The next morning, 268 Arun Knights left the frontline base of these ten levels in order to reach the next eleven levels underground.

　Since they were inside the ruins, there was no sunshine.

　In the pitch-black darkness, illuminated only by the artificial light from the magic light lamp, those elites walk with unstinted steps towards the stairs leading to the lower levels.

(............)

　We're just going to have to watch their backs.

　Geez.

　I clench my little fists tightly.

'Are you okay, Merle?'

　Mr. Quilt noticed and called out to me.　

'Yes,'

　I nodded.

　The truth is, I still didn't sleep well yesterday, either.
　The food didn't taste or feel good. There are times when I want to yell out all of a sudden for the emotions that are bubbling up.
　So maybe I'm not doing so okay.

　But my heart wasn't broken.

　Illtimina and Kilt are all worried about me.
　And I get that.

(So I'm okay.)

I will suppress the instincts of the Godgu - seeing the backs of the Arun knights challenging the land of death, I made a new resolve to do so.

　I said again.

"Yeah, it's okay, Kirt-san.
..........

　Golden eyes looked into my blue eyes and then nodded.

'I see.'

　bang-bang

　Her hand tapped my head lightly.

　To us, Illtimina-san smiled a small smile and lowered her red eyes.
　Solstice lightly cowered her shoulders.

　Beside her, General Dardios, Frederica-san, and a hundred of the transport soldiers were looking off the 268 elite of the Arun Knights who were leaving, with a fist to the heart salute.

　--eventually, all of them disappear into the depths of the darkness.

　Still, none of us moved from the spot for a while.

'Hey, old man,'

　Suddenly, Rapt, a boy from The Divine Fangra, approached General Dardios.
　Next to him is Lectoris as well.

　Unusually, the two of them had joined me in seeing off the humans who were going to die.

　He looked at the General as he glared at him.

''Really, it's okay?''
?

　What are we talking about?
　Even General Dardios looks dubious.

　Somehow, everyone's eyes are drawn to it.

　In the meantime, Raptor said, "Don't you notice?

"Don't you notice?　It's not like the hierarchy ahead is any different than the one we've been working on. I have a bad feeling about this.
..........
Those guys who just left they're all gonna die, right?

　He told them so matter-of-factly.
　Even though his voice echoed in the eardrums of all of them, no one could immediately say anything.

(...........all of them dead?

　Suddenly, I felt a chill in the air.

　I look at Recto Alice.

"..........
..........

　Meeting my gaze, she looks pained for a moment. Then her eyes fall down and she shakes her head from side to side in a small way.

　It's a gesture of affirmation of Rapt's words.

　General Dardios looked back at the boy, the 'Divine Consort', with his warrior's eyes.

''I believe in those men,''
"Sayaka.

　Rapt responds briefly.
　Then he turns his back on us with a twirl.

Okay, suit yourself.
..........

　With those words, he left with Recto Alice to their own tent.

The ominous prophecy left by the "Divine Guru".

　We look at the stairs where Arun's elites disappeared.

''.........''

　The only thing there was all black - only a deep darkness that swallowed everything.

　Oh, oh, oh........

　It felt like the wind of warm death was blowing from there.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Three days have passed since then.
　I still haven't received the report that I've stepped on the 11th level.

(............)

　I sat in front of the staircase, staring into the darkness into the basement, through which 268 Arun knights had passed.

　Ancient ruins made of beautiful stones, like obsidian.

　From time to time, the glowing red divine letters flowed through that black stone like a blood stream, illuminating us and then disappearing again.
　It's a very strange space.

'You're here, Marl?'

　I was suddenly called out to her.
　When I turned around, I knew it was Illtimina-san standing there with that gentle smile on her face.

''Kilt, I was looking for you, wondering where you went?
Yeah I'm sorry.

　I apologize.

　Lately, Mr. Kilt has been spending as much time with me as possible when he's not discussing things with General Dardios.

(He's supposed to be busy with everything, but...)

　I'm sorry for worrying you.

