บท 199: Absolute Pin - II
A massive sandworm burst from the sandy dunes. Raising its maw to the sky, it let out a shrill screech and then lunged towards me.
I glanced towards it and then clenched my left hand.
Magic formations flared into life around the sandworm and then it vanished, replaced by a compressed orb of fleshy mass.
I flicked my wrist and sent it off to the side.
A sphinx that had been charging from the distance suddenly stumbled, a hole appearing in its head.
I sighed and then continued forward, my black cloak fluttering behind me.
At that time, Dad came dashing towards me, gliding along the top of the sandy dunes like water.
Stopping at my side, he whistled and said, "Gotta say, Rudy. You've gotten more ridiculous since the last time I've seen you fight. I think you might even be able to take me on now!"
"I'd better be." I waved my hand, spreading magic formations to terraform the nearby area from a desert to a fledgling savanna. After that, I looked at him and said, "I'm preparing to take down a divine being. If I'm not at least strong enough to take down my dad, it'd be an insult to both me and you."
He laughed and clapped his hand on my back. "Damned straight! You're a proper dad and all now too, so you can't start losing before your kids are even born, alright?"
I paused.
You know, I hadn't really thought about it, but my newest kids were definitely going to be ridiculous growing up, weren't they?
First of all, I was... well, me.
Eri was a sword genius who could naturally use magic in conjunction with her swordsmanship.
Sylphy was a magical genius who could make ice, wind, and water bend to her will.
Rika was an actual reincarnated Demon Empress with a true blueblood Demon God lineage.
And Roxy was a genius at breaking down complex magical concepts to a discrete level and molding everything into new building blocks.
...It made me wonder a bit why the heck Being W was so paranoid about Norn and Stella being born instead of my kids. Or even me.
I mean, you'd think he might have tried to just warp me away or something on my own or like put me into a coma or something. Instead, he seemed to have taken it personally...
Well. I guess gods even back on Earth were known to be petty, so I shouldn't say I was surprised...
Dad patted my shoulder again. This time though, he had a serious expression on. "You holding up well? You know, regarding Ena?"
I nodded. "I'm holding up. It's worrying, but... It should be fine."
Dad smiled. "That's the spirit. Don't give up until the last minute and believe in the best until you've confirmed the worst." He pulled his hand back and said, "I don't have much left to teach you since aren't a kid anymore, but I can teach you that at least."
I chuckled. "That way of thinking is exactly what kept you running into trouble, Dad... but I get it. And thanks."
The ground started vibrating, sending sand flying into the air.
Dad turned around and rested his hand on his sword. "Well. Guess we should get back to it."
I nodded. "Yep." I rested my hand on my sword as well.
It wouldn't be as effective or efficient as using magic... but I needed to vent a bit.
In the distance, a pair of sandworms burst from beneath sand dunes. But the moment they did, Pierre teleported in front of one and cut it down with a slash while Rostelina jumped at the other and slammed it with a shield, bursting its head off.
...Huh. So that was where Sylphy got her ridiculous physique and stamina from...
But anyway.
A swarm of bats burst from the ground beneath the sphinx's corpse. It seemed like they were lured by its mana.
A few monsters burst from the sphinx. Succubi.
Seeing that, I stepped forward.
But before I could do anything, Dad unsheathed and resheathed his sword.
Sand scattered in front of the sphinx's corpse, joined by a crimson mist. And then there was just a bunch of reddish sand where the monsters were.
I blinked and then gave Dad a blank stare. "...That's overkill, Dad."
He met my stare with a serious look and said, "Never overkill when dealing with succubi. I'm sure you could handle yourself, and I have experience handling them... but it's not worth the one in a kabillion chance that they get to either of us. Not to mention that knowing your way with women, you'd probably end up taming a few and bringing them back..."
I felt my face heat up and I said, "I would not!"
Dad just laughed and clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Kid."
I sighed and then terraformed the nearby area as well.
It wasn't necessary... and it would probably wreck the climate here since I wasn't really taking that into account.
But it was also a helpful marker of where we'd been as well as monster spawn prevention.
Literally and figuratively.
Couldn't burst through the sand if it suddenly turned into much harder clay or dirt, could you?
Anyway, after that was done, I took a quick look around to check our progress.
We had warped in the literal middle of the Begaritto Continent and were slowly conquering the land by clearing out monsters and reclaiming the desert for our own purposes.
I was headed to the southeast with my dad towards where the Teleportation Labyrinth should be.
Ruijerd and Laws had teamed up in the distance to deal with a flock of airborne griffins.
Pierre and Rostelina were now carpet bombing the desert... somehow. And in between those, they were tossing some terraforming magic artifacts.
