Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 135

In the labyrinth, where even the passage of day and night was uncertain, Walm had long lost track of time. He had already descended four more floors, reaching the 39th. The once-familiar creatures—the Composite Beasts and Three-Headed Wolves—had been joined by new adversaries. Earth Spiders and Face-Beasts now lurked in the depths, adding to the growing list of monstrosities.

Neither species made for pleasant company. The Earth Spider, a creature covered in wiry bristles that stood stiff like barbed wire, made direct contact a perilous mistake. A mere brush against its body meant being impaled by countless needle-like hairs. Its chelicerae carried a potent neurotoxin, and its abdomen spewed thick, adhesive threads, making it all the more troublesome to deal with.

The Face-Beast, on the other hand, was unsettling in a completely different way. Its grotesque form looked as though a human face had been forcibly grafted onto the massive body of a lion. Its ugliness defied description. Uneven rows of jagged teeth filled its maw, and from between them, a piercing shriek rang out. Those foolish enough to be distracted by its monstrous visage would soon find themselves impaled by the countless spikes covering its whip-like tail. And yet, as loathsome as they were, compared to the enemies Walm faced now, they almost seemed like minor nuisances.

“Gust incoming!!”

Merrill’s sharp cry cut through the battlefield. Walm instinctively leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the attack. Above, accompanied by the heavy flapping of wings, magic surged and twisted into a howling gale. The force of the wind lifted debris into the air, and even Walm, clad in heavy armor, felt himself momentarily unsteady as the violent gusts swept through the chamber.

“That damn half-breed. I’m turning it into skewers.”

Soaring overhead was a Griffin. Like the Composite Beasts and Face-Beasts, it was yet another mixed species—part eagle, part lion, a hybrid creature that seemed all too common beyond the 36th floor. Walm’s irritation only grew as the winged beast swooped down, preparing to unleash another spell.

Dealing with even a single Griffin would be a pain, but there were two circling above, their keen eyes locked onto the battlefield. Meanwhile, the ground was no safer, as other creatures prowled, undeterred by the powerful gusts. A sharp twang rang out, and Walm reacted on pure instinct, shifting his stance just in time. An explosion followed, sending stone fragments flying as the floor cracked beneath the impact.

The culprit stood ahead—a towering Iron Golem clad in a full suit of iron armor.

There was nothing inside. Or rather, its very core was forged from metal. Despite its hulking size, the Iron Golem moved with surprising agility, its hollow frame radiating a faint, eerie glow. That glow was unmistakably the result of Mithril. Though its exterior was steel, its core was reinforced with a network of magic stones, connected like veins, interwoven with small amounts of Mithril as a conduit for magic.

To craft such a construct by human hands would require an absurd amount of resources—enough iron to equip an entire heavy cavalry squad, a team of at least ten expert craftsmen, a well-equipped workshop, and an ample supply of large magic stones. Additionally, only Elves or Dwarves, highly skilled in working with Mithril, could handle its delicate forging. And even if all that was secured, deploying the construct would require several magic users and a transport team to move the massive creation. If the Highserk Empire had attempted to field such weapons, the cost alone would rival that of maintaining an entire battalion.

And yet, here in the labyrinth, these overengineered monstrosities roamed freely, without the burden of logistics. Though humanoid in shape, the Iron Golem’s sheer weight made it an immovable force. Even the fierce gusts that had momentarily lifted Walm had no effect on the golem, which simply stood its ground, swinging its weapon without resistance.

Walm retaliated with a fireball, aiming for the center of its mass. The flames struck true, yet the attack merely scorched its exterior, leaving the construct largely intact. Three of them, each wielding a different weapon—a sword, a spear, and a bow—pressed forward without hesitation.

“They’re ridiculously tough. One or two hits won’t take them down.”

“We take down the Griffins first,” Merrill declared. “I’ll disrupt them from above.”

Even Walm’s fireballs weren’t enough to end the fight quickly, making it clear that dealing with the Iron Golems would be a time-consuming task. Merrill began gathering magic, the air around him twisting into a swirling vortex. Sensing the impending attack, the Iron Golems moved to intercept, but their advance was blocked by Hari and Mariante.

“Come on, over here, you rusty hunk of junk!!”

“You’ll make a fine punching bag.”

