Fourteen days. We have wasted two whole weeks of our lives in this wannabe funhouse. Selena had hoped she would have been able to cut the time spent in this stone hell by at least a few days. Everyday was a new challenge and yet every day was more of the same. Frankly, Miledi must have run out of ideas by the ninth day. The metal boulders after the stone boulders were bad enough. The Ice boulders were just excessive, let alone the glass boulders.
More text sprawls across the walls, more of Miledi's half ass attempts at taunts. We were just about numb to it all now. It's always something childish at best and cringe inducingly pre-juvenile at worst. Nothing riled us up anymore. Not that she cared. No matter what she acted like every single line was the sickest burn ever written. Even if we didn't read it.
Descending the giant staircase for the twentieth time, yet another giant boulder was headed our way, this one being made of crystal. Oh so terrifying. Hajime blew up the stairs behind us, causing it to fall long before it was an actual threat. Miledi's material is beyond stale at this point. Not worth even the slightest bit of excitement when circumvented.
Reaching the end of this tired gauntlet, we finally make it to the last door. Beyond these stone walls is the entrance to Miledi's room and their way out of this stupid, stupid dungeon.
"Okay Selena Ready?" Hajime looked at me.
"Yea I got this, just be ready."
Soon enough I led the charge entering the room while weaving hand signs. As I stepped foot into the room, all of the golem soldiers proceeded to swarm me. As I got to the middle of the room, I finished the signs and an aura of cold surrounded me as frost started to form around me. Unlike the last time I did something like this, this time it didn't feel as cold, nor did I start to freeze from it. The soldiers closest to me were overtaken by the frost, freezing them while the ones further back started to slow down more and more. Eventually most of the golems slipped and fell onto the floor as they scrambled to get back onto their feet. As they were just about to get there barring stone flow at their leg and face and they began to crash into each other creating more problems.
That good just stay there while we get the door open Hajime pass by wearing a coat meant for colder temperatures.
"Ooh god it's freezing" Shea cried as she was swinging Drucken at the few stone knights that were far enough to get frozen over and or get stuck in slip and sliding around.
"Mmm," Yue seemed to agree with Shea and was blasting her water gun to push the knights away from them.
I made ice gauntlets and started smacking the knights that were near to myself to make sure to keep away from each other since we did not want a repeat of last time.
Bang bang was all I could hear as the far away knights seemed to try to gather. I had my hand full since the knights started levitating for the first time since we've gotten here. Clearly Miledi was done with our ice trick. Not too far from my location, the knights were coming together to try to form a big ass hand Hajime told me about.
Unlike the last few bangs I hear crash as Hajime was to make sure it didn't form at all cost. He pulled out an anti material rifle unloading onto formation destroying current progress.
Just as I was about to get jumped from behind since I was blocking incoming attacks coming from the knight in front of me.
I Heard Shea " why don't you pick on someone your own size." and the knight launches their spear right at Shea. "EEEP I didn't mean me." Luckily Hajime shot them down with donner as he kept shooting as soon as the sniper was ready to destroy the amalgamation coming to life once again.
"Any time now Yue" Hajime saw that the longer this took the more likely they would be swarmed.
"It's a puzzle… I need a bit more time."
"We'll buy that time." Hajime pulled out a rocket launcher and began unloading onto nearby knights to blow them away.
"Selena make your way towards us!!!" Hajime seemed to move on to the next plan they had. A bunch of boulders appear out of the storage ring. "Shea let it rip!!!"
"Got it!!!" Shea hit a boulder, took out more than a few knights at time and pushed them to a far wall from the party.
I was in the middle of reeling back the aura of cold into myself since I didn't want to cancel the ninjutsu since it would require a lot more energy to start up again than just letting the aura stay active.
"Brrr it cold." Shea wind feeling the cold come off me.
"Sorry Shea, please bear with it."
"It's okay I'm so mad right now that my anger keeps my blood boiling hot!!!" Shea hit the next boulder at the knight as Hajime seemed to be out of big boulders.
"Got it!" Yue said as the door right behind us started to open we jumped in and left the mess behind.
