Arifureta : King Of Demons

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Raisen Great Labyrinth

The Raisen Great Labyrinth, created by Liberator leader Miledi Raisen, was a cunning maze filled with traps that perfectly reflected her personality. While its diverse traps were exceedingly dangerous, Miledi's messages strategically placed throughout were filled with provocative taunts designed to irritate intruders. Furthermore, its structure changed at regular intervals, rendering mapping useless. If one thought they'd reached the end only to find it was the beginning... no one could remain calm in such a situation.

Aldias, who had once cleared it, knew that with the internal structure constantly changing, using the previous route was impossible. He had even briefly considered the dangerous idea of simply smashing through walls to create a shortcut, but he quickly dismissed it.

"…No arrows flying this time."

At the entrance to the Raisen Great Labyrinth, countless arrows would usually be unleashed as a greeting to anyone who passed through. He wasn't threatened by such a meager attack now, but he had been cautious, thinking it better to be safe than sorry. Yet, there was no reaction. Then, he heard a clunk as if something had fitted into place, and a rumbling echoed from all directions. Maintaining his guard, the rock wall in front of him opened, revealing a direct passage.

"…As expected, Miledi is aware of the abnormal situation outside."

She usually waited deep within the labyrinth for those worthy of inheriting their will, but the labyrinth had a mechanism that allowed her to view images from various places within it. Given her swift response to his intrusion, she probably had some kind of surveillance near the outside entrance. More importantly, it was impossible for someone of her caliber not to sense this abnormal situation. Aldias, having understood, began to proceed through the passage, mindful of the precious time.

"Well, well, well! It's been a long time! How have you been?"

"Ah, you seem to be as lively as ever, Miledi."

"Of course! This body is immune to colds! But seriously... you've grown so big!"

"It's been eight years since then. I'm bound to grow."

"Wow, you used to be so tiny. Miledi has gotten old!"

"What's with that finger gap? Are you talking about me?"

Proceeding through the newly appeared passage, Aldias reached a small room. The entrance closed behind him, and the entire room began to descend. After a minute of waiting, the door opened to reveal a small golem in a yellow robe, just as Aldias remembered Miledi.

"You're so heartless, not a peep for eight years. Am I useless to you now that you've got ancient magic? Sob, sob, Miledi is heartbroken. Waaah, I can't get married now...!"

"...Still the same, I see."

Miledi pretended to cry, dramatically covering her face with her hands. The golem's expression, cleverly hidden by her hands, had also changed to a crying face. Aldias couldn't help but wryly smile at Miledi's unchanged demeanor.

"What's wrong? You're still so cold, aren't you? You could be a little more responsive, you know? You can still call me big sis, like in the old days!"

"Don't fabricate memories. You tried to make me call you 'sis,' but that was just to tease Aletia, wasn't it?"

"Ahahaha, that girl reacted so amusingly, I couldn't help but find it fun. Is she still doing well as a big sis?"

"...Speaking of which, she hasn't tried to force me to call her 'sister' for a few years now."

"Oh really? So you're not as clingy as you used to be. Is it a rebellious phase?"

"No, our distance hasn't changed... Now that I think about it, she seems more proactive than before..."

".........Oh?"

Miledi's expression, which had been thoughtful for a while, slowly morphed into a wicked grin. Aldias sensed she had thought of something mischievous again, but he decided to ignore it, assuming it was just her usual bad habit.

Aldias sighed lightly and his expression turned serious. This was a nostalgic reunion, but he hadn't come here for idle chatter.

"Miledi. Are you aware of the anomaly outside?"

"Of course. Incredibly, it seems the entire labyrinth has been transferred to another location."

"Yes, this place is now directly beneath the Demon King's Castle in the Demon Kingdom Garland."

"Hmm, so that's why I feel a presence similar to yours from above... So? Such a transfer magic. It's clearly beyond human capabilities, isn't it?"

—Could it be that bastard came?

As Miledi spoke, all traces of her previous playful demeanor vanished. A viscous hatred, usually hidden by the golem's mask, overflowed from her small body.

To such a Miledi, Aldias said...

"No."

He stated it clearly.

"......Huh? No?"

Miledi asked, dumbfounded by Aldias's words. Aldias had called her heartless for not contacting him for eight years, but she genuinely believed that the only reason he would visit her again would be related to Ehit. However, his next words completely blanked Miledi's mind.

"I have already killed Ehit."

"..............."

"...Hey, are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, ah, sorry, sorry! Um... did you say you killed Ehit...?"

"That's what I said. My apologies for the late report. I've been a bit busy."

"......Really?"

"Do you think I would tell such a distasteful joke?"

"N-No, I don't think so, but... Ehit? Really...?"

"Yes."

Seeing Aldias nod firmly, Miledi stood dumbfounded. After repeating Aldias's words in her mind several times, she suddenly lost her balance and fell backward.

"Oh... really, Ehit? That bastard who killed everyone...? That guy who ruthlessly tore them apart... really? Ah, ahh... ahhh..."

She had longed for this moment for thousands of years. The Liberators, gathered to defeat Ehit. Her precious friends, who were like family to Miledi. Even with their combined strength, they couldn't even reach Ehit, let alone confront him. That's why they wished. For the appearance of the next generation of Liberators who would inherit their will, someday...

