Chapter 64: Hidden Labyrinth

On the surface of Orario, there was only one entrance to Knossos—the sewage. It is the sewage system located beneath Daedalus Street. The path to the entrance is relatively narrow.

Fortunately, they have Nobu's intel and Daedalus' Notebook. Finn, the 'commander' of this operation, chose a flexible approach. They would attack all three entrances from the first to the twelve floor. They would employ multiple attacks on several fronts. Worse, the ones waiting on ambush on the sixth and twelfth floor are unknown to Evilus.

Currently, a total of five prominent familias are included in this operation. Loki Familia serves as the vanguard force along with Ganesha and Hermes Familia. They would begin the sweep on the first floor.

"Secured. There's nothin' in here."

"This side too!" Tiona proceeded to fiddle with the 'gadget'. "Oh, this is interesting!"

"Stop yapping here! We're not out to play!"

Bete finally had enough of Tiona's voice. He turned off the 'communication orb' made by Sirius.

It is one of their trump cards in the operation. It allowed them to communicate through different channels. There are several channels for the executives and captains of each familia.

"That young'un has a brilliant mind."

Gareth saw the orb's significance for exploration at first glance. It isn't an understatement that it would change the way adventurers explore the dungeon.

"His actions are nothing short of surprising." Finn said.

Finn recalled the things Nobu had done within these two days. For once, the boy asked them to declare that Loki Familia had done the 'preparations' for supplies. The rest of the credit fell to Hephaestus Familia. That was to create an 'atmosphere' of them knowing about Knossos for a while.

At least, the adventurers would place their faith in their leaders rather than hearing a sudden announcement from a rising star. Nevertheless, Nobu's efforts were shown through his unbreakable magic swords.

Finn switched the channel and asked the split-up group to return. Although they had more upper-class adventurers, there remain many unpredictable factors.

A voice came from the orb. It belonged to Shakti, the captain of Ganesha Familia.

"We're done securing the entrance. Our group will follow up."

"Noted."

Suddenly, Finn's thumb prickled slightly. It was to the level that slightly bothered him.

"Something's coming."

His premonition was proven right when they saw a swarm of violas. They looked similar to spiders—different from the expected flower-like monsters.

"..!"

Finn was the first one to see something amiss. He caught a weak glow attached to their backs.

"Inferno stones! Shielders, brace yourselves!"

Clang-!

The adventurers who held the shields braced themselves. It was too late to remind them, thus that was all they could do. They tried their best to seal the gaps between them.

Boom-!

Boom-!

Boom-!

Consecutive explosions appeared from the front. Some shielders fell to the impact. Fortunately, their numbers are plenty. There are new shielders who replaced the fallen ones. The latter was also pulled over to the rear.

At this time, the rearguard finally reacted.

Boom-!

Taking advantage of the narrow pathway, the combined forces of mages started sending out their magic. The shielders skillfully opened some gaps to not get caught by the crossfire. Everyone cooperated tacitly despite not being from one familia.

Boom-!

Some of the magic fired caused the Inferno Stones, to destabilize, which ended into a chain explosion.

When it settled down, all they saw were the corpses of violas.

Finn scanned the area ahead to make sure there aren't any violas left.

"That should be everything."

Hearing Finn's confirmation, the adventurers began to compose themselves. Despite being veterans, they were still caught off guard right off the bat. Fortunately, everyone was quick to react—showing a high level of alertness inside the dungeon.

(A/N: For reference, this pathway should fit ten to fifteen people by width.)

The strongest executives could have spearheaded the operation right off the bat, but some considerations were made. One of them was for the adventurers to 'tune' themselves to Knossos.

By the time they had explored the first floor, most of the upper-class adventurers would spearhead the way from the ninth to the twelfth floor. It minimizes the danger and allows the adventurers to be attuned inside the labyrinth. They are not lacking time as compared to their original attack.

"Sorry for taking so long."

Hermes Familia was the first one to arrive. Their abilities as an intelligence group aren't something to scoff at. With the map, they didn't lose their way at the very least.

Finn waved off Asfi's apologies.

"It's fine." He said. "How did it go?"

"It's very complex. The pathways are split off a total of eleven times. There were traps placed in the areas stated on the map."

True to its creator's intent, the man-made dungeon was made to be just as confusing as the real dungeon. It also incorporated the design of Daedalus Street. If not for the map in their hands, they would've lost their way. Mapping the place is extremely difficult as well.

In a sense, the notebook saved them a lot of effort.