Mariante’s mace sparked against the Iron Golem’s joints. Though the construct lacked internal organs, its limbs still required structural integrity. The impact crushed both its armor and core materials, causing its movements to falter. Meanwhile, Hari’s relentless assault with his Disciplinary Rod left the golem reeling, reducing its effectiveness to that of a second-rate explorer. Despite their size and strength, the so-called Steel Puppets were little more than training dummies in the hands of seasoned fighters.

“I’ll handle the arche—”

Walm had intended to disrupt the Iron Golem as it notched another arrow, but his breath caught in his throat at what he witnessed. Yuna, whose arrows were ill-suited against the thick metal plating of the Iron Golem, seemed unwilling to concede as a fellow archer. With perfect precision, her arrow struck the Iron Golem’s fingers, forcing it to fumble its shot. The projectile slipped, and the bowstring snapped with a hollow twang—turning the once-lethal weapon into nothing more than an oversized decoration.

The Griffins, determined to shift the tide of battle, began preparing their spells, but Merrill was faster. Ironically, he used the same Gust spell against them, sending an unpredictable current twisting through the air. The confined space of the labyrinth offered little room for escape, and the chaotic turbulence disrupted the Griffins’ flight. One lost control, its wings failing to catch the air as it plummeted downward.

Holding his breath, Walm focused his magic and unleashed a fireball. The spell connected just as the Griffin tumbled mid-air, igniting its body in an explosive burst. Its death cry was lost amidst the roaring flames as its charred remains crashed into the ground.

The second Griffin fared no better. Yuna’s rapid-fire arrows tore through its wing membranes, stripping it of altitude and maneuverability. By the fourth strike, it could no longer evade the ice spear rising from below. With its body impaled, the beast was dragged mercilessly to the earth, shattering bones upon impact. Its beak quivered, forcing out its final breath along with its ruptured organs and stomach contents. Its talons twitched in their last spasms of life. Before it could linger in its half-dead state, Merrill’s longsword flashed, severing its head with a clean stroke.

No human could remain tolerant toward creatures that had rained magic down upon them. With the Griffins now nothing more than lifeless husks, only the three Iron Golems remained. As though finally releasing all of their pent-up frustrations, Walm and the rest of Three Magic Attack turned their focus toward the remaining threats.

Despite being outnumbered, the Iron Golems charged forward, swinging their weapons wildly in an attempt to crush their foes beneath their sheer mass. But Walm’s party had already endured countless battles and trials. Not a single one of them was foolish enough to be caught in a reckless charge.

Striking with deliberate force, they focused on the Iron Golems’ weak points. Their heavy heads, battered and fractured, crumbled beneath the concentrated assault. Two of the constructs collapsed, reduced to nothing but heaps of useless scrap. Only one remained, its severed arm revealing the exposed core. Walm wasted no time. Directing his flames into the vulnerable opening, he watched as the fire spread, following the magic-conducting veins that ran throughout its structure.

Flames erupted from within. The last Iron Golem thrashed wildly, swinging its remaining arm in defiance, but its movements grew weaker and more erratic. Finally, as if its strings had been cut, it crumpled, its functions ceasing entirely.

With their enemies defeated, the party regrouped. Their armor was battered, streaked with dirt and scratches from the intense battle. Though Hari’s healing magic could mend their wounds, it did nothing for their mounting exhaustion. Even so, they couldn’t afford to let their morale wane.

Just as Walm considered saying something to lift the mood, he noticed something peculiar—Merrill’s head was completely covered in fresh grime. A thick, sticky mess clung to the hair and forehead.

The source? A chunk of Griffin flesh that had splattered upon impact when the creature had exploded midair.

“It’s all over me… even smells like roasted bird.”

For once, Merrill had failed to evade in time. His voice was filled with irritation, and his sharp gaze locked onto Walm.

“Not a fan of makeup?”

Walm, ever his usual self, quipped lightheartedly about the unfortunate state. But the moment the words left his mouth, the air in the room shifted. The atmosphere grew stiff, and an uncomfortable silence hung between them. A realization struck Walm—a mistake had been made.

Merrill lowered his voice, speaking in a dangerously calm tone.

“Sigh… even among comrades, you’d say that to a girl?”

“…Wait… Girl?”

Walm’s mind screeched to a halt. His thoughts scrambled, trying to process what Merrill meant. Then, after a long moment, he turned toward Hari.

“Hari… I, uh… Merrill is…”

“What? A woman? Obviously.”

