Godslayer

One Who Suffered The Same

I woke up to the sound a sobbing girl.

"E..rika?" I slowly opened my eyes.

"No..bu? NOBU!" She hugged me tightly as tears continued pouring down.

"Erika.. urghh.. what happened?" I groaned in pain as i tried to move.

"Nobu, please stay down. I'll explain, but for now, please just lay down. That vial of potion healed you, but the broken bones still need time before being able to get back in action."

So the story goes like this:

After the crab and i got scorched, Erika searched for me between what remains of the scorched crab.

As it tried to protect itself with its exoskeleton, it subconsciously raised its other claws above, higher than the claws gripping me, protecting myself in the process.

That was how i survived. When she found me, i was burned badly and a few bones were broken.

She dragged me back into the room she was held in and created a fire.

As she was going through my stuffs trying to find a potion, she grabbed my cure-all potion and forced it down my throat, she didn't tell me how she did it though.

She also said it's almost 2 days since the fight with that damn crab.

That's the end of her explanations.

I don't think the crab died instantly though. Erika seems to have fought it again afterwards. Judging from those bruises, it wasn't as smooth as i would expect from a hybrid like her.
"Erika... sorry for troubling you.."

She smiled before replying "it's alright Nobu, it's the least i could do to help you."

"Erika, you're a vampire right?"

She frowned right away.

"Nobu, i don't want to talk about my past."

"I'm just curious, why would a vampire have wolf ears?"

"I said i don't want to talk about this!"

"Just let me ——"

I blacked out.

I woke up next to Erika whose head is on my chest.

"Sorry Nobu. I just... i just don't like remembering my past." She looked at me with teary eyes.

"Yeah it's fine." I replied while rubbing my head.

"It hurts right?"

"It does, but more importantly, WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING WITH ME!?" I tried to shove her away but she wouldn't budge.

After a while, she sat up and asked me "Am i just bothering you?" with teary eyes.

I scratched my head and picked my words carefully "n-not really. It's just embarrassing you know?"

She wiped her eyes then smiled at me. To be honest, it was really cute. I don't think i've ever seen anything or anyone cuter than her.

She lowered her head again. "Nobu, you're planning to get out of this dungeon right?"

"I'm planning to get out of this stupid world!"

"You're not from Orinz?" She looked at me in confusion.

I shook my head and frowned.

This stupid world could go ahead and burn for all i care. I just want to go home and sleep on my own bed. I continued pondering in silence while Erika seems to be thinking about something while staring at me.

"Nobu, take me."

I blinked twice, "Erika, erm... can you say that again? I must've heard wrong."

"You didn't. I want to go with you! I'll go anywhere you go! That's already decided!" She said with sparks in her eyes.

I stared at her for a while and then sighed. "There's nothing i can do to change your mind right?" I asked her with looks of defeat. She nodded enthusiastically. I sighed again and rubbed her head.

"If you insist, then i won't stop you. Don't blame me when you get hurt or something."

She smiled and got up. "Nobu, let's get going!"

I got up slowly and walked next to her. To be honest, maybe having someone like this wouldn't be so bad. She's pretty strong, maybe i could use her as a cannon fodder.

We walked further into the labyrinth.

***

"Taniguchi-san, everything alright?"
She's staying silent, she must be thinking about him again.

"Oi Taniguchi, Earth to Taniguchi, anyone there?"

"Huh?" She finally responded

"Ah, Sakabe-kun, i'm sorry. I was.."

"I get it." It's only been 3 weeks since he was gone, so i guess its normal she's still thinking of him.

It's not like i'm not sad that Sanada's gone, it's just there's no point in getting depressed over it right?

Suddenly, a knock was heard from the door.

"Ah, Iranna, what brings you here?"

Irianna Elmsdale, co-leader of the party and someone who Taniguchi-san became quite close to. She's a good swordswoman, but she's somehow forgetful. Her long blonde hair that's tied into a ponytail and boyish attitudes are probably the 2 things that lured many men, like myself, to her

"It's about time to leave. We're exploring deeper today. Yuki, i know this might be hard for you, but hang in there ok?"

And so we left with the party to once again explore the same dungeon that took Sanada from us.

We successfully went 4 floors lower than the last time we went here (it was when Sanada fell). Not really a fast progress considering that there's still at least 60 more.

The party got split up during a battle with a bunch of spiders, luckily i'm with Irianna and this guy named Erick, a shielder or something, if my memory isn't wrong. I just hope that Taniguchi won't get split up from Imagawa and the rest

"Irianna-san, there's a basilisk there!" Whispered Erick.

"What do you say Sakabe? Itching for a fight?"

I grinned and took out my sword.

There's some sticky liquid under us but i'm trying my best not to consider it as a slime. Slime ambushing us from below usually results in what many doujin readers like myself could expect, and i definitely don't need that right now.

As we approached it, i could smell some ridiculous stench.

"Irianna, Erick, is my nose messing with me or is this thing smells like shit?"

They both pinched their nose and shook their heads.

"Wait here, I'll check this thing out!"
I moved around the basilisk.

There's something under this thing.
It's not like i know for sure, my gut just tell me something important is here, and my gut rarely lets me down.

"Irianna, Erick! Try moving this thing, it might be covering something!"

"Seriously!? This basilisk might still be alive!"

"It's dead. Now hurry up!"

They begrudgingly did what i told them to do. What it revealed was something i didn't expect. A petrified body, other than its bitten arm, the body is in a completely good shape. I think, i could take a guess who this is.

Note: as WeebMemers have said in a comment in the previous chapter, my story is extremely similar to the Arifureta novel series. If this chapter, especially starting from Sakabe's POV, is still considered copying Arifureta, then i will completely scrap this story and delete what has been published.