Vol 2 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Chapter 5 - The Heart to Trust Comrades and Hope
『Fourth Hour Period ---
Lesson on selecting the irl』
When we return to the classroom, our homeroom teacher, Honjou Tsukasa isn't there
On the blackboard in large letters
『Self-Study! When you are ready to infiltrate the labyrinth, we'll deploy the choppers, so call me then!』
Is written
Well, indeed, during the fourth and fifth periods, the students will discuss a the labyrinth and there probably isn't a need for the homeroom teacher to be there
Right now, inside the classroom, the self-proclaiirl I don't know are seated
Santou turns in our direction
”Ah, you're finally back Where did you guys go?”
I ignore him and enter the classroom And sit at my seat
Kiri again sits beside me
Hi
And shi+ro then stands in front of the blackboard --- on the platform, and says
”Then let's begin the fourth hour period, shall we? I'm your commander, Hishi+ro shi+ro”
He looks at me, Kiri, Yousuke and Himi, then continues
”Well, the fellows from the Hero Team already know me So, as for the t people one of you is Santou Taisuke right?”
Santou then stands up
”Yeah Top of class 3”
”Your grades don't matter And, the other person”
He turns his eyes to the brown-haired girl who has been keeping quiet all this while
The girl looks up Looks at shi+ro
”Kamiuchi Miko”
She gives her name
shi+ro then asks
”So, which class's top are you?”
The girl called Miko answers
”I' I'm actually at the bottom of class 4”
”Hm Why is someone like you here?”
”I have my reasons”
”What kind of reasons?”
Miko then shrugs her shoulders
”It's not like I caught the labyrinth disease or anything, so I don't really feel the need to divulge my personal information”
shi+ro then nods and says
”You're right about that But I did a small check And there isn't anyone named Kamiuchi Miko in class 4”
”Oh, is that so? That's troubling”
Yousuke and Hi
”Not really In the first place, on't trust a person we justto activate your 《Headphone Fuzz》 but it'd be futile My coic that will crush you”
Yousuke and Hi
””
A murderous intent swells up from the body of Miko
However, it doesn't seeht shi+ro, Himi and Yousuke
shi+ro says
”Let ain Who are you?”
Miko says
”And if I don't tell you?”
”We'll kill you”
Miko stands up s
”Meh, you guys are sure nosy”
She lapses into Kansai dialect Miko then jumps Fast Towards shi+ro
Miko thrusts her palms out and hollers
”Bomb Curtain switch”
The space before her hands warp Compresses Expands, about to explode
”shi+ro!”
Yousuke yells but shi+ro sht
”Penitence Severance switch”
He murmurs
His ic activates
An abnorantic knife that nor appears in his hand that has been raised in advance
Before that knife, the ic conjured by Miko explodes
But the force from that explosion is unable to penetrate that bulky knife
shi+ro jurabs that hand of Miko froorously and press it aganst her face And further goes on to bring her down to the floor
”Well, try ain”
”Guh”
Miko tries to raise her other free hand, but shi+ro steps on it doith his foot
But even with that, Miko's mouth opens,
” Self-explode swi”
shi+ro forcibly stuffs her er code
”Guh guh guh”
Miko can no longer use her ic
As expected, shi+ro is strong Overwhelantic specialized offensive ic, which is difficult to wield, in this crae to the classroom, render a relatively skilled opponent helpless
shi+ro turns towards us
”Just now, she wanted to say Self-explode switch, but is that really a self-exploding ic, I wonder?”
I shake my head
”No I know that netic Bo that causes explosions to erupt from her entire body indiscriminately”
”I see Then it's not like she was trying to risk her life and kill us all so, who are you? Though since you lapsed into Kansai dialect halfway, I already have a rough idea”
” fuh-guh-guh-guh”
”Oh well, you can't ansith a hand stuffed in your mouth”
shi+ro then takes off her 《Headphone Fuzz》 from her ear With that, even if he liberates her ic
”Hoih”
He throws the headphone behind him I catch it
It's a Mitsutomo heavy industries made 《Headphone Fuzz》
Mitsutoain
I look down at it with half-opened eyes,
” probably a comrade of that 『Valor Team』 from earlier”
shi+ro nods He pulls out the fingers from Miko's mouth, stands up and says
”Did you come to hinder us?”
