8mi Chapter 395: Traces
Chapter 395: Traces
We aimed for the direction of the royal castle and began moving again.
“With our group fully assembled, it might actually be better for us to encounter the Divine Servants now.”
Until this team was complete, we had to avoid any encounters as much as possible.
But now, it might actually be advantageous for us to face them.
If we can defeat the Divine Servants, the survival chances of the other raid team members will increase significantly.
Thereupon, Seras, leading the group, spoke up.
[It seems that aside from Vysis, the Divine Servants are the biggest obstacle in this labyrinth.]
[Based on the information we have so far, that is.]
According to Loqierra's information, even a single Divine Servant has considerable combat prowess.
[It'd be ideal if Sogou and the Takao Sisters could meet up with us. Especially Sogou and Hijiri, having them by our side would be huge.]
If those two teamed up......
Even if we had to take on two Divine Servants at once, we might be able to overcome them.
Those two were definitely people Vysis surely wouldn’t want to join forces.
My main concern with Sogou Ayaka, though———— is her mental state.
Like Seras, her greatest weakness is being too straightforward.
For example......
If she gets drawn into an enemy's verbal trap, it could expose her vulnerabilities.
Yes, she doesn't fare well against someone like Asagi.
Another possible issue is in cases where hostages have been taken.
The remaining citizens in the royal capital could become a liability.
Her innate kindness could be exploited.
While I don’t want to completely dismiss the value of her kindness, especially since it once saved me......
In life-or-death situations————
That virtue could easily turn into a weakness.
However, Hijiri should be able to manage that side of things effectively.
After all, she even managed to control even that Kirihara to some extent......
[If Eve, Gio-dono, and the Mad Emperor manage to meet up with us too, that would bring a great sense of relief.]
The leading group huh.
Indeed, if we were to join forces with them, our strength will grow, and our tactical options will expand.
I pull out my pocket watch.
[It’s about time for the reinforcements to start entering the labyrinth.]
Ideally......
[The battle-capable ones in the leading group would have already defeated the Divine Servants before the reinforcements arrived but......]
Seras spoke up.
[The main concern with the Divine Servants is that we still don’t fully grasp the extent of their strength.]
Vysis' Divine Servants......
Loqierra only managed to observe them back when they battled against the Deities...... or perhaps, the Divine Servants that were on Loqierra's side.
In other words, the Divine Servants on Vysis' side were under significant buffs.
As Loqierra said,
"If it's you humans, as you aren't Deities, you might stand a chance."
However......
[With those buffs rendered meaningless...... and we’re equipped with Erica’s anti-god magic tools, plus Asagi’s buffs through her skills———— We'll still have to see how well we fare.]
The question remains whether Vysis’ Divine Servants are only a match for us under these conditions.
Perhaps, maybe we’ll find they’re surprisingly easy to defeat.
The worst-case scenario....... would be that even with these advantages, we can’t land a hit on them.
If the Divine Servants's strength turns out being that worst-case scenario———–
[In that case, my Abnormal State Skills, which can disable opponents without direct combat, will become crucial.]
Other than me, there's also her......
Ikusaba Asagi and her Skill.
If......
If we can get that "through"......
It's a Skill that could easily defeat not only Divine Servants, but even Vysis.
In this regard.
One could say that Asagi, who has low combat abilities, is in urgent need of protection along the way.
It's just, when it comes to that one———-
But somehow......
[It feels like the day I was summoned as a Hero was a lifetime ago.]
[......Speaking of Heroes.]
Seras spoke.
[I wonder how Yasu-dono is doing right now.]
[Yasu huh.]
Yasu Tomohiro.
The only high-rank Hero who is still present as a combat force and hasn't participated in this battle.
I have no idea where he is or what he's doing.
He should be aiming for the place where Sogou supposedly is but————
[When we parted, he would supposedly take the northern route around Magnar to reach Alion but...... with the information that Sogou has "appeared in the Mira area", it’s possible he turned back south————-]
I haven’t received any information since we parted.
