Songs in the Void

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Heiligh Kingdom, Royal Capital.

Around the time Tatsuo and Sumire woke up after Tatsuo's bloodline awakening, the students who managed to return to the surface the night before boarded their carriages and returned to the Royal Capital. And because they were in a hurry to report the situation, they arrived around noon, rather than sunset.

All the while, after the situation sank in, Hajime wore a despondent expression while being unresponsive to any external stimulation.

"Is he... really dead?" Hajime asked rhetorically while stumbling out of the carriage.

Seeing Hajime like that, Kaori was naturally the most hurt. Although she tried to cheer him up for the entire trip back from Horaud, nothing she did was successful. Still, she made sure to be there to comfort him as much as possible.

Even James, who spent the most time with Hajime, other than Tatsuo and Sumire, felt bad for him. What made it even worse is the fact that he couldn't tell Hajime that he knew that Tatsuo was fine. Otherwise, his justification for dropping Daisuke off the bridge would be gone.

Eventually, the group reached the throne room. Along with Ishtar and the Royal Family, Aiko, who did not go on the expedition with the rest of the class, was present as well.

"It seems there are a few missing faces." Ishtar said after looking over the Hero and his companions.

"Yes." Meld said while bowing politely. "Unfortunately, there was a mishap during our exploration of the Orcus Great Labyrinth."

Meld then went on to explain the expedition in great detail. He reported everything from the first moment they stepped into the labyrinth, to the moment Daisuke triggered the trap, to the moment Tatsuo and Hajime stopped the Behemoth, to the moment when James called out Daisuke, and finally when James dropped Daisuke off the bridge.

However, the reactions from the listeners were quite mixed. Ishtar, the king, and the prince looked at Hajime with hostility. While Ishtar and the king were thinking something along the lines of it should have been you instead of strong heroes like Tatsuo and Sumire, the prince was glaring at Hajime because of how close Kaori was to him, as it was no secret that he had a crush on her.

Meanwhile, the princess, Liliana, fainted upon hearing that Tatsuo had fallen to his death. Like her younger brother, everyone knew that Liliana had a crush on Tatsuo. Though, she was not as obvious about it. She did, however, make a point of sitting with him and the rest of his group whenever they gathered for meals.

"No! This is impossible!" Aiko shouted after processing what she just heard. "How could three of my students be dead? It's impossible that one of them tried to kill two others!"

Then, she glared at James with tears in her eyes.

"And you, Alaverus-Kun!" Aiko shouted while pointing at James. "You! You killed one of your classmates!"

"I did." James said unashamedly and unapologetically. "The son of a bitch got what he deserved for what he did to my cousin."

"You!" Aiko shouted once again, though she did not know how to respond to James' unapologetic response.

"Commander Loggins." Ishgar said, cutting off Aiko's coming emotional tirade. He then turned to James with an unfriendly gaze as he continued. "Why have you not yet arrested this murderer."

When everyone heard Ishtar's question, they opened their eyes wide in surprise. Even Aiko, who was angered by James' actions, stopped speaking to look at Ishtar incredulously.

"Pardon me, Your Eminence?" Meld asked in dumbfounded amazement.

"Why have you yet to arrest this murderous child?" Ishtar asked once again. "To think he would kill one of his companions in cold blood like that. Arrest him and we shall put him to death for his crimes."

"But... his actions were not in violation of the Kingdom's laws when dealing with betrayal." Meld said, quite confused by Ishtar's question.

"And who can prove his words to be the truth?" Ishtar asked harshly.

Once again, the room fell into silence after Ishtar's words.

"Hah!" James barked out a harsh peel of laughter as the silence became more stifling. "Looks like someone is still butt hurt after I called his bullshit into question."

Hearing that, Ishtar's glare grew harsher.

"But there are actually two reasons why Meld hasn't tried to arrest me, you know." James said while smiling viciously. "The first is because he actually did conduct a small investigation on sight. And several witnesses proved that what I said was true."

