Chapter 33: Silent Envy (2)

"Say…If I told you I wanted to destroy the world, what would you do…?

A pair of crimson red eyes blinked in confusion, slowly drifting toward a figure sitting not too far a distance away.

The flickering orange flame illuminated their features, casting long shadows over areas where light couldn't reach.

They wore an expression that said it was nothing more than a random question, but to the girl herself, it wasn't just that.

"I'd create a spell that would help you destroy it faster."

Thus, she answered without hesitation.

The figure's pale golden eyes suddenly landed on her, their gaze giving off no discernible emotion other than slight intrigue.

"You'd massacre millions…?"

"I'd massacre billions."

To that inquiry, the girl, once again, answered without hesitation.

Her flat, almost emotionless tone would've made her words seem hollow to most, however, the look in her eyes…

"Then, if I wanted to possess you…?"

It wasn't a matter that required deep thought.

"I'd gladly offer up my heart if you asked."

The crimson eyed girl only spoke the truth, her gaze never straying from the figure ahead.

They displayed disinterest, but she knew deep down—these questions were far from meaningless.

"And if I wanted to possess another woman…?"

To this, the girl finally paused for a moment, nevertheless continuing a moment later.

"....Then I'd carve my existence into your very being."

***

*****

***

Yue flinched as she felt the slender fingers of her beloved gently grasp the back of her neck, simultaneously snapping her out of her reverie.

"You can reminisce all you want once we get out of here, don't get distracted.

His deep, tranquil voice reached her ears, filling her heart with an indescribable feeling. Just his touch alone was enough to send shivers down her spine.

Reaching a hand out toward her neck, she softly caressed his forearm, not at all worried about the vital area in which he held her.

"Mn…"

Her gaze trailed off tenderly as she responded.

She had been thinking back on the time they spent together shortly after becoming a Progenitor. It was an unforgettable memory, mostly because she assumed Aziel wanted to destroy the world.

Which was, of course, entirely incorrect.

Still, that series of seemingly random questions had resurfaced at the forefront of her mind due to the appearance of that boorish white-haired girl.

In spite of that, Yue showed no visible signs of dwelling on the occurrence, at least, on the surface she didn't.

It hadn't been long since Suzu, or in Yue's words, the 'intruder', had left. As such, they both continued on with their previous course of action and set off toward the stairs leading downward.

Since everything was already packed up beforehand, they wasted no time in beginning their search.

The craggy labyrinth walls passed by rapidly, their walking speed alone was fast enough to elude the untrained eye, coming out as a mere blur.

Though to the individuals in question, it seemed like nothing more than a leisure stroll. Due to her evolution, Yue's previously abysmal physical prowess had increased tremendously, and she was still getting stronger.

Through the effects of Aziel's skill, 'Natural Alpha', Yue was able to share a small portion of his other skill 'Expedited Growth', further bolstering her prospects. Such effects, coupled with her own potential, allowed her growth rate to soar astronomically.

Even then, Yue could easily tell that Aziel was only keeping pace with her out of consideration, his original speed of movement far outstripping her own.

Still, her lips curved upward into a faint smile. It was at times like these where she really appreciated being by his side.

Yue walked alongside him, her gaze lingering on his attractive face. For a moment, she considered jumping up and embracing him from behind, but ultimately decided against it for the time being.

Instead, she opted to boldly grab his hand, affectionately entwining her fingers around his own. A rosy tint colored her cheeks as she snuck another bashful glance up at him.

Aziel had, of course, taken notice of her decisive actions, but didn't bother indulging her any more than he already had. He shook his head, keeping his attention solely on the path ahead of them.

Eventually, they caught sight of an impasse at the end of the passage, seemingly blocking all paths of advance. At a distance, it only looked like a dead-end obstructed by the labyrinth's natural terrain.

"Is this passageway supposed to be blocked?"

Yue tilted her head, giving voice to her thoughts.

"That's probably not the case, this is the only way forward…"

However, upon reaching the impasse, they realized that though the path ahead was blocked, there was a wide, square shaped hole in the ground that led deeper into the abyss.

Rectangular shaped stone platforms jutted out of the walls at irregular positions, making for a rather unconventional staircase downward.

In order to descend to the floor below, it seemed that one was required to jump down instead of walking normally.

But just as they came to a stop, a familiar figure suddenly appeared a moment later, much to Yue's displeasure.

"...Fancy meeting you here."

