Crossing the forest, Shizuku and Rihito came across a desolate landfill, filled with many degrading weapons and banners.
"Is that a battlefield?" Shizuku asked, having never seen anything like it before.
I nodded, "Yeah, at least what's left of it."
Rihito observes the battlefield, once vibrant with the chaos of combat, now shrouded in an unsettling stillness. The ground was strewn with broken and abandoned weapons, alongside fallen banners, their colours muted by layers of dust and ash.
Rihito picks up one of the buried weapons and finds it by merely touching it; it crumbles like fine dust.
"It seems a long time has passed since the battle," he concluded.
Walking through the desolate field, they ventured deeper, trying to find their way out.
"Rihito, isn't this place a little too silent?" Shizuku asked, finding the silence unsettling.
Agreeing with her, I spoke, "Yes, but I think that might be related to the theme of the labyrinth."
"Theme? I remember Tio mentioning.
Nodding at her, I explained, "Each labyrinth presents a set trial based on a theme.
From what I understand, the Orcus labyrinth is a test of strength; the Reisen labyrinth features traps and physical challenges that require clearing obstacles without the use of magic; and the Gruen volcano assesses how challengers can maintain their focus amidst constant surprises.
Shizuku nods, "Then what about this one?"
"I don't know." I looked at her with a clueless look.
Well, he does have an idea based on his memories of his previous life, but how will he explain the source of his information?
Right then, his senses picked up the space surrounding them shifting.
He immediately stands on guard near Shizuku.
"What's happening?" she asked, drawing her katana, seeing that the surroundings were fluctuating.
"It seems we are about to find out what this labyrinth is all about."
As soon as he spoke, the space around them twisted, and the landscape transformed, placing them in the midst of an ongoing war.
Shizuku, noticing the ongoing chaos, warily asks, "Did we get teleported?"
"No, we didn't. We are currently in the middle of an illusion." Rihito responds, scanning the area.
Suddenly, a squad of men wearing full silver plate armour appeared before them.
"Kill the heretics."
"Heretics must die."
"Die for our god."
Seeing the hostile move, Rihito drew Muramasa from his item box and swung it; however, the blade passed through the bodies of the silver knights without inflicting any damage.
One of the silver knights seizes the opportunity and swings his blade from above, aiming for his head, "DIE! HERETIC!!"
Rihito blocked the attack using the hilt and used a shockwave blast. But again, the shockwave blast did nothing.
He then made some distance and got closer to Shizuku.
"Rihito, my attacks aren't doing anything; they are just passing through them like they are not even here," she said while dodging an attack.
"I see," Rihito nodded, coming to a conjecture.
[Physical attacks are just passing through, then…]
Rihito points his finger like a gun and fires a Mana bullet.
"Bang!"
As soon as the mana bullet struck, the silver knight began to dissipate like dust in the wind.
He then coats Muramasa with mana and makes a quick draw, taking out five of the silver knights at once.
"Just as I thought."
Clearing his side, he informs Shizuku, "Imbue mana into your attacks."
Remembering Rihito's instruction about mana manipulation, Shizuku concentrated on her mana core, guiding the mana and channelling it into her blade as she assumed her fighting stance. While she readied her attack, the silver knights closed in around her.
With a deep breath, she proclaims, "Yaegashi style, Pale Moon."
Shizuku swung her sword in an arc with her left hand, taking down two knights. She then switched to her right hand to complete the arc, forming a circle. Her attack effortlessly cleaved through the remaining three knights, eliminating all the silver knights that surrounded her.
"She has gotten faster," he nods in approval. While observing, without looking back, he swung Muramasa, releasing a wave of mana that cleared the area.
Rihito looked around and saw that, even though he cleared a portion of the illusion, it just recovered on its own.
"They just keep on coming."
Seeing the unending rows of soldiers, he decided to make some distance.
He wrapped an arm around Shizuku's waist and leapt into the air, soaring above the battlefield and surveying the chaos below.
Shizuku was initially surprised but soon calmed down, realising it was Rihito. She wrapped her hand around his neck and gazed down at the chaos below. Even though they had left the battlefield, the war continued unabated.
"What should we do now?" Shizuku asked.
"For now, we will watch." He had a feeling something crucial was about to happen.
The chaos on the battlefield persisted as the two sides waged war. Amid the conflict, the sky suddenly darkened, and a figure clad in Valkyrie-like armour, with silver hair and wings, appeared, surveying the battlefield with an emotionless gaze.
Shizuku, noticing the figure, wondered, "Who is that?"
Wanting to know the answer, she looks at Rihito only to notice him with a serious frown.
"Rihito?"
"Just watch," he said, silencing her.
Hearing his serious tone, she continued to watch.
Rihito observed the Girl with Wings, narrowing his eyes. [With those characteristics, there was no doubt about it, an Apostle.]
The Apostle's voice echoed powerfully across the battlefield: "Foolish humans, the time of reckoning has come. In the name of God, Ehit, I shall eradicate you all."
Hearing the voice of the Apostle, everyone on the battlefield knelt in prayer, pleading for forgiveness. In response, the Apostle manifested silver feathers that filled the sky.
Rihito noticed each feather was imbued with disintegration magic.
With a flick of her finger, she sent silver feathers raining down, eradicating everyone on the battlefield.
Shizuku watched all this with horror-filled eyes; unable to bear it any longer, she hid in Rihito's chest.
Rihito observed as the entire battlefield was cleared in mere minutes. With that, just as the illusion had begun, it started to fade, revealing that they were flying above what was left of the battlefield.
Confirming that the illusion had ended, I got down from the sky.
