Chapter 7

"To think they would send us some low life as backup," It wasn't the welcome I wanted, but at least they haven't tried to kill us yet. "It's bad enough we have to rely on a kid like you, but I could never trust a demi-human watching my back."

"The army must be really desperate to entrust the two of you with this job," Another person adds. "Just stay in the rear and stay out of our way."

The two of them appear to be nobles from how finely dressed they are. Their clothes may be torn and dirty, but it is still clear they are worth more than most people in this world would earn in a year. If you are wondering how I know that well, it is all thanks to my Estimation skill. The two rude nobles push past us and head to the front of our group.

"If they run into trouble, I won't be helping them," Bunny replies, watching them leave with a glare. Those two are lucky that looks can't kill people.

"They look like the type to run anyway," I whisper, and Bunny nods in agreement.

"You're not wrong," I guess I wasn't quite enough. A fat old man holding a mace in one hand, a broken wooden shield in the other, and a chainmail shirt stretched to its limits around his torso. "Those brats are the first to run. Whenever we got into a fight, those two would hide behind everyone else and then try to claim they fought single-handedly when the battle was over."

"I'm sorry you had to put up with them," The man only smiles at my comment.

"Don't be. I am used to the likes of them," The man chuckles. "My name is Finnley Hall. Owner of Hall's Transport. We transport people, cargo and anything else that isn't illegal. I have experience as a caravan guard from my younger years. I'm in charge here. Now I hope you don't mind me asking, but what kind of skills and experience do you have?"

"I can use the sword, and I have a few years' experience hunting monsters," I lie, but I am surprised by how easily I have fooled him.

"I used to be a warrior for my tribe," Bunny reluctantly admits. "I can hold my own against these monsters."

"Perfect, you two are just what we need down here," Finnley continues to smile. "I hate to agree with those two brats, but it is probably better for you two to be a the rear. There will be less chance of a fatal accident that way."

"Is there anyone back there like them?" I ask.

"Nope," Finnley shakes her head. "Just a foxkin mercenary staying back for the same reason as you two."

After that, we parted ways with Finnley and slowly made our way to the group's rear. Several men and women, some in armour and others in tattered clothes, glare at Bunny, but most ignore us. A few smile at us, but mainly because they have some hidden motive when seeing my magic sword. A merchant was pushy, requesting I sell it to them. A noble young boy demanded I hand it over, only to be put in his place by the soldiers' commander, and a few people tried to take it by force. I really am surprised people would try to rob me in front of so many witnesses.

When we finally reach the back of the group, we nod at the tall foxkin mercenary waiting for us. He is a tall man and is built like a bodybuilder. What I thought was well-maintained steel plat armour covers his body, but on close expectation, I learn through my Appraisal skill the armour is actually mithral. Not only that, but I can tell it has some kind of magical enchantment on it, but my skill level is too low to give me that kind of information. As for his weapon, I can't see any on him, but his armoured knuckles have sharp-looking spikes on them, leading me to believe that he fights unarmed.

"Hey,"

"…" He only stares at me when I greet him.

"It looks like we will be working together,"

"Move," He growls, pushing past me. He is just like those two brats… or so I thought until I saw he only moved me to punch a wolf-like monster with red eyes hard enough to cause its head to explode. "Watch you back. The monsters in this passage like to ambush you."

"Thank you," I smile, but he only nods his head.

<0>

We walk for two hours before stopping in a large cavern. From what we have been told, that girl Zena who was with Satou, had used some kind of magic and located a possible exit. So far, everything has been going well. Our group hasn't taken any casualties and even increased in size after linking up with another group of survivors. So far, we have eighty soldiers, twelve magic casters, fifteen priestesses and priests and about one hundred other people, including Bunny and myself.

That doesn't mean we had a peaceful two-hour hike through a dungeon. We had to rescue those two noble brats after falling into a mimic trap. I would have thought their attitude would have changed after they were saved by a treasure chest looking monster, but they were still just as rude afterwards. Then there were the monster attacks. We thought other an attack by more undead, a group of giant beetles and finally, a crystal-like monster. That last one was no fun. Only my sword and the foxkin mercenaries' fists could harm all of us on guard duty. We won in the end, but it is not a fight I want to repeat ever again.

