Terror Infinity Side B

Chapter 12, Apocalypse Alice

Shin and the rest of his group had left the chamber room of the Second Level of the Labyrinth. After taking a short break they moved on to the third level of the Empress' Grave Labyrinth.

Once they descended the stairwell and entered the third level, more cave walls and tunnels with no end appeared before them. Visually it was the same as before, yet this time there was a purple glow from the minerals along the walls. Himi activated her magic.

Himi’s magic was detailed, yet lacked the ability to see through levels of the Labyrinth. Now that she was on a new level she wanted to confirm something. Obviously, they needed to find the fastest way to the next level for the sake of reaching the Diseased Girl. She also wanted to know if her comrades, the other members of Hero Team were nearby.

Himi points her finger up at the sky of darkness and says.

Himi: Intimate Switch!

Intimate Magic.

The name of the magic that allows one to know the locations of one's friends was《Intimate switch》. Of course, the one who named the magic wasn't Himi. The one who developed the magic should normally give it a name that is most efficient in getting a reaction from the brain to activate it, but this particular developer must have a pretty raunchy personality.

Anyways, the magic can locate any individual/friend who has called Himi by name and somewhere in their heart accepted Himi, even if it was only for a moment. Himi activates her magic and it was displayed for all to see.

A three-dimensional grid model materialized in the air, and beside it floated two arrows that form a cross. One of the arrows is pointing north while the other is pointing to the sky. Furthermore, in the center of the three-dimensional grid model, the words『Himi』can be seen.

Next to Himi's name on the grid were the names『Yousuke』,『Shin』,『Aqua』,『Connor』and『Jin』. In the very far corners of the Himi's grid and currently moving were a group of three, the names being『Shiro』,『Shinnosuke』and『Gunjou』.

Himi: Found them! Shiro, Shinnosuke and even Gunjou! They're still alive.

Yousuke: Really?! Where are they?

Himi: Hold on a second. I'll create a map of this level of the Labyrinth!

As Himi began using her magic to create a 3D diagram of the third level of the Labyrinth, Shin and the others had mixed reactions to being called friends by Himi and her magic, especially Connor who has said few words to her. It was only for a short time, but they did indeed fight together with Himi and they were thankful for her help in leading them through the complex maze of a Labyrinth, but it seemed that was enough for them to become friends.

Shin: Why are Derrick’s and the other Newbies not listed as friends? They had talked to Himi as well during the break from just before.

Jin: ...Who knows? Anyways, how does it look Himi? Can we meet up with your friends?

Himi: Hm.... I don't think so. They are well off on the other side of the Labyrinth. They seem to be making their way to this level’s stairwell that leads down, so I don't think they are lost. It would be better for us to wait for them there in the chamber room.

Yousuke: Himi's right. We'll have to go out of our way to meet up with them as is. Also, we are closer to the stairwell than they are, so it’s a waste of time and effort. With Himi's magic we should be there in no less than one hour of traveling.

Aqua: One hour? Why so long?

Himi: We can get there faster, but according to my scans... The monster on this level of the Labyrinth seem to be mostly composed of Elite monsters, being escorted by a few normal spawned monsters of the Labyrinth. Both the normal spawned monsters and the Elites should be at a higher level as well. If we wish to power through we can get there in about twenty minutes, thirty minutes at the latest, but I suggest we take the long and safe way.

Yousuke: I agree with Himi. We'll still make it to the stairwell before Shiro and the others, so we should go with this plan.

Shin: Alright then. Let's go!

Shin lead everyone down the tunnels of the cave while pushing down his worries. He wanted to desperately know if Hikari and the others were alive, but Himi didn't have a magic to locate people she didn’t know. The two sides had never met before, so it was impossible for Himi to have a place in their hearts. Shin could only hope that they were with the remaining members of Hero Team, or at least hiding in a safe place.

Those were Shin's thoughts of concern for his comrades, but not everyone was untied. The four Newbies, unnoticed by Shin and the rest, gave each other a look, and then turned to their leader, who then inconspicuously nodded... Their plan was to go ahead.

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- [Two Hours - Three Minutes - Fifty-eight Seconds].

Himi: Th-this is strange. Something... Something has to be wrong.

Yousuke: Himi, what's wrong?

Himi: The, the monsters... They, they are charging right towards us!

Yousuke: What!?

