As the magic name was uttered, fierce flames surged forth, entwining around the girl's limbs and sword blade, appearing beautiful yet filled with lethality.
The roaring flames rose, and with the swing of her beloved sword, True Scarlet Order, they instantly incinerated the monsters into dust!
"How was that? Weren't you captivated by my beauty~"
Alise turned around gracefully, puffed out her slender chest, and with a charming gesture—or what she considered charming—brushed her hair.
"With Rhode's all-seeing eyes and my burning magic of justice, we are invincible!"
However, just then, a *snap* sound reached everyone's ears.
There was only a momentary pause, but the battle-hardened girls immediately understood what that ominous tearing sound meant without needing to think deeply.
"It's a Monster Feast!"
The Dungeon walls constantly cracked and shattered, and with the roar of a monster, a thick, brown arm stretched out from the opening.
The shattered Dungeon debris scattered to the ground like eggshells, and as the wall crumbled, not only the left arm but also the right arm, and finally a huge pig's head appeared before everyone.
At the same time, dozens of roaring goblins also appeared!
This was the phenomenon where a large number of monsters would instantly appear in the same area, starting from the tenth floor!
Noin's eyelids twitched slightly, clearly not expecting them to encounter such a situation as soon as they reached the tenth floor; their luck was indeed strangely good in some ways.
"This is bad, this many…"
Being surrounded by monsters was extremely dangerous, and wasting a lot of stamina and mental energy here was not wise for further exploration!
The correct course of action in such a situation was to retreat promptly, and they had always done so in the past, especially as newcomers, turning and running without hesitation.
"Although Alise is here, since the destination is the 18th floor, we need to preserve enough strength, so should we retreat temporarily…?"
However, Noin had forgotten.
There was now a clearly abnormal person in the team…
"Orcs, huh… Perfect."
Noin was stunned when she heard Rhode's soft chuckle beside her.
Huh? What's perfect?
Rhode's sharp eyes fixed on the roaring orc, and he squatted down.
He leaned forward.
He took an Iaijutsu stance.
Orcs were powerful monsters whose overall ability was classified as Lv1, but whose strength reached Lv2, even capable of rendering some Lv2 adventurers unable to continue fighting after a direct hit.
They were the perfect opponents to test the skills he had just learned!
"Higanbana of Calamity—"
The super-short incantation was complete.
Skill: Fairy Star Song activated, magic effect enhanced!
The next moment, a crimson, enchanting Higanbana suddenly bloomed at his feet.
Noin's eyes widened: "!!!"
His black, broken hair moved without wind, and power accumulated at this moment.
Killing intent solidified in the air as if tangible, as if even the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped!
Witnessing the human they thought was their prey exude such power, the monsters became restless, and the orc's face showed terror, instinctively taking a step back.
But it was too late.
Rhode slowly uttered a few words.
"Iai Katana—Five Lights!"
The world seemed to fall silent for a moment.
The instant a leaf floating in the air touched the ground, the scabbard let out a sharp, explosive roar!
This was the sound of a lightning-fast draw.
This was the sound of a deadly, swift blow, capable of cleaving through anything!
In the Orc's eyes, Rhode was far away one moment, and then suddenly appeared close the next, with just a blink!
It frantically swung its wooden club, trying to use its prominent strength to defend itself.
However, Rhode had already turned his back to it, sheathing his sword, a slight frown on his face.
"The current maximum output of this move has been determined. Using it against a small fry like you is indeed a bit unfair."
"Gah?"
—!!!"
As soon as his words fell, five streaks of blade light seemed to split apart, surrounding the Orc from front, back, left, right, and above, trapping it within an [Absolute Kill Zone].
Each streak of blade light was like a dancing Higanbana petal, light yet deadly, carving elegant arcs in the air, yet mercilessly tearing everything apart!
Blood spurted like a fountain, staining the ground beneath.
The Orc was powerless to resist, and with a shrill, unwilling roar, it disintegrated into shattered pieces, falling to the ground with a thud.
The crimson blade light gradually dissipated, and the air was filled with a heavy smell of blood.
It was not in Rhode's combat philosophy to use untested moves directly against troublesome enemies.
He had already roughly estimated his current output limit.
In terms of pure sword skill physical output, an Iai Slash with stacked skill buffs could deal with Lv2 enemies, and the ultimate Five Lights, if used by surprise, could even threaten Lv3!
Although, by Danmachi World's standards, this ability to fight above one's level was already outrageous, and achieving the means to rival Lv3 in less than a week was an unheard-of accomplishment, Rhode was still not satisfied.
Still growing too slowly…
However, on the other side, the girls, seeing Rhode replicate others' magic for the first time, were all dumbfounded and frozen in place.
Even though they were mentally prepared, witnessing it firsthand was still incredibly shocking.
Is this really a move someone without Grace can use?!
Within the entire Familia, there were very few who could withstand that strike!
Kaguya slowly loosened her grip on her sword hilt, staring blankly at the scene.
"He only demonstrated it once, I didn't expect him to actually use it…"
What Rhode had used was the final inheritance of the clan she resented.
A composite drawing sword technique that combined fierce [Iai skills] with [magic]!
In the court that ruled the Far East, the Gojo Family, serving as the Anbu, relied on this ultimate technique and profound secret, inherited from their initial ancestor and honed to perfection over a thousand years, to gradually grow and strengthen their family.
To ensure the inheritance was unbroken and to prevent it from leaking out, the Gojo Family even resorted to intermarriage within the family for generations.
But now, an outsider with no blood relation to the Gojo Family had successfully used this technique!
"Hehehe…"
Kaguya covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve, revealing a malicious smile.
I wonder how furious those guys who should have been buried in their graves long ago would be if they knew~
Would they come for revenge?
No, it's likely that secluded place wouldn't even know what happened in Orario.
As for leaking family secrets or whatever, she, a runaway, couldn't care less.
"That ugly and hateful technique, just thinking about it used to make me nauseous."
She narrowed her eyes, recalling the scene just now.
"But when Rhode used it, there was an indescribable beauty… though that word shouldn't be used to describe a boy."
Moreover, given Rhode's displayed physical prowess, the power seemed unmatched, unusually high.
Kaguya licked the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with the boy's image.
Hehe, the secrets this man hides are truly endless to uncover.