Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 4 - Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Duel in the Frozen Hell 
Past, Lucius Holmes 
I was born in the United Kingdom. London, to be precise. I was born into a household that was neither wealthy nor noble nor poor. It wasn’t all that special in terms of social status. But it certainly wasn’t normal, either. 
My father was a detective running an agency focused on solving unresolved cases, while my mother was a thief who specialized in stealing works of art. 
Indeed — I was the son of a thief and a detective. Though it sounded like the premise to a joke, it was nothing but the truth. 
My father was much like a protagonist of a mystery novel, solving many cases no one else could, while my mother was a movie-like secretive robber who traveled the world and stole things of great value. Both of their families had been doing those things for several generations. 
I’d even been told that my father’s side had taken the surname “Holmes” because his great-grandfather had changed it when starting his detective work, basing it on the most famous detective in the world. It didn’t seem to have mattered to him that it was a work of fiction. 
How my parents had met, gotten married, and made a son was a mystery for the ages. 
I’d once asked my father why he wasn’t arresting my mother. He had replied, “A detective’s job is to uncover the truth, not to catch criminals.” I’d found that questionable, to say the least. 
The curiosities didn’t end there, either, for my mother was a thief who always returned the works she’d stolen after a couple of weeks of enjoying them. In fact, most of the time, she stole objects that the owners had acquired by illegal means, and handed them over to the police. 
Apparently, her goal wasn’t money, but the very process of thievery. “A thief’s job is to steal, not to sell,” she once told me. 
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if “thief” counted as a “job.” 
Anyway, both of them loved their trades and always gave their all to them, leaving little time for us to spend as a family. Still, exactly because they were so focused on using their talents to do what they so loved, they had been quick to notice a certain thing about me when I was young. 
Lucius is extremely gifted. 
Insight, observational ability, imagination, dexterity, reflexes, appearance... I’d inherited the talents from both my parents and had even more potential on those fronts than either of them, giving me the makings of both a detective and a master thief. Naturally, my parents had been extremely pleased with that. 
With both of them being so passionate about their family business, the two of them thought the same thing: 
This talent must not be wasted. I want to nurture him into a great detective/thief, but I can’t ignore my beloved’s wishes, either. 
Thus, they came to a certain agreement. 
They would take turns giving me their special education. 
My father would train my observational abilities, teach me lip-reading, world languages, and the workings of the human mind, while my mother would instruct me in trap disarmament, finding people’s blind spots, and the means of charming and manipulating people. 
When I was young, it was set in stone that they would be training my mind and body based on this plan. But neither of them ever ordered me to become a detective or a master thief. Instead, they continually emphasized that they would nurture my talents, and leave me to decide what life I would lead. 
A part of me thought that acquiring such a specific set of skills would limit my choices to either detective or thief, but I wasn’t unsatisfied with that. 
As I got older and began to reflect upon my life so far, I started to realize that limitations like that were only natural when a person had trained in such things for as long as they could remember, because experiences like that were what became the basis of self. 
My education had included common sense and sociology, through which I’d discovered that my standards and values were wildly different from those society considered “universal.” 
Knowing that my situation wasn’t the least bit normal, I finally concluded that “It’s normal in my family, and when talking to those with different standards, I should simply adjust accordingly,” which I felt was a thought that truly highlighted the fact that I was my parents’ son. 
Anyway, after ten years of their special education, by the time I was fifteen years of age, I had acquired almost all of the skills my parents had. I hadn’t neglected self-study, either, so I was confident that my total abilities had already exceeded theirs. 
Then, when I was just a few years away from becoming an adult and starting to think about what kind of future I’d choose, something happened. 
My parents died in a plane accident. 
While they were out on a trip together — which was rare for them — their plane crashed. I was contacted about it shortly afterward. 
Though I grieved their deaths, a part of me wondered if that would’ve truly been enough to kill them. It wasn’t a denial of reality — I just reasonably assumed that their skills and experience would have allowed them to survive a normal plane crash. 
The day afterward, the news showed that several children wearing parachutes and life jackets had been found in the middle of the sea. They had all come from the same plane that had killed my parents. When the media asked them about their experience, the children said, “A tall man and a pretty lady put parachutes on us.” 
With that, everything made sense. Apparently, rather than focusing on their own survival, my parents had chosen to bet on the possibility of saving the children. 
As a fresh orphan, I wished they had considered me and prioritized their own survival, but at the same time, a great sense of pride filled my chest. I felt nothing but respect for what they’d done. Though, for reasons unknown, tears were running down my face. 
Following their death, I got everything in order and took a break from life’s stresses. 
My parents had already taught me how to go through such formalities, so I was able to inherit their land, house, and money without much trouble. With all I had, I could easily live out the rest of my life with no inconveniences to speak of. 
However, I couldn’t just do nothing, so I... I... 
“...Ah.” 
That was when I realized that I didn’t have a vision of my own future. 
Silly as it was, despite the fact that I was a genius who’d learned everything my parents could teach me, I didn’t notice that until that very moment. 
With all the love they’d given me, I’d been comfortable in a life comprised of nothing but honing the skills my parents had bestowed upon me, and thus I’d ended up a person who hadn’t made a single decision in his entire life. I’d followed the road my parents had prepared for me and lived doing very little besides clearing the challenges they’d presented me with, and so I had next to no experience in choosing how I wished to live. That was something that I’d left for “someday,” rather than “today.” 
I could vaguely picture the future me making such a choice, but the present me simply didn’t have the guidelines for it. Surrounded by my parents’ love, I’d led a passive life where I couldn’t even shape an image of the person I wished to be. 
“Just how should I live?” I asked myself, feeling as though I’d been thrown into an empty wasteland. 
It was as if I had water, food, a compass, the knowledge and the ability to survive, but I didn’t have the slightest clue as to my destination. Regardless of whether I went north, east, south, or west, I had no idea what awaited me, and even if I found something, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I was completely lost, but no amount of thinking brought me closer to a choice. 
Well, this is bad, I thought. If I didn’t mend that, I might end up a person who did nothing but live. 
Wholly puzzled, I began considering what I should do. 
First, I decided check whether or not my parents had left me a message or something in their rooms. A little voice in my head scolded me for searching for my own destination by going through my late parents’ things, but I chose to ignore it. 
I started by searching my mother’s room. 
It held a trap that, once activated, would burn down the whole room and any potential evidence it could’ve had. I was able to disarm it, but I couldn’t help giving a passing thought to the fact that things could’ve ended badly if this house had been given to someone else. 
