Items. Magic swords. Skills.
And—bearing the mark of the Familia—the red-haired girl captain's "Red Chickweed."
"Burning bright—burning bright—burning bright—flame power, full release—!"
Flames and a smile appeared at the same time.
In this moment, the protagonist of this era finally began to fight at full strength.
It was a crimson dance of fire. Heatwaves and aftershock pressure repelled the enemy's attacks again and again. Flames coiled around the red-haired girl's limbs and sword—her speed and close-combat power skyrocketed. At the same time, the skill "Zhenghua: Crimson Bloom" activated.
Right here, right now—she crossed the boundary of Level 3 and reached Level 4 combat power.
This was the emblem of the "Righteous Crimson Flower," and the outward manifestation of the fire within her heart.
Flame wrapped the blade. A dangerously searing edge revealed its fangs. She closed in at a speed the enemy couldn't even react to—cutting open the giant's body, which was hard as steel. A massive scream followed—
And with it, an opening.
"Now's our chance!"
Then came Ryuu's chant—long and solemn, like a prayer offered to the stars:
"Far-off forest canopy… boundless starfields set into eternal night, answer the voice of foolish me once more, and grant me starlit protection. To those who abandon you, bestow mercy of light—come, drifting wind, wandering traveler. Leap the skies, race the wasteland, run with speed beyond all things. Carrying the brilliance of the stars—smite the enemy!"
"Gale of Light."
Wind-element magic gathered around her body. Aiming at the opening the captain had forced open, Ryuu released her strongest spell.
After that—Kaguya. Lyla. Everyone.
If there was no weak point—
Then they would create one.
They concentrated every strike into a single point.
Finally, through their combined force, one of Goliath's arms was torn off.
Painful howls followed—along with a heavy stagger from massive damage.
An opportunity like that would never be wasted.
"Don't stop attacking!" the captain shouted. "Finish it in one push!"
"Understood!"
Countless attacks fell like rain. Strike while it's sick—in this moment, the principle was on full display.
Sensing death closing in, the Floor Boss resisted with everything it had. Staring at these insects that refused to die, it decided the true nuisance was the rear line.
Its remaining hammer-fist slammed down. A shockwave hidden in the earth detonated outward, racing toward Xien and the backline faster than anyone could react.
"Not a chance!"
Asta—heavy armor and shield—leapt high, then smashed into the incoming shockwave with everything she had.
Boom!
She was launched like a meteor, flying off to the side—using her body to protect Xien and the others.
Before she even hit the ground, a glow of life was already blooming across her.
Watching everyone fight with such blazing passion, Xien smiled.
Any teammate knocked flying—so long as they weren't killed instantly—could be back on the battlefield within ten seconds. And everyone understood how to cooperate with Xien's healing, buying wounded allies the time they needed.
A delicate balance formed.
But in terms of endurance, the disadvantage was absolutely the Boss's.
Wounds accumulated. Stamina drained. Its end was inevitable.
Even if it used overwhelming power and speed to badly injure a teammate who exposed an opening—so long as they didn't die, Xien could drag them back from the edge.
This monster still couldn't push him to his healing limit.
But Xien didn't want to remain a healer who merely watched from the rear. Seeing his companions fight with everything they had—
He wanted to do something too.
He took out the bow he'd prepared for real combat. Nocked an arrow. Drew the string—smooth and decisive.
Ryuu's lessons echoed in his mind.
It was time.
He exhaled slowly, the sound of his breath burning like fire.
In that instant, the world seemed to stop.
The magic within his body—transformed into crimson flame—was not only to answer everyone's expectations, but to prove his own heart. He poured everything he'd gained so far into this single strike.
Not enchanting the arrow—that would burn it up.
But wrapping it.
Compressing all power into a single point around the arrowhead.
At the same time, the magic "One Thought: God and Demon" activated.
No chant.
Just a thought.
The limit he "had" was crossed. In a flash of insight, with an eye he shouldn't have possessed—he saw it:
A fleeting weakness.
"Sun Breathing: Halo Dragon—Head Dance (Modified) — Dragon's Wrath!"
He aimed for the most fragile target:
The eye.
The arrow screamed forward, propelled by bow and flame. Magic roared around it like a dancing fire dragon, paired with the quietly running skill "Firelight (Zhaoran Heartflame)."
In both presence and power, this shot completely surpassed his current level.
Like an angry flame dragon scorching the sun, the arrow carried its owner's fury and will—an act of rebellion against fear of overwhelming strength.
A dragon's roar shook the battlefield—and even the frontline fighters froze for a fraction of a second.
Then crimson light and an explosion flashed.
The effect was immediate.
This "Sun Dragon" strike, made real, interrupted the Boss before it could recover its rhythm, and almost tore away half its head before it could even react.
"Nice work, Xien!"
To the rest of Astraea Familia, it was an unexpected gift—exactly what they needed.
Xien looked at the bow in his hands as it slowly carbonized and crumbled away. He smiled with relief.
He'd done it.
He'd taken his first historic step:
Facing fear—he'd raised his blade.
At last, the enemy's resistance began to weaken.
Victory was right there.
But—
A danger sense brought by his flow-state skill made Xien stiffen.
His sharp gaze caught something: the weakening Boss, unnoticed by everyone… slowly opened its mouth.
"Don't tell me…?"
No time to think.
His trained body moved on instinct.
"Everyone—GET DOWN!"
As he shouted, his breathing method ran automatically. His physical ability surged to the limit. He hooked both mages—Leanna and Celty—under his arms and sprang sideways.
In the next instant, a torrent of magical power blasted through where they had been standing.
In a blink, the position that had held four people was swallowed by the flood.
"Wha—?!"
The sudden last-ditch counterattack shocked everyone.
