Chapter 3

Labyrinth Siege

I remember telling them to give it their all. There was need to worry, I shouldn’t be old enough to be
losing my memory. It had only been three years since I was reincarnated. There was no need to worry
about that. That being said…

Watching the scene projected on the big screen, I wondered if I had really said those words or not. After
all, the big screen was showing the great victory of our army. That was good and all, but the content was
just too terrifying. It was completely a one-sided war of aggression that would make anyone go “oof”.

Gobta was running on the battlefield and crushing tanks in a way that was so cool that it did not look like
him at all. Since Gobta had ‘assimilated’ with Ranga, his appearance and strength were truly worthy of
the name of one of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings.’

Gabil had also transformed into a majin-like form of the dragon lineage and crushed the enemy ship with
a single blow using some kind of unusually powerful energy reaction.

Not only Gabil, but all the Hiryuu had also transformed, so that was no joke.

I soon realized that the secret was the ‘Dragon Body’ ability, but I wondered since how long they had
been able to master it…

In all honesty, I hadn’t realized that the effect of ‘Dragon Body’ was so tremendous. I had put it aside and
forgotten about it until now. There appeared to be a time limit to it, so it could only work for a short
period of time…But there was such an amazing enhancement that it could compensate for any such
disadvantages. If used incorrectly, it could be a suicidal act, but I thought it was perfect as a trump card.
However, the large explosion that occurred in the air made even the fortified Gabil seem pale in
comparison.

I don’t know what kind of crazy thing they did, but a thermonuclear explosion occurred on the enemy’s
flagship, and the Imperial squadron of airships all exploded in flames.

That surprised me as well.

As a result, the air power of the Empire was destroyed in that moment. Every single ship fell to the
ground.

This was the start of a massive offensive by the Tempest forces. With Gobta and Gabil joining forces, the
battle was now, by all accounts, in our favor.

Even in modern warfare, helicopters held an overwhelming advantage over tanks. In the same way, Gabil
mainly used breath attacks from the sky, which inflicted damage unilaterally on the ground forces of the
Imperial Army. Because of their small target, the tank guns were not a threat. Simply put, if they couldn’t
hit, it was nothing.

The Empire would not just sit there in defeat, and they even tried several times to counterattack.
However, they were crushed at every turn.

It was Ultima’s subordinates, Veyron, who did it.

These two were, as one would expect, were ancient demons. They appeared to have an eye for the
strong, and they chose the purely strong ones for the bloodbath, regardless of the classification of
captains or ordinary soldiers.
Their butler and cook uniforms were not suitable for the battlefield. However, they soon became a
symbol of fear among the Imperial soldiers.

Hakurou was responsible for dealing with the enemy supply troops. He cut them down with a single
stroke of his sword without mercy.

Among them were those who tried to come forward…

“Damn it! I am the 97th rank…”

Hakurou’s white blade gleamed, and blood splashed in the air. And to his opponent who was about to
break off, he spoke.

“Forgive me. Rimuru-sama is watching this battle. Since he has ordered us to give it our all, I can’t afford
to take it easy on you.”

I didn’t intend for my words to be taken that way, but I understood that they had become a big deal.

But, having said that…

I’m afraid that there’s no way to retract my order now.

If I interfered, there would only be confusion on the battlefield.

Finally, I decided to take a good look at the battlefield.

It was a good thing that I did not interfere.

In all honesty, the Imperial soldiers whom Veyron, Zonda, and Hakurou had killed were as good as or
better than the Holy Knights. Moreover, their armaments were troublesome, and they were of a higher
performance-legendary-grade than the “spirit armaments” that the Holy Knights wore.

Overall, they were stronger than the Holy Knights. When I heard the result of Wisdom KingRaphael-san’s
analysis, I was surprised as well. I wondered how they could have gotten such a large amount of
equipment, but it couldn’t be helped.

I guessed that these guys, who were given such equipment, must be the famous “Imperial Guardians” as
they were rumored to be. As Gadra had told me, they were most likely the organization selected from
the strongest of those in the empire, including the otherworlders. There were about a hundred
members…I believe the pecking order was a proof of that.

If such powerful men had shown their abilities, the battlefield might have been more chaotic. Like
Hakurou had done, it would have been the right choice to kill the opponent without waiting for them to
be prepared.

The same was the case with Veyron and Zonda. They had taken the enemies out unnoticed before they
could even make a move. They were able to recognize the strength of their opponents so easily, and they
had a good eye to recognize the strong ones.

It would not have been so easy if the enemies had all assembled, but in this case, the ones at fault were
those who had been careless on the battlefield. If there were any complaints, they should have given it
their best from the beginning.

The same would apply for us.

If we had been too merciful on the enemy, we might have been caught by leaving an opening. If we had
done so, the damage would have been enormous.
Such a foolish thing was unacceptable. Although it was tempting to show mercy, that was the same as
underestimating your opponent just because you think you can win.

We were fighting in a war. It was a time to stay determined and do your best until the very end.

Now, the most important thing to consider was the declaration of surrender from the enemy…

AAs I was admiring Hakurou and his team’s fighting performance, something unusual happened at the
Imperial Army’s operation command center.

«Notice. The ability Death Streak has been activated. The user is the individual named Testarossa.»

I hurriedly projected the scene on the big screen. There I could see Testarossa and Ultima standing there
with smiles on their faces.

There were no other survivors.

Nearly a thousand tanks, which was the remaining strength of the army, had stopped moving, and the
infantry deployed around them had all collapsed.

The number of survivors was estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

It had been called “Death Streak”, but I understood that it was a very dangerous magic.
«Death Streak is a kind of “nuclear magic” that kills creatures by releasing a magical death ray. It also has
a secondary effect of—»

Wisdom KingRaphael-san was happy to analyze and explain it to me, but how could such dangerous
magic be used?!—I couldn’t help but want to call out. The nuclear explosion Ultima had used was called
“Nuclear Flame”, but this was much more dangerous than that.

Testarossa may not have been the right one to fight them…

The moment this magic was activated, the battle was already won. There were no survivors in the enemy
headquarters. It was only a matter of time before the remaining forces were eliminated.

Thus, the battle against the Imperial Army in the direction of the Dwarven Kingdom ended in a complete
victory for our side.

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The Imperial Army, which had been regarded as a decoy, was all but destroyed. In the literal sense of the
word—annihilated. The fact that this was not a military interpretation was truly frightening.

I thought it was absurd. I never thought this would happen just because I told them to give it their all.
Moreover, Benimaru had been scaring me.
“I mean, my plan was totally meaningless if it ended this way! What’s with those intelligence officers?! I
was told they were under Rimuru-sama’s direct control—may I ask you to explain this to me?”

I was only keeping a few things a secret, but Benimaru turned around with a nice smile and said as such.

W-Well…Um, you know… There wasn’t much use for a plan, was there? But, Benimaru… You’re not the
only one who wants an explanation—I’m the one who wants an explanation! I can’t speak my mind…

I glanced at Veldora to ask for help. But he quickly averted his gaze.

I knew that Veldora was particularly unreliable in such situations. The same could be said for Ramiris,
who was not going to be able to help me right now.

“N-No, I told you, didn’t I? I told you that they were new people that Diablo recruited and brought with
him.”

“Yes, I know that they are Diablo’s subordinates.”

It seemed that there was no more room for fooling around. There was nothing I could do, so I decided to
tell the truth. Benimaru and Geld would accept it with a smile, even if they knew they were primordial
entities. Besides, Diablo would be responsible for everything, so if any problem arose, we could just
worry about that then. Armed with this theory, I decided to tell the truth.

“Actually, do you know what a primordial is?”

“Primordial?”
Shuna, who was making me coffee, interrupted me.

“You mean the seven kings, the seven monarchs who were the origin of demons, right? I was curious to
find out after listening to your conversation the other day. I was surprised to hear that Diablo-san was
one of them.”

I didn’t know that primordials, defined as the devils of the beginning, had such an exaggerated name.

Or rather, Shuna was telling such an important secret, but her face was still all calm and smiling.

The tense atmosphere in the Control Room was eased by the aroma of coffee in the air.

“Um…?” Benimaru muttered in confusion.

“Oh, you didn’t know about this, did you? Not only Diablo-san, but also Testarossa-san, Carrera-san, and
Ultima-chan are the kings of demons, it seems.”

“Is…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Shuna’s smile was dazzling.

Benimaru, too, seemed to be unable to ask any more questions in the face of Shuna’s smile.

With Benimaru’s silence at my side, I couldn’t help but think to myself, Shuna was actually quite a big
deal.
I had prepared myself to tell everyone such a terrible secret, but it was revealed to them so easily that I
was left slightly disappointed. Even so, it made me feel a bit better.

“Diablo, please explain it to me from your own mouth.”

“Yes, Benimaru-dono. As you have just been informed, I am one of the primordials.”

I sipped my coffee while listening to Diablo’s explanation.

Mmmm.

Tea was good, but coffee was very delicious too.

“I see. So that’s why he’s so strong. In that case, I wish you had told me about it from the beginning.”

“No, no, no, I thought you’d be scared if you knew. I don’t care if it’s me or Veldora, but I didn’t want
Benimaru and the others to have to worry about it.”

I wanted to emphasize that I kept quiet because I was worried about my friends. As for the other things
like giving them bodies and names—none of that mattered right now so there was no need to get into it.

“I wasn’t afraid either!” Even Ramiris insisted. I hoped they didn’t feel fear more than necessary.

“Well, it was a needless worry. As long as Rimuru-sama approves of them, we will accept anyone as our
friends.”
“Mm. Benimaru-dono is correct. There is no one among us who discriminates against others based on
appearance or strength.”

Benimaru laughed, while Geld looked quite natural. They blew away my worries just like that.

Shuna, too, didn’t seem to have any issues toward Diablo and the others. The fact that they were
treating each other normally as before was the proof of it.

“I’m glad to hear that. I felt like I was losing my mind worrying about them.”

“Hahaha, you should trust us more.”

“That’s right. I can only thank Rimuru-sama for being so concerned about us and for deploying Carrera-
dono and the others.”

It was a bit embarrassing, but I am glad Benimaru and Geld accepted them.

Now what about Gabil and Gobta?

As far as I could tell, they were doing well. Let’s hope they would continue to do so.

“Well, I can get along with Diablo just fine, so I’m sure things will be all right!” Shion assured me that she
was not worried about them from the very beginning.

“What do you mean by that, Shion?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like, Diablo.”

The first secretary (Shion) and second secretary (Diablo) began to glare at each other. The word
“primordial” seemed so serious, but in reality it was something like this.

I was reassured once again that I had been worrying too much.

Now that the briefing was over, it was time to begin the review meeting.

“I thought it would be bad if the enemy’s army had demon lord class soldiers, so I deployed Testarossa
and the others, but they seemed to be trying a little too hard.”

Even though that was my fault, even I didn’t think they would go on such a rampage.

Should I say that they were messing around too much, or that they overdid it? Those guys are too cold.
They annihilated the enemy army without any hesitation.

“Kufufufu”…they were a bit overzealous, weren’t they? I’ll make sure to educate them later.

Diablo said as such with a smile, I didn’t forget to tell him to “Do it in moderation!”

Anyway, I would leave the rest to Diablo. I’m sure he could teach them not to overdo things in the future.

Next on the list was to check the damages.

Less than two hours had passed since the start of the battle, and all the fighting is over. It seemed that
many people were injured, but what was the overall damage?
“As for the current situation, all of the injured have recovered!” A cheerful voice echoed in the Control
Room.

The monsters who had gone out to the battlefield were given high potions made in our country. Ten for
each of them. Thanks to these potions, most of the wounds were healed immediately.

And as for those who I had initially thought were dead…

In fact, they were only pretending to be dead, and their limbs were completely healed by the effects of
the full potion. Under Benimaru’s leadership, they had successfully fulfilled their role as decoys.

“I told you, didn’t I? Don’t worry about it.”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course I believe in you and everyone else.”

Everything went according to Benimaru’s plan. The only thing he did not expect was the overwhelming
success of Testarossa and her team.

As a result, although we had used a lot of recovery medicine, there were zero casualties. It was an
unbelievably great victory. However, that did not mean that there was no damage at all.

Just look at Gabil and his Hiryuu crew.

They appeared to have suffered a lot of physical damage by using their Intrinsic Skill ‘Dragon Body’.

I originally thought that effect was so great it was fine, but as expected, the disadvantage was not only
the time limitation. As soon as the battle was over, the reaction to the exertion came, and it seems that
their entire bodies became paralyzed, and they could not move.

Because it wasn’t an injury, the recovery medicine had no effect. Since they had built up their strong
bodies by taking in the surrounding magicules, they must have had some kind of rejection reaction to
the foreign substances.

This time, the penalty of Gabil’s arrogance was not only for Gabil but for the entire Hiryuu group.

I thought that I should make him reflect on the fact that he was lucky to have gotten off with such a small
penalty.

By the way, it seemed that this situation would last for about 24 hours, so we concluded that the move
could only be activated once every two days at most.

It was a good thing that they had won this time, but if they had used the ability wrongly, they could have
gotten themselves killed. I told them to be careful with this double-edged sword more in the future.

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Changing the subject, I wanted to talk about the situation on the Imperial side. The ‘Magic Tank Division’
led by Lieutenant General Gaster had 200,000 men. The ‘Air Assault Division’ led by Major General
Farage had 400,000 men. This was the Imperialist strength, as confirmed by Gadra.
There were no prisoners of war because they were all dead. The total amounted to about 240,000
people… It was a total massacre.

It was not without a certain amount of heartache. But I already killed 20,000 of them with my own hands
when I became demon lord, so I had no excuse now.

At any rate, after killing about 240,000 of the imperial army, it seems that many sacrificed souls have
entered my body. A short while after the battle, I felt my soul accumulating them at a furious pace.

I guess this sensation was what was called “collecting souls” from my subordinates. Thanks to this
sensation, I could grasp the exact number of enemy soldiers I had defeated.

