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Holy White Fired – Part 04

The weapon drew soul energy from the earth and fired it from the cannon. Although it was an ancient creation and its full mechanism wasn’t completely understood, the records on how to use it were preserved, so they had no trouble operating it.

“What happens when you fire the soul energy?”

“We’ll hit the flying labyrinth. If it connects, the mana sustaining the labyrinth will dissipate, causing it to crash.”

“The labyrinth… will crash?”

“Director! Soul charging is at 100%! We’re ready to fire anytime!”

“Great! Send the signal below!”

As the staff sprang into action, Yoshino’s thoughts raced.

Silver Face and his team should be heading toward the Great Labyrinth. They had found a way to access the dungeon with the help of the Fire Drakon.

But the labyrinth was still flying toward them. Did Silver Face fail?

But what if… what if they’re still inside the labyrinth? And if the Star White Wedge’s attack hits…

“Permission to fire received!”

“Good. I take it the angle adjustments are complete?”

“Yes, sir! Thanks to Yoshino, the calculations are spot on.”

“Prepare to fire!”

“Wait, wait, wait a moment, please!” Yoshino shouted.

If the attack hit, the labyrinth would crash. What would happen to Silver Face and the others inside? The answer was clear: they would die.

“Don’t fire!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I, uh, made a mistake in the calculations!”

Yoshino needed to buy some time. There was no chance they’d stop the attack on the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas just because she asked.

“What?”

As expected, the director bought it.

“As I mentioned earlier…”

Think, think, think. Come up with an excuse.

“We can discuss it later.”

“Huh?”

The director yanked a lever above the instruments. There was a high-pitched whine, and Yoshino felt an odd sensation, as if her body was being pulled.

“Director, what does that lever do?”

“Everyone duck and hold on to something!”

A tremendous explosion followed, and a blinding white light from outside overwhelmed Yoshino’s vision. The ground shook violently, and grit rained down from the ceiling. Yoshino fell on her backside. She saw stars dancing in her vision.

“D-Director. What was that just now?”

“The second shot went off without a hitch.”

Despite his words, the director’s face was ashen.

“Why did you fire? I said the calculations might be wrong!”

“Ah, well, we can try again. If it misses, we’ll double-check.”

Yoshino almost forgot. The director was extremely rational and practical, pushing forward regardless of the risks. That’s why he had told Yoshino where the Tally was hidden. He was not your typical Man Gnome researcher.

“Wh-What happened with the shot you just fired?”

As Yoshino scrambled up, one of the staff members, who had been monitoring the instruments on the wall—likely tracking magical energy consumption—turned around.

Without military satellites or sensors to track the labyrinth’s position, they had to rely on magical energy consumption to confirm its presence.

“We have confirmed impact.”

Confirmed impact. Did that mean the soul attack hit its target?

Yoshino’s mind went blank. If the floating island, where Silver Face and his team might be, had been struck, it would crash. Survival would be impossible.

“But it’s strange,” the staff said.

The word strange jolted Yoshino back to reality.

“What do you mean by strange?” the director asked.

“The response was lackluster. For a moment, magical energy consumption spiked, then returned to normal.”

“What? Isn’t the spike caused by the soul energy fusing with the labyrinth’s mana?”

“There was more consumption than with the first shot. Hence a more significant response. I think we have a direct hit, though.”

“But the consumption has returned to normal? If the magic ceased, consumption should be zero.”

“Yes. It means the labyrinth is still moving. And it’s heading this way.”

The soul-powered attack from the Star White Wedge was ineffective? The staff fell silent.

“Fire another shot. No, fire two or three more! Get ready!” the director roared.

His panicked voice made it clear that the Man Gnome had no other effective options available.

---

The white light of the Star White Wedge struck the center of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas dead-on, unlike the first attempt. Hikaru felt a shiver run down his spine, but before he could react, a violent tremor rocked the control room. The screen displaying the outside view suddenly went black.

The large magic stone at the room’s center, which emitted a bluish-white glow, flickered wildly, then steadied not long after. The screen blinked back to life, revealing the night view once more.

Soaarunay, who had been crouching, let out a low chuckle.

“We survived it! Did you see that? The shield worked perfectly, deflecting the soul weapon!”

“It would seem so.”