Reaching that point, James flexed his aura, putting pressure on the entire throne room. Though he was unable to circulate his demonic power like he would in his home universe, thanks to his experience, station, and killing intent, his aura was quite strong when he used it to put pressure on his surroundings.

"The second is that even if he wanted to be unreasonable like you, he wasn't strong enough to force me to do anything." James continued while focusing his aura onto Ishtar. "So, don't make me do something that we're all going to regret because you're in your feelings from being told about yourself a couple weeks ago."

As time passed and James aura condensed on him, Ishgar felt his knees starting to bend. And despite how powerful he was as a priest of Ehit; he was incapable of fighting it. However, just before his knees bent completely, James let up with his pressure.

"Look, I'm not against you or the church, Ishtar." James said. "But I just lost my cousin because of a cowardly, jealous asshole. Because of that, I'm not in the best mood right now. So, I'm going to bed. Don't bother me for the rest of the night."

Saying that, James turned around while retracting his aura completely. Then, he walked out of the throne room to return to the room that was assigned to him. And Ishtar did not bring up arresting him again. Though, the desire to see James dead was glinting unrestrainedly in his eyes.

A few minutes later, James reached his bedroom.

"Son of a bitch!" James angry shout echoed around the wing of the castle. "He took my god damn bed, too!"

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

Three days passed after that. During that time, Tatsuo and Sumire, mostly Sumire, hunted the monsters on the 1st Floor of the labyrinth to keep themselves sharp. On top of that, they ate the meat of the Kickmaster Rabbit and the Talon Bear, a name that Tatsuo recalled from the light novel version of Arifureta. And they both grew in strength because of them.

And because of the Skill, [Iron Stomach], Sumire did not feel the soul-wrenching pain she felt from the first time she ate magic beast meat. Whereas Tatsuo, because of his Void Dragon bloodline, never had that issue in the first place. Even so, both Tatsuo and Sumire gained new skills from digesting the two magic beasts' meat.

From the Kickmaster Rabbit, they both received the Skill, [Divine Step]. And that came with two sub-skills, [Air Walk], and [Light Speed]. [Air Walk] being the skill that allowed the Kickmaster Rabbit to kick off the air and perform midair maneuvers while [Light Speed] was the reason for its high-speed movement.

Whereas the Talon Bear gave each of them the Skill, [Air Claw]. And just like what it sounded like, the Skill gave them the ability to extend a sharp air blade from their hands or the end of their weapons.

On top of that, Sumire's Stats increased significantly , bringing her average stat to around 500. However, Tatsuo's Stats did not raise with the magic beast meat that he ate. Instead, his stats rose as he circulated his [Energy] through his [Mana Reactor] heart. Though, after only three days, the only stat to raise was his [Agility]. He did not think it would be too long before the others begin rising as well, though.

"I'm back!" Sumire shouted, announcing her return from training with the magic beasts on the 1st Floor.

"Welcome back." Tatsuo replied while sitting on the floor of the shelter. "How was it?"

The "it" Tatsuo was referring to was the new spear he created for Sumire using the Taur Metal and his [Magic Circle Creation] Skill.

"It's great." Sumire replied happily as she approached Tatsuo and sat down next to him. "It's like using Gungnir. If I throw it, I can make it come right back to me."

"I wouldn't say it's like Gungnir." Tatsuo said while smiling wryly. "I mean, there's no absolute accuracy skill attached to it. But if I tried hard enough---"

"No. Don't do that." Sumire replied. "If you did, I'd probably only rely on the weapon's ability without trying to improve myself."

Pulled out of his thoughts of recreating a mythical weapon, Tatsuo eventually nodded his head, as he agreed with Sumire's reason. Then, he got back to what he was working on before Sumire returned.

