Chapter 36

CHAPTER 2 Moonlit Butterflies Part I: Crimes “Ellie, calm down! Ellie!” Elitia gripped her sword tightly and tried to jump out from the cover of Alphecca’s shadow, no longer able to lie in wait. Igarashi grabbed her from behind and with Melissa’s help somehow managed to restrain her, but Elitia never took her eyes off the butterflies fluttering all around. “Elitia, what in the world…?” I started to say but swallowed the rest of the sentence when I saw the look on her face. It shone not with hostility or anger, but with a fear so intense, it made Elitia’s lips tremble. “…It’s not true… Arihito and Suzuna would never be afraid of me…,” she pleaded. My license displayed the Blue Butterflies had used a skill called Guilt Trip. It said nothing about what that actually did to Elitia; I could tell just by looking at her it was awful, but I’d have to ask her to find out more. “I’ve never been afraid of you, Elitia, not even once,” I assured her. “And nothing is ever going to change that.” “…I know… But the truth is…,” she said without looking in my direction. She had her back to me and Igarashi’s arms still wrapped tightly around her. “Maybe taking my word for it isn’t so easy, but I hope you believe me when I say I’d never be afraid of you. And if I’m lying, then—” “Say nothing further. Master, I urge you to carefully consider the sequence of events which led you to this moment,” warned Alphecca’s ghostly apparition after she materialized once more upon the seat of her chariot. The sequence of events… Those butterflies did something to Elitia, and she attacked them. That made her karma go up because they’re theoretically neutral opponents… “Those butterflies provoke Seekers into attacking…,” I said. “I’ll bet they have some kind of skill that deals with karma.” “But then why are they only going after Ellie…?” asked Igarashi. The butterflies hadn’t messed with anyone else. Why would they use Guilt Trip on Elitia and not us? Was it just a coincidence, or did they have some kind of reason? “…It’s because I’ve committed a crime. And I haven’t atoned for it… I offset the karma but that’s all. I still haven’t—” “Elitia, you need to calm down. Otherwise you’re gonna end up dead,” said Melissa. Her voice was as detached as always, yet her words spelled out the very real danger before Elitia in no uncertain terms. But that still wasn’t enough to break the spell that kept Elitia fixated on the butterflies. “…We need to figure out exactly what they’re doing before they come at us again. Elitia…it looks like those Blue Butterflies used a skill called Guilt Trip on you. What did that do?” I asked. “You don’t have to tell us if it’s too painful…,” Igarashi added gently. “But if you do, we’ll be that much more ready to help with all we’ve got. Although I realize that might not be the most reassuring coming from me.” At that, Elitia finally loosened her grip on her sword. Then, her back still turned to me, she began speaking very quietly. “…I heard everyone… I heard Arihito, and Suzuna, too… Everyone said I scared them and that’s why you can’t get rid of me… It sounded just like you…” Who wouldn’t lose their cool after being forced to hear something so horrible? The Blue Butterflies didn’t see their karma go up from using such a terrible skill on Elitia. This was different from Gray, who could hide his Trickster skills from detection. “…So basically, they provoke you with a feeling of unbearable guilt. And this messed-up system just lets them get away with that scot-free?” “Atobe…” We all struggle with this sort of thing. We only ever get to see one side of the people in our lives, but we push ourselves to put our trust in them in spite of that. It’s how we find the strength to keep going. The monster knew Elitia’s deepest fear, that we were all secretly scared of her. It leveraged this fear against her and forced her to push back—if that meant more karma, then so be it. “Bring it on… We’ll play by these twisted rules and win.” Karma served to represent the laws Seekers in the Labyrinth Country were supposed to follow. Amass karma and the Guild would arrest and punish you in some way. Shirone’s karma had already been elevated by the time she met those butterflies, and then she disappeared. In other words, we’d be running a huge risk if Elitia fought them now that her karma had risen, too. The first thing we needed to do was find a way to retreat for the time being—however. “Escape will be futile until you somehow lift this fog. Until then, I will be unable to move… I might hit those butterflies should I attempt it.” “Yeah, we’ll figure it out. That huge butterfly isn’t listed as neutral, so we should be okay to go after it…” “Ellie?!” Elitia jumped out from under Alphecca and raised her sword up high to slice through the Blue Butterflies—but we couldn’t let her incur any more karma. “Elitia! Don’t fall for it!” I yelled. ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated MORALE SUPPORT 1 ELITIA’s morale increased by 13 > ELITIA consumed morale Recovered from CONFUSION “…Arihito…” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated RECOVERY SUPPORT 1 ELITIA recovered full vitality I activated Recovery Support with the hope it might help Elitia clear her head a bit and comfort her in some small way. Luckily, she burned through some morale and snapped out of her confusion. “We will never hurt you; not me, not anyone else here. You’ve got to believe us…!” I pleaded. “…I…I’ll never doubt you again…! But…” “Atobe, we’ve got to do something about that butterfly… Or else forget about getting Shirone back; we may not make it out of here alive…!” Merciful Winged Mirage Morpho was not listed as neutral. Still, given all that had happened, I couldn’t shake the feeling it might find a way around that and make our karma go up regardless. What happens when our karma rises…? We can’t take any chances if it could mean something fatal. But if we don’t make sure it’s safe to attack it, then… Or is there another option? There’s got to be some way we can go after it without messing up our karma…! “Atobe, the giant butterfly’s up to something…!” ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated TRANSLUCENT TENTACLES Target: ELITIA Mirage Morpho’s wings shimmered faintly as it hovered in the air, bathed in moonlight. In that moment, a chill so intense I couldn’t begin to describe it ran through me, and I shouted with all my might. “Elitia! Run!” “……?!” Elitia jumped back as soon as she heard me, but it was too late. The swarm of Blue Butterflies left Elitia’s side as a vicious, invisible attack headed straight for her. “Awooooo!!” “…Cion…!” ♦Current Status♦ > CION activated COVERING Target: ELITIA > ARIHITO activated DEFENSE SUPPORT 1 Target: CION > TRANSLUCENT TENTACLES hit CION Damaged HOUND LEATHER VEST +3 “Bow…!!” Cion yelped. “Cion…!” cried Igarashi. My Defense Support wasn’t enough to dampen the blow that sent Cion flying, taking a full third of her vitality with it. It even broke a piece of the armor we’d put around her torso. The enemy had the high ground from its vantage point in the sky and was almost entirely concealed by the fog; my Hawk Eyes could just barely make out the faint outline of a pair of enormous, translucent armlike limbs. “Grrrr…!” “Cion, fall back! Listen up, everyone, I need you to stay on your toes!” I called out. “That butterfly can come at you from a distance, and it’s almost completely invisible…!” “You’re telling me it’s allowed to attack us, but we can’t do anything…? That’s cheating…!” Igarashi yelled, furious. I couldn’t agree more. If Mirage Morpho really was free to attack without incurring any karma and we got hit with a penalty anytime we went after it, we’d all end up with overwhelming karma to answer for, assuming we managed to take it down at all. But then I ran my eyes over my license, and everything clicked into place. ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO’s karma rose > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated IMMACULATE TRANQUILITY Area effect: Karma will gradually decrease The blow meant for Elitia that Cion intercepted with Covering had caused Mirage Morpho’s karma to spike. Immediately afterward, Mirage Morpho’s behavior changed; it began emitting a high-frequency sound, which slowly faded until I could no longer hear it. “…What’s going on?” asked Melissa. “The monster’s karma rose when it attacked Cion. It’s trying to bring that back down,” I explained. “Does that mean karma is somehow bad for it, too…?” If Melissa was right, maybe that meant we could contain it by forcing its karma to rise even further. Maybe the area effect will bring Elitia’s karma down, too, so the Blue Butterflies can’t use Guilt Trip anymore—or not. “…No! Arihito’s not afraid of me… You’re wrong…!” ♦Current Status♦ > ?BLUE BUTTERFLY D activated GUILT TRIP Target: ELITIA Either Elitia’s karma hadn’t decreased enough, or Guilt Trip had nothing to do with karma. …Forget about that now. I’ve got other things I need to do…! I had only one trick up my sleeve that would reach Mirage Morpho floating high above us. It came with a huge risk, but we needed to help Elitia as soon as possible. “Sorry, everybody… I’m gonna do something a little crazy. Make sure you aim right at that butterfly once it falls!” “Atobe!” “……!!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated REAR STANCE Target: MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO I lost consciousness for the briefest second, then suddenly my surroundings changed. Gravity abandoned its grip on me, and I found myself behind Mirage Morpho. Should I use Murakumo…? No, I can’t get her out…! “Master, heed my warning. Inflict a heavy attack on this monster, and you shall put yourself in great peril.” I could unsheathe Murakumo only if the conditions were right—and they were clearly not, if she herself advised me against calling on her powers. That left me with just one option: Go in and try inflicting the most damage possible. I needed to drag Mirage Morpho down, if only by a few feet. “Down with you!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated FORCE SHOT (FREEZE) > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated FLARE DIVISION Altered target of ARIHITO’s attack > FORCE SHOT (FREEZE) hit 3 ?BLUE BUTTERFLIES Weak spot attack Inflicted FROZEN status > Defeated 3 ?BLUE BUTTERFLIES ARIHITO’s karma rose “Urgh…!” Mirage Morpho flickered, disappeared, and instantly teleported, causing the magical ice bullet I’d released to pierce straight through three Blue Butterflies, almost as if they’d swapped places with the monster. That skill diverted my attack… Will it stop at nothing to mess with our karma…?! I’d made it up this high, but it wasn’t going to be easy getting down; Rear Stance burned more magic than most of my skills. I couldn’t overuse it. I know I just got it, but should I try loading my gun with one of the stagnation stones…? No, the monster will just divert my target again… Crap, I’m out of moves…! ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated YOSHITSUNE’S LEAP I leaped through the air to put some distance between myself and my foe. I figured I could make it down safely this way if I jumped every time I started to fall. But then, just as I abandoned my body to the gravitational pull and felt the blood rush to my head, I saw Mirage Morpho cloak itself in a shimmering blue light. ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated PAINFUL PENANCE Targets: ARIHITO, ELITIA > ARIHITO and ELITIA sustained damage corresponding to karma levels Karma fell slightly “Ughaaah…!” “Aaaaah…!!” Pain so intense I felt it would tear me to pieces ripped through my body. It wasn’t just me—I heard Elitia scream out in anguish from the ground. Damn, I’m gonna black out… And the landing’s gonna crush me…! “Woof!!” I’d lost track of how many times Cion had saved me like this. She jumped up to catch me and just barely managed to break my fall before I hit the ground. ♦Current Status♦ > SCHOLAR’S ANKH activated Evaded fatal blow Gained extra experience points due to MORIBUND status I felt a slight warmth coming from the Scholar’s Ankh hanging around my neck. Cion had evidently saved me right before what could’ve been my final fall. I took a sip of a potion as soon as I could, but it didn’t heal me fully right away. I felt disoriented, dizzy. I can’t afford to take another hit… This Ankh only works some of the time, so there’s almost no way it’ll work twice in a row. “Atobe, say something! Atobe…!” “…I-I’m okay…! I’m alive, Igarashi…!” “…Nothing about that looked okay. I almost had a heart attack…” “Arihito, you should take a breather,” said Elitia. “Don’t get any closer to the monster…!” Elitia had sustained less damage; that probably had something to do with her maximum vitality being higher than mine. Regardless, while she looked more or less fine, I was basically on death’s door. More than likely, that was because I’d inadvertently taken down three of those Blue Butterflies; Elitia, meanwhile, had only swung at them. Plus, the area effects might have started working on her a bit already, too. So your karma goes down when you’re hit with that Painful Penance… But if my hunch is right, that means… “Arihito, the butterflies… Get away from the butterflies! Hurry!” The Blue Butterflies swarmed around me, ready to torture me for hurting their brethren. “Grrrr…!” “Cion, wait! Don’t attack them!” I commanded. Cion did as she was told and deactivated the Fire Garnet on her anklet. We’d be in an even bigger mess if her karma rose on top of everything else. The Blue Butterflies were clearly off-limits, and now that my karma had spiked, I was their next target. ♦Current Status♦ > ?BLUE BUTTERFLY J activated GUILT TRIP Target: ARIHITO The flapping of the thousands of butterfly wings—something that should be too quiet to hear no matter how hard I strained my ears—began to sound like a voice I’d heard somewhere before. It felt nostalgic…or maybe that wasn’t the right word for it. That voice, so much like one hiding somewhere deep within my oldest memories, rang out from the spring of my consciousness in ripples that grew larger and stronger. Part II: Bewitched “I wonder why none of his relatives took him in.” “It’s no real surprise. Apparently, his mother came from a wealthy family and ran off with his father.” “And now this little thing has no one… What a terrible pity.” I’d lost my parents as an infant and had been left all alone in the world. At least that’s how I thought of myself, but I knew it wasn’t true. I had relatives, but none of them had agreed to take care of me. I like to think I’d probably avoided a life of being shuffled around from house to house, so maybe I’d dodged a bullet there. Still, sometimes I’d picked up on things the caretakers at the orphanage couldn’t completely conceal, in spite of all the kindness they’d showed me. Their true feelings would come to the surface and catch my eye. At times, I’d imagine the things they really wanted to say but would never dare to voice, such as: “I heard they were rushing to get him to the hospital when they got in that accident.” “The driver in the other car had only a few scratches, and little Arihito came out basically unscathed. They say he’ll probably have some psychological trauma, though. I wonder how he’ll feel when he realizes what happened, poor thing.” I didn’t want to hear it; I pretended not to whenever such talk did happen to reach my ears. Eventually I grew up, took my place as a cog in the great social machine, and got so absorbed in my work that I managed to forget all about those feelings. I’d finally stopped replaying those haunting memories, but the Blue Butterflies gouged my old wounds open without a shred of mercy. “What a pitiful little creature.” “If only he’d never been born, his parents would surely still be alive…” The truth is, I knew. I knew the teachers at the orphanage had never once said anything like that to me. But in my own personal weakness, I let the butterflies’ illusions get under my skin. I was the reason my parents had died. I might never have lost them if only I hadn’t gotten sick and forced them to rush out of the house that day. But I’ll never forget the last thing I saw from the back seat of that crumpled car. ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated CARCERAL COCOON Target: ARIHITO Something white came floating down from the sky: the thread Mirage Morpho spun out of its body. I jumped away from Cion so it wouldn’t fall on her and got tangled up in the string. I could hear Igarashi screaming, heard Cion barking, too—but all I could do was yell and warn them to stay away. I couldn’t bring them down with me. Plus… Nothing about Mirage Morpho’s way of doing things sat right with me. It tormented people with guilt and still got to call itself neutral? I’d never accept such twisted logic. Is this how it got Shirone, too? …It’s gotta be. This monster, Mirage Morpho, unquestionably had nothing but hostility in its heart as it tried to bring Seekers to their knees. It would come as no shock if its skill that dealt out damage corresponding to a Seeker’s karma had claimed some of their lives. If this was the way Shirone had gone, I thought perhaps I’d be able to see something once in the clutches of the white thread—and in fact, that’s exactly what I saw. A small slit into another dimension appeared the moment the cocoon opened up to capture me. There on the other side, bound and trapped by the thread enveloping her body, lay Shirone. “If your last birth was a mistake, the answer is simple: Become born again. Allow the labyrinth to swallow you whole and bring you to life once more, as a child of the labyrinth.” The voice no longer held any malice. It whispered to me sweetly, reassuring me everything would be better once I left all I knew behind and gave in to the cocoon. It now sounded like my mother, whose voice I had long forgotten—but it was all wrong. “Don’t you dare…use her…to tell me things she’d never say…!” Neither the white thread endeavoring to entangle me nor the Blue Butterflies’ mania showed any signs of abating, but their words could no longer reach deep into my heart. “Nobody gets to decide what I’m guilty of or what I want to atone for—nobody but me…!