Shin and everyone else who were listening in had a similar reaction as Yousuke. So far they had not encountered any of the monsters on their way to the stairwell of this level of the Labyrinth. They even took a supposedly slower, yet safer route to their designation for the sole purpose of avoiding all battle till they reach the Third Level of the Labyrinth's chamber where the staircase leading down is,

Shin: Himi! How many are on there? Is it something that we can handle?

Himi: By, by my count... dozens – no hundreds of enemy monsters are coming our way! Half Elites and the other half appear to be normal spawned monsters of the Labyrinth! They are all converging on our location for some reason.

Aqua: What's going on! Didn't you say this path was safe?

Connor: Could this girl have made a mistake? Could this be a trap?

Himi: No, no way! I'm telling the truth. Just a moment ago we were all in the clear and free of monsters. Now all of a sudden monster have us almost surrounded. It's the truth!

Yousuke: That's right, so don't bully Himi. She's the best support magician that I have ever seen or worked with in my life. Something else must have happened.

Aqua: Well, whatever is going on we don't have time for this blame game! Shin, we need a plan of action.

Shin: ...Himi!

Himi: Yes!

Shin: How far are we from the large chamber room for this level? How close are the monsters being drawn to us? Also, where is your comrades’ current location?

Himi: Um, the chamber room is not far off from here, but it's heavily guarded by 10 Elites and hundreds of spawned monsters. As for the monsters coming towards us... they're still chasing us and will converge on our location in less than two minutes! Even if we run we probably won't lose them, and then we'll have to face over a dozen Elites before we can make it to the next level of the Labyrinth. As for Shiro and the rest... they are coming closer as we speak! Much faster than I initially predicted.

Yousuke: That's good news and bad. Looking to escape to the next level... that would mean abandoning Shiro and the others on this floor who we thought to meet up with. Even if the monsters converging on us don't follow us to the next floor, we risk turning them over on them.

Jin: So that's the situation leader. What's the plan?

Shin: ...Okay. We'll make a stand here! I don't want to shove our problems on your friends by escaping. Also, it's a possibility that some of my team members are with them as well. I can't accept not meeting up with them for too many reasons. I also don't want to take any chances. We'll find an appropriate place to fight the monsters and face them head on!

Derrick: Shin.

Shin: What is it?

Derrick: If possible... can you escort us newbies towards the chamber room?

Shin: Why? I admit you guys don't have the power to really help out now, but neither can you advance forward. Alone, you don't have the power to defeat the Elites and other monsters guarding the stairs leading down to the next level.

Derrick: I know that, but we won't be attacking the monsters. We'll wait for the fighting to finish, away from the main battle by the entrance to the chamber. Right now we are a liability who may drag you down. Running is all we can do, so adding us to the battle is a risk for you and the others.

Connor: Those are the words of a coward.

Derrick: Better to be a coward than a burden. Shin will just escort us to safety and he will quickly come back to help everyone take on the monsters. Also, if we encounter anyone from Hero Team we can inform them of the situation and send them your way. We can't fight, but we can do something for the team. We're not completely useless, so what do you say Shin?

Shin: ...There's no guarantee that the monsters of the Labyrinth won't chase after you all and we won't be there to protect you.

Derrick: I'm aware of the risk, but I wish to choose the option which leads to our survival.

Shin: ...

Shin thought for a moment and weighed the Pros and Cons. Pro: the newbies will be safe and sound and won't weigh them down in battle. Con: Shin would be gone for a few minutes and Aqua and the rest will have to hold their own. Shin couldn't come to an answer right away, and so he looked at his comrades one by one and asked the one Player's opinion that matter the most to him.

Shin: Aqua, can you hold out against the monsters and Elites until I get back? I'm fast, so I can return immediately with Instant Movement.

Aqua: Who do you think you’re talking to, Shin? I've actually been holding back a bit so you can keep up with me. Even alone I'll be fine and protect the others.

Shin: This is serious, Aqua.

Aqua: I'm always serious. I've survived seven missions so far, and more than half of the time I was alone. I'm more than capable of holding off a few brainless, undead monsters on my own.

Shin: Alright then. Connor. Jin. Are you two coming along?

Connor: I'm a soldier. I don't run away in fear of an enemy.

Jin: Well, I'm afraid, but I would rather stay and fight. Being surrounded by undead monsters wanting nothing more than to kill us. is.. exciting!

