"What is that?"
The members of the Hermes Familia, who were fighting outside, looked up to see a rain made of literal light.
"Everyone, run!"
The moment the rays of light struck the ground, not only the Elsos Ruins but even the surrounding forest was bombarded.
Thousands of explosions detonated everywhere, causing widespread destruction across the area.
Trees were uprooted, craters formed, dust scattered in every direction, and parts of the Elsos Ruins collapsed under the impact.
Back to the situation deep inside the ruins…
Feeling the ground shaking violently beneath their feet, Judas and the others braced themselves as deafening explosions echoed continuously.
The earth dome protecting them cracked, a hole punching through it, but Judas channeled his magic power to knit the stone back together instantly.
"Judas…"
Artemis looked on with concern as Judas kept both arms raised, maintaining the integrity of the barrier.
Then, suddenly, the ground beneath them shattered and gave way.
"Ah!"
Belle glanced down and felt her body go weightless, as if gravity itself had disappeared.
But it didn't take long for everyone to realize what was happening.
They were free-falling.
It was just that Judas' earth dome had blocked their view from outside.
Understanding the situation instantly, Judas dispelled the dome, glanced downward, and summoned a gentle tornado beneath them to slow their descent, allowing them to land safely on their feet.
"Whoa!"
"That was dangerous…"
"You saved us, Judas."
"Incoming!"
Belle shouted as she raised her arm, firing a firebolt at a massive chunk of rock hurtling toward them, blasting it apart midair.
Just as the dust began to settle, low growls reached their ears.
Two massive figures emerged from the haze, staring at them menacingly.
"Dragon-type monsters?"
Asfi exclaimed, her brows knitting together.
Noticing the glowing gems embedded in their necks, identical to the one attached to Antares, they immediately understood.
These were tamed monsters as well.
"What are they doing here? Don't tell me the Dis Sisters brought them from the dragon valley of the north?"
As someone from a familia that traveled extensively, Asfi was well-versed in monsters beyond Orario.
Everyone raised their weapons cautiously as the dragons let out deep, rumbling growls.
Just from the pressure they emitted, their strength was clearly around Level 5.
"Orion…"
At that moment, Artemis staggered again, clutching her chest as pain overtook her.
"You have to defeat Antares… quickly."
"Right now, it's being heavily restricted, its body still struggling to adapt to the power of arcanum… but it won't be long before it becomes complete."
As she spoke, she raised her hand toward him.
As she reached out to him, Judas's eyes narrowed.
Her hand was fading, turning translucent against the dim light.
'She's starting to disappear.'
Judas frowned.
"Don't worry about us, Judas. Just go. We'll take care of these guys."
Belle said firmly, drawing her Hestia Knife as she fixed her gaze on the dragons ahead.
"Yeah… we've been relying on you this whole time. So just this once, rely on us."
Rethusa added, lifting her sword.
"Go, you dummy! And save Lady Artemis for us!"
Lante shouted, gripping her bow.
Judas glanced at them briefly before nodding.
In the next instant, he leapt upward and took flight, his figure flickering out of sight.
One of the dragons immediately tracked his movement, lifting its head and unleashing a stream of fire toward him.
"Oh no you don't!"
Welf roared, swinging his magic sword and creating a wall of ice to intercept the attack.
The ice shattered on impact, but it slowed the flames just enough.
The dragon shifted its attention back to the group and let out a deafening roar.
"Everyone! Let's slay these monsters!"
Rethusa shouted as the dragons charged forward.
...
"Big sister, looks like they found our pets and survived."
"Yeah… let's go down and kill them for good."
High above, the Dis Sisters stared down with venomous expressions before leaping onto Antares' back.
The playful masks had long since shattered.
Vena raised the artifact, commanding Antares forward as they plunged into the sinkhole where Judas and the others had fallen.
Midway down, their eyes met Judas, who was rapidly ascending up towards them.
"Out of the way! We'll kill you after we deal with that little pallum runt first!"
They shouted, their cheerful tone replaced with pure killing intent.
"Not a chance."
Judas replied, drawing his fist back as blue lightning crackled around his arm.
"Fine. Have it your way."
Dina snorted coldly.
Antares shifted its massive body and lashed its scorpion-like tail toward him.
『Wrath of the Celestial Titan』
Judas met the attack head-on, unleashing a devastating punch.
The collision sent a violent shockwave rippling through the air, shaking the entire ruin.
Judas was blasted backward, slamming into the wall with tremendous force, leaving behind a crater as spiderweb cracks spread across the stone.
Antares, meanwhile, was pushed back slightly, digging its limbs into the wall like a giant spider.
Pain surged through Judas' body.
He wiped the blood from his lips and pulled himself free from the crater, loose rocks tumbling down around him.
Looking ahead, he saw Dina muttering under her breath.
A red light enveloped her body before spreading to Vena as well.
'Is that… a curse?'
Judas narrowed his eyes.
Dina leapt forward, sprinting along the wall to his left, her speed noticeably increased.
At the same time, Vena directed Antares, charging from the right as it crawled along the curved wall like a monstrous spider.
"We'll carve wounds into your very soul… wounds that will never heal!"
Vena screamed, her eyes locked onto him.
"Judas Spade! We'll crush you over and over until you're nothing but a paste of meat!"
Dina shouted, her movements far faster than before.
Diaval Stige.
A curse that temporarily merged the statuses of two individuals upon direct contact.
It siphoned half of one person's strength and agility status points and transferred it to Dina, while giving out an equivalent amount of her endurance and magic status points to the other.
A terrifying ability known as Status Exchange.
The Dis Sisters used it between themselves seamlessly.
Dina, a close-combat specialist, gained overwhelming physical power, but her endurance and magic stats plummeted.
Vena, the mage, received a massive boost in magical output, but her melee-based stats saw a significant decrease.
Despite its drawbacks, the curse perfectly complemented their fighting styles, enhancing their teamwork to a frightening degree.
Under its effects, Dina was restricted to melee combat and Vena to magic; however, each sister displayed power comparable to Level 7 within their respective roles.
Clang!
Sparks burst into the air as weapons collided.
'That red light… it somehow boosted them.'
Judas realized as he attempted to take down Dina as quickly as possible, only to find her strength had increased dramatically.
As the two locked in combat…
Antares had already circled behind him, its massive claws descending like a guillotine.
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