In the world of Azur Lane, Fleet Admiral Arthur Godfrey has done his paperwork. Things are fine and dandy as always. Arthur decided to teleport somewhere to hang out, but a summoning ring appears just before teleporation is complete.

From now on, the story is told in Arthur's perspective

Arthur: CURSE YOU AUTHOR!!!

Author: Hey! You are not supposed to interact with me!

In the world of Tortus, in Heiligh Kingdom Palace's meeting:

Pope: I welcome you to the world of Tortus. On behalf of the Kingdom, allow me to say what an honor it is to have you brave heroes among us. My name is Ishtar. I'm the Pope of Heiligh Kingdom

One of the students raised his hand to ask a question.

"Uhm, may I have a question?"

Ishtar: You may ask.

Student: Is that man over there supposed to go with us? *points at Arthur*

Ishtar: We didn't expect to summon one more person than calculated

Arthur: (It was an accident.)

Ishtar: There are three races inhabit this world: Humans, demons and beastmen. We humans have been at war with demons for centuries, both sides at a stalemate. But the scale tipped towards them when they learned how to control monsters, pushing us to the brink of destruction. To prevent humankind's fall, our god, Ehit, gave us the ability to summoned heroes with incredible power

Arthur: (Well, all I can see her is students who can barely fight in a war, even with their granted abilities. This god sure is an asshole. Oh wait, he actually is.)

A male student stands up and gives the class a rousing speech. His name was Amanogawa Kouki.

Kouki: The people of this world are standing on the verge of annilhilation, and we cannot let them die!. We were summoned to fight, and I say that we should help them.

Really? Really? REALLY??? Doesn't he know that war was never something to be taken with enthusiasm? Did this kid skip history classes? Reality's about to hit him hard.

His teacher, named Aiko Hatayama vehemently go against this. And one of the students, a bully victim who name is "Nagumo Hajime" thinks the same.

Aiko: No, I'm not going to just let you go like that! I understand your motive, but think about what they are asking for a moment. Your lives would be in danger!

This is when I spoke up my mind.

Arthur: So let me get this straight. You think going to WAR this a good idea? War is hell, kids. It's where you will have to take lives even if they are sentient like you. It's where atrocities run rampant. In war, the only thing that matters is "do or die".

Both Aiko and my words fell into deaf ears, as all but one of the students agree. Well, reality's is a sledgehammer, and they are fragile glass panes. Poor Aiko. Well, guess I should speak to her

Arthur: Hello miss, may I know your name?

Aiko: I'm Aiko Hatayama, and you?

Arthur: I'm Arthur Godfrey. You can call me Arthur. Those students are quite naïve, I must say.

Aiko: I'm at a loss of words right now, because of how right you are. At least there's still someone with common sense.

Arthur: Convince them otherwise is impossible at this point. I guess it's left to reality to confront them. Anyway, please to meet you.

Hajime: Uhm.....can we return to our old world?

Ishtar: That is up to our god's decision.

We then follow the Knight Commander, Meld Loggins to another room. He gives all of us a "Status Plate" so we can view our status. I decided to fake my stats because that card will explode if I don't do that. Meld told us, in order to activate the card, we have to spill a drop of our blood. Most students get a 100 in all stat categories with some skills and job class, quite high compared to an average joe. Aiko got the "Farmer" class, and Meld immediately sends men to contact the church. I got (or rather, faked) the job class of "All-Rounder" with a unique skill "Learner" and all stats at 600. Hajime, apparently, got the short end of the stick when all his stats was 5 and the "Synergist" job, a job that only use were to create weapons. His bullies quickly pick up on him, especially that "Daisuke Hiyama". We spend 10 days training before Meld leads us to a place known as the "Orcus Labyrinth". I use a pair of swords as weapons of choice.

Meld: Listen up! You will watch each other's back in the labyrinth no matter what! Help your friends no matter what! Got it?

Students: Got it!

Arthur: Got it. (Not as complex as Rimuru's labyrinth, but quite impressive nonetheless)

Hajime: You don't seem to be very enthused, Arthur-san.

Arthur: Well, duh. Would you be enthused when you are entering a place full of beasts?

In the span of 10 days, I made friends with this boy Hajime. He's an avid otaku and works quite hard in the library. I can only imagine his reaction when I reveal my true identity. 

We entered the labyrinth and work our way through it. After some time, we reached the 20th floor. Hajime was accosted by a big rodent monster before he was saved by Kouki (who got the "Hero" job). 

Hijama: Why bother with a sword while you are useless? Just let us handle things

Arthur: Oi. Shut your trap.

