REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, ONE HUNDREDTH FLOOR
The teleportation circle brought Motegi and his girls to the end of the 99th floor, and they moved forward. Although it wasn't that easy for them because when they arrived at the 100th floor, they encountered the Doppelgangers again.
WHAM!
"Targets eliminated. Engage."
"Come on~... we're friends now, right~?"
"Grrraahh!!"
"You're back, huh? Not anymore!"
"Haaaahhh!"
"We're not here for you!"
"Wind... Blade..."
"Fire Stratos!"
But the party remained solid as Pinna's gravitational force pinned the doppelgangers of Pinna, Salacia, and Lilith, and Motegi's version. Which then continued with Lilith putting up an illusion to weaken the six remaining doppelgangers and followed with full melee — Yomogi punched and kicked her doppelganger, Chantal stabbed hers, Brunhild and Motegi swung their blades at Manas's and his swordsman copies, and Kimberly and Manas used their spells to eliminate Kimberly's and Brunhild's.
"Wide Rejuvenation!"
And Salacia healed their wounds and restored their energy.
"Thanks, Salacia."
"Always, everyone~..."
As they arrive again at the last boss's entrance, Motegi puts the final plate into the recess slot. In an instant, the tiny, dimmed dots that mark floors 6, 12, 20, 30, 42, 56, 72, and 90 finally glow, encircling the engravings with illumination. And just like that, the gate is opened.
Then, he turns to the girls.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
And Motegi and the girls step inside together for one final showdown.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, ONE HUNDREDTH FLOOR - LAST BOSS AREA
Arriving inside, they're welcomed by a massive, cloaked, hooded, and masked figure sitting on a dark throne. Its voice is deep and echoing through the chamber.
"Welcome at last. You who defied fate and climbed through pain, illusion, and repetition. You have come far. Your persistence, your bravery... I acknowledge them."
Motegi narrows his eyes and murmurs quietly.
"So this is Jashin..."
Then, the figure speaks again.
"To think you still breathe after all these trials and still carry your pride like it means something. Stubborn, blind pests. Yet somehow still alive. How astonishing."
Chantal steps forward with agitation.
"Oi. Who the hell are you calling pests?!"
The figure raises one hand...
"Silence."
"Gaahh!"
... and Chantal gasps as she's violently hurled backward, slamming into the stone wall with a loud thud, then crumpling to the floor.
"Chantal!"
Chantal groans, slowly pushing herself to her knees. Her breath trembles, pain etched across her face.
"What… was that… power…?"
Salacia dashes to her, eyes wide with panic.
"Hold still, okay? Heal!"
She kneels beside Chantal, hands glowing with soft blue magic that washes away Chantal's bruises in seconds.
"Thanks... Salacia..."
Yomogi clenches her fists.
"You hurt Chantal!"
But before she even moves, the figure lifts his hand again.
"I said… it's useless."
Yomogi's feet and arms lock in place.
"Wh-Why… can't I move?!"
Pinna is the next one to retaliate.
"Engage."
Her Crawler Unit is about to release tear gas, but the figure lifts his hand once more.
"Still, none of you listen."
The bot is flung backward by an unseen force, crashing to the ground and shattering into ruined metal and sparking wires.
"No, no, no, this is... this is impossible. That bot was impact-absorbing and structurally reinforced. This should not be real..."
Kimberly slowly lifts her hand...
"Wind… Javelin…"
But before the spell can even manifest, it fizzles away and unravels in her palm like mist.
"W-Why did it… vanish…?"
Its voice is flat and unmoved as it challenges the others.
"Anyone else?"
And Manas and Lilith furiously accept the challenge.
"Thou art a fool if thou thinkest thy tricks shall work forever!"
"Fine. Let's try this."
But Manas's fire spell dissolves, and Lilith's illusion shatters. And they both laugh dryly.
"Hah… even as a god fallen into ruin, thou art truly vexing."
"It'd be a real pity if I lost to anyone besides Honey."
Motegi murmurs again.
"So this is Jashin's power..."
"Indeed, my Lord. But this one is stronger than anything I've ever faced."
Which is true because she cleared Turivel's labyrinth before it stopped expanding beyond the ninth floor, so the Jashin fragment there didn't have a chance to power up. But thanks to the labyrinth growth and the shuffle and loop mechanisms, this fragment here evolved into something far beyond what she once faced.
Then, the figure speaks again.
