Labyrinth: Chapter 97/100

Chapter 97: Action Begins, Battle!

"Notify all residents."

"Everyone, take shelter in the labyrinth. Clear the surface."

Chishiya gave the order.

This was the second function of the labyrinth.

Besides making money, obviously.

It could also serve as an emergency shelter.

The labyrinth was massive, with many residential units built on the fifth floor and below in the rest area.

Housing the entire city's population? Not a problem.

"Yes," Shion nodded and left.

But she was still confused about one thing.

Why did Chishiya-sama only order the civilians to take refuge, without saying anything to the adventurers?

Wouldn't this leave only foreign adventurers on the surface?

What if someone got hurt?

Although puzzled, she still trusted Chishiya's judgment.

After Shion exited the room,

Souei spoke up.

"Chishiya-sama, how should we handle these two?"

Chishiya looked at Vanir.

"I'll leave them to you. Sound good?"

Vanir considered for a moment.

"Hmm. I'm not a fan of despair-flavored negative emotions."

"But there's someone who'll enjoy this little gift."

"Kid, I owe you one."

With that, he walked toward Kyoya and Kirara.

His eyes glowed red, and a slow smirk crept across his face.

"Let me introduce myself."

"I am the chief of the Seven Dukes of Hell, the great demon Vanir who sees all."

"We represent the demons of hell—and we welcome you."

"Please, after you."

As his voice fell.

A red and black teleportation gate opened behind Kirara and Kyoya.

"Hell?!"

The two of them froze, jaws slack, faces pale.

Just now there were already two demons and ghosts, and now this human was casually summoning a high-ranking demon?

Terrifying!

The power balance was completely off!

Total miscalculation...

No way they could win this. Absolutely not!

If war breaks out, Falmuth would be annihilated!

They turned to Chishiya, panicked and shouting.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Chishiya: "Me? Just an ordinary businessman."

The two of them stood frozen, speechless.

By the time they came to, they were already dragged into hell by Vanir.

Gone without a trace.

Souei turned to Chishiya.

"Chishiya-sama, what's next?"

Chishiya smiled and picked up the red flare on the table.

"Inform everyone. I'm going turtle hunting."


---

Ten Minutes Later, Meeting Hall

Chishiya unrolled a map on the table.

"According to the info they spilled, there's the Church camp set up in all four directions outside the city."

"We'll split into four groups."

He tapped the map.

"West side—Souei, Megumin, and Yunyun. You three, led by Souei, take one team."

"Wiz, Shuna—you handle this side."

"North—Frieren, you up for it?"

Chishiya glanced at the elf sitting across from him.

Frieren nodded. "Yes."

Chishiya finally looked at Shion.

"South side—Shion, you and Rim take a squad over there."

"Understood, Chishiya-sama."

Chishiya said, "Everyone else stays in the labyrinth, just in case."

"Yes!"

Chishiya tapped the table with his index finger.

"Well then... let's begin."


---

At the same time

In all four directions of Lapris—east, south, west, and north—

The holy believers brought by Archbishop Reyhiem were stationed near crystal towers.

Once the signal was given, they would activate the sealing barrier.

Grand Mage Razen glanced at the time and muttered,

"It should've happened by now."

"Why haven't we heard anything?"

Knight Commander Folgen looked back at his soldiers, who were itching to charge.

"Did something go wrong?"

Razen shook his head.

"No. With those three dispatched, unless they ran into a Demon Lord, nothing could stop them."

"Do you really think there's a Demon Lord-class opponent in a town this small?"

Hearing that, Folgen nodded.

That made sense.

He turned back toward the army behind him.

Falmuth had deployed 20,000 troops for this crusade.

Even though the kingdom could muster up to 100,000, ordinary soldiers were useless against monsters.

Only elite knights and mercenaries stood a chance.

Using low-level troops would just get people killed and clog up the battlefield.

So the 20,000 gathered now? They were the cream of the crop.

Everyone was at least B-rank.

Even if they faced A-rank monsters, they could still hold their own with experience and teamwork.