A hundred years passed... then three hundred years... then a thousand years. By now, even Miledi herself had lost track of how many years had passed. Amidst this, suddenly appeared a young child, still very young. Unlike the vampire girl who was by his side, he was truly a child who had just turned ten. Even Miledi, the first time she saw him, had been so anxious that she wondered if it was alright to put him through the trials.

However, that anxiety quickly dissipated. His magical talent, which even Miledi's eyes couldn't fully comprehend. His flexibility at the age of ten, not relying entirely on that talent. His quick judgment of various traps within the labyrinth. To a normal person, he would have been praised as already complete, but all of it was still in development.

—Perhaps, this child could...

"Sniff... Ugh~, I'm sorry, for showing such a pathetic side of myself..."

She cried out without caring about shame or appearances. It didn't matter that she was in a golem's body and couldn't shed tears. Her pride as an elder, her dignity as a Liberator, none of it mattered now.

She had almost broken countless times. She had almost given up. She had been so anxious, wondering if no one else would appear, no matter how long she waited. Yet, she continued to wait, fueled only by the memories of her comrades and her hatred for Ehit.

She waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited... Finally, it bore fruit and blossomed. What they had done... what she had waited for, was not in vain. It was properly inherited by the next generation, and became their strength.

"......"

Aldias silently closed his eyes at Miledi's state. There were mountains of things he needed to say. When he conveyed this fact. He didn't know how she would react. Even so, for this moment, he shouldn't interfere... Aldias waited until Miledi was satisfied.

"Sniff... Ugh~, I'm sorry, for showing such a pathetic side of myself..."

"Don't worry about it. While I can't easily say 'I understand how you feel,' at least for now, it's alright."

"...Mmm."

After a while, Miledi, having regained her composure, apologized shyly and then looked up at Aldias again. The golem's expression was unchanged, but Aldias could tell Miledi was smiling.

"Thank you, Aldias-kun. For granting our fervent wish. For not letting everything we've done be in vain."

"...It's I who should thank you, Miledi Raisen. Because you waited for countless eons, I was truly able to inherit the power and conviction. Because of your past struggles, I was able to reach him. I am proud of you all."

"W-What's that, you're making me blush when you say things like that! Just so you know, Miledi won't fall for just that much, you know? I'm not that easy! You cheeky boy~"

"Is that so? That's a shame."

Perhaps trying to hide her embarrassment, Miledi gradually began to revert to her usual mannerisms, but for now, Aldias decided to play along. As they exchanged these words, Miledi suddenly tilted her head and said, "Huh?"

"Then, whose doing was it that the labyrinth was transferred? Was it you? Or Aletia-chan?"

A power capable of transferring an entire labyrinth. Besides a "god," she couldn't think of anyone capable of such a feat other than the young man in front of her or the vampire girl. Although Hajime and Shea had also recently conquered the labyrinth like the other two, their magical aptitude was incomparable to the former.

"It wasn't us... Miledi, what I am about to tell you will greatly change your... your collective understanding of things up to now. Please listen carefully."

"Eh? W-Wait, wait a minute!? What, what!? This is suddenly scary!? Miledi's already pretty full—"

"Ehit was a former human summoned from another world. There is a 'god' who was the culprit who summoned him and elevated him to godhood."

"------------------Huh?"

Miledi, who had been flapping her hands up and down wildly, suddenly froze. Aldias, accepting Miledi's reaction as inevitable, began to explain everything from the beginning.

"----And that's the situation."

".........Where is he... Where is that bastard now!?"

Miledi, who had been listening to Aldias in silence, grabbed hold of him as soon as he finished speaking.

"What 'great step in human evolution'! What 'necessary sacrifice'! No... no one was sacrificed for that! I didn't wait for thousands of years for that!"

"Yes."

"Everyone fought to protect what was precious to them! Even if the whole world turned against them, they fought desperately to protect our 'present'!"

"Yes, I know."

"Such... such a predetermined sacrifice...! How much more can they make fools of us...!!"

"Yes, that's why we'll end it here. For that, I need your help."

"!---Yes! This ridiculous battle... I'll end it here!!"

Miledi, having vented her feelings, nodded strongly at Aldias's words. Indeed, Miledi and the Liberators were defeated by Ehit. And realizing that there was nothing they could do in their generation, they each created a great labyrinth and decided to entrust their power to the next.

However, there was no lack of conflict in that. Entrusting to the next generation. It was easy to say, but it meant tacitly condoning the sacrifices of the people living in the present. It meant burdening the promising youth with an enormous responsibility. They swallowed all of that and each made a difficult decision.

And that Spasscharacter casually dismissed it as a "necessary sacrifice." They couldn't allow such a being to go unchallenged. They couldn't ignore him. Not in the name of Miledi Raisen, leader of the Liberators.

"So, Miledi. There's something I want to ask you. Back then, you Liberators must have gathered information on Ehit, even if it meant digging through every blade of grass to do so."

