Okinawa Dungeon—-One-Thousandth Floor:
Zaria, Han, and Rika landed inside the boat, which was easily the size of a large yacht.
"This thing's nice," Zaria remarked. "No way a dungeon keeps property like this lying around."
"There's a lot we don't know about dungeons," Han pointed out. "The chances of a sigil hiding inside this boat are fairly high."
"Did the cube tell you that?"
"Nope."
Omariro lay down on a nearby lounge chair, resting his head. The kids all turned toward him.
"Sir?" Zaria questioned.
"Are you alright?" Han asked.
"Do you need me to heal you?" Rika worried, grabbing her side. "Though, I'm not sure how much more I can pull off today."
"Boat," Omariro replied. "Search."
Zaria scratched her head. "On our own?"
Omariro nodded. "Haste. Rival group still problem."
They nodded.
"We're on it!"
Once they split up, Omariro closed his eyes. "Back. Sore."
Zaria took the cabins, searching bedroom after bedroom, but nothing turned up. She noticed a small teddy bear next to one of the pillows and picked it up.
"Huh," she thought. "I remember having one of these. Pretty sure it looked like a Kaitansha Hunter. Boy, I miss those days."
She heard a noise behind her and quickly dropped the bear, only to find Rika standing there with a plate of food in her hands.
"Uh, Zaria? What are you doing?"
"Me? Uh, nothing, what are YOU doing?"
"Starving. I didn't find anything in the dining room, but the kitchen is loaded with hella tasty food!"
"And you picked it up…why?"
"Healing recovery snacks," she explained. "Don't you remember? Healing too much drains my energy. And life."
Zaria rolled her eyes. "So I've heard. Well, since you're here, you can help me comb through these bedrooms—-"
Suddenly, the door behind them shut, catching them both off guard.
"What the hell?" Rika gasped. "Han, this isn't funny!"
Zaria tried the handle, but it didn't work. "Stuck? How the hell can it be stuck? This is a yacht!"
"Han!" Rika shouted, to no avail. "Okay, maybe he's not behind this. Then who is?"
Zaria attempted to summon her spear, but nothing happened. "My Jugen isn't doing jack! This boat's gotta be a cage or something!"
A holographic screen popped up in front of them, showing Yūto and his group, laughing hysterically.
"Look at you, ladies!" Yūto taunted. "Helpless and confused, just how I like 'em!"
"Of course," Zaria groaned. "Dumb move from a dumbass."
"Only dumbass here is you. This skill's called Cursed Manifestation Cage. Means I can turn whatever object I want into a Jugen-trapping prison."
"Thanks for the explanation," Rika replied. "Now get us out!"
"Nope. We're gonna collect all the remaining sigils and leave you idiots stuck forever! Peace, girls! And give my regards to the old man. He's probably already on the verge of death."
The hologram cut out, leaving Zaria fuming. "Wait till I catch him, I'll shove my spear right down his—-!"
[Hostiles Detected. Engaging Defense Mechanisms.]
The bed and walls peeled back to reveal an array of laser cannons, which locked onto the girls.
"Is now a good time to scream for help?" Rika wondered.
"Usually, no. But now? Yes!"
They both began calling for Han and Omariro as the lasers fired.
Meanwhile—-
Han was busy analyzing the bridge of the yacht, using his cube to scan the area.
"Nothing here…let me double check to be safe."
As soon as he took another step forward, he felt a pressure plate beneath him and he stopped in place.
"Crap."
A barrage of wires sprang out, binding him in place. "Who on earth boobytraps a yacht? Come on, dungeon!"
A hologram appeared, showing Yūto. "Not the dungeon, nerd. Guess who?"
"You," Han scoffed. "What is this, some ulterior plot?"
"Guess you could say that. We can't have you loser Kaitansha clearing this dungeon before us, so enjoy a nice ocean trip!"
"Wait, what—-?"
Suddenly, the boat began to drive off, leaving the beach in the distance. Yūto's hologram disappeared, but not before leaving a final message.
"Three down. One to go."
In the Lounge—-
Omariro opened one eye as the boat started moving.
"Hmm."
The yacht rocked side to side, causing Omariro to fall over. He stood, grabbing at his back.
"Show yourself."
Rio emerged from thin air, a bored look on his face. "How'd you see me? Dunno if you noticed, but I was kinda invisible."
Omariro glanced back at him. "You put party in danger. My party. Talk."
Rio dug in his ear. "Well, I was sent here to delay you guys. Yūto and Airi are going sigil collecting."
Omariro sized him up as he adjusted his jacket and cracked his neck. "So, can we hash this out civilly, or…?"
