Chapter 138 The Reckless Power of Dust
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day arrived, and Yuuri knew he couldn’t slack off on his training anymore, lest they all slide straight into degeneracy, but an immediate departure like their usual routine wasn’t possible.
Thanks to the magnified divine blessings of the night before, none of the four of them felt much fatigue; instead, their Servant physiologies combined with their Goddess-messed-with brains allowed them to lose themselves in the act, sacrificing precious hours of sleep. The pleasure had been so overwhelming that they’d forgotten to even move to the bedroom, falling into a mud-like slumber where they were.
When they awoke in the fleshy den, they were all covered in slick fluids and silently avoided each other’s eyes. Afterward, they had to scramble to clean up, which involved peeling Ashley’s loincloth-tentacles away and carefully digging Marina—still wearing her armor—out of the fleshy floor where she had gotten stuck while creating a new skill.
Even after quickly finishing their meal and getting dressed, they still hadn’t shared the information about their new skills, which was supposed to happen last night. Their training preparations finished over two hours later than normal.
”—Which is why our life is kinda messy lately, you know?” Marina cautioned, stepping out from the gloom of the fifty-seventh floor. “We shouldn’t overdo it, and we gotta get our bodies used to this. Suzuri, you might wanna test your strength on the fifty-eighth floor, but first, it’s vital that we properly test the new powers we all got.”
”I understand your concern, Princess Marina,” Suzuri murmured, her tone utterly deferential. “Does that mean we won’t focus on speed-marching like before, but instead carefully seek out strays that are perfect for a trial cut?”
Marina emphasized her warning. Indeed, with their current strength, they could probably easily take down even a Basilisk.
But because the skills they’d gained were so powerful, they needed to make sure their teamwork was perfect to avoid a disastrous explosion or a friendly-fire incident. Thus, they had to start by using them in a controlled, safe environment.
”No, before we try ’em on monsters, we should do a test-fire in the Safety Area,” Yuuri stated, crossing his arms. “Both of your skills should have inherited the attacking power of the Holy Sword, right? Even a graze could cause an irreversible injury, so we have to share the full range of effects with everyone.”
”That is sound logic, Yuuri-sama. Even on the tame fifty-seventh floor, it would be terrible to injure ourselves by accident from a monster’s sneak attack,” Suzuri agreed, her hand resting on the hilt of her beloved katana. “To ensure we can deploy our skills quickly against future powerful foes, we should proceed with extreme caution and draw the blade slowly, I believe.”
They were talking as if the Infinite Canopy was a casual place to stroll around, but Yuuri couldn’t shake the thought that they were forgetting this was still the deepest conquered floor.
Still, even before Suzuri joined, they’d been able to cycle through here quite smoothly, so he couldn’t deny their low assessment of its difficulty. Yuuri quietly listened, a little confused by the difference in their perceived difficulty, when Marina, encased in golden armor, placed a hand on her hip and turned toward him.
”As Yuuri has said, you two step back for a moment. Let’s first unveil Suzuri’s Dust (Jin’kai), shall we?”
”Oh, yeah. I only just made it, and this is the first time I’ll see it used, too,” Yuuri commented, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “I sure hope it turned out to be practical.”
”Heh-heh, I also learned my Luster skill without any problems,” Marina beamed, her golden armor catching the dim light. “Besides, we’re using a piece of Shelm-sama’s power, so that person wouldn’t leave us with a skill that doesn’t work properly.”
”Then, I shall begin, Your Highness,” Suzuri stated, her posture straightening. “As I am uncertain of the moderation, I request that you remain in your current position.”
Yuuri and Ashley fell into a line with Marina, who clanked as she stepped back, leaving distance between themselves and Suzuri, who moved to the front.
He was worried about whether Dust could be used stably, precisely because he could set its performance to a certain degree when creating it. Since the base was Suzuri’s inherited Darkness Wrap, the risk of an explosion was likely low, but because it possessed the annihilating power of the Holy Sword—which erased anything it touched—he couldn’t be careless.
Ignoring his worries, Suzuri, finally allowed to unleash the skill, slowly raised one arm from a straight-backed stance, and a kunai materialized in her hand.
”That’s the one you made with Darkness Wrap, isn’t it?” Yuuri asked, leaning forward slightly.
