Jayr POV - Tortus, Horaud Town - 2013

  I'm once again ba this lively town, but different from the first time I came here, I'm not alohis time there is Eri by my side, who is tightly holding my arm with a bright smile on her face, but she isn't the only one, our new acquaintance, Freid, thanks to an invisible monster he turned into his familiar and a little of Spatial Magic, is carefully moving around the town unseen, heading toward the Labyrinth on his own, 'After all, he is a Demon, and here is right in the middle of the human's territory, for sure he isn't wele here and that is only for the fact that he is a Demon... If someone for an absurd case reizes him as the supreme ander of the Demon's army Freid Bagwa, it will be for sure the start of a fierce fight that would pletely raze this town to the ground...'.

  As I and Eri tio calmly walk toward the Orcus Great Labyrinth enjoying the sight of this lively and chaotic main road full of yelling merts selling their wares, advehat are going and ing from the Labyrinth, civilians and kids running around, I remember something and suddenly look at Eri and ask "You know? It is probable that we will meet with Kouki and the others in the Labyrinth... Are you going to be okay?".

  Eri frowns for a few seds before shaking her head and with a smile, she replies, "It's not going to be a problem... I don't care about them, they were only useful to get close to Kouki and I admit that I loathed Kaori and Shizuku because they took being Kouki's friend franted and that it feels like a burden and I would have done everything to make them suffer and die a painful death... but since I realized that Kouki ruly cared for me and that small act kindness was only a lucky ce... He doesn't mean anything to me anymore, especially since when I needed help the most... He didn't even notice it as he was too focused on pying the Hero part...".

  She then smiles wryly and tinues, "In fact among those cssmates and my so-called friends... The only ohat I truly feel something for is Suzu... Even if it was a lie at the start... at some point, I started to sider her a true friend... she is very cheery and likes to lighten the mood, but the truth is that she is simir to me, she hides her true self behind a mask as a way to run away from her problems... In fact, since I met you I started to think that if in the past the one I met that day was Suzu then things would have been a lot different for me...".

  But then she smiles once again and holding my arm tighter, she says, "But now everything is fine! I'm happy with how everything turned out! I finally have someohat truly cares for me... Even if he is a scum with already two girlfriends...", at that I felt a little imaginary arrow going through my heart, then I let out a sigh and say, "Yeah... I admit it, I'm way too greedy... It is already a miracle that I have two wonderful women by my side... But I want more... And Culture's Blessing doesn't help either... Making it even harder for me to restrain myself... Especially with women that I'm attracted too-".

  Eri then smacks me on the shoulder and says, "e on! Don't be such a beta... As long as every girl knows that you already have 3 amazing girlfriends, and you don't lie to them then it is fine!", theters in a low tohen it will be my job to test them... If they do not past the test, then... well acts always happen...", but I decide to ighe rest, as sometimes it is better to be ignorant.

  Once we are close to the entrance of the Labyrinth, Eri stops pnning how to make some undesirable people disappear and ents, "We are finally here... Good! I o build up my army almost from scratch... Hellfire Armageddon ed almost all of them only the skeleton Hydra and skeleton wyvern remains, the rest of my puppets are all gone...", then we move tister ourselves at the ter.

  There we meet a little problem, both I and Eri were already registered but we didn't firm our return since we fell from the bridge and got out from a sedary exit, so they thought we died in the Labyrinth, luckily I was able to easily vihe receptionist of the fact that we came back with the other summoned heroes, but that the "death" of Hajime made us fet about iister our return, quite unlikely but still possible, since we are iill alive, and our Status Pte easily firm our identity.

  After this small episode, we ehe Orcus Great Labyrinth once more and start to quickly desd through the various levels, we only stop so that Eri turn the monster we meet in her Undead Puppets.

  When we reach the 10th floor in just 10 minutes, I say, "Okay... Another 40 floors and we will reach the meeting point with Freid, in that floor there shouldn't be any more adventures sihe 40th floor is where most parties stop their advance...", Eri nods while she transfers anroup of zombie ratmen into her shadow dimension, then she asks, "Talking about that demon... Why did you spare his life? He is clearly a religious nutjob... Even after all you said, and what the other two Great Labyrinth showed him, he still doesn't believes that his God is an asshole that enjoys bringing as much pain to his people as possible..."

  I bitterly smile and say, "Well, what I said to him is the truth... He does remind me of my fellow Saints, we also be sidered religious nutjobs... After all, we are all ready to fight and die for oddess Athena... only different from Freid's situation where his God doesn't even care what happens to his subject, oddess is ready to fight and die for us too, as she did many times before, and she doesn't only care for us, but the whole world is under her prote and care...".

