The ordeal has ended.
The pure white sun vanished from the labyrinth without a trace.
The stopping point was the 99th floor, the de facto final stronghold.
However, this floor, likely the greatest challenge in the labyrinth, had also been burned and melted, its appearance drastically altered. Like the floors before it, it had been forcibly repainted into a lava area, and the ceiling had disappeared.
But the ground remained.
On it, we faced each other.
Right in front of me.
Within arm’s reach, Maria, having exhausted her power, knelt with her face buried in her chest.
I was also on my knees.
However, I had enough strength left to look up. Furthermore, even though the sun was gone, the dark purple clouds of Black Shift: Overwrite still lingered around us.
The sun and the dark clouds fought to erase each other.
The dark clouds were victorious.
The decisive blow was not the dimensional support from the 90th floor of the labyrinth.
It was my gaze.
A gaze I had felt from the very beginning, continuously.
I already knew that this gaze was the World itself, and also the Deepest Part.
Basically, an incantation is a transaction with this gaze, requesting favorable treatment of magic power. However, if one were to use that favored magic power to try and erase the trading partner, even the kindest World would hastily intervene to stop it.
As a result, just before the sun could reach the Deepest Part, Maria’s incantation collapsed, and her magic power rapidly decayed.
In contrast, Noi’s and my Black Shift: Overwrite had passed through the 90th floor, and our magic power and momentum had reached their peak.
There were other reasons mixed in, but the gaze was undeniably the biggest factor that decided the outcome of this battle.
In other words, this battle.
No matter what, Maria was fated to run out of magic power on the 99th floor and stop.
I let these words tremble in my throat, intending to convey this.
“Maria… there was no way you could have won fighting me head-on right now… If you were going to do it, you should have waited until I was incapacitated in the Deepest Part… everyone said that, didn’t they? Why—”
Maria’s breathing was shallow, as if questioned. She was exhausted. She looked like she could collapse at any moment.
Yet, upon hearing my words, she managed a smile, even shallower than her breathing.
Maria only responded with a smile.
Instead, a reply came from behind me. It was the voice of the Reaper, who had escaped to safety alone before this 110th Ordeal.
“I don’t particularly like those Apostle’s words… but I have no choice but to say them for her. Big brother, you should know better than anyone. —Winning or losing isn’t important. There are things you can achieve by losing.”
When I turned around, the Reaper was there, looking as if he were heading home, making his way into my shadow.
Further behind him stood the cleaner, to whom I had entrusted two magic stones, by himself.
They must have watched our magical clash, falling leisurely through the open shaft from the 10th to the 99th floor. They now possessed the ability and magic to do so.
Yes.
They both could have chosen to do more than just watch.
“Reaper… why didn’t you stop Maria?”
“I don’t take sides with anyone. I’ve said that from the start, haven’t I?”
“But you were supposed to be the Judge. You said you would stop things that were unfitting for our duel… that you would make the judgment in my stead, as I could only see Rustiara…!”
I pressed the Reaper, who had answered immediately.
I knew I was venting pointlessly, even though I understood it myself. My threads were cut, my writing was interrupted, and I was out of the plan. This was the only thing I could say.
“Yes, I promised. …That’s why, I don’t think this is a duel related to Lady Rustiara.”
“That’s impossible…”
To fight like this, on this day, at this time, in this place, and for it to have no connection to the plan or Rustiara? It was unthinkable.
As I spoke, being pushed forward, the Reaper continued his explanation.
“This 110th Ordeal had no connection to the fate of this world or the Deepest Part. It was truly a typical ‘ordeal’ for an ‘ordeal.’ I won’t interfere with what is simply Lady Maria’s personal support!”
“This is personal… ‘support’…?”
He stated it as if it were obvious, and then pointed at my hand.
“Big brother. Isn’t ‘the Answer’ what your right hand has grasped?”
In my left hand, I held a book.
In my right, I held something newly grasped.
I opened my hand and looked at the red, glowing magic stone.