But now everything is calm and peaceful. The soldiers guard the entrances to the cavern, and we can all catch our breath. Bunny and I sit away from the group after some people comment on her race. It's stupid. Some people called her dirty when they were no cleaner after spending days trapped down here. Others complained about her smell. I hate to break it to those guys, but they don't smell any better. We aren't the only ones forced to move away. That foxkin mercenary sits not far away from us while a person who looks like a weasel eats alone.

Still, not everyone is so bad. One of the priests came over to check on us, and Finnley brought us something to eat. From Finnley, we learned about Zena's spell and that our escape from this dungeon may be sooner than we thought. Finnley told us all about his meeting the with soldiers and that we will get moving again as soon as the scout they sent out returned. So now all we are doing is waiting and relaxing until we….

"Look out!"

In the blink of an eye, chaos broke out. Countless green slimes dropped down from the ceiling, brown slimes tunnelled up from beneath our feet at blue slimes emerged from the small lake in the cavern. People scream and run as the soldiers struggle to react.

"Everyone form up and protect the civilians!" The leader of the soldier's orders, but it is too late.

The slimes are everywhere, and too many making it impossible for everyone to gather together. Already one soldier has fallen, his skin melting his flesh and dissolving the armour he was wearing. He isn't the only one to fall. A woman not that far dies before I can draw my sword and those two noble brats both lay dead on the ground.

"Watch out!"

"Thank you," I shiver when I see how close a brown slime came to eating my leg. I was lucky Bunny was here to save me.

"Aim for their cores," Bunney says, pulling out her sword and showing me a smooth crumbling stone on the end of her weapon. "That is the only way to kill them."

"Right," I nod looking around. "We need to spread the word." It looks like no one else knows about the core trick. They slash at the slimes, and soon more people lie dead on the floor. "We'll move from group to group, letting people know."

"Okay," Bunny nods before we take off running.

We hack and slash, cutting slimes down one after the other. Apart from us, it looks like that foxkin is the only one who knows how to kill these monsters. He takes them down even quicker than us, but the mercenary doesn't share that information with everyone. We saved that priest that approached us before and helped a trio of children get to their parents.

"Aim for their cores," I tell the first group. "The dots in their bodies."

We run to the second group as purple slimes join the fight, bringing a dreadful stench. They are bigger than the slimes from before and stronger. We can still take them down, but they give us more trouble than the other slimes. More people die while the cries of the wounded start to echo through the cavern.

"Ahh!"

We slash and hack. Stab and crush. We do everything we can and move as fast as our feet will carry us. But it is not enough. For every person, we save another dies. For every person we teach how to fight, another runs away. The soldiers are in no position to help. Their formation is broken, and they are barely holding on themselves. I see their commander being saved by the foxkin mercenary while the soldier by his side drops his weapon and flees.

"Reform the lines!" The soldier's leader cries out, crushing a slime with his shield. "We need to protect the magical soldiers!"

It's too late. One of those magical soldiers is dead, and the others have fled. Only that girl, Zena, remains. But she will die soon if no one can get to her. A giant purple slime has her pinned to the wall trapping her long tentacles smashed into the wall on either side of Zena, stopping her from running. There's nothing I can do. I am too far away, and although Zena is keeping it back with a shield, she is quickly overpowered. But then something destroys its core, and Zena collapses against the wall in exhaustion.

"Zena!"

I may have not been able to help, but he was. Satou runs to her, dodging slimes that are quickly taken out by those chained up slave girls from before. The lizard girl now has a spear stabbing the slimes cores one after the other. The dog girl blocks the slimes attacks with a small shield while the cat girl destroys those slimes cores. In an instant, the tired of battle turns as slimes are being cut down in their hundreds.

"Are you alright, Zena?" Satou asks, extending a hand to help her up but instead, she jumps up and hugs him.

"Thank you," Zena cries, hugging him tighter. "I thought I would never see you again."

"It's okay. I am safe," Satou smiles as they break apart, and I notice the tears in her eyes.

"Zena, please save your excitement about your reunion for later. For now, finishing off these monsters takes priority." A priestess wearing a different colour than the other priestesses steps towards the two of them, making Zena blush.

