"──── Prepare yourself. If possible, die a shameful death."
The masked creature waved its hand slowly. With that merciless declaration, an irrepressible, pitch-black magic energy surged forth. It carried the absolute weight of death—a sensation Ais had never tasted, not even when facing the red-haired creature Revis or the Spirit clones.
Ais stiffened before the dense killing intent radiating from her opponent. A chill gripped her heart, stirring an deep anxiety, while cold sweat trailed down her cheeks.
Ais took a long, deep breath. She forced strength into her trembling limbs, centering her mind entirely.
"── I'm going."
Resolve settled in her eyes as she lowered her body into a combat stance. She discarded her worry, fear, and all stray thoughts; her vision narrowed, and her senses sharpened to a razor's edge.
Even Revis, whom Finn had described as weaker than the masked creature, now possessed combat prowess exceeding the first-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia (with the exception of Al) due to her repeated magic stone enchantments.
But the creature standing before her was a "monster" that surpassed them all.
Something within Ais readied itself like a trigger. The pure winds of the Spirit swirling around her transformed into a black gale. A violent, raging wind erupted within the room—not a mere breeze, but a sharp hurricane hiding cutting arrows.
As the world began to fade into black and white in her eyes, Ais spoke quietly:
"Enchant ──── Avenger."
The color of Ais's eyes sank into a deep darkness. The Avenger of the Spirit swung her black hurricane and lunged at the enemy. The echo of Ais's footsteps rang through the silent room.
With every step, feeling the solid floor beneath her boots, Ais closed the distance to the creature. The magic energy rotating around her expanded explosively.
The magic grew until it obscured all vision, completely veiling Ais's form.
This was the third time she had charged while shrouded in this black magic energy, having previously used it against Revis and the Spirit clone. The power of this strike had increased thanks to her improved level and her growing familiarity with this combat style.
Facing the charge of Ais—who had transformed into a human calamity—Ein stood her ground with dignified silence, remaining perfectly still.
The mere momentum of Ais's charge, draped in the Black Storm, was enough to crush tiles made of special metals. The surrounding walls began to crumble from the shockwaves alone. Yet, Ein showed no movement.
Having closed the gap, Ais raised her sword high. She swung a cutting blow, wrapped in the gale, directly at Ein.
With absolute focus on the motionless Ein, Ais directed her blade without a flicker of doubt.
Suddenly ──────.
That strike, laden with the Black Storm—a finishing blow that exceeded the limits of Level 6 thanks to the fusion of her strongest skills and Spirit magic—was caught by Ein with a single hand.
"──── ?!"
Ein clamped her hand around Ais's wrist, stopping the sword in its tracks. Her features remained hidden behind the mask. Ais's eyes widened in horror, and she was left speechless by this impossible sight.
"────── Ah, how weak you are."
In contrast to her robotic voice, which lacked even a trace of contempt, the strength latent in her hand was so immense it made Ais's arm scream in pain. That physical strength far surpassed Ais's own, even with her unprecedented skill enhancements.
In fact, it even exceeded that of the King with whom she had briefly exchanged blows!
Anxiety pooled in Ais's chest as she tried with all her might to move her arm, but it did not budge an inch. Blood began to flow from her wrist, gripped as tightly as a vise, and sharp pain surged through her.
Ais tried to wrench her hand away to escape the agony, but she remained rooted.
"Is this all you have, Sword Princess?"
The sound of cracking bone reached her ears. Ein increased the pressure of her grip, and crimson blood dripped from the wrist that began to emit the sound of shattering. Then, that "power" was unleashed.
She hurled Ais away using nothing but raw arm strength—a throw resulting from pure, unadulterated brute force, untouched by technique. Due to that overwhelming power, Ais flew backward, smashing the floor beneath her without being able to offer any resistance.
Ais slammed into the wall at the far end of the room. The impact jolted her entire body so severely she nearly lost consciousness, while her surrounding Storm Armor dissipated.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ?!"
As Ais slowly collapsed, leaving cracks in the wall, the creature approached her. Ais shrouded herself in black again as an instinctive reaction, but the creature ignored it and delivered a powerful, random kick to her stomach.
Ais's body bent like a bow from the kick that pierced through her before she could even tense her abdominal muscles. Gastric juices surged back into her mouth. Without giving her a moment to breathe, the creature kicked her in the side of the head with her other foot. She nearly blacked out but endured by placing her sword as a defensive barrier at the last millisecond.