“The magic stone of Arti, the Thief of Principles of Fire…”
I had no choice but to take it.
It was the only way to stop Maria, who was still trying to push forward even without magic power, through the use of Distance Mute.
—A magic stone that wasn’t part of the plan was now in my hand.
More than the surprise of exceeding the plan, I felt a strong sense of being reprimanded.
It felt as if all my assertions that “Arti is different from everyone else, she can be happy with Maria” were being brushed aside as “unnecessary meddling.”
“The festival is… about to begin…”
At that moment, Maria’s voice echoed.
Perhaps she had regained a little strength during the brief respite.
When I turned, she was attempting to lift her bowed head with her last ounce of strength.
Her face was clearly visible.
A faint smile still on her lips, her eyes seemed distant.
She looked as if she were listening to the clamor of the ground.
She also seemed to be reminiscing about the festival songs and fireworks.
“It’s finally the ‘Final Festival’ isn’t it… A thousand years ago, and one year ago too… we weren’t together until the end… that’s why, please invite me this time. To that side… …you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered herself to the ground.
I could tell her body had no strength left.
“……!”
And then, Maria called me “you.”
She was polite, addressing people by name with a suffix. She had persistently called me “Kanami-san,” but now, the fact that she uttered “you.”
–She had ‘forgotten’ my name.
No matter how well she controlled the ‘Curse,’ that fierce battle had taken its toll.
Moreover, what they clashed with was ‘Black Shift: Overwrite.’
After ‘forgetting’ various memories and feelings, so many parts of her life should have ceased to exist.
–It was likely that Maria’s memories were now severely unbalanced, her very soul in tatters.
Yet, she had a happy look on her face.
The one who had so feared ‘Oblivion’ was now smiling, as if this was her true desire.
Yes.
Ever since this ‘The 110th Ordeal’ began, she had been smiling.
As if enjoying the scenery while walking through the crowds of a festival.
“Unlike me, you’re not a straightforward person at all… That’s why, please don’t leave me out anymore…”
Maria continued to smile at me, who was afflicted with ‘Constriction.’
And, reluctantly, I finally made a direct request.
Like Maria, a person who isn’t straightforward.
In other words, “invite me” meant…
It was about Arti, ‘The one who steals the logic of fire,’ who had been left out since a thousand years ago…
“Because, it was the end of a thousand years ago… Just one last time, all of us ‘Thieves of Principles’ — together — let’s go to the festival — ”
Her words trailing off, Maria’s body seemed about to fall forward.
Her arms were clearly limp, unable to even brace herself.
Hurriedly, I returned the book in my left hand to my ‘Inventory’ and reached out with both hands.
I slipped my arms around Maria’s sides and embraced her tightly.
And then, for the first time today, I touched her.
The warmth from her body was just right, pleasantly warm and comfortable.
It was here, that I finally realized.
Late, like the other ‘Thieves of Principles’ before me — no, later than that, duller, roundabout, I finally understood.
–Today, Maria had genuinely come just to deliver Arti.
The reason she had brought up ‘The 110th Ordeal,’ something she wasn’t used to, was because she was bothered that she had cleared ‘The 10th Ordeal’ of Arti’s.
As the circumstances of a thousand years ago gradually came to light, Maria had likely been thinking about many things alone in the ‘between the lines’ of the story. As the magic stones of the ‘Thieves of Principles’ were successively obtained by ‘Aikawa Uzunami,’ only Arti, ‘The one who steals the logic of fire,’ remained with her. She might have felt guilty about that.
–That she alone was “too happy.”
That’s what Maria thought, which is why she initiated this ‘The 110th Ordeal.’
Regardless of what would happen to herself afterward.
Even if it meant ‘forgetting’ me.
Even if her precious memories were to become ‘non-existent.’
Only for her best friend, Arti —
No, that wasn’t it.
Maria wasn’t straightforward.
And her words about coming to support me weren’t a lie.
As those words indicated, ‘Black Shift: Overwrite’ had been forged to its limit by her flames, surpassing its original ‘Plan.’
