Chapter 12
After taking their distance and making sure they were far enough away, Mars and the others sat down on the ground.
The bumpy and surprisingly undulating ground inside the dungeon was further away than it appeared when running.
「That scared the hell out of me. ...... That's not a monster you can just walk around that area like a walker, that thing.」
「We were lucky we could escape without a fight. ...... We could have defeated them, but Master would have been injured」
「There's a recoil. If I'm going to crush a monster of that size, I'm going to need a layer of 『Body Strengthening』 no matter what. And with a family situation like that, I feel a little guilty about taking them down.」
Mars' trump card can be summed up in one word: strengthen yourself to the fullest and hit with brute force.
Even if he uses his sword as a shock absorber, a certain amount of impact is inevitable.
The muscles of his upper body, including the arms, inevitably ache.
If he is in a situation where he knows this is the last time he is going to do something, he doesn't want to give it away, but if there is no end in sight, it is difficult to adjust.
「Family......I knew it, some of that prince's companions have families, right......?」
「......I'm sure there are? Not all slaves would be slaves from birth, and there would be families with other slaves. Children will also be in the labor force in the future, so they won't be stopped. Also.....there are those who come here to buy themselves as a reward for conquering dungeons, or something like that.」
If you want to free yourself from slavery, the quickest way is to buy yourself out.
Whether or not Kruse allows it, there must be many who want it as a reward for their dungeon exploits.
Hazuki had a complicated look on her face when she heard that some of them might have families. She looks as if she might start crying at any moment.
「Nyaa...... you might get angry if Nemu tells this, but nyaa? There are three of those big ones in the back of the room-nya. And there are many humans in the same place-nya. ――They're dying fast-nya」
「They are so far away that I can't hear them. I thought it was a good distance. Shall we look for a detour? I don't think it's necessary to go out of our way to help them. They have risked their lives to come this far, and to help them would be to dampen their resolve.」
Lilia said firmly.
Even though it may seem cruel, it is a sound argument in the dungeon, a polarizing place.
Would you risk your life for a stranger who is not even your companion?
Are the Seven Great Dungeons such an easy place that we can devote our energies to something superfluous?
I know what I wanted to say just by the look on your face.
「Hmmm ...... Nemu-chan, are those guys fighting?」
「Yes, they are-nya. Nemu can hear the screams and the iron clangs-nya.」
――If we save them, we will be able to join them.
First of all, will we be able to get through the three Hydras unscathed? ...... To put it bluntly, it's best to ignore them and look for a detour.
The advantage of actively fighting in the dungeon is non-existent.
It's not like a game where you drop money or items, and you don't gain experience to improve your level. The only things you can get are negative things such as fatigue and injuries.
It would also put Lilia and everyone else in danger, not to mention himself.
It is also a point where there will be a lot of undead.
If you are thinking rationally, it is foolish to even go near it.
His goal is to prolong life and maintain peace, even if it seems cold, so don't worry about what he doesn't need in the process of getting there, even if it's someone else's life.
Mars and Lilia, as well as Nemu, looked disinclined to get on board.
Only one person, Hazuki, was stumped and looked at everyone else's faces in turn.
「L-Let's help them! M-maybe it's logical to abandon them, but ......――our journey should be more random and fun, and M-Mars-san should be kind! T-They have families, or children waiting for them to come home. ......!」
Breathing more and more heavily and disturbed as she speaks, Hazuki begins to cry in the middle of her speech.
This is a scene Mars had never seen before because he had never encountered a situation where he had to decide what to do with a possibly living person.
――Oh, that crying face I just saw.......
Lilia looked aghast at the same time that Mars noticed.
The first thing that comes to mind is that Hazuki is a child who has been waiting for her parents to return.
That is why she imagined the further tragedy that would be created by the tragedy that is happening ahead.
Hazuki had never talked about her parents since entering this dungeon. She must have been thinking about them somewhere in her mind for a long time.
Every day, Hazuki must have been waiting for them to return.
There must have been countless nights when she cried because she was so lonely.
Good grief, Lilia complained with a shrug.
Mars did not miss the tears in her pale ice-colored eyes.
「We might die, too, you know. You should not be moved by emotion. ――Is what I'd like to say, but......」
Lilia sighs once, "Haaa," and gives Mars a wry smile.
After all, Lilia is kind.