The only notable thing in my mother’s room was her work equipment. There were no stolen works of art. With it being a room that could burn down, I hadn’t really been expecting any, and a glance at her diary made it obvious that she hadn’t had anything she hadn’t yet returned. I was thankful for that, since I would’ve had to be the one to bring back whatever she’d stolen. Still, a part of me would’ve liked to have a new goal, however meager. 
Aside from her work equipment, the only thing of note was an incomplete hand-knit sweater. 
I moved on to my father’s room. 
Unlike with mother’s room, there were no traps to speak of, and I could easily get in with just a key. 
Of course, it’s probably not normal to expect traps in situations like this, I thought to myself. 
Upon entering, I instantly noticed something. On father’s work desk, there was an unfamiliar object — a headgear-type piece of electronic equipment. 
“Isn’t this for Infinite Dendrogram?” I muttered. 
The game was part of general knowledge at this point, so I was aware of its existence. It was well-known as a dive-type VRMMO that had gained popularity all across the world. I’d always been busy with my training and studies, so I hadn’t had time for games, nor was I particularly interested in them. At most, my father and I had played the occasional match of chess. 
“Was Father playing it?” I murmured. 
He’d been extremely busy with his detective work and my training, so I found it strange that he’d had any time for it. 
After leaving the device where it was, I began looking around and found a single letter in one of his drawers. 
At first, I thought that it was his will or something, but I quickly realized that it was a letter he’d received from someone. I considered not reading it at first, but a glimpse at the content had me notice the words Infinite Dendrogram, so I let my curiosity get the better of me. 
Apparently, my father had accepted an anonymous request related to the game. 
The sender had asked him to uncover its secrets. They believed that Infinite Dendrogram was part of some conspiracy, and had offered my father great amounts of money for a thorough investigation. 
Much later, when I looked through the mail, I came across another letter which seemed to be from the same sender. It was condolences regarding his death and a withdrawal of the request, but not of the advance payment. Apparently, the sender was a person of integrity. 
Anyway, I was standing before the Infinite Dendrogram game machine left behind by my father. It was a game that someone had asked him, a famous detective, to investigate. Naturally, I was interested, but more than that, I felt a strong desire to “choose.” 
Having lost sight of where to go, I felt as though it could open up a new path for me. 
“If I recall correctly, this game’s promotional line is...” 
Infinite Dendrogram will provide you with a new world and your very own unique possibility. 
I felt as if it was directed at me. 
No other words could intrigue a person who’d lost sight of where to go as much as those. And right now, at this moment, that person was me. 
“Very well, provide me with that, then.” 
Present me your new world. 
“I hope you can point me to it.” 
To my possibility. 
“Let’s go,” I said as I put on the headgear in my father’s study and entered the world of Infinite Dendrogram. 
 
Duel city Gideon, western gate, Pimp, Rook Holmes 
“Motor Slash!” 
“MHOOOOOOOOOOO!” 
The frozen Magingear’s pilot used its left arm to launch the same skill as before, to which Marilyn responded with the physical attack called “Tri-Horn Upper.” 
Next, he will quickly draw out and fire that large gun, so... Babi, Little Flare, I thought. 
“Okaaay!” she replied. 
“Ah!” the pilot exclaimed in surprise as the low-rank fire spell that Babi had gotten through Drain Learning hit the projectile right before it escaped the gun. The resulting explosion destroyed the muzzle, rendering it impossible for him to use the weapon again. 
Next, he will stomp with his right leg and slash upwards with the left blade, so... 
“(Liz, move,)” I said, not with audible words, but with slight vibrations in my throat. Since she was in direct contact with my whole body, Liz could feel them going through my skeletal frame, allowing us to communicate without me even having to speak. 
Of course, Babi had her beaten on this front, since I could coordinate with her just by thinking. 
“...!” 
I heard the pilot express his surprise again as I dodged his blade with a backwards jump. 
I was able to do that thanks to Liz smoothly extending herself to my heels while making sure that he couldn’t see it, and then hitting the ground in a way that made the impact take me backwards. With that, I was now at a distance at which he couldn’t hit me again. 
An opening at the back right. Two seconds long. 
“Marilyn, attack,” I ordered. 
“MHOOOOOOOO!” 
“Mrrgh... So annoying,” his Embryo complained as the Magingear turned around and used both blades to stop Marilyn’s charge right before she hit. She didn’t build up all that much speed to begin with, so the damage wasn’t significant. 
“This sure is difficult to deal with,” said the pilot. “It’s as though you’re foreseeing our every move... No, you are, aren’t you?” 
Indeed I am, I thought. 
Magingear were humanoid and mechanical, so their operative range was easier to grasp than that of humans or other living creatures. I could predict the Magingear’s movements even better than I’d been able to predict Audrey’s during our aerial battle. 
This technique was called “movement observation,” and I’d learned it from either my mother or father. I wasn’t certain which. 
“Yes,” I said. “After all, unlike speed-focused Superior Jobs, you don’t fight at supersonic speeds or outright disappear from vision.” 
“Heh,” he chuckled. “You talk as though you’ve fought a Superior Job before.” 
I did, I thought. I lost ten times in a row, though. 
Still, fighting her, a person moving at speeds impossible in our world’s framework, had increased the precision of my movement observation. 
“So if things go on like this, we will be at a disadvantage...” the pilot said. 
“Yes.” I nodded. “It’s true that your Magingear has great stats, and the enhance skill that you High Pilots surely have makes them even greater. However, in the end, it’s still merely a slightly improved Demi-Dragon-class entity.” 
In other words, Marilyn, who was a Demi-Dragon, could provide a decent challenge to it. The openings her crash attacks created could then be targeted by Babi, who could use the many skills she’d acquired through Drain Learning during the recent hunt. 
Though the skills she’d gained were only those of the low-level monsters we could handle, the number she’d amassed easily surpassed fifty. On that front, she was above even Superior Jobs like Marie. 
As for me... Since my opponent was inside the Magingear, Charm was rendered useless, so I could only be a target for him to focus on. Still, evading his attacks left him open to ours, and no matter how many of them I avoided, he would still go for me. After all, Babi was my Embryo and Marilyn was my minion, so it would all end if I fell. 
My whole body was like a weak spot for us, which was why I had Liz focusing on assisting my evasive maneuvers rather than attacking. 
We also did it in a manner that didn’t give it away, since I had a certain play in mind. 
“So, at this rate, we will use up all our energy...” the pilot muttered. 
Though the Magingear had higher stats than any of us, my movement observation and our powers combined made it entirely possible for us to come out on top. However... 
“But I do wonder how long you can stay unfrozen while La Porte de l’Enfer is active,” he added, pointing out the greatest problem on my end. My left hand was already Frozen from the elbow down. 