Behind me, and to the northwest, Roland, Eos, and Cliff were leading the White Knights, Survey Corps, and Millishion paladins respectively.
Their destination was a circular mountain range and whatever was hidden within it.
All things considered, Ena was likely to be in either said mountain range or the Teleportation Labyrinth.
After all, Being W was taking this personally, so he wouldn't just throw Ena in a random place in the ground.
Not to mention that it'd be easy for me to see that in a place like this.
Even if there was a lot of sand and monsters, Ena's mana was very distinct.
To hide it, you'd need a place with dense mana, like a dungeon.
And it'd have to be a powerful dungeon, hence the previous two options.
Ideally, it'd be the Teleportation Labyrinth... but we'd see.
But either way, it was time to get going.
I kicked off the ground, magic formations spreading greenery with every step.
Dad kicked off the ground beside me. Maybe realizing my thoughts, he said, "Even if Ena's not in the Teleportation Labyrinth, she's DEFINITELY somewhere here."
A swarm of giant ants burst from the sand beneath us.
I flicked my hand and froze them before stomping on the ground, shattering them all. After that, I took another step and used them as fuel to revitalize the land. "...It seems so." I nodded and said, "The monsters here are way too frequent to be normal."
Since we arrived, the monster encounters were as bad as an old JRPG. Every few steps, another group popped up.
And case in point, a vortex suddenly appeared in the sand before us, revealing a giant pair of mandibles.
Dad flipped through the air, slashing towards the mandibles as he flew past.
For a brief moment, the vortex and the surrounding sand split, revealing a massive antlion. But then the sand collapsed back on itself, burying the monster.
I jumped and then stomped on the sand right over the antlion. Once more, I converted the terrain, using the antlion's body as fuel for the reclaimed land. After that, I continued dashing forward.
Dad moved to my side and said, "Seems that Being Whatever guy's pretty desperate now. Going out of his way to capture Ena and then send all these monsters after us... Even for a god, that's a bit much, right? Aren't there like divine laws or whatever that he has to follow?"
I shrugged. "That's a god for you. Even if there were, they'd just break them and pay the consequences later."
"Tch." Dad clicked his tongue and said, "And people called me a thug..."
"You still are, Dad. Better, but definitely a thug."
"Well, not everyone's got the looks and brains to become an evil overlord, Kid."
"True. And every evil overlord needs some muscle."
Dad laughed.
I smiled.
And then Pierre showed up on our left, carrying Rostelina in his arms as he dashed with us. As he did, he looked over at us and said, "How are you two not annoyed?"
Dad raised an eyebrow and said, "You're carrying your beautiful wife in your arms and you're talking about being annoyed?"
Rostelina giggled and then looked up at Pierre. "Paul's got a point, Hubby. Did I gain too much weight recently?"
Pierre blushed and said, "W-What? No! I'm talking about the monsters!"
...Was this what it felt like to be around me and my wives?
Hm. Need to remember to add that to the Greyrat book for dummies... This is how you end up irritating people and making enemies if you're not careful...
Pierre cleared his throat and then said, "E-Either way, it looks like we're on the right track."
Dad nodded. "I was just talking about that with Rudy. Dunno if Ena's in this Teleportation Labyrinth, but she's definitely here somewhere."
I nodded. "Right." I took a quick look around with Mana Sight and then with Clairvoyance to be sure.
Typical natural mana signatures you'd expect from a hot desert. Sand stretching maybe 100 feet or so below the surface, with some deeper areas before hitting stone. Various monsters hiding in that sea of sand... that seemed to be blinking in and out of existence?
Hm. That was probably the influence from the Teleportation Labyrinth.
Either way, Ena wasn't anywhere nearby. So...
I turned around and signaled to Ruijerd and Laws that we'd be going on ahead. After that, I looked at Dad and Pierre and said, "Let's not waste any more time then."
Magic formations flared around my feet, and then around Dad's and Pierre's.
"Oho?" Dad's eyes widened and he smiled. "You can use magic like this too, huh?"
Pierre sighed and said, "We are going to cause such a large commotion when we arrive."
I stared at the sea of monsters suddenly springing up from the sand along the way to the Maze City of Rapan in the distance near the Teleportation Labyrinth.
After that, I held out my obsidian sword and said, "Well, that'll make gathering information easier, won't it?"
Dad blinked at my words, and then he let out a deep sigh. "...Okay. Definitely see the bad influence rubbing off..."
"Complain later, high-speed blitzkrieg now!"
Lightning flashed from my feet and sent me rocketing forward and turning the sand into glass.
