The 24th Floor. Following Asfi's instructions, a mage from the Falum race used fire magic to blast a breach through the wall of green flesh blocking the path to the Pantry. The party advanced through the corridor cleared by the pulsating masses of organic matter until suddenly, Lulune, who was scouting ahead, froze. The rest of the group halted immediately behind her.
"Another fork in the road..." Lulune muttered, glancing back at Asfi.
The group turned their eyes toward their leader, waiting for orders. In this labyrinthine prison, intersections and dead ends were frequent. In an uncharted territory like this, mastering every path was impossible, and adventurers usually had to choose a direction at random. But before Asfi could speak, screams tore through the silence from both paths—a sound like the chiming of shattered bells.
The Viola appeared. These man-eating flowers possessed giant, serpentine stalks and petals colored with a toxic vibrancy. Yellow-green skin, bristling like sharp scales, covered their bodies. The monsters unhinged their fanged maws, dripping viscous saliva while the colored magic stones within their bodies pulsed with light.
"From both sides?!"
"No, from behind as well!"
"Good grief!"
The monsters, estimated to be Level 3, closed the trap from three directions. Flowers crawled across the ceiling and floor; there was no longer a path for retreat. In this situation, their only choice was to fight their way forward.
"Sword Princess, can you handle one of the tunnels?"
Ais answered Asfi's request instantly, drawing her slender sword, Desperate. Lulune and her companions raised their weapons and prepared for the clash. Ais struck first, lunging like an arrow and closing the distance between her and the Viola in the blink of an eye.
The monsters tried to brace for her arrival, but they were far too slow. Before they could react, Ais was already within striking range. She dodged the snapping fangs with a graceful, spiraling motion and drove her blade into the magic stone inside the monster's maw with surgical precision.
The creature collapsed with a death rattle and dissolved into ash. As a Level 6 adventurer, Level 3 monsters posed no real threat to Ais. However, a staggering number of flowers continued to pour from the corridor, their count quickly exceeding fifty.
The adventurers' expressions shifted at the sight. Fighting such numbers in a narrow passage was suicidal. Yet, Ais remained perfectly calm amidst the chaos. She began harvesting lives one by one, severing attacking stalks and burying her steel in predatory mouths. She struck with her sword's hilt, delivered bone-shattering kicks, and threw thunderous punches that sent monsters flying.
Thanks to Ais's prowess, they annihilated most of the horde, leaving only a few survivors.
But at that moment, green columns suddenly plummeted from the ceiling. Ais reacted instantly, leaping back to avoid the impact, but the pillars continued to fall in rapid succession—thump, thump, thump—detonating against the ground and throwing up thick clouds of dust and debris.
When the dust settled, the left path was completely sealed by a wall of these columns. Ais was cut off from the Hermes Familia. As if sensing the success of their isolation tactic, the remaining monsters lunged at Ais all at once.
Ais maintained her composure and readied her sword. Her concern was not for herself, but for her allies in the Hermes Familia, who were now in grave danger.
(At this rate, Lulune and the others are in serious trouble!)
Ais resolved to break through the pillar wall to reach them, but the Viola kept flooding in to obstruct her path. She suppressed her emotions and began cutting through the monsters with cold, firm strikes.
Suddenly, a chilling, murderous aura washed over her—a dark, terrifying presence overflowing with brute force. It was the aura of a "monster" she knew all too well. With a deafening crash, a section of the wall shattered, and a figure emerged from the ruins.
A woman with a lithe build and vibrant skin stood there. Her glowing red hair was styled meticulously, and she wore a crimson combat outfit that revealed much of her body in a daring, seductive fashion. She possessed a captivating beauty that could entrance any man, but her yellowish-green eyes overflowed with an intense bloodlust.
Revis, the red-haired Creature, stepped out of the darkness. She held a massive sword that shimmered with an ominous light, and a swarm of monsters crawled behind her.
"What are you doing here? And what is the truth behind this prison? Did you create it?"
"Who knows..."
"You have no need to know."
Revis replied with freezing indifference and signaled the monsters to attack while she lunged toward Ais. Ais locked her gaze on the approaching Revis. She felt that the Tamer's murderous aura had grown significantly stronger than before, and she realized this confrontation would be anything but easy.
The two collided. The moment they entered striking range, Revis moved. She swung her massive blade, but Ais was faster. She parried the blow with stunning skill and lunged for a counterattack. However, unlike their previous encounters, Revis did not falter; she delivered a sudden kick, as if she had anticipated Ais dodging her initial swing.
The attack was a surprise. Although Ais raised her defenses quickly, she couldn't fully absorb the shock and was knocked backward. She regained her balance in mid-air and landed on her feet just as Revis launched her next assault.
Their swords clashed violently. The shockwave blew away the surrounding debris. Amidst the continuous ring of metal, blades slid and struck with frantic speed. Ais tried to parry Revis's chain of attacks with her slender blade, but she found no opening to retaliate. Likewise, Revis struggled to pierce Ais's defense.
(This woman ──)
(This girl ──)
(── She's become much stronger since last time!!)
Ais had reached Level 6 after defeating the Floor Boss alone, while Revis had gained transcendent power after consuming Olivas Act's magic stone. Their strength was now perfectly matched—a fact both realized during the exchange.
However, Ais knew a prolonged battle favored the enemy. She was on their turf, and Viola reinforcements could appear at any moment. She decided to strike with all her might, aiming a blow at Revis's head. Revis countered with a similar strike. Blades locked and sparks flew in a struggle of will and power.
