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

"Awaken!"

She unleashed a spell (Wind Spirit Swiftness) and slashed at the enemy.

Ais dodged all the approaching giant poison needles and lightning strikes, and in an instant, her sword ravaged nine monsters.

The slash flashed and transformed into a raging gale, blasting several monsters apart in one fell swoop. The wind armor and the protective green light membrane of magic covering the body roared together.

"Thanks to Ais for leveling up, she's been a huge help."

"From my perspective, having witnessed her reckless behavior firsthand, my feelings are truly complicated."

Seeing [Sword Maiden] break through the wall of monster flesh and then continue to annihilate obstacles in her path like a raging torrent, Finn said softly; Riveria, who had witnessed her defeat the floor master (Udeos) alone, also answered softly.

With her Lv.6 ability combined with the enhanced power output from [Wind Spirit Swiftness], Ais's breakthrough power is now incomparable to what it used to be. Even the giant poisonous scorpions and lightning snakes that she couldn't easily subdue during the last attack on the deeper levels, she can kill instantly like a valiant warrior (Grace).

With wind swirling around her, Ais took on the responsibility of leading the way alone, piling up monster corpses to clear a path.

"W-it seems like we little ones aren't really needed...!"

"Raul, prepare the magic potion."

"Okay, okay!?"

The sight before them terrified Raul and his supporters, but Finn wouldn't allow them to stand idly by.

In the deeper levels, the physical and mental exertion was far more intense than on the previous floors. No matter how outstanding Ais's abilities were, she would soon be exhausted if the fighting continued. Finn carefully observed the condition of the girl leading the charge, gave instructions on resupply, and Raul quickly rummaged for supplies.

"Navi, Alicia, Kos, prepare the 'Demon Sword'."

"""yes!"""

"As soon as Ais retreats to resupply, she starts firing."

Humans, elves, and orcs. The three supporters besides Raul equipped themselves with their "magic swords." Finn, while slaughtering monsters with his spear, gave orders, and they followed his instructions. As soon as the sweating Ais retreated to the center position, they swung their "magic swords" down.

A real-time, uncast-free magic attack blasted the monsters and the passageway ahead to smithereens.

As Raul ran, he handed the magic potion to Ais. In the brief moment before she finished resupplying and returned to the front line, the intense fire of artillery stopped the monster's advance.

"The shelling from below has stopped... Was it Grace and the others?"

"Probably, let's get going now."

With Ais leading the way, the team advanced with unstoppable momentum. Tsubaki noticed that the building had stopped shaking and blurted out something. Finn, seeing that the fireball sniping had disappeared, also nodded.

It's very likely that after Grace and his group landed on the 58th floor, they swept away the cannon dragons or diverted their attention, thus halting the bombardment.

Instead, the flying dragons (pterodactyls) on the lower floors swarmed in from the vertical pits created by the fireballs of the Cannon Dragon (Valgon Dragon). These winged flying monsters could freely move between floors via the "Dragon Pot".

Enemies swooped down from above through the passageways and chambers, putting the group in a fierce battle. Fortunately, with Ais's wind and Finn's command, the team gradually repelled the dragons and finally discovered the staircase leading to the lower floors.

"Floor 53...!"

The team dashed down the long staircase in an instant and reached the next floor.

The astonishing speed of their march made Raul sigh, whether from excitement or fear, it was hard to tell.

Beside him, Finn heightened his vigilance, glancing around and narrowing his blue eyes.

"It seems... no new type of monster has appeared yet."

Ais used so much [Wind Spirit Rush], but the larval monsters that are attracted by "magic power" did not appear.

Finn and his team rushed through the floor where the monsters had temporarily stopped appearing—a quiet, even somewhat eerie, maze—and licked their thumbs.

"Let's see what comes next?"

He noticed the abnormal condition from the itching and pain in his thumb and smiled.

Soon, Finn's prediction came true: a horde of larval monsters appeared in Ais's and her companions' path.

"It's...it's a new species!?"

"No, wait, that's..."

Raul called out, and Riveria, seeing the scene before her, became serious.

Among the larval forms that flooded the wide passage, there was a particularly large larva with a blue-purple hooded robe swaying on its back.

"It's the 24th floor...!"

The being whose entire body was covered by cloth and who wore a mask with eerie patterns awakened Ais's memories.

When Ais fought the strange Revis, the woman picked up the "Precious Pearl Fetus" and took it elsewhere, likely as an accomplice.

"Is it a human...?"

The person's limbs were covered in boots and silver metal gloves, and they were indeed humanoid. Seeing the strange being standing on the monster without being thrown off, Tsubaki also twisted her right eye in suspicion.

Facing Ais and the others who were running non-stop, the person wearing a hooded robe stretched out his right arm.

In coordination with his movements, the larval monsters lined up in several horizontal rows, adjusting their head height to form three sections like steps: upper, middle, and lower.

"Kill them."

The next instant, the larva suddenly opened its mouth and sprayed out a large amount of corrosive liquid.

「!?」

"Change direction! Run into the horizontal cave!!"

As a massive tsunami of corrosive liquid surged toward Ais and the others, Finn immediately gave the order for the squad to escape into the tunnel's side cave at the last possible moment.

Rivera took her last refuge, and behind her lay a scene resembling sludge flowing into veins. The passageway, filled with monster fluids, melted its walls and ceiling in an instant, accompanied by a hissing and sizzling sound, producing a pungent stench and billowing smoke.

"Firing corrosive liquid and corrosive fluid simultaneously...!?"

Raul's expression froze, and he groaned.

