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A significant amount of time had passed since Sophie reached out via Telepathy to tell me they were beginning their dive into the labyrinth.
My disciples had grown leaps and bounds over the past year. With Luna by their side, there was no reason they shouldn't have been able to conquer the place. However, a labyrinth conquest was an undertaking that demanded its due time.
I didn't care how long it took, as long as they all made it back in one piece.
While those thoughts drifted in the back of my mind, I focused on thinning the herd of magic beasts spilling onto the surface.
『Orun, the beasts on this side are cleared out. I'm heading over to join you now.』
As I continued the subjugation, a telepathic message came in from Fuuka, who had been operating separately.
『Understood. ——Haruto-san, what’s the overall situation?』
『The number of magic beasts has dropped significantly. The third wave is finally starting to subside. The units near Daluane are holding the line and protecting the city, so things are going smoothly for now. All that’s left is to wait for the labyrinth to be cleared—wait, speak of the devil. The Twilight Moonbow kids just emerged. That was remarkably fast.』
Haruto-san, who was monitoring the battlefield, informed me that my disciples had returned to the surface. I’d expected it to take much longer; had they been forced to turn back because of some kind of trouble?
『! I’m heading to the entrance immediately! Fuuka, meet me there.』
『Got it.』
Slaying only the bare minimum of magic beasts in my path, I took the shortest route to the labyrinth entrance. There, I spotted my disciples and Luna.
My relief at seeing them safe was fleeting. I quickly noticed the dark, grim expressions clouding their faces.
"Are you guys all right? What happened?"
"Ah... Master..."
Carol was the first to notice me. While their expressions softened slightly with relief upon seeing me, the heavy atmosphere hanging over them didn't lift. I sensed a profound feeling of bewilderment coming from the group.
Luna, who remained the most composed among them, was the one to speak up.
"Orun-san, this labyrinth's functions have been neutralized. However, the situation is... precarious. We should leave this spot first——"
As I listened to Luna's explanation, a thunderous roar suddenly shook the earth.
Moments later, the ground where the labyrinth stood began to cave in. A massive black silhouette erupted from the sinkhole and soared into the sky.
The magic beast looking down on us from above was the Black Dragon—the 92nd Floor Boss of the Great Labyrinth, a creature I had seen many times over the past year.
"It’s out already!?" Sophie cried out, her voice bordering on a scream.
Judging by her reaction, I concluded that the "trouble" Twilight Moonbow had encountered was indeed this Black Dragon. To crush the beast immediately, I prepared to launch myself off the ground, but—
"Please wait, Orun-san!" Luna called out to stop me.
"...Does Twilight Moonbow want to take down the Black Dragon themselves?" I asked.
The Black Dragon was a clear "wall" for my disciples to overcome. I wondered if they intended to fight it here on the surface, where they could receive support from Fuuka or me if things went south. However, Luna shook her head.
"——Ho, so Orun Doura was here as well."
As I struggled to read Luna's true intentions, a voice that sounded like three men speaking in unison echoed from above.
I looked back up to the sky. Standing alongside the Black Dragon was a monster. At a glance, the silhouette looked somewhat human, but its actual form was far too distorted to be called such.
"...A magic beast that speaks?"
"Hey now, have you already forgotten my voice? We met just half a year ago, didn't we? In the Regrif Territory."
The Regrif Territory—that was where I had gone at Count Eddington’s request, coinciding with the first Imperial invasion. If he was someone I had met then...
"...Don't tell me. Ozwell McCloud?"
"Correct! I knew you had a good memory."
The monster—no, Ozwell—responded to my question with sickening satisfaction.
"I see. So the Cult tried to lay their hands on my disciples again."
Finally understanding why they looked so shaken, I spoke through a haze of blood-boiling rage that I could barely keep in check.
"Well, that’s about the long and short of it. Though, honestly, those Twilight Moonbow weaklings weren't of any use as a reference. Now then, Orun Doura—I wonder if you can actually fight on equal terms with the current me!"
Ozwell’s voice was filled with exhilaration. He looked like a man utterly intoxicated by a newfound sense of omnipotence.
The current Twilight Moonbow was by no means weak. Even without my personal bias, they were easily in the upper echelon of all explorers. For Ozwell to dismiss them as weak meant he had gained significant power, but that kind of arrogance was exactly what I could exploit.
"That said, before you get to me, you'll have to deal with the Black Dragon! It’s a masterpiece I’ve brushed up since we last met. It’s every bit as powerful as the real one in the Great Lab——"
Ozwell continued his excited rant, but before he could finish, a sound like two massive, hard objects clashing violently rang out from behind the Black Dragon.
The dragon let out a shriek and fell toward the earth, its body arching backward. It managed to regain its posture at the last second, narrowly avoiding a collision with the ground.
In the space where the dragon had been, Fuuka stood mid-air as if she were standing on solid ground.
It was an application of Ki. By hardening her Ki, she had created a pseudo-foothold. Though the medium was Ki instead of Mana, it was the exact same principle I used to move through the air.
"The Sword Princess——!?"
Ozwell gasped at Fuuka's sudden appearance, but she remained as expressionless as always. Kicking off her Ki foothold, she closed the distance to Ozwell instantly.
Panicked, Ozwell unleashed the Mana Dragons emerging from his shoulders, their maws snapping at Fuuka. But such a simple attack could never touch her; she toyed with them, using fluid, three-dimensional movements to stay out of reach.
"Tch. You pesky little brat!"
