Not again.

　I muttered to the wreckage of the knight statues I had encountered again.

　Since then, there have been 4 statues of knights lying on the pathway of the 28th level of our walk.

　This is the fifth statue.

　In the passageway around the wreckage, many huge pillars were broken or walls and floors were caved in, perhaps as remnants of the battle with the knight statues.

　According to Kilt-san's observation, there are still marks on all the wreckage that seem to have been eaten away by 'something'.

　Five of those horrible knight statues that we fought a close battle with have been killed.

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

　What exactly is waiting for me at the end of this dark passage?

　Without a word, we walked cautiously.

　Eventually, at the end of the branching passage, we found the stairs to the 29th level.

　Queer.

　Suddenly, Solstice next to me pulled the sleeve of my dress.

'....Isn't the position of the wound on the wall a little higher than it should be?

(Huh?)

　As they were told, all of them looked up.

　The wall near the entrance to the staircase was still marked with a line of scratches where something had scraped through it, like a line.

　Its position was about five meters from the floor.

(Huh?)

　It must have been about three meds high when I saw it on the previous level,

　Illtimina-san spoke up nonchalantly.

''You've grown up, haven't you?''

　...Growth?

We don't know how many years ago that 'something' invaded these ruins. However, if it has devoured all the demons that lived here from the 25th level up to this point, then there is a high probability that it did.
..........

　Everyone looks at each other.

　I looked at the face of the "Golden Mark Demon Hunter" as if to make sure.
　When she noticed it.

There's no denying it.

　He answered in a hard voice.



　Solstice chewed on her thumbnail as she

I wish I hadn't found this scar.

　I blurted out.

　Haha.....

　I couldn't say anything, and could only give a dry laugh.

　Her sister was stroking the hair of the girl, her sister, as if to comfort her.

''That one is probably on the next level.

　Mr. Kilt said.
　General Dardios gave him a dubious look.

'How do you know?'
A woman's intuition.

　The smile on his face was filled with a fierce color.



　Or so I thought.

We're headed down to level 29. Everybody stay alert, okay?

　I nodded at Kilt's voice, and then we descended the stairs to the 29th level, one step at a time.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　There were remnants of a knight statue stuck in the steps in the middle of the stairs as well.
　With that as a side, I proceeded downstairs.

　Eventually, I arrived at a space that looked like the inside of a vast temple on the 12th floor.

　The hall is serene and mysterious.

　However, this place on the 29th level was terribly desolate.

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

　Most of the meticulously carved pillars had been reclaimed, and there were large cracks and sinkholes in the floor and walls.

　And on the floor were the remnants of more than 20 knight statues.

''Ah........''

　I couldn't help but shout.

　The wreckage of the knight statues included three of those 'four winged knight statues'.

　Those terrifying giant knight statues that had hunted down the Golden Seal Demon Hunter Kirt Amandes, were exposed in a tragic way, with their limbs and torso crushed and crumpled like broken toys.

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

　We had no voice.

　And in the middle of those wreckage, there was a 'black rock pile' of about fifteen meds.

(...??)

　Rock?

　No, it's not.
　That's not a rocky mountain!

　It was a huge black turtle.
　It was ten medians long and fifteen medians tall, and it looked similar to a crocodile turtle in the previous world.

　Its black shell was extremely uneven, as if it had countless sharp rocks growing out of it, and it looked terribly sturdy.

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

　In the unevenness of the carapace, the wreckage of several knight statues was caught between the gaps.

　Are the white streaks on the surface of the black shells caused by the swords of the knight statues?
　However, there was no sign that the blade had reached the inside of its shell.
　It was not hard to imagine that the knight statues would have been unilaterally crushed by the monster tortoise's huge body.

　The tortoise was now lying on the floor with its limbs and neck shrunk, and only a huge head with both eyes closed was peeking out from the hole in the front of its shell, as if it was asleep.

　That.

(......Is that giant tortoise the 'something' that invaded these ruins?

