A moment earlier.

“What do we do? They’ll all die at this rate!”

Eri fretted nervously, stamping her feet as she watched the party fight the demon from a safe distance.

“Can’t we help them somehow…?”

“We can’t,” Yujin replied. “If anyone interferes with a trial—whether by aiding those undergoing it or attacking the target of the trial—they’ll automatically be considered participants. And if you fail a trial, you die. Without exception.”

“...!”

“Eri, you’re not thinking of risking your life, are you?”

At Yujin’s pointed question, Eri’s face turned pale, and she hung her head. Shia, equally stricken, stood frozen, while Hans wiped sweat from his brow, looking deeply troubled.

Meanwhile, Yujin continued watching the fight from afar.

Tiamat’s voice echoed in his mind.

『So, what’s your plan?』

“I don’t intend to let them die, but there’s something about this trial that bothers me. It feels too simplistic. Honestly, the ability seems closer to conditional immortality than mere regeneration.”

『You’ve observed correctly. That’s no ordinary regeneration. It’s likely a form of conditional immortality.』

“I thought so.”

『Perfect immortality doesn’t exist, of course. You can erase something entirely, use curses that prevent regeneration, or even conceptually kill it… There are plenty of methods. And right now, all of those would be within your reach.』

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything quite that flashy... Wait.”

Yujin noticed the demon fling Hugo aside and begin advancing slowly toward Mirien. The shouts of those around him broke through his thoughts.

“What do we do?!”
“Gods, please protect them...”
“Damn it!”

“......”

Yujin stood silent for a moment before taking a single step forward.

And then—

“Huh? Yujin?”

In an instant, Yujin disappeared. Hans, startled by his sudden absence, looked around in confusion.

Before anyone could react, Yujin reappeared behind the demon-possessed orc, who remained oblivious to his presence.

The demon rambled on, obliviously.

[You mortals probably thought this body was imbued with regeneration, didn’t you? Wrong. For this trial, I granted it conditional immortality! Any attack that doesn’t meet the specific conditions will regenerate, without fail.]

“W-What…?!”

[Hah! It’s absurd, isn’t it? You don’t even know the conditions, so any attempt is futile. But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll tell you. This body must be bisected, or utterly annihilated, leaving no trace. Of course, neither is within your reach—]

“Understood. Thank you for the clarification.”

[Huh?]

The demon froze mid-sentence, clearly not expecting such a calm response.

With a small smile, Yujin extended two fingers, then brought them down in a clean motion toward the orc’s body.

SLASH!

A thin line of crimson-black energy streaked through the air, splitting the orc’s body cleanly in two.

[Wha—what…?]

The demon’s shocked voice rang out as the orc’s bisected corpse collapsed to either side.

THUD! THUD!

Beyond the fallen orc, Mirien stared blankly at Yujin, who now stood revealed.

“Wow, you’re incredibly helpful. Or maybe you were under some kind of compulsion to spill your own weakness? I can’t believe you just gave it away like that.”

Yujin’s cheerful smile only added to the surreal scene.

At that moment, a blue message window appeared.

<Congratulations on completing the trial!>

As the glowing text hung in the air, Yujin glanced at it thoughtfully.

“This feels oddly like a game. Is the labyrinth itself just a form of entertainment?”

The thought crossed Yujin’s mind briefly, but his focus quickly returned.

[This is impossible…!]

“Hm?”

A low, smoky voice emerged from a dark mist that began swirling into a vaguely humanoid shape.

Yujin recognized it instantly.

“Ah, a demon?”

[How…? Why is someone as strong as you here?!]

The demon Enkeos cried out in frustration, his tone that of someone whose carefully laid plans had unraveled at the last moment. Now reduced to a formless spirit, he glared at Yujin.

“So, where’s my reward?” Yujin asked nonchalantly.

[Damn it… Don’t get cocky, mortal. You may be strong, but—!]

Despite his anger, the demon was bound by the labyrinth’s rules and had no choice but to comply.

SWOOSH!

Dark smoke coalesced in the air before forming into a single, black horn, which fell into Yujin’s waiting hand.

The blue window reappeared.

<Enkeos’s Horn>
<Description: The horn of the lesser demon Enkeos, imbued with demonic energy. It can be crafted into a weapon or used as an alchemical ingredient.>
<Ability: Absorbs nearby mana or utilizes the demon’s stored energy. The demonic energy cannot be replenished. Grants a temporary boost to regeneration.>

“Not exactly an extraordinary item.”

Yujin guessed the horn would simply regrow for Enkeos, and given that the trial had taken place on an upper floor, he hadn’t expected anything particularly remarkable.

『Yujin.』

“Hm? What is it?”

For once, Tiamat, who typically lingered as a spirit, spoke from within the depths of Yujin’s heart.

『Don’t let on about me. If that demon realizes my presence, it might flee. I have a little experiment in mind.』

“An experiment?”

『Yes. Do as I say for now. First, you need to—』

Tiamat outlined her plan, feeding Yujin knowledge directly into his mind.

Taking it all in, Yujin smirked.

“Sounds fun. I’ve been meaning to try this out anyway. Let’s do it.”

『Good.』

Tiamat fell silent once more.

Meanwhile, Hans and Eri, who had fetched Hugo from where he had landed, laid him down beside Crom.

Nearby, Shia knelt, murmuring prayers with a desperate expression.

“Goddess of Healing, please hear my plea…”

Golden light poured over Hugo and Crom, softening their pained expressions as the healing took effect.

“Ugh…”
“Mmph…”

The two men slowly rose to their feet. Crom scratched his head with a groggy expression, while Hugo let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew… Thank you, Shia.”
“Thanks, little priestess.”

