Chapter 255 Sword Saint Cain
――The white pillar was not the World Tree.
It was something of space...
"......"
"Hey, come on, cheer up, Master."
"Mr. Aaron, the World Tree must be somewhere!"
"Master, we'll search together!!"
"Don't give up so soon!!"
"......Yeah."
"Ahahahaha!! Mr. Gale's face!! It's the first time I've seen Mr. Gale look so down!? It's hilarious!!"
"Wow, isn't it embarrassing, Master? You were so confident saying, 'It's the World Tree!' and it turned out to be totally different!"
"Serves you right!"
"Of course, someone like Aaron wouldn't know. Seriously, acting like he knows everything..."
"......"
Glen, the girl, the pig, and Io were all jumping at the chance to blame my mistake.
Normally, I would have punched them, but... I just didn't have the energy for that right now.
As I walked slowly through the grassland, Lucia on my back gently patted my head and said softly.
"Aaron, if we can defeat the [Evil God] and free the [God Realm], we should be able to change the labyrinth settings and create a labyrinth with the World Tree... there's still hope."
"I see... that's right... We came all this way to free the labyrinth from the [Evil God] and create a labyrinth with the World Tree..."
"My memories are being distorted."
This isn't the time to be down. The World Tree is waiting for the day I can turn it into my wooden sword in the labyrinth that should appear after the [God's Remains Labyrinth]...!!
"...I feel a bit better now. Thanks, Lucia."
"Aaron, the World Tree..."
"What's wrong?"
"...Hmm, it's nothing..."
"Is that so?"
Ignoring Lucia's strange reaction, we continued to walk through the grasslands toward the sea.
After a while, Logan, who was looking around, checked with Lucia.
"Lady Lucia, it seems that it's true that no monsters appear in the deepest floor."
"Yeah, I'm not lying."
I had heard beforehand that in the 50th floor, no monsters appear at all, and instead, there is only one area boss and the guardian at the very end. She didn't tell me exactly what kind of floor it was, but now I can understand the reason.
It must have been hard to explain.
Even if they said there was some kind of space... no one would understand. It's hard to believe that such a huge structure exists unless you see it for yourself.
Except for me, who has a high IQ...
"The fact that no monsters appear in the last floor is quite eerie... Is there some reason why no monsters show up?"
In response to Logan's question, Lucia answered, "Yeah, there is."
"It's incomplete, but the reason is that it's recreating a space elevator."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"The space elevator, as you can see, is really huge. Its total length is about 100,000 kilometers (≈ 62,137 miles)."
"100,000 kilometers (≈ 62,137 miles)..."
Logan was stunned and lost for words for a moment.
"That's an unimaginable length."
"Yeah, it's about long enough to go around this planet's equator 2 and a half times."
"Even if you say that, I can't really picture it... It's amazing that such a huge structure can stand without falling. Isn't it dangerous?"
"It's not standing. The correct image is that it's being suspended from space."
"?"
Logan tilted his head in confusion. I could tell what he was thinking. Maybe he was wondering if there was a ceiling up in the sky.
Lucia explained.
"Actually, there are asteroids orbiting the planet that act as a counterweight, using the centrifugal force from their rotation to keep the cable from falling."
"...I see."
"Uh-huh... so that's how it is."
Logan and I nodded as if we understood, but Lucia shook her head and said.
"You don't have to force yourself to nod. I thought you wouldn't understand even if I explained."
How rude. I totally get it. So, it means it's hanging from a ceiling in the sky, right?
――I thought that, but I decided not to argue.
"Just know that the space elevator is incredibly huge. Now, back to the topic..."
Logan nodded with an "hmm."
"Since this is a labyrinth, we don't need to completely recreate a 100,000-kilometer space elevator. In reality, space is warped along the way, and what's recreated is only a few thousand kilometers."
"Less than a tenth, huh? Still pretty huge, though."
"Yeah, that's right. It's still huge. It's so huge that there aren't enough resources to create monsters. That's why there are no monsters here."
So, because they're recreating some kind of space thing, they can't create monsters――that's what it means.
If that's the case, then why not just not create them? I wondered if there was some reason for it.
However, Lucia didn't explain any further.
* * *
After walking through the grassland for a while, we reached the coast.
A huge bridge stretches to an island with some kind of space thing on it, and on both sides, there are sandy beaches that go on for kilometers. The white waves crash repeatedly, making a sound like "Whoosh, crash."
"Well, it's not that monsters aren't showing up, but listening to this sound makes me feel kinda sleepy..."
"Yeah, it reminds me of the peace in the 48th floor."
It's a calmness that doesn't feel like the deepest part of a labyrinth――no, it feels peaceful.
I almost let my guard down, but I have to stay focused.
"Hey, you guys! Don't let your guard down! Remember the 48th floor! We don't know what could happen!"
