, a powerful demon of multiple dragon species class will emerge.

　The imperial army, which had eaten up so much time up to this point, was unable to defeat the demons that were ahead of them.
　The majority of them were killed by the demons and retreated.
　In the process, another half died, and only a few were able to leave the labyrinth.

''Can't we just ignore the demon and walk through?
"When you enter a room, it seems that the demon puts a water ward on the doorway. They'll be attacked while they're trying to break it.

　The demons that come out are described as being huge enough to be demon generals in other places.
　Even if you try to ignore them, you don't know if you can escape.

I'm going to use the magic stone to deal with it as much as possible. If I can defeat it, so be it. You're going to have to be prepared to prepare your magic eye, just in case that doesn't work. If you can ignore it, you can ignore it.
Mm, I understand. Iori, don't do anything rash.
I know.

　He and Elfi stepped into the open room.
　Nothing happens.
　I could see a passage leading to the back on the other side.
　If nothing happens, that's all that matters, and it was time to move a little further along the donut-shaped ground.

'...... After all, can't you just let me through?'

　The room vibrates.
　
　The swamp in the center of the room rises significantly.

　I run to the other side of the passage, but when I get to the quarter, a water ward has been set up at the doorway.

'------'

　From the swamp, a huge head emerged.
　A splash of purple spray.

'Whoa, it's in my mouth. ...... bitter.'
Shut the f*ck up.

"------

　The thing that appeared was a giant squid.
　It has a triangular kite like body and huge purple eyeballs underneath it.
　Multiple legs sprouted from the perimeter of the head, enough to crush a building with a single blow.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. Have you heard of Elfi?
It's the Kraken. It's a rare species, most of which have been destroyed by human attack. When I was a demon king, I ate them, and they were the worst tasting thing I ever ate.

　Don't eat a rare species.

''------!''

　The High King Bandit probably didn't respond to the word "tasteless", but the High King Bandit attacked.
　I'm sure you're not going to be able to find a way to get rid of it.

''Let's duck!''

　I'm going to break away from the drop zone at full speed.
　I'm not going to be able to get to the point where it's difficult to stand.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one.

"...... "Break Magic!

　The magic stone thrown by the projectile blew the light green leg with its crispy suction cups to pieces.

''------!''

　The High King Bandit's body trembled.
　However, soon after that, the blown-off leg rose up and began to regenerate.

''I see, that's why the imperial army can't be defeated......!''
''Iori, aim for the eyeballs!　No matter how many times you attack the leg, it will regenerate immediately!
...... Ah!

　There are 20 magic stones left.
　How much can we save against this monster?
　I stared at the High King Bandit's huge twin eyes and grabbed the next magic stone.

◆.

　The night before the final battle.
　Me, Lucifina, Dionysus and Liuzas were gathered in one room.

"Hey, Amatsu. What have you got there?　A potion, is that it?
A potion that's traditional to the demons. Beltransformer gave it to me.
Yeah. I've had it a few times myself. It works great, so take it sooner rather than later.

　In preparation for tomorrow, I started drinking the potion Dionis had given me from Beltoga, as he advanced me to drink it.
　Unlike the usual potions, it tasted strangely sweet.
　But, since it was given to me by my friends, I drank it all the way through.

'...... How did you like it, Amatsu-sama?'
'Hmm?　Oh, ...... what an unusual taste it was.
It is what it is. Now you're well prepared for tomorrow.
Yeah.
Yeah, no shit.

　Dionis smiles at me, smiling.
　I'm not aware of Lucifina and Ryuzas nodding with satisfaction at the meaning of that perfect.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that ...... is perfect, but some equipment that was supposed to arrive has not arrived.

　Several pieces of equipment were supposed to arrive for the final battle, but they hadn't arrived due to interference from someone on the way.
　Some of them included quite useful items, such as the 'Jewel that will shoulder a fatal wound' that was unearthed a long time ago.

''Ha, it's probably the work of the Demon King's army anyway. Those guys must be in a hurry too.''
It would be .......

　Other than that, the information that was supposed to reach us didn't arrive, the army that was supposed to have arrived hadn't arrived yet, and many other troubles were piling up.
　At that time, I only thought, 'It's probably a sabotage attempt by the Demon King's army'.