I had no doubt that it was the same attack he’d used on the more experienced Masters around us, turning them into the ice statues they now were. Then there was the fact that I’d had to return Audrey into the Jewel right after taking her out because she’d had half of her body completely Frozen. 
The amount of ice on me was slowly increasing, making it obvious that I would eventually become like the other Masters here. Rather than increasing continually, it seemed to increase at regular intervals, somewhere between a few ten to a hundred or so seconds. 
First, it had covered my hand and a bit of my wrist; then it had covered most of my forearm; now it extended to my elbow. Though the amount I Froze each time was about the same, the intervals were all over the place. The second time had come 39 seconds after the initial freeze, while the third had happened 130 seconds after the second. 
The greatest common divisor for those numbers was 13, so it might have been related to the Embryo’s name and the skill’s name: “Cocytus” and “the gate of hell.” 
“What does it mean?” asked Babi telepathically. 
Well, Babi, I thought in response, In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Cocytus is the name of the Ninth Circle of Hell, which is the frozen hell where the treacherous go. It’s where Christ’s thirteenth apostle and the greatest traitor in Christianity, Judas, gets his punishment. Some suggest that during the Last Supper, before betraying Christ, he sat in the thirteenth chair. And there’s also the fact that thirteen is considered to be an ominous number in Christianity. 
“Ohh, so she is an ominous Embryo, right?” said Babi. 
For me, at the very least. 
If things continued as they had been, I had a high chance of winning, but if I Froze before that happened, I would become unable to arrive at that result. Therefore, I had to use one of the aces up my sleeve, but I couldn’t ignore his La Porte de l’Enfer. After all, there was no guarantee that using it wouldn’t cause me to become a Frozen statue, just like the rest of the Masters here. 
Thus, I began by solving the mystery behind it. 
“(Liz, I need a moment to focus on thinking, so you prioritize evasion and defense. As long as you make sure that he doesn’t see you, I can leave it all to you.)” 
A moment later, my body began being swayed around as Liz, my coat, started moving on her own will. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it didn’t hinder my thought processes. 
And so, I began thinking. 
I looked around with my erratic vision, and the thing that stood out the most was the pallid ice trapping each of the Masters. 
The one thing about the ice statues that really caught my eye were their still faces. Based on their expressions, I could tell that they’d gotten Frozen before they’d even realized it. As in, their whole bodies had been Frozen right from the start. From that, I could conclude that there were four... no, three ways this skill affected its targets. 
First, there was the way experienced by me and Audrey: those who got Frozen partially and had it grow over time. 
Then there were the ice statues around us: those who got completely Frozen in an instant. 
And finally, there were Babi and Marilyn: those who didn’t get Frozen at all. 
The targets and the skill’s effects on them were based on some criteria, and until I knew what it was, I couldn’t use my trump card due to the risk of it causing me to turn into an ice statue. 
Does it Freeze everyone except for the ones chosen by him? I wondered. 
Negative. If that were the case, then Babi, Marilyn, and Liz would’ve gotten frozen, as well. 
Does it Freeze only humans? 
Negative. Audrey had been affected, as well. 
Perhaps the amount Frozen is proportional to level and stats? 
Negative. That wouldn’t explain the difference in effect between Marilyn and Audrey, who were just about equal in that regard. 
Maybe it’s just random? 
Negative. That simply wasn’t the case, since a luck-based skill wasn’t reliable enough to be used in holding important locations or fighting many strong individuals. 
There was definitely a certain degree of rule and regularity to it. 
“Oaaaaghh!” the pilot roared and made his Magingear slip by Marilyn and Babi, charging at me with its right blade held high, ready for a downwards swing. 
“Oh?” I said. 
Well, he’s closing in on me, I thought. I won’t really be able to read his movements completely until I uncover the secret behind his skill, so... 
Liz seemed to have decided to try and bear the attack by enhancing the part of the coat it would hit, and according to my calculations based on the estimated damage, Liz’s defenses, my own HP and END, I had a 70% chance of dying. There was nothing I could really do during the two seconds before the blade would hit me. 
So I’ll spend those two seconds thinking and getting the answers I need to know so that I can attain victory when I survive. 
“M...” he began shouting his skill as I changed my approach to the mystery I was solving. 
Embryo names and their skills weren’t unrelated. 
For example, Ray’s Nemesis was based on a goddess of retribution and was focused on counterattacks, while Marie’s Arc-en-Ciel — rainbow — launched bullets of several different colors. 
“...o...” 
So, I focused on the name of his Embryo — Cocytus. 
In Greek myth, it was the river of lament, while in Dante’s Divine Comedy, it was the lowest Circle of Hell, the frozen lake. 
“...t...” 
From the current situation and the name of the skill — “gate of hell” — I could infer that it was based on the latter. 
Cocytus was the hell meant for those who had committed treachery, considered to be the greatest sin of all. There, Satan, frozen up to his waist, was continuously gnawing at Judas and other traitors. 
It was obvious by now that the name was related to the 13 second counter and the frost, but I felt like there was more to it. 
“...o...” 
For example, it was possible that the skill had a greater effect on traitors. It would explain why Audrey, who had originally been Gardranda’s mount, had been affected the most, and... No, that couldn’t be it. After all, it was highly unlikely that the Frozen Masters here were all traitors that could make Judas proud. 
“...r...” 
Then perhaps, like most hells, it is based on some sort of karma system? 
I didn’t see it in any of the informational windows, but there could be some sort of hidden stat which recorded the vile deeds done and... no, that couldn’t be it, either. The difference in damage just wouldn’t make sense if that were the case. Just like with treachery, it was hard to believe that each and every Master here had had enough negative karma to Freeze in only an instant. 
“...S...” 
I can’t quite put my finger on it, I thought. What makes it a hell and what does it count as “betrayal”? 
It would be far easier if there were some sort of record that displayed treachery as a concrete number, and... 
...Hm? A concrete number? 
“...l...” 
I was actually aware of something that fit the criteria. It could easily be interpreted as treachery and could be linked to the difference in effect between the entities here. 
“...a...” 
I had found my answer. This number was the secret behind his skill, and its greatness was what determined its power. 
For Babi and Marilyn, the number was 0. I’d gotten some just a short while ago. Audrey had gotten several dozens during yesterday’s hunt. And the experienced Masters who had Gideon as their main haunt had it far above 100. 
“...sh...!” 
Indeed, the number that La Porte de l’Enfer was based on was— 
Two seconds had passed. Just as I’d expected, the Motor Slash he’d launched landed directly on me. 