I shout this to the Extermination Team members, turning to face them.
Lucia told me beforehand that there are no traps, but there's no guarantee that the [Evil Gods] won't suddenly attack us.
The Extermination Team nods in agreement as I lead them across the giant bridge over the sea.
The bridge isn't made of wood; it's something like concrete or stone. It might be made of the same material as the [Seal Temple]. In short, it's something from the Age of Gods.
Anyway, after walking on that bridge for several kilometers, we finally see the end of it.
A dome-shaped white building. There's a huge door that seems to lead inside. And in front of it stands a small figure compared to the door...
"Is that a person...? Does that mean that person is the area boss?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Lucia answers Fiona's question.
We're still about a kilometer away, but it seems Lucia can see it too. And we naturally stop there. Because...
"Hey, hey, isn't that person stronger than us?"
"Hmm...? But now that I've defeated Albis..."
"I can already feel it from this distance... is this what they call being in close range...?"
The order was drunken scum Leader, Glen, then Io.
Everyone naturally understood that getting any closer was dangerous.
Standing in front of the door was a young man in his early twenties. He had chestnut hair and golden eyes, and a gentle smile on his handsome face.
His build was neither particularly good nor bad, just average.
From his appearance, there was no sense of intimidation, but when facing him standing naturally with a drawn longsword in his right hand, a strange shiver ran down my spine.
"This is the worst...!!"
It was Lucia who said that.
"I can't believe something like that would show up in a trial...!!"
"Who is it?" I asked. Well, Logan and I had a feeling we knew.
Lucia spoke with a trembling voice.
"That is... 'Sword Saint Cain'...!! Among the heroes of the Age of Gods, he is the strongest...!!"
"I knew it."
Logan nodded as if he understood.
I nodded too.
At the same time, I realized how bad this situation was.
Fighting him on this narrow bridge was basically a trap. Even though he was just a 'recreation' of a hero from the Age of Gods, there was still a chance he could use "that" attack. If that happened and we had no way to counter it, we would almost certainly be done for.
Maybe we could avoid it with a teleport, but if the magic activation was even a little slow, we would die before we could teleport.
Well, if we can dodge the first attack, and if we have teleportation magic, then it's easy to close the distance before the second attack comes. So, even without me and Logan, it's not impossible to defeat them with the help of a Space magician.
"By the way, Lucia. Can you block his attack with Space Barrier?"
"...If it's a normal attack."
Lucia said. From the way she answered, it seems she knows about the techniques Cain uses. And, I thought it was unlikely, but...
"If it's that 'platinum sword,' it can cut through Space Barrier, right?"
"Yeah, it can."
――[Dragon-Slaying Flash: Invisible Ruin]
The sword technique Logan used in the underground [Temple]. Apparently, it can slice through Space Barrier even though it doesn't have a heavy attribute.
I wish I had known that earlier... Did they think it wasn't necessary because of "Black-White"?
Well, it does ruin a sword every time I use it, so "Black-White" is definitely more convenient.
"And also..."
Lucia continued.
"If it's the real Cain... I can confidently say he's stronger than the guardian of the 50th floor, and even stronger than my peak form. I don't know how much of that strength is replicated in this version of Cain, though..."
"......"
The heroes from the Age of Gods in the labyrinth are just fakes. There's no guarantee their strength is the same as the real ones.
Still, if I remember the battle with 'Sage Mabel,' I should be able to assume that it's been 'replicated' with a decent level of accuracy.
During Lucia's prime, she should have been able to use [God's Descent], just like Fiona. And if she could use [God's Descent], that means she should also be able to use Cain's techniques... yet, I can confidently say that Cain is stronger.
It's partly because Cain, who created the original skills, has a higher level of mastery over each technique. Also, even with [God's Descent], she can't replicate [Dragon-Slayer Blade] or [Dragon-Slayer Flash]... which means she has the flaw of not being able to create the "Platinum Sword."
I had previously confirmed this with Fiona, and it seemed to be true.
To create the "Platinum Sword," controlling aura is crucial, but you can't gain that control through [God's Descent]. It seems that using [God's Descent] can significantly enhance one's control, but the degree of enhancement is fixed. If the original control doesn't reach a certain level, it looks like you can't create the "Platinum Sword."
It's still unclear if "that Cain" can use [Dragon-Slayer Flash] at his level... but if he can, that means he has considerable strength.
If that's the case... if the battle drags on, the Extermination Team members might suffer some damage.
The guys from the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ will probably escape on their own, but Chloe and the 'Dark Crow' crew might not be able to get away.
To avoid that, we need to finish this quickly.
"Logan."
I said.
"We'll fight here, just the two of us."
"Hmm... indeed, that would minimize the damage."
"I'm going all out from the start."
"Understood."
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