Chapter 395: Traces

We aimed for the direction of the royal castle and began moving again.

“With our group fully assembled, it might actually be better for us to encounter the Divine Servants now.”

Until this team was complete, we had to avoid any encounters as much as possible.

But now, it might actually be advantageous for us to face them.

If we can defeat the Divine Servants, the survival chances of the other raid team members will increase significantly.

Thereupon, Seras, leading the group, spoke up.

[It seems that aside from Vysis, the Divine Servants are the biggest obstacle in this labyrinth.]

[Based on the information we have so far, that is.]

According to Loqierra's information, even a single Divine Servant has considerable combat prowess.

[It'd be ideal if Sogou and the Takao Sisters could meet up with us. Especially Sogou and Hijiri, having them by our side would be huge.]

If those two teamed up……

Even if we had to take on two Divine Servants at once, we might be able to overcome them.

Those two were definitely people Vysis surely wouldn’t want to join forces.

My main concern with Sogou Ayaka, though———— is her mental state.

Like Seras, her greatest weakness is being too straightforward.

For example……

If she gets drawn into an enemy's verbal trap, it could expose her vulnerabilities.

Yes, she doesn't fare well against someone like Asagi.

Another possible issue is in cases where hostages have been taken.

The remaining citizens in the royal capital could become a liability.

Her innate kindness could be exploited.

While I don’t want to completely dismiss the value of her kindness, especially since it once saved me……

In life-or-death situations————

That virtue could easily turn into a weakness.

However, Hijiri should be able to manage that side of things effectively.

After all, she even managed to control even that Kirihara to some extent……

[If Eve, Gio-dono, and the Mad Emperor manage to meet up with us too, that would bring a great sense of relief.]

The leading group huh.

Indeed, if we were to join forces with them, our strength will grow, and our tactical options will expand.

I pull out my pocket watch.

[It’s about time for the reinforcements to start entering the labyrinth.]

Ideally……

[The battle-capable ones in the leading group would have already defeated the Divine Servants before the reinforcements arrived but……]

Seras spoke up.

[The main concern with the Divine Servants is that we still don’t fully grasp the extent of their strength.]

Vysis' Divine Servants……

Loqierra only managed to observe them back when they battled against the Deities…… or perhaps, the Divine Servants that were on Loqierra's side.

In other words, the Divine Servants on Vysis' side were under significant buffs.

As Loqierra said,

"If it's you humans, as you aren't Deities, you might stand a chance."

However……

[With those buffs rendered meaningless…… and we’re equipped with Erica’s anti-god magic tools, plus Asagi’s buffs through her skills———— We'll still have to see how well we fare.]

The question remains whether Vysis’ Divine Servants are only a match for us under these conditions.

Perhaps, maybe we’ll find they’re surprisingly easy to defeat.

The worst-case scenario……. would be that even with these advantages, we can’t land a hit on them.

If the Divine Servants's strength turns out being that worst-case scenario———–

[In that case, my Abnormal State Skills, which can disable opponents without direct combat, will become crucial.]

Other than me, there's also her……

Ikusaba Asagi and her Skill.

If……

If we can get that "through"……

It's a Skill that could easily defeat not only Divine Servants, but even Vysis.

In this regard.

One could say that Asagi, who has low combat abilities, is in urgent need of protection along the way.

It's just, when it comes to that one———-

[……Hmph.]

I let out a slightly sarcastic snort.

Seemingly having noticed it, Munin, who was running with light exhales, asked.

[What's the matter, Touka-san?]

[I think I'm starting to understand how some people used to say it's harder to deal with someone who feels similar to yourself….. This might sound strange talking about this though————, ……Whoa.]

We stopped for a moment.

Munin, who seemed about to say something, swallowed her words and stood still.

It was a corridor wide enough for us to move around a bit.

In such a place, traces of battle remained.

The scattered equipment was probably the weapons and armor that the Sacraments had worn.

They were lying on the ground.

The Sacraments themselves had already dissolved and disappeared.

No traces of them remained anymore.

The Sacraments' blood is white, and that too evaporates and disappears.

That's why only their armor and weapons remain like this.

"If they're completely dissolved…… the battle should have happened a while ago."

Whoever fought here probably isn’t nearby anymore.

There’s no blood.

Whoever fought here wasn’t injured.

Glancing at the leftover equipment, Seras said.

[If the bodies had remained, we might have been able to guess who fought from the wounds……]

[Well, at least it's good news that we didn't find a comrade’s corpse. If they're alive, we can reunite with them eventually.]

"Reuniting" is one of the key factors to this raid.

Initially, there was an idea to leave small, lightweight pieces of wood chips as markers.

They would be dropped in the corridor as signs of passage.

Yes———- just like breadcrumbs in that fairy tale.

If we colored them, the color could indicate "who" passed through.

However————–

There was also the risk that the enemy might notice and the Divine Servants could track us.

In the end, Hijiri analyzed it like this:

"While it's only a possibility…… As you feared, that plan could also benefit the enemy. It could turn into a meaningless trick. Even if we incorporated it as a decoy strategy…… it would be difficult to implement, and there are too many uncertain factors. If many of the raid members use the decoy, it would just consume unnecessary thought resources."

With that, the plan was scrapped.

I looked ahead and saw more equipment scattered down the corridor.

I approached and examined it.

This armor was larger than the one before.

The corpse of this Sacrament had also disappeared……

But judging by the size of this armor, this one was likely a medium-sized Sacrament.

