Gareth and the others stood at the entrance of the room's passage, looking up at the gigantic monster before them. For a moment, they completely lost the ability to speak.
Their minds trembled, went blank, and fully crashed.
Even the experienced Gareth and Tsubaki, who were not encountering a Fallen Spirit for the first time, were not faring much better than the others.
It was simply that... the "thing" before their eyes was far too unexpected.
Their adventuring experience felt pale and powerless in front of this conclusion that defied all common sense.
And this Fallen Spirit did not place the intruders who had barged into the "hall" in its eyes at all.
The green flesh filling their vision writhed violently.
Toxic-looking red, purple, and black flowers bloomed upon it like parasitic blossoms.
Countless tentacles as thick as tree trunks extended outward, twisting in eerie motions.
Most striking of all were the three enormous faces located not far above the floor, what could only be called the "lower half," the pillar.
A monster with three faces, front, left, and right, each hideously grotesque.
Its eyeless features felt inorganic, almost like a "mask."
One face smiled.
One raged.
One sighed.
Perhaps someone with a twisted mind might inexplicably feel excited upon seeing this sight… but clearly, none of the adventurers present had such a peculiar hobby.
On the contrary… they were so overwhelmed by this incomprehensible scene that their ability to think had been completely shattered.
Its thick lips were stained a deep red, and the massive size of each face created a thoroughly revolting visual impact.
Ugly, and enormous faces.
So hideous that the adventurers felt an unbearable disgust rising within them.
No matter what words they used, they all felt powerless to describe this ugliness, distortion, and evil.
Language was too pale before it. Reading a description and facing it directly with one's own eyes were two completely different sensations.
Even these experienced adventurers of Orario could not suppress their nausea and revulsion.
"This thing sure is disgusting… it's just too unusual!"
Seeing this never-before-seen mutant species, Gareth shuddered abruptly. Goosebumps rose along his arms as he instinctively touched his thick hair.
Even as a Level 6 adventurer, Gareth could not endure the hideous posture of the creature. His scalp tingled as he spoke unhappily.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice, with the tentacles extending from the pillar, it essentially formed a three-faced, multi-armed entity.
A three-faced monster that swept away its foes with massive tentacles, mocking, furious, lamenting.
This was the full appearance of the lower half of the Pillar.
"'Jewel Fetus' parasitizing a Giant Treant…! And judging by the look of it, it's attached to three of them at once!"
Gareth frowned deeply as he looked at the absurd mutant in front of them, naming the type of monster he believed it to be.
The Fallen Spirit they faced on the 59th floor had parasitized a Plant.
This Giant treant, boasting an equally extraordinary size, should originally have been a stationary monster with no means of movement.
Most likely, it had been deliberately offered by the mastermind as a "sacrifice".
And as for the Fallen Spirit,
"Although this thing is definitely disgusting… if I'm not mistaken, the core should be in the upper… torso, right?"
...
At another location, the Fifth Squad.
Like Gareth's group, having reached their designated point, Anakitty and Amid looked up sharply, expressions tense.
Within the enormous green pillar towering above them, so large that they had to crane their heads back to see, the spirit body was there.
"Yeah, as expected, the upper-body 'Fallen Spirit' is the core. Speaking of which… the parasitized lower body is nothing more than a piece of equipment it's using to attach itself and augment its combat ability. Mm… it might even be supplying life force for the main body's growth."
Fron made a cold joke with an expressionless face.
Especially when facing such a horrifying, oppressive monster far beyond common sense,
[Ancient Ruins Power, Promised Earth, Sky's Salvation, by the divine precepts I summon thee, ]
The one singing this beautiful yet destructive melody was a female upper body, only from the abdomen upward, standing 3 meters tall.
Her skin was a pale green, her eyes a murky gold.
Her long green hair swayed like the writhing green flesh below, beautifully unsettling.
"The true body of the 'Fallen Spirit'…! Just like you predicted, Fron. It's singing the ritual.!"
The massive female form, derived from the pillar's mass of flesh, sang toward the ground.
Her eyes carried a "pure" longing, as if she could hardly wait to finally see the sky she so desperately yearned for.
Like an innocent child desiring a toy, as she was about to get it.
Filthy, twisted, yet pure and sacred.
Two completely unrelated qualities appearing together on this monster.
That awkward combination created a feeling like being thrown into a spinning machine, an unbearable discomfort that made everyone's stomach churn.
"Fron, our objective is to knock that thing down, right?"
"Ah, that's the truth of it. Though saying it is easy, doing it… is another matter entirely."
Through his senses, he clearly felt the monstrous pressure of the power surging inside it.
When he looked again… Fron's eyes were filled with wariness.
'This thing's power… it must have already accumulated to the very top of Level 7, just a step away from breaking into Level 8.
And this is just one. If… my guess is right, and the Spirits forming the ritual can share and borrow each other's strength, then…'
Thinking this far, even Fron felt a ripple of fear.
This wasn't the power of someone who had just stepped into Level 8.
And one must not forget… its primary attack method was Spirit Magic.
A casual strike from it would be equivalent to a Level 6 attack.
"Hu-"