"Ah, s-sorry about that! Gosh, what am I doing?"

"Don't worry. I'm happy that you were so pleased to see me."

I would have watched the scene unfold for longer if it weren't for these pesky slimes. Slash, swing and stab. Bunny and I continue to chip away at their numbers. The army is starting to regroup, and the ones that run away return. If this keeps up, we will have these slimes beat in no time. I take down one of those purple slimes and then stab at a brown slime that tried sneaking up on me. Bunny, meanwhile, just managed to take out four blue slimes with a single swing of her sword.

"Aim for the slimes' nuclei!"

Suddenly, a loud voice conveys the message Bunny and I have been trying to spread. Looking over my should, I can see that the one who shouted was Satou. I had no idea a human could be so loud. Still, it seems to have worked. Slimes are being killed at a faster rate than before. It takes us only ten minutes to eliminate the last slime, but we have lost a quarter of our numbers when the dust settles. Most of them were civilians, and the bodies were quickly moved to the side. As for the wounded, they are gathered by the priests and priestesses, who quickly start using healing magic on them.

"Hey, you two!"

I flinch and consider running away when I see a man approach Bunny and I. he is the noble that demanded I turn over my magical sword to him. He still has the same air of confidence about him as he did back then.

"Thank you," But instead of making more demands for my sword, he lowers his head. "Those children you saved were mine. If there is ever anything you need, I vow to do the utmost to aid you."

He doesn't even wait for my reply before leaving, with only a maid staying behind, handing me a piece of paper with an address written on it. I thank the made before she leaves, following behind her master.

I feel strange when I sit down. It is so quiet that it is easy to think that a devastating life and death battle just took place when I close my eyes. That so many people just died. Things have gone back to how they were before, and we sit down in groups. The only thing that changed is the soldiers are keeping a closer eye on the floor and ceiling.

Looking around, I spot the priests and priestesses watching over the injured, the nobles huddled together while the commoners stare hungrily at the food they are eating. Zena is with that well-dressed priestess talking about something with a deep red blush on her cheeks while those beastfolk girls eat pieces of meat together a little bit away from the group.

"Hey," And Satou has somehow managed to sneak up on Bunny and me. "I'm sorry, but can I talk to you in private."

"Sure," I nod my head and get up. Bunny tries to come with us, but I stop her and assure her I am alright. We walk off to the side of the room where no one currently is. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was just wondering," He's speaking Japanese. "Are you from Japan too?"

"Yeah," I nod my head, replying in my native tongue.

There is no point in lying or trying to hide this fact from him. If he is from Japan too, and the same thing happened to him as it did to me, then I might be able to figure out what happened to me. We are silent for a moment before I continue.

"Although I only just got here," I say. "I woke up in the bottom of a dungeon-like cave filled with monsters only a few days ago."

"Something similar happened to me," He replies after a few seconds. "I woke up in a place called the Dragon's Valley a few days ago as well."

"I see. I take it you don't know what happened to you like me," He confirms my worse fear. I guess I won't be getting any information from him. "So, do you have any idea on how to get back?"

"Not yet," Satou shakes his head. "But I intend to explore this world and find a way back home. You are welcome to join me with you want to."

"I'll think about it once we get out of here," I tell him, and he nods his head. "For now, let us just work together to escape this place."

"Sure, I'm not going to force you to come with me," Satou smiles, extending his hand. "I'm Satou, by the way. It is nice to meet a fellow Japanese person here."

"Kura," I replied, shaking his hand.

We part ways after agreeing to work together and bring our groups together. Bunny is quiet, but she gets along with the lizard girl as they compare combat techniques. She introduced herself as Liza before she and Bunny started debating over which combat style was better. As for the other two, they adorably rest on my lap as I stroke their hair, acting like a real dog and cat. The Dog-eared Demi-Human is called Pochi. She was nervous at first but soon warmed up to me. The Cat-eared Demi-Human is named Tama. She was friendly right away and even offered me some of her food when she saw me. Tama said it was thanks for helping her. When I questioned her on this, she said she saw me taking out that woman sneaking up on Satou.