This ‘The 110th Ordeal’ was also for me, weakened by ‘Constriction.’
Of course, it was probably for ‘Rustiara’ too. She was supporting her as she achieved her love by clearly conveying their feelings to each other —
Maria had surely…
After thinking it through alone, she made the choice of ‘The 110th Ordeal’ for everyone’s sake.
Sensing her will, my throat trembled.
I would provide the ‘Answer’ to this ‘The 110th Ordeal.’
“Maria… We’re together now… Here, the ‘Thieves of Principles’… The familiar faces from a thousand years ago are all here together…”
I tightened my grip on the magic stone in my right hand and hugged Maria.
At that moment, Maria let out a large sigh of relief by my ear.
And then, she tried to convey something until the very end.
Her feelings, truthfully and directly.
“I… …wish for your ‘happiness’…”
It was a wish.
But my name did not come out.
From the embers of her memory, she likely inferred that I was the one she loved.
It was the same as with Arti.
Having inferred it, she simply prayed. Those were Maria’s final words.
“May you… become ‘happy’…”
Up to this point, I had spent a long time contemplating Maria’s intentions.
However, it condensed into a single phrase.
It wasn’t about winning or losing.
She simply wanted to make me “happy.”
With those words, all strength left Maria’s body.
She fainted.
Her body was unharmed.
Her breathing, though shallow, continued.
However, her spirit was certainly not unharmed.
For that single phrase, Maria had burned her precious possessions as firewood.
All the memories from when Maria and I first met until today.
Just as I thought I had forgotten everything, a hand reached out from the side.
It was an arm wrapped in countless cursed cloths.
With one hand, the other loosened and removed one of the cloths—
“…Huh?”
The cursed cloth was wrapped around Maria’s head, as if to protect her lost eyes.
Was it a gesture of kinship from her homeland? Or was it a feeling of empathy, or an apology, towards the Lord Flame God, a victim of the same institute?
Why did the figure of that cleaner, for some reason…
Perhaps it was because of the black mask.
For a moment, I thought I saw it was Thida, the one who steals the logic of darkness.
—Along with this momentary delusion, I recalled a page from a thousand years ago.
A thousand years ago, I, along with Thida, the one who steals the logic of darkness, rescued Arti, the one who steals the logic of fire, from the hands of the lord Romis Neisha.
— At the time of their departure, Thida, the one who steals the logic of darkness, took responsibility for Arti, the one who steals the logic of fire, who had been rescued.
He vowed to protect them this time, just as he had failed to protect the mother and daughter who became sacrifices in his homeland of Fanian. He swore that next time, as a knight of Fuziaze, he would protect them.
Looking back, Thida was concerned about Arti even a thousand years later, right up until the moment of his disappearance.
Even if forgotten, only the emotions—only the feelings, remained, perhaps.
Next, memories connected.
— I came to know.
What is important is the feelings of people.
Saving the world may indeed be important.
But the world exists for the sake of people.
These were the words spoken by Apostle Legacy, which Reaper had just imitated.
Now, I felt as if various sentences were being added to the book in my inventory.
It wasn’t my writing. Even the words of an apostle who retired a thousand years ago were connected through these genuine threads—it felt as if they were somehow compensating for my incomplete, beginner’s writing—
As if being pushed from behind, I hesitantly began to weave lines that were not in the plan.
“Arti… The Final Festival is about to begin. It’s a festival… So, let’s go together…”
These were truly clumsy words, but I was inviting her.
I reached out to the Thief of Principles, who had been left alone for a thousand years.
“Only, behind this festival, I will be working on my final magic development… Not curse techniques to treat my sister anymore, but the development of more difficult magic… It’s truly difficult, so I want your help. You might think, what am I doing on a festival day… but please, come with me. I’m begging you…”
After finishing my lines, there was a brief pause.
A moment of silence.
The magic stone in my hand quietly, slowly, and surely sank.
