Songs in the Void

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, True Orcus Great Labyrinth, 1st Floor. 

After falling for an indeterminate amount of time, Tatsuo and Sumire could finally see the ground below them. And just as they feared, the sound of Tatsuo's coat flapping on the way down drew the attention of some of the monsters below. 

"It's the lightning wolves." Tatsuo muttered as he looked down at the monsters gathered below them. 

The Lightning wolves, as Tatsuo called them, were larger than average white furred wolves with two tails and red vein like patterns on their fur. And if that were all, although they would definitely be stronger than any of the magic beasts they came across in the upper labyrinth, neither Tatsuo nor Sumire would pay them any mind. However, the arcs of red lightning that were sparking around each of the wolves two tails was more cause for concern. 

"Based on what you told me about the monsters on the first floor of this dungeon, I was hoping we would run into any monster other than those while we were on our way down." Sumire said. "Although I could block the lightning, I can't ground myself while we're in the air." 

"That's not a big deal." Tatsuo replied. "More importantly, look at the ground in the middle of those wolves." 

As he spoke, Tatsuo gestured at the ground between the four wolves who were staring at them menacingly with his chin. Following the direction Tatsuo indicated, Sumire could see what appeared to be a human body with most of its flesh missing. More importantly than that, although most of the face was also gone, Sumire could recognize the facial features that remained. 

"Is that... Hayama?" Sumire asked in an aghast tone. 

"That's what it looks like." Tatsuo replied. "I guess he managed to survive the same way that Nagumo did in the canon." 

In the Arifureta source material, when Hajime fell off the stone bridge, after falling for quite some distance, he fell into a stream of water shooting out of one of the walls. And that stream of water pushed him into an underground water system. At the end of this impromptu water slide, Hajime found himself half-submerged in a lake when he regained consciousness after hitting his head on the way down. 

And the same thing happened to Daisuke. However, he was lucky enough not to slam headfirst into anything on his way down. As a result, he did not lose consciousness. However, he was still damaged from slamming into so many walls on his way down. 

Then, like Hajime had in the canon, Daisuke ended up in the lake at the end. Also, just like Hajime, he left the lake and started exploring his surroundings for away out. All the while, he was laughing triumphantly and planning his revenge against James when he was able to find a way back to the surface. 

Unfortunately, Daisuke was not nearly as cautious as Hajime was in the canon. As a result, all his laughter and cursing drew attention to himself from a pack of four Lightning Wolves. And after a short confrontation that could not be called a battle, he ended up in the state he was in when Tatsuo and Sumire floated down. 

"well, I think we should make the first move." Tatsuo said as he shifted Sumire from a princess carry to holding her around the waist with one arm. Then, he drew one of his pistols from his [Inventory]. 

"Huh?" Sumire exclaimed in confusion when she saw Tatsuo draw his gun. "You can still use your Inventory? I've been trying to use mine since we got here. But I haven't had any luck." 

"Oh, this isn't the Inventory provided by Sherifina." Tatsuo replied while lining up a shot. "Well, not really, anyway. I mean, I did absorb hers into mine, after all." 

"Then, this is part of your--- Kya!" Sumire started to ask before she was interrupted. 

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* 

"At least wait until I['m finished speaking." Sumire shouted over the sound of the gunfire. 

Though he knew it would annoy Sumire, Tatsuo had to take the shot because he saw the Lightning Wolf he was aiming at had started to generate sparks of lightning on its tails. So, he took the shot before it could fire that lightning at him. 

And with Tatsuo's considerable marksmanship, the three bullets he fired landed right between the Wolf's eyes without giving it a chance to dodge. Unfortunately, the common lead .9 mm rounds were not strong enough to even break its fur, let alone penetrate its skull. 

"Well, that's not good." Tatsuo muttered as he could see anger in the wolf's eyes. 

*Zap!* 

In the next instant, the sparks of lightning accumulating on the Wolf's tail were fired at Tatsuo and Sumire. However, Sumire reacted quickly, pulling her shield off her back and raising it in the lightning's path. However, Tatsuo kept in mind that there was no way to ground the lightning while in the air. So, before the lightning struck the shield, Tatsuo and Sumire vanished from where they were. 

An instant later, Tatsuo and Sumire [Blinked] next to the wolf who just fired lightning at them. And although Sumire was disoriented by the sudden teleportation,, much like the four wolves were, she understood what happened much faster than they did. So, once she assessed her new situation, she raised her shield and slammed its edge into the Lightning Wolf's head with all her strength. 