Plus, with the Western Saint Church's blessing, the enemy's barrier would be severely weakened.

This time, Falmuth would definitely win!

Once the signal came...

Twenty thousand cavalry would crush the city!

Just as that thought passed—

BOOM!!!

A red flare shot into the sky above Lapris.

Everyone stationed outside the city lit up.

"It's time!"

Folgen turned and bellowed to his troops.

"The monsters are attacking civilians! Warriors, follow me! Flatten this monster-infested city!"

"YEAHHHH!!!"

A war cry like a tsunami erupted.

Twenty thousand cavalry charged toward the city center without hesitation.

Knight Commander Folgen led the vanguard.

He couldn't wait to see the terrified expressions of the monsters.

"Charge! Kill them all!"

The soldiers stormed in like they were invading a defenseless village.

Burn, pillage, loot—the usual.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The thunder of twenty thousand hooves shook the ground.

But—

As they reached the flare's location...

Something was off.

Where were the monsters?

Or rather—where was anyone?

From the start of the charge, not a single monster had appeared.

Instead—

At the source of the flare,

A huge crowd of adventurers and merchants were calmly lining up to enter the labyrinth.

Hearing the sounds of hooves and shouting, they all turned around.

Two armies stared at each other.

Everyone froze.

Folgen and Razen were both stunned.

Wait, what?

Wasn't the flare supposed to signal "mission accomplished"?

Now the signal's been fired...

Where's the "monsters attacking civilians" part?

Without that scene, they had no justification.

No moral high ground.

While the two commanders were still processing what was happening—

A black-haired boy in the crowd suddenly pointed at the drawn sword in Folgen's hand and shouted.

"Help! Murderers!!!"

"They're invading! Run for your lives!"

The words dropped like a stone into still water.

Panic exploded instantly.

"Go!"

"RUN!"

"Someone, help!!"

Merchants and adventurers scattered in chaos.

Screaming, yelling, pushing.

Total chaos!

Folgen stood there dumbfounded.

This wasn't the plan!

Where were they?

Now it looked like Falmuth was the aggressor.

He exchanged glances with Razen.

Damn it...

The arrow's already nocked.

We have no choice now!

We can't let these civilians get word out!

Folgen shouted with cold resolve.

"Kill them all! Leave no witnesses!"

"Purge the scum who side with monsters!!!"

As his order rang out.

The Barrier prepared by the Church activated.

A massive purple pyramid formed, covering the entire city.

With the barrier in place, monster power would be significantly suppressed.

"Kill!!!"

The troops charged into the city.

Adventurers who hadn't made it inside in time were cut down one by one.

The situation plunged into absolute chaos.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 98: Hasty Reanimation Technique

The town radio blared.

The voice of the dryad, Treyni, echoed from the speakers.

"The city is under attack by a foreign nation."

"The defense team has been dispatched. Please proceed to the labyrinth for shelter."

"Repeat."

"The defense team has been dispatched. Please head to the labyrinth to take refuge."

…

The broadcast repeated through every street and alley.

"Defense team?" Knight Commander Folgen raised an eyebrow.

Even if they show up, it won't change the outcome.

"Charge with me!" he roared.

Just as the cavalry's iron hooves were about to trample through the crowd—

The warhorses suddenly neighed.

Every single one came to a dead stop.

Their eyes were wide with panic.

Folgen kicked at the reins, but no matter what he did, the horse beneath him wouldn't budge.

He turned to look back.

Same across the board. Every cavalryman sat still atop a frozen steed.

What the hell?

Folgen scowled.

Warhorses are bred for combat.

Trained relentlessly, selected with care. Fear should've been bred out of them.

So what was this?

He forgot one thing.

Fear is a biological instinct.

The reason these warhorses never feared anything... was because they'd never faced something truly terrifying.

In training, they're made to face wolves and hounds. In war, sometimes monsters.

But this—

Was different.

Folgen looked up toward the end of the street.

A figure slowly stepped into view.

"I really didn't expect you people to be this disgusting."

"You don't even spare civilians."

Chishiya said calmly.

Behind him, a dozen Oni emerged from the shadows.