It was none other than Suzu Taniguchi. Her snow-white hair danced peacefully behind her as she sauntered over, swaying her hips playfully all the while.

She smiled a pleasant smile, greeting Aziel with a gentle wave of her hand.

Naturally, he was the only one she greeted.

"Leave…"

In a voice as cold as ice, Yue solemnly ordered.

Taking her eyes off Aziel for a moment, Suzu cast a scornful glare at Yue, contempt evident as she clicked her tongue.

"Can you, like, go die or something…?"

Instead of responding immediately, Yue looked up at Aziel, her gaze pleading with childish innocence.

"Aziel…can I kill her…?"

It was as if she were asking her parents to buy her a toy.

Aziel closed his eyes, shaking his head with a helpless expression.

"Violence is not the answer…" Turning his head away despondently, he whispered "...I'm sorry…"

Seeing him play along, Yue watched on in mild disbelief, but upon hearing his answer, she sulkily lowered her head a moment later.

Suzu's thoughtful gaze lingered on Yue's figure, before looking between the both of them in sudden comprehension. Her face lit up as a rather devious plan began to take shape in her mind.

Aziel glanced covertly at her out of the corners of his eyes, slightly amused at the prospects of what scheme she might be cooking up.

Since he could obviously tell when someone was observing him, he hadn't failed to notice her subtle changes in expression. Even then, it was unlikely that it'd be of any real harm toward them, or at least, not toward Aziel.

"Well, I'm going on ahead first. I won't wait too long, so hurry up…"

Leaving behind such careless words, Aziel completely disappeared from where he stood, his objective clear. Contorting his body in midair, multiple structures flew by rapidly as the floor below came into view.

Meanwhile, both Suzu and Yue looked at each other impassively, waiting for the other to break the silence.

However, it was Suzu who opened her mouth to speak first.

"Your boyfriend's waiti—"

"Shut up."

But before she could even finish her sentence, Yue interrupted her almost immediately, cutting her off brutally.

Her eyes twitched, once again opening her mouth to speak, but—

*SWISH*

Yue had already begun jumping down, a smirk playing cherry red lips.

Suzu witnessed this scene play out with a blank expression, her eyes gazing down calmly.

Then—

*CRACK*

A harsh cracking sound echoed as she suddenly clenched her fists, glowing dark red veins peeked through her milky white skin.

"Motherfucker…"

This time, it seemed that it was Yue's win.

As all three of them eventually made it to the next floor, they were immediately greeted by a harsh, biting wind, the extremely low temperatures evident.

Snow stretched on as far as the eye could see, piling up into tall hills and sinking downward into large slopes. Snowflakes drifted wildly through the air as a result of the ongoing blizzard.

It seemed this floor of the labyrinth contained a tundra-like biome.

The trio stood on a slightly elevated stone platform, untouched by snowfall. Still, Aziel was the only one who remained wholly unaffected by the cold, while the other two felt only a mild chill.

"I didn't know the labyrinth had places like this…"

Yue looked around, straightening out her jacket a bit.

However, Suzu had yet to get over resentment from earlier, thus refusing to let things be.

"I'm surprised you know anything."

"Do you want to fight…?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

The situation instantly devolved into a fight, both of them raising their fists with the intention of pummeling the other.

"This is quite the surprise, I guess…"

However, Aziel casually stepped forward, walking in between them as he blocked both of their fists with the palms of his hands, before continuing forward as if nothing happened.

"Ah…Aziel…"

"M-my bad…"

Yue and Suzu stretched their hands out apologetically, thinking that they might've hurt him somehow. But Aziel, on the other hand, proceeded forward at a leisurely pace, paying them no attention.

The girls looked at each other awkwardly before averting their gaze, deciding to quickly follow after him instead.

"A tundra inside the labyrinth is really different…"

Aziel suddenly voiced to himself.

He had heard of nothing like this previously, somewhat taking him by surprise due to the jarring contrast of what he'd expected.

While the source material had spoken nothing of this kind of floor, he supposed that the time skips between scenes had obviously excluded everything that wasn't specifically written.

This was the key difference between reality and fiction. The source material was only just that, a mere story. The entire world that hadn't been explored initially wasn't just nonexistent, the gaps within the storyline had to be filled.

"That's cool… Anyways…"

Aziel quickly got over his initial surprise and stepped over the thick layers of snow, not allowing himself to get stuck in it.

