Floor 5,000—-
〈Rule: Outclass *Strength* Itself.〉
Hercules sized up the group, locking eyes with Asmodeus.
"What the hell is this?" Hercules questioned. "You said I'd be going up against the strongest!"
"Well," Asmodeus admitted. "There's been a change of plans."
Hercules examined each member of the group. "You've got three innocent, skinny young girls, and one meathead. Well, he's got some potential."
"Hey!" Rika interrupted. "I am not 'innocent!' Erm, at least not that way!"
"What does he mean by innocent?" Rei wondered.
Hercules looked at Typhon. "Who's the cat?"
"It's Typhon, you brutish idiot," he answered.
"As in the powerful raid boss in charge of this dungeon? You've been turned into a mere animal?"
Typhon hissed. "Shush your mockery!"
"Felines aside," Asmodeus remarked. "Now is your chance to escape this floor. If you beat them, of course."
He turned toward the group. "This Trial will be simple. Three tasks must be completed. I will judge your performance for each of them. Whoever succeeds in two out of the three wins, and gets to advance."
"Go up against a god?" Gakuto commented. "It'll be tough, but we've got a duty! Ready, team?"
They all nodded.
"What's the first test?"
"Simple. You get to hold up the sky of this place."
Rika looked up, noticing a dark sky-like apparition above them. "Wait…that GIANT thing?"
Asmodeus nodded. "Whoever can transport it to the destination without breaking wins. Each of you will bear half."
Gakuto cracked his knuckles. "Bring it on!"
"Enthusiastic," Hercules mocked. "But I am the God of Strength."
Without warning, Asmodeus brought his hand down, and the 'sky' collapsed on both parties, bringing them to their knees.
〈Rule: Bring the *Sky* to its Destination.〉
〈Time Remaining: 5:00〉
A holographic waypoint appeared in the distance, right beside a tree.
"Shit…" Gakuto winced, attempting to hold the weight up with his skull. "This ain't for the faint of heart, that's for sure! How you holding up, ladies?"
He turned around, where Rika, Mizuki, and Rei were lying on the floor, struggling to get up. "Ahh crap…"
"H…help…sir…" Rika begged.
On the other side, Hercules stood up, slowly walking toward the waypoint and leaving the others in the dust.
"On your feet, ladies! The guy's got a head start!"
Mizuki tried to lift with her arm, but she ended up getting forced to one knee. "Apologies…we do not possess…anywhere close to your level of strength…"
Rei tried to push up with both hands, but it ended up forcing her to bend backward. "Ahh! So heavy!"
Rika used her back to support herself, straining with all her might.
"Okay," Gakuto noted. "Just follow my lead, one step at a time!"
He pushed forward, the girls slowly crawling behind him, their faces in pain. Asmodeus and Typhon watched as they slowly covered some ground.
"You sure have a knack for impossible challenges," Typhon scoffed.
"This challenge is not impossible," Asmodeus replied. "Merely 'improbable.' Swap out the weaker three with the Kaidanchō of Stone, and this would have been a much different story."
Asmodeus narrowed his eyes as Gakuto pushed further, with Hercules several feet ahead.
"Their bodies are not made for this. The unfortunate reality of mortals and their Jugen—-the weaknesses."
Rika began to fall behind, but Rei grabbed her arm, helping her forward. "Thanks, Rei…."
"No problem, Rika…!"
Mizuki attempted to use her power, but she collapsed, breathing hard. "I find that taking a break would be…highly unlikely at this stage…"
"We got this, girls!" Gakuto assured. "Keep those legs moving!"
As they continued, plumes of flame burst from the ground, nearly striking the group. Rei narrowly avoided getting her shoulder burned.
"Ooh, fire?"
"Why would they add fire?" Rika exclaimed. "This stupid trial is already hard enough!"
Lines of fire appeared in the air, blasting across the field. One struck Rika's arm, knocking off a chunk of her armor.
"Damn it! This stuff is useless!"
"The trial wasn't designed so you can coast," Asmodeus wanted. "It's best you move quicker, lest you burn in the process."
Gakuto stopped, as Hercules leapt into the air, getting closer to the tree. "That man's on a mission, it's only one way we can catch up!"
