Chapter 46 - The Guardian of the Last Floor (Final)

The bottom of the staircase opened up into a massive open room, empty save for the pillars that dotted the area. Each pillar had a spiral pattern engraved into its stone face. It gave off the impression that each pillar was a massive tree with vines entwined around its trunk. The pillars were all spaced evenly apart from each other, and extended all the way to the ceiling thirty meters above. The ground was unnaturally smooth, as if it had been paved. All in all, it was a very majestic room.

They took a step forward as they marveled at the room's design. The moment they stepped inside, the pillars in front of them began glowing faintly. The two of them instantly returned to their senses and warily observed their surroundings. Starting from the pillars nearest to them, each set began glowing one after the other.

Rio knew what would happen next, so he informed his girls to stay on their guard. They then carefully continued forward. Everyone was on alert for any sign of enemies.

After about two hundred meters of walking, they found themselves staring at the opposite wall. Set within it was a massive set of doors. The ten-meter-tall pair of double doors also had something engraved into them. There was a heptagon carved into each, with a peculiar pattern adorning each vertex of the shape.

"Well, that's quite the impressive entrance. Do you think this is..." Liselotte trailed.

"...Where the liberators live?" Aletia responded.

It really looked like the kind of room that'd have the last boss in it. Though none of Liselotte's perception skills were picking up on anything, her instincts were screaming at him nonetheless. "It's dangerous to go any further," they told her. Aletia felt it as well, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Well, if it is, that's just perfect. That means we've finally made it to our goal." Liselotte pushed down her instincts and put on her confident smile as she threw a meaningful gaze at Rio who allowed the girls to have their moment. No matter what was ahead, they had no choice but to move forward.

"...Yeah!" Aletia nodded her assent as she followed Liselotte's example before she and Liselotte glared resolutely at the double doors.

"Good spirit, girls. But, don't be overconfident." Rio reminded them easily.

Afterward, they stepped forward simultaneously, walking past the last pair of pillars. The moment they cleared them... a massive, thirty-meter large magic circle appeared in the air between them and the door. It pulsed malignantly as it shot out a gout of dark red light.

This kind of magic circle was very familiar to Rio. He could never forget the magic circle that was responsible for sending him and the students on the bridge. However, this one was three times the size of the one that had summoned the behemoth, and the inscriptions on it were far more complex and precise.

"Well, that size is no joke. We're seriously up against this place's strongest monster, aren't we?" Liselotte commented in worry as she watched the magic circle.

"Don't worry... we won't lose." Rio tried to calm Liselotte with an optimistic smile. Meanwhile, Aletia nodded her agreement and displayed resolute expression.

However, Rio's smile understandably faltered a little, Liselotte's tight expression turned into a deep grimace, Aletia's determined expression remained unshaken but she tightly squeezed Rio's arm when they the magic circle let out one last incandescent burst of light and displayed their foe. What stood before them was a monster thirty meters in length. It had six heads attached to very long necks, each of which had a different-colored pattern engraved into its head and a pair of dark red eyes. It resembled the Hydra from Earth's myth.

Although Rio had the utmost confidence to win in a fight against the hydra, the size and its monstrous appearance still caught him off guard.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" It let out a peculiar howl and focused all six pairs of eyes on Rio, Liselotte, and Aletia. Determined to pass judgment on the foolish intruders, the Hydra unleashed a wave of bloodl.u.s.t so powerful it would have stopped a normal person's heart on the spot.

Rio immediately created a barrier to defend them. Simultaneously, he gave his order for his girls. "Liselotte! Aletia! Cut off the white patterned head first. I have a strong hunch that it has the ability to heal the other head. Afterward, go all out to the other head. I will support you all from behind!"

"Understood!"

"...En!"

Liselotte and Aletia followed his order without any hesitation or delay. They attacked the white patterned head first. In the meantime, Rio would cast a barrier to protect them from being blindsided by the other heads. Rio's action made the Hydra realize that it must kill Rio first before it could connect its attack on Liselotte and Aletia. However, it gave the girls more chance to attack the white patterned head because all heads, barring the white patterned one, were focusing on Rio.

They weren't worried about him because they had the utmost faith in him. Their belief in him was repaid with Rio's ability to take the aggro of the other heads of the Hydra until they successfully cut off the white-patterned head. After that head was cut off, the hydra turned berserk. It attacked everything indiscriminately and there were many close calls. However, Rio supported the girls by protecting them from the most deadly attack they couldn't evade in time.

Before long, the last head was cut off. The Hydra was defeated.

Liselotte and Aletia checked for another threat. When they were sure that there wouldn't be any surprise, they immediately plopped down on their spot, releasing all their acc.u.mulated tension.

"Ahahahaha! We won! We finally conquer this crazy labyrinth!"

"...Yeah. Good job, Liselotte!"

"Of course, who do you think I'm?"

Liselotte and Aletia congratulated each other in a very good mood. Meanwhile, Rio approached them calmly. He was very pleased that the fight came out better than what happened in the canon timeline. Well, it was an obvious outcome because there was him who kept his girls safe while in the canon timeline, there were only Hajime and his Yue.

"Good job, girls. Take a short break." Rio congratulated them and gave them time to rest. He then continued on while pointing up towards the door that separated this vast chamber from Oscar Orcus' place. "After that, we will enter Orcus' secret abode on the other side of that door."

Liselotte and Aletia unconsciously turned in the direction where Rio pointed at. They had dazed expressions as they watched the Liberator's Lair as they wondered what was on the other side of that door. They wanted to check out that place soon, but they were very exhausted to the point that their muscles screamed in protest when they tried to move them.

When Rio saw that, he had a wry smile. Because there were two girls, he couldn't carry them into the room by himself. If he carried one, the other would be left behind and felt discontent. If he used Telekinetic power to carry them, they would become discontent when they were treated like that. In the end, Rio thought that it was better to let them take a break to recover their energy. It wasn't the perfect choice, but Rio believed it was the better choice.

Several dozens of minutes later, Liselotte and Aletia had recovered enough to move. They followed after Rio as he walked up towards the door. They passed through the door and entered a small tunnel. Before long, they arrived in a very comfortable living space without any sight of a monster within.

They stood on their spots and gazed dazedly at the scenery before them.