Now, to test this prototype spell increasing cognition speed...
-RNG-
"...We really couldn't have come in with a less conspicuous entrance?" Pierre glanced around at the adventurers and merchants making way for us before he sighed.
"We could have. But..." I swept my gaze around the area to take stock of the situation.
The Maze City of Rapan... or Lapan, depending on who you asked.
It was an oasis city built around a giant lake that had formed beneath the bones of a felled Behemoth.
Apparently, said behemoth was killed by a great hero or something in the past.
I didn't care too much about that though.
The important part was that this place was a full-fledged city with adventurers, merchants, and more who called it their home.
And a good portion of those people were giving us weird looks.
Not because of our party makeup or equipment. Though that'd make sense considering that me, Dad, and Pierre were all wearing heavy long coats in this scorching desert sun.
But no. It was because we had walked in with a very vivid trail of greenery following behind us. And one that spread everywhere I walked.
...Wasn't there a story about a famous mage or wizard on Earth doing the same? Except with flowers, I think...
Either way, definitely conspicuous. But conspicuous was useful in a situation like this where we had to gather info.
Dad pulled out a map from his bag and then compared it to the surroundings. After that, he looked to a cliff in the distance and said, "From the map Rika gave us... The Teleport Labyrinth should be that way."
Rostelina sighed and said, "I hope this doesn't take too long. Lulu hates being away from me."
I raised an eyebrow and said, "Not that I don't appreciate you being here... but why did you come then, Grandma?"
Rostelina froze and then shivered.
Dad and Pierre did the same.
I blinked. "...Too soon?"
Rostelina shook her head and said, "Just call me Lina, Rudy. Please."
"...Okay. Then Lina." I frowned and said, "You have a baby daughter to take care of, so why come all the way here with us?"
Rostelina smiled and said, "Well, I couldn't let my hubby run off alone again. And besides, this is a perfect chance to give your lovely wives practice with a baby, isn't it?"
"...I think you're trusting them a bit too much, Lina."
Rostelina waved her hand. "It's fine. Lulu's a tough girl anyway."
Considering how casually you smack monsters around, I'd believe it...
Pierre stared at the Teleportation Labyrinth and frowned. His eyes flashed with white light, and then he clicked his tongue. "It seems normal from here, but..."
"Something feels wrong, right?" I stared at the Teleportation Labyrinth in the distance as well with both Clairvoyance and Mana Sight.
It looked ordinary. Just a mana-dense area that was typical of a dungeon. And there weren't any signs of something being off either.
But my instincts were telling me something was off.
Call it my Being W sense.
Dad folded the map away and then looked at me. "Well, Rudy? What's the plan."
I crossed my arms and thought about it for a bit. And then I said, "We'll take a quick survey. You, me, and Pierre." I looked at Rostelina and said, "Do you think you could gather some information, Lina? See if there are any rumors and the like about Ena. And when Laws and Ruijerd get here, rope them into helping you too."
Rostelina nodded. "I can do that. But..." She frowned and said, "Do you think it's a good idea for you three to go alone?"
Pierre tapped the hilt of his sword and said, "It's a bit risky... but this will probably be the safest bet."
Dad smirked. "Obviously. We've got a Sword God, the Technique God, and a Magic God together in this party."
"Let's not jinx it, Dad."
Dad blinked and said, "What are you, Gisu?"
"No. But I'm sure a certain someone would be happy to jinx us if we have the chance."
"True..."
"Anyway." I glanced back at Rostelina and said, "Try to set up a base for us too if you can." I pulled out a bag of mana crystals and gold before handing it over to her. "This should be enough for most things. If you need more though, just channel a bit of mana in that and it'll draw more from my vault."
Rostelina took the bag and then looked inside. After that, she looked at Pierre, frowning. "...Why aren't you rich, Hubby?"
Pierre coughed. "I was. But my younger brother needed it a bit more, so..."
Rostelina sighed. Tying the bag to her waist, she nodded and said, "I'll start looking around then. You three stay safe."
I smiled. "Don't worry. Worst case scenario, I blow the top off the dungeon."
Dad laughed.
Pierre facepalmed.
Rostelina shook her head and then walked off.
Now...
I looked towards the Teleportation Labyrinth.
...Do you have enough traps in stock, Being W?
-RNG-
A dark sandstone cave, barely illuminated by azure light from glowing magic circles littered around the floor.
On the surface, it looked just like an ordinary dungeon. But-
*click*
Dad's eyes widened and he instinctively jumped back, swinging his sword.
Azure light flared as a magic circle appeared out of thin air, only to shatter as Dad's blade cut through it.
