"Stop, turn around, prepare to engage the monsters coming up behind us!"
------------------------
"Ha!"
The group immediately followed the order, everyone quickly turned around and drew their weapons, setting up two tower shields at the very front of the formation in the first instant!
Absolute trust in the team's leader, no doubt at all, since Finn told them to do this, then there must be a reason!
From the fact that not a single person questioned it, it was clear that the overall quality of the [Loki Familia] could not be compared to other familias.
"Ais, the assault is up to you!"
"I understand!"
"[Awaken (Tempest)!]"
Fierce winds wrapped around Ais' whole body, her knees bent as she lightly jumped backward, and then she stepped onto the shield!
Borrowing the buoyancy of wind magic, Ais' slender body stood slanted atop the shield, her silver rapier held before her, a twist of her wrist placing the blade perfectly vertical at the center of her gaze.
"[Sweep (Tempest)!]"
--!
A terrifying storm erupted from within Ais, a violent gale that turned her entire self into an eye of the storm. As she fully controlled the magic, the gales pouring out shrank back around her body, forming a visible storm barrier.
It was Ais' magic in its second stage, unleashed at maximum power without hesitation!
"Boom--!"
Using the shield as a stepping board, Ais shot forward like a cannonball!
The roar of the "Wind Cannon" shook their eardrums, leaving everyone wide-eyed in shock at the sight!
...
At that moment, as if designed by a script, under Finn's careful setup, the monster horde turned the corner and ran straight into the trap!
"Pupupupupupupu--"
Whatever they were, under Ais' spiraling storm of slaughter, not even wreckage would remain.
"Damn, was I lured instead? Curse you Braver!"
When it came to schemes, the mysterious masked person was still far too immature when facing Finn.
Finn had turned the tables, completely ruining the masked person's plan, while also throwing him into crisis.
"Giant Worms!!!"
It had not given up yet. Seeing the golden-haired swordswoman completely engulfed in the storm, it commanded the worms to attack!
"Hisss… hisss…"
The worm swarm prepared to repeat its old trick, firing corrosive fluid in a volley to wipe out the approaching enemy, but this time, the strongest swordswoman of the city already knew their trump card.
From the very start she unleashed full firepower, the armor of storm easily deflecting all the corrosive fluid, slicing and disintegrating all enemies in her path, until she stood face-to-face with the masked person.
"Puh…"
A breeze blew past, and with their scalp tingling, the masked person leapt to the ceiling at the last second, dodging Ais' finishing strike.
Looking down at the worm horde completely swallowed by the storm, who could know what expression hid behind that mask? But surely it was disbelief.
"Impossible… how could this be?"
"Oh? Doubting reality already? Still, the fact that you actually ambushed us deep in the dungeon… I really had to put in quite some effort, you should be proud."
That cold, youthful voice sounded beside their ear. They snapped their head, meeting the eyes of Finn.
"Slash…" With a flash of the spear, an arm flew through the air.
In just one strike, Finn severed one of his opponents arms, once again showing why his title was [Braver]!
"Oh? So even among you guys there are differences in strength. I thought they were all like that red-haired woman."
"I underestimated you, [Loki Familia]!"
Spitting harsh words, the masked person retreated rapidly, finally being swallowed whole by a Violas!
"?"
They watched as the Violas that swallowed the masked person burrowed underground, attempting to escape…
Just then!
"[Extreme Cold · Fimbulwinter]!!"
Three roaring waves of northern winter snow and wind swept across the wide, straight corridor, turning everything into a frozen world.
"Ran away?"
Looking at the half-corpse of the Violas left behind, Finn stepped forward and muttered in a low voice.
"Forget it, no time to think about that now. Everyone, follow the path Riveria opened, onward!"
"Yes!"
...
Of course, the squad members fighting the dragons on the 58th floor with Fron had no idea that Finn's squad had been blocked by a Masked Person.
At this moment, the 58th floor had completely changed!
The ground was overturned, torn apart, with vast tracts melted by extreme heat , all caused by the breath attacks of the Valgang Dragons.
"The last one!"
Fron shook the blood off his staff, dashed a few steps, then suddenly leapt up. Both hands gripping his weapon, his descending figure shone like a black meteor, piercing straight through the last Valgang Dragon's chest.
"Puhchhh––"
"Bang!"
The magic stone was shattered, and the giant Valgang Dragon's body finally crumbled into ash, scattering into the dungeon.
"..."
The vast space of the 58th floor, aside from the melted ground and the bubbling magma, held only the heavy breathing of the adventurers.
"It's… it's over…"
"Ha, what's this! These guys were nothing special after all. Last time… how did I end up fleeing back to the surface in such a sorry state!"
Tiona planted her twin blades into the ground, hands on her waist, laughing loudly toward the ceiling.
Lefiya collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Her magic and spirit were exhausted and the pressure had also overwhelmed her.
Alicia smiled warmly, taking out various potions from her pack to hand to everyone, urging them to recover quickly.
"…Fron?"
As Alicia, her eyes gentle as water, handed the young man a potion, she noticed… the joy of victory after destroying the monsters did not show at all on his face. Instead, his brows were tightly knit, his expression grave.
"There's trouble, Alicia."
"You mean?"
"Ah… it's here."
"Rumble…"
A dense vibration shook their eardrums from the passage to the 57th floor. And then, countless worms, stretching endlessly, surged into the 58th floor in ranks.
"Th-That's… the new species? How could… how could the new species appear on the 58th floor!"
"Don't panic. Look closely… these guys aren't even prioritizing attacking us. Instead, they're targeting their own kin…"
Following Fron's finger, everyone noticed it too, the freshly spawned Valgang Dragons, Wyverns had barely appeared before being weakened by the new species' ranged corrosive fluid, then swarmed upon, their magic stones devoured.
"…Could it be, they're hunting?"
"To think they treat monsters of the Valgang Dragon and Wyvern level as prey??? That's beyond a joke!"
"It's simply their natural counter. Those guys devour the magic stones of their kin."
"And the direction they're moving…"
"Ah, toward the entrance to the 59th floor."
With Fron's calm words, the whole squad fell silent.
Tione frowned deeply: "These new species… heading to the 59th floor… do they know something secret down there?"
"Who knows. Our mission now is to slay monsters, whether those dragons or the new species, and then wait for Finn and the others to arrive!"
"Understood!"
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T/N: Bonus Chapter for crossing 100 power stones; next one at 150 power stones~