Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"Ah, wait a minute!" Mash tried to stop Drake. "We don't know how big it is yet, so let's retreat first and then—" Before she could finish speaking, Drake reached out and roughly rubbed her head.

"It's alright, it's alright~" Drake said with an air of nonchalance. "Even if we retreated at one point, the things we need to do won't change. That's how it is when we're working together. Put away your model student side, Mash!" He then waved to Ritsuka and Nencho behind him. "Let's go! The treasure is waiting for us!"

"Ah, wait a minute!" Mash wanted to say something, but Drake pushed her deeper into the labyrinth. "How could you act so recklessly...!"

Ritsuka and Nencho exchanged a helpless glance and followed Drake deeper into the maze.

After passing through the long corridor, the monster hidden beneath the cloak appeared before everyone amidst purple smoke and dust.

"Very good, you've made your appearance so quickly!" Drake, with a knowing look on his face, drew his flintlock pistol from his waist. "Then let's finish this off as soon as possible!"

Nianzhuo shielded Lixiang behind him, warily watching the several demons surrounding them.

"This time, I'll handle the backup as well. Mash and Drake, you two will be the main attackers!" Nian Zhuo, with the Driver at his waist and gripping the Zi-O basic watch, decided there would be no more slacking off this time. "Of course, I'll still be slacking off—"

"Okay, I understand!" Nodding, Mash and Drake immediately stood back to back to fight the monsters on both sides.

"Haha~ This is exactly how adventures should be!" With a hearty laugh, Drake took down the leaping monster with a single shot.

Meanwhile, the demons that surrounded Nencho and Ritsuka were repelled by the Time Ring that Nencho transformed into.

"Well then, consider this a warm-up!" Nian Zhuo clasped his fists together, his eyes fixed intently on the approaching demon, and threw a punch—

The battle ended exceptionally quickly. These monsters that stayed in the labyrinth were dangerous to ordinary people, but to the heroic spirits, they were just free materials that weren't even worth practicing on.

but--

"Sigh..." Mashu lowered her head and sighed. "Really." Her hesitant gaze darted back and forth between the two paths in front of her.

Fighting their way forward, Nianzhuo and his companions have now reached the first fork in the road.

One side goes left, the other right. Both sides are shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see which way to go.

"Left or right..." Drake chuckled, fiddling with his chin. "My gut tells me it's left!"

"Um... Captain Drake, do you remember where the entrance is?" Looking at the road behind them, which had also turned pitch black, Ritsuka was still a little uneasy. "Or rather, is relying on intuition really reliable...?"

"Ah, don't worry about that." Mashu tapped the communication device in her hand, and a blue virtual map appeared on it. "Just in case, I made a record. Although I shouldn't forget it... it's still just a memory of going back the way I came. It would be terrible if we got separated."

"Ah...right!" Mashu had a sudden inspiration and looked at Nencho and Ritsuka behind her. "Master, and Nencho-san, let's hold hands! It would be troublesome if we got separated here. If we hold hands, we usually won't get separated, right?"

"Ugh~" Ritsuka couldn't help but scratch her cheek, her gaze shifting back and forth between Nencho and Mashu. "This is a bit...making me wonder if there's some special meaning behind it..."

"Ah~!" Mashu exclaimed in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly but she still said firmly, "...Um...I understand how you feel, but now is not the time to be embarrassed, Mr. Nianzhuo, and Master. If we get separated, we might wander in this labyrinth until we die. It might be a little embarrassing, but this is just in case."

"Eh~" Little devil tentacles sprouted from Ritsuka's head. "So, Mashu really felt embarrassed because she thought of that~" Her gaze moved to Nencho.

“…N-no comment.” Blushing, Mashu shifted her gaze to the side. “Anyway, we have proven the necessity of holding hands and passed this decision. So, please forgive my rudeness.” She reached out and grabbed Ritsuka and Nencho respectively.

"Hehe!" Nian Zhuo couldn't help but smile knowingly to himself. "I knew things would turn out this way!" He squeezed Mashu's hand in his. Although it was covered by purple armor, it couldn't hide the girl's slenderness.

