Oasis of the Ever-White Labyrinth, Begaritt Continent.

Over the last week, the fierce and highly competitive atmosphere of the new Oasis collapsed en masse and, in just seven days, turned into a battlefield.

Seven days ago, the Treasure Mage Kensai excitedly announced that he had discovered an entire mine of Resurrection Stones on the 80th Floor, and that he believed it might be the Final Floor of the Labyrinth.

No one had ever gone beyond the 75th Floor, or at least no one publicly had, so an uproar quickly spread everywhere.

Everyone wanted that long-awaited mine, but few had the strength to descend that deep into the Labyrinth.

Fortunately, their savior, the benevolent Treasure Mage, once again showed his generosity.

He introduced a group of elite subordinates, made up of many mercenaries, warriors, and nationally renowned heroes from across the Begaritt Continent, and announced a large-scale expedition into the depths of the Labyrinth.

Without a doubt, that was the peak of the excitement, fame, and ambition of every adventurer and mercenary living in the Oasis.

More than ninety percent of them gladly joined the expedition, hoping to profit from the chaos and ride the coattails of the powerful.

That very same day, the expedition set out with the momentum of an army.

Group after group pushed through the floors, bringing down gigantic Trolls with overwhelming numbers and brute force, descending deeper and deeper into the Ever-White Labyrinth as if they had finally found the moment everyone had been waiting for since the Oasis was founded.

The next day, the few who had not gone deeply regretted it.

Several of them formed small groups and advanced on their own, hoping to catch up to the great expedition before all the glory and fortune slipped through their fingers.

At that point, very few had still not entered in the direction of the 80th Floor.

But by the end of that day, those who remained received news so absurd it took several seconds to even process it.

Only three.

Just three adventurers, two of them mutilated, came out of the Ever-White Labyrinth alive.

And they brought terrifying news with them.

Kensai, the trustworthy Treasure Mage, had betrayed them all.

And without the slightest shred of mercy, he had orchestrated a massacre of thousands inside the Labyrinth.

A Demonic Red Ogre.

A Swordsman in a Blue Cloak.

And a Man with a Skull Face.

Those three men were the main ones responsible for the slaughter. But alongside them came armies of Trolls following their orders, as well as Kensai’s entire private army.

No one had offered any real resistance in the face of those enemies’ overwhelming power, and Kensai had not merely refused to help them — he had been the strategic mind behind the betrayal.

The three survivors had only escaped thanks to a magic item.

Even then, they would have been hunted down and killed, but in the middle of their escape, they happened to receive mysterious aid from a warrior and a mage wearing enormous magical armor.

Even so, those two had not directly clashed with the oppressors either.

When that terrifying news spread five days ago, the remaining adventurers fled like frightened chickens.

No longer needing to keep up appearances, the Treasure Mage’s personal army seized the Oasis in its entirety, turning it into a heavily guarded fortress.

At that moment, he let everything show without hiding anything anymore, and Begaritt was left in shock upon realizing that a large portion of the Continent’s greatest fighters were now under Kensai’s command.

I mean, he was the richest man in Begaritt — there was a reason he was called the Treasure Mage, one of the only three King-ranked mages on the entire Continent.

Even so, the military force he currently commanded was, in its own way, terrifying.

Unfortunately for him, that meant nothing to the Iron Legion.

Three days ago, led by Iron Legion Commander Taes Dedoldia, fifteen enormous adult Dragons ridden by Dragon Riders completely devastated the Oasis in a single pass, spewing fire and savage flames unlike anything the people of Begaritt had ever seen before, spreading terror and panic everywhere.

At the same time, three vanguard divisions of the Iron Legion advanced on the Oasis by land.

The desert warriors, hardened by battle, had expected to face powerful enemies, refined strategies, complex traps, and, in the worst-case scenario, to be forced into retreat after encountering an enemy they simply could not fight.

But they found none of that.

The three divisions made no effort whatsoever to employ any elaborate strategy.

No, they forced their way straight through the Oasis.

One of them was led by Sword Emperor Nina Britz, accompanied by the Beast Princesses Linia and Pursena, along with dozens of other warriors.

Another was led by Demon King Atoferatofe, accompanied by Moore, demons, and other warriors of the Iron Legion.

The third was led by Savage Emperor Jal Igaly, accompanied by the Red Ogre Baron and dozens of warriors.

None of those three fronts acted as though they were dealing with an imposing, carefully prepared fortress.

To them, it was just another obstacle in the way.

North King Kalaham, a powerful ancient demon and a hero recognized throughout Begaritt, led a fierce counteroffensive, expecting to make his opponents pay for underestimating them.

But he had no time to react before dying to a single strike from Nina Britz, who split him in half horizontally with a single Longsword of Light.

His death was merely an omen of everything that followed.

It was like a sharp slap across the face of every desert warrior, saying in no uncertain terms: Begaritt’s finest warriors are nothing but extras.

The Iron Legion displayed its invincible might after years of growth and development, proving once again its prowess as one of — if not the — most powerful armies in the world today.

Before long, nearly the entire Oasis had fallen under the Iron Legion’s control.

It did not matter that Kensai’s armies numbered in the thousands. It did not matter that they set traps, ambushes, or improvised defensive lines.

None of that posed any real challenge to the Iron Legion, which had Saint-ranked swordsmen like cabbages, mages capable of using Chantless Magic, superior magical weapons and armor forged by dwarves, and still rode Dragons and Giant Wolves into battle.

It was fair to say that no armed force in Begaritt was prepared to deal with a force so unpredictable and powerful.

And certainly not Kensai’s personal army.

