A short distance away from where I fought off the smiter, I thrust the doorknob of the dimension room against the wall.
　Then a rectangle of light ran across the green wall.
　After the light subsides, you twist the doorknob and pull it forward, and the wall opens up like a normal door.

　Once inside, it led to the same white space I had tried before.
　There was an internal lock next to the doorknob, so I shut it properly.
　Now there's no need to worry about demons coming in from outside........



Okura-san, are you okay with what you said earlier?　Noll-san and Okura-san, let's treat them in the meantime.

'Oh, thanks. It was actually pretty painful...

　It was good that I was able to prevent the smiter's white meteor, but by now the one who had received it was chattering and numb and couldn't get any strength in his arm.
　That, how powerful it was........it would have been dangerous if it wasn't for the pot lid.

　When Sisuha comes closer and touches my body, the pain in my arm instantly recedes.
　He then touched Nol's body in the same way, finishing the treatment.
　Is it more effective to touch him directly than to use it indirectly?
　Well, if it's Sisha, I think it would be quite effective even if I used it away from her.

''I didn't expect to see something like that at the end.

Yeah. How am I supposed to beat that thing?

　I was buoyed by the fact that I only had one more to go, and I even prepared to kill him for sure, but this is the result.
　I knew there was a strong demon inside, but I didn't think it was that bad.
　To be honest, I'm starting to think it's okay to run home.

　We all groaned and thought about what was going on.
　In the meantime, I noticed Noll sitting in gym silently and looking somewhat sluggish.

'Nole?　What's wrong?

''Umm ... well, I'm really sorry about earlier ...''

　Apparently he's still concerned about his fall earlier.
　I don't think anyone thinks it's Noll's fault....
　I wouldn't expect it to be in the form of a hand, but in a liquid state, clinging to my leg, and I didn't notice one of them until she fell.

　It's just that they all could have been, even though Noll happened to be caught.

'Don't worry about it. There's no way to get around that thing. There's no need to worry about it.

But....

Oh, I'm fine. Here, have a couple of these to cheer you up.

Thank you very much, sir.

　He tapped Noor's shoulder lightly and handed him a high potion.
　I don't have a physical problem anymore, but let's give him something tasty to drink to refresh himself.
　The High Potion tastes even better, as it's only upwardly compatible with the potion. This one has an orange flavor.

　The Nol who received it still feels somewhat depressed, but he started drinking the potion in a chilly way.
　'Okay, I guess that's all right.

'Well, let's talk about what to do with that.

Not knocking it down is not an option, is it?

Yeah. You're gonna have to take it down to open it.

　If I could go through with it without knocking it down, I would, but I don't think I could force that thing open like I tried.
　So I want to beat the smiter somehow.

Why don't we just keep knocking them down until they're gone?

Ummm, that's the most likely scenario, but...

That makes the last part sound rather dangerous, doesn't it?

　Luna is jawing, putting her elbows on her legs and her cheeks on her hands and saying annoyingly.
　I don't even want to imagine beating the one that keeps getting stronger and stronger.....
　There's nothing scarier than having no end in sight.

　That's just what it was after I beat it three times, so what happens if I beat it until it disappears?
　One more time, one more defeat and it's over!　What a harassment, just a mess.

　Even Noll has recovered and joined the conversation and says it's dangerous.
　As for me, I'm going to give up and run away after a couple more enhancements.
　It's still pretty bad, so if it gets any stronger, it's out of my control.

''Sisha's blessing?　Couldn't you manage with an attack of

''Ummm.......it's hard to say. With a demon that powerful, I don't think you can make it disappear just by hitting it.

　Can't you make it disappear with a highly effective attack against Sisha's Mummy?
　I asked her if so, but she raised her eyebrows and made a reluctant face and said it was harsh.
　When it comes to dealing with a monster like that, you'd have to inject a hand or a staff directly into your body. I guess I'll have to do something like that.
　It's impossible to restrain a demon with an attack power of 5,000, and it's outrageous to get Sisha close to it.

　Oh no........this is a complete disaster.
　No matter how much I think about it, I can't think of a way to defeat that thing in one piece.

　We can't take it down any longer, and we can't even restrain it.
　As it is, if there's a way to take it down so that it can't be revived in its current state... oh, wait!

I think I might have a plan. There might be a way to beat him.

Did your brother have an idea?

　When I say there might be, all eyes are on me.
　Ugh........These gazes are a bit harsh. It's vague to the extent that I might be able to do it - so to be honest I'm not that confident, but.......

'Oh, yeah but I don't know if it will work. And I don't even know if it would be enough to defeat them if I succeeded.

　It's an idea that I've come up with, but it's an idea that I feel is pretty governed.
　I'm going to take on the most dangerous role, but whether or not I'll succeed...

"Still, you are amazing, Okura-dono!　I am amazed that you could come up with such a thing!

You've had some pretty good ideas about what to do since you've been in the maze.

I can't wait to see what your brother comes up with.

I'm hoping this time it's over.

　The Nolls are looking at me with an expectant air.
　I don't want to be yelled at so far........what if this fails.......

　I decided to talk to the girls about my thoughts, feeling a little sick to my stomach.

●

　I came up to Smiter alone to carry out the plan immediately.

　After he lost us, he seemed to be moving around the labyrinth in the dark, and I had a hard time finding him.
　The guy hadn't noticed me yet because he was wearing an invisible cloak.
　I carefully follow behind the smiter, who is walking around in a heap, checking the map app.

　It's about time........

'Oi!　Over here!

　As I neared my destination, I took off my cloak and shouted with all my strength to my stomach.
　Hearing my voice, Smiter turns around and runs, swinging his body from side to side and raising his legs wide.

　After confirming that he's following me, he hurriedly starts to run towards his destination.
　This guidance is the most important thing. There is no room for failure.

　Near the destination, I asked Nol and the others to take care of the demons first, so there's no need to worry about it.
　However, no small number of mammies were wandering around in the passage to get there.

''Whoa!　Get out of my way!

　A mammy notices me running and moves in to block the passage.
　Against that mammy, I shout and blow it away with a body slamming into it.
　The guys in the back are also reacting and coming towards me one after another, but I ignore them as much as possible, and the ones who can't seem to avoid them continue running with a body hit.

　That white demon from the labyrinth is chasing us from behind.
　There's no way I'm going to be able to deal with these guys!

　In less than five minutes, the room ahead of us is in sight.
　It was supposed to be a short distance, but it felt incredibly long because I was running so hard.

　Finally, I reached the entrance to the room, and I walked past it and then turned around.

'Now!'

　I shouted the moment Smiter approached the entrance to the room I wanted to be in.
　Hearing my signal, Noll, who had been hiding, comes out of a nearby room.
　Normally, he would come out shouting cheerfully, but this time he's silent.

　That allowed me to quickly approach without Smiter noticing me, and hit him from the side with my shield.
　He ate the attack from directly beside me and the guy was blown into the room as intended.

　
　That room is the room of the sprawling treasure chest in the abyss where I picked up the third shard.
　It's a very deep hole where you can drop a stone statue and not hear it fall at all.
　I figured that if I dropped it there, even this guy wouldn't be able to come back.

　That might not be enough to defeat him, but it would be worth a try.
　Noll and the others couldn't come up with any other good ideas, so we decided to go ahead with this plan.

'We won't let them get away!

　Smiter entered the room and quickly moved to come out.
　At the same time, Esther, who was also hiding this time, came out.

　Her body was enveloped in a purple aura, and it was instantly recognizable that she was using the skill.
　A fireball the size of a dodge ball, the same as the first attack, shoots out from outside the entrance, forcing the smiter back to the back of the room.
　It looks the same, but because of the skill, when it lands, it's a labyrinth, but it's so powerful that the explosion will shake the surroundings.

　If the white meteor is used, even Esther's magic will be played back.
　So in order to fold up at once, I had her use her skill, although it's bad for her.

　Thanks to that, Smiter collapsed with all his strength before he could use the skill, and the explosion blew him up over the abyss.
　Alright!　Drop him on the ground and he's ours!　This is going to bring this thing down for sure!

Yes--what?

You're so light....

　The smiter's body began to glow white before the fall began, though he was happy to see it fall.
　Then, with a great shudder of his body, he spun around once in the air and landed neatly on the floor, which was only one foot long of a person.

　Huh, it's too early to revive!　

'Oh, Okura-dono!　Is it still there?!

Mr. Okura!　The Mummy's getting together!　If we don't do something quickly--

I know!　d*mn ... that's not good.

　After punching the smiter away, Nol shouted as he and Sisha and Luna were stalling the mammy approaching from the perimeter.
　The arrangement was for Estelle to take care of everything, me to protect her and Noor and the others to stall the other demons in the meantime.
　As expected, the sound of the explosions brought the mammy closer and closer, and the squishy, liquid-like ligasmanus grew on the ground.
　Furthermore, the Fullerum Mummy that I had defeated when I first escaped from the Smiter was running towards me one by one.

　Haha, what is this hellscape.

''Ah, ki, here it comes!　Estelle, look out!

Yes, this time you are going to shoot me down!

　After landing on the floor, Smiter was moving up to the scaffold where the treasure chest was located, making a brilliant backflip on that narrow scaffold.
　From there, it ran at once, charging towards the entrance with white light all over its body.

　Another level of enhanced smiter's white meteor.
　I tighten my grip on the lid of the pot, thinking that it must hurt worse than the first one I received.
　I can't let this guy out of here.

