"RUMBLE!"
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As the deafening roar echoed through the secret passage, the ancient cracks that had spread across the walls began to surge outward from Fron's breakthrough point, branching out like a spider's web.
Then came a series of sharp, splintering noises as countless fragments burst apart. Even the anti-magic coating was shattered, its protective properties nullified by the mixed attributes of Fron's ultimate attack, leaving it completely pierced through.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter…"
Falling debris and dust rained down, covering Fron's black cloak in a thin layer of decay-stained powder.
He looked at the gaping hole he had just blasted open, raised an eyebrow with a faint grin, exhaled heavily, and stepped inside.
...
As Fron's figure vanished from the projected image, the Evilus and Thanatos himself all stared at each other, wide-eyed and speechless.
Their faces were frozen in disbelief and confusion, but beneath that, deep in their eyes, was a flicker of dread.
Witnessing Fron's unreasonable, completely unrestrained style laid bare before them, Thanatos' heart gave a sharp jolt. A pang of regret struck him. He shouldn't have let that man do as he pleased.
But clearly, it was too late.
If Fron could break through the passage once, then he could break it again.
Now that he'd grasped the rhythm and the pattern, his pace would only quicken.
Just as Thanatos feared, Fron showed no restraint. In full view of the watching gods and mortals, the blond youth plowed forward like a berserker, blasting through every obstacle in his way toward his comrades!
Chills ran down spines.
"Unbelievable! Despicable! Barbarian!" Barca's face darkened and flushed purple with fury, his rage teetering on the edge of explosion.
But given his years of isolation and the closed environment, his vocabulary of curses was pitifully limited. He sputtered the same few insults over and over until he nearly choked himself from frustration.
"Now, now, that doesn't look too good, Barca," Thanatos said cheerfully, glancing sideways at the furious man with amusement glinting in his eyes. Inside, though, his thoughts were turning rapidly.
Barca may have been one of his familia member, but their cooperation was built on mutual need.
Back then, after the Evilus had been annihilated, Thanatos was one of the few evil gods who had managed to slip away under the noses of Loki and Freya. Only later, after learning of the existence of the artificial dungeon through certain means, did he seek out the descendants of Daedalus.
He understood Barca's stubbornness all too well.
Collaboration was fine, even using the artificial dungeon to wipe out the Loki Familia was acceptable, but there was one condition: the dungeon had to remain intact, or at least repairable.
Yet Fron's rampage was clearly shattering that bottom line.
...
"Boom!" Another earth-shaking blast tore through the tunnels as Fron burst out from yet another corridor.
"Hm? Blood?" The moment he emerged, his heightened senses picked up the scent, three distinct trails of fresh blood.
Enhanced by the "Reader's" blessing, his dynamic vision quickly locked onto the faint streaks of blood scattered across the floor.
He crouched down, brushed his fingers over the stains, rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, then narrowed his eyes.
"No more than fifteen minutes old. This direction, huh…"
He stood sharply, his form blurring as he broke into a sprint.
"Whoosh."
His black cloak wrapped around him, merging his figure into the darkness of the corridor. Under the pale glow of the magic stones, his shadow stretched long across the cracked walls, flickering like a ghost.
'This much blood… it's definitely a serious wound. An adventurer would be near death from this level. Damn it… don't tell me it's Finn!'
His pace quickened. Fron knew all too well, the remnants of the Evilus hiding within the artificial dungeon were nothing like the ones they'd faced on the 18th or 24th floors. Their weapons… were cursed tools.
And he was the only one who could lift a curse. Without him there to support them, if anyone from the team was hit… the consequences would be dire.
"Hehehehehe, run, Night Weaver! Once your 'Braver' dies, you Loki Familia ghosts will crumble into dust!"
Switching between surveillance screens, Thanatos let out a gleeful laugh.
...
"Fiiiinn~~~~~~n~~~~~~~!"
"Where are you, hmm? Hehehehe! Come out already, the game's almost over!"
Valetta's face was twisted in a sickly smile, her tone light and mocking as she taunted. She trailed lazily behind Raul, Anakitty, and the others, letting the monsters press the party from all sides while she watched their struggle with deranged delight.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Weapons clashed endlessly against the monsters' claws and fangs. After being chased for what felt like forever, nearly a third of the group was wounded, and that wasn't even the worst of it.
The real problem was that their healing potions were gone. Everyone's stamina was at its limit.
And Finn… was barely breathing.
A crushing sense of dread settled over them. Fear began to spread like a contagion.
"E-Everyone! Don't panic! Believe me, just hold on a little longer! Support will come soon! Our Familia won't abandon us!"
"How… how can that be possible?"
"I saw it myself! Bete was trapped by monsters in the passage!"
"And… Fron… he…"
"..." Anakitty and Raul exchanged a heavy glance. They had done everything they could.
But in the face of overwhelming power, they knew that the moment they admitted the truth aloud, their spirits would break completely.
Especially with Valetta still behind them, whispering poison and pressure into their minds.
At that moment, despair hung over the party like a suffocating fog.
...
"Hehehe, Finn, you bastard! You're finally going to die! Hahaha! After all these years, my wish is finally coming true!"
Valetta dragged her long spear, her voice trembling with ecstasy.
No one knew what kind of torment she had endured to twist her into this creature of spite.
Standing high on the upper platform, she looked down with a smile, savoring Raul and the others' last desperate struggle. The more hopeless they became, the brighter her delight burned.
"BOOM!"
Just then, a blazing orange beam erupted from the southern wall, lighting up the entire underground chamber.
"Step, step, step."
"Hah, just in time. Raul, Anakitty, everyone… you're all safe, right?"
Raul, Anakitty, and the rest froze, staring at the blond figure emerging from the crumbling wall.
"I… I must be hallucinating. How… how could Fron be here?"
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[T/N: Why did the first name that came to his mind was Finn, it may have been someone else who was injured, that means he knows cannon & that Finn will be injured fatally and is still doing whatever he wants~]