Chapter 244 I'll Take You Down, Albis
Day 1 of Exploration.
As expected of the [God's Remains Labyrinth] deepest area, the "Sky floor," the monster attacks are numerous. Some members almost fell to their deaths into the sea of clouds due to the raging storm above, and there were areas where floating islands were flying around in the sky due to the wind. This floor is not easy to navigate.
But above all, we need to be careful of the extremely nasty traps.
I never thought there would be traps that could cause us to turn against each other. Even with my eyes, I couldn't see it coming...!!
We almost lost some members to infighting right at the start of our exploration.
I can't believe the Sky Dragon ignored my call 3 times... Because of that, the others had to fight against a huge swarm of Angel Excias 3 times.
"That Sky Dragon...!! That was a close call...!!"
"...I kind of understand why you are strangely admired by the clan members."
"What's with you, Logan... Don't suddenly compliment me. It's embarrassing...!"
Sure, I'm a great workshop master, but being praised out of the blue makes me blush....
"Looks like sarcasm doesn't work on you..."
Logan said something, but dragging the past around isn't very manly.
Let's switch gears and move forward positively!
"Finally, we can get through 46th floor... if we defeat that thing."
Fiona said. Right now, we had reached the final area of floor 46.
The sky in this floor, which is linked to the time on the ground, was now dyed in a deep crimson. In that scenery, we stopped on a floating island and were observing a certain location.
In front of us floats a large island, bigger than the others, but there's nothing on it――no grass, no trees, no ruins.
The only thing standing in the center of the island is a huge gate that glows faintly. It looks like it was carved from a massive white rock, heavy and imposing.
The entrance is closed, and there are no buildings on the other side. Normally, it wouldn't mean anything, but since I've been through here before, I know that gate leads to the stairs to the next level.
"So... that's the area boss for this floor...?"
"Yeah."
Fiona, sounding a bit confused, nods as Lucia, who I'm carrying, agrees.
――Area boss.
Usually, in the [God's Remains Labyrinth], the beings called "bosses" are the "guardians" that appear every 5 floors. However, starting from floor 41, in addition to the guardians, "area bosses" appear to guard the stairs on each level.
It feels like a long time ago, but when we conquered the "Dragon Mountain floor" as the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, we defeated one of these area bosses.
The ones that appeared back then were all giant dragon types, easily recognizable as bosses.
But now, standing in front of us with the huge gate behind it, the area boss is...
"Hmm... it's quite small. It's a human... right?"
Garon squinted, saying it as if he couldn't believe it.
But that's not surprising. In the [God's Remains Labyrinth], where almost only monsters appear and the only beings that can be called humans are the giants that perished long ago, it's the first time that humans like them have appeared as enemies in this level.
I know this because I've cleared it once before, but... there was still something that didn't sit right with me.
"What does this mean...? The last time I cleared this, it was a man with a sword, right...?"
The last time I fought here, it was a warrior who seemed to have a Swordsman-type job. But now, standing in front of the gate is a warrior with a bow.
He has blonde hair and golden eyes, with a handsome face. Dressed in strangely ornate clothing, he wears a smile that seems unnecessarily defiant, like a show-off.
Somehow, he feels a bit like someone I know.
"The area boss of the sky floor is――."
As if answering my question, Lucia began to speak.
"It's not always the same being that gets 'recreated.' Once it's defeated, a different individual gets 'recreated'... However, each time, it will be a hero from the Age of Gods."
"Heroes from the Age of Gods... Could it be that what the [Evil God] is trying to do is create copies of humans?"
It was Io who asked Lucia this question.
Is that thing in front of us, in other words, what the [Evil God] desires――a human that can be endlessly regenerated without 'death'?
But Lucia shook her head.
"No, that's not it. That thing is like Nord and the others; it responds as if it has a personality when you talk to it, but in reality, it's a doll without a true self. The memories that shape its personality are not 'recreated.' It's an existence that has extracted data related to combat skills..."
"Why is something like that the area boss...?"
"Probably, after sealing the [Evil God], the Chronosphere, when he was still normal, did it on purpose. It's a kind of monument... The heroes of the Age of Gods are 'recreated' as a trial of strength that you must surpass to challenge the [Evil God]. ...Just like me in the deepest floor."
"So, originally, the people of the Age of Gods also thought that they would have to defeat the [Evil God] someday... To measure the minimum strength needed to challenge the [Evil God], they 'recreated' the heroes of the Age of Gods here, right?"
"Yes, exactly."
"But if that's the case... then it means that, in terms of its original role, it's a trial that must be overcome one-on-one..."
Io said with a serious expression.
Well, putting aside the complicated stuff, it basically means we just have to smash that thing, right?
"By the way, that is 'Spirit Archer Albis.' The hero that became the basis for the Unique Job 'Spirit Archer'..."
