The Last Ruler: The Return of the Goddess
That oddity's...

A few hours had passed since the start of the duel at noon, the timing of this duel was almost over when the two had come to a road quite far from their starting point of entry. Many traps that they had been through for that long, it was not impossible that anyone was injured as well. But both teams are still reluctant to give up and move on.

Several times, Altair and Ninia passed each other on the street, but both of them dodged and took another path. At least no futile fight took place there.

Why didn't Ninia just attack Altair? Of course because there was a supervisor in this duel, as much as possible he had to make everything look like those who experienced misfortune.

But unexpectedly it turns out they can pass all the traps that have been changed.

And at this moment, Ninia and her group were pausing for a moment in front of them.. There are rivers of acid that can melt them down to the bone, which is really wide.

" Lica, where are those people now??" Ninia thought about making sure of that first.

Lica who was beside him was seen thinking for a moment, her expression hesitated and she replied..

" I couldn't feel their existence, the distance was too far and deep." that's what he said.

" but... They took the longest and swirling direction, it was the longest path leading to the center of the labyrinth. So they may still be far from the deepest point ever addressed." Reya then raised her voice.

" That's right, Ninia. So don't worry." Lica agrees with that, too.

While Ninia herself was thinking about it, what they were doing was indeed nothing wrong. But. Given their speed and agility in overcoming traps, he was a bit worried.

One of them was an Elf who was known to be extremely agile, the other had incredible speed abilities. Their leader, Altair. Ninia lacked information about him, but saw everything go as she planned.

Ninia felt that she had the same tracking ability as Lica, or that she had a wind-type ability that allowed her to feel the air friction on the walls of the labyrinth.

" Even so we must not be off guard." said Ninia later, then she raised her head to look at a stone pillar beside her. " ...Reya, use your strength to knock this rock down over there." he continued, pointing to the other side of the acid river.

" Um... Alright."

Reya then replied and walked closer to the stone pillar, he stretched out his hand to touch the pillar. Hour...

Dudakk..

" L-I.."

Dudakk.. Dudakk..

" What sound is that..?!!"

They heard a crashing sound and something collapsed from a distance, the tremors even reaching their place. If so, then it means that something is walking closer towards them. That's something....

..Which they would never have thought.

** Some time ago, place Altair.

" Hum.." at this time he was waiting, quietly crouching while looking at the place in front of him with a somewhat irritated expression.

" Altair, don't get too close. What if you fall there??" then Remilia warned him.

" Just calm down. I'll be fine." But that's what he said.

At this time he was looking at the acid river which was also stretched to their place, but did not stop there. There was also a fire waiting, then there was also an arrow mine.

It's a complex trap.

He then grumbled, "This is too much. Maybe it's better if we just use the portal." Altair thought it was better, they could get to where the treasure was quickly and could get out quickly anyway.

While Aksa was stunned to hear his grumbling, "If it's like that, then it means cheating" he said then slightly teased him.

Hearing that made Altair flinch and unobtrusively stare at him, "Curats?! Of course not! There is no rule that doesn't allow that." he said it with great confidence.

" But it won't be fun." he continued.

The two of them who heard that also only smiled awkwardly, so Altair wanted a fun game apparently? But compared to fun...

This place is stressful for them.

Aksa remembered the moment they passed through the mucus wall earlier, it smelled bad, it was slippery, and it was like it was going to wet it.

He preferred to be soaked in salt for 20 days rather than there.

While Remilia recalled when they passed through the walls bouncing, she could not control herself and continued bouncing until it made her dizzy and nauseous.

It felt like torture to them...

" It's terrible..."

They even have similar thoughts.

Tuk..Tuk..Tuk..

When their attention was diverted, they returned to Altair who was knocking on the wall next to them. He looked very serious listening to the sound of the stone wall.

Tuk..Tuk..Tuk..

" Hm... Lumine, is this rock hard?" and he asked too.

" What?" Aksa slightly doubted his hearing when Altair asked that.

Which rock in the world is not hard...?? Ah.. There's some.

Lumine answered Altair...

[The stone is not too hard if you hit it.]

" Then just go this way." said Altair also cheerfully, then he turned to look at his friends. " Aksa, Lisa. We're going this way, I found a shortcut to the center" he said with a prickly laugh.

" Huh..??" and it sounded like chaos in Remilia and Aksa's ears.

" Let's go!" Altair seemed very excited, and he immediately ran... Towards wall.

" Wait, Alta-..."

Duark...

The other two stared in disbelief where they saw it, Altair had just run through the stone wall into a hole..

Crituk...

Yes, he actually punched her just by smashing himself into that wall, as if what he hit was a thin piece of paper.

" God... I wonder if he's made of steel or something.." Aksa really doesn't get used to it.

When Remilia then said, "Come, let's go after him." he ran after Altair through the road he had made.

Aksa who was left alone there just sighed and started following them. He would be alone if he didn't do that. Altair was busy breaking through the walls in front of him.

*** Return to the Ninia team...

Then...

" ...They're coming!" Lisa said that, at the same time as..

Brakk..!!

The wall across the acid river was smashed from behind, and the Altair came out of the smoke and dust of the rock.

" Hm..??"