　I was puzzled by his unexpected identity.

　Mr. Kilt looked surprised, too.

You don't think... that's the Tyrant Turtle?

　And then he uttered the name.

(...................The Tyrant's Turtle?

　I look up at her and she tells me.

It is an omnivorous turtle of about one and a half meters in length, but it is a gluttonous monster with an unusual appetite. But it is a gluttonous demon with an unusual appetite. If you feed it, it grows endlessly. Records show that some turtles have been seen over seven meters in length and have even preyed on dragons.
..........

　....prey on the dragon?

They also attacked crops and livestock, and when they appeared in groups, they devoured all the plants and animals in the area, causing famine and devastation. It is said that the Tyrant's Tortoise was exterminated in a massive extermination campaign 160 years ago, and the Tyrant's Tortoise became extinct.

　That supposedly extinct turtle is here?

　Mr. Illtimina's expression turned grim.

''This is a guess, but perhaps some of the 'tyrannical turtles' escaped into the ground at the time.
In the ground?
'Yes. They have been preying on their prey and keeping them alive while moving through the ground, evading the eyes of people. And then they noticed the new demonic ecosystem that was born inside this 'Great Labyrinth' and invaded the ruins in order to prey on their prey.

　............
　Everyone's gaze turns to the giant tortoise that is still standing in the center and not moving.

(If that's true, could that turtle possibly have lived for more than 160 years?)

　A hulking body that is bigger than the record.
　And a fighting power that overwhelmed even a knight statue.

　It felt like it could only be accomplished because it was a long-lived creature that surpassed human knowledge.

　And then.

There's a passage in there that leads to the back.

　Recto Alice, who opened her third eye, suddenly muttered and extended her white index finger to indicate the wall just behind the 'Tyrant's Tortoise'.

''It looks like there's a staircase to the lowest level beyond that.
..........

(You're kidding, right?)

　With that position, we couldn't get into the passage without moving a giant turtle like a black pile of rocks.

　What if we get closer and they find out we're there?

...I'm sure they're going to try to prey on you.

　I thought so.

　Solstice muttered in disgust as she clutched her large staff.

'I wonder if we have to fight after all?
..........

　I bite my lip, too.

(But even if we did, would we be able to beat the "Tyrant's Tortoise" who also defeated those many statues of knights?

　Honestly, I don't know.
　In fact, I didn't see that monster turtle fighting, so I couldn't imagine it well.

"What do you think, demon girl?

　General Dardios asks for a decision.

　Naturally, our eyes were drawn to Mr. Kirto.

　We pondered in silence for a while, and eventually, Mr. Kilto said, "We will have to fight.

We will have no choice but to fight.

　............
　Golden eyes looked around at all of us, and then she asked Lect Alice.

'Lect Alice, can you use the wards on the 12th level again?'

　Demigod Sword, Zetsuzane - she seems to be planning to use that sword technique again.
　But.

I can't.

　Recto Alice shook her purple hair and shook her head from side to side.

''To suppress the power of your stupid sword, the density of the barrier needs to be so dense that we can't create a very large ward. It's not very large, but it's impossible to create a size that can encompass a turtle of that size.
Hmm, okay.

　Kilt-san makes a difficult expression.

(If he used the 'Demon God Sword, Zetsuzane' without any wards, the ruins themselves would collapse.

　I think that's the only weakness of the too powerful sword technique.

'Kilt.'

　Ms. Illtimina called out her name to encourage her to be prepared.
　In response, she exhaled heavily.

''It can't be helped,''
..........
It's all hands on deck. Let's use all the cards we can muster and face them with all our might. --But know that victory is not necessary.

(Huh?)

　We were surprised, and she continued in a calm voice, "Perhaps we cannot win.

She continued in a calm voice: "Perhaps we cannot win, for those 20 or more statues of the knights did not win. We are less powerful than that, so it is only natural that we cannot win.
..........
But what we need is to move the giant tortoise from that position.

