Zarario was always coolheaded. His job on this mission was to serve as a diversion, and he carried it out with perfection.
The troops he brought along with him were fighting on the same level as the resisting forces in the labyrinth—literally. But, surprisingly enough, they would need to reconsider their enemies. That was the conclusion Zarario made as he sized up the battlefield.
Most impressive of all were the two people in front of him, Charys and Treyni. Those were the names they gave, and Zarario felt it was worth his time to memorize them. Even so, he reasoned that it still wasn't worth his time to exercise his full powers against them.
I was told only the most insignificant of resistance remained for us, but that appears not to be the case. I thought my counterattack wiped out their forces in the labyrinth, but that powerhouse Zegion was still in there? Hopefully Cornu and Deeno wrapped up their missions before he awoke.
It was a cause for concern, but Feldway's plans never went awry. That's what Zarario trusted in as he enjoyed this battle.
"Lord Veldora is going to laugh at us for being toyed with by these half engaged foes."
"I wouldn't worry about that. Veldora's lost to Velgrynd and fallen into our hands."
"That's not a funny joke."
"It's not meant to be. You saw it, too, didn't you? They're a little panicked." "…"
The magic-born Charys boasted superb strength. He was a rare talent, even given all the many dimensions Zarario had seen and destroyed. Treyni was impressive, too—a magic-born infused with an elemental lord—but she couldn't beat out Charys. Her gifts lay in high-intensity magic, but none of it worked on Zarario, so she wasn't a problem. Charys, too, could fire rays of heated light by nimbly controlling and compressing heat energy, but Zarario's Distortion Field could neutralize it all.
No, the thing he had to watch out for was Charys's calm and precise decision making. Unlike Treyni, he seemed to size up Zarario in this battle, proceeding carefully and testing out how every move of his worked. Zarario's experience told him that a foe like this couldn't be trifled with.
But it was just about over now. Once Charys panicked a bit, he lost his careful style. The battle was about to get a lot less enjoyable, and Zarario thought it time to wrap things up.
"I hate to say it, but let's bring matters to an end, shall we? You are both quite heroic warriors and extremely strong to boot, but sadly, you do not pose a challenge to me."
The difference was apparent. Zarario had a much larger energy store. But the deciding factor was how they matched up. Angels held an advantage over spirits, and Charys and Treyni, whose powers were based in the elements, had no decisive measure against a seraphim (even a fallen one) like Zarario.
"I hate to say it, but Doreth appears close to her limit. I cannot keep my elemental lord for longer than a handful of seconds. Sir Charys, do you have any strategies left?"
"No, sadly. But Sir Rimuru and Sir Veldora taught me nothing if not the core strategy of never giving up. So don't worry."
Despite it being a hopeless situation they had no way of clawing out of, Charys grinned, as if the battle had just begun. Treyni smiled back.
"In that case, let me join you. We can't allow these insolent intruders to do as they please in Lady Ramiris's labyrinth!"
They were heavily damaged but still ready to fight. Their hearts showed no sign of breaking—which made Zarario roll his eyes.
"Oh, come on. I don't think you're foolish enough not to see the writing on the wall, but are you planning to pathetically cling to life until the very end? Because if you think you can resurrect yourselves regardless, you are very much mistaken."
By Zarario's calculation, Deeno would have ferried Ramiris out of the labyrinth right around now. Any immortality the labyrinth granted you worked only because Ramiris was inside it. To be exact, her leaving the labyrinth wasn't enough to turn that off, but if she did so and lost consciousness, all her memories would instantly be reset. Thus, the moment Deeno carried out his job, Ramiris's servants would lose their immortality. Zarario knew that, and that's why he went easy, piling damage on Charys and Treyni instead of killing them outright.
"In recognition of your valor in battle, I could grant you a proud, painless death if you like?"
That was his way, as one of the strongest of warriors, of offering mercy. But Charys and Treyni were obviously uninterested.
"Heh-heh-heh… Think you've already won, fool?"
"Indeed. You never know what could happen in a battle. As long as we don't give up on victory, we will never lose. Don't you know that?"
That sore-loser stance was enough to rile Zarario—not enough to make him lose his calm, but he didn't appreciate this sass.
"How annoying. I was trying to grant you mercy."
"Mercy? Ah, so many people lose their fight after trying to act so undisturbed! Do you know what we call talk like that? We call it a death flag."
