Chapter 62 - Chapter 1-Behind The Betrayal-Part 2

Deeno, meanwhile, had correctly surmised that he no longer held any great advantage. His attempted ambush had failed, and now he was paying for it with this pointless round of combat, completely wrecking his plans.

Beretta and Deeno were miles apart in terms of ability, but in terms of combat skill level, the difference wasn't all that wide. Despite that, though, it was clear Beretta was near his limits. Here in Ramiris's labyrinth, he could be resurrected as often as needed; he didn't have to worry about running out of energy, and overloading himself power-wise wouldn't cause him any damage. He could constantly fight all out with no restrictions, and that was the sole reason he could hold his own against Deeno. His environment was also

protecting him, but that had its limits—he simply lacked the power needed to find a decisive edge.

Impressive, though, Deeno thought. No wonder he's part of the black tribe. I didn't think he would hold out this much.

Deeno had to revise his opinion of Beretta. If Charys and Treyni had stayed in this room, the battle would've ended with a lot less trouble—not that either of them were pushovers, but angels held an overwhelming advantage against spirits by default. Besides, the two sides' battle experience were incomparable. As befitting his membership in the black tribe, Beretta had top-tier fighting skills —enough to take on Deeno, even. Beretta would die instantly if he took a hit, but he still had the courage to calmly handle Deeno's strikes.

Not only had Beretta not given up on winning, he even seemed to enjoy this, in a way. Whenever Deeno deliberately let his guard down a bit, Beretta didn't react at all. That was praiseworthy, but the fact that Beretta landed a cut or two on him with his occasional counterattacks was a major surprise. As a "fallen," he was weak against the holy element, but that wasn't a fatal flaw to him. And yet Beretta's attacks were dealing actual damage. He was mixing the dark and holy elements with each other, transforming his attacks to where Deeno's defensive barrier couldn't block them fully. They were, Deeno realized, impossible to defend. Much like spirit-based attacks, they would always deal damage unless one could repel them spiritually.

Deeno was a former seraphim. He knew how things worked with this world. That's why a mere unique skill causing damage to him was such a shock—and it was Beretta's stunning sense for battle that deserved the most praise of all.

But now Deeno was growing used to those moves. His sword swings were leaving him more open than necessary, but he would accept that. The way Beretta was attacking every weakness he showed was unexpected but still within what he could handle. While it may have looked like Beretta was pushing him around—none of Deeno's strikes was even scratching him—the Fangsmasher could easily slice through even an adamantite body. One clean hit would turn the tide, so to Deeno, this was no major concern whatsoever.

Beretta, perhaps realizing this, was focused entirely on stretching this out as

long as possible. He was beefing up his defenses, apparently concluding that the "death by a thousand cuts" approach wouldn't work.

He's choosing the right tactic, though. After all, if Beretta keeps Ramiris protected, he wins.

Deeno was no fool. He could see how Beretta's mind was working. As long as Ramiris survived, nobody inside the labyrinth would ever die—but if she died, it was game over for everything. The labyrinth couldn't be guaranteed safe if she was kidnapped, either, so it was obvious why Beretta was trying to bank as much time as possible.

As things stood, Beretta was getting everything he wanted. But it wouldn't stay that way. Unfortunately for him, Deeno still had one last trick up his sleeve. He was only putting up with Beretta's stalling because he needed to neutralize him right here, right now.

Fighting a foe who could resurrect himself infinitely was such a pain that way. If Deeno could capture Ramiris before Beretta revived himself, then all was well, but everyone else in the room was certain to dogpile on him then…and if he started aiming to kill everybody in the Control Center, Ramiris was likely to get caught in the crossfire. Deeno said he didn't intend to kill her, and that was the truth—the truth, and also a pair of shackles holding him down.

This is soooo annoying. I can't believe merely neutralizing Beretta is taking this much work. It'd be easy to just kill him, but…well, all the prep work's done, so it no longer matters.

"Beretta, you've done well. Take a nap. Fallen Hypno!!"

So he unleashed his power. This was Fallen Hypno, a nonlethal, broad-range neutralizing attack derived from his unique skill Sloth. It lured any living creature into a sleep from which they would never awaken until the caster removed the curse. Attempting to mentally resist it was pointless. It was a deadly sin of a move, at the top levels of power…but as the word Sloth would suggest, it took quite a long time to trigger, a painful weakness. Still, despite that time lag, one needed to have an ultimate skill on hand to even think about resisting it. It was a truly fearsome attack, one that fully deserved to be called the strongest of unique skill-driven moves.

Deeno wanted to neutralize Beretta and the others as quietly and peacefully as he could. He truly had no desire to harm anyone else in the Control Center— Shinji, his friends, the dryads—even if they stepped up to protect Ramiris.

Even Vester, the first target he'd put to sleep, was someone he respected as a boss. Shinji's gang were acquaintances of his; there were even the buds of friendship sprouting. He really didn't want to do anything to betray them like this, but Feldway's orders were as absolute as they were incontrovertible.

"I can't believe how much work this is. Don't hate me for this, okay? I'll try asking Feldway to let you guys in here go, so…"

Deeno muttered to no one in particular once he saw Beretta collapsing to the floor. Taking a glance at the sprawled-out and snoring Ramiris, Deeno extended a hand, assuming his mission was complete—

"Not so fast."

But he was stopped by an icy voice.

"Are you kidding me…?"

Deeno turned around to find her standing there. Her cilia were shining in yellow and silver, the exoskeleton protecting more vulnerable sections of her body made of glossy black adamantite. Her wings, gleaming blue like an exotic butterfly's, comprised two pairs; they were the same color as the compound eyes on her forehead, giving her an otherworldly charm.

This was Apito, freshly awoken from her evolutionary slumber, and while her colors had changed appreciably compared to before, she still looked largely the same. If anything, though, her beyond-human beauty was even further polished —there was an air of authority to her aura, like she had reached even greater heights as Insect Queen.

"…Apito? Perfect. Can you destroy my chaos core for me?"

Since demons had zero need for sleep, Beretta was just barely able to resist Fallen Hypno. He was conscious enough only to ask Apito for the favor before descending into sleep mode.

"Sir Beretta…"

"You're still conscious?! But you can't move!"

Deeno's shock caused him to react a beat late…and that made him miss Apito's next move. Without asking why he made that request, Apito shot out a poison stinger and broke Beretta's chaos core to pieces. The Osiris Rapier, a self-regenerating weapon she was justly proud of, easily penetrated through the thick adamantite. She could produce this rapier within her own body, creating as many of them as she pleased. Without this evolution, though, there was no way she could have done the job.

Beretta laughed.

"Heh…heh-heh-heh. Impressive. Now I will die, only to be reborn in perfect condition. I must ask you to hold down the fort for a little while, Apito."

He had stepped down as leader of the Ten Dungeon Marvels, but he remained Ramiris's personal aide, and thus he had the authority to give orders to the other Marvels.

"Very well. Sadly, I fear I cannot defeat this adversary alone, so I hope you will return shortly."

Despite her words, Apito's voice lent credence to the idea that she was sure she'd win. Deeno, apparently sensing this, scowled.

"Come on… What a decision. You didn't even give me a moment to intervene."

He was right.

Leaving him to Apito, Beretta disappeared into a swarm of light particles. Then Apito sprang forth at light speed—and the battle inside the Control Center grew even more intense.

This really sucks.

That was Deeno's unadorned impression of the situation. Apito was no sweat as an opponent…but in the labyrinth, he just couldn't kill her.

He wanted to finish her and secure Ramiris ASAP, but Apito was leveraging her speed to constantly get in his way. She didn't try to seriously engage Deeno

at all, preferring a stick-and-move approach. In her evolved form, she had perhaps grown more specialized for speed-based tactics, and she fully understood what made her unique. There was no waste to her moves at all; her EP was probably around 700,000, but in speed, at least, she was easily Deeno's equal.

Even worse, once Deeno finally thought he killed her, Beretta would be revived by then. It hadn't even been a minute yet, and already he had teleported himself back in. Apito was doing a perfectly fine job buying time for Beretta, because even against someone as overwhelming as Deeno, she didn't need to stall ten seconds.

At this point, Deeno had nothing left to work with. His best bet was to put Beretta and Apito to sleep simultaneously. Calming himself, he tried breaking out the unique skill Sloth once more. Whether against one target or many, Sloth took its time before it deployed.

Deeno stopped panicking and gauged the current situation, remarkably calm for someone in the middle of combat. The first thing he noticed was the image on the Control Center's screen, depicting Rimuru fighting Velgrynd after she defeated her brother in the kaiju battle.

Dude, how the hell did he escape?! And, like, he's an even match for Velgrynd?!

This was the biggest surprise of the day. The way Feldway put it, the demon lord Rimuru and his generals were all locked away in an alternate dimension of Velgrynd's creation. The escape was actually pretty simple—Rimuru used the soul corridor with his friends to determine his physical location, and that was all it took—but Deeno, not aware of that, was absolutely dumbfounded. The even greater surprise, however, was Rimuru's strength. Velgrynd seemed all but invincible, and Rimuru even seemed to push her around a bit.

Concern crossed Deeno's mind. We're gonna be in big trouble unless I make some progress soon, maybe.