"...So, back then we were also—" Mashu suddenly whispered, "holding hands like this."

Needless to say, that was the first spiritual transfer they carried out amidst everything filled with flames.

"Looking back now, it feels kind of nostalgic, even though it wasn't that long ago," Mashu said softly. Nenjo and Ritsuka listened attentively without saying a word.

"Fu! Fu! Fu!" Suddenly, Fu, who was lying on Nianzhuo's injured shoulder, jumped up and kept calling out in one direction.

"Hmm?...Wait a minute." Drake looked in that direction, then reached out to stop the three of them. "...There seems to be a smell."

"What is it?" Mash stared curiously at Drake's twitching nose.

The words, "It's blood," instantly extinguished the tension in the air.

What I've always wanted to say to everyone (and what are some of the major events)

Yes, as the title suggests.

This book is now available.

There were no flowers or applause, and of course, I didn't need them.

I've already pushed it to Friday of this week with the editor, and I'm feeling a bit conflicted right now.

To all the readers who have followed this book all this time, thank you! It's truly all thanks to you that I've been able to stick with it for so long!

Did I make anyone laugh? Did I make anyone angry or moved by a particular chapter in the book?

I don't know any of these things, but I'm incredibly eager to find the answers.

Thank you for reading this far, whether you're already tired of this book or not.

From now on, I will continue to write, completely rewriting those endings that I do not want to see.

I will become more mature, but I will also remember the group of friends who have always been with me.

Thank you everyone, and I am increasingly grateful over the years.

Even if it takes a long time after the product is released, I'll be happy to see everyone's presence.

I don't know what else to say; I'm really bad at expressing my emotions.

Of course, I'm prepared to lose my favorites.

But I still want to say thank you to whoever read this far, and see you later.

I hope that in these few hundred chapters, I can bring you some joy, whether it's temporary or long-lasting.

Let's at least wave and laugh happily when we part ways!

If you choose to walk with me, then let us hold hands and head towards a future I do not know.

I am still Exia, an immature child.

Please give me your guidance.

Emerging from the maze

Sensing the tense atmosphere around him, Drake calmly clapped his hands.

"...Well, that's what I do for a living. I'm used to this smell." Even so, the smell of blood in this maze still made Drake frown.

"Look, there are still drops of blood on the road ahead." Mashu pointed to the ground not far away, where drops of blood, like flowers blooming on white paper, continued to extend into the darkness.

“It seems the other party’s injury isn’t serious.” Drake cautiously stepped forward to examine the dripping blood and sniffed the air coming from the darkness. “It should just be a scratch; the smell of blood isn’t strong.”

"This is the only clue!" Mash, finally seeing a glimmer of hope, gripped her shield tightly. "Let's go check it out!"

So, following the traces of blood they had finally found, Nianzhuo and his group moved slowly until their entire figures disappeared into the boundless darkness.

The bloodstains are hard to see, as they will gradually fade and dilute over time, making them even harder to spot.

But they hadn't gone far when the bloodstains disappeared completely, as if someone had wiped them away, and there was no trace of them reappearing in any direction.

"The blood trail ends here." Drake sighed, looking at the unchanged walls around him. "Looks like we have to give up the pursuit...?"

“Not entirely.” Mash’s serious gaze never wavered as she carefully searched her surroundings for any relevant clues. However, Mash suddenly gripped her shield tightly again. “Master, please step back. And Mr. Nianzhuo, did you sense it too?”

“Yeah…it’s such a nasty smell.” Nencho, who had never taken off the Zi-O basic armor, naturally noticed the aura coming from the darkness not far away. “Is it those monsters again? This is endless.”

Emerging from the darkness, the ravenous, mindless monsters reappeared before Nian Zhuo and his companions.

"Uncle, I'm really a little angry." Nian Zhuo drew the Time Gun Sword, stroking its slender blade as he murmured, "Although I'm not your uncle..."

"Hmm, Mr. Nianzhuo, are you not going to slack off this time?" Mashu's blunt words pierced Nianzhuo once again. "I thought you would watch the show for a while longer."

