Prologue
Repeated roars continue to reverberate all around.
Tremors follow the sound of its footsteps, devastating the desolate earth’s surface.
The two big horns on its head were twisted similar to that of a goat. Swollen from the neck up sat heads that would be best described as a long, thin faces of utmost ugliness. Seemingly synchronous with their vigorous, nasal-flaring grunts, their blood-shot, goggling glare down at their prey.
With gigantic frames befitting of these so-called monsters, they began their a.s.saults while brandishing their blunt weapon encrusted with numerous black lumps high above their heads.
“Shields! To your stances!!”
Immediate with the order came a mult.i.tude of collision noises.
Numerous large shields were raised to stop the monsters’ attacks.
The defenders’ heels were planted deeply into the ground, indicating the might of the a.s.sault.
“Vanguards, keep up the tight formation! Rear guard continue with the attack!”
Battling with these atrocious beasts were a group comprising of human and demi-human races.
The muscular dwarf that bore the two giant shields, the elf and therianthrope that continuously casted magic and arrows. The tan-colored amazoness sisters that dashed about the battlefield slashing at the monsters while slipping through their allies’ fire.
In between the divided group of vanguard and rear guard, billowing in the wind at the center of the battle formation was one flag.
Embedded on the flag was an emblem depicting a ludicrous, laughing clown.
It was a pledge to a G.o.d, the sign of a 「Familia」.
“————–!!”
A vast field with no signs of greenery. Rocks, boulders, everything was a dyed reddish, brown form the backdrops of this boundless s.p.a.ce.
Amid the scene of whirling clouds of dusts, there lied a gigantic wall far above the ceiling that separated the sky above ground.
The same repeating for a couple tens of floors, the「Depths of the Underground」.
Decidedly among roars that could not reach the surface, the battle between human and monsters continue to unfold.
“Tiona, Tione! a.s.sist the left-wing quickly!”
On the battlefield there exist a young lad with smaller stature than any others—a hobbit commander who rapidly fired out concise commands.
The voice of the leader mastermind the battle was of a highly sharp one. Overseeing the hectic pace of the battle, his commands were constantly rearranged and reorganized.
“Argh~ No matter how many we kill, it’s still not enough!”
“Stop complaining and just keep on attacking.”
Acting under orders, the amazoness sisters dashed about, slaying three monsters within seconds.
In reality, it was a nightmarish, gruesome scene.
The wave of monsters appeared out of nowhere. The slaughter did not give break but the swarm continue to pile on them just the same, seemingly attempt to overwhelm them with a.s.sault based on numbers.
One by one, with heights that easily overtake the tallest of the humans, the giants brandished blunt rod-shaped made from fossilized bones in the faces of vanguards, who held up the shields with grimaces distorted with anguish. Lined-up shoulder-to-shoulder in close rank, their defense line had gradually retreated with formation decreasing in size fashioning a small semi-circle.
One group of the demi-humans continue to push on.
“Liveria, is it ready yettt~~!?”
The voice of an amazoness girl came from behind the vanguards.
From the center of the wizards and archers, whom were continuously casting magic and shooting arrows, stood one whose voice began to weave the words,
“【––––––without delay, fire come to my aid.】
She had long jade colored hair while adorning a mostly white magician robes. Held horizontally was a platinum staff. Born with sharply pointed ears, she was an elf with unmatched beauty.
“【The creeping flames of battle, the unstoppable forces of destruction. The horn that signals the outbreak of war blare vociferously, consuming the atrocious pandemonium whole.】”
On the battlefield, there was none more beautiful than her, whom continued to weave the incantation with her clear, beautiful voice.
「Aria」 which possessed an elegant and powerful rhythm.
A jade colored magic circle that had unfolded at their feet began to glitter, then innumerable amount of light particles dance in the air.
Her complexion flared angrily as she fixates on a point in front of her while continuing the incantation.
“【Come forth, the tendrils of crimson fire, the merciless, roaring flame.】”
While flowing as the aria pa.s.s by the ears, everyone mustered on with all their strength.
As if impatiently waiting for the moment’s arrival, they clenched their teeth.
“––––––OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
From the other side, the monster 「Fomoire」 howled.
Of the entire group of monsters, the one with an inconspicuous large body kicked aside its comrades and rushed forward holding its favorite weapon in an over-arching position.
The monster’s imminent large silhouette came face-to-face with one vanguard who became aghast while peering through the gaps in the shield.
With its abnormal strength, the towering giant broke through the erected shields with one blow, causing a chain damage in the vicinity and blew away one section of the front lines.
“Bate, cover the gap!”
“Tch, what are you making me do!?”
The broken defense line and the werewolf who took the role of a dynamic position attempted with haste to fix, but his effort fell in vain. Several monsters have already broke through the gap.
The faces of the group of wizards that the vanguards had been protecting grew pale as the Fomoire simultaneously began their onslaught.
“Lefiya!?”
One girl was blown away by the attacks.
Although she avoided a direct hit, the ground-pulverizing blunt weapon created shockwaves big enough to send a stature of her size flying.
“––––Ah”
「Fooorar …!」
A black shadow covered the girl who was still a lying heap on the ground.
There stood the fiendish-faced Fomoire, the extra-large one that destroyed the friendly barrier not too long ago.
As it glared down with its piercing, scarlet eyes, time stopped for the girl.
The brandishing blunt weapon reflected in her azure iris.
Suddenly.
A slash.
“Eh?”
In the girl’s vision, she saw lights of gold and silver flying through the air.
In no time, blood spewed from the Fomoire’s body; its cadaver flew up into the air before crashing down.
“… …”
Standing before the dumbfounded girl’s very eyes.