Miko glares up at shi+ro and says
”Return my headphone”
”You heard her shi+nnosuke”
I throw up the headphone Following that,
”Demon Sword switch”
Ia knife in my hand From the center of the knife, a sith the color of darkness starts extending This ic to any object touched, and transform it into a demon sword
The power that would be conferred is dependent on the nature of the object that is touched, and has an infinite variety One would not knohat kind of power it is unless one tries it That is why this is a ic that is extremely difficult to use but, because it is possible to invoke all its different powers by changing the target object each tiic, it could possibly ic
And right now, the power of the de ---
” assassination property”
A power that allows the user to find the point where one can deal a fatal blow to the opponent with the strength of this sword,
A red target point appears before my eyes The point finds the easiest place to break on the Mitsutomo heavy industriesthis explicitly is because I fear thatMitsutomo heavy industries made 《Headphone Fuzz》
In that case, it's better to find its weak point first
After looking at it, I swing my demon sword
The 《Headphone Fuzz》 breaks
However, I do not dispel et circle has continued to find the point of destruction on another 《Headphone Fuzz》
The guy called Santou Taisuke from class 3
The outward appearance of his 《Headphone Fuzz》 does not resemble that of Mitsutomo heavy industries made one but for some reason, it has the exact same weak point ---
” you too huh”
On hearing that, Santou turns around
”Oh et found out”
Seems like this is the real spy He probably intended to reot found out
Santou says
”Well, it's fine We've coo Miko”
He lapses into Kansai dialect Together with Miko, they run towards theBreak through theoutside
We don't chase after them There is no time, nor need to
However, while turning around, Santou says
”Ah, in theswitch, release ~”
Instantly, the athter It seeic has been placed on the classroom --- no the entire school premises
A trap ic
And, theoccurs
The hands of the clock hanging on the wall of the classroo quickly
No, not just the clock hanging on the wall Even the numbers displayed insiderapidly
Just abefore Gunjou turns into an eternal labyrinth was 200 ht now, that time rapidly decreases
The nuo
I don't knohat has happened However, that Santou Taisuke has probably continuously activated that ins while he was in the classroom
It seeic that messed up the hands of the clock and the sense of time
” they got us”
I groan
That was the worst kind of traps
It was probably to buy tie on the labyrinth since they arrived
Several engines resound from the outside
The few Kansai choppers parked in the schoolyard startBoth Santou and Miko board one of the choppers
They are planning to go kill Gunjou
And we have yet to decide on our ic slot composition and team make-up
Our homeroom teacher Honjou Tsukasa dashes into the classroom
”What are you guys doing! The guys fro!”
After the Ti switch was undone, our homeroom teacher also had her sense of time restored all of a sudden
shi+ro looks at me Then,
” all right Even though it took a while, wethe labyrinth And, well, our coe roup”
Indeed, it's kinda funny that no one else is left
shi+ro continues
”This teaether Do we still need to spend tis out?”
On hearing that, Yousuke raises his hand
”Hn ~, before we set off, can I say so?”
”Go ahead, Yousuke”
” all this while, there is a for but yet had never used before Though everyone is strong, it's a pity that we never got along and never could properly cover for one another”
shi+ro smiles and nods
”Especially the brats Gunjou and shi+nnosuke really suck at teamwork”
”Yeah yeah But, since shi+nnosuke has finally grown up”
Unable to stand their irritating chatter anymore, I cut them off and say
”Ah ah I got it, I got what you're trying to say, so let's hit it We have noinside the chopper on our way there”
Every one nods in acquiescence
Most i our true plan in front of our homeroom teacher
Because the knowledge of ic that can be used to sever the labyrinth disease froirl must never be leaked out
At that moment, Honjou Tsukasa says
”Then I'll immediately deploy the chopper”
On hearing that, we exchange looks with one another and nod simultaneously
♦
♦
♦
A thunderous roar resound
The sound of a chopper ascending into the sky
At an altitude of 1200 meters
We are about to insert into the abnorantic blue tower born out of Gunjou from the 100th floor
The noise of the
Since only us, the Hero Team, and our homeroom teacher Honjou Tsukasa are in it
But yet, for some reason, the seats around me are all jam-packed with people
In front me is Himi
Diagonally in front Yousuke
With shi+ro beside him
Topping that off, Kiri is on ht, beside me
” why, is everyone clustering together?”