The moment that we entered this room, we felt a feeling of weightlessness as we floated down onto a stone cube. The moment that we landed, the cube started to fly over towards a large platform that was above us. All around us were multiple cubes that were moving around this empty space connecting to, or breaking away from the platform we were approaching. All of a sudden, I felt a lurching feeling as I was yanked towards the platform. The feeling of whiplash lasted until I landed on the platform, by then I was just barely able to get my bearings before I looked at what was waiting for me here. For a moment I was stunned. I thought that I would be seeing a weird clunky thing of a knight with a smiley face painted on it, but what I got instead was a giant twenty meter tall knight that could be comparable to a demon lord in looks. Like it looked ready for battle and that swing coming at me meant business. There were no thoughts in my mind outside of 'I need to stop this fist' as I instinctively used diamond skin as I threw a right punch to clash. The power I felt was no joke as I was sent flying from it. I was saved from falling off the arena by using my katana to slow myself. I glared back at the golem.
As I was sent flying from the impact I lost my breath as my concentration on the aura dropped for a moment causing it to expand and start to freeze me, and further draining my chakra.
Looking at the golem, I noticed that the left arm was starting to freeze over and hoped that this would help me survive.
"Haha this was the first time I had active magic and chakra skill at such a high level." I began to suck the mana from the ear rings divinity stone that Hajime made for me, replenishing my waning reserves. Thankfully this will keep the headache from low mana at bay.
"I don't even know you!" I retorted back. I already cast an ice fist on myself.
With quick movements that belie the size of the golem, it closed in on me with the right hand ready to punch at me glowing a bright red with the air around it heating up. Knowing that this would be a losing trade, I used quick step to dodge the attack. Appearing behind the golem, I used all of my buffs to boost my stats as I threw my punch with the intention of making it lose its balance and fall over.
*BONG*
My right fist lost the ice as it shattered on impact, and the golem barely moved from that hit, most likely from how heavy it is.
I was almost taken by surprise by the retaliating elbow strike if it wasn't for my sharingan showing me the incoming strike. Even with my Sharingan, I was just barely able to counter with my remaining left ice fist. The clash launched me in the direction of Hajime and the other girls, but before I could reach them, I felt the pulling sensation going back towards the golem.
"Tch could you just take us all on already!! This isn't even a trial!"
It had its right arm lifted above its head. It looked like it was about to hammer strike down on me. I didn't have enough time to cast any Jutsu so I pulled out Abraxos and emptied the rounds to slow the hand. The hand stalled for a moment, but kept on course until a piercing light hit it, dampening the force of the blow even further although I still hit the ground with considerable force and was aching all over.
I was sweating buckets at this point because I had no method of attack to break through the armor and clearly Miledi wasn't gonna give me the opportunity to regroup.
Miledi noticed that her golems were being pushed back and they were about to regroup anyways without her consent.
The golem pointed both the arms at Hajime's party and two giant circles formed. The first one seems to be pulling them back at the starting point and the second one causes a bunch of the floating cubes to start falling from the sky, just like in the original canon.
My Winter's Embrace jutsu was pretty much out of steam since I lost too much focus and all that was left was the ambient ice particles and whatever it was on the Miledi golem. With her attention focused on Hajime and the girls, I had to use a move that I haven't practiced yet, but I had no choice if I wanted to even fight this monster.
Without her notice, all the ice particles in the air started gathering around me as a focal point, and I started being lifted up into the air. The ice started to surround me as a sphere, but it spread out from the center and branched upwards and downwards. Further down the body was stick-like but the feet were just stuck on the floor, although they do seem like a part of it could break-off. The arms were noodle-like but got comically large around the hands with four claws on them. The head that formed was a weird spiked skull that looked like an angry old man.
Miledi noticed me at this point and was more intrigued than anything else since I haven't done anything like this throughout the whole time we spent the labyrinth.
"Who even did this to you? Honestly, the animosity can't be from just me" I ask exasperated. I had to convert all the available mana into chakra to make this ice golem. For the first time, it's appearance was like a misshapen stick figure if anyone were to look at it.
"You know, if you actually treat us like a trail it might've actually appeared much more differently than this."
"Man, what has growing old made you a bitter old little lady?" I wasn't going to stand there and take it, I was gonna give as good as I was taking.
In response to moving forward, ready to destroy me. Honestly, the formation of this ninjutsu used up almost all my reserves that were left between magic and chakra. My eyes were already blurring out. I knew that Hajime was going to make his way to help me, but I just had a hold off until that time came.
Our clash lasted very briefly. Both of our right hands met each other, unfortunately my hap-hazard creation of this ice golem proved to be its downfall and it immediately broke off, and her clash ended with her victory and she moved a couple steps toward the center while I moved towards the edge.
It was impressive that it lasted after that clash.
In the background, I could no longer hear falling debris anymore, so I knew Hajime wasn't too far away.
