The [Ferocious Wolf]'s roar was like a violent hurricane, sweeping away all obstacles in the path ahead.
This was by no means an exaggerated description, Bete's blazing kicks were like thunderbolts, crashing into the monster-formed wall.
The dazzling horde of monsters was directly smashed apart by his explosive strength. The wreckage turned into countless broken fragments, scattered and drifting in all directions.
"Don't get left behind by Bete! Push forward in one go!", Aki stood at the front line, raising her arm and shouting loudly, commanding the adventurers of the [Loki Familia] to closely follow behind Bete.
Bete was like a sharp wedge, splitting open the enemy formation, while the [Noble Cat] swung her sharp sword, following right after. She moved along the path Bete carved open like a flowing wind, sweeping through all the monsters that slipped through.
Even if there was an occasional oversight, other adventurers swiftly filled the gaps. Each one at least a Level 3 high-ranking adventurer, moving nimbly and tightly in formation, using skilled swordsmanship and agile movements to slaughter all monsters in front of them.
The team was like a precisely operating war machine, with everyone closely cooperating, trampling over the fallen monster remains, countless glittering magic stones, and dust that filled the air. The clanging of their war boots striking the stone floor sounded like a passionate march of war.
The assault team had already begun fighting the moment they used the "key" to open the adamantine gate. Without a moment's hesitation, they charged at full speed, storming into the man-made labyrinth.
Finn had long since informed every participant of the combat operation, this was not just a force reconnaissance, but a full-scale raid.
The top two priority objectives:
1. Locate the "Fallen Spirit."
2. Capture the enemy mastermind.
The enemy masterminds included Barca, presumed to be fully responsible for designing the man-made labyrinth, and the god Thanatos of the Evilus remnants.
Whether it be living beings or organizations, as long as you control the body's structure and then crush its head, it will no longer pose a threat.
Finn had emphasized that the key to the assault was "speed." The enemy must not be given a chance to regroup or even counterattack. This offensive must completely shake the foundation of the Evilus and deliver them a fatal blow.
Thundering footsteps continuously echoed through the labyrinth corridors. The roars of battle and the crisp clashes of blades rang in all directions.
"Bete, match our pace!", Aki shouted toward the continuously charging Bete up ahead.
"You got a new weapon, right? Kill faster and catch up!"
"You petty werewolf, still brooding over that?", The first-tier weapon in Aki's hand was called [Water Sever], a finely crafted longsword with a slender blade that gleamed with a cold light.
It was made by Emiya using materials dropped from a reinforced-type unicorn fish Tiona had defeated, and was named for its powerful sharpness.
Bete had lost to Tione in rock-paper-scissors last time and didn't get Emiya's order, he was still bitter about it to this day.
Aki, holding [Water Sever], charged toward a group of man-eating flower monsters. The blade drew a silver arc through the air, carrying a sharp gust like a slicing stream of water, slashing toward the snarling monsters.
The man-eating flowers let out shrill roars. Green vines pounced at her like venomous snakes, but in front of [Water Sever], they were like fragile twigs, easily cut down.
"The scent of humans is drifting in!", Bete roared while running.
"I know!", Aki, also a beastman, shouted back.
Just then, a giant adamantine gate beside them suddenly trembled with a deep rumble. The heavy door slowly opened, and a group of Evilus members wielding cursed tools rushed out from the shadows. Their faces bore crazed and hideous expressions, and the cursed tools in their hands glowed with a dim light.
Seeing the sudden appearance of enemies, Bete instinctively paused, his gaze quickly scanning the oncoming foes. His brows furrowed slightly, hesitating for a moment.
However, in the instant of Bete's hesitation, Aki had already made a decisive move. She gripped a large magic sword and swung it outward.
The blade flashed with searing red light. In the next moment, a blazing storm of flames erupted from the sword's edge, sweeping like a fiery tornado over the incoming enemies.
The firestorm instantly engulfed them. The Evilus members screamed in agony within the flames. Orange-red light shone on Aki's face, her expression stern and merciless, without the slightest hesitation or wavering.