As some of my silver hair got scattered into the wind, I was blasted away straight into Gideon’s outer wall. 
 
These were the memories of a not-so-distant past. 
Upon logging in to Infinite Dendrogram using the headgear in my father’s study, strangely enough, I found myself in another study, this one significantly more old-fashioned. 
“Hellooo and welcommme!” In the study, there was a talking cat. 
“I am the control AI called ‘Cheshiire,’” it said. “What’s wrooong?” 
As I stared at the feline creature, I felt something really odd. 
Due to the special education I’d gotten, I saw the world in a manner different than any normal person or even my parents, the ones who’d taught me. By simply observing people, I could uncover the truths about their personalities or see what they were hiding behind their spoken words, allowing me to more or less guess what they were thinking. 
With those I was familiar with, my mind-reading success rates were as high as 99%. That number wasn’t nearly as great with people and animals I’d just met, but I could still make a decent guess as to what they were thinking or feeling. 
However, the creature before me — Cheshire — was completely unreadable to me. I’d felt as if it didn’t even fit the categories of “feline,” “human” or even “living being.” It felt like I was looking at something beyond human comprehension merely pretending to be a cat. 
“Well... perhaps this is normal for control AIs...?” I muttered. 
“Umm... Is anything the matter?” asked Cheshire. 
“Oh, it’s nothing. My name is Lucius Holmes. A pleasure to meet you.” 
Thus began my tutorial. 
Soon enough, we got to the character creation stage. 
“Will you keep your name as ‘Lucius Holmes’?” asked the cat. 
“Can’t I?” I replied with a question. 
“You can, but it’s not recommennnded.” 
As I began thinking of another name, I noticed something that was in the study. 
It was a chessboard. The pieces on it were placed in a way that made it seem as though the players had disappeared in the middle of the game, and one piece — a rook — had the enemy king placed in check. 
“I will be ‘Rook Holmes,’” I said. I had good memories of playing chess with my father, so it felt somewhat... right to base my name on something from the game. 
“Very welll. Now, for the appearaaance,” said the cat. 
I didn’t make any notable changes in that regard. I’d spent many years training to move and act with my own body, so I kept it the same to prevent any potential feelings of malaise. The only thing I changed was the hair color. Instead of keeping the blond I’d inherited from my father, I made it a silver just like my mother’s. 
Thus, I began the game. 
At the end of the tutorial, Cheshire told me that I was free to do whatever I chose to in this world. I could uncover the truths about it, steal its secrets, simply play it, or perhaps even live in it. To my mind, it seemed like good practice at choosing what kind of life I wished to lead. 
On my first day in Infinite Dendrogram, the Embryo implanted in my left arm hatched, creating Babi. 
“Hellooo! Let’s get along, Rook!” She had been exactly the same back then as she was now. 
I couldn’t help but wonder why she had been the one born as my Embryo. Cheshire had told me that it would be created and evolve based on my own personality and experiences. I was curious as to why those things had resulted in Babi, and that was a question which I had yet to answer. 
On my second day in Infinite Dendrogram, I’d realized that, despite not having any relevant skills, I could use the techniques I’d acquired in reality without any problem whatsoever. This world had sense skills such as “Mental Analysis,” but I felt that they were weaker than the same abilities of those who’d brought them over from reality. 
Anyway, unlike in on-screen games, Infinite Dendrogram had avatars to which I could apply my techniques and analyze the people controlling them. 
In real life, I’d used this ability to examine the true faces of those I was talking to and determine whether they were worthy of trust. People’s minds were different from the expressions they showed. It was especially common to find those who seemed to be cheerful, but were actually gloomy at heart. This was something I’d taken for granted, as it was only a natural part of the human condition. 
And that was exactly why my first meeting with Ray greatly surprised me. 
After all, there was no difference between what he appeared to be and what he really was. 
Not even his Nemesis surprised me as much as he himself did. 
What made his existence a true enigma was the fact that his Infinite Dendrogram avatar seemed to be no different from him as a player. 
This world was presented as a game, so differences between the players and the roles they took in their avatars was a given. But Ray showed no signs of showing off, playing some character, or hiding some complex he had in reality. 
At first, I thought that Infinite Dendrogram had reduced the effectiveness of my people-observation abilities, so I’d made it my first goal to uncover the mysteries behind him, and I’d reached my conclusion far quicker than expected. 
I’d talked to him, met with him again, fought at his side as we’d faced the likes of the Goblin horde and Gardranda, and that had been more than enough for me to know that Ray was simply himself — an honest person with no fronts to speak of. In his heart of hearts, he saw no difference between the two worlds. 
The determination he’d displayed during the battle against the Goblins or Gardranda, the grief in his eyes when he’d talked about the children lost during his battle against the Gouz-Maise Gang, and the anger he was currently feeling towards Franklin were all very real. 
Ray wasn’t roleplaying a character called “Ray Starling” — he stood in this world as none other than himself, and put his very being into his existence here. 
He could instantly choose what he had to do in any particular place and time, and he always gave his utmost to achieve his goals, regardless of what hardships awaited him and no matter how low the possibility of success was. 
Ray lived genuinely and earnestly. 
Unlike me, who was always indecisive, he always had his heart provide an answer for which he would give his all. 
”I mean, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.” 
Ray was a person who constantly chose actions he wouldn’t regret and always acted in earnest to achieve them, and that was exactly why I wished to support him. I was a person who couldn’t even choose his own path in life, but seeing Ray and the honesty he displayed when giving his all to face the challenges before him made me want to help him. 
For his sake and by his side, I wished to fight in Infinite Dendrogram. 
Therefore... 
 
“...I will defeat you, here and now,” I declared as my momentary flashback ended and I stood up from the outer wall’s rubble, facing the Magingear piloted by Hugo Lesseps and his Embryo, Cocytus. 
“For a Pimp, you sure are tough,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to be able to stand after that attack.” 
I couldn’t agree more. I’d calculated my probability of survival at about 30%, but even I was surprised at how little damage the attack had done to me. 
The most likely cause of this was the Magingear’s right arm. Just by looking at it, I could tell that the frame under its icy armor was bent. 
It had been caused by Ray’s Vengeance is Mine, and its effect on the arm had greatly lowered the damage I’d received in this attack. 
“I can’t lose here,” I said. 
“Heh,” he chuckled. “Don’t expect to be so lucky with my next attack. Also...” 
I knew exactly what he was going to say. The ice on me had already reached the top of my shoulder. 
The fact the attack hadn’t shattered my arm was quite a stroke of luck. 
“...La Porte de l’Enfer continues to consume you,” he continued. 