At this point in the fight I knew it would last much longer given I blew everything to make this thing and wasted so much energy from this thing. I just want to make an opening for Hajime and the gang.
I ran at the golem keeping my only arm close to my chest. Miledi punched out expecting another clash but I used my arm to protect my chest. The arm broke after that punch.
I dived with the remaining part of my shitty ice golem and got between the Miledi golem's legs and used my legs to try to crawl under it, to throw the golem on its back. Though it didn't work out like I had hoped, maybe if I had an arm, I would have had more power to push through.
"Ha..ha.. ya well I'm not alone in this fight." At that moment from behind the golem. *Bang!! Gong!* Two different impacts hit her and she began to topple down on top of me. The last thing that I saw was the Miledi golem as it fell on me.
POV Hajime
"God damn it!!" One moment we were all together and next I see Selena trying to 1v1 a giant golem and failing. I honestly couldn't blame her. Just as we were about to make our way to her, those iced over knights we left behind started to fly over to try and push us away. I started blasting them and destroying legs and arms, not caring since I knew Selena needed help.
"Get out of the way!!" Shea was slowly pushing forward and Yue was blowing limbs with her water guns. I kept the knight that seems to have the ability to fly now off of us from overhead.
I pull out a rocket launcher and try to aim for the giant golem fighting Selena, but as soon as I fire, out of nowhere a wall of knights comes up and body blocks it.
"Move!!! Raahh!" Hajime saw the huge golem ready to slam Selena like a bug. He did the only thing that he could and pulled out Schlagen and charged it up as much as it would allow in a short time. At that moment the wall was about to reform. Shea came in clutch and she jumped at the wall spinning Drucken at it and broke a hole before they swarmed her and punched her back to the party. The shot went through cleanly and hit the golem's hand, slowing down its momentum. Unfortunately Hajime could no longer focus on that fight since they were about to be overrun as well.
"You guys are just pests." He pulled out Metzelei unloading at the nearby enemy. Yue grabs Shea and pulls her down. Hajime starts to spin and quickly destroys all surrounding knights. He put away and pulled out Donner and Schlag, running forward to see that Selena was batter and was looking at the knight cast two huge spells and Hajime looked into the circle and the typical spell weakness was there but there was so many. For the first time he could see that the liberators weren't joking with them anymore.
"Woo Hajime-San, that gun was cool." Shea looked around their battlefield and how the knight we reform a bit slowly given wasn't just one or two but many knights need to be reconstructed.
The next moment he felt a pull force and he sent back to the start once again. But he felt a huge amount of mana overhead and saw something.
"God fuckin damn it!!!" He grabbed Yue and put on her neck and held Shea like a sack of potatoes. He activated Rift walk and limit break. As the huge blocks were coming at him he used the extra time to make my minimum movements. He dodge what he needs to and pull out Orkan to blow up cubes that were impossible to dodge.
"Aaaahh" Shea curled up into a ball scared. Yue in the meantime just hung on like it was just another day. After a while they made a cube that didn't seem to fall. And he looked down and saw something strange: an ice golem that was missing an arm and Miledi was toy with it.
"Shea." His voice was calm.
"Yes" Shea was surprised since up to his point he was loud but he seemed to hit all time high and it was low.
Hajime grabs Shea by the back of her neck and 'lightly' tosses her into the air, before smacking her in the ass launching her at the giant golem.
"Owwie!! Why am I always being thrown!!!" Despite her complaints, Shea brought up her warhammer and swung it towards the back of the golem knight that was in the middle of destroying the leg of ice golem. Shea heard a ringing as Drucken slammed into the golem, making it lose its center of balance.
Hajime landed on top of the golem, his storage ring glowing as he readied the weapon that he wanted to bring out.
"Had a fun 1v1." He asks as he pulls out a new weapon, pile bunker, and it shoots out four wires to stabilize itself onto the surface of the knight.
"Now die…" Hajime had been charging his overload mana into the pile bunker.
Boom was heard at the stake peirce the armor of the golem but didn't make it to the core.
"Shut up scum, I won't let anyone die on my watch. Yue!"
"Got it" all of the ice transformed into water and poured into the broken part of the armor.
"Ice coffins"
the light in the golem dim and it stops moving. Not caring for the win Hajime jumped down and looked down at Selena who was Sleeping off the effect of the limit break she was feeling. If it wasn't for the extra divine charge stone he carried on hand he would be just like her too but he wanted to wrap up this dungeon first.
"Aww she looks peaceful." Shea jumps toward Hajime, knowing that he wants to check on Selena's condition.