"Phew." He let out a sigh of relief and said, "I can see why this is an S-ranked dungeon." He scratched the back of his head and said, "A normal adventurer would have a tough time going through here."
I casually disabled the warp traps in front of me and said, "That's why me and Pierre keep telling you to stay behind us."
Pierre nodded. "What Rudy said. And PLEASE try to stop tempting fate. Even though it wasn't you, 'Paul Greyrat' has died here in many times and many worlds."
Dad scratched the back of his head. "I still find that hard to believe. Were the other versions of me really that weak?"
Pierre swung his sword to shatter some more hidden warp traps. After that, he turned back to Dad and shook his head. "No. It's more like you're the outlier among outliers. You should appreciate the happy life you have, Paul."
"Right." Dad nodded. "Still, hard to wrap my head around..."
After that, we continued on our way.
I took point, with Pierre and Dad walking behind me.
And as we moved, it was silent, with only the sound of our footsteps echoing.
I frowned and then glanced back at Pierre. "Is this supposed to be empty, Pierre?"
From what I could remember from Rudeus's memories, and from his memoir, this place definitely should be filled to the brim with monsters.
Pierre frowned. "No. And we should be concerned about that." He tapped his sword hilt and said, "This is a seven-floor dungeon with mostly A and B-rank monsters. And the boss is an S-ranked Manatite Hydra that can nullify magic attacks. Even if Being W tried to interfere, he shouldn't be able to move all those monsters."
I nodded.
That made sense. If he could, he would have done it a while ago.
But still, the fact that we haven't seen one...
"...Do monsters get stronger by devouring each other?"
Pierre paused to think about that.
While he did, Dad responded instead. "I haven't seen it, but it's pretty common knowledge among adventurers that it's possible." He frowned. "...Do you think something like that happened here, Rudy?"
I stopped walking and then closed my eyes to focus.
It was a bit hard to do in a mana-dense setting like this. But if I borrowed what I saw from Roxy's Dungeon Home and piggyback off the ambient mana with some tiny and discrete magic formations to form a web...
There.
This first floor we walked into was a single level, just like a typical stone cave. And while there were lots of warp traps around, there weren't any monsters at all.
I after taking another look around to confirm, I opened my eyes and said, "I'm sure. This floor doesn't have any monsters. And I'd expect that the rest don't either."
Pierre hummed and then said, "Is that why there were so many monsters outside? Could something be eating the monsters here?"
"I think so." I nodded and then started walking along the path to the warp circle heading to the next floor. "I'm sure Being W knows that he can't stop us with ordinary mobs, so he's probably trying to funnel it all into one super strong monster instead."
Dad blinked. "Mobs?"
Pierre nodded. "That makes sense. But then..." He frowned and said, "...What kind of monster is waiting for us down there?"
I shrugged. "Dunno. But I can bet it's something ridiculous and tailor-made to counter us. Hell, wouldn't surprise me if it was a monster that somehow had 'physical nullification' or something too."
Dad blinked and said, "Weren't you just talking about not making jinxes, Rudy?"
"There's jinxing, and then there's confirming, Dad."
We continued on our way through the first floor until we arrived at the warp to the next one.
There were two, but one led to the same floor, while the other led... somewhere deeper into the ground?
Hm...
Pierre stood next to me and said, "Is something wrong, Rudy?"
I knelt down and tapped on the stone right in front of the proper warp gate. "This is the right warp, but..." I looked back at Pierre and said, "Do you know if this dungeon has proper 'floors' or if they're more like 'stages'?"
Pierre frowned. "...I don't know? No one's ever looked into it, I think."
"I see..."
It made sense. Pierre might have knowledge about other timelines and alternates of Rudeus Greyrat, but not many would have gotten here with a similar skillset to me.
Probably.
Considering the significance of this place, they were probably all too focused on just clearing it.
But...
I closed my eyes again and sent a thread of mana through the warp gate.
Similar to the past when I was summoning, I felt my mana spin out like a thread. But unlike at that time, I didn't pull back.
Instead, I carefully traced it.
A stop at a place somewhere to the northwest and pretty far down.
I spread out the thread of mana further, linking with the ambient mana to map out the terrain.
A third area that was a bit further up from the second.
A fourth somewhere off to the far west and deep underground.
A fifth that was directly below us, but a mile or two below.
And then the last... a dozen or so miles directly beneath where the heart of Lapan would be.
But each floor, empty except for the last.
And in that last... I couldn't tell.
There was mana in that last area, and I could detect Ena's mana. But for some reason, I couldn't use any of it.
The ambient mana in the last area was... slippery, if that made sense.