It entered me, just like the magic stones of the other Thief of Principles.
“Ah, ah…”
This is the complete end.
Maria’s 110th Ordeal has concluded.
I understood this, savored it, and declared it as if shouting,
“Ahh, with this… we are complete…! We are complete in the truest sense!! With the magic stone of Arti, the one who steals the logic of fire, everyone has gathered to my side!!”
The ones watching this declaration were not just Reaper and the cleaner.
Most importantly, I conveyed to their gazes that Arti was on my side.
“The ceremony that is about to begin! The moment when the curse technique that began a thousand years ago transcends all logic and becomes true magic! —It will surpass even the plan, with the power of Arti, the one who steals the logic of fire!! The construction of Magic Kanami will reach even greater heights thanks to her!! This is all because she has been preparing, alone, for a thousand years!!”
As I said this, I stood up.
Still holding Maria’s body, I turned around and strode forward with strength.
My somewhat rough movements were due to my resolve.
With this, I gained an advantage.
It was thanks to Maria’s support—but that also meant that, with her discerning eye, she felt the need to support me.
Without Arti, Aikawa Uzunami is at a disadvantage.
For now, Shira Legacy’s party has the advantage.
The fact that the discerning eye perceived this flow.
“…………!!”
It felt as if I was being told that I wasn’t truly living to the fullest for Rustiara.
Even though living to the fullest is the only way to overcome this cruel logic.
Even though it is the path to reaching happiness with Rustiara…!
Even though Maria just wished me happiness…!!
Encouraged, I walked, unhesitatingly extending the ultimate forbidden technique, the Purple Thread, from my sleeve.
The surrounding situation was not focused on the threads. However, having overcome the flames of the 110th Ordeal, the threads had been refined, and I was easily able to connect them to Maria in my arms.
“—Flame, convey.”
Connecting the flame-clad threads, I began the adjustment.
Maria’s memories are now scorched and riddled with holes.
If she were to wake up in this state, she would be bewildered by her unstable memories, and her already fragile mental state would be in danger of collapsing.
To prevent this, I used the inherited flames of Oblivion to make it a more perfect “non-existent thing.” I carefully reshaped her memories so that she could wake up to a pleasant morning.
“…Now, I have taken the first step towards becoming ‘non-existent.’”
The first step, which I had hesitated on for so long.
I started with Maria’s memories, which could have been my greatest enemy.
This way, things are no longer superficial.
“The only one who can inflict pain upon me, ‘Keigan,’ has fallen outside the stage. It will not awaken until the ‘Final Festival’ is over. Without a magic stone, it’s useless in battle no matter how much it struggles.”
However, I still meticulously wrapped her in dozens of ‘Threads,’ continuously utilizing ‘Oblivion,’ and walked on.
I won’t jump to conclusions. A little while ago, Maria herself said, “Even if I forget, I just need to remember.” She even added, “At worst, I’ll remember it through sheer willpower. Through willpower.”
Now, one thing I understood by connecting ‘Threads’ to Maria is this:
It was a truly terrifying memory, and the resolve I currently lack. It was her confidence that after the ‘Plan’ was complete, she would forget everything and still have the power to chase and capture me ‘beyond that.’
As I hurried along, I chanted a spell.
“—
It was a magic to open the door of dimensions.
However, unlike when I first learned it, a strong gate was now generated.
The color remained purple. But its size was like a castle gate, easily large enough for a carriage to pass through.
As per the ‘Plan,’ I connected it to the ‘lowest floor’ of the Grand Cathedral.
I turned and approached the cleaning lady following behind me.
I took off Teeda’s mask, which she no longer needed, and immediately absorbed it into myself, just like with Arti.
“Cleaning lady— No, ‘Thief of the Law of Blood’ proxy, Neisha.”
Then, I called out her name.
She, the last of the Neisha family, stopped dead when her name was called.
I gave Neisha instructions.
As the one holding her lifeline and loved one, I spoke to her condescendingly from above.
