Chapter 77 - Shortcut Sealing Operation (3)

The second battle with a Sentinel turned out to be surprisingly simple.

There was always a huge difference between doing something for the first time and having done it before.

Moreover, this one was a lower-ranked specimen than the Sentinel we'd fought previously.

Though Luke and Elowen had been replaced by Arthur and Deina, that didn't make a huge difference either.

In fact, even though Deina did practically nothing, Arthur alone filled the roles of two people so well that we barely noticed their absence.

Thousand Blade is just broken, seriously.

Attack and defense in one.

Arthur's bloodline inheritance magic allowed him to create and freely control magic swords, enabling him to handle DPS, tanking, and support all by himself.

He took over both Luke's defense and Elowen's support without showing any signs of strain.

Arthur probably could have fought the Sentinel alone and put up a decent fight.

Though he would've likely lost in a prolonged battle without a finishing blow to break through the Sentinel's defenses.

In that respect, the power of my Smite was absolutely extraordinary.

Even to a member of Enigma.

Even to someone from an elite guild that held one of the five major guild positions despite having only 13 members.

"You said you don't have a guild anyway. Why not join ours? There's no better place for those seeking freedom."

Enigma.

It’s not a bad option at all.

It was a guild with no connection to my classmates, so joining wouldn't upset the balance between them, and having a Pioneer as Guild Master meant substantial power with minimal interference—both major advantages.

However, what concerned me was Enigma's characteristic eccentricity.

Hernan, an Expert who permanently resided on the Second Floor, already seemed quite peculiar—so how extreme must the Pioneer be who gathered all these eccentrics in one place?

Surprisingly, public opinion held that Viola was above average in sanity among Pioneers.

They say the Abyss' mana affects one's mind more the deeper they went, so anyone who could maintain their sanity after reaching the limit must have started with questionable sanity to begin with.

Anyway, I couldn't even begin to imagine how far beyond comprehension the Enigma Guild Master must be, surpassing even Viola's level.

Though Hernan was enthusiastically promoting his guild, Enigma, his pitch didn't last long.

"Hey, Crawler. That's enough."

"...You're not even from their guild."

"So?"

In that final retort, Viola's tone, which until now had carried a hint of playfulness, turned sharp and cold as ice.

Just that slight show of seriousness was enough to clamp Hernan's mouth shut like it had been weighted.

Well, even with connections to another Pioneer, you still can't match a Pioneer yourself, huh?

Having silenced Hernan instantly, Viola pulled me close and threw her arm around my shoulders, probably intending to prevent him from making any more recruitment attempts.

Because of this, I tensed up as I felt a subtle softness against my arm.

Unexpectedly... not as firm as I thought.

Given her physical training, I'd assumed her chest would be all muscle...

"Relax. I won't eat you so don’t be so tense"

No, that's not the issue here.

Despite my discomfort, Viola just giggled and pulled me closer.

Naturally, this pressed me closer to her chest, making me more tense, and creating a vicious cycle.

Rei, who usually rescued me from such situations, had been reduced to a mere cub before this natural predator, while Leaf could only fidget anxiously, unable to step in.

"Let's go. Crawler, lead the way."

"...I'm filthy."

Though grumbling, Hernan obediently followed her instructions.

Taking his place, Viola casually did exactly what she'd stopped Hernan from doing.

"We have positions in our guild. Three spots."

Viola proudly held up three fingers with the hand not draped over my shoulder.

"Well, no pressure, but think about it."

Ah, yes...

But maybe you should remove your arm first before claiming there's no pressure?

§

Several days later, we smoothly arrived at E-20 Plaza.

We were first.

Though the distance was considerable, having such an excellent guide made for incredible speed.

The very next day after our arrival, familiar faces appeared as the second group.

The Frontier subcontracted team was led by Lyudmila and Ruslan.

Frontier only sent those two, filling the rest of the team with those who Viola had chased out of Telema School but promised to include in the next expedition.

"As expected of the Guild Master. We thought we'd be first."

"That's because we have Crawler."

Ruslan coolly explained the reason for Lyudmila's amazement.

Clearly F and T.

The third group arrived on our second day at the plaza.

The day-long intervals between arrivals probably showed everyone's efforts to arrive as quickly as possible.

Surprisingly, the third to arrive was the team dispatched by the Union.

This defied everyone's expectations.

We'd all assumed the Conquerors-led team would be third.

Though everyone thought that if the Union team could arrive this quickly, the Conquerors must be close behind... they didn't appear even the next day.

"Why are they so late?"

"Yeah. They must have been teleported somewhere far."

"No need to worry. Grant Dexter is one of the Conquerors' best. He'll be here soon."

"S-Senior! When did you get here...?"

Several more days passed like this.

Six days after arriving at E-20 Plaza.

Still, Grant Dexter's team hadn't joined us.

§

"We have no choice."

Viola's words broke the heavy silence that had settled over the plaza.

"We can't wait here forever. We're just wasting time and giving those cultists more opportunity."

It was time for a decision.

As overall commander, Viola drew her sword.

"We'll proceed with the operation as planned with the three teams here."

Each team's assigned areas had already been determined.

Hernan's maps of the Second Floor had been distributed to each team, and optimal routes had been planned considering the Sentinels' territories.

