These man-eating flowers were not much of a threat to Genichi.
With the strength he had now, even without using magic, he could easily cut them down through swordsmanship alone.
What truly made him wary was the gaze hidden in the dark.
Filvis Challia.
That Level 7 monster, remade into a creature and stripped of her sense of self, was standing somewhere in the distant shadows, watching him.
Genichi could feel her presence.
That pressure, like being stared down by an apex predator, made every hair on his body stand on end.
But he showed none of it.
He did not even glance in that direction.
He simply kept swinging his blade, kept killing.
The reason he had not exposed her identity directly and had only referred to her as someone from the dark faction...
Was because he did not want to completely tear things open.
The moment he said the name Filvis Challia, the moment he revealed that he knew her true identity...
Someone would have to die here today.
Either he died.
Or she did.
Or...
They took each other down together.
None of those outcomes was something Genichi wanted to see.
He still did not want to stake his life against that monster.
At least not now.
So he chose to play dumb.
To pretend he did not know who she was.
To pretend he thought she was just another lackey sent by Evilus.
To pretend...
That everything was under control.
But in his heart, he knew very well that the real danger had never been those man-eating flowers.
It was that woman standing in the dark.
She was watching him.
Those unfocused eyes of hers were fixed on him.
Genichi could feel the complicated emotions in that gaze.
Scrutiny, curiosity, and...
A trace of wariness that was difficult to describe.
Filvis stood in the shadows, staring at the boy fighting the man-eating flowers.
Her brow drew together slightly.
This boy was far stronger than she had imagined.
She had seen him once two months ago.
Back then, he had only been an ordinary person, someone who could not even beat a normal adventurer.
But now...
How long had it been?
Two months.
Only two months.
And he had already grown to this extent.
Those man-eating flowers were not worth mentioning to her, but to an ordinary adventurer, they would have been an absolute nightmare.
Yet before that boy, they were nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
One cut each, clean and efficient.
That swordsmanship was so sharp that even she could not help watching a little longer.
And from him, she felt a kind of threat.
A vague, indescribable danger that made her instinctively want to remain on guard.
It had been a very long time since she had felt something like that.
Ever since Dionysus had remade her, she had no longer felt that way toward anyone.
Because no one had been able to threaten her.
Level 7 strength, combined with recovery bordering on immortality, made her an almost invincible existence in the current Orario.
But that boy...
There was something on him that made her feel danger.
Filvis's brow furrowed more deeply.
At that moment, a voice sounded in her mind.
It was Dionysus's voice.
"Come back."
Only three words.
Filvis was silent for a moment, then slowly turned around.
She gave the boy still fighting one last look, and in those lifeless eyes, a trace of complicated emotion flickered.
Then her figure vanished into the shadows.
Genichi was still cutting down man-eating flowers.
Then suddenly...
That oppressive sensation of being watched disappeared.
His heart stirred slightly.
She left?
Without changing the rhythm of his blade, he swept a sidelong glance in that direction.
Sure enough, that figure was already gone.
Inside, Genichi quietly let out a breath of relief.
Good.
If they had really started fighting, he had no confidence in certain victory.
Level 5 against Level 7. His odds were still too low.
Unless he summoned Alfia.
But Alfia was one of his trump cards. Unless he absolutely had no choice, he did not want to expose her.
And even if he did summon Alfia, he was not sure they could beat that monster.
After all, she was Dionysus's vessel.
She possessed strength beyond an ordinary Level 7, along with recovery that was almost impossible to kill through.
Alfia was strong, yes, but...
Forget it. No point dwelling on that now.
What mattered most was dealing with the problem right in front of him.
Genichi looked at the man-eating flowers still pouring up without end, his brow tightening slightly.
At this rate, he really would be worn down to death.
Now that the real threat had already left, there was no reason for him to keep holding back.
Genichi took a deep breath and began to chant.
"Before long, flame shall be released - the quietly closing warfire, the unavoidable destruction."
His voice was low and steady, carrying a strange rhythm.
Magic power began to surge.
"The horn of war cries out in full force. Let the savage chaos that surrounds all things descend - crimson lotus flame, holy fire between the rubble."
The temperature around him began rising sharply.
The man-eating flowers seemed to sense danger and grew even more frenzied.
They rushed toward Genichi in madness, trying to tear him apart before he could finish casting.
But Genichi paid them no mind.
He simply continued chanting.
"You are the incarnation of hellfire, sweeping away thousands upon thousands, drawing the curtain on great war - burn everything, Sword of Surtr-"
He opened his eyes.
In those black eyes, roiling patterns of fire were reflected.
"I am Alf."
The instant those words fell-
Countless pillars of fire burst upward from the ground.
They spread like living things, racing outward across the passage.
Everywhere they reached, everything burned.
The man-eating flowers writhed wildly in the flames, letting out shrill screams.
But those cries vanished quickly.
Because the man-eating flowers, along with their buds, stems, and seeds...
Were all burned to ash.
The entire area turned into a sea of fire.
Genichi stood in the middle of it, letting the flames rage around him.
He simply stood there in silence, watching the flowers burn away into ash.
A moment later...
The flames gradually died down.
The man-eating flowers were gone.
All that remained was ash covering the ground, along with the lingering stench of scorched rot in the air.
Genichi sheathed his blade and turned toward Alise.
She was standing there, staring at the scene in shock.
Her expression looked as if it were saying,
"You had a spell like that too?"
Genichi ignored her astonishment.
With a single Apparition, he appeared at her side.
"Let's go."
Before Alise could even react, he caught her hand.
Crack.
Apparition activated.
Their two figures vanished from the Dungeon in an instant.
Demeter Familia.
Inside Genichi's room.
Two figures appeared out of thin air.
When Genichi landed, his steps staggered slightly, and he had to brace himself against the table to steady his body.
The repeated use of magic had drained him enough to leave him tired.
But he had no attention to spare for that.
He walked to the window and looked out at the sky beyond, dyed red by the setting sun.
In his mind flashed the figure that had stood in the shadows.
Filvis Challia.
She had appeared.
What did that mean?
It meant Dionysus had fully taken notice of him, and might even move against Demeter ahead of schedule.
And that also meant...
The time left to him was running short.
Alise stood nearby, looking at his grim back, and could not help speaking.
"Hey, that person just now-"
"Don't ask."
Genichi cut her off.
"There are things you don't need to know yet."
Alise opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she closed it again.
She knew that when this man did not want to talk about something, no amount of asking would get anything out of him.
(End of Chapter)
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