”Indeed,” Suzuri affirmed. “Dust is a skill that wraps the Holy Sword’s power of annihilation onto a material object. It can be used by itself, but it will instantly decay and vanish without a core object. Therefore, it is used by wrapping it around my hands or my weapon in close combat, or alternatively, like this—”
A dark, purplish light raced across Suzuri’s body in an intricate pattern. Touching it would probably mean instant annihilation, but she seemed to control the light perfectly, not inflicting any damage on herself.
While relieved that it was working without issue, a deeper worry took root: he’d given one of his wives an all-too-easy, deadly skill that lacked the constraint of ‘blades only’ like Marina’s.
Sometimes, a sudden impulse to hug Suzuri would hit him, and if she were using Dust at that moment, he wouldn’t dare. While the skilled Suzuri would likely sense his amateur approach and probably, hopefully, take care, the thought of causing her extra anxiety made him hesitate.
While Yuuri was struggling with this awkward situation, Suzuri quickly unleashed thrusts and kicks with her purple-light-shrouded limbs.
She then held the kunai and her katana for a dazzling flurry of linked attacks, and finally wrapped her entire body in Dust to show a defensive posture. He’d thought the Holy Sword would have a greater reach, but then Suzuri threw the disposable kunai ten meters ahead onto the floor, where the light of annihilation exploded violently.
Predictably, the floor of the Safety Area was gouged out in a hemispherical crater, and the white stone material of the floor settled at the bottom like fine powder.
”Ugh, that’s gross,” Ashley stated flatly, peering at the result. “It didn’t completely annihilate everything like my Holy Sword, did it? That final explosion has spotty, irregular light, and it leaves that residue. If she used this on a living thing, all that’d be left is ground meat, huh?”
”Since the original is Darkness Wrap, the annihilation light seems to be particulate,” Suzuri explained, dismissing the skill. “Fortunately, it doesn’t drift for long distances, so I don’t believe there is danger unless one is within touching distance.”
The full display was over, and the evaluation phase began, focused heavily on the crater in the floor. The core idea of Dust was to increase the firepower of the quick, numerous attacks Suzuri was known for, and to do that efficiently, it utilized the mechanics of the Darkness Wrap she was familiar with.
This allowed her to maintain long-range firepower through the throwing of the Dust-infused kunai. Making the explosive range completely annihilate everything would have been inefficient, considering the amount of Dust generated.
”Well, the important thing is whether Suzuri can use it easily,” Yuuri mused, looking between the hole and his wife. “It’s like using magic to kill a monster—if it’s dead, that’s great, and you don’t need to completely incinerate the whole corpse.”
”That’s true,” Ashley conceded. “But if I had to voice a complaint, it’s that it’ll be a little inconvenient if we ever need to collect monster materials in the future.”
Yuuri addressed Ashley, the group’s magic expert, wanting to show that the skill’s grisly nature was unintended. By getting a definite opinion from her, Marina, who would likely be the one seeing the most ground meat up close in future fights, reluctantly agreed.
”Then, is there anything else we need to confirm about Dust?” Marina asked, taking the lead on the discussion.
After a few more questions and answers, Suzuri’s role remained largely unchanged. She would primarily guard the two core members and support Marina on the front line with projectile attacks if possible.
However, she was explicitly ordered to maintain a safe distance from allies when using Dust. Accepting the order, Suzuri put her hands together neatly and raised a small finger toward Marina, who was chairing the meeting.
”Hah! I have one thing I would like to suggest, Your Highness. If you are going to view me as a combatant with Dust from now on, considering the possibility of an accidental hit, we should also test whether the Holy Armor can defend against it.”
”Oh, a question of the spear and the shield,” Marina noted. “…Talking about that reminds me of Yuuri’s… thing, and it makes me embarrassed, but yes, we should absolutely check that.”
Suzuri’s words essentially asked if she could still attack even if it meant potentially hitting her allies. Yuuri and Ashley exchanged surprised glances at her fearlessness, but Marina—after stumbling mid-sentence and flushing a deep red before looking down—nonetheless agreed to Suzuri’s proposal without seeming upset.