Hijama: Defending the load, fogey?

Kaori (full name Shirasaki Kaori): Nagumo, are you okay?

Kouki: You just have to work harder and keep training.

Arthur: Work harder, AND work smarter.

While we were talking, Kaori found a large crystal. Meld said it was a Glanz crystal. Hijama instanly climbed up to take the crystal, despite Meld's protests. Turns out it's a teleportation trap. We were sent down to a bridge on the 65th floor. On both sides, magic circles appear, from them rise a skeleton army and a giant horned beast belong to the "Behemoth" species. The skeleton army were not too big of a problem. The Behemoth is a different matter. It charged straight at us. The student ran away but Kaori fell behind. Then the beast was stopped dead on its track by Hajime's "Transmute" while I stand behind to support him. Not wasting any time, Meld ordered all students to shoot fireballs towards the beast. Things went well at first, until one of them change course and hit Hajime , causing the part where we and the Behemoth stand to collapse to the depths below. 

Kaori: Hajime!!!! NO!!!

Kouki: Hajime....Arthur-san..Dammit!

Meld: There's nothing we can do. We must leave the labyrinth

Level one of the Lower Labyrinth:

Well, I was okay after that fall, even though my clothes were quite banged up. Hajime is not so fine though. One of his hands was lost, his mental state was not okay at all. Kid was driven by the sole objective of going home, and he will kill anything stands on his way. He even went so far as to eat monster meat. If not for a sphere of Ambrosia crystal nearby, he would have been dead. His appearance changed and his strength and skill were improve after eating monster meat, one of them was "Mana Manipulation". Kid even know how to make railguns, make a prosthetic hand, and prepare to head out. Time to show up.

Arthur: *emerge from a random corner* Hello.

Hajime: Who's there?

Arthur: Relax, it's me.

Hajime: Arthur? You're alive?

Arthur: I gained some skills mid-fall so I live. You have it rough, haven't you?

Hajime: Well, yeah. 

Arthur: So what are you going to do now.

Hajime: I intend to go home. But first, I need to get out of this labyrinth. You join?

Arthur: Sure thing.

Arthur: Ya know, they probably think we are dead. Maybe except Kaori.

Lower Labyrinth, Level 50.

Hajime: A huge door. Things really get some variation these days. Not like I can tell the time.

Arthur: Wonder what is kept inside

Hajime: Well, only one way to find out.

The moment Hajime touch the door, the cyclops statues came to life One of them was red, the other blue. They immediately recognize us as hostiles. Hajime killed the red one by a headshot. The blue one proved to be much more a challenge, as its barriers protect it from Hajime's bullets.

Hajime: Damn, it keeps blocking my bullets. This is getting annoying.

Arthur: Hey Hajime, I'm going to tell you one thing....... I learned your entire skill set.

Hajime: Huh?

Arthur: Watch me.

I pulled out am anti-materiel rail rifle from my backpack and fire a shot that grazed past the cyclop to get its attention. The cyclops raised its barriers once more, thinking my gun is probably as powerful as Hajime's. It was his undoing. My shot pierced through his protection and pulverize his brain to mush.

Arthur: Never thought being a weeb and fiction fan would benefit so much.

Hajime: Wait, you're a weeb?

Arthur: Yeah.

Hajime: Well well well, guess we have another big thing in common.....

*Cue muscular otaku handshake*

We dissect the cyclops' carcasses to find anything of worth. There were two mana stones that we used to open the giant door. Behind it was a large chamber with some pillars and a cube at the end. Peculiarly, the cube was holding a blonde girl.

Arthur: A person being sealed all the way below here? How strange.

Hajime: What do you think? What should we do?

Arthur: I suggest we ask her for the truth. Ready the guns, just in case.

Hajime: I want to leave her alone, but since you are the senior one, let's hear her out then. Well then, why were you sealed down here, girl?

Blonde girl: I was....betrayed...

Those words hit Hajime's nerves.

Arthur: Unwanted flashback of that again, Hajime?

Hajime nods.

Hajime: Okay. So you were betrayed, and whoever did that felt the need to lock you up in here. Care to explain why?

Arthur: Better start talking, this kid doesn't have a lot of patience

Blonde Girl: The truth is, I came from a long line of vampires. I was gifted with great power. A gift I used to protect my people. But then, one day my uncles said I was no longer needed and he would rule other instead.

Arthur: So you are a vampire queen, correct?

Blonde Vampire: Yes. But they said I was too much of a threat. Since they couldn't kill me, they sealed me down here instead.

Hajime: What do you mean they couldn't kill you.