"The sentimental goddess crafted you all from diluted threads. And these are what make you weak, naive, and frail."
After a long silence, Motegi turns to Brunhild.
"Hey, Brunhild... how did you defeat this back then?"
"I struck it down with my blade and used high-level purification spells. However, I do not believe those methods will work here."
But still, she takes a firm step forward and raises her hand as she turns to him.
"My Lord, allow me to make an attempt."
"Please do."
And like Kimberly, Manas, and Lilith earlier... her spell fails to materialize as the figure lifts one hand to cancel it out.
"You pests have never learned."
Brunhild can only murmur to herself.
"This one... is truly formidable..."
They're trapped in a complete deadlock. Every attempt at close combat has failed because Yomogi remains frozen in place, Chantal was hurled like a ragdoll, and Pinna's Crawler Unit was torn apart in an instant. And magic fares no better.
So with that, Motegi decides to have a talk with the figure.
"Tell me something, why do you hate the goddess so much? What made you fight her?"
The figure then begins to answer.
"She wielded the eight elemental forces as if one was never enough. All woven together to forge a world too soft to survive. Her creations were weak... beasts that age, forests that rot, and mortals that fear."
The figure pauses before continuing speaking.
"But I possessed great power, yet none that could create because I only shape what remains. I challenged her to take over her flawed world and build my own from the ruin. But I failed, and that failure lingers."
"Eight elements, huh?"
The figure had only listed the classical elements in this world — Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Water, Cosmic, Light, and Dark. So Motegi thinks if that's all the figure sees, maybe it doesn't know what else exists.
So, Motegi raises his hand, and the figure mimics the motion.
"You weakling still struggle?"
But Motegi just smiles slightly.
"No, I just wanted to thank you for the information."
"For what?"
With that, Motegi exhales and casts a spell.
"Blizzard!"
In an instant, a violent storm of snow and frost howls to life, whirling around the cloaked figure and freezing everything in biting white.
"WHAT!?"
The figure roars in disbelief. Before it can react, frost creeps along its limbs. Ice forms instantly over both hands, freezing them solid and anchoring them to the armrests of the throne.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?"
Motegi's hand lowers slightly, staring with eyes wide in disbelief.
"It… actually worked…"
Even Brunhild is speechless.
"This is... impossible…"
He had activated [Temporary Boost], pushing all of his stats to infinity. On top of that, he triggered [Elemental Combo], merging Wind and Water into an Ice element spell, hoping for a miracle. Also, since he didn't know where the figure's true power stemmed from, he just gambled that its hands seemed to command it all. And apparently, everything is working in his favor.
Then, his voice goes lower in anger.
"The eight elements you mock so much… they aren't weak. They created life. They brought meaning to this world."
He pauses before continuing.
"From Earth, the wolfkin were born and gave birth to Yomogi. From Lightning, the pantherkin were born and gave birth to Chantal. From Wind, the elves were born and gave birth to Kimberly. From Cosmic, automata were born and gave birth to Pinna."
And he doesn't stop there.
"From Water, krakens came to exist, and I met Salacia. From Fire, dragons came to exist, born, and I met Manas. From Dark, demons came to exist, and I met Lilith. And from Light, angels came to exist, and I met Brunhild."
Motegi raises his voice as he's not finished speaking yet.
"These eight elements you call useless have brought me the most important people in my life, the ones who brought me joy... and the beautiful women I want to spend the rest of my life with. So think again... before you speak of what's useless."
All around him, the girls begin to blush.
"Motegi-chan…"
"Motegi-kun…"
"Motegi-sama…"
"Master..."
"Darling…"
"Mine king…"
"Honey..."
"My Lord..."
Then, he speaks again to the figure.
"You hurt Chantal and destroyed something precious to Pinna. I won't forgive you for that."
He raises both arms and unleashes the first spell.
"Water Cyclone!"
On its face, a spiral wraps the mask in endless current, cutting off air and drowning any sound or scream. Yet, it's still not enough.
"Fire Ball! Earth Bullet! Lightning Bolt! Wind Blade! Light Beam!"
A sphere of blaze, spikes of stone, searing electrocution, a sharp gust, and a concentrated beam crash into the figure.
"Repetition! Dark Devourer!"
One Cosmic element spell repeats the entire barrage again and again. And one Dark element spell swallows the charred and destroyed parts of the figure until nothing is left.