Their murderous aura pressed down on the battlefield.

The warhorses froze in place, trembling.

Folgen stared in disbelief.

These Oni... they're still moving, even under the [Four-Seal Demon-Sealing Barrier]?

What kind of insane resistance is this?

But he didn't panic.

He had 20,000 elite soldiers behind him.

They weren't some ragtag militia.

Chishiya narrowed his eyes.

Originally, he wanted Falmuth to shoot themselves in the foot.

Turn a staged "rescue the civilians from monsters" act into a full-blown international incident.

That way, he'd have just cause for war.

But he underestimated just how rotten they were.

To cover their tracks, they were even willing to massacre civilians.

Chishiya turned his head. "How's Aqua? Did we make it in time?"

"Heal. Heal. Heal—!"

Behind him, Aqua had her cheeks puffed out, water spilling from her mouth as she sprayed it across the corpses on the ground.

Suddenly, white light flashed across each body.

Next second—

One by one, the corpses sat up, gasping, clutching their chests.

"I... I'm alive?"

Aqua gave a smug OK gesture.

"Just kidding, I'm a real goddess."

"Something this small? Please, child's play."

The soldiers from Falmuth stood frozen.

Huh?

Did we... hallucinate that?

The guy who got sliced clean in two just stood up?

Razen's mouth twitched.

Was that resurrection magic?

No. That was... spit. She literally spat them back to life?!

Even Demon Lords can't revive the dead that casually!

Just... spit and poof?

Seeing Aqua finish healing the wounded, Chishiya stepped forward with a calm smile.

"No need to worry. All paying guests are protected in this city."

"We never compromise customer safety."

After all, the customer is God.

You dare lay a finger on my customers? Then you've already signed your death warrant.

He turned to Razen and the others, casually cracking his knuckles.

"This is a war of aggression that you started."

"Today, none of you are getting out alive."

As his words fell,

Countless ice crystals began forming around Chishiya.

In the blink of an eye—

Razor-sharp ice rained from the sky like a storm of daggers.

They came down on the army in the streets.

Chishiya didn't use Explosion Magic.

Too destructive. It'd probably level half the buildings.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed across the battlefield.

Razen parried with magic.

Folgen swung his sword to block, sweat pouring down his face.

But most soldiers weren't so lucky.

The condensed ice magic pierced through armor like paper.

Blood sprayed in every direction.

The ice rain fell fast and mercilessly.

The soldiers had no time to react.

Dozens were killed or wounded in a single volley.

Razen looked at the scattered ranks around him.

Gritting his teeth.

How? Who is this man?!

How is one person putting a 20,000-strong army on the defensive?!

"Don't panic! Keep your formation tight!" Razen shouted.

"He can't cast that kind of large-scale magic forever!"

"When his mana runs out, we'll strike back!"

"Yes!"

...Damn it.

Even as he said that, Razen's gaze darted behind him.

The signal had already gone out. So where the hell was the Western Holy Church's support?

This enemy wasn't just some monster.

He was human.

And the [Four-Seal Demon-Sealing Barrier] only suppresses monsters.

They needed backup. Fast.

As he blocked another ice shard, still peeking over his shoulder—

Chishiya's voice rang out.

"Still waiting for backup?"

"Hate to disappoint. No one's coming."

"What?!"

Razen spun toward him.

Chishiya continued. "Don't you find it odd that your people never showed up after the signal went out?"

Razen froze.

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.

Chishiya smiled coldly. "Figured it out yet?"

"It's because I already saw through your little plan."

As soon as the words landed—

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion rang out from outside the city.

Red magic circles flashed in the sky, one after another.

A towering pillar of fire shot upward, bathing the clouds in crimson.

Then—

Crack!

The [Four-Seal Demon-Sealing Barrier] required all four corners to stay intact.

With one destroyed, the entire purple dome shattered like glass.

Razen and Folgen turned pale.

This... This was bad.

What just happened?!


---

Meanwhile, west of the city

"Megumin! Why did you attack already?!"

"We didn't even get a chance to interrogate them!"

Yunyun shouted as she caught Megumin mid-collapse.

Megumin turned her face to the side, arms crossed dramatically.

"I couldn't help it."

"When I saw that glowing crystal... I just had to explode it."

"But it was pretty cool, right? My Explosion Magic."

A smoking crater now sat where the enemy's camp and barrier crystal had once been.

The thing was absolutely obliterated.

"I've successfully completed the mission assigned by Sensei," Megumin said proudly.

"Looks like I'm the superior disciple after all."

"Ehhh?!" Yunyun cried. "You just cheated and blew it up first!"

As they bickered, Souei appeared beside them, having just finished off the remaining defenders.

"Miss Megumin. Miss Yunyun. The mission is complete. Let's head back and assist Chishiya-sama."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 99: The Entire Army Is Destroyed

Eastern Camp

The ice sculpture in front of Wiz cracked.

Frozen shards scattered like snowflakes, drifting through the air.

Behind her, Shuna was calmly hypnotizing the Saints who had lost their will to fight.

Information extraction: in progress.

She looked up at the blazing fireball still hanging in the sky.

"Looks like Miss Megumin finished her side too."


---

Northern Camp

Stark raised his great axe and brought it down with a thunderous crash.

BOOM!

The shockwave shattered the crystal barrier. The earth cracked open beneath it, forming a deep trench.

"Stark, you've gotten way stronger," Frieren commented, crouching beside a fallen Saint.

She casually examined the magic tools scattered around the battlefield, licking blood from her fingertips.

Ever since witnessing Aqua's impromptu resurrections, her curiosity about this world's magic had only grown.

With practiced precision, she began packing the dismantled relics into her carry-on suitcase.

"I'll study these properly when we get back."

Bang!

Fern landed a final blast of attack magic to knock out a remaining Saint, then turned toward Stark.

"Is it because of that training you've been doing with Gobta?"

Stark's face twisted in despair. (-﹏-)

He did not want to remember that nightmare.

Hakurou's hellish boot camp had no mercy.

Every session left him bruised and broken.

But...

He looked down at his hands.

Yeah, he'd definitely gotten stronger.

---

Southern Camp

Reyhiem stared at the sky in disbelief.

What?

Why did the barrier break?!

He spun around and shouted, "Contact the other camps! Find out what's happening!"

"My Lord Archbishop," a believer replied nervously, "we've lost contact with all other camps."

"What?"

Reyhiem's eye twitched.

All contact lost?

How was that possible?

As his thoughts scrambled for answers, a panicked voice shouted from outside the tent.

"My Lord! Something's wrong!"

"We're under attack!"

Reyhiem bolted upright.

Attacked? By who?!

Before he could process it, something flew past his head.

CRASH!

A body slammed into the tent behind him, reducing it to splinters.

"What the hell?!"

He turned, trembling, and saw—

A tiny pink-haired girl holding a Saint by the leg.

"Rim was eating lunch! You all ruined it! Bad guys!!"

Rim roared, hurling the man like a ragdoll.

Next to her, Shion watched with quiet pride.

Though Rim was absurdly strong, she was also adorably simple.

Everyone in the company doted on her like a younger sister, constantly teaching her new things to protect her.

Naturally, as a self-proclaimed battle maniac, Shion had also shared some "important" life lessons.

For example:

Don't use your mouth when you can use your fists.
There's nothing more satisfying than ground-pounding your enemy into a fine paste.

Watching Rim now, effortlessly obliterating everything in her path, Shion's motherly pride overflowed.

Maybe it was time to consider having a child of her own?

...Could Oni and humans even reproduce?

Shion thoughtfully stroked her chin.

Meanwhile, Reyhiem stood dumbfounded.

That little girl just threw two adult men across the field?

The believers she tossed were at least B-rank!

What is she?!

Before he could make sense of anything, Rim locked eyes with him.

He instinctively backed away.

"I—I warn you!" Reyhiem stammered.

"I represent the Church and the Holy Falmuth Empire!"

"If you dare attack me, you'll pay!"

"The Church won't let this slide!"

Shion, who had been daydreaming about having Chishiya's children, instantly snapped back to reality.

Her eyelid twitched.

Where do these clowns get their confidence?

Are they actively asking to die?

Cracking her knuckles, she stepped forward, her aura rising like a wave of killing intent.

"Miss Rim, leave this guy to me."

"Guys who talk big only understand one thing—getting punched until their brain resets."

Reyhiem broke into a cold sweat.

"You... You... What are you doing?!"

"Stay away! Don't touch me!"

"SOMEBODY PROTECT ME!"

None of the believers moved.

Seriously? For this salary?

No way.

Reyhiem shrieked.

"I'm the Archbishop of the Western Saint Church! If you touch me—AHHHH!!!"

He didn't finish the sentence.

Shion's punch landed square on his face.

His nose crunched. Blood sprayed.

His eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.


---

Back to Chishiya

Razen watched as the barrier shattered in the sky.

Even though he didn't want to believe it, it was over.

Reyhiem's strategy had completely fallen apart.

And here?

Razen was still desperately trying to resist the icy downpour.

He had assumed a spell of this scale would have a time limit.

That eventually Chishiya would run out of mana.

But now—

Sweat ran down his back.

Why hasn't the ice stopped falling?

His own magic reserves were nearly gone.

But Chishiya still looked... fine.

Relaxed, even.

Unlimited mana? Was that a thing?

Is he even human?

Razen was panicking now.

If this continued, he was dead.

If I had known a monster like this existed in Lapris, I would've never started this war...

But regrets don't mean much once the executioner's already swinging.

Beside him, Knight Commander Folgen spoke quickly.

"Mr. Razen, it's over. We need to retreat."

"I'll use my Unique Skill [Ruler] to gather everyone and create a human shield."

"We'll return to Falmuth and regroup. There's still a chance."

Razen gritted his teeth.

There weren't any better options.

"That's all we can do... I'll leave it to you."

Folgen nodded. "I'll round up the knights. Prepare to fall back."

"Right."

Just as Folgen turned—

SHUNK!

An ice crystal dropped from the sky and pierced straight through his head.

"Eh???"

He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

Razen's pupils shrank.

His whole body trembled.

"No... No way..."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 100: Chishiya Becomes the Awakened Demon Lord!

[Notice:]
[Confirmed Deaths: 4,413…]

[Notice:]
[Confirmed Deaths: 5,725…]

The Great Sage's voice echoed in Chishiya Shuntaro's mind.

Still a little slow.

He glanced at the battlefield.

Just then—

[Notice:]
[Acquired Unique Skill: Careless One]

"Careless One?"

In this, certain conditions automatically grant you new skills.

In the original story, Rimuru got the Heartless One after using Megiddo to wipe out an army.

[Skill: Careless One]
Effect: Grants control over the soul of anyone who begs for mercy.
If an enemy loses the will to fight in front of this skill, it results in immediate death.

Chishiya raised an eyebrow.

Well, that's... dark.

Not very useful day-to-day, but it's perfect for this situation.

He looked at the fleeing soldiers of Falmuth.

He deactivated Wiz's ice storm and ended the downpour of crystal blades.

The damage had been done.

The Falmuth army—originally 20,000 strong—was now barely above 10,000.

Razen blinked.

"The attack... stopped?"

"Did... did we survive?"

He looked up and saw Chishiya standing in the same place.

A faint smile curled on Razen's lips.

As expected! He must've run out of magic.

That kind of massive spell couldn't possibly be sustained.

Now was their chance!

Razen raised his staff and shouted.

"He's reached his limit!"

"His mana is drained! Now's our chance to strike back!"

"Whoever brings me his head will be rewarded with 1,000 gold coins!"

Hearing the number, the soldiers' expressions changed.

Enough to retire on.

Big rewards always bring out the brave.

"1,000 gold coins?! That's insane!"

"If we kill him, we'll never have to work again!"

"This is it! He's vulnerable now!"

"I want that money!"

"Kill him!!"

Chishiya chuckled softly.