Kiri then smiles
”Because I want to be with you”
”I don't want that”
”And we have to coy”
But that was done as soon as we boarded the chopper Since there aren't a lot of strategies available to a team of only five people
There are 6 available slots to load ic in a 《Headphone Fuzz》 for each person, and that amounts to just 30 slots for 5 people
Furthermore, one of these slots is taken up by the Holy Sword switch for the purpose of saving Gunjou
With that, we have 29 slots left
Himi is on all support
Yousuke on all defense
Kiri is on a balanced configuration that places more emphasis on defense
I auration that places more emphasis on offense
shi+ro is on all specialized offense
Our choices to ey from this composition are limited But well, the less choices we have the better
Since we have no time We are really too short on time Thanks to Santou Taisuke's trap, we have lost a lot of time
25 floors separate us from Gunjou
And right noe have 71
Even with the re 70 minutes for the raid, and if ere to leave 20 ht Gunjou, we have to clear each floor in 2 minutes
One floor in 2 minutes
Only 2 minutes
2 minutes to clear a floor of a rank 42 labyrinth --- it's like a ridiculous joke in fantasy story
But we have to do it
Snap, snap, snap, I snapped h to activate the 《Headphone Fuzz》
In order to stabilizeheart, in order to erase the sers
Honjou Tsukasa says
”Everyone, activate your headphones We've reached the insertion point”
We are at an altitude of 1200 meters That, per se, is already out of the ordinary Even with the current advancey hich a 1200can be constructed
The rear hatchway of the chopper starts opening slowly
A sudden gust of wind, and thunderous roar
Totally dark night
The blue tower stands, as if it were sundering the darkness of the night
Right now, the chopper is at a point that is 1200 h --- which is supposed to be where the 100th floor is at but, the tower continues to extend upwards to the sky
The tip of the spire can't be seen at all
shi+ro looks up at that tower created by his comrade
Himi looks up at the tower
Yousuke looks up at the tower
Kiri looks up at it, and squeezes my arm
But,
””
I turn my eyes not to the tower but further down --- to the lands beyond In the direction of another labyrinth that seems to line up side by side with Gunjou
My little sister Saki's labyrinth
Both Gunjou's tower and Saki's labyrinth are almost like they just next to each other Even from this distance, I can see that they see into each other's turfs
Honjou Tsukasa says
”Now ~, it's finally tiirl! It'd be fine! If you deal with it coolly, it'd be a walk in the park for you!”
There's no way it'd be fine right? It's rank 42 after all But the words just now are the same as what Honjou Tsukasa says each time, as if they are standard lines memorized by heart, perhaps
”Well, let's do a final check Prepare your 《Headphone Fuzz》 for insertion And also, don't forget your armband”
The armband refers to a tool that will allow one to ascertain the nu in the labyrinth
I look at the armband with 『Class 5』 written on it, worn on my arm On it are 5 red ☆the labyrinth, there will be 20 ☆ ht now, 15 of them have already disappeared
Honjou Tsukasa continues
”I've always said this, but when 4 stars are gone, it'd be iive up on the raid and Esca bufuhfuh”
She breaks out into laughter halfway
Since, even though she said 'when 4 stars are gone', there are only 5 of thein with
Looking around the roaring chopper, Honjou Tsukasa says in delight
”Well, do your best”
I wavethat has been loaded as a fundamental software different from the slots inside the 《Headphone Fuzz》
It's the intrusion ic
The re time limit is 68 minutes
We no longer have 2 minutes to clear each floor
”Well, we'll be at the insertion point in another 30 seconds Prepare yourselves ~ And, our class in this tiuys froet the credit”
shi+ro stands up and looks at me
”All right Let's get going There's only one thing you et rough Ok?”
Everyone nods
Following that, Himi says
”Once we enter, I will use the Picnic switch, and search for the shortest route not found on the ic When that happens, I have to close my eyes so”
I cut her off
”The sa Hiuys Let's do it Is there anything else?”
shi+ro then says
”No, none And let's win, coether”
”No thanks to that”
”Even though you're really thinking, 'it's great to have friends'”
”No way”
”Let's have fun together”
””
At that moment, Honjou Tsukasa says
”It's time”
Then,
”Dive switch”
He says the trigger code for the purpose of activating the intrusion cursed song
Instantly, shi+ro's body is transported into the labyrinth and he disappears
Following that, both Himi and Yousuke say
”Dive switch”
”Dive switch”
Finally, Kiri looks at me,
” hey, shi+nnosuke-kun Are you really going?”