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO’s party Trust Levels Bonus activated Nullified GUILT TRIP “Atobe…!” “Arihito…!” No one should ever be able to incapacitate us with guilt. We were a party; if one of us froze, it affected us all just the same. It tried to push me into a corner, but that’s exactly what I needed to get out of here… I’m taking Shirone back. Right now, I’ve got the power to use that…! I’d gotten through so many close scrapes already: I’d raced over the labyrinth with Alphecca, found myself surrounded by monsters, fought off the Clay Giant, and seen my life flash before my eyes at the hands of Mirage Morpho. I didn’t have to check to know my morale was maxed out. I had only one move that would give me the strength to break through these binds—that, of course, was: “Complete Mutual Support!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated COMPLETE MUTUAL SUPPORT Time limit: 120 seconds > All individual buff skills applied to entire party > Entire party buffed by WOLF PACK > Entire party buffed by SECRETS OF THE SWORD 2 > Entire party buffed by KNIFE ARTISTRY > Entire party buffed by BRAZEN CORONATION Alphecca’s Brazen Coronation, the skill that allowed her to shut down enemy attacks, strained and fought against the white thread—and finally won. “Whoaaaaa!!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated VINE SHOT Hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO > SHIRONE was captured by VINES Released from capture by THREAD I shot my vines out to wrap around Shirone over the white thread binding her and pulled hard, just barely extracting her from the other dimension before the slit shut. “…How vexingly reckless you are. And to think you’d also retrieve the captured maiden from another dimension—what a tremendous show of quick wit.” “I know… Alphecca, please watch over Shirone for me. I’ve gotta take that butterfly down. Everyone, lend me your strength!” I walked over to Elitia clinging to the hilt of her sword piercing the ground. Tears flowed out of her eyes. Even if for argument’s sake we accepted that butterfly did pity our sins, nothing could lead me to believe we’d find peace in reincarnation. I held my hand out to her. “…After—after I left the Brigade, I did something to earn the name Death Sword. The truth is…I don’t have any right to be looking for friends to help me…” “Oh, yes you do!” ♦Current Status♦ > SUZUNA activated MOONREADING Success > Revealed MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO’s hidden skill CRIMINAL’S CAGE Suzuna’s voice rang out clear and commanding, as if cleaving straight through the fog. The moonlight once concealed under the hazy cover shone down on Mirage Morpho—and unveiled innumerable scales shedding from its wings that without a doubt held some power over the fog. We were in the cage long before we saw the Blue Butterflies… Elitia’s attack hit nothing but air, yet her karma still increased. That alone should’ve told us this was all a setup…! ♦Details of Revealed Skill♦ CRIMINAL’S CAGE: Creates Criminal area effect within the bounds demarcated by falling Scales. All hostile actions a Seeker takes against the monster will increase the Seeker’s karma. Escape from the affected area only possible after the user can no longer participate in battle. Our licenses are what judge our actions and adjust our karma…but monsters can tamper with that system. It seems unbelievable, but that’s what actually happened… This Mirage Morpho is distorting the laws to its own ends. “Suzu! Arihito’s really in there, right…?!” “Yeah… There’s really only one thing we can do from outside… Arihito! Elitia! Don’t give up! We’re right here!” It was Misaki and Suzuna—and a few others. Looked like whoever it was had brought the two here. “My dear devotee, shall I clear your path? Do you require my assistance?” Ariadne asked. “No…I’m fine. I can see the way out… This monster isn’t working entirely outside the rules. It’s just twisting them.” “Atobe, what does that mean…?” “Igarashi, you acquired that Snow Country Skin skill, right? Do you have any other new ice-type skills available?” “Y-yeah… There’s a level-two skill called Frosted Armor. I’d need Decoy, which I’ve already got, and another one called Ether Ice to acquire it.” ♦New Available Skills – KYOUKA♦ Level 2 Skills Frosted Armor: Reflects attacks with an added ice attribute. Applies to any decoys or golems the Seeker creates. (Prerequisites: Decoy, Ether Ice) Igarashi kept picking up electric and ice-type skills. I wanted to use all the tools in our arsenal; there was no telling how many chances we’d get for obtaining skills. “Igarashi, I know this’ll use up all your skill points in one go, but could you acquire Frosted Armor? I have a hunch we should be able to avoid any karmic penalties if we hang back and get the butterfly to strike first.” “I’ll deal with whatever karmic penalties come my way. It wouldn’t be fair for me to avoid them when you and Ellie have already been through so much.” “…Arihito, what should I do?” asked Melissa. “I want you to go for the monster’s limbs if we can lift this Criminal’s Cage. Otherwise, don’t go crazy. Any counterattack after that could be fatal.” “…Okay.” My journey into the land of the dead had shown me one thing: This swarm of Blue Butterflies had a weakness. Attack them and we’d not only incur karma but also have a powerful counter headed our way, courtesy of Painful Penance. In that case—and I hoped this would be the first and only time we’d have to resort to that same twisted logic—there was still one way we could stop the butterflies in their tracks without increasing our karma. “Igarashi, please make a Decoy and use Force Target on it, then activate your new skill. Theresia, I’d like you to back her up.” “All right, I’m on it.” “……!” Igarashi and Theresia took their places on the vanguard; before they made any moves, I grabbed the pendant hanging around my neck next to the Ankh. “Snow, Penta, Rupee! Come!” “““CHEEEEP!!””” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO summoned SNOW, PENTA, and RUPEE > SNOW activated SILVER WONDERLAND The terrain was changed to FROZEN SOIL > PENTA and RUPEE activated ICE DANCE Strengthened effects of SILVER WONDERLAND “I see… Butterflies suffer in the cold. However, an area effect won’t register as an attack, so if they lose the ability to move, it won’t reflect badly on you.” ““Cheep! Cheep!”” Penta and Rupee jumped around Snow’s outstretched white wings. Ice sprouted beneath their feet and immediately spread over the battlefield; the temperature plummeted and made our breaths come out in white puffs. ♦Current Status♦ > ?BLUE BUTTERFLIES entered HIBERNATION due to FROZEN status > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO’s stats fell due to FROZEN SOIL The Cage still hasn’t lifted… But those butterflies are shedding much less than before. Now if only we can get Mirage Morpho’s scales to stop falling…! ♦Current Status♦ > KYOUKA activated SNOW COUNTRY SKIN Nullified all status impairments caused by low temperatures Igarashi’s Snow Country Skin buffed Theresia with its supplementary effects in the last few seconds before the Complete Mutual Support time limit ran out—and just like that, the two were free to move in the freezing cold without it slowing them down. “Let’s go…!” “……!!” ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated FORBIDDEN TENTACLES Began indiscriminately attacking all nearby targets > THERESIA activated MIRAGE and SHADOW STEP > KYOUKA activated EVASION STEP Igarashi and Theresia darted back and forth to dodge the tentacles’ vicious attacks. They’d have to first evade anything coming at them before they could provoke the monster to attack their decoys. Looks like Forbidden Tentacles is a multistep attack built on Translucent Tentacles… We can’t be sure it won’t come after us, too…! “Ariadne!” “I grant thee, my devotee, my protection. May my Mechanical Arm serve as your shield!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO requested temporary support from ARIADNE Target: Entire party > ARIADNE activated GUARD ARM > FORBIDDEN TENTACLE hit GUARD ARM > FORBIDDEN TENTACLE hit GUARD ARM > FORBIDDEN TENTACLE hit GUARD ARM Ariadne’s Mechanical Arm materialized over and over out of thin air, blocking each and every tentacle and the devastating blows they were about to deal. It threw itself directly between us and the tentacles coming to pulverize us without rhyme or reason, grabbed hold of them, and defended us flawlessly. “Ariadne, I owe you one…!” “Amazing… I never knew she could stop so many attacks…!” “I have strength yet left to intercept attacks on your behalf so long as they are not electrified. However, I have already consumed half of my stamina.” I could only imagine how brave Cion must have been to take one of those horrific attacks for Elitia—and realized I ought to add another defensive trump card to my deck in addition to Defense Support 1. But first, I needed to figure out how to defeat this Mirage Morpho in front of me. Ice crystals glistened in the subarctic biosphere Snow had created. Just then: ♦Current Status♦ > KYOUKA evaded FORBIDDEN TENTACLES > KYOUKA’s evasion rate increased > THERESIA evaded FORBIDDEN TENTACLES > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO’s FROZEN status intensified MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO’s stats fell Our two vanguards dodged every one of the tentacles’ tenacious attacks. Igarashi took advantage of a break in the onslaught to conjure up the medium she’d use to make her decoys. “Brave spirit of the warrior, draw the enemy’s wrath… Decoy!” ♦Current Status♦ > KYOUKA activated DECOY > KYOUKA activated FORCE TARGET Target: DECOY All she had left to do was apply her Frosted Armor to the Decoy. But she’d used up almost all her magic; Evasion Step kept burning it off for as long as she had it activated. “…I have to…hold on a little longer…!” “Igarashi, I’ve got you!” ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO activated CHARGE ASSIST 1 KYOUKA recovered magic > KYOUKA activated FROSTED ARMOR Target: DECOY Freezing air enveloped Igarashi’s Decoy, but we could not be sure our enemy would take the bait. “Theresia…!” “—!” That’s when Theresia went in for the final push. Her goal: Lure the invisible tentacles out as far as possible and evade their powerful attacks. A split-second delay and they would be on her. She needed to use all the evasive skills in her arsenal and get her decoy to do the actual attacking. Faced with all this, Theresia chose to… ♦Current Status♦ > THERESIA activated MODE SHIFT: SAND CLAD > THERESIA activated MIRAGE Strengthened by SAND CLAD Activated DUST STORM SHADOW > FORBIDDEN TENTACLES activated combined unit attack DEATH GRASP “Theresia!” “Amazing… How did she do that at the last second?!” The translucent tentacles appeared out of nowhere, wrapped around Theresia, and started crushing her—except that it wasn’t Theresia, but a sandy illusion she’d crafted. The wild terrain on this floor does have a pretty thin layer of sand covering it… Theresia saw that as her chance to use her Desert Rose…! The real Theresia reappeared far away from the attack; she’d snuck around the sandy areas that hadn’t yet frozen over, just as I’d suspected. Her camouflage blending in perfectly with the sand, she was as stealthy in all her covert movements as a bona fide ninja. We looked at the sky and saw Mirage Morpho had begun to succumb to the extreme elements