〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: *3,000.*〉
Zaria opened her eyes, noticing she was free-falling through an empty chasm.
"Oh, come on! Do or die already?"
She looked around, noticing a rope in front of her, and she reached out to grab it.
〈Rule: Do Not Use Hands.〉
"WHAT???"
The rope rejected her hands, causing her to fall further down the shaft. Zaria quickly flipped around, crossing her legs around the rope as she skyrocketed down.
"This…is…so…awkward…!"
As she continued falling, she noticed spiked bombs dropping from above, forcing her to swing out of the way.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The bombs exploded, causing Zaria to swing and hit the wall, and she used her legs to slow her fall before landing on the edge of a cliff.
"Ugh…that shit ruined my back…"
"Meh. You didn't have much of one to begin with."
Zaria quickly got up, noticing Nonoka, who was looking down at the drop. "You! Why the hell am I stuck with you?"
"Relax, dust queen," Nonoka scoffed. "Fighting with you right now would be no point. We're in a dungeon clearly meant to trap us, so I've got bigger priorities on my mind."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
"How'd you even make it down here?"
"You think I'm useless?"
Nonoka chuckled. "Nevermind. A better question is: how the hell are we gonna make it down? Even if we grab onto a rope, it won't slow our fall."
Zaria peeked over the edge. "Don't you got some fancy skill that can get us down?"
"Nope. Even my strongest one is more for combat and mobility, not free-falling. Can't that spear of yours do something?"
"Could try stabbing it into the wall. But it'll be risky with no hands."
"Then use your feet."
"Easier said than done."
From behind them, a wave of skeletons appeared. As soon as the two got into fighting stances, they all got on one knee, and a skeleton wearing a crown appeared.
"Humans…" it announced. "Please…set us free…"
"Set you free?" Zaria questioned. "The hell, aren't you dead?"
"The Huntress and Mujinsha are holding a war here, it's far too volatile for our bones to withstand."
Nonoka looked them up and down. "You can say that again."
"Please…guide us to the exit…we can take it from there. We will give you gift, if you can accomplish this."
"It better be good," Zaria replied. "Do you have any ways of getting down there?"
"The Skull-Train…" the leader told her.
He clapped his hands, and a large train-like vehicle was pushed out of the darkness by a group of skeletons.
"Huh, I didn't know skeletons had vehicles," Nonoka noted. "Maybe there is some life in those undead bodies."
The doors opened, and the skeletons all piled inside. Once Nonoka and Zaria entered, they noticed there was no steering wheel.
"Uh, how are we supposed to drive this thing?" Zaria asked.
"Manual," the leader explained. "Use your strength to push, like bike."
"Whoa, you scamming pile of bones," Nonoka interrupted. "We did not sign up to push you and your little family down this long ass shaft!"
"Pushing easy. The wheels do the rest."
Zaria and Nonoka shared a look, glaring at the skeletons before furiously leaving the train.
"We're ditching them," Nonoka demanded.
"As bullshit as these skeletons are, we don't got much of a choice," Zaria pointed out. "Look down. The ropes aren't gonna hold."
"I am NOT going to drive these things!"
"Fine. I'll drive. You can get in and watch 'em."
"Whatever. Suit yourself."
Nonoka entered the train as Zaria began pushing it with her foot. "This isn't gonna fall, right?"
"The train wheels will hold!" the leader told her.
"They'd damn sure better!"
Zaria delivered a powerful kick, sending the train creeping over the edge. As it began to tilt, she quickly got on, and it slowly attached to the wall and rolled downward.
Nonoka hit the front, rubbing her face. "Hey! Couldn't one of you numb skulls give me a warning?"
"Buckle up!" the skeletons warned.
"Real funny!"
As the train began to slow down, Zaria tried pushing it with her foot, but it wouldn't budge.
"Great, need more power for this stupid crap. How about a jump stomp?"
She jumped into the air, stomping on the back of the train and sending it flying down.