But even so, I had acquired such a large number of human souls—

It took only 10,000 sacrifices to evolve from a Demon Lord Seed to a “True Demon Lord.” So what would
happen now that I took about 240,000 people?

The answer was, no change!

Once I awakened as a “True Demon Lord”, it meant that my evolution had reached its limit.

That’s right.

If it wasn’t for that, Guy probably would have killed and reaped the souls of the human race to the point
of extinction by now.

It was because he had intuitively realized that he would not evolve any further that he was holding off on
useless killings.
And then came an unexpected report.

«The number of souls acquired has exceeded the required number. At this moment, it is possible to
awaken the members of the “soul lineage”. The subordinates include—»

The Wisdom KingRaphael-san began saying something outrageous.

Apparently, it was possible to awaken a qualified person by giving him or her a certain amount of souls. A
large amount of souls, which was thought to be meaningless, could be used for the evolution of
subordinates, even if it did not affect my own evolution.

Raphael-san said that some of my subordinates had fulfilled the conditions to be able to awaken. By
giving them the souls I had acquired, they would be awakened and become as strong as a “True Demon
Lord”.

The number of souls required was 100,000.

I never thought that it would take ten times as many souls to awaken my subordinates.

I guess no one had ever heard of this before.

Guy and others may know it…but I wonder?

Even if they knew about it, they couldn’t do it so easily. It would be cheaper to join those who had
already become demon lords and lead them to awakening.
That might be why Guy held meetings like Walpurgis that included the top ranks, all in order to select
those who were worthy of joining the group.

There may be other reasons than that, though.

I couldn’t rule out the possibility that I was just being paranoid but there was no way of knowing.

At the very least, 100,000 souls was not a small thing. It wasn’t something that could be done casually
since it would be like killing an entire city.

Anyway…

As of now, I had about 250,000 extra souls in me. With this, I could awaken two people.

The twelve subordinates who could be awakened were are Ranga, Benimaru, Shion, Gabil, Geld, Diablo,
Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera, Kumara, Zegion, and Adalmann.

«Do you want to create a “Soul Corridor” to evolve your subordinates? YES/NO»

I understood from Wisdom KingRaphael-san’s words that it was possible to evolve them even if we were
separated from each other.

Just like Veldora, if we were connected through the “Soul Corridor”, we would not be affected by time
and space. It was not a bad idea, since it had the merit of strengthening the bond between me and my
friends.
Now then, what should I do?

In my case, I had awakened and become much stronger than before. And my Unique Skill ‘Great Sage’
had evolved into Ultimate Skill ‘Wisdom KingRaphael’.

If Benimaru and his friends could evolve too, there didn’t seem to be any reason to hesitate.

However…

I was curious about the term “soul lineage”. Perhaps this was a reference to the connection of souls
through “naming”.

Naming evolved monster. Although I didn’t mind abusing it, I understood that this was a very dangerous
thing to do. Wisdom KingRaphael-san was the reason why I could do “Naming” with peace of mind—It
knew what the safety margin was.

If naming failed, there was a possibility that one could lose all their power and die. Even if not, it was
said that one might be weakened without recovering their power.

In my case, I had a useful Skill like the ‘Stomach’ of Gluttonous King Beelzebuth, so I could keep the extra
magicules. If I needed more, I could borrow them from Veldora, and I could leave everything else to
Wisdom KingRaphael-san. It was a cheat, to put it simply.

Generally speaking, not everyone could do “Naming” easily, because they needed to use their own
magicules. The same was true even for Guy. That was why so few people had subordinates whose souls
were connected.

Those subordinates were irreplaceable to me. I, for one, was not going to use them as test subjects.
Wisdom KingRaphael-san recommended it, so I didn’t think there was any danger. At least, that’s what I
wanted to think. But I had a feeling that it was still dangerous. Besides, I was not sure who I should
choose.

There were many other problems.

If the amount of magicules was the criterion, then Souei should also be qualified. However, the fact that
Souei had not been chosen made me wonder about the condition of awakening.

It was also unclear what was going to happen.

In the Harvest Festival for a demon lord, there was a dormancy leading to evolution as a rite of passage
(initiation). Since there was no guarantee that this would not happen again, it seemed to me that we
should take all possible precautions.

Above all, the war was not over yet.

The main body of the Imperial Army—a total of 700,000 troops—was invading our capital city.

It would be better not to take risks in this emergency.

So, my answer was no.

I would leave this matter until things settled down.

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Gobta and his team were ordered to stay on site and retrieve the wreckage of the tanks and the airship.

Since Gabil and the others appeared to be immobile, I had the Wyvern Riders carry them to Dwarven
Kingdom. I hoped they would take the time to recover.

Instead, I wanted the Blue Numbers to join Gobta and the others.

Benimaru instructed them not to rush back to Gobta’s side, since they would not make it in time for the
battle if they returned now anyway.

Incidentally, Gazel also asked for reinforcements, to which I replied that there was no problem.

Gazel and his men were still in the middle of the war. The battle in the central region had ended, but
there were still imperial forces deployed in the eastern region adjacent to the empire.

The number of troops was 60,000.

Gadra said that this was a diversion by Yuuki’s troops…But we could never be too careful when we didn’t
know how the situation would turn out.

Gazel and the others would take care of things—or rather, this was something I didn’t need to tell them,
and I’m sure they would handle things thoroughly.
We would be the ones responsible for the main body of the Imperial Guard.

That was the consensus.

In the meantime…

Although we had won the last battle, the enemy still had a large force that we couldn’t afford to take
lightly.

We were enormously outnumbered and outgunned.

Even though we were at a disadvantage, all the subordinates were highly motivated.

Shion, for example, was full of enthusiasm and had said, “Those demons, how dare they stand out by
themselves! I must go there and show them what true strength is!” She was saying that in frustration.

‘Who the hell are you trying to fight against?’—I couldn’t help but want to spout off like that.

“Aren’t you supposed to be my bodyguard?”—She seemed to regain her reason in a hurry when I
pointed that out. I couldn’t help but think that it was better not to be too eager to fight.

Shion was not the only one who was full of motivation.

“Milord! Ultima came to show off. I heard you won the first battle by a landslide! Ahh, I can’t wait to get
my turn. Is it okay to go out and give my greetings now?”
Carrera, who had just burst into the Control Room, exclaimed with a flush on her cheeks.

She had been ordered to stand by with the Second Corps…Oh, so she had been communicating with
Ultima and the others via ‘Telepathy Net’.

“It seems that they were very proud of their exploits and I can’t stand it any longer…but I’m troubled by
the fact that I’d be acting without permission.”

“Give your greetings?” Benimaru asked back.

Even though he knew that Carrera was a primordial, his attitude had not changed. I guess I had been too
worried.

“Oh, yes. I thought I’d give them a little nuclear magic as a present.”

I can’t believe she said such a ridiculous remark with such a cute smile! The Yellow Primordial…what a
crazy person.

“Rejected!” Benimaru replied with a dumbfounded look.

“Carrera-dono. I’m going to ask you to be patient until you get the order. Your actions will be meaningful
only if you work when the time is right.”

Carrera seemed to be disgruntled, but she did not seem to have any intention to disobey Benimaru’s
order. She nodded her head reluctantly after being rebuked by Geld.

“All right. I just wanted to show you my performance, but I need to wait for an effective time, don’t I? I’ll
be quiet and wait for the right time.”
Thank God that she agreed.

She seemed to listen to Geld’s words, and they turned out to be a better duo than I had expected.

“Hahaha, Carrera. Rioting is not the only way to be active, is it? It is only when we become the sword of
our lord that we can shine!”

“I understand, Shion-san. I’ll try to cool down and be calm.”

You of all people are saying that?!—that’s what I thought.

The words themselves sounded good, but the thought that it was Shion who saying it made me feel
unconvinced.

I mean, up until now, wasn’t she the most violent person in the room?

I was about to complain to Shion, but decided going to hold back. It would be a bad idea to rehash a
story that had already been settled.

As I watched Carrera leave, I looked at Shion with a stern gaze.

Well, it was enough to have fighting spirit.

The forces here included the labyrinthine forces and the Second Corps, which was still in reserve. It
seems that not only the top brass but also the smallest of the soldiers were working hard.
Perhaps because they had heard my words, they were all in high spirits, ready to give it their all.

Against them, the Empire had 700,000 soldiers.

We may not be able to match them in numbers, but quality was more important than quantity.

The enemy may have their own strongmen hiding in the labyrinth, but we had another trump card: the
labyrinth itself.

“The key to victory is in the labyrinth. Veldora and Ramiris!”

“Of course. Just leave it to us!”

“That’s what I’m talking about. I’m here, so you won’t have to worry about fighting anyone!”

Hearing such a powerful response made me feel better.

The most important thing was how to avoid making any sacrifices. The best way to do so would be to
lure the enemy into the labyrinth. In the labyrinth, we could reduce the losses in our army to zero. Not
only that, but we could also add the monsters in the labyrinth to our forces, and that would make up for
our disadvantage in numbers all at once. If we included even the low-ranking monsters, the number of
monsters in the labyrinth would be several hundred thousand.

“The only question now is how much the empire will trust Yuuki’s words.”

“I think it’s the other way around, don’t you? It’s precisely because he is an untrustworthy guy that he
was able to make you doubt him.”
“I see, that makes a lot of sense!”

Benimaru was right.

Yuuki had been a very troublesome presence if we looked at him as an enemy. Although we were now in
a temporary relationship of mutual combat, he was not a trustworthy man to be considered as an ally.
This feeling may be the same for the imperial side.

“It’s safer to have such a shady character hiding among the enemies rather than to fight with him as an
ally, isn’t it?”

Shion said it unusually well.

“It’s because we don’t have to worry about being betrayed, that we won’t have to put in the extra
effort.” Benimaru nodded in agreement.

“On the other hand, the imperial side may not consider Yuuki as their ally completely. They will be wary
of Yuuki and doubt his words. This means that the 60,000 troops in front of the eastern city of Dwargon
will not be able to move. The Empire may send troops there to clean up the mess, and we should tell
Gazel to be very careful.”

“If it’s King Gazel, we should have nothing to worry about in that regard. But there is nothing worse than
an untrustworthy ally. If it was me, I would have gone over and disposed of them first.”

King Gazel had been informed about Yuuki. As Benimaru said, I was sure that the countermeasures
would be taken without me having to worry. What we should be worried about was the main body of
the Imperial Army.

Currently, they were surrounding us from many directions. Since there was only a huge gate left on the
ground, there was no need to panic, but I still couldn’t help but feel nervous.
The thing that worried me the most was that they would ignore Tempest and attack the new kingdom
established by Youm—Farmenas.

They had Razen and Grucius, but they did not have the strength for a large-scale war. We were in the
process of reforming the kingdom by providing aid, and I did not want that place to become a battlefield
at this point.

Of course, if that happened, we would have to come to their aid, which would complicate the situation.

Although I was relieved that it did not happen at this point, we could not let our guard down yet.

If the empire did not trust Yuuki’s words and headed toward the Kingdom of Blumund, then… Geld and
his men would attack from behind the Imperial army.

Even if I was planning to send the entire Second Corps in with my Transfer technique…there would still
be a ground war. The reinforcements from the labyrinth would be greatly reduced, so it would be
expected to be a tough battle.

If we recruited volunteers in the labyrinth, we would be able to gather a decent number. Even so,
however, we could not take out the monsters that did not possess a will, so the number would be
reduced.

In the first place, if the battle was fought on the ground, we would not be able to take advantage of the
labyrinth, and we would have to be prepared for a great deal of damage. The ideal situation would be for
the enemy to aim for the labyrinth.

Even Benimaru’s strategy, the ‘labyrinth siege,’ had the highest success rate and safety rate by far.
If it came to a ground battle, the advantageous condition in the labyrinth would be lost. The fighters
would have to fight each other head-on, under the same conditions.

It was only natural, but in war, the key to victory would be how we could create a favorable situation for
ourselves.

I personally thought the labyrinth was a bit unfair, but winning was justice.

So, hopefully, the labyrinth would be the main battlefield.

Even if the battle was on the ground, the basic policy would remain the same.

The primary goal would be to find out the strongman on the enemy side. Just as Gobta and the others
were used as decoys in the previous battle, Geld and the others would be doing the job this time.

This was the common objective underlying Benimaru’s plan.

All for the sake to protect me as the king…

I felt that Benimaru and the others were putting me first as much as—or even more so—than I was for
them.

I hoped they wouldn’t force themselves too much, but Benimaru knew better than me, who was an
amateur in the field of battle tactics. Even in the battle just now, the damage suffered was minimal.

Since Benimaru was in charge of everything, all I had to do was remain firm.
In addition to that, I would continue to make efforts in a quiet way so that people would feel more
secure in relying on me.

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I prepared a big gate on the ground to make it easier for the imperial army to enter, but that might seem
a little too deliberate. I was a little worried that they might think it was a trap, but it turned out to be a
groundless fear.

I don’t know if my wish was granted, but as it turned out, things happened just as I had hoped.

“Enemy troops are deployed in front of the main gate on the ground!” The operator reported.

On the big screen, I could see the Imperial Guard soldiers lined up in an orderly fashion.

The information obtained from the “Argus” was correct, but Souei’s people were also monitoring the
scene, so there was no need to worry about being misled by hallucinations or the like. It seemed to me
that the Imperial Guard had taken the bait.

They had no intention to hide their presence here, and all of their 700,000 troops were clearly visible.
They may have been trying to intimidate us, but it was pointless.

We had no intention of surrendering. We may run away, but we would never surrender to the Empire.
Besides, the situation was the most ideal.

“We’ve won.” I muttered to myself.

“Yeah. We’ve won.” Benimaru answered flippantly.

In fact, at this point, we had already won the tactical victory.

We would take no damage inside the labyrinth, so as long as we took our time, we were sure to win. As
long as there was no one stronger than a demon lord, that advantage would not be overturned.