　But I was honestly happy to see that we had more meals together and more conversations.
　For some reason, Illtimina-san looked at the silver-haired beauty for a while with eyes that seemed to suspect something, but.......

　Pang.

　I dust off my pants and stand up.

'Yeah. Let's get back to the tent then, shall we?
Yes, sir.

　Illtimina laughed, too, and extended her right hand to me.
　We held hands as usual.

　Then.

I'm not sure...

　A strong smell of blood poured in from behind the stairs.

　Bad.

　He shook off his white hand and put his fingers on the hilt of the 'Fairy Sword' and stared into the darkness downstairs.

(.........is it my imagination?)

　It's not.
　I do smell blood.

"Merle?

　Iltimina's puzzled voice.
　Couldn't she smell this?

I can smell blood, from the back of this staircase.
The smell of blood?

　A look of surprise.
　But she quickly turned into a demon hunter's face and stepped in front of me with a lantern in one hand and a white spear at the ready.

''..........''

　knuckle dragging

　One step.

　Cotto Cotto.

　Two steps, three steps.

　She walked down the stairs.
　Reaching the fifth step, Illtimina stared into the darkness for a few dozen seconds. She didn't move as it was.

''........Ms. Illtimina?''

　He calls out to them and tries to get closer.

'--You must not come.
What?
Go get Kilt and the general as soon as you can. --now!

　A command in a hard voice.

　I did as I was told and turned myself around to be played.
　When I reached the two people in the tent and told them what happened, they looked at me suspiciously but quickly followed me.

''Miss Illtimina!''
..........

　Approaching the stairs.

(!)

　There was a stronger smell of blood than before.

　Illtimina-san was back at the top of the stairs, kneeling there. In front of her, there is something (...) in front of her.

''What's wrong, Il--''

　Kirto's voice stopped.

　When I noticed, my legs also stopped.

　The front of Illtimina-san's armor and her hands were covered in blood. I'm sure it's because she pulled it (...) up the stairs at her feet.

　General Dardios's expression turned grim as he

Healer, come here now!　Hurry, hurry!

　They sounded impatient and angry.
　Solstice and Frederica-san also emerged from the tent, and soon, the whole base was in an uproar.

''I, Illtimina-san........''
..........

　I call out to her in a shaky voice.
　She doesn't answer.

　At her feet was the body of a dying Arun Knight whose right arm had been shredded from his shoulder, spilling his guts from a wound in his abdomen, his entire body had been bitten off and the left half of his body was petrified.

　........It's a strange state of affairs that he's still alive.

　The darkness of the ancient temple had begun to bare its fangs at us, little by little--.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　The dying knight of Arun was soon carried into the rescue tent.

　Kirt-san and the general went into that tent together, but we, who had nothing to do, had to return to our own tent.

''...........''
..........
..........

　None of the three of us spoke a word.

　Illtimina-san just silently dropped the bright red blood on her white armor, and me and Solstice helped her with that.

(.........What the hell happened?)

　It was too badly injured.

　Honestly, I don't think he'll survive.

　All sorts of thoughts and emotions swirled around in his head and heart as he wondered what had happened to him and if the other 200+ Arun Knights were safe.

''Hands, it's stopping, okay?''
Oh, I'm sorry.

　Solstice pokes me with her elbow, and I move my hand to rub my armor with the cloth.

　It's better to focus on the work and not think about anything else - I scold myself for the concern of the busty but gentle girl, 'I have to get a grip,' I scold myself and strengthen my mind.

'................

　Illtimina smiled gently at us.

　Gasp.

　And the cloth of the tent moved.

Sorry about that. I'm back now.

　Our leader, the Golden Seal Demon Hunter, walked in while saying so.

　There was a quiet tension in his expression.

''Welcome back, Kirt-san.''
I'm out.
Welcome back, Quilt.

　So I greeted her.

Who is he?

　I was the first to ask it.

"..........

　She scattered her silver hair and shook her head quietly.

(Oh....)

　I should have expected it, but somehow the tent seemed to have gone darker inside.

