"All right! I'm not sure if this method will work, but I have to try it!"

 

I aim the JERICHO 941 PSL at Dozemu's body and continuously pull the trigger, firing shots that only produce high-pitched sounds and sparks, seemingly without effect, but I keep shooting.

 

"Don't you understand it's futile!?"

 

Dodging Dozemu's charge with my left shoulder forward, I continue firing at his body while maintaining distance.

 

"You little brat! Haa, haa... You're so agile!!"

 

As Dozemu turns toward me with a frustrated expression, I put a bullet into his face. He staggers, holding his face in pain.

 

Looks like this might work after all.

 

With that thought, I reload the JERICHO 941 PSL and promptly shoot at Dozemu's body.

 

"Don't you get that it's useless!?"

 

This time, he transforms his right gauntlet into a sword and swings at me, but I dodge, circle around him, and shoot three more times into his back.

 

"G-Guaaaah!!?"

 

As he turns around swinging his sword in anger, I dodge and move back, keeping my distance.

 

"Uwaaaaah!!?"

 

Dozemu raises both hands, summoning the massive sword I saw before and aims it at me.

 

"Do you think you can pierce through this sturdy armor with such a weapon?"

 

As Dozemu questions me, I shoot a bullet into his face without a word. After reloading, I look at him as he staggers and clutches his face.

 

"Do you think you're worthy of an answer?"

 

"...I'll kill you!"

 

As he utters those words, he rushes towards me, swinging his sword. I dodge his attack, create distance, and shoot at his body.

 

"Ah... Gahh!?"

 

This time, he forms his shadow into a spear and thrusts it at me. I dodge again, aiming for his body and causing him to stagger.

 

"Nuugh!? Uwaaaah!!?"

 

Though his face is concealed by his helmet, I can sense his rage as he approaches, swinging his fists. I continue evading his attacks.

 

"This...!?"

 

As he tries a wide right straight punch, I duck, slip into his guard, and deliver a palm strike to his chin. Then, I quickly retreat while he's off balance.

 

"Tsuu!? ...Wha-!?"

 

As he attempts to charge at me with his fists raised, he suddenly falls to his knees, unable to move his body.

 

"Why... Why can't I move!? [Bang!?] Guah!?"

 

Dozemu looks shocked as he sees a small hole in his supposedly indestructible armor, blood trickling out.

 

"Finally, my attacks are getting through."

 

"Y-You... You aimed for this!?"

 

Dozemu struggles to stand, his legs shaking.

 

"Yes, I did."

 

I realized it when I shot Dozemu's face with the JERICHO 941 PSL. Perhaps he's continuously channeling magic to sustain that shadow armor he created.

 

"And this... [Bang!?] Ah, Gahh!?"

 

I shoot at his outstretched right hand without hesitation.

 

"And there's another mistake you made."

 

"Mistake? Another one?"

 

"When you attacked from a distance, you used your right hand, didn't you? Now, in your current state, with your left hand, which is not your dominant hand, can you pierce through my body with your shadow?"

 

With a distance of about thirteen meters between Dozemu and me and his magic depleted, it seems he can't attack me from afar.

 

"You little...!?"

 

By not raising his left hand in this situation, it seems he can't attack me from a distance.

 

"I have some questions for you."

 

"Questions? ...What do you mean?"

 

"Who are you, and what purpose are you serving by doing all this?"

 

"Heh... Hahaha! Ah, hahaha!"

 

Dozemu suddenly bursts into laughter, dispersing his armor. He then sits down, showing no signs of hostility.

 

Seeing his demeanor, I realize the enemy marker has disappeared, but it might still be dangerous to approach him. So, I decide to keep my distance from Dozemu.

"All right, haa... haa... I concede defeat, haa... haa... I shall speak... as a gesture," Jericho941PSL poised, Dosem listened intently.

"My name is Dosem. I possess the ability to manipulate shadows, haa... haa... bestowed upon me by him," Dosem explained.

"Him?" queried the listener.

"Hehehe... cough cough! How naive of you not to know him, haa, haa, you're quite sheltered, miss," Dosem chuckled.

My apologies. Having just been reincarnated, I've yet to grasp much common knowledge. If only there were a library in the Comprehensive Guild, I'd surely frequent it!!

As Dosem's breath steadied, it was understandable. After all, it was akin to taking a break.

As thoughts raced through their mind, they continued to listen.

"We demons, haa, haa, worship him just as humans worship goddesses. Haa, haa," Dosem elaborated.

Him... Could he be referring to a goddess?

"We demons were once weak humans... but by swearing allegiance to him and pledging to serve his power, we're granted strength surpassing humanity!!" Dosem declared.

Huh? Not a goddess but a malevolent deity?

"Not him, no! Our objective is—" Dosem's eyes widened as he raised his voice towards us.

"The annihilation of you humans! And to ascend beyond all, becoming the true gods of this world! To surpass even the creator, and become the true gods of this world!! Fuahahaha... Ahhahahahaha!!" he exclaimed.

While much of what was said was incomprehensible, it was clear that they harbored intentions of world domination and were a group of delusional individuals.

"To surpass the creator? What nonsense is this! You can't possibly meet Gaialus-sama! It's forbidden for humans to meet or even approach Gaialus-sama, who stands at the pinnacle of the goddesses!" one retorted.