I had asked the people of Mira to inform me if any news came through the Mira territory.
However, there has been no contact through the military war pigeons from Wright or Kaiser.
In other words......
[If he moved north without getting any information about Sogou appearing in Mira...... he could be stuck around Jonato.]
Back then————- when we parted ways in the Faraway Country......
"I was uneasy about him becoming a factor of my identity as Mimori Touka being exposed."
"His mental instability could become an uncertain factor."
If it weren't for these two points, I would have considered incorporating him into our combat forces.
......———That guy......
"How different and how alike they are to the current me...... I'd like to get to know other people better......"
Had he been able to find the answer to his questions?
"And then———– I want to lend my strength to someone."
Has he been able to accomplish it?
Was he able to become someone's strength?
[...........................]
Seemingly having thought of something, Seras spoke.
[If that's the case...... then perhaps he is currently fighting in Azziz, Jonato to defend the Sacred Eye?]
[If that's the case, that would be appreciated on our end.]
Right.
It's one of the crucial factors in this battle.
The Sacred Eye of Jonato.
The Northern Sacrament army that Vysis had unleashed upon Jonato to destroy the Holy Eye.
Can they protect the Sacred Eye until we defeat Vysis in this labyrinth?
That's another side of this battle.
If things go poorly......
The outcome of this could determine the victory or defeat of this entire battle.
[Right now, we are isolated in this labyrinth.]
So all we can do is————
[The matters regarding that side———– we have to completely entrust everything to the people in Jonato's capital.]
And so, thank you for your patience.
We will now begin Part 3 of the final arc.
While the general plot is already laid out, I’ve been unable to stop worrying, thinking, “Can’t I make this more interesting?” or “Couldn’t I improve this part?”. As a result, it has taken longer than anticipated. This might be the case with any long-term work, but it has really made me reflect on the high hurdle of finishing a “final arc” (at least by my own standards) in a way that I find satisfying, as well as how to approach it.
Also, since the last update, I received three new reviews.
Thank you very much!
Additionally, I’d like to share some promotional news regarding the anime’s Blu-ray. The Blu-ray will consist of three volumes, and as a bonus for each volume, I wrote a short novel (as the name implies, these are brief stories). Moreover, each volume features two original illustrations by our illustrator KWKM-sensei.
In Volume 1, titled “June”, the illustrations mainly depict a morning classroom scene in Class 2-C at Ogito Academy before their autumn school trip. It gives a glimpse into “What was Class 2-C like before they came to this world?”———– a topic that has hardly been explored in the Light Novel's short stories. The illustrations feature "Sogou Ayaka" and the "Takao Sisters." While the main story features the characters in their winter uniforms, this story is set in June, so they appear in their precious summer attire.
Volume 2, titled “July”, mainly illustrates Class 2-C's swimming class. The illustrations depict "Kashima Kobato" and the "Takao Sisters" in their swimsuits. At Ogito Academy, swimsuits are not school-designated, allowing for relatively free choice, so each character wears a different swimsuit.
Volume 3, titled “S e p t e m b e r →”, has a slightly different title, and this is due to a small gimmick. In the bonus novel for Volume 3, there is a scene featuring a conversation between Touka and his uncle and aunt. This is likely the first time such direct dialogue has been depicted. However, both illustrations feature "Seras in the Ogito Academy uniform". The reason for these illustrations...... Well, if you have the opportunity to purchase it, I hope you’ll read and find out.
(T/N: Volume 1 and 2's title are written in Japanese, while Volume 3's title is in english.)
This bonus novel was largely created with the intention of "making the most of KWKM-sensei's illustrations", so I hope you enjoy the high-quality artwork.
Also, on September 1st, it was officially announced that "Failure Frame" has surpassed a total of 3 million copies sold in the series. Thank you once again to everyone who has purchased it.
While I’m still uncertain about my ability to write well, I’ll do my best to write through to the conclusion of Part 3 of the final arc (and beyond), so I appreciate your continued support.