*Bang!* 

*Crack!* 

As a result, the first Lightning Wolf fell with its head caved in. At the same time, Tatsuo unwrapped his arm from around Sumire's waist, returned the pistol to his [Inventory], and equipped the [Thunderclap Daggers]. Then, using [Lightning Speed], he vanished from Sumire's side in a burst of speed, reappearing between two of the remaining Lightning Wolves. 

*Howl~~~~!* x 2 

The two wolves howled once they realized Tatsuo was standing between them. However, before they could take any further action, Tatsuo raised the bladed knuckle dusters in his hands, each with a coating of [Spatial Energy], and slit their throats. 

Naturally, the slit throats did not kill the wolves immediately. Yet, the pain did stop them from taking action. 

At the same time, Sumire lunged towards the last Lightning Wolf while taking her spear off her back. Simultaneously, the Lightning Wolf pounced forward, aiming to tear out Sumire's throat with its fangs. 

But a straight forward attack like that would never be enough to take out Sumire, especially when she's equipped with a shield. 

Jamming the top edge of her shield upwards, Sumire knocked the wolf's head upwards, accompanied by the sound of its jaw breaking. Then, before the wolf could swing its front claws at her, She thrust her spear forward, piercing its throat. 

*Whimper!* 

As a result, the only thing the Lightning Wolf could do was whine and swing its legs weakly while hanging from the tip of Sumire's spear. However, Sumire did not let her guard down just yet, as she was unsure if it would be able to conjure lightning in its state as a last-ditch measure. 

*Bang!* 

So, with the Lightning Wolf still hanging from the tip of her spear, Sumire swung her spear upwards before turning around and slamming it, along with the wolf's head into the ground. As a result, another Wolf's blood and grey matter was splattered all over the cave's floor. 

"Wow! You're more violent than I thought you were, Sumire-San." Tatsuo said in a feigned tone of surprise. "You didn't have to smash their heads like that, did you?" 

Removing her spear from the wolf's throat, Sumire only rolled her eyes while flinging the blood off the spearhead. Then, she turned her gaze onto Daisuke. 

"Anyway, what should we do with him?" Sumire asked. "Should we---" 

"Put him out of his misery." Tatsuo said coldly. 

"Huh?" Sumire exclaimed in confusion as she snapped her head in Tatsuo's direction. A moment later, she turned back to look at Daisuke. "Are you saying he's still alive?" 

Though the sight of Daisuke's mangled body made her feel a little sick, Sumire looked to see any proof of what Tatsuo suggested. And with that, Sumire noticed a few things she had overlooked at first glance. For example, the fact that Daisuke's chest was rising and falling very shallowly. On top of that, his lips were moving very slowly. Yet, they were making the shapes of the same three words over and over again. 

"Someone, save me…" 

"He really is alive." Sumire said in a dumbfounded tone. "but how is that possible? His throat was torn out completely… And he's bled so much…" 

"His mana is sustaining his life." Tatsuo said. "But it won't last forever. And even though I can't stand this piece of human filth, I don't think he needs to suffer until his mana runs out." 

"I see. Sumire said as she turned away from Daisuke. "Well, he did try to kill you and Nagumo-Kun. So, you can do what you want with him." 

As she finished speaking, Sumire slung her shield and spear onto her back and grabbed Tatsuo's arm while looking up into his eyes. 

"But you don't have to be the one to kill him." Sumire said in a worried tone. "Killing someone isn't something you can go back from." 

Hearing the concern in Sumire's tone, Tatsuo could not help smiling at her affectionately. Even so, he felt no mental burden over taking Daisuke's life. The guy had just tried to kill him, after all. Plus, DOATECH had trained him to be an assassin for a long time. 

"Don't worry, Sumire-San." Tatsuo said lightly. "I know what you're worried about. But I was conditioned to do just that. Take lives." 

With that said, Tatsuo stored his [Thunderclap Daggers] in his inventory once again and drew one of his pistols. Then, he pointed it at Daisuke's head. 

Daisuke, though he was too damaged to move, was fully aware of his surroundings. So, when Tatsuo pointed the .9 mm pistol at him, his eyes widened as far as they could while his pupils dilated. At the same time, instead of mouthing "someone, save me" his mouth started moving to mouth the words, "No, I'm sorry. Please, forgive me." 

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* 

Unfortunately, before Daisuke could mouth everything he wanted to say, Tatsuo pulled the trigger three times, shooting him once in the head and twice in the chest. 

'An ant like you has the nerve to try and take my life?' Tatsuo thought to himself while putting his pistol into his [Inventory]. 'And when you find yourself at the end of your rope, you actually asked for forgiveness? Pathetic!" 

Thoughts like that were proof that Tatsuo was getting further and further away from being a simple human. Yet, he was completely unaware of the changes his mind and thought process were going through. And because he almost never spoke thoughts like these aloud, the people around him had no idea of his change, either. 