　Indicating a passage that would be beyond the turtle, she says

'If the way is clear, jump into it as fast as you can. There's no way they can follow you through the passage. They won't be able to follow us into the passage.

　Ah, I see.

　Come to think of it, Mr. Kilt said before, 'You don't have to conquer the hierarchy, you can just force your way through.

(Now is the time, isn't it?)

　We are convinced, but she warns us in a stern voice.

But do not underestimate the threat of the Tyrant's Tortoise who has recognized us. If we don't fight it with all our might, we will, without a doubt, all be devoured in an instant. You don't have to win, but you must be prepared to do so.

　Kilt looked at each of us one by one.

　We nodded divinely.

　When she saw that, she nodded with satisfaction, and then slowly turned to the 'Tyrant's Turtle'.

''Perhaps this will be our last battle in the 'Great Labyrinth'.
Is that a woman's intuition?

　I ask her in passing.
　She looked at me and said, "Yes," with a small smile.

　Everyone laughed along with her.

　Then the Golden Mark Demon Hunter's expression changed and he put his hand on the hilt of the Great Sword of Thunder.

''Alright, everyone, be prepared.
Yeah!
Yes, sir.
Of course!

　Following her, I also drew my 'fairy sword' and everyone else held their own weapons in their hands.

　Goh, goh-oh.

　Just then, we heard a heavy sound.

　The 'Tyrant's Tortoise' woke up in response to our spirits.

　Fragments of the knight statue trapped in its shell spilled out in pieces, and four huge legs stretched out from behind the hole in its black shell, lifting its huge body.

(Oh, big........)

　It's as if a huge mountain of rock has begun to move.

'Don't be afraid, Merle!
Uh-huh.

　Illtimina's blackmail pushed back her pressured feelings.

(I can't lose!)

　swoosh

I put my strength into my hand holding the 'fairy sword' and put my spirit into my heart.

　Mr. Kilt lowers his posture.

There will be no victory!　All of you will continue to fight to the best of your ability to survive!　--Come on, let's go!

　Taking that heroic voice as a cue, we all attacked the giant black 'tyrant turtle' at once.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


The giant tortoise, named "Tyrant," took a step toward us as we approached.

　Zunn.

　The vibrations transmitted from the floor.
　That alone gives you a sense that the guy is a lot heavier than he looks.

　And.

You're fast.

　Its movements appear to be leisurely.
　But perhaps because of its huge body, its actual distance of travel is surprisingly large.

　Another thing I noticed as I approached it was its left eye.

　It's its left eye.

　The huge sword that the statue uses is stuck in that 50 centimeter-long eyeball. One of the statues buried here had given him a serious wound.

''I'm attacking from the right, Marl!
Yeah!

　I nodded to Illtimina, who was also aware of this, and I nodded to her.

　But.

(...Kirt-san!

　In front of my astonished face, the 'Golden Seal Demon Hunter' dared to take a path to the left, which was not in the 'Tyrant's Turtle' blind spot.

''I'm going to be a straw bait!　You need to focus on the attack!

　She ran while shouting that.

　Perhaps it was because she had lost her full body armor at the 12th level, but her legs were faster than I had ever seen them in a battle before.

''You idiot!　Don't try to do everything by yourself!　

　The swearing Raptor follows Mr. Kilt's lead.

　Zuzun.

　Twisting his huge body, the 'Tyrant Tortoise' shook his thick head at the silver-haired prey that entered his sight.　

''-- Demon Sword, Thunderbolt Slash!

　A blue discharged 'Great Sword of Thunder' intercepts it.

　Bati'iin.

　In the next moment, Kirt-san's body was easily blown away.

(.........What?)

　She crashed into the wall and crashed to the floor.

　The 'Golden Seal Demon Hunter' who showed that Red Fang Dragon Gad in a battle of strength, was completely defeated and crushed with a single blow - the reality that I saw with my own eyes, but I can't keep up with my understanding.