"I think we should rest a bit." With a wave of his hand, he used
Shizuku, visibly shaken, asked, "What was that?"
"Most likely, it was a recreation of a war that once occurred and how it concluded," I explained.
"Then, who was that woman in the sky?" she asked.
"That was an Apostle, an artificial being doing the gods' bidding."
"Huh? Weren't those soldiers attacking us in the name of that same god? Why would the god then kill them?" She was confused; this made no sense to her.
"Why? I have no clue about what really goes on in that so-called god's head. But if you want to know my guess, that motherfucker is a messed-up piece of shit. In his head, he probably sees everyone except his own life as toys, doing as he pleases, saving them, teaching them, and when he gets bored, destroying them and starting a new game all over again."
"Game?" she asks incredulously.
"Yeah, you know, one of those civilisation-building games. Build a civilisation from scratch; after it has grown enough, sow some discord, manipulate the government, which is done by the Apostles, and then watch them fight till the civilisation completely collapses on itself."
"..."
"That's so cruel. All this for what? mere entertainment?" Shizuku had no idea the being they were up against was this cruel.
"Well, that's how things are," he said in a helpless tone.
He then stood up and said, "Enough rest; we should get out of here." Rihito was ready to move on.
After about half an hour, they came across an old castle encircled by towering rocks that jutted up toward the mountains.
"It seems we have reached the end," Rihito said, seeing no reaction from Shizuku. He noticed she was in deep thought.
"Shizuku?" I called out.
"Ah? "Yeah," snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at him.
"Let's go; we are heading inside the castle."
Nodding at him, she followed him through the entrance.
Entering the dusty, broken throne room, they searched for a clue to escape this floor.
"Did you find anything?" I asked.
Shizuku shook her head. "I didn't find anything."
Then suddenly, the surroundings began to distort, and they realised what was happening. They quickly hid in the corner behind the pillar. Just like the first time, the surroundings shifted; the old, deserted, broken, dust-filled castle became pristine and clean, like it had never been abandoned.
From their hidden spot, they watched on the throne as a white-haired old man sat and welcomed three men with distinct features.
Rihito observed the three men, each showcasing distinct features characteristic of demihumans and demons, and pondered the situation unfolding before him.
"Greetings, King Denmark, why have you called us here?" "One of the three, a middle-aged elf man, asked.
The king, hearing that, had a troublesome look. "First of all, I thank you all. You have my gratitude for arriving on such short notice. As for why I called you here, I don't actually know. Just the previous day, my son Elmar urgently called for a conference of all species."
The three men looked at each other with a pensive look. "If Elmar says that, then it might be critical," said the man with dark skin, a middle-aged demon from the demon race.
The last of three, a middle-aged man with wings, nodded in agreement.
"Then where is he?" the winged man asked.
"I am here." A man with golden blond hair garbed in royal blue robes walked in with a pair of knights and a robed priest.
All three demihumans, seeing the man, welcomed him with a warm smile.
"Say, friend, what's this urgent news you called us for?" the elf man asked.
"Yes, you see, I have recently come across a shocking truth," Elmar said while walking near the old king.
"Truth? What truth?" asked the elf man, feeling something was off with this situation.
King Denmark, seeing his son acting so mysteriously, asked, "What is it, Elmar? Speak up; we are waiting."
Elmar suddenly drew his sword from its sheath and decapitated the king, blood splattering everywhere as the head rolled to a stop right in front of the demihumans.
"..."
Seeing Elmar suddenly kill his father, all three of them were shocked.
"Elmar. What's the meaning of this?" The elf man shouted, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
"I just removed an obstacle that got in my way," he said in an obvious tone.
"I know it might be confusing for the lowly species like yours; still, let me explain," Elmar said with a sinister smile.
"Elmar, do you realise what you've just done?" The winged man attempted to speak, but before he could finish, one of the knights accompanying Elmar drew his sword and thrust it into the winged man's abdomen, delivering a fatal blow.
"Ghaaa!!"
The winged man, taking a sword through his stomach, collapsed in his own pool of blood.
The elf and the demon try to help their friend, but the knight stops them, pointing their sword.
"Have I permitted you to speak, you filthy beastmen?" Elmar glared with disgust.
Both the elf and the demon, seeing him act like this, couldn't believe it.
"Elmar, what happened to you?" the demon murmured.
"I have recently been given a divine duty to eradicate every single beast and demon from this world. As a servant of the divine, I am determined to fulfil this duty, and this marks the beginning of the holy war." Elmar's expression distorted in madness.
"Have you gone mad?!!" Do you even know what you are saying?" The elf glared with rage.
"Do you think we will let you do what you want? When the beast council and the demon king hear about it, they will surely retaliate against you."
"Hahaha…" Elmar laughs.
"I have divine protection from the god. "You think your petty threat would scare me?" Elmar sneered.
Elmar walked closer and pointed his sword at their necks. "You can die peacefully now. As for your countries, I have invited them to a banquet—the last banquet they will ever have."
After that, Elmar killed the elf and the demon, then sat upon the throne, his appearance stained with blood. Just like before, the illusion began to fade away.
Before the illusion disappeared, Rihito noticed the nun standing beside him.
Shizuku, seeing all this blood and gore, was about to puke, but somehow held herself.
"Are you ok?" I asked.
"Yeah, I will manage," Shizuku nauseously said.
"I think we should head deeper."
Shizuku agreed and got back on her feet.
"Let's go."
…
Chapter end
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==Insert IMG of your waifu==
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Author note:
Sorry about the late updates but i am kind busy with IRL stuff... Here is another chapter. From here an on chapter might take some time.
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