The final person to join our group is Zena. She is still red in the face and keeps shooting glances between Satou, myself and the priestesses she was talking to. We sit down and eat together, talking about the labyrinth and the plan for escaping. It seems the scout has just returned with mixed news. Zena tells us that there is an exit in the next cavern, but powerful undead monsters guard the way out.

<0>

The final battle has begun. The soldiers engage the monsters using a narrow passage to counter their numbers. At the same time, magic casters break up the undead formation. The rest of us are waiting in a small, easily defended room. Bunny and I stand guard with Finnley. Eventually, Satou and the slave girls join us after the people inside started insulting the Demi-Human girls.

Eventually, the undead is pushed back into the room as several skeleton horsemen are brought down. Then the priestesses shot their purifying spells into the mix, finishing them off. Their resistance to the magic must have been reduced when they were low on health. I followed Satou and his group closer to the fighting without realising it. Bunney stayed by my side, and we managed to get a good look at the action.

A pair of knights form the backbone of the soldier's line as they try to keep the skeletons back with spears and shields. Everything seems to be going well for them apart from a giant, strong-looking skeleton knight and a grim reaper looking skeleton holding a scythe. It was wearing a black robe and glaring at the soldiers with dark red eyes as a black mist surrounded its body.

"The knight is charging!" A soldier cries out.

"Zena, slow it down!" The soldier's commander orders.

"Bind Air Fuubaku!" Zena yells after a fast chanting of words.

The skeleton knight slows and is tripped by the soldier's spears. The soldier's commander smashes its head with one mighty blow as it struggles to get up. Now the grim reaper rushes forward but meets a wall of air, slowing it down long enough for everyone to get ready for it. But then it two trips and falls. I saw Satou move out of the corner of my eyes, but I wasn't sure what he was up to until I saw skeletons starting to fall one after the other. He's throwing stones. Small enough to go unnoticed by everyone not paying attention to him but large enough to break the skeleton's bones.

"Turn Undead Jouka!"

The priestesses cast spell after spell, taking out the weakest monsters while the soldiers hack away at the stronger ones. It is over. As the grim reaper skeleton is killed, the battle is brought to an end. Luckily this time, not a single person is killed. There are a few wounded but nothing serious.

Not long after, we moved on with the people that were taking shelter. We moved forward but didn't get far before a locked heavy-looking metal door blocked our escape. It is locked, and no one could get it to open. The soldiers tried pushing it open, breaking it down and even firing magic at it, but nothing they did had any effect on the door at all.

"Hey, there's a treasure chest here!"

"Ooh! I've heard of them appearing in dungeons sometimes!"

"It's mine! I found it first!"

Before we could think of another way to open the door, a group of men found a chest and started fighting over it. I shiver when I see the chest as my instincts cry out. It is a trap! Before I can say anything, the men open up that chest.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho…to think that so many of you made it here! I, impressed!"

The eyeball demon that pulled us into the labyrinth suddenly springs up from the chest. It scans the room with its eye and chuckles to itself as it floats above us.

"Everyone, get into position! We're going to form a three-pronged attack, not a circle! This thing can use magic. Viscount, Zena, we'll need you on defence!" The soldier's leader quickly recovers from the shock and shouts out orders.

"I knew you'd show up, demon! Unfortunately for you, there's no defence against my Blaze Magic. I'm going to use Blast Pole. Buy me some time!" A wealthy look man yells out, stepping forward.

Black spears suddenly appear, surround the demon and spin around his body. The soldiers that tried to charge forward are knocked back, making the demon laugh.

"Human magic is too slow. I, bored!"

Hey, what happened? The demon is gone. It was right in front of me, but then it blinked and vanished. For a moment, there is nothing and the. Zombies… skeletons, and goblins appear around me. The demon must have summoned them. I draw my sword prepared to fight the monsters to the….

"Hey, snap out of it!"

Suddenly, something slaps me in the face, and the world around me changes once again. All Zombies, skeletons, and goblins disappear, turning into soldiers and civilians. Satou? Did he just slap me? He's standing right in front of me, shaking my shoulders. What just happened? Was everything now just an illusion? I shake my head as I come back to my senses. It looks like I wasn't the only one affected. The Demi-Human girls are unconscious off to the side along with Bunny while multiple soldiers attack their comrades. Luckily, most people were unaffected, so the hypnotised soldiers were quickly detained.