「Don't worry, it won't come to that. ――Let's go and help them. Certainly, it is a bit haphazard. It's all a coincidence. Looking on the bright side, we'll have plenty of company once we get through this. Just ...... follow the plan to the letter. I'll use the slave crest in some cases. Especially for Hazuki-chan, who is the key to the attack.」
「O-Okay!」
He holds a limp Hazuki in his arms and comforts her.
Of course, they are not moving haphazardly. He is just assuming that there will be some irregularities.
――I was about to lose my humanity, too.
This is a situation where he would have helped them even if they hadn't asked him to.
If they are asked for help, you help. He should ignore such vague rules for himself. He had broken it many times in the past.
「Then, I'll ask all of you to use magic to amplify your magic power. And I want all of you to strengthen your bodies.」
This is the first time I've been here in a battle where I might seriously die.
But strangely, my mind was calm. The fear of death for the second time made my mind calm.
Even though the threats were coming in batches, we had overcome them one by one.
Then we can separate the hydra, the undead, and the poison.
「Hydra's weakness is the core in its belly. That's why I'm going to destroy all three. I've done it once, so I have a high degree of certainty. I'm practically acting alone. What I would like you all to do is to deal with the undead, of which there will be many, and to work on decomposing the poison. I'll ask Lilia to do the poison decomposition and Hazuki-chan to do the undead. Basically, Lilia is the support, not moving much.」
「My job is to keep the undead in place with the bow, while assisting the entire group with various types of magic, and directing Hazuki and Nemu, right? I got it」
「Exactly. You are indeed a fast learner. I'm sorry for leaving so much to you. I want to concentrate on the battle. And possibly cooperate with the survivors on the other side.」
Even if he can manage Hydra, it is the undead he worries about.
There could be hundreds of undead of unknown strength.
Mars' plan is to quickly and easily eliminate Hydra himself, but there is a high probability that he will not be able to handle the undead.
「What should Nemu does-nya?」
「I would like to ask Nemu-chan to rescue the living. So, as soon as we arrive, I want you to use your magic and shout 『Anyone who's still alive, move over to the edge!』」
They are an obstacle to combat and we want them to evacuate voluntarily at the very least to distinguish them from the undead.
「And if there are people who are stuck, Nemu-chan will take them and evacuate them, leaving only Hydra, the undead, and me. And Hazuki-chan will burn me, Hydra, and all the undead.」
「I'm going to burn Mars-san!? I don't want that!?」
「I don't want to be burned to death. But it's okay. ――That's why I'm using this time.」
Mars pulls out various items from the treasury.
They are magical weapons and armaments. Mars basically uses appropriate generic items, but this time he has a feeling that he needs something decent.
He gives Lilia and the three others tools that he thinks they can use.
Mars puts on the black armor among them.
It is an armor that is good at defending against magic and does not deform even if it is directly hit by magic.
He doesn't know why, but magical weapons and armory accessories are overwhelmingly more defensive than offensive.
「I wonder if Nemu-chan will wear this necklace. Like me, she's a vanguard fighter, so she might inhale poison. It's not as strong as 『Poison Decomposition』, but it does provide some protection from poison.」
「There are some useful things, nyaa. ――Now Nemu is stylish, too-nya?」
「Hmmm ...... it's subtle.」
Hanging around Nemu's neck is a pendant in the shape of an old man's face from who knows where.
It is a practical item that does not even reach the level of bad taste.
According to Lilia, it may be the face of the developer. Incidentally, it has the function to inhale poison from the mouth of the old man's face.
「I think I will judge the situation at the same time as the opening and give final instructions there. Basically, the strategy is as I said before. I think Nemu's shout will draw attention to us, so I'll take them down to some extent and start the operation.」
The three nodded their heads.
Nemu was not so sure, but Lilia and Hazuki, who knew the threat of Hydra's adult form, looked grim.
「I'll also ask for a hearing dulling spell. The sounds will be harsh for Lilia and Nemu-chan.」
「Yeah, it sounds like a lightning strike. ......」
The first time he trudged through a dungeon, Mars was called 『Thunder』.
This was because when he attacked the monsters with all his might, the roar echoed all the way out of the dungeon.
He didn't know that, but as the story went on, he realized that he was the 『Thunder』.
「I will take charge of this battle. We might die in this battle, no kidding, so please follow me properly. If you think you are in danger, you will be transferred to my treasury immediately, and after an hour or so, you will go outside.」
「Hazuki-nyan, do it right and be serious, will you-nya? Now is not the time to play, okay-nya?」
「Eh, I already have that impression in Nemu-chan's mind!? I'll do my best! I'm the one who initiated this, and my offensive power is the key to this operation!」
「Exactly. There will be a large number of undead, so Hazuki-chan's role in dealing with them all together is just as important. So we all need to support Hazuki-chan so that she can do her job with ease.」
The four of them rush to the site.