''Kilt!''

　With an impatient cry, Illtimina-san throws a white spear.

　Doping.

　A white flash of light strikes the black shell.

　The remnants of the knight statue between them are blown off, but its massive body doesn't waver in the slightest, leaving not a scratch on it.

The "Tyrant's Tortoise" tried to prey on Mr. Kirt as it was.

You can't make me!

　The raptor who had entered before him sprouted two horns and stuck out his arms, his whole body glowing white with divine energy.

　Gokiyin.

　There was a tremendously hard sound, and the head of the "Tyrant's Turtle" was popped.

　But in the next moment, the giant right paw that was swung by the side cleave blows the Boy of Light away.

　Bac-o-o-oong!

　He hits a nearby pillar and the pillar collapses.

'Rapt!'

　Recto Alice shouted, quickly opening her third eye and bringing her palms together in front of her chest.

　BOOM!

　A red glowing magic circle of 'divine art' emerged at its feet, and a thick chain composed of red glowing 'divine writing' was spat out from it, and it wrapped around the 'Tyrant's Tortoise' limbs like a living thing.

　Jalalaan.

　A giant turtle stepping on the tatara.

'While it's still there!'
Yeah!

　In response to Recto Alice's voice, I ran.

　Divine release - a hot force like magma flows into my entire body, and my ears and tail grow.

　The world around me slows down, and I myself accelerate and run to the two injured people.

　Dopah, dopah, dopah.

　In the meantime, to support me, Illtimina-san throws a white spear, and General Dardios and Frederica-san with their black bows attack the "Tyrant's Tortoise" with the "Arrow of Fire".

　A tremendous blast and heat wave.

　Feeling them, I run past the giant body and reach her.

''Kilt-san!''

　yikes!

　I come to an abrupt stop, white smoke rising between the floor and the soles of my shoes.

'........................Nuh-uh.

　Mr. Kilt was alive.

　Frowning in pain, he tried to stand up with the big sword for support, but he seemed to have a concussion and couldn't seem to move his body properly.
　I hurriedly lend my shoulder to him.

"Gugu ... sorry.
Nope.

　He shakes his head and quickly looks around.

(Where's Rapt?)

　galaran

　I saw a dusty boy emerge from the rubble, pushing aside the rubble of a collapsed pillar.

'd*mn you.........'

　I have the energy to swear, thank goodness.

　The relief was short-lived as Recto Alice's mournful voice rang out.

''No!　I can't hold it anymore!

(!)

　Jalappaquiin.

The chains of red light composed of 'divine letters' shattered like glasswork, echoing clear tones as they were defeated by the 'Tyrant's Tortoise''s tremendous leg power.

　Zuzun.

　The giant demon begins to move.

''Huh.''
Nuh-uh.

　While borrowing my shoulder, Kirt held the Great Sword of Thunder with one hand.

　I also held the Sword of the Fairies in one hand.

　We desperately suppressed the fear of the huge, rocky demon that loomed with the rumbling of the earth, and while pointing our swords at it, we gradually retreated.

　Just then, out of the corner of my eye, a wizard girl raises her large, glowing staff.

''O divine bird of fire, burn up that great black turtle!　--Lah Valfrair Vadoo!

　In a moment, that 'Fire Bird', which has 10 mades, flew out of the magic stone.

　Juoh!

　A tremendous heat wave hit all of us.　

　And then the girl let loose a huge 'bird of fire' that flew into the 'tyrant's turtle', which was almost the same size, and dared to hit the body as it was.

　Joooooooooooooooo!

　The remnants of the knight's statue that was trapped in the black shell melted and evaporated in an instant.

　And yet.

...isn't it working?

　The Tyrant Tortoise was unperturbed while interacting with the 'Flaming Bird' as if it were a pseudo-sun, but the 'Tyrant Tortoise' was unperturbed.

　On the contrary, he bit the 'Fiery Bird's' neck.

　kissing

　It was easily eaten away.

