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178 – The Tenth Stratum – The Realm of Demons and The Awakened Interceptors 11 / Investigating the Garden Part 2

Aerial used his Sky Garden to divide up the battlefield.

Occasionally even sending people off together with the space.

Bennu vs. Wraith.

Berith vs. Hervor.

Fran vs. the Elementary Level – Beginner’s Dungeon.

Ellie vs. Ewan.

Aerial vs. Lemegeton.

At the same time as all these situations, I give an order to the One-Horned Poet Amduscias, one of the three subordinates who are in my direct control.

The Black Explorer Foras was waiting by my side and the Evil Eye Assassin Botis is in hiding.

「Amduscias, do it.」

「Okay~. Alright everyone, do your be~st.」

The woman with a spiral horn growing from her forehead is currently in Human form. She is able to change into a Centaur form, has an Aptitude for battle despite her main Job being a Beast Master and she’s good at singing.

With long, wavy, light purple hair, and eyes squinted in an upward arc shape. She’s a woman with a gentle air about her, but it might be quite a rare skill to be able to maintain that while fighting.

At her instruction, the countless Alraune all go「Waaah~」in response. Plant-based Demi-Beast Monsters that mimic Humans.

Due to Amduscias’s tastes, they are all young-looking, but they obey their master’s orders.

「Foras, be their shield for a while.」

「As you wish.」

For the time being, there is one thing that I have to focus on.

Watching.

The Alraunes scatter.

They cover the whole field as much as they can and pitter-patter forward.

「…Alraune.」

Even though Aerial confirmed it, he chooses to wait and see.

「Oh, I hit a wall~」「I fell down even though I was walking forward~」「I’m back to where I started~」「I can’t get to the handsome man~」「Is there a way to him~?」

Sky Garden is Spirit Magic that controls space.

As he did with Agares, he is able to swap pieces of the body with another space.

And also just like that time, that piece is still connected to the body despite being switched around.

And once again like that time, it is only connected until the connection between both spaces is severed.

This final area has been divided into several blocks.

Let’s arrange them from 1 onwards, in order.

Normally, block 2 would be adjacent to block 1. So for example, if you were to walk straight ahead from block 1, you would immediately end up in block 2.

Aerial can freely switch and replace that order.

This means that if you were to walk straight ahead from block 1, you could end up in block 13.

If they remain connected like that, then you should be able to return to block 1 by going backward from block 13.

Only Aerial knows the order in which these blocks were switched around.

Furthermore, the fact that the order of the blocks could all be shuffled again later if Aerial so chooses is why it is called an Esoteric Spirit Magic.

Right now, the final area has been divided into blocks as mentioned in the previous example, and has been switched around.

However, much like the Flames of the Gods, the Magical Energy consumption for Esoterics is extraordinary.

Even if he is borrowing Magical Energy from the Spirit, there are limits.

It can be thought that the switching of blocks is not being done constantly, but rather only when it is necessary.

He wouldn’t want to waste Magical Energy.

He may have control of space, but actually controlling it all and managing them is extremely difficult.

「……」

Watching. No, perhaps I should say I’m sensing? Checking, sorting, committing to memory.

Countless Alraunes have spread out on the field. They haven’t spread out.

They’re all over the place. One Alraune’s path had her step out of a block only to end up on the ceiling, and then when you thought she’d fall, she reappears in the middle area between the floor and the ceiling, then you’d think she’d continue falling, she reappears and runs into Amduscias’s backside.

「…Making use of a vast amount of Alraunes to find the route through the garden, eh?」

I’m looking for which block is connected to which from the Alraune’s movements.

「But doing such a thing…using the movements of each and every one of all these Alraune, analyzing them, memorizing them, and solving the maze is completely…impossible?」

Aerial seems to have realized that this isn’t a challenge to me.

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It is certainly extremely difficult. But I do not think of it as impossible.

I thought about various ways to deepen my relationship with my subordinates. I talk to Foras a lot about Black Magic and there are also many times when I train with him.

Even Amduscias joins us in our morning runs.

It’s not about getting along with them. Although, I would be glad if that happened as well.

As allies who I fight alongside, I think it is very important to know them.

To Adventurers, the countless Alraunes look indistinguishable, but to me, they are my allies.

They are living creatures that are looked after by my subordinate every day and have hearts that you can form a bond with.

Personally, I am grateful that they mimic people. It’s easier to remember them.

I have memorized every name that Amduscias has given them.

Considering I’ve made it this far, it isn’t so hard.

Grasping when and where my allies are through their Magical Energy signature, and then deciding where they should go next is kind of my specialty.

It’s something I did constantly when I was an Adventurer.

Then, finally, three Alraunes reached where Aerial is.

From his point of view, they appeared from his front, back, and above.

「Did you see that Lord Lemegeton~? Ufufu, Pala, Gal, and Luca have reached him~」

Rather than defeat the three of them, Aerial lifted a finger and pointed it to the side.

The Alraune went「Waaah~」and went through various other blocks until finally ending up at the edge of the field.

This confirms another route to him, but until I find the route from here to that starting point, I can’t use it.

「Indeed. Well done. Come, Foras, Amduscias. We are heading out.」

「As you wish.」

「Oka~y.」

Aerial looked at me in surprise.

「If you are uneasy, why not shift everything around again, Storm Hero?」

「Ahaha, how do I know that that isn’t what you want me to do?」

This could be a bluff and I haven’t actually solved the maze yet.

In that case, hurriedly switching the spaces around would only consume Magical Energy.

「Why not cancel it and rush towards me right now? Didn’t you wish to fight me?」

「I’m torn. I do want to do that…but I must first confirm whether or not your plan is real. If it is, then fantastic, there would be no problem. Because I want to fight you.」

Can I only win against Aerial by unleashing my right arm?

The people that are here aren’t strong simply because they are Heroes.

In fact, most of the Hero parties that challenge the Demon King Castle every single day get annihilated when they reach the third stratum.

Those that have gotten this far are the handful of super first-class Adventurers among Adventurers.

Wraith and Fran may be irregulars, but I’m sure they’ve been acknowledged through this Raid Battle.

In order to defeat Aerial, I need to draw out a certain Technique from him.

To do that, I must first break through this garden.

「Oh, Lord Lemegeton. Have you decided on whose route to use~?」

「Gal’s, but…do you know it?」

It’s only natural that she knows which individual Alraune that is, but does she know which route that is?

「Not at all~. But if Lemegeton can do it, I think I can too~.」

「Is that…so? Do not worry, I will not let their efforts go to waste.」

「Alright, let’s go~」

We step forward.

The scenery changes.

We head towards the next block.

With each move, Aerial’s expression changes from astonishment to admiration to delight.

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「Hahah… Honestly, you are full of surprises.」

His friendly-sounding voice soon changes back to one belonging to an Adventurer.

「It would appear that you weren’t bluffing, Lord Lemegeton.」

I speak in a voice low enough for my allies to hear.

「After the scenery changes three more times, we’ll be at the Storm Hero.」