“...For one last check, are you sure these are the floor plans of the current labyrinth?”
“...It would be a lie if I said I was a hundred-percent sure but… like I said before, what other choice do we have?”
It was late at night, the meeting had long ended and all of the Knights had already left. But here, in the sacred room where the legendary Round Table lay, only me and Arthur talked while watching the starry sky.
“I saw Oliver earlier within the meeting, please give him my regards along with the team that died beside him.”
“...”
“...In all honesty, I find your personality repulsive.”
‘Excuse me?’
I wanted to say, but I couldn’t muster up the words due to how sudden and random it was.
“I’m sure you have noticed, but your personality is something like…” Arthur held his chin trying to find a comparison, “A stitched up, broken doll that was repaired using random materials…”
‘I guess nothing passes his eyes…’
“Yes… but I don’t believe it matters… does it?”
Arthur stared and observed me for a moment before looking out the glass windows and into the endless expanse of space above us.
“Perhaps not…”
He muttered, slurred and muffled like he was confused with his own statement.
“Besides, after tomorrow you won’t even see me anymore. So what would be the point of telling this to me now?”
“It is because it’s the last time we may talk freely that I must tell you this. It would not sit well with my conscience if I held these opinions inside myself before expressing them to you.”
‘There it is… his noble chivalry… though… can I really call it that?’
“...I don’t think we have anything more to say, do we?” I asked. Arthur stared off into the distance before leaving me alone in this large and empty room.
The cold breeze of night enveloped me. Of course, I didn’t notice since I was more than accustomed to extreme temperatures let alone a random cool wind…
But… it felt a bit more intense than usual…
*
*
*
The sun was high up in the sky.
However, unlike what a city should normally look like, London was completely devoid of any moving cars or of any people.
“What was the excuse you used again? An ‘unexpected natural disaster’?” Callum asked, his hands holding his head as he leaned back on his seat.
Arthur briefly looked at Callum before he replied, “I was not the one who chose the ‘excuse’, Callum. The proxy government did.”
“But aren’t you the one who approves of the excuse?” He teased right back.
“...”
Arthur looked more stiffened than usual. It could have been just my imagination though.
The heavy military car rolled to a stop.
“Sir, there seems to be a person in front of us, what should I d-”
Danger.
It was straight ahead.
In that split second I slashed the area behind myself and jumped out.
BOOM!
I breathed out a sigh of relief as my hyperfocus came into play automatically.
“Is everyone alright?”
Arthur’s voice came some bits away from myself.
Lots of unnatural smoke came off of the now melted car along with its two dead passengers.
“Aahh… This is why I’m a backliner you know? It’s easier to work with and more free time…”
Through the smoke came a voice, undoubtedly our attacker.
“Welcome Round Table, to the Daedalus’ Labyrinth. I’m your first opponent, my ‘name’ is William Black, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
He stood on top of the two front melting seats of the broken down car without as much as a flinch.
His fighting style reminded me of one of the Termites, he fought with acids and poisons just like this (whom I presume to be a) Suspect.
“What’s this? Trash speaking as if it's worthy of such talk?” Callum said, looking down at the man above us.
Although my face showed no emotion and was a perfect poker face, inwardly I was surprised at the use of formal language of the troublesome Knight.
“...I know that I’m trash in your eyes, but isn’t this a bit much? Isn’t it basic manners to keep those types of thoughts to yourselves?”
“Ah, but basic manners don't apply to bugs, do they?” He replied once again in a swift and deadly manner. His words were sharp enough to pierce through William.
“Do we leave this one to you, Callum?” Arthur asked, already prepared to leave one of his Knights behind against the Suspect.
‘So the plan has already started.’
I couldn’t convince Arthur to just kill this Suspect with everyone. Even they have a moral line, and it's much higher than mine.
“Yeah… leave this one to me…”
As we passed by the man who was still staring at Callum, we entered into the Labyrinth.
*
*
*
Callum held his gaze at his opponent. Neither wanted to back off and they both waited for a moment to start the battle.
The seats under William finally collapsed from both his weight and the acid he used earlier.
Bang!
Callum swiftly drew his sword and rushed at his enemy and within a second, William was within his sword’s reach.
Clang!
“You didn’t think I only used chemical warfare to defeat my opponents did you?”
William sneered right at Callum’s emotionless face. Sparks from the two weapons flew into the air before disappearing into the atmosphere.
Callum tried forcefully pushing his way through William’s defense but in return, he jumped back. He looked down at the scorched bones, all that was left of the two who were sitting at the front.
‘May you find peace.’
He carefully made his way out before confronting William once again.
“For a bug you are quite durable, are you a cockroach?”
“What can I say? I have to survive somehow, you know?”
On William's other hand was a ‘ball’.
“Batter up!”
Bang!
The ‘ball’ rapidly made its way toward Callum. The danger that Callum felt from the ball was the same as the one right before the car melted and its two tragic passengers died.
