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Holy White Fired – Part 05

The plan was simple: since they didn’t have enough magical energy available, they’d just gather more. They would collect the already-installed magic catalysts. The Golems were being recalled to the control room, and once there, their magic stones would be removed to power the shield. Selyse and the others had been instructed by Soaarunay to head to the turrets visible outside.

“Let’s go, Sophie. Watch out for the strong winds. Although the shield blocks some of it, it’s not perfect.”

“Got it!”

It was clear that the floating island had sped up since Selyse had first boarded. While the shield helped, gusts of wind still blew fiercely.

Selyse had no idea how much longer it would take to reach the village of the Man Gnomes and pass over it, or how many shots would be fired during that time. But they didn’t have a choice. Even Silver Face, whom she trusted, had agreed to this plan.

“Hm?”

At that moment, Sara, who was opening the turret door, paused. It felt like someone was watching them.

“A surveillance camera, maybe? If Soaarunay brought in knowledge from modern Japan, it wouldn’t be surprising. You can’t give too much knowledge to geniuses.”

Heaving a sigh, she stepped into the turret.

---

“Hey, Soaarunay, the output isn’t increasing enough.”

“I know! But if I cut the mana supply to the environmental systems any further, it’ll mess up the ecosystem on each floor.”

“If we crash, it’s game over anyway.”

“I’d rather the labyrinth crash than see those creatures go extinct.”

“What?! What’s the deal with those biotopes anyway? Why would you artificially recreate nature?”

“Hmph. You really don’t get it, do you? I thought you had some knowledge about sorcery, but compared to the wisdom of the Saak family, yours is just a speck of dust.”

“If having wisdom means collecting extinct species and staring at them like dead samples, then I don’t need it.”

“What did you say? Do you even understand the value of the magic catalysts that extinct species from the surface possess—”

A rumbling noise interrupted them. They turned to see a hole opening in the wall. The elevator that the Four Eastern Stars and Paula had used returned, now filled with a pile of colorful magic stones.

“Take those to the next room,” Soaarunay said.

“Me?”

“I can do it. But you’ll have to take over the control room.”

“Tch.”

A cart would’ve been handy, but they didn’t have one. Hikaru started unpacking his backpack, a curious bag, deeper than it appeared.

“Are you seriously using a bag made from Dimension Dragon leather to carry jerky?”

“I can do whatever I want with my stuff.”

“It took Scylla Saak ten days to craft the spell used to slay the dragon. It’s as valuable as a national treasure.”

“If it’s that valuable, you should’ve put it in a museum. You’re the one who made it loot in the dungeon.”

“If I hadn’t, adventurers wouldn’t come.”

“Maybe you should be more welcoming if you want them to show up.”

“I am! There are all sorts of creatures here. If you fight the creatures on each floor, the stimuli from those battles will help promote their evolution!”

Hikaru finally understood their goal, at least a little. They weren’t just preserving extinct species. They were breeding them, pushing their evolution. A massive experiment.

He frowned. Though I still don’t get why they’d build such a huge dungeon just for an experiment.

He packed the catalysts into his national treasure—it sure felt like one—and moved to the next room. It was a small, empty space with intricate magic circuits etched into the walls. He placed the catalysts on a large plate in the center, designed to absorb magical energy.

“This is impressive.”

There were a few circuits Hikaru had never seen before, but they seemed engineered to draw in all the magical energy. As he placed the magic stones on the plate, mana was absorbed quickly, like water into dry soil.

Hikaru picked up a fragment of an elemental magic stone that had cracked during transport. He was about to place it on the plate when he hesitated.

“What’s taking you so long? I get that you’re impressed with my magic circuits, but just finish the job already!”

Hikaru found her incredibly irritating. As he turned to fetch more catalysts, he noticed the elevator had already returned to the upper floors, leaving only the glowing catalysts behind.

“Hmm.”

Hikaru noticed the image displayed on the screen. The outside was beginning to brighten, and the snow-capped mountains were bathed in the early morning light, creating a striking contrast of crimson and deep blue shadows. The mountain range stretched out as far as the eye could see, with no sign of human habitation or even any living creatures.