Charys recalled the "things never to say list" he'd discussed with Veldora once. There were a few absolute no-nos, but the worst of all was "trying to act cool just before you secure the win." If you're out to kill, you have to take action, not get distracted. Otherwise, you're simply giving your opponent time to strike back.
"Oh, stop it. Are you expecting a miracle to—?"
"They do happen. Sir Rimuru's engineered quite a few of them in his time, and his troops are so used to seeing them, they often imitate them for themselves. And look what we have here…!"
In the labyrinth, merely buying time in a battle often held little strategic significance. The same was true for this one…
"Exactly. And if you wish to strike at Lady Ramiris, friend and servant to my god, let it be known that Adalmann the Gehenna Lord will take you on!"
…but instead, all that stalling allowed for the birth of another warrior. What does throwing one more body into the fray achieve?
Zarario was far more concerned by Deeno's delays reporting back to him.
He's late. I know he's lazy by default, but whenever he procrastinates like this, it only creates more work for me…
That, combined with things not going his way in this battle, irked him more. And now this knightlike man was standing in front of him.
"I hate to fight in a large group against a single opponent, but I am no longer a righteous paladin. Deeds matter to me more than chivalry, and I hope you'll forgive me for that."
This was Alberto speaking. He bore a suit of God-class armor gifted to him by
Rimuru—and after the more metaphysical gifts he'd received thanks to Adalmann's awakening, he had evolved into a Gehenna Paladin. Now, as the rightful owner of the shining armor he wore, Alberto pointed his sword at Zarario.
"There's another one…?" Zarario said.
He could tell that the aura Alberto emitted was a fearsome sight to behold. His movements were the mark of a seasoned swordsman, and the God-class blade in his hand contained the potential to seriously wound Zarario. One look, and it was clear he shouldn't be ignored.
"I'm here, too."
This voice belonged to Venti, the Dragon Lord of the Underworld, who had awoken from her evolutionary slumber, reborn as a Gehenna Dragon. She offered Zarario an elegant bow, a trick she must have learned from somewhere. Zarario rewarded it with a blank stare. Now he realized just what sort of fix he was in.
Even against this lineup, if it was a yes/no question, then yes, he could win. But victory alone wouldn't be meaningful. Unless Deeno took Ramiris out of the picture, Zarario wouldn't even have a victory.
If I go all out here, I'll simply reveal my hand and have nothing to show for it. But if I don't, I'll be in trouble against this crew…
Against Charys and Treyni alone, Zarario could go easy and still hold his own. But if three titans on an awakened demon lord's level joined in, not even he liked his chances. But he still needed to serve as a diversion, or Feldway's entire strategy would fall to pieces. Zarario enjoyed a perfect record for carrying out his missions. He refused to allow that to happen.
So be it. I'm going to kill them all anyway. Let's show them what I've got. But just as Zarario steeled his resolve:
"Ah, yes… Allow me to relate something that I think you'll find interesting. The area I normally guard is on Floor 70, but why do you think I've been ignoring the intruders in there?"
"What?"
"…Well, no point keeping you in suspense. Let me sum it up for you. It's because there isn't even any need for me to show up."
"…What are you getting at?"
Adalmann, the undead in the mage's robe, flashed an evil grin. Zarario was getting peeved.
Hold on. There was no need for him to show up? Cornu was supposed to be invading that floor. Did something happen to him?
There was no need to ask. Zarario quickly deducted the truth. But since Adalmann was here to divert Zarario from his mission, he said it out loud anyway.
"The foolish intruder has been eliminated by Lady Velgrynd. That's why I came here without a trace of concern in my mind!"
"…"
Zarario wasn't dumb enough to doubt his foe's words. Working on the assumption that Cornu was defeated, he probed further about their number one aim.
"Heh-heh-heh… I see. I'm sure Cornu was defenseless against Velgrynd, then. It seems some strange events have been taking place, but enough about that for now. So is this pittance of a force all that remains from your side?"
Why wasn't Velgrynd here? Probably because of Masayuki, Zarario figured. Masayuki must have inherited Ludora's soul after all. Feldway, poring over the Imperial Information Bureau's records, had ordered Masayuki killed in order to eliminate the possibility…but now the possibility was the truth, and Velgrynd must have realized it.