and lose some of its height; the ice creeping over its wings had hardened them so much, we could now hear them struggling to beat all the way from where we stood. ♦Current Status♦ > DEATH GRASP hit DECOY FROSTED ARMOR reflected attack onto MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO was FROZEN AREA EFFECT: CAGE was lifted The enemy had put all its might into the last attack. Frosted Armor reflected it right back, this time with an added ice attribute that hit Mirage Morpho in its weak spot. We’d finally done some real damage and avoided upping Igarashi’s karma. Slowly but surely, Mirage Morpho fell lower and lower until we could reach it with a single jump. “Melissa, Elitia! I’ll support you!” We couldn’t let this chance slip through our fingers. Melissa leaped onto Cion’s back and charged into the fray; Elitia followed right after, powered by her own speedy skills. “…We’re a bit late to the party…!!” “……!!” At that same moment, Igarashi and Theresia reached full morale—meaning we now had one more combo move we could use. “Let’s take it down!” “““Yeaaaaah!!””” ♦Current Status♦ > KYOUKA activated SOUL MIRAGE All party members gained a MIRAGE WARRIOR > THERESIA activated TRIPLE STEAL All party members received TRIPLE STEAL effects > ARIHITO activated COOPERATION SUPPORT 1 and ATTACK SUPPORT 1 > KYOUKA and MIRAGE WARRIOR activated LIGHTNING RAGE Hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO Combined attack stage 1 26 support damage > LIGHTNING RAGE activated additional attack 6 stages hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO 78 support damage > THERESIA and MIRAGE WARRIOR activated AZURE SLASH Hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO Slight knockback Consumed magic Combined attack stage 2 26 support damage > KYOUKA, THERESIA, and ARIHITO recovered vitality and magic Failed to steal loot Electricity ran down the length of Igarashi’s cross spear and continued surging through the monster with an additional attack. Theresia slashed her flaming blue sword at it before darting away. “Those feelers are mine…!” “Awoooo!” ♦Current Status♦ > CION activated BATTLE HOWL and HOUND GALLOP Vanguards’ attack power increased, CION’s speed increased > MELISSA and MIRAGE WARRIOR mounted CION and MIRAGE WARRIOR Used WOLF RIDER > MELISSA activated KNIFE ARTISTRY Probability of partial destruction increased > MELISSA and MIRAGE WARRIOR activated LOP OFF MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO dropped materials Combined attack stage 3 26 support damage > KOTTO’S GAUNTLETS activated special effect DOUBLE DOWN activated additional attack 26 support damage > CION and MIRAGE WARRIOR activated HEAT CLAW Hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO Specially effective against insects Combined attack stage 4 26 support damage IMMACULATE TRANQUILITY was disabled > CION and MELISSA recovered vitality and magic Successfully stole loot Melissa and her Mirage Warrior swung their butcher’s knives down hard in one swift motion and lopped off Mirage Morpho’s feelers, disabling the last remaining area effect. Just then, Elitia and her Mirage Warrior charged in, brandishing their swords high over their heads, and rained down a barrage of razor-sharp petals on the monster as it struggled to make its final stand. “…Scatter like flower petals… Blossom Blade!” ♦Current Status♦ > MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO activated PAPILLON’S DREAM > ELITIA and MIRAGE WARRIOR activated BLOSSOM BLADE > 24 stages hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO Combined attack stage 5 312 support damage > ELITIA activated additional attack 16 stages hit MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO 208 support damage > Combined attack: AZURE, LIGHTNING, LOP, BLOSSOMS 238 additional cooperation damage > PAPILLON’S DREAM was canceled > ELITIA recovered vitality and magic No loot in target’s possession to steal > Defeated 1 MERCIFUL WINGED MIRAGE MORPHO “Hfff, Hfff…” “Ellie! You guys…!” cried Suzuna. “Whaaaaa?! Th-that’s a friggin’ ginormous butterfly… Don’t tell me this is another Named Monster?!” Misaki exclaimed. Suzuna and Misaki came rushing toward us the moment the fog lifted. Suzuna threw her arms around Elitia while Misaki stared wide-eyed at the fallen Mirage Morpho. Snow and the two Coral Peigoes who’d transformed the terrain into Frozen Soil realized the fight was over and started cooling off from battle. Snow plopped down on its butt, and Penta and Rupee climbed up to perch on its head, letting just their tiny faces peek out from within Snow’s plumage. “These little ones really saved the day…,” cooed Igarashi. “You’re the only one who could even get close to anything flying that high up in the air, Atobe.” “Your skills always surprise me, Arihito. I didn’t even see you get behind the enemy,” Melissa commented with her customary flat affect. “Not the safest move for a rearguard maybe,” I admitted, “but some things you’ve gotta get behind your enemy to really see.” “I have never heard tell of a rearguard such as you,” said Alphecca. “Nevertheless, I suppose ascertaining the enemy’s weakness is a rather fitting duty for such a role.” “Alphecca, you maintain your physical form for such extended periods. I cannot help but find this unfair should the amount of magical energy required to sustain it be a function of the different roles we Armaments fulfill,” complained Murakumo from the sheath on my back. I hadn’t gotten the chance to call her to battle this time, and she seemed a bit disappointed to have missed out on the action. “I’m sure I’ll need your help sooner than we might expect, Murakumo. But I really needed to go with my best bet for inflicting damage this time around.” “You chose wisely, Master,” Murakumo conceded. “That monster possesses a skill to reduce damage inflicted by physical attacks. The ice-type attacks and blows buffed by your support contributed greatly to its downfall.” Evidently, some