  Hearing that Eri mutters, "Yeah she seems nice...", theenses up and asks, "Will I be able to meet Athena-sama... no someone like me isn't allowed to be nea-", but I lightly chop on her head and say, "What are you saying! Of course, you will be able to meet her! Some Saints are dht sadistic bastards but sihey fight for the right reasons and with justi their hearts Athena still accepts their darkness and watches over them! Hell! A few Saints even made some wrong choices that caused the deaths of millions of people but ohey saw reason and truly regretted their as she still fave them and gave them another ce to repent for their mistakes...".

  Eri visibly rexes, let out a sigh of relief, and says, "Ahh... I'm gd... but now I'm curious, from the way you speak of her, it seems that you are able turly speak with her... Usually aren't Gods in their divine domain or something like that?", then hearing her question, I remember that I didn't truly expin her about it, and scratg the bay head I say a little unsure on how to break the subject, so I chose to just be ho and say, "Ah! I fot to tell you... you see... Athena is different from the ods... she usually reinates into a human body every 200 or so years to personally lead her Saints and fight by their sides against the forces of evil... and the current reination of Athena is... Well, is Saori...".

  And as soon I drop my girlfriend's name, Eri once again stiffens and stops walking and I clearly see that Eri.exe is going through a 404 error, while her eyes widen in realization.

  After a few seds of silence, she robotically turns her head and looks at me then she says in aionless voice, "Saori... The same Saori as one of yirlfriends...?", at that, I simply nod in silehen after another couple of seds she takes a deep breath then she asks, "How the hell were you even able to court a fug Goddess!", I pat my chest and say, "Simple... I followed my father's advi retionships... Threat the woman you like first like a person, then like a queen, after that, like a goddess, and in the end, again like a person... With Saori, the order was a little different but it still worked like a charm...".

  Eri remains speechless for another sed, then she asks clearly curious, "Okay so one of yirlfriends is a Goddess... but how a Goddess be willing to share her lover with another woman...?", I shrug my shoulders and say, "I thought about it too for a long time... And came up with a single simple reason...Even if reinated as a humaill is an Olympian God... ", she tilts her head not uanding what I'm implying, so I expin, "Well she is Athena, the daughter of Zeus... that Zeus that fucks whatever has a hole, basically he is the personification of rule 34, if exist it be fucked, no matter in what Universe you find yourself, every version of Zeus is like that, so maybe that is why she is a little more open with retionships...".

  And before she could ask I tinue, "And Seika's case is almost the same... Her father is a man that knocked up almost 100 women in only 3 years... And that are only the ones I know of... But of course, that isn't the only reason... I and Seika went through a lot together, and there was a time when we didn't know what to do and how to move and grew a little apart...", then a smile forms on my face as I say, "...But Saori helped us in uanding our feelings and be ho with ourselves... And before I k we were together... all 3 of us loving and supp each other...".

  After saying that I look at Eri and say, "And I'm sure that if you open yourself to them they will do the same for you too... After all, I did accept you...", hearing that, Eri again hugs me, and mutter a small thanks, then we tio move down the byrinth to meet with Freid.

  The more we desd, the fewer adventurer parties we meet on the way, at the same time, Eri stops colleg new undead puppets once she gathered 50 of them, as they are the same time type of weak mohe Ratmen, and says, "Keeping more of them is useless, these monsters are way too weak... better to gather the monsters of the sed part of the byrinth... the first part is more focused on traps than deadly monster...".

  And so we pick up our pace, and after 40 min we have finally reached the 50th floor, and not a soul be seen in here, so I look at one particur spot and say, "You e out now...", and with a flicker, Freid appears surrounded by many strange monsters, all his familiars that he has gathered in this byrinth and transformed with Metamorphosis Magic to enhaheir strength.

  Among them I see some green humanoid horse-faced monsters with four arms, they have very thick muscur bodies so they should be the ohat output a strong physical attack, more turtle-like monsters for defense, and some small monster cat-like monsters, that be used for scouting ahead.

  Freid scowls a little and asks, "How were you able to sense me? I'm sure that using Spatial Magic I was able to hide from any kind of sensing... Heat, Sound, Smell, Magic...", I nod and expin, "Yes I didn't sense any of that... You were pletely hidden, but I could still sehe differen the space around me and realized that you were hiding there... Don't feel bad... there is very little that escape my senses...".

  Hearing that, Freid clicks his tongue and asks, "Just how strong are you? I'm still shocked by how you healed me before in that strange dimension of yours... and what kind of magic was that? Ane of Gods magic?", I shrug my shoulders and reply with nonce, "At my full power... Strong enough to kill a God. but this world prevents me from using my full strength as it is based on a form of energy called o that does in this world and thus is rejected by it, and what I used to heal you is no magic but a teique that uses o", and I start to move forward searg for the way that leads to the lower floor.

