〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,444〉
Rei and Rika both slammed into a glass floor, rubbing their heads.
"Are you okay, Rika?" Rei asked.
"Yeah…are you?"
Rei looked herself over. "I'm fine!"
As they both got up, Rika looked around. "Where's the rest of our group? And the other Kaidanchō?"
"I think we got separated!" Rei realized. "They split us!"
Suddenly, both Gakuto and Mizuki hit the ground, landing on their feet. Once they got up, they turned around, coming face to face with the girls.
"Hey, you're Nyugawa's kids, right?" Gakuto recognized. "What are the odds, Mizuki?"
"Not as low as you might think," she replied. "There aren't many of us."
Rei gave them a wave. "Hi! I'm Rei! And this is my friend Rika! We're Kaitansha!"
Rika tugged at Rei's arm. "I think they got that already…"
Gakuto laughed loud enough that the girls had to cover their ears. "Well, if you ladies are stuck with me, I'll make sure to keep you all safe! After all, we can't have the old guy upset, no?"
"What's he like when he's upset?" Rika asked.
"Oh, you don't wanna know, child! It's a nasty sight!"
"I'd rather not experience that," Mizuki admitted. "Try and stay close to us, and not suffer any critical injuries."
Rika nervously laughed. "We'll try our best…"
Gakuto looked around. "This floor should have a rule, shouldn't it?"
Almost as if in response, a UI popped up.
〈Rule: Keep a Hand on the Wall.〉
"Quick!" Gakuto shouted. "You heard it!"
The girls all placed their left hands on the corridor wall, and the UI disappeared.
"There's multiple hallways…" Mizuki noted. "Choosing the correct one may take significant time."
"We could go on a whim and try the middle!" Gakuto proposed. "Middle's always got something good!"
"How about left?" Rei suggested.
"I vote left too!" Rika agreed. "That way, we won't have to take our hands off the wall."
Gakuto rubbed his chin, nodding. "Good thinking, girls! Left it is!"
The other three followed Gakuto as he walked into the left corridor, hands dragging along the wall.
"Mr. Gakuto," Rika said. "How much do you know about Mr. Nyugawa?"
Gakuto chuckled. "Isn't he your teacher, girly?"
"Yeah, but he's very secretive. He helps us a lot, but we don't know much about his past. He won't even tell us his birthday!"
"That tracks," Mizuki nodded. "Information on Mr. Nyugawa is scarce."
"Does he not remember his past?" Rei asked. "Like me?"
"Nah," Gakuto shot down. "He just chooses to hide it. Men as strong as him don't just retire from old age. Something bad must've happened for him to ditch the Kaidanchō so abruptly."
"What was he like before?" Rika wondered.
"Untouchable. Efficient. And the guy stayed to himself, haha! But at least he was more willing to take on students. I'm surprised he took so many of you on."
"Are you one of his students?" Rei chimed in.
"Nah! Just an old friend! He used to have me take care of his pets. As a Tōshi, I'm one of the only ones capable of that."
"Pets?"
"He didn't tell you? Those Kaiju-like things he used to command on the battlefield. Well, he had to lock one of 'em up because it went rogue and the other two decided to take a rest."
"How much can he do that he's not telling us?" Rika gasped.
"Probably much," Gakuto shrugged. "Even now, the old guy's a stickler for restraint."
"His power is certainly immense," Mizuki stated. "That much so that the rest of us all crave it."
"What does that mean?"
"She basically means to say we're jealous," Gakuto laughed.
"Hehe, I would be too!" Rei giggled. "But Mr. Omariro is an amazing teacher, so I'm fine with him being so much stronger than me!"
Gakuto noticed a creature sitting in the middle of the corridor. "Hey, something's down the hall!"
Mizuki narrowed her eyes. "It appears to be a…feline. A cat, presumably?"
The cat yawned and turned around, waving a paw at the group. Rika's eyes lit up. "Aww, a kitty!"