“N-no, it’s nothing. I just stood there and watched during the battle…”

Shia replied with a self-reproachful expression, but the two shook their heads.

“That’s perfectly fine. After all, we told you not to intervene.”
“Exactly, don’t worry about it.”

“Ugh…”

Shia made a pained expression at their reassurances. Meanwhile, both men turned their attention to Yujin.

“And Yujin… Thank you.”
“We owe you one. Really, thanks a lot.”

“There’s no need for thanks. If anything, I apologize for not stepping in sooner.”

Yujin’s modest words made Hugo and Crom exchange wry smiles.

“To be honest, I do feel like we got duped somehow, but since you saved us, I guess all’s well that ends well.”
“I agree. It’s a bit embarrassing to have been saved like that, but... more importantly—”

Their gazes shifted to the demon. The black, smoky figure distorted its face-like shape and spoke.

[You mortals… you’ve been lucky today. Damn it! And you, Yujin, was it? I’ll remember you. When you make it to the lower floors, we’ll see then...]

As the demon’s words trailed off, it prepared to vanish. Yujin, watching this, spoke calmly.

“Why wait? Let’s settle this now.”

[What?!]

“『Stop.』”

WOOOOONG!

A deep, resonant chime echoed, and the world rippled. The surroundings turned an eerie shade of gray as time itself ground to a halt.

Everything froze: people, animals, the air, the ground, even the sky.

All except Yujin and the demon Enkeos.

[W-what…?]

The demon’s voice trembled in disbelief.

[This… this is impossible! This is… Dragon Speech?!]

Enkeos’s formless visage twisted as it stared at Yujin, its ethereal eyes brimming with shock and terror.

[This can’t be…]

The moment the demon felt the Fear of a dragon, true terror seized it.

This wasn’t some mere mortal.

This was a supreme transcendent, the pinnacle of all living beings.

[A dragon?!]

“You’re just realizing this now?”

[How? How?! All transcendent beings aside from the gods are dead or imprisoned in the Tower!]

A dragon, standing unharmed in the labyrinth, participating in trials and claiming rewards—this was inconceivable!

The demon raged in disbelief, but Yujin merely shrugged.

“There’s an old saying: Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. And here I am, your truth.”

[How…!]

“Haha, isn’t it tiring to overthink things? Just clear your mind and accept it.”

Yujin turned slightly and addressed someone unseen.

“Tiamat, shall we?”

『Hehe, let’s.』

[Wait, Tiamat?! No, it can’t be—!]

Recognizing the name, Enkeos’s voice rose in panic. But before it could react further, Yujin raised a hand.

He recited quietly.

“『None shall escape my grasp, nor evade my gaze.』”

WOOOOOOOOOONG!

The power of Dragon Speech activated. Crimson-black mana etched itself into the space around Enkeos, forming countless overlapping magic circles.

Lines became planes, planes became structures, and soon they defied three-dimensional comprehension entirely.

[This is impossible!]

“It’s not.”

WOOOOOOOSH!

The spell completed its activation.

[ARRRGHHHHH!]

Enkeos’s smoky form was drawn into the magic circle, pulled toward Yujin’s hand. The black smoke coalesced and was absorbed into the demon’s horn, still in Yujin’s grasp.

And then...

<Description: A horn containing the essence of the lesser demon Enkeos. While low-ranked among transcendents, it retains significant demonic power.>
<Abilities: Can absorb nearby mana and utilize the demon’s energy. The demonic energy regenerates over time. Grants extreme regenerative abilities when channeled.>

“Not bad at all,” Yujin remarked with a satisfied smile. He hadn’t expected it to actually work.

[This can’t be… reduced to a mere tool…]

『Hehe, it seems everything worked out nicely.』

[What?!]

The demon’s voice trembled as another presence revealed itself. Tiamat emerged from within Yujin, her transcendent aura filling the air.

[You… you’re Tiamat?!]

『So pathetic… Compared to Yujin, who has just begun to ascend, you’re not even worth discussing.』

Ignoring the demon’s panic, Tiamat examined it like an unremarkable specimen, her tone laced with disinterest.

“Haha, if its rank had been higher, I wouldn’t have been able to seal it so easily,” Yujin chuckled.

『Indeed. Higher-ranked beings would have resisted. But you’ve already proven your growing potential.』

[How… how is Tiamat alive?! Wasn’t she dead?!]

Enkeos, still grappling with the situation, shouted in disbelief.

Tiamat glanced at the demon dismissively.

『You speak far too casually for someone of your rank.』

THUD!

[Argh?!]

Tiamat’s overwhelming presence, bolstered by her time spent with Yujin, crushed Enkeos further. Reduced to a trembling wisp, the demon could only grovel.

[M-my apologies! But how—]

『Must I explain myself to the likes of you?』

[N-no! My apologies!]

Yujin watched the scene with a hint of surprise. It was the first time he’d seen Tiamat radiate such majesty and dominance.

『Yujin, even tools like this can be of use. Keep it safe.』

“Of course,” he replied, noticing how Tiamat returned to her usual gentle demeanor when addressing him.

Snapping his fingers, Yujin restored the flow of time.

SNAP!

“…Huh?”

As the world resumed its motion, the party looked around, confused by the demon’s sudden disappearance.

“Where did the demon go?”

“No idea. I’m just as clueless as you.”

Hugo asked, but Yujin feigned ignorance with a calm smile.

“Well, the trial is over. Shall we head back?”

Though their expressions remained uneasy, the party nodded in agreement.