That said, the Takao sisters are definitely coming in with us. Not even Sogou has any objection to those two S and A-class heroes joining us.
“Once we’re in there, the top priority for most of you will be to group up. But you three—Sogou, Hijiri, Itsuki—should make your own decisions and prioritize achieving our objectives as you need to.”
Sogou nodded. The Takao sisters—dressed in their Fly Swordsman outfits—nodded too.
I’ve already given orders to the Lord of the Flies Brigade. First up, we need to find Munin. That’s our top priority. We also need to find Lokiella and Piggymaru. The two of them don’t really have the strength to fight through that labyrinth on their own… But Piggymaru greatly enhances what I’m able to do in combat and Lokiella knows how to fight divines—I’m going to need them both. We also need to prioritize getting me, Seras, and Eve together. We absolutely need Munin for our fight against Vicius, so we have to do everything we can to avoid losing her.
I had also asked Sogou and the Takao sisters to try their best to find Munin and keep her safe.
“Oh, and…” I looked at Asagi. “Prioritize finding Ikusaba Asagi, too.”
Asagi isn’t that strong in single combat either.
I’d talked to her in camp and heard that she dealt the finishing blow to an Inner Circle demon once—the Third of the Sworn.
“So I was s’posed to get a ton of EXP from that, but my stats barely moved at all, see? I was like, lol whut? I was like, seriously about to message a GM for how buggy it was. But then just as I was wonderin’ where to submit the report I got the message that I’d acquired Queen Bee! ♪”
This, Asagi explained, was what finally made her understand.
“Like, I’m meant to be an actual queen bee, sendin’ out all my drone soldiers that are stronger than me. It was like, the moment I figured out that’s what this game is about.”
Asagi’s unique skill gives her the ability to tear down the gods and give special buffs to her allies.
“Thanks Mimori-kun! ♪ You’re so sweet!” she replied, sounding emotional as she clasped her hands together. Sogou had wanted to leave Asagi behind too, but Asagi had brought up the time when Sogou had rampaged across the continent and quite easily won that argument.
Well, I’d planned on taking her along regardless. To be honest, I’m counting on Asagi as my back up, but she is who she is. There is one doubt in my mind about Ikusaba Asagi. My gut tells me she might really try and kill Vicius once she’s in there. Asagi herself is a creature of impulse, moving without thinking. In some ways, she’s predictable. But if it turns out that this feeling I get from her is just another part of her act… Then actor to actor, I’ll have to admit that Ikusaba Asagi has me beat.
“If you encounter a disciple while you’re in there,” I said, addressing everyone now. “Avoid single combat with them as long as you’re able, unless you’re Sogou Ayaka or Seras Ashrain. If you have to fight—then give it everything you’ve got.”
The moment I said the word disciple, the mood became a little more tense. Only Lokiella and Nyantan had ever seen the three of them in person before, but everyone sensed that they were true monsters.
Who encounters the disciples and when…that just comes down to luck. As for Vicius herself? Who knows?
“I think she’ll send out her disciples here,” had been Lokiella’s analysis when we’d talked the situation over. “Why do you think Vicius prepared this Divine Labyrinth in the first place? I don’t think it was to buy time.”
“…You think she wants to take us one by one?”
“Yes. She thinks your strength is in numbers, I think. Meaning that Vicius thinks you’ll be a threat if you’re all allowed to fight together against her. She’s not wrong—it’d be hard for you to use your secret weapon against her in single combat, right?”
“Guess so.”
“I hate to admit it, but she’s really thought this through. This is an effective way to divide our strength.”
“So you think to counter us better, she’ll have her disciples wander the labyrinth and engage our people, increasing the possibility of chance encounters with them.”
“I figure so. She wants to stop us from grouping up and take away any advantages we have. That’s the plan, I bet.”
“Still… If we wait until this Divine Labyrinth spell has reached its time limit, the Holy Eye of Yonato might be destroyed in the meantime, huh?”
…I suppose it’s possible we could wait outside of the labyrinth for the moment that Vicius and her disciples emerge to open up that gate. Then we could take that opportunity to attack them all at once. But doing that would mean we’d have to wait for Azziz to fall, and for the eye to be destroyed. I just hate the idea of doing that.
“So we’ve got to launch ourselves at them, all the while keeping our eyes on the clock… Damn it… Vicius dividing us up with this Divine Labyrinth really was a brilliant move.”
“That foul Goddess might seem a bit stupid at times, but she’s cunning.”
“Her using that labyrinth gives her ample opportunities to take out our people one by one… Damn it… So, this is what she’s capable of when the tables are turned.”
As I recalled my conversation with Lokiella, I continued to address the labyrinth entrants.
“From what our black dragon scouts have seen, this labyrinth is centered on the Castle of Alion—specifically, the throne room. Once you’re all together and you think you’re prepared to fight, make your way there.”
Lokiella had explained where the goal of the labyrinth would be located—it’s always in the center.
“Apparently, all the buildings in the city that were there when the labyrinth formed will still be inside it. This is a labyrinth…but I don’t think you’ll have that much trouble knowing where you are.”
The buildings and roads of the city should serve as good signposts for how to get to the castle—we’ve also handed out maps of Eno just in case. According to Lokiella, a labyrinth’s main feature is the surprise encounters it causes.
“I think Vicius’s attempt to stall for time will affect the way the Divine Labyrinth is structured to some extent, but they’re not fundamentally designed to be mazes—they can’t be, actually,” Lokiella had explained. “Some of the divines are confused by the naming too. Like, ‘Why’s it called a labyrinth then?’ Y’know… The number two divine is this super smart person called Thesis… And they said maybe the labyrinth is more about how it makes you feel lost, unlike an actual maze.”
You don’t know whether the people you meet in there will be friend or foe… Who to fight, when, and how to beat them… What was the caster’s intention in making the labyrinth? What will did they pour into it? I think that’s what these labyrinths are about. It’s how you’re supposed to feel as you make your way through it. But in this game, all the entrants are on the same side. We aren’t competing with each other. It makes it easier for us to be working together.
“Our ultimate goal is to take out Vicius, but the first step is surviving so we can make it that far. Focus on grouping up together, so we can create the right conditions to beat her.”
The conditions needed to land a Forbidden Magic spell on Vicius. That requirement hasn’t changed just because we have to go through a Divine Labyrinth now to get it done.
Elite representatives from countries across the continent were busy changing into old Fly Swordsman and Lord of the Flies outfits as they listened to me speak.