"Oh? Of course. Even if not a weakness, we searched every corner, from ancient texts to history books, and even oral traditions passed down in the church, for any useful information. Well, most of it was just content praising Ehit, which made me want to puke."

As Miledi continued, a clear irritation could be heard in her voice, perhaps remembering the hardships of that time.

"Were there no documents concerning Spassamong them?"

"Eh? Schupass? Not Ehit?"

As Miledi looked confused, Aldias continued his explanation.

"If his story is true, Spasshas manifested in this world many times before and appeared before humanity. I believe this kind of war against the world is not the first time for him."

It was unknown when he first existed and reigned as the world's absolute enemy, but it would be too easy to declare that this was his first war against humanity. Since his fighting strength was unknown, he desperately wanted any small piece of information. People's mouths couldn't be stopped. If he had appeared before humanity, there was a non-zero possibility that some trace of him remained, even if only through oral tradition.

And also, he continued.

"He said this when he left: 'I wish for happiness to visit you, humanity.'..."

"What about it?"

"Those words themselves were undoubtedly genuine... but in his eyes at that time, in the depths of them, I saw a black flame..."

Aldias recognized that flame with painful clarity. It was an emotion Aldias had faced many times from humans, having fought on the front lines of battle since childhood. He couldn't have mistaken it.

"The flame of hatred."

"Huh? No, no, no!? Hatred from Schupass!? Does that mean he resents you!?"

"...No, it's more accurate to say it's directed at humanity as a whole, rather than just me. I don't know why, but while he tries to ensure our continued existence, he also wishes to destroy us."

"Eh? I don't understand anymore..."

"Anything more than this would just be speculation. That's why even a little more information would be helpful."

Aldias agreed with the confused Miledi, but with so little information, it was impossible to draw a conclusion. "How about it?" Aldias asked, and Miledi hummed, searching her memory.

"...Even so, Ehit thoroughly crushed all other religions to gather worship solely for himself. Honestly, just possessing anything that worshipped a god other than him was a capital offense, you know?"

"...Ah, right, they were made to believe that he had attained godhood through his own power. Really... he truly does cause nothing but trouble."

"How foolish, to be treated like a pawn all this time when he treated humanity as pawns. Well, I don't pity him in the slightest."

Miledi scoffed, a "Hmph!" escaping her nose. As someone who had endured so much hardship, it seemed to have lifted her spirits somewhat.

".........Ah!"

Suddenly, Miledi exclaimed as if remembering something.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, no, um... but is this okay...?"

"Any small detail is fine. I'm operating on a long shot anyway."

"Hmm... Well then, I'll tell you just in case... it's a picture book."

"...A picture book?"

"Yeah, when I was a kid, I happened to find it deep in my family's library. I just casually looked at it, but it was a bit strange."

"Strange, how?"

"Some of the words were faded and unreadable, but..."

Once upon a time, there was a single god.

Thanks to the god's power, the world remained peaceful, and the people living there never stopped smiling.

However, a little girl knew.

That the god was never a perfect being.

Even with the power to create worlds, even with the knowledge to build civilizations, the god was a very lonely god-person.

So the girl decided to stay by the god's side. If the girl was there, the god wouldn't be lonely.

As time passed, the girl and the god lived happily together forever, like a daughter and father—

"—That's about all I remember for now. See, it's strange, isn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly is."

Not just Ehit, but "gods" in general are usually described as sacred and omnipotent beings. Because they are beings beyond human comprehension, people offer them their faith and seek their miracles. In that context, the picture book Miledi described was truly unique. No matter how many texts one searched, there would be none that depicted a "god" as a lonely being. People would not offer faith to such a being.

"...The author of that book?"

"Oh, I remember that. I think the name was 'Roshida'."

"Roshida..."

"Hm? Do you know that name, by any chance?"

"...No, it's the first I've heard of it."

"Hmm... Well, it's just strange content, so it's not particularly useful information, I guess."

"I was merely hoping for a bonus if there was any. I wasn't expecting anything. But returning to the topic, I'd like to ask for your assistance on the day of the battle, Miledi."

"No need to ask! I'll make sure that arrogant bastard, number two, gets what's coming to him!!"

Seeing Miledi begin to enthusiastically twirl her hands, she seemed to have completely returned to her usual self. As she walked further into the room, declaring, "Just you wait~, I'm gonna beat him to a pulp~," Aldias felt a sense of reliability from her retreating back, but the content of the picture book Miledi had just mentioned lingered in his mind.

('A very lonely god-person,' huh. His professed love for humanity. And the hatred I clearly felt. And...)

"You, humanity, are like my children. It's only natural for a parent to care for their child, isn't it? I only wish for your happiness."

Schupass's words from three days ago resurfaced.

"...Father and daughter, huh."

"Hey, Aldias-kun!!"

Aldias, who had been muttering to himself, snapped back to reality at the girl's voice.

"We don't have time, do we?! At worst, you can smash through the ceiling to the upper levels, so hurry up and get what you need and let's go above ground!!"

"Smashing the labyrinth ceiling is fine, but don't destroy the castle, okay?"

Aldias, placing his lingering questions aside, followed Miledi, who seemed ready to smash through the entire castle if left unchecked.