She crept over to the cat, using her free hand to pet it.
"I don't think you should touch it—-!" Gakuto warned.
The cat quickly batted her hand away, hissing. "Ahh! The hell? Rude cat!"
The cat stood up on its hind legs. "Excuse you? I am no cat, you ignorant woman! I am the raid boss of this dungeon!"
"The…raid boss?" Rika questioned. "The raid boss is a small cat?"
The cat cleaned its fur. "No. I was turned into a cat by that pompous woman and her gang of ragtag minions after I was used as a scapegoat to lure her here."
"Ah, so the Huntress turned you into a cat!" Gakuto realized. "But why?"
"To direct Omariro Nyugawa to her, of course. But I don't obey the rules of humans, especially uncultured, rude ones like her."
Rika stared at the cat. "Well, can you guide us to her? We have a friend we need to save."
"And why should *I* bother helping you?"
Rei raised a hand. "Ooh, we can give you a home! Just like they did for me!"
The cat scoffed. "Please. This is my home. But I'll offer you aid only to get back at that…Huntress woman. Follow me."
The cat turned on its heel, heading down the corridor. The group all shared a look before following it.
After a long walk, they arrived at a slope leading down, with a row of pendulum blades swinging across every few seconds.
"Take care not to get decapitated," the cat told them. "It'd be a very unpleasant fate."
With ease, the cat quickly sprinted down the slope, reaching the hallway at the bottom.
"Lucky cat," Gakuto muttered. "Seems the rule doesn't apply to him."
"Are we sure it's not a girl cat?" Rika wondered.
"It has a male voice," Mizuki pointed out.
Gakuto cleared his throat. "Gender aside, we've got a tall task, group! Let's move cautiously, and don't get beheaded by the blades!"
With Gakuto in front, they slowly marched down the slope. Rika began to slip, but Rei grabbed her arm.
"Thanks, Rei!" Rika said. "Sorry, I think my nerves are shooting up again."
"It's okay, Rika! Take your time!"
Gakuto stopped in front of the first swinging blade, watching it slash past him. "It'll be a chore to run under this while touching the wall…we may all lose our arms!"
Rei and Rika both gasped, but Gakuto simply bellowed a hearty laugh. "But I think I've got a plan! Stay behind me, girls!"
Dark energy began to crackle around his head. "Jugen-Tōshi: Shakunetsu Kabuto!"
He formed a blazing helmet on his head, emitting a light so bright the girls had to close their eyes.
"Stand back!" he ordered. "Head…BUTT!"
He brought his head down in front of the blade, causing it to slam into the side of it.
BOOM.
The blade pushed against Gakuto's helmet, slowly causing his feet to slide off the slope. "All you, girls! Clock's ticking!"
The girls all quickly bent down, creeping past Gakuto, who kept the blade at bay. Once they all made it across, Gakuto ducked, allowing the blade to swing past him.
"One down!" he declared. "Now we just need to handle the other five!"
The cat watched as they repeated the process, slowly making their way to the exit. Once they were there, it continued walking.
"Hmph. Took you long enough."
"We don't all have *rule immunity* privilege!" Rika shot back. "Now be a good cat and help us to the next floor!"
"Don't call me a *cat!*"
It coughed up a hairball. "Anyway. It should be relatively straightforward from here."
The cat led them into the next room, which was a large dome with a shrine of a woman sitting in the middle.
"Who is that?" Rika asked.
"One of the Jōi Genkei," the cat explained. "They were created by the Endless to oversee and manage Jugen, but they disappeared decades ago. Now, the Mujinsha Elite take their place."
Rei looked at the shine, her head beginning to ache. "Erm…could we clear this floor, please?"
The cat raised a paw. "Not so fast, it's moving…"
The shrine statue suddenly began to shake, and it stood up, crushing the floor beneath its feet with every step.
〈Domain Boss: Jōi Genkei no Opereitā — Kamigami no Undō. Level: ???〉
"That thing's alive?" Rika exclaimed.