Like us, the other teams had also taken down Sentinels on their way—the Union team had defeated a Scullery-class, while the Frontier team had taken down an Upper-class.

Through this, we learned that shortcuts were only appearing in territories of Upper-class Sentinels and above.

Thinking about it, it would have been excessive if shortcuts appeared in territories of all Sentinels, including the Under-class which made up more than half of them.

There were quite a few of them after all.

If that were possible, the Abyss Worshipers might as well have made the entire Second Floor their front yard.

"But... is this okay?"

"Grant Dexter is skilled. Something might have happened, but we can't rule out the possibility that they were simply teleported far away. We'll leave a message with those stationed at the plaza and move out first."

E-20 Plaza had become a sort of base camp for Explorers.

Naturally, it had permanent residents.

We were able to stay here for days because we could get supplies from these residents.

Though it was expensive.

Viola clicked her tongue, saying we should have departed earlier.

"Ignore Under-class and below. Only look for Upper-class and eliminate them. According to Crawler's map, there's a Keeper in our sector, but if you encounter one elsewhere, avoid combat."

Sentinel Keeper.

Their combat ability was said to rival Expert-rank Explorers.

For a safe elimination, either Grant or Viola would need to step in.

"Dismissed!"

§

Our assigned area was the northern part of the Second Floor.

It was the sector with a Sentinel Keeper at its furthest point.

And in this sector, just below the Keeper, there was also a Sentinel Head, stronger than an Upper-class.

Right in front of us.

"Rei!"

"I'm fine! Just get ready!"

The Sentinel Head was in a completely different class from Upper-rank.

Unlike Upper-class Sentinels that were the size of normal horses, the Head was truly monster-sized.

Just the horse-half stood 2m tall.

Including the upper body, it reached 3m, and its massive strikes easily shattered Arthur's defensive magic, Shield Sword Technique, which hadn't even flinched against Under-class Sentinel attacks.

Fortunately, the halberd that broke through Shield Sword Technique didn't reach Rei.

However, just the wind pressure from that strike was enough to push Rei's small body back.

Wind from the opposite direction cushioned Rei while a stream of water dispersed the Sentinel's aggro.

Leaf had grown accustomed to deploying two spirits simultaneously.

Meanwhile, I glanced to the side.

Viola stood watching the situation, arms still crossed.

Seems she still has no intention of intervening...

Behind Viola was the shortcut, its black maw gaping open.

Surprisingly, the maw that had been spewing Third Floor monsters stopped after Viola took her position.

Her aura had sealed the shortcut's entrance like a barrier.

But even though she clearly had strength to spare, she was leaving us to handle this—did she think we could manage it ourselves?

This amount of power should be enough.

Smite was a straightforward technique that grew stronger the more mana it accumulated.

And my mana was limitless.

With mana endlessly accumulated through the altar's innate magic, which allowed me to compress mana beyond my control capacity, I should be able to penetrate even a Head-class Sentinel's defenses.

If only Rei could strip away that defensive magic.

The problem is Rei can't even get close. Even with Leaf and Arthur's support.

Leaf and Arthur were doing their best.

But the Sentinel's reaction speed was too fast.

Maybe I should fire one shot and draw its aggro to me.

If three people—Arthur, Leaf, and Rei—weren't enough, adding me might create an opening.

Just as I was about to use Smite with that thought-

"It's done!"

A sharp cry burst from Deina, who had been observing until now, as a torrent of mana surged.

Spiritual Descent.

It was literally magic that allowed external spirits, gods, or deities to dwell within oneself.

The magic's power varied drastically depending on which deity was possessed.

And apparently, the deity Deina summoned was quite powerful.

KUUNG!

Deina grabbed the halberd that had broken through Shield Sword Technique.

Her skin turned red and her hair stood on end from the possession's effects.

Bulging veins and blood vessels across her body showed she was using all her strength.

I vaguely remembered hearing her mumble about not wanting to use this... now I understood why.

"Now!"

URGH!

Deina's body could only hold out for a moment.

After just a few seconds, her body at its limit made a horrifying sound.

"G-go, Rei!"

Rei dashed.

Wrapped in Argentooth's silver mana instead of Azurail's blue.

Arthur's magic swords pinned the Sentinel like stakes, while Leaf's Aerial gave Rei wings.

And the Argentooth that connected showed its unfailing miracle once again.

PAHHAT—!

The Sentinel's defensive magic unraveled.

Through that gap, I fired my magic bullet.

KWAAANG—!!

§

"Not bad."

Sitting on the Sentinel's remains was Viola.

The reason she was there was because she had finished it off.

"Having two cores is unfair, isn't it?"

"In the depths, there are creatures with up to 10 mana cores. Don't think it's over just because you've destroyed one mana core."

Viola jumped down from the Sentinel and approached the shortcut.

"First we close this. Feedback comes after."

"I'll set up the barrier."

Hernan stepped forward at Viola's words.

I'd wondered who would set up the barrier—turned out they planned to dump that on Hernan too.

I stuck close to Hernan's side to watch him create the barrier.

Though I couldn't copy it right away, watching might help somehow later.

While I was closely examining both his barrier and the shortcut,

[You could close this, you know?]

An Archdevil whispered with her Authority.