Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Before Ais's distorted face, the red-haired woman was about to deliver a palm strike covered by arm armor—the next instant…

"What?"

The resounding metallic clang of the attack reverberated all around.

Ais stared in disbelief as, at the last second, crossed spears and staffs blocked the enemy's palm strike right in front of her eyes and nose.

With the tips of their spears and staffs buried in the ground, standing motionless to their left and right, stood the dwarf boy and the elven beauty.

Like knights protecting a princess, Finn and Riveria appeared before Ais and blocked the enemy's attack.

"Finn, Riveria..."

As Ais murmured hoarsely, the two swung their crossed spears and staffs with all their might, driving back the enemy.

Finn picked up his spear and attacked the red-haired woman who was backing away while holding her right arm.

"Miss Ais!"

"Donghia...?"

Her slender hands rested on her chest and back.

Turning to her side, she saw Lefia, who had rushed to the scene, placing her hand on Ais to support her.

"Lefia, treat Ais!"

"yes!"

Riveria turned back to give instructions to Ais and the others, while Finn's battle with the red-haired woman had already intensified.

Facing the red-haired woman's warhammer-like arms, Finn used his small stature to close the distance, staying close to the ground. He thrust his spear unstoppably from below her line of sight, followed by a horizontal sweeping kick. The red-haired woman seemed to struggle against the agile little boy, first twisting her upper body, then leaping away to dodge the dazzling onslaught.

"Are you the beast tamer who commands those monsters?"

"...You're still in the mood to talk, quite composed indeed."

"It's nothing, I'm not even as good as you."

The boy's usually gentle appearance had transformed into that of a soldier.

He stared intently at the enemy with sharp eyes, thrusting his spear mercilessly from a blind spot. His emerald eyes constantly assessed the distance between them, sometimes creating space, sometimes boldly plunging into their arms, always preemptively securing a favorable position.

This attack method differed from Ais's tactic of relentlessly hacking and slashing from the front with astonishing speed, leaving the red-haired woman speechless. Unable to attack without her weapon, and more importantly, Finn's fighting skills were truly superb.

The brute force of bare hands and kicks, capable of easily breaking an adventurer's neck, all missed their mark, failing to even touch the small figure.

Unable to bear it any longer, she tried to grab the spear, but her movements seemed to be predicted; the spear tip slipped away, and then the shaft swung upwards.

A flash of light that grazed her cheek made the woman's expression twist in annoyance.

"Don't get carried away!"

「!?」

The raised left foot slammed into the ground, causing an explosion.

The immense power of her stomp shattered the rock face, the impact of which sent her small body floating into the air like a wisp of cotton.

Finn lost his freedom of movement because his feet were off the ground.

Facing him, who was floating in front of her, the red-haired woman twisted her waist forcefully and unleashed a backhand-like sweeping punch.

"Commander!?"

With Lefia's scream, the spear was sent flying.

The woman who had broken the gun handle in two opened her left eye wide.

Finn, who had dodged the attack, floated before her in an upside-down position.

At the last second, he planted his spear in the ground to gain height, and by a hair's breadth, he rolled and flew over the horizontally swung arm, dodging the attack.

Finn, upside down, lost all light in his eyes and quickly drew the dagger from its sheath at his waist.

He swung his white blade upwards in one go, aiming at the red-haired woman whose right hand had missed its target and was frozen in place.

"Ugh—!?"

Blood splattered.

A dagger extending from below ripped open the red-haired woman's chest, and blood spurted out.

She stumbled and fell backward—Riviera immediately closed in from the side.

"you……!?"

The woman, her face contorted with anger, began to fight back.

Despite her posture being completely disrupted, she managed to twist her body and forcefully swing her wrist with her powerful arm strength.

Seeing the enemy swing out a fist wielded by the black arm armor, Rivera, who had one eye closed, suddenly stopped.

As if it had been planned in advance, she paused just before making contact with the enemy, causing the opponent's counterattack to miss.

She then casually waved her staff and gently poked the feet of the astonished red-haired woman.

This one movement completely disrupted the woman's posture.

Her body was sucked towards the ground.

Just at this time……

Finn strikes again.

"—Huh!?"

With a swing of his right fist, he struck her cheek, sending the red-haired woman flying.

Using her small stature and all her strength, she struck, sending her body gliding through the air before scraping the ground and rolling dozens of meters away.

The combined attack of the faction's leader and deputy leader, this golden duo, left Lefia and Ais speechless, both completely mesmerized.

"..."

"Finn?"

"My finger is broken."

Finn's expressionless hand as he swung his right hand made Riveria's eyes widen.

She then turned her gaze forward and saw the red-haired woman struggling to get up, supporting herself with her hands.

"Level 1, LV5, no, it should be 6."

With bruises on her left cheek and blood streaming from her chest, she cursed fiercely.

