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

Lefia cheered with a flushed face, while Philweis beside her looked terrified.

The two elven girls also began to head towards the source of the "wind".

"Unbelievable..."

Deep within the man-made labyrinth lies the stronghold of the dark faction.

Witnessing the scene reflected on the water film on the pedestal, Baka was speechless.

"Wind? Just wind? A mere little girl's 'magic' can destroy our ancestors' masterpiece...? Can we, their blood relatives, avenge our millennia-long obsession, with a single arrow?"

The number of "doors" for the hardest metals is ultimately limited. The hardest refined metals, which are even rarer than superhard metals, are only located in a few key positions.

Metal "doors" cannot completely block the "wind" that blows from channel to channel, from stair to stair, and flows freely throughout the maze.

"The wind... will overturn everything."

The master craftsman of yesteryear (Daedalus) had his own aesthetic.

It is the chaotic beauty of the labyrinth that he created, containing a trace of order within the great chaos to highlight the beauty of his work. His descendants, such as Barca, have also followed this principle, building labyrinths according to the "blueprints" to this day.

Just like the underground labyrinth (the dungeon), the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) also has a "regular route".

That is the true path (Ariadne).

Even if Baka lowers all the "doors" and seals them, the girl's "wind" will probably still be able to lead her companions to the path of truth.

"Gathered beneath the [Sword Maiden]...? The adventurers who were previously on the verge of death?"

What's most terrifying is the adventurers' astonishing speed of movement and their unreasonable rate of attack.

The Loki Familia, advancing towards the same goal, was too much for Baka to handle alone. He immediately manipulated the Great Red Orb after seeing the projected image, but Tiona and the others glided through the cracks in the "door" at the last second, with Grace easily catching the descending "door." Their swift and decisive actions left Baka constantly on the defensive. Furthermore, all the monsters in the labyrinth, including the man-eating plants, reacted to the "wind," blocking passages or preventing the "doors" from closing—problems that Baka simply couldn't manage alone.

The adventurers, who were originally seriously injured, regained their vitality simply by being blown by a gust of "wind".

All of this proves their trust in a young girl—in their companion.

"They should have been completely dispersed..."

I can't believe it. He thought.

Baka said that sentence again.

"This is the Loki Familia..."

Beneath his bangs, the man's pupils and his left eye, marked with a "D", were wide open.

"This is... [Sword Princess]."

The girl's roar of "wind" truly sent shivers down Baka's spine.

Then, return to the original time.

"Yo—"

The sound of footsteps behind her made Rives turn around.

At the entrance to a large room, a gray-furred figure waved away the gloom.

"—Female monster."

Guided by the "wind," Bert was the first to appear.

When the young man saw Ais, who was covered in wounds and blood, and then saw Revis, who was about to deliver the fatal blow to her, his gray fur stood on end.

The werewolf's face, adorned with blue tattoos, twisted in anger as he roughly smirked.

"Die!!"

"Werewolves back then...!"

Seeing Bert charging straight at her, Rives clicked her tongue and launched a counterattack.

Both sides wanted to seize the initiative in their first attack.

Rives made a mistake.

“——”

Like Rives, whose abilities soared after devouring countless "magic stones," Bert's "capacity" was also elevated after the battle of the grain depot—he was upgraded to LV·6.

Most importantly, his fangs have already consumed Ais's "wind".

"Lulu ooh ...

「!?」

The Frosville, with its added strong winds.

The silver boots, which greatly enhanced speed and power, exceeded Revis's expectations, deflecting the attacking blade.

When the strange man revealed a weakness, another figure leaped up.

"You bullied the girls in our family pretty badly, didn't you?"

"Amazons...!?"

Like Bert, Tione also had a face that could be described as "the wrathful serpent," wielding two recurve blades to attack his opponent.

The blade flashed rapidly and continuously, and Ruiwei's blood blossomed, her posture completely disrupted.

The surprise attacks from the raging waves continued unabated.

"I can't show mercy."

Another Amazonian sister attacks from above. Seeing her best friend (Ais) injured, she puts aside her expression and raises a super-large weapon.

The massive twin blades approaching from the sky startled Revis, who saw Tiona, her eyes blazing with fury, unleash a powerful strike down on her head.

"I'm going to go! Ahh ...

"Ugh—Aaaaaah!?"

Urga cut his arm in two, along with the longsword he had raised in desperation.

Rives's arm was severed below the elbow, and her right arm flew into the air.

“——————”

What rushed into Revis's eyes next was a fist as hard as a rock.

"Fly!"

Finally, there's Grace.

“Huh!?”