Shin: Never mind about this guy. Aqua, Connor, Yousuke and Himi, I'll be back. Himi with her support magic is to be protected at all cost! All those who are coming should keep up with me! I won't waste too much time on this!

Derrick: No problem! The one thing us Newbies have going for us is running away.

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Shin lead Derrick and the other newbies through the cave tunnels of the Empress' Grave Labyrinth. According to what Himi had told him, the chamber room should be right in up ahead once they turn a corner. Shin and the others did and were surprised to see that right in front of the cave opening that leads to the center of this level of the Labyrinth was guarded by an Elite.

And not just one, but three Elites at that.

Shin: Damn, those three weren't here on Himi's last scan!

Derrick: It'll be fine, but we can't take too long to deal with this. You have to get back to the others after all. We'll give you support fire to distract the Elite, so take them out in that time. We have your back.

Shin: Good idea. Hey, do you have any Magic Attack Scroll left? I gave all of mine to Jin since he was good with them. They can take out, or serious damage an Elite.

Derrick: ...Sorry, but I'm all out.

Shin: It's fine then. On the count of three we'll attack. Once I'm done here I'm not going to wait even a second to return to the others. Wait for us here long as it is safe and if another monster comes along... you’ll be on your own.

Derrick: That's fine with us. Now, on count of three.

1.

2.

3!

Shin on three charged towards the three enemy Elite monsters guarding the entrance to chamber. As Shin was about to crash head on into them he jumped up to the ceiling. Once Shin was clear and the Elites were distracted by his presence a shower of magic bullets hit the three Elites courtesy of Derrick and the four Newbies behind him.

They did little damage, but drew their attention away from Shin for a moment. They held intelligence, but not a great deal of it. Jin earlier brought up the idea that the monsters of the Labyrinth, in exchange for their inhuman strength only had basic programing similar to the AI in video game monsters, but that wasn't important for Shin at the moment. Just then a chance had opened up.

Shin: (I gave my Auto 9 to Connor and Attack Scrolls to Jin. Normal magic bullets are useless as well. As quickly as possible I’ll defeat them at close range!)

Shin entered into Unlocked Mode.

In the First Stage of the Genetic Constraint endless battle instincts and tactics flowed into his mind in the blink of an eye. In a flash Shin envisioned the fastest method of defeating the three Elite monsters and resolved himself to make it a reality.

While still midair, Shin opened up the palms of his two hands that now began to glow that of a green light and opened fire at the closest and furthest Elite from himself.

Far Bullet.

The Ki Energy emission attack that was especially effective on spiritual and magic creatures impacted the two Elites without resistance as they were distracted by gunfire, and were now frozen up in a terrible spasm. The Elites gave off an aura of death that screamed that they wanted nothing more than to tear the Newbies apart, yet Derrick and the others stood their ground.

Shin: (Connor called them cowards, but doing whatever that you can to survive, knowing your limits and not always running away from a fight is strength in my book).

Shin stepped on the ceiling of the cave and jumped down towards one of the Elites with Instant Movement.

The Elite not hit by far bullet was about to rampage towards the newbies, yet Shin surpassed him and reached the monster first. Shin took out from his Na Ring and drew out Gravity Blade from its sheath and gripped its handle. The swords drew a black ark as it decapitated the Elite monster as its head flew in the air, and in another black arc drawn by his blade, for good measure, he slashed the remains of the monster down the middle.

- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ELITE LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 50 POINTS ACQUIRED!

Shin: One!

Shin didn't stop there.

Taking a step backward Shin turned around and rammed his free left hand in a closed fist into the back Elite closest to the Newbies. Along with the spiritual force field generated by the Na Ring, Shin used Soul Crushing Strike as his fist crashed into the Elite. Its flesh turned soft as a Ki energy sonic explosion erupted inside the monster. The Elite died at the scene due to both the external and internal damage.

- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ELITE LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 50 POINTS ACQUIRED!

Shin: That's two!

Not stopping and channeling Ki energy in front of his feet, Shin jumped towards the final Elite that still stood still in a spasm. Still under the after effects of Far Bullet, the Elite was paralyzed, but somehow was able to raise it sword towards the figure about to charge into him.

Shin: Too slow! Gravity Blade, One Thousand Fold Slash!

