Chapter 88: The Stars Dance in Spirals ①

I murmured in disbelief.

“Right in the middle of the horde…”

“This is quite a problem. I thought it would be in the lab… but like this, hmm.”

“Isn’t there some way?”

“A way… wait. I’m checking the database now.”

A database. So there is one.
I could tell he was operating the touch panel.
But to me, it just looked like a rabbit desperately hopping and pounding on a platform.

“…Wof. There’s one gamble we can take. Very dangerous, but there is a way.”

“What is it?”

“To put it simply, I’ve found a way to temporarily halt the Minos Units. If we use this, we can stop all of them for a short time.”

“Even the infinite spawn ones?”

“Yes, but only temporarily.”

So basically, stop all the Minos Units for a while, and during that time, smash the infinite-spawn core system.

“Hey, Haiyaan. If we destroy this infinite-spawn core system, what happens?”

“Hm? Oh, well first, the infinite spawning will definitely stop. At the same time, all the Minos Units will probably shut down as well.”

“Even the Minos?”

“They’re more like dungeon monster golems. One reason they were rejected as weapons is because they can’t make independent decisions — their entire chain of command is concentrated in a single system. In other words, the core system is their brain. Destroy it, and the Minos Units stop — no brain, no movement.”

“So I just have to destroy it. Then it’ll all be over.”

“That’s right. But charging into the middle of the horde is suicide. Even with a temporary shutdown, it’s still the same. Will you still go?”

“Yes. If there’s even a small chance, I’ll do it.”

“…Alright. Take this.”

Haiyaan tossed me something.
An earpiece?

“If you wear that on your ear, you’ll hear my voice.”
“Got it.”
“Not surprised, huh?”
“There are Legendary and Relic items like this, so…”
“True. Right. I’ll try to maximize the shutdown time. I’ve calculated the point where you can get closest to the target. I’ll direct you there.”
“Understood.”
“…Wof. Sorry.”

Haiyaan apologized.

“Haiyaan. I’m off.”

I gave him a small bow and dashed out.

It was my fault things turned out this way.
I never imagined it would, but this is my responsibility.
My exploration led to this outcome.
I even broke Mineha-san’s spear.

So of course I want to fix it.
But there are limits. There are things anyone can and can’t do.

I know that.
…Or do I really?

Minos Units.
Minotaurs with pale blue skin — which, on closer inspection, was metal.
Metallic Minotaurs waited inside a stone-walled space.

I spoke into the earpiece.

“Haiyaan.”
“Loud and clear. Go ahead.”
“I’m in position.”

Northeast, just as directed.
I activated the Relic Wheel of Fortune.

“I see it!”

Straight to the west, there was a blue light point.
That was it — the infinite-spawn core system.
I steeled myself. Let’s go. I will take it down.

“Alright. I’m going to shut them down now. But there’s not much time — you might be surrounded before you reach the target.”

“I know.”

If it comes to that, I’ll use not just Vanish, but Generous as well.

“Here goes. Shutting down the Minos Units. Three, two, one, zero.”

With a clunk, the Minos Units in sight stopped moving, like their batteries had died.
I froze for a moment, astonished.

“…”

“Wof, hurry.”

Oh—right. I plunged into the motionless horde.
I ran as hard as I could. Having Minos Units on all sides was eerie.
It felt like running through an exhibition of statues.

I pushed forward toward the blue light point. I was getting closer, but these Minos Units were in the way.
I used Vanish to take out the one in front and vaulted over it.

A wall of Minos Units appeared — I detoured around one section, climbed over another, fear gnawing at me at the thought of being attacked mid-climb.

“Wof, how much longer?”
“Not yet. The Minos Units keep blocking me.”
“They’ll be… moving any second now.”
“Isn’t that too soon?!”
“Hurry. Just hurry.”

Easier said than done—
What? I stopped dead.

The closed eyes of the nearby Minos Units opened.
N-no way. I readied myself.
I gripped Agaro-san’s modified knife in one hand and prepared Vanish in the other.

The Minos Units began to move.
And I was the first to be targeted.

Of course. I was in the dead center of the enemy horde.

“Didn’t even make it in time, huh.”

Plan change — fight the bare minimum while pushing forward.

“Whoa!?”

A sudden sword strike from the left — I caught and deflected it with the modified knife.
In that opening, I sliced from shoulder to torso with Vanish.
I sensed an attack from behind and dodged, erasing part of the torso with Vanish.
Blocked a strike from the right with Vanish, stabbed the chest with the knife.
Ignored incoming blows from the left, diagonally right, and behind, focusing only on dodging while chasing the blue light point.

“Ugh!”

I erased the incoming spear with [Vanish].

That spear came flying from far away—wait, is that actually an arrow!?

If something like that hit me even once, it’d be fatal.

I somehow managed to deal with the never-ending rain of spear-arrows using [Vanish].

But the attacks didn’t let up.

Dodge and strike down, dodge and escape, somehow take one out, dodge and deflect—damn it!

I caught a sword with my knife, erased a spear-arrow with [Vanish],

and in that opening, another Minos Unit drove a fist square into my stomach.

“Guhhhhaaaahhh!!”

What power… I was blown back and slammed into a wall. Not good. If I don’t move, another spear-arrow will come.

I used [Calm One]. My mind instantly cleared, and the pain faded as if it were a lie.

But it was just a stopgap. It wouldn’t last long.

Coughing blood, I stood up, dodged a spear-arrow, erased a giant axe with [Vanish].

My leather armor bore the imprint of a fist. It hurt to breathe. Hot. It was broken for sure.

An Elixir—when I reached into my pouch, I saw a spear-thrust from a Minotaur.

I barely caught it with my knife, stumbled, and the small bottle of Elixir fell and shattered.

Ahh, what a waste. No choice. I grabbed a potion bottle and drank it.

The heat subsided, but the pain remained.

Should I use [Generous] here?

No, not yet. The distance is still too great.

If I only have five minutes and can’t reach my goal after using it, then what?

Besides, in that fight with the King of the Death Wind, it was wea—no, stop it. Don’t go there.

That’s not a good line of thinking.

Not yet. Not yet.

I’ll get closer first… then I’ll use it. My trump card.

“!?”

Almost unconsciously, I took a stance.

I caught a sideways swing from an iron club with my left gauntlet, the impact sending me flying.

“Gwoooaahhh—!!”

I rolled, and a different Minotaur’s axe strike came down. I dodged desperately.

Getting up, I erased the legs of an approaching Minotaur with [Vanish], and leapt back.

Not good. I was starting to feel dizzy. Even now, I wasn’t close enough.

The blue light-point wasn’t near.

Should I use it—[Generous]—

“!”

A spear-arrow came flying, and I deflected it with my knife.

I was calm, but couldn’t be calm. The pain kept breaking my focus.

“……”

I focused solely on evasion. Or rather, that’s all I could do.

Dodge, slip past, block, deflect, erase, dodge, jump, get closer to the blue light-point.

Dodge, avoid, block, deflect—dammit, no time to use [Generous].

Silent Move… no, if I failed, what then?

Then a sharp pain ran through my right leg.

“Gwaaaahhh!!”

A spear-arrow grazed and cut my thigh.

Even though I was using [Crisis Sense], I didn’t notice—it didn’t register.

I fell. All at once, my body was overcome with unbearable fatigue.

I couldn’t move a finger… my knife slipped from my hand.

At that moment, [Calm One]’s time limit expired.

[Generous]—I saw the Minos Units approaching through my fading vision.

No good. This is it… I muttered without thinking.

“…I’m sorry…”

Then a star twinkled.

A star shone in the starless dungeon.

And in an instant, those countless stars annihilated all the Minos Units rushing toward me.

“!?”

A star—or… no, something different. It was a star, yet not a star.

They circled in glittering arcs, keeping the Minos Units from getting close.

Any that approached recklessly were carved apart. What was that?

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly, a voice came from above me.

A voice that sounded both absentminded and calm, with no inflection.

And a voice I knew well—impossibly well.

She couldn’t possibly be here.

“……”

Her honey-colored hair and eyes shone fantastically in the starlight.

“Mineha…”

She was in her usual armor.

But in her hand, she gripped a pale-blue spear.

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