Vol 3 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Chapter 5 - Ai for 25 Floors Below
We descend down the slope
Descend
Descend
We descend at an unbelievable speed
If we crash into so, we'll probably die instantly That's how fast we are descending down the slope
In the midst of it, a rabbit jumps out
It looks at us,
”Yaah”
The instant it says that,
”Sea Moon Wheel switch!”
Yells Gunjou
A strike slices the rabbit's face, chest, legs ---
Those are not enough to sever the rabbit, but the last hit strikes the pocket watch The rabbit disappears
The pocket watch of the rabbit behind is also hit by the Sea Moon Wheel unleashed by Gunjou
”Orh, very good”
I say without thinking
I can hear an utterance of ”Eh-hehe” beside my ear
But the exit has yet to appear We continue accelerating I don't think we have been descending for a really long ti up our bodies, it feels like a really long time
A rabbit appears again
Gunjou conjures up her Sea Moon Wheel again She attacks Shedown the other
”Sorry, shi+nnosuke”
”Demon Sword switch”
I swing my sword I turn the claw thrown by the rabbit aside
That alone is enough
We avoid the attack of the rabbit, and zip past it The rabbit can no longer catch up to our descending speed
However, if we continue like this, we'll probably be killed somewhere
”Jeez, where's the exit!?”
I bellow but the exit does not appear
The exit can't be seen at all
Instead, a wall ht ahead
Seeing that,
”You're kidding me!?”
My eyes widen
Gunjou clings onto me from behind,
”W-W-Wh-Wh-Whhhaaaat should we do, shi+nnosuke!?”
Whichever way it is, we can't stop In that case,
”We have no choice but to break through right!”
”How!?”
I use the power of my Demon Sword switch
”assassination property!”
The instant I yell that, a red target mark appears in etation with those eyes
Is there a weak place?
Is there a weak point?
Is there a place where I can slice apart with my Demon Sword?
And the result of the search
There is no place where I can destroy the ith my Demon Sword
No target marker appeared
Gunjou asks
”How is it!?”
”No good We'll stop here!”
I thrust h due to our greatat the ground, it's not enough to slow our descending speed
”damn!?”
I yell
At that moment,
”Sea Moon Wheel switch!”
Gunjou uses her ain
She unleashes her Sea Moon Wheel at the vegetation wall
They crash into it
However, with just that They can't destroy the wall
But, at a place where the wheel has struck, a target point suddenly appears
Maybe it's because of the strike froed by my Demon Shere I can slice apart with it appears
I look hard at that
””
I don't knohether the hole that will be h for h
If I stab at it with h, then Gunjou and I will probably die from the sudden impact
Gunjou says
” is this the end?”
But I ready my sword And say
”Hold on tight I' to cut the wall
Hearing that, Gunjou tightens her grip on me with both her hands I can smell her scent
The scent of sweat, nervousness, and fear
The scent of living
The Acceleration switch cursed song starts playing in my head
The curse overflows ic that boosts theit to shreds is completed
【In an instant ♪In a flash ♪In the time of a flash ♪
The flash of time, the flash of an instant ♪In an instant ♪In a flash ———】
” Acceleration switch ---”
I activate ic
Faster, faster, and faster than our descending speed, for an instant, for a second, in the flash of time, I control my speed
I kick the ground
My body accelerates
That acceleration defies the law of physics
Because I'h
”Go throooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggghhhhhh!”
I swing my jet black sword
The blade thrusts into the wall
Cutting it apart
The wall collapses
The hole that opens up isn't that big
”No good huh”
As I say that, while still clinging on to s her hands forward, makes a cross and yells
”Defensive Tyrant switch!”
It's the defensive ic that Gunjou often uses
Swirling streams of water appear before her hands They crash into the wall The wall that has been weakened by the Sea Moon Wheel and Deets struck by the whirlpool and is destroyed And thus, a tight hole that's barely large enough for Gunjou and I to pass through opens
Even so, it'd be the end if soet struck Our flesh and bone will be smashed to pieces
But, we press against each other and h the hole somehow
”We did it!”
Shouts Gunjou
But we fail to land on our feet We fall Gunjou's body gets bloay
”Gunjou!”
I extend my hand but can't reach her
”shi+nnosuke!”