“You leisurely took a stroll through ten floors. The heroes’ triumphant return must have already concluded. Through that door, go to the other ‘lowest floor,’ and immediately bring my companions from the ground— No, my subordinates. I’ll head to the 100th floor first.”
Upon hearing this, she nodded.
Appearing accustomed to being given orders, she opened the door of the
After seeing her off, I continued to walk.
“—Envelop the labyrinth,
It sounded like a monologue, but it was far from it.
To ensure my gaze was never again stolen, I needed to theatrically weave a story.
Then, after leisurely walking about ten steps, I stopped and muttered.
“Here.”
The surroundings were unchanged, a lava zone.
There was nothing else.
But I knew.
There was a door here.
I focused my eyes and
In front of me, where there should have been nothing, I saw a transparent gate standing tall.
It was of almost the same quality and shape as the
Without hesitation, I passed through that door, still holding Maria—
Because I knew this was the staircase to the next floor.
I proceeded past the 99th floor.
However, the path ahead was not downwards.
Nor was it sideways, nor backwards.
It was a passage beyond dimensions, to ‘the other side.’
—That was the only way to reach the 100th floor.
Beyond the transparent gate.
A vast, dark space.
It was a place where “there was truly nothing.”
The previous 99th floor’s description of “nothing” now seemed like an exaggeration, as everything was absent.
It felt like drifting in a starless, dark universe.
Endlessly dark.
Endlessly vast.
Endlessly empty.
There was no footing, so I couldn’t tell if I was standing or floating.
There was no sense of space, and only the single kanji for “nothingness” came to mind.
Within that void, I pressed forward without hesitation.
Yet, though I must have been walking, I couldn’t ascertain where I was walking. Though I must have been breathing, I couldn’t ascertain what I was breathing. The absence of everything wasn’t just about physical things, but also about concepts. I felt no progression of distance or time, and even natural laws like gravity or light and darkness were vague.
I had anticipated it; it was similar to the days of the ‘Dimensional Rift’ or ‘Between the lines,’ almost identical to the ‘back side’ of the 66th Floor.
Honestly, I had become accustomed to such spaces.
However, it wasn’t entirely the same, as there was a phenomenon unique to this place.
“Ah, finally…”
I felt eyes from all directions.
It was eerie, unsettling, and horrifying, as if moving through the crystalline lenses of eyeballs.
I was now inside that “rift,” I presumed. When I first met those eyes, the space was so vast that I only felt primordial fear.
But now, the fear was gone, replaced by a sense of deep emotion as I looked around.
“Finally, I’ve arrived… This is…”
—This is the 100th floor of the labyrinth.
But not yet.
Though this floor was fitting for the final floor of my preferred last dungeon, it was still shallow. And the ‘Demonic Poison’ was weak.
I wouldn’t stop at such a place; I concentrated on walking rather than enjoying the scenery.
As I proceeded, I began to feel resistance underfoot.
Gradually, a splashing sound began to be heard— and before I knew it, I was walking in a shallow, pitch-black body of water.
“What is this…?”
Although I should have been walking on nothing, it looked like a shallow area of dark, stagnant water.
When viewed from a different angle with
This 100th floor is also the floor of Hitaki, the Thief of water Principles.
It wouldn’t be strange if lakes and oceans spread out, but… my sister’s Ordeal is over, and the Guardian is gone. Even so, it’s very watery.
Furthermore, I felt gentle waves from the shallows.
As if to defy those ripples, I continued to walk straight ahead.
Every time I stepped on the shallows, bubbles like Form Magic would rise.
They were bubbles of various sizes, from beads to soap bubbles, colorful and faintly luminous.
It’s a surreal and mysterious space.
How long had I walked, letting those strange bubbles rise in my footsteps?
Just as I tried to confirm a sense of time that didn’t exist, it suddenly appeared.
It was not far ahead of me.
On the shallows, where there should have been nothing, stood a large, old stone seat.
Its height was about twice my height, and its width was enough for three adults to sit on.