"How?" they asked.
"Hold on tight! It's time for a burst!"
They all stared at him, before Mizuki grabbed his ankle, followed by Rei grabbing hers, and Rika grabbing Rei's.
Gakuto crackled his neck, the strain becoming stronger. "Jugen-Tōshi: Shakunetsu Shissō!"
His helmet formed, and with a powerful shockwave, he burst forth, dragging the girls and the weight along with him as their bodies rag-dolled back and forth.
"AHHHHHH!"
"GO, FLAMES! GO!"
Another fire blast interrupted them, knocking them to the side and slowing Gakuto to a crawl.
"Crap, it got me!"
He looked up, seeing that Hercules was near the tree. "Mizuki! Can you use your powers, kid?"
Mizuki tried to lift her arm, but the weight forced it back down. "Negative!"
"Well then, the others and I will get you an opening! Get ready!"
"Me?" Rika gasped.
"Ooh, yay!" Rei cheered. "Special move!"
"Both of you, try and crowd Mizuki! I'll use my noggin and keep the sky steady!"
Rei crawled over to Mizuki, and Rika shuddered before reluctantly doing the same. The weight pressed down on their backs, slamming them into the ground, as Gakuto placed his head above them, which began to bend his neck.
"Any time, Mizuki!"
Mizuki forced her arms and legs up, using each of her body parts to touch one of her teammates. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Transmission!"
The entire group disappeared in the blink of an eye, before reappearing right next to Hercules.
"How'd you catch up?" he demanded. "Cheaters!"
"Nah, no cheaters here!" Gakuto responded. "Time to win!"
The girls crawled forward as Gakuto continued pushing, with Hercules gaining a slight advantage on them.
"It matters little. You can't support the three of them and the sky! Goodbye!"
He started moving at a brisk pace, the tree within striking distance. "Oh no you don't! Jugen-Tōshi: Shakunetsu Shissō!"
Gakuto burst into another flaming dash, touching the tree just as Hercules did.
"It's a tie!" Gakuto declared.
"Fool, I win!" Hercules insisted.
"How? We're both touching it!"
"Yes, *we* are. But your team isn't."
Gakuto turned around, where he saw the girls on the ground, weakly crawling towards him. "Oh. Crap."
"All brawn and no brains," Hercules taunted. "I'll be free soon."
Asmodeus flew over. "Well. We've got our result."
〈Test *1* Winner: Hercules.〉
Typhon slapped his forehead. "Incompetence."
With a snap of Asmodeus's fingers, the sky disappeared, reappearing in the air. "It's time for the second test. Everyone regain your strength and follow me when you're ready."
Gakuto helped the girls up.
"Sorry Mr. Gakuto…" Rei apologized.
"We cost you back there, didn't we?" Rika asked, ashamed.
"They are correct," Mizuki nodded. "We've become a hindrance."
Gakuto patted them all on the shoulder. "Eh, don't sweat it! I'm sure we've got more time to redeem ourselves! Now, if it's more strongman stuff, you girls might be screwed. But, let's hope for the best!"
"We'll try harder, sir!" Rika promised.
"Good! Now, onward we go!"
They walked over to where the others were waiting. Asmodeus flew down a path leading to a small barn with two rows of enormous stables next to it, filled with mush and filth.
"Yuck," Rika winced.
"Something stinks!" Rei blurted out.
"Indeed it does," Asmodeus confirmed. "Your job this time will be to clean them out. Entirely."
"Wait, you mean clean mounds of horse shit?" Gakuto wondered.
"Yes. In the designated time of twenty minutes. You have the stables on the left. Hercules will take the ones on the right. Buckets have been provided for you."
He pointed to a dark river nearby. "Use them wisely."
〈Rule: Clean the Stables.〉
〈Time Remaining: 20:00〉
Hercules jumped into the air, landing by his stables and picking up his bucket. Gakuto and the others rushed over to their stables, and Rika picked up the bucket.
"Umm, this thing isn't that big…"
"We can make it work!" Gakuto stated. "Mizuki, how about you take this thing and fill it up as quick as you can?"
"On it."
