Chapter 139 The Blinding Gleam of the Holy Sword and Divine Wrath
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
They waited for a few minutes for Marina to wake up; she’d passed out right after channeling the Goddess Shelm into her body.
The whole time, the white floor of the ‘Safety Area’ was repairing itself in plain sight, looking like the Maze Goddess’s furious scowl was baked right into the process, making them feel terribly exposed. Even though Shelm—who was supposed to be on the same divine level—said she’d gotten them a pass, watching the deity they’d just ticked off flex her power right in front of them wasn’t exactly a cozy feeling.
Once the floor smoothed back to its uniform, pristine state like nothing ever happened, Mataaha didn’t mess with them anymore.
The party hurriedly explained what went down to their revived strategist, who was suitably flustered, and they all bowed again to the newly sealed hole. Finally, Yuuri could breathe a sigh of relief.
”Man, I really messed that up,” Marina sighed, shaking her head. “Is there some unwritten rule in the guide business that says ‘no roughhousing’ in these huge, open places, Yuuri?”
”Sure, there is, but only among the folks who make a living exploring the Dungeon to keep things from turning into a brawl,” Yuuri explained, shrugging. “It’s a rest stop. People build bonfires here, and if everyone agrees, they even spar a little.”
After all, the white, stone-like material that made up the ‘Safety Area’ had always been considered indestructible.
That was why, on an empty floor, explorers safely checked how their Skills changed as they grew, and there had never been a report of any existing Skill or Magic damaging the ‘Safety Area’. Plus, since the exploration zones on each floor fixed themselves after a while—even if the terrain was all gouged out—Yuuri and the others figured even a little scratch from his Dust¹ would just fix itself, end of story.
”That’s why I never imagined we’d get such a huge warning for just testing a Skill, you know?” Yuuri admitted, running a hand through his hair.
”That’s just a human way of thinking, sadly,” Marina stated, her tone weary. “The only reason we got away with a complaint is probably the pact between the two of you and the Goddesses, plus the fact that this was our first offense.”
In short, the golden-eyed girl was basically telling them they only got a pass because they were still useful. Yuuri was pretty shocked that a Shrine Maiden would take such a totally God-centric view, but when he stopped to think about it, the Gods were terrifying.
Even Shelm, who was so close to them, didn’t hesitate to cause trouble for humans. Begging for mercy from the Maze Goddess, who was likely driven by profit and logic, was pointless.
”…I’m sure Shelm-sama and the Maze Goddess have some sort of agreement,” Marina mused, rubbing her chin. “If humans using their creations—Skills and the Dungeon—increases their power, then the two systems are a great match. That’s probably why they’ve never allowed Skills that could destroy the Dungeon to appear before now. But with the Maze Goddess’s intent to leave the operation of this Royal Capital Dungeon to humans, maybe they’re willing to allow some variations.”
”…Meaning we shouldn’t lean on that too hard,” Yuuri summarized, nodding. “At the very least, as long as we don’t totally go against the Goddesses’ will, they’ll just give us a warning the first time. If you look at it that way, there’s a good chance they’ll overlook us pushing the limits with Skills, as long as we’re following the Dungeon’s rules otherwise.”
Marina was right; those two Goddesses were definitely working together.
On top of that, it was a sure bet they were plotting something using small fry like the party, and they had to believe that as long as they were useful pawns, they wouldn’t just strike them down out of the blue. If that was the case, Shelm, who could see the future, should give them some kind of heads-up when they were about to veer too far off the path.
The real problem they needed to worry about wasn’t some divine tantrum, but all the stuff that went into conquering the Dungeon. Yuuri sent an internal complaint to Shelm in his mind, telling himself he couldn’t worry about things only the Gods knew, and he swore the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.
Whether that was a reply from the malicious ${}^{2}$ one or just nervous tension, he couldn’t tell, but their strategy of focusing on what was within human control hadn’t changed. With that resolve firm in his mind, Yuuri glanced over at Marina, and his reliable princess offered a small, knowing smile, giving him a tiny nod that was just enough to see.
”…Still, since we got a warning, we can’t test any more Skills here,” Marina declared, her eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s a little risky, but let’s move just outside the ‘Safety Area.’ Ashley, your Gleam is next.”
”Yes, you can count on me!” Ashley chimed in.