　Esther still has her skills, and this time, with a powerful voice, she opens her book and raises her staff and shoots out a fireball.
　I watch the scene from a position where I can protect her at any time.
　It's frustrating not to be able to attack from a distance at a time like this.......

　Smiter, who receives Estelle's attack from the front, broke through the fireball just like the first time.
　However, when she receives the fireball, the glow of the light blurs slightly, and the side of her eyes twitches and twitches.
　It seemed that it was impossible to receive her skilled attacks completely unharmed.
　Even so, one, two, three shots, one after another, she breaks the fireball and comes towards us.

　It seems impossible to stop it at this rate.
　Noll and the others have already had their hands full against Mummy, and now we have to give up........
　No matter how much it's for the sake of the mess, we can't take any more risks.
　Let's retreat quietly this time.

''Move!　I'll do it!

'Luna!　Hey, look out!

　As I was thinking about giving up and using the escape device, Luna, who was supposed to be fighting with Nol and the others, leaps in front of me and Esther.
　She then entered the room of the abyss and stopped in front of the smiter coming at us from the front with her spear at the ready.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on, but it's not too late, and the smiter is already right in front of Luna.
　Still, Luna is in no hurry to step forward with her left foot and thrust the spear forward with all her might.

　The spear that was thrust out emitted red light as if it had used a skill and hit the smiter with an extremely thick light.
　The white light and red light collide, and a shockwave spreads throughout the room.
　The two sides are not moving in the slightest.

''Goooooooook.........''

　Luna's voice was low, antagonistic but tight.
　The black robe she was wearing was buzzing and agitated, and one could tell just by looking at her how much force she was being exposed to.

''Ah--''

　The moment Luna was pushed just slightly, just slightly, she let out a short breath.
　Then the antagonism collapsed and the foot that Luna had stepped forward began to fall back.
　The red brilliance of the spear that was antagonizing her is gradually pushed down and a white light approaches her.

''Whoa!　d*mn it, Luna, Luna!　Don't go in there alone!

Heihachi?

I'll hold you down and we'll just shove you in there together!

　When I arrived behind Luna, I grabbed her shoulders as she was about to be blown away.
　I would really like to take over for her, but I don't think I can do that right now.
　So I tried to support Luna at least by stepping on it with all my strength and trying not to back away.

　 How can you endure such a small body for such a small body........

Yeah, that's encouraging.

　Luna let out a distracted voice for a moment, but she didn't turn around and muttered in a small voice.
　The red light of the spear that was being pushed around gradually pushed back the white glow.
　When it returned to the initial state of antagonism, this time the white light was pushed as it was and the spear approached the smiter's main body.

　And finally, the white glow that he was wearing, as if he couldn't endure it anymore, flashed and disappeared, and Luna's spear pierced his body.
　The spear pierced through the smiter's body and shot out of his back.
　The blow may have killed him, but the top part of his body was still stabbed by the spear, and the top part of his body fell forward.
　Thanks to the effect of Estelle's attack, her strength had been reduced.

　Luna lifted the spear, still surrounded by red light, and threw it towards the abyss.
　A single red streak of meteor fell down the pitch-black hole.

''Ha, ha ... yah, I did it. We did it!

I managed to push him off...

　I made sure the light from the spear went out and I let out a huge breath and sat down.
　Yes, I did it!　I got him this time!

　Luna seems to be sitting down and relieved just like me.
　After a little while, the light began to gather in her hand and the spear was returned to her hand.

　

''Okura-dono!　I need your help, not your rest!　We have a lot of mammies.

How many of them are there?

Oh, no!　I'm coming!

　I was feeling a sense of satisfaction that I had done it, but I was huffed by the crying cries of the Nolls.
　I'd forgotten all about it, but it wasn't just the smiters, more and more demons were gathering here.

　I quickly get up and head out of the room, grabbing a crowbar to support Nol and the others.

You can take a break, Luna. Estelle can take a break with you too.

Yes I will.

　The skill ran out and Estelle sat there with a blue face.
　It's not as bad as Noor's, but Estelle has a lot of recoil from the skill, too.
　Luna looks tired too, so let's let the two of them rest.

I'm sure you'll be glad to know that you're able to save your life this time, but please don't do something like that all of a sudden. I thought your heart was going to stop.

I'm sorry. That looked dangerous and I just couldn't resist.

　It ended up being a good thing, but I told Luna, who did something pretty reckless, just in case.
　I wasn't expecting her to act like that, so I was surprised.

''........Thank you, Heihachi.

Oh, get some rest.

　I'm about to walk out of the room when I hear Luna's little murmur from behind me.
　When I turn around, she's turning away, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
　I gave Luna a thumbs up and replied to her, and headed out of the room to do one last thing.