"Stupid humans, kill each other! I, happy!" The demon chuckles, only to be stopped as his body burns. It looks like that fancy-dressed man finally cast his spell.

"Foul demon! We humans won't allow your kind to trample on us forever!"

"Hot! HOT! It's nice and hot! I, cosy!"

"What the?! Intermediate magic doesn't work on him?!"

"Doesn't work? Of course, it worked. I, kind." The demon acts like it is taking a bath in flames. "Ah, your despair feels so good! I, thrilled!"

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before someone got killed. I grit my teeth and prepare to attack. I might not be able to do much, but I should be able to win in the end with my respawn ability. But before I can even take a step forward, I freeze when I hear screams to my rear. Several people come running into the room with undead beasts chasing right behind them. I wasn't expecting an attack from the rear. Strong monsters to the rear and an unstoppable demon to our front. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Before I can think of what to do, Satou throws a stone at the lead undead beast coursing it to charge our way. He better have a plan because two of them are getting closer to use.

"I got the one on the right," Satou says, backing up and putting some distance between us.

The undead beast split up with one coming for me and a second for Satou. They are wolf-like creatures with sabertooth like teeth hanging from their mouths and a horn-like spike coming from on top of its head. It growls but only stares at me, staying just outside of the reach of my blade. Meanwhile, the other undead beast pounces.

"Satou," I can hear Zena cry out, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the horrifying sight of Satou being thrown through the wall, taking that undead beast with him.

"Zena! Stay in position!"

"No, let me go! Satou, Satou!"

I hope he's okay. I wish I could rush to his aid, but the undead beast facing me chooses this time to attack. It jumps high, threatening to land on top of me, but I manage to dodge out and even cut its side with my magical sword. But the beast is tough and doesn't go down. It charges again, but I roll, cutting off one of its legs. It hobbles and staggers forward, attempting to bite me, but I quickly stab it through the head.

Now all I have to do is fight, die and repeat until the demon is either dead or gets too bored to continue. I grip my weapon tighter and take a step forward, then another, but another person rushes by me before I get close. They throw a rock at them.

"Guh? What was that? I, surprised!"

"Quit screwing around! We don't need help from a masked weirdo like you!"

Both the demon and the fancy-dressed man yell at the stranger as he rushes forward. This guy is weird. They are wearing some kind of mask and blonde wig, whoever they are. Come to think of it, I think I have seen them on some store stand. They threw more rocks at the demon but the monster pts up a black screen that blocks the attack.

"Who are you? Thinking you could harm a demon with a mere rock? I, so perplexed!"

The demon howls as it creates a black javelin, but the masked guy swiftly dodges the blow. A priestess and the fancy-dressed man fire spells at the demon scoring direct hits and knocking the demon back. All of a sudden, things don't seem so bad. A few soldiers charge in, stabbing the demon when it falls to the ground.

"Aargh, am I going to be defeated by humans? HUMANS? I, embarrassed!"

"He's going to cast something! Everyone, defensive positions!" At the captain's warning, the soldiers took cover behind nearby rocks as a large circle appeared beneath the demon.

"Ah, master! I, yearning."

A jet-black giant emerged from the magic circle. This thing is a real demon. Ram like horns, dark red eyes that glow in the dim light of the cave and four arms tipped with shimming razor-sharp claws. Black bat wings sprouted from his back with veins of red, plus a forked tail with sharp points on the end. The twenty-foot-tall giant was floating in midair.

"How can this be?! It summoned an intermediate hell demon?"

"Wrong, Human. The Great I, Displeased."

"My master is the demon lord's, right-hand man! A god among demons! I, correcting!"

"I don't believe it. A greater hell demon?!"

Everyone is stunned and can only stare at the giant demon before us. Several soldiers drop to their knees while a few others look ready to run. Can we even beat that thing?

"You Did Good Work Creating The Labyrinth And Summoning Me. The Great I, Gratified." The giant beast grabbed the eyeball demon.

"Ah, I can be a part of master again! I, delighted!"

"Soldiers, Stand Up And Fight. The Great I, Choosing You." I don't know who, but someone yells out as a face appears on the demon's body.