monsters had incredibly strong defensive powers that might not show up as a specific attribute on our licenses. It looked like Attack Support 1 was shaping up to be a real keeper, especially if it could continue to support my party members as they got stronger and grew in numbers. “Um… A-Arihito, is that…?” Misaki asked, pointing to Shirone lying on the ground. She and Suzuna should’ve been waiting outside the labyrinth for us. If they’d made it here, it meant Seraphina must’ve met them along the way and brought them up to speed. But Seraphina had left the labyrinth with the ladies of Four Seasons. I did venture a guess as to the only other person who could have brought Misaki and Suzuna here—but I never expected my hunch would actually turn out to be correct. That person, you see, should have been miles away at the Guild Saviors headquarters. Part III: The Request “…Kozelka, Khosrow.” Before us stood the silver-haired woman in her black armor and her aide, the mysterious man with the eye patch. Why had they come all this way? “…Apologies we could not assist you in battle. We found two of your party members attempting to follow you into the labyrinth and took the liberty of escorting them here,” said Kozelka. “Looks like this monster was an even bigger pain in the ass than I’d thought. Y’all might know this by now, but these Named Monsters come in a few different flavors,” explained Khosrow. “You’ve got your normal black-starred ones, and then you’ve also got the extra-pesky ones like this guy right here…the hollow-starred.” “‘Hollow-starred’…?” I hadn’t had time to really study my license in the heat of the battle. I pulled it out now to take a closer look and saw a identifying Merciful Winged Mirage Morpho as a Named Monster in place of the usual black star. “It is said an exclusive privilege will be conferred to any Seeker who vanquishes a hollow-starred Named Monster,” said Kozelka. “You may not immediately discover what practical effect this will have, but it should not prove a detriment to you.” “Oh…really? We only defeated it so we could bring Shirone, a Seeker it had captured, back with us. She had run off this far in the labyrinth all on her own,” I told them. “We know… It’s part of our job to stay on top of the punks who’ve jacked up their karma. We’re gonna have to take this Shirone character into custody…” Shirone had to atone for what she’d done to Four Seasons. My party members and I were all aligned on that front. “Would you please give her these swords when she wakes up?” I asked. “She dropped them on the way here, and we picked them up for her.” “Ah, sorry, no can do. She’s blown past legal karma limits and signed herself up for some mandatory jail time. We can take whatever she’s got on her now, but you’re gonna have to work it out with her in person at some point if you want to return any other lost property you found. And not to be crass, but there’s no rule saying you’ve got to do that.” So you were legally allowed to keep items belonging to a Seeker with too much karma; I could see how some might exploit this rule in bad faith, but I figured it had been put in place to check the power those who’d committed some sort of karma-related infraction could wield. “…Khosrow, we could make an exception if Mr. Atobe insists,” Kozelka cut in. “No, that’s fine. We’ll hold on to them,” I told her. “A couple of monsters stole them first, so they’re pretty much unusable at the moment in any case.” “Whoa, it’s dripping with slime… Courtesy of those two on the second floor? Weird, they hardly even blinked when we passed ’em,” said Khosrow, his face scrunched up in disgust at the state of the swords. I guessed the sticky Slow Salamander slime was too much to stomach, even for a battle-hardened, tough-as-nails Seeker like I imagined he must be. “…She’s breathing. Maybe we should give her some medicine. She’s lost a lot of vitality,” said Melissa as she examined Shirone, careful not to touch any of the white thread wrapped around her body. Suzuna looked to me for permission; I nodded in return and she drizzled a few drops of potion onto Shirone’s lips. Nothing happened at first, but eventually Shirone’s lips quivered open, and she drank the liquid that dribbled into her mouth. “Seraphina gave us her report on what brought you here,” said Kozelka. “It appears, Mr. Atobe, that you had what one might consider an adversarial relationship to Ms. Shirone. Notwithstanding, you chose to come after her?” “…Yes. Shirone led a party we’re very close with into a dangerous trap. None of us are eager to forgive her for that, but we couldn’t look the other way after we saw her going deeper into the labyrinth all alone. I wouldn’t blame you for calling us foolish.” Khosrow scratched his chin a little awkwardly. I worried about what he must think of what we’d done—but only for a second. “Most people would just turn a blind eye and walk away, y’know? Nah, that’s not—I mean… Only crazies walkin’ around with a huge screw loose would spend their time worrying about people who’d openly attacked them.” “It’s true… I can’t argue with you there. I know, as their leader, I probably should’ve prioritized my own party members’ safety more than anything.” “But we choose to follow you exactly because of how you make those tough decisions,” Igarashi insisted. “It’s true we’ve all got unfinished business with Shirone, but the last thing we want is for her to pay with her life for what she’s done.” The rest of the party nodded in agreement. Their smiling faces were my saving grace; I needed to be careful not to take their kindness for granted. “…We can use this thread. Can I take it off?” Melissa asked Khosrow. “I can get a clean cut if I strengthen my steel knife with a blade edge stone.” “Sure, knock yourself out, kid…but take this to cover her up in case her clothing gets all torn up.” “Yikes, I dunno if an old man’s coat is the best thing for… Uhhh, never miiind!” “Thought