“It’s a good thing that a greedy fool was drawn to the labyrinth.”

“Indeed. Originally, I was going to say that Rimuru-sama’s bait was too obvious, but I’m glad to see they
took it well.”

“Well, yeah. It looks like Gadra did a good job.”

The enemy forces were now showing their full strength to us. If they had been dispersed, we would have
been left wondering where the strong ones were hiding.

Dividing the forces was essentially a foolish idea, but in this case, it would be a great help if they were all
united. Since they were going to invade the labyrinth one after another, the only question was how
much strength they would leave on the ground…

“In any case, it would be a bad strategic move for the Empire to pass through our country. It would be
troublesome for us if they continued to block the ground gate and headed for the west…”
“Yes, of course. If they leave 100,000 out of 700,000, that’s enough to encircle us well enough.”

Moreover, if the rest of them headed for the Western Nations, they would be able to cut off their
worries about the future.

Incidentally, if that had happened, it would have been possible to enter and exit from other places.
However, the entrance and exit to the places sealed by the spatial fixation system ‘Barrier’ was not
opened, and the gate was only opened to the places where we had been to some extent.

As a realistic possibility, if we could unseal the entrance/exit of “Dwelling of the Spirits”, Ramiris’ old
home, we would be able to enter/exit from there.

Then, we would be trapped in the labyrinth. We would have been forced to go out of the labyrinth,
because we would have been forced to watch the Western Nations being overrun.

In the end, it would result in a ground war.

It would be a battle that could not be avoided in the end, but we would want to reduce the enemy’s
strength as much as possible before that time.

“Won’t we have to warn the people on the ground?”

“If we provoked them to anger, wouldn’t they get angry and throw their forces into the fray?”

Veldora and Ramiris had expressed such opinions.

“Those comments are worth listening to, but I don’t want to warn them.”
“Huh? What’s the reason?”

“You know it Ramiris, don’t you? There are ‘words’ on the gate.”

“Ah! Yes, that’s right.”

As a matter of fact, I had inscribed a message on the great gate on the ground.

The Weak Shall Not Enter

I wondered what the reaction would be?

“I want to know how they will react when they see it.”

“If it were me, I’d be pissed off and rush in. It’s just that I might let some men go down first.”

Benimaru might actually do that. He was the type of guy who would go in even if he knew it was a trap.

“I wouldn’t care. Because I’m strong!”

Yes, yes. Once again, I wasn’t asking Veldora.

“I think if it were me… If Beretta insists on going, I would have no choice but to go with them.”

Ramiris… If you’re afraid, then just don’t go. Beretta was smiling at the mention of their name.

“It is Rimuru-sama’s mercy, so any fool who ignores his warnings shouldn’t complain about whatever
happens to them.”

I wondered why he looked so happy, but Diablo was right. This was a warning.

“But those cowards who can’t even pass through the gate have no right to be on the battlefield in the
first place. We must destroy them without mercy and make them understand the folly of opposing
Rimuru-sama!”

Excuse me, Shion-san. If you put it that way, we’ll only end up fighting, won’t we? Even Geld was
laughing. Please think a little more about what you are saying.

However, the other members of the executive committee were all thinking similarly to her. They were
really motivated and very excited, saying that they were going to dedicate even more victories to me.

Testarossa and the others had gathered souls and offered them to me, and now that they were aware of
it, they seemed to be trying to imitate them for some reason.

It seems that Testarossa—or rather, the demons, liked to eat the emotional residue stuck in our souls.
There were many ways to eat them, Testarossa ha said, but she loved to see their faces scrunched up in
fear.

Her smile was a little scary.

I might have been scared before my reincarnation, but now I was satisfied with the way things were.
If that’s how it was for the demons, what about the other monsters?

They didn’t know what they could do just by collecting souls, did they? I mean, I just found out about it
just now, so I was wondering why they were even competing with each other.

Maybe it was for something like a trophy, but I didn’t really want it…

But even so, 700,000 people…

If I really did get all of those souls, I would be able to awaken an additional seven members—It was a
little scary that I was naturally thinking of that.

No, no, no…

I would have to be very careful not to turn into a monster in my heart.

With renewed determination, I turned my eyes to the big screen.

“They’re starting to move.”

The image on the screen showed that of the imperial generals moving in a formation. They were moving
into the gate without a trace of fear.

“Just as planned. If more than half of them rush in, the rest will be much easier…” I muttered to myself,
and Benimaru smiled wryly.
“I don’t intend to let any of them escape. I’ll come with you if the situation calls for it.”

Geld nodded in agreement.

“My Second Corps has about 17,000 men. We may be outnumbered, but we’re as strong as ever. I will
change the terrain and show you just how we can contain the enemy forces.”

“I’m sure we can count on you. If I burn their insides out with my fire, the rest of them should be strong
enough to put up a fight.”

“Carrera-dono will help us with that. She has been eager to go on a rampage for a while now, and I’m
sure she’ll be happy to show us what she’s got.”

“The power of the primordials is unquestionable. But I won’t lose to her.”

What’s this?

This conversation was not what I expected.

Benimaru and Geld were talking as if they were easily going to win. I was a little worried about them too,
but they were very bold.

Naturally, they had Carrera with them, so I didn’t feel any fear or hesitation when it came to the
primordial.

“Benimaru, that’s not fair. If it’s a war of extermination, it’s my turn!”

Even Shion came forward in the end.

I guess she forgot that she’s my bodyguard again, but the Control Room was the safest place. Shion’s
“Yomigaeri” were a unit whose strength was their tenacity and endurance. I had been thinking of letting
them play an active role in the event of a ground war, because it would be a waste to leave them idle.

If Shion wanted it, I could order them to go out…

“Calm down Shion. We need to find out what the enemy will do first. Depending on the situation, I may
need you to come out as well.”

Anyway, I appeased her by saying that for now.

“Kufufufu, if you want to protect Rimuru-sama, I am enough on my own.”

Diablo said the same thing, and if push came to shove, we could even call back Testarossa and the
others. They were teleportable and could get here in an instant.

“If Rimuru-sama says so, then it’s fine. I’ll ask you to go out then, Shion.”

“Mm! You can count on me, Benimaru.”

Shion had a big smile on her face and thanked Benimaru.

Why this girl liked fighting so much is a little beyond me. Well, since she was happy, I guess it was all
right.
“Well then, Rimuru, I’m going to get ready!”

“I’m coming too! I’ll show you the terror of the labyrinth!”

“Yes. You can rest assured that I will be your last defense.”

“Then, Rimuru-sama, if you’ll excuse me.”

Veldora and Ramiris left the Control Room in high spirits. Beretta followed them, and the Control Room
returned to silence.

From Veldora’s point of view, this was his first job as a labyrinth master. He was not sure if he would get
the a chance to play a role, but his appearance was very encouraging.

“Let’s go see what our enemies are capable of.”

I said something very demon-lord-esque as I watched everyone go out through the gate one after
another.

They nodded.

Thus began the decisive battle against the main unit of the Imperial Army, which numbered 700,000.
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Calgurio, the corps commander of the Armored Corps, was smiling at the way things were going as
planned.

He looked at his troops with immense confidence.

One after another, the best and the brightest were passing through the main gate.

The labyrinth that lead to the gate lead to the labyrinth that would bring Calgurio great riches.

By now, the monsters were probably in a panic at the unexpected appearance of such a huge army.

All this was possible only with careful planning and the ability of the generals to respond.

………

……

The route of the invasion was discussed with the general staff many times, and the ‘Magic Tank Division’
would invade from the front in order to stand out. In addition, the ‘Air Assault Division’ had deployed a
hundred airships so that they could repel the evil dragon Veldora even if he appeared.
It was also the ‘Air Assault Division’s’ job to carry the ‘Magic Beast Corps’ led by Gladium to the west.
However, they were to fly over the sea, which guaranteed a safe journey.

Deciding that the airship would not need the strength, Calgurio was only responsible for logistics
support. It was decided that the role would be completed by operating the 300 airships at full capacity
and transporting munitions at the same time.

Therefore, they were concentrating their forces for the war against Veldora. The hundred airships
dispatched to the Great Jura Forest were fully prepared with the most elite wizards.

With this, they were now in full support, and it was believed that this force alone would be enough to
conquer the entire west side.

If Gladium and his allies attacked the capital of Ingracia, the war would be over in no time.

In this two-sided simultaneous operation, Calgurio’s Armored Corps would play a major role. That is to
say, if they succeeded, they would be able to accomplish a great deal.

This would increase his power in the empire. Calgurio could not stop laughing at the thought of it.

The outline of this operation was as follows:

As soon as the enemy had taken a bite out of the ‘Magic Tank Division’, which had been conspicuously
invaded, Calgurio’s own main force would make its grand entrance. They would attack the stronghold of
Demon LordRimuru.

According to the preliminary information, the city controlled by the demon lord could be isolated into a
labyrinth. It might sound absurd, but it was the reality.
The only thing left on the ground was the great gate leading to the labyrinth.

That being the case, all they had to do was surround it and make it inescapable.

If they sealed off the surrounding space with a magic canceler, they could also seal off the magic of
transference. It might even be possible to seal it completely.

The only problem was the strength of Armed Nation of Dwargon.

Hero King Gazel was not to be underestimated, and dwarven soldiers were famous for their strength.
Their undefeated record for a thousand years was not an exaggeration, and if they underestimate them,
they would be in for a world of pain.

However!

There is no way we can be defeated. With 2,000 magic tanks, even if we bring out the antiques of the old
generation, they won’t be able to match us at all.

The neutrality of the Armed Nation of Dwargon was of no concern to the Empire. They were just
overlooked because they were a nuisance, and since they could win, there was no need to be shy.

Magic and science.

The fusion of these two things created the most powerful army, with a whole new way of fighting as a
foundation.

That was the Armored Corps led by Calgurio.

Gazel was indeed a champion, but he could not do anything alone. Of course, it was common sense that
the quality of the army affected the war situation more than the quantity, but for Calgurio who knew the
destructive power of tank guns, fighting with swords and magic was just an outdated method of warfare.

Those dwarves who could only prepare outdated and old-fashioned weapons would not be able to grasp
the true value of the legions of the new age. By the time they realized it, it would already be too late.
Only a one-sided invasion awaited them.

Calgurio had no way of knowing at the time that he was fundamentally wrong. The happy Calgurio was
so sure of his victory that he had never imagined that he would be defeated.

And just now, the long-awaited report came in.

Negotiations had broken down. They had now entered into a state of war.

Calgurio and his men marched as planned and took control of the current situation, the supposed
stronghold of Demon LordRimuru.

………

……

Calgurio, poised and composed, began to think of his men.

It may have been a waste to give Gazel’s head to Gaster, but if I don’t give them candy, they won’t follow
me. I guess it can’t be helped.

Lt. General Gaster and Major General Farage were among the best of Calgurio’s men. He had no doubt
that they would meet his expectations.

Even though Gaster and Farage are dead at this point, it was too much for Calgurio to detect.

“By the way, have you heard from Gaster yet?”

“Yes sir! We haven’t heard from Lieutenant General Gaster since the first report that they have engaged
in battle.”

“Hm. I think it’s about time the situation was settled. It’s not like we’re struggling here. Isn’t he being too
lazy about contacting us?”

“Yes, I’m not sure…”

“That’s all right. Well then, how about Farage?”

It seemed that Gaster was too excited to be on the battlefield for the first time in a while. Calgurio
thought that Gaster was probably enthusiastic about the battle, with a big victory on the horizon.

Then, he asked about Farage’s situation. If it was Farage, he should be watching the battle from the sky. If
so, he would be able to give an accurate report.

However, the liaison officer in charge of Farage was not acting properly. He was sweating greasily and
desperately trying to make contact with Farage.

“What are you doing?”

Calgurio’s good mood was dampened, and he became grumpy. His tone also contained some thorns.

The intelligence officer, perhaps impatient, replied hurriedly.

“Major General Farage reported that he had encountered a monster that looks like Veldora! He said that
he would give us a follow-up report as soon as he could confirm it…”

There was no further communication.

Since the first report, there had been no communication at all.

According to the communication mage, the magicules of the Great Jura Forest was so dense that even
communication waves were easily blocked. The magicules seemed to be dense, but there seemed to be
a reason for this. This place was a forest created by their old enemy, Veldora.

Besides, this was the land of a demon lord. There was no choice but to accept things as they were.

Calgurio stopped thinking about it, reasoning that there was no use in worrying.

If he was in the middle of a battle, he would not be able to make a report. Besides, as the
communication mage said, it was quite possible that the magicule concentration in the surrounding area
would affect the “Magic Communication”.
And if Veldora was on the battlefield now… Magic communication would be impossible.

Calgurio immediately changed his mindset.

“Hmph! Then we’ll wait for good news. If they really encountered Veldora, it is not surprising that we
have not heard from Gaster or Farage. In that case, we are not to be outdone. Let’s attack the labyrinth
as soon as possible!”

Calgurio felt assured because Gaster and Farage had been given such a large force that he did not think
they could be defeated. He dismissed the possibility of such a defeat, believing that it could never
happen.

On the contrary, he even considered things to be more convenient.

Now that Farage had encountered Veldora, only the demon lord remained in the labyrinth. The Four
Heavenly Kings under his command were also said to be troublesome, but they were no match for the
elite of the ‘Augmented Legion’.

Without any hesitation, Calgurio decided to concentrate on the labyrinth in front of him.

Calgurio’s location was in a cleared area.

It was so vast that a large city could completely fit in it. Near the center of the clearing, there stood a
large gate that served as the entrance to the labyrinth.

Magical exploration had not revealed any traps or other harmful objects. There was only the great gate,
which seemed to be waiting for Calgurio and the others to challenge it.
Calgurio believed that the words inscribed on the gate—“The weak shall not pass through these gates”—
were proof that he was not mistaken.

