Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 29

Chapter 29: The Awakened One’s Resolve

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Monsters poured out from the new dungeon. Mimimi froze, her mind going blank as she fled in pure terror. There were so many of them that she no longer had the luxury of even recognizing what kinds of monsters were there. Even for an Awakened, whose very existence was said to revolve around diving into dungeons and fighting monsters, suppressing fear once it had taken root was an almost impossible task.

“Hang in there! The entrance is just ahead!”

As they ran, more and more Awakened from various places gathered, forming a large group.

But Mimimi only realized this when she saw the swirling light of the dungeon entrance.

Is it really okay to just keep running?

That doubt crept into Mimimi’s mind, perhaps as a devil’s whisper. What would happen if they ran away and let the monsters escape outside? There were no countermeasures in place near the entrance yet. Though other dungeons might have had simple prefab structure, one that was shaped like a convenience store, but in actuality, those buildings had anti-Overload measures in place. Even if monsters overflowed, a special barrier had been constructed to keep them from escaping immediately, buying enough time for nearby residents to evacuate. But outside this newly emerged dungeon, no such measures existed yet.

If the monsters got out just like this… Something terrible would happen.

“Uuuhhh—!!”

Mimimi skidded to a stop.

“Mimimi!”

“What are you doing!?”

“We can’t let the monsters get outside like this!”

Mimimi shouted in response to Yune and the others’ questions, making sure the other Awakened could hear. She needed them to realize what was at stake.

“This place hasn’t been reinforced against an Overload yet!”

“Th-that’s…”

“But…”

A newly-born dungeon causing an Overload had never been recorded domestically. That was likely part of the reason construction had been delayed, but even so, could they really afford to ignore the crisis unfolding right before their eyes?

“I am Mimimi Amanogawa(Mio Ayukawa)! I swore never to betray my name!”

To live beautifully, without betraying her own name. That was the decision she had made. Even if no one else acted, she would. With that resolve, she raised her great shield.

“Now you’re just being reckless!”

Yune and the others shouted, but Mimimi’s determination did not waver and there were those who responded to that determination.

“Shield bearers! Line up and form a wall!”

“Yeah!”

“Support and healers, stay in the back no matter what! Attackers, prioritize striking from behind the shields!”

The Awakened who had been fleeing came to a halt, hastily forming a defensive wall.

“Ah! Thank you so much!”

“We can’t completely stop them. But we can at least slow their escape!”

The Awakened who had suddenly taken on the role of leader nodded firmly at Mimimi, not wasting any words.

“Scouts, get out of the dungeon immediately and spread the warning! Help with the evacuation!”

The wall of Awakened faced down the approaching monsters.

“Yinling, go.”

“But Yune—”

“We do what we can. That’s just how it is. After all, we were forced to acknowledge ourselves as Awakened by that person.”

Yune sighed dramatically, but there was a sultry edge to it. The Heiwajima Dungeon raid. For Yune, she thought she had hit the wall as a B-rank Awakened. She thought she would never again experience true accomplishment after the Heiwajima Dungeon raid. And yet, it was none other than the S-rank Awakened, Jiro Hasegawa, who had allowed her to feel that sensation once more. Mimimi had dragged her into a surprise collaboration, overturning the entire plan from its foundation.

The resolve of the strong.

Yet, the sense of fulfillment she had gained in that moment had reignited something in Yune’s soul—something that had been growing stagnant within the confines of her “idol-type D-Tuber” persona.

“A scout’s job is to bring back information. You’re not wrong, Yinling. Go.”

“Tch… Don’t you dare die.”

“I know.”

As she watched Yinling run off, Yune retrieved several swords from her item box. A flying sword user who wielded blades through telekinesis. That was Yune’s combat style. As a B-rank, she didn’t have a big magic power capacity, so maybe this wasn’t the most efficient fighting method. But the truth was, she was stronger using her telekinesis than she was wielding a sword directly. That was why she had been dropped from so many parties, deemed unsuited for long dungeon expeditions.

“But I’m not about to lose here!”

With fierce determination, she drove a sword through a monster that Mimimi’s shield had blocked.

“Yune-chan!”

“Alright, let’s hold them back as much as possible! Because—”

This is the duty of an Awakened.

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Rinko Samejima hovered in the sky above the Tama Lake Dungeon. She had traveled there in a high-speed helicopter from the Ministry of Dungeons and had just arrived. Looking down at the monsters overflowing below, memories of that day came rushing back.That cursed day, which upended the daily life she had thought would continue forever.

“I’m going in.”

With her beloved whip-blade in hand, Riko descended to the ground. Thanks to the Overload countermeasures in place at Tama Lake Dungeon, the surrounding residents had been successfully evacuated. But the situation was far from completely under control, and no one knew how things would unfold.

Just because people were safe didn’t mean they’d be happy if their homes were destroyed. No one would be happy to lose the memories tied to those places. That was why the damage had to be minimized. Ideally, it should be zero.

She would not let anyone lose anything ever again. Her whip-blade traced intricate slashing arcs, indiscriminately cutting down every monster in its path. It didn’t matter if they were hard or soft. She would cut through them all, but her range wasn’t enough.

Beyond the area she was fighting in, someone might be getting hurt. Someone’s memories might be getting destroyed. She couldn’t allow that. She needed to reach farther. Strike harder. Extend her attacks even further. That relentless desire had shaped the power she wielded now.

The power of water she had demonstrated in her battle against Jirou.

This was her unique ability as an Awakened.

Suitoujin-Water Phantom Blade.

Water surged forth, transforming into blades that slashed at the monsters.

Farther. Even farther. Following Rinko Samejima’s will, her awareness expanded, continuing to carve through the horde. She would never allow an Overload to happen. Her fury and determination sustained both her strength and her resolve.

And in the end…The monsters that had overflowed from Tama Lake Dungeon were completely eradicated by Rinko Samejima.

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