”Yes,” Suzuri pressed on. “If the Holy Armor can defend against it, I can conserve the Dust coating to just the kunai’s edge, allowing for more attacks even if it gets deflected by the enemy. Conversely, if it proves dangerous, I must coat the entire surface to ensure it pierces the enemy, and I must not allow it to explode.”
”Mhm. It’s absolutely vital to know if we can execute our most effective tactics,” Marina confirmed. “Alright, first, just touch the tip of the kunai to the Holy Armor, and if that’s fine, we’ll try the explosion.”
While the older members fretted, Marina and Suzuri quickly moved a distance away and faced each other.
Marina activated her Holy Armor first, and a shimmering shell of golden light enveloped the Princess Knight. Suzuri then generated a kunai, its tip glowing purple, and cautiously approached the spherical shield.
”Oh!” Yuuri gasped.
”Ah!” Ashley breathed out.
A silent, hollow CLACK sounded as the kunai stopped, and Yuuri, who had been holding his breath, let out a small noise with Ashley. The usually confident Marina did the same, and from a distance, Yuuri could see her shoulders drop as she let out a huge sigh of relief.
”I shall try to press it in with a little force now,” Suzuri announced.
”Okay. I think it’ll be fine, but—” Marina began, then blinked. “Oh? Wait. Suzuri, you’re putting a lot of strength into that, aren’t you?”
Suzuri was pressing the kunai with both hands, lowering her stance and using the pommel for leverage, but the shell of light didn’t budge.
Marina was standing almost straight up; if Suzuri had pressed with that much force, she should have been easily unbalanced. Seeing that Marina couldn’t be moved, Yuuri finally realized the meaning of the discrepancy.
”W-wait, no way! You can now cancel out the effects of an opponent’s attack too!?” Yuuri demanded, his surprise evident.
”Y-yes. Yes! It seems so!” Marina’s voice was ecstatic. “Ah, I struggled so much because I didn’t have this feature, but now it’s truly a solid defense!”
With that declaration, Marina took a slow step forward. Even that slight shift of her weight was enough to push Suzuri back, who was straining both legs to hold her ground, almost sending her tumbling.
But Suzuri was too skilled to fall; she instantly leaped back and avoided the tumble. She then didn’t attempt another melee attack, instead shifting into a throwing stance.
”I shall aim for the edge now,” Suzuri stated.
”Yes. Come at me,” Marina challenged.
The two faced off for two long breaths.
Then, Suzuri’s hand holding the kunai blurred, and immediately afterward, a sharp CLANG rang out. Yuuri looked down at the white floor and saw a black kunai deeply embedded right beside Marina—the golden shell remained completely unshaken.
”I would like to try the explosion finally, if I may,” Suzuri asked.
”Yes, let’s do it,” Marina agreed, now completely confident. “I’ll get the position right… There. Go ahead.”
Cautiously, Marina adjusted her position so that only the Holy Armor would be within the blast radius. At Suzuri’s signal, an eruption left a circular scorch mark, but like a piece of the moon that had been bitten away, the section covered by the light shell remained completely untouched.
”That’s incredible…” Yuuri whispered. “If you think about it, the Holy Sword’s growth was just the blade getting longer. Clearly, the Holy Armor, with its massive increase in defensive ability, is the superior one.”
”U-ugh, yes!” Marina cried out. “With this, I can protect Yuuri no matter what enemy comes!”
”Frankly, I am astonished,” Suzuri admitted. “But, considering this is the law of the Goddess, perhaps monsters that can defend against our attacks will also appear in the deeper layers of the Labyrinth.”
”Sister, there is no point in considering that now,” Ashley interjected, stepping forward. “Besides, if our defense is superior, it means we have more time to retreat. And it means we can attack the enemy from the rear without worrying about Marina-dono—we should be happy about this.”
Yuuri and Ashley waited for the two to dismiss their skills, then approached the marks on the floor. Yuuri caught Marina, who had leaped into his arms, and listened to the discussion among his followers.
Their conversation was all about celebrating the emergence of an immovable vanguard, and the joy in their voices was louder than their excitement over the newly acquired killer attack. Yuuri realized that was natural—you can only gain an opportunity to attack when you secure a safe zone, and even the strongest attack is meaningless if it results in a mutual kill.