"So There's A Hero Among Us, Is There? Did You Get A Divine Revelation? The Great I, Enraged." The masked person steps forward, sword in hand, as a black mist envelops the demon's body. "Your Carelessness Will Be Your Downfall! The Great I, Full Power." The masked person looks over the demon until the mist fades. "What's Wrong, Hero? Aren't You Any Good With Your Holy Sword? The Great I, Disappointed."

The masked person rushes forward, dodging lightning shoot at him by the demon and slashing the demon's stomach, but it quickly heals. Now within range, the demon tries to slash him with its claws grazing the masked man's shoulder.

"You're Sturdy For A Human! The Great I, Impressed."

The masked man is forced to jump back as the demon tries to breathe some kind of breath attack that turns part of his clothing to stone. He needs help. Rushing forward, I don't think and just act. I slide under a lightning attack and jump onto its arm as I rush up and cut his neck open.

"A Magical Sword! The Great I, Surprised!" The masked man rushes forward, cutting off one of the demon's arms as I land and slash one of the demon's ankles. "That's A Sharp Sword You Have There, But The More You Cut Me Up, The More Demon Spawn I'll Create. The Great I, Cautioning." It's right. The demon's severed arm turns into another demon that starts to attack the nearby soldiers. "No Matter How Good You Are With That Sword, You Won't Be Able To Beat Me If You Can't Use Its Full Power. The Great I, Derisive."

We jump back, and I share a glance with the masked person. His eyes look familiar for some reason. I am not sure where but I know I have seen them before. We both nod our heads before attacking. The demon tries to slash us with its claws, but we effortlessly dodge the attack. I slide under his head, attacking the demon between the legs with my sword in a way that would bring any man to his knees. At the same time, the masked man cuts the demon's head in two down the middle, but the damage of our attacks is quickly healed.

"You Two Are Entertaining. The Great I, Impressed." The demon forces us back with a breath attack and then starts howling. "The Great I, Attacking."

"Air Hammer Kitsui!" "

"Flame Spear Honoo no Yari!" "

"Sacred Javelin Seinaru Yari!"

Zena, the priestess and that fancy-dressed man strike first, catching the demon off guard with their surprise attack. It didn't look like the attack did much damage, but it but the masked man and me some time. Wait, does he have a gun? I almost get hit by a fireball fired by the demon at the sight of the masked man suddenly holding a gun in his hand, which held a sword.

"How Dare You Interrupt My Fun With Your Weak Magic? The Great I, Offended." The demon suddenly picks up a giant rock and looks like he might throw it at Zena and the others, but the masked man fires his gun. "Gunhghgh! The Great I, Careless."

He fires multiple shots. The first hit the demon, causing him to drop the bolder and put some distance between us. But he dodges the other two shots. He glares at the masked man looking over his weapon.

"Given Up On The Holy Sword You Couldn't Use, Have You? The Great I, Observant."

The masked man fires a fireball at the demon and rushes forward. Without thinking, I follow after him. There was a large explosion and blinding light, but we didn't stop. Despite the momentary blindness, despite the ringing in my ears, I don't slow down. When my vision returned, I saw the half-charred and smoking demon, plus a massive hole in the labyrinth wall behind him. The surface was still bright red, bubbling like lava. Whoever this masked guy is, they are not someone I want as an enemy.

"How Could One So Skilled In Combat Also Be A Sorcerer? The Great I, Uncomprehending."

"That could only have been the greater spell Crimson Javelin!" Someone mutters behind us.

It's over. I can sense our victory as I run up the demon's left arm, and the masked guy runs up its right arm. No matter what this demon does, it won't escape its fated death. We both jump at the same time. At some point, the masked man changed his gun for a sword, and we both cut the demon deeply down through its head and chest.

"What Kind Of Sword Is That?! The Great…I…Defeated…"

The demon mutters as it turns to black dust and crumbles away. I put away my sword and turned around only to find that masked guy nowhere to be seen. Several soldiers rush toward me, and before I know it, one of them hugs me.

"You killed a Greater Hell Demon!"

The soldiers cheer as I am lifted into the air. I try to get down, but I don't think they can hear me over the cheers. Still, at least their leader is calm enough to get his men to drop me. He thanks me for my actions and promises a great reward for my victory.