A swordswoman with long, flowing golden hair, who wordlessly wielded her sword, which was vibrating with a zing.
“Ais!”
The amazoness girls, whom witness the entire event from the front lines, began jubilating.
The girl named Ais, whom after confirming the safety of the girl who was still sitting on her b.u.t.tocks, immediately headed to the front.
Together with the sound of the wind, the tip of her sword glistened.
With single strikes, she instantly annihilated the remainder of the Fomoires that followed through the opening right before the eyes of the wizards and archers.
“Whoa, Ais, wait a minute!”
She advanced again.
Shaking off the voices of restraint, she dashed straight to the heart of the huge army of marching Fomoires.
She leapt high into the sky over the erected shields and above the heads of the vanguards.
“Incredible…”
Dumbfounded.
A certain teammate was heard muttering.
A tempestuous sword dance took place.
Slash after slash. All the approaching monsters were quickly obliterated by a storm of attacks.
Beautiful yet cruel, with every wave of her arm and swing of her foot, the incoming gigantic arms became separated from the body; the torso, the neck, all continue to get sliced up one after the other.
The number of monsters swarming around the vanguards dropped sharply.
Feared by many, the 【Sword Princess】 also charmed many others.
“【You are the very incarnation of h.e.l.lfire.】”
“【Thanks to the sweeping of the battlefield, the great battle was brought to an end】”
Then, there was an upsurge of an vast amount of magic.
At last, the long weaving of the aria was near completion.
“Ais, please return!”
When she heard her named called, the girl Ais, took one glance behind her, and jumped.
While the angry monsters scream in rage, Ais’ body drew an arc through the air; with one summersault, she landed back in the middle of friendly camp.
“【Purge by fire, the sword of Surtr––––––My name be A’lfr!】”
The next moment, the magic circle was expanded accompanying the sound of an explosion, extending beyond Ais and her team, all the way to the feet of the Fomoires.
The entire battlefield was within the area of effect.
The elf wizard, Liveria, raised her silver staff way above her head to invoke her 「magic」.
“【Lea Laevateinn!!】”
Great flames appeared.
The floor–––countless numbers of fire pillars erupted from the magic circle.
The contours of the monsters began fading slowly in the firestorm, along with their overlapping screams.
Wide range eradication magic. More than fifty monsters wiped out one sweep within seconds.
Steam and sparks of fires fill the air, the earth felt as if it were enveloped in incandescence.
All silently began to lower their weapons.
Ais and her team’s, the 「Adventurers」, faces were blemished by the heat and fatigue.
There once existed a 「Hole」.
At the corner of the continent, a giant chasm quietly opened up, leading to the creation of a subterrane. From the days of the old, before human eyes were set on this land, this 「Hole」 had already existed with no knowledge of its origin.
The 「Hole」 gave birth to an infinite amount of monsters—a den of magic.
The various types of monsters from the subterrane treaded the land as their playground; the forest, the sky, and the whole world’s nooks and corners were filled with their kind. At one point in time, humans, who were defeated by these monsters, decided to regain their dignity as rulers above ground and sought revenge for their fallen brethren; for this purpose, humans put aside their racial differences and banded together for their plight.
For generations after, through the great efforts of the so-called 「Heroes」, whom had been consistently fighting back and forth with the monsters, finally pushed them back to their origin, the 「Hole」.
Within the 「Hole」 there laid a whole new world that differed from one above ground.
The 「Underground Maze」 was split into numerous levels.
A place that never saw the light of the sun but was filled with mysterious light sources; where rare plants flourished, where minerals that were impossible to mine existed. In this underground maze—or dungeon—these precious resources and 「Magic Stones」 that gave birth to the monsters are just a few of the many unknowns.
And so, by the recruitment effort from the guards that prevented the monster’s advancement outside, the construction of a tower or fortress, which came to be known as the 「Lid」, on top of the 「Hole」 began.
Humans, drunk with the romantic thoughts of exploring the uncharted lands of the other world, began to appear and headed for the 「Hole」.
In due time, people began calling them 「Adventurers」.
Most of them were ultimately unable to resist the seduction by the 「Unknown」 luring them into the dungeon.
From that point onward the stream of time flew by.
The period then, a critical juncture of 「Ancient Times」, became a turning point in the world.
The descent of the 「G.o.ds」.
They are transcendental beings that had manifested on this land, the 「Lower World」.
They are beings who had become bored of eternity from the 「Heavens」; bringing their own culture and seeking entertainment of a civilization in which monsters and humans (children) clash viciously.
(children is furgiana translation)
Due to their descent, the G.o.ds had shaped the world to its current state.
The G.o.ds brought about some of their omnipotence, or 「Blessings」, to the humans, whom quickly grasped Its powers to pursue their own paths.
The monster den below ground was the only one of its kind, unfound elsewhere in the world.
The labyrinth city Oratoria.
The formerly constructed fortress above the 「Hole」 went through periods of ebbs and flows, leading to its eventual flourishing, becoming a well-known continental metropolis.
An alluring land where wealth, fame, and above all 「Unknown」 sleep.
This is the center of the world—a place for outlaws who desperately clung onto their greed, adventurers who yearned for the 「Unknown」, and G.o.ds who were just looking for a good past time.
The expectation of many of these beings, and their stories had all converged here.
The antiquity of the period when G.o.ds a.s.sisted those who gave prayers to them had ended.
At long last, now is a time in which humans would beg small favors from G.o.d; through the hands that spare such small fragment of power, they would grant their own wishes.
Wealth; fame; the unknown;
Far-reaching goals; desires—or even one’s dearest wish.
The epoch of the G.o.ds is upon us.