The seemingly brutish werewolf, at this critical moment, was not as decisive as the catgirl with a gentle exterior.
Under her lead, the surrounding adventurers raised their magic swords, letting out battle cries, launching a fierce assault toward the gate.
In an instant, light erupted. Flames, frost, and lightning from the magic swords intertwined like a torrential elemental storm, utterly destroying the monsters and Evilus remnants ahead.
———
"Rearguard, quickly set up Pillars," Finn in the central command called out calmly.
After Bete and others broke through and opened the "gate" to the man-made labyrinth, Raul and the backup forces swiftly surged forward to reinforce.
They deftly placed large support columns on the left, right, and center of the gate to prevent the door from being remotely closed by the enemy.
These thick columns were made from extremely hard adamant alloy and white diamond. During preparation, Finn had specially commissioned the Goibniu Familia to craft these tools.
In other directions, Gareth and Riveria also led their units to install Pillars in front of their respective gates, fiercely clashing with nearby enemies.
Since the "gates" were made of the hardest metal, adamantine, they were all placed in extremely strategic positions.
After ensuring the surrounding area was secure, the now-controlled gates became temporary strongholds. The adventurers used them as centers, sending mapmakers to explore in all directions, gradually mapping the labyrinth onto charts.
"Magic swords, clear the way! Magic swords, clear the way! Magic swords, clear the way!", Tione shouted, "Don't let any enemies get close!"
"Damn it, fighting like this, we're gonna get addicted to these luxurious habits...", Though complaining, every adventurer had an excited look, gripping their magic swords tightly, continuously unleashing attacks.
E-series magic swords (made by Emiya), W-series (made by Welf), and T-series (made by Tsubaki), all had power rivaling or even surpassing mages' magic.
Using these swords to unleash firepower without restraint, the adventurers felt their sense of money shaking.
Even Airmid and Liliruca, usually healers, were now actively wielding magic swords in combat.
However, there were still crazed enemies who broke through the lines and successfully attacked [Loki Familia] adventurers.
These remnants were mostly low-level individuals, at most Level 2, but their weapons were cursed tools, one wound from them could plunge any adventurer into crisis.
Once the black blade cut an adventurer's skin, it would instantly inflict an incurable wound.
The previous offensive was halted midway for this very reason. Top combatants like Gareth were harmed by cursed weapons, their strength greatly diminished, falling into exhaustion.
Their expressions resembled a kind of deathly fanaticism, each person's eyes bloodshot as they screamed madly, even rushing at adventurers wielding magic swords without hesitation, just to deliver one last cursed strike before dying.
However—
"[Dia Fratel]"
With a gentle voice, a diamond-shaped magic circle rapidly spread across the ground. Pure white light rose from it, illuminating the battlefield like daylight.
Beautiful white radiance surged and quickly filled the area. As the light swept through, the wounds of [Loki Familia] adventurers began healing, even the incurable injuries from cursed blades gradually faded away.
The adventurers let out joyful cheers, while the Evilus remnants stared in shock and disbelief.
Airmid's "magic" could heal everything.
This wasn't a metaphor. She could heal wounds, restore stamina, and even remove "abnormal statuses" and "curses."
Even the city's strongest mage Riveria couldn't match Airmid in healing without activating her fourth-tier magic.
At this moment, Airmid stood in the battlefield center in pure white robes, like a saint. Her two accompanying healer girls stood by her side, eyes closed in meditation, conserving magical energy.
Just as her title [Saintess of the Battlefield] suggested, Airmid alone stabilized the entire front line.
"I'll treat all the wounded and destroy every curse. So please, fight without distraction."
"As expected of you, Airmid!", Tiona shouted, swinging her greatsword to shatter a demon statue and its built-in surveillance device.
———
"Another 'Eye's' view was forcibly cut off," Recalling the adventurer's intense glare right before it broke, Thanatos sighed.
"Enemies have invaded the northeast, southeast, and southwest of the first layer," a follower urgently reported.
"The assault speed is too fast! All deployed monsters and soldiers are defeated!", another added in panic.
