Chapter 395 - Traces
We aimed for the direction of the royal castle and began moving again.
“With our group fully a.s.sembled, 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……
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-G.o.d 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.
It’s just, when it comes to that one———-
[……Hmph.]
I let out a slightly sarcastic snort.
Seemingly having noticed it, Munin, who was running with light exhales, asked.
[What’s the matter, Touka-san?]
[I think I’m starting to understand how some people used to say it’s harder to deal with someone who feels similar to yourself….. This might sound strange talking about this though————, ……Whoa.]
We stopped for a moment.
Munin, who seemed about to say something, swallowed her words and stood still.
It was a corridor wide enough for us to move around a bit.
In such a place, traces of battle remained.
The scattered equipment was probably the weapons and armor that the Sacraments had worn.
It’s been less than half a year since I was summoned.
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 partic.i.p.ated 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 ident.i.ty 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 antic.i.p.ated. 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 ill.u.s.trations by our ill.u.s.trator KWKM-sensei.
In Volume 1, t.i.tled “June”, the ill.u.s.trations mainly depict a morning cla.s.sroom scene in Cla.s.s 2-C at Ogito Academy before their autumn school trip. It gives a glimpse into “What was Cla.s.s 2-C like before they came to this world?”———– a topic that has hardly been explored in the Light Novel’s short stories. The ill.u.s.trations 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, t.i.tled “July”, mainly ill.u.s.trates Cla.s.s 2-C’s swimming cla.s.s. The ill.u.s.trations 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, t.i.tled “S e p t e m b e r →”, has a slightly different t.i.tle, 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 ill.u.s.trations feature “Seras in the Ogito Academy uniform”. The reason for these ill.u.s.trations…… Well, if you have the opportunity to purchase it, I hope you’ll read and find out.
(T/N: Volume 1 and 2’s t.i.tle are written in j.a.panese, while Volume 3’s t.i.tle is in english.)
This bonus novel was largely created with the intention of “making the most of KWKM-sensei’s ill.u.s.trations”, so I hope you enjoy the high-quality artwork.
Also, on September 1st, it was officially announced that “Failure Frame” has surpa.s.sed 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.