The Wrong Hero

Chapter 77 - Past Sins

Dante's group traveled further and further into the Spirit Tortoise. The walls of the tunnel started to become less like stone and more like a sort of flesh. They picked up more soldiers on their way, as well as encountering familiars. Still, there was no sign of his party.

From the bits he could remember, Dante thought there'd be some puzzle doors involving muscle strands or something of that nature. Instead, it was an endless stream of branching tunnels. It was more than enough to explain why they hadn't found anyone else from his party.

That wasn't to say they didn't find anyone from a different party.

"You are...Lesty, correct?" Dante asked the woman they came across.

"Y-Yes, Sir Shield Hero." The woman gave a nod.

Dante hadn't interacted much with Motoyasu's party, aside from Malty. No particular reason, it just didn't happen.

Lesty had a cut on her exposed arm, likely from a bat, given its size. She was the main mage in their group, though most of them had some talent in magic. It was beneficial here, since most of the soldiers they found were knights.

"Join my party for now." He told her before continuing on.

"R-Right." She said as she followed.

"Have you seen anyone else?" Dante asked over his shoulder.

Lesty shook her head. "No one from the heroes' parties. There were knights, but..."

"I see." He didn't need her to elaborate.

"Eh!?" Lesty let out a voice. "My wound..."

"I healed it." Dante said plainly. "I needed you in my direct party to do so."

Dante had been keeping tabs on everyone in his party, which included the soldiers as they were found. There was a limit to how many people could be in his personal party, so he had to swap people around here and there when familiars snuck up and attacked. He kept his original party as members, healing them as needed.

Eventually, the winding tunnels led them to a circular chamber the size of Melromarc's throne room. There were two other passageways, one on either side of the group. In the center of the room was a familiar sight: a large blue hourglass that lit the room in a blue light.

"We are close now." Dante announced. He approached the hourglass to get a better look. "Hm. Maybe 5%."

Given all the destruction it caused, Dante thought it'd be fuller. Then again, he didn't know how much power was taken from Itsuki or if any was used the first time they fought it.

"Shield God—" Elvira called out.

Barely on the edge of his Life Sense, Dante picked up a signature. The moment Elvira called out, he raised his shield. Something fast and heavy slammed into it, knocking him back a few feet. The damage to him was small. His Goliath Spider Shield was out, having good defense and magic resistance for the bat familiar's fire attacks. But, he felt there was more to the attack. That wasn't even mentioning the crack he heard from his shield.

A metal ball fell to the ground before him, denting the surface. It was pulled back by the long, pitch-black chain it was attached to, returning to the man who launched it.

"I bet you're wondering how the hell this thing counts as a projectile, huh?" A man with sandy blond hair remarked, spinning the ball in the air by the chain.

"You..." Dante glared at him, recognizing his face from the wanted poster he had Ann make. Shildina and Elvira readied their weapons, the orca woman having changed into her therianthrope form, with Lesty right behind them.