The entire body of the 『Flame Bird』 wavered and disappeared.

　Gichu, gichu, gichu.

　The demon, controlled by a fearsome appetite, continues to peck at the flaming flesh to the very end, hoping that before it disappears, the demon will be able to peck at it.

(The monster....)

　The face of Mr. Kilt, who was close by, gritted his teeth.

''I knew you'd win.

　He sounded bitter.

　I can only nod.

　Then, with the strength of the 'divine dog' arms, I lift her up like a princess.

''Mm?''

　A surprised look on his face, Kilt.

　Ignore it.

Raptor, let's get out of here!

　I also called out to the boy from 'Divine Fangra' and started running as fast as I could in the direction where Illtimina and the others were.

　Rapt looks at 'Tyrant's Tortoise' and clicks his tongue, "Tsk," and then he immediately starts running after us.

(Now we can get to the aisle!)

　Thanks to Kilt-san and Raptor's decoy, and thanks to the predation of the 'Fire Bird', the passage to the lowest level behind the 'Tyrant's Turtle' was now empty.

　If they wanted to escape, now was the time to do it!
　It's now or never.

Merle!

　Iltimina-san is also desperately beckoning to us.

　Zuzun.

　That's when a presence behind me moved.

(!)

The 'Tyrant's Tortoise' finished preying on the 'Bird of Fire' and its vision caught our moving form and recognized it as further prey.

(Not good........)

　The sad faces of everyone in the back.

　In my arms, Kirt-san's strong expression as he looks behind me.

　The air with a tremendous 'pressure' coming at us.

...

　bang

　Relying completely on my intuition, I leapt.

　BOOM!

　I used my tail to maintain a higher aerial posture.

　A moment later, I saw the huge bill of the 'Tyrant's Tortoise' pass right underneath me and the tip of it touched the sole of my feet in the air.

(I ducked!)

　That's what I thought.

　But - that was a mistake.

　The faintest touch on the sole of my foot, but it contained an overwhelming power that far surpassed that of the "Golden Mark Demon Hunter".

　I just rubbed it.

　And yet.

　Pakiyin.

　My right leg was played with a tremendous force, and my right leg was bent from the knee down to the front (...) side (...).

(.........ah.)

　The intense pain came late.

　Thud.

　The moment I landed on the ground, I lost my posture and fell to the ground with Kirt-san and rolled around with a rumble.

''Gu.........Marl.....

　Mr. Kilt holds me with a body that doesn't feel like it should.

　But I can't move because of the intense pain and my broken right leg. It's all I can do to keep my lips tied together so that only a desperate scream doesn't escape.

'Merle, you monster b*tc*!

　Rapt tries to rush over to us in a hurry.

　However, it was obvious that the huge body of the "Tyrant's Tortoise" could reach us before that.

(Kook, what should I do...?)

　I can't think well with pain.

　Then.

　Gigi, Gigi ........

　The voice of a spirit came from the 'silvery white cuirass' on my left arm.

　In the next moment, the magic stone shone, and regardless of my intentions, the 'Silver White Wolf' appeared.

　Ji, Gagaa.

　With its huge mouth, it restrains me and Kirt-san's arms, and starts running like a meteor - immediately afterwards, its huge beak pierces the floor where we were just before, and chews up the entire floor.

'Merle!'
Quilt, you're okay!

The "Silver White Wolf" reached Illtimina and the others and dropped us off.

　Rapt arrived a little late.

''Thanks, Spirit-san........''

　I laughed and touched its cheek, enduring the pain.

The White Silver Wolf faintly rubbed my face as if to sweeten it, and it immediately turned into a particle of light and was absorbed into the magic stone of the White Silver Armor.

　''Zunn, zunn.

　Still, the critical situation remains the same.

The 'Tyrant's Tortoise' had pulled its beak out of the floor and was walking up to the eight of us with terrifying speed.

''How dare you........!

　Illtimina-san held the 'White Winged Spear' towards you.

