Hime leapt over the monsters and entered the room.
「It’s Alpha-san!」
「The real Alpha-chan is so cute!」
「…Even if Alpha-sama is here, there’s no way we’re escaping through this horde of monsters」
Hime’s arrival brought sighs of relief from everyone, but someone immediately voiced the obvious concern.
I agreed.
Hime could probably escape by herself.
But in this situation, there was no way she could protect everyone and get us all back to the surface.
「Where’s Ayame?」
「She’s fighting a huge horde of monsters one floor above us. But getting here would be difficult for her」
So, all she could do was buy us time.
How long could we hold out?
I still had the Emergency Escape Device.
It was a one-time-use box I’d obtained from the Treasure Dungeon that allowed someone to escape to the first floor.
Using it, at least one person could make it back to the surface.
If things came to the worst… I might have to choose.
「Taira, take out the sleeping bag」
「The Absolutely Safe Suspended Animation Sleeping Bag? No, we’re already using it. More importantly, help us out here」
I said that while holding back the monsters.
「I know the situation. I was watching through the broadcast crystal. Just take it out」
Hime gave instructions while summoning bunshins to support us.
I took out the Absolutely Safe Suspended Animation Sleeping Bag.
Inside was the severely injured police officer, suspended in a deathlike state.
Hime placed her hand on the sleeping bag… and it vanished.
An Item Box.
Then, after a short while, she took the sleeping bag back out.
But the officer who had been inside was gone.
I got it!
「You’re sharing Item Boxes through your bunshins」
「Exactly. He should be receiving treatment at a hospital right now」
Hime could share the contents of her Item Box between her main body and her bunshins.
Items stored by the original could be retrieved by a bunshin.
In other words, her bunshins could effectively teleport items.
Normally, living beings couldn’t be placed inside an Item Box.
But someone inside the Absolutely Safe Suspended Animation Sleeping Bag was treated as an item, allowing them to be transported instantly like any other object.
「After seeing your situation, I decided there was no way everyone could return to the surface together, so I sent one of my bunshins to the hospital. This lets us send everyone to safety instantly. But keep this a secret, okay? If people learn we can teleport, it’ll create all sorts of trouble」
Even the carpet-type teleportation circle that allowed travel between two fixed points, which had been entrusted to Minister Uematsu, had caused an enormous stir.
With Hime, her bunshins, and the Absolutely Safe Suspended Animation Sleeping Bag, it wasn’t just two locations anymore.
They could move things instantly between countless places.
Even without the sleeping bag, simply being able to transport huge amounts of supplies instantly was already overpowered.
But by using the skill this way, Hime had effectively revealed its capabilities to the Dungeon Bureau.
That alone was bound to become a major headache.
Since EPO corporations were obligated to accept government work, turning down troublesome assignments wasn’t easy.
But then the number of monsters increased again.
「Shadow Beastification!」
I wrapped my body in shadow.
It had been a while since I’d gone all out.
While Hime sent everyone to the surface, I would defend this place with everything I had.
I extended the shadows and shaped them into two swords.
「One at a time! Form a line! In student number order!」
Hime shouted at the top of her lungs.
Shizuka-san, along with the police officers, lined up the students.
「～～♪ Alpha-chan, I have student number one, you know?」
「You’re later! Just keep singing!」
Still singing, Aoki asked during an instrumental break, only to be pushed to the back of the line because he was support personnel.
Sorry about that.
Little by little, the presence behind me began to disappear.
Kuro was sent flying by a monster’s attack.
The monster was weaker than him, but Kuro had to be getting tired too.
「Kuro, rest inside me!」
「Wuff」
「It’s okay. We’re almost done」
Kuro dove into the shadows covering my body, as if leaping into me.
Good.
The classmates, city officials, and police officers had all been evacuated.
「Mai, Shizuka-sensei, Aoki, and finally Tuna. I’ll send you to the surface in that order. There’ll be fewer of us left, so don’t let anything break through」
「I don’t mind going last」
「You’re not a frontline fighter, so stop arguing and do as you’re told」
Hime said as she placed Mizuno-san into the sleeping bag.
Shizuka-san went next and was sent to the hospital.
Then Mizuno-san.
After that, it was Aoki’s turn.
Once Aoki disappeared, his support effects vanished, and my body immediately felt a little heavier.
Only three of us remained now.
Me.
Tuna.
And Hime.
「Tuna, you can still fight, right?」
「…hmm」
「Good. Last push」
That was when it happened.
『Taira!』
Milk contacted me through Telepathy.
She should already know what was happening here, so what was it?
『What is it?』
『Mikoto-chan got in touch with Danpon!』
Mikoto?
Right, Mikoto.
Wait a second. Doesn’t Tuna always have one of Mikoto’s clones with her?
What the hell had that girl been doing?
This was exactly the kind of situation where lending us a hand would make things easier.
『And Mikoto-chan’s clone says she was kidnapped!』
…What?
Mikoto was kidnapped?
Leave a Reply