His attention tuned toward the others. Capturing Ramiris first was the main keystone of Feldway's plan. Deeno was stationed in the labyrinth because Guy had ordered him in there; that was a total coincidence, and unfortunately for

Deeno, it attracted Feldway's attention. Deeno couldn't be more reluctant about it, but he was the only ally who had free access to the highly secured Control Center. It was simply the hand he was dealt, and he accepted it.

Feldway had put together a grandiose plan to secure an invasion pathway for him and his minions. He had goaded Velgrynd into destroying the labyrinth so Veldora would come out from hiding. That worked brilliantly, much to Deeno's surprise, and now Feldway himself was taking the lead to carry out this invasion.

Feldway was accompanied by two of the Three Mystic Leaders, along with five generals Zarario took along with him. They were eight people in all, and deploying not one but two of his highest officers for the job was nothing short of lavish. Only Obela, the last remaining Mystic Leader, was left, and she was presumably handling guard duties over at the Mystic Palace deep in the other world. Hearing this plan, Deeno could only conclude that Feldway wanted this thing to succeed at all costs.

But Deeno wasn't the only Primordial Angel on this planet who had been contacted about the project. Two others, living undercover in human civilization, had also been called up. They technically worked under Deeno, but Feldway didn't bother going through him for this. Their job was to keep the destroyed labyrinth going—a safety valve just in case Deeno somehow failed in his mission. It took only a passing thought from Ramiris to turn this labyrinth into a prison, and then getting out of here would be a huge undertaking that Feldway wanted to avoid.

These were the two people Deeno was most concerned about at the moment. He scanned the screen for them.

Oh, for… Come on! They're in an even bout with Pico and Garasha…? Pico was a tiny young woman, Garasha a much more imposing warrior type.

With Velgrynd victorious over Veldora, the city that had been isolated in the labyrinth was now back on the surface. Geld had stepped up to defend it, but he never expected Geld would be asked to fight the likes of Pico and Garasha.

Geld the Barrier Lord…and Kumara the Chimera Lord? Wait, Kumara's a cryptid, isn't she? She's not descended from Ivalage, the World-Destroyer

Dragon, is she? Nah, no way…

Deeno quickly banished the ghastly idea his imagination gave him. They call 'em the Twelve Lordly Guardians for a reason, I guess, he thought to himself as he checked on the other battlefields. There he saw Zarario, another one of the Three Mystic Leaders.

Wow, Zarario's kicking ass like usual, huh? He doesn't even seem to take this seriously, either. Way to make it look easy against Charys and Treyni.

His old partner, Zarario, was as strong as ever. It always struck Deeno that he had this creepy underside he never revealed in public, but clearly he'd been improving himself over the past few millennia. Concluding he was in no trouble at all, Deeno moved on.

And here's…Cornu? I heard he screwed up the invasion a few decades ago big time. Maybe that's why he looks so distressed?

As Deeno keenly observed, Cornu seemed to be panicking, and it was clear why. That previous mistake had cost him his entire army and injured him so badly that he needed several decades to fully recover. If he blew it again this time, Feldway was likely going to do away with him entirely. Even worse, if all was going to plan, Feldway was traveling alongside Cornu incognito as well. The pressure must be so intense, Deeno reasoned, that it kept him from exercising his full powers.

He's got bad luck is all. But Masayuki's a wimp in real life, and I don't think anyone else opposing him is a challenge, either. Venom's membership in the black tribe is a concern, but I guess he came on the scene way later than Beretta. He'll probably be okay.

Deeno wasn't too concerned, in part because he wasn't that friendly with Cornu to start with. If he messed this up, Feldway would probably step up to wipe his ass. Things were still going to plan.

It was perhaps this sense of relief that caused Deeno's lazy mind to play tricks on him.

Hmm… It's odd, though. Why am I here worrying about if this operation will work? Like, what's gotten into me?

A pretty important question. Something bothered Deeno about this whole plan, something he couldn't get out of his mind. He couldn't put it into words, exactly, which irritated him, but he figured he'd put his finger on it before long.

Unfortunately:

"Why are you playing around, Deeno? I am going on the move shortly. Carry out your mission at once."

The calmer part of Deeno's day had come to a close.

Pfft… I really hate working…

Deeno had no argument with Beretta or Apito. In fact, he liked them. That's why he resented these orders so much…but there was no defying them. Ah, well, he said to himself as he decided to get serious about this.

Feldway, fresh from reminding Deeno about his orders, was in hiding as he watched Cornu fight.

Cornu tended to be overconfident in his abilities, but he was still a reliable ally. He had received his name from Veldanava, just like Feldway had, and Feldway considered Cornu a valuable asset. But Cornu had put in a terrible showing last time, losing a third of the entire army despite possessing overwhelming power against the piddling planet they invaded.

That was more than enough reason for Feldway to forsake him, and Cornu knew that full well—clearly he was fighting for keeps right now, not toying with his foe like he usually did. It wasn't a sight Feldway welcomed. The Three Mystic Leaders were expected to be all-powerful dominators in battle, not people to be toyed with by far weaker enemies. These were enemies Cornu should finish off in one blow, and instead he was letting them run all over him. He had completely fallen for the enemy's trap, not even realizing that Masayuki had been replaced with an impostor.

It was beyond exasperating at this point—it almost made Feldway want to kill him, in fact. But he somehow contained himself. Then, ignoring Cornu entirely, he stepped up to take out Masayuki.

Meanwhile, Masayuki left the scene with languid steps. The idea of fleeing the battle alone didn't sit well with him.

He was, of course, quite scared, but the idea of abandoning his friends was even scarier. If something happened to him, he'd spend the rest of his life beating himself up over it.

Masayuki stopped for a moment and turned around. From far away, he could see his friends fighting for their lives. Minitz was keeping the enemy contained, the vampires were capitalizing on their immortality to divert their attention, and Caligulio and Venom were attacking whenever they found a hole to exploit. Jiwu, in particular, was putting on a masterful show, setting herself up in just the right place to prevent Cornu from uncorking any super-destructive attacks. For such a hastily assembled crew, they were showing real teamwork—but if they lost even one person, the whole thing was likely to crumble.

"Hey, Masayuki…"

"Bernie, I gotta head back. Like, I never really talked about this because I didn't wanna blow my cover, but—really, I wish I coulda gotten friendlier with all you guys. I know I'm a coward, but I don't want to be a backstabber, too, you know?"

Then, with that admission of the truth, the World Language spoke up in Masayuki's brain.

The heroic trait of "courageously refusing to run" has been detected. Now that all three conditions have been met, a hidden power of the unique skill Chosen One has been unlocked. Invoke?

Yes

No

Huh? thought Masayuki. He was afraid he had gone and screwed up yet again, sighing in relief when he realized he hadn't. He didn't really care about any more "hidden powers" within him, but there wasn't much point in turning back on this whole thing now. So Masayuki agreed to it.

Confirmed. New power added to Chosen One… Successful. Heroic Recourse is now permanently activated.

A long, complicated description flashed across his mind. It gave him an ache of nostalgia as he marveled at it, gradually grasping his new ability.

He was already in possession of Heroic Aura, which awed his targets into submission; Heroic Compensation, which offered near-impossible levels of luck; Heroic Charm, which granted courage to his companions; and Heroic Action, which was still kind of a mystery but seemed to massage events so they always worked out to his benefit in the end. Heroic Recourse, the recent addition, apparently made him into a kind of magnet for Heroes.

Um… Guide the souls of the dead? I became a "vessel"? What's up with that? I don't really need that skill if it requires all my friends to die…

Masayuki saw it coming. Yet another totally useless skill in his quiver. He hadn't expected much in the first place, so it was no genuine disappointment. As long as it didn't actively make things worse, that was enough.

"Masayuki, you…"

"So c'mon, Bernie, how about we go back?"

Returning to the subject at hand: This new ability of his was already lost to the ether.

"All right. If that's what you want, I'll join you."

Bernie scratched his head in defeat. Then, sharing a grin with each other, they turned around—and things kicked into high gear.

Feldway was on the move. Bernie meant nothing to him, but he was blocking him from taking Masayuki away. His fighting stance was full of holes; Feldway could off him with one swing. Or, really, Bernie's actual ability didn't matter. He was just garbage in Feldway's mind.

Without so much as a breeze, without even revealing his presence, Feldway attempted to decapitate Bernie with his drawn sword. But all that resulted in was a sharp, echoing sound—blade clanging against blade.

"You're stopping me?! Who are you? What're you doing?"

For an instant, it surprised Feldway. He was answered by a young girl in a

mask.

"I am Chronoa…and what I'm doing is being a Hero."

A moment of silence. Then Feldway's burst of laughter.

"Look at this! A Hero gracing us with her presence. Let me give you my name, then. I am Feldway, the Mystic Lord!"

The name didn't faze Chronoa. Her mind was now in perfect sync with Chloe's, and she was a cold steel machine of warfare.

"Mystic Lord? Hmm. So you're the boss of these magic-born? I came out because I couldn't let this injustice go on in front of me, but if you're a threat to humanity as well, I'll just eliminate you here."

"Heh-heh-heh… Pretty brave talk. Let me put you in your place, fool!"