Everyone agreed to Marina’s command. The group started walking toward the entrance to the 57th floor, and even during that short walk, Yuuri couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that they’d gotten the Dust demonstration over with first.
He looked up to see Ashley, the one next in line for the spotlight, right behind Marina.
Just watching her back, Yuuri shivered thinking about what might have happened if they’d swapped the order. Even though both Dust and Gleam used the same Holy Sword source, their use-cases were totally different.
Suzuri fought with light of annihilation wrapped around her body, relying on her physical skills and speed, but Ashley’s combat style was all about planting her feet and firing off Magic.
Gleam, which was built for that, had a much larger effective range than Dust. If she had fired that off in the ‘Safety Area,’ the surrounding damage would have been catastrophic—they might have faced more than just a stern reprimand.
”Yuuri? Is something the matter?”
Yuuri was gazing at her a little too intently, thinking about the Skill he’d crafted with his own hands, and Ashley noticed, slowing her pace to walk beside him. Her emerald eyes tilted up in a questioning look, and Yuuri fumbled for how to express his anticipation for Gleam. After all, it was the first Skill he’d painstakingly and consciously woven together. He wasn’t putting down Dust, but Gleam was a different beast entirely; it wasn’t just two powerful Skills simply glued together.
He had knitted together all her dexterity-based Skills, carefully considering the balance of output so it wouldn’t be a hindrance to Ashley’s Magic.
He was so proud of it, calling it his finest tapestry of work. The process was physically marked by the beautiful colors of the crotch tattoo spreading across her body, and just recalling it made his chest feel full to bursting.
”Nah. Just thinking about how pretty your crotch tattoo is, Ashley.”
”—! You idiot! ${}^{3}$” she squealed, her face going totally scarlet and turning away in a huff. Only then did Yuuri realize his blunder. Even the way he’d been staring at Ashley just now—the pattern his gaze traced was, well, exactly like that artistic Gleam of light.
To placate the pouting Ashley, Yuuri wrapped his arms around her slender waist—a curve he could clearly feel even through her apron dress—and earnestly began to make excuses. Then Suzuri, who was on rear guard, rushed up and grabbed his other arm.
”What on earth are you two doing…?” Suzuri chastised, an amused exasperation in her voice.
”No, no, I was just talking about the quality of the work, honest!”
”Don’t try to deny it, master Yuuri. It is a fact that you were devouring my body with your eyes, was it not?” Ashley pouted, her voice still a little tight.
”I saw it from behind, and that hunched-over posture, as if you were stalking prey? You cannot tell me there was no lust involved!” Suzuri accused, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Marina, who had obviously noticed the commotion behind her, didn’t join in. She merely glanced back, walking backward for a moment, let out a sigh of pure exasperation, then turned around and hurried off toward the 57th-floor entrance.
”—Alright, that’s enough of the public display! Things get life-threatening from this point on,” Marina called out, stopping just a few steps from the entrance to the eternal gloom and clapping her hands softly. The dry sound made the two ‘flowers’ who had been leaning on Yuuri smoothly pull away, instantly standing at attention, their accusatory attitudes gone as if they were never there.
”H-hey!”
”Ahem. Right then, let’s decide on positions,” Marina instructed, her voice crisp. “The three of us will step outside. Yuuri, you stay just inside the border of the ‘Safety Area’ for security. You can step out if you need to see better or give advice, but if you see even the slightest hint of a Monster, you get back inside immediately.”
Marina continued to give out flawless instructions, settling everyone’s roles. Of course, she would handle any initial Monsters.
Suzuri would climb onto the ‘Safety Area’ roof to monitor the surroundings for approaching Monsters. And Ashley, the star, would prioritize a test shot in the air, not aiming to attack a Monster right away.
”Okay, time is precious, so let’s get this done. And as agreed beforehand, today’s combat training will be postponed for now. We all need to see the Skills in action, and then we need to hash out formations and tactics on paper. Otherwise, it’ll be too dangerous when the time comes.”
”Yes, I’m ready whenever,” Ashley confirmed.
”I shall ascend to the roof then.” Suzuri declared.
Following Marina’s directions, everyone quickly moved into position. Peeking out from the wide boundary, Yuuri could see Ashley standing about ten paces out, and Marina had stopped about another ten paces beyond that.
