Filvis Challia, the black-haired elf girl, watched in awe at the fierce battle unfolding before her.
On the ground, first-class adventurer Bete was locked in intense close combat with a mysterious man dressed entirely in white. Even from where she stood, the exchange of blows was fierce and relentless. Filvis had intended to provide supporting fire, but the two combatants moved so swiftly and unpredictably that she couldn't get a clear shot.
Above them, a human boy named Toki, who had been asked to assist by a group of adventurers, was battling multiple man-eating plants. Skillfully manipulating black tendrils with one hand while wielding a large halberd in the other, he was systematically cutting down the monstrous flowers. Astonishingly, he also used his tendrils to support the brutal melee happening below.
"First-class adventurer, huh…" Filvis murmured quietly.
"No, that's not right." corrected the elf girl Lefiya beside her.
"Bete is indeed first-class, but Toki, fighting up there, is still just Level 1."
"Level 1!?" Filvis couldn't believe it, glancing again at the boy.
True, by any flattering standard, Toki's stats weren't impressive. His speed was slow, his only direct attack was the halberd, and his tendrils served solely for guidance and support. Yet, even setting that aside, his fighting style was skillful enough that Lefiya, a Level 3, recognized it as adept.
"Besides, Toki isn't at full strength. He can normally control up to twelve tendrils, but right now he's only using eight. That means he's worn out."
"Not at full strength…?" Filvis repeated, bewildered.
If this was true, could he really be Level 1? His composed, confident fighting style was unlike that of a low-level adventurer. It was more like a seasoned pro who had faced death many times over.
"But it's still bad." Lefiya added seriously.
So far, both Bete and Toki held a slight advantage, but their expressions told a different story. Thanks to Toki's support, Bete was managing to stay on top, but without delivering a decisive blow, both were wasting their energy.
Meanwhile, Toki was reaching his limit. Predicting Bete's swift moves while fending off multiple man-eating flowers had pushed his capacity to the edge. Though Bete's support was solid, more and more attacks from the plants began to graze him.
"Filvis, help Toki first. Use short-incantation spells to reduce the number of monsters, even if only a little."
"But what about the werewolf?"
"Toki's got that covered."
Without hesitation, Lefiya began her 'Rapid Incantation'. The surge of her magical power drew the attention of the man-eating flowers. Filvis hurried to cover Lefiya, but,
"Don't worry about that! Man-eating flowers, attack that human first!"
The man in white ordered, and the flowers turned back toward Toki.
"Arcs Ray!"
As if anticipating this, Lefiya completed her spell and fired a beam of light off in another direction.
"What, where are you aiming, Wilidis!?" the man shouted.
"It's fine." Lefiya replied calmly, eyes fixed on the trajectory of her magic. The beam curved sharply mid-flight.
Toki leapt high into the air. The man-eating plants followed him upward, only to be swallowed by the light. The beam engulfed the targeted flowers and several nearby, eradicating them instantly.
"Yes!" Lefiya pumped her fist, loading a second shot.
Filvis stared in amazement once again. To her, Lefiya usually seemed straightforward and a bit timid, but in battle, she transformed completely, her unpredictable creativity and powerful magic were formidable weapons.
She was reminded once more that Lefiya was a higher-level adventurer.
….
"Ugh!"
"Take this!"
Bete dodged an attack and swung his fist in counter.
Whack!
But a tendril appeared from his blind spot, stopping the blow for a split second, enough time for Bete's follow-up strike.
The close-quarters battle had gone like this from start to finish. Even as the fight raged overhead, tendrils occasionally disrupted with interference, preventing Bete from pressing his attack and forcing him onto the defensive.
Though the man in white was faster, Bete's brute strength and resilience gave him the upper hand. Normally, this should have put Bete in the driver's seat.
Yet all of that was undone by the pesky human boy's tendrils, which, though weaker, consistently interfered with the man's movements.
Suddenly, a noise of something rolling behind him caught the man's attention, followed immediately by an onslaught of tendrils.
"Ugh!"
He reflexively dodged,
"Aaaaaahhh!"
Only to stumble straight into Bete's furious barrage. Twin swords and metal boots launched a relentless flurry of strikes, a perfect opportunity Bete seized without hesitation.
"Don't get cocky!"
The man roared, trying to push back. But,
Whish-whish-whish.
Tendrils wrapped around him, disrupting his attack. His fury was now at its peak.
"You little brat!"
Ignoring the damage from Bete's assault, he whirled around, but Toki was nowhere to be seen.
"What!?"
"Bete, incoming!"
A female voice called from behind, then a flash of light shot forth. The man quickly turned to defend with his arms, only to realize his mistake.
The blast of magical power was overwhelming, and even he wasn't sure if he could fully block it. Bracing himself, he gripped his extended arm with the other hand.
But the light bent sharply right in front of his eyes.
"What!?"
At the bend's end stood Bete, bringing down a metal-booted strike.
Bete's boots were Superior-class Special Equipment "Froswilt." renowned for absorbing magical energy.
Completely caught off guard, the man had no chance to dodge. Bete twisted his mouth into a grin as his boots shone with blinding light.
"Die!"
"Ugh!"
The dazzling strike hit at top speed, sending the man flying all the way to the main support pillar.
…
"Toki, are you alright!?"
"Toki, are you okay!?"
As Asfi and Lefiya shouted in unison, Toki answered with one hand, not even looking at them. His gaze remained fixed on the fallen man.
"I got him…"
"I meant to kill him. I tore right through."