  Freid is clearly stunned by my decration and asks shocked, "Wait a moment! Strong enough to kill a God... how you be sure of that?", and turn around and notice that he is standing rooted oop, so I say, "Simple... In my Universe, I have fought against the God of the Seas, the God of Death, the God of Sleep, and the God of the Underworld... and I'm still alive while 3 of them are dead... And trust me the Gods of my Universe make Ehit and his dog Alva appear very weak... Now move, you have a Labyrinth to quer".

  After that, we tio quickly move through the Labyrinth, easily mowing down all opposition, well, Freid and his familiars are the ones doing most of the job, after all this Labyrinth like the others will check the memories of who plete its to see it oruly pleted the challenge, if one does too little it is possible that the magic circle won't grant the knowledge of the Age of Gods magic.

  This is why Freid is doing most of the job, while I and Eri enjoy the se, but as soon as we reach the floor, Eri stops and looks at the sery in front of her with a strange gaze, and I realize, 'Ohh... This is the 65th floor!'.

  Indeed in front of us, there is a familiar huge bridge made of stohat is about a hundred meters ih, the width of the bridge is about teers, and there is nothing preventing your fall, then there is the ceiling that looks to be about twenty meters tall, and I see that Eri keeps her gaze fixed on the abyss underh the bridge.

  Then I see that Freid notices that we stopped, and as aze met he asks, "Why did you stop?", but before I could reply, Eri answers with a smile, "This is the pce where I lost everything even the will to live... but also the pce where I found my most important thing...", and she moves closer to me as if to again firm my presence, but this moment is brokehe magic circles once again activate and start to summon tless Traum Soldiers, skeleton knight monsters with red eyes and a darkish body, that carry a sword and shield, moreover oher side of the bridge, the Behemoth again makes its appearance.

  But before, Freid could make his move, Eri taps her staff on the floor and and "Rise!", and from her shadow es out the skeleton Hydra that starts wreg all the Traum Soldiers while moving toward the Behemoth that is now charging at the Hydra with its heated head, but before it could even reach it, one of the Hyrda heads, shots a bright white light that literally erases the upper body of the Behemoth.

  Seeing this Freid whistles and says, "Wow... That is really simir to Uranus and the other Ash Dragons' Dragoh... In fact, its power is strohan most of the Ash Dragons but weaker than Uranus! Where did you find such a monster?", and with I smile I don't reply but simply point at the abyss, and Freid quickly uands what I mean and says, "So this is the st guardian, huh? Maybe I turn him into my familiar...", and while we are calmly talking, the Undead Hydra tio extermihe remaining enemies.

  After all the enemies are defeated, I and Eri stop in the middle of the bridge to look down at the abyss, and curious Freid asks, "What is it now?", and while still pting the options I say, "Well... You say that this is a shortcut... This abyss leads directly to the sed half of the Labyrinth... But I do not know if we should take it...", hearing that Freid asks "And why is that? For sure it isn't because it is too dangerous...".

  I nod then with my eyes I look at Eri and say, "Yeah, it isn't that dangerous to take this shortcut, at least not for me. The thing is that maybe a few levels below there should be a party made up of some of the summoned heroes and some knights from this kingdom... and I'd like to meet them and warn them about a few things...".

  But as soon as he hears about the heroes, Freid growls, clearly still hostile to them, but just as I'm about to decide, Eri smiles and says, "I have an idea! Why don't we go ahem... but before that we will let Freid rough them up a little to vent his hatred. After all, knowing them they for sure are full of themselves now and need some reality check, and with you here as long as they aren't dead you easily patch them up...".

  And again before I could say anything, Freid smiles and says, "I like it! I'm in! I really want to see how strong these summoned heroes truly are...", I cover my face with my hand a out a sigh then I say, "Prepare to be disappoihey are a bunch of almost untrained high schoolers way over their head, fooled into fighting in a war that isn't even theirs... I would be surprised if they even have the resolve to attack you with the io kill...", and surprised Freid asks while pointing at Eri, as I already told him that she too is one of the summoned heroes, "Huh...? But what about her, she came from the same world and I don't feel aation in her when we fought before... Hell, all her attacks were clearly aimed to kill or torment me and my familiars... ".

  At that, I pat Eri's head and say, "Well... She is a special case...", but quickly ge the subjed say, "Anyway, it is decided! We take the long road!".

  Kouki POV - Tortus, Orcus Great Labyrinth - 2013

  Intense ons g, and explosion sounds ring out ihe dim underground byrinth, with only a faint green light to rely upon, it feels so intehat I have the impression that even the far distant walls shake from time to time uhese powerful cshes.

