The party had been under Leon's divine support the entire time, the Gate of Heaven remained running from beginning to end.
This time, it was Leon who had handed Behemoth over to them on a silver platter.
If he had chosen to act, this battle would've never even involved them. From start to finish, this was a favor from him and everyone knew it. Now, this magic stone was simply their way of expressing gratitude.
Behemoth's magic stone was enormous, far surpassing the one from Balor. Its deep, shimmering hue exuded a level of density and purity that made its high value obvious at a glance.
"Then I won't be polite." Leon said calmly, showing no false modesty. He took the crystal and tucked it away.
It was of no use to him personally but for Ellie and June, his two fairy companions, this magic stone would be an incredible gift.
Originally, he had planned to retrieve the Black Dragon's magic stone and give it to them after its defeat. But since that plan fell through, the Behemoth's crystal would serve as a decent replacement.
Still, it was a shame about the towering tree before. When it was destroyed by Leon's own hand, its remnants had been instantly absorbed by the Dungeon's self-repair mechanism. Not even a fragment of the magic stone remained, it had likely been reclaimed by the Dungeon itself.
Now that Behemoth had been slain, the group finally took the chance to rest.
Despite being bathed in the healing radiance of Leon's Gate of Heaven, the intense, prolonged battle had drained their stamina.
Leon floated above the battlefield and used his flying magic to craft a wide, radiant platform of light. The icy dungeon floor was far too cold for them to sit on, so this became their temporary camp.
Everyone gathered and sat on the light platform, chatting quietly, taking a rare breath after the chaos.
"We didn't find any useful clues on our side." Finn started the discussion, brushing some sweat from his brow. "What about your side? Did you discover anything?"
Leon didn't speak, but simply shook his head with a slight frown.
"No? Then is there really nothing here?" Tiona asked, visibly disappointed.
"We're in the same boat." Alise chimed in with a tired sigh. "Nothing conclusive."
As disappointment began to settle over the group, a soft voice broke the silence.
"Um..." Ais said suddenly, her golden eyes steady. "Just now, I felt something strange."
All eyes turned to her instantly.
Ais continued, "After Behemoth appeared, I sensed a subtle spatial fluctuation in this corridor."
"Spatial fluctuation?" Riveria raised her brows in surprise.
"Yes. I didn't notice anything before, but when Behemoth showed up, I could feel it. It was very faint, but definitely there."
"I was focused on the fight, so I didn't mention it at the time but I can still feel it now. It's moving, shifting."
"Fels mentioned in his notes that the entrance to the rift is not stationary. It's always moving. I think this fluctuation is connected to that."
"The rift that Fels entered was a space-based anomaly, right?" Ais concluded her speculation with calm confidence.
Finn stroked his chin in thought, then nodded. "It does make sense. The shifting entrance would be explained perfectly if it's linked to spatial interference."
Leon added, his expression serious, "In that case, we should investigate it immediately."
"Even if it's not the rift, any anomaly like this demands attention."
No one objected to his decision.
After resting for about an hour and eating some dry rations to replenish their energy, the party regrouped and prepared to move.
With Ais in the lead, they followed the spatial fluctuations she sensed.
"This way. It's still shifting, but I'm tracking it." Ais explained as they moved through the frosty corridor.
Eventually, they stopped at a spot deep within the ice-blue tunnel.
"It's just ahead." Ais said, pointing to a segment of the wall. "The fluctuation's still moving."
Leon said, stepping forward, "Ais, try injecting your space attribute magic power into that area and see what happens."
"Understood." Ais nodded sharply.
She stepped forward and pressed her hand against the wall, though interestingly, her hand landed slightly ahead of where she'd initially pointed. That small discrepancy confirmed her claim, the fluctuation was truly mobile.
With no hesitation, Ais released her magic.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the once-solid wall fractured like glass, and in its place, a large blue magic circle formed, big enough for two people to pass through side by side.
"A portal?" Leon's eyes narrowed. "Looks like we've found it."
"So it really was the entrance." Finn said, visibly impressed.
The others stepped forward in awe. Riveria moved ahead, clearly eager to explore the anomaly.
"Thank you, Ais." Riveria said earnestly as she reached for the portal.
But just as she was about to step through, a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Hold it. We don't know what's waiting on the other side." Leon said firmly. "It's too dangerous for you to go in first."
Riveria blinked, then nodded in sudden understanding. "Sorry. I got ahead of myself."
"Leon's right." Finn added, stepping up. "Leon, Gareth, and Bete will scout ahead. After that, Riveria, Lefiya, Tione, and Tiona follow. I'll bring up the rear with Alise, Ais, and the others."
Everyone agreed without hesitation.
Following Finn's plan, Leon, Gareth, and Bete stepped through the shimmering portal first.
A few seconds later, Tione and Tiona led Riveria, Lefiya, and the remaining mages through.
Lastly, Finn and the rearguard entered the portal.
Buzz!
On the other side of the portal, Leon, Gareth, and Bete froze.
Right in front of them stood a massive cocoon, glowing with pulsing blue light. The surface shimmered like glass, and a deep, rhythmic pulse emanated from it, like the heartbeat of a giant.
"So big." Bete exclaimed, eyes wide.
"What in the world…!?" Even Gareth, normally unshakable, was stunned.
The cocoon was twice the size of the Behemoth they had just slain.
As Gareth's voice echoed in the glowing chamber, the rest of the party emerged through the portal one after another.
One by one, their eyes widened in disbelief at the towering cocoon in front of them.
In the underground altar, Ouranos spoke in his usual calm, weighty tone as he looked at the group assembled below.
"That's the situation. What do you think?"
"If you're willing, I'll negotiate with Leon and arrange for your familia to join the expedition after he and the others return."
After receiving his instruction, Fels had invited Freya and to everyone's surprise, not just Freya herself, but also Ottar and the top-ranking adventurers of the Freya Familia had accompanied her.
Their timing had been impeccable. They had arrived just in time to witness Finn and the others fight desperately beneath Leon's Gate of Heaven, watching as the elite adventurers of the Loki Familia joined forces and brought down the monstrous Behemoth in a dazzling display of coordination and strength. It was a sight to behold.
There was no way Ottar and the others could remain indifferent.
The ferocity of the fight, the sheer weight of it, the kind of battle where every second counted and death loomed with every mistake. Only a fool would watch such a struggle and think there'd be no gains from it and those gains were clear.
Every adventurer in that fight, especially those already close to the pinnacle, were bound to return with tremendous growth in their stats.
How could Ottar and the rest just stand by?
After all, they were adventurers too, proud ones. Watching others blaze forward while they stayed behind would be unbearable. But there was one undeniable reality. Leon's Gate of Heaven had made that kind of reckless, high-output battle possible.
Without it? Freya Familia couldn't fight the same way.
Even if Ottar and the others gave it their all, they couldn't mirror the fight they'd just seen, not without Leon behind them.