Chapter 137

137 – Hero Group, Incoming

Standing in the video room, which also functions as a control room but hasn’t been used that way much so far, I look at the split video projections on a large screen and think.

Incredible.

The Hero parties have just now transferred into the first stratum, the Watchdog’s Domain.

A vast wasteland with a fake sky and sun above. The only thing interrupting the view is a huge rock. 

From their point of view, waiting for them deep in front of them is the entrance to the Demon King Castle built for the audience.

The first stratum is set up to look like a stratum where we are trying to prevent intruders from entering the premises.

There are countless Hellhounds and the Invisible Slaughterer Glasya-Labolas toys with the intruders with his invisibility, eliminating the rabble with tooth and claw.

If they get past them, standing in their way is the Watchdog of Hell Naberius.

Standing beside me today are Carmilla and Cashew.

Cashew anxiously watched the screen. Her little hands clutched tightly in front of her chest, hoping for the victory of everyone on the first stratum.

「I wonder how they’ll handle this?」

Asks Carmilla, almost in confirmation.

There were other Monsters in the video room. Staff who move the cameras individually and respond to any malfunctions that may occur. Besides them, there were more than a few allies who have come to watch over their allies’ defense.

「…They are seventeen in total. A hard number to coordinate.」

「Yes. They are not a force similar to soldiers, who were all similarly trained, similarly equipped, and operating under orders from superiors. Rather than function as a group, they will place importance on functioning as an individual due to being Adventurers.」

Nothing to do with superiority or inferiority, it’s just a difference in their nature.

「Yeah, I suppose five is the number of people that can form a party without their prominent individuality causing it to fall apart.」

Of course, that isn’t the maximum. Some people might be able to lead dozens of Adventurers, and some might not even be able to do well on their own.

But when Dungeon Clears were made into entertainment, rules had to be put in place.

At that time, the number that they decided upon was five. All parties must consist of five people.

Also, the number of people that the audience can recognize at once in a rapidly changing situation may have been taken into consideration.

But well, this time is a Raid Battle and Wraith is participating with a two-man party.

It’s even difficult for me to be aware of the seventeen people on top of countless Monsters and the entire Dungeon which has environments that change with each stratum.

「By nature, they are a group of self-willed Adventurers. Each party has a leader, but I believe their influence does not extend much beyond their own parties. The sole exception might be Aerial’s influential voice.」

I nod slightly at Carmilla’s words.

A leader is acknowledged by their own, but there isn’t a single Adventurer who would gladly follow the orders of another party’s leader. This is a separate matter of whether they acknowledge their abilities or not.

Of course, they are the top parties in the industry. It is possible to suppress such feelings and fight.

However, they probably didn’t choose that method.

They know themselves better than anyone else.

They didn’t get to the top by suppressing themselves. They are parties who controlled their position in the top ranks by doing as they please.

If that’s the case…

「Rather than trying to perform in perfect unison, they’re going to Clear in a way that maximizes their individual strengths.」

As I said that, they began their fight.

◇

Besides Fran and I, these guys are the best of the best. I mean Fran and I don’t even have a rank because we aren’t an official party due to not being a party of five.

We are doing this Clear while mixed in with those guys. I didn’t know what was going to happen until before the face-to-face meeting.

I thought Uncle Air would say something gentle like「Let’s all get out there and get along!」.

But I was wrong.

We trained together in order to know each other. Not just about our abilities, but our temperaments and habits as well.

In addition, it wasn’t to get in sync.

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It was to cooperate in order to not get in each other’s way.

That’s not to say that you can’t interfere.

I’m not really sure how to say it.

「Well, well, well, the enemies are invisible! You could say that they are extremely difficult to sense before they draw near. What shall we do? What ever shall we do, Sir Wraith?!」

This very loud person is the Magician Mr. Theo from the Scathach party.

He is donned in a gentleman’s hat with a tailcoat that has an eyesore of a color scheme. He looks cheerful enough to be twirling a cane around, but instead, not necessarily, he wears rings on every one of his fingers.

He feels like a really shady dude, but that’s on purpose, isn’t it?

「Well, it’s not like they’re gone, so our attacks can still hit them, right?」

「Splendid! However, blindly firing your attacks everywhere is a waste of Magical Energy, and is an unseemly sight to our dear viewers. Oh, woe is we, woe is we! Whatever shall I do?!」

Then, Mr. Theo hit his palm with his fist as if he just came up with something. He even did the whole exaggerated act of forming a cup with one hand and hitting it with a clenched fist like a gavel.

「I have an idea!」

「Good for you.」

…I don’t really mind, but why is this guy even talking to me? He’s totally looking at me.

「Why don’t we set a trap!」

「That sounds good.」

「Thank you very much. I thought you’d say that, so I already set a trap…right here!」

He’s a very theatrical person, but he’s in a non-combat position of the 5th rank party. He isn’t weak at all.

At the same time, I could hear the whines of dogs ring out.

「…Aw man, I love dogs, y’know? This just feels like animal cruelty.」

「Oh how kind you are, Sir Wraith! However, if we do nothing, we would be munched and crunched until nothing was left!」

「Guess you’re right.」

From every one of his rings, something came out of them.

And that something…was thread.

It is a Magic Tool that comes in a set of ten rings.

Threads made of a mysterious material can come out of these rings and is manipulated by the user’s will.

…How much effort did it take for him to be able to manipulate it so freely?

Similar to Mr. Alba’s Magic Sword, it takes technique to make use of such a strong function.

Even if a small fry were to use it properly, only other small fry would get done in by it.

The threads extended everywhere and entangled something invisible, which were obviously the Hellhounds.

The threads moved like they were alive, Mr. Theo manipulated them as well as he would his own limbs.

His threads would wrap around something. Winding around something transparent.

A Hunter’s arrow, or Wind Magic, or Fire Magic, basically any of our allies’ magic or weapon attacks would be aimed at those spots.

Following a short yelp, the threads would instantly undo themselves and return to Mr. Theo’s side.

We do not hinder each other.

We just know each other, so we can anticipate each of our actions and then win by working this way.

If Mr. Theo makes a move, Hellhounds will be caught.

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This is why we exercise our Magical Energy to defeat them.

This is how we cooperate.

「Oho…?」

But it’s not that simple in the Demon King Castle.

…It never is.