it’d stink like an old man? Hate to break it to you, but I’m all about hygiene,” replied Khosrow with a pained smile. He shrugged off Misaki’s teasing; he wasn’t quite in “old man” territory yet. “Anywho… Third-Class Dragon Captain, perhaps we should proceed to the main topic at hand.” “Right. Mr. Atobe, I do apologize for having to mention this immediately following such an intense battle; however, I came here because there is something I wish to personally discuss with you.” “It’s too bad we couldn’t lend you a hand with that beast of a butterfly, but you’ve given us a great look at what y’all can do. You’re first-ranked in District Seven as it stands, and we all know you won’t hang around District Six long after you move on up.” Was this it? I had a pretty good guess of what they were trying to say based on the context. We’d officially become one of the parties the Guild could ask for assistance now that we’d received the honorary title of Advanced Seekers. Helping with those requests could get us temporary access to the next two districts—including District Five, where Elitia had once resided. “A certain species of monster has proliferated far beyond the Guild’s estimates in District Five and is currently causing the stampede threat level there to rise,” explained Kozelka. “They’re not running around loose in town yet, but I reckon they’ll probably break through our barricades by tomorrow,” added Khosrow. “We can’t get any help from the higher districts…and you guys are so crazy strong. You’re in a league of your own in District Seven. We’d like to ask your help. You’re free to say no, of course, but would you mind throwin’ us a bone and at least sleep on it?” We’d just about made it to District Six and were now getting a chance to go all the way to District Five, the biggest catch being that we’d have to face monsters exponentially stronger than what we’d seen so far. It was risky. But we couldn’t let this golden opportunity slip through our fingers; we had no time to waste in our quest to save Elitia’s friend. “We depart for District Five first thing tomorrow morning. Should you decide to assist with our request, please come meet us at the Guild Saviors headquarters, where we last spoke,” Kozelka instructed. “I understand. We’ll all talk this over and decide what to do.” “You do that. Who knows? Do well enough on this mission in District Five, and you may get to skip invading the District Six labyrinths altogether… Still, having the strength to defeat higher-ranked monsters doesn’t necessarily mean this is gonna be a safe endeavor. Slowly working your way up against stronger monsters is always your best bet if you wanna make sure you live to fight another day.” “Khosrow, Mr. Atobe’s party has advanced through the initial districts faster than any others in Labyrinth Country history. That’s a rather rude suggestion, given their accomplishments,” scolded Kozelka. The fastest in the history of the country—it didn’t feel real, but looking back, I guess our days had been pretty full of nonstop action. “…Just another reason it’s worth tryin’ to hold on to them. Course, no amount of training wheels will prepare you for the real fights out there. The Labyrinth Country is no picnic.” “…I do try to keep that in mind,” I said. “I always strive to ensure we move forward together, above all else.” Kozelka silently nodded in response. Melissa finished removing the thread around Shirone and covered her with Khosrow’s coat. Khosrow then scooped her up and hoisted her on his back. “I’ll get a Carrier to come get the Mirage Morpho,” Melissa told me. “I think I can squeeze the feelers into the silo.” “Yeah, please do… Thanks, Melissa.” “I’ll take over for Madoka when she’s not here. She works really hard. I’ve gotta do my part, too.” Melissa always seemed so indifferent, but we were slowly getting to see more of her warmhearted nature and the passions she kept close to her chest. Elitia had kept her eyes glued to the ground ever since Kozelka had first presented her proposal. Suzuna called out to her; after a moment, she looked up. “Elitia, let’s think things over once we’re back at the apartment,” I said. “…Sure. Sorry, I was only thinking about myself…” “That’s not true,” protested Suzuna. “Ellie, if there’s anyone you’re thinking about, it’s…” We were so close, we could almost taste it. Still, we couldn’t hide from the fact that we really should go through the labyrinths in District Six and hone our skills if we wanted to stand any chance of saving Elitia’s friend from that monster—a District Five Named Monster. At the same time, the Guild had called upon us to help face the stampede in District Five, meaning they recognized we had what it took to go up against the monsters there. I needed to see what everyone wanted to do and then make the call. We could figure out the rest after that. The arctic temperatures Snow had conjured up thawed, and the Blue Butterflies took off in flight once more. They didn’t even register as monsters anymore now that Mirage Morpho was gone. Theresia reached her hand out; one of the butterflies flew over and began flitting playfully around her. Who was Merciful Winged Mirage Morpho trying to have mercy on? Why did it trap Seekers in white thread and shut them away in another dimension? If that was really its voice I heard, maybe it was trying to give Seekers who’d committed some sort of crime a new lease on life. What if that’s how Theresia became a demi-human, too? “……” “Hmm…? What’s this…?” Theresia handed me a clear stone with a Blue Butterfly trapped within. It reminded me of a piece of amber with a fossilized creature inside. “Cool find,” I told her. “That’s a beautiful stone.” “……” Theresia nodded. We’d come out of this fight against Mirage Morpho with quite a bit of resources and dropped loot, but I had a feeling this stone Theresia found would prove just as valuable. ♦Current Status♦ > Acquired 1 BLUE BUTTERFLY AMBER INCLUSION