The moment he stopped speaking, Feldway—dressed in his scarlet-red uniform—took action. Chronoa, in her white-themed Holy Spirit Armor, also disappeared. Flashes of red and white light streaked before the eyes of Masayuki and his friends. They had all but gone invisible to them, but the sounds were deafening. There were no shock waves, however, not even a slight breeze. The battle was taking place on a dimension beyond anyone's comprehension.

This masked girl had come to Masayuki's aid once before, and now she was doing it again. He understood that, but as he was now, he doubted there was much he could do to help this girl.

"Um, what should we do…?"

"This is on a level far beyond anything we can intervene in. No point dwelling on it. We just gotta do what we can. C'mon, let's go help everyone out!"

The sounds reaching his ears told Bernie that he was being targeted. The fact that he couldn't even react to it at all told him just what sort of realm this fight was unfolding within. It wasn't because some spell had weakened him; he was simply isolated, incapable of putting up a fight, no matter what he did. If so, he couldn't just run around like an idiot here. He had to take action—a thought drilled into him by his military experience.

"All right. I don't know who that Chronoa person is, but let's leave this to her!"

Masayuki, meanwhile, was used to having exceptional events take place around him. Clearly, getting out of Dodge was his best bet.

So, regardless of what Bernie and Masayuki were doing, Chronoa and Feldway were crossing swords. But the fight didn't last long. Countless strikes and parries occurred in the space of a few seconds. The witnesses wondered if there would ever be any resolution to this at all—but then Feldway noticed.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! So that's where it was! It seems Lady Veldanava's will is for me to win after all!"

"What're you talking about?"

"Heh! None of your business. Then again, I could tell you, since you'll be joining me shortly."

"…?"

"Bow to my will…Sariel, Lord of Hope!!"

It was an absolute order—and even an angelic ultimate skill couldn't resist Michael's Ultimate Dominion.

"What…did you do…?"

"Oh? You're still conscious? You live up to your reputation as the world's strongest Hero, Chronoa. But resistance is useless. It's only a matter of time

before you fall under my rule."

Feldway rejoiced at his sheer luck. Chronoa the Hero's exploits were legend across the world, even in the Empire. Having Sariel work its way into her was truly a gift from the gods.

Chronoa fell to her knees, just as Feldway had willed her.

"I am Sariel. Your orders, Sir Michael…"

Her mask came off, revealing her face and the beauty it held—and those were the words that came from her sweet, pinkish lips.

Now Feldway was sure of his victory. And that assured confidence led him to make a serious mistake. Here he had control over Cornu, Mystic Leader and his close confidant, and Chronoa, a powerful Hero easily his equal (despite not being the "real" version of her). With the two of them, he reasoned, completing his mission would be simple. So:

"Very good. I want you to work with Cornu to kill the young man from before. I have other business awaiting me on the surface, so please take care of this for me."

With that, he left the labyrinth.

Seeing Masayuki and Bernie come running back, Venom wanted to curse the heavens themselves. Not that he minded them here. He could sense the rising, menacing presence lurking in the direction they had fled to, so he thought they had fallen dead by now.

"Way to survive, guys. What a relief!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Little early to be saying that. The enemy's still around." "Yeah…"

Venom had to admit it—Cornu was strong. They had an immense advantage fighting in the labyrinth, but it wasn't a matter of whether they could win. They weren't even sure they'd survive. But despite all that, one look at Masayuki's face, and Venom felt tremendously relieved. Baseless confidence filled his veins, and he couldn't help but think it'd all work out somehow. Minitz and

Caligulio, apparently feeling the same way, looked much healthier than before. "Heh-heh-heh… Maybe it's not appropriate, but I'm really having fun here."

"Right you are again. I feel so light on my feet…as if His Majesty himself has joined me on the field."

The two imperial officers shared a laugh. Even the vampires, who had no reason to be that involved in this, seemed eager to continue the fight.

Cornu, meanwhile, was confused. Just when he was about to attack, a second Masayuki appeared out of nowhere. He looked closer, wondering if he'd misjudged his foe's position, but it was definitely Masayuki. One of them had to be a fake, which was exactly what the disguised Jiwu was.

"How dare you trifle with me! All you worthless insects and your stupid tricks…!"

As enraged as Cornu was, he had no way of telling which Masayuki was real. His senses told him both were about equal in strength; each of them was a little hard for him to grasp. That's what made this so maddening. If Cornu got riled up enough, he might easily kill them both at once—but then they'd get revived in parts unknown and he'd have to find them. Thus, Cornu faced an even more nerve-racking battle than before.

But then a helping hand arrived.

"Is that you, Sir Cornu? My name is Sariel, in the service of Sir Michael."

An unfamiliar girl flew in faster than anyone's eyes could follow, offering her help. Cornu had no reason to doubt her words. This girl, Sariel, was infused with the aura of Michael, just as she'd hinted.

"Thank you. You aim for the Masayuki on the right. Don't kill him. He must be captured alive."

Whether it was a stroke of luck or not, Cornu had just pointed out the real Masayuki.

"Yes, sir."

Sariel nodded, her eyes turning toward her target. Masayuki, sensing this, began sweating a little. Then their eyes met.

Um… "Sariel"? That girl called herself Chronoa, and I'm not really sure what her deal is, but she turned traitor on us that fast?! Like…

Masayuki was lost for a moment. Then he gave up all hope. But Chronoa's beauty was so flooring that he hardly felt any fear. In fact, he was too preoccupied to feel anything.

What's with that girl? She's so cute!

It wasn't very appropriate, but the shock made him forget all about being on a battlefield. There was only one way to describe her—a beauty for the ages, the same conclusion a certain blond-haired demon lord had also made. It made Masayuki wish she would keep the mask off for good, among other stupid complaints that ran through his mind.

But as stupid as these thoughts were, they offered him a glimmer of hope.

Sariel's hand reached for her sword. Masayuki mentally prepared to die. His life flashed before his eyes in a sort of sloppy, haphazard manner.

Man, I can't get over how hot this lady is. Seriously, she's gotta be the hottest woman I've seen so far in my—

Then a frigid chill came over him. His self-preservation instincts were shouting at him to stop with this train of thought. He decided to trust them.

…Second hottest, actually. Yeah, probably second hottest. Because number one has to be…

The face in his mind belonged to a blue-haired beauty, the last one he'd seen in his original world.

Right, yeah, that one! She looked really sweet and everything, and way sexy, too…

Not even the threat of imminent death deterred Masayuki from his delusions. But that was actually the right answer.

Heroic true love detected. Now that the fourth hidden condition has been met, the unique skill Chosen One will evolve to the ultimate skill Lord of Heroes.

Huh?

Masayuki was lost.

This wasn't "love" he was feeling. It was more like primal lust than anything. Why was this voice in his mind trying to pass it off as virtuous or whatever? It was so embarrassing. He wished he could complain about it to someone.

And besides:

Why do I get an ultimate skill even though I didn't even do anything?!

He screamed to himself internally, accusing the World Language of stretching way too far out to justify all that. But nothing could change these results. Besides, getting an ultimate skill whose purpose he knew nothing about didn't exactly seem like a winning edge against Sariel in front of him.

I'm glad I got this and all, although it's coming a little late, y'know? But hey, I've made it this far. If I'm done for, I wanna go out with a bang.

So Masayuki let a bold smile spread across his face. The effect was dramatic. "Protect His Majesty!!"

The imperial soldiers on the scene, who had kept their distance up to now because they'd just get in the way, began an all-out suicide assault, like their lives no longer meant anything to them. Even those on the far outer edges of the field were doing this, and the results were even more awe-inspiring on soldiers closer by.

"I can feel it teeming within me! This must be what it feels like to be completely sure of your victory!"

With a shout, Caligulio thrust at Cornu. His hands had been full just defending himself before, but this self-sacrificial attack made Cornu flinch for just an instant.

Minitz was no slouch, either.

"Listen, imperial soldiers! Let His Majesty bask in your courageous force!"

Driving his army on, he kept his eyes on Sariel, applying Oppressor to keep the pressure on her. A unique skill would normally never work against an ultimate skill, but this time, the attack was just enough to force Sariel back a little.

Even the vampires were springing into action.

"Strange, huh? I feel so omnipotent right now…and it feels nice!"

So shouted one of them, a smile on his face, as he leaped at Cornu and had the lower half of his body blown off.

"Hyaaah! Taste the heat of my full-power energy beam!!"

Not a single care was given as they pressed forward, died, revived, and repeated the process again.

"Hyah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love this!!"

Some of them were even using their perpetual resurrection skills to serve as human (vampire?) shields for the other soldiers. Intense wasn't the half of it. This was a vast, vicious attack like nothing before.

What made it possible? Masayuki's new ability, of course. Unlike his unique level skills, Lord of Heroes (while firmly in the lowest rank of the ultimate family) granted him the chance to compete against anyone else's ultimate skill. It took someone with an EP of at least 100,000 to even withstand the effects of casting it, but even if Masayuki lacked that, his luck was giving him enough of a bonus to make up for it—and anyone who followed in his footsteps was given similar protection.

Truly, it wrecked the whole balance of the fight. Just him alone on the field could reverse the tide of battle; it was an unbelievable ability. And if Masayuki hadn't had the chance to see Chloe Aubert's unmasked face just now, he never would've awakened to it. Now, perhaps, it should be clear just how terrible a mistake Feldway had made.