Then came rage.
Only one thought remained:
Kill it. Now.
"Bastard…"
"Eat this—Flame Blossom!"
Alise launched herself onto the enemy's chest and delivered her strongest finishing strike.
Her blade plunged fully into its body.
Then she detonated the flame magic inside it.
In the Boss's furious roar, its entire body ignited.
Its final breath—at the end of its strength—finally vanished.
The monster burned away completely, dying in unwilling defiance.
Floor 17's boss—Goliath—was slain once more.
The moment Alise confirmed the kill and saw the enormous magic stone left behind, she didn't even spare it a second glance.
She spun and ran toward Xien's direction.
Loot could wait.
Her teammates mattered more.
Smoke and dust choked the area. As everyone rushed in anxious panic, Xien's calm voice came through:
"We're fine."
As the sound reached them, four figures emerged from the smoke, supporting each other. Their equipment was damaged—but there wasn't a single visible injury on their bodies.
Xien's timely evasion and healing had kept the backline safe.
"Whew…"
Everyone finally exhaled.
It was over.
With Xien's magic, the wounds from the brutal fight healed at a visible pace. Only now did they finally have the space to deal with the drops—and that gigantic magic stone.
"Ugh… a magic stone that big," someone muttered. "How are we going to carry it back?"
"Easy," someone else replied. "Drag it to Floor 18 and sell it. We'll lose a bit of money, that's all."
"Guess that's our only option…"
The battle was over.
No one died.
They'd crossed a massive obstacle.
After this fight, their experience—and their great feat—would surely grow.
Even exhausted, everyone felt amazing.
A twelve-person team with a highest level of Level 3, defeating an enemy with Level 4+ power—without question, that was a historic achievement. A true "feat" of adventurers pushing beyond their limits.
Never underestimate how strict Orario's level system is. In the original story, when the protagonist just reached Level 2 and still got completely pressed by Apollo Familia's Level 3 captain—do you think that was "holding back"?
Of course not.
Each level is a leap across your own limit. Combined with the whole-body power jump granted by Falna, it's not a gap you can "casually" cross.
Geniuses can narrow the gap—like the protagonist's absurd agility letting a Level 2 threaten a Level 3—but those are rare cases, requiring both talent and brutal effort.
"Everyone, great work," Alise said. "Clean up the battlefield. We'll rest one night on Floor 18, then return tomorrow."
"Yes!"
With the captain's order, everyone moved again.
Magic stone hardness really wasn't a joke—especially a special monster's oversized one. Splitting it up would take work.
But it didn't matter.
As a prum, Lyla had plenty of clever ways to handle this. You couldn't stump her with something like this.
Half an hour later, the magic stone had been cut into evenly sized portions—more than a dozen. Everyone carried one on their backs, about the size of a backpack, and heavy.
But if you treated it as weighted training…
It was almost the perfect load.
With his share strapped on, Xien felt oddly eager. He'd never done something like this before. Instead of dread, he felt interest—he even started thinking about adding weighted training to his basic routine once they returned.
With everything prepared, they set out again.
The "slide-like" passageway was a special structure—one that allowed many parties to reach the next floor without defeating the boss.
But that convenience came with a downside:
Too many uncertainties.
So even now, they maintained formation, guarding against sudden surprises.
Their long habit of vigilance—honed through fighting the Evilus faction—proved its worth.
The moment they reached the exit—
A sudden explosion erupted without warning.
Danger screamed in their minds.
"Defense!"
Even faster than the captain's shout, Xien unleashed his life force. In the instant before the blast, he formed a layer of life-energy shielding around everyone's bodies.
As he cast the magic, he wrapped himself in his cloak, minimizing the impact as much as possible.
"Hahahaha! You filthy bitches—how'd you like that?!"
"Finally… damn you. Taste our fury!"
Figures emerged from the darkness—bodies wrapped in black cloth, faces impossible to see.
Rats who lived underground for years—stealing, sneaking, and dirty tricks were their specialties.
Setting up this ambush had taken real effort.
Not just the firestone bombs for damage—also expensive tools to conceal their presence.
At the exit, smoke rolled thickly. Convinced they'd wiped out those hateful women, they laughed without restraint, savoring their "victory."
But had they really won?
While they laughed—
A green light rose in the smoke.
"Gale of Light."
With the elf girl's furious shout, countless compressed wind bullets shot out of the haze. In the ambushers' stunned eyes, those wind spheres reached them—
And stole their lives.
Charging out with the wind bullets came the rest of the team.
In the Evilus members' disbelieving stares—
The wrath of justice descended.
And of course, among those who surged from the smoke was Xien's blazing sun.
His hatred for these scum wasn't the slightest bit less than anyone else's.
He still hadn't fully made peace with killing.
But that was fine.
If they didn't die, didn't that solve it?
He sliced them into limbless stumps—destroying all mobility. The searing heat even cauterized wounds, preventing immediate death.
Of course, the agony was unavoidable.
What a good person he was.
…At least, he thought so.
The men facing him clearly disagreed.
"D-demon…"
They were horrified by what Xien was doing.
A spark of flame slipped from his mouth as he and the others moved through the trash like reapers, harvesting without mercy.
"R-run…!"
"How—how is it possible?! They took that explosion and didn't even get hurt?!"
"Were the firestones fake—?! AHH! Devil, don't come closer!"
Watching their twisted expressions, Xien's eyes turned even colder. Blade up, blade down—he gave them no time to react.
These sewer rats didn't even have a single Level 3 among them—just a mob.
If he ran into a Level 2 opponent who would take time to grind down, he simply lured them toward the captain and the others. Once the enemy's focus slipped, openings appeared—
Then he cut off all four limbs without hesitation.
....
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