Soon, the Iron Legion cornered the survivors at the edge of the Ever-White Labyrinth’s entrance, pressing them without pause, slowly crushing every last bit of room to maneuver they had left, until the true heavyweights were forced to reveal themselves.

And reveal themselves they did.

Before they could be completely exterminated or captured, a huge Red Ogre, a blue-cloaked swordsman, and Kensai, controlling an enormous Immortal Barbarian Troll, emerged from the Labyrinth’s entrance to change the battlefield.

The impact of their arrival was significant.

The desert soldiers, who had already been getting steamrolled by the gap in strength, felt their spirits rise for the first time since the battle had begun.

For a few moments, the situation truly changed.

Even the Iron Legion, for all its brutal superiority, had to steady its breathing in the face of those three appearing.

That was enough to stabilize Begaritt’s side.

But only for a short while.

Because before they could truly regain control of the battlefield, Jino and Ghislaine arrived.

----

Inside the Ever-White Labyrinth, on the lower floors, Hitogami’s apostles had not been having easy days.

At that moment, in a stone chamber made entirely of white granite, a monkey-faced man was lazily sleeping, sprawled across the floor and leaning against a pillar as though no war were happening at all.

Suddenly, another man entered.

His left arm had been severed at the elbow, and he carried the limp arm in his other hand without the slightest concern, as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

His face was skeletal, with one red eye and the other dark, and there was a grim, unpleasant expression on his face.

It was Randolph Marianne.

Or rather, it was Randolph Marianne’s body, completely taken over by the Nether King, Vita.

The monkey-faced man, Geese, jolted awake, lifting his head from the floor and looking at Vita while rubbing his still sleepy eyes.

"Hugh... what an unpleasant face... what’s the situation, Vita...?"

Vita answered in his cold, somber voice:

"The Iron Legion has completely taken the Oasis. We’re completely cornered inside the Labyrinth..."

Then he looked straight into Geese’s eyes.

"We’ve entered that phase you mentioned. It’s all or nothing now. There is no escape left for us."

There was a trace of resentment in his voice.

If it had not been for his Laplace incarnation, together with Badigadi, going after Rygar in the Labyrinth, they would not be in such a terrible situation.

At least, that was how Vita saw things at that moment. The thought of being trapped in there while the enemy army crushed everything outside was more than a little suffocating.

Geese smiled bitterly.

"Well, you’re the one who chose to be here! Remember, without Hitogami, you wouldn’t have taken over those powerful bodies in the first place! And you know exactly what I’m talking about... how’s the latest battle going?"

He had finally shaken off his drowsiness and repeated the question with more focus.

Vita shot him a dark look, but said nothing about the jab. As Geese had mentioned, Vita knew how to recognize a debt.

Hitogami had saved his life and helped him countless times since then. And he would repay that debt.

After a few seconds, he spoke:

"The fighting continued on the Labyrinth’s upper floors. The Iron Legion slowed its advance after realizing the Labyrinth is under our control and pulled back, but they showed no difficulty dealing with the Trolls. Gall Farion and Malta retreated safely, but Kensai was killed by Nina Britz..."

Geese raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Hm? How did that happen? Weren’t Gall and Malta supposed to protect him?"

Vita answered casually:

"Apparently, Gall Farion could have killed her at that moment, but he didn’t. The girl gambled that her father wouldn’t have the resolve to kill her, and she won. Kensai was killed instantly. His magic rings didn’t protect him from her blade. It seems to be a special sword."

Geese nodded and let out a bitter laugh.

"Who would’ve thought that fierce girl was our spy for so long... she must be really angry! Hehe!"

Vita did not find it funny, but continued.

"Anyway, with Kensai dead, most of the armies lost focus and scattered. Gall Farion isn’t exactly a good commander, much less the ogre... so what remains of Kensai’s army is only twenty-four men who managed to retreat alive. From this point on, we’re relying only on ourselves and the Labyrinth Monsters..."

He looked at Geese again.

"What did Hitogami tell you earlier? A lot of things have turned out very differently from what he foresaw."

As the two spoke, Vita’s severed arm was gradually reattaching itself to his body, thanks to Randolph’s Immortal Demon blood.

Geese sighed.

"He said exactly the same thing you did, his Visions are scattered. That basically confirms Aisha Greyrat’s presence on the battlefield, possibly even Orsted himself..."

He shuddered slightly.

"Anyway, from now on Hitogami’s Visions will only be rough directions. With Rudeus, Aisha, and maybe Orsted there, his visions are going to be messy and imprecise. We’ll have to rely on our own plans!"

Vita stared at him with a completely expressionless face.

His expression clearly said: did you not hear a single thing I just said?

Geese noticed the look and laughed.

"Hehehe! Don’t worry so much! The ritual is almost complete, cheer up! We just need a little time, and for someone important and strong to die inside this Labyrinth! Once He revives, most of our problems will be solved!"

Vita still looked unconvinced.

"I think you’re putting far too much faith in that man. How strong could he possibly have been? In the end, he was only a mere human."

Geese smiled maliciously.

"Laxus was human too, Vita. Special humans are everywhere! Just look around! Aren’t we surrounded by troublesome humans right now?! Our three biggest problems at the moment are three humans! Aisha, Rudeus, and Jino!"

Vita’s expression twisted the moment he heard Laxus’s name.

The slime clearly remembered the relentless pursuit of the former Death God. It was, without question, a bad memory.

At last, Vita spoke:

"Anyway, if this keeps up, the Iron Legion will slaughter everyone in this Labyrinth before that man appears. So whatever plan you have in mind to delay them, carry it out!"

As soon as he said that, he left the room.

His footsteps faded away down the corridor, and Geese was left alone.

Still thinking about how he might turn his enemies against one another.

----

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