　As those crimson eyes began to shine with the flowing magic power, at the same time, the red magic stone in the open part of the spear's wing ornament also emitted the same light.

''--Hagenshi, the dance of a flash!

　A quiet voice of spirit.

　In response, countless feathers of light blew out from the magic stone, and so a huge 'Woman of Light' that looked very similar to Illtimina-san and was five meters tall appeared.

　The huge spear in her hand was swung down to the 'Tyrant's Turtle'.

　Dpaaaaan.

　The tremendous power of the Tyrant's Tortoise smashed into the floor, its four legs sinking to the floor and its abdomen hitting the floor surface, causing the entire floor to cave in.

　Giggling.

　But the 'Tyrant's Tortoise' began to lift its huge body, little by little.

''........Now while you can, quickly!''

　Iltimina-san's voice was impatient.

　Frederica-san picks me up, Recto Alice lends her shoulder to Kilt-san, and we all start running towards the passageway at once.

　Somehow, we manage to reach the passage.

　And almost at the same time.

　Zugaaan.

　Finally, the 'Tyrant's Tortoise' had leapt up the spear of light and caused the giant body to rise again.

　Gu Chun.

　And then its huge beak bites into the 'Woman of Light' and its divine form disintegrates into countless feathers of light and disappears.



　Illtimina-san wobbles, perhaps under the influence of magic.

　General Dardios quickly carries her on his big shoulder and jumps into the corridor where we are.

''Fiddy!''
Yes!

　The father and daughter of the Arun knight lowered us to the floor, and together they held their black bows.

　Geeee.

　At the tip of the number one arrow was a large arrowhead of a size I had never seen before.

　The two men shot at the ceiling of the corridor.

　Dpaaaan!

　A tremendous explosion occurred.

　It destroyed the ceiling and sparked a massive collapse.

　The black behemoth of the Tyrant's Tortoise approaches from behind the debris falling like an avalanche, but it, too, disappears behind a cloud of dust.

　A large amount of debris covers the entrance to the corridor, and our vision is tainted by darkness.

　G-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o.

　Immediately after, there was a tremendous vibration.

The 'Tyrant's Tortoise' must have rammed into the rubble, but the massive amount of rubble didn't allow for any further intrusion.

　Gong, gong, gong.

　The sound of the collision echoes again and again in the darkness.



　If it hadn't been for the collapse of the ceiling and the massive amount of debris that had been used as a barrier, that appetitive 'tyrannical tortoise' might have been chasing us, its prey, destroying the narrow passageway in pursuit of us.

(That's the difference in experience, is it?)

　His ability to judge a situation on the spur of the moment is truly remarkable.

　Gong, gong, gong.

　As that horrible sound rang out, I lit the 'Light Bird' and Solstice used her remaining magic power to repair my broken leg.

''Thanks, Solstice.''
No, no, thank you.

　The girl cowered her shoulders.
　Ms. Kilt apologized with an apologetic look on her face, holding her forehead with one hand.

'I'm sorry for dragging you down, Marle...'

　I don't know what I'm talking about.

(We've always been the ones who have been saved, right?)

　I think it's good to have a day like this once in a while.

Hmmm. All right, now, let's keep heading down to the lowest level.

　Eventually, after finally recovering from the concussion and regaining our physical freedom, Kilt-san ordered us to start walking down the aisle.

　Perhaps because it was still right after I had healed, my leg was numb, so I had to have Illtimina-san carry me on her back.

　Gong, gong.

　The sound continues again.

'Well I hope there's another way,'
Hmmm, yeah.

　Now that I had blocked this path, I needed a different route to return to the ground.

(But right now, rather than what's ahead...)

　swoosh

　I subconsciously put my strength into both arms that were around Illtimina-san's neck.
　She noticed and said.

'At last, Marle.'
Yes.

　Finally, we reach the lowest level.

　The time to obtain the "divine armor" alive - the time to accomplish that goal is right in front of us.