Gunjou yells but there is nothing that can be done
With that, while falling, we descend
But that lasts only for a few seconds
Ahead of the wall, the slope suddenly starts becoentle
”Gah, ah, oof”
I crash into the ground, tu speed is dropping
Two seconds later
I can't do anything but tumble
But at the third second, I push against the ground with round And prop myself up I can do this I can controlspeed has also become pretty slow
”All”
Just as I aht and recover my posture,
”Kyaaaaa”
Gunjou crashes into me from behind,
”Owah”
I tuain my balance at all
”Hey, idiot, let go of me”
”Eh, eh, but, you said not to let go”
”You know, if you haven't grabbed onto ained my balance”
”Eh? Ah”
Gunjou lets go of es to plant her slender feet onto the ground And stands up
I too stand up at the same time
We are still sliding down the slope, but I grab Gunjou's hand and after that,
”Demon Sword switch”
I murmur
I thrust the sword that appeared in round, we come to a stop
Then,
” haah, we survive”
I sigh out
Gunjou then too sighs out in relief, and then smiles happily,
”Hey”
She says wearily
I would probably have been killed by the rabiits if I hadn't descended with Gunjou I also wouldn't have been able to break through the ithout her Sea Moon Wheel switch
In other words, it's thanks to her that I'm still alive now
Thinking about that,
””
I get an exasperated sense of the lih of course, I wouldn't have atte so reckless if I were alone
I turn to face the wall etation behind me and say
” if shi+ro ith us, this would probably have been a breeze”
Gunjou then looks at me and says
”What do you mean by that huh?”
She somehow seems miffed But I say
”No, I ht switch”
As I say that,
”Ah”
Gunjou too makes an utterance of realization
If it was shi+ro's Thousand Deities Flash of Light switch, a gigantic offensive ic that would become a drill, which ould have been able to use to advance as we thrust forward, while i
On top of that, he has soic, Himi, on his team And with her, ould have been able to anticipate to a certain extent the layout ahead
Furtherht of the eneic of Yousuke
Maybe because it hit her at that moment, Gunjou says
”Why aren't they around when it really counts!”
I sree
”Yeah right After spouting all that 'comrades' stuff, they should make sure they are here when it really matters”
”How true”
Gunjou and I look at each other as we say that, and exchange tired smiles at our narrow escape from the fear of death for once now
However, hereon, ill surely experience that fear of death in succession
Even though we have no idea by how many ranks the Mitsutomo Group has weakened Apocalypse Alice, it shouldn't be that low of a rank
If that's the case, there will definitely be tougher fights henceforth
””
I look to the front
The end of the slope is near
The exit can already be seen On the other side, a hall inside the Apocalypse Alice can be seen
A dense and luxuriant forest
But that forest does not feel real, but has the feel of woods out of an artbook
Gentle rays of sunlight filtering through the trees
A uniforle paint
However, death is probably overflowing in that place
It's really a place that should not be entered normally It is a place that should only be advanced to, after finding a safe zone, getting organized and using it as a base for repeated insertions and Escapes
But if ere to do that, we probably won't make it in time
According to Gunjou, Kujaku and her gang had brought along large supplies of water and food to challenge this labyrinth In other words, they didn't want to waste tio
As to why
I can think of a few reasons
For example, if they were to leave this place, the is a possibility of infor connected to Apocalypse Alice et leaked
Or perhaps, this incident has already been found out by other countries and corporations and there's a fierce raiding coht now
”But it's probably not the later”
Otherwise, by now, it won't be strange for our surroundings to be filled with people ant to raid Apocalypse Alice
Then is it the former --- or
”In the first place, it ht even be possible that both insertion and escape are iht now”
That would be the worst development I could hope for
If we don't clear it, we can't Escape ---
In other words, if we can't clear it, we can only die
But, that in itself is also possible
In unknown high level labyrinth like Apocalypse Alice, it's possible that it
””
I try playing the Escape cursed song into Escape But I can't use it If I were to exit the labyrinth, there's a possibility that I ain
A ic which Kujaku has used has the power to stop infiltration and escape
If it's otten my hands on Apocalypse Alice, I will act carefully to prevent this froanizations
Those who entered can't go out
The other organizations can't come in
If I', I'll set it
While playing the cursed Escape song in ain, I ponder about the water and food supplies that Kujaku had prepared
For what purpose did she do that?
Is it because they can't Escape?
Or is it because, while they can Escape, they can't re-infiltrate?
