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

"Drawn here by the scent, I flew here like a tiny insect... Just like 'Enio' said. I should have just waited instead of listening to what those guys on the surface were saying."

The red-haired woman, Revis, entered the large room through a different passage than Ais.

Seeing the monster, who could be considered a nemesis, appear, Ais's tension increased significantly.

"It's been a long time, Arya. I've waited so long to see you again like this... Yes, ever since that day you made me suffer so much."

Her tone was as calm as before, but her green eyes held a fierce fighting spirit. To avenge her previous humiliation, she intended to fight again and retaliate.

The sheathless black sword he held in one hand emitted a dark and dangerous glow.

"...Was there ever a 'precious pearl' here?"

"Do I need to answer you? You already understand, don't you?"

Where are they now?

"It's hidden somewhere in this labyrinth. Look for it... if you can find it."

The quiet murderous aura was a clear message to Ais: I will not let you escape.

The unprecedented sense of intimidation made Ais tense. As she raised her beloved sword, the Sword of Despair, she unfortunately noticed that...

"That... what is the blood on that sword?"

In Revis's hand, the black blade of the sword was adorned with bright red blood.

This means that Revis has killed enemies other than herself (Ais)... intruders.

Besides Ais, there were no other invaders besides the Loki Familia.

The faces of his companions, still scattered in different places, flashed through his mind.

Just as Ais felt as if her heart had been grabbed, "Oh..." Rives looked down at the black sword.

"I killed that little man, the one who was wielding the gun."

Ais's time has frozen.

"Although they couldn't deliver the fatal blow, he should already be dead at the hands of those dark factions."

"You're lying...you're lying!"

"It's true."

"Finn cannot be defeated!!"

Ais yelled back with a voice she would never normally have.

Seeing her desperate attempt to shake off her wavering expression, Ruiwei remained unmoved, took something from the sword belt at her waist, and tossed it at the girl's feet.

“——”

Clang. The golden spear tip made a crisp sound.

That's the spear shaft that was cut off... Finn's "Spear of Fortia".

All sounds from the outside world gradually faded from Ais's hearing.

"Don't worry, once I've dealt with you... I'll immediately have your other companions follow."

Amidst this, the woman's voice sounded like a jarring, discordant note, distorted and transmitted into the ears.

Ais's emotional fluctuations surged to their peak in one go.

"!!"

She kicked the floor full of pipes, turning it into a whirlwind.

Ais's mind was thrown into chaos by a flash of blood, and she suddenly slashed at Revis.

"This is the first time you've taken the initiative to help."

Ais immediately unleashed her full power with a powerful slash.

But Rives bounced off with ease.

「!?」

Startled by the impact from the sword, Ais immediately launched her next attack.

This time, Revis handled it with ease as well. Facing the sword skills that the [Sword Maiden] was so proud of, she clashed fiercely with pure "strength" and "speed".

As if unable to withstand the clash of their swords, Revis's black sword made a cracking sound, and fragments flew up.

"...Oh, right."

Rives seemed to notice something and glanced at her weapon.

With a casual sweep, she sent Ais flying and created distance between them.

Ais was deeply shaken. The lingering numbness in her hands indicated that Revis's abilities were vastly different from when they fought on the 24th floor.

"Thank goodness, I could have used this to kill you."

Ignoring the girl's terrified gaze, Revis threw away the shattered cursed sword.

Instead, she drew another longsword from her waist.

"Use the 'wind' for a bit, Arya."

Immediately afterwards, the atmosphere emanating from the woman completely changed.

"If you die—it will be a lot of trouble afterwards."

Rives kicked the ground to pieces.

“——!?”

The speed at which it approached was so fast that it disappeared completely, and Ais's eyes widened.

The impact was powerful, accompanied by a deafening roar. She and her raised sword were thrown to the side.

Ais staggered a few steps, but in less than a second, the powerful attack was already upon her. She used her "skill" to deflect it in time, but was hit by a flurry of wild slashes from Revis.

The swift, blurry slash severed several strands of golden hair, and the impact ripped up the paving stones and pipes, causing collateral damage to the equipment as well.

Faced with the overwhelming destruction unfolding before her eyes, Ais had no choice.

"【Awaken!】!"

[Wind Spirit Dash] is activated, and wind-related magic is released.