Ais's confidence in an easy victory—born from her recent Level Up—vanished as she saw her opponent had also reached new heights. Still, she would not yield. She pushed against Revis with everything she had, but the latter was more cunning.
Revis redirected Ais's power-charged blade and delivered a violent roundhouse kick to Ais's exposed waist. The blow was so massive it forced Ais to spit blood as she was sent tumbling across the ground.
Ais rolled but stood up immediately, readying herself again. Revis looked at her mockingly, resting her greatsword on her shoulder, then began to advance with slow, confident steps.
"You should follow us quietly. There is someone who desperately wants to see you. I'm taking you with us, 'Aria'."
The mention of her mother's name caused Ais's expression to falter.
"I am not Aria..."
"Aria is my mother."
Ais tried to collect herself and reply calmly despite the shock. She didn't understand how Revis knew her mother's name, but she decided it didn't matter. All that mattered was "exterminating" the enemy before her.
"Stop talking nonsense. Aria could never have a child. And even if you aren't Aria herself, it changes nothing."
Revis replied coldly and raised her sword high. Ais retreated quickly to dodge the attack, then launched a counter-thrust toward Revis's neck. Revis parried with her greatsword, but Ais didn't stop, following up with a flurry of high-speed strikes.
Revis parried a thrust and swung her blade to knock Ais back. Ais returned to the offensive with terrifying speed, unleashing a series of lightning-fast blows that nearly pierced Revis's defense, drawing droplets of blood.
As a Level 6, Ais was now meeting Revis on equal ground. The intensity of the fight escalated, the ring of clashing metal echoing through the halls. For every attack Ais made, Revis parried; for every strike Revis attempted, Ais stood her ground.
"── Damn it, that hateful human 'Sword Saint' won't be coming. He's already headed toward the 32nd Floor where the 'Recovery' operation ended."
Revis spoke while parrying Ais's fierce assaults. Ais did not stop; she increased the pressure.
"I will take you with me at any cost before that human senses us."
The ground exploded beneath Revis's feet from the force of her lunge, throwing Ais off balance. Revis seized the moment and delivered a devastating horizontal cleave. Ais parried with difficulty but was sent flying once more. She stood up only to find Revis directly in front of her.
"── [Awaken]!!"
Ais realized her standard strikes wouldn't be decisive against Revis's increasing power and speed. She decided to use her magic for the first time since reaching Level 6. Her sword responded to her call, emitting a brilliant green glow.
A windstorm erupted around Ais, swallowing the debris and trees around her like a raging cyclone, and surged toward Revis. Despite the pressure, Revis carved her way through the storm and closed in. Their swords clashed again in a mutual exchange of stabs and slashes.
Supported by the wind, Ais's movements became sharper and faster—at a level that would have ended the previous Revis instantly. But the current Revis parried the barrage with ease.
"Did you Level Up? Annoying ── but it won't make a difference."
Revis's assessment was correct; no matter how much Ais gained from her Level Up, Revis had bolstered her physical capabilities significantly using magic stones. Ais realized with cold clarity that she might lose to the same opponent again, and that her current "Wind" wasn't enough to defeat this monster. She made her decision: she would push past her limits and release a power no one had ever witnessed.
No room for hesitation. No room for worry. No room for fear.
There was only the craving for victory and a cold, murderous intent.
As Ais dodged Revis's attacks, she whispered to herself: ── At this very moment, everything else seems to have stopped moving.
With that thought, the world in her eyes turned black and white, and her pupils sank into a deep darkness. Revis felt the sudden shift in the girl's aura and raised her guard, but it was futile.
Ais delivered a single cleave. It was only one strike, but it was enough.
In one blow, Revis's body was torn open. Blood sprayed from her right arm, which was severed at the shoulder. Due to Ais's unimaginable speed, bolstered by a black wind, Revis couldn't even process what had happened; her shoulder and all the surrounding green flesh were crushed by a black gale that consumed everything.
In other words ──
"Start-up ──── Avenger."
"── ?!"
Revis couldn't even comprehend this excessive power. She slammed into the wall with the same force Ais had suffered in their previous battle. Revis was in a state of shock and confusion; until a moment ago, she believed the girl was at her level or slightly below, and that victory was inevitable. Now, everything had changed.
The Ais that Revis saw now surpassed her by a vast margin.
(What.. what happened?!)
Revis tried to pull her body from the wall and look for Ais, but the girl had vanished from her sight. Before she could turn, Ais appeared directly in front of her. Revis tried to swing her massive sword, but she was too late.
Ais's blade pierced the left side of Revis's chest, and blood poured from her mouth. Revis looked on in shock as Ais addressed her with freezing indifference:
"You will die here."
Ais withdrew her sword and tried to stab Revis's heart (her magic stone) again. Revis barely managed to deflect the thrust with her left arm to avoid a fatal blow. Ais raised her sword once more for the finishing strike. Revis tried to shield herself with her greatsword, but Ais's blade cut through it like paper and buried itself deep in Revis's chest.
Ais didn't stop there; she pulled the sword back with such force that she tore through the entire upper half of Revis's body.
" ~~~~~~ ?!"
Revis coughed up black blood. She realized that if she had an ordinary body, she would have died at least three times over. She looked at Ais, only to find her standing with an expressionless face, like a doll, pointing her sword in absolute silence. The aura surrounding Ais had transformed completely, reeking of death and slaughter.
Revis knew by instinct that the girl before her was no longer the one she knew; she had become a monster that matched her strength—or perhaps, surpassed it.
"Ah... just as I thought ── you were never human."
"── Then, I can fight without any hesitation."
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