No one's POV
Once all the trials had ended, a staircase leading underground had appeared from within the ice tree in the center of the trial room. At the bottom had been a long corridor that the party was currently heading down. After about 10 minutes, they reached a dead end.The ice wall in front of them had a heptagon-shaped crest carved inside it. Until now, Hajime had seen similar crests engraved somewhere near the end of each labyrinth.
They were the personal symbol of each Liberator. As the party approached, the symbol started to glow, and the wall around it was covered in a film of light. Hajime tentatively touched the glowing wall, causing it to ripple. From the looks of it, this was the glow of a teleportation portal. Hajime turned back to his comrades and nodded to them. Nhazul and the others nodded back, ready, before walking through into the next area.
Nhazul: Looks like we didn't get separated this time.
Yue: Mmm... More importantly, look at that.
Tio: Hrm, it seems we have truly reached the end this time.
Shea: What a pretty room. That's... a palace, right?
As the light faded, Nhazul and the others
found themselves in a wide-open room. Cylindrical pillars made of ice supported the square-shaped room, which was of course also made of ice. However, this ice was perfectly transparent instead of functioning like a mirror.
Hajime: No doubt about it. We've made it to the end. This is where Vandre Schnee lived.
Hajime double-checked his compass just in case, then smiled. Suzu's eyes welled up with tears.
Suzu: We... really did it... Hic...
She was overcome with emotion. It had taken every ounce of her strength and willpower to get this far. Her reaction was only natural. Shizuku and Ryutarou wore similar expressions as well.
Shizuku: We beat the labyrinth...
Ryutarou: Yeah. I thought I was gonna die so many times, but we made it.
Shizuku: You wouldn't have gotten in so many sticky situations if you just stopped to think before charging forward.
Ryutarou: Haha, I guess. But I mean, I made it, so who cares, right?
Shizuku gave Ryutarou a chilling glare, but then the two of them smiled at each other and laughed. Suzu joined them as well, and the three friends slapped each other's backs, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Kaori, Shea, Tio, and even Yue smiled at the sight. Most surprisingly, Hajime and Nhazul closed his eyes and smiled as well.
Ryutarou: There's no traps or anything, right Nagumo?
Ryutarou took a step toward the palace, then thought better of it and turned back to Hajime.
Hajime: What, you didn't enjoy getting turned into a popsicle?
Ryutarou: C-Can't we just forget about that? Anyway, even I'm not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.
Nhazul: Up for debate.
Ryutarou: H-Hey...!
Hajime scanned the stepping stones with his [Demon Eye] and strode forward. He made it to the palace's island without incident. Right in front of the palace proper was a detailed magic circle.
He stepped into it and nothing happened, so he guessed it was the shortcut that would teleport them back to the surface. The palace itself was constructed of opaque blue ice, a stark contrast to the clear ice that made up the rest of the room.
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Arise From Weakness (OC/ Male Reader x Arifureta)
FanfictionNhazul Hatake did not start out as a cold and violent individual, only through the act of pain, agony, weakness and betrayal, did he start to become cold...In order to return home to his sister. He swore he won't let anyone or anything stand in his...