Ais's consciousness flared under the weight of the creature's demon-like attacks. It was a sequence of ultra-high-speed strikes that even a first-tier adventurer would struggle to track. Those lightning-fast blows, which neither sword nor wind could fully parry, each carried lethal force.
Ais managed to avoid direct hits with extreme difficulty, but her situation was critical; she found no opening for a counterattack. Her movements began to slow due to the successive shocks. The creature's assault did not cease, forcing Ais into a state of pure defense.
"Damn it...!!"
Ais swung her sword desperately, trying to divert the path of Ein's attacks, yet she could not block them entirely. Ein's strikes grazed Ais's shoulder and slashed her cheek; blood trickled from the skin torn by sharp fingertips.
Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were shredded, and Ais's skin began to show beneath the tattered fabric. Then, a roundhouse kick from Ein knocked Ais's sword aside and simply shattered her Storm Armor. Ein drove the tip of her foot deep into Ais's exposed flank.
"──── Agh...?!"
The air was forced out of her lungs. Having taken a powerful blow to a bare part of her body where her armor had shattered, her body was sent hurtling through the air.
●○●○●
The labyrinth collapsed suddenly... damn, that really stunned me. Why? Isn't it a bit too early for self-destruction?
In any case, I saved all my squad members except for those Level 6s who can handle themselves, but I got separated from them. I hope they've gathered together; it would be a problem if they were picked off one by one, so I need to rejoin them first.
..... I can sense Airmid's magic energy from over there.
I'll go in the opposite direction. With Airmid there, there's no problem. I'll delay meeting up with her. That said, it's about time I faced an enemy... huh?
This person is... heh.
●○●○●
In a corner of Knossos.
Revis, the red-haired creature who had been fighting Finn and the others moments ago, was walking across floor tiles weakly lit by magic lamps. Blood dripped profusely from her body, indicating she was severely wounded, though some injuries had already begun to knit together.
It had been a losing battle, even for Revis, who possessed abilities exceeding Level 7. This was due to the presence of four Level 6 combatants, the second-tier adventurers supporting them, and most importantly, Airmid, who had easily neutralized the Behemoth black sword poisons—Revis's trump card.
Suddenly, Knossos began to collapse.
The ceiling of the subterranean hall fell, and massive debris tumbled down.
"── Cursethe followers of Thanatos."
This was not the work of the Loki Familia. It was likely the followers of Thanatos, who realized their heavy losses after seeing the battle or the crushing momentum of the Sword Saint.
Revis assessed the situation and leaped to the other side of the collapsed wall. Fortunately, the cave-in was limited to one section, and a corridor lay beyond it.
As a creature with abilities surpassing Level 7, Revis survived the collapse, but veins of rage throbbed on her forehead due to the actions of the Evilus, who were supposed to be her allies. She knew it was a hollow alliance, but she trembled with fury at the thought of them trying to bury her alive while she was still fighting.
Originally, this attack began because those fools from the Evilus lured the Loki Familia into Knossos without listening to Revis's advice. They hadn't faced the Sword Saint, so they didn't know how terrifying he was. Or perhaps, even if they did know, they didn't grasp the scale of the threat.
".... For now, I'll eliminate the stragglers one by one. After a quick round, I must go to Aria."
A blessing in disguise was that the collapse had scattered the Loki Familia. Revis had only been pressured because of the enemy's numerical superiority; in a one-on-one fight, or even if the numbers were halved, winning would not be difficult for her.
At that moment.
The echo of footsteps striking the Knossos tiles resonated. Revis stopped and took a combat stance upon hearing the approaching steps. She thought the newcomer might be one of the scattered members of the Loki Familia, but she lost the ability to speak as the figure gradually became clear.
"... Ah, I think this is the third time we've faced off."
White hair purer than any white, and red eyes brighter than anything else. From the aura radiating from the handsome man walking calmly with the familiarity of an old friend, Revis realized the disparity in power between them now.
A pure white aura made one imagine a white flame burning everything. Revis took a step back as if under the weight of that hero's aura. Upon seeing the monster, a light smile played on the hero's face.
"Well, since we've met face to face, there is no escape from fighting."
The Sword Saint, Al Cranel. The man walked toward Revis with natural ease as if on a stroll, then attacked her with the sword Fire-Lightning, which he drew with the speed of a thunderbolt.
