Bang!
Noin raised her small round shield, firmly blocking the Hobgoblin's heavy punch.
Not only did she block the force, but she also skillfully redirected it with her trained technique. In the same motion, she twisted her wrist and slashed out with her razor-sharp one-handed sword—swift and precise. The blade cut cleanly into the Hobgoblin's limbs, leaving no room for retaliation.
Then, with a light step, she retreated just in time to evade another heavy strike from a second monster closing in.
"Switch!"
"Leave it to me!" Neze's voice rang out confidently as she responded to the signal.
In the blink of an eye, wind magic surged into her palms, forming into twin whirling blades shaped like ferocious claws.
With explosive force, Neze kicked off the ground and launched forward like a flying arrow, closing the distance between her and the dazed Hobgoblin before it could react.
She crossed her arms and slashed diagonally, and—
Tear—!
A vicious ripping sound echoed through the dungeon as a massive spray of blood erupted from the Hobgoblin's torso, painting the surroundings red.
The Hobgoblin's body was instantly torn apart by the dual claws, so violently that even the magic stone within its chest was crushed to dust.
"Ohhh! As expected of Bloody Justice Fang. Nice work, Neze!"
That nickname, bold and fierce, was what people once called the werewolf girl in her early days.
Although Alise and the others thought it was super cool, Astraea—her patron goddess—had once been utterly mortified.
So much so that at the next Denatus, she personally pressured the other gods to change the alias to something more refined: Delta Virginis.
Supposedly, it referred to a red giant star in Virgo…
Before Noin could finish her enthusiastic praise, more trouble came charging straight at them.
"ROAR! ROOOOAR!!"
Two mammoth-like beasts stormed in from the distance, crushing roots and foliage underfoot, moving side by side in a full-body charge that cared nothing for obstacles or enemies.
Seeing the massive creatures approach, and sensing that many in the group were already growing fatigued, the rest of the team quickly parted to clear a path.
Asta, however, held her ground. She braced herself, raising her massive shield with both hands and intercepting one of the rampaging beasts head-on.
The impact pushed her back several steps, her boots dragging furrows in the soil. But she didn't falter. In that split-second window, she raised the axe in her right hand and brought it down hard on the mammoth's leg.
Thud!
The axe sank deep into the creature's leg, cutting through flesh and tendon and exposing gleaming white bone.
The beast screamed in pain. Its balance gave out, and it crashed to the ground in a thunderous heap.
At that moment, Akira appeared above it in a flash, leaping into the air and gathering wind magic into a swirling spiral sphere in his palm. With a twist of his body, he slammed it down—
Boom!
The attack landed on the top of the monster's head, silencing it instantly.
As for the second beast, it charged forward recklessly—only for Iska to leap like a dancer in midair, seizing one of its tusks with her nimble hands.
Using the creature's own momentum, she twisted and flipped her body, planting both feet against the side of its head in a devastating dropkick.
Wham!
The mammoth's head snapped sideways, its eyes spinning in disorientation. It stumbled, its legs tangling awkwardly beneath it, and finally collapsed in a heap.
That was when Kaguya made her move. Silent as a shadow, she emerged from the mist. In her hands, the crimson blade Higanbana gleamed wickedly.
With elegant precision, she slipped forward and sliced through the beast's skull, plucking out the core magic stone without a wasted motion.
As the battlefield fell quiet, Lyra unfurled a weathered map and pointed toward a branching path to the right.
"Go that way."
She said calmly. "Just a little further and we'll reach the entrance to the twenty-fifth floor."
Everyone nodded. Without a word, they picked up speed and followed the path Lyra indicated.
Minutes passed. The dense fog began to lift, and the blurred surroundings gradually came into focus.
But—
Something wasn't right.
Everyone stopped abruptly.
As if by instinct, they scattered and jumped back just in time.
Splurt!
A sticky, yellow liquid rained down from the treetops—viscous and reeking—splashing onto the spot they had stood moments ago.
It oozed like thick honey, slow and suffocating. From above, several massive deadly hornets buzzed out of their nest, filling the air with a piercing hum.
A pulsing, purple-black mass resembling a grotesque pinecone now blocked their path.
As Akira and the others glanced up, they saw the bark above peel away like dead skin, revealing the monstrous hive's true form.
This was no ordinary beehive. It was a nest intimately fused with the dungeon itself, allowing it to rapidly spawn deadly hornets.
And that sticky liquid?
Though it wasn't lethal, its terrifying viscosity could slow adventurers and worse, it acted as a tracking scent. Even a drop could mark someone, luring more deadly hornets from nearby hives like a curse.
In short, getting hit meant becoming prey.
"This is a pain!" Alise yelled, eyes lighting with resolve. "Fine then. Burn! Burn! Full flame power!!"
Without hesitation, she began chanting her strongest magic.
Lubrude Bequia.
Before the hive could spawn another swarm, Alise's magic reached its peak.
BOOOOM!!!
A violent explosion tore through the air.
Flames erupted upward like a volcanic geyser, lighting the dim maze in brilliant crimson. The fire's roar shook the trees, and wind surged as sparks flew like fireworks.
To Akira, it looked like flowers blooming in the darkness—dangerous, beautiful, and unstoppable.
The stored-up magic burst forth in a dazzling blaze, igniting the air itself.
Crimson flames, the same hue as Alise's hair, surged around her limbs and wrapped tightly around her rapier.
In one fluid movement, she shot forward.
The ground cracked beneath her as she launched herself like a fireball, heatwaves trailing in her wake.
In the next instant, Alise was before the hive. With a shout, she swung the flaming blade down.
Crack!
The hive split in two.
Flames poured from the exposed core, roaring and devouring all. A thick stench of burnt insect flesh wafted out, sharp and pungent, overwhelming everyone's senses.
And yet, Alise wasn't finished.
As the hive began to collapse, she leapt atop it and used the rebounding force to flip backward, landing gracefully near Akira's side.
A split-second later—
KABOOM!
The hive exploded, engulfed in a sea of flame. Fire surged outward, consuming trees, roots, and everything else in its path. The dungeon floor shook from the force.
The group watched as the hive was reduced to ash.
Dispelling her magic, Alise turned, skipped over to Akira, and wrapped her arms around him in a proud hug.
"Hehe! So? Wasn't my magic super cool?"
Akira, expression calm, responded simply, "Very beautiful."
Whether he meant the magic or something else entirely... no one could say.