How dare they hide everything for fear of being plundered by us? You have the wits of a monster, don’t
you?

Fear of looting in the name of local procurement was a common thing in every country. As a matter of
fact, it was a problem if food could not be procured. For the Imperial Army with a large army, it was sure
to be a serious problem. Tactically, it was also recognized as an effective means.

But this is too easy!

Calgurio laughed at the shallow intelligence of the monster.

Soldiers who had been strengthened by otherworldly science and magic were able to perform at full
strength without eating or drinking for a week. A single piece of energy-balanced portable food could
supply enough energy for a day’s activity. Each soldier carried twenty of them, and their consumption to
date had been as calculated.

They had already distributed the amount they consumed, and they were fully capable of continuing the
war without depending on the food supply of this city. The small size and light weight of the portable
food items made the logistics as simple as possible. Drinking water, the biggest problem, could be
produced by magic.

There was problem at all. The elite generals could operate in the labyrinth for twenty-seven days.

The enemy may have placed their hopes on the greatest weakness of military operations with a large
army—the supply cutoff, but he had to say that they were naïve in their thinking.

“Do they think they’ve won just because they cut off our supply line? That’s foolish.”
Calgurio laughed mockingly, and one of his staff agreed with him. He was a man from a noble family who
was trying to suck out the sweet opportunities from Calgurio.

“Hahaha, Calgurio-sama… We shouldn’t make them sound so pitiful. Demon LordRimuru made a mistake
right from the start. He overlooked our glorious ‘Augmented Legion’ and sent Veldora, his strongest
hand, against the decoys. And before he realized it, they were surrounded by so many champions.”

The other chiefs of staff followed suit.

“Well, I can’t blame him for thinking that. Even though they are decoys, they have a large force.”

“That’s right. It is tempting to use maximum force, but I can understand that.”

Calgurio felt better after hearing the conversation among the chiefs of staff.

“Hmph! He may talk like a demon lord, but that’s all he is! They must be shrinking back in the depths of
the labyrinth by now!”

Calgurio and the others ridiculed the demon lord’s shallow thinking and were convinced of the success of
this expedition.

“Wahaha! You are right. All we have to do now is to drag the demon lord to Calgurio-sama and cut off his
head. Then Calgurio-sama will be a championdemon lord killer!”

The aristocratic chief of staff lifted up Calgurio with his words.

‘Not bad’, Calgurio thought.

First, they needed to attack this labyrinth and build a foothold here.

He would build a military base and use the momentum to overrun the west.

If he didn’t do it soon, Gladium with his Magic Beast Corps would overrun the Western Nations from the
north. He really wanted to get out of the Great Jura Forest before that happened.

However, there was no need to panic.

Their accomplishments would certainly be diminished, but only slightly.

The long-cherished wish of the Empire—the defeat of the “Storm Dragon” Veldora—With such a great
achievement, other feats would be insignificant.

If the head of the Demon LordRimuru was added to that list, Calgurio was sure to be chosen as the
greatest contributor to the empire.

Like Calgurio, the chiefs of staff did not seem to doubt their victory.

After all, they were a huge army of 700,000 men.

Looking at the majesty of their army, no one could even think of defeat.

“Let’s set up a ‘Barrier’ here and then make a camp. Then deploy troops one after another. Let’s attack
the labyrinth in earnest!”
“Leave it to us.”

“We’ll proceed as scheduled.”

No objections were raised. The situation was not so urgent that they had to go out of their way to cause
discomfort.

As for the glory of marching into the West, they would let Gladium take them. That was the common
understanding among those present.

For now, this was more important.

They were more interested in the treasures that could be gained in the labyrinth.

Their greed had won out.

In any case, it was a simple and clear plan to flood the labyrinth with a strategy of quantitative attacks,
and to plunder the labyrinth by the roots. The fact that there was no opposition to this strategy was
evidence that they were dazzled by their immediate profit.

Confident of their victory, Calgurio’s group was honest about their desires. They had no doubt that the
share of the treasure obtained in the labyrinth would enrich their own pockets.

And so, the labyrinth siege began.

And immediately following…

Those poor, clueless people happily descended the stairs, never to be climbing back up them again.

The labyrinth does not reject any visitors.

Even if they did not follow the rules, it was all the same.

It was just that…

The safety locks had all been disengaged.

What awaited them beyond that point was the true form of the labyrinth that no one had ever
experienced before—the true hell of this world.

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The current location was one of the innermost rooms of the labyrinth. It was a secret meeting room that
even Rimuru did not know about. Gathered in this vast hall were the rulers of the labyrinth. Normally,
these people would not gather here like this. The fact that all of them are now here in this room showed
just how important this meeting was.

………
……

Beretta, Ramiris’s errand boy, deputy, and agent, was at the head of the group.

There were also the Four dragon kings. The Fire Dragon Lord, Ice Dragon Lord, Wind Dragon Lord, and
Earth Dragon Lord occupied the four sides of the hall.

And in the center of the hall, seated at a round table made of ebony, sat the others…

Guardian of the 90th floor: “Nine Head” Kumara.

Guardian of the 80th floor: “Insect Kaiser” Zegion.

Floor Boss of the 79th floor: “Insect Queen” Apito.

Guardian of the 70th floor: “Immortal King” Adalmann.

Vanguard of the 70th floor: “Death Paladin” Albert.

These were the men known as Dungeon’s Elite Ten.

There were three others who were out of place.

Next to Adalmann was a sharp-eyed old man named Gadra.

At the end of the table, Gozer and Mezer, the 50th floor Guardians, were participating in a small group,
aware that they were out of place among the strong.

Gozer and Mezer usually thought they could beat any opponent. However, after witnessing the existence
of the elite, they had long realized that there was a stark difference between them.

So for now, they were sitting in an uncomfortable position.

There was another reason why Gozer and Mezer didn’t dare be too unbridled. It was because those who
had gathered here were always quarreling over who was the strongest.

Even now, there was a fierce clash of spirits, and the space felt heavy as if it was distorted by an unusual
pressure.

Even Gadra, who was supposed to be a newcomer, was taking part in the struggle with impunity. Seeing
this, Gozer and Mezer realized what they amounted to.

“We can’t win against real, crazy people,” they thought.

Gadra was a great man because he made them, who had been fighting for a hundred years, think in that
way.

Beretta and the dragon kings did not join in the fight, but they also did not intend to stop it either. They
were taking the attitude that each of them should do as they pleased.

While this may not be the reason, the debate on who was the most powerful among the Elite Ten was
getting more and more heated.
The case of Adalmann who was directly praised by Rimuru and moved up the rank of the Elite Ten was
still fresh in their memory.

After that, everyone’s spirits were on a high note.

Each person believed that they could be more useful. The lower-level managers tended to feel this way
because they did not have much to do. They wanted a chance to make a difference.

Gadra, a newcomer, was eager to be useful to his friend Adalmann. He thought that if he could make a
prominent contribution here, his position would be secured in earnest.

Adalmann was Adalmann, and was eager to fight for Rimuru even more than he was doing now, and
hopefully, he could enhance his own position. Thus, the other Guardians were an eyesore. They were not
enemies, but they were still an obstacle.

Albert followed Adalmann. In addition, Albert had the ambition to make his name famous by enhancing
his own military achievements. He was a surprisingly ambitious man.

Apito and Kumara were both women, and they had a very bad relationship with each other.

Kumara, in particular, guarded the depths of the 90th floor. Therefore, she was rarely seen in battle.

Kumara was jealous of Apito’s success against the Holy Knights. Therefore, she was very much opposed
to her, and encouraged this out of a sense of rivalry.

Apito was competitive and would not back down from a challenge from Kumara. Therefore, the two of
them were always at odds with each other.

Zegion was the top of the labyrinth, although he seemed to always keep his nose out of things. He was
the one who remained the object of everyone’s jealousy. He was involved in this conflict, whether he
wanted to be or not.

Thus, the relationship between the strongmen of the labyrinth was not very good.

However, if they were asked whether they truly hated each other, the truth was that they did not.

In the end, they just wanted to prove that they were the best, which was different from trying to kick the
other person down.

They were jealous, but they also respected each other.

They fought, but that did not mean they hated their opponent.

Everyone thought of each other as rivals who were competing with one another in a friendly
competition.

………

……

Now that they were all gathered here, they were surprisingly quiet. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the
top of the round table, which remained empty.

Those spots belonged to Veldora, the king of the labyrinth, and Ramiris, the great creator of the
labyrinth.

Two hours had already passed since the meeting was called.

The noise had been loud until a just few minutes ago, but when Beretta appeared, everyone had quieted
down.

“Veldora-sama and Ramiris-sama will visit us soon. We must be quiet and wait.” With that said, Beretta
took their seat.

“May I ask you a question, Chief?” Kumara asked, and Beretta nodded.

“This time, are we gathered here because—?”

“It is as you have guessed. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how to eliminate the fools who are
invading this labyrinth.”

Upon hearing this, everyone shut their mouths. They had heard about the current situation. Although
they had not been told of the purpose of the meeting, they could practically guess the main points. That
is why they had been checking on each other so intensely, but now that they were told that the imperial
army had invaded the labyrinth, their hostility exceeded their competitive spirits.

What would it mean to make an enemy of the labyrinth? In order to make sure those people understood
that correctly, everyone’s minds became united.

A heavy tension filled the room, and…

“Hey, guys!”
“Yo, everyone. Thanks for coming!”

Ramiris and Veldora appeared, and the excitement in the room increased dramatically.

Ramiris, feeling great about such an atmosphere, spoke to everyone in a more serious tone than usual.

“Today we are facing an unprecedented crisis since the creation of this labyrinth! That’s why, I want to
hear everyone’s thoughts!”

And that was the signal for the meeting to begin.

Kumara was the first to react.

“Oh? It’s already been decided.”

She was about to express his thoughts as if she had been waiting for this very moment, but then Apito
took her words away.

“Just kill them all, I guess.”

Kumara and Apito glared at each other.

“This time, you’ll be giving us a turn on our own floors, won’t you? After all, Apito has been happily
playing with Holy Knight-san these days, aren’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Hinata-sama is a good opponent, but the Holy Knight Order is too
weak.”

A different kind of tension began spreading through the venue. It was Veldora who calmed down the
tension.

“Kuahaha! Stop fighting, and be at ease. This time, everyone will have a chance to fight. From what I’ve
heard, the enemy beliefs that the deepest part of the labyrinth is the 60th floor. Despite our outward
propaganda that the maze has a hundred levels, they don’t believe it! Do people think it’s okay for them
to be so stupid?”

No! they all thought.

Veldora nodded in agreement.

“I had thought it would be fun to play along with it…But that seems like too much trouble.”

“Yes, that’s right! As the master just said, waiting for them to break through to the 50th floor would be
very troublesome. Not only is it troublesome for us, but also for them.”

“Mhm. There are 700,000 of them out there right now. Rimuru told me to lure as many as I could into
the labyrinth.”

“If they’re all crammed at the entrance, it’s going to take a long time, right? Plus, having too many
enemies at once is also a problem. That’s why, we decided to repeat the process from the beginning,
sending a thousand men to each floor, and dividing the enemy army!”

Fortunately, the Imperial soldiers were all in order and behaved in a disciplined manner. They were
entering the labyrinth smoothly by keeping their ranks in order, but still, it was only natural that it would
take some time.
If the front line were to enter the labyrinth, the line of movement would be interrupted. Then, there was
no telling how long it would take for everyone to enter the labyrinth.

“If you have good luck after drawing lots, there might be a strong opponent, right?”

“Kuahahaha! Perhaps one of them might even be the threat for Rimuru, whom Benimaru was looking
for! Well, I personally think he’s worrying too much, but it would be a big win if we could find them.”

At Ramiris’ and Veldora’s words, the look in everyone’s eyes changed.

The Four Heavenly Kings under Rimuru were the admiration of all those who were in charge of the
labyrinth. Among them, Benimaru was Rimuru’s confidant and best friend. He was considered the one
whom the others wanted to challenge someday and see.

‘No, no, his best friend is me’—that’s what Veldora would have said. But since no one mentioned it out
loud, the conversation went smoothly.

“So that means…everyone has a chance, right?”

“If that’s the case, I have nothing to complain about.”

Hearing this, Apito and Kumara instantly became reconciled.

The others, too, were full of enthusiasm, with their own ambitions in mind.

“So, if anybody comes to our territory, we are free to do as we please?”

Hearing Adalmann ask that, Ramiris answered, “That’s right!” This was the decisive blow, and the
labyrinthine group became even more serious.

Ramiris continued with her explanation.

“We’re still getting more and more people coming in, but for now we’re just throwing them in one by
one, starting from the 41st floor. Once we get 1,000 people, we will move down one floor at a time, so
please keep that in mind! I’ll assign tasks and explain later.”

All the jealous eyes of those present focused on Gozer and Mezer at once, and both of them began
trembling nervously. Their bodies shrank even more, trying their best to get through this situation. They
both agreed that it would be much better to fight against those foolish intruders than to keep going
through this right now.

Paying no mind to Gozer and the others, Ramiris’ explanation did not end.

“So, we’re just going to accept them all and scatter them to each floor. In the end, we’ll have 100,000 of
them going to the 41-50th floors, 100,000 from the 51-60th floors, 100,000 from the 61-70th floors,
100,000 from the 71-80th floors, and 100,000 from the 81-90th floors. Then, each dragon king will take,
probably 10,000 each? If more people come in, we’ll divide them amongst the upper floors!”

The maximum number of people accepted at one time would be 540,000. Ramiris said that she hoped to
receive at least 350,000 as a minimum. Finally, she explained the most important matter.

“Don’t forget that the rules of the labyrinth have been changed for this time only. Each dragon room has
been enlarged ten times larger than usual, and the floors have all been replaced, so if someone breaks
through the 90th floor, he or she will immediately enter the dragon room. But you see, this is not
important. What really matters is that the conditions for clearing the rooms have changed!”