"Maybe a little too strong!"
She slammed on the back, the train now speeding up even faster. "There ain't gonna be anymore traps, right?"
"Incorrect! Chasm full of traps!"
"WHY?"
"To protect skeletons!"
As if in response, a bunch of metal hands reached out path train sped down, attempting to grab it.
"You—you can't make this up!" Zaria groaned.
As a hand got close, she spun around and kicked it, denting the metal. Nonoka turned toward the skeletons.
"Next time you want someone to escort you, turn OFF your traps!"
"Yeah, I second that!" Zaria agreed.
"We will think about it."
Another hand knocked into the side of the train, causing it to wobble and veer to the side.
"Ridiculous!" Nonoka exclaimed. "That's it!"
She kicked open the door, climbing onto the top. "Move, I've got this!"
"Uh, no you don't!"
"Is now really the time? We're about to die!"
"Then let's just move the thing together, damn it!"
"Ugh, whatever!"
Nonoka's body began to glow. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Noroi no Sukiru Kyōka!"
〈200% Buff to *All* Party Members.〉
Zaria's body began to glow as well. "Huh. I'm feeling pumped!"
"Yeah, thank me later! Now kick this thing!"
Zaria jumped off the wall and delivered a powerful downward stomp, speeding up the train further. As another hand reached out, Nonoka flipped over it, bringing both of her feet on it with a powerful CRUNCH.
"Hey, watch out!"
Nonoka quickly jumped out of the way as a large skeletal boar-like beast fell onto the back of the train, followed by another, and another.
"Great. What are these?"
"Secondary defenses!" the leader shouted. "Eat intruders. Which are now you!"
"Then call them off!" Zaria told him.
"Cannot! Beasts are independent!"
Nonoka rolled her eyes. "Just kill me now."
"They will, if you don't attack!"
Zaria sidestepped as one charged, slamming into the wall behind. "Things are fast! What'd you guys feed 'em?"
"Humans!"
"Shouldn't have asked."
Another beast tried to impale Nonoka, but she wrapped her legs around it, using the lock to slam it into the ground.
"Those are some moves," Zaria admitted.
"What? Don't you have any?"
"Uh…duh?"
As two came rushing toward her, Zaria jumped into the air.
"Tenkai-geri!"
Bringing both her legs into either of their skulls, she slammed both into the ground, causing their bones to crack.
Nonoka lifted her eyebrow. "Okay. Not bad."
"Mhm."
Another hand reached out from behind Zaria, and she quickly kicked it away. Nonoka wasted no time kicking the beasts off the train.
"Is there ANYTHING ELSE we should know about?" she questioned.
"Just the Skull-Turret!"
Nonoka gave him an annoyed look. "And what is that?"
A large tank-like vehicle made of bones rolled down the other side of the chasm, pointing a cannon made of bones at the girls.
"I think we just found out," Zaria gulped.
BOOM.
The cannon fired a skull bomb, narrowly missing the girls and hitting an edge of the train instead, blowing it off and causing the skeletons to panic.
"Do something!" the leader begged. "The children are scared!"
Behind him, small skeletons cowered in their seats.
"Uh, we're trying!" Zaria replied.
"Yeah, we're not the ones that booby-trapped our own home!" Nonoka added.
"It was necessary! Threats came here all the time! You don't have to worry about people invading your home, be they hunters, Kaitansha, or other monsters!"
"Tsk," Nonoka said, rolling her eyes. "Just sit back."
She closed her eyes. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Tsuiseki Kyōka Jōshō!"
〈Tracking Buff: *Activated*.〉
She looked back at Zaria. "I'll tell you which way they're coming. You block them."
"Look who's playing nice."
"Hmph. Just get ready to kick."
"I got one better! Jugen-Tōshi: Cursed Spear!"
Her spear formed, and she used the tip of her toe to keep it balanced. Nonoka's vision darkened, and she noticed a projectile firing from the tank.
"Left!"