Either way, the battle was now firmly at a stalemate. This very delicate balance held reign over the scene for a bit more than ten minutes. Naturally, that wasn't going to be enough to defeat the tag team of Cornu and Sariel—but realistically speaking, the battle was already decided. The moment Masayuki unlocked his ultimate skill, all the paths came together.

Now, with the warriors finally buying enough time for themselves, the moment had come. Velgrynd had just been erased from this world…and at the same time, the gears of fate began to turn.

Confirmed. Trans-dimensional soul corridor with the subject Velgrynd established.

Huh?

Before Masayuki could think of anything else, she appeared.

At first, it felt to him like a wall of pure energy. But it wasn't. It took the form of a person—a beautiful woman, one from his own past. The cardinal aura she emitted, framed by her almost blindingly beautiful blue hair, belonged to Velgrynd the Flame Dragon, manifested right here on the battlefield.

Her eyes contained the force to make all of creation bow to her. No one dared move; it was like time had stopped. Sariel was the same, silently waiting for Cornu's orders—little more could be expected, given how this new presence had only just been born within her body.

All the imperial soldiers on the scene immediately recognized what this was. This was the most powerful figure in existence, the one who kept the Empire safe over so many years. Word had spread that she was locked in combat with Veldora right now, but apparently that was a false rumor, because here she was…in an embrace with Masayuki. There was just one explanation for this tender move. She was in love with him.

"I was looking for you, Ludora. I've wanted to see you for so, so long…"

She turned her closed eyes toward Masayuki as she held him close. Then she brought both hands to his head and gave him a warm kiss.

It wasn't how Masayuki had thought this would work out.

Ah… Whoa, soft. Or sweet? Or…wait, aaaaaahhh?!!

His head began to boil. In a flash, all reasoning ability was erased. A terrifyingly beautiful woman was hugging him—which was fine and all. But:

M-my first kiss!!

The casual outfit, just a simple T-shirt and jeans, combined with Velgrynd's natural beauty created a supremely hip look. And she was kissing him. He'd be lying if he claimed not to like it. But he couldn't forget one important issue here.

This stunning woman had just called him Ludora.

Oh God, she totally thinks I'm someone else…

Now wasn't the point where he could stand there and tell her, Sorry, I think you got the wrong guy. For one thing, she'd need to take her lips off his face before he could say anything. Masayuki needed to get a breath of air soon.

C-calm down… You need to stay calm in moments like these…

He reassessed the situation. This was a battlefield. His enemy was right in front of him. He was making out with this world-beating beauty. And thanks to being this close range to her, he couldn't help but notice her ample chest against his. It was sublime, almost heavenly bliss—but he couldn't let himself enjoy it.

What am I even doing? he thought as his mind grew more muddled. One thing he knew for sure was that once she realized she had the wrong guy, his life was over right then. With all the many, many people witnessing this, it'd be impossible to talk his way out of it. Even with Masayuki's preposterous luck, he couldn't expect this to turn out in his favor at all. He was experiencing the sheer bliss of enlightenment, but he knew that his promised doom was just around the corner.

So he stopped thinking. He was about to die anyway, and he just wanted to appreciate the fact that he got to experience this kiss at the very end. So he defiantly enjoyed his final few seconds of life. His consciousness grew hazy, like he was having a dream…and then the misunderstandings began to spread.

"Ahhh, His Majesty's a shrewd man indeed!"

"Not to be vulgar, but yes, I agree. Looking at the two of them, I can feel a certain love that none could interfere with…and bonds that none could break!"

"Hee-hee… Lady Velgrynd looks like a young girl in love, doesn't she? Hee hee-hee! So the Empire's guardian dragon was smitten with His Majesty, was she?"

"Indeed! Truly, good tidings await the Empire in its future!"

Not one member of the audience harbored negative thoughts about Masayuki. In fact, none of them suspected he wasn't Ludora himself. He wanted to shout to them all about how wrong they were, but his lips were still occupied at the moment.

But I've never even had a girlfriend…much less been married…

He had to laugh at the absurdity of the world. But then salvation came—in the form of Cornu, his enemy.

"Velgrynd! Enough of this nonsense! Why?! You're supposed to be under the thrall of Sir Michael! Why are you getting in my way?!"

In Cornu's mind, Velgrynd was a useful pawn, one fully captured and belonging to his side. Her interference right now was making him explode into an irritated rage.

"My, how boorish of you. You'd have to be an idiotic man to get in our way."

Velgrynd, finally removing herself from Masayuki, gave Cornu a dissatisfied frown. Her gaze was bracing, but it didn't stop him.

"Silence! Stop playing around and help me out! Take that man you're embracing and choke the life out of him!"

It was the most taboo thing he could have said. And Cornu did not know how much wrath it inspired in Velgrynd.

"You're saying you want me to kill him?"

All sound vanished from the battlefield. Only Cornu continued to shout, failing to realize what was going on.

"Am I hearing an echo, Velgrynd? I don't care how strong you are; I'm your commander here. All you have to do is follow my orders!"

And Cornu never realized what was happening, right up to the very end. He just didn't have the mental capacity to realize Velgrynd wasn't who she used to be.

"No, you die."

It was a merciless strike. The reborn Velgrynd was incomparably stronger than before, her magic now refined to a hilt. It precisely, accurately turned Cornu into a pile of ashes. Without a chance to counterattack or even get another word in, he was no more. And even more astounding, the attack worked its way across dimensions—a trick brought about by Dimensional Combo, part of her newly found ability Trans-Dimensional Leap. Cornu's "real" body, in the other world he now called home, disappeared before it could even detect any danger.

"I let it slide last time, too. Such a fool. I had almost forgotten the grudge I had against Feldway. I should never have let myself do that."

She spat out the words, then turned toward Sariel.

"Oh, uh, her name is really Chronoa," Masayuki chimed in. "She saved my life a second ago—"

"It's okay. I won't do anything; I don't need to. Michael's influence made the ultimate skill Sariel take root within her psyche, but she's resisting it all by herself. That's why she's motionless like that. But if you're still worried, you can have Rimuru look at her afterward. I'm sure he'll have just the right remedy for it. Not that it'll be necessary, I don't think…"

Velgrynd turned away from Sariel, the occupier of Chronoa's mind. Realizing she wasn't wary of Chronoa at all, Masayuki finally relaxed.

So the battle came to a close. Many of its combatants were just as relieved as Masayuki, while others were so anxious that they could barely walk straight. Now everyone here knew what Velgrynd really was.

It was Bernie, standing next to Masayuki, who drummed up the courage to act first. He was the closest to Velgrynd, and now he flew out and kneeled

before her, almost on all fours.

"Marshal, I am Bernie, member of the Single Digits and ranked number seven! I only hope that you are glad to see me, my—"

"Enough. Thank you. What do you want to say to me?"

"Yes, my lord! I disobeyed the orders of my captain and refused to end the life of Masayuki, the young man here. I understand this is punishable by death, but before the execution begins, I beg you to listen to what I have to say."

The scene fell quiet again. It was another bombshell for the crowds of soldiers watching. The Marshal, the chief commander of the imperial military, was Velgrynd herself. This threw a lot of the crowd for a loop, but far more of them were quickly convinced it was true.

Now, as they grasped the concept, reality set in with them. They were all on the losing side of the war, and that meant Velgrynd would see them as worthy of execution, a fate it was pointless to struggle against. Faced with the power of a dragon who could destroy this entire labyrinth, all they could do was wait for their fates to unfold. They instinctively formed lines, nervously awaiting their judgment, as the conversation continued.

"Right. What is it?"

"All of us before you remain just as loyal to the Empire as we always have. No matter what the emperor decides, we are ready, willing, and able to carry it out to the letter. It is with that in mind that I beseech you, my Marshal, to allow this army to return home! You are free to pin the blame for this on myself and the officers; none of us would breathe a word of dissent against that. But—"

"All right, all right."

Bernie was crestfallen, his most earnest begging cut off midway. There was no avoiding fate. Tears flowed as he realized just how powerless he was.

Velgrynd rewarded that with a little snicker.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I give you the wrong idea? Maybe you're all not the brightest lights out there, but you did work hard for us. I appreciate that. Thank you for protecting my beloved Ludora."

All the soldiers immediately took a knee, lowering their heads. "S-so then…?!"

"I wasn't thinking about doing anything to any of you. Only Ludora truly matters to me, but I know Ludora thinks the world of you all, so I'll grant you my protection. I always have, and I always will."

It was like a gospel from heaven. Cheers erupted across the crowd; some broke down in sobs, Caligulio and Minitz among them. They believed in, and were moved by, everything Velgrynd told them.

"Glory to the Empire! Glory to His Majesty the emperor!!"

The excitement was palpable, the noise deafening. Masayuki wondered what had gotten into these people.

By the looks of things, this throng thinks that I'm Emperor Ludora. Like, come on, Bernie, tell them! If the truth comes out, it's me who's gonna pay for it, you know. She even kissed me… I'm so gonna be killed, aren't I?

His name wasn't even Ludora, but nobody on hand doubted that it wasn't. He wondered if his sanity was beginning to slip on him. That kiss was a sheer joy, but honestly speaking, Masayuki didn't want to get caught up in any of this.

"What's wrong? You don't look too happy. If there's something on your mind, by all means, tell me."

