The Final Boss... Labyrinth Cleared

Higher Dimension, Void Empress' Throne Room.

"That vampire…" The Void Empress groaned as she watched the scrying spell that displayed the image of Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia walking down the only set of stairs in the True Orcus Great Labyrinth. "Her extremely high libido is going to ruin my little dragon's future."

As she spoke, the Void Empress could not help remembering all the times she watched Aletia try to seduce Tatsuo into doing something before the optimal time.

"If she keeps this up, I'm going to have to intervene." The void Empress continued. "And that is the last thing I want to do. But I can't let her stunt my son's growth. He's meant to be so much more than she could ever imagine."

At that moment, the Void Empress, who was seated on her throne with her left arm resting on the armrest while her right supported her head as the elbow did the same. And the reason for that was simple, she could see Aletia's hands sliding up and down Tatsuo's abdomen in order to get a rise out of him.

Luckily, before she could go too far, Sumire, ever vigilant, slapped Aletia's hand away before starting to scold the vampire princess. Tatsuo, on the other hand, only shook his head while looking over the vast area that made up the 100th Floor of the Labyrinth.

"*Sigh* Maybe sending him to this world wasn't such a good idea." The void Empress muttered. "But it was necessary… The next one is, too. After that, I'll just spin the wheel and see what comes of it. I just hope there aren't as many temptresses in the other world he goes to before the state of his soul is fully awakened."

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, True Orcus Great Labyrinth, 100th Floor.

"We've finally made it to the last floor." Sumire said while swatting Aletia's hand away from Tatsuo without even looking at her. "After we clear this floor, we can finally get out."

"Then, we can finally try and get back to the Heiligh Royal Capital and let James know we're all right." Tatsuo added. "I wonder if he's killed Amanogawa, though. I mean, he really couldn't stand his self-righteous crap."

"I hope not." Sumire replied. "Despite all his short comings, Amanogawa-Kun is a good boy. He's just a little too confident in the fact that he's always right… about everything."

"James?" Aletia asked, finally stopping her attempts to seduce Tatsuo. "Your cousin, right?"

"Yeah." Tatsuo replied with a nod while glancing at Sumire, who did the same.

Noticing the exchange of glances, Aletia knew there was something Tatsuo and Sumire were not telling her. A pout could not help making it onto her face because of that. The fact that those two shared a secret that she was not in on made her, oh so, jealous. So jealous, in fact, that she wanted to throw a tantrum to make them include her in the inside secret.

However, she knew that would only annoy Tatsuo in the best case. And in the worst case, she would lose her place beside him due to her neediness. So, she just kept her mouth shut and hoped that Tatsuo would trust her enough to let her in on the secret in time.

Around that time, the trio made it to the bottom of the stairs, finally setting foot on the 100th Floor of the Labyrinth. When they did, there were only three things they could see other than the walls of the floor. First, on the side of the room opposite the stairs were a pair of double doors that were at least a hundred feet tall, and probably just as heavy as they looked. Second, a large magic circle in the center of the floor. And third, columns scattered all over the room as far as the eye could see.

"Well, that looks like the beginning of a final boss fight if I ever saw one." Tatsuo said, referring to the magic circle at the center of the floor. "But when we finish it, we should be able to get out of this God forsaken Labyrinth."

"I hope so." Sumire muttered while surveying the floor.

Meanwhile, Aletia's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing the outside world again. As a result, she grabbed Tatsuo's arm tightly while looking at the magic circle with determination in her eyes.

The next minute, or so, went by in silence. The group raised their guard to its highest as they approached the magic circle. When they eventually got close enough, about a hundred feet away , the magic circle began shining brightly.

"Get ready." Tatsuo said as he unholstered his pistols.

Instead of replying verbally, Aletia started circulating her mana, causing a cloak of golden mana to form around her while she raised her hands towards the magic circle. Sumire, on the other hand, raised her sword and shield as she took a step forward and positioned herself between the magic circle and Aletia.

A few moments later, a large, draconic monster with six long necks and heads with different colors, red, blue, green, yellow, black, and white, appeared atop the magic circle as its dimmed rapidly.

*Roar! * x 6

As soon as the light faded completely, all six of the draconic heads roared loudly, the soundwaves causing dust and small piece of debris to fall from the ceiling.

*Zap!* x 2

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

"You're too loud." Tatsuo said loudly as he discharged his weapons while flowing electricity into them.

*Clang!* *Boom!* *Splatter!* *Boom!* *Splatter!* *Boom!* *Splatter!* *Boom!* *Splatter!* *Boom!*

Despite how quickly the bullets fired from Tatsuo's pistols tore through the air, he was only able to hit four of the six heads of the hydra-like monster, causing them to burst into chunks of blood and gore while the four long necks slumped lifelessly to the floor. As for the two heads, one, the yellow one, started glowing with yellow mana as it moved with great agility to protect the white one.

