...... What in the world is going on here?

　I was puzzled by the situation we were in as I used my [divine shield] to reap the demons that kept springing up endlessly in the depths of the Labyrinth of Sorrow.

　As soon as we arrived at the space where the Demon's Heart was piled up and confirmed its location, we had achieved the goal ordered by Prince Rain.
　I needed to try to escape right now, but I couldn't move from the spot.

　After the tremor, Rollo was still crouched on the ground and refused to move.
　He was on his knees, looking at the pile of red stones, crying inaudibly, tears streaming down his face.
　It's understandable. He's smart. He should have understood immediately what he was seeing.
　He understands what it means to have the (...) ends of his people (・・・・・) piled up in such an unknowable pile of darkness in front of him.
　It's not something a twelve-year-old boy can normally endure.
　It was natural for him to break down in tears, and I had expected it.
　That's why I was planning to carry him and escape when the time came.

　But now the situation has become so unusual that it's impossible.
　As soon as we arrived at this room, powerful demons sprouted from the depths of the darkness without limit and rushed towards us.
　On top of that, we heard a series of earth-shaking explosions coming from somewhere in the labyrinth, and the entire labyrinth shook and the surrounding walls began to collapse.
　And as if on cue, the amount of demons generated increased drastically, becoming a huge army that swept in like an avalanche from the darkness.

　...... What the hell is going on?

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　I could have killed dozens of them with one swipe, but that would have been too late.
　That army of demons that was spawning abnormally was not a quantity that could be dealt with single-handedly.
　Without even pausing for breath, the demons are pouring in one after the other. I can't let my guard down even for a moment.
　It's hard for me to escape with Rollo in my arms.
　That's why I was going to wait for him to regain his composure, while pushing away the crowd of demons, but...

　Another shock shook the entire labyrinth.
　It was as if something had exploded in the distance, and I felt my footing wobble again.

Ines.

　Rollo suddenly looked up and called my name.

"...... Something's coming. Something big.
"What?

　The shaking was a sign of more anomalies.
　I felt a loud noise from above me that seemed to echo throughout the labyrinth.
　At the same time, just as Rollo had said, I felt something big approaching us.
　Something was digging into the ground and heading towards us.
　And it's almost there (・・・・).
　That's when I felt it.

"──── dangerous ────!!!

　I immediately jumped back from my current position with Rollo in my arms.
　Immediately after that, the labyrinth collapsed with a roar, and something huge fell down, crushing the crowd of demons.



"Aaah!

　It was a huge skeletal creature.
　A huge skeletal creature with a disfigured face and half-flesh all over its body.
　But I recognized the costume of the monster from somewhere.
　I couldn't recall it immediately, but after a few moments, I realized what the deja vu was.

"──── 'St. Mithra' ......?

　It was the very costume depicted on the statue of St. Mithra that could be found all over the land. In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

　...... What the hell is this?
　Why is this thing here?



　To my dismay, it was an ear-splitting blast from a hole in the back of my crumpled face.
　And then, as I thought I saw an eyeball wriggling in the hole.



　Suddenly the monster's hand was extended straight towards me and Rollo.

"[Divine Shield]

　I immediately created a "Shield of Light" with my "Divine Shield" to catch the hand.
　I was just in time, but a cold sweat ran down my cheeks.
　That monster was moving too fast for such a huge body.



　The being in front of me slammed his fist into my "shield of light" again and again like a madman.
　But my "shield" does not let it through.
　I could feel the anger in the way it was beating me with all its might.
　I immediately decided that I had to defeat it here.
　I protected myself with the Shield of Light, and at the same time, I reaped the monster with the Sword of Light.

"[Divine Shield]".

　However, the moment I slashed it, I felt something strange.
　The film of light that I wielded simply ran through the monster's body, and there was no sign that the opponent had been damaged.

"...... my 'sword' can't get through ────?

　It can't be, I thought.
　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with your family and friends.
　I myself was proud to say that there is nothing on this earth that I can't cut through, except for that black sword.

　But that doesn't apply to this opponent at all.
　It's true that I was able to cut through the monster's flesh.
　But that's all.
　My Sword of Light only sliced through the surface layer of flesh, but it didn't seem to do any damage to the skeleton.
　The monster doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all.

　...... What's going on?


　What the hell is that thing?

"...... No. I can't beat that thing.