Bad luck for Cornu, then. This wouldn't have happened, either, if we hadn't swapped roles as planned. But Velgrynd can be safely ignored. As long as Sir Michael is with us, it'll be easy to rule over her. Right now…
Right now, Deeno was the key factor.
"You seem undisturbed. Well, perhaps you were strong enough to take on Lady Velgrynd if needed, then? We really have been underestimated, haven't we?"
"Heavens, we could have taken you on en masse and lost, even."
Charys and Adalmann were being clever for a reason. Based on Zarario's attitude, they could tell he was hiding some great, unknown power. Despite that, however, the advantage was still with their team, as Adalmann was about to explain.
"I think I understand the reason for your question. Your true aim is Lady Ramiris, is it not? Our standing orders always tell us to place Lady Ramiris's safety above all other concerns."
When he woke up, checking on Ramiris was the first thing Adalmann did. As long as she was safe, everything else could work itself out. Besides, it was Rimuru's supreme order. They were all floor guardians tasked with guarding the labyrinth, and that meant keeping Ramiris safe.
"So is Lady Ramiris safe?"
"Of course, Lady Treyni. Sir Zegion came to her aid, and I'm sure he won't let anyone touch Lady Ramiris."
"Ah. Quite a relief, then."
Treyni smiled. The rest of the group looked just as relieved. Now they could focus entirely on the enemy right here.
For Zarario, meanwhile, the mention of Zegion's name made him fear the worst about Deeno.
Zegion can cast Distortion Field, as far as I recall. If Deeno got serious… No, there's no point expecting that much from him. He was never too enthusiastic about this to start. By now, I'm sure he's…
He had a notably accurate picture of matters. And it was at that moment when Deeno sent him a Thought Communication.
(Hey, Zarario, you hearing this? The mission's a failure. Velgrynd got into the battle, and Cornu screwed the pooch, I guess. I'm running into some serious
hombres here, too, so I'm splitting. You better run before the labyrinth closes up. See you around!)
It was all so one-sided, Zarario couldn't help but chuckle at it. How very Deeno-like of him, he thought. But the time to retreat was here. Winning this battle would be pointless, and he had a reason to avoid pointless maneuvers.
"I have to say, I've never been so humiliated before. Look at me, forced to retreat against this rabble I could knock over with a flick of my finger… It won't be the case next time. Remember that."
After matter-of-factly playing the sore loser, Zarario took his team and teleported out of the scene. The group he left behind was filled not with the glory of victory but a sense of sheer relief. They had kept the labyrinth safe.
Now all threats were gone from the labyrinth.
Zegion turned off his Fantastical World ability, then faced Beretta, who had just finished laying Ramiris out on a couch.
"Did we let Sir Deeno get away?"
"Looks that way."
"Hee-hee! No need to put it like that. Lady Ramiris was merciful enough to allow Sir Deeno to leave."
Beretta was right. Zegion had noticed that Deeno was wearing a Resurrection Bracelet, but he still let him go. It was a sort of experiment—would Ramiris's protection work against someone openly hostile to her?—and the results were now clear. Deeno placed his bet, it paid off, and he was alive.
To Zegion, it was the same thing either way. Carrying out this experiment was a pleasant bonus, but his victory condition here was to keep Ramiris safe, and that was now complete.
"If Lady Ramiris wills it, I have no objection."
Beretta nodded. If they had fended off the enemy, there was no need for further bloodshed. If the enemy couldn't realize what a merciful act this was, though, next time would be different.
Depending on how Deeno reacted, Zegion was prepared to pursue him. He was prepared to kill him if he didn't get the hint and run away, but that no longer seemed necessary. Deeno was now convincing his allies to retreat, and two of them had accepted the invitation and left the area.
"So what about this Zarario?"
"Sir Adalmann is dealing with him. His presence has disappeared, so presumably he gave up and left."
Adalmann and his cohorts were awake and back in action, and that was apparently enough to dissuade the remaining enemies.
"Excellent news."
"Yes. And we would've easily lost if Lady Ramiris wasn't here."
"Indeed. Even if we didn't, we likely would have lost many—and that's as good as defeat to us."
"Exactly."
Zegion and Beretta exchanged nods, agreeing to consider ways to beef up their security measures later.
With this, the continued safety of the labyrinth was assured. Checking one more time to ensure Ramiris was safe, Zegion returned to his usual domain.