〈Domain Effect: Kamigami no Undō can only move when looking at a *moving target.*〉
"Don't let it see you move," the cat ordered. "And it won't crush you."
The statue's eyes passed over the group, all of whom stood as still as could be.
"…"
The statue turned its head to the other side of the room.
"Go, go, go!" Gakuto whispered.
The group quickly hurried closer to the exit, but the statue noticed them, taking a couple of steps in their direction.
"Stop, it's seen us!" Gakuto yelled.
The group abruptly paused, as the statue took a few more steps before turning its head.
"Close one," the cat said, relieved. "Next time, don't make such a fuss, okay?"
"You're not helping!" Rika hissed.
They slowly walked forward once again, stopping when the statue looked their way.
"…"
The statue turned around, scanning the rest of the room when suddenly, the cat stepped onto a piece of broken glass.
"Oh. Oopsie!"
The statute immediately whirled around, beginning to advance.
"Seriously, cat?" Rika shouted. "What's wrong with you?"
"No time to punish it!" Gakuto interrupted. "Keep those hands pressed and move those feet, ladies!"
They all began taking off for the door as the cat leapt behind them. "Wait for me!"
The statue began to pace faster and faster, nearly crushing the group underfoot. With one stomp, glass from above rained down, sealing the exit.
"A setback," Mizuki noted.
"We don't have time for setbacks!" Gakuto replied. "I'll bash it to pieces! Can any of you handle the moving statue?
Rei raised a hand. "I got it!"
Gakuto and Rei quickly switched positions, with Rei moving to the back as Gakuto slammed his helmet into the debris.
"Jugen-Mahōshi: Tsuki no Megenka!"
A moonlight beam erupted, striking the statue in the shoulder and causing pieces of glass to erupt off it.
"You did some damage, Rei!" Rika cheered. "Nice!"
The statue responded by kicking Rei in the face, sending her crashing into the wall.
"Rei!"
〈*1* Party Member in *Violation.* Enforcing Penalty.〉
Rika began to make her way over to Rei, but the cat stopped her. "What are you doing, fool? Remove your hand and you'll join her!"
"I don't care! I'm not leaving my friend!"
Without hesitation, she took her hand off the wall, heading for Rei and grabbing her as the statue narrowly missed them both.
〈*2* Party Members in *Violation.* Enforcing Penalty.〉
"Idiots!" the cat called out.
Gakuto and Mizuki shared a look before they both rushed over to help.
"Hang on, girls! We're coming!"
Rika shook Rei. "Rei, are you okay? Hey, say something!"
Rei slowly opened her eyes. "Rika…?"
As the others caught up to them, the floor began to crack.
〈Penalty: Trial By Fire.〉
Gakuto felt the ground shaking beneath them, before it completely broke…
…sending them all into the unknown.
Floor 10,000—
Han slowly opened his eyes, noticing he was inside an unlocked cage.
"Mr. Nyugawa…? Zaria…? Rika…? Is anyone here…?"
Han got to his feet, pushing the door open. "The Huntress! Where is she?"
He noticed he was inside a jungle-like terrain, with leaves and large trees all around him. The sound of screaming could be heard in the distance.
"I need to escape…"
But to his surprise, there was a line of hunters waiting for him, standing on either end of the path as they chanted an animal-like chant and bashed their weapons against each other.
"What the—-what's going on?"
Two hunters pointed to a gate in front of Han, which led deeper into the jungle. Han watched them, warily, as he continued advancing, finally pushing open the gate…
…where he saw rookies running for their lives, being chased by enormous lions, tigers, and serpents. And at the center…
"Ahh, there you are. My pet."
Atop a large white tiger sat Kohaku, now fully dressed in tigress armor, holding a large blade and shield in hand.
"Don't disappoint me, Han," Kohaku taunted, holding the body of a bloodied rookie.
"I have high hopes for you."
———