章 228: The Volcano Labyrinth

Once they stepped inside the labyrinth everyone couldn't help letting out exclamations of surprise and awe, which could only be expected with what they were seeing. There was rivers of magma flowing continuously through the air while occasionally a fountain of lava would explode from the ground as well. It was a scene that'd be nice to enjoy if it weren't for the fact that they would have to move forward while trying to avoid the magma and the heat seemed to be increasing with ech step they took. The only ones seemingly unaffected by it were Alex and Tio as they were both dragons with high aptitude for fire, something Tio used to claim made them perfect for each other. Alex normally wouldn't mind such a comment, if it wasn't for the fact that the heat had nothing to do with Tio's heavy panting and drooling while staring at his crotch when she said it. Ignoring the pervert, the group moved forward into the fiery depths.

The first enemy they met was a large flaming bull that didn't hesitate to spew a gigantic ball of fire at them, which Alex eliminated with a flick of his wrist as his 'Fire Manipulation' dealt with the threat. Furious that it's attack simply disappeared, the bull charged forward at the group only to meet Shia's hammer head on and get its head caved in. Eyes glowing a dark red, Shia took a pose and triumphantly declared,

"Don't mess with a bunny!" Everyone smiled at Shia's declaration, while Kuroka said somewhat mockingly,

"That's right~Nya, don't mess with the 'Berserker Bunny'." This caused Shia to look somewhat sheepish as her eyes changed back to their usual blue. Yue however didn't seem to like Kuroka's quip and after giving her micro glare she stepped forward and took Shia's hand while saying,

"...Shia was awesome..." This caused Shia to tear up slightly as she wrapped her arms around Yue and said,

"Yue!" Though she appreciated Shia's affection, Yue still quickly separated from her since it was too hot to cling to each other. After this the group continued down the fiery path, meeting several new monsters as well as more of the flaming Bulls. While Shia took care of the Bulls everyone alternated between the other monsters depending on their way of fighting. When a swarm of magma bats appeared Hajime stepped forward with Donner and Schlag and started shooting them down while Rias did the same with her 'Destruction Duelers'. Similar to her 'Reapers Ruin' this skill was a formation of magic power to create two "pistols" that would fire bullets of destruction magic, though nowhere near the power or speed of 'Reapers Ruin'. She chose to use this skill since if she tried to use destruction magic in general it might destroy part of the walls and flood the area with magma, though with several people capable of using barriers in their party this wouldn't necessarily threaten them, it was still an inconvenience they wanted to avoid.

The one who seemed to do the most fighting however was Shizuku, as after seeing the ease in which everyone else was eliminating their opponents she was filled with an intense drive. After removing the restraints Alex gave she voluntarily took on the fire serpents and flaming hedgehogs that were capable of shooting needles of fire, also decided to use this chance to familiarize herself with her new swords. When she finally learned from Alex what the swords enchantments were Shizuku almost thought her jaw would hit the floor, apparently they were enchanted with what he referred to as his 'Dragon Demons Breath'. This particular fire would take on a darker hue and would burn the target with near acidic properties until they were completely eliminated, this meant that in most cases Shizuku would only need to ensure a single cut on her opponent to ensure victory with the biggest downside being that using that enchantment was extremely taxing on her own magic reserves.

As for everyone else, Grayfia was using a sword to deal with eel-like monsters that would burst from the walls and floors and chameleons that remain hidden in plain sight until they attacked with their tongues, Kuroka was using her proficiency in barriers to try and keep some of the heat away from the group while Yue was experimenting with her ice magic to keep the temperatures down, and Anne was training her telekinesis by keeping any magma away from the group when a monster would splash some their way or when a geyser of it would erupt from the ground. Alex and Tio on the other hand were the ones keeping an eye on the surroundings and assisting where they were needed as the ones least effected by the heat. The only one with seemingly nothing to do was Kaori, as she was mainly proficient in healing and had only dabbled a little in barrier magic as well. Though anyone who would get mild burns or injuries would go to her for healing, it was painfully obvious to the girl that since Anne was also a healer and with the existence of the god water she wasn't necessarily needed. This was why after the first several floors she made the resolve to also receive extra training to be of more use in the future, as she also felt like her uselessness also reflected on Hajime as his girlfriend. Not knowing about Kaori's silent promise to herself, the group continued going until they reached the fifteenth floor, and they decided to call it quits for the day.