　You'll be able to get a lot more than that with the help of this site.
　My opponent's attacks can't get through to me. On the other hand, our attacks are not working on them either.
　My opponent and I soon came to a standoff.
　But ──── can't go on like this.
　Even now, the monsters in the labyrinth continue to spring up.
　On top of that, the monster's mad blows are shattering the ground, making the footholds brittle and the stance untenable.
　There's no way we can protect Rollo at this rate.

"────aah, aaah, aaah, ......aah, ────?

　I was getting impatient when suddenly the attacks stopped.
　As I watched suspiciously, the monster began to make a different roar, it suddenly turned and began to crawl as if it had noticed something.

　In its path was a mountain of Demon's Hearts.

　Then ────



　The creature reached out its huge hand to the pile of red jewels with an ominous sound coming from its faceless neck.
　The sound was like a ghostly sneer echoing from the depths of the earth.

"Stop ────, stop ────!

　The monster's unearthly scream shook the labyrinth, and it sounded as if Rollo had mouthed something with all his voice.

"Please ...... stop, please ...... that's ...... my ────!

　But his voice was easily drowned out by the monster's roar. ────
　The monster scooped up the Demon's Heart in its huge hands and poured it into the hole at the base of its neck as if it were a drink or something.

"────aah, aaah ────aah".

　The monster swallowed it with relish, his chest and belly heaving.
　Instantly, the whole labyrinth shook and cracks appeared on the walls and ground.
　Then, an enormous torrent of magical power, which could have been mistaken for a storm, covered the area and made me dizzy.
　My shield, which was supposed to be impenetrable, distorted, and my footing wobbled.

"Is this ......, is this ......?

　I managed to quickly regain my position and was stunned by the sight I saw.
　New flesh was beginning to wriggle and cling to the bare bones of the monster.
　And in an instant, he saw that the magic power inside that monster had risen to an extreme level.
　The monster's power, which had felt so unmanageable, was now swelling explosively.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　As I watched helplessly, the monster threw piles of "devil's hearts" (crimson gems) into its mouth at random.
　Each time he does so, a wave of magic power like an explosion surges through him, and he can feel its power increasing.
　It's devouring the magic stones stored here with the momentum of flattening them all.

　It was already a threat that made me realize that I had no chance when I first met it.
　And yet, in an instant, it has become incomparably more powerful than before.
　And it's still growing in power.


　What it means is: ────



　While I hesitate, the monster's magic swells again.

　I cower at the mere hint of it.
　......I've never seen or heard of anything like this before.
　What I was confronted with was something far greater than even an imaginary creature.
　It was a creature from the age of mythology.

　...... There's nothing anyone can do to stop it.
　I'm sure there's nothing anyone can do about it.
　Such a feeling of despair was taking over me at that time.

"────

　I felt a strong chill run through my whole body.
　I felt that there was a being (・・・・・・・) right there that I could not ignore even in the face of that monster.
　The chill seemed to be caused by something behind me.

"──── Rollo?

　Then I quickly turned around and found out the source of the chill that went down my spine, to my surprise.

　The source of the presence was Rolo.
　He had been crying and screaming a while ago, but now I could feel no emotion from him, and he was just staring, not even blinking, at the remains of his own kind being thrown into the monster's mouth one after another.

　He was so quiet now.
　He was just standing there, doing nothing.

　Even though it was ....... Just like that.
　Why am I feeling so much impatience that makes my whole body burn?
　There is such a desperate presence in front of me right now.
　I felt a stronger fear from him (Rollo) behind me.

"──── Hey, you...

　I'm sure you're not the only one who's had a bad experience.

"You ate it, my friend.

　He (Rollo) stepped in front of me and slowly spoke to the monster in a chilling voice that I can't imagine he would normally use.

And now I'm thinking ...... it's very tasty (・・・・・・), (・・・・).

　Suddenly, the monster raised a large fist and slapped itself in the face.
　The flesh that was about to form on the monster's face popped and exploded.

"...... Rollo?

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm not sure what to do. I know, I know. I know what you're feeling now.

　Then Rollo took another step forward.

"...... I know. You've been hungry for a long time, haven't you? You've always wanted to eat good food. I know that feeling too. I've been hungry for ...... a long, long time, too.



　As he said this, Rollo approached the monster again with slow steps.
　He watched as the monster tore at its own flesh with its arms, and continued to speak in a chilling voice that echoed in the darkness.

