The unique platoon of Rintaro, Minato, and Colonel Usanyi-chan were carefully making their way through the Ark Dominion underground maze(dungeon).

「For now, I’ll join up with Mayuzumi who is ahead…. I’m sorry, don’t cry anymore, Minato…」

「Ueee…… It was so sticky and disgusting…… Even though I asked for help……」

Minato and Colonel Usani, who barely escaped from the slimy tentacle hell trap, were soaked in a mysterious mucus all over their bodies. Moreover, this mucus has a strange smell that is somehow peculiar to the nose.

「Probably to make the intruders lose their sense of smell. With traps like this set everywhere, even we, the Hundred Beasts Legion, will have a hard time.」

「Wasn’t Colonel Usanyi-chan also patrolling uninhabited areas?」

「Yes, in the relatively shallow areas. But I’ve never dived this deep before.」

After saying that, Colonel Usanyi-chan stopped, perked up her rabbit ears, and surveyed her surroundings. In this labyrinth, where the dimness and smells rob you of your sense of sight and smell, her large ears, which serve as radar, are very reassuring.

「How is it, did you hear something……?」

「Silence…… Muh, It’s above!」

Colonel Usanyi-chan sensed the presence of something and looked up at the high ceiling. Rintaro and Minato followed suit and looked up.

「「Uwaah!? What is that!?」」

Wires were strung across the ceiling like spider’s web, and more than a dozen beast-shaped mysterious beings were hung on them, wrapped around and around. Among them were a few familiar faces.

「sobs sobs…… I am so frustrated, wan…… I’m so vexed, wan……」

「Negadog!　Damn, it’s the advance team that got wiped out!　Corporal Deathgreen, to the rescue!」

「Oi oi, if it’s like this then no matter how much time has passed, we won’t be able to catch up with Samecchi… Please stay safe, Samecchi…!」

While Rintaro and his team were stalled, the clock was ticking. The sense of urgency was slowly eating away at Rintaro’s calm nerves.

At that moment, Rintaro’s Death Green transformation gear flickered green.

『Senpai, do you copy?　This is Kirika, we have located the trace of the target we are tracking. I’m sending location information to your terminal.』

「You did it, Mayuzumi! Okay, I’ll leave this to you two and go after Samecchi. Minato and Colonel Usanyi, I will ask you to help ensure a safe retreat after helping the others.」

「Understood. Leave it to us, Sergeant Death Green!」

「Don’t just make me advance 2 rank on your own!」

Leaving Minato and Colonel Usanyi-chan there, Rintaro rushed alone to the coordinates projected on the terminal. Running through the winding corridors, he walked deeper and deeper, updating the 30-year-old map in real time.

Looking at the map, he turned the corner and saw a mucus-covered Kirika waving at him at the end of a thin, dusty, dark hallway.

「Senpai, this way. The footprints were leading to the back.」

「It’s small……. And it’s new. No doubt about it, it’s Samecchi. I’m surprised you found it.」

「I don’t mind a hug as a reward ……Nnn……」

After saying that, Kirika spread her arms wide, stuck out her lips, and closed her eyes. Rintaro wordlessly pushed away the face of his junior, who clearly wanted more than a hug, and placed his hand on the small footprints.

「Is this, tears……?」

The trail of small drops dotted next to the footprints were the trails of tears shed by the girl. Rintaro closed his eyes and behind his eyelids, he pictured Samecchi’s back in the darkness, crying.

The tears were not dry yet, they were catching up, that’s for sure.

「Samecchi…… Is the cavity really that painful? ……Poor little girl……」

Rintaro clenched his fist and checked the condition of his back teeth with his cheeks.

………………

Stumbling around in the darkness, Samechi was almost crushed by a sense of loneliness.

She had done something very terrible to her beloved aniki. It is as if that regret has kept them apart, not only physically, but also emotionally.

「Uugh, Uugh, Anikiii…… Miss you, sshuu……」

『……Oi……』

「……Ssun? Anikiiiii……! Bieeeeen!!!!」

『Hey, you bitter little girl over there. You heard me just now, didn’t you.』

A strangely transparent “female voice” clearly reached the crying Samecchi’s ears. Samecchi looked around, but there was no sign of the owner of the voice.

「……S- Samecchi, ssuka?」

『Samecchi? The heck is that, does it hatch from an egg? Well whatever. I feel bad t’ say this while you’re crying but, Can ya lend me a hand? I am in trouble, yanno.』

The woman’s voice echoing from the darkness was unexpectedly frank. Samecchi sniffled and headed in the direction of the voice.

『Aye. Let’s get outta ‘ere!』

「Are you locked up somewhere, ssuka? That’s a problem, ssu!」

Guided by the voice, Samecchi wandered into a large hall. The structure was similar to that of the cathedral of darkness where Dragius sat, but the difference was that instead of a throne, a huge black crystal was enshrined.

Apparently the voice came from within those crystals.

『Been ‘ere for 10 years. My back feels like a stone now.』

「10 Years, ssuka…… Amazing, ssune. 10 years ago, Samecchi was 1 year old, ssuyo.」

『So young! To make such a young girl cry, yer brother must’ve been a very bad person, ain’t he.』

「Aniki isn’t a bad person, ssu! Ah but, he is a heinous person that won’t be ashamed no matter where he took it out, ssu!」

When Samecchi remembered Rintaro, she looked like she was about to cry again. The woman’s voice spoke softly to calm her down.

『……Did ya have a fight with you brother? No good, Ya should make up properly ‘kay.』

「It’s not a fight, ssu… Samecchi did something terrible to aniki, ssu…」

『Haan, if ‘tis like that then just apologize. Yosha, I’ll accompany you and apologize together.』

A banging sound echoed from inside the crystal. Sharky approached the crystal, but it was too dark to see what was inside.

However, when I touched the hard surface, I suddenly noticed. She wondered if that coldness and blackness were the same as the one she touched just the other day.

『Samecchi, How ‘zit? Can ya do it?』

「Don’t worry, ssu, I’ll get you out right away, ssuyo!」

Samecchi took out a small vial from her pocket. Rintaro had given it to her as an anti-hero measure.

The vial is filled with a reddish-black secret potion that saved the Hundred Beasts Legion and Kirika, who were trapped in the crystal.

Unscrewing the lid with a snap, Samecchi held the bottle toward the crystal.

「There you are! Samecchii!」

「……Aniki!? Why is he here, ssu!?」

Rintaro’s discovery of Samechi and Samechi’s sprinkling of the secret medicine on the crystals were almost simultaneous.

The large black crystalline body glowed white like a heated iron.

「Uwooh, What!? So bright!」

「Wawa! What is this, ssuka!?」

A woman’s voice, eerily clear, echoed in the cathedral, which was enveloped in light.

『Thank ya, Samecchi. Yer a good girl, ain’t ya.』

In the blinding light, a swirling plume of black smoke rose up. The smoke clung to Samecchi’s body like a snake and was sucked into her tiny body.

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<132: Unlimited Maze Walker
134: Hino-chan>