The dwarf's steel fist unleashed its power through the defense of her left arm, sending the woman flying like a burst dam.

She crashed violently into the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust that shook the entire room.

The first-class adventurers of the Loki Familia dismounted and rushed to Ais's side.

"Ais!" "Are you alright!?"

"How could nothing be wrong! Don't you know how to read it, you idiot sisters!"

"Tiona, Tione, Bert..."

Seeing her companion respond to her "wind" and come to her aid, Ais couldn't help but smile.

Everyone hurriedly and excitedly stuffed the elixir into Ais's hands. "Thank you..." she said, expressing her gratitude.

"I should have scolded you... but you did a great job, Ais, well done."

"Grace...no, thank goodness everyone's here."

Ais shook her head at Grace's genuine praise.

Meanwhile, many footsteps continued to approach the large room.

"Mr. Grace, and everyone else!"

"Raul! Huh... Commander!? Hey, what's going on here!?"

"Calm down, Tione!"

Seeing Raul and Angel appear, and with Finn, severely injured, being carried, Tiony had never been so panicked. Not long after, Lakta and Elfie, who couldn't catch up with Bert and Tiona, arrived at the large room one after another and successfully reunited with everyone.

"Old man! Finn has been cursed! He's in serious trouble!"

"I understand! Report the situation!"

"I also have a male member (Ax) who has been poisoned by the 'deadly poison' of the Poisonous Maggot!"

"Lefia and Lina haven't arrived yet!"

Centered around Grace, the group continuously shared information and relayed instructions.

The Loki Familia acted swiftly. The members, having successfully reunited, correctly and step-by-step implemented the emergency measures learned during the "Expedition."

"...What are the retinue of the god (Thanatos) doing?"

"!"

Ais and the others snapped back to their senses and turned around to see Revis emerging from the smoke and dust.

Despite being badly injured in the surprise attack by Grace and his men, the monster's fighting spirit remained undiminished.

"Fine, whatever. I'll just get rid of all the annoying little flying insects right here."

"...Please, do you really want to fight this many people?"

Seeing the strange man's unusual presence and eerie atmosphere, Tione re-equips himself with the recurve sword "Zoas" and faces the enemy with a stiff smile.

Faced with more than ten adventurers, Revis simply narrowed her eyes coldly.

"You wounded and wounded soldiers are not difficult to deal with. If you want, I can also summon the man-eating plants (monsters)."

The venomous maggots' "deadly poison"; the overuse of the "Berserk Attack (skill)" causing stamina loss; and the right arm, crushed by the "door" and now largely useless. Tiona and Bert's exhausted and panting condition was noticed, leaving them sweating and unable to retort. Their supplies were also running low, and the damage inflicted by the artificial maze hadn't fully healed, becoming a potential negative factor.

While burning her "magic" to heal her body, Rives pressed her severed right arm against the broken surface.

As the severed arm immediately reconnected, and the strange man clenched his fist and opened it again as if nothing had happened, Raul and the lower-ranking members all gasped in shock.

"...Bring a spare axe."

“Okay, okay!”

Grace whispered instructions to one of the support staff.

His armor was half-broken and he had suffered considerable damage, but he still took up his weapon and entered a combat-ready stance.

Ais, carrying her sword, kept a close eye on Ruivis, not daring to be careless.

It's too late to say.

The wall of the large room was broken.

"what?"

There were no warning signs whatsoever.

Steel-colored skin dominated the entire field of vision.

A massive object shattered countless stone slabs and fragments of ultra-hard metal, hurtling towards them, causing Ais and the others to stop breathing.

Even Revis was taken aback; only Grace shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Run! Aa ...

Everyone abandoned everything and rushed to retreat.

Beginning with Grace's roar, the adventurers rushed towards an exit. The lower-ranking members, who were a step too slow in their initial actions, were grabbed by the clothes and forcibly dragged away from the scene by second-rank adventurers such as Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bert, and Raul.

"Could it be a bull type? Pfft!"

Rives disappeared behind the collapsing labyrinth walls, as if to prove that this was an abnormal situation.

Ais witnessed this, but was powerless to do anything about it. The enormous mass blocked their entire view, threatening the rear of the Loki Familia.

"Wait a minute, what's going on?! What happened?! What's happening now?!"

"Who knows, you bastard!!"

Tiona's bewildered voice and Bert's angry curses rose and fell, while the rear passage was gradually swallowed up by the ongoing destruction. Ais and the others had no time to figure out the situation and could only run wildly through the passage, rushing into the hall they had just passed through.

As if it were catching up, a massive explosion resounded all around.