The desolate Masayuki was a bit shaken when Velgrynd directly addressed him.

"Oh? Um, no, there's nothing on my mind…"

He had trouble assembling the words. The awkward display clouded Velgrynd's face. "Could it be," she gingerly asked, "that you don't remember me?"

This felt like a test to Masayuki. But what was the right answer? Get it wrong, and he was in huge trouble. Gimme a break, he said to himself as his mind raced. If this was a yes/no question, then yes, he remembered her. She was definitely the beautiful woman who became the last thing he ever saw in his original world. But did he know her name?

That guy called her Velgrynd. Isn't that the name of Veldora's sister? Crazy strong and everything? And the "guardian of the Empire" and stuff, too…

This internal struggle was paying off. More and more facts came into his head, and based on how the imperial soldiers had reacted, his supposition was likely correct. So he placed his bet.

"You're…Velgrynd, aren't you?"

Velgrynd's face erupted into a broad smile.

"Yes… Yes! You do remember, Ludora!"

Even now, Masayuki's luck didn't abandon him. Simply being called by her name elated Velgrynd. And that wasn't all.

"Ah, now I realize why you had that concerned look. I was so overjoyed to see you that I forgot, but your name right now is Masayuki, isn't it?"

"…!!"

Things got better and better for him. Any concern that Velgrynd had the wrong guy was now firmly in the past.

Wait, whaaaaat? This girl knows that I'm Masayuki Honjo?!

Sheer relief. The kind of relief he hadn't felt since the day he was born. He was so relaxed, he almost lost control of his bladder right there. Then he tensed up again before things went hairy on him.

"That's…that's right. I'm not Ludora right now; I'm Masayuki. And, you know, I think I'm a little confused about all of this and stuff, ha-ha-ha…"

As he chuckled, he kept a careful eye on Velgrynd's reaction. But she wasn't the only problem.

Based on how this has transpired, I'm totally sure the crowd here thinks I'm Ludora. If I say I'm someone else up here, it's just gonna confuse them, won't it? I can't have people accuse me of posing as the emperor… I gotta tell them I'm not the guy!

He wasn't sure if it was something he'd go to jail for, but either way, Masayuki wanted to set the record straight. So he decided to come clean—but Velgrynd

wasn't having it.

"Oh, it's not a problem. The Empire's worthless. It's simply a possession of Ludora's—kind of a hobby of his. He just kept it safe because he needed it for his competition against Guy. If you don't think you want it, I could raze every square inch of it for you?"

Truly, it was the words of a god, an existence beyond human perception. The imperial soldiers turned pale. All eyes were on Masayuki.

No! Stop! Don't! Quit acting like it's my fault!

Feeling the heavy burden of this responsibility—and the eyes burning holes in his skull—he spoke up.

"No, I do cherish the Empire! Like, even Rimuru wants to be friends with it in the future and stuff. Once this war is over, you know, we could sign a treaty and be friendly and so on, right?"

At the very least, he pleaded, he didn't want the Eastern Empire to experience a border-to-border nuclear winter. The soldiers looked up to him like he was a god. If Velgrynd said she could do it, she would, and probably with a casual flick of the wrist, too. If Masayuki didn't protest, the Empire was doomed for sure. Everyone knew that, and now everyone deeply appreciated Masayuki.

"Oh? Well, if that's how you feel, I'll keep helping with it, then," Velgrynd replied with a smile.

The soldiers heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Caligulio spoke for the crowd. "There is, if you don't mind, just one matter I would like clarified for us…"

His face was pained. Clearly, he didn't want to say what came next.

"What's that?" Velgrynd asked, her voice indicating that she wanted this over with already.

"M-my lord, I wanted to inquire about Sir Ludora, our current emperor. What will, er, happen to him?"

A spark of recognition crossed her face.

"Ah, right. I guess none of you can visually see the essence of a person's soul. Ludora, right now, is nothing but a shell. The soul of the true Ludora has gathered here…inside my beloved Masayuki."

"Erm, me?"

"Yes, you. You may not recall it, but you absolutely were Ludora. That's why I love you. I love you, and I'll do my best to make you love me as well."

"Um, okay?"

Would a beautiful woman saying this fail to rouse the spirits of any man? Of course not! And Masayuki was no exception. But just because she was crazy for him now didn't mean that it'd last forever. He swore to himself that he'd work harder than ever, if only to ensure his luck held out. Exactly what he'd have to do, he'd work out later.

It was with this newfound resolve that Masayuki quickly had to face another problem.

"Well, if Sir Masayuki is our true emperor, it's up to us to offer our support to his claim, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"Indeed. But it'll be tricky. In terms of bloodlines, he's a completely different person. Claiming he's an illegitimate child will be unlikely to work. I'm not sure it's something we can fully sweep under the rug."

"Hold on…?"

"Does it matter, though? You can handle the issue with the military, Sir Caligulio, and I can smooth things over with the nobility. I'm certainly not about to accept any dissent on this issue, after all! We can't afford to waste time on this, either. If we fail, the whole Empire will collapse."

Caligulio immediately threw in his support, Bernie brought up a potential issue, and Minitz offered a solution. All three leaders were ready to devote their full powers to this—and so Masayuki, through no fault of his own, saw himself inching closer and closer to the throne…

"Well, Masayuki, you've got a big job now, I'd say."

Um… Do I have the right to refuse?

…Probably not.

He gave up. It was, after all, the opening to yet another new phase of his hapless life.

Deeno was finally ready to get serious. Having this much trouble against such an eminently beatable opponent annoyed him greatly, but that was coming to a rapid end.

"Think you have the time to look away?"

Beretta's sharp fist brushed past his cheek.

"Acting so distracted around us… I truly am offended, you know."

Apito's Osiris Rapiers rained down. Deeno doggedly avoided them. One hit was sure to hurt.

I kind of assumed that I way outclassed these guys, but maybe that was just my ego talking? It's two-on-one, but still, I didn't expect to struggle this badly.

Deeno was losing confidence. Maybe all that lazing around had weakened him? The silly thought showed that his heart still wasn't really in this, perhaps, but he didn't care.

All her training with Hinata gave Apito incredible intuition, something dangerously close to clairvoyance. Deeno was clearly the superior fighter, but even he couldn't let his guard down around her.

Beretta was now serving as a tank, with Apito attacking from the rear, although Beretta put up some offense as well. Their twin barrage had what it took to reach Deeno. Even worse was Beretta's magic. Very little magic worked on Deeno, but Beretta's mainly involved support spells that boosted his own specs. Deeno could shoot down magic attacks that weakened him, but if the spells boosted Beretta's and Apito's speed, strength, or endurance, he had no way to intervene. He could try interrupting the spellcasting process, but Beretta was a magically gifted demon who could fire off spells before Deeno could react. Even worse, the sleep function of Sloth wasn't working on Beretta.

That's why he was having so much trouble in this fight. But at long last, everything within him was fully built up. It was time to strike back.

"Shut up! Quit acting so superior even though it takes two of you to bully me like this! I'm only putting up with you because I'm so patient, okay? You oughtta be thankful! Here, eat this and take a nap for me!"

By the time he finished speaking, Fallen Hypno was already underway. As underhanded as Deeno was, this was about as unsportsmanlike as you could get.

"Phew… Finally over."

Watching Apito collapse, Deeno was assured of his victory. Just in case, though, he shot a look at Beretta—and hurriedly dodged his advancing fist.

"Whoa! Did you resist my sleep?!"

"Of course. Falling for it once was enough of a blunder. I could hardly let myself fall asleep again."

Beretta could come up with countermeasures because he was a demon, a creature with built-in resistance to status effects. With his unique skill Reverser, he could rework sleepiness to its natural opposite.

"No way…"

"Now, I know it doesn't make Apito look very good, but let's have her die and get revived for us."

Beretta stood boldly in front of Deeno. Seeing him find a guaranteed way to victory and stick to it so doggedly almost impressed the demon lord more than it exasperated him.

I can't believe he's kept it so even against someone like me. It's not that I'm underperforming—it's that Beretta and Apito really are that good. Guess it means I'm gonna have to use that now…

Deeno had the perfect way to end this. He preferred not to resort to it, since it brought up some annoying memories, but now was no time for complaints.

"All right. I admit it. You're good. In fact, you should be proud that you made me take this seriously."

The moment he shouted it, he unlocked the ability stored within him. The ultimate power granted to him by Veldanava—the ultimate skill Astarte, Lord of High Heaven.

Confirmed. Using the Creation ability of the ultimate skill Astarte to evolve the unique skill Sloth… Successful.

Deeno's Sloth skill had the unique trait of building up its force the less its owner physically moved around. It could hold a store of energy for later use, and that's what Deeno now used to evolve Sloth into the new ultimate skill Belphegor, Lord of Sloth.

That was his last option—Evolution, a subset of the ultimate skill Astarte. With Astarte in hand, he could evolve his skills (but not anyone else's) to have whatever effect he desired. That wasn't all there was to it, of course, but either way, Deeno wanted to keep Astarte hidden as much as he could. There were eyes everywhere within the labyrinth, with all kinds of data being constantly recorded. As a Monitor himself, he had a natural inclination not to fully reveal himself.

