Chapter 442: People Underground

Chapter 442: Chapter 442: People Underground

Chapter 442: People Underground

"Has Shido Masayoshi finally been killed...?"

Seeing the scene before her, Miwa Ashikaga first let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Then she immediately signaled the Players from the Ashikaga Budo Association.

Every member of the Association, including the four members of the White Suit Team, understood her meaning. They subtly adjusted their positions and formed a protective formation around Asagiri and the others.

"Hoo..."

Asagiri’s legs trembled beneath him.

The pain from his crushed bones surged into his mind like an endless tide, yet his eyes and voice remained as calm as ever.

"Ashikaga-sensei, check your phone."

"Mm."

Miwa Ashikaga took out her phone and glanced at the screen.

The Eye Icon APP, which had vanished when they entered the Dungeon, had reappeared.

"The Eye Icon APP is back. The system’s power has been restored."

"It seems every Nyx Incarnation in this world has indeed been eliminated..."

Barely managing to remain standing, Asagiri swept his gaze across the Ashikaga Budo Association Players protecting him, Yuuki Asuna, and the others.

He also glanced toward the Player teams from the other factions gathered farther away before slowly exhaling.

Asagiri, the unconscious Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko, Yamauchi Sakura, who had already used Flower of the Tree, and Fujiwara Chika, who had activated her exclusive ability, had all exhausted their stamina and spiritual power.

None of them could continue fighting.

Kaguya Shinomiya and Kato Megumi could still barely hold on, while Hayasaka Ai and Sakurakawa Rikka remained close to full strength.

In a high intensity battle against enemies on the level of Nyx’s Incarnations, the difference between support and combat classes was obvious.

Against other Players, however, even Hayasaka Ai, whose primary abilities focused on disguise and reconnaissance, could create a numerical advantage and transform into an assault fighter who used various traps.

Moreover...

Despite using Hunter Mark and Sacrifice, and despite his severe injuries, Asagiri still possessed one final trump card.

If he was willing to pay the price of completely destroying his Persona, Hoder Franklin, he could activate Sacrifice once more and restore himself to full condition.

As a veteran gamer, Asagiri understood one absolute truth.

No matter what had been achieved in a Game, whether it was obtaining hidden equipment or defeating a powerful boss, none of it was real until the progress had been saved.

"What is the objective of this Dungeon?"

Miwa Ashikaga tapped the Eye Icon APP.

Viscous red mist emerged from the screen and condensed into lines of text.

[Dungeon Location: World of the Grotesque and Twisted, Demon World.]

[Dungeon Time Limit: None.]

["Player" Quest Objective: No specific objective. Please explore this world freely.]

[You may leave this world and complete the Dungeon at any time by tapping the corresponding button in the Eye Icon APP.]

[Hint: Information is the key to this "Game."]

"So it’s a Dungeon we can leave at any time."

Hearing Asagiri’s words, Miwa Ashikaga looked toward him.

"You... No, at the very least, you should have received some kind of hidden quest, right?"

"I don’t know."

"Huh? You don’t know?"

"Yeah, I don’t know."

Asagiri pointed toward Iwanaga Kotoko, who was sleeping like a baby on a bed in the inner room, then shrugged with a smile.

"She’s usually responsible for analysis and deduction. I only provide the general direction."

"Besides, in my current condition... I can’t think properly at all."

After saying that, Asagiri rose to his feet.

"Anyway, I’ll go search for information first."

"I’ll come with you..."

"No. Stay here."

Asagiri waved his hand and smiled lightly at Miwa Ashikaga.

"Protecting students is a teacher’s duty, isn’t it?"

Miwa Ashikaga could not help rolling her eyes.

"Now you’re treating me like a teacher again?"

"Can you really manage alone?"

"No problem."

Asagiri raised his left hand and slowly clenched his fingers.

"My right arm hasn’t recovered, but if I encounter a battle, Walrider can become a temporary replacement."

"My injuries have recovered by roughly ten percent, so I still can’t endure another high intensity battle."

"However, there are no Nyx Incarnations left in this world, and I’ve already killed the Dark Devil a second time and sent it back to Hell."

"The chances of encountering another battle on that level are extremely low."

"Even if I do, I can use my ability to fly and withdraw immediately."

"That makes me the most suitable person to investigate alone."

...

Ten minutes later, on Basement Level One of the Public Safety Devil Countermeasure Special Operations Unit Headquarters in Tokyo.

"Maki... Do we really have to keep going...?"

Eriri hid at the very back of the group.

She stared at the deep, dark corridor ahead and the ominous doors lining both sides, then asked cautiously,

"This is too scary..."

"What a coward."

Hearing the slight tremble in Eriri’s voice, Kasumigaoka Utaha snorted and spoke bluntly.

"These rooms contain Devils, but this is the headquarters of the Public Safety Devil Countermeasure Special Operations Unit."

"They shouldn’t be able to escape easily."

"Sh-shouldn’t...?"

Eriri looked as though she were about to cry.

"How about we just give up, Maki?"

"How many times have I told you...?"

Although Shijo Maki was also somewhat nervous, she still mustered her courage and continued walking forward.

"Inside a Dungeon, call me Captain..."

Halfway through her sentence, Shijo Maki suddenly heard movement from behind.

Already in a state of extreme tension, she instinctively spun around, raised one hand, and launched an attack toward the source of the sound.

"Explosion!"

A crimson orb of magical light formed in the air.

Before it could detonate, however, a deep gray hand seized it directly.

"Thump."

A faint muffled sound rang out, no louder than a failed firecracker.

Asagiri released the magical orb from the right hand formed by Walrider’s nanoparticles.

Then he looked toward Shijo Maki, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Eriri, his voice relaxed.

"Yo. Long time no see."

"Eh?"

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha both looked bewildered.

Confusion and vigilance appeared on their faces.

"Who are you?"

The last time Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri had seen Shadow, Asagiri had been wearing his black half face mask.

This time, he wore the Hunter’s Windbreaker, which covered the lower half of his face.

Although his clothing was still predominantly black, it was perfectly understandable that neither of them recognized him immediately.

"Shadow."

Seeing that the newcomer was Asagiri, Shijo Maki first breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Then a complicated light appeared in her eyes.

Logically, her Explosion spell should have had no wind up time.

There was almost no delay between the formation of the magical orb and its detonation.

However...

Asagiri had seized that brief instant and caught the spell directly with his hand, enduring its explosion without difficulty.

The gap between their strength was simply too vast.

"Um..."

Shijo Maki pressed her lips together before beginning to explain.

"We originally intended to help, but because we were operating independently at first, the battle was already over by the time we arrived."

"We didn’t deliberately delay..."

"I know."

Asagiri waved his hand, cutting off her explanation.

Then he smiled.

"I believe you."

Hearing those four words, Shijo Maki’s cheeks flushed faintly.

To conceal her embarrassment, she cleared her throat twice and changed the subject.

"We’ve already searched the upper floors."

"We didn’t find any valuable information."

"Is that so?"

Asagiri nodded noncommittally.

Then he surveyed the deep underground corridor and spoke softly.

"From a realistic perspective, if the Public Safety Devil Countermeasure Special Operations Unit possessed any especially important information, it would probably be hidden in the most heavily guarded area."

"That means somewhere down here."

"And from a Game perspective, obtaining valuable items usually requires surviving a battle first."

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha had not yet understood his meaning.

Shijo Maki, however, immediately grasped it.

"Are you saying the Special Operations Unit’s important records are most likely hidden inside one of the rooms imprisoning the Devils?"

....

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