With the figure vanquished, Yomogi's feet unfreeze. Meanwhile, the throne shatters, and in its place, a massive treasure chest rises from the ruins.
And just like that, all the girls rush in, hugging him tightly from all sides, giggling, crying, and laughing.
"We did it! We really cleared the labyrinth, Motegi-chan!"
"I can't believe this moment is real, Motegi-kun! Thank you!"
"Motegi-sama... you made this... possible..."
"This battle took a toll on my unit, but I can no longer deny the result is fulfilling, Master."
"Darling, you're so, so, so amazing~...!"
"Thou hast proven thy soul unshakable, mine king."
"Even in a battlefield like this, you still made me melt, honey~..."
"I am still at a loss for words, my Lord. But one thing remains clear, Jashin no longer exists."
Motegi smiles at them all.
"Yeah, we really did this together, right?"
**********
After the girls slowly ease their arms from around me, I turn to Pinna's destroyed Crawler Unit. I walk over and crouch beside it, resting my palm above the main chassis.
"Restore."
In an instant, the broken unit becomes whole again as if it had never been destroyed. Then, I turn to Pinna.
"I know I used magic for this, but... I hope you like it anyway, Pinna."
She crouches down and picks it up with a smile.
"This may take a very long time to fully recalibrate. Internal parameters and micro-responses must be realigned, efficiency will vary until all subsystems reach operational consistency. Magic remains an unexplainable variable, but I cannot deny what it did for this unit. I am grateful, Master."
"You're welcome."
After that, I turn back to the massive treasure chest.
"Should we check it out?"
"Yes!"
With that, we step up to the chest. The girls gather around, practically buzzing with anticipation as I place both hands on the lid. With a low creak, I slowly push it open, and everyone turns silent.
Yomogi and Kimberly are confused.
"Huh? What are... those two...?"
"Are these... truly... the rewards... for clearing a labyrinth...?"
Chantal, Manas, and Pinna gape.
"This is just a joke, right?!"
"We hath risked life and limb in grueling combat, and our reward is naught but a rock and a sack?!"
"There is no data available. Unregistered items. Uncatalogued material composition. Very curious."
And Salacia and Lilith are equally disappointed, as I can only murmur in confusion.
"Noooo way..."
"This is sooo underwhelming..."
"I've got no idea too..."
Let me tell you what is inside the chest. One is a smooth stone badge, about the size of my palm. And the other is just a simple cloth pouch, tied with a red string.
But just before I activate [Appraisal], Brunhild begins to speak.
"These rewards are within standard expectations."
So I turn to her.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Then, she gestures first to the stone badge...
"That badge serves as proof of labyrinth conquest."
... before she motions to the pouch.
"And that pouch... grants one wish. Anything. Without limit."
"I see..."
The moment she says it, the girls' imaginations run wild.
Yomogi clasps her hands together.
"One wish?! Hmm... what should I ask...?"
Salacia and Chantal seem to share the same imagination.
"Oooooh, fish~...!"
"And I want to eat every last one of them grilled!"
Kimberly's and Pinna's eyes glint.
"An ancient tome... with Wind spells... long forgotten..."
"A prototype, multi-mode soldering wand. Precision of 0.001 microns."
Manas simply declares with a laugh.
"Mwahahaha! But of course gold! A mountain of it. Enough to rival mine own hoard."
Lilith giggles behind her hand.
"An entire population of sexy men kneeling for me~... but I only ever pick you, honey~..."
Okay, I'm definitely keeping this pouch. I don't know when or how I'll use it, but I'm saving it for them.
As for the badge, if it really is proof of conquest, then it means we have to show it to the guild, and we can get our deserved reward there.
Then, I curiously ask Brunhild again.
"Back when you cleared your labyrinth, what did you wish for with your pouch?"
"I did not make a wish. I was acting under Lord Michael's direct orders to clear the labyrinth. The pouch was not included in my directive. Once I obtained it, I returned and presented it to him."
"Ahaha… I see..."
Yeah, as expected of the General of Diligence. Rigid, absolute, and utterly obedient. If no one told her to take gold, she wouldn't touch it or probably wouldn't even look at it.
But now, she's not like that anymore. Living with everyone here changed her because when she wants something, she doesn't suppress it, and I'm happy for it.
With that, I turn to the girls again.
"Alright, let's head home and celebrate this with a feast, shall we?"
"Yes!"
With that, I cast a teleportation spell and open the portal back home, then we step through together.