The Spirits—the race closest to the divine, and the most cherished children of the gods.
In "Ancient Times," before the gods descended to the Lower World, Spirits served as guides for humanity. The Creator Gods willed these Spirits into the world to assist mortals, specifically heroes, leading them with their miraculous powers.
They were the hero's sword, his shield, and his loyal companion.
Spirits have always occupied a central place in epic poems and legends. In those ancient days, a Spirit's protection held the same value as a "Divine Blessing" does today. In that age of myth, Spirits witnessed the heroes' battles firsthand, fought by their side, and lived and died with them.
The heroes who faced the Great Chasm in the land of ancient Orario relied on these powers to seal that abyssal rift, which ceaselessly spawned monsters and swallowed countless souls.
The "Holy Labyrinth Myth" passed down through generations is not merely a tale; it is a record of historical truth. Together with the heroes, the Spirits searched for a way to seal the Great Chasm while battling the fierce monsters of the Dungeon.
However, the nature of those Spirits who were devoured by monsters within the Dungeon has completely twisted. They have transformed into abominations driven by dark desires, now standing as obstacles before the heroes of this modern age.
"Will you let us... eat you?"
The monstrosity stepped toward Ais, its lips curled into a disturbing, crescent-shaped smile. Gazing into the madness within those eyes, Lefiya let out a terrified scream. Responding to the Spirit's will, the larval monsters and man-eating flowers shifted their target toward Ais and her companions, surging forward like a violent tsunami.
At that same moment, a wall of green flesh sealed the floor's exit. With their retreat cut off, Ais's comrades had no choice but to take up a battle stance.
"Prepare the Spirit Amulets!! Riveria, Lefiya, cast the barrier!!"
Finn's command rang out faster than anything else, forcing everyone to regroup with a speed that left no room for hesitation. Bete and the others immediately responded to their leader's stern voice, taking their positions at the front lines, while Riveria and Lefiya stood behind them, beginning their incantations for the Spirit's attack.
Based on the battle reports from the 24th floor, and through his extraordinary insight and long experience as a seasoned adventurer, Finn had devised a way to counter the Corrupted Spirit.
To face a Corrupted Spirit that unleashed a continuous barrage of multi-elemental artillery magic, Finn believed the solution lay in utilizing the power of Spirits as well. In Orario, there are amulets derived from Spirit powers, such as the "Salamander Wool" protective robes.
Anticipating a confrontation with Spirits, Finn had equipped every member of the team, including the supporters, with amulets for all elements to prepare for any magical assault. The experience gathered from countless adventures proved more valuable than mere physical strength.
As an "Adventurer" seeking the "Unknown," no one surpassed Finn Deimne, known as "The Braver," in shrewdness—not even among the strongest in Orario, the Sword Saint included.
Indeed, Finn's plan had no flaws.
In reality, the current strength of the Loki Familia, even without Al, was capable of subduing a single Corrupted Spirit with a difficulty no greater than fighting a deep-floor Boss. However, there was one factor Finn did not know.
Amidst a massive onslaught of over a hundred larval monsters and man-eating flowers, the adventurers gripped their unbreakable weapons to face the surging wave.
"I don't care what they usually do—I'll exterminate them all!!"
Bete roared, cutting down the Irregular Monsters in a whirlwind of slashing strikes, and Tiona and the others followed his lead.
Ais, shaking off her confusion, swung her slender sword to bisect the charging flowers with swift, flashing blows. Without giving the monsters a chance to let out a death rattle, she stepped over the remains of the fallen flowers, dodging the larvae's corrosive fluid to slice them apart in a single motion.
"Raul, support Ais and the others with the Magic Swords!!"
"U-Understood!!"
Responding to Finn's orders, Raul and his team launched an immediate magical bombardment using Magic Swords to clear out the larvae, providing cover for Ais and Tiona as they harvested the lives of the man-eating flowers one by one.
As the soldiers fell, the roots of the giant tree began to writhe like serpents. Those roots lunged at Ais and her companions as they hacked through the monster debris. Ais jumped to evade the whip-like roots, which then split at their tips to attack Gareth, though he severed them with a single strike from his giant axe.
The tentacles of the four female lower bodies lashed out at Ais and her team, only to be intercepted by Tiona and Tione.
"They're heavy!!!!"
They received a barrage of tentacle strikes possessing speed and destructive power far exceeding those of deep-floor Bosses. Despite the shock, which surpassed even the impact of Udaeus's spikes and made their features contort in pain, they managed to hold them back. The volley of tentacles struck the ground over a hundred meters away, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Al, stay where you are."
"Finn."
Finn gave his order to Al, who was about to follow Tiona and the others. Finn tried to hide the signs of pain coming from the intense throbbing in his right thumb. The Braver's features looked strained with concern, as if his mask was about to crack.
"The throbbing in my thumb won't stop... Is it possible... does such power truly exist...?"
