Metal Slime 246
Chapter 246: Faint Light TL : Cnine ED/PF : Part 1 Rui, Akito, Anik, and the others spent an entire day climbing the collapsing dungeon with
Chapter 246: Faint Light
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
Rui, Akito, Anik, and the others spent an entire day climbing the collapsing dungeon without resting.
Although they took brief breaks, traveling without sleep or rest had pushed everyone's fatigue to its peak.
「How's Yuuma's condition??」
During one of the many breaks, Akito, sitting on a rock, asked Rudra.
「Though he hasn't woken up, his heartbeat and breathing are normal. He'll recover as long as we get the messiah to give him treatment once we are out of this dungeon.」
「I see... That's a relief.」
It wasn't just Akito—Rui, who sat beside Akito, was equally worried.
The Seekers mustered their strength and started marching again toward the floor's exit. At that moment, Kayla, who had been leading the group, approached Akito and co.
「Do you have business with us, big sis?」
Kayla cast a brief glance at Akito, then averted her gaze and looked down, wearing an expression that suggested she had something to say.
「Is something the matter, Kayla-san?」
Rui, who was equally confused, asked her. Hearing that, Kayla turned around as if she had made up her mind, looking at Akito and Rui.
「Um… Sorry for doubting you. We were able to conquer this dungeon thanks to you. That's all I wanted to say.」
Akito snorted upon hearing Kayla's bashful apology.
「Go tell him that yourself. We only managed to conquer the dungeon thanks to how much he pushed himself to the limit.」
Kayla shifted her gaze and looked at Yuuma, who was being carried by Rudra. His body was wrapped in bandages, and he remained unconscious—a painful sight to behold.
The man who single-handedly fought the "Guardian of The Labyrinth" and defeated it.
Kayla bit her lip lightly before murmuring, her voice tinged with regret.
「You're right...」
After that, Kayla said nothing and continued walking in silence.
Dvarapara 49th Floor――
A day and a half had elapsed since they started ascending from the lowest floor. Akito and co had been making steady progress without being overtaken by the dungeon's collapse, but...
「Oi, big sis! Isn't the support team supposed to come from the 50th floor? There’s not a single soul here!」
Akito asked with a rather indignant voice. Darsha and co, who were supposed to be waiting on the surface, were originally expected to come down to the 50th floor once the exploration team completed the dungeon.
However, there was no sign of people even after they arrived at the 49th floor.
Akito was indignant, realizing the situation was different from what he had been told.
「Something's wrong... My sister should've realized immediately as soon as the monsters vanished from the dungeon.」
Kayla replied with an equally confused face. She touched her chin, deep in thought, then suddenly looked up ahead.
「Could it be that... Something happened up there!?」
Color drained from Kayla's face. Anik, who saw that, spoke up.
「There's no point thinking about this matter. Let's get out of here first.」
Akito and co nodded at Anik's words and raised their marching speed.
Part 2
42 hours had elapsed since the start of the dungeon collapse.
The group finally arrived at the slope leading to the dungeon entrance.
It meant that they had accomplished what was thought to be an impossible mission—surviving and returning despite the sacrifices—a true miracle.
Some Indian Seekers shed tears at the unexpected outcome.
Akito, having made it back safely, let out a dry laugh.
Rui addressed Akito as they climbed the slope.
「I hope Darsha and co are safe.」
「Well, we'll find out when we get there.」
As they emerged from the entrance of Dvārapāra, the relieved expressions on the faces of the Seekers soon turned grim.
That was because they were welcomed with an extraordinary scene right upon their return.
「What the hell is going on here?」
Akito muttered. Near the dungeon entrance, there was no sign of Darsha or the rest of the support team.
However, there was something that made them even more bewildered――
「Why is it so dark now? It's supposed to be daytime... And yet,」
Kayla looked around as she spoke, and Akito and Rui felt the same way.
The current time was 11 a.m. Even with bad weather, it shouldn't be this dark.
Just when Akito was wondering what had happened, one of the Indian Seekers suddenly raised a shriek.
「O-Oi! There's someone over there.」
Akito, Rui, and Kayla turned their gaze toward the direction that the seeker pointed to.
It was too dark to see clearly, but there was a silhouette of people on a nearby hill. They were probably Darsha and the rest of the support team.
「Let's go.」
Kayla and Anik nodded upon hearing Rui's remark, and the entire group headed toward the hill.
As they got closer, it became clear that the silhouettes were indeed the support team of Seekers. Everyone was standing still, looking at the sky with a despaired look on their face.
Kayla rushed over to Darsha.
「W-What's happening here!?」
Kayla grabbed the shoulder of a nearby Seeker and shook him as she asked the question. However, the man maintained his silence and only looked to the sky.
Seeing such a strange phenomenon, Kayla followed the man's line of sight.
At that moment, Kayla also froze in place, the color draining from her face. Seeing her reaction from behind, Akito and Rui asked, "What is it?" with quizzical expressions.
「Hey, what's happening here!?」
Supported by Rui, Akito climbed up to the top of the hill.
The moment they reached the summit, their field of view was no longer obstructed, and a distant scene came into sight.
「What the heck... Is that?」
Akito stood in shock, while Rui, beside him, involuntarily held his breath.
Both the sky and the land, stretching to the horizon, were completely covered by writhing black masses. Though faint sunlight managed to seep through the sky, it was quickly obstructed, allowing darkness to reign over the surroundings.
「The complete... Insect army...」
Rui grimaced as he muttered those words as if he had just swallowed a bitter pill.
It was a massive horde of monsters. They filled the sky, covered the land, and seemed numerous enough to swallow the world whole.
Their eyes and parts of their bodies emitted a red glow, creating an eerie illumination in the darkness.
Faced with a scenery that seemingly came out of a fantasy book, Anik and the Indian Seekers stood frozen, unable to move.
Amidst the silence, Kayla suddenly spotted the person she was looking for and took off running.
She was heading toward Darsha, who stood a bit below the cliff.
「Big sister!」
Darsha turned around upon hearing her little sister's voice.
「...Kayla... You're safe, huh.」
The two embraced each other, rejoicing in each other's safety. The usually dignified Darsha had a face that looked on the verge of tears.
「What's happening here, big sister? And what is that?」
Hearing Kayla's question, Darsha turned to look at the darkened sky.
「We were celebrating the conquest of the dungeon and about to send a support team to the 5th floor. However, large monsters suddenly appeared from all directions... Along with that guy.」
「That guy?」
Darsha stared intently at a single point in the sky. Kayla also turned her gaze in the same direction.
At first, it was hard to see, but upon focusing her eyes, a small light became noticeable—a tiny green light. Something was floating there.
「That giant... Could it be?」
Kayla felt a surge of fear and instinctively took a step back.
A hazy light drifted in the dark sky. Within it was a creature with two long tails, flapping its enormous wings.
Giant compound eyes and elegantly curved antennae.
A form that embodied both artistic beauty and nauseating horror at the same time.
The one who appeared, leading countless monsters, was one of the most powerful and terrifying Unique Monsters—the【Green King】—who had ravaged India with its endless power and driven the country to the brink of destruction.