Hari looked down at Walm with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief, arms crossed as if scolding a child.

“Walm, you truly amaze me. Or should I be impressed? That you care so little for your party members’ genders while delving into the depths?”

Dumbfounded, Walm scanned the faces of the other party members, seeking some form of salvation. But the women of the group had no mercy for him. A large, scarred hand clapped down on Walm’s shoulder—it was Hari’s.

“Humans make mistakes. Apologize.”

Walm couldn’t even bring himself to argue. In the depths of the labyrinth, he had made a grave error, one that could impact their future coordination. In a voice barely above a tremor, he spoke his sincerest apology.

“…I deeply, deeply regret my mistake. I had no idea. I apologize for not realizing my comrade’s gender.”

A vague memory resurfaced—of a time before the labyrinth, when he had been Raizou Takakura. When he had made a major blunder during his first business meeting, he had uttered similar words to a client. Now, just as he had then, he lowered his head at a sharp angle in full apology.

Laughter erupted from his teammates.

“Wait, you’re serious? You’re actually apologizing?”

“To think an apology could be this entertaining…”

Slowly raising his gaze, Walm saw that Merrill’s previous scowl had twisted into a mischievous smirk.

“Hm… Maybe I’ll forgive you.”

When it came to teamwork, Walm couldn’t compete with the other four. Realization dawned on him—they had been in perfect sync, setting the stage for his downfall. He had been outmaneuvered, forced into an apology before he even knew what had happened. A mix of emotions churned within him.

“Alright, enough fun. Let’s move on then, shall we?”

Merrill clapped her hands together, signaling the end of the spectacle. The others dispersed, seemingly satisfied. Though Walm still felt unsettled, at the very least, his comrades had regained enough energy to laugh again.

After dealing with the remnants of the battle, the group continued forward. Only two floors remained.

◆

The Three Magic Attack party continued to push deeper, defeating even nameless yet formidable monsters along the way. Eventually, they arrived at their destination—the 40th floor, the final level of the Great Labyrinth of Bergana. Searching for the passage leading to the very depths, the party found themselves standing before a massive chamber.

Throughout his time in the labyrinth, Walm had encountered irregularities on multiple occasions. Among them, Great Halls like this one were notorious for being the most frequent locations for such unpredictable encounters.

“There’s no alternate route.”

Before Walm, a single pathway extended into the massive chamber, almost as if inviting them in.

“Something’s coming, no doubt about it.”

“There’s no other way forward. We have no choice but to proceed.”

Hari turned to look back, awaiting a response from Merrill, the party’s leader.

“…Let’s go. We can’t afford to hesitate, or we risk more monsters spawning behind us.”

With Hari leading the way, the party cautiously advanced into the vast room. Walm’s eyes darted toward the walls and ceiling, scanning for any abnormalities, but he found nothing suspicious. That, in itself, felt unsettling. But if they had merely been overcautious, it was a welcome relief.

Just as the party reached the center of the chamber, Walm felt a faint vibration beneath the soles of his boots. At first, he doubted himself, but the tremors only grew stronger.

“…It’s shaking?”

“Below! Something’s coming from beneath us!”

The trembling refused to cease. Instead, it escalated into a full-blown quake, shaking the very foundation of the chamber. Segments of the walls and ceiling crumbled under the strain, sending debris crashing to the floor. Then, in a violent upheaval, the ground burst open.

A colossal head emerged, tearing through stone and soil. Its thick tail sent shattered rubble flying. From within the gaping hole, a massive arm, as solid as rock itself, reached out. Its entire body was covered in hardened stone-like scales, and two twisted horns protruded from its head.

Hari, his voice filled with alarm, shouted the name of the beast.

“It’s a… Earth Dragon!!”

This was a monster on par with the rampaging dragon Walm had once encountered. A terrifying existence now stood between them and their path forward.

Walm had no intention of allowing it to complete its grand entrance. He immediately gathered his mana and hurled a fireball directly at its rising head. Flames erupted upon impact, scorching the stone tiles beneath it. A deafening roar answered from within the cloud of dust and smoke. Though traces of soot and burns marked its hide, the Earth Dragon remained unfazed. Walm fired several more times, but the beast showed no sign of flinching. Merrill followed up with Ice Spears and Wind Blades, yet every attack was deflected by its absurdly thick scales.