"They've already reached the second layer? What kind of joke is this! What are our people doing?"
This deep hall was the base of the Evilus.
Now, all the followers in the central hall were in chaos, panic and fear unmistakable in every voice.
Thanatos looked down at the water curtain spread out on the central pedestal of the hall, transmitting visual intel from Eyes installed throughout the labyrinth, and muttered to himself, "Strange, where did those two go…"
Enyo and [Monster] Ein, these two main culprits of the city destruction plan were both missing, making the god of death vaguely uneasy.
"Lord Thanatos! We can't stop the enemy's advance…", a panicked follower reported, "Not just monsters, even the joint defense soldiers are falling one after another! At this rate, we won't last!"
"Didn't I give you the 'keys' for the frontline kids? As long as the enemy doesn't get those, we're fine," Thanatos casually waved his hand.
He had already retrieved all "keys" from the labyrinth soldiers, now stored safely in this very hall.
Regarding the current situation, his only concern was these "keys" falling into enemy hands, speeding Loki Familia's advance.
"But, Lord Thanatos, the enemy also has a drilling machine. If they use it to open the doors…"
"That's mainly for walls, not efficient for doors. The time they'd need is enough for us to do many things," The god spoke indifferently.
In truth, Thanatos no longer cared about Loki Familia's raid. He had already decided to abandon this place completely, using the labyrinth to bury the invaders, letting it serve one last purpose.
Of course, the children didn't need to know this. Thanatos revealed a slightly playful smile.
Besides the labyrinth itself, their most valuable trump cards were still the high-level fighters.
Two Level 7s, one Level 6 [Monster].
But just as Thanatos was pondering how to best use this power, a frustrating report came.
"Lord Thanatos, Revis has left the squad, she went after [Sword Princess] Ais. And Phryne has also gone off, she's looking for [Gale]!"
Thanatos sighed, "Just as I thought…"
The [Braver] must've anticipated this too, these high-level fighters, though powerful, were nearly uncontrollable.
Revis had her mind full of [Sword Princess] Ais, while Phryne, originally hating Ais the most, had since developed an obsession with [Gale] after clashing with Ryuu.
"The only one somewhat reliable is Ein…", Thanatos muttered, "But where did Ein go?"
"And that [Saber] I've always wanted, Emiya Shirou, hasn't shown up either."
———
[Labyrinth City, Babel Tower]
"Do we really have to stay here?", Dionysus asked with slight irritation, brows furrowed.
"Apologies, Lord Dionysus. I understand your concern for the [White Witch] and the [Grape Chalice], but this is a direct order from the [Braver] and [Saber]."
A male adventurer lightly adjusted his glasses. His presence blended into the surroundings, almost unnoticeable, but in fact, he was a first-tier adventurer of the [Ganesha Familia], tasked with protecting the gods.
"No choice," Loki spread her hands helplessly, "That Emiya kid kept stressing the gods' safety, now everyone listens to him."
They were all indebted to Emiya. Adventurers from all familias were eagerly waiting for him to forge their weapons.
In matters not violating principles, Emiya's words carried more weight than even the Guild president.
Dionysus was silent for a moment, "Still… I don't think it's right to keep hiding like this. The children are fighting underground with their lives, and we just sit here waiting…"
"Emiya has a point too. Don't forget, the Evilus have a history of attacking main gods directly," Loki's expression turned rare and serious, recalling the dark age when the Evilus stopped at nothing.
"Sigh… Fine, we'll go with what the [Saber] says," Dionysus finally gave a quiet reply.
In a corner of this stronghold, a Level 5 Amazon silently stood, eyes locked on Dionysus.
Elna didn't know why Lord Emiya ordered her to do this, but since it was her master's command, she would obey without question.
Loki looked out the window, from which the entire Labyrinth City could be seen. The night was deep, distant lights faintly sketching the city's splendor and vitality. A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Just behave and wait here for the kids to return in triumph," she said calmly.
Dionysus also looked outside. He sighed and gave a bitter smile, "…I understand."
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