Arthur: It means she has regenerative abilities.

Hajime: Is that the "gift"you said earlier?

Blonde Vampire: That and I can also manipulate mana without magic circles.

Arthur/Hajime: Now we can see why you are so hard to kill?

Blonde Vampire: Will you help me?

We exchange glances with each other.

Arthur: What do you say, Hajime-kun?

Hajime: Let's roll.

Arthur: Alrighty. This will be quick, girl.

The sealing cube was quite resistant to mana manipulation, but with our combined might, it eventually gave way, freeing the vampire.

Blonde Vampire: *touching Hajime's hands* You are quite warm.

Hajime: I'm alive, so that's natural.

Blonde Vampire: May I ask your names.

Hajime: Hajime. Nagumo Hajime.

Arthur: And I'm Arthur Godfrey. What's your name?

Blonde Vampire: Can you give me one?

Hajime: Did you forget your name?

Blonde Vampire: I don't need that name anymore.

Hajime: Well then....how about Yue? Where I come from, it means "the moon".

Yue: Moon?

Hajime: When I entered the chamber, I feel like it was filled with stars, and your golden hair reminded me of the moon in the night sky. Sounds good?

Yue: It's perfect:

Arthur: Smooth talker. I can sense a ship going on.

Hajime: Hey! We've just met! It's not like I'm gonna have romantic feelings with her or anything!

Arthur: Yeah yeah, whatever you say....HOLY SHIT!

Several huge spikes were coming towards Hajime. I pulled out my pistols to destroy them before they hit him.

*BANG x 10*

I missed one of them. The spike impaled Hajime in the back, horrifying Yue.

Yue: HAJIME! NOOOOOO!!

Hajime: Urgh....That's painful. I might have died if not for Arthur keeping his guard up.

Above our heads were a gigantic scorpion. No doubt this thing was the last line of defense of this chamber.

Arthur: I guess this thing must be here to keep you in. 

Hajime: Take my coat. You have to wear something *Yue pouts*

Arthur: Ready, Hajime?

Hajime: You know the answer. So, gunslinger duo VS scorpion? Time to make this into our dinner.

We opened fire at the creature with all we have, but the scorpion's armor is too tough. Not even my rifle could punch through that thick hide. On the bright side, none of its attack had hit us so far. 

Hajime: We need to find a way to get rid of that shell.

It was at this moment, Yue bites Hajime's neck. Hajime transmuted a wall to protect himself, but the scorpion can do that as well.

Arthur/Hajime: So you can change the ground in your vicinity. Too bad for you, this is our specialty!

We gradually overpowered its own control abilities, and pin it on the ground. Yue has also done sucking Hajime's blood as well.

Yue: That was delicious. [Azure Blaze]

An azure fireball came crashing down on the scorpion's head, melting the shell at the point of impact. We shot at the molten part until our magazines its empty. The scorpion fell, its body laid lifeless.

Arthur/Hajime: Finally done.

Yue: Why didn't you two leave me behind?

Hajime: Simple. That was not my way of doing things

Arthur: I cannot leave a job done half-assed.

Hajime/Arthur: And we promise we will keep you safe from now on.

Later on:

Hajime: If I remember correctly, the vampires were wiped out 300 years ago.

Yue: Has it been that long?

Hajime: I guess it must have started after your imprisonment. Wait, does that mean.....

Arthur: Don't say it.

Hajime: Oops, sorry.

Arthur: By the way, can all vampires live for 300 years?

Yue: No. I'm the exception.

Hajime: Do you know where we are right now?

Yue: No. But I know that this labyrinth was built by one of the "Mavericks".

Hajime: What's a "Maverick" ?

Yue: They were messengers of God but then rebelled against him, and they intended to destroy the world. But their plan crumbled, so they quit to the safety of the labyrinth.

Hajime: And you think we are in one of them?

Arthur: That actually makes sense. No one would built a gigantic and hazardous labyrinth for no reason. Guess they're probably all dead by now.

Yue: If we go down to the bottom of the labyrinth, we might find a way to get to the surface.

Hajime: Possibly yes. If they can wield divine magic, I bet they would make a path to the surface without any difficulty.

After the conversation, we used the scorpion's carapace to made more weapons. The carapace was made of Shtar ore, a material that gets more durable when more mana is poured into it. Great material for those with large mana reserves like Yue and Hajime, and mine was infinite.

Yue: What was those weapons you are making.

Arthur: We are making anti-materiel railguns. Hajime's is named Schlagen, while mine is Deadshot.

Yue: Rail...guns?