"She looks peaceful…" Yue said in a dark tone.
Hajime walked up to Selena, getting ready to wake her up. Just as he grabs her shoulder, he shook his head.
"She deserves the rest. We would've had a much harder time if it wasn't for her and Shea's strength." He then, with Yue's help, got Selena on his back with her arms draping over his shoulders.
The party made its way towards the edge of the platform near where the head of golem was, looking to see if there was a path to wherever the magic would be given. But that moment they heard a voice.
"What the hell would you know?" Hajime retorts without thinking, letting his emotion run a bit wild.
"Well yea, it's in her job class."
"Yes?" Hajime cautiously responded. Although he had inkling for a while now, but he trusted Selena. They've been in too many life and death battles, not to mention the fact they've been friends for years before all this happened.
"Look here, she was with us way before I came to his shit stain of a world." His tone changed when he was talking about Selena. "She has been with me since a few years ago and yea she is not the best at lying, but nothing she has done has ever been to harm me. She even held back more often than not.." he whispered the last part. Though it was only heard by Yue since she was so close.
Shea's eyes soften as she looks at Hajime, only now realizing how important Selena was despite not trying to get with Hajime.
"What did you do?" Hajime asks, ignoring her rambling.
"Will you help us get home?"
"Yea." Hajime said in a no nonsense tone.
"No, we heard about them from Oscar's diary."
"Hey, will your magic help?"
"Damn." Hajime seemed to be thinking about other places he will still have to check. Just before he could sink into his own thoughts, Miledi spoke up, catching his attention.
"Where are the others?" Now he was interested in this annoying side-quest he found himself on.
What played out was Miledi talking about where the other labyrinths are located.
"Good" Hajime curtly said, still not in the mood to be nice.
"Well then, I will kill them if they get in our way, but I'm not planning on going out of my way and doing that." Hajime didn't want to even think about this topic.
Hearing those words, Shea was shivering since this place nearly killed her over and over again.
"It doesn't matter," Yue said.
"Together we are the strongest." She puffed out her chest.
Miledi pause let those words sink in. It seemed as though she was thinking about something else.
"Hey, can we move on now?" Hajime seems to have reached his limit.
"You did good work." Yue said as she grabbed Hajime's arm.
"Thanks.." Hajime's reply was quite subdued, different from either the crazed killer or even the trolly nature he would show off the entire trip.
At that moment a spare cube floated towards the group to get on, before floating towards another set of doors.
"Yea, no. I still don't like her" Hajime said giving a quick glance at the golem.
"I know right? She was nothing but trouble." Shea agreed.
A platform was coming into view of the party and this seemed to be the way to where they received the magic of this place.
When they got to the room the most horrifying thing possible happened.
"Hey guys~, bet you loved my dying act. It is my best work yet, if I do say so myself."
Shea and Yue aura turn pitch black. "Miledi …."
Both girls slowly walk towards the little golem in yellow robes.
"Hey, hey. Wait, please, truce!!" The little Miledi golem made heart shape with her hands.
Booms, bams and screams were heard for a while before the party stepped on the magic circle and got their new magic. Although Miledi did try not to give it to Selena who was asleep this whole time.
Hajime pointed his gun at Miledi in warning. In response, the magic quickly activated again for Selena giving her the magic also.
"By the way, Miledi." Hajime slowly turns towards the golem. "Where is our prize for clearing the labyrinth? I want to be loaded with materials when I leave."
"Well, let me see…" Miledi tosses a ring at Hajime before dropping a few handfuls of ores from her Treasure Trove. "There, that is all I am going to give you. I need the rest to repair and maintain this place."
"Yue," Hajime says with greed in his eyes.
"Ok Hajime," was all Yue said before walking towards the Miledi golem.
"Hey wait, what are you doing?" Yue picked up golem and started shaking it and out of nowhere stone ruby and all sorts of magic material fell out. "That's more like it." Hajime handed his storage ring to Yue and she stored everything for him to check.
"You guys are just bandits!!!"
"Yea well Oscar told us to be like this with you."
"No, why O-chan!!! How could you do this to me?" She fell onto her knees.
"Now you're lucky that I'm letting you live at all. Now how do we get out of here."
"Oh don't worry, I'll show you the way out" the golem hopped on to her feet with a glint in her eyes as a rope came from the ceiling. With a pull, both the rope and Miledi were pulled up and an ungodly amount of water started to rush into the room. "I just can't believe that the first people to clear my labyrinth are a bunch of crazy people. Welp, good bye!!! We can call it even here."