DanMachi Vol.14

CHAPTER 10: THE WHITE MAGIC PALACE

The White Palace.

That is what the thirty-seventh floor is called. The walls are a strange milky white and the scale of the maze is infinitely grander than the floors I've been to before. All the passageways and rooms are huge, easily ten meders across in most places. The ceilings are no joke, either, although I can't see how high they are thanks to the darkness.

The Ring Walls are especially distinctive.

In the center of the floor there's a staircase leading to the next floor, and five rings resembling huge castle walls surround it as if to protect the imperial throne of the staircase. This layout doesn't exist on any other floor. Adventurers must make their way through the intricate mazes between the walls, or else go up and down countless times as they head for the central staircase.

I wasn't exaggerating when I said all of Orario could fit in here.

Many parts of the floor are still unexplored and unmapped, and they say that if you get lost in here you'll never get out. That perfectly describes our current situation. We've got to break out of this unbelievably huge White Palace.

We must escape this maze of horror. "SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

A robust arm covered in blue scales flashes a blade.

The lizardman warrior thunders threateningly as I narrowly dodge its powerful attack, which has trimmed several white hairs off my head and left me drenched in cold sweat.

The lizardman elite.

As its name suggests, the monster is a higher-rank version of the

lizardmen that appear in the Colossal Tree Labyrinth. Its abilities are on a totally different level. The scales are blue rather than red, and as hard as armor, leaving no offensive or defensive vulnerability whatsoever. Its hands skillfully wield nature weapons—two axes made of a milky white stone that resembles bone. Although their threat level varies across individuals, the Guild rates them between Level 3 and Level 4. They specialize in close combat.

"GRUO!"

"JAAAA!"

The battlefield is a square room. I face two enemies.

Since she can't yet move with total freedom, Lyu is forced to kneel behind me as the rear guard, waiting on the sidelines of the battle. I take on both lizardmen at once, protecting her at the same time.

I can sense my enemies' potential viscerally, but I'm careful not to get pulled into an unnecessary counterattack. Taking an oblique stance, I hold the longsword in my right hand and gradually inch backward, tolerating the lizardmen's attacks as stoically as I can. I feel Lyu's sky-blue eyes watching over me from behind. I focus my attention on my enemies' movements, saving up my strength.

Lyu has imposed a condition on my advance through this deep level.

I must prioritize the conservation of energy above all else. It is essential that I avoid wasteful movements, and whenever possible kill monsters with one strike.

In other words, a single lethal blow.

I've got to aim for the magic stone in the monster's chest! "Yaa!!"

The instant one of the lizardmen gets tired of waiting and raises its stone ax above its head, I transition from defensive position and unleash a lightning attack.

Lunging forward on my left foot, I thrust my right arm forward like an arrow!!

"GAA?!"

The sword of the dead adventurer pierces the center of the monster's unguarded chest.