They appeared not only from both sides of the fork but also from behind us, emerging from the path we had already traversed.
In other words, we were completely surrounded.
"Sword Princess, would you mind taking one side?"
"Yes, understood."
Asfi's judgment was to split our forces in two.
Ais was the type who was far more efficient when left to rampage on her own, so she followed the order without complaint.
I stayed with Asfi's group.
After all, this side looked far more dangerous than going with Ais alone.
It was absolutely not because this side seemed better for sample collection! Hmph! Hmph!
"Ugh!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Then, all of a sudden, the path was blocked.
To be precise, the monsters used their own bodies to wall off Ais's route.
Were they trying to cleanly sever our forces now that we had divided?
Or were they attempting to deal with the strongest threat first, without any interference?
Either way, as a Level 6, she should be able to handle it without much trouble.
"Sword Princess! Hey, can you hear me?! Is something wrong?!"
"Lulune! Don't get distracted!"
The real problem lay with this team.
For better or worse, the Hermes Familia had been relying on Ais, their strongest asset, the entire way here.
Now that they had been forcibly separated, it was only natural that everyone was shaken.
No matter how excellent a captain Asfi was, there was little she could do in a situation like this.
At best, she could keep them together and push forward with everything she had.
"Everyone! As soon as we secure a path, we're getting out of here!"
"We're leaving the Sword Princess behind?!"
"You saw her just now! No matter what happens on that side, she won't die! It's frustrating, but she's not someone we need to worry about!"
How noisy.
Still, no matter how I looked at it, this path seemed to lead straight ahead.
"Hey, beast-girl. Roughly how far is it from here to the pantry?"
"Huh? Uh, um, probably around 500?"
"Five hundred, huh. That's about right."
Now that the calculations were done, it was time for action.
Let's skip the travel time and speed things up a bit.
"Everyone, gather behind me. I'll open the way in one shot."
"Do you have something in mind?"
"It's a failure with plenty of room for improvement, but I've got just the thing for a situation like this—something to use and throw away."
"Very well. I'll trust your proposal. Everyone! Assemble here!"
At Asfi's command, the entire party gathered behind me.
Just then, more monsters came surging in from behind, making it a two-for-one deal.
Graaaooooh!
"That's right, that's right. Come straight at me."
At that moment, one of the new-type monsters rushed my side.
I immediately released the barrier of the Moon Spirit Slime and shoved my arm into its maw.
The instant it tried to bite down—
Ngh?!
"Good. Stay still."
The monster froze.
It was as if something vital had been seized.
In fact, the magic stone in its mouth was touching the hand I had thrust inside.
It wasn't much, but it was enough for me.
"[And, since there is no distinction in the value of lives]."
As the line of the chant slipped from my lips, the monster's writhing grew violent.
But it could not close its mouth.
Before it could, its body had already been transformed into an "arrow."
Crunch! Crack! Krrrk!
"W-What is that?"
"The monster is shrinking?!"
Compression, compression, super-compression.
I held up the object in my hand—my "arrow," now so crumpled and crushed that it no longer resembled its former self—and extended my arm.
Then, a massive bow forged entirely of my mana took shape.
"[What brings it to an end is a stratagem, cold-bloodedness. What is ignited is 'Kikaku Itto']!"
Ting!
It was a truly clumsy bit of archery.
My stance, the way I nocked the shaft, even the way I drew the string—everything was a complete mess.
Anyone who actually knew how to use a bow would have frowned at my form and told me I was doing it all wrong.
I knew that too.
After all, this was only the ninth time I had ever held a bow.
But still.
KWA-AAANG!
For this one "strike," I didn't need any fancy skill.
"W-What the hell was that?!"
"Everyone! Hold on tight!"
"U, Uwaaaah!"
A scream rang out from behind me, accompanied by a fierce blast of backwash.
I had already finished my calculations, so I didn't pay it much mind.
The front of the corridor, which had been packed with those new-type monsters, was now wide open, as if they had never existed.
"Hm. A necessary sacrifice."
"Ah, ahahaha..."
"What in the world..."
When I turned around after confirming the cleared path, the party members were pale as ghosts.