The monsters under their command launched a concentrated barrage of fire. Even Ais's wind couldn't be completely blocked with just a little effort.

Faced with the gushing passage that melted the maze along with it, an attack that was impossible to defend against, the supporters turned pale.

"Stand up, it's coming!"

Hearing the sound of numerous insect-like footsteps swarming from the depths of the corroded passage—the bombardment site—Raul and the others quickly stood up. Urged on by Finn, the squad, led by Aiss, rushed towards the front of the tunnel.

"They can control this new species like an army... Could that robed man be of the same kind as that woman?"

"...!"

Finn ran with his spear in hand, and Ais heard his murmur and her eyebrows twitched slightly.

He's the same kind of person as that woman—Ravis—who is also an oddball.

The thought that the other person, like that woman, could command colorful monsters made the girl's heart flutter. Finn then added, "But they really are elusive."

"So who exactly was that person?"

"To put it simply, they are animal trainers."

"What?! You mean he can control such a powerful monster?!"

Riveria's straightforward answer surprised Tsubaki.

Upon hearing that the man could absurdly control an army of deep-level monsters, Raul and the others gasped in shock. Just as Tsubaki and the others were greatly astonished, the swarm of larval monsters reappeared in their path.

"ambush!?"

The simultaneous barrage of corrosive liquid drowned out the screams of the supporters. Faced with this attack, a repeat of what had just happened, Ais and the others had no choice but to change course.

"It's happened again!?"

"They're coming from the three o'clock position too!?"

Seeing the larval forms swarming in everywhere, Raul and his supporters' reports were almost screams. The sounds of artillery fire, the stench of decay, and the dying screams of other monsters being dissolved echoed all around. Ais and the others followed Finn's instructions and fled into the 53rd floor.

"Don't let them get away, Virga."

The people wearing hooded robes chased after Ais and her companions along with the larval group, and led many carnivorous plants in relentless pursuit.

"I've been tricked...!"

"I never imagined that monsters would use tactics against us."

Rivera discovered that the monsters' deployment locations intersected with their escape routes, and her face contorted in disbelief. Finn nodded in response.

The larval form led by the hooded man has restricted the squad's path forward; there's no doubt, the enemy wants to corner the squad.

There was a feeling that the encirclement was getting narrower and narrower. Could all of this be a scheme by the enemy—the freak? As Ais and the others dripped with sweat, a chill ran through them, as if they had been forced into a dead end with no way out.

(...But, it seems like that person is looking for something? Is it Ais?)

While the entire squad was filled with anxiety, only Finn glanced behind him.

The hooded robed figure stood atop the sprinting larvae, giving instructions. Even though the mask covered his face, Finn could still clearly sense the movement of the other's perspective and the feeling of their gaze.

Finn glanced at the blonde, golden-eyed girl and fell into thought. Meanwhile, she was still running ahead, blocked by Finn and the others.

Is the other party's goal the same as Revis's—to capture Ais alive?

Or does the other side view Finn and his Loki Familia as an enemy force and want to annihilate them?

Finn's eyes met the hooded man's for a moment, and his gaze sharpened.

"Finn, we're almost at our wits' end!?"

"..."

Seeing the squad being led by the nose by the enemy and fleeing in the direction they wanted, Riveria shouted.

Finn mentally unfolded the vast map of the 53rd floor, and as soon as he grasped the team's current location and the surrounding geographical information, he immediately looked up.

"Turn left, Ais!"

Ais turned into one of several passages, and saw a long and wide single passage ahead.

After the squad had moved to about halfway through the passage, Finn immediately shouted:

"Attack! Turn around!!"

The unexpected instructions terrified Raul and his men—but they still believed what their leader said.

They gritted their teeth, suppressing the urge to run away, and turned around. After the forward Ais and the defender Riveria quickly switched positions, the hooded man in the long robe led the monster team and appeared in the distance along the road they had been running from.

Upon seeing the repulsive army of monsters, Ais stepped forward and increased the output of her magic (Wind Spirit Dash).

"—Three shields side by side"

Upon hearing the leader's urgent call, the members obeyed as if by reflex.

The three supporters besides Raul tore off the large shields from their backpacks, stood in front of the enemy, and lined up the three shields closely together.

"Ais!!"

Finn called out next, and Ais glanced behind her, first staring in disbelief, then understanding everything.

She strained her knees to gather momentum and then did a backflip.

Ais shattered the dungeon floor and leaped behind her—but instead of landing on the wall, she landed on the shield.

She pressed her boots firmly against the large shields formed a wall of supporters, and raised the Sword of Despair.

The air currents surged, causing the silver sword to vibrate.

The supporters' expressions were tense because of the impact that was about to happen. Ais's waist suddenly sank, and Raul rammed into her with his shoulder, using his whole body to support his companion's body.

The next instant, Ais's lips uttered the name of the move.

"Miniature strong wind"

She kicked the shield, and the Wind Ballista flew forward.

"!?"

The hooded man in the long robe who was chasing after them swayed his shoulders.

The powerful spiral arrow sent the large shield, which was serving as support, flying backward and away. Only then did the monster realize it had been lured into a single, inescapable path. Facing Ais's closing in attack, it shouted:

"A giant insect!?"

The larval stage immediately unleashed its firepower.

The torrent of corrosive liquid collided violently with the powerful spiral arrow of wind, and in a flash, the wind defeated its opponent.

『——』

Seeing that Ais's killing move had managed to deflect the artillery fire and rapidly close in, the hooded man in the long robe hurriedly dodged.