Zaria quickly kicked her spear at the bomb, sending it off course and causing it to blow up on the other side. The spear returned to her feet.
"Zaria! Right, 3 o'clock!"
Zaria stomped on the base of her spear, causing it to rise, before sending it flying at the next bomb.
BOOM.
The bomb detonated, causing the cavern to crumble bit by bit. The turret prepared itself for another attack.
"Forward!"
"On it!"
Zaria kicked her spear forward, flipping over Nonoka. As the spear drifted towards her foot, Nonoka kicked it to Zaria.
"Here!"
Without hesitation, Zaria spun and kicked the spear into the bomb, which repelled it right back at the tank, blowing it up.
"Phew, I think we got it!" Zaria cheered.
The chasm began to crumble even more, sending loads of rubble crashing onto the train.
"And now we have a new problem!" Nonoka worried.
The top layers of the chasm began to topple over, and Zaria had to kick a chunk of the cliff from hitting the train.
"We need to go faster!" Nonoka called out. "This train's about to be dead weight!"
Zaria jumped and stomped on the train, but as it accelerated, more rubble came down, knocking the train off the wall and causing the girls and skeletons to scream.
"AHHHH!"
Nonoka got up. "Shit, shit, Zaria, can you kick this thing back onto the wall?"
"I can try, but I've gotta be on the side of it to do that! Hold still, I'll spring off the wall!"
Zaria used all her power to jump to the wall, and then delivered a powerful kick to the train, sending it slamming into the opposite wall. She grabbed onto the side, holding on tight. "Did it work?"
"Yeah, I think—!"
The wall behind them cracked, sending them flying.
"Or not!"
As more screams ensued, the bottom became within sight.
"I see the floor!" Zaria announced. "And we're about to be pancakes!"
"No way! I refuse! I'm better than this—-!"
As the train got closer to the ground, ready to crash into it, the fall suddenly stopped, causing everyone to jerk back.
"We didn't die…?" Zaria wondered.
The train slowly set itself down, and both girls noticed Atsushi in golem form, supporting the train on his back. Behind him were Kōichi and Kaoru.
As soon as the train was lowered, he shifted back.
"Children," Atsushi scoffed. "It still seems you have much to learn."
"Kaidanchō Sunahara?" Zaria realized.
"Dad?" Nonoka blurted out.
"Floor Rules require adaptability. You two made several costly mistakes during your bout."
The skeletons got out of the train, bowing to Atsushi.
"Thank you, good human!" they chanted.
The leader placed a skull necklace in his hand. "For you. Saved us. Gift. Unlike girls."
"The gift is appreciated."
The leader looked at the girls before gathering the other skeletons. As Zaria and Nonoka got off the train, the skeletons hurried away.
"Ungrateful jerks!" Zaria shouted.
Kaoru waved to the two. "Hey, girls! Isn't this a fun group? Can't wait to clear some floors!"
"Yuck," Kōichi scoffed. "Those demons paired me with Ms. Sunshine over here."
Atsushi looked between Zaria and Nonoka, before fixing his eyes on Zaria. "You're his disciple, aren't you? Nyugawa's?"
Zaria nodded.
"Well. Follow me. Since he took adequate care of my daughter, I suppose it's only right to return the favor."
"Just say you're scared," Kōichi groaned. "What he means is, we don't want a monster-sized Kaidanchō problem at our doorstep, so spare us the inconvenience."
"Will do!" Zaria assured. "After all, I've got to make sure my Master sees my improvement!"
"As for you, Nonoka. I hope you put his teachings to better use. This is no longer some friendly game."
"Yes, sir," Nonoka sighed.
Atsushi began walking along the path in front of them, which led to a totem floating above a large skull.
"How ironic," Atsushi mocked, taking the totem.
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 3,001 Clearance Enabled.〉
As the gate appeared, Zaria looked at her hand.
"Han, Mr. Nyugawa, Rika, everyone…just wait…"
The others walked through the gate.
"We're coming."
——