Clad in clear and sharp wind sword and wind armor, Ais bravely confronts the monster.

however--

"You humans are really sensitive to the death of your comrades."

As if in response, Rives increased her speed.

Just like facing the Wind Armor, you no longer need to worry about accidentally killing Ais when you go all out.

"I can vaguely sense your wavering."

"————"

Slipping through the gaps in the fierce wind, the woman wove a net of attacks, pressing down on Ais's vision.

Then she raised her longsword high and used brute force to deflect Ais's sword.

The airflow was torn into wisps of wind, and the defense disappeared.

Seizing the opening, Ruiwei poured all her strength into the attack without any mercy, unleashing the Kesa Slash.

"I won, Arya."

She severed the wind armor, carving a crimson trail diagonally across it.

"ah--"

His chest protector was ripped open, and a large amount of blood splattered from his body.

Accompanied by searing pain, the fatal blow struck Ais.

Sword Oratoria 7 Side Story Chapter 4: Swords Become Wind

In the dim light, the water film that had gathered on the pedestal emitted a hazy glow.

Baka stood before the pedestal, his expression indifferent, looking down at the scene reflected on it.

"The Sword Maiden has also been dealt with by Revis... It's only a matter of time before we achieve victory..."

The blonde, golden-eyed girl collapsed to the ground, splattering blood; the female monster had cornered her. Aside from this large room containing a massive container (flask), the artificial labyrinth was filled with sights of Loki's Familia members in dire straits.

After witnessing everything through the water film, Baka slowly murmured to himself:

"The remaining problem... is that we don't know where the two elves are..."

The man, seemingly unmoved, slightly furrowed his brow.

As Baka said, he lost track of the two elf girls.

It must have been purely accidental that the two girls kept moving between the blind spots of the "eyes" hidden in the statues or reliefs. Without detailed location information, it would be pointless to operate the "door" from a distance to trigger the trap.

Of course, the two girls couldn't escape all the "eyes" set up throughout the maze. For example, right now, their figures were reflected in an image, however...

"It's 'magic' again..."

The white elf's lightning strike erased an image.

The statues and reliefs were destroyed by "magic." It wasn't a direct attack on them, but rather an attack used to combat monsters that affected the sculptures. The "magic" of the Thousand Elf was particularly vicious, unleashing a massive flash that burned all the stone carvings in the passageway to ashes.

(They seem to have been to the first floor once, and are now appearing on the fourth floor... Their reason for acting is unclear, what is their purpose?)

Baka prioritized tracking the elven girl's intermittently reflected silhouettes, trying to guess their general route. During his deductions, he suddenly noticed something.

"What's ahead of us...?"

★

"Lefia, shoot!"

"[Spirit Bow and Light Arrow]!"

Rephia fired her cannon in the direction indicated by Philwiss.

The flash of light that burned everything inside the stone passage instantly evaporated swarms of water striders.

A few hours after discovering the exit, Lefia and her companions alternated between fighting monsters and advancing.

Although the excessive use of "magic" depleted Lefia's mental energy, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, they did not encounter any remnants of the dark faction and made their way to the fourth floor of the labyrinth.

Phil Weiss made a map so she wouldn't forget how to get there, while also making markings with chalk.

"!"

"Miss Philweis?"

The change came very abruptly.

Lefia noticed that Phil Weiss's shoulder swayed slightly, so she stopped and followed her gaze.

The structure ahead of the passage changed, forming a spacious corridor that no longer resembled an underground labyrinth. Although natural light from the sky did not reach...

Here, only the dimly lit azure magic stone lamps create a deep atmosphere, and several long pillars stand tall.

The first thing Lefia thought of was the word "ruins".

The reason lies in the paintings depicted on the entire wall.

"mural……?"

As Rafia said, there are murals in the cloister as decoration.

Some were painted on red stone slabs, others were carved on cracked and faded rock walls... They were probably taken from several ruins outside the city and moved here. Various murals were pasted on the walls of the maze.

What these murals have in common is that some depict dragons, others strange birds, and all are compositions of people being chased and fleeing for their lives by monsters.

From the various paintings, one can almost hear the roars of monsters or the cries of people.

A feast of calamity and madness, destruction and screams.

Faced with this inexplicably gloomy space, Lefia felt a sense of disgust.

Where exactly is this place? As she looked around... her azure eyes stopped in front of a mural.

"This is a dragon, and...?"