"But ....... They're my people. ...... I don't know them, I've never met them, but they're my people. They're my people. Do you understand?　Yeah, I know. You know that, don't you? You knew and you did it. ...... Didn't you?　You don't have to tell me (・・・・・・) that you did it for fun.

　While Rollo continued to talk quietly to himself, the monster continued to torture his body with single-minded devotion.
　While Rollo continued to talk quietly to himself, the monster continued to torture his body incessantly.
　Immediately, the flesh tried to regenerate, but it never did. ──── The monster's own hands ripped it off.

"────aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

　It was a sight like madness itself.
　The monster screamed out in pain.
　But his scream was interrupted by the insertion of an arm through his throat and the flesh of his neck and belly burst from within.

　In the face of this scene, the boy (Rollo) just continues to quietly talk to the huge being in front of him.

...... That's very painful, isn't it? I know.... I'm feeling your pain right now too. But don't worry. You know you're not going to die from this, right?

　The monster didn't answer Rollo's question.
　Before it could answer, it was ripping out its regenerating throat and belly with its own hands.
　And Rollo, who had asked the question, didn't need the monster's answer either.

You don't have to tell me ......, I know. I know what you want to do. The red stone here is very nutritious. ...... You can eat as much as you want. The dead don't come back to life. You've been hungry for a long time, haven't you?　I know the feeling. Go to ....... Go ahead. Come on.

　Rollo raised his chin in a small gesture to signal.
　Then the monster grabbed a pile of red stones and slammed them into its jaws as if to strike.

　As it did so, the monster took the power of the stones into its body and its strength exploded. ──── It struck itself again with the power it had gained and continued to crush its newly-fleshed head, stomach, arms, and legs.
　And at the same time, he was fed ──── red stones (・・・・・) to smash his mouth, throat, and stomach.

...... Hey, does that stone taste good?　It's okay. ...... It's okay. You can eat all those rocks. Dead people don't come back. Then you can turn them into your power. I'm sure those people won't be used for anything bad anymore. But also .......



　As soon as Rollo's chilling voice echoed in the cave, the monster's body jumped up.
　It was the first time I'd ever seen such a thing. 　

"...... the pain those people suffered. Grief. Regret. I want you to taste all the humiliation ──── you've suffered. ...... That hurt, too. But it doesn't make up for anything. I think this kind of pain is not enough at all.

　In front of Rolo, who was speaking quietly, the monster smashed his own heart, which was thrown to the ground, and punched himself in the face again.
　The cheekbones and eyeballs that had been forming fly away.
　Just as it was about to regenerate again, the monster ripped the flesh from its body and kicked its own knees in, crushing its internal organs.
　With the enormous power it has acquired, the monster continues to beat, injure, and regenerate itself.
　I was speechless at the bizarre scene that went on and on.

　Rollo is making that being do it (・・・・・・).
　No matter how you look at it, it's a mess.

"────aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

　St. Mithra (the monster) screamed earth-shattering cries again and again.
　A cry that could not be called lamentation, pain, fear or humiliation.
　But the throat that released the cry was continually crushed by its own fists.

──── Yeah, I know. It's very frustrating. Why did you give ...... to such a small and insignificant person? I also wonder how I'm able to do this. ...... Are you frustrated?　I know it's frustrating ......, but so is mine. I also wonder why my family had to be destroyed by this guy. I'm thinking ...... from the bottom of my heart right now.

　So, the person who created the spectacular scene in front of me (Rollo) turned his back on the monster that was beating him and chipping away at his flesh, and said to me as if nothing had happened.

"──── Let's go, Inez. We can't beat this thing.
What do you mean, "...... go, ......?

　I was so startled by the boy's behavior that my mouth finally gave out, and Rollo answered without hesitation.

"I heard ...... that thing's voice. He's afraid of the knoll. Now it looks like he's hurting himself, but it's not hurting the ...... body at all. He says it has to be that sword that Noll has.
"You mean the ...... Black Sword?
Yeah. So let's go upstairs and meet up with Noll and the others. We can ──── kill him there.

　When I turned around, Rolo didn't have the cold presence that I had felt earlier.
　But there was no sign of the timid boy I knew.


　There was a boy with eyes that held a quiet will.
　I responded with some pressure.

"...... Oh, okay. Follow me. Climb a little harder.
"Yeah. We'd better hurry. I think I'm about to lose control of the ...... thing, and I don't think I'll be able to do it again.

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