At the same time, the red, blue, green, and black heads exploded on impact while the final bullet, which was aimed at the yellow head, hit the wall behind the hydra and blew a hole into it.

As soon as the bullets stopped flying, the white head was the next to light up with mana. Then, after only a moment, the four destroyed heads grew back, leaving the hydra in the same condition it was in when it first emerged from the magic circle.

"Well, that's just not fair." Sumire muttered as she watched the four restored heads rise from the ground, staring at Tatsuo with hatred all the while.

"No time to talk." Aletia said as she pointed at the white head. "We have to get rid of the white one. It can heal the others. [Crimson Javelin]."

"Like I didn't already know that." Sumire grumbled as a flaming, crimson red spear flew past her.

Unfortunately, just like it did when Tatsuo tried shootting the white head, the yellow head intercepted the [Crimson Javelin] while glowing with yellow mana.

Meanwhile, the red, blue, and green heads all opened their mouths before roaring in the party's direction.

In the next moment, Sumire spun around and scooped Aletia into her arms before jumping away. Meanwhile, Tatsuo simply vanished from where he stood with a [Blink].

*Boom~~~~~!*

Then, just as the trio had gotten clear of the blast radius, a torrent of wind blades from the green head decimated the spot where they once stood. A beat later, an explosion was triggered when a stream of flames, from the red head, and a number of ice shards, from the blue head, collided in the spot, as well.

Seeing that none of their attacks landed on their prey, the red and blue heads moved their attention towards Tatsuo, who had [Blinked] to the right of the explosion sight. At the same time, the green and black heads looked towards Sumire and Aletia, who had jumped in the opposite direction.

*Boom~~~~~!*

A moment later, the place where Tatsuo stood exploded once again, as the red and blue heads once again fired their breath attacks in tandem. However, just like he had done the first time, Tatsuo [Blinked] away without taking any damage.

On the other side, the green head once again shot a torrent of wind blades at Sumire and Aletia. However, instead of running away like last time, Sumire stepped forward and raised her shield.

"[Guardian Fortress]." Sumire chanted as she lit up with violet mana.

*Screech!* *Screech!* *Screech!* *Screech!* *Screech!*

The mana coating Sumire's body then moved to cover her shield, as well, before spreading outwards. When the wind blades eventually slammed into the [Guardian Fortress], the screeching sounds they produced on impact were deafening. Even so, Sumire held strong.

"This would be a lot easier if I could invoke Athena's [True Name]." Sumire muttered in annoyance while holding her ground against the torrent of wind blades. "That way, I would be able to let my shield defend me automatically while I attack by throwing my spear. Unfortunately, because I'm in a different world, I can't connect to the power of the goddess."

While the standoff between Sumire and the green head continued, Aletia's expression was turning from her usual kudere expression, twisting into one filled with rage. And her rage filled glare was pointed at the black head, which was seemingly inactive while staring at her. However, the fact that its eyes were glowing was a clear indication that it was up to something… Something that Aletia did not like.

"How dare you!" Aletia bellowed angrily while her mana surged and she pointed her hands at the black head. "I was not abandoned! My uncle did that to save not only me, but this world! Now, you shall pay for trying to make me despair at the past! [Thunderlord's Judgement]!"

While Sumire was startled by the sudden scream from behind her, she quickly understood why Aletia had lost her cool like she did. The black head of the hydra had the ability to influence its target by using what they feared the most against them. And since Aletia had despaired for the past three hundred years while in solitude, she was the clearest target.

However, after seeing the message from her uncle, Aletia came to accept why she was sealed away on the 50th Floor. As a result, her time in captivity was no longer a shadow in her heart. Instead, it was another memory that made her realize just how much her uncle loved her… Even if there might have been a better way to go about showing it.

Meanwhile, as soon as Aletia's spell was named, six orbs of lightning flew from her outstretched hands, circled around the [Guardian Fortress] Skill Sumire was using, and flew towards the black head at break neck speed. However, because Aletia was not worried about the collateral damage her attack might cause, a number of the pillars in the room were destroyed along the way.

On top of that, the hydra's red and green heads were also blown apart for a second time because they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After destroying the two heads of the hydra, the six orbs of lightning created a circle around the black head. Then, lightning shot from each of the six orbs, converging on the hydra's black head at the center of the circle. And as time went by, the lightning formed a seventh orb, incinerating the head by the time it dissipated.

Unfortunately, even though Aletia's attack destroyed three of the hydra's six heads, it did not get rid of the one that mattered. Namely, the white one. Luckily, the lightning that was channeled through the hydra's body left the other three heads, as well as the rest of the body paralyzed momentarily.

Even better, there was a young man in the same party as Aletia that had been trained to take advantage of any openings during eight years of grueling, inhuman training.