Well, they must have been pretty shocked.
But now was not the time to stand around dazed.
"What are you all doing? Hurry up and get moving."
"Uh, well... our legs have gone completely weak..."
"Would you still be saying that if you looked over there?"
At my words, everyone turned around. The remaining new-type monsters were already advancing toward us with terrifying momentum.
Startled all over again, the party scrambled to their feet.
"What?! Why are there still more of them?!"
Because I had only erased the ones in front.
I didn't bother giving them such an obvious answer and instead started walking ahead.
They weren't idiots; they would follow on their own.
"Everyone, pull yourselves together! The battle isn't over yet!"
"Damn it, this whole trip has been nothing but surprises."
"Agreed. We won't be short on stories to tell over drinks when we get back."
"Kikus, I think you got marked earlier."
"I'm dead..."
"Serves you right."
Fortunately, under Asfi's cool-headed command, their confusion quickly subsided, and everyone safely followed me out of the corridor.
And what spread out before our eyes was...
"A parasitic tree? A monster?"
"It's sucking nutrients from the pillar?"
"That must be why the labyrinth changed."
A vast pantry space.
At its center was an unknown new-type monster, clinging to the pillar like a snake.
"Th-That! It's the 'jewel' from back then!"
In the middle of the chaos, Lulune checked something and gasped in surprise.
As for me, my gaze was fixed elsewhere.
"So you made it this far."
At a glance, that one looked like the one in charge.
A bone helm shaped like the skull of a horned beast, huh.
He's got some decent taste.
What, had he been the type to hunt An in Diya or something?
"Get to work, remnants of Evils. Become the cornerstone that protects 'her.'"
"As if we needed to be told..."
Meanwhile, the enemies had noticed our presence due to the commotion and were starting to move.
There were a number of hijab-wearing fellows under two commanders, including the bone-helmed one.
Every one of them was wrapped head to toe in thick cloth, so tightly that not even their faces were visible.
So this was their version of a secret society, huh.
"Comrades! Draw your blades for the sake of our wish! Death to those foolish intruders!"
""Death! Death!""
Judging by their behavior, they were nothing short of fanatics.
Or maybe they really were.
If so, it might be safer to think through "that kind of thing" in advance.
"Those guys look like they're ready to fight."
"We'll engage them. We still need to find out what they're doing here."
"Hey, Asfi."
"Yes, what is it?"
Before it was too late, I called Asfi over and suggested a change in plan.
It might have been a waste of effort, but situations like this usually followed a painfully obvious cliché.
If we were late, we'd regret it. Better to do it now and regret it later than the other way around.
"From what I can tell, they were planning to capture us as witnesses. Drop that idea. Finish them off right away."
"May I ask why?"
"I don't have proof, but I'm certain. I've dealt with some pretty nasty fanatics before. Suicide charges were their specialty. If we respond half-heartedly, we'll be the ones who get burned."
"How dreadful..."
Fanatics are scary.
Especially when they come with an extra helping of S-tier intensity.
That's why I'd always tried my best to avoid trouble with churches whenever possible.
In the end, I did cause one incident and got chased around by Karemain for a month, though.
That's a memory now, in its own way.
Still, that "senpai" back then was a little much too.
Just because I added a secret spicy kick to the curry I was going to eat for dinner, he tried to kill me outright.
Honestly, fanatics really don't know the value of a human life.
"Understood. We'll change the plan. We'll postpone the capture for now. Treat them as monsters rather than people and respond accordingly. Everyone, please be careful not to get hurt if possible."
""Ooh!""
"And... I'd like you to cover us from the rear. If anything happens, then..."
"Okay. Don't worry. Nothing will happen behind us."
"Good. Then... go!"
Her tactical instructions ended there.
From here on out, it was up to each of us to force our way through.
And the same was true for the enemy.
"Kill them!"
From below, a killing intent no less fierce than the monsters' came surging toward us.
Looking down at that wave of humans from above, I swapped the gloves on my hands for a fresh pair.
If possible, I wanted my worries to turn out to be nothing more than needless concern.
So that their "sacrifice" would not be in vain.