Altair's eyes also had time to meet with Ninia and her friends who seemed to not believe her look appeared from there, but Altair did not care, she was precisely...

" Blee...."

.. he stuck his tongue out at them as a mockery. And ran back down the line, leaving Ninia and her team behind.

" Wait, Altair!."

" us.. Uhuk.. Lives in the dust!."

And before long, Remilia and Aksa were not even looking at them in the slightest. And soon followed Altair who had disappeared behind the walls of the labyrinth that turned there.

While far behind them, Ninia whose path was taken and preceded clenched her hand tightly, even until blood poured down from her hand. He gritted his teeth so angrily at that, that it made Reya and Lica worry about him.

" Reya, hurry! We need to catch up with them!" And he started shouting furiously.

" I-yes, yes.."

Reya who was told to panic and immediately did what she wanted in a hurry, although of course... That's not an easy thing.

***

At the same time out there, where people are watching all of it in awe, astonishment and more. Really focus on the screen, and between them too... There were two people who were usually with Ninia. Of course it was Charles and Siran.

When Ninia who was on the screen was devoured by her own anger, they were both anxious and felt that something was awkward.

" He really smashed that wall without doing anything, is he really human??" Karol doubted what he had seen from the beginning.

Everything Altair did was not ordinary, he always gave off a really strong feeling of dominance just by standing still.

Siran who heard that also nodded in agreement, "You're right. I became worried that this would not end well, masked men who came to see us at that time were also suspicious" he said.

" What did I say? He really can't be trusted. He also said that Derrick would die of poison, but no matter how fit he was without any injuries."

Yes, that is true. Those who had been watching Derrick from the very beginning he showed himself there, could find no other strangeness from him at all. He's like the Derrick they've always known.

" Maybe... The man just wanted to pit our two guilds." and Siran came to that assumption with all this weirdness.

" Whose man?" then the voice rang out back there and made the two of them startled.

They turned around and found Israhi standing right behind them with a really serious expression. And his cold gaze managed to make the two of them gulp nervously.

" Ishrai... I told you not to scare people like that." and the appearance was followed by Yi from the audience.

And Israhi who heard his words frowned in confusion, "What do you mean I'm scary?" and he asked too.

" No, but your expression is your face."

" ...There's nothing wrong with my face."

" All right, you're completely unconscious."

Yi only smiled and sighed resignedly because of that, he gave up reminding Israhi about that. While Israhi herself was rather annoyed with that. Therefore he chose not to think too much about it and returned to the initial question.

" Which masked man do you mean?"

" Um... That's.. Actually, there was a strange masked man who came to us a few days ago. He told us things about it." said Siran finally answered Israhi.

" Who is he?" Israhi asked again.

" We don't know, he just said that his name was 'K'. "

Judging from the expression shown by Karon after saying it, like it's true they do not know clearly who the identity of the person they mean. However, both of them still clearly remembered what he had said to them back then...

" You can call me 'K'. Regardless of what I say is true or not, it's the fact that Derrick was exposed to a deadly poison. Sooner or later he'll be dead, whatever you want to do with it."

Those words were indeed dubious, so they wanted to confirm it. Especially because it was from the beginning they had envy of him who had more strength and great in fighting. Even so they did not do anything dangerous until what Ninia was doing right now.

Israhi who heard that was increasingly convinced by the awkwardness she felt. What's more, how's that guy if Derrick's been poisoned when his condition's been kept a secret? Then, the perpetrator who did so, was also killed when Altair wanted to arrest him.

If so, that means the mastermind is that masked person. He was the one who told people to attack Derrick, and after it was done, he also killed the leader of the bandit group as the only one who met directly with him to remove any traces.

" So, did that man also see you again after Altair kicked you out that day?" yi asked after hearing their explanation.

It sounded a bit embarrassing as they were kicked by the young girl, but they could not deny it. And Karol nodded his head, "Yes, two days after that, he met us again. But since the three of us don't trust him anymore, maybe he's affecting Ninia" he said.

" We also don't know how he persuaded the chairman to agree to this kind of ridiculous thing, even after we tried to prevent the chairman from rejecting it." Siran then continued.

" That sounds like your chairman loves him very much? Is he his family? The kid? Niece?"

" No, they don't have any relationship."

" That's it, the chairman got really weird after we met when Ninia had that idea. He was usually very wise and broad-minded, but he suddenly changed for no reason. It's like being someone else."

Israhi was stunned to hear that, that was the awkwardness she felt in this duel...

Then, he immediately raised his head towards the screen, the situation was still the same, but he was sure that something would happen in the labyrinth.

" ...We have to stop this duel."

" What?" Yi looked at him confusedly when he heard that all of a sudden, even Karol and Siran were the same.

" Israhi, what's wrong?"

" We have to tell Mira about this right away, Yi!."

" Uh! Kalli, tung-... Ck!"

No longer answering her, Israhi actually ran away from her place. He seemed to be in such a hurry after listening to the explanation of the two people. Yi who saw that as well so could not do anything and just followed.

On the other hand, Karol and Siran were equally confused just looking at each other. In the end they decided to go follow the two of them as well to go to Mira's place.

And as for Israhi herself, she was indeed panicking, what was she thinking at a time like this? Only one thing was in his head...

" Altair is in danger!!"