A suitable pattern was drawn on the stone backrest. From its shape, it could be inferred to be a throne, but it didn’t feel particularly artistic. Also, it simply looked hard and uncomfortable to sit on.
I immediately approached it, trying to touch it.
But before I could, another seat appeared.
To the right, this time a large rocking chair stood alone.
Unlike the throne, this one had a good shape and material. It had a flexible wooden frame reinforced with high-purity magic stones. A fluffy blanket was even laid out, making it look quite comfortable.
As I analyzed the absurdity of this place, I carefully observed the two seats when a voice came from my abdomen.
“That one over there is mine… I feel a little embarrassed when people see my bedding.”
Noi said, then slithered out of my abdomen and fell onto the black shallows.
However, she wasn’t wet.
It wasn’t water as it appeared, but water governed by special – no, twisted – laws. But it didn’t seem dangerous, and Noi, in a state of relaxation as if she had returned home, began to move by crawling through the shallows.
The timid Noi was relaxing.
Seeing that, I was convinced it was truly safe.
I quickly overtook crawling Noi and gently placed Maria, whom I had been holding, onto the comfortable-looking rocking chair and laid her down.
Reaper, who had been in my shadow, followed Maria and sat right next to her, taking on a nursing posture. The rocking chair was quite large, so there seemed to be room for one more child.
However, a small, indignant voice could be heard from behind, saying, “Th-that’s mine…” But soon, Noi said, “With this large body, I’ll make another one…” so I spoke my thoughts without concern.
“This is the 100th floor… It’s more watery than I expected.”
“…Yes, it’s due to the influence of Hitaki, the Thief of Water Principles. But I think it was generally like this even before she came. This place reflects the images of all souls… Of course, the images of us who are here are reflected even more strongly. If you wanted to change it to be more fitting for the last floor… would you want to change it?”
Noi turned her face towards the path we had walked.
Then, a path appeared.
As if by magic.
Paving stones of the same material as the throne were laid out a little higher than the shallows, stretching to the edge of the darkness.
On both sides of the path, tall candelabra were arranged at regular intervals, and lights began to illuminate.
Like the rocking chair, this space seemed to be flexible once you got used to it.
“No, it’s fine for now. More importantly, there’s something I want to see.”
“I know. For now, I’ve put up a barrier-like membrane, so enter with Distance Mute. And just one step for now.”
While receiving advice from Noi, I headed to the place that was my main objective.
It wasn’t the large stone throne, but behind it.
I moved away from the rocking chair, ignored the throne, and tried to pass by its side.
As per the warning, a barrier like a dimensional wall was erected there, so I passed through it using an incantationless Distance Mute, phasing my entire body through.
And I was about to confirm what should be behind it, when…
“――――t!?”
It was just the first step.
Just stepping behind the throne, I understood Noi’s meaning of “just one step.”
I’ve posted an activity report.
It’s about the books and comics being released simultaneously, and the bonus items.
I’ve also posted another activity report, which features the character design for the new character in volume 13 of the book! I received two sets, so I’m hoping to show them to you this week and next. This week, it’s the variations for the rookie explorer Al, Emily, and Franryure. Furthermore, in an activity report from a little while ago, you can also see the character design for Apostle Legacy, who made a brief appearance this time, so I recommend it. This little apostle is cheering on and bridging this current development a little.
As for the main story, the epilogue has become a little long, so there is one more chapter.
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Currently, the 12th volume of Ibun Soutou’s books is participating in the light novel popularity poll at “Suki Rano.”
As volume 13 of the book and volume 1 of the comic are being released simultaneously, please allow me to advertise. Thank you very much.
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On January 25th, “The Comic Adaptation of Aiming for the Deepest Part of the Otherworld Labyrinth Volume 1” and “Aiming for the Deepest Part of the Otherworld Labyrinth 13” will be released! They are being released simultaneously!
Both covers feature Rustiara! She’s the main heroine.
Please take a look at the wonderful covers and more! As always, I highly recommend them.