Ramiris emphasized this as she flapped around.

So just what were the conditions for clearing the maze?

First of all, this time, once one entered the gate, they were not allowed to leave unless they cleared the
maze. Since clearing the maze meant defeating Veldora, the game was essentially an all-out battle. In
addition, it was necessary to collect the ten keys held by Elite Ten as a condition to challenge Veldora. In
other words, even those who started from the 80th floor would need to go back to the upper floors to
defeat other Elite Ten and get all the keys.

Upon hearing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on the faces of the Elite Ten. The dragon kings roared
in all directions in the hall.

“In that case, I guess we all have an equal opportunity.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a race to see who can kill the most prey.”

And then sparks began fly among them.

“Huh. I hope I have a worthy opponent to really swing my sword against.”

“Don’t be too arrogant, Albert, we only have to think about destroying the enemies of our god.”

And then began a squabble between master and servant. Others also began meditating quietly. Everyone
seemed to be in high spirits for the battle to come.

Standing before the Dungeon’s Elite Ten, Beretta, who was considered to be the chief, opened their
mouth.
“By the way, Ramiris-sama, I’ve been asking you for a while now…”

“Oh, that. Well, Rimuru has given his approval, so let’s just see how it goes this time.”

“Thank you very much.”

After exchanging some words with Ramiris, Beretta stood up and looked around at the Elite Ten.

“Gentlemen. I have been given the role of Dungeon Master by Ramiris-sama. I was also the head of the
Elite Ten…”

Beretta personally believed that the position of the head of the Elite Ten was nothing more than a chore.
Beretta was only included in the Elite Ten to make up the number of members, because ten members
were needed for the sake of consistency.

The names of his positions and titles were also changed quite frequently, perhaps reflecting Ramiris’s
loose character. The worst one was “Ramiris’s errand boy”, which was, to say the least, unwanted.

As for his colleague, Treyni, she was valued by Ramiris even though they were in the same position. The
reason for this was that she never scolded Ramiris. Beretta personally thought that this was too much.
Treyni was still doing as she pleased. She seemed to have gotten Ramiris’ approval, and had gone off
somewhere without Beretta’s knowledge.

Beretta sighed secretly. In any case, they were now being called the head of the Elite Ten just to make up
the numbers. Beretta was not happy about it, so they wanted to give the position in the Dungeon’s Elite
Ten to someone else.

Now, that long-awaited opportunity had arrived.

“I will give up my position to the one who performs well in this battle.”

In that moment, the Elite Ten’s eyes all lit up.

Even Gozer and Mezer began to harbor ambitions that were out of their league, thinking that perhaps
they could join the Elite Ten. Unfortunately, these ambitions were put to rest by Beretta’s following
words.

“The role of an Elite Ten in this battle will be temporarily filled by Gadra-dono there. His ability is
considerable, as Adalmann-dono recommended him, and his knowledge is so rich that not only myself,
but even Ramiris-sama have approved of it.”

Gadra, who was suddenly named, was surprised but unfazed. He had not lived a long life for nothing and
was accustomed to these kinds of situations.

Here it comes! It’s my time! If I can make a significant achievement here, the word “provisional” in my
position will disappear!

Gadra was always aggressive. Otherwise, he would not have been able to move from one country to
another like some wild horse. And Gadra was also aware of his place. With his accurate and discerning
eyes, he had seen the strength of the Dungeon’s Elite Ten. Some of them were lower or even equal to
him, but there were also some who were so strong that it would be absurd to compare himself to them.

It would be absolutely impossible for him to consider himself as the first place while ignoring such
outliers. Knowing this very well, Gadra limited his goal to joining the Elite Ten.

“I will accept your offer with all my heart!”

“Will you accept? In that case, you’ll be doing me a big favor, Gadra-dono.”
Gadra and Beretta, this was the moment when a relationship of mutual interest was established. Thus,
personnel changes were made, albeit tentatively, before the war against the Empire. Beretta then left
the Elite Ten and Gadra became a member.

“Yes, yes! I’m glad that Gadra-chan has taken the job. Gadra-chan is in charge of the 60th floors. I want
you to use Demon Colossus, the boss over there, to the fullest!”

The conversation continued smoothly. This was already discussed with Rimuru beforehand, and it was
decided to let Gadra operate it on a trial basis. Since Gadra was usually helping Ramiris with his research,
he agreed to it without any hesitation. In fact, from Gadra’s point of view, the Demon Colossus was what
he wanted to have.

“Mm! In that case, we should give Gadra some kind of a second name.”

“Oh, about that, Gadra-chan, do you have any suggestions?”

The newly dubbed Gadra-chan was at a loss to respond to such a question out of the blue.

“Well, yes…”

Gadra thought that this was not what was important right now. The imperial army had already invaded,
so they needed to get into a defensive position as soon as possible. He assumed that everyone was
thinking that, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

However, it seemed that this was not much of an issue for the people at the top, and they kept their
usual attitude even in such a situation.

That’s the way it should be. His Imperial Majesty Rudra was a great man, but these people are no less.
Well, if it’s the “Storm Dragon” and the “Fairy of the Labyrinth”, it’s only natural…

Gadra admired this. Although Gadra was not a man of loyalty, he was in awe of Veldora and Ramiris
nevertheless, and also of Rimuru who was able to use them so well.

“How about the ‘rune master’?”

“Master, I think that sounds really cool!”

“Right? As a man of my word… I’m cool when I say that I’m cool—kuahahaha!”

Gadra didn’t dare have any objections to that. So that’s how things came to be.

It seemed that the explanation was almost over, but Ramiris still had something to tell everyone.

“Oh, yes, I remember now! Gozer and Mezer also have an important role to play!”

Gozer and Mezer, who had been nervous about what role they would be assigned, jumped up when they
heard this.

“So then, what kind of role will we be playing?”

“Well then, what will we have to do?”

They asked fearfully. Ramiris, on the other hand, gave an order without hesitation.
“Stay at the 30th floor and send the monster bosses there. And if any of the enemies escape, get rid of
them. I’ve also set the destination of the bracelet to the 30th floor, so you don’t have to worry about
being killed by mistake! Good luck!”

Her tone of voice sounded as if this was a matter of course. Gozer and the others could only nod their
heads. They were motivated, but more than that, they were anxious.

If they did not make a contribution here, they were afraid that they would be abandoned. If they did not
fight well, they would be fired from this prestigious position. Gozer and Mezer looked at each other and
nodded their heads in agreement.

The boss of the 30th floor was a B-plus ranked Ogre Lord along with his five subordinates. They obeyed
the orders of Gozer and Mezer who were Over A rank, so they would be reliable companions for now.

Besides, even Gadra, a newcomer to the rank of Elite Ten, agreed to take the place of the Elite Ten
without any hesitation. Gozer and Mezer, who were the senior members of the Elite Ten, could not do
anything bad here.

There was one more thing. Something else that they realized.

Even if someone could get through to the 30th floor, there was no escape for the Imperial Army. Even if
they ran up to the top floor, the first floor, they would have no choice but to turn around again from
there. In this sense, their work was very light in responsibility. And they realized that the more people
lost, the more that could be killed.

“Let’s do this. We are Guardians too. If we get recognized for our achievements here, we’ll become more
prestigious!”

“Yeah, you’re right brother. This time we won’t be stingy about petty things. Let’s crush the enemy with
everything we’ve got!”
“We’ll get rid of every last Imperial soldier that’s escaped!”

“Oh, yes! I’ll make sure we live up to Ramiris-sama’s expectations!”

There was no choice but to step forward. In an instant, their anxiety vanished, and their motivation was
ignited.

Thus, the division of roles was decided.

“Rimuru has asked us to lure as many Imperial soldiers as possible into the labyrinth! To do so, you have
to make them feel a certain amount of good about themselves!”

Those who heard this all nodded their heads vigorously, as if it were a matter of course. Everyone
understood his or her role. At least for the first day, they were supposed to quietly watch the enemy
forces.

Ramiris, while watching them with satisfaction, dropped a final bomb.

“That’s right, that’s right. Good luck everyone! By the way, Rimuru also said that he would be watching
this battle, too. It’s a chance for him to see what we’ve been up to, not just to decide who will be the
next head!”

The moment Ramiris’ comment was heard, everyone’s expression became serious to the point of being
deadly.

“Rimuru-sama will be watching us?”

Even Zegion, who had been keeping silence, spoke gravely. Apito was quite surprised at this, because
Zegion, the “Insect Kaiser,” was a taciturn man who seldom ever spoke.
A man whose only interest was strength, aside from his loyalty to Demon LordRimuru—that was who
Zegion was.

“Uh, um, yeah. Rimuru said he would watch everything, too?”

Ramiris, who was unexpectedly overwhelmed, replied in a hushed tone. For Ramiris, it was a rare
opportunity to see Zegion speak. It was natural for her to be surprised.

“Zegion. Ramiris’s words do not lie. Rimuru was also intrigued about the strength of the labyrinthine
forces. That is why he chose to believe in you all and entrusted you to play a major role in this battle.”

Veldora followed up Ramiris’ surprise and said as such. To Veldora, Zegion was an excellent apprentice
whom he had trained in combat for some time now. He was even better than Charys, who had known
Veldora for a long time. In fact, he had grown to the point that he could fight even with Veldora under
certain conditions.

Zegion was too powerful.

Except for Veldora, there was no one in the labyrinth who could fight against Zegion.

It was precisely because of this that Zegion was so excited about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I see. So Rimuru-sama has heard about our successes…it really gets my blood pumping. I will show him
just how much I’ve grown.”

“Hehehe, of course! You said you were looking forward to it, so let’s surprise everyone!” Ramiris
concluded with an innocent smile.
Ramiris may seem innocent and good, but she was ruthless at heart. She was still a demon lord, and she
did not argue against the absolute rule of the law of survival of the fittest.

Once entering the labyrinth, everyone would be presented with the rules. Even the Imperial generals
were not an exception to these rules. When confirming the “will of the person to enter”, each person
would be asked whether it was OK if they were unable to leave the labyrinth unless they ha fulfilled the
conditions for clearing the labyrinth.

Would it be taken as a threat or a warning…? Even if some of the enemies thought that they might be in
trouble, no one would try to stop them. Everyone fantasized about the riches to be gained in the
labyrinth and were sucked into the labyrinth like ants swarming around sugar.

From that point on, Ramiris’ mercy would be no more. Therefore, she welcomed them as her enemies
without any hesitation.

It was then that the imperial generals would realize.

They would witness true nature of this labyrinth.

Tasting nothing but fear…

“We will claim victory. A victory dedicated to Rimuru-sama.”

Zegion muttered those worlds and rose from his seat.

As if on cue, everyone began to move out.

In the venue that had become an infernal hell, they awaited the arrival of their guests.

A picture containing drawing, knot

Description automatically generated

At the entrance of Dungeon, the imperial soldiers were being sucked in one after another. They were
lined up in neat rows, their movements sharp and methodical. Each soldier was equipped with a safety
belt around their waist, and they were linked together so that they were spaced three meters apart,
front and back.

There was a separate combat team, which was not roped off and were allowed to move freely. When not
engaged in battle, they held the lifelines that connected the soldiers.

The maze was nothing in the face of the sheer volume of the large army. They were well prepared, and
no one could get lost in the labyrinth.

Satisfied with his skillful arrangement, Calgurio began thinking of the riches he would gain.

This maze is nothing but child’s play. The real problems are the monsters that live there…

It was just not their strength that was the problem, but rather the time-consuming combat. According to
their preliminary investigation, the lowest floor was the 60th level, but that was not certain either. There
was even a rumor that there were up to a hundred floors, but that was deemed unrealistic.
Calgurio thought it to be a bluff.

The deeper floors yielded more valuable treasures. And above all, purer “magic crystals” would be
recovered. It was very tempting, but it seemed that the strength of the monsters living in those areas
also increased proportionally. Calgurio was worried about that.

Well, if we can find out what kind of monsters there are, we can find a proper way to deal with them.
Then we will be able to hunt more efficiently.

Stroking his proud beard, Calgurio came to his conclusion.

The labyrinth seemed less of a threat as he looked at their well-trained soldiers. Their majesty was a
testament to their sheer power. They had been training specifically for the battle in the labyrinth.

A spirit magician would check the paths of the soldiers, and the special operations team would disarm
the traps. The combat team would eliminate the monsters, and the processing team would dismantle
monsters and collect “magic crystals” from them. This sequence of events were arranged to be carried
out at the head of each line.

The obtained treasures would then be sent to the back of the line via the soldiers who were connected
to the line. Then, they would be handed over to the front entrance, and those who had been waiting for
them would be asked to carry them to the operation command center.

By linking soldiers together, they could respond to changes in any situation. The soldiers were carefully
trained so that they would be able to bring back information immediately if something happened.

Calgurio’s plan had worked very well at first. However, something unusual began to happen. After about
1,000 people had entered the camp, they lost contact with them.
“Sir, what should we do?”

What had happened to those soldiers? They still didn’t know. The fact that the ropes had been cut
cleanly indicated that the space had been distorted.

It was obtained from prior information that the structure of the labyrinth is sometimes transformed. But
that was said to happen only once every 24 hours…

Calgurio was worried about it, but he did not let the line of soldiers stop invading. He allowed them to
continue their advance for a while. As it turned out, the structure of the labyrinth was changing for every
thousand people that entered.

No, that’s not it.Calgurio realized.

“I see. The enemy seems to be welcoming us.”

“—? What do you mean?”

“It’s obvious. It’s not good for them if the labyrinth is overcrowded with people. That staircase doesn’t
lead down to the second level…but to another floor.”

“What? How can they do such a thing?”

Calgurio looked at the astonished staff member as if he were an idiot and snickered.

“Of course it’s possible. The enemy is a demon lord, after all. If he couldn’t do such a thing in his own
lands, he would have been destroyed long ago.”
Quite accurately, Calgurio predicted the events that were taking place in the labyrinth.

Based on the soldiers’ conversation before they had lost contact with each other, there was no indication
that anything unusual was happening. It was hard to believe that something had happened all of a
sudden.

“Besides,” he said. “We lost contact with exactly 1,000 people. What do you make of that?”

“I see… I’m afraid you’re correct, sir.”

Nodding his head, Calgurio began to consider.

At this moment, some treasures were still coming in. Some were fine trinkets, and others were magisteel
weapons and armor. All of them were first class. Moreover, the “magic crystals” collected were of high
quality and the conversion efficiency to energy was impeccably high.

If the invasion was halted at this point, the lives of the 2,000 people who had been sent ahead of the
invasion would be in danger. Instead, it would be more effective to push through with the invasion with
the quantity of materials as originally planned.

Calgurio decided as such.

“This is a threat. The enemy wants us to give up the labyrinth to buy time. That way they can expect
reinforcements from Dwargon.”

“That’s ridiculous. By now, Dwargon has…”

“That’s what I’m talking about. If we halt the operation at this point, we’ll only be doing the enemy a
great favor!”
“In that case, we will continue with the labyrinth siege!”

Calgurio was satisfied that he had seen through the enemy’s plan. He weighed the profits to be gained
against the lives of his soldiers and decided to ignore the slight element of uncertainty.

In that moment, the fate of the Imperial Army had been decided.

A whole day had passed since the start of the raid.

As they pushed on day and night, around 350,000 soldiers had entered the labyrinth.

As usual, the invasion point was changed every thousand people.

It seemed that only those who had been sent to a certain floor could barely take parts of their bodies
out of the labyrinth, and the kinds of treasures that could be obtained from them were changing. There
were almost no low-quality treasures, including a slotted sword.

This weapon appeared to be a new weapon of the enemy.

The presence of this weapon showed them just how much the enemy was in a hurry.

If they had had the time, they would have recovered it. The fact that they had not done so was proof
that they had no time to do so.

Because they are trying to attract visitors to the labyrinth, they will only have themselves to blame when
the time comes. How foolish.

The idea of using a labyrinth to attract people from neighboring countries was interesting. However,
Calgurio had to say that it was pointless if they were unable to respond to the situation at this critical
moment.

In this way, Calgurio mocked Demon LordRimuru and the others, as fools, and decided to watch the
situation after a day.

The soldiers in the command center took turns resting. He could have continued, but he suddenly felt
uneasy.

“So far, 350,000 people have entered the labyrinth, right?”

“Yes! Half of our army has entered the labyrinth.”

Calgurio’s prediction was correct, although he almost lost contact with every thousand people. A few
moments later, reports came in that the soldiers who had entered before had been found.

The Imperial Army suddenly gained momentum. Everyone had been anxious, so they were relieved to
know that their comrades were safe.

It would have been a disgrace to the Imperial Army to be upset over something so trivial. Everyone
thought so and had hidden their anxiety behind their actions. That was why they were energized by the
good news. Now that they had nothing to fear, the speed of the invasion accelerated.

The result was that as many as half of the soldiers had been swallowed up by the labyrinth…
“I can’t believe that we’ve put so many people into this labyrinth and still haven’t filled it…”

“I had no idea it was so vast.”

“Sixty floors… I thought it was said that the lower you go, the smaller the floors get.”

“That’s what I heard. I thought we’d be able to conquer it sooner…”

According to the schedule, the Imperial Guards should have conquered the labyrinth long ago. However,
the reality was different. The moment the soldiers temporarily stopped the raid, they lost contact with
those who were inside. Once the advance party was discovered, a considerable amount of treasure was
transported. However, this was also cut off now that the raid had been halted.

“No one has come out yet?”

“Yes. It seems that in order to get out, they need to clear the labyrinth…”

“I have heard about that. Apparently, each soldier is asked a question in their mind upon entering,
correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. However, although the conditions are clear…it seems that before we can defeat the
king of the labyrinth, we must defeat the guardians of the ten keys.”

“I see, so we haven’t defeated them yet.”

That was the answer.

But that was not what Calgurio wanted to know.

The king of the labyrinth was probably referring to Demon LordRimuru. If the goal was to defeat Rimuru,
then it was also what they themselves wanted.

That was how it should be.

However, in reality, the situation was such that they could not even make contact with the soldiers in the
labyrinth, only able to halt the sending of the follow-up troops.

“Do you think we can defeat Demon LordRimuru with a force of 350,000 men?”

When asked this question, the staff officers stammered. However, they immediately answered in high
spirits.

“The failure of the Kingdom of Farmus was due to the encounter with Veldora. With Demon LordRimuru
alone, they should be enough to defeat him.”

“I agree with you. There are many people of Over A rank participating, so we just have to wait for the
good news.”

Perhaps relieved by the agreement, the chiefs of staff shouted loudly that victory was assured.
Nevertheless, Calgurio could not shake off his uneasiness.

“First of all, let’s make contact with those inside of the labyrinth. Send in a liaison team and have them
try various means of communication.”

Under Calgurio’s order, various methods were attempted to make contact. However, all of them failed.
“Magic Communication” and ‘telepathy net were attempted, but no response was received.
The staff officers found it difficult to keep fooling themselves any longer.

The hearts that had been filled with excitement over the loot from the labyrinth were now sinking in the
face of the uncertainty of what lied ahead.

This was all due to the fact that they could not make contact with anyone the inside of the labyrinth.
Without knowing what was going on, the staff officers could not fulfill their roles.

“In that case, we will continue to organize the troops and resume the invasion.”

Calgurio nodded with a “Hm.” Either way, they would have to send soldiers to check on the situation.
Waiting on the ground, they had no way to see what is going on inside the labyrinth.

The entrance to the labyrinth, the Great Gate, remained wide open, just as it had been since the
beginning. It was as if nothing had even happened. And yet, as soon as the following team lagged behind
even a little bit, the presences of those in the labyrinth were immediately lost.

The previously smooth flow of money and goods coming from the inside was also interrupted at the
same time. Perhaps because of this, a heavy atmosphere began to hang over the operation command
center.

Two more days passed.

“Why is there no further news?”

“Because every 1,000 people are sent to a different location, we may not be able to find the troops who
have penetrated deep into the area.”
“What, is the labyrinth really that vast?!”

“No way…”

“What?”

“Maybe they’re all gone…”

“You fool, are you a coward?!”

“Everybody, calm down. Perhaps this is Demon LordRimuru’s plan. He wants to make us doubt ourselves
and give up on the labyrinth.”

Now, unlike in the beginning, only 1,000 people an hour were being carefully sent in. However, it had
become difficult to bring back not only treasure but also any information.

On the first day alone, 350,000 people entered the labyrinth.

On the second day, 150,000 people were sent in.

On the third day, only 30,000 people were sent in.

The number of Imperial soldiers remaining on the ground was reduced to 170,000.

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to conserve our forces here?”

“Hmm… It’s tempting to play into the enemy’s hands, but it would be a bad idea to reduce our forces any
further.”

“We’ve also sent supply troops into the labyrinth, so the limit of the generals’ activities has been
extended. Shouldn’t we wait at least 20 days to observe the situation…?”

“You’re being negative!”

“But we still haven’t been able to contact Lieutenant General Gaster or Major General Farage. Are they
still fighting the enemy or are they…”

They had sent intelligence teams to the area several times, but no one had returned. They had lost touch
with their trusted allies.

“That’s just because the concentration of magicules is too high. There is no other reason.” Calgurio
assured them.

Calgurio’s comment was based on his judgment that further demoralization would be detrimental.
However, it was difficult for him to dispel the disquieting atmosphere that filled the room. In that
indescribable and eerie silence, every soldier of the Imperial Army felt a sense of foreboding.

Calgurio was no exception.

There were still 170,000 soldiers left on the ground. On the other hand, it could be said that there were
only 170,000 left.

Perhaps I’ve made a terrible mistake… Thethought suddenly crossed Calgurio’s mind.

That towering gate. Now it looked to be very eerie, which only seemed to fuel Calgurio’s uneasiness.
What would be the fate of those who challenged the labyrinth through that gate…

It wouldn’t be long before Calgurio found out.

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Labyrinth: Floors 41-48

The Imperial soldiers who entered the labyrinth had their fates varied from heaven to earth depending
on the floor of the labyrinth they were sent to.

Those who were transferred from the 41st to the 48th floor were lucky. The monsters that appeared
there were strong, but they were still only B-rank or lower. They were no match for the reinforced
soldiers, and the conquest of the labyrinth was progressing rapidly.

The soldiers of the empire were very capable.

In terms of adventurers rankings, all of them were at least C-plus rank with first-class skills. Because of
this, they were able to cope with the monsters without panic as they appeared.
They marched in an orderly line. The battle team was escorting them with vigilance, lagging slightly
behind the lead. They set up a stronghold at each corner and controlled the passage. Acting as they had
been trained to do, they filled the floor. In less than a day, both the stairs going up and the stairs going
down had been discovered. In this mission, the first step was to use all of their strength to take down the
demon lord.

The treasure on the upper floors were to be taken by other units or after everything was finished. The
staircase was taken over as a base of operations. Then, the invasion continued.

Nearing the staircase, there was a room with a sealed door. The signboard on the door read “Resting
Place”. It was just as they had expected, except that the door could not be opened.

“As I thought, the door does not open. It has been made inoperable.”

“Of course. Is there no way to destroy it?”

“Yes! Both firearms and magic are ineffective. I’m sure it’s just as difficult to destroy as the passageways
in the labyrinth!”

The captain nodded in agreement with the soldier’s report.

It was a natural result and not surprising.

It might be possible to destroy the labyrinth by bringing in a tank gun or by invoking large-scale magic.
But that would not guarantee the safety of those inside. It was unimaginable how much damage would
be caused if nuclear magic were to be invoked here.

Therefore, the captain decided to challenge the labyrinth in a straightforward manner as originally
planned. In other words, it was a mass operation.
And now, when he was told that the rest area was unavailable, he complied with the situation, though
he was also annoyed about it.

“Report to our superiors. Tell them that the invasion is going well.”

“Yes, sir!”

At first, he was upset when only 1,000 people were left. However, it would be a disgrace for him as an
Imperial general to be discouraged by such a situation. The commander decided to continue with the
invasion. It was the right decision. After a while, they were able to meet up with another unit.

The floor was much larger than they had expected, but thanks to the cooperation between the Spirit
users and the surveyors, they were able to successfully conquer the floor. The “magic crystals” dropped
from the defeated monsters were also of high quality, and the treasure chests they found yielded some
wonderful treasures.

Those who descended the stairs reported that they were close to conquering the 42nd floor. There were
loud cheers at that time because the imperial army had not been defeated.

On the second day, the search of all the rooms on the 41st floor was completed. With the same
momentum, they entered the 42nd floor and joined up with the troops there. They continued on to the
43rd floor at a breakneck pace and reached the 48th floor before the third day was up.

This was an achievement beyond their expectations.

However, things were different starting from the 49th floor.

Labyrinth: Floors 49-50

“Ahhhh, there’s something on my neck!”

“I’m sinking! My legs are melting!”

“Help me—I can’t get my hand out!”

It was a scene from hell.

The moment your guard was down, there were slimes.

Everywhere all around them, there were slimes.

Slimes, slimes, slimes, slimes, slimes…

Halfway through their break, slimes began falling from the ceiling.

The moment they turned a corner, they found that the platoon had been split up and annihilated.

The walls were made of slime, and the floor was slime.

Weapons and armor were destroyed, and the soldiers’ strength was drained.
“What the hell, is there no way to break through yet?!”

“Yes, we can’t detect them with magic because they have spread to the entire floor. Moreover, they
seem to be highly resistant to physical attacks, so any half-hearted attacks won’t work!”

“Moreover, the speed at which the enemies multiply is extraordinary! They seem to have no sense of
pain and do not seem to flinch from our attacks!”

It would not be so terrible if they were just normal slimes, but they grew to such a huge size, it would be
difficult to burn them down. They had become a more troublesome opponent than expected.

With the help of reinforcements every few hours, the damage was not so severe that they had to retreat.
However, they were running out of time, and were not able to achieve the desired results. In the end, it
was not until the end of the third day that they had finished exploring all of the floors. They were able to
meet up with the team from the upper floors, and were finally able to get through with their mass
maneuvering.

At the 50th floor, they came across a mountain of wounded people.

It was a dark, dank, cave-like passageway. From there, the sounds of battle echoed.

“Damn those monsters—they’re back!” One of them shouted in a rage.

Ahead of their eyes, a huge snake, an incarnation of darkness, was writhing about in the passageway.

It was a tempest serpent. Neither magic nor bullets could penetrate its armor-like scales. Even if you
tried to cut them with a sword, the ‘Poison Breath’ of the Tempest serpent could reach up to seven
meters away. You would be hit by the mist of death before the sword could even reach.
“Damn it! This narrow passageway is made for them!”

“We can get around them in the open, but there is no way to get around them in here!”

“How’s the magic cannon coming along?”

“No good. We just used it. It’ll take two hours to fill it up.”

The “magic cannon” was a new type of magic weapon that was the most powerful of all hand-held
weapons. Unlike the “spell gun” which used a magic stone as its energy source, the “magic cannon”
collected magicules from the atmosphere.

The hidden magic was an elemental magic: ‘Air Buster’, a high-powered magic that continuously
exploded the air after compressing it. It did not emit flames and could be directional. Therefore, it was
useful in enclosed spaces such as inside of buildings.

It was an advanced magic, and only by being able to control it could one be certified as an A-rank magic
user.

The problem, however, was that it consumed too much energy. It took three hours to fill up even in a
labyrinth with high concentration of magicules. Normally it was fast enough, but this time it was still too
slow.

“Oh, come on, you’ve got to be kidding. What does this mean? Will those monsters come back to life
before we can replenish it?!”

The tempest serpent was clearly an anomaly. It had a ring around its neck, which made it stand out from
the other monsters. The most important point was that it revived after 3 hours no matter how many
times it was defeated. In other words, no matter how many times they conquered it, the battle would be
resumed due to the passage of time. Most troublesome of all was the fact that there was no safe zone in
this floor.

And then…

The sounds of battle began to echo in another corridor.

That’s right, the Tempest Serpent was not alone.

There were ten of them at least that had been confirmed. A swarm of A-minus ranked monsters with a
highly dangerous floor was dominating the area where they could make the most of their characteristics.

This was the lair of the black serpents.

Tempest serpents, which were normally Boss Monsters of the 40th floor, and used as reserves, had all
been unleashed in this floor.

In the end, the soldiers were able to join with the reinforcements from the upper floors and were able to
increase their armaments. As a result, they secured enough magic cannons to outnumber the tempest
serpents. It was not until midnight of the third day that they succeeded in conquering the floor.

“While maintaining this floor, watch out for the resurrection of the monsters. Evacuate the sick and
wounded to the upper floors.”

“Yes!”

Thus, the Imperial Army reorganized their troops on the spot and set out for an even worse hell.
Labyrinth: Floors 51-60

On the fifty-first floor, a modern passageway was opened. It seemed that this floor had already been
conquered, and soldiers could be seen at every corner. The visible signs of fierce battles suggested that
this floor must have been a troublesome one as well.

One of the commanders attempted to make contact with the local forces.

“What is the situation?” he asked quietly to the guard, trying not to wake the resting soldiers.

“It’s a mess. We underestimated the demon lord.”

“What do you mean?”

“On this floor, the traps are dangerous. We’re standing in the right passage. Don’t go anywhere else. I
think we’ve destroyed most of the traps, but there may be some that still work.”

“Got it. By the way…” He asked for more details to report to his superiors. The soldier then told him
about a number of chemical weapons that had not been employed even in the Empire’s own country.

Tasteless and odorless gases that burned the eyes and throat.

A shower of neurotoxins and acid.

Vicious traps that would entrap multiple people. They had always thought that their knowledge of these
things had been their own exclusive domain, so this felt even more threatening now.

“No monsters will appear from this floor for a while. Instead, golems powered by magicules are roaming
about. Trouble is, they seem to have a self-repairing function, and it took us a long time to completely
destroy them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

The commander wanted to say that they had had a hard time too, but he swallowed his words firmly and
urged on.

“Yeah. The tired and wounded are resting on the fifty-fifth floor. Once there, it will be safe enough to
have a meal.”

“Thank you. So, where is the front line at the moment?”

“The front line, eh? …According to what just came in, they are at the 60th floors. They also said some
pretty unbelievable things, and I’m sure the higher-ups will think I’m crazy if I give them a report like this.
Even so, do you still want to hear it?”

The soldier answered with a sigh, and as a unit commander, he had no choice but to nod his head.

“Yes, please.”

“Okay. Well then, apparently there is a huge humanoid weapon reigning on the 60th floor! And the
strength of that thing…”

The more he heard, the more ridiculous it sounded. Even if A-rank warriors formed a mob to challenge it,
they could not even grasp a clue of how to conquer it. The body was made of magisteel, and physical
attacks such as swords and guns could not penetrate it. Moreover, it was always covered with a ‘barrier’
and even the ‘magic cannon’ would not work against it.

There was nothing they could do—That was the current situation.

“Later, voices were heard coming from the giant golem, but it was such a surprise! They said it sounded
just like Master Gadra. I couldn’t believe it myself, and now I have to report about it? I can’t stand this, I
really can’t take any more of this…” the soldier concluded with a complaint.

The commander decided to report it to his superiors and ask for further instructions.

“We can only go forward now. Let’s go to the fifty-fifth floor first, and then we will discuss our future
course of action.”

“Yes, sir.”

At such times, the only response to a superior could be ‘yes’. The commander did not have an alternative
plan, and he did not object to this approach. However, this was only a postponement of the problem. An
answer had to be given in the not-too-distant future, but in any case, there was no such thing as
withdrawal for the Imperial Army.

“Are you going? Well, it’s only natural. Good luck to you all, but before you go, I forgot to give you one
more piece of advice. There are five special monsters that have been found. Be careful.”

“Special monsters?”

“Yeah. No one’s reported any successful kills yet. They are definitely unique monsters. They’re very nasty
and have killed a lot of our men.”
Those five were a red slime, a golden skeleton, a ghosts like reaper, a living armor just like a heavy
knight, and a small yet powerful dragon. Those fearsome monsters seemed to hide and lurk throughout
these floors. They were unique presences amongst the golem hordes.

The soldier told the commander for the last time that he should expect death if he encountered even
one. The survivors from the upper floors took this advice to heart as they moved forward. It would only
be a little while before they truly understood what lied ahead…

More and more Imperial Army generals were descending, unaware of the death that lied before them.
That line continued on, unbroken.

Labyrinth: Floors 61-70

“Still no victory?”

“I’m sorry! It seems that we have failed this time as well.”

Hearing this report, the generals despaired.

There was a huge gate on the 70th floor.

It was the border between this world and the City of Death.

………
……

Imperial soldiers walked through the labyrinth, advancing their way through a swarm of dead spirit
monsters.

It was all good at first.

That’s right. Only at first.

The monsters that appeared were all dead spirit monsters. As long as the soldiers could get used to the
smell of rotting flesh, the monsters were not a difficult enemy for an imperial general.

The first thousand men secured the base. After confirming the appearance of the followers, the decision
was made to continue the operation.

The loss of contact with the ground forces was a large blow, but they were not completely isolated. They
judged that there was nothing to worry about, since the following soldiers would arrive in due time.

The imperial troops overran the upper floors of the building at a furious pace. On the first day, they had
completed the search for almost all of the 61-69 floors.

The problem lay in the seventieth floor.

For some reason, the seventieth floor was a hilly area where all the grass and trees had withered away.
The ruins of the battlefield were horrifying and filled with an air of death. At the end of the hill, there
rose a huge gate, similar in size to the great gate on the ground.
The gate, made of skeletons, was located in the center of the wall that surrounded the castle town, and
was the gate that protected the walled city.

The question on everyone’s mind was why such a thing was in the labyrinth. The city had no entrances or
exits other than the main gate. Drainage facilities, service gates, and all other facilities considered
necessary for daily life were missing in the city as well.

It was no wonder.

That city was inhabited by the lifeless.

They were all immortal undead.

On the first day, the great gate remained closed. The soldiers had tried to break it down, but the walls
were very thick. The immortals kept coming out of the gate to repair it, so the sabotage was slow in
progress.

Even if they tried to approach the wall, they would find a skeleton archer with a bow on the outer wall.

It was decided that attacking with a small number of men would be troublesome, so they waited for the
reinforcements to arrive.

Then came the morning of the second day.

The number of the Imperial troops had increased to over 10,000.

As they set out to attack the gate, the gate was opened without a sound.
There appeared a wight king of great misfortune. To say that he was a skeleton was not right word.
Those pure white polished bones spoke in fluent human language to the soldiers of the Imperial Army.

“Welcome to my kingdom of death. My name is Adalmann, the Immortal King. Let us have a good time!
Shall we begin?”

As soon as King Adalmann announced himself, the space was overcome with a sense of oppression.

Following the king was a dead spirit knight and a death dragon that still boasted much majesty. The evil
roar of the dead dragon was released with a force that crushed down on the entire space. And from the
sky, the death dragon descended outside the gate. It was the moment when the deadliest dragon, the
most supreme of the dead spirit lineage, bared its fangs to the imperial army.

And that was not all.

The great gate was fully opened, and the army of immortals appeared one after another from within.
The death knights led by the death lord crawled out one after another.

The imperial army, which had been lined up in front of the gate, was thrown back and forth by the
sudden start of the battle.

The death dragon was a monster classified as Special A rank, and boasted a fearsome strength that
required advance preparation in order to defeat it. Its attribute was ‘immortality’—the only way to
destroy it was to attack its soul directly.

The soldiers of the empire boasted of their high combat ability, but they were helpless in the face of an
opponent whom their attacks could not touch.
“Retreat! We can’t win this war by fighting in the dark.”

“Damn it, then fire, burn it all down with fire!”

“No! It’s regenerating faster than it’s burning!”

“Get out of here now! Or else the miasma will destroy your spirit!”

The Imperial Army was in turmoil. The dragon’s jaws opened wide as if to taunt the soldiers.

“Oh no! That’s—”

“Pssssshh!”

“The body is corroding…!”

The death dragon’s corrosive breath poured down from the sky above, showering those crawling on the
ground with it. As a result, most of them failed to resist it and died.

And that was not all.

Those whose minds were contaminated by the death dragon’s miasma became zombies, obeying the
orders of the higher beings. The higher being here was the mighty king—that is, Adalmann. The damages
of the empire led directly to the increase of Adalmann’s strength.

This tragedy of the imperial army was not the only one.
Even those who had escaped the threat of the death dragon were not safe. The death knights began to
drive the fleeing soldiers on death horses.

The imperial army quickly dwindled in numbers, and in less than an hour 10,000 men were wiped out.
The devastation was passed on to the next few survivors. With this, the battle for the 70th floor began in
earnest.

………

……

After the second day, the Imperial Army had attempted to enter the 70th floor many times. Each time,
however, they suffered a painful defeat. The second and third attempts were similar, and the situation
was not improving at all.

Not to mention, there was the overwhelming threat of death dragon.

Although there were only a thousand or so of them, a death knight was an opponent for whom neither
fatigue nor death existed. Moreover, the threat level was very high—A-minus rank. They regenerated
even after being defeated, which was unbearable.

The death lord who commanded them was on par with the top-ranked warriors of the imperial army.
Even in terms of quality alone, they were superior to the imperial army, and their ability to continue
fighting overturned any disadvantages they may have had in terms of numbers.

In addition, Albert the “death paladin”, one of the Elite Ten, was under Adalmann’s command. Even the
elites of the Imperial Army could not find a chance to win against this army of the Immortals.
“—But we will not repeat the mistakes of this mission. I look forward to your success!” The colonel of the
Imperial Army finished his speech to the generals.

The upper floor attack team had joined the others for the fourth day, along with all of the existing forces.
This operation would be an all-out war.

And the Imperial Army was not incompetent.

Their means of attack against undead immortals were known to all ages and cultures. Against the
immortal monsters, the enemy of mankind, holy magic was the most effective.

The principles of holy magic were well-known. The research of holy magic had been progressing, and the
empire had developed the technique which had the similar effect to a prayer to a deity.

The Imperial Army also had skilled veterans in this field.

They had gathered such people from the existing forces and assigned them to each unit. By doing so,
they would create resistance to the evil miasma and the ability to break through the enemy’s
‘immortality’. This would be the crux of their mission.

Imperial troops lined up on the hillside. Their total numbered 70,000.

Adalmann’s forces, on the other hand, numbered less than 40,000, even with the number of zombies
from the past few days were counted.

At that time, everyone believed that because the Imperial Army had the advantage in numbers, this time
they would be victorious.
And then the decisive battle began. The king made his move.

“You guys are not thinking straight. Extra Skill ‘Holy-Demonic Reversal’—”

The “Immortal King” Adalmann’s rule extended to the very end. The holy attribute, which had been a
weakness, was no longer a weakness in the face of his power. The imperial army, which had relied upon
it, suffered a crushing defeat.

This defeat shattered the hearts of the Imperial general. The survivors, driven to despair, begin their
flight to the upper floors. The conditions for clearing the labyrinth were forgotten. The only thing left in
their minds was their desire to live, the desire for survival.

Labyrinth: Floors 71-79

The imperial troops who advanced to this floor were forced to fight endless battles against swarms of
insects. An endless onslaught of bugs. Unafraid of death, the swarms attacked unceasingly.

On first day in the labyrinth…

The first soldiers sent in were frightened by the onslaught of bugs, but they were not afraid. They
established a stronghold in the passage they had conquered, and showed that they could respond to the
onslaught immediately.

The bugs, dozens of times larger than normal, were not only terrifying but also powerful. If they were
not careful, they would be devoured in an instant.

However, if one kept a cool head, they would be able to recognize that each and every one of them was
not so strong individually. Besides, the fact that they never stopped meant that the number of “magic
crystals” they could get was huge. The quality of the magic crystals was high, so the faces of the soldiers
began to light up.

What a big deal, the soldiers thought.

In a normal group of adventurers, they would not be able to take a rest, and they would be exhausted.
Then they would be defeated eventually because they would not be able to exert their full strength.
However, the soldiers did not have to worry about that. If a well-trained army was attacking, a swarm of
bugs was no match for them. No matter how many bugs there were, the imperial army still
outnumbered them.

They could replace and change shifts whenever they got tired, and they always maintained their
readiness. Thus, the strongholds were increased one after another, and the invasion proceeded
smoothly.

There was no time for relaxation, but this was all that mattered. On the other hand, there was also a
great deal to be gained. This floor, a paradise for insects, also had a number of traps and hidden rooms,
such as tree caves and caverns. There were powerful monsters, but there were also treasure chests.

Some of the soldiers were smiling at the opulence of the treasures. They must have been the ones who
opened the treasure chest in the previous room and found a dagger inside. It was an expensive looking
dagger with gold and silver works. It seemed to be of excellent quality, and the gleam of the blade was
proof that it was made of magisteel. The dagger was made only of magisteel, even though a dagger
made with a core of magisteel would be expensive. It was no wonder the soldier was smiling.

It was explained that “magic crystals” and other items would be kept by the military upon entering this
labyrinth. However, if it was a small item like a dagger, there was a high possibility that certain things will
be overlooked.

Of course, the soldiers would have their belongings inspected later, but considering the credit of
defeating the boss guarding the treasure, it was certain that the item would belong to this soldier.
The soldiers around him looked envious, but they all secretly thought that this was a chance for their
turn to be next.