"I saw Bete's kick coming and saw you guard with both arms. Normally that wouldn't do much, but…"
Filvis's question was answered by Bete and Toki. Bete's Froswilt boots had absorbed all of Lefiya's magic and returned to normal boots.
"By the way, Lefiya, ease up! Those boots almost got wrecked!"
"S-Sorry…"
Lefiya apologized as Bete scolded her, while she checked on Toki and noticed his left arm looked awkward.
"Toki, that arm, "
"Yeah, it's broken."
At those words, Lefiya and the members of the Hermes Familia were stunned. Lefiya immediately moved to treat him, but,
"No, wait. Save that for after we take him down."
"Huh?"
Everyone turned toward the direction the man had been blasted away. Amidst the swirling ashes of the monster's corpse, a shadow slowly emerged and stepped forward.
"No way…"
"Is that some kind of monster…?"
Lefiya and Asfi whispered, while Bete clicked his tongue in frustration.
That strike had been a combination of Lefiya's full-powered magic and Bete's all-out kick. (If Lefiya's magic had been just a bit stronger, Bete's shoe might have been blown away instead.)
Yet despite that, the man was still alive. Though his body was in tatters. One arm was completely gone. The other was burned and twisted unnaturally. The battle cloak centered on his chest was torn wide open, exposing pale pink flesh beneath. The white skull-like ornament he originally wore was shattered, and dull, long white hair flowed down.
"That was close…"
The man's pale lips moved, twisting into a chilling smile.
"But this body, blessed by 'her,' has yet to decay."
And then, his wounds began to heal.
"Huh, "
Without casting a spell, the burns on his arm, the wounds Bete had inflicted, started to close up. The badly broken arm cracked and snapped audibly as it healed. And the most unbelievable of all, the lost arm slowly began to regenerate. An impossible level of self-repair. Everyone who saw it was left speechless.
As the smoke cleared, the man raised his head.
"Wha…!"
The first to react was Asfi.
"Fi… Filvis?"
"…Why?"
Filvis also whispered, her lips trembling. Feeling the unease spreading through her chest, Lefiya watched closely as Filvis struggled to speak.
"Olivas Act…"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's eyes shifted.
"Olivas Act… The 'White-Haired Demon Vendetta'! No way!?"
Lulune's voice, nearly a scream, confused Toki, who tilted his head. Lulune struggled to speak through her shock.
"But… but the 'White-Haired Demon Vendetta' was!?"
Lefiya glanced nervously around as Toki urged Lulune to continue with a look. Asfi couldn't hold back her disbelief any longer.
"This can't be… Why is someone who should be dead here?"
Neither Toki nor Lefiya immediately understood what that meant.
"D-dead…?"
"Who exactly is Olivas Act?"
Lefiya murmured, and Toki, unable to hide his confusion, asked Asfi. Asfi fought to steady her voice and answered:
"Olivas Act… Estimated Level 3, a wanted bounty known by the title 'White-Haired Demon Vendetta.' His patron deity has already been banished to the heavens, and his Familia has disbanded."
Toki processed this slowly. The man they fought seemed about Level 5. If his patron deity was banished, Olivas was manifesting his power without the benefit of any status buffs.
"The infamous apostle of the evil faction Evilus… and the mastermind behind the 'Nightmare of the 27th Floor.'"
"──!?"
Lefiya looked toward Filvis, who had gone pale and was frozen in place.
The 'Nightmare of the 27th Floor', Toki only knew the basic outline of the incident from six years ago. At the 27th Floor, Evilus orchestrated a massacre involving a powerful faction's party, monsters throughout the floor, and even the floor boss itself. A nightmare incident.
From Lefiya's and Filvis' reactions, it was clear Filvis was involved in that tragedy.
"He himself was cornered by a guild-affiliated Familia during that incident. In the end, he was torn apart by monsters… only his mangled lower body remained, confirming his death."
Toki looked at the man again. The lost arm had fully regenerated, wounds closing, and he was now fully intact.
"So, he's alive…?"
"No. I died. But from the brink of death, I was reborn."
Madness flickered in the man's eyes. As he ran his hands over his body, Toki noticed something odd: inside the torn lower garment, his legs were stained a pale green, resembling the skin of a carnivorous plant.
And his upper body was embedded with brightly colored crystal-like magic stones.
Lefiya, who had seen the same thing, was speechless. Meanwhile, Toki's mind rapidly cleared.
"I was granted a second life! By none other than 'her'!!"
Lefiya, Bete, Filvis, and the Hermes Familia members were thrown into turmoil.
"What kind of joke is this…?"
Was the enemy human or monster? Lefiya, unable to bear the rising tension, opened her mouth to speak,
"No, that's a weak spot, right?"
Toki cut her off.
"Huh?"
"Look, just like monsters, it's in the center of his chest. And he said it's his new life himself. If we break that, we should be able to take him down."
As Toki said this, everyone's heads cooled rapidly. Indeed, the man had said the magic stone was his new life. His body coloring, resembling that of the carnivorous plant, made that highly likely.
"We know the last attack could blow his body apart. This time, if we drive our magic stone right into that crystal, we'll win."
"Win." The word changed everyone's eyes.
"He's certainly a monster. Someone beyond human knowledge. But that doesn't mean he's immortal. He can be killed."
Their confusion cleared; trembling stopped. Yes, the enemy was a monster, but not unbeatable.
"Well then, now that we have a plan."
Toki sheathed his halberd, drew a knife, and said,
"Let's ask him a few questions."
---------
Note: So, that was part two of what I wanted to do on the 24th Floor. How did you like the shift in perception about Olivas?
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