“True,” I replied. “You might say that your skill has me in check.” 

I momentarily fell silent, regained my breath and spoke up again. 
“After all... I defeated several humans in the plaza battle against the player killers.” 
That was part of the conclusion I’d reached. 
“...What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, and the momentary pause before his reply was all the confirmation I needed. 
“That’s what this skill is based on, right?” I asked. 
Even more confirmation couldn’t hurt, so I opened my menu — making sure that Hugo could see it — and looked at the window where the core of the skill known as “La Porte de l’Enfer” lay. 
“Battle history window, extras section, creature type kill counters,” I continued. “La Porte de l’Enfer’s effects are based on ‘the kill count for the same type of creatures as yourself,’ correct?” 
Creature type kill counters kept a record of the total number of kills of separate creature types, such as undead, beast, avian, dragon, devil, elemental, demon... or human. 
“The ‘betrayal’ that Cocytus looks at is the kill count for creatures of your own type, and it’s what dictates the extent of your La Porte de l’Enfer’s powers,” I went on. 
He said nothing. 
“The number of ‘humans’ I’ve killed is 7. What a coincidence... my body seems to be Freezing about 7% at a time.” 
I also had access to Audrey’s kill counts. Her type was “avian,” and she’d killed a significant number of such creatures during yesterday’s hunt. The exact number was 58, so it made perfect sense that the skill had Frozen over half of her body. 
We’d had yet to fight any devils or dragons, so Babi and Marilyn’s counters were at 0, which explained why they hadn’t Frozen at all. 
And, of course... 
...it includes the kills made within the barriers of duel cities such as this one, I thought. Those who frequent this city have probably killed hundreds of people. 
Experienced Masters gathering in duel city Gideon had likely spent a lot of time in the arenas, and even if it had happened within barriers, they’d probably killed a number of humans that surpassed 100. 
“To add to this, the number is also applied to the chance of it happening every 13 seconds, yes?” I asked. 
Sometimes, I got away without Freezing, while the other Masters had all completely Frozen right at the start. 
“The description for La Porte de l’Enfer is ‘Gives an X% chance to Freeze X% of the selected target’s body every 13 seconds. X is the number on the target’s kill counter for the same creature type as the target.’ Am I correct?” 
That meant I had a 7% chance to Freeze 7% of my body every 13 seconds, while those with 100 on the counter had a 100% chance to Freeze completely. The skill also ignored resistances to some extent, seeing as it was unlikely that every single Master here didn’t have anything that lowered the effects of the Frozen debuff. 
“This skill is the reason why you’re standing guard here,” I continued. “Most of the kingdom’s Masters in duel city Gideon are here for the arenas, so your skill is nothing but their bane. It makes sense to have you block the escape route.” 
Those who’d fought against many of their kind and become powerful in the process would have that experience work against them. Any and all traitors, killers of their own kin, would be encased in the ice of the frozen hell. 
“An interesting guess, but it’s based on nothing but circumstantial evidence,” he said. “To me, it looks like your conditions merely happened to meet the result.” 
“Ha ha ha,” I laughed. “Your tone just now confirmed that I’m right. You’re bad at lying and fooling people, aren’t you?” 
I could tell without even seeing his face. 
“And that’s why I hate you,” I added. 
“That’s not the first time you’ve said that,” he replied. “If I may ask, what do you mean by ‘and that’s why’? Do you like people who are good at lying?” 
His words made me heave a long sigh. 
He still doesn’t get it, I thought. ...No, he probably does. 
“I certainly don’t like people who can lie well... but I hate those who make their inner doubts and dishonesties so obvious,” I answered. 
“...What?” 
Well, now, should I say it? If I provoke him too much, the time might... You know, I’ll just make it a bit harsh and relatively long. He’s probably the type to get mad after hearing people out. 
“You’re like Ray, aren’t you?” I asked. “As in, one of those who sees this world as a world, rather than as a game, yes?” I said. “Despite that, your actions are just so... so irritating.” 
“‘Irritating’?” he repeated. 
I gathered the slight bit of depression he made me feel and put it into words. 
“It irritates me how you’ve taken up a role in Franklin’s game and become complicit in this tragedy, yet you talk and behave in a way that reeks of excuses like ‘I must’ or ‘There’s no other way.’ It irritates me how you spin your reasoning to try and justify your actions, yet you give it a preface of ‘Oh I’m so terrible,’ basically making excuses for your excuses. Then there’s your exchange with Ray. It irritates me how you, with all your indecisiveness, have the gall to stand in his way. It irritates me how even you felt guilt after doing it, yet you just took to thinking something like ‘Another sin for my scroll,’ basically wallowing in your own guilt. Speaking of wallowing, it irritates me how you’re so full of yourself that you talk with that theatrical elocution. Truly, you’re irritating beyond words.” 
As I went on, I realized that I was even more vexed than I’d thought. Still, my volubility took over, and I simply couldn’t stop. 
“Oh, and I’m irritated by the church-like design!” added Babi. “We’re just so done with you!” 
“Y-You...!” he said with anger. 
“K-Kill...” his Embryo joined. 
I see... “done,” eh? I thought. I guess that’s about enough, then. Now, for the finishing touches. 
“Good grief... You’re full of doubts about where to turn, you can’t be honest with yourself, you wallow in the tragedy you willingly participate in... You’re so much like an even worse version of a certain someone that I can’t help but find you irritating and loathsome.” 
As a conclusion to this, I only had one more thing to say to him... no — “her.” 
“Stop wallowing in so much doubt and angst... young lady.” 
“Kh...!” My words provoked an outburst from the pallid Magingear. 
It charged towards me with all its speed, eager to get me into the range of its blades, and the one in the left hand would probably be used to end me, once and for all. 
I had an estimated three seconds before it sunk into my head and split me in half. The power behind it wasn’t something Liz’s defenses could bear, and it was unlikely that I could evade it. However, there was no need for that. 
After all, we were already done charging. 
“Union Jack,” I said, long before my three seconds were up. 
 
Duel city Gideon, not far from the western gate 
This took place a short time prior. 
Duel city Gideon’s western gate connected it to the field known as “Jeand Grasslands” and was one of the only four exits out of the anti-air barrier shielding the entire city. 
Near it, there were dozens of Masters Frozen solid, and they surrounded the battle between the Pimp known as Rook Holmes and the High Pilot calling himself Hugo Lesseps. 
However, that wasn’t the only battle going on there. 
“Kasumi! Your tank summon is gone!” 
“I-I need 55 more seconds until I c-can re-cast it.” 