In Callum’s eyes, a metaphysical image of a twisted skull appeared in the form of a gas around the ball.
“How repulsive. It's as disgusting as you are, trash of human society.”
Crack!
Boom!
From the sheer power used, the concrete ground cracked and broke.
“Now come here you cockroach.”
Callum shifted his head under the ball and forced his legs to move faster towards William.
“Tsk…”
William found himself backed into a corner.
His main weapon was indeed his poisons and acids which he used at a long range. Of course, his secondary weapon was the metal bat he carried around but he wasn’t proficient in close combat.
“H-Ha…”
Callum’s sword blurred from his sight.
His quick swordplay along with his aggressive style of attacking left him with no choice but to engage in close combat.
“What’s wrong, roach? Having a bit of trouble?”
Callum enjoyed toying with people, but right now, in this current moment where the fate of the entire country he swore to protect was in line; he wanted nothing but to crush his opponent in order to catch up to the other Knights.
As Callum’s next swing almost reached its mark, William’s hand slowly revealed what he was holding.
Stopping his swing abruptly, Callum rushed backwards and away from the threat.
“Ha ha… you must be mad. Did you want both of us to die?”
In William’s hand was one of his capsules that held poison. It was truly a ‘go big or go home’ moment. Though, the stakes were much higher than the quote.
“Why not? If I can’t win, why shouldn’t I try to kill us both?”
Clang!
William dropped his bat, his eyes were bloodshot from the excessive usage from parrying Callum’s attacks.
Seeing the change in ‘tempo’ of the fight, Callum’s sword too had changed posture. His sword that was usually in front, able to guard and block any attack to come was now at this side.
Another tense moment appeared between the two individuals.
Callum shifted his foot slightly before the concrete once again broke.
Boom!
‘[The King’s First Knight!]’
Callum’s sword hung high as an indescribable force seemed to possess his sword.
William looked at the sword, nothing seemed like it was out of the ordinary but deep within his bones he could feel the danger.
He tossed the two capsules from his hand and at Callum.
Callum’s sword shifted slightly before he was already at the ground.
Psshh!
‘...He cut my capsules?’
The delay was something straight out of fantasy. How else could a person create a delayed cut?
“Surprised, roach? Why don’t you just die peacefully so that I can stop wasting my time?”
William gave a wry smile, “Now I can’t do that now can I? I have colleagues to impress as well.”
With those words, the cutthroat silence came back. Callum’s sword stood ready.
*
*
*
The doors automatically opened and welcomed us in.
Taking a glance back behind myself, I could see the fight had just started for Callum as he rushed toward the Suspect who was falling to the broken seats.
Everything is going fine, I suppose.
As the doors shut to a close, low lights shined and paved our way forward…
Though… that wasn’t an exact description of my surroundings. I was right about a couple of things, one was that the Labyrinth lived up to its name as a mirror maze.
“Shall we start moving?”
Arthur’s voice came up further ahead.
“Now, where do you think you’re going, my prize?”
Jack’s voice came out from above, the intercoms was my guess.
“Oh? Have you come to greet us? That would make this much faster than needed, Jack the Ripper.”
Arthur exclaimed, no emotion felt from his voice.
“Why, no, but some of my friends are surely waiting to greet you, my ‘friend’. Why don’t you greet them instead?”
The buzzing of the intercom stops and radio silence is heard.
“I suppose this will be one long journey.” Wolfric said.
I couldn’t see his face but he was most likely smiling. He was always a positive person, I could only wonder how a person could find such energy to always be happy… or at least acting so.
As we started walking, the mirrors confused us all. One Knight had tried to break them, but my predictions came true once again. There was indeed Kokuinseki here.
It came whenever the maze was going to be broken or damaged in some way… as if the Labyrinth itself was alive in some manner.
“!”
“Are you our first opponent inside this place?”
Right around the corner was a man crouched and shivering. He looked more like a mental patient than an opponent of ours.
“I-I…”
His head twitched as he got up from the ground.
“I…”
“...”
His head hung low and his hair covered his face like a mask.
Twitch-
“Why is this bastard so persistent in keeping control? We always have to lock him up before he wakes up again.”
The man cracked his neck before standing up and facing our group. His unusually pale face recessed and turned into a normal hue.
“So you’re the ones we have to kill? Snobby rich aristocrats? Hah, is Jack forgetting our strength?”
His eyes twitch once more before a seemingly new pair of eyes takes control.
“You actually call that delusional man by his name? He is inferior to us, if not for this ‘thing’ inside us when that brat had taken control, we would be free right now.”
‘How interesting… dissociative personality disorder…’
It was like a one man show. But as strange as watching a man shifting between various fragments of personalities stuck inside his head, it was very… misplaced…
“Be quiet! You do not have a say in this matter, you all agreed on this…”
“Haha… I’m very sorry for the delay, we’re all very… sorry?” He shook his head as if finding the right words to speak, “No… joyful at our freedom.”
“Now then… Which one of you ‘Knights’ will be going against us?”