　We put the white armor aside and Mr. Quilt sat down in his chair.

　Once, after exhaling heavily, we

It was not a natural injury to begin with. But I used my recovery spell to force him to stay alive and talk to me in his pain to get the information out of me. .........please, everyone, pray for his soul's well-being.

　He said it first, in a pained voice.

'............'
..........
..........

　We nod and say a silent prayer.

(Lord Yacour, who resides in the divine realm, please give peace to his soul...)

　Giu.....

　We clasped our hands together tightly and prayed desperately.

　Eventually, we opened our eyes.

　All three of our gazes were focused on Kirt-san, and in response, the Golden Seal Demon Hunter spoke up.

''First of all, I'll give you an update on the situation of the advance troops.

　So I held my breath for a few seconds.

I heard they were all dead.

　She told him.

(----)

　We bite our lips.
　Maybe it was less of a shock than we had assumed it might be. Still, the unrest was raging in our minds and the illusion that the world was tilting at an angle.

　Mr. Kilt continues.

On the eleventh level, there was a submerged compartment with a staircase leading to the twelfth level, and on the twelfth level, ten troops, one hundred and fifty, went ahead, but they didn't report on time, and another three troops, forty-five, went on a reconnaissance mission, but never returned.
..........
At this point, the remaining five troops, 73 of them, have decided to retreat to the 10th level. However, we were suddenly attacked by a large number of demons and destroyed.

　plop

　I noticed that Mr. Kilt's right hand as he spoke was gripped tightly and blood was dripping from it, as if he had cut his skin with his fingernails.

We had to at least inform them of the situation, so sixty of them became sacrificial shields, and the thirteen who escaped from them went to the tenth level.
..........
But as many as 13 of them were sacrificed in the process of making it through the 11th level of the hierarchy and only one of them made it there.

　..........
　Oh my god..........

(The last one of them is dead too.)

　Solstice closed her eyes tightly, as if she didn't want to hear anymore.

　Iltimina-san's white hands are touching her back, as if to support such a girl.

　I mutter in an emotionless voice.

''........It's just like Rapt said, isn't it?''
No.

　Mr. Kilt nodded.
　Then, looking at me, he continued.

'Will you be honest with me, Marl?　Even though they had made such extensive preparations, neither Warawa nor the general had imagined that they would be able to reach the tenth level just like the previous survey team. It was completely unexpected that the elite of the 270 chosen Arun Knights would be wiped out in just two levels from there.
..........
Therefore, General Dardios is considering the option of 'retreating'

　Withdrawal?

(...now?　(After all these sacrifices?

　I was stunned, and Kirto said to me.

The Divine Family is the hope of mankind. The acquisition of the Divine Armor is only a means to an end, a means to fight the Son of Darkness. I cannot afford to lose you here for the sake of the means.
..........
I, for one, am not willing to let you die.

　Her gaze is straightforward.
　There's no deception or anything else, and I can feel that she's only speaking her true feelings.

(...Kilt-san)

　I'm so glad for that heart.
　But.

You can't do that.

　I replied.

I don't want to be the only one to escape when so many people have died. If I do that, I will never forgive myself. If that's the case, I won't be able to fight anymore.
..........
..........
..........

　Three of them are listening to me.

　I look at my right hand.

'The arcane in me says. ''You can't resist the 'Son of Darkness' without the 'Divine Armor'. ...And if you can't even traverse this Coalwood Ruins, then you'll never be able to defeat the 'Son of Darkness'!

　He clenched his fists.

　Pacish, pacish.

　Along with uncontrollable emotions, divine energy flooded the air, sending white sparks flying.

　My blue eyes looked back at Mr. Kilt.

'I'm not going to run away.'
Okay.

　She nodded quietly.
　Maybe, just maybe, she knew my answer.

'I know how Merle feels,'
..........
What about you?

　Mr. Kilt looks at his sisters.

'Do you think I'm going to leave when Marle is staying?

　Illtimina-san looked over at the Golden Mark Demon Hunter and replied as if it was obvious.