"[O flames, come to me───]"
A crimson magic circle began to glow beneath the lower part of the magical tree. The magical output emanating from it was so immense it defied precedent. Facing that explosive radiance, Finn felt a shiver run through his entire body.
"[──── Via Shilheim]!!"
At that moment, Riveria and Lefiya finished their incantations. Orario's strongest mage, "Nine Hell" Riveria Ljos Alf, drew a double defensive barrier. Emerald magic circles spread to form a protective dome—the absolute emerald barrier that repels both physical and magical attacks.
Enhanced by the Spirit Amulets, this defense should have been more than enough to withstand a bombardment from extremely long incantations.
Again, Finn's plan had no flaws.
But the terrifying part was the resolve of that red-haired monster who had sworn herself to extermination, sacrificing everything for that goal.
[O swirling inferno, O wall of hell, O great roar of flames, O power of the cyclone][O glimmer of black steel, O retreat of the stars by the covenant of creation][Freeze like the barren earth, O hail of blades][O aurora sky, O Demon King who dwells on high][Lunge, spear of thunder—I am the bearer of the Thunder Spirit's name, the incarnation of the lightning, the Queen of Thunder][Blaze and seal the world, burning sky, scorched earth, flaming sea, boiling spring, burning mountain, melting life][O lunar gravity that robs the sun's radiance, O power of the stars][O endless night, come, eternal darkness][Overturn and burn the sky, shatter the earth, and build a bridge between the dust and the heavens][By the degrees of dawn and billions of wails, here is the blizzard][O stars coiling in a spiral of light, shine forth][O crimson fields, be enraged, be enraged, be enraged, be enraged][O fate of thunder, let your name echo here to annihilate all existence and turn it to scattered dust][O sea, O land, O air, and all forms of life][O burning horizon, O peaks of the frozen pole, O melting sun, O sunset drowning in the ocean][O journey of wandering, roam forever and fall like brilliant meteors from the holes in the sky][O silver of storms, O ice of silence, dance, strike, and tear souls to be an offering for heroes][Twist, twist, twist, twist, twist, twist, O kindling of the wastes, O anthem of heroes, here is the great power of the earth][Become the brilliance that cleaves the sky, O power of the solar disk][Shatter the pitch darkness and pour burning light upon the world][Reduce all to scorched earth and launch projectiles of rage and wailing as the price for the life of my beloved hero][Become the falling axe of heaven and the catastrophe of destruction][Seal the heavens and the earth, O age of sorrows, and stop to freeze existence with your melodies][Become the echoing mask of dawn in the song of love][Red wings are the pulses of dusk cleaving the night sky, the blue sea, and the rippling silver sword][The unfinished dream is shrouded by eternal night, the dream of fighting beside the beloved hero][Open the gates and birth new hope, ring the bell of the end, and leave no enemy of ours in this place unconsumed][O paradise, O distant lands, O land of serenity, O home where no return is permitted][O black clouds, rain, tears, cyclone, hammer of thunder, and drop of the ocean][O veil of night, O shroud of gloom, dawn shall not come—consume the darkness, O abyss, O chaos, O void, O hell, O world of death, my loyal friend][O flame, O fire, O crimson, O inferno, O fangs of burning, O blade of wrath, burn the sky and shatter the earth][O embrace of light, pulse of the stars, eyes of crimson, and hair of gold—O heroes sleeping forever across the ages][I am the bearer of the Thunder Spirit's name, the incarnation of the lightning, the Queen of Thunder][Blaze and seal the world, burning sky, scorched earth, flaming sea, boiling spring, burning mountain, melting life][O hammer of the earthquake and bow of lightning, launch the thunder hammer and swallow the light, O stars, O arrows of light, O storm and thunder clouds][Dance in the moonlit night, O star particles, dusk of night, and colors of crimson, gold, and pure white—roam and circle, O towers of heaven, O moment of beginning, O age of eternity, and the circle of reincarnation]
The Spirit's song continued even after the string quartet of spells ended; it was a sequence of songs emanating from that multi-mouthed monstrosity.
A tsunami of fire, destructive rocky planets, glacial rifts, a roar of light, dark lightning, solar swords, black explosions, mighty thunder waves, brilliant shocks, and massive detonations—all turned into a world-burning hell and overwhelming glacial waves coiling like a single giant organism, pouring down without pause.
It was total destruction akin to a great natural disaster.
Magic on an unprecedented scale, the manifestation of miracles, and supreme mysteries were unleashed against only a dozen or so people. The Loki Familia should have been annihilated without resistance───── but that did not happen.
Finn Deimne's plan had no flaws; he had realized that the only "Natural Enemy" to this fierce monstrosity known as the Corrupted Spirit stood among his ranks.
That natural enemy was────
"[O elegy of the fairies, and the remaining ash of the fallen. Dwell within me, O authority of the flame, O ruler of the skies. Transform my body into a bird of fire──────── [Lia Phoenix]"
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