It was our sixty-second day in the maze, and now we were in the Dragon Well. There were only about thirty minutes left to reach the portal that connected to the eighth floor.
[The ring has detected your destiny].
The traffic light ring lit up.
«Sir, it's in red!»
So only negative things await us, huh? I thought there might be something green in the mix. Gosh, how exhausting.
«...What do we do? Shouldn't we change direction now?» erwen murmured anxiously. Until then, every time the red light came on or Sven Parav's Sixth Sense was activated, we immediately changed direction to avoid whatever was in front of us.
«Erwen, changing our destiny now won't make any difference».
«That's right... true...»
The fact was that our surroundings were basically a minefield of red-hot flames. Even if we tried to flee elsewhere, the fire would slowly approach and suffocate us. There was only one way to escape completely: risk everything to break through the flames before it was too late.
Just then, Duende approached me with a embarrassed face.
"Parav, ¿qué pasa?"
«Um... I feel a little safer by your side...»
Just a little? That hurt my feelings, but I let it go as I had been the most helpful member of the unit so far. «So how do you feel now?»
«Choking. As if I entered a burning forest and couldn't breathe».
«Really? But if you haven't said anything. You always suggest we run away when you feel that way».
«Well... It's true that I have an ominous feeling, but I can't get the idea out of my head that we are on the right path».
That's how it was. «Soon we will reach the portal. Everyone, speed up!» I started the final sprint.
«¡The portal!»
A while later, a glowing portal appeared in the distance, scattering multicolored light.
«...Enemies!»
I could see enemies in the light of the portal. A unit of about forty people was also heading towards him with the intention of securing him.
«They're those real bastards!»
«They really came this way!»
The moment we saw the enemy, he screamed that they had also seen us.
Man, how did they know about this place?
Just as I was asking myself this question, I saw a familiar face in the crowd.
«You...!» Regal Vagos, the Dragon Hunter. «Yes, I knew you were coming this way!»
Yeah, I guess you know me a little, just like I know you. How unfortunate-
«Your attempt to flee like a rat ends here!»
You say it-you just arrived too. Anyone listening to me would think you've already completely blocked our way or something. Thank goodness we quickened our pace.
I patted myself on the back for the decision I had made twenty minutes ago. If I had hesitated for even a moment when the ring turned red, those guys would have already stood in front of us. It would have cost us enormous sacrifices to cross the portal.
«Why are you hesitating? Run!»
It wasn't just a final sprint: I pumped my legs with all my might. The structure of this meeting was simple. Our unit was heading east, towards the portal. The Dragon Slayer and his friends (the Group of Dragon Hunters, for short) were running north towards the portal.
«¡Correeeee!»
Whoever arrived first would have a great advantage. Maybe they knew it too, because the Group of Dragon Hunters ran towards him in desperation.
Well, we are faster.
From now on, we were closer to the portal.
«Damn, what are they doing?! Attack!»
In an attempt to trip us up, the Dragon Hunter Group began bombarding us with long-range artillery fire. That was something they could afford because they had the numbers on their side. Leaving behind the long-range rangers who needed to launch in place to keep us at bay, the melee fighters who were experts in hand-to-hand combat tried to secure the portal.
¡Whiiish! ¡Baaang! Du-du-du-du-du.
Man, it feels like we're on a real battlefield.
An untold number of arrows and special abilities fell from the sky like rain.
«What are they doing?! Move faster! If you stay behind, it's over!»
«My legs...!»
«God, are you serious?! Damn, come up!»
«But...»
«¡Deprisa!»
He could withstand ranged damage like that, but the same couldn't be said for the other members of our squad.
"Father!
One of them was wounded by a stray arrow.
«Hold on! I will heal you soon». Another threw the wounded man on his back and continued running.
Damn, at this rate, a lot of people are going to die here...
As my jaw instinctively tensed at the thought, the shadow of a giant woman materialized over our group of runners.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned Dicloe, the Elemental Ruler of Darkness].
This was the powerful invocation that had earned Erwen the nickname Blood Spirit: the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, Dicloe. He began shooting huge balls of pure darkness at the enemy.
¡Boom, tree, tree!
It was the kind of overwhelming firepower that not even an explosive fighter like Akurava could replicate, but the time it could hold was proportionally short. Erwen could only use it at full power for about five seconds. But five seconds were enough.
«¡Run!»
«For our part we are fine, come in first!»
The moment the Dragon Hunter Group stopped to block the counterattack, our group rushed towards the portal starting with those in the lead.