●○●○●
The battle between Ais and Ein was completely one-sided. Under the weight of Ein's violence, Ais was being crushed without any means of resistance. Whether she used her sword as a shield or employed magic, nothing worked against Ein. Ais tried to stand, leaning on her sword like a crutch, but her steps were unsteady.
Her shattered armor no longer served any purpose. Her battle clothes were torn in several places, revealing her delicate skin, and signs of suffering were etched onto her face. Her beautiful golden hair was matted with blood, and wounds were carved into her face. As she pressed on her body, which groaned in pain, Ais glared sharply at Ein.
Despite the nausea she felt, as if her insides were turned upside down, the flame of battle in her eyes did not flicker out.
Ein returned her gaze with eyes devoid of emotion. She cracked her neck coldly, attempting to ignore the fighting spirit buried deep in Ais's eyes, then slowly took an offensive stance.
To Ais, Ein was more terrifying and powerful than any enemy she had ever faced. A disparity in strength separated them by vast distances. Even Ais, who was graced by the Black Wind, could not stand against her at all.
(.... However.)
Ais injected her fading consciousness with resolve and lunged forward. She shrouded herself in the Black Wind again and raised her blade. The Storm Armor swirling around her was no mere gale, but a sharp hurricane armed with darts. She approached the creature surrounded by a cyclone that emitted a terrifying screech.
"You are still able to stand, Sword Princess... before my current power."
Ein parried Ais's sword strike with one hand quite simply and struck her chin with the palm of her other hand. Her brain rattled, her vision blurred, and Ais's consciousness began to slip. Although she parried the attacks with indifference, the force of her strikes was enough to eliminate an ordinary monster in a single blow.
(I must stand... I must stand and fight...!!)
She supported her nearly collapsing body with all her strength and endured the pain, brandishing her sword. Ein cast a cold gaze from behind her mask toward Ais, who had not lost her fighting spirit. Ais narrowed her eyes and ignited the fires of an unyielding resolve. Even before Ein's overwhelming power, Ais's heart did not break.
However, the gap between her and Ein remained immense. It was not something that could be solved by willpower alone.
".... Seeing you stand while in this state of death reminds me of that man. ─────── Enough. Fall to the ground."
In a voice laden with anger, Ein moved. A speed incomparable to anything prior. In the blink of an eye, Ein reached Ais and aimed her fist at her. Ais tried to block with her sword, but Ein's fist bypassed her defense and pierced her stomach while brushing the blade aside.
Due to the shock that nearly crushed her internal organs, Ais spat blood and could no longer even breathe. Ais groaned in sharp pain; her bones might have been shattered. Without giving her a chance to resist, a series of punches rained down on Ais, whose face was distorted in agony.
Fists sank into Ais's body, producing wet impact sounds. Crimson blood sprayed from her mouth, which began to make watery noises like a musical instrument. Ais rolled across the floor, bleeding profusely. She tried to stand immediately and brandish her sword, but her knees failed her. Her hand holding the sword trembled, and she could no longer grip it properly.
Ais's body had already exceeded its limits due to accumulated damage. The power of the masked creature, Ein, was absolutely overwhelming.
Ais could not predict any of Ein's attacks. Furthermore, Ein's attacks did not rely on magic or special skills, but were pure close-quarters martial arts resulting from superhuman physical abilities. Her experience and ability—after six years of fighting on two battlefields and a full year of fighting alongside the calamities—made her peerless even without counting her traits as a creature. Pure skill was roughly equal, or perhaps Ais led by a narrow margin, but the difference in basic stats more than covered the gap.
Ais was swept away by her supernatural movements, reminiscent of the "Strongest" man, and was cornered without any means of resistance. Ein's attacks hit Ais with precision, targeting her vitals. She could not dodge and continued to take hits from one side. She avoided lethal injuries with extreme difficulty, but it was only a matter of time. Ais's body was already riddled with wounds from Ein's blows.
".... !!"
Ein's palm struck Ais's stomach. Ais placed her sword between them at the last second to prevent a direct injury, but she could not quell that force. Ais's slender body bent like a bow, and a cry of suffering escaped her. Her breath hitched, and all the air left her lungs. With a force as overwhelming as a torrent, Ais's body was sent flying.
Ais's body hit the floor and rolled, and when she finally stopped, she was in a wretched state, like a tattered rag. She was bleeding from everywhere, and her armor was completely destroyed. She was still barely conscious, but standing had become impossible.