They’d both positioned themselves slightly to the left and right, giving Yuuri an unobstructed view from his static spot at the entrance. He couldn’t see Suzuri, but he figured she could see both of her sisters from above.
”Good, positions confirmed. Looks like you’re ready. Now Ashley, let’s begi—Whoa!”
Just as she was about to start the Skill test, Yuuri sensed a pulse of magical vibration very close by.
”Marina-dono! A Moss Golem is reappearing one hundred meters ahead!” Suzuri’s voice rained down from above. Yuuri understood what she meant and focused on the tide of Magic, where the familiar silhouette of a Moss Golem was faintly starting to materialize.
”Ugh, terrible timing.”
It was a sight they’d seen a few times during their nearly month-long training. The spawn point for the Golem that blocked their escape into the ‘Safety Area’ the first time they were thrown into the Infinite Canopy was right in front of them.
It didn’t appear in the exact same spot every time, but it was clearly placed there to stop people from rushing into the ‘Safety Area.’ That was why, whenever they went out to train, they always walked past that spot, scattering in all directions, and they’d seen it reappear before. They happened to be wasting time right near the entrance to the ‘Safety Area’ this time, and they just ran into the timing.
”Ashley and Suzuri, hold your positions. I’ll cut it down in one strike, and then we’ll resume the test.” Marina ordered, her hand already near her weapon.
”Wait, Princess,” Ashley interjected, her voice firm. “That is a perfect target. Please grant me the opportunity to demonstrate Gleam.”
Testing an unknown Skill in a real fight was something one would normally avoid if they were being cautious. It would definitely be better for Marina, who had a known Skill that was flawless in both offense and defense, to handle it alone.
But Yuuri watched as the golden eyes of the princess narrowed for a moment at Ashley, who was pushing back and claiming she could do it. Her time for consideration was short, and then she nodded, jumping sideways in a single stride to clear the line of sight to the rock giant that her maid had never managed to defeat before.
”Go for it, Ashley!”
”Thank you, Princess!…Now, I will show you the might of my Gleam, given to me by Yuuri!” Ashley shouted, her battle spirit raised high just as the Golem’s outline became complete. It turned toward them. Though its sunken holes had no eyeballs, it was clearly glaring at the humans at its feet and took a heavy, deliberate step forward.
CRUNCH! A deep, heavy thud echoed. ${}^{4}$ Facing the tremendous sound of its super-heavy footsteps, enough to make someone stumble, Ashley held her staff high, keeping her perfectly straight posture with her weight settled between her legs.
”Here I go…Ice Bind!”
It was none other than Ashley’s most preferred ice Magic.
She targeted a single point, released a burst of Magical power, and the resulting reaction sucked the heat out of the area. Anything that got hit by it would take massive damage as it was encased in ice and its body was chilled to absolute zero, leaving it utterly immobilized.
However, the deeper you went in the Dungeon, the more Magical power the Monsters had, making them more resistant to Magic. Even Ashley’s Magic, boosted by a Skill, was only barely effective on this 57th floor—the end of the middle layer—and was expected to be almost useless past the difficulty spike of the 58th floor.
That was why Yuuri had specifically woven Gleam as a countermeasure. What kind of performance would it deliver now?
”Oh, no way…!?”
Marina’s voice, the closest witness to the release, reached Yuuri’s ears as a gasp of astonishment. Having seen Ice Bind launched many times before while supporting them on the front lines, Marina would instantly spot the difference.
The way Ice Bind activated was usually heavily affected by the surrounding objects. That was unavoidable due to its nature of lowering the temperature of its target, so the shape and size of the ice crystals that formed usually varied, echoing the shape of the target and the ground.
But the Ice Bind Ashley just cast was utterly different from those messy crystals of the past. It formed a structure of precise symmetry, as if the activation of Magic itself was the top priority.
”The Golem is crumbling—no, disappearing!”
Suzuri’s voice, ringing from above, was half-shaking. The ice crystal that suddenly bloomed on the torso of the rock giant consumed much of its body, and the hands, feet, and head that barely escaped the ice began to drop as they lost their support.
The event didn’t end there, though.
Touching the crystal’s lingering light caused those falling parts to also vanish. By the time the crystal’s glow subsided and the intricate structure collapsed under its own weight, all that remained of the Golem was a small piece of one foot and a few fallen fingers on the ground.