Despite its appearance, it was quite deep, reaching all the way up to Yue and Suzu's waist.

"...I can't walk through this…"

"Why is this actually a thing…?"

The two girls complained, utterly dissatisfied with the current situation. At this rate, it would take them hours to reach the next floor even if they were strong enough to bulldoze through every monster.

The labyrinths trials weren't anything to scoff at.

One had to simultaneously deal with whatever harsh terrain that appeared and fight off the increasingly powerful monsters that dwelled on each of the lower floors.

Taking the current floor for example, if one didn't possess a high base resistance or a skill to ward off the cold, they would undoubtedly perish due to hypothermia, much less a powerful monster.

Calling this place a hellish abyss wasn't an exaggeration.

"Oh, A-Aziel…"

"I see, so you're finally showing your true colors, huh. I knew you couldn't just look that good without—"

"Oi, shut the hell up…"

Both Yue and Suzu looked at Aziel, the former with a slightly flustered expression, while the latter…yea.

The reason for their sudden outbursts lay with the fact that Aziel had unceremoniously hoisted them up into his arms, holding onto their legs from below.

He had decided that, since they'd only slow him down otherwise, he should just carry them rather than letting them trudge through the snow.

The two girls no doubt understood the situation entirely, and yet despite that, they still chose to make a scene, earning them both a tight squeeze on their thighs.

So now, the two faced each other above Aziel's head, at a complete loss for words at what to say in this situation. They were both in the same boat and were obviously unwilling to tease the other for it, thus, the current silence.

"Maybe I should just carry you all the time…"

At his words, the girls responded almost instantly.

"T-there's no need to go that far…!"

"No way…! I'll sue, I'll definitely sue…!"

Aziel shook his head with a sigh.

What a surprise.

For once, they had something they actually agreed on.

They continued traversing through the snowy terrain, unhindered by the deep piles below. Since Aziel was capable of walking above it, they moved swiftly, making considerable ground across this floor.

While Suzu and Yue couldn't see perfectly through the turbulent blizzard and snow, it naturally posed no issue to Aziel, his abnormal vision allowing him to see in all directions with perfect clarity.

"Hey, Azi(Ah-Zee)..."

"Hm…?"

Suzu suddenly called out to him, that too, using the nickname she'd given him during the time they'd spent journeying across this floor.

When she'd first started calling him such, Yue had, of course, expressed her disapproval of Suzu referring to him with even the slightest familiarity, but the white-haired girl had no intention of stopping.

That, in turn, welcomed another round of fierce bickering, only this time, they were now seated in Aziel's arms. It didn't need to be said that he wasn't having any of it.

Coming back to the current situation at hand, Suzu tilted her head in confusion, wholly ignoring the cold glare Yue was stabbing her with.

"How come we haven't seen any monsters yet?"

"...That's a red flag."

"Red…flag…?"

Aziel retorted matter of factly in response to Suzu's ominous question, while Yue remained confused by the unfamiliar term.

However, not even a moment later, the ground beneath them began trembling, piles of snow was tossed into the air, further obscuring their already minuscule line of sight.

Suzu giggled like a child successfully pulling a prank, before replying—

"I know~"

In that instance, several large creatures of over 2 meters tall came shooting out of the snow, their movements causing the ground around them to quake even more.

They were bipedal monsters that somewhat resemble gorillas in the face, their thick, muscular arms stretched long enough to reach their ankles, with only three fingers on each hand and short, razor-sharp claws at the ends.

Light brown fur covered their waistline, forearms, shoulders, and ankles up to their knees. Menacing fangs stuck out of their long mouths, their eyes purely and completely black in color.

"Frost Trolls…"

Following Aziel's words, all three Frost Trolls parted their jaws widely, showcasing their vicious rows of teeth as they roared loud enough to blow away the surrounding snow.

*GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!*

"Are you happy now, Su-Doofus…?"

"Su-what…!?"

Hearing Yue's new nickname for her, Suzu stared back with widened eyes, emanating a furious aura.

Meanwhile, Aziel looked at the ground with a vacant gaze, the atmosphere around him becoming dreadful, until—

"Shut the fuck up and kill these bastards already…!"

______________________

Oya~ Oya~

Don't tell me...did you perhaps, enjoy this chapter~?

Hm~? Hm~?

C'mon, give up those power stones since you enjoyed yourself that much.

C'mon, don't be stingy...

Do it.