Shin and the Elite monster of the Empress' Grave Labyrinth crossed swords.

Their two swords, one black and the other large and slightly rusted met head on. The black Gravity Blade slashed through the slightly rusted weapon of the Elite monster like paper. Not only was the force behind Gravity Blade greater in the moment of contact, Shin's Ki Energy and the Na Ring's force field extended to cover the blade, drastically increasing its power in the face of magic creatures and their tools.

Shin's black sword, having left the Elite already defenseless, pierced into the chest of the Elite monster. Shin increased the weight of Gravity Blade, and in a most ruthless slash, gouged out its chest. The helpless Elite fell to the ground and Shin did not hesitate to stomp on its face.

- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ELITE LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 50 POINTS ACQUIRED!

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Shin was about to exit Unlocked Mode and turn around and run back to back up Aqua, Connor, Jin and the members of Hero Team, when he got distracted... Which lead to a near fatal event.

Shin was now facing the exit of the cave and could see into the chamber room. He was able to spot the stairs that would lead to the next level of the Labyrinth, but more important than that, Shin saw a flash of light. On closer examination Shin was able to spot a group people fighting the monsters guarding the stairwell.

Hikari.

Misaki.

Kampa.

Shuai.

And surprisingly, the other members of Hero Team excluding Kiri were there with his comrades, all fighting together. The main character Shinnosuke, Shiro and Gunjou.

Shin was surprised to see his comrades were safe and were with the remaining members of Hero Team, but he couldn't rejoice that they were alive. Shin was still in Unlocked Mode and he saw through the battle that they were engaged in and came to a conclusion.

They were being overwhelmed.

Shin: (There are just too many Elites and normal spawned monsters of the Labyrinth for them to fight against. They may not lose with Hero Team by their side, but there will certainly be casualties. I should reinforce them, but what about Aqua and the others? Can I afford not to go back and help them defeat the monsters wandering the Labyrinth?)

Shin was hesitating with his internal struggle knowing that both sides needed him and that lead to him. Shin exited Unlocked Mode since the danger passed, completely letting his guard down. Lesson one when exploring the Labyrintha raised up by Diseased Girls: Never let your guard down for a moment, or you will die.

- *SZZZZZZZZZ*!!!

Shin saw a flash of light from behind, but before he could turn around he felt something hot impact his back, and then came the pain. A deadly surging electrical current ran through his body.

Shin felt that pain all over his body.

Although his body was several times stronger than a normal person, it wasn’t enough to resist electric shock of such high voltage yet. His body was becoming numb and was giving off a burnt odor. As he the damage was reaching a critical point, Shin's eyes once more went out of focus, returning back into Unlocked Mode and with little control he had left of his body he jumped towards the assailant in rage who attacked him and slashed at the man with Gravity Blade.

The assailant’s arm, holding onto a used Magic Attack Scroll that he claimed to not have had, flew through the air before it falling to the floor. It was Derrick. Yet the man still had a wide smile on his face even as it was now covered in blood. Derrick clutched his stump of an arm in great pain, yet he knew that he had won. Shin was still alive despite his plan to assassinate him, but he was unable to move due to the lightning attack of the Magic Attack Scroll.

Derrick: That was so close! Hahahahahahaha!!! I never expected for you to still be alive, or able to move after that. God, this hurt! Wait, are you wearing a magic item or armor? Ah, now that I look closer that’s the B tier Lesser Fenrir Coat. Fuck! How did you get a B rank reward after just two missions you monster?

Shin: Derrick...

Shin stared daggers at Derrick from the ground. Derrick looked back down at Shin unconcerned and only cared for the loss of his arm. Then with his still intact hand covered in blood Shin saw Derrick take out a syringe from his pocket.

Shin recognized the medical tool as something from the standard medical kit each Player had on hand. It was a pain killer. A yellow liquid was inside the needle and Derrick didn't hesitate to stick the needle into the shoulder of his bad arm and inject the liquid into his bloodstream. A few moments passed by and Derrick looked to be feeling better.

Derrick: Anyways, I didn't expect you to be alive after that and well... I didn't have a villainy speech prepared for you, so let's just sum things up. I'm a scout from the Four Pillars. More specifically Mass Enlightenment. In my youth, I was assessed as not having the talent needed to become a Player of God's Dimension, so I grew old as just another businesses man with family connections to Mass Enlightenment. Helping them expand the organization in the real world. It bugged be nonstop in my youth to not have been chosen as a Player, but playing with a few dozen women with my inherited ability allowed me to enjoy a decent life style.