“…Even among dragons, this thing is way too tough. Look out, it’s charging!!”

Having fully emerged from the ground, the Earth Dragon lashed its tail before launching into a full sprint toward the party. As the others scattered, Merrill remained behind, conjuring jagged ice pillars from the floor to form a barrier.

The ice and the Earth Dragon’s skull met in a direct collision.

Walm had hoped the barrier would at least slow its advance, but the ice shattered effortlessly, reduced to nothing more than a cascading hailstorm. The monster’s speed only slightly decreased, its momentum still intact. Hari and Mariante struck at its legs with their weapons, but instead of the sound of flesh yielding, only the harsh clang of metal against stone rang out.

“Damn it! It’s scraping the surface, but that’s all!”

Dodging the dragon’s retaliatory strike, Hari and Mariante pulled back to reassess their approach. Walm immediately followed up with a Fire Lance, but the attack failed to produce any significant effect.

“This is going to be a pain…”

“Yuna, can you hit its eyes?”

“I landed a shot, but its eye is covered by a protective membrane—it didn’t pierce through.”

It wasn’t just the scales. Even its eyes, likely reinforced to endure tunneling through solid earth, were protected by a thick layer of skin. With no way to strike a fatal weak point, they were left with no choice but to break through its armor piece by piece.

“…I’m using my strongest attack. At least I managed to hold onto it until now.”

Merrill had utilized numerous spells thus far, but now, visible magical energy swirled around her entire body. The hues of three different elemental attributes merged together, forming a mesmerizing aura. It was a sight that would send shivers down the spine of any mage.

“What is she planning?”

It was Mariante who answered Walm’s question.

“This is your first time seeing it, huh? Merrill isn’t called ‘Three Magic Attack’ just because she uses three different elements. Her name comes from a literal skill.”

Merrill’s power reached its peak, and she shifted into a stance so low that her longsword nearly vanished behind her. The Earth Dragon, sensing the danger, abandoned all pretense of defense and charged straight toward her, its twisted horns aimed like spears.

Walm’s vision filled with the monstrous creature’s advancing form.

“Merrill!!”

At his warning cry, Merrill simply smiled.

A heartbeat later, her longsword cleaved downward, tearing through the air. A brilliant flash of magic erupted, accompanied by an overwhelming shockwave. The light nearly blinded Walm, forcing him to squint as he observed the outcome.

The threefold elemental energy spiraled into a single devastating strike, its force surging directly into the Earth Dragon.

The indomitable scales resisted at first, but the sheer magical pressure found its mark. A single crack spread outward like a web, rapidly consuming the entire armor-like hide. The Earth Dragon released a guttural, earth-shaking howl as it was consumed by the radiance.

The pain in Walm’s eyes was reminiscent of an old memory—of the Holy Strike he had once suffered at the Sarajevo Fortress. Despite it, he let out a dry laugh.

“Heh… That was something else.”

The once-impenetrable scales had been obliterated, leaving the dragon’s face and throat raw and exposed. Walm was momentarily speechless. Though the skill’s range was limited, its sheer power was enough to breach what was essentially a living fortress. It was no wonder Merrill’s skill had earned her title.

“I was hoping that would finish it in one blow, but… looks like we’re not done yet.”

Drained from the immense usage of mana, Merrill exhaled heavily, her eyes locked onto the storm of dust settling before them. The Earth Dragon, now one-eyed and bearing a ruined face, bellowed in rage. Whether it was anger at having its prideful scales shattered or simple agony, Walm couldn’t tell. Regardless, this wasn’t an opponent that could afford mercy.

“Focus on the broken parts. The skull is tough, but it’s softer than the scales.”

“No objections here.”

They struck like scavengers feasting on an open wound. Despite their exhaustion from relentless battles, they had no choice but to see this fight through to the end. Merrill had already used her ultimate attack—they couldn’t afford any more attrition.

“Merrill, rest for now. We’ll finish this.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Flames danced, flesh burned, and arrows rained down mercilessly. Blades carved deep, while the sound of impact echoed across the hall. Every tremor, every quake of battle, shattered more of the chamber’s structure. When the final blow was struck, silence followed.

All that remained was a motionless mound of stone and flesh.

“…Finally.”

Having conquered 40 layers of depth, Walm and his comrades had bested the Earth Dragon. And now, they stood at the entrance to the very bottom of the labyrinth.

Translator – Lyxxna