''I'd like to leave, though~''

　Solstice cowered her shoulders.

　I'd like to leave, though.
　But she said she would stay.

(Both of them...)

　My chest heats up.

　Mr. Kilt laughed.

Hmm, I guess it's settled. Let the four of us continue our search for the Great Maze.

　We nodded.
　Then we looked at each other and laughed.

　My dearest friends.
　The three women I love.

...I won't let one of them die.

　I won't let you die!

　In my ears, with my firm determination, I thought I heard the mocking laughter of the gray goddess Callwood-sama, who would be in the divine world.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


You're sure you want to do this?

　In the tent where the command center was located, the four of us were standing in front of General Dardios.

　Frederica, who was in the same tent, seemed puzzled by the sudden arrival of the four of us.
　But she seemed unable to speak to either of us or the general.

　And I nodded in response to his question.

We will continue our search.
..........

　A shadow of deep anguish fell on the general's face, probably due to the death of 300 Arun knights.
　However, the sharpness of his eyes remained the same.

　Kilt-san, Illtimina-san, and Solstice - the eyes of the general, a fierce warrior of the past, stared straight into the eyes of each one of them.

　But all three of them, their expressions do not change.

''.........''
..........

　My gaze turned on me, too.

　A gaze so strong that it seemed as if it had the intent to kill me - I met it head on.

　I was already prepared for it.

"I see.

　He nodded approvingly and exhaled heavily.

　Frederica said, "Are you sure, Father! And then he let out a gasp, but General Dardios raised his hand to control it.
　Look at us again.

''We had planned for you guys to fight alongside us when there were 200 men in the advance unit. Without the support of those two hundred men, you plan to capture the ruins of a site where 300 of Arun's elite soldiers were wiped out with just four men, right?
Yes.
We could have 100 more men from the ground force.
No.

　I reply, looking into his eyes.

　Mr. Kirto laughs.

'There are some things you can only fight with a few, General.
..........
Those ground troops aren't much better than 300 men, anyway.　You may want to make a wall of flesh, but that would be a hindrance to us. There's no need for more deaths.

　There was a strong will of warning in his last voice.

　The general closes his eyes.

'All right, I'll leave it to your will.
Father!

　Miss Frederica shouts out in an accusatory manner.

'But if you're going, I'll go with you.

　Huh?
　We were surprised, and he laughed with a warrior's face.

'As a knight of Arun, I won't leave it to you alone, will I?　Besides, the noble sacrifice of these 300 men will not be in vain. Above all, we must avenge our comrades, or the name of the Knight of Arun will fall into disrepair.
Mr. General.

　I can tell by the look on his face.

　His decision is already made. He's not going to change his mind, no matter what we say.

"All right, General.

　I give up and laugh.

　Then I shake hands with the General's thick hand, a guttural handshake.

　And then another white hand overlaps it.
　Huh?

Frederica...?

　The blue-haired, military-uniformed Reito stared at me with thoughtful eyes.

''I'm coming with you.''
..........
I will not be a burden to you. Please, let me stay with Lord Marle.

　There was a strong glint of determination in his eyes.

(.......they're father and daughter, really.)

　I could feel the stubborn will of a father figure, unwilling to listen to anything he said.

　I look at the three of them.

　Her determination must have rubbed off on them all.
　All three of them nodded.

　However, Iltimina-san really seemed a bit dissatisfied, though.

''Fiddy........''
I don't want to hear it, father.

　The daughter perfectly repelled her father's concerns.
　Even General Dardios, as expected of such a tomboyish daughter, could do nothing but laugh at her firm will.

　And so, when it was almost decided that the six of them would explore.

What's with all the commotion?
Really.

　A boy and a beautiful woman clad in the light that is the 'Divine Family' entered through the cloth of the tent's doorway.

　The divine light shines on us.

''Rapt, Recto Alice.''
Yo, Merle?　Finally, it looks like we're in for a treat, huh?

　Rapt says, stretching lightly.

　'I'm a bit surprised.

