Alexei is sure of his team’s victory.
They’re ahead of Charlotte’s party by a whole level, with only two floors left to where the treasure awaits. And the final room of this level is not far. The stairway leading to the next floor is in the same room.
A giant monster─the floor boss─awaits them, but it shouldn’t hold them back for long. Better yet, we’ll slip past the monster and have it block the way for Charlotte’s team, Alexei thinks.
If Team Numbers picks up the pace by just a little, they can nab the goods and get out without running into anyone.
Even if Charlotte’s team hounds them at top speed, Alexei is sure his team can evade her party.
Ka-boom!
Suddenly, an ear-splitting crash rumbles through the labyrinth.
“Wh-What was that? It sounded like an explosion up ahead…” Number 12 mutters nervously.
“We’d better hurry.” A chilling wave of anxiety washes over Alexei as he speeds up.
They arrive at the biggest chamber─the same room where the stairs are─and hear a voice.
“All we have to do is defeat them in a face-off. After that, we can take our time with the treasure hunting!”
Before their very eyes, Charlotte is floating in the air in her frilly pink costume. She points her magic wand at Numbers.
How could this be…? Alexei gnashes his teeth.
There was no way for their rivals to catch up, let alone get ahead.
But the answer is in plain sight.
Littered all over the floor are piles of rubble. There’s a gaping hole in the ceiling above the debris. It was evident that the ceiling came crashing down, and even buried the floor boss.
They busted through the level from above?! That’s beyond ludicrous!
The Olympius Ruins is protected by a magical force. Breaking the floors, ceilings, and walls of the structure is all but impossible. Even an extremely powerful mage armed with one of the seven sublime weapons would struggle to achieve such a feat.
In fact, the floors (or ceiling, in this case) are at least forty feet apart. To break through them is practically impossible.
The ceilings in the great chamber are much higher than those in the narrow corridors. Which means the layers are thinner─relatively speaking, that is.
It must’ve been that she-demon…
A white mound of fabric lies limply on the floor. The woman underneath it is drained of all her power. But even if she’d used all of her mana on her greatest spell, could she really have wreaked such damage?
Oh, what’s that…?
Alexei notices Irisphilia holding an unusual weapon. She’s hauling a quiver full of strange metal spears on her back. Strapped on her arm is the most extraordinary magic device.
I hear they discovered a sublime weapon in the labyrinth… Could that be it?
Rumor has it that Irisphilia had sealed a covenant with the found weapon. But Alexei doesn’t recall seeing her carrying it earlier.
No time to waste thinking about such matters.
It doesn’t change the fact that it’s here now.
Alexei regains his cool. “That was certainly ruthless of you. But do you really think you can beat us now that you’ve lost your strongest fighter?”
There are ten members in Team Numbers, minus Number 7 (Charlotte), and Number 9 (Zara). Each of them are the very crème de la crème of the elite academy.
By contrast, Charlotte’s team has only four remaining members now that Flay’s down.
The she-wolf alone is powerful enough to contend with the entire Numbers party excluding Alexei, but she’s in no state to fight. And Irisphilia may look well, but she’s most certainly depleted at this point.
“Hmph!” the sheet-ghost huffs on the floor. “So what if my mana is drained at the moment? I’ll show you how quickly I can recover. Give me five minutes…er, ten minutes? Just to be on the safe side, let’s say twenty minutes… Why not thirty? By then, I should’ve regained enough mana to completely annihilate the lot of you!”
“Flay…er, I mean, Fletch Zenpos the exchange student, please take it easy for now,” Char quells.
“Nghh… I trust you’ve got this!”
“Yes! Your sacrifice will not be in vain!”
“Hey, I’m not dead!”
Their senseless banter seems to be hitting someone’s nerve. “Quit running your stupid mouths!” Number 4, the big burly one, charges into Charlotte’s party.
“Hah!”
Irisphilia attacks him from the side. The weapon she was just holding─presumably what busted the ceiling─is nowhere in sight.
“Hrf?!” Number 4 blocks her forceful kick with one arm. “Oh-hoh! Not bad. But did you really think you were any match for me?─hrk?! What? Why you─yikes!”
The white-haired warrior batters with a rush of attacks, overwhelming the beefcake.
Charlotte spectates with a look of satisfaction.
Amazing, Miss Iris. She’s using her speed to dominate him. Pairing her up with Number 4 was the right call!
Still, victory hardly seems imminent. Without the team’s close combat ace, the fact remains that they’re woefully outnumbered.
“You’re done for,” Alexei jeers. “Do you really think the three of you can take on nine of us?”
Charlotte counters his pretentious smirk with a sweet smile.
“No need to worry─we won’t be outnumbered. Allow me to bring out a little surprise!”
She rummages around in the purse and pulls out a small folded cloth.
“Whee!”
She flings the fabric into the air. It seems to grow bigger and bigger in size.
Clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka!! Noisy soldiers fall from above. “Wha?! Knight Skeletons?!”
There are around fifty of them. More than five times the manpower of Alexei’s team.
“Johnny─oops! I mean, summoned monsters! Please take care of everyone except for Numbers 1, 4, and 12. Prince Laius and Princess Marianne will take on 12. I’ll handle Alexei. That splits both teams into four groups, so it’s essentially four-on-four. All right, everyone! Let us battle honorably and fairly!”
“You call that fair?!” cries Number 12.
Clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka-clacka!!
But her words are quickly drowned out by the clattering teeth…