Rumble—rumble—rumble—
The ground trembled as if something deep beneath it had begun to boil. The weather had fully turned toward spring. The snow had melted into thick sludge, from which the first timid flowers had begun to peek through—only to be mercilessly crushed now.
Crushed by relentlessly charging steel legs.
— No... this isn’t the Labyrinth. How is this even possible... — Parco muttered in shock.
Beside him, Ryan snorted.
— ...What service, huh? Came all this way so we wouldn’t get homesick.
Unlike the Barkel twins and the knights, who were seeing mechanical creatures for the first time and had frozen in horror, the platoon fighters, though surprised, instinctively fell into formation.
— Positions!
Blanc, Ryan, and Yuria stepped forward into the vanguard, while Levain and Cheonmae quickly retreated to the rear. Rietta took position at the center, telekinetic force already beginning to swirl violently around her. Gunther drew the “Straight Line of Despair” and, stepping slightly aside, began studying the approaching horde.
Boom—! Boom—!
Massive metal frames, gears spinning frantically, and cores pulsing somewhere deep within their bodies. They mimicked human forms, but were optimized to the extreme for one purpose alone—“battle.”
Gunther recognized them.
“These units start appearing from the fourth floor...”
The same golems that had crushed Albino through sheer numbers when he was forcibly thrown into the Labyrinth. Each of them deserved to be called a monster. Gunther shook his head.
“What the hell happened?”
A few months ago, Mikhela had left the city, claiming she wanted to stabilize her unstable ability to control the Labyrinth. She had left a message saying she would seek out the legacy of her ancestors.
And now she had appeared on the border of Nereus and Valloren—together with the rear guard.
And together with mechanical entities that, by definition, should never be able to leave the Labyrinth.
“Looks like the rear guard already clashed with them.”
Battle damage was visible on their equipment. They must have fought, then, unable to withstand the pressure, decided to regroup with the main force.
One hundred meters to contact. The rear guard’s faces were now clearly visible.
Gunther met Moon Wolf’s gaze. A brief exchange. Signal: counterattack immediately upon merging.
Dimona nodded as well. If the vanguard held, she would support with hacking.
The bandaged one... unclear. Something unreadable lingered in her eyes.
Mikhela, though looking terrified to death, wagged her raccoon tail excitedly the moment she saw Gunther. He gave a short nod in return.
“Well... this works even better.”
Gunther’s eyes gleamed. He was level 95 now. At 100, he would break through to the 4th hierarchy. Even with Act 2 Chapter 1 rewards, he was short on experience. And just as he had been wondering where to get the rest—
“Free” prey had delivered itself.
“I need to level up as fast as possible.”
Upon reaching the next hierarchy, a class advancement scenario should unlock. And in Zeros, his stats had developed... unevenly.
Strength — 70, Agility — 83, Endurance — 65.
Too much investment into Agility for survival against the Apostle had made him resemble a thief more than a heavy fighter. It reduced efficiency. Strength and Endurance needed to be brought up.
— Move!
With a short shout, Gunther was the first to break through the vanguard line.
His role, as always—joker.
Rampage freely, creating optimal conditions for the main force.
The knights held their breath as he charged without hesitation into the heart of the mechanical army.
But Gunther was already there.
Whoosh—!
The greatsword traced an arc. The heavy vibration of cutting steel transmitted into his wrist. The chest of the lead golem split open, exposing the core within.
A short, crimson, violent pulse.
Clang—!
No words were needed. A shot rang out from the rear. The golem moved fast, and its core was no larger than a palm—but Levain’s magic bullet pierced it clean through.
Crash—
The massive body collapsed.
— Next!
Thanks to the perception ability inherited from Alphonse, the golems were no longer just lumps of steel in Gunther’s eyes. Their cores pulsed like hearts. Streams of mana, like blood, spread from them in crimson lines—through joints, elbows, knees.
He could see the lines. The connections. The points that needed to be cut became clear.
Boom—!
The greatsword split another core precisely. A flash of light—and the giant body lost all support.
At that same moment—
Whistle—
Heavy fists rained down from all sides. Massive steel limbs tore through the air. Five-meter giants hammered the ground, trying to crush Gunther at the center.
Whoosh—!
But Gunther was no longer there. His silhouette—his very presence—blurred.
[Skill “Shadow Leap” activated]
Among the fists embedded in the ground, a black shadow scattered.
The next moment—he stood on another golem’s shoulder.
For a movement skill granted by a High Throne-level deity, such performance was only natural.
Grab—!
He gripped the sword with both hands. If raw strength wasn’t enough, he would compensate with angle and speed.
A downward strike.
Crack—!
The shoulder joint burst. The arm flew off.
A spinning cut followed. A strike to the lower back collapsed the entire structure. Steel fragments rained down as Gunther burst forward through the debris.
By then, the main force had joined the battle.
— Yuria!
Rietta’s telekinesis compressed space. Invisible hands twisted and tore at the golems’ limbs. Metal screeched. Joints shifted. The mechanical bodies froze for a moment—and into that opening, the vanguard surged.
Only one weapon among them could deal decisive damage.
Yuria’s axe.
— Hyaaaaap!