”Well, at any rate, I have no intention of escaping”
At any rate, even if I Escape, there'll be no allies waiting for ather hundreds ofthen, either the Mitsuto off with my little sister
Or et used and then killed
If that happens, I'll never see ain
In other words, it's now
I have to save her now
Even though I really want to spendin Shogi
” things don't go that well in reality huh”
At that moment,
”What are youto yourself?”
Gunjou asks
I answer
”Just bitching about our situation”
”Uwah, how gloomy”
”Haha, I don't deny it”
Before I could finish, a noise suddenly rings out in my head
Piih piih piih, the sound of a machine
A sound which I've never heard before
I tense up ht it would ain
”What is that sound?”
I say
Gunjou too tenses up her entire body and asks
”What sound?”
”You can't hear it?”
”Where?”
Seems like Gunjou can't hear it Then, what is that sound?
Just as I a about that, onal left contorts as if there is some sort of interference
”Wh-what?”
A -like thing suddenly opens up there
In that , float the words
《Inco transmission》
See displayed by my 《Headphone Fuzz》 in my mind
I can then hear a voice
”Hey shi+n ke hear hey”
The interference is really bad
But I know that voice
It belongs to the scientist who made my 《Headphone Fuzz》s and the Holy Sword swtich, Liezel Baimeister
But that's not possible Due to the powerful radio wave barrier arisen from inside of the labyrinth, all kinds of transmission devices should be rendered useless
But yet, Liezel is calling out to me
” that inteference a sec I'll fix now”
Gunjou looks ateyes
I answer
”I' a transmission in my 《Headphone Fuzz》 ”
”Huh? Transmission? From who? We're inside the labyrinth, you know?”
I knohat she's trying to say But since a transmission came in, I don't have a choice
”Ah ~, it's my German friend You've met him before”
Gunjou should have met him before her labyrinth disease onset
”Wait, that guy in the foreign autoh he was at the back and I couldn't quite see him then”
I nod At that moment, the transmission resumes
” aah aah, how is this? Is this good?”
I say
”I can hear you That aside, how did you e this? This is the labyrinth, isn't it? What happened to the radio ja?”
”Who do you think I am?”
”A perverted scientist”
”Call enius scientist”
I shrug Though I don't knohether or not Liezel is seeing me do that
But at that moment, in the , Liezel shows up in a ca down on us
He's a German with eyes that are no less unpleasant than reen eyes
Those eyes take me in and he says
”What's the ? I'll kill you, you know?”
Seeed to develop the technology for trans into the labyrinth
”When did you succeed in developing this?”
”Three days ago The receiving unit was coo, so I put one into your 《Headphone Fuzz》”
”Don't put in rando”
Liezel cackles in glee
”By the way, since I've also ered by a remote, I'll put it in next time”
”Hey, I'ames with you”
”I know You've been so busy these three days in raiding Apocalypse Alice that you had been ignoring ht?”
” you knew? Where did you hear it from?”
But, Liezel opens his arhtedly
”Where did I hear it from? The whole world is in an uproar about this”
See raidable has leaked out to the outside world
But at that moment, in the , Liezel shows up in a ca down on us
With this, I can draw a conclusion from my earlier ruminations
The fact that no one has yet to infiltrate the labyrinth is because they can't enter it yet
Since if what's happening here is already hout the world should have already infiltrated the labyrinth by now
And if the labyrinth can't be re-infiltrated, then I can't Escape I have to reach my little sister faster than anyone else, and use my Holy Sitch to sever her from the labyrinth
I say
”I don't have time for idle chat”
”There you go again, without a genius like ht?”
So that's what it's about Liezel also wants a piece of it He wants the ic that can be retrieved from Apocalypse Alice
”What genius Mitsutoic to irl before you did You lost”
On hearing that, Liezel's face turns really sour and he looks at me
”Be careful of what you say, shi+nnosuke I could alreadylike that before”
”Liar”
”I' like that before!”
Liezel says in a child-like manner
I reply
”Then, why didn't you ic that I needed”
But Liezel says to that
”It's because you were an idiot and didn't ask me”
” ah?”
”I'd have made it if you had asked But you didn't”
”Well, it's true that I didn't ask but”
”Besides, instead of ic to sever her fro her is ic that can weaken the Apocalypse Alice is pretty aic”
That ht indeed be true In the first place, since I suppose that there is no organization that will be capricious enough to develop a irl, I won't knohether other organizations would be able to develop one, or whether they would be interested in developing one
Liezel says
”By the way, you've used the Holy Sword switch right? How did it go?”
””
I did not answer