Finn Demna, Riveria Lyos Alf. If we add Grace Landrock, this lineup of Level 6 faction leaders constitutes the strongest force of the Loki Familia.

With combat experience superior to Ais's, and the skills and strategies he had cultivated, he displayed strength that surpassed mere numerical values, making him a match even for the red-haired woman.

"It seems the situation is not favorable for me..."

The woman murmured softly, then fled as quickly as possible without regard for anything else.

With her eyes wide open, Ais endured the physical pain and ran out on the spot.

"Miss Ais!?"

Leaving Rafia's cries behind, she ran past Finn and Riveria.

She could feel them chasing after her, with Ais trailing behind the red-haired woman.

"...!"

The woman passed through the city walls destroyed by the monster and arrived outside the town.

Beyond the shattered ruins of rocks and crystals, Ais headed towards the central island west of Rivera Town. Rivera and the others' voices tried to stop her several times, but she couldn't stop. She even used magic to accelerate, chasing after the blood-red-haired figure moving through her vision.

Stepping out of the town, one is greeted by a vast expanse that should be called a wilderness. The uneven ground is littered with rocks of varying sizes, and overgrown with weeds and shrubs. A moonlit darkness fills the air, with shorter blue crystals glowing faintly.

Ais, even using her magic, gave chase, but just as the two closed the distance to a fraction, the red-haired woman ran across the wilderness to the western edge of the island. She glared at Ais with only her left eye, then took a step without hesitation and jumped off the cliff.

Ais, her eyebrows furrowed, stopped abruptly at the edge of the cliff and leaned out to see what was happening. She saw the woman running along the rock face towards the lake. By the time Finn and Riveria reached Ais, the woman's figure had already shrunk to the size of a pebble and disappeared into the darkness.

Before long, splashes of water rose on the lake surface.

"There are actually people like that..."

Looking down at the bottom of the cliff, Rivera murmured to herself.

The woman might be swimming or moving at the bottom of the lake, but no matter how closely Ais and the others looked, they couldn't see her from this side of the cliff. If she had hidden herself here, they wouldn't be able to catch her.

The 18th floor is truly boundless. It encompasses vast grasslands, wetlands, and expansive forests. There are countless places to hide. You certainly won't find anything by searching randomly.

Will she head to the surface or seek refuge in the "lower levels" for the time being?

Regardless of the red-haired woman's choice, it is practically impossible to find her again.

"..."

Lefia caught up a little later, and Ais stood beside her, her lips pressed tightly together. She suppressed her expression, but her right hand was clenched into a fist.

With her gaze fixed on the ground looking down, Ais felt a long-forgotten emotion etched into her heart—regret.

An atmosphere of helplessness, as if after defeat, enveloped only the girl's body.

A dim, crystalline light emanated from the ceiling and seeped sadly into the blond hair.

*

The four torches crackled and swayed.

The firelight illuminated the stone altar, and Uranus sat deep within his throne, surrendering himself to silence.

He rested his arms on the handrail, his pale blue eyes beneath his hoodie gazing at the distant steps.

Loki left for a while.

He slowly opened his tightly closed lips.

"Fels".

The sound of calling names solemnly echoed from the altar.

This voice, which should have been cast into the darkness, received a response.

"Yes, I am here, Uranus."

From the shadows of the altar, where the torchlight did not reach, a set of all-black robes vaguely emerged.

The figure, clad entirely in black, had no skin exposed. The hooded garment, seemingly formed from solidified shadow, prevented any light from penetrating, making everything invisible. The hands exposed above the garment wore matching gloves, the backs of which were adorned with intricate patterns.

The voice that reached the altar was also neutral; one could not determine whether it was male or female simply by listening to the voice.

"Loki's sudden visit...it gave me a real fright."

"The gods' capricious behavior is nothing new."

"But this time is different. It would be very bad if she set her sights on you, Uranus."

To Uranus's left, a figure in a black robe emerged from the darkness beside the wall.

A man named Fels ascended the altar and stood before the throne.

"Loki and Freya... It would be very bad to be suspected by these two goddesses without reason. Putting aside others, they are the only ones we cannot be enemies with."

"I know that."

Faced with Fels's admonitory tone, Uranus replied without changing his expression.

Apart from the two of them, there was no one else on the altar; only the torches crackled as they remained silent.

What do you think about what she just said?

"...The incident at the Monster Festival, the man-eating flower monster?"

Uranus glanced at the man.

When asked this question, Fels shrank back, his chin tucked under his hood.

"It's obvious that a group of people want to disrupt the city's order... no, they're trying to destroy Orario."

Then, Fels answered decisively.

"Uranus, what you call 'the capricious act of the gods' cannot be compared to this incident. Because, based on what I've confirmed, there are already seven monsters of unknown origin lurking beneath this city."

"You mean that underground sewer system?"