Besides:

I know Rimuru. He's crafty, constantly working on a vast scale with deep insight. When he killed off Clayman, he even presented that screen with his evidence on it. If he sees my power, I'm sure he'll try to take measures against it…

The demon lord Rimuru was underestimated at one's peril. There was no such thing as being too careful, a credo that had baked itself deep into Deeno's bones.

So Deeno created Belphegor, a power he didn't mind showing around. It was aimed straight for Beretta.

"Go to sleep! Fallen Catastrophe!!"

The laws of nature were rewritten, its positive elements being reversed and turned negative. The temptation they created lured everything, living and dead, into ceasing all activity and going into stasis. But it wasn't a forced effect; it was up to the targets to take the lure and walk down the path to destruction

themselves. That made it a type of hypnosis, albeit one that worked on a whole other dimension—there was no waking up from a Belphegor-driven sleep, for it destroyed both your spirit and your physical body. Of course, while the destination of this lure was "doom," Deeno could turn the intensity down and put the target into a more traditional hypnotic state.

It was a really versatile skill that way, and it didn't use sound to transmit itself, so it couldn't be blocked by a barrier of any sort. It was impervious to many defenses, one of its strongest points. In short, Belphegor held rule over all intelligent, feeling things.

Deeno felt a little proud of himself. This was truly a fearsome, ultimate sort of evolution—a perfect symbol of sloth, one of the seven deadly sins.

He attempted to systematically destroy Beretta, preventing him from making any moves for a while. Destruction was his aim with this invocation, but the results were even more powerful than expected. Beretta had disappeared into a cloud of dust, so it'd undoubtedly be a while before he could resurrect himself. The Bracelet went missing along with him, but that didn't bother Deeno—Ramiris could probably make up for that. Besides, if he let up at all, he might have failed to complete his duty.

So he didn't feel much responsibility for Beretta's fate.

Don't hate me for that, Beretta. But…man, even Beretta's maybe just mid-tier compared to the guys working directly under Rimuru, huh?

Deeno had a right to complain, perhaps. Someone as tricky as Beretta was on a decidedly lower echelon, not even possessing an ultimate skill. He wasn't even a demon lord, in fact—just an underling. The thought made Deeno shiver a bit. What if one of the top-tier guys was still alive? Would he be able to win against whoever it was?

His troubled eyes turned toward Ramiris, making sure she was still fast asleep. Then he touched her.

…Or he thought he did.

Then Ramiris turned into a swarm of light, taking the form of a butterfly and

fluttering its way around Deeno, almost like it was snickering at him. …Whoa, whoa, was that just a mirage?!

He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to, either. But there was no explaining this otherwise. This battle really was being monitored.

I'm glad I thought enough ahead to be careful, but still…

Even so, he had revealed one of his most powerful moves to the enemy. And what's more, his next opponent was bound to be even worse—

The sound of lumbering footsteps echoed across the chamber.

The beautiful butterfly of light flew toward the composed figure walking in, touching his arm. Then it became a smudge of light once more…and transformed again. Now it was the innocently sleeping Ramiris, looking blissfully unaware of anything. She was atop the forearm of this figure, and Beretta, who had revived in the meantime, respectfully took possession of her.

"Sir Beretta," the figure quietly said, "please watch Lady Ramiris for me." "By all means. Do you need any backup?"

"Not at all. I can handle this myself."

Ramiris had perfect coverage from the start. In the bottommost part of the safest place she could be, a certain person had laid several layers of traps, ordering the team to fight the advancing enemy in small bursts so their abilities could be laid bare. Most of all, however, this labyrinth had the world's strongest guardian inside. Before Veldora departed, he left Ramiris's protection to the man he saw as his top apprentice. Only Ramiris was unaware of all this.

And now this figure went on the move.

This man standing before Deeno was Zegion, the Mist Lord and the undisputed champion of this labyrinth.

Zegion had entered a cocoon in order to strengthen his abilities, but he'd remained conscious the whole time. Answering Veldora's call, he had a firm grasp of everything going on within the labyrinth, using his overwhelming Absolute Defense to guarantee Ramiris's safety. And now Deeno realized it.

I really wish people would stop joking with me…

That was exactly how he felt. He'd thought he was victorious, and here came this brand-new enemy—and apparently the point behind all this was to make him show off his skill set.

I knew it! Rimuru's so damn treacherous that way. He was bound to try something like this!

His mission was clearly a failure. He had failed to score Ramiris, and now his own escape was looking questionable.

I mean, when did they get Ramiris out of here anyway? I was in this room the whole time, and I saw her talking to me. Was she long gone by the time she turned into that butterfly?

If it wasn't that, Zegion must've gotten Ramiris out of there in a way Deeno couldn't pick up on.

But then…have I been talking to an illusion this entire time?

That, too, was a problem. Deeno possessed an ultimate skill and a brilliant talent for hypnosis, and yet he'd fallen for some magic illusion? That was unthinkable…but he couldn't call it impossible. If Zegion had an ultimate skill geared toward mentally oriented attacks…perhaps he could conjure something that even Deeno would be fooled by.

And he knew just how strong Zegion was. He was a humanoid magic-born, a powerful insectoid type and potential demon-lord seed. Thanks to the favor of the demon lord Rimuru, he had gained near-impossible levels of fighting force. With Veldora as his master, his fighting level might even surpass the Primal Demons.

This made him the undisputed master of the labyrinth. When the Empire invaded this realm, his overwhelming strength had driven them all away, a feat Deeno was around to witness. In his eyes, Zegion was all but unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat…but physical attacks were all he had showed off. He never tried any kind of spirit-based strike, and it seemed to Deeno that he lacked even a unique skill, much less an ultimate.

…I mean, his Distortion Field was impressive enough to reach the "ultimate" realm, maybe, but…

But that was still a physical ability. To Deeno, more gifted in mentally driven strikes, it felt manageable.

The only explanation for this was that celebration the other day. Rimuru infused some sort of people into Zegion then, in the name of providing a reward. He was awakening his servants and calling it an "evolution ceremony" or the like. Some of them, like Gabil, really did gain a bunch of power, with others going into an evolutionary sleep. It was all eerily reminiscent of a Harvest Festival, and if Zegion emerged from it with a new skill or two, it certainly made sense.

But isn't this weird? How can those serving Rimuru reach the same levels that he has?! I get it if an awakened demon lord's underlings reach seed proportions themselves, but if they're all as powerful as awakened demon lords, that's just cheating way too much!

Deeno, with all the years he had lived, could never have predicted this. Not even Guy could ever pull off something like that.

…Well, I could go on and on about him. The moment he made a Primal serve him, I knew he was crazy right then. Nothing's off the table with him.

Internally, Deeno ranted against Rimuru for a few more moments. Those three girls, the most powerful of living demons, probably could've stopped him in his tracks. Regardless of what their EP stats were, it didn't really matter if they were Primals. And Rimuru had recruited them like he was running a bowling team. It was just weird, and he wanted to be involved with him as little as he could.

And now Zegion, standing before him, was every bit a Primal's equal. Clearly, something strange was up. It wasn't just that he was Million Class—his sheer aura hummed with endless force. His ability defied all numbers. It was the atmosphere that only someone who obtained ultimate power could exude. It suggested that he, too, gained an ultimate skill, just as Deeno had.

This is exactly why I hate working so much…

He wailed inside at the bad hand he'd been dealt. Then he sighed, a clear tinge of resignation to it, as he groped around for a potential best solution, but no good ideas came to him that easily. And then time stopped waiting for him.

As Deeno spent a short while pondering, the unaffected Zegion strode forward.

"Did you have any last words?" Zegion asked.

"You were hiding here, watching until I revealed my secrets, huh? Come the hell on, man. That's dirty!"

Ignoring his own dirty deeds for the moment, Deeno vented his frustrations to start with. It was little more than lashing out, but if it riled his opponent at all, that'd be to his benefit.

"Ha. It's called war."

Zegion was, of course, undeterred.

"I know!" Deeno countered, and that was the end of the exchange.

Tension coursed between them. Deeno knew how strong Zegion was—a fact he could call an advantage. But Zegion now knew the full extent of his own skills. A frontal assault was the only option…but close-range combat was Zegion's specialty, and although it wasn't confirmed yet, he likely possessed an ultimate skill, too. Deeno, meanwhile, was more about spirit attacks—unless he used his true finisher move, but he wanted to avoid that in the labyrinth.

Well, I already blew my cover in a lot of ways, but yeah, that really needs to end here…

Besides, Deeno kidded himself, if escape was all that mattered, he was probably still safe on that count.

"Not coming for me?"

Zegion's words were heavy. The question seemed to bolt him to the floor, but Deeno used his willpower to fight back.

"Ha! Don't you look down on me. I'm part of the Octagram, you know, and I've lived way longer than you. No way am I gonna lose to a little kitten like

you!"

He whipped his large blade up high and swung it down toward Zegion. "Take this, and breathe your last! Fallen Strike!!"

This was no tit-for-tat exchange of blows. He meant to end it here with this massive move, as befitting someone as lazy as Deeno was.

And Fallen Strike certainly had the punch for it. By infusing his sword with his unique skill Sloth, Deeno had created an ever-changing illusory battle style that tricked his opponent and allowed him to control the fight. Now that skill had evolved into Belphegor, its effects multiplied many times over, so his illusory sword style was more polished than ever. He may have hated taking action, but Deeno's battle sense was undeniable.