He blessed the unexpectedly enhanced Marina and, without minding the slightly heavy armor, lifted her up. The golden girl gave him a rare, genuine sunlit smile.
”I’m happy with you, now and always, Marina. Because we have you, we can definitely push forward even further.”
”T-that’s not true… ♡ N-no, it’s all thanks to everyone!” Marina stuttered, flushing. “It was Yuuri who got us this far, wasn’t it? Come on, time is short. Next, we should test Ashley’s Luster—”
She’d spent so long locked in the workshop, building up her skills and dreaming of conquering the Labyrinth.
They were just about to celebrate the fruits of their labor when Marina suddenly went limp. The grip on his arm slackened, and the girl in his arms felt a size heavier—a sense of déjà vu washing over Yuuri.
”H-hey. Marina? …No, is that you, Shelm?” Yuuri demanded, looking into his partner’s face.
”—You got that right fast, huh? I’d wanna give my apostle a little blessing, but I’m kinda in a rush, so I’ll skip it,” the Goddess replied, abruptly dropping the usual overly-formal pre-amble. Despite her hurry, she leaned in to press her lips to his cheek, drawing a death-glare from Ashley. Shelm coughed once and then began to speak.
”Mataaha came yelling at me, ya know? The Safety Area is a delicate setup because it’s meant to link all the floors. Her decree is to stop destroying it, so you guys need to do your skill testing outside where the monsters are.”
Yuuri felt the blood drain from his face as she spoke. The Goddess-possessed Marina’s gaze was fixed on the two small holes they’d made.
Compared to the entire Safety Area, the damage was tiny, but to the Labyrinth’s Administrator, this act was probably the same as trying to sever the chain connecting two ships.
The moment that fact registered, Yuuri instantly dropped to his knees. Not knowing which Goddess to bow to, he, Ashley, and Suzuri all lowered their heads, using Shelm-in-Marina as their mouthpiece.
”W-w-we are so incredibly sorry!!”
”…Hey, you guys,” Shelm pouted, an amused lilt in her voice. “Whaddya think? Your attitude toward me is way different than how you act toward Mataaha, isn’t it?”
Yuuri ignored the malicious Goddess’s attempt at a joke, choosing instead to continue their sincere apologies to the rational Goddess. After a few minutes, he was told their apology was accepted.
He composed himself and calmed down for a few minutes. During that time, the malicious Goddess paced around them, and with one final brush of her lips against his cheek, she gently laid Marina’s body down in his lap and returned to the stellar horizon.
—
Summary:
Following a night of intimate indulgence, Yuuri and his companions finally test their powerful new Holy/Darkness fusion skills like Dust and Luster in the Labyrinth’s Safety Area. The trial reveals Marina’s enhanced Holy Armor is now an unshakeable defense, capable of neutralizing the party’s own deadliest attacks. However, their destructive tests leave craters in the delicate infrastructure, triggering an enraged warning from the Labyrinth’s Administrator, delivered via the mischievous Goddess Shelm, who demands they stop wrecking the Safety Area and take their intense fantasy battles outside. The scene ends with a mix of deep affection, relief over Marina’s defensive power, and panic over divine consequences, leaving the party ready to face the deeper floors.
—
Character Insight:
Marina, the Princess Knight, proves her unwavering loyalty and courage by enthusiastically testing her armor’s limits against a friendly-fire threat. Her ecstatic reaction to having a solid defense—a core theme in harem fantasy—shows her desire to be a true, dependable vanguard for Yuuri. Meanwhile, the playful Goddess Shelm demonstrates her complex relationship with the protagonists, breaking rules to deliver a warning while relishing the chance for personal, intimate interaction with Yuuri, much to Ashley’s subtle annoyance.
—
Behind the Scene:
The intimate recovery from the previous night emphasizes the deep, established harem dynamic. The focus shifts to the consequences of the heroes’ rapid growth, showing that even seemingly minor destructive acts have divine consequences in the Labyrinth, adding a layer of risk to their power fantasy journey. The sudden, chaotic, and affectionate intervention by Shelm acts as a narrative pivot, forcing the group to change their strategy from controlled testing to real-world, dangerous combat in the deep floors.
Notes:
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• 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.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• 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.
• 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.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply