Episode 89: Unknown Identity

The Akihabara dungeon was a cave-type crawl infested with beastly monsters. It was a bizarre place that lacked any real sense of thematic unity—especially considering those angel-mimics we’d encountered earlier. If I were to apply the common sense of every other dungeon I’d ever been in, this place just felt wrong.

“Are you all right, My Lord?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Balor. More importantly, are you holding up? Not tired?”

“Hardly. I do not possess a body that grows weary from this level of exertion. I am quite well.”

We were in a state where most of the monsters died instantly the moment Balor looked at them. Considering she wasn't even tapping into her deep reserves of mana, the enemies here were likely only B-rank. We were closing in on the eighth floor, but the sheer smoothness of our descent felt eerie. It was the calm before a storm I knew was coming.

“—We’re hitting the eighth floor!”

We finally arrived.

We landed in a massive, cavernous space, and my eyes widened at the sight of the irregularity waiting for us. It was a mountain of corpses. Every monster that was supposed to spawn in this area had been slaughtered to the last. I couldn't feel a single flicker of life.

“—What... is this?”

The sight left even Senka and Ayane speechless. It wasn't just the scale of the massacre; it was the sheer cruelty of it. The bodies had been torn apart, shredded with a level of brutality that defied logic. And there, standing in the center of the carnage, was something.

It was a humanoid freak. To put it simply, it looked like a chimera born from a messy collage of various monsters. It stood on two legs, its arms a nightmare of bee stingers, scorpion tails, and mantis scythes. Its face was a flat, inorganic void. It felt as though every "unnecessary" organ had been pruned away, leaving only a weapon made of meat—a creature designed solely to take life.

“You three, get ready for combat!”

The order was instantaneous. There was no way a thing like that was going to be reasonable. I immediately marked it as a threat and summoned [Laevateinn] to buff Luna and the others.

“—Ayane, you guys handle the search. I’ll deal with this thing!”

“What?! You’re going to be reckless again?!”

I didn't bother answering. I simply switched gears. I didn't have the luxury of worrying about others; holding back against a creature like this would be a death sentence. Above all, I couldn't shake the premonition that letting this thing live would be a catastrophe—a feeling reinforced by the restless stirring of the summoned beasts within me.

I have to kill it here. Definitely.

It was an indescribable foulness—a rejection of its very existence. Facing that visceral disgust for the first time, I began to weave my magic.

“...What’s the play, Senka?”

“Senka, give us an order.”

That thing was far removed from any monster we had ever seen. We watched Reima prepare to face it with his summons, waiting for Senka to make the call. As our guild master and the leader of this party, she hesitated, her silence heavy with the weight of the decision.

“Rescue is the priority, just like Reima-kun said,” she finally spoke. “But Ayane-chan, I need you to support him. Don’t let him do anything reckless. Don't let him go too far.”

“—Understood.”

“Right. We’ll do our best—we’ll be back to back you up as soon as we can.”

With the plan decided, the rest of Valsia moved ahead, leaving me behind. I took a long, steadying breath. I won’t let him be reckless. No matter what happens. I had already decided that I wouldn't lose him a second time. I had promised myself I wouldn't make that mistake again.

“I’m backing you up, Reima!”

“Ayane?!”

I began to cast. I reached for the magic I had grown so used to in that other world—the techniques that had supported him then. Drawing in the freezing air Luna had scattered across the battlefield, I forged a massive blade of ice and launched it at our foe.

“We’re taking this thing down, Reima.”

“—Roger. Just don't push yourself, Ayane.”

“You’re one to talk.”

Seriously, he never changes. He was always worrying about everyone else, always ignoring his own safety to dive headfirst into danger. It made me realize all over again that the current me wasn't enough. I had to get stronger.

“Oh, right. [Instant Death Resistance Bestowal].”

“What’s this for?” I asked, feeling a strange warmth wash over me.

“It’s insurance, mostly. You’d probably be fine, but if you accidentally step into Balor’s line of sight, you’ll die instantly.”

“...That’s terrifyingly powerful.”

“Is there a problem? Childhood friend of Lord Reima?” Balor asked.

Those jewel-like crimson eyes felt as though they were peering into the depths of my soul. She was one of the comrades who had saved the world with Reima. She was likely just like me—someone who had been saved by him and now lived only for his sake. I’d been wary of her at first because of her size and that suggestive outfit, but looking at her now, she seemed... kind, in her own way.

“No. I just thought you were reliable,” I replied. “I’m leaving my back to you.”

“Is that so...? I may have misunderstood you. My eyes were perhaps clouded by your impossible position as Reima-sama’s childhood friend.”

“............I’m still not giving him up.”

“By all means, please yourself. It matters not to me; I am merely his tool.”

“...Reima?” I looked toward him, confused.

“Wait, stop,” Reima cut in, sounding exhausted. “Focus, you two. It’s coming again.”

The unknown monster swung its scythes wide and charged. It ignored everything else, targeting only Reima with a suicidal devotion, even as Sol’s flames began to char its flesh.

“Tch—it has resistance? Why won't it just burn and die?” Sol complained.

“Big sister, calm down. It seems like magic doesn't work well on it to begin with,” Sol's twin added.

“Furthermore, it appears this creature lacks the concept of death,” Balor observed. “Imbuing attacks with mana is ineffective.”

“That’s a pain,” Reima muttered. “Balor, hit it with a debuff then. Don't hold back.”

“Understood. Shall I cover the entire area?”

“—Yeah. I’m prepared for the cost. Take as much as you need.”

The moment Reima said that, he slashed his wrist. I winced and looked away for a split second, but I knew he wouldn't do something so macabre without a reason, so I forced myself to watch. His blood flowed, pouring into the chalice Balor held.

“Then... My Lord, I shall partake.”

She drank his blood dry. The woman looked absolutely ecstatic as she swallowed, her throat working with audible gulps. She let out a faint, suggestive sigh—and then the world changed.

“—Now, shall we fill this world with death? [Mystic Eye of the Demon].”

A gargantuan eye manifested in the air above the vast space. The moment it blinked open, the monster was slammed into the ground by an invisible force. It began to rot instantly. It crumbled and decayed, the corruption spreading even to the mountain of corpses nearby, turning everything it touched into magic stones.

“—Well, that did the trick,” Reima said, looking haggard.

He seemed drained, likely because of how much mana that move had cost him. But the result was undeniable. The creature couldn't even twitch; it simply continued to disintegrate until it vanished entirely.

“—Phew. Target neutralized. Glad that actually worked.”

“Reima, what was that?”

“One of Balor’s ultimate moves. It grants an 'end' to anything within that floating eye's vision. Balor, shut it down before the others get back. It'll be hard to explain.”

“As you wish, My Lord.”

With that, the battle ended. Reima looked on with a detached, empty expression, as if this were just another Tuesday. For some reason, seeing him like that made a pang of sadness well up in my chest.

“Reima... are you okay?”

The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. More importantly, looks like the others are back.”

True to his word, the rest of the guild was returning from the lower floors, supporting several survivors. Seeing them, Reima finally let out the tension he’d been holding. He let out a small breath, and for a moment, he looked like his usual self again.