The ones fighting were the three girls that had accompanied Ray and Rook — the newbie Masters known as Kasumi, Io, and Fujinon. 
Their opponent was a monster looking much like a carnivorous dinosaur with the name “PBS — Preparative Brute Saurus” hanging above it. 
“BGHAAAAAARGHH!” it roared as it charged towards Io with its fangs at the ready. 
“Tyranno...saurus?” hesitated Kasumi. 
“Looks more like an allosaurus to me,” commented Fujinon. 
“Not the right time to say that!” shouted Io. “This thing’s obviously stronger than a Demi-Dragon-class thing! Do something about it!” 
“All right. I’ll stop it... Almagest.” 
Standing behind Io, Fujinon readied her Embryo, a staff with a spinning orb on its end. 
“Mud Clap, then Star Printer, thrice,” she said, using a pair of skills. They caused a magic circle to form at the base of her feet. Then three more magic circles appeared and orbited the center one like satellites. 
“Click,” she said, causing one of the orbiting magic circles to vanish. 
A moment later, the pavement and ground beneath PBS began moving like mud and grabbed its foot. Due to the might of its charge, it instantly broke the bond, but its momentum caused it to violently crash into the ground. 
“Click, Click, Click,” she continued, making the remaining three magic circles vanish. 
Three patches of ground around PBS became mud-like and bound it completely. 
Fujinon’s Embryo, Almagest, was a Type Arms taking the shape of a staff with a star-like sphere at one of its ends. Its unique trait was the copying-and-pasting of the spells she used, allowing her to create up to three copies, represented by orbiting magic circles, and release them at her command. 
Its drawback was the fact that Fujinon couldn’t move when a satellite magic circle was present, which was a fitting negative for an Embryo bearing the name of the main text behind Ptolemaic theory. 
Mud Clap was a low-rank, earth-based binding spell, and though a single one gave little trouble to an enhanced and modified Demi-Dragon-class monster like PBS, a few of them could hold it in place for several seconds. 
It was an opening — an opportunity not to be missed. 
“Io!” she shouted. 
“Okay! I’ll tear it apart! Five-Ring, Splitting Mode!” 
Following her words, Io charged, holding a huge, one-sided battleax that probably weighed several tons, with a handle over 5 metels in length. 
“Here I gooo!” she called, gathering all her strength as she swung her weapon down on the immobilized PBS’s medulia. 
Like a beast of legend or an executioner from the middle ages, she tore into its neck, broke its cervical vertebrae, sliced through its throat, and even reached the pavement below, shattering a large portion of it. 
Though greatly modified, the monster wasn’t able to survive without its head. Thus, it simply became particles of light, leaving behind nothing but its drops. 
“Io, there’s one in the sky behind you!” Kasumi warned her. 
“I know! Crushing Mode!” she said as she turned around to look at the pteranodon-like monster trying to surprise attack her using the night’s veil as cover. 
At the same time, her Embryo, Five-Ring, changed shape. Its handle reduced to about a fifth of its previous size, and the ax head got replaced by a chain at least 20 metels in length, which ended with a spiked ball that surely had more weight than she did. 
Io’s Embryo, Five-Ring, was a Type Arms that could transform into several ultra-heavy weapons, such as the one-sided battleax from its Splitting Mode or the giant flail from its Crushing Mode. 
Like with Ray’s Nemesis, the user didn’t feel any of the weapons’ weight, making the Embryo excel at dealing damage. On the other hand, the weapons still had huge mass, which made them move very slowly and thus have low accuracy. 
Io swung the giant flail towards the pteranodon-like monster. It tried to evade it, but it suddenly got caught by something. 
“BOBOBOBOBO...” 
It was a marshmallow-like balloon giant — a creature many in Infinite Dendrogram would recognize as the summoned monster called “Balloon Golem.” 
“Hold it in place... Balulun.” 
Kasumi was a Summoner — a job focused on using magic to create monsters which help them in their fights. 
Balulun was one of the monsters she could summon, and she did so often, as its Physical Resistance and Floating Ability made it a capable tank. Therefore, there was nothing strange about the summoning itself. 
What was strange was the fact that Balulun had appeared right behind the pteranodon. 
That was done by Kasumi’s Embryo, the Taijitu. 
It was a radar-like Type Arms that showed the location of all the Masters in a certain area around it. Its drawback was the fact that it neither had nor provided any abilities that were meant exclusively for battle. However, the Taijitu did have something besides its radar function. 
It was an ability to teleport any tamed or summoned monsters within Kasumi’s minion capacity to any location on the map. Though greater distances cost her more MP, locations within a 50 metel radius of her weren’t all that draining. 
Balulun pushed itself on the pteranodon, rendering it unable to move. 
“HIIIIIT!” 
Not missing the opportunity, Io threw her flail towards it, pulverizing its bones and tenderizing its flesh. 
That single hit was enough to kill the pteranodon. Just like the PBS, it began to turn into particles of light, leaving behind nothing but its drops. 
“That’s five!” 
“W-We did it...” 
Kasumi and Fujinon gave their all into binding and holding the enemies, while Io used her high-rank-tier damage to kill them with a critical hit. This tactic of theirs led them to defeating a total of five Demi-Dragon-class monsters that had gathered near the western gate. 
Demi-Dragon-class creatures were said to be equivalent to a party of six low-rank jobs. Of course, Masters had Embryo abilities at their disposal, so it wasn’t always necessary for a party to be full in order to defeat a Demi-Dragon, but no one could deny that their success was an impressive feat. Each of them knew about the extent of each others’ abilities and fought while making up for each others’ flaws in order to achieve victory. 
Aside from exceptions like Ray and Rook, among the newbies that had escaped the central arena, these girls had the greatest combined amount of battle potential. If that hadn’t been the case, they would never have stood a chance against the modified monsters attacking them. 
“Phew,” Io sighed. “We can finally catch our breath!” 
“N-No, we can’t... Rook is still fighting... We have to help...” said Kasumi. 
The three had been intending to help Rook fight Hugo right when the battle began, but they’d had to make a change of plans when they’d gotten attacked by the monsters. 
“Oh, yeah! How’s he holding up?!” cried Kasumi. 
“They’ve stopped and are now talking about something,” answered Fujinon. “I can’t hear them from here.” 
“All right! I’ll use my Bursting Mode and...!” said Io as she was about to make Five-Ring transform into its third form, but Kasumi and Fujinon quickly stopped her. 
“D-Don’t...” 
“Attacking right now doesn’t seem like a good idea. Let’s watch and see where this goes... Kasumi, are there any other Masters nearby?” 