While Asfi was explaining, she caught something amiss. Her current glasses were specially made to be 'sensitive' to magic tools—they only had this function as a result of this specialization. It was something Nobu recommended her to make.

'That..! A surveillance tool..?' She recalled his reminders. 'Even Finn Deimne couldn't notice it!'

The surveillance tool looked very small. It was attached to one of the sculptures over their heads. If not for her glasses, she wouldn't have noticed it.

"We are being watched."

"...I see."

The pallum captain easily processed it.

Asfi took out a silver dagger. It was engraved with complex numerology that encompassed a spell.

She deftly threw it in the direction of the surveillance tool.

Flash-!

The silver dagger imploded with white light.

*****

"They know about it…"

Barca silently mulled as he saw the unresponsive screen. He is currently on their base on the tenth floor. It is the place where he watched everything that was happening inside Knossos.

"Looks like trouble, Barca-chan."

"..."

They were expecting Knossos to be revealed through Hephaestus Familia. However, they did not expect the attack to happen today. It was barely two days since Valletta died. The amount of preparations they would need to do surpasses this timespan.

Looking at the way the intruders explored Knossos, they are clearly well-prepared. The attack caught everyone off guard. Even, just the sheer number of familias present startled Thanatos.

At the same time, he caught onto something uncanny.

"We're in trouble... but it's interesting." He said with a smile. "What will you do, Barca-chan?"

"...This will be the end of our dream." Barca retorted with resentment.

Barca didn't have any reactions upon seeing the possible end of their thousand-year-old dream. He should have been crazed to stop it, but he didn't react that way. The more desperate it was, the calmer he became.

It showed his fanatical resolve to protect his wish.

"Place a trap on the sixth floor. Everything should be relocated to that floor." He declared.

"Alright."

*****

A total of four entrances could be found to Knossos. One in the sewage. Then, on the sixth, twelfth, and eighteenth floors, respectively.

A group has to hold the perimeter within the hidden entrances. The vanguard team—the ones responsible for attracting Thanatos' attention—takes care of the sewer entrance.

Hephaestus Familia and Artemis Familia, on the other hand, takes care of the sixth floor.

Loki Familia's Fairy Force deals with the twelfth floor along with Aiz-san.

The remaining Ganesha and Loki Familia members guard the eighteenth floor.

'It's awkward here.'

I knew this could happen when I chose to be with the Fairy Force. I regained more than half of my magic capabilities. I could deal more damage by sneaking up to them on the tenth floor. Since I remained ahead and concealed, I could strike a surprise attack.

Although there could be inconsistencies in my memories of three years later, the control room would remain there. Even if Thanatos or Barca aren't present, I could take control of the entire Knossos from there—or at least a good portion of it.

The awkwardness came to an end when Aiz-san approached.

"I heard you got caught. I am sorry about that one."

"It's not your fault."

She wore her usual battle garb—breastplate, kneepads, and pauldrons. It is minimal compared to the one I and Kaye-san prefer.

It's up to one's preferences.

Ironically, I am wearing my magician outfit.

"Did Lady Riveria punish you?" I asked.

Lady Riveria discovered Aiz-san's disappearance when she helped me with Valletta.

"She scolded me."

"The usual, then."

Lady Riveria and Aiz-san keep this thing between them, so I've only heard about it during my first visit.

Suddenly, the communication orb lit up. It was set to Finn-san's channel exclusively. All the captains have access to it. The other captains are aware that I am here, including Varma-san from Ganesha Familia.

"There are no encounters within the three floors." He declared. "The traps are still working. There are no encounters with violas nor Evilus."

I could guess the opponent's move.

"They must have relocated. Preparations for a huge ambush, perhaps."

Lady Riveria was the first to point it out.

"This could be quite troublesome."

"We shall be alert for potential attacks." Finn-san replied. "If we haven't encountered anyone on the fifth floor, it's somewhere on the sixth floor and above."

This time, Tsubaki-nee responded:

"A'ight. We'll get ourselves ready!"

Stillness returned after the conversation. I could see the elves on the Fairy Force glance to me now and then.

I don't know why, but they appeared less… condescending?

Still, we haven't interacted. I am thankful for Aiz-san's presence. I sent a look of gratitude to her.

"..?"

"...It's nothing."

An image of a girl overlapped with hers. My heart tightened for a moment.

'No, it's alright. I will go back and deal with everything. Kazamitsu-san has things under control. The years of preparations are not in vain.'

Now, I realized I should've spent a chance or two to organize my mental state. I don't know if psychiatrists could fix my current state.

Aiz-san looked at Knossos' entrance before she said something.

"You're doing it again."