She grabbed the bucket and appeared next to the river. With a few quick motions, she filled up the bucket and brought it back, handing it to Gakuto.
"Perfect!"
He chucked the water onto the filth, washing a small portion away. To his shock, the mess reappeared in the same spot.
"Wait, wait, wait," Gakuto paused. "That ain't right."
"Was it enough water?" Rika asked.
Mizuki took the bucket. "I'll try again."
Moving in a blur, she filled the bucket up once more and dumped it onto the waste. Sure enough, it regrew in the same area.
"Odd…" she noted.
On the other side, Hercules was busy scooping water out of the river with his hands and squirting it onto the filth by squeezing his fists.
Little by little, the mess began to disappear before it could reform. Gakuto watched, dumbfounded. "Man, that's awesome!"
"Yeah, but we're losing, sir!" Rika pointed out.
"Right, right!"
Gakuto ran over to the river, attempting to squeeze the water into a stream, but all it did was spill out of his hands. "Crap! Forgot my arms ain't got nothing on my skull!"
"Ooh, let me try!" Rei volunteered.
She fired a beam of moonlight into the water, causing it to bubble up.
〈Reaction Triggered: Pale Water's Glow.〉
The water exploded into pure light that temporarily blinded Gakuto, causing him to cover his eyes.
"Oh!" Rei realized. "I'm sorry!"
"Ehh…don't mind it…just a little stunner…"
"Can you use your shield to scoop out the water, Rei?" Rika proposed.
As Gakuto got out of the river, Rei formed her shield, scooping enough to fill half the bubble. As soon as she lifted it, it began to glow.
"Uh-oh! It's triggering another reaction!"
"Quick! Dump it onto the mush!"
Before Rei could move it, the shield blew up in an array of sparkles. Meanwhile, Hercules continued clearing more and more of his filth.
"This is beneath me," he thought. "They told me I'd go up against Nyugawa, not his incompetent chumps."
Mizuki appeared next to Gakuto. "Most of our solutions will be ineffective. May I propose another one?"
"Sure, I'm all ears!"
She pointed to the river. "If I repeatedly slam your head into the water, that could presumably create enough pressure to clear out the waste. Rei could respond by blasting the ensuing steam with her Jugen, causing an explosion that could further our efforts."
"That could work! Let's give it a shot!"
Gakuto formed his helmet and got his head close to the water. "Ready when you are!"
Mizuki placed a hand on his head. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Transmission!"
She repeatedly dashed between his left and right shoulders, slamming his head into the water over and over again as powerful torrents shot forward.
"You're up, Rei!" Rika called out.
"Jugen-Mahōshi: Tsuki no Megenka!"
She blasted the water as it hit the filth, causing a dazzling explosion that blew up a huge chunk of it.
Hercules, Typhon, and Asmodeus all watched, stunned. Mizuki continued slamming Gakuto's head into the river, while Rei proceeded to blast the resulting stream.
〈Reaction Triggered.〉
Another chunk of filth disappeared before it could reform, while Hercules rushed to grab and compress more water. "Damn cheaters! You're not winning this!"
He fired at his pile, erasing more in the process.
〈Time Remaining: 4:56〉
The two parties continued spraying their waste piles as time dwindled down, with water flying in every direction.
The filth slowly but surely began to vanish, and after a few more minutes, Asmodeus stopped them. "Time's up!"
〈Time Remaining: 0:00〉
He flew over to examine the stables. "Hmm, you've cleared out the vast majority, Hercules."
The god gave him a confident nod as Asmodus drifted towards the others. "Now, for you lot."
He peered into their stalls, his face in disbelief. "What the—-? You cleared it all? How?"
Gakuto pumped his fist in the air. "With perfect teamwork!"
"More like gaming the system," Typhon muttered. "It is four against one."
"Regardless of their methods," Asmodues stated. "They have won this challenge. Thus, the Kaitansha have tied up the score."
〈Test *2* Winner: Kaitansha.〉
Hercules slammed his fist on the ground. "Bullshit!"
"There remains one more challenge," Asmodeus declared. "The hardest and most physically demanding of them all."
"What is it?" Rika asked.
"A hunt. Not just any hunt—-a hunt for the Ceryneian Hind."
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