Arthur/Hajime: Exactly. You saw my pistols & rifle and Hajime's revolver, Donner. They are powerful, but we still need something that packs more punch. That's when the Shtar ore comes into handy.

Yue: How is it that you two came down here? And how is it that you two can manipulate mana and digest monsters? Are you two even humans? What happened to Hajime's arm?

Arthur: Okay. Stop. Story time

One story later:

Hajime: Why are you crying?

Yue: It's just so sad to hear the story. Hajime is just like me.

Arthur: Don't be so sad. We are still alive at least. 

Hajime: While I still want to meet my classmates, I also want to become as strong as possible and find a way back home

Arthur: Hmm.....Hajime. Yue. I have something to tell you guys.

Another story later:

Hajime/Yue: You are a god as well? 

Arthur: Yeah. I was accidentally summoned here while teleporting.

Hajime: Can you send me back home?

Arthur: Yes. Although.......

Hajime: Is there something wrong?

Arthur: It's not like Ehit's gonna allow this. And Ehit might come knock at your doors again

Hajime: Can't you just curb-stomp him?

Arthur: I can easily do so, but I want to have a nice trip as well. Besides, this world has a lot for you two to learn, like ancient magic. They can empower you real good and help you freely travel through worlds

Hajime: Well, guess we will continue staying down here then.

Arthur: And keep this a secret, will you?

Hajime/Yue: We will.

Yue: If you guys return to your homeworlds, can I follow as well? I no longer have a home....

Hajime/Arthur: You could come with me/Hajime. My/his world doesn't have any magic, so it might be pretty boring, but we can figure something.

Hajime: Hold on. Why my world, Arthur?

Arthur: It's clear that she's more attached to you, kid. But you are welcome to visit mine, Yue

Yue: You sure?

Hajime/Arthur: *pat Yue's head, gently smiling* We are sure.

"Time to find out what lies below."

While the three of them are down there, up here, in Kaori's bedroom:

Shizuku: How are you feeling, Kaori?

Kaori:  I'm fine. Just feel a bit tired.

Shizuku: You should be well-rested. You have asleep for 5 days.

Kaori: 5 days? I remember we were fighting down in the labyrinth...Where's Nagumo? He's okay, isn't he. We save him.....did we?

Shizuku: He fell. 

Kaori: No.....it can't be true! I have to go and find him!

Shizuku: Kaori, where are you going ?!?!

Kaori: I HAVE TO FIND HIM! Can't you imagine how frightened he is down there?

Shizuku: Kaori, listen to me! He didn't fall down alone! When that bridge collapse...Mr. Arthur was next to him. He might be able to protect Nagumo. He's the strongest in the party, you know? So cheer up, don't cry. I'm sure everything will be better

In the Lower Labyrinth: 

Hajime: What the hell is wrong with these dinosaurs? They just keep coming no matter how many we slaughtered! And what's with these flowers growing on their heads?

Yue: I think they are kinda cute.

Hajime: There's nothing cute with carnivorous dinosaurs!

Arthur: I think the flowers are controlling their minds, Hajime-kun.

Hajime: Then we must find the source of the flowers.

We keep running hot on our heels until we saw a cave in front of us. Inside the cave, we found a dryad of some sorts. It was releasing parasitic pollen spores into the air, and Yue fell victim to one such spore. Under the control of the monster, Yue was forced to attack Hajime and me.

Yue: Don't worry about me! Just shoot it!

Hajime/Arthur: Seriously? Well that makes thing easier!

"Bullseye!"

The dryad was lit on fire after two headshots. Yue was utterly flabbergasted.

Hajime: You alright?

Yue: You two didn't even hesitate.

Hajime/Arthur: Well, you gave us permission, so we opened fire.

Yue: I think you burned part of my scalp.

Hajime/Arthur: It will grow back. No biggie.

Later:

Arthur: Do you want some meat, Yue? Oh wait, you are a vampire.

Yue: I can take nutrients from normal food just fine. But blood is more effective *stare hungrily at Hajime, lips licking*

Hajime: Hey, what are you doing? Why are you stripping

Yue: You tatste good, Hajime.

Hajime: Hold on, wait for a second!

Yue: Dinner time

Arthur: Aight, I'm outta here. Have fun!

Hajime: Don't leave me here!

Yue: A bit of blood loss won't kill you, dummy.

Hajime: Is this payback?

Yue:

The cave was filled with Hajime's scream of dismay.

*Timeskip*

Bottom of the Orcus Labyrinth:

We are inside a grand entranceway where crystal pillars line up in rows on both sides. This is the bottom, no doubt.

Hajime: You guys think this is the bottom?

