This man-made dungeon, it had been in the making since the time of his ancestor… though exactly how long ago, they could not yet tell.
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More than 500 years!
From the cracked, timeworn stone walls, the seasoned adventurers easily deduced that chilling number.
Though everyone was alarmed, the senior members of Loki Familia, led by Gareth, managed to stay calm despite their shock. That, after all, was the difference experience made.
Tiona, however, still wore her usual innocent, carefree expression. Even in this grim place, her wide-eyed look remained as bright as ever. Tilting her head, she muttered after a long pause, "Hmm~ I don't really get what you're talking about, but it sounds amazing… right, Ais?"
"…" Ais, just as dazedly, nodded in agreement.
Centuries of history, greatness beyond imagination, an unreachable legend… none of that had anything to do with her.
In Ais' mind, as long as it was an enemy, all she needed to do was defeat them with her sword.
Everything else simply didn't matter.
Standing beside her, Tione crossed her arms with a look of disdain.
As a proud Amazoness warrior, how could she possibly be fooled by some cryptic nonsense from this gloomy man? Impossible.
"Could you stop drowning in your own little world already?"
She frowned. "I mean, seriously, you might be some creepy shut-in who hasn't seen the sun in ages, but you should at least know basic manners, right?"
Her sharp tone cut through the man's muttering. The gloomy figure paused, lifted his head, and looked at her.
"Oh, oh, oh, my apologies. How terribly rude of me." He straightened slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Barca, or if you prefer, Perdix. Hmm… either works. Names, after all, are just labels to me. Call me whatever you like."
Even as he spoke politely, his voice remained as dark and hollow as his expression. When he finished, his demeanor shifted back to impatient indifference. The uncovered right eye beneath his bangs narrowed slightly as he said something that instantly put the entire Loki Familia on alert.
"I came here to meet you all, though it's frankly a waste of time. But since I was asked by that person, I can't just let you destroy my work."
"So, allow me to show you around the depths of darkness… properly."
...
Without a word, Gareth raised his massive axe and stepped protectively in front of the group. Behind the helmet, his eyes were sharp and calculating.
'This guy... I don't believe he'd face us alone. Not even Freya's people would dare that. So what's he relying on? Some kind of trick? Tch, this thinking stuff really isn't for me. If only Finn were here…'
As he pondered, something caught everyone's attention.
At the center of the vast square room sat a small, inconspicuous orb.
The dim glow of the blue magic lamps made it nearly invisible. Even the experienced Loki Familia hadn't noticed it at first.
But then, Gareth's face suddenly changed.
Because in Barca's hand… was an identical orb.
It was as if… the two were a matching pair.
If Fron had been there, he would have immediately recognized them as a pair of linked magic devices, capable of transmitting magical frequencies to control mechanisms from afar.
Their function was simple: to activate a distant trap.
And sure enough…
The red orb in Barca's hand began to glow, flashing crimson in a rhythmic pulse, and then, the orb in the room began to tremble.
"Not good! It's a trap! Everyone, jump, !"
...
BOOM!
The floor beneath them suddenly opened wide.
An endless black abyss yawned beneath their feet. The entire Loki Familia plummeted into darkness, weightless and helpless.
Shock filled their faces, there wasn't even time to react before terrified screams echoed through the vast hall.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
They tumbled into the void, minds blank with panic.
Even Loki Familia's vast experience in dungeon crawling was useless here, no knowledge could save them now.
At this moment, only one thing mattered: composure.
Quickly, Tione and Tiona threw out hooked daggers tied to ropes, trying to latch onto the wall, but of course, Barca had prepared for that.
The walls, made of some impossibly hard metal, didn't budge under their strikes. Their blades left only faint marks before bouncing off harmlessly.
The sheer toughness of the shaft stunned even Gareth and the Amazoness sisters.
"Ais, it's up to you!"
Gareth was the first to react. The dwarf warrior's muscles bulged as he roared, hurling his massive axe upward.
Ais's golden eyes gleamed. The girl's lips parted slightly.
"Awaken, Tempest!"
A swirl of wind wrapped around her body. The next moment, the spinning axe passed just beneath her feet.
Ais stepped lightly on its blade tip, using it as a springboard, and shot upward.
Her bright golden hair streamed behind her as she ascended.
With her magic Ariel, the spell that granted fleeting flight, Ais soared through the closing gap of the trap just before it sealed.
Clang!
The floor shut tight once more.
"Hm? Impressive. I didn't expect anyone to escape my carefully crafted trap." Barca's voice echoed softly, almost admiringly. "The 'Sword Princess' of the Loki Familia, Ais Wallenstein, was it? Just a little girl… but it seems I underestimated you."
His tone was calm, detached, as though this had nothing to do with him. Even with Ais free and armed, the sickly-looking man showed no hint of fear.
Ais, her sword drawn and pointed diagonally at him, didn't underestimate him in return. Her wariness had risen to its highest point.
"Open the door."
Her clear, cold voice rang through the vast room.
"…."
Barca's exposed eye gleamed faintly.
"A threat? Heh. Sorry, but I can't allow myself to be captured. No… I must not be captured."
With that, he retreated swiftly into the shadowed corridor behind him.
"Stop right there!"
Thud!
But a thick metal gate slammed shut before Ais could reach it.
"Damn it… everyone, "
Her expression twisted with frustration. Then suddenly, an image flashed in her mind.
'If it were Fron… what would he do in a situation like this?'
Meanwhile, far below, in a far worse predicament, Fron himself had already begun to act.
"Fire Bolt!"