"That was a bit much, wasn't it?" Sumire asked while looking at the three new holes in Daisuke's body. "Just one to the head would have been enough, wouldn't it?" 

"Two to the chest, one to the head." Tatsuo replied uncaringly. "That way, you know they're dead." 

"I guess… you're not wrong." Sumire replied. 

"Anyway, let's pack up these wolves corpses." Tatsuo said. 

"Are you really planning on eating them like Nagumo-Kun did in the canon?" Sumire asked in a worried tone. "But that could kill you." 

"Not without getting my hand son that Ambrosia first." Tatsuo replied. "I'm really not trying to kill myself, after all." 

"But the pain you'll have to go through…" Sumire said in a worried tone. 

"Does that mean you don't plan on eating it?" Tatsuo asked. "Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to. I mean, Nagumo did look pretty chuuni after his transformation." 

Reaching that point, Tatsuo started snickering when he imagined Sumire with white hair and red eyes. 

"Stop thinking about weird stuff." Sumire said with a pout. "But yes, I do plan on eating it. Not being able to use my skills from the Dungeon is a problem. But I should be able to use them again when I can control my mana without the use of magic circles." 

"Right.' Tatsuo replied with a nod. 

"The question is, how are we gonna find the Divinity Stone the Ambrosia comes from?" Sumire asked. "Nagumo-Kun finds it by accident in the canon, right?" 

"That's true." Tatsuo replied with another nod. "but all I have to do is scan the walls with my [Magic Perception] as we explore this floor. I mean, a Divinity Sone is just a crystal formed from a large amount of mana that crystalized over a thousand years. So, it should stand out like a lighthouse in the night." 

"I guess that makes sense." Sumire replied. "I just hope it's as easy as you think it will be." 

After saying all they needed to, Tatsuo and Sumire started walking. Yet, before they could get too far, they stopped when they saw a nearly six foot tall rabbit with white fur, red eyes, and red vein-like patterns on its fur. 

"Well, I guess we'll have some diversity in our first meal." Tatsuo muttered while grinning. 

Once again, Sumire rolled her eyes. 

At the same time, the rabbit, a Kickmaster Rabbit, narrowed its eyes. Though it was unable to understand Tatsuo's words, it could understand that it was being mocked. And to it, that was unacceptable. Other than one magic beast on this floor, no one was allowed to look down on it. 

In the next instant, the Kickmaster Rabbit vanished from where it stood in a burst of speed. Then, after another instant, it reappeared in front of Tatsuo while suspended in the air with its right leg cocked back to deliver a devastating kick to Tatsuo's head. 

*Swoosh!* 

The Kickmaster Rabbit then threw a kick with enough force to blow Sumire's ponytail to the side from the wind pressure. Yet, Tatsuo calmly tilted his head back to avoid the kick. 

"Nice form." Tatsuo said carefreely. 

Next, instead of falling to the floor, with the same leg it tried to kick Tatsuo with, the Kickmaster Rabbit kicked off the air, summersaulting forward and bringing its leg down in an axe kick. 

*Bang!* 

However, just like last time, Tatsuo avoided the kick with minimal movement, only turning his body to the side, allowing the kick to soar past him and slam into the floor, kicking up a small amount of debris upon impact. 

*Bang!* 

*Crack!* 

Then, before the rabbit could react, Tatsuo's right fist lashed out as fast as either of the rabbit's kicks, landing on the side of its neck, causing the rabbit's eyes to open wide in surprise while its neck bent at a strange angle while accompanied by the sound of broken bones. 

The Kickmaster Rabbit then crumbled to the floor as the light in its eyes rapidly dimmed. 

"Even though I could see its movements, I'm not sure I could have dodged it." Sumire said, unsurprised by how easily Tatsuo dealt with the threat. 

"If this had been my first world instead of yours, I probably wouldn't have been able to dodge it, either." Tatsuo replied. "But I don't think it would have been able to do too much damage thanks to my martial arts training." 

"Probably." Sumire replied. "But you probably would have ended up all bruised by the end of the fight. And that bear thing might have shown up while you were fighting it, too." 

"That's true." Tatsuo replied. "And I don't' really think I could have handled that right off the bat. Anyway, I'll put us under [Stealth] while we search for the Divinity Crystal]. I really don't wanna be interrupted every ten seconds, or so." 

After saying that, Tatsuo grabbed Sumire's hand before activating his [Stealth]. At the same time, Sumire smiled up at Tatsuo with a slight blush. Then, once the two were concealed by the surrounding space, they continued walking through the 1st Floor of the True Orcus Great Labyrinth.