It wasn’t just the appearance that had changed since nightfall.

“Isn’t this thing going way too fast?”

“I told you, we’re increasing the speed.”

“You said it would keep moving due to inertia after we sped up. But it looks like it’s accelerating even further.”

“…”

“Hey, Soaarunay!”

Hikaru moved closer and grabbed her slender shoulders.

“Just one more time.”

“What?”

“We just need to survive one more attack.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If we do, we’ll reach the Man Gnome’s stronghold.”

Hikaru’s breath caught. He looked at the screen. Though the image was rough, he could see a particularly tall mountain in the distance. The mountain seemed to have a rift at its peak, where white light was gathering.

“Is that… Is that the turret that’s been firing at us?”

“Yes. Thanks to the Man Gnomes activating that weapon, mana density in the area has gone haywire. In other words, they’ve practically announced their location to us.”

It finally clicked. Hikaru didn’t know how Soaarunay discovered the location of the Man Gnome village, but now it made sense. The activation of their ultimate weapon caused a disturbance, and that disturbance was picked up by the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas.

Just as the Man Gnomes were measuring the world’s mana levels, the Saak family had woven a web of spell around the world to detect even the slightest changes.

“Now, let’s see if we can survive one more hit.”

Soaarunay spoke as if she was not in the labyrinth herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t realize her life was on the line. She was simply more invested in the outcome of this experiment than in her own survival.

---

“Move, move!” Despite the head researcher’s frantic shouts, the staff could only do so much. The soul charging rate stayed constant, and had even slowed compared to before. They didn’t know how to speed it up. It wasn’t covered in the manual either.

“Damn it. The labyrinth is speeding up and getting closer!”

Their anxiety grew with the approaching floating island.

“Keep charging! Fill it with soul energy, even if it exceeds the limit!”

Bells tolled. The research director had contacted the ground to ring the bells as a signal for everyone to return to their homes due to the looming island.

Chaos reigned beneath the tower.

“Should we really head back? They’re telling us to take shelter in our houses, right?”

“I thought we were supposed to wipe out the Saak family with the Star White Wedge.”

“Just move quickly!”

Just moments ago, they were in a triumphant mood, but now they were given orders to evacuate, leaving everyone confused.

“What’s going on? What’s happening up there?”

“I thought the attack hit. Were they lying?”

The elders pressed the Mirk researchers stationed directly below the Star White Wedge.

One researcher reported, “We confirmed the impact, but the labyrinth hasn’t stopped. In fact, it’s accelerating toward us.”

“What?! You said that with the Star White Wedge, the Saak family was nothing to fear!”

“How will you take responsibility for this? That man is unfit to lead the Ultimate Mirk.”

“I always thought he was arrogant.”

Meanwhile, Granryuk observed from a distance as the elders voiced their frustration.

They should know that there’s no point in assigning blame right now.

Granryuk believed that taking refuge indoors was pointless. The Ultimate Mirk and the elders had not seen that enormous dungeon, so they could only issue standard evacuation methods.

“Shouldn’t we have the Grand Elder take command?” the Second Elder suggested.

“Yes, that would be best,” the Third Elder agreed.

Though they publicly expressed respect for the Grand Elder, they were secretly plotting to discredit her if she were to commit a blunder in this emergency, use it to remove her from her position, then take her place.

Granryuk felt a wave of dizziness.

This is stupid. Don’t they get it? This is a very critical moment. One side will be destroyed: either the village or the labyrinth, the Man Gnomes or the Saaks.

The elders, having lived within the village for over 200 years, saw this place as their entire world. Granryuk, as a member of Distant Girdle, had seen life beyond and learned of different perspectives. The Saak family was likely the same. Their goal had always been to elevate the level of sorcery across the entire continent. They saw the world differently from the Man Gnomes.

The director’s decision to issue an emergency evacuation meant he also saw what mattered. He understood. As a scientist, he was capable of making a rational judgment, though his risk assessment was optimistic.