'You're going with me?'
Of course.

　It was Lectoris who answered.

'They're our precious God World friends. If Marle goes, we'll go too.'
Go on, man.

　Rapt nodded.

　Then he stared at the rest of the humans, except me.

You know, we've always been doing nothing but cleaning up people's messes, haven't we?
..........

　Indeed.

　Four hundred years ago, he came to this human world as a wipeout for the humans who had opened a hole into the Demon Realm.

　Nowadays, I came to this horrible ruin to clean up the mess of people who wanted to kill the divine Armor for good.

　And from now on, they are heading to the depths of the ruins to clean up the mess of those who were killed trying to get the Divine Armor alive.

　Neither General Dardios nor Mr. Kirt could say anything.

　Seeing this, Rapt laughs.

''Well, well, whatever. I wouldn't expect that much from a human being.
Yeah.

　Recto Alice, too, cowered her shoulders in clarity.
　And then her expression changes.

"And our role is to defeat the 'Seeds of Illness' - the 'Children of Darkness'. In order to do that, the divine armor is essential. Even if you don't want to clean up your own mess, you can't afford not to go deep into the ruins.
Well, that's the thing.

　Rapt, too, nodded broadly, putting his hands on his hips.

　I could understand how the two of them felt.
　But the two of them were still dressed in cloth clothes with gold thread patterns on a white background, just like when I was reincarnated in the Great Forest of Aldoria.

　I was a bit worried, and I asked.

''Um, don't you two need to equip yourselves with armor or something?''
What?

　Rapt, who was scowling.
　Recto Alice, who was equally startled, lightly pointed at the Golden Mark demon hunter behind her.

You were unharmed by that monster woman's attack?

　He laughed teasingly.

(Oh....)　

　It was.

''The two of you are 'Divine Fanglars,' right?
Say.
That's what I mean.

　A defence-specialized 'God's Attendant'.
　There aren't many beings in this world that can hurt the two of them.

　On the other hand, the two of them have such reliable smiles.

Mmmm.

　Suddenly, Mr. Kilt, who had been called horrible, looked a little hurt.
　I noticed that.

Hey, you?

　Raptor, who I once fought, called out to Mr. Kilt.

"Mm?
I'll tell you in advance. We're good at defending ourselves. But we're not very good at attacking.

　Oh.....

We'll use you as our shield. Don't worry about that. So we've left it to our own devices to do the attacking, okay?

　Rapt looked at Mr. Kilt and said.

　I was surprised.

(That Rapt would talk about his weaknesses and turn to someone he hated...)

　I'm sure he had already properly acknowledged the 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' in that battle.

　Kirt was also surprised.
　''But.

All right, go ahead.

　She stared back at him with golden eyes and nodded widely.

　Trust in trust.

　Rapt and Recto Alice also nodded back with satisfaction after receiving his gaze.

(.........yes.)

　I looked at the seven people who had gathered and thought.

　We can do this.

　The eight of us will definitely be able to traverse this 'Great Labyrinth' and obtain the living 'Divine Armor' that should be at the lowest level.

Let's do it, everyone!

　Brimming with courage, I reached out my right hand.

　At first, everyone looked surprised.

　But soon, Illtimina laughed and

"Yes, Merle.

　He placed his own beautiful right hand over my outstretched right hand.

'Mmm,'
Hey, yeah.

　He laughs immediately, followed by Mr. Kilt and then Solstice.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Merle.
Let's do it.

　Then Miss Frederica's white hand and General Dardios's large hand came together.　

"You see, kibaroka, Marle.
Yeah, let's go for it.

　Rapt, with his double teeth peeking out and laughing, and Recto Alice, with her adult smile, the two shining hands were also laced together with the humans' hands.

　Inside the tent, the gazes of the eight people are intertwined.

(Yeah, we're not going to lose!)

　Together, we will defeat the ruins of Lord Colewood.

　The ten levels of the Great Labyrinth, located 300 meters below ground, are shrouded in darkness, and we vow to traverse the ruins of death with our hearts united as one.