She asks and I turn to her and reply
”Of course I won't be going to the karaoke”
”Haha”
”Then, see you in the labyrinth Dive switch”
Instantly, ets transported into the labyrinth
♦
♦
♦
I enter the labyrinth
I enter the inside of Gunjou
My cells that were disasseic are reassembled
””
Zuhkihn, Zuhkihn, a pain assaults my head numerous times The pain from the backlash assaults
My eyeballs regenerate, and colors enter my dark vision
White light
Red light
Blue, yellow, green, black
My headache is gone
My consciousness clears up
I can see s
Right now, I am inside the labyrinth created by Gunjou
Gunjou's labyrinth is a world filled with vibrant blue
The ceiling is so high that you can't see the end
The wall is filled with paintings of the sky, clouds, oceans, and horizon No, I's Because those paintings areinside the wall
But they aren't real paintings
Like a picture book, an oil painting, the scenery of sky, clouds, and ocean slowly, gently, flows
Occasionally,
Water splashes, for a faint rainbow
From afar, the roar of the ocean waves can be heard
I look intently at that and think
””
Maybe Gunjou really loves such tranquil things
Or, ly attracted to the peaceful, ordinary, safe, tranquil world
Or at the very least, she can't deal ith a world where she has to desperately risk her life to kill girls
I thought And I feel a slight pain in my chest Is it because I felt a touch of concern for the Gunjou who has manifested the disease? Or, is it because I realize that a part of me also yearns for that tranquillity?
Well, anyone would have those kind of feelings
””
I look in the direction of ic
While ently
The ic that only soic can employ
Because what she's using is a powerful e to both the fates of the labyrinth diseased girls and humans
” Picnic switch”
Himi murmurs
She ic
A ic code appears before Hih it Different froht appears on her face,
”Ah, ah, nohich place is more fun?”
She says
She looks around her with a terribly delighted face
This is a route-finding ic which allows her to find a detour en route to her destination and that detour will turn out to be a better route
”It's better if it's more fun”
Even her tone of voice is different
Probably the effect of the ic
”Not yet ~, it'd be nice if it's even much more fun ~”
I then say
”Not done yet?”
Yousuke then raises his hand in an attempt to silence me
”Be quiet Hi her search to increase the number of routes”
I look at Yousuke
Yousuke continues
”Hied that the first route won't let us reach Gunjou within the ti another search”
Hi at so face
”Ah-ha ~, no no, ant to adventure even more ♪”
Her eyes are bloodshot Blood flows froht nostril
shi+ro says
”Hio on further, your brain will”
”Not yet ♪ that's just too boring I really love so, so ~ ♪”
Then, at that e jumps out of the ocean from the wall
A shark
A shark with a long sharp horn
The shark jumps out of the wall onto the floor Splash, the blue floor undulates Seems like that shark is able to swim across the floor
And it's terribly fast
I count
One
Two
Four
Eight
Eighteen
” damn, that's a crazy number of them”
I let ic Melody flows inflows
【Sliced, shredded light ♪
Shredded, ripped-up light ♪
Abnorht ———】
”Demon Sword switch ---”
I hold a blade of darkness and ready my Demon Sword
Following that, I immediately activate its power
”assassination property”
A target point appears beforefor the sharks' weakness I search for the place where I can kill a shark in one swing of my sword
The weak point is their stomach
Other than their backs, the sharks's bodies are subed into the floor as they swim
In other words,
” crap, can't pierce their weak point”
I scoith a troubled face, to which Kiri asks
”Where's the weak point?”
”Their stomach”
”Uweh, that puts us in a fix huh?”
”Very much”
Then, from behind us,
”Stoic that will create a large opening and I'll leave you to deliver the killing blow”
shi+ro jumps
And activates his ic
”Fate Reversal Hammer switch!”
What an exaggerated naic that would probably conjure a hammer
He raises both hands
And with that, he swings down
”Dohn!”
He verbalizes it
Instantly!
Right before shi+ro's eyes, an abnorantic s down It's so slow that one of the sharks is on the verge of attacking shi+ro
”Jeez, Acceleration switch”
Activating both Demon Sword and Acceleration switches side by side, I jump I thrustshi+ro
”Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah”
The shark howls and is annihilated
Its stomach is its weak point as expected
At the same time, shi+ro's
Then,
””
Nothing happens But, the mallet melts into the floor and disappears
”What the hell is that ic!”
But shi+ro says
”Fate reversal!”
In that instant, goh goh goh goh, from underneath the floor, the hammer returns as it pierces the floor back and it jumps out with a dohn
At the same time, all the sharks are thrown up into the air
”Do it shi+nnosuke!”
