The adventurers stared in awe at the figures ahead, waves crashing in their hearts.
"Even the Freya Familia showed up? Th-this is… this is way beyond anything I expected! Such powerful reinforcements, and they're the Sixth Unit! So reliable!"
"[The King] Ottar!"
Once the Sixth Unit assembled and, under the command of a certain male elf, launched an attack without the slightest hesitation making everyone finally understood what the combat strength of a top-tier familia in the city truly meant!
It was well-known that the Loki Familia surpassed even the Freya Familia in group-combat capability. However, all of Loki Familia's elites and first-tier adventurers were leading their respective squads, five units in total, to maintain a balanced distribution of power.
But since the Freya Familia came as reinforcements, they didn't need to perform the initial tasks.
When Finn discussed the matter with them, the only mission he assigned was:
Destroy the "Fallen Spirits" and nothing else.
To Finn, ensuring even a single spirit's defeat would already count as a strategic victory.
But Fron delivered him an unexpected surprise.
"With this, from the six targets… and two already crossed out!"
...
The Fifth Unit's victory, paired with the Sixth Unit's arrival, reinforcements from the Freya Familia, acted like a powerful stimulant to all squads!
Morale soared.
The defensive line of the Treant's magic attacka had already been wavering under assault, and with the Freya Familia's entry, everyone shed the tension born from fear and panic.
No longer restrained, they fought with full force.
And the result was,
"GROOOOAAAAAAAHHH!"
"BOOM!"
Blades and giant axes hacked wildly at the huge pillars, inflicting massive destruction!
The three distorted faces emitted shrill screams of rage and pain.
"Heh, I thought they couldn't feel pain! So they do react to being hurt!"
"Everyone, keep it up!"
"Yeah!"
...
Anakitty held the Communication Crystal, displaying each battlefield to Fron one by one.
Seeing the progress on all fronts, he gulped down two bottles of recovery potion, wiped his mouth with his gloved hand, and exhaled with satisfaction.
"Overall, the operation seems to be going well. But we can't afford to let our guard down.The ritual 'Ring spell' won't end unless all six fallen spirits are destroyed. Destroying just one won't stop it, worse, with the remaining five, it'll absorb energy and regenerate."
Following Fron's line of sight, Anakitty and Amid looked toward the center of the hall, where the pillar was placed.
What filled their view was a mass of writhing flesh.
It pulsed like a beating heart, contracting, throbbing.
What made every adventurer present feel dread was that with each pulse, the massive chunk visibly grew… while its shape continued to grotesquely twist and reform.
"Regenerating using shared mana? There's actually a monster in this world that can do that?!"
Exactly, the altar Fron destroyed was being repaired using the supply of the other five Fallen Spirits.
"It's just like the true Dungeon… even possessing traits like this. No wonder it's so troublesome!"
Fron stared at the still-recovering "enemy," lips curling into a cold smile.
"Recovery isn't that simple. It consumes a huge amount of energy from the other altars. And that energy slippage weakens certain functions."
"Unless someone knows magical theory, they'd never notice. The mastermind probably didn't foresee this. Even if it can regenerate, destroying one pillar alone shifts the balance in our favor, like flipping the board."
Watching the Communication Crystal show how adventurers were gradually gaining the upper hand, Anakitty and Amid fell into thought.
"It seems… the three faces' magic bombardment have decreased a lot…"
Anakitty was sure this wasn't her imagination.
"It's definitely weaker. Compared to when we breached the hall, both the intensity and destructive power are way lower…"
The two girls weren't fools. Seeing Fron's expression, they immediately understood.
"Don't tell me…"
They snapped their heads up toward the writhing flesh at the hall's center, and finally realized.
"That's right. Just as you're thinking. In order to fuel its regeneration, the other pillars must divert a considerable amount of energy."
"As long as the 'singing' continues, the rest of the interception systems have to funnel energy into sustaining regeneration, meaning their offensive output naturally drops."
"Keep it regenerating, and with our efforts alone we can suppress the attack strength of all five remaining pillars."
"I see…"
"That mastermind definitely didn't foresee this. Hah, does the world ever follow an enemy's script?Especially when a genius like me is involved!"
Fron's face twisted into a wicked grin.
...
If Fron knew how much trouble his actions had caused the mastermind, he would probably laugh even harder.
"Worried the enemy might send reinforcements? Don't. They no longer have manpower to hinder us. Maybe… with the mess we've made, they're already too overwhelmed themselves."
"Anakitty, Amid. You two lead the squad and keep damaging the flesh mass. Keep it in a constant regenerative state, to buy the other units more time."
"As for me, I'm going to destroy the mana node outside the room on the fourteenth floor, and then…" Fron didn't finish his sentence.
He knew that besides preparing the 'Ring Spell', the mastermind also deployed a massive magic bomb.
That thing could blow all of Orario sky-high, but unfortunately for them… it had no defensive capabilities whatsoever.
In Fron's eyes, it was nothing but a dish ready to be served.
"So you think you're well hidden? Boring."
He just wanted to end this tedious farce quickly.
This clown's stage play… he had seen enough.