¡Kwa claim!
Dicloe finished throwing the last of her dark spheres and Erwen stumbled as her summoning dissipated. «Oh Lord, you are here...»
«I wouldn't leave you behind».
«...That's right. Because that's the kind of person you are».
«Good job.»
Apart from the two of us, the entire team had already gone up to the eighth floor. I grabbed Erwen, who was exhausted, and hurried towards the portal.
A moment later, I heard the voice of a man right behind me. «Do you think I'll let you go?».
He is undoubtedly fast, probably because he is a character of great agility. When did you get here? Well, it's still too late.
Run.
I threw my body forward, and the light from the portal enveloped me in a warm embrace.
[You have entered the Land of Dawn, on the eighth floor].
I fell to the ground and rolled, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the rest of the unit waiting for me in front of the portal.
«It's the captain». They lowered their weapons when they saw it was me, but only for a moment.
«The portal shines again!»
As soon as I stood up, the relieved members of our unit readjusted the grips of their weapons. That was because our entire squad had already entered. It was obvious who was entering through the portal now.
I didn't think he would follow us here.
Was he fearless, or just crazy? In any case, we had nothing to worry about. After all, there was a reason we were so desperate to get here first.
«Prepare for battle!»
«Kill everyone who passes by!»
«E-they're here.»
«¡Matémoslos!»
Camping at the door makes you invincible.
***
He was standing in front of the portal. No, to be more precise, he stood guard in front of him with a hammer in one hand and a shield in the other. My squad was ready to activate their abilities and wield their weapons at any moment.
«...It's too quiet. It makes me anxious», Kaislan said.
More than an hour had passed since we occupied the entrance to the portal. Until now, the portal had only spit out enemies once: when the Dragon Slayer and his subordinates entered just after I reached the eighth floor.
I wish we had managed to kill him then.
Although we killed eight of his team members, the Dragon Slayer slipped out of our hands. After his ass was kicked in the driveway, he ran back to the seventh floor, abandoning his subordinates. Since then, we were at a stalemate. It was like the calm before the storm.
They would probably try to storm the portal when they gathered enough troops.
Once they did, we wouldn't be able to maintain this place. But it wasn't like we were planning to block this entrance for the rest of our lives. What I was really looking for was time to regroup.
«Schuitz, all the wounded have recovered.»
«Food and supplies?»
«We have gathered everything we have and everything we need and loaded it onto the sleigh.»
Simply put, that meant we could enter Ice Rock right now if we wanted, but I decided to tempt our luck a little more.
«We will continue to monitor this place. Everyone should take turns resting».
«...Okay.» Kaislan let the squad members who were in poor condition rest first.
Akurava noticed this and approached me. «Shouldn't we get going? Staying here is too dangerous». Things had been quiet until now, but Akurava didn't seem calm. He kept looking over his shoulder in a way that showed his nervousness, and it was obvious what was worrying him. «...Schuitz, I'm sure you already know this, but we don't know when they'll be back».
Some of Noark's elites were currently in the Eighth Floor Rift. If those guys cleared the Rift and came out while we were here, we'd be surrounded on both sides.
Still, luck has been on our side so far.
What worried me most was the risk that these elites would already be outside the Rift when we entered the eighth floor. Although it was as likely as lightning striking us, we couldn't rule it out completely.
The problem is that we have no way of knowing when they will return...
This was very similar to being in a minefield. If we weren't lucky, those guys could get out of the Rift right now, and it would be game over for us.
«We have been marching for days without sleep. If we enter the Ice Rock like this, they will kill us before we get that far».
We had no choice. Knowing this, Akurava also accepted my decision and left.
¡Shaaaaaa!
About twelve hours later, the portal flashed and spat out a single Noark adventurer. The adventurer, who was not even properly equipped, died instantly at the hands of the troops guarding the entrance.
«Only one...?»
«…¿Was he an explorer?»
It was a truly Noark way of gathering information. If the person they sent as a sacrifice died, that meant we kept blocking the entrance. If not, they would return alive and inform the rest of the troops that the coast was clear.
But not even Noark will continue to send scouts indefinitely.
I deliberated for a moment before making a decision. If another explorer came, it would be at least an hour to three hours later. Besides, we had already rested enough.
«Everyone pick up your things and get dressed!» We had thirteen days until the closing of the labyrinth. «We're going to the Ice Rock!»
It was time to delve into the last chapter of this game.