The shield deployed in front of the labyrinth was a broad, cone-shaped barrier with a pointed tip, designed to deflect the soul wave at an angle.

“It consumed a hell lot of mana, though. Half of our prepared reserves are already gone. At least, that’s what the power meter shows.”

“Let me see.”

Soaarunay moved beside Hikaru to check the meter. Though they had once been enemies, they now felt like partners bound by the same fate, their previous caution gone.

Her hair was disheveled, and though she seemed unbathed, she had a faint scent of herbs.

“You’re right,” she said. “At this rate, we can only use the shield two more times. Just when we confirmed it’s effective, we’re running low on power.”

“Huh? So what now? Is there any way to boost the supply?”

“We’re already using minimal mana to keep the labyrinth operational, so there’s no way to increase the supply. Hmm… maybe praying to the gods will help?”

“Not in the mood for jokes.”

Soaarunay chuckled. “I don’t pray to gods, but I do have luck on my side. We’ve got manpower, after all.”

“Manpower?”

“You there.” Soaarunay turned to Paula and the Four Eastern Stars. “Do what I’m about to tell you. It’s not complicated. Any of you can do it. Oh, maybe it’s perfect for strong adventurers.”

Soaarunay grinned, but her eyes were serious.

Meanwhile, the adventurers who had been left behind were making their way through a narrow passage. Selyse had suggested staying in the vast space, but they ultimately decided to escape. After filling their stomachs, the fear of a Golem appearing at any moment was unbearable. Plus, the idea that the labyrinth was flying seemed too surreal to believe.

It was a nerve-wracking hike. Even in dungeons full of traps, they had never felt this much pressure.

“Hey,” someone spoke up.

Up ahead, they saw light, something different from before. The passage faced east, and dawn was breaking. It was the first light of the day. The morning sun was beginning to rise, marking the end of their long, long night.

“We’re outside.”

“The outside…”

“We’re free!”

They all rushed out, finally emerging from the labyrinth. They had spent days navigating caves, trekking through remote forests, and embarking on endless journeys, but never had they felt so cornered until now.

A deep sense of liberation washed over them.

“I-It’s cold.”

“The wind’s too strong!”

“I-I think we’re really flying.”

“It’s true. The clouds are right there!”

The wind howled, and the surrounding mountains were blanketed in snow. Despite the biting cold, they stepped outside, unable to bear another moment inside the labyrinth.

“It’s freezing! It’s freezing, but… we’re free!” One of them raised their fists in triumph.

Suddenly, the cobblestones rose, and before him, a small stone room, about the size of a vending machine, appeared. Astonished, the man fell on his backside. It had a door, and it opened silently.

“S-So cold.”

“It’s freezing!”

“Yeah… it’s pretty chilly out here.”

“Let’s get this over with!”

“Oh, so this is where you all ended up.”

Five women stepped out.

“The Four Eastern Stars?” an adventurer exclaimed in surprise. “And a shady one with a mask. What are you doing here? How did you even get here?”

It had been a while since they’d last seen them, and after all the struggle to make it this far, the sudden appearance of the others left them bewildered.

Selyse awkwardly glanced back at the elevator they had just exited, which looked like nothing more than a simple box. Needless to say, it was one of the labyrinth’s facilities.

“Well, let’s not get into that,” she said. “The important thing is, we need your help with something.”

“H-Help with what?”

“See that small tower over there?”

Selyse pointed to one of the turrets built at regular intervals along the outer perimeter of the Great Labyrinth.

“There’s a small door on that turret, and inside, you’ll find magic items. We need you to retrieve the catalysts—magic stones, elemental magic stones, magic rocks, stuff like that.”

“What? Why do you need those? Planning to sell them?”

“That’s not a bad idea. How about this: we’ll buy whatever you collect. Come on, we shared some food with you.”

The adventurer glanced at his companions. “But didn’t you say this place was dangerous because you never know when a Golem might show up?”

“Oh, the Golems have been disabled—uh, I mean, there aren’t any around here. We’ve checked.”

“Huh? You just said something weird.”

“It’s no big deal. If you’re scared, you can work where we can see you.”

“If you say so. We do owe you, and we could use some souvenirs.”

Reluctantly, the adventurers started to move.

“Excellent idea, Selyse. We really need all the help we can get right now,” Sophie remarked.

Selyse nodded. “Indeed. Let’s get moving.”