"No...you don't have to be so mean to me, Mashu..." With an awkward laugh, Nianzhuo tapped Mashu's head. "I was just monitoring how well you and Ritsuka were getting along before. Now that I understand how much your strength has improved, it's time for me to step back into the arena!"

"I see, is that so?" Mashu tilted her head, her clear eyes even making Nianzhuo feel a little ashamed. "Thank you so much for your recognition, Mr. Nianzhuo."

"Haha... It's alright, well, that's how it is." Scratching his head, Nian Zhuo was truly at a loss with this girl. "Right, right, those beasts on the other side are almost here, let's fight!"

“Well, just in time.” This time, Drake drew her pirate sword from her waist. “I was getting a little bored in this maze. Let’s take a break and sharpen the blade while we’re at it! Come on, bring it on!”

The mindless beasts roared and charged towards the group, and the first one was pierced through the head by a purple energy blast.

"What? My aim was pretty good." Blowing on the smokeless muzzle, Nencho-chan's Time Gun Sword transformed into its gun form, becoming even more smug. "The rest of the front lines are up to Drake and the others. I'll leave the instructions to you, Ritsuka!"

"A weapon that can switch between sword and spear...?" Drake stared with interest at the Time Gun Sword in Nian Zhuo's hand, the blade repeatedly piercing the throat of a beast. "I really want one of those treasures too. How do you get one?"

"Well... I don't think it's possible with current technology." Mashu thought about the technology of the Age of Exploration and shook her head helplessly.

However, the shield slammed a beast straight into the ground, and then Mash gripped the shield with both hands and hammered away the next beast that pounced on her.

Mashu's short purple hair fluttered as she unleashed a tremendous force that didn't belong to the girl herself.

The beasts screamed in pain and tried to escape, but Nian Zhuo and Drake, who were determined to eliminate any threat, took them down one by one with a single shot.

The last beast staggered to the ground, its body turning into a purple mist and disappearing.

The battle, another training session, is over.

"Ouch." Drake was quite happy now that his muscles and bones had relaxed. "Just like the skeletons from before, fighting non-humans is quite an interesting travel experience! Besides, these kinds of guys can die from lead bullets, so I've learned something new."

“No, in theory it should be ineffective.” Mashu looked at the faint gold attached to Drake’s gun muzzle. “It’s only because you are the holder of the Holy Grail, Miss Drake… I think the Holy Grail is also constantly fulfilling your wish that ‘shooting is effective against anything.’”

"Oh, so that's how it is." Drake touched his rouge-colored hair and pouted in disappointment. "So we still can't go out freely during Wild Hunt."

However, just as Nianzhuo and the others were talking, deep inside the maze, the girl who had started at the beginning sat on the shoulder of a huge black shadow.

"I said, it seems they're back again. I thought we were all wiped out..." The girl fluttered her little feet, looking towards the only way out. "They're really persistent. What should we do?" she asked the silent shadow beneath her.

The shadowy figure opened its mouth and seemed to say something, which made the girl unable to help but smile happily.

“…I see.” Patting his shoulder, the girl smiled. “If you want to go all out, then go ahead. But let me make it clear, I don’t want to break a sweat, so I won’t be helping.”

The shadowy figure seemed to nod, and the girl's silvery laughter rang out.

Where did it reach...?

What we saw in the maze

Thanks to Drake's intuition, at least until now, Nian Zhuo and his group haven't encountered any dead ends or similar situations.

“Hmm…” But Drake, having discovered this fact, frowned even more. “Even though we’re not lost, for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”

"An ominous premonition..." Mashu looked at the identical scenery around her and turned to Nianzhuo for help, "Mr. Nianzhuo, are you feeling anything strange?"

"...The calmer the sea, the stronger the undercurrents beneath." Pushing up his non-existent glasses, Nian Zhuo's tone was somewhat heavy. "So, it's best to be careful."

"Mmm~ no no no~" Ritsuka pointed her index finger and circled around the group. "I think I'll have a pretty good encounter, you know?"