"Are you almost done?" Sumire asked while looking down at the papers Tatsuo was sketching on.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready." Tatsuo replied. "They'll take a little time to get used to, though. I mean, I've never used weapons like these before."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Sumire replied with a smile.

"I hope so." Tatsuo replied as he took one last look at his sketch.

Then, Tatsuo took the necessary materials out of his [Inventory] and laid them on the floor in front of him. After that, he closed his eyes to get himself in the right state of mind. Finally, he placed his hands, covered in his wrist guards with the [Alchemical Transmutation Circles], before [Transmuting] the materials into the shape he desired.

*Zap!*

Like always, the [Transmutation Circles] lit up with the color of Tatsuo's [Energy] before arcs of [Energy] started crawling over the materials, morphing them into the shape of a pair of .45 caliber pistols. However, there were a few extra pieces on these pistols.

Extending from the top and bottom of the barrel, there were a pair of blades. While the blade on the top of the barrel extended back to the end of the slide, the blade at the bottom extended to the butt of the pistol's grip. While adding melee options to the pistols, the blunt sides of the blades also acted as rails to conduct electricity when he needed a bit of extra oomph.

"*Sigh* Looks good." Tatsuo muttered as he picked up one of the pistols. He then continued while inspecting his work. "I'll take the next few days to get used to these. Then, we'll start looking for the stairs to the next floor."

"Mhmm." Sumire replied with a nod. "But do you have the ammunition and magazines for these?" Sumire asked as she picked up the other pistol.

"Nah, I haven't made them yet." Tatsuo replied as he held the pistol in his hand, aimed it forward, and looked down the sights. "I guess I'll start tomorrow. I almost forgot about that. The bullets in my [Inventory] won't fit in here."

"Do you have enough material?' Sumire asked curiously.

"I should." Tatsuo replied. "And if I don't, I'll just excavate more."

"I guess that works." Sumire said.

Not long after that, Tatsuo took out more Taur Stone and some Combustion Stone to create the ammunition his new guns would use. The, he [Transmuted] as many bullets and accompanying magazines as he could. And thanks to his [Inventory], he wouldn't have to waste time reloading after rejecting a magazine, as he could put them directly into the slot in the pistol's grip when he takes them out of the [Inventory].

About half an hour later, after getting a good distance away from the shelter, Tatsuo and Sumire found a pack of Lightning Wolves surrounding a Kickmaster Rabbit.

"Oh, this should be a decent test." Tatsuo said without trying to keep quiet, drawing the attention of the seven magic beasts. "It would be better if they were a little stronger, though."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that." Sumire replied. "Besides, you're only supposed to be getting used to your new guns, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Tatsuo replied as he stepped forward while popping his neck while tilting it from side to side. "Anyway, I'll go ahead and handle these guys."

Seeing how casually Tatsuo approached, the magic beasts, the Kickmaster Rabbit and the pack of six Lightning Wolves, turned all their hostility towards him, sensing that he was the biggest threat at the moment.

*Zap!* x 6

*Growl!* x 6

In the next instant, all twelve of the Lightning Wolves' tails lit up with red sparks of lightning while they growled threateningly. At the same time, the Kickmaster Rabbit lowered its posture while narrowing its red eyes, clearly getting ready to throw itself at its foe.

Even so, Tatsuo did not stop walking forward, his two new pistols gripped in his hands that were hanging loosely. Though, just because his stance was relaxed, it did not mean that he was not ready to fight.

The first of the magic beasts to move was the Kickmaster Rabbit. Vanishing in a burst of speed, it reappeared in front of Tatsuo with its right leg cocked back, ready to kick Tatsuo's head clear off his shoulders.

However, despite the rabbit's speed, Tatsuo calmly, yet just as quickly, raised the pistol in his left hand, deflecting the Kickmaster Rabbit's foot just enough that it sailed past the top of his head. Then, before the rabbit could right its posture, Tatsuo repositioned the pistol he just moved, aiming its barrel at the closest Lightning Wolf.

