"W-water! Water is rushing this way!"

"B-behind too! We're trapped!"

The Inquisitor youth with the book sighed. Those fools had triggered some sort of a trap and now they had to pay the price.

“Hey, Tina, break a wall or something.”

“Hey, since when you’re my boss?”

“Just do it.” He sighed. “Do you want us to drown?”

With a shrug, the nun slammed her mace onto the nearby wall. It left a dent on the wall, but it didn’t create the hole that she wanted.

“Hmm, that’s tougher than I thought.”

“Then smash it again.”

She did once, twice, thrice more, yet the dent barely went any further.

“I think it’s being reinforced by the Dungeon Core,” the nun gave her assessment. “That heretic knows we would try something like this to escape her trap.”

The young man sighed again. “Fine. A barrier it is.”

He then opened his book before he began his chant. A barrier manifested out of thin air, surrounding them both.

The soldiers around them, naturally, took notice of the fact.

“A-a barrier! Oh, thank the Saint! Everyone! Get inside!”

One of the soldiers, the platoon's lieutenant in fact, ran towards it, only to crash into the hard forcefield.

“I’m sorry,” the youth spoke with a cold look. “But we have no intention of bringing any of you along. This barrier is only designed for two people, you see.”

“W-what?!"

"It's your own fault, you see. You and your men fell into the trap. So now, you would have to pay the price."

*CRASH*

"Aahhhhh!"

"H-help! Help! I-I can't swim!"

One by one, the water swept the soldiers away, right towards the barrier. Like a stack of fishes, they crashed into the hardened light, banging their bodies at high speed. Some snapped their necks entirely, some broke their arms or legs, and some painfully choked on the water until they lost consciousness.

The blue-haired youth didn't flinch in the slightest when some soldiers banged on the barrier, begging to be let in. Why would he? They would enter Valhalla once they perished.

And just like that, the entire platoon was wiped by the flood, leaving the two Inquisitors on their own.

The assault wasn't over, however, as the water soon electrified. Thankfully, the barrier held firm nonetheless.

Faye continued hitting the wall, ceiling, and floor, trying to find a weak spot she could make a hole with.

“Ah, this seems to be the spot!”

She then proceeded to smash said spot, located on the ceiling, over and over and over again, all the while the youth maintained the barrier. The electricity didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. Compared to Majorka from before, it was clear as day how much stronger his barrier was.

Eventually, the ceiling crumbled, running down rubble on top of their barrier, which it easily deflected. The two quickly jumped upwards through the hole.

It opened into some sort of a chamber. There was nothing inside except the scent of mold and decay—a scent that permeated through the entire dungeon.

The water quickly filled the chamber. As the only exit was a passage going downwards, they decided to try the ceiling once again.

"Can you make another hole up there?" The youth spoke to the nun.

"Hmm, let's just hope we don't end up burying ourselves in dirt."

She began swinging her mace upwards, sending shockwaves that hit the ceiling wall almost as hard as if she landed the hit on melee.

"Looks pretty sturdy. I don't know about this," the nun spoke in a casual, almost playful tone.

"Just keep looking," the youth replied, his tone one of annoyance instead.

Dirt and rocks began to leak from the ceiling, showing that above them were not another room, but instead part of the soil in-between the dungeon, yet to be developed.

“Uhh, don't think we can go up, chief."

"Continue. I've read the map and there should not be that much soil above us. My barrier can take it. And all the dirt and rocks can help plugging this water as well."

"Alright then. Whatever you say." The nun smirked.

She resumed hitting the ceiling, until eventually, it gave through, letting an avalanche of soil into the room. The barrier held, just like the youth said, and the two began their dig upwards, into the next room above them.

Right into where Hugo was.

-------

Hugo

I made my way to the center of the dungeon, following the route on the map I was given. As expected, I didn't encounter anything. The route was already stripped clean of all it's dangers.

I entered a large, pitch-black room. Using flame magic, I fired a flare to the ceiling of the room, revealing a bunch of tall statues of what looked like knights. They were around 10 meters tall, give or take.

And then, I felt it. The thumping motion coming from under my feet.

Hmm? This trembling… an earthquake?!

No. It's more like a thumping. From down below. Something's coming!

Believing it to be a monster, I jumped backwards to the corner of the room, readying my wand for the creature that might pop out.

The middle floor burst open before something jumped from the hole, revealing the identity of the culprit to be…

A nun?

"Oh? What's this? Hey, Asan. We got a kid over here!"

Another person jumped out from the hole. This time, instead of being a silver-haired nun in her late teens, it was a blue-haired young man around sixteen or so, wearing a formal black priest robe.

"Hey, kid." He called on me. "You're an adventurer? Where's your party?"

Kid? Hey, I'm not that much younger than you, you know!

Before I could answer his question, however, two more figures burst forth from the hole, followed by a water spout that splashed water all over the room. I dodged it in time but the two certainly didn't.