　Then we reviewed our strategy and confirmed the opponent's troop strength.

''I think it's about time we went to sleep to prepare for tomorrow.''

　When all of those things are reviewed, Lucifina and her words make them all stand up.
　I stopped them and asked them this.

　'When the battle is over and there is peace, what do you dream of doing afterwards?'

　In response.

Yeah?　Nothing special. I'm studying magic, I'm going to see my sister. For crying out loud, I was all alone.

　Liuzas replied bluntly.

'...... I would like to rest for a while. Now that I have some entertainment of interest.

　Lucifina replied calmly.

'I have something to tell everyone in the demon tribe, so I'd like to go back once and then travel around to make sure there is no discrimination.

　Dionis replied.

　Why I asked is not particularly significant.
　I just felt compelled to ask.

'I'm ----'

　The three of them replied to my words as if they were talking back to each other.


　It would be nice if we could make it happen.

◆

''--Come on, you can be a roasted squid!

　Elfi's magic eye explodes on the High King Bandit (Kraken), who is unable to move because I've crushed both his eyes.
　The head exploded and pieces of flesh scattered.
　Multiple legs flailed about, and water sprayed across the room.

　Somehow, Elfi's use of the magic eye was contained at once.
　Instead, the number of remaining magic stones had been reduced to fourteen.

''Iori, it looks like the wards have been broken.
Yeah.

　The wards in the doorway disappeared, allowing them to pass freely.
　About three hours' worth of time has passed since they entered the labyrinth.
　There were only two hours left, but judging by the density of the magic element, there wasn't much left.
　He recovered only the extremely large demonic core that rolled from the High King Bandit's corpse and rushed ahead.

　I kicked the demons away and drank a potion in between to recover my magic and strength.
　After advancing for a while, I found a small room.

''Perhaps there is a trap. Be careful.''
Hmm.

　Alarmed, the doorway was blocked the moment I entered.
　The room shook shakily, and then the ceiling fell down with great force.

''---''
I got it!

　Elfi bent down with a guffaw and jumped up vigorously.

''-- Demon King Punch!''

　The clenched fist stabbed into the ceiling.
　The next moment it cracked and shattered into pieces.

''What's that technique?''
Hmm?　That's what a demon lord would do. Anyway, let's go, Iori.
...... Yeah.

　When the ceiling was destroyed, the closed doorway opened.
　The landscape seen from there was a complete change from the cavernous objects that had been there before.
　The floor was made of marble cobblestone, the walls were carved, and the ceiling was lit like a chandelier.

It reminds me of ...... the Demon King's Castle.

　It looks more like a castle than a labyrinth.
　However, contrary to its appearance, the amount of magic element floating around is increasing further.

　There were no tricks in that passage.
　Not even demons appeared.
　After a while, there was a huge door.
　It was a red door, and the edge was decorated with gold.

''You're at ...... here.''

　I don't need to think about it.

　--There's a labyrinth core up ahead.

◆

　I remember Dionysus telling me something like this.

"-I hope I die a good death with no regrets.
What the hell is that? That's a death flag.
'Death hula ......?　...... See, I want to go to the underworld when I die.

　The underworld.
　The afterlife.

　It is said that there is an afterlife, the underworld, in this world.
　It is said that those who die there have no regrets and die a satisfying death.

What happens if you die with no regrets?
"Come on, ......?　According to what I've heard before, the magic in the underworld will melt away and disappear.

　'So,' said Dionysus, 'I'm going to make a world where no one will look down on me.


'I'm going to create a world where no one will look down on me and I'm going to die in the fullness of time.


You're not going to be able to do that.

　The door opens with a heavy, geeky sound.
　A cool air drifted in from the room ahead.
　As before, the interior was decorated like an ornate castle.

　The room is circular, with clean water surrounding it, and scaffolding exists in the center of the room.
　A red carpet leads to the far end of the room.
　Beyond it is an ornate throne in bad taste.

　I looked at the figure sitting on it and thought.

　After being betrayed, I swore to myself that I was going to do something about it.
　I will never let you die in the fullness of time.
　You will die of remorse and despair.

"- Hey, I'm just waiting for you.

　Dionysus said this in a leisurely manner on his throne.