On the way, boom! The four of them hurried even more when they heard a huge sound, and then suddenly the sound almost stopped.
It took them at most about ten minutes to arrive at the scene.
But in the dungeon where things had moved, it was an unnervingly long time.
「...... It's a catastrophe. How many people can we save in this?」
Hazuki stares at the scene, gasping at the true feelings that Mars has voiced.
「――『Poison decomposition』! Master and Nemu, please do not inhale too much at close range. ――Let's do the best we can.」
A quick glance upon arrival was enough to get a rough idea of the situation.
In a space slightly larger than a domed stadium, three Hydras were overrunning and trampling people.
To use an analogy, three 16-ton trailers spreading poisonous gas are chasing people around.
The undead and the living are no concern.
The smell of fresh blood and the sour odor characteristic of Hydra's paralyzing poison filled the air, so much so that he suspect that there were far more people who had become stains on the walls than those who were still standing and moving.
Order in the mass battle collapsed, and the survivors fled from the undead as well.
Then, both the undead and the Hydra rushed at them, and they were turned into wall ornaments.
「They don't understand the characteristics of the Hydra. It has a limited ability to regenerate its neck, meaning they think it will die if you cut it all off. If Lilia hadn't told me, I'd think so too.」
Several heads of Hydra fell to the ground.
One head alone is about the size of a passenger car.
None of the nine heads could be called the main body, which is a characteristic of the Hydra.
Since they had succeeded in cutting off the heads covered with rock-hard scales, the group management itself using slave crests must have been going well.
The fact that the battle line has collapsed to this point is thought to be due to the fact that they were unable to establish a method of attack, which caused them to fall into a state of jittery poverty.
The battle line was gradually reduced in strength, and the majority of the group became undead.
「『Anyone who's still alive, move over to the edge-nyaaa!』」
Nemu uses magic and shouts.
Then all sound momentarily faded away, and all eyes were on Mars and his friends.
At the same time, Lilia continually kneed the undead, forcing them to hold their ground.
Nemu also started running to look for survivors at the same time.
Few move. A few moved spontaneously and moved closer to the wall, but they were so slow-moving, either because they had been poisoned or because of fatigue, that it was difficult to distinguish whether they were actually even undead.
Hydra is slow in decision-making, perhaps because they have nine heads, and they do not move until the majority of their heads are pointing in the same direction.
Even so, once they begin to move, they show an unusual speed that is unimaginable for their huge body.
Hydra does not use any special technique. It simply uses its enormous physique to run amok.
「Operation start!」
Saying that Mars jumps out and approaches the flank of one of the Hydras.
Each of the three Hydras was scattered, and there was a distance of about a hundred meters between each of them.
The undead prowling around the Hydra advance in a straight line, cleaving them in a single horizontal flash.
Even though they were wearing heavy armor, their speed of movement was the same, as if they were moving at a moment's notice.
If the Hydra's core could not be destroyed, it would take an unknown amount of time for the entire body to be restored, but the neck alone would be restored within a minute.
I could imagine it combining with other parts of the body to regenerate ......, so Mars puts a limit on himself.
He had one minute to crush all the Hydras. Within that time, even if he hadn't destroyed them, he would be able to use Hazuki's magic to dispose of the fragments before they regenerated.
In order to reduce the number of pieces of flesh that would explode and scatter around him, he dived directly under the Hydra and swung his sword, still in its sheath, as a blunt weapon.
With a dull thud, the Hydra's torso shatters into small pieces and dances on the ceiling.
Since this is the second time he has encountered the Hydra, he should have been able to adjust his strength more appropriately than before, but the recoil on his body is still significant.
「Next!」
I run to the next Hydra, checking the condition of my arms.
I already had the feeling that many muscles in my arm had been torn off, even with the addition and subtraction.
The right side of my body was numb as if paralyzed.
If I continue like this, I may not be able to use my arm for a while, but it is impossible to inflict decisive damage on Hydra except on myself.
「Julis was there-nya! But she's battered-nyaa!」
When the second Hydra's body has been pulverized, a voice arrives from Nemu saying that she has rescued a survivor ―― Julis.
The face of a cool female entourage member with red hair comes to mind.
――Is that prince dead? Aren't they together?
He wants to ask but can't because it's a one-way street with Nemu.
