The brutal double-bladed weapon [Orga] whistled through the air in Tiona's hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Your skin is tough, huh? Heh! Here I come!!"
---------------------------------------
Town of Rivira, in order to resist the monsters, the Loki Familia began their battle.
The man-eating flowers had tough skin; if one's level was insufficient, ability values not high enough, and weapons not sharp enough, it was simply impossible to cause them even the slightest harm!
On the contrary, their terrifying tentacle lashes and the twisting of their enormous bodies brought huge trouble to the adventurers.
The first encounter with this new plant-type species caught everyone completely off guard.
"Boom-"
The Twin Crystal Plaza was destroyed by dense lashes; the shattered fragments of the surrounding buildings scattered everywhere.
A monster rushed into the plaza, and the others used this as a breakthrough point, easily tearing apart the adventurers' hastily organized defensive line.
"Ah… help!!"
"Damn it, these guys are so hard, our weapons can't even cut them apart!"
"Idiot, dodge quickly! It's coming again!"
Curses and screams mixed together, weapons and shields flew in chaos.
Defeat spread in a chain reaction almost instantly, forcing the adventurers to retreat step by step!
On the other hand, the frontline where Tione and Tiona were holding stood firm as a mountain.
The two protected Lefiya as she chanted her spell, only moving within a set range.
All the man-eating flower monsters entering their defensive perimeter were easily cut down in one stroke by their sharp weapons.
"Heh, see, I told you, it's all about the weapons!"
"Tiona, don't get distracted. Don't forget the losses from before, these things react to magic! We must protect Lefiya!"
"Bleh, I knooow!"
Tiona made a face, hefted [Urga], and charged forward, slaying a string of enemies in one sweep.
This scene left the retreating adventurers dumbfounded.
"[Crusher] Tiona Hiryute, [Jormungand] Tione Hiryute… they're holding the line."
"Let's go support them!"
"Right!"
And as [Braver], Finn now had the duty, and obligation, to stand up and reorganize the battle line.
"Bors, given the situation, let everyone follow my command in battle, no problem, right?"
"Ah!? Y-Yes, yes! No… hey, you guys should really focus more here, shouldn't you!?"
While running, Bors couldn't help but complain.
"Riveria?"
"This is a good chance to train Lefiya. I'll step in at the end."
Finn leapt onto a rooftop, gazing down at the entire town and the rampaging man-eating flowers, nodding slightly.
"No problem, this town can handle it."
"After all, they've already rebuilt it 334 times. One more time won't matter, this will be the 335th."
The two exchanged a smile, understanding the hidden meaning.
Indeed, with Riveria's firepower, if she unleashed bombardments inside the town, these wooden houses would turn to ashes in an instant.
They couldn't shoulder that blame, so unless Bors and the others took the initiative to request it, they wouldn't act, otherwise the aftermath would be endless quarreling and massive compensations.
…
With Finn's command and the overwhelming power of Loki Familia's first-class adventurers and magicians, the battlefront gradually stabilized, even showing signs of counterattack.
The situation began to turn around. Finn pierced through a monster with his spear, then nimbly leapt to the highest cliff at the plaza's edge.
He surveyed the battlefield, observing the monsters' behavior.
"Something's not right."
"What is it, Finn?"
Riveria, while keeping her eyes on Lefiya's fight, asked without turning her head.
"The enemies are surprisingly competent. Even under so much cooperation from the adventurers, they've held out this long…"
"And their purpose is strange. Normally, monsters always prioritize killing adventurers, but these things… they just use their strong defense to attack randomly, as if…"
"As if they're deliberately creating chaos, huh!"
Finn licked his finger, recalling the sound of a grass flute that had earlier echoed above the town, his gaze meaningful.
"Could it be… a tamer?"
Riveria narrowed her eyes, shaken, unwilling to believe it, gripping her staff tightly.
"This answer is rather chilling."
A horrifying possibility cast its shadow across their faces.
"Ah, if that's the case, things just got interesting."
…
"What… what is going on!"
Everything happened too fast, from the monsters' appearance, to the attack on Rivira, to the adventurers' defeat, it was all in just a few short minutes.
Following Ais, Fron and Lulune looked down at the scene in silence.
Compared to the shocked and terrified Lulune, Fron was hyper-alert, all five senses on edge, with a sixth sense warning him that they had already been targeted.
It felt as though unseen eyes were watching them.
"I'll go help too."
"…"
Facing the approaching monsters, Ais' hand was already on her sword hilt.
In the past, with her heart filled only with hatred for monsters, she would have rushed forward without a word. But now, the girl could acknowledge Fron's presence and communicate with him, proof she had truly grown.
"Mm, leave her to me."
After a moment's silence, he agreed to the girl's request.
Immediately, she became the wind once more, charging forward.
The two watched her departing figure, then Fron nodded at Lulune.
"Let's go. To the Crystal Street, it hasn't been attacked by monsters yet."
"O-Okay!"
Although the town was built on high ground, within the 18th floor's environment, countless intertwined crystal formations also grew.
Crystal Street, a spectacle of Rivira alongside Twin Crystal Plaza, a beautiful illusionary road.
Towering azure crystals lined the way, the street so intricate that countless intersections could be seen at a glance, densely packed residences enclosing the narrow passageways.
On both sides, the crystal walls reflected their figures like mirrors, indeed, "mirror labyrinth" suited it best.
"Boom…" A violent tremor echoed from a certain direction.
The two stopped, turning their heads.
A pillar of crimson flame shot into the sky, dyeing the whole district in the colors of dusk. The crushing pressure rolled in, its glow painting their cheeks red.
As the flames pierced the ceiling, monsters could be seen annihilated in droves. An eerie phenomenon unfolded, the spell created a forbidden zone, a vacuum area where all monsters turned to ash.
"Th-That's…" Lulune stammered, unable to confirm, her gaze seeking the youth's answer.
"It's Riveria's magic. Has she finally decided to make her move?"
Fron also looked up, that spell far too familiar, stronger even than when he himself used it.
"[Nine Hell]…"
Hearing the cheers and shouts that followed the explosion, he confirmed Riveria's magic must have wiped out countless monsters in a single strike.
Step…
"Huh?"