Vs Oscar Orcus(?) - First Phase

[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]

Oscar Orcus?

Creator and Ruler of the Labyrinth they were stepping foot?

It wasn't a hard pill to swallow, but the obvious mind-boggling thing was that how was he even able to possess Satoru easily.

Since when did that happen?

Maybe it was at the time where Satoru changed, appearance-wise but... it was also pretty strange for him to act like him....

"Oscar Orcus.... one of the Mavericks from 2 thousand years ago?"

Suddenly, Hajime spoke out, staring straight towards the person who possibly was possessing Satoru.

"Of course, I am one of those people who rebelled against Ehit for the greater good. And although we admitted that we lost against him, our determination to keep moving forward remained; that is the reason we built the Labyrinths, to test and strengthen the will of the challengers so they may be prepared to face the possible schemes of Ehit."

Oscar(?) replied with a very dull and bored tone, yet it did feel like there was some trace of interest within it as he leaned forward and rested his cheek on his half-closed palm.

But....

"If so, why did you rebel again Ehit? You could've just fought for him and for humanity!"

It was Kaori who said this, confused and definitely

Yet, all she has gained was a serious glare.

"Is that so? Tell me, before you entered my Labyrinth, have you ever noticed that there was something wrong the moment you came to this world?"

His voice reverberated around the room, heard by all the students who easily became flabbergasted.

Aletia, who began to remember that the Holy Church had done to her kingdom before she was sealed, immediately gained a slight change to her expression.

"The moment we were summoned, we were all showered with gifts and affection, and the promise that we would be returned to our world after defeating the demon king."

Shizuku had replied to Oscar, remembering that time when they were summoned, just before she realized what was Oscar(?) trying to say.

In the beginning there already were red flags that had been present in front of them, yet they were too blind to even notice, as they were consumed with glamor and other sweet things....

... Now what?

"Figures...." - Shimizu

"That pope from months ago, what does he truly want?" - Yuya

"Are our own efforts worthless in the end? Who or what are we even fighting for?!" - Atsushi

The students began to make chatter, as a seed of doubt was placed in them. Though....

"Everyone, be silent! We have to be silent and listen to him first, maybe there's something else he could say to us!" Hajime yelled to get his classmates' attention, as he felt very determined at this moment.

"Even if we don't know our current purpose, I need to ask you something, Mr. Orcus!"

Oscar(?) gestured him go on with a slightly intrigued expression.

"What should we really do after this? I mean, I wanted to return home and leave Tortus, like possibly some of my classmates here."

After finishing his sentence, Hajime immediately became silent. Just what kind of selfish mindset was that?

He clicked his tongue, thinking that would be quite stupid for him. And that he felt glares from all around him, from his classmates and a shocked Kaori, and the gaze full of disappointment from Oscar.

"On second thought.... What do we need to do to save this world?"

That softened the gazes given to him, and it felt a little relieving since Oscar gained a small smile.

"Very well, the first thing is to defeat me and gain my knowledge and skill to use Ancient Magic, then defeat these labyrinths in order: Reisen Great Labyrinth, Gruen Desert's Volcano, Sunken Ruins of the City of Melusine, The Church inside the Divine Mounyain, Great Labyrinth of Schnee, and then the Great Labyrinth of Haltina.

By the way, I'd like you to know that right now you should keep your profiles low, assume a persona as you fight under the shadows, like we Liberators sometimes did."

Once Oscar explained those, he leaned back on his throne, gathering magic between his palms and bringing them in front of his mouth.

"Now all the exposition you need is over, this shall be your first test from me: Face and conquer your shadows, or in other words, your true self."

He then blew gently on his hands, sending a thick, black smoke that immediately covered the students and even Aletia.

And then, they were immediately asleep, laying down on the ground.

Just thirty seconds later, Aletia and Shimizu immediately returned back to the conscious world, looking like they have gained a little clarity.

"Yeah, that's right.... While I want to avenge my sister by killing Kouki, I wouldn't really feel all better. It's just that, I feel like staying in this world would make me feel better now. And I realized if I wanted to be noticed, I'm going to work harder than my old self!""

The pale skinned student whispered, before staring at Oscar while silently giving him a thank you.

"..... I only got to talk with my 'real self'. I want to become stronger to stand by your side, Satoru, nothing else. And I..... no, you're not Satoru, so I cannot tell you, not yet."

With a blunt face, she told Oscar(?) that, but why did she become silent with curiosity on her eyes?

The students, one by one, began to wake up slowly. Each having different expressions and emotions ranging from good to bad.

The moment Eri woke up, she stared straight to Oscar(?) with a tear running down her eye, rubbing her cheek with her hand as if she had been slapped hard.

"Satoru..... am I just holding back my emotions?"

Now, reinvigorated to an extent, Eri narrowed her eyes towards Oscar(?), as if he were someone irritating.

"Bastard, give my back Satoru right now..... I have something to tell him!"

She almost yelled, but the maker of the labyrinth only smirked.

"Defeat me first. Then you'd get heavily lovey-dovey with your teacher later, fufufu~"

Oscar(?) replied with a slightly mischievous expression, patting his cheek lightly with a knowing smirk.

The bob-cut haired girl only groaned in annoyance, as her cheeks began to brighten up in mild arousal; however, she immediately stabilized it with her [Dark Magic].

A few persons on the group also realized something: Oscar has a strange sense of humor. And that his dull, lonely expression seemed to brighten even more.

After a while, they had rested to regain some of their mental energy, which Oscar(?) allowed them to have.

Still, they wondered what Oscar's next move would be.

He stood up, and then made a snapping sound with his flicking fingers.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared from the ceiling, as a 35 meter knight mecha appeared after the light dimmed.

"This is my second test: How would you fare against something like my Extreme Shadow King?"

Oscar(?) declared, leaping towards the knight and was seemingly absorbed by it.

"Extreme Shadow King?! Was he some sort of chunnibyo, too?"

Shimizu asked, but before anybody could answer, the gigantic metal knight began to power up.

They're going to have possibly one of the hardest battles in the Labyrinth. And it was from Oscar Orcus(?) himself.

[ ~ Chapter • End ~ ]

Author's Commentary: I just wanted to say that I thought of making Satoru, as Oscar, contrasts Miledi Reisen from her cheerful, yet terribly annoying self by being dull while also being direct.

Fun Fact: Extreme Shadow King is based off of Berserker Lancelot (Fate/Zero).

P. S. It's just a prototype, expect it to be quite unimpactful.