"My party. Free. Now."
"Sorry old-timer, no can do."
Omariro grunted and took a step forward, but Rio got in his way. "Can't let you leave either."
Omariro spun his staff and swung it at Rio's head with blazing speed, who barely managed to dodge.
"Hey! Warn a dude next time!"
Omariro watched as Rio's body began to glow with dark black energy.
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Camouflage!"
Rio's body began to disappear. "Now you see me…"
And then, he was gone. "Now you don't."
Omariro closed his eyes as the sound in the room got quiet. "Hmph!"
He raised his staff to block an attack. A thud could be heard.
"Ow! Dude, you got X-Ray vision?"
A chair soared toward his head, and he side-stepped it with ease. "Trickery. Show yourself!"
He swung his staff, but he was a second too late. "Haha! Seems you're getting slow at your age."
Omariro got into a low stance as Rio's laughter rang through the walls around him. "Can you feel your Jugen slipping? That's Yūto's work!"
"No friendly fire," Omariro noted.
"That's right. He controls who it affects. But something's off about you. This room's supposed to cancel all Jugen, yet you're still keeping up well."
"Talk too much."
"C'mon, what's the secret?"
Omariro's ear perked up, and he brought his staff down, feeling a hard CRUNCH.
"Ow! That's gonna leave a knot, you old bastard!"
Omariro twirled his staff and struck again, but he only found air. He quickly dodged a table that Rio threw at him.
The boat began to move faster.
〈Warning: Leaving Beach Zone will result in loss of all sigils and a *Penalty.*〉
"Heh, looks like my job is almost done."
Rio deactivated his camouflage. "You're better than I thought. Next time, I'll have to try harder."
Omariro watched as he walked backwards, before disappearing.
"Gone. Must find group."
He walked over to one of the locked doors and struck it with his staff, causing the door to collapse and reveal a stairwell. "Boy on bridge."
Without wasting a second, Omariro quickly leapt up the stairs and hurried to the bridge.
Bridge—-
Han struggled against his bindings, but to no avail. "Man, that Yūto guy is good! I could never manage such an elaborate trap like this!"
He tried to pull away, but he fell to the ground. "Shit. I need to warn Mr. Nyugawa and the girls! No time to trip over my feet!"
He attempted to summon his cube, but failed. "Right. No Jugen. Okay, like Mr. Nyugawa said. Focus, think, and outsmart this jackass."
Han felt the wires. "Steel alloy. Pretty thick. Means its breaking point is around 1.3 tons. But more importantly…"
Han looked up, noticing the wires anchored in the wooden walls. "It's attached to wood. And wood breaks easily."
Han began to walk backwards, stretching the wire. "Just needs a little force!"
Then he bolted forward, giving the wire a sharp tug and causing the wood to groan.
"A little more! Trackstar Han, coming through!"
Han backed up and ran again, causing the wood to splinter. "Almost!"
He stretched the wire as far as he could before breaking into a full-on sprint, jumping into the air, and causing the wood to snap.
"Got it!"
The wire began to unravel, and rope burns could be seen on Han's arms. "Man, that was highly unpleasant."
Once he gathered himself, he noticed Omariro watching him. "Mr. Nyugawa! How long have you been standing there?"
"You escaped. Good. Used head."
Han nervously chuckled. "Yep, thanks for the tip, sir!"
"Come. Hurry. Girls in danger. Time short."
"Lead the way, sir!"
Han quickly followed as Omariro bolted through the hallways, heading for the cabins.
Cabins—-
Zaria and Rika hid behind a dresser as lasers fired throughout the room.
"Mr. Nyugawa! Han! Somebody!" Rika shouted.
Zaria covered her face with her hands. "Crap, Mr. Nyugawa's gonna think we're so weak! Trapped in a bedroom by a wannabe biker group…he'll never take us seriously!"
"That's not true!" Rika insisted. "Otherwise, he'd have dumped us off the moment he had the chance!"
The lasers nearly took off Zaria's head. "Okay, okay. We beat the room, and we find Han and Mr. Nyugawa. Only issue, how the hell do we do that with no Jugen?"
Rika ducked under a blast. "You're a Tōshi, remember?"
"Yes, why are we stating the obvious?"
"No! Remember? Tōshi users don't only summon weapons! A part of their body has boosted strength and endurance! We just need to figure out what limb it is!"
"Oh!" Zaria realized. "You're right! I'd been so reliant on my spear I almost forgot!"
"Quick! Try your arms!"
Zaria tried to pick up the dresser with her right arm, but nothing happened. "Right one's a no-go!"
"The left?"