”…Damn.”
”How’s that? It’s a Skill that can imbue Magic with the effect of the Holy Sword.” Yuuri boasted, puffing out his chest to Marina, who was comparing the gruesome scene with him from inside the ‘Safety Area.’ At the same time, he hugged Ashley, who rushed over in a fit of emotion, savoring the softness of her breasts against his chest as he stroked her flushed cheek.
”I…I did it, Yuuri! ${}^{5}$ I did it!” she exclaimed, her voice thick with pride.
”Yeah, you worked hard, Ashley. You’re not a burden anymore.”
Yuuri wiped Ashley’s teary eyes with a towel he pulled from the Workshop, then greeted Marina and Suzuri. Even though they were back in the safe zone, their faces looked somewhat drained of color. They tried to act normal, but for a while, they were both utterly speechless.
”W-well… my Dust was like child’s play compared to that…” Suzuri stammered, humbled.
”Nah, your role is different from Ashley’s,” Yuuri countered. “I’m proud that the Dust I gave you is a Skill only you can fully handle. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not something to put yourself down over.”
”Ugh… you said that Gleam can imbue Magic, right? The light of annihilation isn’t going to fly out every time, is it? My Holy Armor can block it, can’t it!?” Marina wailed, and her desperation was genuine.
When the two finally spoke, they were greatly astonished, but Marina’s plea was the most frantic. Yuuri soothed the rarely flustered golden girl and explained that the Holy Sword’s annihilation effect was optional.
After a quick break, they tested Gleam by having Ashley activate it on a small fire lit on the tip of her staff, and confirmed that Marina’s Holy Armor could block it.
Crisis averted. Still, while she seemed relieved then and there, Marina’s expression didn’t fully lighten up all the way back to the Workshop.
—
Summary:
A tense situation with the Maze Goddess is defused, forcing the party to move their Holy Sword Skill testing out of the ‘Safety Area’ and into the dangerous 57th-floor entry. Princess Marina maintains her composure, but the pressure is immense. The true highlight is Ashley debuting her custom Magic-enhancement Skill, Gleam. The Skill utterly annihilates a Moss Golem, demonstrating a terrifying, powerful annihilation effect that shocks everyone, especially the defense-focused Marina. The scene is a mix of tactical planning, divine fear, and tender, proud moments between Yuuri and Ashley, confirming her crucial new role in the Dungeon challenge.
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Character Insight:
Yuuri’s deep pride in his Skill creations is evident, especially when he views Ashley’s Gleam as his ‘finest tapestry.’ This pride borders on the possessive and sensual, as his focus shifts to the physical manifestation of the Skill on Ashley’s body. Marina is revealed to be highly vulnerable beneath her leadership role, showing genuine, frantic fear when faced with the overwhelming power of Gleam, highlighting the extreme danger of their Dungeon adventure and their reliance on Yuuri’s overpowered creations.
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Behind the Scene:
The chapter’s focus is on the consequences of tangling with the Dungeon Goddess and the sheer destructive power of the new Holy Sword Skills. The decision to postpone combat training reflects the necessary shift from individual development to cohesive team strategy, acknowledging the escalating difficulty of the Dungeon’s higher floors and the need to integrate Ashley’s new, potent Magic.
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T/L:
1. Dust is a specific Holy Sword Skill created by Yuuri for Suzuri. The name (塵芥) means ‘dust’ or ‘trash,’ referring to the effect of turning targets into nothing. ↩
2. The ‘malicious one’ is a reference to the Goddess Shelm, who is known to be mischievous and cause problems for humans, despite being on their side. ↩
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
• Mataaha – the labyrinth goddess with brown skin, silver eyes, and waist-length black hair. She resembles a stern, intellectual character like Mikasa Ackerman but with divine power.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Suzuri – A scout who braved the labyrinth and lured a petrifying monster to protect her friends, she endured long isolation while frozen in stone and relied on inner magic to preserve her sense of self.
• Ai – The recently-formed sub-divinity/ego who manages the world’s Skills. Her sudden, intense burst of divine will (‘ki’) almost bleached Yuuri’s wicked thoughts. Called Yuuri ‘Elder Brother’ and declared genuine affection and trust based on his efficiency with her Skills.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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