Arthur: Probably. No room we encountered so far are this big.

Yue: Did anything notice that big magic circle over there? *points at the other end*

Hajime: This gotta be the final boss.

Arthur: Damn right.

From the circle emerged a hydra with six color-coded head: read, green, blue, black, yellow and white. The black head's eyes shine a violet hue, seemingly for intimidation.

Hajime: You want to intimidate us with that? It won't work.....Uh, Yue? You seem...frozen.

Arthur: I don't think it's merely intimidation. Must be mind control.

Hajime: That explains the tingling sensation in my head earlier.

Arthur: Get back, Hajime. I will show this thing what it means to mess with my companions. You fuck with my friends means you fuck with me, monster. Perish!

I emptied Deadshot's entire magazine. 8 shots, 8 hits. Beast is dead afterwards. Yue snapped out of its mind control as well. 

Hajime: That was.....anticlimactic.

Arthur: Why bother fighting the final boss in a long battle when I can kill it quickly? Oh, Yue is back.

Hajime: Are you okay, Yue?

Yue: I thought you guys abandoned me again.

Hajime: I'm not a fan of abandonment and betrayal. So does Arthur.

Yue: Is it dead.

Hajime: Can't be deader. Arthur killed it out of anger.

Arthur: Door's open, kids.

Yue: Will you stop calling me a child? I'm more than 300 years old you know.

Arthur: Relative to me, you are but a child.

Yue: Hmph.

Arthur/Hajime: (Cute)

Behind the door was an entire mansion, which is not something usually expected in a labyrinth. We spend a day inside to clean up, take a nice hot bath, find clothes for our party, exploring the area and have some rest. Next morning, Hajime woke up....with a naked Yue on his side. That boy didn't remember what they did last night. At all. And I think that's probably a good thing, since he's underage. 

After Yue dressed up properly, we went on exploring more of the mansion. The libraries and workshops were sealed, not even Hajime's "Transmute" can break, and I didn't feel any need to do so. After a while, we entered a circular room where there's a skeleton on the throne. On the floor was a magic circle.

Hajime: This magic circle is probably our way out.

Arthur: Let's step inside. Watch each other's back, okay? *Hajime & Yue nods*

The magic circle activates, and a stream of information started flowing into our heads. Then a hologram appear. It was the man who built this labyrinth.

Orcus: I am Oscar Orcus, the man who built this labyrinth. You have done well to survive my trials and make it here. You must be familiar with the term "Maverick". Unfortunately, I cannot answer your questions, for this is only a recording. I just wanted to leave a message to anyone who made it this far, and share why would someone rebelled against God.

Arthur: (The others actually cleared the 65th floor of the upper labyrinth this time. They have improved.)

Orcus: I don't know who you are and why you are here, but there's something I want you to know. I will give you my power. Use it as you please. However, please don't use it for evil. I hope you will be able to live by your free will. Thank you for listening.

.......

Yue: The truth of the world was just imprinted on our heads.

Hajime: The Mavericks....this was all a lie. They were no rebels.

Arthur: They were liberators who want to free this world from a mad god.

Yue: What now?

Hajime: My objective remains the same.

Arthur: I will kill him at the end of the journey. For now, I suggest we give him a proper burial.

We gave Orcus a small but long overdue funeral. That man must have been very lonely. before his death

Hajime: When I stepped on the circle,  a new kind of magic was added to my stats. It was a kind of Ancient Magic

Yue: Same for me as well.

Arthur: It was Creation Magic. The ability to give special qualities to materials by adding energy. In short, we can make artifacts. A big jackpot for Hajime-kun.

Yue: That's incredible!

Arthur: Do you want to learn it, Yue-chan?

Yue: But I can't use "Transmute", and you probably don't need it.

Arthur: Do you want me to grant the ability to use it?

Yue: I'm fine with my existing abilities, but...I guess there's no harm in learning Ancient Magic.

After we retrieved Orcus's ring, all rooms became accessible. We spent lots of time in the libraries. Hajime now aimed to get his hands on more forms of Ancient Magic. When we were done reading through the books, we went for the workshops to gather materials to craft more items, including a prosthetic arm for Hajime. After a few days of preparation, we head to the teleportation ring.

Hajime: Yue, our powers and weapons aren't normal on the surface. The moment we use them, the Church and other human nations will eventually caught wind. Even the gods might target us.

Arthur: *glares*

Hajime: E-Except him, of course.

Hajime: But no matter what, we will always have each other's back.

Arthur: Damn right. When we are together, nothing in this world can stop us. We will crush anything that dares stand against us, and finally leave this world.