Time passed within the depths of the Labyrinth, though neither Sylas nor Nagumo could have said how much. Down here, time felt distorted—swallowed by endless stone corridors, suffocating silence, and the constant tension that something might lunge from the shadows at any moment.
Before long, the two of them stood at the base of a towering, ancient door.
It loomed high above them, carved from dark stone veined with faint metallic streaks that shimmered whenever their light sources shifted. The surface was etched with weathered symbols—some resembling script, others abstract shapes that seemed almost alive in their intricacy. On either side of the entrance stood two colossal statues, their forms vaguely humanoid yet monstrous in proportion. Each held a great stone weapon resting against the floor, their single carved eyes gazing down as if judging all who dared approach.
Sylas and Nagumo ascended the wide stone steps cautiously, boots scraping softly against aged rock. Their gazes never left the statues as they climbed. The air here felt heavier—denser—as though the chamber itself were waiting.
Reaching the top, Sylas stopped and extended an arm slightly, signaling Nagumo to hold.
"Your move," Sylas said quietly.
Nagumo stepped forward and placed his palm against the center of the door. Closing his eyes, he began channeling magic power into his hand, the faint glow of energy spreading across the etched patterns. He attempted to force the mechanism open—at first testing it, then applying more pressure.
CRUMBLE.
The moment he tried to pry the door apart with transmuted force, an overwhelming surge of energy exploded outward from the surface. The shockwave struck both of them instantly.
Sylas and Nagumo were hurled backward as though struck by a battering ram. Their bodies slammed against the stone steps and skidded several meters down, loose gravel scattering in all directions before they finally came to a stop.
At the same time, a sharp cracking sound echoed from above.
The statues.
Thin fractures spread rapidly across their stone bodies. Cracks widened. Pieces splintered and fell away in heavy chunks, shattering against the floor. The outer shells collapsed entirely, revealing the living forms concealed within.
Two monsters stepped forward from the rubble—one cloaked in a dull crimson hue, the other an icy blue. Each bore a single massive, unblinking eye embedded in the center of its forehead. Their bodies were thick and muscular, their skin hardened like mineralized flesh.
"You take the blue. I'll handle the red," Sylas declared as he burst forward.
"Ken."
He fused Ten and Ren seamlessly, forming a dense, constant layer of aura around his entire body. The energy clung tightly to him—balanced and stable—granting both offense and defense in all directions. The air around him vibrated faintly from the pressure of condensed Nen.
"Quickstep."
One of the many skills Sylas had acquired from devouring monsters within the Labyrinth activated instantly. His body blurred.
In less than a heartbeat, he vanished from his original position and reappeared directly in front of the red cyclops, so close that he could see his own reflection in its massive eye.
As he closed the final inch of distance, Sylas shifted every ounce of his aura into his right hand at the precise moment of impact.
"Ko."
The concentration was absolute.
His fist drove forward, Nen compressing into a single devastating point. The impact sounded like a cannon blast.
There was almost no resistance.
His strike pierced straight through the creature's eye, rupturing it instantly. The red cyclops stiffened, its massive frame trembling before collapsing backward. The ground shook as its lifeless body crashed against the labyrinth floor, dust billowing outward in a thick cloud.
Sylas withdrew his hand and shook off fragments of shattered flesh before turning his attention to Nagumo.
"You need a hand over there?"
Across the chamber, the blue cyclops had not advanced. Instead, it stood firmly before the door, both forearms raised. A translucent barrier shimmered around it—an arched wall of blue energy that distorted the light passing through it.
Nagumo continued firing round after round from his magic-enhanced revolver. Each shot detonated against the barrier with sharp flashes of light, yet the shield held.
"This is my fight," Nagumo shouted without looking back. "Stay out of it. It won't take long."
Sylas folded his arms but remained alert.
The barrier flickered more violently with each impact. Fine cracks of energy spidered across its surface.
Nagumo narrowed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He adjusted his aim, continuing to fire in rapid succession, forcing the shield to absorb continuous pressure.
Finally—
SHATTER.
The barrier fractured with a crystalline burst and disintegrated into glowing fragments. The next bullets pierced straight through, slamming into the cyclops' raised arms. Bone cracked audibly.
"Looks like your arms are useless now," Nagumo muttered, already loading his final round. Energy condensed into the chamber of his revolver, glowing brighter than the previous shots.
"This is the end."
BANG.
The bullet tore through the air too fast for the cyclops to react. It struck squarely through its eye.
The blue cyclops staggered once before collapsing face-first against the stone, unmoving.
Silence returned.
—
Rummaging through the remains, Sylas and Nagumo discovered two spherical orbs—one crimson, one blue. Each was perfectly shaped to fit the circular indentations carved into the ancient door.