“N-No...” Kasumi slowly shook her head. “Ray’s mark is outside the gates... so he’s still alive... Franklin is there, too, though...” 
“I see.” 
“Okay! Then let’s go and pick up the drops! Demi-Dragons give lots of stuff!” cried Io before running to take the items around them. 
“I-Io... there might be more... so we should be on-guard,” Kasumi warned. 
“Let’s sell it all and split the money equally!” Io cried. “Oh, but I might take the armor the boss boxes give! There isn’t much we Barbarian Fighters can equip, you know?” 
“Sh-She’s not listening...” 
Io got absorbed in her looting, while Kasumi looked at her with teary eyes. 
Fujinon, on the other hand, noticed something strange. “Drops...? Wait... why are they dropping items? Tamed monsters aren’t supposed to drop anything, aren’t they?” 
Her question wasn’t without reason, for what was happening right here was simply impossible. 
In Infinite Dendrogram, the system itself made it so that tamed monsters under someone’s command wouldn’t drop items. 
“Not only that, but the default setting makes it so that tamed monsters return to the jewel before they get fatal damage,” she continued. “But even if he changed it, there’s still no reason for them to be dropping items...” 
It was evident that the monsters had been made by Franklin and were under his command, which was exactly why they were targeting the kingdom’s Masters. 
“But what if they’re not actual tamed monsters and aren’t acting by his orders?” Fujinon said slowly. “What if that directive was imprinted during the creation stages? If that’s the case... If Franklin can do this, then...” 
As a conclusion began to form in Fujinon’s mind... 
—???!! 
An air-rending clash resounded around them, causing the three to turn to its source. 
It came from the frozen hell — the area of effect of La Porte de l’Enfer. 
Its cause was the impact made by the enraged Magingear using all its power to bring one of its blades down on Rook. 
Following the sound, the silver-haired young man, Rook, disappeared from the frozen hell. It wasn’t just him, either, for Babylon and Marilyn, his Embryo and minion, were nowhere in sight. 
The three girls thought Rook had been defeated and that his creatures had disappeared with him. But they soon noticed something strange. 
“Who is that?” asked Kasumi, momentarily breaking the silence enveloping the surroundings. 
Indeed, Rook’s team was nowhere in sight. 
Instead, there was just someone none of them recognized. 
 
“Wh-What’s going on?” Hugo asked, perplexed more than anyone else witnessing this event. 
Enraged by Rook’s words, he’d swung his blade down on him. Then his attack had been stopped. 
The unknown person before him used the long weapon in his right hand to stop the superhuman robot’s blade, and that person definitely didn’t look like Rook. He had devilish wings on his back, devilish horns on his head, and draconic scales on his body. In his right hand he held a silver lance, seemingly made out of three bundled dragon horns. 
He was a fine figure of a man, looking much the way one would expect the silver-haired pretty boy to look if he aged a bit. 
“Who... Who are you?!” asked Hugo. 
In response, the creature flashed a grin before answering. 
“Union Jack — Dragon-Devil-Man.” 
The man closed in on the Magingear and kicked it away. Though its weight surpassed ten tons, the attack made the machine get blasted a few metels back. 
“Kh...!” Hugo quickly recovered from the mental shock and the physical impact before regaining his posture. 
A moment later, he noticed the man standing right beside his Magingear with his left hand on the robot’s chest armor piece. 
“Little Flare.” 
The point-blank fire spell melted the frozen armor as it delivered an impact to the inside of the Magingear. 

 

“That’s the magic skill used by the Embryo!” cried Hugo, and he was completely right. But the draconic, devilish man’s Little Flare was several times more powerful than that of Babi’s. 
“Tri-Horn Upper!” the man said as he closed the distance between them and swung the dragon horn lance. 
That was another skill Hugo was already familiar with. Though the horns had been replaced by a lance, it was definitely the same move that Marilyn had used during the battle before she vanished. 
Hugo tried to deflect it with the right blade, but it wasn’t able to bear the attack and broke off at about the halfway point. 
“Th-This is too...!” 
A moment later, he activated the Smoke Discharger attached to the Magingear’s thigh part. The area instantly got covered in a sight-obscuring smokescreen, causing the man’s movements to become duller. 
“Motor Slash!” said Hugo as he brought his remaining blade down on the man, who evaded it by jumping backwards, clearly aware that it was coming. The manner of movement was one he’d already seen many times during this battle. 
“I see,” he said. “So that’s how it is.” 
Hugo was now absolutely certain about the nature of his “new” enemy. 
“So you’re ‘him,’ aren’t you?” he continued. “Right now, you’re merged with your Embryo and monster. That’s the effect of the skill you used before, isn’t it?” 
In response, the man... Rook... merely smiled. 
His opponent solved the details of his skill, but there was no need for him to confirm it. Hugo himself had reacted in a similar manner, after all. However, it was undeniable that he was absolutely correct. 
Master, Embryo, and monster merging. That was indeed the effect of Union Jack, the skill Babylon had gained upon reaching her third form. 
It had been born out of Rook’s admiration for Ray and the way his fighting style focused on combining his powers with those of Nemesis. Though Union Jack wasn’t quite the same as what they did, it wasn’t completely unlike it, either. 
The skill combined the stats and skills of three creatures to create a single entity. 
In this case, it bore the great stats of the dragon known as “Marilyn,” the many skills of the devil called “Babylon,” and the intelligence of the genius man leading them. Thus, it was labeled “Dragon-Devil-Man,” and it was the strongest ace up Rook’s sleeve. 
“Can you really perform such a skill without any preparation?” added Hugo, and with good reason, too. 
Union Jack wasn’t the only skill that merged or combined certain entities. However, all of them either needed some time to be charged up before they were ready to use or had the combining process itself take a while. That was the ultimate negative of such skills. 
“Skill preparation? But I did do it. And for a while, too,” the man purposely answered with words, rather than just a smile. 
Noticing that what he’d said had made Hugo subconsciously began rummaging through his memory, the man used the opening to attack him yet again. 
“Gh!” Hugo came back to his senses and swung his blade down. 
“I can see your movements even better than before,” Rook said as he evaded the sword and lunged the lance into one of the robot’s leg joints. 
The Magingear had high defense in its basic state, and it was increased even further by the frost armor. Due to that, the attack didn’t break it completely, but the stats Rook had gained as a result of Union Jack had made him surpass even Marilyn, and the damage done to the armor wasn’t something Hugo could just brush off. 
“Now, when do you think I started preparing this skill? Take a moment to think on it,” Rook said in a gentle voice that contrasted with his vicious attacks. 