***
The Earth of Dawn on the eighth floor was a quiet place with green meadows and mountains, but the situation there was far from peaceful. This was due to the thick smell of blood given off by the adventurers who filled the area.
«Say it one more time. Kayle Elbad Zenegger, what did you just tell me?»
«Surrender. Lazy, we've already lost them».
«What?!» The Dragon Slayer lunged forward to grab him by the neck, but the man refused to be intimidated.
«Following them won't change anything. Entering the Ice Rock without any preparation is suicide».
«What are you talking about?! We have several times as many troops as them, are you saying we can't do what they did?».
«You only say that because you don't know what Ice Rock is like. More troops will only delay us there. And in case you're about to ask if we can just take the elites, that would be dangerous too. The only reason they have been fleeing until now was because they were surrounded on all sides by the enemy.»
«If we follow them... we will end up being defeated instead. Is that what you're trying to say?»
«Yeah. They are... That particular leader is a monster», the man responded firmly despite the Dragon Slayer's angry tone. He was immediately rewarded for his conviction with strong pressure around his windpipe.
¡Ahnote...!
«Piece of garbage». The Dragon Slayer's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
But it seemed like the man had never expected the Dragon Slayer to actually try to kill him, no matter how reckless he tended to be. «If the commander finds out about this...», snapped the strangled man.
«Commander, that damn commander».
¡Ahórate!
«Who do you think the commander will choose between the two of us, you or me? Do you think he will kill me just because I killed you?».
«N-No...» Soon, the blood flow to his head was completely cut off and the strangled man ran out of strength. A few more seconds and he would definitely be dead.
Spit.
Instead, the Dragon Slayer threw him to the ground and spat at him. He was enraged that his advisor continued to contradict him, but he couldn't kill him. Even though he talked too much, he was helpful. That's why the commander also held him in high esteem.
«Maldite sea».
The Dragon Hunter clenched his fists. No matter how much he vented it, his anger remained. All the other subordinates lowered their eyes to avoid his heated gaze, but their minds were cold.
... Make no mistake.
If they couldn't get through the Ice Rock with numbers alone, it would be too dangerous for them to get in like that. It wouldn't have been a problem if everyone on his team was at his level, but even the calls «elites» were still rubbish for him. The only decent one here was the guy who just passed out. If he tried too hard and ended up having to use his Dragon Speech, his barely recovered body would be forced to rest again for several months.
That commander would complain too.
For many reasons, entering would undoubtedly be a loss.
So I have to let that damn son of a bitch go like this?
He didn't like that option either. It wasn't simply because it was a personal matter: it was a feeling born of experience. Looking back, he had felt the same in the Labyrinth of Larcaz.
«Do you want to know why you always lose money? You just bet and raise what you need in each round. Even in times when you need a big win».
Vagos had made gradual one-on-one sacrifices to avoid losses only to eventually end up in that position. His body had been destroyed. He even lost his memory and had to spend more than a year living as a semi-invalid. Let go of the culprit of everything? The more time he spent turning it over in his head, the more his heart bowed to not let it happen. This was no longer a simple matter of revenge.
He had become much stronger since the last time.
What would it be like the next time they met? It was clear that the palace would grant him a great reward once he returned from destroying the Eye of Heaven. If that man became even stronger, would he be able to defeat him? Vagos decided.
I have to do it now.
I couldn't waste any more time. No matter how many losses she suffered, she had to end her disastrous relationship with that man as soon as possible. It was the wisest decision.
Aprieta.
The moment it was decided, heaven seemed to validate his conviction.
¡Shaaaaaa!
A strong, warm wind blew around them and a halo of light materialized in the empty air. This could only mean one thing.
«The Rift! The Rift is opening!»
Noark's elite unit was being secretly trained. Apparently, they did not accept essences of rank less than four. There was even a rumor around Noark that the power dynamic in Orcules would also change when they started operating.
Lucky bastards who were born at the right time.
That was the opinion the Dragon Slayer had of them. While others had to fight their way from the first floor through all those hardships, these guys received abundant support only because they had some potential and empty slots for essences.
Well, still, this works in my favor.
Despite her butt pain, the Dragon Slayer moved on with a smile. Soon, the portal opened and the assault group appeared. They seemed exhausted by an arduous battle.
«Are you... Regal Vagos? What are you doing here?»
The dragon slayer smiled at the group's question. «The Eye of Heaven has been destroyed».
«...What? The Eye of Heaven?»
«And the people who destroyed it escaped to Ice Rock».
«But why...?»
«The commander has ordered me to guide you to hunt them down».