"Huh?"
Hearing Lucia's explanation, Glen showed an interested expression and stepped forward.
At that moment, even from a distance, 'Spirit Archer Albis' reacted and looked straight at Glen.
"I see... I definitely felt a sense of familiarity with him for some reason."
As Glen's gaze focused, Albis readied his bow.
The entire party reacted and took a combat stance, but Glen lightly raised her hand to hold them back.
"Don't worry, that's not an attack..."
That movement of Albis was not for attacking, just as the words suggested.
Between the drawn bow, an aura arrow was born. Albis shot it upwards.
The aura arrow split into countless arrows in the air, slowly descending and starting to circle around Albis.
Albis shot more arrows upwards, splitting them in the same way, increasing the number of arrows circling around him.
Before long, Albis was surrounded by a huge number of aura arrows. And they weren't just one color; they were swirling in various colors. They were spirit arrows of many attributes.
"Is that... similar to my [Wind Spirit Cyclone Arrow]? No, but it's not just that..."
While Glen could also make arrows circle around him and stock them, the number of arrows and the variety of attributes were greater for Albis.
"The spirits..."
Lucia began to speak to Glen.
"The spirits are given a temporary, simple ego by the phenomenon called magic, allowing them to act autonomously. 'Spirit Archer' has the trait of granting spirits to the aura, making it more difficult to handle than spirit magic."
"Hmm... I know that too, you know? That's why I can handle arrows more freely than other archers. So... what are you trying to say, Lady Lucia?"
Glen's ability to ride on a giant arrow and make it circle around her was partly due to her increased control over the aura, but it was also because they were spirit arrows. It would be difficult for other archer jobs to do what Glen could do.
"Yeah. But Glen still hasn't mastered handling spirits. Your control over aura has reached a level comparable to Albis. However, the skill of 'Spirit Archer' lies in the balance between magic and skill..."
"So, the difference between me and him is how we handle spirits... is that it?"
If we consider magic as spirits acting on their own, then in terms of building a more advanced autonomous spirit, Glen is inferior to Albis――this is the difference.
"I see... that's interesting...!!"
With a combative smile, Glen looked at Albis.
"So this is a perfect trial for me...! Hmm... if that's the case, the battle will probably be a long-range shootout. It seems like the area is set up for close-combat jobs too, though."
As Glen said, there's no need to foolishly engage in a shootout with Albis.
Around the floating island where Albis was stationed, there were several small floating islands circling like satellites. By using those islands as footholds, it would be quite possible to jump repeatedly and land on the island further in. However――
"Moving on those unstable floating islands means there's no cover, making it a good target."
If Glen tried to get closer, she would definitely be targeted by a massive number of arrows. In other words, getting close wouldn't be easy.
"Then it looks like a long-range shootout is the right answer...!!"
Yes, attacking from a distance is the way to go.
"Sorry, everyone, but I'll take care of this."
That said, if she attacks from a distance, there's a high chance of being shot down by Albis's arrows.
"It seems like this is... my power-up event...!!"
If that's the case, the way to deal with it is to unleash a slash that can't be shot down at high speed, or to unleash a slash with power that can't be shot down...
"Hehe! I don't care if you're some hero from the Age of Gods..."
Alright...!!
"As a modern hero, I will carve my name in history and have all the girls in the world by my side...!!"
I lowered my stance and turned sideways. I opened my legs and grabbed the tip of "Black Radiance," which was positioned at my left hip, with my left hand covered in aura, gathering my strength...!!
But now, the moment to unleash my technique is just a blink away.
"I'll take you down, Albis!!"
My unique sword technique――――[Flying Flash Blade]
Humm!! A sound like refreshing metal echoed as the aura surged.
From the horizontal slash, an aura blade shot out.
However, Albis immediately responded to the rapidly approaching slash.
Countless spirit arrows that had been circling around him moved all at once, rushing in to counter my slash!
At the same time, Albis himself fired another arrow.
A massive red aura spirit arrow.
They flew through the air like a meteor shower, striking one after another against [Flying Flash Blade]. The last red spirit arrow that came flying exploded, creating a huge flower of flames in the sky.
But.
The aura density of my [Flying Flash Blade] is unlike anything before.
I sliced through all the countless spirit arrows and finally pierced through the flower of flames.
From there, nothing stood in my way.
With the slash moving straight ahead, Albis could do nothing.
BOOM!! His body was cleaved in 2 along with the bow he was holding, and he flew through the air.
With a thud――his body fell to the ground, quickly turning into particles of light and being swept away by the wind in the sky...
"Alright... I defeated it. So, shall we move on?"
"""......"""
"My... power-up event..."
When I turned around, for some reason, everyone's gaze was focused on me.
Huh? What's with this atmosphere...?
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)