The correct answer was that Babi had begun charging Union Jack the moment Rook had said “check,” and that it was over by the time Babi said “done.” It was a code they’d decided on beforehand. 
The reason Rook had dedicated time to explaining his theory about Hugo’s skill, seemingly neglecting the fact that his body had a higher chance to Freeze the more time had passed, had been both to confirm that he was right and to buy time for Union Jack. 
In his mock battle against Marie, he’d prepared this skill during the break between the ninth and tenth battles. 
Rook wondered how he’d go about buying the time during an actual battle, but in this one, he had been able to do it thanks to his conversational skills and a bit of planning. 
“As you may have noticed already, La Porte de l’Enfer has no effect on me anymore,” he added. 
Indeed, upon becoming the Dragon-Devil-Man, Rook had been freed from the ice damning his left arm. Not only that, but he didn’t show any signs of freezing again. 
“Right now, I don’t count as human, and I don’t believe there’s even a kill counter for what I am,” he said. “So, La Porte de l’Enfer can’t do anything to me.” 
By merging with a dragon and a devil, Rook had become a chimera, and since he hadn’t killed a single one of those, the frozen hell was nothing more than scenery to him. Rook had escaped La Porte de l’Enfer’s judgment by changing his own creature type. 
“From here on out... our battle is merely a contest of strength, Hugo Lesseps,” he said. 
“La Porte de l’Enfer is meaningless, and you have enough power to match me all by your lonesome,” said Hugo. “I can see why you call it that. Very well, I’ll face you, Rook Holmes.” 
Rook jumped backwards, creating some distance between them. 
It wasn’t to escape. Far from it. He needed the distance to get the speed necessary for the activation of the most damaging skill at his disposal: Marilyn’s charge attack. 
In response, Hugo, Cocytus, and the Magingear got into posture. Unlike before, they weren’t going to use a Motor Slash or some firearm attack. 
Among her unique skills, Cocytus had only one that did damage directly. It was severely taxing in terms of MP, so Hugo had avoided using it in order to keep La Porte de l’Enfer active. However, as things were, he decided to prioritize preventing the person before him from getting to Franklin alive. He had become absolutely certain that his opponent was too dangerous to be allowed to go and support Ray. 
He’s too much of a threat, Hugo thought. It’s not about his power... He merely sees through people too well to be allowed to see “him.” I have to end him, here and now. 
What followed next was a deafening silence. 
It felt as though the very air that transmitted sound vibrations became Frozen. 
The Dragon-Devil-Man and the Magingear faced one another, not moving a muscle or a mechanical joint. 
Surrounded by the many ice sculptures, they stood so still that they, too, seemed like pieces of art. 
Suddenly, the sound of an explosion from outside the gate resounded around them, breaking the silence and the tense air. 
The two had no means of knowing what had caused it, nor did they care enough to find out. They merely used the sound as a trigger to begin dashing. 
Rook brandished the silver-coated dragon horn lance and sprinted with a posture so low that it seemed like he could scrape the pavement. He used Marilyn’s charge attack, which was empowered by both the stats he’d gotten due to the merge and the many passive skills Babi had at her disposal. 
The lance’s attack was now beyond the realm of Demi-Dragons, and it wouldn’t have been far-fetched to say that it could bore a hole in a Pure-Dragon. 
Tri-Horn Grand Dash. 
The Magingear re-created the left blade it had lost. But unlike before, it wasn’t an ice weapon. On the contrary — the distorted air around it made it quite obvious that it was a blade of pure heat. 
It was Cocytus’s trump card — a skill that took all the heat absorbed by La Porte de l’Enfer and transformed it into offensive energy. 
Purgatorial Slash! 
And so, the two clashed, finally deciding the victor. 
 
The end of the battle was witnessed by only three people — Kasumi, Io, and Fujinon. 
“Ah...” 
What they saw after the clash was Rook, lying down on the pavement. 
The two’s most lethal attacks met, and the Dragon-Devil-Man reached his limit before his lance could completely pierce the Magingear’s cockpit. The deadly damage he’d received had caused the transformation to be undone, so Babi and Marilyn were lying nearby. 
Rook was wounded all over. 
“Looks like... I didn’t have the power to win,” he said. 
Though many would argue that he’d simply been unlucky. If the Masters defeated by La Porte de l’Enfer hadn’t included Bishmal, the kingdom’s strongest fire user, the heat absorbed wouldn’t have been nearly as great, and the power of the Purgatorial Slash would’ve been significantly lower. 
If that had been the case, Babi’s resistances and the Demi-Dragon-surpassing stats would’ve made it possible for him to bear the attack. 
“Mh...” Hugo silently examined the damage on his Magingear, as it certainly hadn’t come out unscathed, either. The frozen armor on the front of the machine had shattered, and the armor of the Marshall II R itself was crooked and pierced deep enough to reach the cockpit. 
Hugo had seen the tip of the silver lance that had entered his vision. If he’d been just a little bit slower in defeating his opponent, he would’ve surely gotten the death penalty. However, the Marshall II R was still up and running. If the Magingear Cocytus used as a base was still there, and he could still use La Porte de l’Enfer. 
As proof of that, Rook — having returned to being human — was beginning to Freeze again. 
“Next... it’s those three,” muttered Hugo as he shifted his gaze towards Kasumi, Io, and Fujinon. 
That slight action was the greatest mistake Hugo had made tonight. 
He should’ve crushed Rook’s head before taking time to analyze the situation. 
After all, Rook... 
“If I don’t have the energy to beat him directly, I’d like you to open the hatch... Liz.” 
...was a boy who always had multiple plans running through his mind. 
Following his words, the Marshall II R’s hatch quickly opened up. 
“Wha... AH?!” Hugo exclaimed in shock as he saw a gathering of silver-colored liquid metal on the button opening the hatch. 
It was Liz the Mithril Arms Slime. 
Rook had hid her existence from the moment they’d introduced themselves and used her while making sure that Hugo wouldn’t notice. Liz had been the very thing coating the surface of the dragon horn lance in a brilliant silver. She’d snuck into the cockpit the moment the weapon had pierced inside. 
Originally, the plan had been that she would just cut Hugo apart, but the heat of the Purgatorial Slash had made a lot of her volume evaporate, making her lack the strength to do it. Thus, all Liz could do was press the button to the Marshall II R’s hatch. 
However, that was more than enough. After all, with the hatch open, nothing was separating Hugo and Rook’s group... 
“Male Temptation.” 
“Lilim Temptation.” 
...letting the Pimp and the succubus do what they did best. 
“Checkmate,” Rook proclaimed. With those words, the battle of the western gate was ended.