Crack—!
With each swing of the massive blade, fractures spread across the golems’ bodies, exposing their cores. Ryan and Blanc moved in perfect sync, covering her flanks.
— Smash!
A lightning-charged hammer struck joints with precision. Electricity seeped into the cracks, paralyzing the machines.
Blanc moved like the wind. Using her speed, she disrupted the golems and slightly altered their attack trajectories. Heavy fists collided with each other. Steel crashed against steel, sparks erupting in showers.
Uuuuun—
Seraz Gless circled overhead, tracking any threat attempting to break through to the rear.
Pshh—!
Meanwhile, Cheonmae and Levain continued to shatter cores with sniper fire. The steel vanguard filling the battlefield began thinning rapidly.
And Moon Wolf.
As a vampire, she was the perfect predator against flesh—but far less suited against steel. Still, with her allies covering her, it posed no issue.
Boom—!
The overwhelming physical power of the 6th hierarchy came into play. The steel umbrella in her hands tore through golems with a thunderous force utterly unfitting of its appearance.
Uuuuun—
At last, Dimona had time.
Her fingertips glowed. An invisible signal penetrated the mechanical ranks.
Pshh—!
Some of the golems began behaving strangely. Targets shifted. Machines recognized each other as enemies and began smashing one another apart.
Steel against steel.
Their numbers dropped sharply.
And the bandaged one...
She did nothing.
She simply stood in front of the exhausted Mikhela, who had collapsed to the ground, smiling mysteriously. The fact that she was smiling beneath layers of bandages was only evident from how her violet eyes curved into a crescent.
“...What kind of ability does she have?”
Grand Crow wouldn’t have sent someone useless. Clearly, she was exceptional.
Then why wasn’t she acting?
Gunther dismissed the thought. The battle came first.
— For Valloren!
— Protect Her Highness!
At last, the knights—who had been mesmerized by “Night Raven’s” combat—snapped out of it.
— Kneel before Her Highness, you scrap metal!
Caught up in the momentum, the Barkel twins joined the fight as well, back-to-back, swinging their swords fiercely.
And just like that—
The seemingly endless steel wave broke.
Boom—!
The final golem fell beneath Gunther’s blade.
Ding!
[Level Up! / Lv. 96]
[Strength 70 → 71]
Gunther exhaled heavily and straightened. The heat spreading through his body slowly faded.
He scanned his comrades.
Some blood. Dust. A few scratches.
No serious injuries.
Good.
His gaze finally settled on Mikhela. Her tail twitched. Joy at reunion and guilt were mixed on her face.
“...And where is her escort? Why is she alone?”
If Seraz saw this, she’d lose her mind.
Gunther sighed again.
— Let’s head to the nearest village.
Mayor. Prince and princess. Commander of the Executive Division.
First—food.
Gunther stepped forward. The others followed.
Before crossing into Nereus, the group entered the last village on Valloren’s side. No names or titles were needed.
The single large gemstone Mikhela casually placed on the counter was enough.
Right. She owned the Border City.
Gunther had forgotten she was richer than most kings.
The tavern owner’s eyes widened—then he broke into a massive grin.
— Shop’s closed! Didn’t finish eating? Don’t care, get out! Next time I’ll feed you double!
And just like that, they took over the best tavern in the village.
Soon, steaming stew and freshly baked bread covered the table. The scent of meat and herbs filled the air. The tension began to ease.
— Hello, I’m Seril. You are... wicked elegance incarnate.
— ...What?
— S-she probably meant “a beauty capable of bringing down a kingdom.” My sister is a bit... inarticulate.
Flustered, Servan bowed hurriedly to Dimona. Seril nodded beside him.
The old Dimona would have ignored them.
But now—she offered a strained smile.
“Dimona... learning social skills.”
Gunther felt a strange sense of pride.
Dimona leaned slightly toward him.
— Gunther, how have you been? You’ve done a great deal.
— Yeah. And you?
— Well. Thanks to you.
Gunther was genuinely glad to see her.
He wanted to tell her everything.
That taking Pendrox was one step closer.
That with Parco’s rise, Valloren fully supported them.
That saving her younger brother was becoming real.
Telling her all of that... felt like a reward.
He also needed to greet the new ally—the bandaged one.
Clearly a veteran. High-ranking Night Raven member. Few words, but overwhelming presence.
— Hey, Cheonmae~ same hairstyle? A bit old-fashioned for your age~?
— I’ll cut all your bandages off.
Even their “greeting” sounded like that.
She hadn’t existed in the original story.
Which made her especially interesting.
But.
There was a more important problem.
— ...
Gunther turned his gaze sharply to the corner of the table.
There, the raccoon beastkin was devouring food—then froze, ears twitching, and looked at him.
— So, Madam Mayor... what the hell is going on?
That question carried far too much weight.
Under everyone’s gaze, Mikhela quickly straightened up, wiping sauce from her lips.
— Well... — she sighed. — There’s been a small problem in the Labyrinth.
And at that exact moment—
Ding!
A system message flashed before Gunther’s eyes.
[Clue about the Judge obtained]
[You have identified the movement route of the “Judge” pursuing you]