Even so…

Deeno had decided that close-range combat with Zegion was a little too dicey. If his abilities failed to work on him, the illusory sword style would fail on him. Now, he figured, was no time to hold anything back—so he broke out one of his special moves. That was Fallen Strike, one of the few traditional sword moves in his illusory style, and he packed all of his muscle into it.

His intention: to defang his opponent. Now his blade was infused with negative waves of emotion, robbing his foe of the will to live if it so much as scraped his skin. It wasn't an illusion or hallucination someone could ignore; for the weak-hearted, it was impossible to resist.

Only those with a strong enough mind to obtain an ultimate skill could fight it off, and even then, they wouldn't emerge unscathed. The slothful will Deeno infused in the strike packed a physically destructive effect inside. Even if you dodged it, it emitted negative waves in all directions, and simply being exposed to them would sap your mental drive…and thus, your ability to battle. He could capitalize on that to strike the final blow off the follow-through, and then it'd be over. The move cornered his foe in so many ways, making it one of the best Deeno could make, a masterpiece he had complete confidence in.

If Deeno wanted to leave this room alive, his best bet was to defeat Zegion without holding back. He liked to hide all his best moves, but if it made life

easier for him, he wouldn't skimp on them, either.

Not even Guy would look all that great if he took a direct hit from this. Think you can fare any better?

Deeno grinned, all but assured of his opponent's death. It'd be impossible, he reasoned, for anybody to expect this major strike from someone so demonstrably lazy in life. Now, he thought, singing his own praises in his mind, everything was back on track.

Zegion didn't move. Not because he couldn't react in time but because he had no problem dealing with this. Reading the path of Deeno's blade, he stopped it just before it landed on its target. Fangsmasher, the mighty God-class greatsword, had enough force to crush any type of matter in the world—but even when it was swung down on him, the exoskeleton covering Zegion's left hand, now converted into crimson steel, easily blocked it.

"Damn fool!" Deeno shouted. "You didn't even try to dodge my blade! The battle is mine!"

Now, he thought, acting like such a lazy bum all this time had finally paid off. It wasn't really an act, to be honest, but he kidded himself into thinking so.

Zegion, as expected, had stopped his high-speed strike. Swords this big lost out in velocity, so that was no surprise. The damage, however, would be untold. Zegion blocked it with one hand, as if swatting something away—it was impressive to see. But now an intense shock wave was coursing through his left arm.

Looks like it didn't crush it outright, but it'll be useless for a while to come, for sure. I love how he's just standing there, not even quivering. So much fake bravado!

It was almost hateful, how unaffected Zegion looked. But Deeno had won. Zegion's Distortion Field was an excellent invention, but it could block only physical strikes. Fallen Strike, upgraded to its ultimate level, could penetrate any physical obstacle as it delivered its payload.

I put him off guard, made him think it was a sword attack, but actually delivered a lethal spirit strike. My strategy won the day.

Yes, Zegion was strong. That, Deeno predicted, was why he was likely to look down on him and try to act as superior as possible. He was best in close range, and this chamber was a perfect arena for that; the way Deeno saw it, there was no way he'd try to evade anything.

"Hmph," he spat. "I wish you guys would knock this off already. I know that bracelet's gonna revive you anyway, so I really need to retrieve Ramiris soon…"

He headed for Beretta. But then he stopped. Something felt off. For one thing, Beretta wasn't even wary of him. After all this battle (plus revealing several of his trump cards), Deeno was running short on magicules. He still wouldn't lose, but Beretta was acting like he was assured of victory out of nowhere. His face wasn't visible under the mask, but it still felt creepy somehow.

"You think you can beat me?"

"Heh-heh-heh… Don't be silly. Whether I could or not is irrelevant; I am not your opponent."

The moment he heard that, Deeno was struck with an intense chill. In a frenzy, he turned toward Zegion—and yes, there was something unnatural about that stationary figure. The fact that he wasn't pulverized by a God-class strike proved that his left arm was God-equivalent. That meant he could have a will strong enough to work as a spiritual life-form. All that deliberating over whether he had an ultimate skill seemed pointless now. The evidence was clearly on the "yes" side.

"No way…!"

"Let me ask you—does your attack have a delayed effect? Because otherwise, did you think a passing breeze like that strike could defeat me?"

Goddamn it, Deeno thought. Zegion really did have an ultimate skill. Exactly what kind was unclear, but if it could nullify his spiritual attack, it had to be exceptional.

"You were wondering if I possessed an ultimate skill, weren't you? If so, you should have pieced several attacks together instead of that meager swipe. You need to realize that your laziness cost you the victory."

Don't act like you won this, Deeno almost screamed. Instead, Zegion thrust his left fist at him. His fingers opened outward, and from them, five beams of light shot out.

It was his Dimension Ray.

"Owww…"

Leaping away to dodge it, Deeno just barely avoided lethal damage. It came, however, at the cost of his right arm, which was now severed at the elbow.

The pain made him want to cry, but there was no time for it. His instincts were warning him that he truly was in danger if this continued.

"You really did find an ultimate. Didn't you, you bastard? I didn't expect you to neutralize Fallen Thanatos as well… Are you telling me spirit attacks don't work on you?"

Fallen Thanatos was a lethal spiritual attack Deeno had instilled in his Fallen Strike just now. It acted strictly on the minds of its targets, so even if his foe was a Replication or the like, it would still impact the actual person, no matter how far away he was.

It was a sure-kill move, no escape possible, but Zegion was totally undeterred. Deeno could hardly believe it, and he was right to. If he wanted to win—or, really, if he wanted to escape here alive—he needed to solve this mystery. So he asked Zegion, knowing full well an answer was not likely to arrive.

"I have no duty to inform you why."

Zegion, naturally, was unmoved. But his bitter voice continued.

"…But you are so pitiful, I will dignify your question with a reply. I am an illusion, a ghost. From the very beginning, you were wrapped around my finger. I have been granted the title of Mist Lord, ruler of the phantom realm, and now you realize that no spirit attacks can faze me!"

It was the strong offering mercy to the weak. Hearing it, Deeno quickly arrived at the truth—and then he was shocked. If his skill had been nullified, it meant his foe's was stronger. Zegion, he now realized, had evolved into something as good, if not better, than him—the him right now, even.

You've got to be kidding me! He was this good at close range, but now he's even better at spirit attacks?! And he's the ruler of the phantom realm? So he can, like, create independent worlds of his own? Oh man, how much stronger did that bastard get?! No damn way I could beat him with no preparation!

Deeno possessed the strongest of sin-based skills, one freshly evolved into an ultimate, but Zegion had shut it completely down. His skill was still unfamiliar, but that was no excuse. Zegion didn't have an ultimate skill until just recently, either. Deeno was hardly weak, but this time, he had picked the wrong opponent. All too wrong…

The whole idea around attempting to kidnap Ramiris, in fact, was wrong at the core. The moment Zegion completed his evolution, its failure was all but ensured. Realizing this, Deeno turned his face upward—and just then, he was stunned by a person he saw on the screen.

Ah, Velgrynd…

The beautiful woman was Velgrynd. There was no mistaking that blue hair. She was supposed to be fighting the demon lord Rimuru outside the labyrinth after taking out Veldora, but now she was standing next to Masayuki for some reason. Even more concerning, Cornu was nowhere to be seen.

No… No, no, no?!

He had a bad feeling about this, and those tended not to lie to him. He knew that from experience.

Dude, wait a second. Th-this is too much information to handle at once. I can't keep up with it. So, like, Velgrynd was supposed to be under Feldway's thrall, but was that all a lie? Or did she escape it somehow? Either way, I guess she did Cornu in, huh? That… Wait, wait, this is going way beyond a failed mission now, isn't it?!

Deeno ran Hasten Thought as hard as he could, trying to understand the situation. Soon, though, he concluded that it'd be impossible to keep this operation going, no matter how hard he tried. He might've been ready to turn tail and flee a while ago, but now, he'd lost all will to go on. In his mind, he had done well to survive this far.

"Say your prayers. You have touched the nether reaches of sin, and now you will die and struggle against the weight of your own! Dimension Storm!!"

Zegion had held rule over this space from the start. And that meant only one thing. No matter what Deeno did, he could never leave.

If he had made full use of the abilities he still kept under wraps, perhaps he might've found hope somewhere. But the chances of that were too comical to even bother trying, so Deeno felt no qualms about giving up instead. In fact, if there was any chance at all…

A storm of dazzling colors engulfed Deeno, whisking him away into a realm where nothing existed nor would exist. It was a supernatural storm of highly energized particles, and Deeno could do nothing against it as he was erased from the world, leaving not a trace of his body—or that's what should have happened.

"Huh. Your prayers paid off, then? You've got impressive luck, at least," Zegion muttered to himself.

The soft sound of something, somewhere, breaking could be heard, and he could feel Deeno's existence being regenerated. Zegion could accurately see this, his voice calm. All of it was within his predictions.

Deeno woke up outside the labyrinth.

"Phew! I won the bet, huh?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. His equipment was all there, completely undamaged.

"This must be, like, Ramiris letting me go out of kindness, isn't it?"