Shin: ...Ability?

Derrick: Yes, and a shitty one at that. Suggestive Eye. My great grandfather was a Player of God's Dimension and could compel others to do as he liked. I inherited the same ability, but for in just three generations later our family’s ability degraded to what it is today. I can only push the strong emotions of others slightly. That's how I took control of the newbies and the dead players and students of this school earlier. They were just so consumed with fear and a desire to live that even my worthless ability began to shine. Leading emotional scared women or victims trapped inside a dangerous magical Labyrinth is too easy for me!

Shin: ...

Derrick: Ah, Nothing to say? Well, you don't have to feel bad for the newbies leader. Before I met you they all planned to kill you for abandoning them and take your gear for themselves. Also, the men who believed they had no hope that they were going to survive planned to go find the redhead and glasses woman of your group of your group and violate them while they still had the chance. Really, even I was surprised how quickly weak minded humans could become so stupid, really bonkers in this place! If not for me they would have tried to kill you all already and would’ve died trying!

Shin: ...

Derrick: Not interested in my story? Sorry for that leader. Let's wrap this up before you recover from that electric shock damage from before. I really don't have any more Magic Attack Scrolls on me this time. Now back on topic as to why I am here...

Saying so, Derrick reached into his pocket for a second time to show he didn't have any more scrolls... but what he did have was a handgun. A handgun that Shin never handed out to him. Shin, laying on the ground and unable to move, was thinking about a way to escape this situation when he was then struck in the stomach my Derrick's foot.

The force of the kick held much more power than a normal person should hold, and it sent Shin flying towards the edge of the exit, where many feet below, hundreds of monsters were engaged in a bloody battle with Shin's comrades and Hero Team, completely unaware of what was happening above them.

Derrick: Shin, leader, I hate you. I mean really hate you. This was supposed to be my long awaited chance to become a Player for Mass Enlightenment and rise up in the ranks. I was finally chosen! I was supposed to have become all powerful and made something of myself and gained everything that I've ever wanted, but no! You and your comrades had to hijack Team Japan from Mass Enlightenment! Not only that, our plan of having me infiltrate and taking over your team failed as well. The strength of your team is so high that God sent you on a suicide mission like this. How can I take control in this situation? Maybe a few of you can survive, but no way in hell can I, basically normal person can survive a magic genre Mission World like this without Magic tools. Did you know that God doesn't allow New Players to hold onto any advance Sci-fi weaponry or powerful Magic tools when they are brought into this Dimension? Just small things really. That's why even a member of the Four Pillars would die as a New Player in this this sick world... still… even without hope of survival I'm a loyalist. Mass Enlightenment treated me and my family right, so I'll complete my mission if I'm unable to take over Team Japan. That's why you die!

- *BANG*!

Derrick used the unknown handgun in his hands to shoot Shin in the leg. The pain was horrible and Shin screamed, yet there was more to it than that. Shin was used to gunshots, but the pain was unbearable and itched like crazy. Shin wanted nothing more than to dig out his flesh to take out the bullet. The black colored bullet Shin saw drill into him felt like a red hot spike had been inserted into his flesh and the heat was becoming stronger, destroying all of his cells.

Derrick: Do you like it? Shin, you became our number one target to take out in God's Dimension and we know you have a genetic mutation for self-recovery, so they all armed us all with these. Mass Enlightenment always makes it a point for Players who complete God's Dimension to bring things like these back to the real world. Varanium Black Bullets. The ideal weapon for dealing with organic monsters, much better than just regular magic bullets.

Derrick then called over to the rest of the newbies hiding behind him all this time. Shin looked at each and every one of them with hate, but he soon found even that was pointless. There was anger and fear in their eyes, and only that. Whatever Derrick did to them they had now become nothing more than puppets for Derrick to use as he saw fit.

Derrick: Well, this is the end leader. Rest assured it is doubtful that even I will make it out of this Labyrinth alive, so we'll probably see each other again in hell... Shoot him!

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- PENALTY 4, THE FALL OF HERO TEAM - NEGATIVE 1500 DEDUCTED.

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Authors Note:

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Proofread by Hoebagger