Ignoring the fact that the nun's white outfit had just turned translucent from the wetness (revealing the fact that she wore matching teal bra and panties that day), my attention immediately turned towards the next two figures who just made their dramatic entrance.

Mages? A man and a woman? And they're twins!

"Adventurer." The young man spoke with a noticeably  bossy tone. "Aid us. Those two are zombified mages, vile creations of the necromancer."

"Wait, zombies?" I replied. "They don't look like one though."

With a sigh, he replied, "Just shut up and do your job."

Ah, of course. Too high and mighty to explain anything to this humble adventurer, huh? If I had to guess from their outfit and attitude, they must be the inquisitors that started this whole thing.

The zombies made their first move. The male conjured a rain of spears made out of water while the woman fired blasts of water at high speed akin to water cannons.

...Yeah, I’m not participating in this.

I slowly walked backwards, trying to not attract the attention of the two zombies.

“Tch, running away, are we?” The youth said after he erected his barrier. “Can’t be helped, I suppose. You’re just some kid adventurer after all. Go. We’ll handle this.”

Normally, I would take offense on this, but I knew better than to get angry. It’s better this way. They might think I’m siding with Flameu if I were older. “If you’re not with us, then you’re against us.” I just had a hunch they were that kind of people.

Before I could make my way out of the room, however, the passage behind me suddenly closed itself, with a stone slab sliding down from the ceiling.

...Oh crap.

I turned my sight across the room. Sure enough, that passage was closed as well.

I was trapped.

"This shall be your tomb, inquisitors."

The flare I had fired was snuffed out as pitch-black shadows quickly covered the ceiling, seemingly seeping out from the corners of the room.

That voice! It's Felicia's voice!

The shadows now dripped down from the ceiling, in quite the disgusting manner, if I might add. The nun activated her light spell, only to find that the light could pierce the shadows that swirled around their barrier.

And then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Stay here. I'll take care of them."

I jumped, turning around as fast as I could.

It was Felicia.

"I'll show you how a necromancer fights," she said with a confident smirk on her face.

Beside her was her knight. I had no idea how they suddenly appeared out of thin air, but they did.

"Come, Lord Berault. Let us put an end to these two."

The knight moved first, dashing forward with his blade readied towards the barrier. His mistress on the other hand started chanting.

Light burst forth from the barrier, halting Berault in his steps. The shadows surrounding the two inquisitors were dispelled by the searing light.

"I see." The youth spoke coldly. "You intend to finish us now, while we're at our weakest point."

"Ha, the venomous snake is out from her nest, I see." The nun sneered towards Felicia. "And that knight over there is that Berault guy. What about that boy though? Why haven't you killed him yet?"

"I remember him," her partner answered her question. "Charles Pendleton. The famous Divine Tempest. He helped her for a short while. And now, he had shown himself to be her ally once again."

"W-wait, don't get the—"

"That's right." Felicia interrupted. "He's a friend of mine."

"Damn it, why do you have to say that?!"

"It's the truth, no?" She smirked at me.

...I see it now. She's trying to make me fight for her, by making the inquisitors think I'm on her side.

That's a bad guy move, right there.

"Don't listen to her!" I yelled. "I'm just here to speak with her, not to fight with you or any of the other inquisitors!"

...Yeah, they're not going to buy that, are they?

The battle resumed, four against two. Felicia manipulated shadows to attack them while the two mages utilized water instead. The nun fought against Berault, her mace clashing with his blade. His swordplay was faster but the nun had more strength with her every blow. Not to mention that she would weave quick holy magic every now and then into her melee-oriented fighting style.

This is… this is amazing!

I couldn't help but be impressed. Never before I saw the utilization of holy magic in such a manner. She did acrobatics as well, firing spells right in mid-air. I was so slack-jawed I barely noticed her flashing her panties every time she did.

The other guy was no slouch either. Instead of a staff, he was using a book as a tool for his magic focus. I didn’t even know that was a possibility.

“Holy Barrage!”

A swarm of bolts of light came out from the book, disrupting the casting of both zombified mages and Felicia. It was similar to the spell Renee once casted, only that the bolts chased after their targets much better. All three had to spend a lot of time getting out of the way before they were safe from the Master-level spell.

Oh, and he was also capable of Dual Casting, allowing him to both keep up his barrier while at the same time attacking with offensive spells. 

Judging by those two facts, the 16-year old boy was already a better cleric than Mother could ever be. Sorry, Mom, but that’s just the fact.

I guess he’s what you would call a prodigy of holy magic.

“Diona! Come out and freeze them in place!”

A woman dressed in what you would call a gothic lolita fashion manifested out of thin air from a cloud of darkness. She promptly let out a scream that filled the entire room. My hands instinctively went to my ears to cover them, only to find that I could no longer move an inch.

A-a paralysis scream?!

It had no effect on the two inquisitors however.