They climbed the stairs again and inserted the orbs one by one. Deciding to comeback later for the cyclops meat.
A deep rumble resonated throughout the chamber. Dust drifted from the ceiling as internal mechanisms shifted. Slowly, heavily, the door unlocked and began to open inward.
A wave of cool air flowed out from the chamber beyond.
Inside, glowing green vines crawled along the walls and ceiling, illuminating the interior with an eerie bioluminescent light. Along the central walkway, pairs of faint purple lights hovered in symmetry—one on each side—forming a clear path deeper into the room.
They stepped inside cautiously.
Near the end of the path, a massive glowing yellow cube hovered several feet above the ground. It rotated slowly—precisely one hundred eighty degrees—before stopping in perfect alignment.
Sylas narrowed his eyes.
Within the suspended cube, a pale, malnourished girl with long blonde hair lay curled in stillness. Her body appeared frozen in time, sealed behind layers of shimmering magic.
"Is that… a girl?" Sylas murmured.
As their footsteps echoed closer, her eyelids fluttered weakly. Slowly, she lifted her head toward the sound.
Sylas turned to Nagumo.
"Well… let's get out of here."
"Agreed."
They had reached the same conclusion without speaking. No one sealed this deep within a labyrinth was sealed without reason.
They turned their backs and began walking toward the exit.
"Wait…"
The voice was fragile. Faint.
"Please—help me. I'll do anything."
Nagumo stopped mid-step.
"You were sealed down here for a reason," he said without turning around. "We're not releasing you just so you can kill us afterward."
He resumed walking.
"Please… you don't understand."
Cough. Cough.
"I was betrayed."
Nagumo stopped again.
When Sylas heard the second set of footsteps cease, he glanced back. "Something the matter, Nagumo?"
"No. Just… give me a second."
He walked back toward the cube.
Placing one hand against the magical seal, he pushed power into it. Instantly, resistance met him—violent and suffocating. The seal fought back, sending waves of pressure into his arm.
If he were the person he used to be, he would have collapsed.
But now—
"I'm not as weak as I used to be!"
He screamed as he forced more energy forward, veins standing out along his arm.
"Aaahhh!"
The chamber trembled as cracks of light spread across the cube's surface. Seconds felt like hours.
Then, finally—
The seal shattered.
The glowing cube dissolved into drifting particles.
Nagumo bent forward, breathing heavily. "Ha… ha…"
He glanced at Sylas. "Think I could get a glass of holy water? That was exhausting."
Sylas reached into his coat and pulled out a small vial. "You know this stuff is supposed to be valuable, right?"
He tossed it toward him.
"I know," Nagumo replied, catching it easily. "But you can summon ten of these every day right. I'll survive."
He drank it in one gulp. "That's good."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get addicted."
"Why would I get—!"
Nagumo stopped mid-sentence.
He felt something tug gently at the back of his shirt.
"Thank you… thank you so much."
The blonde girl stood behind him, her bright red eyes shimmering with tears. She wiped her face clumsily with the back of her sleeve.
"What is your name?" she asked in a small, trembling voice.
"Hajime. Hajime Nagumo."
After he spoke, she repeated it quietly to herself. "Hajime… Hajime… Hajime…"
Nagumo cleared his throat. "What's your name?"
She paused.
"I… don't remember." Her voice wavered. "Could you… give me a new name?"
"Me?" He pointed at himself in confusion.
Sylas' voice chimed in from the side. "Just do what she wants. You're the one who decided to save her."
Nagumo shot him an irritated look. Sylas wore an unmistakably smug expression.
He turned back to the girl.
"How about… Yue."
"Yue?" she echoed softly.
"It means 'moon' where I'm from. When I first walked in here, the lights reminded me of the night sky."
"Yue…" she repeated again, testing the sound. "Then from now on… my name will be Yue."
She looked up at him with fragile certainty.
Suddenly—
"Look out!"
A sharp projectile hurtled through the air, aimed straight for Nagumo's back.
He didn't have time to turn.
"This is why you don't drop your guard," Sylas said sharply.
In a flash, he summoned Kuma. The massive creature materialized instantly, slamming into Nagumo and knocking him out of the projectile's path.
The spike struck the ground where Nagumo had stood, embedding deep into stone.
—
[Name: Sylas]
[Race: Monster–Human Hybrid]
[Age: 19]
[Job: Nen User]
[Skills: Quickstep, Air Step, Aerodynamics, Energy Sickles, Limit Break, Threat Detection, Lightning Manipulation, Air Slash, Barrier]
[Passive Skills: Iron Stomach, Enhanced Strength, Increased Regeneration, Pain Resistance, Enhanced Reflexes, Heightening Senses, Enhanced Durability]
To be continued…