”No, you should have explained things aah whatever, I'll do it”
I ju my sword
I cut the stomachs of the upturned sharks; cut, cut, cut, cut, cut
Including the one that had assaulted shi+ro, I've killed a total of seven The re eleven look at me My body's acceleration ends
An assee the ti my Acceleration switch
I listen to the song
I listen to the song
The cursed song fills my brain
Before I reactivate ic, the horn of one of them reaches me
”assassination property!”
With the 『assassination property』 of my Demon Sword switch, I search for the weak point of that horn where I shall receive the attack Found it I receive the attack at that angle
Giihnn, the high-pitched sound ofmetal reverberates I barely parry the horn, but also receive an outrageous amount of impact
If I hadn't searched for the weak point with the assassination property and had received the attack just like that with my sword, my arm would have been broken and I would have probably been impaled
” guh, hurry up get the curse filled up”
Another three come at me
”assassination property!”
I yell again I search for the place where I can receive the attack froet my sword in there, that's where I can receive the attack
However, there is only just one point If Iaway and death will visit ht forth by Gunjou are
I look at those horns
I look hard at the point of intersection of those three horns which only happens for an instant and strike my sword upwards
Then, the horns strike against one another and stop I slip through them
Then at that moment,
”All right, my curse's filled up! Acceleration swi---”
But, that is the end of my words
Thein the wall suddenly fly out Looking down at me They start to spin like a drill The drill descends as if it were lightning
I have to dodge that
I have to dodge those birds with my Acceleration switch
””
I react, but it's fatal mistake
Just a moment of hesitation, indecision, hard-headedness will turn everything to naught
That's the kind of place a labyrinth is
One of the sharks that had been subed which I was unaware of jumps out About to impale me
I raise my sword to block that Of course I can't do that effectively I'm in mid-air If I am in mid-air, I can't jump to the side
Then, the e that
I really can't raid this labyrinth all by myself
So,
”damn, Yousuke!”
I holler
Yousuke then answers
”Which way?”
”Bring me close to the shark!”
”Reverse Force switch!”
Yousuke bellows My feet are then pulled by a strong force Pulled by a virtual force conjured by Yousuke My foot lands on the head of the shark
As I got my foothold,
”Acceleration ”
At thather japanese sword at the horn of the shark that I a on,
”I will stop all the sharks, so get the birds!”
I look up at the sky
Widen my eyes
My eyeballs shake
Moving back and forth
Searching for their weak points, et point capture the birds one after another ---
”Switch!”
Instantly, my body accelerates
One instant, one second, one moment
My speed surpasses even that of God
My body zips past 6 ratory birds By the tione
I look down
11 sharks are assaulting Kiri at the same time, but with just one sword,
”Ooof!”
She blocks against the horns She cancels away all the i herself, she raises her sword The stomachs of the sharks appear from the floor
And ---
”Penitence Severance switch”
Running froic
shi+ro is dragging a large knife in his hand He raises his long bulky knife that a nor can't lift
”Cut them aaaaaaalllllllllll!!”
That knife splits apart the stomachs of 8 of the sharks And with that, those sharks die
The re 3 sharks then quickly turn their dorsal areas toward us, hiding their weak points Their backs are hard At the very least, a fast fragile knife like o through them
However, the knife cuts into their backs, and pull away from the floor
The sharks take da from the floor
By that time, I have already landed My acceleration has yet to end I kick the floor and ju htly, flapping sharks one after another
At that moment, my acceleration ends
” zeeh, haah”
I restart o ofin
I then turn around
Looking at shi+ro and the rest
Even though we have annihilated the sharks, we have yet to move from the entrance
Even though on't make it if we don't clear a floor in 2 one by
If Himi can't find the shortcut route, then it's time to Escape
However, Himi raises both hands and says
”Found it ♪”
Perhaps, as a result of her forcing herself unreasonably, a trickle of blood can be seen from her mouth Her knees buckle to the floor
”Himi!”
Yousuke helps her up Himi makes a weak but somewhat pleased smile,
”I, I did it I found it!! Five floors below here, there's an elevator!”
I ask
”How much time will that save us?”
But Hi up unsteadily, she closes her eyes And then waves her fingers,
”Overprotective switch”
She murmurs
Then, before her, an eyeball as large as a rugby ball appears, floating in the air Looking around its surroundings
It's a trap sensing ive up
With her eyes closed, Himi says
”This floor probably has no hidden traps Please run!”
Yousuke grabs Himi's hand,