"Yes..?"

"You're like Bete…"

"Excuse me?"

I was momentarily confounded.

"Do I look like someone?"

"..!"

…

I was truly naive to think she hadn't noticed it. I tried my best to hide my reactions.

People in this world are this perceptive, huh? Maybe my world's like this too. It's just that I haven't noticed it.

"...Yes. You look like my… friend." I confessed. "I placed her in danger once. If… nothing. She's still alive. Aiz-san doesn't have to worry."

"...I see."

Looking at her side view, she is… pouting?

It disappeared seconds later. It looked like my imagination but I am not mistaken.

I realized she must have been affected by it. Seeing someone else on another girl could be disrespectful.

"I'm sorry about this."

I did what I deemed right.

"...It's fine."

Aiz-san went back to her usual poker face. Although, I could see her upbeat mood after this.

We continued talking until Finn-san's voice reached out to the orb.

"They're on the sixth floor."

"We're headin' out!" Tsubaki-nee replied.

Hearing this, I met Lady Riveria's gaze. She then focused her attention to the Fairy Force—a group of elves proficient in magic. They are a special group in Loki Familia.

"We will move out."

"""Yes!"""

I also did my share of preparations.

"Wardrobe."

The factors present in the two magic circles appeared in my mind. It involved the swapping of 'conjunction space'. My magician's outfit was swapped for my full body armor. It has the same design as my black armor but with new functions.

"Flight."

The magic circuits on my feet up to my back lit up. It twisted the electromagnetic field around me, allowing the so-called 'flight'. It has many processes involved. Fortunately, I have [Miracle Maker] and my enhanced mind.

I saw the others' surprised glances aimed at me.

"Mas Gravitas Reductio." (Mass and Gravity Reduction.)

Another spell changed the gravitational pull experienced by my body. It allowed for faster and lighter flight.

We are some distance away from the revealed entrance. The surveillance tools haven't caught us.

"You can fly?"

Aiz-san's eyes shone brilliantly with her question.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say it?"

"I did." I replied. "Lady Riveria asked it once and I mentioned it."

"Riveria..?"

Lady Riveria who caught her attention faced my direction.

"Take care." She said.

"Duly noted." I then added, "I will be relying on Lady Riveria for my escape."

In case I screwed up, I left the other end of [Recall]—a kind of ornamental dagger—to her.

Before the group proceeded to Knossos, I activated [Composite]. Layers of mysteries covered up my entire being. I turned invisible at this moment.

"Let's… nevermind."

I was about to say something to Aiz-san when I thought of the flags. I am not superstitious, though I refrain from doing such things.

My future iterations are enough.

"Directio acceleratus." (Direction Acceleration.)

I adjusted my balance before I was launched horizontally. I changed my posture to a diagonal as I flew straight inside the hidden labyrinth.

My current speed is roughly twenty kilometers per hour. I blitzed through the entire twelfth floor with familiarity. It was considered as my 'home' in the eighth iteration, after all.

Placing the communication orb in my grasp, I continued to multitask. The perimeters of 'flight magic' has to be adjusted every time I take a turn.

It went easier with my armor. I didn't have to worry about my balance and instead focused on my destination. My mind is freer to cast other spells.

Five minutes later, I arrived at the eleventh floor. I passed by several Evilus members, but they are few in numbers.

"You went inside, Sirius?"

I heard Finn-san's voice inside the orb.

"Yes. There are several Evilus members on the path I bypassed. From the way it looks, they are heading to the upper floors."

"I see."

It was stated in one of the memos in the notebook that the control room should be placed somewhere around the tenth to the twelfth floor. I proposed to ambush everyone on the room while staying under the radar which was approved by Finn-san.

No matter how I call [Composite] a fake [One Ring], it belongs to its own league. Level threes haven't discovered me; so were the surveillance tools.

As long as I don't 'interact' with objects, my presence would be hidden for level three adventurers and below.

'Right. My magic.'

I haven't used the chance for [Memoir Manifest] in an attempt to get something useful today. Considering its duration of ten minutes, I should activate it now.

Using [Correspondence], I located a place without surveillance tools and Evilus members. I calculated the position of the blind spot and used [Memoir Manifest].

"Praeteritium, Ostendo tu Ipse." (Bygone events, reveal yourselves.)

The book made of light spread its pages open. Moments later, it changed shape to a rectangular box. It has the same height as me. When the light died down, I saw the item.

I am utterly dumbfounded by it.

"...No fucking way."

The rectangular container contained something I haven't used since I arrived in Gekai.

"A combat suit..?"