"It feels like we're not making anywhere near the amount of progress we did in Orcus, but when I consider what Raisen was like I feel like we're moving fairly quickly." Rias said as they collapsed in the room Hajime made with transmutation in the side of one of the tunnels, with it sealed off from the magma and monsters outside it was the first time anyone felt like they could relax after Yue summoned a giant block of ice to cool them. Grayfia nodded at what Rias said and stated,

"It's because of the extreme heat, it's sapping our strength and will even if the monsters are only as tough or even weaker than what Orcus was like. I can only hope this labyrinth isn't as long as Orcus, or it would take forever to complete it." Alex shook his head at Grayfia's words and said,

"It shouldn't be anywhere near as long, though I don't know how many floors there are to go through. If it was equal in length to Orcus while also growing hotter with each floor then it would be impossible to pass it, after all the trials are meant to be hard not impossible." Everyone looked thoughtful at Alex's words while he also tried to rack his mind about how long this labyrinth was, from what he recalled Hajime had originally somehow taken a shortcut to the end but he couldn't recall how that happened either. The silence was suddenly broken when Kuroka suddenly said,

"Well I don't know about all of you, but as long as we're stopped I would like to do something about all of this sweat~Nyan." Everyone of the girls agreed with Kuroka's words which prompted Grayfia to say,

"We should put up a barrier to block sight and the girls can change while using some towels to wipe themselves." As she could easily see most of those here trying to take advantage of the situation of wiping down bodies, Grayfia was quick to separate them by genders to keep some of the more troublesome people in line. With no one catching on to her real intentions, everyone quickly agreed with her idea and Kuroka swiftly put up a barrier to block sight. Though she was one of the troublesome people Grayfia was worried about, she didn't think she had to worry about Kuroka messing with the barrier since it would mean Hajime could also see some of them naked, something even Kuroka wouldn't risk. With all the girls swiftly disappearing from sight, Alex and Hajime sat down and started discussing how to handle the rest of the labyrinth. They didn't get very far though before there was suddenly a voice interrupting them,

"Kyaaaa! Who's doing that?!"

"Nya Kaori, your body it pretty seductive now that I'm taking a good look at it. Tell me, has Hajime explored every nook and cranny yet, or will I beat him to it~Nyan?"

"Nooooooooo!" Kaori yelled a second later, but it almost seemed as it turned into a small moan towards the end. Then a new voice spoke up,

"Should I help you Anne? After all I'm already very intimate with your body~!"

"Rias! No, I can do it by myself!"

"Don't be like that Anne, come here!" Then with Anne trailing off like Kaori did, yet more voices appeared,

"Eh, why are you looking at me like that Yue?"

"...Hmmm, Shia seems you need some help as well..."

"Wait, why does it seem like there's a glint in your eyes Yue?! Are you just trying to join in with everyone else?!" With no words coming from Yue, a similar yell came from Shia brief second later.

"Really everyone? Even when I tried to keep something like this from happening." Came the voice of Grayfia, before Tio answered her,

"Ufufufufufu, this one thinks thee might be jealous Grayfia. If thou would like to partake as well this one could help thee with the wiping down."

Do not come near me you worthless pervert."

"Ha?! A sudden attack from the maid?!" With Tio beginning to pant like normal, both Hajime and Alex could imagine Grayfia backing away from her in disgust. Coincidently Shizuku seemed to be overlooked by the harassment and she was the first one to leave the barrier after finishing and changing. Due to the constant distracting noises it wasn't until after the girls finished that they were able to properly discuss their plans regarding the future floors.

***

After nearly a week of traveling in this hellish place, at temperatures so extreme that even Alex and Tio were suffering from the heat now, they finally reached what seemed to be the fiftieth floor of the labyrinth.

"I wonder how much farther we have to go?" Shia panted as they walked along another long tunnel that had the occasion magma flowing down one side. As if to answer her the tunnel suddenly opened up and the entire group exclaimed in awe at the scene in front of them. They were now in a large cavern that easily dwarfed the final room in Orcus with several rivers of magma criss crossing above them, and the entire bottom of it was filled with magma besides the occasion stone island for footholds. The most notable thing though was the largest island in the exact middle of the room that seemed like a whole bother hideout like in Orcus, except this one was completely covered in a dome of yet more magma. Alex smiled at the scene and said,

"Everyone, if my guess is right then I present to you the final room of the Grand Gruen Volcano labyrinth. We're almost ready to leave."