Deeno looked at the broken bracelet in his hands. It was a Resurrection Bracelet, a cheap one he'd purchased at the labyrinth's shop long ago. He had never made use of a save point, so his location was reset to the surface after he died. He kept it on as an escape route, figuring something like this was entirely possible.

"Well, she never gave me an unlimited-use bracelet, so she must've been

pretty suspicious of me from the start. She coulda canceled this one on me, too, though. She sure went easy on me."

He wistfully reflected on it. Here he was, secretly carrying an insurance item created by a girl he was sent to kidnap. It took someone like Deeno to justify an act so unprincipled in his mind. The bracelet was a cut-price, one-use type, something Ramiris produced in mass quantities. He had staked his life on it, and apparently the heavens were on his side.

Fallen or not, I'm still an angel, I guess.

Deeno let his mind wander a bit as he looked around. He wanted to find his companions (who were presumably fighting Geld right now) and get the hell out of there. He also sent a Thought Communication to Zarario to report on his failure. His angelic partners had set up an escape route so he wouldn't be locked in the labyrinth, so none of them was likely to leave until Zarario got out. But with things falling apart like this, sticking around was a bad idea.

Still, though, that dude was way too strong!

It sucked so bad. Even recalling Zegion made him want to whine to himself. Feldway was gonna be seriously angry, but still, he was lucky to be alive.

Like, this might be the first time any of Feldway's plans didn't work out. I guess Cornu screwed up again, but… Well, I dunno where he is. We really should never have opposed Rimuru…

He had never been too eager about his role in this. Now Deeno wondered why he ever accepted it in the first place. Thinking about the future just depressed him.

Really, if Zegion had become that much of a monster, a conventional assault on the labyrinth like this was hopeless. He, along with all the other top-level people in Rimuru's government, was a total monster. Deeno couldn't say exactly what had happened to Rimuru and his team yet, but he was sure it was nothing he'd be glad to hear of.

This is why I didn't want in on this!!

Deeno just wanted a tranquil life in the labyrinth—and now look at what had happened. Perhaps it's what he deserved for what he did, but it was still

depressing.

I dunno what's going on in Feldway's mind, but I doubt he'll give up. Not that this is ever gonna be possible…

If he had to guess, the best chance they'd ever get had come just a moment ago. That was wholly gone now, and Deeno knew it wouldn't come back.

Plus, there was one more problem.

Ah, man, and now that I've made myself an enemy, there's no way I can go back…

To someone as lazy-minded as Deeno, life in the labyrinth was about as comfortable and easygoing as it got. It might have been "work," but helping Vester was fun. Gabil got along with him, too, occasionally doing favors for him and so on. Whenever the research team made a new discovery, it gladdened him as well. These were engaging days he had spent with Vester and the gang— and in time, he saw them as friends.

That, and something else Deeno almost forgot. He only came here because Guy ordered him to. He was functioning as a spy for him, reporting back on goings-on inside the labyrinth. Deeno didn't think Guy expected much from him, really, but that just soured his mood even further.

He can be such a pain when he's mad…

He truly was. But now fretting over all this seemed pointless, too. So Deeno headed over to his companions instead.

By the time he reached them, the battle was at a stalemate. Geld the Barrier Lord and Garasha were locked in combat, and amazingly, they were equals in sheer muscle. Deeno could hardly believe what he saw.

If he's equal to Gara, that makes him stronger than me, huh? And if he's like that right after his evolution, that's just… Ugh.

Geld was bloodied. Exactly who the blood belonged to was unclear, because he had no obvious open wounds. Injuries dealt with magical damage couldn't be healed with a potion, and Garasha was clearly throwing around enough

magic to destroy him. If Geld was unhurt by all of that, either he had crazy defense or superhuman healing skills.

As Deeno thought about this, Garasha swung her longsword. It slashed through Geld's scale shield and cleaved into his arm. Geld didn't respond. Throwing away his broken shield, he took a new one out from his Stomach and returned to his fighting stance. And there Deeno could see it—there wasn't even a scar on Geld's arm any longer.

Ahhh, it's Ultraspeed Regeneration. And it's advanced enough to even heal Garasha's attacks…?

Now he had an answer. But Deeno wasn't too happy about it.

"Ugh! Why are you so stubborn? None of my attacks is even fazing you! Are you crazy or something?"

"Mm? Am I? I'm not sure myself. Perhaps I should give more praise to your attacks?"

"Oh, sarcasm, huh? Gah! I have to kill you in one stroke or you'll just heal instantly. I oughtta be praising you for how damn tough you are!"

Such was the exchange as Geld and Garasha flew back into battle, gouging into each other's openings without caring how much it damaged them. Geld's Meat Cleaver was deflected back by Garasha's circle shield, generating an intense flurry of sparks and a shock wave that traveled along the ground.

Deeno was too dazed to use his chance to speak up. Geld always existed behind the scenes as this revered figure. He did nothing flashy in the war against the Empire, and Deeno didn't see him as much of a threat. That was a serious mistake.

Now I'm sure of it! Everyone in this damn country is just totally insane!

He forced himself to accept this as fact, a truth finally dawning on him, even as a fearsome aerial battle erupted above him.

"Ughhh! Stop irritating me with all that flying around!"

"That's what I wanna say. You got a lot of nerve, flying with no wings!" "Heh… A simple matter if you have control over gravity. But I'm getting bored

with this game of tag. Can we put an end to it?"

"Again, that's what I wanna say!"

The bewitching Kumara was taking on Pico, who looked like a young child by comparison. They actually made a good-looking couple, but their battle was pretty intense. Pico's Black Thunder, launched so often that it seemed to cover the ground beneath them, had blackened the surrounding area—but somehow, it never quite reached Kumara. It made sense. Raiko, the Thunder Tiger and one of the tail beasts that Kumara kept as a pet, was born to handle lightning, making defense a simple matter.

Then Kumara went on the move, as if declaring it her turn. Using eight of her tails in an elegant, flowing pattern, she unleashed Nine-Tail Slash, only to have it blocked by Pico's lance.

A shrill clang shot across the battlefield. They were an even match for each other, and once again, Deeno had to revise his opinion of Kumara's fighting skill upward.

She's one of the Twelve Lordly Guardians, isn't she? Man. Better not mess with any of them.

He had to admit it. There wasn't any need to point out this or that member— they were all threats. That was the safest way to think about it.

As former seraphim, Pico and Garasha were up there with awakened demon lords. They had been away from battle for a while, so their capabilities couldn't be compared that simply, but they clearly weren't pushovers. With Tempest's leaders out of the picture, Deeno figured he and these two women were enough to take over the labyrinth—and yet Feldway was ever so careful, deploying two Mystic Leaders and even joining the fray himself. Victory was completely assured, but look what they had here now. The reality of it all made him feel dizzy.

Pico and Garasha seemed to be gradually losing their cool, perhaps because their battle skills were so rusty. But whatever level they were at now, they used to be top-level seraphim. If two out of the shining Seven Primordial Angels were struggling this much, their pride must've been in tatters. Deeno wasn't helping much, but he ignored that for now.

"Hey! Guys! Retreat! We gotta retreat!"

The two of them reacted angrily to Deeno's shouting.

"But we're just getting to the good part! Stop talking nonsense when I'm about to get serious with this!"

"Shut up! This entire operation fell apart the moment you joined the melee!"

Pico and Garasha's role was supposed to be rear support. There was a large blank in their battle experience, so they were playing it safe this time. If they had been dragged into a fight, it proved the enemy was more powerful than expected. A tactical victory here meant nothing strategically for the war.

"…Wait, is the mission off?"

"Huh? Yeah, it is. I wouldn't have fled the labyrinth if it wasn't!"

"What? But didn't Fay come up with our plans? A perfectionist as careful as him misjudged the enemy, you're saying?"

"Guess so."

"Don't be stupid. How could we have failed this if we had both Zarario and Cornu on the scene?"

"Because we lost. I sent word to Zarario to pull out, but I'm pretty sure Cornu is dead. We didn't achieve any of our objectives, but there's no point fighting this out any longer!"

"Are you serious…?"

"This is really blowing my mind…"

Pico and Garasha were speechless. Geld and Kumara couldn't have been prouder.

"Oh?" Garasha looked at Deeno. "So does that mean you lost, too?"

"Huh? Look, can you stop asking that over and over again? Get the picture! Can't you be thoughtful enough to pretend not to notice?"

Deeno was as detached from his problems as usual. Garasha was stunned— not by the news but by how nonchalant he was about all this. Regardless, there was no reason to doubt him. Their minds were calm, and they both realized

that retreat was the only acceptable way.

"Eesh! This doesn't mean you won, got it?!"

"I am aware. Even during our battle, you were funneling some of your powers toward maintaining the labyrinth, weren't you? Next time, I want to take you on at your full force."

"Heh-heh… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now you're speaking my language. I like that. In that case, see you!"

Recognizing each other's strength, Garasha and Geld made a friendly parting of ways. Pico and Kumara, on the other hand…

"Your name was Pico? You're lucky to escape alive today."

"What? C'mon, I wasn't even trying that hard. You're the one who oughtta thank their lucky stars!"

They glared at each other, then huffily turned away.

It was two opposites attitude-wise, but either way, it heralded the end of battle. With that, Deeno and his allies managed to escape in one piece.