Gaialus? That was the name of this world. Didn't the gods of this world find it embarrassing to name their world after themselves?

"...Hmm, it seems possible for him. He mentioned it himself," Dosem claimed.

He told the demons himself? I'm starting to lose track of who this person really is. Let's just say it outright.

"Hey, about that guy, isn't he—"

Before I could finish, the room suddenly filled with smoke.

Damn it! Poison gas!?

Covering my mouth with my sleeve, I called out, "Ryna-chan, are you alright!?"

"I'm fine over here!"

Huh? This smoke... it's not poison gas but smoke screen. Oh!?

Within the smoke-filled room, I caught sight of two figures retreating.

Damn it! Are they planning to escape downstairs!?

"Hey, wait!" I yelled.

"What are you doing, Ryna-chan!? You can't just act on your own!"

There's no time to listen to that. I have to chase them or they'll get away!

Chasing after them, I reached the staircase leading downstairs.

"Peach-san! Come to the central staircase!"

"I can't see anything in this smoke, so I don't know where that is!"

Can Peach move? I have to act.

"I'll go down first to check!"

"What are you saying!? It's dangerous!"

"Just a quick check!"

Saying so, I pulled out the M84 flashbang from my plate carrier, removed the safety pin, and threw it downstairs while taking cover.

Then, as the explosion resounded, I descended to the lower floor with my Jericho941PSL at the ready, scanning for Dosem, but he was nowhere to be found.

...He escaped.

Did Dosem intentionally remove his armor to escape, and while distracting us with conversation, his accomplices prepared an escape route?

No... that's odd. If I were Dosem's ally, I'd assist when Peach-san and I arrived, or better yet, take advantage of the distraction to kill us... I'd notice such an attempt immediately.

...Huh?

As I approached the corridor, my attention was drawn to a painting. I moved closer to examine it.

"It looks more like a magic circle from light novels or manga," I remarked.

I refrained from touching it, sensing potential danger.

"Ryner~! I found you!" a voice exclaimed.

"Oh, Peach-san," I replied.

"Not 'oh,' I was genuinely worried!" Peach-san retorted, her expression more intimidating than Amy-san's.

"Sorry! I won't do something like this again!" I apologized hastily.

"Just understand that! But more importantly, Dosem and the others got away," Peach-san remarked.

"...Yes. Also, Peach-san, do you have any idea what this magic circle on the floor is for?" I inquired.

"Huh? Which one...!?" Peach-san's expression shifted as she abruptly pulled me away.

"What are you doing all of a sudden?" I questioned.

"Absolutely do not touch that magic circle! It's a trap-type magic circle, so you never know what might happen!" Peach-san warned.

Trap-type magic circles. These were inscribed in advance on the ground or walls and activated when touched by a person or monster. I recalled reading about them in a beginner's guide to magic.

"Trap-type magic circles... It means Dosem's group includes a highly skilled mage," I mused aloud.

Indeed, while many could create ordinary magic circles, manipulating them into trap-type formations required adjusting the size according to the magic used, adding additional characters to activate upon touch, and ensuring the circle's calibration to avoid malfunctions, all of which demanded advanced magical prowess.

"Ryner, since chasing them seems futile, shall we return to the entrance?" Peach-san suggested.

"...Yes, let's go back," I agreed, feeling dejected. As I turned, I found three heroes standing there, one of them approaching me.

"...Why aren't you pursuing Dosem?" the hero inquired.

"...Huh?" I was taken aback, expecting words of gratitude.

"We lost sight of Dosem, and our purpose is to assist you. Let's return to the surface," the hero proposed.

"Perhaps if you're with us, we might stand a chance against Dosem. Let's pursue!" I insisted.

"When Dosem escaped, I saw another ally besides him. Do you think we stand a chance against two demons? If not, I won't let you proceed," I warned, glaring at the hero, who remained unfazed.

"But Dosem is in no condition to fight. If we defeat him first, we might have a chance against the other. Let's pursue!" the hero persisted.

This one's persistent. They're helping us, yet they say such things.

"Daiki, stop. We're indebted to them; we have no right to give them orders or suggestions," I intervened.

"But, Miku... letting him escape after cornering him like that..." Daiki argued.

"Daiki, even if we catch up and fight Dosem, we're currently nothing but baggage. Do you think it's okay to have useless people by your side?" Miku reasoned.

"Iori... that's true, but..." Daiki stuttered.

Interrupting his hesitant response, I spoke up.

"As I mentioned earlier, we've already lost sight of them, and there might be traps ahead. It'll take time to find and disarm each one. Do you understand?" I explained.

"Y-Yes... I understand," Daiki conceded.

"...Daiki," Miku said firmly.

"Think carefully, Daiki."

"...I realize now that I was being presumptuous. I apologize for my arrogance," Daiki bowed, showing genuine remorse. It's impressive. If only my classmates could do the same.

As I pondered, Peach-san approached me.

"Just understand, alright? Now, heroes, lift your spirits and let's get out of here. Oh, by the way, we've left the monsters we defeated lying around, so we'll walk to collect their remains too, okay?" Peach-san announced cheerfully.

"...Yes," Daiki, a young boy, raised his head and agreed before we began walking towards the dungeon entrance.

If only I had finished him off earlier, he wouldn't have escaped. It's frustrating... I vow to finish him off the next time I see him.

And so, she made her silent vow as she walked on.