「The third body! Hazuki-chan!」
Smashing the third body, Mars screams with his lungs full of energy.
「You got it! I'll go all out without reservation!」
Immediately after, Mars was surrounded by flames.
The magical flames generated by Hazuki were much hotter than normal flames, and in no time at all, everything was reduced to ashes.
「――I think I'm a little too cool for my own good. Hazuki-chan's magic is now on a disaster level, isn't it? The ceiling is on fire. This armor may protect against flames, but not heat completely. ...... And the 『Pain Dulling』 is coming undone. ...... I'm afraid I'll scream in pain when it's completely cut off. It's not cool, I need to shut up.」
Although he had told her to involve himself, he had assumed that he would at least be able to see.
Mars walks through a labyrinth of flames that covers nearly a kilometer, a world so red you can't see up and down or left to right.
He really wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, but there was no way to run because he did not know which way to go.
When you are in the bright red flames, you can clearly see that the black shadow ― the only one alive ― is you.
The sudden onset of fatigue, weariness, pain, and lack of oxygen is making his head feel fuzzy.
――I wonder how many people have died and how many are still alive. This place is like hell.
The thought that he could be wiped out by the slightest chance of being wrong gives him chills, even though he is in the middle of a fire. It is as if he had been brought into the ice.
The air warmed by the heat becomes an updraft, rushing to lift the armored Mars up.
The sensation of being lifted up and the situation reminds him of death.
His entire body aches from the effects of the 『Body Strengthening』 overlay, as he moved his body with all his strength.
As for his right arm, it was even broken. He does not notice it because the pain is lessening.
「Master! Where are you, Master! ――Mars! Are you safe!?」
He heard Lilia's voice faintly in the distance, and he advance in that direction, though dimly.
He hears a voice calling his name over and over again. There is no way he could have heard it wrong.
Each step he takes is getting wider and wider, and he is running faster and faster.
When he emerged from the fiery labyrinth, he founds Lilia, Hazuki, and Nemu waiting for him, looking worried to see him.
「I'm back!」
「Are you all right!? Hazuki got carried away and did magic on such a scale! Are you hurt!? I'll heal you immediately!」
「This is just the recoil. And a little bit of burn.」
「I-I-I-I'm sorry! It's stronger than I thought it would be!」
「I'm the one who told you to get involved, so don't worry about it. I'd like to ask you to help me heal, but...」
Hazuki cries raggedly and bows her head desperately.
Lilia was going around by Mars' side and applying healing.
He has no longer any use for the armor, so he slowly takes it off.
「Mars-nyan, your right arm bent in a weird way-nya ......!? You have one more joint-nyaa!」
「I-I-It's break!? Say that first! Hazuki! Heal with all your strength!」
「It looks like it broke with the armor when it caved in. It doesn't hurt that much now. More importantly, how many survivors are there? For now, I want you to give priority to the survivors for healing. I'm not injured enough to die.」
When Mars said this, the expressions on their faces clouded over.
Nemu, in particular, flattened her ears and pinched her index fingers together.
「Nyah ...... Nemu saved a lot of them, but-nyaa? Everyone but Julis is dead and became zuruzuru-nya......」
「――It was too late. They were barely breathing ...... We recovered about 30 people and healed them, but it was useless. Many of them were missing because they had been eaten by the undead or had difficulty breathing due to paralyzing poison, and it was a miracle that they were still alive. It was my own decision, but those who had turned into undead were dealt with appropriately.」
With a forced, ruthless look on her face, Lilia said it off.
But her voice was trembling, conveying that she did not mean it.
Both Hazuki and Nemu looked gloomy.
「Sad to hear that, but it can't be helped....... We could have helped one of them, so it wasn't pointless.」
There were few survivors at the start of the operation.
Above all, if Mars and the others had not come, they would have been wiped out for sure.
It was a good thing that Mars and others were able to save one person.
「Julis is the one with the red hair, right? Where is she?」
「I have her resting in my treasury. She seemed to have deflected the blow, but both of her arms and her left collarbone were broken when she was hit by Hydra's thrust. I have already healed her up to the joints, but she has not regained consciousness yet.」
「Maybe Mars-san is more seriously injured now! There are no monsters in the vicinity and we must heal you quickly in the treasury!」
「I'm counting on you. I've used a lot of magic and I'm hungry. ――Ow-ow! One, the 『Pain Dulling』 has worn off!」
Covering the half of his body that began to throb and ache, he decided to rest in the treasure room with Lilia and the others.
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