*Zap!*

*Bang!*

In the next instant, Tatsuo pulled the trigger. With [Lightning Clad] creating a current between the blades fixed to the pistol, the bullet was fired at almost three times the speed of sound.

*Whimper!*

Thanks to the proximity, the bullet sank into the wolf's skull, ripped through its brain, and continued down its back, destroying its spine before exiting the spot between its two tails and burrowing into the wall behind it.

"Too bad they were all spread out." Tatsuo muttered as he stepped back, narrowly avoiding an axe kick from the Kickmaster Rabbit that just kicked off the air to reorient itself as he fired his weapon. "Otherwise, I could have got a double kill."

"This isn't a game." Sumire said while deadpanning at Tatsuo.

"I know that." Tatsuo pouted. "So what if I missed playing Halo a little bit?"

Even though he was bickering with Sumire, Tatsuo was still focused on the fight, as he performed a backwards summersault, letting his right foot connect with the Kickmaster Rabbit's lower jaw, shooting it up off the ground.

Then, like the Kickmaster Rabbit had done a moment earlier, Tatsuo used [Air Step] to kick off the air, sending himself into a spin as he extended the pistol in his right hand.

*Swoosh!*

With his spin, the blade on the underside of his pistol's barrel raked across the Kickmaster Rabbit's throat, slicing straight through its wind pipe. Then, he kicked off the air one more time while activating [Light Speed].

*Zap!* x 5

As soon as Tatsuo vanished from in front of the Kickmaster Rabbit, three bolts of red lightning flashed through the spot he once occupied. Meanwhile, the bolts from the other two wolves hit the dying body of the Kickmaster Rabbit, helping it along its way to the afterlife.

At the same time, Tatsuo appeared between the five Lightning Wolves, in the same spot where the Kickmaster Rabbit once stood. Then, before the Lightning Wolves could react, or even recognize his presence, Tatsuo spun in place once again. This time, with is arms stretched out to either side and lightning flowing over his two pistols.

*Bang!*

Then, while spinning, Tatsuo pulled the triggers five times. However, the shots rang out so quickly that they sounded as if he had only pulled the trigger once.

A moment later, all five Lightning Wolves fell to the floor, dead, with holes on either side of their heads and blood splashing to the floor.

"Not bad." Tatsuo said as he stopped spinning and inspected his guns. "The balance is a little off. But I can fix that. Still, this was pretty good for the first time I made something like these."

"I guess that means you're satisfied." Sumire said. "Then, can we start looking for the stairs to the next floor?"

"Yeah, I don't wanna be in this Labyrinth any longer than necessary." Tatsuo replied with a nod as he put his pistols into the sheaths/holsters strapped to his thighs. "Besides, we have a vampire princess to save."

Though she tried to hide it, Sumire pouted slightly at the thought of adding another girl, a three hundred twenty-three year old girl, to their party. On top of that, because Tatsuo would be the one to get her out of the prison she had been trapped in for decades, she could see the vampire girl getting annoyingly clingy with him.

Meanwhile, Tatsuo, who had seen the pout that made it onto Sumire's face, smiled, thinking her jealousy was a little cute. Then, he walked over to her with his elbow extended to her in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Well then, we should start looking." Tatsuo said as Sumire looked away, realizing she had been seen through, while taking his offered arm. "Then, after we find it, I'll make the adjustments to the pistols. We can leave for the next floor after that.

Instead of replying verbally, Sumire only nodded her head as the two continued moving away from the shelter. And after only three hours, they found the stairs leading down before returning to he shelter for the day.

Over the next two days, while continuing to get used to their new weapons, Tatsuo and Sumire thinned out he number of monsters on the labyrinth's 1st Floor. Though, they left a certain Kickmaster Rabbit, that was smaller than the rest of its brethren, alone. Mainly because they could feel it following them around with a sense of worship in its eyes.