With all three of the remaining heads shuddering painfully, Tatsuo, who had been playing tag with the red and blue heads of the hydra before Aletia released her spell, appeared in midair at a height that made it easy for him to make eye contact with any of the hydra's heads. And thanks to his spatial awareness, he appeared at the center point between the yellow head and the white one. With his arms spread to either side, pistols in hand, and arcs of electricity flowing through the custom weapons.

"Time to get rid of the two most troublesome heads." Tatsuo muttered as he squeezed the triggers of his pistols.

*Zap!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

An instant later, both the white and yellow heads exploded, their necks slumping lifelessly to the floor, along with the necks of the red and green heads. As a result, only the blue head was left, and that would not be the case for long.

*Swoosh!*

And the reason for that was simple. As soon as the torrent of wind blades the green head was attacking with stopped, Sumire cancelled her [Guardian Fortress], raised her spear into a throwing position, and launched it forward with all her might. Naturally, her target was the blue head that had just stopped breathing ice shards in Tatsuo's direction after he blinked away.

As for how Sumire knew that Tatsuo would not attack the blue head, making her attack nothing more than wasted effort, she had been fighting alongside Tatsuo for months now. Thanks to that, the two had a level of understanding that did not require words to get their intentions across.

Sumire's spear pierced into the hydra's last head with little effort. Though, she did not completely destroy it like Tatsuo and Aletia, as her physical strength, though quite impressive, was nowhere near as potent as a railgun or a controlled lightning storm. Still, her attack did manage to take down the target.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be." Tatsuo said as he [Blinked] next to Sumire and Aletia. "Still, something tells me this isn't over yet."

"Yeah, that was way too easy for a last boss." Sumire added.

"On top of that, what kind of last boss only has one stage in the boss fight?" Tatsuo asked with a smile.

While Tatsuo and Sumire continued to chat casually while suggesting that there was more to the fight that should have just concluded, Aletia pouted at the two, unhappy that she had no idea exactly what they were talking about.

However, before Aletia could make a fuss about being left out by biting Tatsuo and Drinking his blood, the magic circle under the hydra's corpse started to glow once again. Then, the remains of the hydra broke down before being sucked into the magic circle.

Seeing that, Aletia opened her eyes wide in surprise. Then, she shifted her gaze between Tatsuo and Sumire, who did not seem to be surprised by what they were seeing.

A few moments later, after the remains of the hydra were sucked into the magic circle, a new beast with draconic features, though this one only had one, silver, head, rose from the magic circle. However, instead of roaring like the hydra, it just opened its mouth and started gathering mana between its jaws.

"Nope!" Tatsuo, who had [Blinked] behind the silver headed draconic beast's head, said while crossing his arms with his pistols in hand. "Just nope!"

A moment later, instead of flowing with midnight purple electricity, a coat of midnight purple [Energy] appeared around the blades attached to the pistols. Then, once they were fully formed, Tatsuo uncrossed his arms. When he did, the [Energy] coating the blades was sent forward as a large [Energy Blade] that cut through the space it passed through.

The large [Energy Blade] took next to no time to cross the distance between Tatsuo and the silver-headed draconic beast. Nor did it stop when it reached its target. Instead, it cut through the space where the monster's neck was with ease before continuing forward and cutting into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

While Sumire was unsurprised by the display of power Tatsuo just showed, Aletia, who thought she was more powerful than Tatsuo thanks to her magic, was dumbfounded. Even if she used her most powerful spell, she would not be able to completely cut through the defenses of a monster that strong in one slice.

*Boom!*

And when the silver-headed draconic beast's head fell to the floor, before being quickly followed by the rest of its body, she realized that Tatsuo was never weaker than her. And to her surprise, she did not find herself bothered by that knowledge at all. Instead, she was happy.

'He's exactly what the husband of the queen of vampires should be.' Aletia thought to herself while licking her lips greedily.

"Alright, you two, let's go." Tatsuo said as he landed on the floor behind the magic circle. "I really wanna get out of this labyrinth. It's been like six months since I got in here. And I wanna go let James and Hajime know that I'm alright. Hell, I bet Aiko-Chan-Sensei has been crying her eyes out, too."

With that, Tatsuo turned towards the large doors opposite the stairs that led down to the 100th Floor. Then, a moment after he started walking, Sumire and Aletia chased after him, arriving at his sides just before he lifted his hands to push the doors open.

And when Tatsuo finally pushed the doors open, two things happened simultaneously. First, Tatsuo was surprised by just how light the doors were. And second, he, Sumire, and Aleitia were all temporarily blinded by the light that peaked through the slowly opening doors.

At the same time, both Tatsuo and Sumire received a [Notification] on their smartphones that read:

{[Notifications]

[Objective] #3 – Complete!}

'And that's three.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'Only three more to go.'