She tried punching it, but she quickly grabbed her hand. "Shit, that hurts! Nope! Aside from broken fingers, my left arm is screwed!"
"Your legs! Try your legs!"
"Which one?"
"Either!"
Zaria got up, lifting her right leg. "Okay…"
With a powerful kick, she sent the dresser flying, crashing into a laser and utterly decimating it. Both she and Rika stared, wide-eyed.
"Whoa…" they gawked.
Another laser fired at them, and Rika pointed to it. "Kick that one too!"
Zaria delivered a spinning kick to the laser, cleaving it from its mount. "Dude! I wish someone told me I could kick like this! I'd have solved so many issues!"
The final row of lasers began spraying at them, but Zaria kicked the wall, causing them all to crack and shatter.
"Wait until I show this to Mr. Nyugawa!" she bragged. "He's gonna be so impressed!"
"I bet he will! Now kick the door!"
Zaria drop-kicked the cabin door and ran into the hallway, where she found Mr. Nyugawa and Han, the latter with a stunned look on his face.
"What did I just watch?" he questioned.
"Girl used innate strength," Omariro noted. "Smart girl."
Zaria turned red. "Really? Thanks, sir!"
"But her Jugen was canceled? How the heck did she kick down a door!"
"Benefit of Tōshi," Omariro explained. "Physical attributes bonded to body, not Jugen."
"Lucky," Han grumbled.
While Rika exited the door, Zaria examined her leg. "I wonder if my left can do that too."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Han and Rika protested.
Zaria kicked one of the walls, causing the boat to shake and knocking the kids over.
"Noted. Definitely works."
〈Warning: Leaving Beach Zone. Reaching 400m from objective will reset all sigils. Distance: 350m.〉
"Time limited," Omariro stated. "We make haste!"
He took off down the hallway.
"You heard the man!" Han said. "Haste it is!"
〈Distance: 220m → 150m → 90m.〉
Beach—-
Airi walked around the boardwalk, checking shop after shop.
"Nothing here," she complained. "Let's just take the sigils we have and hit the next floor."
Yūto paused. "You're not one to complain. What's going on, Airi?"
She sighed. "It's only a matter of time before he gets here. If we fail this, we go back to the boss with an L hanging over our heads. And she's not lenient when it comes to that."
"So we don't fail. Look, we've already collected 7 sigils!"
"The plan was to collect 5, and then dip outta here."
"Well, we improvised!"
"Gosh, you're such a handful."
"Fine, fine, we'll leave."
Rio suddenly showed up. "Stalled 'em. Don't know how long though."
He rubbed his forehead. "That old man's a monster."
"You let him kick your ass?" Yūto exclaimed.
"Dude, he's not a normal Kaitansha. I'm with Airi. Let's hightail it before he gets off that ship."
Yūto threw up his hands. "Fine. To the seal we go."
They descended to the beach, where a large sandcastle was stationed, with five sigil-sized holes located in its center. Airi carefully placed them one by one.
"If we're lucky, we can make it a few floors before they catch up," Airi remarked. "Or maybe, they'll just quit."
"They'd better. My badass plan to trap them on this floor for all eternity is ruined!"
"Get over it," Airi scoffed.
She placed the final sigil inside the castle and it began to separate.
〈All *5* sigils placed. Level 1,001 Clearance Enabled.〉
"Move it or lose it," Airi said, dismissively flicking her hair.
The two guys followed her down the stairs, but a voice cut through, freezing them in place.
"Where do you think YOU'RE going?"
They turned around, only to find themselves at spear point by Zaria, with the rest of the party behind her.
"You escaped? How?" Yūto demanded.
"Don't worry about it. You three just pissed me off, big time," Zaria growled.
Rika folded her arms. "Jerks."
Yūto backed up. "Come on, guys! This is just a misunderstanding! All in good fun, right?"
Zaria walked forward, forcing the three to back up. "Oh, I'm going to have fun, alright."
Rio whispered to his colleagues. "We're cornered. What now?"
Yūto broke into a fit of laughter. "Didn't want to have to do this, but you've forced my hand."
He quickly turned to Airi. "Airi! Now!"
She dug in her pocket and pulled out a strange-looking sigil.
〈Sigil Ability: Displacement. Randomly displaces all immediate entities into a random floor.〉
"No, don't!" Han shouted.
Airi pressed the sigil, and a portal opened below everyone's feet, sending them spiraling through.
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 3,000.〉
Omariro awoke, an unconscious Han next to him.
"Girls," Han murmured.
The room lit up, and once it did, Omariro saw.
〈Rule: Complete the *Play.*〉
He and Han were on a theater stage, in front of a roaring crowd.
——