The monsters were steadily closing in around Genichi and the others.
Countless earth dragon larvae swarmed in from every direction, their dark green bodies writhing as harsh screeches spilled from their mouths.
Even more monsters were approaching from farther away - flying dragon-types with wingspans of several meters, along with bizarre creatures that had never appeared in any of the old records.
Genichi was just about to make his move when he suddenly caught sight of a figure.
A person wrapped in robes stood silently in the shadows off in the distance.
He could not see the face clearly, but that familiar presence made him recognize the figure instantly.
Filvis Challia.
Dionysus's most loyal follower, the creature remade into a Level 7, and the core executor of the Nymph Six Circles plan.
She had come.
Genichi abandoned the thought of making a move and turned toward the members of the two great Familias.
"Sorry, but from here on out, you'll probably have to find your own way. I can only bring you this far."
The people from both Familias were caught off guard by his words.
Genichi pulled an ordinary-looking key from his clothes and tossed it to Riveria.
She caught it, confusion flickering in her eyes as she looked at him.
"This is a gate key. Once you've dealt with those fallen spirits, you can use it to return to the surface."
As he explained, his gaze shifted toward the robed figure in the distance.
"As for me, I have a duty of my own."
Following his line of sight, the others finally noticed the figure hidden in the shadows.
It was a woman, slender in build, wrapped in a dark robe.
Her face could not be seen clearly, but the aura radiating from her was enough to make their skin crawl - a strange presence mixing madness, despair, and immense magical power.
Finn's pupils contracted slightly.
He had guessed it.
That person was most likely the one Genichi had mentioned earlier - the Level 7 creature altered by Dionysus, Filvis Challia.
"Be careful," Finn said in a grave voice.
Genichi did not look back. He merely gave a faint nod.
"If I finish things quickly on my side, I'll come get you."
After leaving those words behind, Genichi walked toward Filvis.
His steps were steady and resolute, Mitsukotoba already drawn in his hand.
The blade flashed with a cold gleam under the dim light, reflecting the calm, focused look in his eyes.
As the members of the two great Familias watched him go, a complicated feeling rose in their hearts.
That boy had gone from an unknown adventurer rejected by the Loki Familia to a warrior about to face a Level 7 creature alone, all in just two months.
And now he was walking toward a battle that could very well end in death.
"We should go too."
Ottar's deep voice rang out.
"Don't waste what he's done for us."
Everyone nodded and turned to head in another direction.
Genichi stopped when he came within ten meters of Filvis.
The two stood there in silence, facing each other.
Filvis slowly lifted her head, revealing the face hidden beneath the robe.
It was a delicate face. She should have been a beautiful elven girl, but now her skin had an eerie pallor.
Her eyes were hollow and numb, as if every last trace of emotion had long since drained away.
"So you're Genichi."
Filvis spoke in a flat voice devoid of any rise or fall.
"Lord Dionysus's plan was ruined because of you."
Genichi did not answer. He simply looked at her in silence.
Filvis continued, her tone just as flat.
"I could have completed the mission. Once the Nymph Six Circles activated, Orario would have been destroyed, and Lord Dionysus would have been satisfied. But you ruined everything."
A slight ripple of emotion gradually entered her voice. It was not anger. It was not hatred.
It was a deep exhaustion. A deep despair.
"So I have to kill you."
The moment those words fell, Filvis vanished from where she stood.
Fast.
Genichi's pupils shrank violently, and his body instinctively twisted left.
In the next instant, a cold flash skimmed past his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
Filvis appeared behind him, the short sword in her hand already thrust forward.
If Genichi's reaction had been even a fraction slower, that blade would have pierced straight through his back.
"Faster than I expected," Genichi thought, while swinging Mitsukotoba in a horizontal slash.
Sword and blade collided with a sharp metallic screech.
From that single clash alone, Genichi understood.
In terms of raw status alone, he was still a bit below her.
Filvis's strength and speed both exceeded his, and every strike she delivered carried a heavy sense of pressure.
But it was not a total mismatch.
A cold smile curled at Genichi's lips.
That was probably because Filvis had split her status in two, dividing herself into a creature half and an adventurer half.
The one standing before him now was likely only Filvis's creature half.
Only when the two combined would she possess the true upper-tier power of a full Level 7.
Mitsukotoba became a streak of light in his hand, every slash aimed at a vital point.
His swordsmanship fused the techniques Astraea had taught him with his own battle experience, sharp and lethal.
Filvis refused to yield. Her short sword moved like a venomous serpent, dissolving Genichi's attacks one after another while constantly probing for a chance to counter.
Their figures flashed through the rainforest of the fifty-ninth floor, the clashing of their blades erupting like a storm of sparks.
Trees were cut apart in their wake. Rocks split open. Monsters too slow to flee were shredded outright by the aftershocks of the battle.
"You're stronger than I expected," Filvis said after one exchange, a trace of surprise entering her voice. "You're only Level 6, yet you can fight me, a Level 7, to a standstill."
Genichi let out a cold laugh.
"A standstill? You think too highly of yourself."
He drove off the ground, his body spinning halfway around as Mitsukotoba swept out in a broad slash.
Filvis slipped aside to dodge it, but Genichi's real killing move came after.
His left hand turned over, and a bolt of lightning-wreathed fire shot from his palm.
"Flame Lightning!"
The blast flew straight at Filvis's face.
At that distance, at that speed, there should have been no way to dodge.
But Filvis reacted even faster.
With a swing of her short sword, she actually split the flames apart.
The fire exploded behind her, yet it failed to injure her in the slightest.
"Magic?" Filvis said flatly. "I can use it too."
She raised her left hand and began chanting as well.
"Sweep away the enemy. O holy staff that breaks evil!"
A single-target lightning spell, and the chant was short.
Genichi's expression changed at once. He immediately broke off the attack and retreated at high speed.
"Armor!"
An invisible suit of armor wrapped around Genichi in an instant.
The next second, Filvis's spell was released - only to be completely negated by his Armor.
(End of Chapter)
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