I threw three throwing knives in my right hand at the Almiraj to the right. Powered by my Strength ability, the knives flew with increased force, hitting the center of the three Almiraj's chests, where their magic stones were, and instantly turned them to ash.
"Toki-sama! Two Almiraj approaching from the left!"
"I'll take care of them!"
I summoned more throwing knives and hurled them, then finished off a nearby Almiraj with the dagger in my left hand.
"No time to catch our breath, huh!"
"Please don't waste words! The hardest job is on Toki-sama, giving orders while fighting!"
"Sometimes I really wonder if Toki is even human!"
Bell joked lightly, but his determined expression showed how serious he was as he incapacitated the Almiraj.
We had fallen into the worst-case scenario we'd prepared for, being surrounded by monsters. Luckily, they were only Almiraj, but reinforcements kept coming, so I moved from the back lines up to the middle.
"Welf, get down!"
The moment I said that, I threw a knife.
"Whoa!?"
The knife flew over the ducking Welf and turned the Almiraj that was about to pounce on him to ash.
That cut our throwing knife supply to less than half.
I cursed silently but kept watching the party. Lili was still fine since she stayed in the back. Bell was the busiest but only a bit worn out thanks to leveling up to 2.
The real problem was Welf. Sweat dripped down his face as he breathed heavily. His stats, except for agility, were equal or higher than the Almiraj's. But the Almiraj were categorized as Level 2 due to their excellent teamwork, and Welf was taking the brunt of their combined attacks. He was the most exhausted.
I thought about using a skill to wipe them out all at once. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar group passing by. A party wearing battle crosses styled after traditional Eastern clothing was passing just beside us, the very same group led by Yamato Mikoto, whom I had interviewed ten days ago. They were the Takemikazuchi Familia.
Now's not the time to be thinking about that.
Suddenly, it hit me what was happening.
"No, they've pushed them onto us!"
"Huh…?"
"Lili and the others were used as bait! The monsters are coming here right now!"
Lili, understanding the situation just as clearly, shouted a warning.
The next moment, a horde of monsters surged down the corridor, more than we were fighting. Worst of all, it wasn't just Almiraj; multiple Hellhounds appeared as well.
This was a monster-presenting pass parade, a tactic where, during retreats or other maneuvers, one party forces monsters onto another. Though it sacrifices other parties, it's often necessary for survival beyond the Mid-Floors.
I couldn't help but admire the leader of the Takemikazuchi Familia for pulling it off.
But right now, we have bigger problems.
Being dumped with extra monsters threw our party into even more confusion.
"Calm down!"
If we couldn't get through this, what good were we as Hermes' followers?
I shouted to restore order and stop the panic.
"We're retreating! Lili, give the route! Bell, lead the way and open a path! I'll cover the rear!"
"Understood!"
Lili directed us down the corridor, Bell moved up front to carve a hole in the monster swarm. We barely made it into the passage, but Lili lagged behind and was almost caught.
Bell glanced back nervously as he ran.
"Bell, keep your eyes forward. I'll watch behind you."
I memorized the upcoming path, then turned around and ran backward, piercing the magic stones of the pursuing monsters with my skill.
"...Hey, Toki, are you really human?"
"How far are you going to doubt me..."
I took down four Hellhounds charging at us while running backward.
Then, BAM, I collided with Welf's back.
"Whoa!?"
"Ah!"
We stumbled, losing balance. Even as I got up, I continued fending off monsters chasing from behind.
"What happened!?"
"More monsters coming from the front!"
"Damn it!"
We stopped and formed a square, backs guarding each other.
"Why do monsters swarm so quickly on the Mid-Floors? No time to rest."
"Because it's the Mid-Floors, probably."
"Below here it's even worse and stronger, by the way."
"Now's really not the time for that info."
I joked around, but I wasn't feeling very confident. Unknowingly, the mental strain was slowly wearing down my stamina.
"For now, same as before. Bell goes ahead to break through on one side, and everyone rushes in through there."
"Sounds good... but what about Welf and Lili?"
"I'll take down anyone who attacks from the shadows. Let's move!"
"Understood!"
Just as we started to run, a cracking sound caught our attention.
A sharp creaking noise echoed. I quickly scanned the surroundings but saw no cracks in the walls.
Still, the creaking grew louder and more frequent. Bell was the first to notice. Like a spring, he looked up at the ceiling. Following his gaze, I saw countless cracks spreading. And I knew exactly what was about to happen.
"Ceil, "
Before he could finish, monsters erupted. Too many Bad Bats to count broke through the ceiling and emerged.
At the same time, the weakened ceiling began to collapse.
"Ugh!"
Desperately, I spread my shadow above my companions like a roof to shield them, but the weight slowed my feet.
"Damn it!"
I ran to avoid the falling debris and angled the rocks resting on the shadow roof so they slid off behind us.
Pant... pant...
By the time the collapse ended, I knelt down, trying to catch my breath.
Looking back, I saw rocks piled up, completely blocking the corridor. Ahead, everyone was breathing hard, but unharmed.
Relieved, I relaxed for a moment, only to see multiple Hellhounds appear deeper inside.
Instinctively, I threw a knife. Shaking from exhaustion, my hand trembled, and the knife narrowly missed its target.
Bell and the others froze as they noticed the new threat.
I threw another knife, this one pierced the eye of a Hellhound about to unleash a fire attack.
"Don't give up!"
After that, things got blurry. I don't really remember much. Fatigue and confusion muddled my mind as I gave what orders I could, managing to retreat. Then suddenly, I lost all sense of the ground beneath me.
"Ah!"
"Toki!"
My body fell with gravity, and I didn't even think to use my shadow to climb up. After falling for a while, I couldn't even land properly.
Crack!
A nasty sound came from my ankle. I curled up in pain, and then Bell fell right on top of me.
"Whoa!"
I scrambled away in panic. Bell managed to land safely.
"Toki, are you okay!?"
"You… you..."
He must've come to check on me, but that was the wrong move.
"You idiot! Why are you falling too!? If you fall down a vertical shaft, the normal thing is to leave them behind!"
"Don't joke! I can't just abandon my friends!"
"You damn fool!"
I was glad to see his concern, but I was angry that my mistake had put the whole party in even more danger. I tried to lash out, but pain in my ankle forced me to crouch.
"Toki, your foot..."
"Shut up, just leave me behind and go!"
But Bell moved closer and grabbed my shoulder.
"Idiot, what are you doing?"
Pain made it hard to speak, but I couldn't help but scold Bell for acting so recklessly.
"...If it means saving my best friends, I don't care if I'm stupid or foolish."
Then, from the same vertical shaft, Lili and Welf fell down.
"Ouch."
Welf landed hard on his butt, probably missing his footing.
"Lili, Welf, why...?"
"We couldn't survive there on our own, so we came after you."
"Well, we couldn't just abandon our friends either."
Despite exhaustion showing on their faces, the two of them smiled, and tears welled up in my eyes.
"...You idiots, seriously..."
I tightened my expression and started walking, leaning on Bell's shoulder for support.
No matter what, we're going to make it back alive, all of us.
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