As expected. Garbage leadership breeds garbage followers.

When the king is a beast, the army turns into animals.

Not a single one among them deserved to live.

The next moment—

BOOM!

A wave of pure black magic burst out from Chishiya.

He hadn't fully released his mana in a long time. Not since meeting Benimaru and the others.

Letting out too much mana could literally kill people here.

That's why Milim always restrained herself.

But not this time.

Chishiya's eyes went cold.

Falmuth had officially pissed him off.

The Labyrinth had leveled up. He'd recruited Rimuru and Frieren. His mana reserves were far beyond what they used to be.

Now unleashed, the pressure hit like a collapsing mountain.

Soldiers stumbled and collapsed across the field.

Razen looked up in disbelief.

What...?

How does he still have this much magic power?

Was he hiding his strength this entire time?!

The soldiers didn't fare much better.

Exposed to overwhelming levels of raw mana, their organs began to shut down under the pressure.

Blood dripped from their mouths and noses.

Their eyes went red.

Regret filled their hearts.

They shouldn't have stayed.

They should've run when they had the chance.

Actually, no—they never should've signed up for this damn crusade in the first place!

You can't win against this.

Not ever.

"Surrender…"

"We surrender!!"

Desperate voices rang out.

Begging was the only hope left.

Even if they were captured, at least they might live.

"We surrender!"

"We're willing to be your prisoners!"

"Please... just let us live!"

Chishiya remained silent.

The Great Sage spoke.

[Prompt:]
[Would you like to activate Unique Skill: Careless One?]

'Yeah.'

[Notice:]
[Activating Unique Skill: Careless One…]

As the voice fell, the entire battlefield was enveloped in a violet light.

Countless orbs of purple energy emerged from the kneeling soldiers.

Their souls.

All of them flew into Chishiya's body.

As their spirits were pulled from their flesh, the soldiers slumped to the ground, heads bowed.

No breath. No heartbeat.

[Notice:]
[Careless One successfully harvested all present souls.]
[Remaining unharvested target: 1 individual.]

Chishiya turned toward the last soul still clinging to its vessel.

Razen.

The archmage knelt in place, eyes wide and bloodshot.

What he'd just witnessed had broken him.

Everyone… died.

Over 10,000 people, gone in an instant.

A monster. He's a monster...

Razen trembled violently.

The oppressive aura from Chishiya, combined with powers he couldn't comprehend, left him utterly paralyzed.

It was like facing death incarnate.

He looked around at the field of corpses.

So this is what it means to face a Demon Lord-class entity.

All the elite troops they'd brought—completely meaningless.

Now he understood why Lapris had been able to establish diplomatic ties with Dwargon and Euranazia.

It was because of him.

But it was too late to realize that now.

Chishiya walked over and raised a hand.

With the sound of piercing flesh, a shard of ice drove clean through Razen's skull.

[Notice:]
[All evolution conditions fulfilled. Required quantity of human souls secured.]

[Beginning evolution to Demon Lord species.]

As the Great Sage's voice echoed, a wave of exhaustion hit Chishiya.

Just like Rimuru's awakening.

The evolution process put him into a deep slumber.

"Have the guests escorted into the labyrinth and settled."

Chishiya gave one last order.

Then he began the cleanup.

The corpses of all 20,000 elite soldiers were collected from the plaza.

Technically, breaking them down would yield mana, but…

Honestly, the sight was a little too gory for tourism.

He was a businessman, after all.

And bad vibes kill customer satisfaction.

Chishiya leaned against the wall, trying to stay upright as the sleepiness overwhelmed him.

Just then, several figures appeared.

Shion caught him. "Chishiya-sama! Are you alright?"

Wiz looked panicked. "Chishiya-san, are you okay?!"

Megumin ran up. "Sensei! You're not dying, are you?!"

Rim clung to his sleeve, eyes full of concern.

Everyone had returned from their missions.

Chishiya smiled faintly.

"I'm fine. We'll talk later."

"Shion, take me to my room."

"I think I'll... take a nap…"

As the words left his mouth,

Chishiya closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

(To be continued.)