If it weren’t for such perks, they wouldn’t have been able to continue fighting against the insects in a
place like this.

There were quite a few “magic crystals” that had been collected.

High purity “magic crystals”, which would be rare under normal circumstances, could be easily obtained
here just by defeating monsters.

This was exactly what was meant when it was said that the soldiers couldn’t stop smiling. At this rate, the
bonuses were about to be very colorful.

The other floors of the dungeon were similar to each other as far as they had heard. The most miserable
area was place full of undead people, right?

Against dead spirits, there was not much to gain. In proportion to that, it was also hard to defeat them.
Compared with them, the floor where these insects were wriggling around was probably a better place.

At the very least, the treasures they could get were satisfying, and all of them had happy fantasies that
they would have a good time once we returned home.

Things started getting out of hand on the second day.

A soldier’s eyes widened in surprise. The head of his companion, who had been walking next to him,
suddenly rolled on the ground.
“We’re going to have a good time when we get back…!!”

Looking down at the headless body on the ground, the soldier’s expression was puzzled. His inarticulate
voice came to a halt mid-sentence, and his mouth hung open in shock.

Blood spurted upwards. Like a fountain, it poured back down on the others around him.

“H-Hey!” screamed a soldier. The sudden devastation of the person he had been speaking with was
difficult to comprehend.

But that soldier was lucky.

He was chosen as the next victim before even being able to think.

Another head dropped to the floor.

Just like the first soldier, who had become a silent corpse, that man soon died.

Their place of death was the seventy-ninth floor. A place where beautiful flowers bloomed, a floor that,
until just now, had been considered a safe zone.

“Ufufufu. It was worth waiting all day. So much bait has gathered that they came all the way out here.
You guys did a great job. Now die and become fodder for us.”

The soldiers heard the voice clearly.

A beautiful voice that echoed across the floor.

It was the queen.

It was the beautiful voice of the Floor Boss: “Insect Queen” Apito, the guardian of this floor.

Apito’s voice was converted into thought waves and echoed throughout the floor to reliably convey her
commands to her faithful servants.

………

……

Apito was leading a group called the ‘Army Wasps’. They were a band of killers in the form of bees about
30 centimeters long.

They possessed superior Ultra Intuition and did not miss any hidden humans. Their small, transparent
wings became terrifying blades that emitted a high-frequency radiation, allowing them to move at
irregularly high speeds with ease.

They were Silent Killer Wasps that could sneak up on you faster than the speed of sound.

To fight against the Army Wasps, it was not enough just to have excellent dynamic vision. It was
impossible to detect the opponent unless one exceeded the limits of the human race. To begin with, if
one didn’t have Extra Skill ‘Thought Acceleration’ and ‘Super Speed Reaction’, they would be unable to
even detect their opponent’s movement.
Even if it had been only one monster, it was a monster that was considered a disaster of the Special A
rank.

Incidentally, in the Western Nations, an emergency alert was usually issued when even one of these
monsters was found. Immediately, the upper echelons of each country would be notified, and a strike
team would be organized by senior knights. If possible, the Holy Knight Order would also be called in,
and a large-scale cleanup operation would be carried out.

They would be hunted down from the surroundings with holy barriers, and then would be weakened
with magic before being killed. Even so, the monster was so formidable that they would have to be
prepared for the possibility of casualties.

If more than one of them is discovered, the danger level would increase dramatically.

And just what did it mean if they were being controlled by the queen? The answer was…

………

……

The number of Army Wasps who received orders from Apito easily exceeded a thousand.

And so it began—a one-sided slaughter.

Anyone with confidence in their skills were of no use. Even if they were an A-ranked soldier, if they were
below a certain level, they were no better than an amateur at this point.

If one couldn’t react, death would surely be waiting for them.

It took less than a few minutes for all of the imperial soldiers gathered in this floor to be killed.

Labyrinth: Floors 81-90

It could be concluded by now.

That first day had only been to give them a taste of something sweet.

Every surviving soldier thought as such.

Their comrades-in-arms were gone. They had all been killed.

The monster in front of them—a monster with the strength of a demon.

Yet they were not the only unhappy ones.

Similar tragedies were also being staged on other floors.

Everyone was now engaged in a desperate battle. At each floor, against each formidable foe, they were
forced to fight a battle against which there was no chance of victory…
The 81st floor was a paradise for magic beasts. Powerful individuals walked about, leading their herds.
But they were still magic beasts without wisdom. They were the kind of foe that experienced imperial
soldiers could defeat with ease.

On average, the strength of each of them would be equivalent to B rank or higher. Since they appeared
in teams of three to five, the soldiers had a harder time than expected.

However, there were not so many casualties, and they were able to find the stairs. They were able to
meet up with the team that had conquered the 82nd floor, which was a good achievement for the first
day. At this rate, it was judged that they would be able to conquer the floor within a few days, even if it
would take some time.

However, on the second day of the attack, the situation changed drastically when ‘that guy’ appeared.

On the 82nd floor, in the jungle, appeared a wise monkey who spoke human language. He controlled
both wind and sound, and called up storms in the sky. He was a pure white monkey named Byakuren. His
supple frame was beautifully adorned with a coat of pure white fur. The way it ran across the battlefield
in all directions was so beautiful that it was almost like watching a live performance.

He had a unique technique using a club and could perform aerial attacks at will. In addition, it was an
extremely dangerous magic beast that fired vacuum blades in all directions.

Byakuren had used his sorcery to the point of almost destroying the imperial army. He rampaged as he
pleased for an hour or so, then left like the wind. He said he would be back.

Two days passed. The raids were repeated regularly.

One by one the Imperial comrades fell.

With their pride as Imperial soldiers, they had fought desperately against these magic beasts and were
defeated.

The snipers’ shots were blocked by the storm, and magic that weakened or affected abnormal effects
was prevented by sorcery. The spell gun was not enough to break through the wind barrier. As for melee
combat, the Augmented Legion, the most elite of the Imperial Army, was being played for a fool.

Byakuren was tossing around elite soldiers like children. And when the time came, Byakuren finally
retreated. The reason was simple and clear. They were waiting for the imperial soldiers to gather.

At first, the soldiers were angry that they had been taken advantage of, but now they only hoped they
could retreat.

The number of survivors was now less than a thousand.

A soldier wondered how long he would live.

He didn’t know how this had happened, no matter how many times he thought about it.

In his vision, he saw the shadow of a white monkey.

Without an answer to the question of just when did things get so out of hand, a dark curtain fell over the
soldier’s vision…

Floor 83—a grassy plain with good visibility stretched out.

While there were cute traps such as pitfalls set about, these not much for obstacles. The weather was
clear. The faces of the marchers were cheerful.

However…

On the second night, the imperial army suffered heavy damage.

The moon was shining in the sky, moving from waxing to full. With the moon as a backdrop, a solitary
rabbit floated in the sky.

This was Gett, the moon rabbit, who manipulated gravity. With Gett’s attacks, there was no distinction
between friend and foe. He could give his all without worrying about the damage. Although this
depended on the phase of the moon, Gett had the power to turn the heavens and the earth upside
down even if it was a new moon. The Imperial Army was at the mercy of the super-gravity crushing
violence that was unleashed.

But this was not the end.

The night would come once again.

And in three days, the moon would be full. The night when the Gett’s power would be maximized
eventually came.

The 84th floor—a labyrinth of cobblestone streets.

The Imperial soldiers who walk through the maze looked pale. They seemed more exhausted than
expected.
“Water, please…”

“No. I can’t reach the supply line. We have to be patient.”

“Damn! It’s only been three days, but I need some water… If I can’t drink water, I can’t eat…”

A reinforced soldier who has undergone remodeling surgery was moaning because he couldn’t take the
thirst. It was a scene that was hard to believe at first glance.

But this was inevitable.

They had prepared only enough drinking water for the water bottles that each of them carried, because
they could magically produce water. It was judged that the food they carried would more important than
the water.

That was a mistake.

This floor was filled with toxins, and it was not possible to drink the water simply by collecting water
from the atmosphere.

It was only on the third day that they realized this. Some of the soldiers had become ill and the situation
was finally noticed. Moreover, the poison was so bad that the antidote magic did not work. No matter
how many times they tried to remove it, they found that the poison was still mixed in the water.

Fortunately, breathing was not a problem…but even so, the damage to the soldiers was becoming
severe. Even now, the soldiers at the front of the group had fallen down in agony. When looking at them,
black spots could be seen on their skin and that they were burning up with fever.

“Again! He’s very weak and needs medical treatment…”

“No, there’s no doctor here! What about healing magic?”

“It doesn’t work…”

In this way, one by one, their comrades fell ill. The imperial soldiers, seeing this, were anxious that it
would be their turn to fall next.

Then a small monster ran past their feet.

It was a black rat no more than five centimeters long. The soldiers did not pay attention to it, because it
seemed to be so harmless.

However…

That was a big mistake. These rats were the main cause of this situation.

The black rat Kokuso—it was the Floor Boss of this floor. The ruler of the plague, spreading the black
deadly disease. That was the essence of Kokuso.

The imperial soldiers were completely mistaken. They were so preoccupied with the powerful magic
beasts that roamed the streets that they missed the weak black rats that would kill them if they stepped
on them. They did not realize that they were the messengers of Kokuso, and left a pathogen spreading
entity if unattended.

If there had been someone like Shinji who possessed a Unique Skill, this could have been neutralized.
Unfortunately, there was no such doctor who was conveniently available.
Magical cures were not very effective against diseases. Magic to heal the wounded had no effect on the
sick, no matter how specialized the magic may be. It could only restore the strength of the body, but it
could not cure the disease. This was because the treatment of injury and the treatment of disease are
based on completely different principles.

In the first place, the users of holy magic who could completely cure illnesses were rare, with only one or
two in each country. It was impossible for them to accompany the warriors except under special
circumstances.

Thus, “death” spread throughout this floor as well.

Floor 85—where a great tiger conquered a deciduous forest.

The magic beasts that had been rampaging freely in the other floors were united before the king in this
floor.

The king’s name was the thunder tiger, Raikou.

The imperial army had the upper hand until Raikou appeared, but from then on, the odds were against
them. They were on the defensive, and their stronghold was pushed back to the front of the stairway.

Inside the forest, the monsters were in control. Against the odds, the resistance of the Imperial Army
continued…

Floor 86—the middle of a desert area where an oasis was sparsely located.

The sun shone and the temperature rose. At night, the temperature dropped, and it was bitterly cold.
The extreme difference in temperatures deprived the Imperial soldiers of their physical strength
regardless of the battle. That is why the generals thought that the temperature was the greatest enemy.

This was not wrong, but it was also not the correct answer.

The real trap was the oxygen concentration.

The winged serpent—Yoda—controlled the atmosphere.

Manipulating the composition of the atmosphere to reduce the oxygen concentration to zero was as
easy for Yoda as twisting a baby’s hand.

The Imperial soldiers, who believed that the temperature difference was causing them to feel ill, simply
assumed that a night’s rest would restore them to health. And then they quietly passed away.

The 87th floor—a mountainous region that spread out to a vast expanse.

This peaceful landscape reminded the soldiers of their families. Once they became relaxed, they would
think back to their happy childhood. They dreamed of meeting their loved ones.

It took less than five days for the atmosphere to relax. The low frequency of monsters was another
reason. Unlike the other floors, it was difficult to maintain tension here.

Because of this, they did not notice.

The shift workers went to sleep and did not wake up.
The fact that they appeared to be awake was all a hallucination of their own imagination.

It was the Sleeping sheep—Mink. This gentle, peace-loving sheep bloodlessly reaped the consciousness
of the soldiers. Those lulled to sleep by Mink’s hallucinogenic hypnosis were put into a sleep from which
they would never wake.

Floor 88—These forests along the river were the habitat of firebirds.

Strangely enough, the firebird’s flames did not spread to the trees. They reacted only to those who were
hostile to them and continued to burn fiercely.

Flame bird—Enchou.

That was the name of the Floor Boss of this land.

Enchou and his flaming birds were burning the imperial army to death.

The 89th floor—a maze of mirrors.

This floor was not affected by vegetation. It was well maintained, and all the mirrored surfaces were well
polished. The passageways were all reflected in the mirrors, complicating the maze further. Moreover,
the mirrors were unbreakable. This is because it was created by a secret technique exercised by a
monster.

Igami—the mirror dog, ran along the surface of the mirror.

He ran through the mirror at will and played with the imperial army. His body was in the mirror, and the
mirror bounced all the magic back to the user. It was difficult to even catch the true identity of this
monster called Igami. The poor prey was devoured by the countless numbers of attacks Igami reflected
in the mirror.

At each floor, the vicious Floor Bosses were on a rampage. In their own area of expertise, these bosses
were able to show their full strength. However, the Imperial Army also resisted desperately. Sometimes
they were able to defeat them, and there were loud cheers when they did so.

However—

Monsters could be resurrected. They came back again and again. This fact was more frightening than
anything else.

The soldiers had heard of similar situations in the other floors. Knowing this, the hearts of the soldiers
were broken. They realized that there was no point in continuing in this hopeless battle.

And the most desperate thing of all…

A monkey, a rabbit, a rat, a tiger, a snake, a sheep, a bird, and a dog were all animal beasts—that is, the
eight members of Kumara. They were nothing more than her cute pets.

These magic beasts were the disguised forms of Kumara’s tails, and their abilities were merely given to
them by Kumara.

The true nature of Kumara was the aggregation of these eight parts.
Kumara was no longer a child, but a beautiful woman of this floor.

The illusionary queen who ruled these animal beasts—that was the “nine head” Kumara, the Guardian
of the 90th floor.

Before such a Kumara, even more foolish and pathetic victims began building up. They were nothing but
food for Kumara, and more deaths were to be mass-produced in the labyrinth.

And then…

A few days passed after 530,000 soldiers of the Imperial Army completed the labyrinthine siege.

There were no survivors in the labyrinth.