Chapter 35
Maya fought against her panic as Smerta’s dot winked out. Hela and Ci followed. The seven satyrs’ dots didn’t move as the enemy strode past them. They drowned, impotent to do anything to stop the saint. They were telling Maya everything that had happened.
What the oozes did, how he flowed around attacks, and what he could do.
He entered the Second Labyrinth as the satyrs winked out.
Melin burst into the throne room from the direction of the teleportation circles. The seven hellhounds bounded with them. The fiery cracks that crisscrossed their black bodies burned bright. They were the only Fire monster girls in the dungeon.
All the salamanders were dead. Nina and Engana were with the aerial forces.
Two saints, thought Maya. Two saints. She glanced over at Priestess Lysila praying fiercely. Lord Shamash wants revenge for what Leo did to Lady Sherida, and now we have corrupted the High Priestess of Lord Enki.
Melin joined the other adventurers. The skilled ones were before the trainees. Bellia held her sword in her shaking hands, dressed in leather armor like the others. Nomaz patted her shoulder, his face as pale as hers.
Maya glanced at the map. The second-level defenders were doing what they could to stop him, but saints didn’t go down easily. They needed Leo, and her love was far away. A day’s walk from the dungeon, probably an hour’s flight, and the fliers still had to reach his position.
Priestess Lysila took Maya’s hand.
The undine squeezed it.
Hagane watched the map as monster girl after monster girl died. The arachne tried to use webbing to gum up his body, but that didn’t do much. The basilisk’s breath didn’t harden his water, either. The werebears just drowned.
That was a frightful aspect of it. Hagane couldn’t drown, she didn’t breathe, but other monster girls did. And there were the adventures. They had formed up in here. It was all or nothing. Hagane watched the map, knowing if she had a heart, it would be drumming by now.
“Let’s have the hellhounds attack from the flanks,” Hagane said. “Distract him with us, then let their fiery attacks hurt them. Akiz, your adventurers are our reserves.”
“Right,” growled the dwarf. He was the leader of the first group of adventures that had joined up with Leo. Akiz, Vern, and Ashiliozia. They had Sarkz and Vargi, the two dwarves Leo had captured and convinced to join up, on the flanks. Then the trainees were behind them.
“When he comes in, we hit him with ranged attacks first,” I said. “Ms. Trueno, Morana, Crystal, Paanee, and Ljosa, unleash what you have. Mrs. Baldwin, try to root him. Maya, Baaghi, Bjorni, and myself will charge in with hellhounds. Maybe we can get some damage in while he’s dealing with all those attacks.”
“Our attacks did nothing,” reported Gintaras, one of the will o’ wisp. “Not a single thing. He just ignored us and is in the third labyrinth.”
Hagane glanced at the map. The unicorns had done nothing, either. Now the orcs and yuki-onna died. It was the Darkness Saint all over again. It had taken Lord Leo to defeat him, and they didn’t have him here.
Monster girls did their best.
He reached the Flooded Bridge Room where he had to enter the water. Maybe the mermaids, hippocampi, and the kelpies could do something, but their dots started winking out. It wasn’t long before he was heading into the decoy labyrinth.
That gave her hope. He went the wrong way. He didn’t know about the true way to get out of the Flood Bridge Room. At the very least, it bought them time. That was what they needed. Precious time for Lord Leo to return.
He moved through the decoy labyrinth, finding the dead ends. It took only a few minutes before he returned to the Flooded Bridge Room. Hagane tapped her armblade against her metallic thigh as she stared at the map with everyone else.
“Come on, be an idiot,” Crystal begged.
“He’s not,” Ms. Trueno said. “Look, he’s moving for the door to the Deep Labyrinth.”
“Let’s hope the Level 3 Monster Girls can do something,” Morana said.
“Hope is a terrible strategy,” Hagane said.
“It’s all we have,” said Mrs. Baldwin.
He penetrated the Deep Labyrinth. Hagane watched the dots. Mrs. Baldwin was correct. Hagane didn’t see how they could stop the Water Saint with the forces they had assembled in this room. Maybe with Nina and Esclava, they would have a chance. The phoenixes would be a boon. But Level 1 Fire Monster girls?
The Level 2’s had done nothing.
“That’s that,” Crystal said, despair crushing her icy shoulders. The last Level 3 Monster Girl in the Deep Labyrinth had died. “Just us now.”
“Then let’s get ready!” Sarkz roared. The dwarven fighter smacked his ax into his breastplate. “We’re making our stand here! We hit this watery elf hard and fast!”
“We can do this,” Crystal’s mother said, putting a comforting hand on the ice sprite’s shoulder.
Crystal nodded. They had to. She didn’t want it to end like this. She liked this world. She was here to fight for her little brother’s dream. She formed her icy daggers as she moved into her position, her mother standing on one side of her. Hagane on the other side, her sharp arm-blades gleaming. Roots grew from her mother, rushing toward the door that led into the throne room.
“He’s racing through the guard room,” Bellia cried, her voice quavering. The young adventure in training was making her stand with the rest of them. “Now he’s heading down the hallway. He’s at the door ... now!”
BOOM!