  My sight is full of numerous silver-colored sword trails that beautifully draw in the empty space, as fme bullets, fme spears, wind bdes, and water sers fly all around me like a barrage.

  I hear the sound of something hitting tough flesh, angry roars for my panions, and war cries fill what should be silent space as it suddenly became a battlefield.

  While taking all these sensations I focus on the enemy in front of me and t, "O light cutting through all creation, wind bring forth destru, scatters and dances around like a whirlpool, and bee the storm of light that cut my enemies! S Severation!", the Holy Sword in my hand, along with my wrist blurs as they accelerate, and with it, I release numerous swords of light.

  And the moment, my enemy, the attag bat-like monster with a length of about 50 timeters is instantly cut into ten pieces and falls to the ground without being able to attack as its blood sptters successfully.

  Then, as Meld-san thought me, I my and, "Vanguard! ting, ten—!", and I look at my cssmates that took that position, then they reply at the same time """Roger!""", and at the same time, I throw my gaze around to check the situation and see ant-like mohat move their jaws, bat-like flying monsters, and sea anemone-like monsters with numerous wriggliacles as they wriggle and move around ihis 30 meters in diameter round shaped room.

  The monsters are ing from the eight tunnels all around the room, and seeing this situation I think, 'And this is only the 79th floor... This pce keeps getting harder and harder...', then like Meld-san many times made me do, I check the situation of the others in the vanguard.

  My childhood friends, Ryuutarou and Shizuku are still fine, Nagayama Jugo, who is almost as tall as Ryutarou and has a simir burly physique as him, he has a squarish face with short bck hair and eyes, and he also fine, but it also very cautious of his surroundings.

  (Image Here - Nagayama Jugo)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]While Hiyama, and his friend Kondou a young man with dark-brown spiky hair, brown eyes, and freckles, are struggling a little as their breath has bee heavy.

  (Image Here - Kondou Reichi)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]We all move ahe perimeter around the rear guard while matg the tdown with the timing of the rear guard's all-out magic attack while fog on defending the rear guard from the monsters' relentless attack.

  But from time to time, some monsters are still able to pass through us, like the troublesome bat-like flying mohat rush to attack the rear guards using the space between the vanguards' defense, but luckily they still be stopped thanks to rampart made by the reliable Barrier-user.

  And indeed I hear Taniguchi Suzu, a teenage girl with short stature, short brown hair styled into twin-tails that reaches her shoulders, and light brown eyes, as she ts, "O' ephemeral storm, O' invisible shield; rage, blow, swirl, and stop everything, Wall of Furious Tempest!", and activate her defense magic.

  (Image Here - Suzu Taniguchi)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]The ted spell ght before the rearguards, but nothing could be seen, the only hint that the spell worked is just some light breeze that only be felt if I outstretch my hand toward it.

  No ge be seen with the naked eye, and eve-like monsters don't notice its presend are not armed by their instinct as they keep trying to attack the rear guards who are about to activate rge-scale attack magic spells, however, before they reach the rear guard, the charging monsters meet a wall of air that looks like a huge distortion of space that appears all of a sudden.

  Tens of those bat-like monsters crash against the wall oer another, but the wall of air only bends without letting evehrough, and when all of the charging bat-like monsters had crashed, the distorted space explodes, causing a great impact that crushes the monsters into many pieces of guts and blood that then sptters all over the Labyrinth's wall.

  Then Suzu's voice be heard ringing in the middle of the intense sounds of battle, "Hmph! I won't let you pass that easily!", and at the same time, finally matg the tdown in my head, the rear guards simultaneously fire their best attacks and I order, "Retreat!", and the vanguards immediately backs away from the monsters so that we aren't injured by the rear guard's magic assault.

  In the moment, I admire the sight of the magic attacks of six people that arrive with perfect timing.

  A huge fireball crashes and simultaneously causes a huge explosion, meanwhile, a tornado tramples the battlefield, bringing forth vacuum bdes that suck the monsters and cut them up, on the ground, stone spears shot off with tremendous speed and pierce the monsters' lower parts, and at the same time, the icicles fall from above creating holes in the monsters' upper bodies.

  Looking at this spectacle I think, 'There was no way a living thing would be able to survive ihe sublime space that looks like it was receiving the wrath of nature.', the attacks only st for tens of seds, however, more than 90% of the monsters are dead while the rest are on verge of dying due to grave injuries.

  And so I shout, "Alright! This is good! Let's finish the leftover ones quickly!", and the vanguards once again, move forwards, and the mohat are on the brink of death, and 't even fight back thanks to the all-out magic attacks, are killed one by one.

  Odyin