As I knelt and inspected the equipment, Munin peeked over my shoulder.

[The person who fought here is at least stronger than I am.]

As she leaned on my shoulder, Munin seemed to be catching her breath.

Running continuously is exhausting.

Stopping here also served as a short break.

[Anyhow.]

I said as I stood up and looked towards the direction of the royal castle.

[If we keep going, we should be able to reunite with whoever fought here.]

We moved forward once again.

The passage inside the labyrinth was fairly intricate.

It twisted to the side and occasionally led us back.

Of course, we couldn’t destroy the walls.

It was frustrating, to say the least, that we couldn’t cut straight through.

While running, I glanced at the parts of the capital that hadn't been swallowed and eroded in white.

For a moment, a strange feeling welled up inside me.

[……After I was summoned into the royal castle, I was sent straight to the Disposal Ruins.]

So, this is my first time seeing the streets of Alion's royal capital like this.

It’s been less than half a year since I was summoned.

But somehow……

[It feels like the day I was summoned as a Hero was a lifetime ago.]

[……Speaking of Heroes.]

Seras spoke.

[I wonder how Yasu-dono is doing right now.]

[Yasu huh.]

Yasu Tomohiro.

The only high-rank Hero who is still present as a combat force and hasn't participated in this battle.

I have no idea where he is or what he's doing.

He should be aiming for the place where Sogou supposedly is but————

[When we parted, he would supposedly take the northern route around Magnar to reach Alion but…… with the information that Sogou has "appeared in the Mira area", it’s possible he turned back south————-]

I haven’t received any information since we parted.

I had asked the people of Mira to inform me if any news came through the Mira territory.

However, there has been no contact through the military war pigeons from Wright or Kaiser.

In other words……

[If he moved north without getting any information about Sogou appearing in Mira…… he could be stuck around Jonato.]

Back then————- when we parted ways in the Faraway Country……

"I was uneasy about him becoming a factor of my identity as Mimori Touka being exposed."

"His mental instability could become an uncertain factor."

If it weren't for these two points, I would have considered incorporating him into our combat forces.

……———That guy……

"How different and how alike they are to the current me…… I'd like to get to know other people better……"

Had he been able to find the answer to his questions?

"And then———– I want to lend my strength to someone."

Has he been able to accomplish it?

Was he able to become someone's strength?

[………………………]

Seemingly having thought of something, Seras spoke.

[If that's the case…… then perhaps he is currently fighting in Azziz, Jonato to defend the Sacred Eye?]

[If that's the case, that would be appreciated on our end.]

Right.

It's one of the crucial factors in this battle.

The Sacred Eye of Jonato.

The Northern Sacrament army that Vysis had unleashed upon Jonato to destroy the Holy Eye.

Can they protect the Sacred Eye until we defeat Vysis in this labyrinth?

That's another side of this battle.

If things go poorly……

The outcome of this could determine the victory or defeat of this entire battle.

[Right now, we are isolated in this labyrinth.]

So all we can do is————

[The matters regarding that side———– we have to completely entrust everything to the people in Jonato's capital.]

And so, thank you for your patience.

We will now begin Part 3 of the final arc.

While the general plot is already laid out, I’ve been unable to stop worrying, thinking, “Can’t I make this more interesting?” or “Couldn’t I improve this part?”. As a result, it has taken longer than anticipated. This might be the case with any long-term work, but it has really made me reflect on the high hurdle of finishing a “final arc” (at least by my own standards) in a way that I find satisfying, as well as how to approach it.

Also, since the last update, I received three new reviews.

Thank you very much!

Additionally, I’d like to share some promotional news regarding the anime’s Blu-ray. The Blu-ray will consist of three volumes, and as a bonus for each volume, I wrote a short novel (as the name implies, these are brief stories). Moreover, each volume features two original illustrations by our illustrator KWKM-sensei.

In Volume 1, titled “June”, the illustrations mainly depict a morning classroom scene in Class 2-C at Ogito Academy before their autumn school trip. It gives a glimpse into “What was Class 2-C like before they came to this world?”———– a topic that has hardly been explored in the Light Novel's short stories. The illustrations feature "Sogou Ayaka" and the "Takao Sisters." While the main story features the characters in their winter uniforms, this story is set in June, so they appear in their precious summer attire.

Volume 2, titled “July”, mainly illustrates Class 2-C's swimming class. The illustrations depict "Kashima Kobato" and the "Takao Sisters" in their swimsuits. At Ogito Academy, swimsuits are not school-designated, allowing for relatively free choice, so each character wears a different swimsuit.

Volume 3, titled “S e p t e m b e r →”, has a slightly different title, and this is due to a small gimmick. In the bonus novel for Volume 3, there is a scene featuring a conversation between Touka and his uncle and aunt. This is likely the first time such direct dialogue has been depicted. However, both illustrations feature "Seras in the Ogito Academy uniform". The reason for these illustrations…… Well, if you have the opportunity to purchase it, I hope you’ll read and find out.

(T/N: Volume 1 and 2's title are written in Japanese, while Volume 3's title is in english.)

This bonus novel was largely created with the intention of "making the most of KWKM-sensei's illustrations", so I hope you enjoy the high-quality artwork.

Also, on September 1st, it was officially announced that "Failure Frame" has surpassed a total of 3 million copies sold in the series. Thank you once again to everyone who has purchased it.

While I’m still uncertain about my ability to write well, I’ll do my best to write through to the conclusion of Part 3 of the final arc (and beyond), so I appreciate your continued support.