I could definitely do something if I was there to handle it in person, but just following a thread like this wouldn't work.
Still.
"Found it."
Pierre gave me a strange look. "...You do realize that what you're doing now breaks how magic is supposed to work right?"
I rewrote the warp gate in front of me to connect to the last gate and then looked over at him. "And?"
Pierre sighed. "I guess there's a reason why you're the most ridiculous 'Rudeus Greyrat'..."
Dad laughed and said, "Damned straight." After saying that, he focused and then turned to look at me. "So we're jumping straight into a fight then?"
I stepped back and the warp gate flared a bright red. "Yep. Be ready for anything."
Pierre drew his sword.
Dad drew his too.
As for me, I put away my wedding rings except for Roxy's and then held out my left hand.
The image of the sword I used to try and cut down Being W in my mental world. The calculations stored in Roxy's ring that could turn mana into matter, or at least close enough. And then my ridiculously refined mana that would shore up any gaps.
Another flash of crimson lit up the dungeon, and then a hazy crimson katana formed in my left hand.
For a brief moment, it registered that me, Pierre, and Dad all had crimson swords.
But I set that thought aside.
We stepped onto the magic circle for the warp gate at the same time.
Surprisingly, white light flared from the magic circle.
Space bent, mana surged...
And then we were standing in a... temple?
I blinked and took a quick look around.
There were fancy marble arches and braziers on the left and right, with a long hallway in front leading to a room with an arched ceiling.
In the center of that room, there was a pure white crystal suspended in the air with Ena inside of it.
But in front of that crystal, there was a hydra.
Nine heads, each with ominous golden eyes. Matte black scales that sucked in all the light around it, making it appear like a shadow blocking out the air.
And when viewed under Mana Sight, a 'void' that cut out the ambient mana entirely, neither emitting nor absorbing.
I took in that information in a fraction of a second.
But in the next, a surge of pure white light and searing heat flooded the hallway.
*tick*
Time slowed to a crawl.
I saw Pierre move, readying his blade.
I saw Dad already mid-swing.
*tick*
But it was too slow.
The attack had literally been one at the speed of light.
Even with this slowed time, the wave was already an inch before my face.
*tick*
...But it hadn't connected.
And since it hadn't connected, I could act.
So.
Time resumed and the white light- No, the breath attack of pure mana split apart around us.
"Holy fuck!" Dad flinched and stopped his sword swing, staring at the suddenly glowing and melting orange walls.
Pierre flinched as well and said, "W-What kind of monster did Being W create?!"
I shook my hand, ignoring the slight numbing sensation from forcibly moving it in the slowed time and also from scattering the mana attack.
The hydra stared at me with its nine sets of golden eyes, narrowing them. Faint white wisps trailed along its maws as it watched us.
I stared back at it and then said, "Apparently, one smart enough to attack with its strongest move first."
Did it recognize my mana probe earlier as a threat? Or did Being W tell it to get ready?
I didn't know, but I did know that wasn't an attack it could use again any time soon-
The hydra roared, opening all of its heads again. At the same time, the white wisps began turning into flames.
...Okay, guess I'm wrong.
Doesn't matter, we just have to attack first.
I kicked off the ground, sword ready in my left hand.
Dad rushed in beside me, sword ready in his right hand.
There was no time for words.
Nine heads... If we cut them all down, the hydra should drop dead.
Ena seemed to be the reward for clearing this dungeon, so she'd be saved as soon as this dungeon was cleared.
...But we had to hurry.
Although that white crystal seemed to be 'pure' mana, I could see a strange flow of corrosive mana seeping into her very being.
If we took too long, she would be gone.
...No. Even if we finished it now, with how much-
'Focus.'
I shut off that thought.
Pierre said this hydra was probably immune to magic.
I doubted it, but we'd play it safe.
Dad moved in tandem with me.
I charged forward, readying a swing.
The hydra raised its heads, rearing back for a breath attack.
I split off to the right while Dad split off to the left.
As we crossed paths, we attacked.
I swung high, Dad swung low.
Where Dad slashed, space twisted and bent as countless slashes struck at once.
Where I slashed, mana compressed and reinforced my blade to form a pure force vector to split the hydra in half.
But then I felt it.
An instinctual reaction.
The moment my sword connected with the hydra's scales, I would die.
My eyes widened and I let go of my sword.
In the corner of my vision, I saw Dad's eyes widen as well. But unlike me, his slash had already connected.
A single fraction of time.
One where nightmarish memories overlapped reality.
Dad flew off to the side, knocked away by an invisible force.
My left arm flew through the air, blood trailing the entire time.
And then my vision was filled with white.
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