"Ah, aaah!! ── Lil Rafaga!!"
She supported her broken body with the wind and brandished her sword, preparing her "finishing" strike. Originally, it was a move designed to kill massive, tough monsters like deep-floor bosses, but it was her only remaining means. Supported by Avenger, the Black Wind grew stronger and gathered into Ais's sword, then launched like a lightning-fast divine wind.
The side-waves alone shattered the tiles and the floor made of magic-resistant materials. Ais's strike, wrapped in the blade of the divine wind, launched directly toward Ein. Nevertheless, Ein received Ais's strike—filled with all her strength—with her hand, simply, as if she were bored.
"What?!"
While Ais was drowned in shock, Ein did not just block the strike, but deflected its path at a slight angle. With only that, Ais's strike flew in a distant direction and pierced the Adamantite wall, opening a massive gap in the artificial labyrinth wall.
Ein kicked the debris of the shattered tiles, sending them toward Ais like bullets. Ais deployed her wind immediately for protection, but she could not block them all and was hit by some shards.
(She's strong... so strong...!!)
Without a doubt, this was the strongest enemy in Ais's life. Neither Revis, the Spirit clone, Ottar, nor even that gray woman who terrified her seven years ago could match the monster before her. Those abilities that overwhelmed the current Ais, despite her being shrouded in the Black Storm and exceeding Level 6, were not limited to Level 7 or 8; they might rival what lay beyond.
────── Suddenly.
"[Annihilate all, O Sacred Staff of Salvation]"
An incantation was recited from behind Ein's mask. It seemed to result from some magic item, for the content was incomprehensible, but the type was a super-short incantation. Pitch-black magic energy gathered in Ein's hand, and magic circles spread. Waves of darkness swept through the hall as if dyeing everything black. That aura, which inspired an awe stronger than any monster Ais had faced before, was as if darkness itself had been personified.
Ais involuntarily recoiled before that presence and overwhelming pressure that froze her heart in terror. She was on a different level from any opponent Ais had faced until now. This was the true monster.
"[Dio Thyrsos]"
The magic was complete. Vain were Ais's attempts; that moment had arrived. While the black magic circle pulsed with an ominous brilliance in Ein's hand, it shone with immense power, and then a destructive black thunderbolt launched.
The black thunder swept away everything in its path, piercing through the walls and the Adamantite metal. The power was unbelievable for a super-short incantation. It equaled the bombardment of the Spirit clone she faced on the 24th or 59th floor... or rather, it surpassed it. It was a lightning hurricane exceeding even Al's Thunderbolt enhanced by the Hero's Path skill.
If any adventurer other than Ais had been in this place, this strike would have been enough to annihilate everyone given its power and wide range.
".... Impossible....."
It was a coincidence. Ais's survival from that strike was mere luck. Had she chosen defense instead of evasion, she would have been.....
An offensive and defensive power invincible even before her while shrouded in the Black Wind, and a magic power without equal—a power exceeding even Al, whom Ais considered the "Strongest."
───── "The Strongest Monster."
These words crossed her mind, and Ais's thoughts halted. She nearly despaired before the strange atmosphere and overwhelming power radiating from this creature.
"... Even if I do this, my place will not change. However ──"
With a murmur filled with black killing intent within a self-mockery commanding her to die, Ein prepared to start the final attack and ──────.
"───── Gi, ga, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ !!"
The wall made of ultra-hard metal exploded with a thunderous sound, and from that gap, a beautiful woman whose body was entirely burned flew out ────── the red-haired creature Revis, letting out a cry resembling a wail, lunged like a sweeping torrent toward them.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
"Revis-chan's Situation"
Vs: Four Level 6s (front lines), several second-tier adventurers, Airmid. ↓ Labyrinth collapse. ↓ Wounded, she met that weird white-haired guy while he was in perfect health. Here, you got the "one-on-one" match you were asking for.
"Al's Evaluation from the Perspective of Black Divine Souls"
Freya: "A soul as black as pitch, which no other dye can color.....!!" Erebus: "I declare to you, your end shall be... a hero." Enyo: "What are you, for heaven's sake, who are you, you bastard ──!!"
Airmid :"I don't care if it's a black soul or whatever. No matter how much you mix with black, it stays black. All we have to do is paint white over it, and that's it."
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[100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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