The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Forbidden Six Labyrinths – Sasha’s Journey 7

Sasha and team Sacred descended through the residential area, advancing along the underground railway.

Along the way, they were attacked by magical beasts countless times. However… perhaps due to their luck or the narrowness of the railway, all the beasts that appeared were small to medium-sized. They attacked in groups but were handled effortlessly thanks to the Sacred team’s teamwork.

Only Tycoon noticed.

“…As I thought.”

“Hm? Tycoon, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Before long, they neared the end of the railway.

There was no need to say it out loud.

After a series of consecutive battles, their teamwork had refined even further, and their individual abilities had improved as well.

Reynold was already at an S-class level. Tycoon, Robin, and Piasora were strong enough to be recognized as A-class upper rankers or even S-class.

Their abilities were undoubtedly growing stronger.

Tycoon, fully aware of the duration of the auxiliary effects of his [Sage] magic, realized that the support magic cast on Sasha and the others had extended by over thirty seconds.

“Look, it’s the exit.”

Sasha pointed ahead, where a light was visible.

At the end of the tracks, a large exit could be seen. Tycoon muttered, “A tunnel, I suppose,” while Reynold sighed in relief, “Finally, we’re outside…”

Robin stretched and exclaimed:

“Finally outside!! Ahh, let’s go already!!”

She dashed forward.

Everyone was fatigued.

Perhaps that’s why they had momentarily forgotten.

That this was the Forbidden Six Labyrinth… the Great Salt Lake or Dilolomans.

“───Robin!!”

“Huh?”

A gooey mass suddenly appeared at the railway’s exit.

It was pitch-black sludge.

But it was no ordinary sludge.

“An uninvited guest. And… such a cute one.”

“───”

A woman was leaning against the exit wall without anyone noticing.

With tanned skin, red eyes, gray-silver hair, and horns on her head… Sasha understood immediately.

“A demon…!!”

“Bingo.”

The woman snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the black sludge enveloped Robin’s body, leaving only her face exposed.

“Wha, what is this? It feels gross! Nooo!!”

Robin thrashed around, moving only her head. But it was futile.

Sasha drew her sword, and Reynold, Tycoon, and Piasora also took combat stances.

But the woman moved swiftly.

“If you move, she’ll dissolve… you know?”

“───!!”

“Ah…”

The black sludge spat something out with a wet splat.

It was Robin’s breastplate, melted into an unrecognizable mess.

The demon woman spoke.

“This little one is Shoggoth Noirreuse… the strongest slime in this world and one of the Catastrophe Seven that destroyed this ancient city. Now, it’s my adorable servant.”

“Catastrophe Seven…?”

Tycoon cautiously asked.

The woman smiled brightly.

“Oh, such a handsome one. Alright, I’ll tell you… But first…”

“Huh? Aahhh!?”

“Piasora!?”

Behind Piasora, Shoggoth appeared and swallowed her whole.

Where had it come from?

It had risen from the ground, pulling Piasora in and merging with the Shoggoth restraining Robin.

It spat something out… Piasora’s clothes.

“Ufufu. It’s been centuries since I’ve had girls to play with… I’ll enjoy this thoroughly.”

“Nooo!! I want Sasha, not some demon!!”

“So calm… but this feels awful!”

Piasora thrashed, while the demon woman chuckled.

“Oh, introductions, yes. Nice to meet you… I’m Noches, the warden here.”

The demon named Noches bowed gracefully.

◇◇◇◇◇

Noches beckoned them to follow and moved on.

When Sasha’s team exited the railway, they found themselves in a massive storage area filled with trains.

“Is this… a train warehouse?”

“Impressive. You can read ancient text?”

“!!”

Noches stood behind Tycoon.

Reynold hurled his round shield at her, but Shoggoth’s tentacles lashed out, swatting it away.

The shield returned to Reynold automatically as he stood in front of Tycoon.

“Be careful. She’s nothing like the demon we’ve faced before!”

“Tch…”

The area, filled with trains, resembled a labyrinth.

Then, Noches’ voice echoed from somewhere.

“Catastrophe Seven… They’re seven devils that destroyed the ancient world. Ancient humans made great sacrifices to seal them and then perished themselves.”

Suddenly, Shoggoth consumed several trains at once.

The area became more open, revealing Noches and Shoggoth at the center.

Rising from Shoggoth’s mass were Robin and Piasora, restrained by their arms and legs.

Their clothing and gear were dissolved, leaving their upper bodies bare.

“My, such beautiful bodies.”

“Ugh…”

“D-Don’t look!! I’ll kill you if you do!!”

Robin squirmed in embarrassment, while Piasora seethed with anger, veins bulging. However, there was no time to worry about nudity in battle. Reynold and Tycoon couldn’t help but see them.

But Tycoon ignored it, focusing on Noches.

“Seven devils… Are the Forbidden Six Labyrinths prisons for these devils?”

“…Truly impressive.”

Noches seemed genuinely impressed.

Tycoon’s intellect was unparalleled.

“Exactly. The Forbidden Six Labyrinths are cages for the devils. We demon are their guardians and the ones tasked with bringing ancient civilization’s relics to the demon realm. Do you know why the human and demon worlds are separated?”

“Because of war? A war between humans and demon split the continent. The sea formed between them, making travel impossible…”

“Exactly. But that’s a lie.”

“What…?”

“The truth is, the Catastrophe Seven were sealed in the human world. The demon realm separated to avoid the danger spreading to us. One was completely destroyed by demon, another sealed safely in the demon realm. But five remain in the human world. Even if their seals break, the demon realm is safe.”

“Then the war was…”

“There was a war. But it was all an act by demon. Dividing the realms through war was the fastest way.”

“Ridiculous!”

“Well, there were some hiccups. At the time, we lacked teleportation magic, making it hard to transport ancient relics… It’s only recently that we’ve managed teleportation magic, but it’s limited to small-scale items.”

“Don’t joke around! demon… what do you think humans are!?”

“Who knows? But relax. The ancient seals won’t break easily. The Shoggoth I control is just a fragment—less than one ten-thousandth of the real thing. If it were whole, it would cover not just this salt lake but the entire snow country.”

“Tch… You… “Tycoon, is it time yet?” …Huh?”

Sasha stepped forward, her sword quietly pointed at Noches.

“What’s wrong, pretty girl? Pointing your sword at me… hehe—”

From behind Sasha, Shoggoth surged like a wave.

But Sasha unleashed her golden combat aura, slicing through Shoggoth in one strike.

“───!”

“I don’t care.”

“…What?”

“Catastrophe Seven, Forbidden Six Labyrinths, demon’s goals, ancient humans… none of that matters to me.”

“S-Sasha? No, what do you mean by that? Mmph!”

Reynold clamped his hand over Tycoon’s mouth.

“You… Noches, was it? Stop rambling and release Piasora and Robin!!”

“My, how scary… But I do like feisty ones.”

Behind Noches, Shoggoth’s tentacles swayed ominously.

Reynold readied his shield, Tycoon sighed, muttering, “I’d like to hear more, but no choice.”

Sasha shouted:

“Let’s go!!”

Team Sacred’s final battle in one of the Forbidden Six Labyrinths began.