“Ha! A cheap trick like that wouldn’t work on us!” The nun bragged with a grin as she was in the middle of her fight with Berault. “We are the chosen of the Saint! Curses won’t affect us!”

A-a curse! Damn it! I don't have any spells that can dispel curses!

Knowing that her scream wouldn't work, the summoned woman (Diona was her name, I assume) switched into melee, aiding Berault against the nun. 

To my relief, my paralysis didn't last long. I could move my body once more after waiting for a minute or so.

That relief soon disappeared, however, when the stone slab blocking the other entrance was sliced into two.

"Hey, evil witch! Your opponent is me!"

A young man, around seventeen or so, came charging into the room. With a sword in his hand, he jumped straight towards Felicia. She managed to dodge by submerging herself into a puddle of shadow, thankfully for her.

"Soldiers! Charge! Protect the inquisitors and capture the necromancer!"

It wasn't just him who had come. A swarm of soldiers marched in with their swords and spears drawn.

Seeing this, the twin mages attempted to attack the soldiers, only to be blocked by a barrier generated by a redheaded girl leading the charge. Another inquisitor, if I had to guess.

The tables had turned. Now Felicia's the one being cornered.

I'd feel bad for her, but I was still irked by her trying to drag me into her mess, while refusing to talk to me like a decent person.

I sighed. She's not winning me to her side at this rate.

"Hold! Don't anyone move an inch!"

I suddenly felt cold steel in my neck, along with two soft mounds touching the back of my head. I tried to move my hands and feet, only to find that they were bound by a bunch of shadowy tendrils. Didn’t even notice they were there until now.

It was Felicia and her boobs. And she had decided to make me her hostage.

I was too distracted to notice her presence behind me before it's too late.

"Or I would kill this little boy!" She pressed the knife a little deeper.

I sighed again. "I'm disappointed in you, Felicia. I thought you're a better person than this."

"Hmph, you know nothing about me!" She fired back. "You don't know the things I've done to get this far! I do not wish to harm a good kid like you, but if it's the only way i can achieve my goal, then so be it!"

And then, she whispered, "Play along. I'm clearing your name right now."

"...Ah, I get it," I whispered back. 

I put on my best acting muscles and followed suit.

"H-help! I don't wanna die!" I yelled. I even used a stealth water spell to pretend I was crying.

("You know, this is pretty embarrassing.")

("It's your own fault, coming here in the first place. What do you want, really?")

("Nothing special. Just a nice chat with you, maybe over a cup of tea and all that.")

("Hmph, maybe after I dispose of these people.")

("Should've planned this better. Now you have to fight two groups at once.")

("I can't help it. I thought they wouldn't be crazy enough to dig through the soil. And yet they did.")

"You cowardly witch! Unhand him at once!" The blonde man pointed his sword at him.

"Don't be tricked, Peter. He’s an associate of hers,” the book-wielding youth spoke. “Just cut her along with him.”

“N-no, please! I-I’m innocent!”

Damn it, that kid is merciless!

(“Wet your pants.”)

(“What?!”)

(“I’ll push my knife right up to your jugular. Then you’ll show them that you’re just a scared little kid that has nothing to do with me, the scary necromancer.”)

Before I could consent, she performed the move, pushing in the blade of her knife close enough that I started to bleed, but not deep enough that it became a fatal wound.

“Do you think I’m bluffing? I’ll slit the throat of this boy and the guilt will lie under your feet!”

“H-help! P-please help!”

Using my water magic once more, I, with great shame I had to add, did as she instructed me to.

I was just glad that I was skilled enough to do something like this with my magic, instead of, you know, actually doing it for real. I could certainly do it, with me having not emptied my tank for the last few hours, but I'd be damned if I had to do it.

“Aww, look at that! The scared little kid is having an accident! Where’s that courage of yours when you slayed that dragon, huh?!”

Wow, that grin of hers looks almost authentic. She’s really great at playing the villain. Or maybe she is a villain all along.

Isn’t it a bit too much though? It’s like she enjoys seeing me humiliating myself like this…

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"...Fine. Peter, if you could, try not to hit the kid."

Wait, "try"? That means he's going to—

The blond swordsman dashed forward with his blade drawn. Felicia countered by conjuring what could only be described as the dark version of the Barrier spell those inquisitors were using. I used the opportunity to release myself from Felicia's embrace.

His blade crashed down into her shadow barrier. However, the swordsman (Peter, I assume) continued pushing through, his blade pulsating with what looked to be holy energy. It began corroding away at the barrier.

It was enough time, however, for Felicia to use her trump card.

“O great power of the dark! Come forth from the abyss and honor the pact I have made as your master! Necrosummon!”

What appeared afterward was beyond my expectation. And anybody else’s expectation in that room.

A massive dragon, made out of bones, had manifested itself right in the front of our very eyes.

“Behold! My ultimate creation!” 

I looked at her as she proclaimed those words.

That grin was fit for the Devil himself.