Ozwell’s frustration flared. Without missing the opening created by that momentary lapse in his composure, Fuuka used Shukuchi to close the gap and took his head.
Just as I thought the battle had reached an anticlimactic end, Fuuka retreated. Moments later, a massive explosion rocked the space where Ozwell had been.
Fuuka weathered the blast without a scratch and landed near us, her eyes fixed on the smoke.
"Orun, it’s not over yet."
"...Yeah. I know. ——【Alteration】."
The moment I transformed Schwarzhase into its magic sword form, the Black Dragon flying near the ground unleashed a Fireball. I swung the magic sword, firing a pitch-black slash that sliced the fireball clean in half.
"Hahahaha! Excellent! The Dragon Slayer and the Sword Princess—you two pass! I’ll acknowledge you as worthy opponents to test my current strength!"
Once the dragon's attack was neutralized, Ozwell's ecstatic voice drifted down from above. The head Fuuka had severed was back on his shoulders as if nothing had happened. So, even after turning into a monster, his 【Self-Healing】 remained intact. A troublesome ability indeed.
Still, I was glad Ozwell was still alive.
"Twilight Moonbow, withdraw and focus on mopping up the beasts on the surface. Fuuka and I will handle Ozwell and the Black Dragon."
"...Understood. I'm sorry, Master... for making you clean up our mess."
I had expected Logan to insist on fighting, so I was surprised when he followed my instructions so readily. It seemed their sense of helplessness ran deep. I didn't want them to lose the confidence they had worked so hard to build because of this.
"There's no need for you to apologize. You all carried out my request perfectly."
"...Eh?"
"Ozwell’s presence might be a shock, but why did Twilight Moonbow dive into this labyrinth in the first place? To conquer it, and to stop more magic beasts from reaching the surface. You've achieved both, haven't you?"
Luna hadn't said they "conquered" it; she said the "functions were lost." I could easily imagine that the Dungeon Core had been used to fuel Ozwell’s transformation. Since a Dungeon Core was essentially a massive Magic Stone, its removal would naturally shut down the labyrinth.
Because of that, the disciples probably didn't feel like they had achieved a true victory. But regardless of the process, the result was the same: no more beasts would emerge from this hole.
"You shut down the labyrinth and you all came back safe. As far as I'm concerned, that’s more than enough. If you’re still not satisfied with that outcome, then all you can do is keep training so you can get a result you're proud of 'next time'."
The three of them looked thoughtful. I knew exactly how they felt—the frustration of things not going the way they should. I’d experienced it countless times, and even now, those same emotions smoldered within me.
That was why I pushed those feelings down and smiled at them. Because I was their Master.
"There will be many more times where things don't go your way, or where you feel completely powerless. But don't let it rot you. Feeling that way is proof that you're moving forward. It's proof that you haven't given up. So, when those moments come, stand tall. Keep your eyes forward. You are my proud disciples."
A spark of light returned to their eyes. I knew I was speaking in ideals and platitudes, but sometimes, those are exactly what people need to hear.
"...Thank you. Master, I feel like I can look at this result a little differently now."
"I’m going to keep moving forward so you can keep calling me your proud disciple! I'll get even stronger!"
"Master always knows exactly what to say. Thanks, Master. I’m not stopping here either!"
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, can I trust you to handle the rest of the beasts on the surface?"
"Understood!" "Leave it to us!" "It's hunting time!"
With those words, my disciples departed to rejoin the fray.
"Luna, keep an eye on them."
"...Yes. Leave it to me. Orun-san, that man is——"
"——I know. I decided how to handle him the moment we met six months ago. I have no intention of showing him a shred of mercy."
"I am relieved to hear that. I couldn't reach him... so please, crush Ozwell McCloud for me. Carry my anger with you as well."
"Yeah. Consider it done."
Luna nodded, satisfied, and hurried after the others.
"My, aren't you the gallant one, Dragon Slayer? That little display of master-pupil love was so nauseatingly boring I almost fell asleep. I was about to weep from all the yawning."
Ozwell, who had remained silent until our conversation ended, began to clap, his voice dripping with condescension. I’d been on guard in case he tried to interfere, but he hadn't moved. I would never understand how this man’s mind worked.
"...Fuuka, you take the Black Dragon. I'll handle Ozwell alone."
I ignored Ozwell’s taunts and spoke to Fuuka. Ozwell had hurt Caroline in the past and had now threatened my disciples. There was no way I was letting him walk away. I wanted to end this myself.
There was no logic in this decision. I knew fighting alongside Fuuka was the optimal strategy. But this time, I was going to follow my emotions. I would crush Ozwell McCloud with my own two hands.
"All right. I'll take care of the black dragon."
Fuuka didn't object. She simply turned her focus toward the dragon.
"Ahahaha! I like it, Orun Doura! That arrogance of yours—it’s not bad!"
Ozwell burst into laughter when he realized I intended to fight him alone.
——You tried to destroy what's precious to me. That's the only reason you need to die.
I poured Mana into the spell formula I had been constructing and teleported behind him.
"Kuhaha! I can see right through your 【Space Leap】!"
The instant I reappeared, Ozwell was already turning around.
But the moment I landed behind him, I used a burst of high-speed movement—nothing as refined as Shukuchi, but fast enough—to circle back to where his front had been a second ago.
Because Ozwell had spun around to meet my teleport, his defenseless back was now wide open right in front of me.
"I’m interested to see how long you can keep that smirk while you're looking the wrong way."
As I spoke, I swung my greatsword-shaped magic sword with everything I had, slamming Ozwell down toward the earth.